Abstract Landscape Painting Class - Boo Mallinson

Approaching Abstraction

Acrylic / Mixed Media / Abstract / Landscape - Materials included

Book Selected Date

Course details

Free up your practice and work more intuitively on this playful abstract painting course that will help you build a more expressive and expansive visual vocabulary.

Boo Mallinson

Join artist Boo Mallinson for this explorative three-day course using the landscape as a point of inspiration and departure. Using a combination of intuitive and expressive mark-making and simple studies from direct observation, learn to free up your practice and trust the process. A chance to discover your own visual vocabulary and appreciate the importance of play and spontaneity in the creative process.

Art can be expressive, fun and free. It can also be a chance to focus, be present, to not overthink, and to observe the details around us. An essential component of the course will be becoming aware of the inner critic, and the self critical inner dialogue that can really hinder our intuitive responses.

Starting with mark-making in black and white, you will then (weather dependent) head out into the surrounding landscape of St Ives to gather lots of quick sample studies. Then, gathering your studies, reflect on which images draw you in, and which ones to discard. Moving into colour on days two and three, work across a series of paintings.

Leave with a series of art works and exploratory studies, as well as a sense of freeing up, letting go, and the endless possibilities available to your practice when you simplify your work. Disregard the rule book, ignore your inner critic, and most of all, play!

Day to day plan

This is a rough indication of what to expect over the course. However sometimes the structure of the days may alter depending on the nature of the group and weather.

Day 1

Decisive, bold, spontaneous mark-making in black and white. ‘One motion marks’ – the first day is spent exploring ways to free up your way of working using different media. Weather dependent, head out into the landscape and make lots of quick, simple studies. Notice where tension is held; drop your shoulders and be aware of overthinking!

Day 2

Assembling your work from the previous day, back in the studio, make decisions about what you’d like to keep and what you wish to disregard. Using colour, see how it can be descriptive and/or emotional and expressive. Working on a number of art boards, begin to explore composition. Think about what you would like your work to convey – calmness or a feeling of energy?

Day 3

Working across three or four paintings simultaneously, use the same limited colour palette and work towards finished pieces using what you have done in the previous few days. Paint, respond, add, subtract, erase and discover. Make decisions to pull the paintings together and leave with a number of art works as well as exploratory material to work from at home.

What will I learn?

  1. Learn to work more freely and intuitively.
  2. Build confidence in drawing and mark-making.
  3. Build a more expressive and expansive visual vocabulary.
  4. Disregard your inner critic and be fully present in your painting practice.
  5. See how colour can be not only descriptive but emotional and intuitive too.

Who would this course suit?

This course is suitable for anyone. If you are interested in loosening your approach to drawing and painting, as well as finding new ways of capturing the environment around you. Most importantly, this will be a chance to explore and experiment without judgement.

There will be some walking on the morning of the first day.

Approaching Abstraction

Acrylic / Mixed Media / Abstract / Landscape – Materials included

Book Selected Date

Taught by

Boo
Mallinson

View Boo’s Work

My approach to painting is less about rules and techniques and more about rediscovering a sense of play; loosening up and learning to respond freely and fearlessly. Experimental, fun, intuitive, gestural, process-focused.

What to Bring

Our studios are fully equipped and we provide you with all the materials you need for your course. However, if you have a favourite set of brushes or any specialist materials that you would prefer to use, please bring them with you.

Our studios are fully equipped and we provide you with all the materials you need for your course. However, if you have a favourite set of brushes or any specialist materials that you would prefer to use, please bring them with you.

Timings and Breaks

The first day starts at 10am and finishes at 4.30pm, please aim to arrive ten to fifteen minutes before the start time.

All course days after that start at 9.30am and finish at 4pm and there will be an hour for lunch. There are plenty of nearby places to eat and we will serve tea and coffee at break times during the day.

The first day starts at 10am and finishes at 4.30pm, please aim to arrive ten to fifteen minutes before the start time.

All course days after that start at 9.30am and end at 4pm. There are plenty of nearby places to eat and we will serve tea and coffee at break times during the day.

What our students say

Wow where to start! We had a fabulous three days. Boo is such a great teacher and gave us all lots of her time. I loved the fact that we all had a station with everything we needed, all the paints etc. Nothing was too much trouble the studio helpers were very good and kept us supplied with teas and biscuits. I will be looking forward to coming to another of Boo’s courses next year.

Caroline C

FAQs

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