How would you feel if I asked you let go of any formal teaching, detach from any expectations, have no aim to make finished work and stay open and curious?
If this appeals to you then read on!
You’re jumping from one approach to another with no clear plan to get started
You struggle with how to take what you see and abstract it
You’re not sure where to begin on location when there’s so much to look at
You’ve tried thumbnail sketches and scaling but it doesn't resonate with or excite you
You've emulated others but now want to find your own style
If you're feeling any of these right now, don't fear.
Over the past year I’ve worked with many students voicing the same frustrations. Like you, they want to develop their skills in abstract landscape painting but found it confusing and overwhelming.
What you need is a strategy that you can use over and over again to create with ease and joy!
Bev
Artist
Authentic Abstraction is a self-paced video course with one goal:
to empower artists to confidently express their unique creative vision.
It’s designed for artists who want to move into landscape abstraction and teaches a quick, easy-to-follow and repeatable process.
Jacquie
St Ives Workshop Attendee
Jacquie
St Ives Workshop Attendee
Jacquie
St Ives Workshop Attendee
The class covers the 3 main steps, and is subdivided into a 9-part framework:
Step 1 - GATHER
One of the most important stages of the process, we spend time gathering the information that inspires and excites you. This step is vital for understanding how you feel about your subject and why.
Much of this stage is done on location, and I invite you to join me (virtually!) at Cheesewring Quarry on Bodmin Moor as I share my favourite ways to connect with the landscape.
What you learn here will be the key to making art that is authentically you and clarifies how you see the world.
For so long, this was the step I was missing.
Back in the studio I show you how I use this time to reconnect with your subject, tune into the essence of place and identify the key elements you want to bring into your work.
Having an easy and fun way to reconnect with your subject at various stages of the process will deepen your relationship with both your themes and your artwork.
These methods are fantastic to use if you can't get straight into the studio after gathering your data. If you've been away from the studio for a while, or found yourself at a point where you're not sure what to do next and want some help getting 'unstuck'.
Now we've identified our key themes and reconnected to our subject, I take you through ways to apply that to large paintings as well as working up the sketches made on location.
This step will show you how you can use what you have to create an almost limitless source of ideas and new work from a single starting point.
You'll use everything you've learned to create unique, vibrant art that feels true to you.
Creatives flourish in community.
Sharing your ideas and progress helps everyone grow, so I encourage class participants to join our private Facebook group and co-create a community to support you in your ongoing development.
learn a simple step by step framework to guide you through the abstraction process.
learn some basic principles of abstracting that can be used exactly as they are or adapted into your own process.
walk away from this course with an inner confidence to approach abstraction in a way that brings joy and an abundance of ideas.
find a limitless source of inspiration to support the making of work that is totally personal to you.
release fear around doing it wrong, not understanding it or not resonating with other artists' methods.
"Enjoyable and empowering. Natalie was clear and engaging and I would love to do more sessions with her.... I have learned so much."
Workshop student
I can’t say I’m an expert. 25 years spent in corporate and clinical careers made my childhood ambition of being an artist in Cornwall seem like an impossible reach. But eventually the call got too strong and I could no longer ignore it. I had to follow my dream.
I made all the usual mistakes... I had no clear process, I struggled to bring paintings to a finished stage and, most importantly, I couldn’t recognise myself in my work. It felt too much like the work of those who were influencing me, not my own voice.
It was nearly 4 years until I started to understand the importance of painting for ME, not an audience. And once that happened, the transformation was swift and dramatic!
In 2022 I finally became a full-time artist, and in 2023 I had my first major solo museum show and made my first large corporate sale. People were connecting with my art on a level I'd not experienced before, and I knew it was because I was finally making art that was true to me, my unique expression, and it resonated deeply with others.
I say this to show I’ve built my studio practice from scratch, coming back to it later in life, and I understand what it is to struggle to find your flow.
I’ve wrestled with doubt, lack of clear direction and self confidence. I get it. And I want to help you break free from all that and create an artistic practice you love!
My growth began when I changed my approach from imitation to intuition, and I realised the truth about making art: it HAS to come from within.
