Abstracting The Landscape

Simplifying the landscape.

Landscape painting can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. Nature is a fantastic subject for those just starting out with painting. However, the challenge is the abundance of detail. The goal of the course is to simplify the abundant amount of detail that we see. This goal is harder than it looks. Knowing where to start when simplifying is a challenge. In this course, you will learn to simplify and make paintings that capture the essence of what we see rather than the detail.

We will take a landscape and break it down into shapes then paint those shapes ONLY. You will need two important things for this course. One is courage - the courage to leave behind the beautiful detail nature gives us. The second is a big brush - this is the tool that is a key to simplifying. You will do the whole painting with a big brush.

You will come away from this course with a greater understanding of nature, a manner to simplify what you see and the ability to work quickly. Join me to paint some easy simplified landscape and have some fun splashing some paint around. While these tips are targeted at beginners, even advanced artists may find value in revisiting these basics.