In May, we taught a special project inspired by a contemporary impressionist artist, Mark Briscoe.
His work connects a traditional style of painting to something a little more unusual and surreal. Many of his works have the look of the post-impressionists, especially that of Van Gogh, due to the thick impasto brush-work and undulating ‘wobbly’ lines. He has been exploring the painting techniques that were used by the old Dutch and Italian masters.
In this project, students were introduced to the style of Mark Briscoe and Post-Impressionism. Students were given different subject matters according to their level, such as animals, figures and portraits.
Seedling & Headstart – Animals
Foundational & Developmental – Human Figures & Portraits
They chose their preferred image from references given, then practiced drawing and creating the composition in their sketchbooks first, before transferring the sketch to a canvas panel. With the sketch done, they started applying modelling paste, paper mâché, and twine appropriately to create interesting surface textures in their artwork.
Students then painted over the textured surface of the canvas, taking inspiration from the colour scheme of Mark Briscoe and applying tones with short strokes.
Take a look at their stunning paintings!
The Artistic Journey 