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WORKING BIG, WORKING BOLD
JULY 30 – AUGUST 2
or
AUGUST 13 – 16
A focused, small-group workshop built for artists ready to scale up and take real risks. This one is about size, clarity, and making stronger, more decisive moves.
We’ll work large from the start, push composition, and simplify into what actually matters. Plenty of one-on-one time, demos, and space to find your own way through it.
All materials included. Just show up and get to work.
ICB Building / Studio 117 / Sausalito, CA
/workshops
🏷️ working big, working bold, large scale painting, abstract composition, value and shape, bold decisions, intuitive painting, painterly process, studio practice, creative risk, simplify and amplify, scale and impact, contemporary abstraction, mixed media painting, expressive mark making, visual language, develop your eye, push contrast, decisive marks, art intensive, sausalito workshops, icb studios
Second day of my Unveiling Composition four-day workshop.
Right now, we’re working across multiple panels at the same time, building relationships between the pieces, pushing compositions further, and learning how the work changes when viewed as a group. Later, we’ll separate them out and continue developing each one individually.
A big part of this workshop is cultivating a more discerning eye, learning to recognize what’s working, what to let go of, and how stronger compositions can emerge through working in multiples. There’s a lot of momentum in the room already.
There are still a few spots left for the June 4–7 workshop in San Luis Obispo. These four-day sessions are designed for artists looking to refine their visual voice, strengthen composition, and push their work in a new direction through guided exercises and personal exploration. Link in bio for more info.
🏷️ Unveiling Composition Workshop, Abstract Art Workshop, Working In Multiples, Composition In Abstract Art, Mixed Media Painting Process, Contemporary Abstract Artist, San Luis Obispo Art Workshop, Artist Studio Practice, Fine Art Education, Creative Process
#gordonstuder
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GRAVITY
78 x 132 in / 198 x 335 cm
(6.5 x 11 ft)
Part of the Gravity group of works, currently on view and available through Julie Nester Gallery. @julienestergallery
This piece explores weight, movement, and stillness, where bold forms and quieter passages hold tension with one another.
🏷️ abstract art, contemporary painting, abstract painter, large scale art, large abstract painting, contemporary abstract, modern abstract art, earthy palette, graphic abstraction, color and composition, collector art, art collectors, Julie Nester Gallery, Park City art, Sausalito artist, Gordon Studer, abstract expression, contemporary artist, original artwork, art exhibition, gravity series, interior art, statement art, abstract interiors, fine art painting
Finally removing the masking from this 48×96 painting. It’s always a satisfying part of the process.
I used Bluetex, a natural rubber latex, to outline my big, bold shape so that I could paint inside it and keep the edges clean. Now that it’s dry, I was able to gently scrape and rub off the mask.
More to come as this one continues to develop.
🏷️ Masking Fluid Painting, Abstract Painting Process, Large Scale Painting, Painting Reveal, Contemporary Abstract Artist, Artist Studio Practice, Work In Progress Art, Fine Art Process
#gordonstuder
Filling in the inside of the mask on my 48×96 painting with a light, creamy color.
I’ll pull it off once it’s dry - more on that soon.
My studio will be open this weekend for @marinopenstudios . I’ll be painting, so feel free to stop by, see the work up close, and say hello. I’m in studio 117 on the first floor.
🏷️ Masking Fluid Painting, Abstract Painting Process, Marin Open Studios, Sausalito Art Studio, Large Scale Painting, Contemporary Abstract Artist, Artist At Work, Open Studio Event, Fine Art Process
After chalking out my large, bold shape on this 48×96 painting, I like to come in with Bluetex, a natural rubber latex, for masking.
Since I’m planning to paint inside the shape with a lighter color, I mask it off first to keep the edges clean and controlled. It’s a slow process, and while it might look fast here, this is actually sped up 2x.
🏷️ Masking Fluid Painting, Abstract Painting Process, Large Scale Painting, Painting Techniques, Contemporary Abstract Artist, Artist Studio Practice, Work In Progress Art, Fine Art Process
#gordonstuder
Finally getting to work on these big 5.5’ x 10.5’ canvases I prepped a few weeks ago.
