Seascapes of Maine

Maine...If I were to describe this place in words I would say it is nostalgic, outdoorsy, sociable, lover of the sea, curious, resilient, serene, resourceful, and joyful. I like to give characteristics to a place to help connect to my palette and the emotions I want to evoke from my paintings. I find this particularly useful for those who have not visited a place to better connect. And if you have visited Maine, you may have an entirely different list of words that remind you of Maine.

In this first lesson, we will be collecting images and objects from Maine. I encourage you to try and come up with your own character traits for Maine when viewing this lesson. Next, start thinking about how these can influence not only the colors you select throughout class, but also the way you want to portray your subject matter. Do you want expressionistic brushstrokes, bold and modern lines, or even a different medium? Through this class we will warm up in our journals by sketching the sea life and compositions and then move into expressionistic seascapes in acrylics. This is a mini class, shorter in length with limited subject matter and materials. My hope is that you come away with some new techniques and inspiration to pursue your passions on Maine in any direction you see fit. You can follow along using our same palette and techniques or come up with your own based on your words to reflect the energy you want in your pieces.

Let's start discovering the beauty of Maine!