Let loose

Though my present work tends to be loose and sometimes abstract, I had a traditional and classical training at art school. I spent a lot of time honing my drawing skills while studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

In much of my current work I use large brushes to mass in tones and colours, simplifying by economising the amount of visual information and number of brush strokes. For this masterclass, I painted a quick, wet-into-wet still life as an example of how I interpret the information in a subject.

A common misconception, which I sometimes encounter among my students, is that a loose, economical application of the paint is somehow easy. I find that it’s not at all easier than a more literal, traditional painting approach. In fact,