Color Courage with Susan Overstreet

This class is designed for experienced oil, acrylic and pastel painters who want to explore their creative horizons and find their own individual voice through exercises that enable breakthrough moments, particularly with the use of color. This will be a judgment free zone as we abandon ego, dogma, and rules! Art history from cave art to modernism will be discussed, including the evolution of materials and techniques as well as the importance of developing your own philosophy on the creative process. Reading assignments will be given each week to encourage discussions to this end.

Week 1 –Six Color (plus white) Sunflower Painting – This exercise explores a limited palette devoid of earth colors, focusing on direct painting of pure color with minimal mixing using palette knife only. Discussion will include your goals for growing as an artist.

Week 2 – Small Color Abstracts – Pure play with mixing colors to intuitively encourage creating colors and marks that resonate with your spirit. How does the intensity, value, and placement of colors affect the composition.

Week 3 – Influences and Inspirations – Discussion of artists, subjects, literature, motion pictures that motivate your creativity. What images elicit strong emotions? (Images will be available to choose from or you can bring your own.)

Week 4 – Riffing on a painting I– Bring in a painting you’ve done in the past that you love and use it as reference to abstract from it. Discussion about the elements you like about a particular painting and where you see room for improvement.

Week 5 – Riffing on a painting II – same, but one you don’t love!

Week 6 – Finishing your paintings or starting one last painting.

About Susan Overstreet

Susan Overstreet has exhibited at the Provincetown Art Museum, Cape Cod Cultural Center, Cape Cod Museum of Art and Highland House Museum. Represented by Tree's Place in Orleans, MA, her joyful work is collected internationally and she is often commissioned to preserve cherished events and scenes.

Susan completed studio work at George Washington University, and continued studying fine arts at Corcoran School of Art and Art League School of Alexandria. She has been featured in multiple regional publications. Her portrait of a Cape Cod lobsterman was juried into the American Women Artists Annual Competition.

In Virginia, her work was in many juried competitions including the Fairfax County Council of the Arts, the Fairfax Government Center, the Springfield Art Guild Annual Juried Exhibition, Waterford Art Festival, and the Torpedo Factory. She taught art in Fairfax Public Schools and served as president of the Springfield Art Guild.

Artist’s Statement

“Art is a soulful response to a subject. I am inspired by the people and environments of Cape Cod and places that I travel. My process begins with an emotional connection to a subject. I study how best to technically get this reaction on the canvas and then use my brushes and colors to convey my individual expression. It is a joyful challenge to hone an evolving, experimental, technical process that honors the world around us.” — Susan Overstreet

Materials List

• Palette paper or solid palette
• Palette knives – various sizes and shapes
• Brushes: bristle brushes: small rounds (#2-6 size), medium and large brights and filberts
• Paint: Cadmium lemon or pale, Cadmium Medium, Cadmium orange, Magn or Cerulean Blue, Permanent Rose, Magenta, Ultramarine Blue, Titanium White
• Medium: Gamsol and Gamblin solvent free gel recommended
• Rags and paper towels
• Canvas: 20 canvases of various sizes including several 16x20 or larger
• Paintings unfinished or finished as references

For the first class, bring in two of your own paintings (one you love, one you don’t), as well as photos of images that inspire you. These will be used as references.