I made my second time lapse video called Under Water II for my followers on youtube and my new website www.stephenlursen.com. I will post a new video every week which I hope will inspire you to paint in new ways.

Thank you so much for watching! If you like this video and have an interest in learning techniques, please check out some of my online workshops where I teach how to produce interesting and beautiful works of art. The instructional videos are filled with abstract techniques. You will find all my products, paintings, and more at www.stephenlursen.com.

Artistically yours,

Stephen

I made my first time lapse video for my new website www.stephenlursen.com as a new beginning for a great future! I will post a new video every week there which I hope will inspire you to paint in new ways.

Thank you so much for watching! If you like this video and have an interest in learning techniques, please check out some of my online workshops where I teach both with words and in demonstration how to produce interesting and beautiful works of art.

I am going to stop posting to this blog within the next 30 days, so please check out my new website and subscribe there at www.stephenlursen.com.

Artistically yours,


Stephen

Printable PDFs! New way of buying fine art!

Great news! I now have a number of printable PDFs for sale from Donnadowney.com! I am most excited about this potential because it frees everyone to buy my art without need for shipping and handling and time waiting. You can buy any of my PDFs and receive them immediately available for you to print them and frame them or have them printed and framed.

Please check out my current inventory every PDF is priced based on size. 8"x10" PDFs are $5 and larger sizes like 11"x14" are $7. All files are 300 dpi.

"Starry Eyed" - A painting about a husband and wife choosing to get away so that their dreams for the future can run wild.

"Artistry I" - A painting that was produced through a collaborative effort between myself and artist Donna Downey, owner of Donna Downey Studios in Huntersville NC. For me, this girl in the painting represents the excited anticipation for the future as she allows the warmth of the sunrise to wash over her face.

"Artistry II" - The 2nd collaborative painting with Donna Downey. This woman is confident and strong no matter what she faces.

"Artistry III" - The 3rd collaborative painting with Donna Downey. This young girl is filled with curiosity and creative imagination. In daydreams her world around her flows with bright beautiful color.

"Expecting Glory" - This painting is about how a person can walk through life and experience hardship and beauty and after a day is over hope rises from within expecting a glorious new day to come. The left half of the painting is a night scene and represents the past. The right half of the painting is a sunrise and represents what is to come. The tiny figure in the bottom center represents every person on an individual level. The circles rising from the figure represents hopes and dreams for the future. The longer we focus on a dream the bigger it can become and when we allow the cares of this life to distract us from our dreams, they begin to fragment and fall apart. The original painting is 7'x6' acrylic on 2 wooden panels.

"Sunset Steam" - This painting glows with the warmth of the tropics. Stephen painted it to bring a bright and bold happy feeling to viewer.

"Washed by the Light" - Day after day passed gray and flat. We didn't know the thing we lacked. Then came the day that you arrived, The Greatest Doctor had prescribed. It was an unforgettable day, and the light that shone, washed the gray away." - Stephen Lursen

"Winter Warmth" - This painting is intended to add a sparkle of festive fun to your walls throughout the winter season. Its for all the coffee and hot chocolate lovers out there who know how to savor each and every moment or for those who want a reminder to stop and enjoy each day even in the midst of a hectic lifestyle.

"Abstract Landscape V" - This painting combines the beauty within the color and texture of paint, with the mystery of an abstract landscape scene.

"Abstract Seascape I" - This painting also combines the beauty within the color and texture of paint, with the open airy quality of standing on a rocky shore looking out across the water.

An Evolution of Abstract Painting - overview and supply list

CLICK HERE FOR PRODUCT PAGE! 

An Evolution of Abstract Painting

03.11.2016

─

Stephen Lursen - Artist

Overview

An Evolution of Abstract Painting: Online Workshop is a brand new, full process workshop, wherein Stephen demonstrates step by step the entire process from beginning to end of painting a large scale, 6.5' x 4' painting.

Goals

1. You will learn new techniques and use products like glazing medium (Luminous glazes), matte medium (Painting sharp lines), house paint, Staple gun, miter saw, wood glue.
2. You will learn how to think critically and creatively when you come to a point where you don’t know what to do next. Ask yourself specific questions and consider what the painting is to determine what it needs. This thought process encourages you as the artist to go beyond what you have seen others do and really pulls out your own creative identity.

