_{My existing studio, which is about to be renovated to be twice the size.}

I’m thinking a lot about painting within limitation. Part of this has to do with my current studio renovation — and the fact that I’ll have to work in makeshift accommodations for the next few weeks. But it also is related to my ongoing search for poetry in my paintings. 

In my online workshop last week, I showed a range of painters who pare down what they observe into relatively simple shapes, forms, and passages of color — remaining representational, but often at the verge of abstraction. This coming week, I’m teaching at Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and I’m going to try to encourage us to slow down and bring attention to the world in new ways (subjectively this will be different for each of us). With this in mind, I’ve created a set of potential painting prompts, listed below.

The past few days I’ve been working with one of the prompts —paint today’s weather in three colors. While I’ve been working at a small scale ( 8 x 8 inches and 10 x 10 inches), I’m starting to see how this approach to landscape — both the focus on limited palette and on weather as opposed to place — can be scaled up to larger paintings. 

_{Progress on the expanded section of my soon-to-be renovated studio — the wall on the left will be removed this week to double the square footage of the space.}

When I teach, I encourage people to pursue their vision and continue working on any projects they’re carrying into the workshop. I try very hard to work with people individually — avoiding a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Still, I recognize two things: first, that the search for content in ones work can be daunting when you’re also trying to build your technical skills with the material. And, second, that sometimes an ‘assignment’ (such as a prompt) can open up new terrain. It’s one of the reasons that I like doing commissions — they’re grounded assignments and sometimes invite me to look beyond my habits and uncover unanticipated opportunity. In that spirit, I offer these prompts!

Infinity of Nature Workshop Optional Painting Prompts:

• With a camera, make ten compositions — at the same place, of the same person, or of the same objects — that each surprise or delight you.
• Paint or draw a self-portrait of how you’re feeling right now. 
• Make a series of landscape paintings (5 or more) from the same location.
• Make a self portrait using objects that represent you.
• Make pictures (painting, drawing or photographs) of the weather you experience this week.
• Paint the interior of your refrigerator.
• Paint a portrait of a dog that captures its essence. 
• Using family photographs, create a painting that tells the story of what was happening three minutes before or three minutes after the photo was taken.
• Make a portrait or series of portraits of someone who is no longer part of your life due to distance or death.
• Paint yourself or another person in each of the four seasons.
• Paint a place near your home in the four seasons
• Make an abstract painting that refers to your body (dancing, walking, writing, or otherwise moving).
• Paint today’s weather in three colors.
• Make a painting with 33 marks of paint.
• Paint or draw the same thing 100 times and make each painting or drawing distinct. 
• Paint your childhood backyard from memory.
• Paint the surface of water from observation of the harbor.
• Paint a room from the vantage point of a cat.
• Paint your memory of night. Paint your observation of night.
• Make a landscape with the Zorn palette — the Zorn palette refers to a palette of colors attributed to the Swedish artist Anders Zorn (1860–1920). It has four colors: yellow ochre, ivory black, vermilion, and white.