The Intuitive Painting Mindset

The Intuitive Painting Mindset

With Stan Kurth

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 9 to 11

9 am to 4 pm

Maximum 8/Minimum 5

Bring a bag lunch, there will be a one-hour lunch break

Cost: $550.00

In this workshop, you’ll become acquainted with the intuitive painting mindset.  In her book Mindset, Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck proposes that human qualities are not fixed—they can be cultivated.  People can grow and improve in any area, including sports, art, music, business, parenting, or relationships.  This growth also applies to intellectual skills.

With this in mind, you’ll begin to shift from a fixed mindset that separates traditional representational painting from abstraction.  It is entirely possible to understand and incorporate both approaches in your work.

Using various mark-making tools, watercolor, and gouache, lessons will begin without reference or preconceived ideas.  You’ll create paintings from arbitrary design elements and bring them to completion using principles of design.  The goal is to develop a painting that aligns with your personal aesthetic—whether representational or non-objective.  The only criteria: no reference, and a willingness to let the process guide the outcome.

Day 1 – Intuitive painting mindset – demo – students paint – critique

Day 2 – What is “abstract” painting – demo – students paint – critique

Day 3 – The elements and principles of design – demo – students paint – critique

Supply List

6 half sheets of 140 lb. Cold Press or 300 lb. Cold Press watercolor paper (15 x 22 inches), or a 16 x 16” 140 lb. Cold Press Fluid Watercolor Block, which is what I will be using.  I have found them on Amazon and Jerry’s Artarama. 

Transparent Watercolors of your choice

Titanium white gouache – I only use titanium white gouache and mix it with watercolor, which makes the watercolor opaque.  In that sense I don’t need colored gouache, but you are welcome to use colored gouache if you wish to do so.  DO NOT use any gouache that contains acrylic.  Read the label to make sure.

Mixing trays, small paper plates or watercolor palette

Watercolor brushes of your choice – various sizes

Acrylic style bristle brushes – various sizes (I use cheap 2” house painter brushes for much of my work)

Black Pilot Precise V5 Rolling Ball Ink Pen or water-soluble black ink pen of your choice

Spray bottle, water container, paper towels

Alcohol and Salt

Optional

Gouache colors of your choice

Black watercolor

Mat with an opening to fit the size of paper you will be working on (highly recommended)

Wax crayons, birthday candles, paraffin sticks, etc., etc.

Charcoal

Graphite

Colored pencils

Scrapers (like credit cards)

Anything else you would like to use.

Stan Kurth was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona and has been painting since the age of four.  He received a Bachelor’s Degree in history and English literature at Northern Arizona University while completing numerous courses in painting and drawing.  For 35 years, he worked as both a fine artist and a graphic artist.  Today, Stan devotes himself entirely to painting and teaching workshops across the country.  His intuitive approach to painting--beginning without a plan and building compositions through spontaneous mark-making—guides both his personal work and his teaching.  His paintings have been featured in many fine arts exhibitions and publications, and he has received numerous awards in local, national and international shows.  Stan is a signature member of several watercolor societies, including the National Watercolor Society (Master), Western Federation of Watercolor Societies (Master), the San Diego Watercolor Society, the Arizona Watercolor Association, and Contemporary Watercolorists of Arizona.