Starting with a lot of red and building from there.
🏷️ Abstract Painting Process, Large Scale Painting, Starting A Painting, Painting With Red, Contemporary Abstract Artist, Artist Studio Practice, Work In Progress Art, Fine Art Process
#gordonstuder
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Chalking out a big, bold shape on this 48×96 — then stepping inside it and working it almost like its own separate painting.
More to come.
🏷️ abstract painting, large scale painting, working big, bold shapes, graphic composition, contemporary abstract art, studio process, shape and space, value and contrast, painter at work, process shot, expressive painting, modern abstraction, composition study, art in progress
I just completed a solo exhibition at @julienestergallery in Park City UT, titled Gravity. The show includes 20 works, mostly large scale, including one piece measuring 7 x 13 feet (213 x 396 cm) and another at 11 x 6.5 feet (335 x 198 cm). The exhibition is up through February 17. I am now shifting focus to a commission piece and beginning several new paintings.
There was significant pressure to produce such a large body of work on a shipping deadline, with some pieces still drying as they left the studio. It required a lot of discipline and trust in my process. Through this period, the work developed more strongly toward a graphic language, with circles appearing across many of the paintings in a way that felt both inevitable and revealing.
The work reflects a sense of time and space. The beginning, textured atmospheric background layers represent time before time, or an unseen dimension. As layers accumulate, they move toward the progression of time, with the final shapes and marks representing the present moment. The recurring circle began to feel like the laws of gravity made visible, lunar and planetary weight pressing on us, and on me. These ideas are closely tied to my very active dream life. The paintings feel like emotional representations of my dreams.
I often listen to cinematic soundtracks while painting, but my current favorite artist to work to is @art_school_girlfriend . I can’t get enough of her music, it has been a constant presence in the studio.
Balancing the creative demands with the financial and logistical realities of the art world has been a real stretch, but also an important step forward.
My favorite restaurant is @sushiran , where my studio is located in Sausalito, CA (USA). The miso glazed black cod is incredible, and I’m a big fan of the various hamachi dishes.
I run destination workshops around the US in places like New Orleans, San Diego, Telluride, Santa Fe, and San Luis Obispo, as well as internationally in Mallorca, Spain. Lately I’ve been focusing on workshops in my new studio, with sessions coming up in March and May, and a destination workshop in San Luis Obispo this June.
–Gordon Studer // @gordonstuder
Prepping two new large 5.5’ x 10.5’ canvases for upcoming commissions. More to come soon.
I’m currently open to more commissions as well.
🏷️ Large Scale Painting, Abstract Painting Process, Commission Artwork, Contemporary Abstract Artist, Preparing Canvas, Artist Studio Practice, Painting In Progress, Fine Art Commissions
#gordonstuder
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Drift / 48 × 48 in (122 × 122 cm)
Newly completed in the studio.
Movement without a fixed direction, time unfolding, finding a way without a clear plan. Forms emerge, interrupt, and re-align — a quiet navigation through the piece.
DM for inquiries
🏷️ abstract painting, contemporary abstract art, mixed media on panel, large scale art, geometric abstraction, modern painting, color field, atmospheric abstraction, spatial tension, shape and form, visual rhythm, minimal palette, studio work, sausalito artist
A small look at Gordon Studer deep in the background of one of his newest paintings, pushing darker values and weaving in small pops of color. The goal is to create tension and contrast, so when he overlays a bold shape on top, certain areas will immediately come alive.
Gordon’s work reflects decades of experience as an award-winning commercial illustrator for Fortune 500 clients, alongside his fine art training and years teaching at California College of the Arts. His abstract paintings explore liminal space, memory, and dreamlike transitions, shaped in part by a rare experience of complete amnesia that shifted how he sees the world.
You can see more of his process and work @gordonstuder
🏷️ Abstract Painting, Contemporary Art, Painting Process, Large Scale Art, Color Theory In Art, Layered Painting, Bay Area Artist, Studio Practice, Acrylic Painting, Artist Process
