Description

Learning to See:Building an Expressive PaintingA six (6) session courseNo class 1/18 and 2/15



Six-Week Painting Course
Painting is a balance between intentional seeing, thoughtful design, and spontaneous discovery. In this six-week course, we'll explore how to move beyond simply observing our subject to recognizing what we find meaningful and what we want our painting to communicate. Beginning with the architecture of a painting through the development of a strong value structure, we'll explore how shapes, patterns, color, and expressive mark-making work together to create a unified and dynamic painting. Equally important is the creative process itself—allowing the application of paint, intuitive decisions, and unexpected discoveries to influence how we see and respond to our subject. Through weekly instructor demonstrations, discussion, and hands-on painting with individual guidance, students will explore the balance between structure and spontaneity, developing paintings that are expressive, painterly, and uniquely their own.
Six-Week Course Outline• Weeks 1 & 2 — Discovering the Architecture of a Painting: Learning to see, simplify, and develop a strong value structure through connected patterns of light and dark.• Week 3 — Developing Supportive Color: Exploring transparent and opaque color, broken color, and expressive color relationships within the value structure.• Week 4 — Creating Focal Areas: Using contrast, color, and visual hierarchy to establish emphasis and guide the viewer's eye.• Week 5 — Expressive Brushwork and Mark-Making: Creating rhythm, movement, and spontaneity through the application of paint.• Week 6 — The Art of Edges: Exploring hard, soft, lost, and found edges to create atmosphere, direct attention, and unify the painting.
What to Bring• Paints: Oils, acrylics, or gouache• Brushes and palette: Your usual painting supplies• Painting surfaces: Canvas, panels, or appropriate painting paper• Photo references: Subjects with interesting shapes and strong light and dark relationships• Other supplies: Easel, cleaning materials, and your usual painting equipment
Class FormatEach class will include an instructor demonstration and discussion of the week's painting principles, followed by hands-on painting and individual guidance. Demonstrations will be in oils, but the principles apply equally to acrylics and gouache. Open to painters of all experience levels
About the InstructorFred Jackson is a professional plein air painter who participates in some of the nation's most prestigious plein air painting events and competitions across the country. With a background in landscape architecture and design, he brings a strong understanding of composition, structure, and spatial relationships to his work.His paintings are characterized by expressive color, energetic brushwork, and a thoughtful balance between design and spontaneity. Rather than simply recording what he sees, Fred looks beyond the literal subject to discover its potential as a painting. Through an ongoing process of observation, interpretation, and intuitive response, he explores the relationships of shape, value, and color, allowing the painting to evolve as new possibilities emerge. His work reflects not only the character of a place but also his personal experience and the ideas he wishes to communicate.In his teaching, Fred encourages students to develop a strong foundation in design while remaining open to discovery, experimentation, and their own expressive interpretation

Location

Up2

Prerequisites

2026-2027 Adult Membership
or 2026-2027 Family Membership
or 2026-2027 Senior Membership
or 2026-2027 Supporting Benefactor Membership
or 2026-2027 Supporting Patron Membership
or 2026-2027 Adult Membership

Instructor

Fred Jackson