This 8-week class with Sara Woster is for people with some painting experience or people who have painted in the past and want to define their painting style, paint a series, learn from art history and contemporary art, and establish a painting practice.

Each week there will be a different art history/contemporary art-inspired, skill-building exercise that will make you a better painter. Each week we will explore how you can get more serious about building a solid body of work.

Students enrolled in weekly classes will also have access to the studio during designated hours in the weekend.

Some of the classes will include:

• We will start with a fabric or tissue sketch in the spirit of Hugo McCloud, and then turn those works into a painting on canvas.

• We look at how Monet captured light and use what we learn to paint our own fire escape gardens or a favorite place in Venice.

• We will look at the portraiture of Whistler and then stage a similar highly-contrasted portrait of somebody we love.

• We will look at sublime art, like that of Casper David Friedrich, and make our own world sublime.

• We will paint an outer space world of moons and stars in order to think about value, pattern, and mixing chromatic blacks.

• We will explore surrealism and symbolism by looking at the work of Gertrude Abercrombie and De Chirico.

When: Wednesday nights - 7 - 9 (instruction will be from 7-9 but students can come at 6 to get extra painting time)

Dates: September 16th, 23rd, 30th, October 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, November 4th

Instructor: Sara Woster

Where: The Painting School, 67 Woodhull Street, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn

Cost: $465 if you bring your own paints and $525 if you use ours.