Advance your skills and expand your confidence & joy in abstract painting
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EXPLORING ABSTRACTION
online course with Jenny Nelson
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>> Enrollment open through April 28th <<
New Bonus Lesson During this Enrollment Period Only; Scroll Down for Details
You can develop a strong abstract language that is unique to you
Hi, I'm Jenny Nelson. I've been practicing and teaching abstract painting for 25 years. Through the years, I've painted daily and experienced all the self-doubts and personal challenges that the creative process presents.
Having taught hundreds of students over the years through my live workshops, I've learned the common challenges that arise when trying to implement abstract elements into your work. Maybe it’s color, composition, how to jumpstart a stalled painting or even start a new one.
As a result, I've developed a simple, sequential framework to develop your skills and build your confidence in abstract painting.
And now I've created an online course upon this framework that allows you to study whenever and wherever you want. It's called Exploring Abstraction.
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Jessie Kotler
"Color and shape can be so overwhelming, but Jenny teaches you to keep going and not be afraid. I learned to trust myself."
James Ransome
"Jenny is warm, comfortable and really eager to share. Her lessons teach you the principles of making good abstract work."
Jane Hofverberg
"Jenny took the fear out of a blank canvas. She has several exercies that enabled me to not feel stressed about starting with nothing."
The Course at a Glance
Curriculum + Community
The Exploring Abstraction online course will give you the building blocks and tools to create dynamic abstract compositions. You will strengthen your mark-making, shape and color vocabulary by developing a language that is authentic to you.
Your work will change in ways you could not have anticipated — incorporating your present sensibilities while pushing your work to the next level.
The course is delivered in 6 modules, each released weekly, with exercises that build upon each other
- The video trainings are pre-recorded so you can access them anytime — and you own the course for life
- The exercises are simple, yet can produce expansive results
- The course was filmed in a beautiful industrial space with 4 actual students, so you'll feel as though you're in class with them, sharing the same experience
Plus, you get 6-month access to my private Exploring Abstraction Community, just for new students. This is a vibrant, private community (NOT a Facebook Group) for sharing your work and getting support in your creative journey. After 6 months, you can join our Alumni Facebook Group for life.Â
Here's a peek at what we'll cover in the course:
Week 1
Introduction & Supplies (31 minutes)
- Introduction to the course
- Detailed description and demonstration of the supplies needed for the exercises
Week 2
Exercise 1:Â Charcoal Drawing (106 minutes)
- Discussion of abstract paintings, lines and mark making from several masters
- Demonstration and exercise in lines and mark-making creating an abstract charcoal drawing
Week 3
Exercise 2:Â Exploring Collage (40Â minutes)
- Discussion of shape and composition, including edges, value, texture and contrast. Using magazines and media sources to create dynamic collage.
- Demonstration and exercise in creating collage
Week 4
Exercise 3:Â Interpreting Collage (98Â minutes)
- Demonstration of creating a warm and cool gray scale palette in both oils and acrylics
- Exercise in interpreting a collage into an abstract painting
- Critique/discussion of student work
Week 5
Exercise 4:Â Overlapping Shapes (118 minutes)
- Creation of a harmonious limited color palette in both oils and acrylics
- Demonstration and exercise in using 3 overlapping shapes as a starting point for creating a composition, then evolving this into a workable abstract painting
Week 6
Exercise 5:Â Lines from Life (42 minutes)
- Demonstration and exercise in painting/drawing everyday objects through observation as a path for creating an abstract painting with life force energy
- Evolution of this work into a workable abstract painting
- Discussion of one of Jenny's works
BONUS LESSON
Borrowing a Shape
In this lesson we will be borrowing a shape from a master painting and adding it into our own painting. This will transform a piece that may be stuck into something that is moving forward again. The lesson includes:
- Demonstration of the effects of adding a shape borrowed from a master work into your painting (demos in both oil and acrylics)
- Discussion of the transformation of a work through this process
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The Price is $797 $697
Enrollment closes midnight, April 28th
I believe that there is no better time to invest in yourself than right now. I also recognize that for many, it's a difficult time financially. That's why I've reduced the price by $100 — to get Exploring Abstraction into the hands of as many artists as possible.
Right now, the price is only $697. There is also a 3-pay option available to make the course even more affordable. Note: The course has been upgraded with captions, including Spanish translation, and a brand new community for new students only!
Furthermore, once you're enrolled, you will have unlimited access to the course. So you can go at your own pace and re-visit exercises again and again, whenever and wherever you like.
And for those of you who may feel like the course will be too overwhelming, this is for everybody with an interest in abstraction. I'll take you step-by-step through fun, exciting exercises that are designed to grow your understanding and skills in abstract painting — no matter what level or background you are coming from today.
If you ever get stuck or have a question, I'll be available. Each training video has a comments section; simply post your concern (or big breakthrough!) and I'll respond personally. I want you to succeed and take away some breakthrough moments in your work.
Try the course risk-free! I know that it sometimes takes an extra nudge to take a step on behalf of ourselves. And I also know that this course can transform your painting, as it has done for hundreds of students. But if, at anytime within 14 days of purchase, you feel that the course is simply not a good fit, just email me and request a refund — I'll take care of it right away, no questions asked.
What Students are Saying about Exploring Abstraction
About Jenny
Jenny Nelson is a painter, arts educator. Trained at Maine College of Art and Bard College — where she earned a scholarship to the Lacoste School of the Arts in France — she has spent over two decades living and working in the Hudson Valley, including a residency at the prestigious Byrdcliffe Art Colony.
Her work has been shown nationally at galleries including Hidell Brooks (Charlotte, NC), Anne Loucks (Chicago), and Carrie Haddad (Hudson, NY). She has taught at celebrated arts institutions across the Northeast and beyond — from Provincetown and Nantucket to Woodstock — and has guided thousands of students in improving their abstract painting.
FAQs
Answers to some of the most frequently asked questions