Teaching Outside the Lines: My Approach to Abstract Art Classes

One of the most rewarding parts of my creative life is teaching. There’s something magical about watching someone who’s convinced they “aren’t an artist” walk away from class with a canvas full of vibrant, expressive color and the proud grin to match.

Teaching abstract painting is about more than technique, it’s about unlearning behaviors and thoughts about how creating is “supposed to go”. It’s about letting go of the idea that art has to be perfect, or realistic, or “correct.” In my classes, we ditch the pressure and pick up the play.

We use tools that most people wouldn’t expect in a painting studio: balloons, marbles, spray bottles, chains, plastic toys, whatever I can get my hands on. Brushes? Rarely. And if we do use them, it’s to throw or splatter, they are not to control. Why? Because traditional brushwork often brings along an unspoken rule, the thought that ” this should look like something” and in abstract art, that rule doesn’t apply.

I want students to feel free, to move paint without fear, to follow impulse instead of instruction. And somewhere in that freedom, something personal and powerful always emerges.

Every student brings their own energy, their own voice, and it always, ALWAYS, shows up in the work. Watching that transformation unfold is incredible. The moment someone realizes they can create, that their piece is uniquely beautiful, and that art is not just for the “artsy” crowd. Art is for everyone to create. That’s what keeps me teaching.

So if you’ve ever felt like you don’t “get” art or you’re not creative enough, just know, you don’t need to know what you’re doing to start. You just need to start. The rest will show up on the canvas.