Name: Expressive Abstract Painting with Heather Neilson – Summer Session II 2025
SKU: 11448
Availability: OutOfStock

Expressive Abstract Painting with Heather Neilson – Summer Session II 2025

6 weeks Fridays, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM | August 8, 15, 22, 29, September 5, 12

Location: Washington Art Association’s General Studio

There is a $10 Supply Fee payable to the instructor.

Abstract Painting Supply List – MASTER.pdf

Deepen your acrylic abstract painting practice and build both skill and confidence in this six-week immersive course. Through guided exercises and supportive instruction, you’ll explore key principles of art using acrylic paint—value, color, shape, and composition along with mark making, layering, and more. You’ll be encouraged to trust your intuition and connect more fully with your unique creative voice. This course blends technical instruction with personal exploration. You’ll be invited to slow down, tune in, and respond to what’s happening in the moment, cultivating a mindful and authentic art practice.

Week 1 – Value Through guided exercises, explore the foundational role of light and dark in abstract painting. You’ll work with a limited palette to better understand contrast and how to control value in a composition.

Week 2 – Independent Study: Value Continue developing your understanding of value with optional starting points demonstrated by Heather. You’ll be invited to try alternate approaches to beginning a painting while keeping value in focus.

Week 3 – Color Experiment with analogous and complementary color palettes through guided exercises. We’ll cover basic color theory, palette mixing, and color relationships, with special attention to transparency versus opacity.

Week 4 – Independent Study: Color Continue exploring color with optional prompts and demonstrations from Heather. She’ll offer additional methods for beginning a painting with color as the central focus.

Week 5 – Shape & Composition Discover the expressive power of shape as a building block of abstraction. Explore organic and geometric forms and several approaches to composition to create structure—while remaining responsive to the painting process.

Week 6 – Independent Study: Shape & Composition Continue your investigation of shape and composition with Heather’s guidance. She will offer starting prompts and considerations to further refine your visual language through shape and composition. This course strikes a balance between structured learning and creative freedom, encouraging both technical understanding and artistic risk-taking. In addition to weekly instruction, you’ll be invited to cultivate mindfulness in your artmaking, quiet the inner critic, and bring your full human experience to the canvas.

Please note: This is an instructional and cumulative course with no make-up sessions. If you expect to miss more than two classes and are new to the course, consider enrolling at a time when you can attend the majority of sessions. Cancellation Policy

Participants who withdraw from a class must request a refund or credit more than 14 days prior to the start of the class in order to receive a full refund or credit (minus a $20 cancellation fee or 10% for one-day workshops). Participants who cancel a registration between 8 and 14 days prior to the start of the class may receive a 50% refund or credit. Participants who cancel a registration less than 7 days prior to the start of the class will not receive a refund or credit. Washington Art Association does not offer prorating for classes, and there are no make ups, credits or refunds if a student misses a class. Membership fees are non-refundable.