Abstracting and Simplifying your Paintings

Sign up by April 20, 2016; after that, check availability.
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Sandy Ostrau is an experienced plein-air and studio oil painter specializing in modern landscapes and figurative work. She has developed a unique style of simplifying the subject and creating interesting color fields full of rich textures.

In this workshop she will introduce her techniques in reductive composing and for creating beautiful color harmonies and textures. You will also learn how using texture and line will enhance your focal point and create a more interesting surface to your paintings.

Sandy will start each day with a demonstration using her techniques then participants will experiment with these techniques on their own paintings with guidance from Sandy. Student prerequisites: some oil or acrylic painting experience—contact instructor.

About the instructor

Sandy grew up in Palo Alto, California, where she was an active student at the Palo Alto Art Center through high school.  The artist continued studio classes and studied Art History at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

After a stint in marketing communications for a Silicon Valley company, Sandy spent several years creating silkscreen and hand-painted clothing and other items for sale through Nordstrom and other Northern California retailers.  Eventually, the artist decided to focus solely on fine art oil paintings.  Sandy has also taken numerous painting and drawing classes at the Pacific Art League and the Art Center in Palo Alto, and was a student of Jim Smyth and Brigitte Curt at the California Academy of Painters.

She now resides in Palo Alto, CA and spends considerable time on the North Coast, at The Sea Ranch, CA.

For more information, visit her website, sandyostrau.com.