Lorraine Glessner
About Lorraine
Lorraine is a former Assistant Professor at Tyler School of Art (2003-2016), a workshop instructor and an award-winning artist. Lorraine’s love of surface, pattern, mark-making and image has led her to combine disparate materials and processes in her work such as silk, wood, wax, pyrography and rust. Recent professional achievements include curating, With Wax: Materiality & Mixed Media in Encaustic at Chester County Art Association in West Chester, PA, a Grand Prize Award from the show (re)Building, Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY, a First Place Award from Connections, Collage Artists of America, Los Angeles, CA and a recently appointed position as an Artist Instructor at R&F Paints. Lorraine also serves as Second Vice President, Program Chair for Collage Artists of America. Lorraine frequently lectures and participates on academic panels at various Conferences including The International Encaustic Conference, Celtic Convergence, SECAC and The College Art Association Annual Conference. Her work is exhibited nationally and internationally. Lorraine brings to her teaching a strong interdisciplinary approach, mixed with a balance of concept, process, experimentation and discovery.
You can view Lorraine’s work at:
Class Details
The Power of Opposites: Mastering Contrast
Architect Christopher Alexander created a four-volume manifesto, The Nature of Order, in which he broke down good design into a few essential core principles. Not all design is painting, but all good painting is good design and one of the most important characteristics of good paintings is knowing how to use contrast. Alexander defines contrast as ‘visible opposites’ and in painting, those opposites can be translated into color, value, texture, form, and many other elements we rarely think of when painting. Using encaustic pigment, collage, mark-making and mixed media, this workshop explores the many ways a painting can transform from static to vibrant using contrast. Through hands-on exercises, painting analysis and discussion, you will learn to effectively and instinctively utilize contrast to create depth, emphasis, and visual interest in your compositions. Whether you are a beginner looking to grasp the basics or an experienced artist seeking to refine your technique, this class offers valuable insights into the dynamic interplay of opposites in painting.
Bold & Balanced: Contrast in Contemporary Art
The best way to learn good design instincts is to repeatedly look at and analyze good design in art. This slide presentation focuses on contrast in painting, highlighting a selection of contemporary and historical artists known for their innovative use of color, value, texture, form and more, to create dynamic and captivating compositions. Through vivid painting examples and insightful analysis, this presentation will provide attendees with a deeper understanding of how contrast and opposites can transform their paintings. These painting examples reveal that opposites not only attract but also create profound and thought-provoking visual experiences.
