Master the art of applying acrylic paint using creative, unconventional, and imaginative tools rather than relying on traditional brushes alone. This comprehensive workshop teaches innovative techniques for using alternative materials and objects to apply paint and create unique visual effects.
What You Will Explore and Accomplish:
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Creative experimentation and technique development: Discover an extensive array of acrylic application techniques using unconventional materials, including bubble wrap, toothbrushes, natural sponges, and everyday kitchen tools. You will develop reference sheets that document your techniques for future artistic projects.
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Landscape painting reimagined: Utilize your newly developed skills and unique application tools to recreate a landscape composition, pushing yourself to render natural elements such as clouds, foliage, and trees without depending on traditional brush techniques.
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Learning from master artists: Study the innovative approaches and diverse methodologies of renowned contemporary artists, including Helen Frankenthaler, Gerhard Richter, Lucio Fontana, and Kazuo Shiraga, understanding how these artists employ non-traditional tools and techniques within their practice.
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Designing your own painting tools: Engage in hands-on creation of unique, personalized painting tools constructed from recycled materials and readily available household items to expand your creative toolkit.
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Abstract painting final project: Develop a complete abstract artwork using your personally crafted handmade tools, exploring the limitless possibilities of texture, layering, and paint application methods.
Below is a comprehensive list of suggested materials for this workshop. You do not need to acquire every item, as some materials will be provided:
- Acrylic paint in various colors
- Mixing palettes, which can be plastic plates or palette paper
- Water containers or cups for rinsing and thinning
- Several paintbrushes reserved for color mixing and blending purposes
- Recycled and accessible sculptural materials, including cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, foam sheets, plastic food containers, natural sponges, wooden craft sticks, wooden toothpicks, cotton swabs, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, pingpong balls, string, yarn, wire, and similar items
- Scissors and box cutters for shaping materials
- Adhesives, including white craft glue and hot glue guns
- Mixed media paper or professional acrylic painting paper
- Canvas boards or pre-stretched canvases
Catie Dillon is a contemporary artist based in Brooklyn, New York, who creates large-scale abstract paintings exploring themes of movement, the human body, and interconnectedness within natural systems. Through her distinctive process of layering and scraping away paint, Dillon discovers and reveals dynamic spiraling lines and gestural marks. These expansive gestures, executed with brushes and squeegees, frequently reference organic forms and complex networks found throughout the natural world. Dillon was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, earned her BFA from Penn State University, and completed her MFA from Hunter College. Her work has been featured in solo exhibitions at the McDonough Museum of Art in Youngstown, Ohio, and the Woskob Family Gallery in State College, Pennsylvania. She has participated in numerous group exhibitions at prominent galleries, including Zepster Gallery, GG and POP Institute, Thierry Goldberg Gallery, Deanna Evans Projects, ChaShaMa, Tanya Weddemire Gallery, Georgetown College, and others throughout New York and beyond. Dillon has served as an artist-in-residence at multiple prestigious programs, including Open Wabi Residency in Fredericktown, Ohio, Fish Factory Residency in Stodvarfjordur, Iceland, PADA Studios in Barreiro, Portugal, Wassaic Project in Wassaic, New York, ProjectArt Residency in Brooklyn, and Art on the Block in New York. She has taught art at The Center for Arts and Crafts in State College, Pennsylvania, The Mattress Factory Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Wassaic Project in Wassaic, New York.
