Abstract Art – Jan 2020
“Encourages creativity and challenges. Supportive. Inspirational.”
Jo
Loved spending the weekend in a dynamic creative studio teaching a group of students the fundamentals of Abstract Art. Student Sue sums up the spirit in the studio when she describes the course as “a joy and one which takes you through the process of starting with inspiration through drawing, collage, and using [acrylic] paint.” The course asks students to travel a creative journey of discovery. No clear answers are given as I believe each student already has the creative talent to develop their own work and discover/uncover their own artistic voice. Students are supported by the teaching of fundamental principles of how abstract art is created, some guiding principles of composition, and lots of inspiration from looking at other artists’ work and long with constant 1:1 and group feedback from myself. Read further to find out what the other students thought of the course.
Student Testimonials
“Get your creative juices going embrace the artist within you.” My course highlight was that “my understanding of composition has grown.”
Caroline D
“An excellent, well-structured course, packed full of information.” I have learnt “the basic elements of composition, short cuts, how to move paint around with different tools, collage.”
Annick C
“Do it!! Really well-informed course. I was made aware of the basics, which are not easy.” My course highlight was “seeing other people’s impressions of Abstract Art.”
Alan C
“Encourages creativity and challenges. Supportive. Inspirational.”
Jo C
“Two days to indulge yourself in an art form you probably haven’t tried before. If you don’t know where to start or how to progress an abstract painting – this is for you.” I have learnt “how to make marks, use all sorts of tools and materials, where to start, how to evaluate, and compositional tips.” My course highlight was “achieving something I was proud of at the end of the course.”
Wendy P
“Brian takes you through the most basic principles of making a mark on paper in a way that enables you to see how the mark-making is the basic building block of abstract art – Brilliant. I have learnt that each iteration of a piece is important to contribute to the final piece.” My course highlight was “understanding process, building a firm idea of the possible, learning with each iteration where to go next,”
Val N
“So much fun, loved it! Loved it! Loved it! Friendly environment. Out of my comfort zone. Loved the mixed media and mark-making – lots of ideas I hadn’t used before.” My course highlight was “ideas to move forward in my own work.”
Ailsa O
“I have learnt “not to give up. Thinking about themes, use of materials and development of compositions. Understanding abstract art more clearly (composition, colour, shape, etc) and how to move this on.”
Sue M
