Dark, Light, Pattern: Fundamentals of Painting
Adult Course | Registration opens 11/4/2025 10:00 AM MDT
In this class, you will discover what captures a viewer's attention from across the room. Using painting media (oil, acrylic, or watercolor), you will explore the fundamentals of 2D design through an abstract perspective, whether your work is abstract or representational. Students will focus on design elements like line, value, texture, and color. This class encourages you to utilize these fundamental elements and skills to develop your individual style and gain awareness of what to look out for when painting. This class will include a live model one week.
- This class will take place Tuesdays & Thursdays during the following dates: 12/4, 12/9, 12/11, & 12/16.
For the first week, bring:
Charcoal
Newsprint
At the very minimum, please bring black and white paint in watercolor, oil, acrylic
For oil and acrylic:
Bring canvas, canvas board, or gessoed matteboard at least 12x15"
For watercolor:
Bring a watercolor paper pad 11x14inches minimum
Further supplies can be discussed as the class progresses
Paint palette, or a surface that can be used as a paint palette
Mikael Olson
Born in Denver in 1973, Mikael Olson has been painting for as long as he can remember.“I paint because it is the most natural way for me to define myself. I prefer to paint ordinary things, and I try to paint them honestly. Painting is my response to the intoxication of my visual experience.”
Mikael is a graduate of Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design and has continued to hone his craft through studies at the Arts Student League of Denver. He has worked alongside such prominent painters as Quang Ho and fellow Coloradan Kevin Wechbach, and includes among his influences such diverse talents as Andrew Wyeth and Richard Diebenkorn. His painting style, which he describes as “impressionistic toward slightly expressionistic,” is beautifully suited to the subjects he prefers: single objects in bold still-life, human figures thoughtfully composed and cleanly rendered, and light-infused street scenes.