Size Does Matter!
with Stephen Lursen
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.
$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, Claire 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!
Click here for more info and to sign up!
Sincerely,
Stephen Lursen
Other large paintings I've completed include (but are not limited to...)
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| "Starry Eyed" 4'x3' Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas FOR SALE |
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| "Starry Eyed" 4'x3' Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas FOR SALE |
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| "Diamonds In The Sky" 5'x3.5' Acrylic on canvas FOR SALE |
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| 8'x3' acrylic and oil on canvas. Sold to Starbucks Coffee Co. Hanging in the Lake Norman Starbucks location in Cornelius NC |
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| 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. |
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| 6' x 3 ' acrylic and oil on canvas.Sold to private collector in NC |
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| Image from Gallery opening in 2010 |
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| 8'x4' oil on canvas Hanging in the Brickhouse Tavern in Davidson NC. For Sale |
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| 8'x4' oil on canvas Hanging in the Brickhouse Tavern in Davidson NC. For Sale |
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| Same image as above, turned vertical. 8'x4' oil on canvas Hanging in the Brickhouse Tavern in Davidson NC. For Sale |
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| 8'x3.5' Acrylic and oil on canvas. Sold to Starbucks Coffee Co. Hanging in the Dilworth Starbucks location in Charlotte, NC. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| "Fall in Vermont" 6'x3.5' oil on canvas Sold to Private Collector in SC |
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| 5'x4' Mixed Media painting on canvas For Sale |
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| Family Portrait 5'x4' Acrylic on panel SOLD to Collectors in S.C. |
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| Abstract Landscape 4'x3' Acrylic and Oil and oil pastel on canvas Sold to Collector in NC |
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| 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 |
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| The Shipyard III 8'x3' Acrylic on Canvas Sold to Bikram Yoga Studio in Mooresville, NC |
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| Same as above The Shipyard III 8'x3' Acrylic on Canvas Sold to Bikram Yoga Studio in Mooresville, NC |
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| A Rose View of Heaven 5'x4' Acrylic on Canvas Sold to private collector in NC |
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| Same as above A Rose View of Heaven 5'x4' Acrylic on Canvas Sold to private collector in NC |
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| Color Splash 3'x3' Acrylic on Canvas FOR SALE |
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| Galaxy Splash 3'x3' Acrylic on canvas SOLD to private collector in Utah |
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| Sun and Moon 3'x2' Mixed Media on canvas FOR SALE |
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| Antique World Map 4'x2.5' Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas Sold to private collector in NC |
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| Expecting Glory 7' x 6' Acrylic on panel FOR SALE |
Daily Itinerary:
(* means that it includes a demonstration)
(* 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.
