Course Outline

Invigorate your painting practice and expand your visual vocabulary of abstraction and landscape painting. Learn how to draw out the abstract from within the conventions of landscape, looking backwards and forwards, and constantly exploring the rich potential of the painted image.

Fran O’Neill emboldens you to break out of your comfort zone and push past the threshold of formulaic painting and roam into the space of the imagination, from whatever physical location you find yourself in, during this online short course. She guides you in developing a critical approach to landscape and abstract painting, forming connections between the two, and focussing on either or both as jumping off points.

For those working in landscape, Fran invites you to look for the possibilities of landscape painting from within your own reality and expanded perceptivity. For some it may be a view out of a door or window that captures your attention, or you can access diverse landscapes whilst working from photographs, or images in your mind, picturing vistas of rolling hills, dense forests, backyards, interiors, vegetation, gardens, cityscapes, alleyways or suburban streets.

Beginning with a known approach, then gradually altering the paintings into abstraction through the creation of subsequent works, focusing on how one image can inform the next, until it reaches a resolution. Fran guides you to explore shape, line, scale, compositions, mark-making, and the intersections of concepts with materiality. She encourages you to take risks and be willing to discover new ways of seeing your artworks, allowing different processes to come into play.

Enter the exciting worlds of landscape and abstraction, where subtle (and not-so-subtle) shifts can occur. Bring your curiosity and be prepared for different images to emerge from the original source, resulting in unexpected and individual paintings.

The course is suitable for those with prior painting experience at intermediate and advanced levels.

*Short courses are open to students of ages 16 years and over. For students under 16 years of age there are School Holiday Workshops, Art Club and other youth art programs.

COURSE DELIVERY

Fran’s online studio course is taught with Zoom and takes advantage of the full range of tools that this program offers. She is present in the online studio for the whole session and she responds directly to students’ questions. This is a critique based class, with students making work either during the class or during the week, with discussions held regarding works made. We are also using Padlet in this course, Padlet is a web application that allows users to post information and images on a digital wall.

If you are unfamiliar with the Zoom program, some tutorial assistance is available prior to the commencement of the first session to ensure you can join in with ease and get to know the online learning environment. You will be guided in Padlet usage by your Lecturer and you can get additional tutorial help from NAS.

Class sizes are limited to a maximum of twelve students and the sessions are not recorded.

Student home-studio requirements

A computer, laptop or iPad with good quality wifi connection.
The computer screen positioned in a stable place in front of you, at a distance that allows you to see screen images clearly, and to be heard through the inbuilt or external speakers and microphone.
A smart phone or camera for taking photos of your artworks.

Lecturer Profile

Fran O’Neill’s art practice is grounded in drawing from life and she maintains these fundamentals as she focuses on abstract paintings. She currently teaches online and formerly, on campus at the Art Students League and the New York Studio School in New York City, and is represented by the Sears Peyton Gallery in the Chelsea art district in Manhattan. She holds dual citizenship in the U.S.A. and in Australia, dividing her time between Australia and New York. Her paintings are held in corporate, museum and individual collections.  For more information on Fran’s artworks visit www.searspeyton.com and http://www.franoneill.com/

Art materials

Don’t sweat it! Whatever you have on hand is great!
Smartphone or camera
Brushes: A large selection of rounds from small sable to large house painting rounds
Drawing paper, pencils and charcoal
Scissors

Canvases
All sizes are suggestions, not requirements for this class.
3-4 small canvases – roughly 14” x 18” or 18” x 24”
2-3 medium canvas’ – roughly 28”x 34” or 30” x 48”-

Suggested Paint Colors
All colors are suggested, but are not requirements for this class. (Don’t worry if you idon’thave all the colors listed.
Paints of your choosing in oil, acrylic or watercolor paints – a full range of cool and warm colours.
Painting mediums for your chosen material

This is the full list of paint colours in order of placement around the palette, however you are welcome to begin with what you already have in your collection. If you are not sure what to purchase the lecturer will discuss at the first class. Suggested colors are listed in order of placement around the palette:
Flake White

Titanium White

Lemon Yellow

Cadmium Yellow Medium

Yellow Ochre

Cadmium Red Light or Medium
Quinacridone Magenta

Alizarin Crimson
Caput Mortem Violet  OR Indian Red

Windsor Violet (W&N) (Dioxazine Violet)

Ultramarine Blue

Cobalt Blue
Cerulean Blue

Terre Verde

Viridian

Cadmium Green Deep

Raw Umber

Ivory Black

Peach Black or Payne’s Grey

Oil Painting:
If you are working with oils please ensure you have a well-ventilated space.
A large hand-held palette is to be varnished with 2 coats shellac or 6 coats of linseed oil
Odorless Turpentine in sealable containers. You will need to store turps in either glass or metal

containers, as anything made of plastic will dissolve.
Murphy’s oil soap for cleaning brushes.
Acrylic Painting:
A variety of plastic containers for storing mixed paints
Plastic palette
Spray bottle with water to keep paints from drying out.

General Materials: 
Rags and/or paper towels. 
Drawing paper, pencils and charcoal. 
Wet wipes for cleaning hands and palettes outdoors
. Plastic wrap for palette storage. 
A palette knife for mixing and applying paint
.

Optional Materials
: Watercolors, palette, watercolor paper or block. 
Sketch book, pencils, erasers for drawing ideas.

Parkers Fine Art Supplies

Parkers Fine Art Supplies offer discounts on art materials and postage to NAS students. They have special art materials kits for NAS short courses on their website. To discuss and order art materials contact Parkers on +61 2 9247 9979 or email [email protected]
Website https://www.parkersartsupplies.com/