Minimum Supply list

1. Canvas or panel to work on (It doesn’t have to be raw canvas, you can use what you have. But in this video you will learn how to paint on raw canvas and then build the stretcher later.)
2. Acrylic paints: yellow, orange, red, deep red, purple, blue, teal, green, white (can be acrylic latex house paint), titan buff or yellow ochre, gray (can be acrylic latex house paint)
3. Acrylic glazing medium
4. Acrylic gel medium (matte)
5. Gesso or house paint primer (If you’re painting on raw canvas)
6. Roller and paint tray (If you’re painting on raw canvas)
7. Fine sandpaper
8. Multiple brushes, water basin, paper towel, work space... typical painting supplies
9. 1”x2” wood pieces from hardware store (If you’re painting on raw canvas)
10. Miter saw - can be hand powered or power saw (If you’re painting on raw canvas)
11. Wood glue (If you’re painting on raw canvas)
12. Staple gun - can be manual or powered (If you’re painting on raw canvas)

Milestones

1. Hang the raw canvas ( it can be mounted to a piece of plywood, laid over another canvas, stapled to the wall, laid out on a table, anything goes & this is only if you’re painting on raw canvas)

2. Prepare your canvas

3. Develop a many layered colorful background

4. Create sharp geometric line work

5. Create loose painterly marks with finger painting

6. Bring some order to the chaos by painting a mask over parts

7. Sand and refine the surface to reveal some of the underlying colors

8. Splatter paint to create fine detailed marks

9. Calculate your stretcher frame size based on your canvas size

10. Measure & cut your wood

11. Build your frame and attach your canvas

12. Sign your painting and install on a wall!

Click here to see a preview!

Abstract Seascape I - Oil on canvas by Stephen Lursen

"Abstract Seascape I"

Acrylic and oil on canvas

by: Stephen Lursen

20"x20"

2016

($300 - for sale by clicking the link)

Abstract Landscape V - Oil painting by Stephen Lursen

"Abstract Landscape V"

Acrylic and oil on canvas

by: Stephen Lursen
20" x 20"

2016

$300
(For sale by clicking the title link)

Also, If you would like to learn how to paint your own abstract landscape painting, please check out my online workshop "Abstract Landscape" sold here.

Sunset Steam - Original Acrylic painting for sale

"Sunset Steam"
4' x 3'
Acrylic on Canvas
by: Stephen Lursen
January 2016

For Sale: $750
For inquiries write me at stephenlursen@gmail.com
or order online at
https://howtopaint.myshopify.com/products/sunset-steam-original-painting-by-stephen-lursen

"Size Does Matter" Painting Workshop with Stephen Lursen

Size Does Matter!

with Stephen Lursen

at Donna Downey Studios 

FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY

April , 8th, 9th, & 10th. 2016

$575 per person includes 3 days of instruction, ALL supplies, 
and shipping for your paintings afterwards.

Want to make an impact with your art? GO BIG!

Want people to notice from anywhere in the room? GO BIG!

Want people to stop and stare at your art trying to figure out why they FEEL something when they look at it? GO BIG!

What do famous Abstract Expressionists like Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Helen Frankenthaler, and Joan Mitchell have in common? THEY WENT BIG! 

What about current artists like Brian Rutenberg, C​laire Desjardins, Lola Donoghue, and Alisa Burke? They go BIG too!​ All of these artists are or will be going in the history books for various reasons, they all had their unique stories to tell and secret techniques that set them apart. What they definitely have in common however is the size of their work. They weren’t so afraid to go big, that they held back. Instead, they overcame the obstacles in their way and pressed on to create the most powerful art of their careers. 

In this workshop you will paint larger than you have ever painted before. We will be painting on a 5' x 4' gallery depth canvas, and each artist will have a back up canvas included. You will work with tools bigger than you’ve used before, and you will have a HUGE art adventure where you will take part in the legacy of artists that have come before you and open a world of painting that you never knew possible.

You will learn many techniques that have been used by professional artists of the modern art movement. Moreover, you will learn the tools to develop your own unique style of working BIG. 

Towards the end of each day we will have time to look at each individual’s work and offer praise and thoughtful remarks that will propel each artist forward with new ideas and build security in their creativity. 

If you feel stuck in a rut creatively, then this is perfect for you! I will guide you each day with demonstrations and explanations for each technique. I will tie in stories of trail blazing artists who have gone before us, what makes their art truly significant, and what we can learn from them.

Each participant will be painting a 5'x4' canvas. We have a maximum of 10 seats to maximize each artist's experience in the space and time provided. We have already sold a couple seats and I have been asked "Can we participate even if we don't have any space on our walls at home for a huge painting?" My answer is YES! I came up with a creative solution! If you would like, you can work really big on a single canvas, and then later in the weekend we can cut the canvas down into a collage of smaller pieces and I will build new frames and re-stretch your smaller canvas paintings for you! Once complete, they will be shipped to you. So you can still work big, learn all the techniques, and then hang the paintings as you see fit in a smaller collage version with two, three, or even more canvases! 

I can not express to you how excited I am to teach this workshop! I hope you will take the chance, and go beyond anything you've done before in painting.

If you have any questions at all about the workshop, please don't hesitate to email me at stephenlursen@gmail.com. I am happy to work with you to make this the absolute best experience for us all!

Click here for more info and to sign up!

Sincerely,

Stephen Lursen

Other large paintings I've completed include (but are not limited to...)

