In my current series of abstraction classes, each week we focus on a single element of art. Honing in like this allows us to explore different ways into a painting or drawing. By narrowing down, we are able to go farther into an idea. These projects were made in response to a class on line (an online class on line, if you must). For this, line was emphasized as a way to move the viewer around the page, as pathways. These “simple” sketches by students are elegant, thoughtful, and captivating. Below are a few compositional studies of debris piles by Dawn Carlsen.
Dawn Carlsen
Dawn Carlsen
Dawn Carlsen
Dawn Carlsen
This handsome and considerate study of a backyard playset by Elisabeth Tripathi looked like it might benefit from a solution to the lower two ends. We tried adding some possibilities digitally to see how we might finish it off.
Elisabeth Tripathi
(with digital edits)
“One of the line drawings we looked at was a yellow background with a simple line cube that really stuck with me and I decided to select a more neutral (by way of de kooning) background to make sure color or texture didn’t start to come to the forefront. It was a great exercise to challenge me!” “This piece came out of doing 60 quick line drawing thumbnails from my backyard. Thanks for reminding me about Franz Kline’s phonebook [sketches].” – Elisabeth Tripathi
This online format is changing the way I teach, and my classes are benefiting from it. Every week I have a slideshow of works and a collection of inspirations for a series of quick studies, then a larger challenge (using whatever materials you have on hand), and homework to integrate some of the ideas you found in class into your own personal style and interests. Since each week we have a singular focus, people are able to jump in to catch the next topic and not feel they are behind, so I have opened up these classes to welcome newcomers. If you would like to join us as we continue with our studies into abstractions, see below. We’d love to see what you make!
The Seattle Artist League Portrait Awards encourage artists to develop the theme of portraiture in their work. The competition celebrates outstanding and innovative work in drawing, painting, printmaking, and mixed media. In this first year, we received 232 submissions from 151 artists. Throughout our selection process, the jury focused on choosing interesting work that engaged the artistic medium to convey the essence of a specific person, or …
My email inbox has been slow lately. Everyone must be getting ready for the holiday. There is a pile of Christmas presents that need to get wrapped. They’re blocking the door of my apartment, and spilling into the recycling bin. It’s a delightful mess, all the little contained and uncontainable bits. I said goodbye to …
Carlos San Millan is one of my favorite painters. The glow and the chorus of sounds he can pull from a relaxed and informal series of brush strokes is breathtaking. I wrote Carlos and told him about the League, and he agreed to fly here to meet us. The League is thrilled to host Carlos …
I asked Fran O’Neill from the New York Studio School to talk about her upcoming workshop “To Transcribe” and the benefits of transcribing masterworks. She offered a beautiful and inspiring response. Fran O’Neill’s 2 day workshop “To Transcribe” is coming to the Seattle Artist League October 24, 2020. Click here to learn more. “To Transcribe” …
Abstracting Line
In my current series of abstraction classes, each week we focus on a single element of art. Honing in like this allows us to explore different ways into a painting or drawing. By narrowing down, we are able to go farther into an idea. These projects were made in response to a class on line (an online class on line, if you must). For this, line was emphasized as a way to move the viewer around the page, as pathways. These “simple” sketches by students are elegant, thoughtful, and captivating. Below are a few compositional studies of debris piles by Dawn Carlsen.
This handsome and considerate study of a backyard playset by Elisabeth Tripathi looked like it might benefit from a solution to the lower two ends. We tried adding some possibilities digitally to see how we might finish it off.
“One of the line drawings we looked at was a yellow background with a simple line cube that really stuck with me and I decided to select a more neutral (by way of de kooning) background to make sure color or texture didn’t start to come to the forefront. It was a great exercise to challenge me!”
“This piece came out of doing 60 quick line drawing thumbnails from my backyard. Thanks for reminding me about Franz Kline’s phonebook [sketches].” – Elisabeth Tripathi
This online format is changing the way I teach, and my classes are benefiting from it. Every week I have a slideshow of works and a collection of inspirations for a series of quick studies, then a larger challenge (using whatever materials you have on hand), and homework to integrate some of the ideas you found in class into your own personal style and interests. Since each week we have a singular focus, people are able to jump in to catch the next topic and not feel they are behind, so I have opened up these classes to welcome newcomers. If you would like to join us as we continue with our studies into abstractions, see below. We’d love to see what you make!
Abstracts (MINI) 2 Fridays 10:00-1:30 starts 4/24
Abstracts 6 Fridays 10:00-1:30 starts 4/24
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The Seattle Artist League Portrait Awards 2021
The Seattle Artist League Portrait Awards encourage artists to develop the theme of portraiture in their work. The competition celebrates outstanding and innovative work in drawing, painting, printmaking, and mixed media. In this first year, we received 232 submissions from 151 artists. Throughout our selection process, the jury focused on choosing interesting work that engaged the artistic medium to convey the essence of a specific person, or …
Wrapping Paper Paintings
My email inbox has been slow lately. Everyone must be getting ready for the holiday. There is a pile of Christmas presents that need to get wrapped. They’re blocking the door of my apartment, and spilling into the recycling bin. It’s a delightful mess, all the little contained and uncontainable bits. I said goodbye to …
Carlos San Millan
Carlos San Millan is one of my favorite painters. The glow and the chorus of sounds he can pull from a relaxed and informal series of brush strokes is breathtaking. I wrote Carlos and told him about the League, and he agreed to fly here to meet us. The League is thrilled to host Carlos …
Fran O’Neill on Transcribing Masterworks
I asked Fran O’Neill from the New York Studio School to talk about her upcoming workshop “To Transcribe” and the benefits of transcribing masterworks. She offered a beautiful and inspiring response. Fran O’Neill’s 2 day workshop “To Transcribe” is coming to the Seattle Artist League October 24, 2020. Click here to learn more. “To Transcribe” …