There are no available registration dates at this time.

NOTE: This class will be held in a live, online format using the Zoom platform
Class meets Tuesdays 1-4pm ET for 6 Sessions

This workshop encourages participants to develop images that are more than literal representation. Over a period of 6 weeks, we will move from “reality” or seeing the world as it appears, to generating abstract images that impact the viewer on multiple levels. According to the traditional Chinese calendar, Spring begins on February 1 under the sign of the Tiger and no matter where we live, buds are already visible. Let’s be ready to pounce! A series of guided exercises, project prompts, and guest speakers will help jumpstart and inspire the practice of making new work. 

Mediums/Materials/Supplies: I encourage you to begin with materials you have on hand, Creativity is sparked by discovering new ways to use the familiar, building and adding as you go. Ideally, participants should work in a medium they have some familiarity with. Options include drawing, collage, water-based paints and inks, printmaking, and photography. 

Experience Level: All levels. Instruction is individualized to meet you where you are. For participants wishing to build on their experience in this class, a five-day in-person Intensive, focused on seasonal progression, will be offered this summer. 

Schedule: 

Week One – We will begin by looking at a variety of artists both contemporary and historical, whose work abstracts from the natural world in varying degrees. Introduction to Abstraction (slide presentation), Demo of abstract drawing or painting, Overview of Materials and Projects Prompts I’ll also show some of my own work. We’ll go over materials and preview the series of prompts that will help participants get started with their own projects. The project prompts will offer a variety of methods and perspectives inspired by our place in the natural world and how we intersect with that space. In addition to the weekly class, Individual sessions can be scheduled by appointment during the week, to discuss particular goals and progress. For all individual sessions – participants should bring 8-10 images of their own work, so that we can discuss personal goals and how best to achieve them. 

Week Two – Guest Speaker; Demo and Project Prompt: Monotypes; discussion of work in progress 

Week Three – Demo and Project Prompt: Contour Drawing; discussion of work from week two and today

Week Four – Guest Speaker, Demo and Project Prompt: Trace Monotypes; discussion of work from week three 

Week Five – Demo and Project Prompt: Cut Paper Collage using found materials or work already created in this class: discussion of work from week four 

Week Six – Guest Speaker; Evaluations, Presentation of Projects; Preview of the Summer Intensive

All images:  ©Dudley Zopp

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Instructor: Dudley Zopp

Dudley Zopp is a visual artist, writer, and linguist, whose paintings and artist’s books honor the sensory experiences of the natural world. The seasonal activities of keeping multiple journals as she restores habitat on her property in Lincolnville, Maine, feed directly into her paintings of geological and biological phenomena. Her artist’s books examine our responsibilities to the earth. Before moving to Maine, Dudley taught drawing at the University of Louisville and Indiana University Southeast; in Maine she has taught at Waterfall Arts (Belfast) and 26 Split Rock Cove (Thomaston). As an instructor and as private mentor, she is focused on helping students find the hidden potential in their work through an intersection with the richness of the natural world. Dudley’s paintings are included in the collections of 21C Museum Hotels, the Portland Museum of Art, and the Bates College Museum of Art, as well as other university and museum collections nationally. Her books are held in the Special Collections libraries of Bowdoin College, the University of Kentucky, and Yale University. A solo exhibition, Landscapes, Jars and Vessels, at Moremen Gallery (Louisville, Kentucky, 2019) occasioned a conversation about the cities, continents, places, and objects that inform her paintings. In December 2019, she published The Mystery of Five, a limited edition artist’s book. During the 2020 pandemic she has been engaged with the multi-generational group Spliced Connector, and uses Instagram and Artsy as platforms to reach a broader audience. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Dudley graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.A. and M.A. in Modern Foreign Languages, and went on to continue post-graduate studies in Drawing and Painting at the Hite Art Institute, University of Louisville.

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