Artistic fulfilment was never about being like the others. It was about discovery, possibility, curiosity and play. It was about my unique way of seeing the world and making work that was authentically me.
It wasn’t an overnight success but tiny victories compounded — one exhibition leading to another.
Suddenly mentors, teachers and heroes were in my inbox.
I started to exhibit in galleries and fairs across the country and became a tutor at St Ives School of Painting – where I continue to teach regularly. Then in 2023 I had my biggest solo exhibition to date: ‘ This Land’ at the Royal Cornwall Museum.
“We are delighted to exhibit Natalie’s work at the Royal Cornwall Museum.
Not only is the work of exceptional quality, it speaks directly to the things that are important to the museum ...It's an absolute privilege to show such exceptional work by an artist from Cornwall.”
Bryony Robins, Creative Director at the Royal Cornwall Museum
You'll learn exercises to help you understand why you are drawn to your subject and how to tap into the essence of what it means to you.
I'll teach you simple yet powerful exercises help you connect with and express your subject, how to easily reconnect when you need to, and how to take that information and apply it to your work.
You’ll never again struggle for ideas. The framework you’ll learn can be used over and over, to create a limitless source of inspiration and start points.
This is a process class, not a technique class. Through this process you'll learn how to create artwork that is deeply authentic and unique to you.
Authentic Abstraction is a recorded class that you can work through at your own pace. It will teach you my entire process and give you access to our private Facebook community.
If you want to maximise your experience and get the best possible results, you can work with me 1:1 with my Ultimate Coaching Package. This gives you the same access to the class and community, but also direct access to me with 1:1 Zoom calls as you reach various stages of the class, email support in between, a personalised action plan and review*. You'll have me by your side through the journey!
*Maximum of 4 weeks duration as you progress through the class.
You’ve likely taken courses that overpromise and underdeliver. Either too complicated to follow, poorly taught, or use untested systems.
Authentic abstraction is the opposite.
It’s the quick process you need to get your artwork off the start-line so you can create meaningful abstract art.
This is for you if you finally want to make art rooted in self-expression instead of imitation.
It’s the perfect guide for painting on your own time, without cohort schedules or travel involved.
I’ve no doubt this course is the launchpad you need for a thriving abstract creative practice. And I’m offering at a steal, but with one condition...
Not all art-courses are created equal.
Your word helps me prove this one’s the real deal. When you see your results, it would be great if you could tell your friends about this course.
Sound fair?
If so, this course won’t cost you thousands. Heck, it won’t even cost you £500.
You’ll get everything we’ve discussed for just £200 which includes lifetime
access (with any future updates).
You can join 350+ others today by clicking one of the buttons below.
Workshop student
You MUST tick the box below to receive your download - you can unsubscribe at any time.
You MUST tick the box below to receive your download - you can unsubscribe at any time.
I’ve no doubt you’ll see an immediate improvement in your abstract creative practice that will quickly lead to gallery-worthy art.
But abstracting is a compounding game.
The longer you play, the better the experience.
So don’t worry about a 30-day refund. Use the course for 2 months and if for any reason you don’t feel the system delivers 100%, I’ll refund your investment. No questions asked.
However, I think you’ll be thrilled with your purchase.
As long as you want it! There is no set time to work through the content, you can do it at your own pace and if you need to take a break it will be there waiting for you when you get back!
The class is priced in GBP at £497. Please use an online currency converter to get the most up to date exchange rate.
Absolutely! You can log into the class and repeat the lessons as many times as you want.
You will get a full materials list on registration. I recommend using what you already have as this is a class about process not materials. If you are starting out in your creative journey then I suggest a basic art kit of dry materials (charcoal, soft pastels) and a small selection of acrylic paints and printing inks.
The emphasis on this class is very much about experimenting, investigating and adopting a 'what if' approach. My art practice is based around this attitude and it can lead to exciting and unexpected results! In this class I encourage you try something new and see how it can be adapted and incorporated into your own practice. Enjoy the process, push the materials and have a great deal of fun with it, and you never know where it might lead :)