08/09/2026
Landscape Laboratory is a week-long workshop exploring the Maine landscape through a combination of plein air painting and collage. Looking closely at the work of the Impressionists, primarily Cézanne and Matisse, alongside Lois Dodd and Fairfield Porter, two painters whose work was deeply informed by the landscape of Maine, we will examine how artists have approached direct observation and consider what their discoveries can offer our own practices.
The mornings, taught by Liam Murphy-Torres, will focus on painting from direct observation. Working outdoors among Maine's land and sea, participants will develop strategies for seeing and responding to a motif while strengthening their ability to convey space, light, atmosphere, and form. Through sustained observation, we will build a deeper understanding of structure and the visual relationships that give a painting its strength.
In the afternoons, taught by Francie Cook, participants will shift from painting to collage. Using the morning's paintings as source material, collage becomes a tool for simplification, experimentation, and invention. Participants will work on small, fast collages, rather than large works. Using collage as a means to explore new compositions, edit observations, and discover unexpected possibilities through cutting, layering, and rearranging forms.
Class is Tuesday, August 18-Saturday, August 22 • 10 AM-5 PM * 5 days *
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