Explore one of the most essential and often overlooked foundations of painting: value.
Focusing exclusively on black, white, and gray, students will create an abstract painting while exploring the powerful role value plays in composition, movement, depth, atmosphere, and emotion.
By setting color aside, students will develop a more sensitive eye for light, shadow, and tonal relationships while strengthening their understanding of composition and visual structure. Along the way, explore expressive brushwork, mark-making, layering techniques, paint consistency, and the use of mediums such as gloss glazing and airbrush medium to create rich, dynamic surfaces. Exercises throughout the day build toward one finished abstract painting.
Ideal for painters interested in abstraction, strengthening their foundations, or gaining a deeper appreciation for the expressive power of value.
Please see list below for materials students should bring to the workshop.
School Policies
Students who withdraw 48 hours prior to the first class are eligible for a refund or credit toward another class, less a $25 registration fee.
Please click here for more details.
Term: Fall 2026
Suggested Ages: 18+
Materials Need to bring to class: 3 sheets of Rives BFK paper or 3 canvas panels (For class exercises.) Black paint Acrylic White paint Acrylic 3 brushes in different sizes Gloss glazing medium or airbrush medium One Large Canvas 30in x 30in or larger.