Rhythm & Restraint: Painting Sound through Simplicity with Karen Sako

Concept

This one-day workshop merges intuition with discipline. Respond to sound - rhythm, melody, and tempo - using abstract mark-making with oil and cold wax. Then, edit and refine those raw responses into powerful yet minimal compositions that communicate emotion through simplicity, space, and texture. Learn how to listen deeply, paint intuitively, and pare down to what truly matters.

Experience

Through demonstrations and hands-on practice, translate rhythm, mood, and tempo into visual movement and mark. Explore restraint by limiting tools, color, and gesture. Strike the balance between expressive spontaneity and mindful editing with Karen as your guide. Leave this workshop with the discovery that sound can awaken new compositional instincts and textures in your work.

Skill Level

All levels welcome.

Instructor

Fusing traditional art principles with exploratory techniques and materials, Karen Sako's abstract work examines the elusive quality of light and the complexity of nature. She brings enthusiasm and optimism to the classroom, where she continually invests her time and shares her trade secrets and findings with her students. Her goal is to ignite the next generation of pioneering creative visionaries and thinkers. Karen holds a BFA in Visual Communications from the Illinois Institute of Art and is an accomplished abstract artist, graphic designer, and instructor.