This course invites participants to slow down and engage with the art of painting in the moment. Centered around observation, it focuses on the technique of wet-into-wet painting, known as alla prima, enabling the development of paintings within a single session while enhancing skills in color recognition, value assessment, edge management, and form definition.
Shifting away from highly detailed finishes, the course emphasizes confident brushwork, simplification, and the aesthetic appeal of visible brush strokes. Through demonstrations, guided exercises, and sustained painting studies, participants will explore a variety of brush techniques, learn to mix and apply color efficiently, and develop confidence in making bold, intentional choices.
- Week 1: Participants will begin by learning the foundations of alla prima painting. Quick studies and observational exercises will focus on simplifying subjects into basic shapes and values, while exploring how different brushes create distinct marks and textures. Observation will take precedence over detail.
- Week 2: Attention will shift to how brush handling communicates movement, texture, atmosphere, and form. A range of brush techniques will be experimented with, including directional strokes, broken color, loaded brushes, and varied edge treatments. Short painting studies will promote confident mark-making.
- Week 3: Strategies for efficient color mixing and fresh paint application will be developed. Through still-life studies, participants will learn to mix cleaner colors, identify temperature relationships, and apply paint with intention, all while preserving the vitality of wet-into-wet painting.
- Week 4: The focus will be on how brushwork and value relationships create the illusion of light and volume. Participants will create observational paintings that emphasize strong value patterns, edge control, and expressive paint handling, rather than excessive detail.
- Week 5: Accumulated skills will be applied in a longer painting session, culminating in the development of a complete alla prima painting from start to finish. Emphasis will be placed on composition, color harmony, brush economy, and maintaining freshness throughout the process.
- Week 6: Participants will synthesize the concepts explored throughout the course in a final painting project. They will make intentional stylistic choices, refine their brushwork vocabulary, and reflect on how process, observation, and mark-making contribute to their unique voice as painters. Group discussion and feedback will facilitate ongoing growth beyond the course.
This is an intermediate-level Studio Class, designed for adults with some prior painting experience. While all motivated learners are welcome, those with a foundational understanding of painting will likely find it easier to engage with exercises and activities.
Please note that in the event of a session being canceled, November 19 is reserved as a makeup date.
This course will take place at the High Museum in Atlanta.
