Dan Nelson believes very strongly that "The essence of good painting is making interesting marks with your brush on the canvas". When these marks are made with creative energy and combined with layers of transparent color, the results can be vibrant and magical! You will learn what Dan considers to be the universal principles of painting with luscious and harmonious colors. The goal of this workshop is not to learn to paint “like Dan” but rather how to inject luminous energy into your painting style.

Topics covered include:

• Composition, the key element to creating a successful painting
• Layering with transparency and introducing texture
• How to start with a wild and crazy abstract shape underneath the final product to guide your creativity
• How adding a ‘fuzz layer’ to the painting process to create a more interesting and energetic finished painting
• Gain a better understanding of the complete painting process from start to finish
• Learn the difference between “blah colors” and rich colors
• Understand how painting in a loose manner allows the viewer to complete the image in their mind which provides a greater aesthetic “buzz” than spelling everything out for them
• Discussion of the difference between a “picture” and a painting