Abstract Art class with Brian O’Neill

Brian with our finished works, top left to right: Charlie's,
Colleen's, Maggie's; bottom: Bill's

Years ago, before I moved home from London, I took several oil painting classes with a group of friends. My finished projects were nothing to brag about, but for some reason my teacher was so encouraging that, when asked what I wanted for a repatriation gift from my expat community, I decided against the usual Timothy Richards sculptural bookend, and asked for a set of Winsor & Newton paints. I chose poorly: I love my seeing my Timothy Richards collection on display throughout our house; the unopened box of paints taunts me every time I open the drawer it’s buried in.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve gone to Painting with a Twist several times. It’s a lot of fun, especially the BYO part, and at the end of 2+ hours you have a painting that’s ok to hang…in the laundry room. But this experience emboldened me, so when the incredibly talented Rochester artist Brian O’Neill announced a one-day abstract painting class, I signed Charlie and me up (our friends Colleen and Bill were also going to be return students). It was fun purchasing all the stuff on his supplies list – the paints, the brushes, the fake gold leaf… But then the actual day of the class came and I was filled with trepidation.

Colleen & Bill

"More red... More blue...
More beer... More light!"

We began with 5 minutes of quiet, to reflect on the images that were our inspiration, to think about what motivated our choices, and to consider what else we could discover. It was also an exercise in getting comfortable with stillness, which we have so little of in our lives of these days. I’d chosen my photo because it was purple. But looking at it more carefully, it was more than just shades of purple – there were pinks and oranges, and to me, the sense of calm after a storm.

Brian was an excellent instructor – telling us not to judge ourselves or our work, giving us helpful suggestions and brush strokes when asked, but basically letting us explore our own creativity. I mixed some really cool shades of purple, but found I didn’t know how to blend them on the canvas, so he helped me over that hurdle.

One of Brian O'Neill's beautiful creations...

... and another...

...and another

After lunch, we took a break and visited Brian’s studio, where his talent in abstract painting, hyper-realism, and the blend of the two was on display.

Towards the end of the session, students and teacher were sharing supplies – a fellow student let me use some of her paint that gave things a pearly sheen, Colleen was using our stuff for adhering metallic leaf, and everyone was using Brian’s silver leaf with abandon.

At the conclusion, Brian had each of us talk about what we learned and how our visions had transformed through the process. As a newbie, I struggled with a lot of things, like techniques that probably could be learned if I took the time. The biggest hurdle, though, was giving myself license to be creative – to let go of the literalness of my photo and try to capture the essence instead. I didn’t quite succeed in abstracting my image, and Charlie and I both agreed that our paintings looks better in a photo than in person. Still, as the day progressed, we promoted our paintings from garage to laundry to exercise room art. Not worth framing, but still worth displaying, for the sense of accomplishment.

The class was held at the Rochester Art Club – 2^nd oldest art club in the country – in the Hungerford building. For more information on Brian O’Neill’s studio and upcoming classes, visit: https://www.brianoneillstudio.com