"Starry Eyed"
4'x3' Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas
FOR SALE

"Starry Eyed"
4'x3' Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas
FOR SALE

"Diamonds In The Sky"
5'x3.5' Acrylic on canvas
FOR SALE

8'x3' acrylic and oil on canvas.
Sold to Starbucks Coffee Co.
Hanging in the Lake Norman Starbucks location in Cornelius NC

Same as above.
8'x3' acrylic and oil on canvas.
Sold to Starbucks Coffee Co.
Hanging in the Lake Norman Starbucks location in Cornelius NC.

6' x 3 ' acrylic and oil on canvas.Sold to private collector in NC

Image from Gallery opening in 2010

8'x4' oil on canvas
Hanging in the Brickhouse Tavern in Davidson NC.
For Sale

8'x4' oil on canvas
Hanging in the Brickhouse Tavern in Davidson NC.
For Sale

Same image as above, turned vertical.
8'x4' oil on canvas
Hanging in the Brickhouse Tavern in Davidson NC.
For Sale 

8'x3.5' Acrylic and oil on canvas.
Sold to Starbucks Coffee Co.
Hanging in the Dilworth Starbucks location in Charlotte, NC.

Same as above
8'x3.5' Acrylic and oil on canvas.
Sold to Starbucks Coffee Co.
Hanging in the Dilworth Starbucks location in Charlotte, NC.

Same as above.
8'x3.5' Acrylic and oil on canvas.
Sold to Starbucks Coffee Co.
Hanging in the Dilworth Starbucks location in Charlotte, NC.

"Fall in Vermont"
6'x3.5' oil on canvas
Sold to Private Collector in SC

5'x4' Mixed Media painting on canvas
For Sale

Family Portrait
5'x4' Acrylic on panel
SOLD to Collectors in S.C.

Abstract Landscape
4'x3' Acrylic and Oil and oil pastel on canvas
Sold to Collector in NC

Same as above viewed at a gallery opening with two additional abstract landscape paintings
Abstract Landscape
4'x3' Acrylic and Oil and oil pastel on canvas
Sold to Collector in NC

The Shipyard III
8'x3' Acrylic on Canvas
Sold to Bikram Yoga Studio in Mooresville, NC

Same as above
The Shipyard III
8'x3' Acrylic on Canvas
Sold to Bikram Yoga Studio in Mooresville, NC

A Rose View of Heaven
5'x4' Acrylic on Canvas
Sold to private collector in NC

Same as above
A Rose View of Heaven
5'x4' Acrylic on Canvas
Sold to private collector in NC

Color Splash
3'x3' Acrylic on Canvas
FOR SALE

Galaxy Splash
3'x3' Acrylic on canvas
SOLD to private collector in Utah

Sun and Moon
3'x2'  Mixed Media on canvas
FOR SALE 

Antique World Map
4'x2.5' Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas
Sold to private collector in NC

Expecting Glory
7' x 6' Acrylic on panel
FOR SALE

Daily Itinerary:
(* means that it includes a demonstration)

FRIDAY

10am: Meet and greet. Talking about past art experiences and what each person hopes to take away from the workshop.

11am: Select background colors and paint background using rollers.

12pm: lunch break.

1pm: Stories from art history and how they relate to our weekend experience. How the size of a painting effects its power and emotive quality.

2pm: Layering onto the background, smooth blending, and mixing tints*

3:30pm: Creating big contrasting marks*

4pm: talking about and creating alternative mark making tools to add mystery to your painting

4:30pm: adding unique marks with new tools*

5pm ­- 6pm: Dinner break

6pm: Day 1 Review and art critique. Stephen will request that you use Pinterest.com to create a board of your top 5 abstract paintings and be able to give a short explanation of what you like most about them the next day. ***note: This is subjective and you can not be wrong about anything you say. This is totally based in opinion for the group to learn about new artists and get to see from other people’s perspective about what makes art great. Also, if you do not have access to a computer/device during the weekend, then this can be prepared in advance. There is no benefit to waiting until Friday evening to begin this process.

SATURDAY:

10am: Coffee and art talk. What are your 5 top abstract paintings? and a brief description of why.

11am: Begin painting using some of the techniques and ideas from the discussion.

12pm: Lunch break.

1pm: Adding medium sized marks with artist brushes. picking your moments for boldness*.

3pm: Using layering to edit*.

4pm: Adding in tiny details to draw your viewer in close* (splattering, finger painting, hatching and cross hatching, writing using the fine-liner, pastel pencils, charcoal, graphite, etc.)

5pm: Dinner break

6pm: Review and art critique

SUNDAY:

10am: Coffee and art talk. Where we go from here. Learn how to respond to your painting. Fine tuning. ­ How to draw attention to your favorite parts of the painting and editing out parts you don’t like.*

10:30am: Go to work on your painting

12pm: lunch

1pm: Continue working on your painting (Photographs taken of each painter while they work ­with permission)

2pm: Final art review and critique.