Painting into the Glow w/ Amanda Houston - December 2-4: 10:30-5:00 : All Levels
Painting into the Glow w/ Amanda Houston - December 2-4: 10:30-5:00 : All Levels
Friday - Sunday / January 16-18/ Wed, Thurs & Fri 10:30-5:00
All welcome levels welcome, some experience is helpful
Finding Luminosity Through Color and Atmosphere - All mediums are welcome, but Amanda will demoing in pastel
In this workshop, artists explore how paintings become luminous—not through force, but through sensitivity. Rather than relying solely on high contrast, we’ll focus on the quieter mechanics of light: subtle temperature shifts, transparency, and edge relationships that allow a painting to feel radiant from within. Through thoughtful design and restrained transitions, light begins to emerge naturally—creating atmosphere, depth, and emotional resonance.
We’ll also explore the concept of contre-jour painting—working directly into the source of light—where form dissolves, edges soften, and illusion deepens. This approach invites a more nuanced way of seeing, where glow is not added, but revealed.
Location: Cole Art Studio, located on the lower level of Cole Gallery. 107 5th Ave S, Edmonds WA 98020
PASTELS (as many as you can bring in your box!)
☐ Soft Pastels (Any brand, no oil pastels)
▫ Recommended: Richeson Amanda Houston sets, Terry Ludwig darks, Diane
Townsend Terrage sticks, Unison, Sennelier
☐ Hard Pastels (10-30 sticks, Girault or NUPastel)
DRAWING BOARDS:
☐ Large Board (For Studio work: that can fit a 16x20 or 18x24 paper
(Recommended: 3/16” gatorboard vs Foamcore or wood (black preferred)
PAPERS: (bring the papers you like. I will demo on the following)
☐ Plein Air Paper (La Carte or La Cart Multi media: in sand or siena color, Art
Spectrum Colorfix- in Raw Sienna, Terracotta; LUX Archival- for underpainting
technique)
☐ Black Surface Paper Choose one: (La Carte, Art Spectrum, UArt)
MISC. SUPPLIES
☐ Sketchbook (Recommended: Strathmore Toned, gray or tan)
☐ Charcoal pencils (white, medium or dark) or
☐ Tombow/Faber-Castell gray set of 4 pens (optional)
☐ Kneaded eraser
☐ 1” black artist masking tape
☐ Vine charcoal (soft or very soft)
☐ Paper towels or rags (Recommended: Viva, Shop Towels, WyPall)
☐ Wet wipes
☐ Exacto knife or straight edge (Olfa recommended)
☐ 2 medium-sized Tupperware containers (one with cornmeal for cleaning pastels) or
Swiffer hand duster for quick pastel cleaning method)
☐ Small container of denatured or isopropyl alcohol (for underpainting techniques)
amandahouston.com
BRUSHES:
☐ 1-2 synthetic brushes (Princeton Snap! or Simply Simon ¾” flat)
OTHER SUPPLIES
☐ Spray Fixative (Lascaux for finish work, or any workable fixative)
☐ Glassine paper (for protecting finished work)
☐ Photo references of shadows in andscapes (simple shapes, no intricate details)
