Abstract #1 Workshop - A new instructional painting video!

     This is Stephen Lursen and I am so excited to be releasing a brand new art instructional video called Abstract Workshop 1. In this video I take you step by step from a blank 12"x12" gallery depth canvas to the final brush stroke of this beautiful abstract painting. Working in a completely intuitive process, this beautiful completely abstract painting has a focus on Light Molding Paste, palette knives, and pointillism. I selected a cool color palette to create a rich and highly textured background and then brighten and warm the work of art with touches of magenta, pink, orange, and yellow.

     In this workshop, you will learn about proper canvas preparation, color mixing, creating thick paint paste with Light Molding Paste, pointillism, the intuitive painter's process, and the ever important question of "How do I know when I'm finished?"

     Abstract #1 workshop is so exciting for me because it marks the first completely intuitive painting I have ever filmed. Watch and work along with me to experience your own ground breaking moments and unlock your passion not only for looking at abstracts but for painting them!

This video workshop is now available for everyone!!

    I had such a blast making this painting and I am sure you will too! If you are experiencing colder weather and dream of bright colorful days to keep you warm and inspired through the season, this is the painting for you. please take a moment and watch the preview. The whole workshop video is approximately 53 minutes divided into 4 separate chapters for easier streaming and downloading. It costs $25 and is such a great value as you can watch it as many times as you like and rework a completely new canvas every time. The quality is in 720 HD which is nice for clarity. You can find the online video at: https://howtopaint.myshopify.com/products/abstract-workshop-1

    Thank you so much! I am really excited to get to share this painting process with you!

Sincerely,

Stephen

Beach Paintings - Estrada Family Commission

My Grandfather Dr. Paul Sacco past away a couple years ago. I miss him very much. Around 4 or 5 years ago, we collaborated on an acrylic landscape painting. My grandfather was a great influence and inspiration to me in many ways, one of those ways was art.  He started painting when he turned 80 and painted until he passed away at 102. I grew up calling him Papa. He painted the top half and I painted the bottom half. I'm not proud of my work necessarily because I did it in a couple hours one afternoon, but I love this painting because of what it represents to me. It is the only work we ever did together. My Aunt Therese and Uncle Tony Estrada now have it hanging on the wall of their living room. My Aunt commissioned me to create three smaller beach scenes to hang on the same wall. The three beach paintings are on 11" x 14" canvases.

Conklin Commission: family portrait drawing

Our good friends Josh and Brittany recently asked me to create a hand drawn collage of family portraits. The overall matte size within the frame is 22"x28". The work includes three 8" x 10" graphite pencil drawings on acid free drawing paper.

just a detail of the frame

Brittany's Great Grandfather

Brittany's Dad on the left and grandfather on the right

Brittany's Great Grandfather holding her Grandfather

Color Splash Painting

Color Splash Original Painting for Sale $600

This is the 36"x 36" painting that my wife Cara and I worked on together immediately following the Galaxy Splash Abstract painting. This is also an acrylic painting, but has no gold leaf. Sometimes... rarely,  I edit back the labor in a painting and this is probably the simplest painting I have ever worked on of this size. Part of the motivation of editing back was because I was working on this painting with Cara who has simpler and more colorful taste than I do. I do enjoy collaborating on paintings with others because you always create artwork that neither would have done on their own. As you can see, we rotated the canvas and dripped the paint in opposing directions to free us up to be able to determine which orientation we wanted most. If your drips are only in one direction, that implies gravity and causes most viewers to assume that the drips fall down and if you rotate the canvas in any other direction it may seam wrong. To combat that thinking, we dripped in different directions. We used glass bead medium, white flake medium, and multiple fluid mediums to increase splatter ability of paints. We finger painted the majority of the left side to create energy without showing obvious brush strokes.

Detail images below:

Galaxy Splash Abstract Painting - SOLD!!!

About a year ago, my wife and I wanted to work on a painting together for our home. We had done that twice before and we no longer had either of the paintings because they sold. In the past, my personal style was much more neutral in color palette, and my wife Cara loves bright bold color. As any husband knows, 'If Momma aint happy, aint nobody happy!'. So we started with a 36" x 36" gallery depth canvas and started throwing color down. We did actually work on the canvas while it was laying flat so that we truly could sling paint down and it would stay where it was thrown. I've learned a lot about painting from working for and with Donna Downey. Her use of color, painting with her hands, and strategically laying down warm and cool colors separately to maintain the integrity of the colors. We only tilted the canvas up in specific stages when we wanted drips and runs in the paint to occur. I couldn't resist adding in some gold leaf. It's my thing!

SOLD!!! - I am proud to say that this painting was purchased by Artist Junelle Jacobsen!!! I was extremely humbled, proud, honored, and excited when I found out that she loved my painting so much she purchased it. Thank you so much Junelle!

Detail shots are below. One technique I learned from my Major Professor Tom Stanley in Grad School is sgraffito sgraf·fi·to/zɡräˈfētō,skrä-/

noun a form of decoration made by scratching through a surface to reveal a lower layer of a contrasting color, typically done in plaster or stucco on walls, or in slip on ceramics before firing.

