description
If you’re like me, playing with art supplies – whether trying new ones or learning about old ones – is a fun artistic venture! During this class we will be spontaneous and paint with all kinds of media, really mixing it up. We will learn how sticking with a defined color palette helps you to avoid “mud” in your work. And then we will learn how to critically assess our individual results to develop two refined abstract paintings.
Working on claybord, we’ll explore its strengths, its quirks and its forgiving nature. Suitable for any level painter, this class introduces different techniques from those taught in my Abstract class, yet the class can also stand-alone.
We will carve claybord with a Dremel and other tools. We will work primarily wet in wet (I love to get messy!) and will use soft pastel pigment to make our own “paint”. We’ll create spontaneous drips then practice controlling them to add layered areas of interest. We’ll work with alcohol and water at the same time, taking advantage of the effect when they repel one another.
By the time we’re done you will have two new abstract paintings ready for display. You’ll also be armed with cool techniques that can be easily applied to all your mixed media creations.
Mary Beth Shaw worked in the insurance industry for 18 years before she went crazy one day and quit her job. While exploring her creativity, she re-ignited a childhood love of art. She is now ecstatic to support herself as a full time painter, living a "gypsy" life and participating in fine art fairs nationwide. Her mixed media process utilizes pastel, ink, marker and acrylics layered with various collage materials; she welcomes so-called "mistakes" because they lead to wonderful opportunities and discoveries. She works in series and has several bodies of work that employ her own symbolism of embedded meaning. Living in St. Louis with her husband and 3 cats, Mary Beth is passionate about every moment of life.
