TUNE IN: Intuitive Abstract Painting Watch Preview

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Total: 100 minutes. Can watched at your own pace.

A RECORDING OF A LIVE ZOOM CLASS

Tune In: Intuitive Abstract Painting is about listening to your gut and allowing it and the Universe to guide you. This is a class I taught Live on Zoom, which always has a beautiful energy of creative community.

I show you how I, as an artist, open myself up to the power of the universe before I start painting and how I am able to listen to my own intuition while making art. You will then learn ways you can jump-start your process, in order to call in your unique creative energy and connection to self and the universe. You will explore the possibilities that support you to tune in and trust your own intuition. We WILL let go.

I will share my process, my tools, my supplies and my approach to painting abstract.   This is not a 'how-to paint like just like me class'. This is a class that guides you in painting intuitively, by utilizing different techniques that push the boundaries in your own practice, help you embrace and trust your unique voice, and express yourself as only you can.

I believe in you and your voice and know you have it in your already, but so many of us have been quieted or silenced (shhhh!) by society, by the rules, by others and sometimes by ourselves. Now is the time to meet all the possibilities your creativity and art hold, and to tune into what makes your expression valuable to yourself and this world.

This course is IS FOR YOU IF:

* you are ready to explore your own creative voice and expression and want to be encouraged in that exploration

* want to be gently guided to tune into your intuition

* want to find more trust in your process

* want to work on letting go so your painting flows more naturally

* you feel tight in your process and want to loosen up your overall painting, brushstrokes and mark making

* want to explore expressing yourself abstractly

* are interested in exploring creating a large abstract painting on canvas

* you have interest in working in layers and making marks

This class is for any level and is led by artist Pamela Bates. My approach to teaching is casual and approachable. I want to encourage you, no matter where you are in your art journey, to step out of the box and trust your intuition so you can get in tune with your own artistic voice.

Note: This is a class I taught on Zoom with attendees (who you may see occasionally during video, asking questions or giving input on process which can be helpful to others) painting along with me.

Materials: in this course we work in acrylics in a sketchbook, then paper, and finally on a 24 x 24 canvas. Beginning with pencil to start energy moving,  we'll make use of other supplies and mediums along the way (i.e. a sketchbook, spray bottle, etc) to build interest in our work and explore ways to express ourselves as artists. See below for complete list.*

 

"Your classes and paint parties kept me going."              - Nancy Curry

MATERIALS LIST (SUGGESTED) FOR TUNE IN

Suggested means just that. I want you to really tune into what is calling you in terms of supplies, colors and tools.

Sketchbook and  paper

I will be using a very inexpesive sketchbook to warm up with Sketchbook Freedom at the beginning of class. It's about 8 x 10in in size, from Michaels. I find the more basic it is, the more freedom I express myself with. No fear of wasting materials we deem 'too precious'. We'll then move onto working on art paper, I'll be using Strathmore mixed media, a workhorse in my studio.

Canvas
I will be working on a stretched gallery wrapped canvas 24 x 24. If your canvas isn't quite that size, it's ok for this class. However, as your substrate gets larger,your gestures tend to get bigger and looser, so keep that in mind.

I do not generally gesso or prime the canvas. This is a personal decision. I like the texture of the canvas and the way not
having gesso on the substrate works with the paints and mediums. If you like to gesso, have at it. Do what feels right to you.


Paint
I am working with acrylics. I use a variety of brands. Golden (heavy body), Liquitex (heavy body), NovaColor (a more medium body paint) and whatever else is in my paint bin.

As this is an intuitive painting class, choose the palette that calls to you. However, I would suggest having some basic colors on hand that will help you establish contrast and varying hues when used with other colors, i.e. titanium white, unbleached titanium, paynes gray, mars black, etc.

In the studio on any given day, I use a wide variety of paint from Golden, Liquitex and Nova Color, to house paint. I think it is important for each artist to try different brands and consistencies (heavy body vs medium body vs fluid) to see what works for them. I love working with house paint like Picasso and Pollock. Remember, no rules.

Other supplies
-I always start with No. 2 pencil, simply as a way of moving energy. It also keeps my head out of the process. I don't have to 'think' about how to start, Ijust start.
-Oil pastel (final layer when working with acrylics), soft pastels, oil sticks (final layer when working with acrylics), markers, colored pencils, gelatos- whatever YOU like to use to making marks.
-Brushes in varying shapes and sizes.

-Towel or rag. sometimes to apply or remove paint and also for wiping color off brush before rinsing in water.
-Water for rinsing brushes between colors, and I always have more than one.
-Fixative if you want to set your top layer of oil pastels and/or soft pastels (apply in well ventilated area- I  apply outside)
-Paper towels
-Baby wipes (awesome blending tool)
-Hair dryer or heat gun to dry layers

Details:
I am painting on a flat surface to begin with, and then upright with the canvas situated on my easel. If you don’t have an easel, you can prop your canvas up against a wall or hang, set on a straight back dining chair (covered if you don’t want it ruined, or on a wall and secure it. Put some plastic on wall first if it is a wall you use for more than making art.

You ‘can’ paint flat, but just know that it will impact the way the paint moves on the canvas. Sometimes I work with canvas on the floor or a low table, which is very different from upright. Less drips, and just a different approach.

I work with several layers of protection under my easel ( cardboard, then plastic – a garbage bag cut open works, topped with a painters tarp) to prevent water and paint from going all over the floor. You can also use an old blanket, beach towel, shower curtain or sheet folded for extra protection or an old area rug you don’t use anymore.

Please see my other available courses, including my Express Yourself Art Bundle, to continue exploring and adventuring through Soul-Fueled Art.

Time to paint!