Seven Paintings in Seven Days

Come prepared to complete one small acrylic painting per day. Each is a learning exercise so approach each day as a progression of skill development focused on acquiring comfort for the medium. You will need to research styles and bring subject images with you to class.

First three days:

Minimalist Paintings - research to find additional images. Note simplicity of style, few colors used, and emphasis on shapes.
Choose a section of a minimalist painting to reproduce for this painting.

Using a viewfinder for composing art - I will provide a slide viewfinder for you to compose an image for this day's painting. Place the slide over a magazine page image to find interesting shapes with patterns, to reproduce as an abstract painting. You should work through this composition exercise the day before arriving to class, so that no time is wasted.

Under-paintings - are often used as the first stage in painting. Artists often prefer this approach with all subjects painted first in one colour, focusing on two items, composition and lighting, and then later, adding the actual colours.
Additional link demonstrating use of under painting.
Select a basic image and make an under-painting of it.

Final Four days
These can be done in any order

Repetition/pattern  - Adding repeating colors and shapes is a great way to bring spice to an otherwise boring art piece. Looking to textiles, we can find an endless source of patterns for fill in shapes in a painting. Repeating colour, lines, dots, symbols and  figures are used by many cultures including African art for visual interest.
Rhythm is used to convey movement and fluidity in art. Think of flowing lines and colour.
Choose a basic pattern or rhythm to reproduce.

Gradation - Gradual changes in colour (skin tone) were used by Da Vinci in his portraits. Gradation was also used by Caravaggio, famous for perfecting the use of dramatic lighting, emphasising highlights and shadows in his images. Lessons learned about gradation and how light strikes objects, are used today to make realistic and abstract images.
Choose a basic subject for this painting to demonstrate gradation.

Illusion of Space (Creating background/middle ground/foreground) - Perspective was first used in art by Masacccio to make images appear realistic. A number of strategies can be used to convey realism including; one point perspective, two point perspective, three point perspective, overlapping of subjects, placement of subjects as in Andrew Wyeth's "Cristina's world", and atmospheric perspective.
For this painting, choose a basic composition that illustrates one or more of the strategies for conveying illusion of space.

Symbolism - by definition, means to express ideas or emotion. Symbolism is used when artists want to create more thoughtful, meaningful and deeper art pieces. Subjects and messages are wide ranging depending on purpose and function. Native culture used imagery throughout history to convey all things important in their lives. Picasso painted Guernica to represent his distaste for war and the attack on the Spanish town.
For this painting, create an image that is representational of an idea or emotion.

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