Sun and Moon Abstract Painting - For Sale

SUN AND MOON abstract painting - For Sale $700

I recently wanted to experiment with layering materials known, with new materials to me. Materials and media I am very familiar with in this painting include acrylic paint, gold leaf, glitter, and ink. The new medium I incorporated to increase the depth of layers was Epoxy Resin. Specifically I used a product used to coat bar tops. One coat of this epoxy resin is the equivalent to 70 coats of polyurethane. I painted the background, then mixed the resin, poured on the resin. While the resin was fresh and wet, I sprinkled gold glitter and gold leaf into the glaze. I then had to spread the resin around the canvas to cover the whole surface. It took almost 3 days to dry because it was outside and coincidentally, it rained the majority of those days. You may wonder why I would keep it outside, especially if it was raining. Well, the epoxy resin produces toxic fumes during the curing process. It doesn't produce a smell, just toxins, so there is no way of measuring the potential poison. The art I produce will never be prioritized over my family's longterm health. And in the end, it turned out just as it was expected to. After it dried, I painted a whole new painting on top creating the geometric circular windows to the back layer. I love the layering benefit of the epoxy, so I know I will use it a lot in the summer, when drying time will reduce significantly.

Custom World Map with Gold Leaf - Sold!

I was recently in talks with some friends of my wife Cara and myself about creating an antique world map. Our friends the Lindigs wanted sepia tones and the words from 'How Great Thou Art' scrolled through the ocean like the smooth rolls of an ocean current. They didn't ask for gold leaf, but I love it so much that I couldn't help myself. I love how the bright reflective gold contrasts so nicely against the dark browns of the corner.

FREE Winter Wonderland Painting workshop video

Hello friends!!!

Stephen Lursen here with a brand new free painting workshop video! I have tought this class in the studio at Donna Downey Studios, and in the season of giving, I want to share this fun class with you! This workshop is great throughout the winter season for families, friends, children, and adults. Have fun, Express your creativity, and Explore new ways of making the world a more beautiful place. Merry Christmas!

After watching this video, you may be curious about what I used in this painting. The supplies I used include:

1.) One printed out silhouette of a reindeer that I cut out and traced onto the canvas.

2.) One pencil with which to trace the silhouette - a water soluable pencil would be best.

3.) One 11"x14" canvas primed and ready to go.

4.) Gold glitter of various sizes.

5.) Modge podge - you could use any gel medium, collage podge, glue, etc. Each will work slightly differently, and have different drying times.

6.) One half inch round tipped flat brush.

7.) One tiny tipped detail brush.

8.) Golden brand Titanium White, Anthroquinone Blue, Titan Buff, and Burnt Umber Light. All Fluid Acrylic paints.

9.) One water well with water and a paper towel for dabbing your paint brush on after cleaning.

And without any further delay, I am proud to present my Winter Silhouette Workshop! Thank you so much for watching! Sincerely, Stephen 

Hummingbird Workshop - Bright and Beautiful

     I'm back with a gorgeous new painting workshop! This time I show you how to use intense color to create an abstract mixed media hummingbird painting.
     Take a look at the trailer to see not only my painting, but also the work of other artists like yourself! I instruct every step of the process from blank white canvas to amazing work of art. This is truly a mixed media painting because in addition to layers of paint, you will collage and add elements such as buttons, glitter, sequins, and anything else you can find. This painting captures a moment in time as a couple hummingbirds fly in and out of beautifully colored flowers.
     You are encouraged to paint your version with your own favorite colors in mind to create a truly unique and original work of art. This workshop is absolutely for all skill levels. No previous drawing skills required. for access to the supply list, please click here. The price for this workshop is only $25. Taking this workshop in the studio is double that price, making this a fantastic value!
     Here are a number of other paintings made during this workshop. These images are examples of how many variations you can create just by pushing your imagination! Have fun with it! Be fearless in your color combinations and layers!

 (notice the buttons applied to the canvas in this one above)

Thank you for watching the trailer and for looking at some of the other paintings made during this workshop. I would love for you to consider buying this online workshop and working along with it, to bring a beautiful pop of color from your heart to your walls! For more information on purchasing this workshop, please visit my website by clicking here.

London, New York, and Paris Workshop

Hello! Stephen Lursen here with a new online workshop! 

I call it 

London, New York, and Paris workshop.

     This five part video workshop takes you step by step from a blank 11"x14" canvas and 3 printed out images (the PDF images are included in the workshop) through the collage stage, then on to multiple layers to get a beautiful painting. I am very happy with this work of art and I believe that you will be too! You can definitely do this painting! No drawing skills are required. This workshop is a great value because once you complete this painting, you can continue making more London, New York, and/or Paris paintings with more of the print outs. You can print as many as you would like. Simply separate each iconic landmark and paint it on its own canvas. You can add titles of the city, mixed media elements, your favorite travel quote, or whatever comes to mind. This workshop gets you started on a much bigger possible series of travel inspired paintings.

     Wy wife Cara and I have dreamed of traveling the world and one way to express this dream is through painting. I know I'm not alone in this dream, so this workshop is for all of you lovers of travel, you lovers of cultures beyond your own home town. Especially if your favorite city includes one of these three!

Check out the trailer below if you would please.

     This video workshop includes: 5 parts of the video in 720 HD, all three edited images for you to download and print as many times as you like, and a supply list. You are welcome to look at the supply list before ordering to consider purchasing other products as you see necessary. The supply list is a PDF. If you have any questions, ideas, or problems, please write below in the comments section.


Thank you SO MUCH! I am so happy to get to share this video workshop with you!

Sincerely,


Stephen