Journey into Painting Abstraction (2 part series)

Live from the Netherlands

Would you like to embark on a journey into abstraction? Join us to learn how to playfully use shapes, marks and brushstrokes to form a satisfying composition. 

VAWAA artist Tessa will be leading this series over two consecutive Saturdays, starting April 23rd at 12PM ET, where we'll work on two boards at the same time. We'll first find fluidity through an open playful mind, then transition to a more discerning mode along the way to come to a satisfying end result. Working on multiple pieces at the same time will prevent us from "falling in love" with our work too soon. With Tessa's knowledge and insight we'll deepen our practice and push ourselves to create exciting new worlds of shape and color.

The session is for anybody that is interested in painting abstractly, tap into their creativity and wants to learn some of the techniques Tessa uses in her own paintings. She will go into the 3 main principles of abstract painting: Design, Value and Color. We'll be using unusual tools like screwdrivers, stencils and sanding paper to create texture and an interesting surface.

All levels are welcome and there is no prior experience required. There will be plenty of time to share, get feedback and meet other participants from around the world.

If you are not in EST time zone, be sure to convert the time.

Session 1: Play
Saturday April 23 12PM - 1:30PM ET

In this session we'll play with paint and intuitively make shapes to create an interesting "history" on the board.

Session 2: Discernment
Saturday April 30 12PM - 1:30PM ET

To complete our projects we'll use our more constructive, thinking mind to figure out the composition and push our boards to the finish line.

What You'll Need

• Acrylic paint: titanium white, mars black and cadmium yellow light, yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, cadmium red, phthalo blue and any other colors you like 
• Acrylic gloss, medium
• Two approx. 20 x 20 cm (8" x 8") painter's boards or wooden panels
• Brushes in different sizes
• Putty knife
• Sanding paper
• Paper towels
• Pastry scraper
• Stencils
• A pencil
• Acrylic markers
• A plastic tray or lid of a plastic box, a few sheets of baking paper to make a palette

How to join

We'll be hosting this VAWAA Online on Zoom. We'll send the link and details to join via email 1 day and again 1 hour before it begins.

About Tessa

Tessa is an abstract painter who works in mixed media and collage. She focuses heavily on composition, materiality, and pattern. Her creative process emphasizes trial and error, and she enjoys experimenting with texture, using everything from inks to wallpapers in her art. Tessa’s finished works are as much about her process as they are products of that process. Expressive and abstract, Tessa’s collages and paintings reflect her fascination with creative expression and artistic intuition, but more importantly, they reflect her unique humanity and her truly special brand of kindness and energy. A mother, a teacher, and an optimist, she lives by the mantra: “There is art in every heart!”

Visit her artist page to learn more about her in-person VAWAA

Reviews

"Tessa is a wonderful artist, thoughtful host and a great teacher."- Prashant

"Learning from Tessa was such a wonderful experience! She had valuable insight, is very talented and had a lovely demeanor. I truly enjoyed my time with her this morning!" - Jane

"Really nice look into Tessa's process doing collage. I have no art or design background and was able to enjoy this class with many artists of varying backgrounds. We each worked on a collage and shared our work, and I really learned from what others did as well as what Tessa demonstrated. I enjoyed the class very much." - Denise

"Nice presentation. I like projects that will get me out of my head and collaging will do just that.  Many ideas were generated while watching you create. Thank-you VAWAA and Tessa!" - Lisa

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