Instructor: Douglas Fryer
Dates: Sept 21–23, 2026 (M–W)
Class times: 9:00–4:00
Class Limit: 16 Students
Tuition: $595.00
Level: Intermediate / Advanced
Location: Greater Carmel Area
Landscape painting is more than a faithful copy of the structure of the world. The opposite may be true, in fact. There is no set rule for making a landscape painting. Only this idea remains: the landscape is what we imagine it to be. Once we accept that, then how do we begin? What principle will serve me to observe and translate something engaging and worthwhile? Which principles will limit me? Painting great work requires discipline, but not necessarily in the ways we have often been led to believe.
There is a difference between making a painting of the landscape and a painting about the landscape. Through lectures, discussion and demonstrations, Douglas will address the many elements of engaging landscape painting. The workshop will reinforce an understanding of composition and form and will also explore methods to break up and strip down the subject, then reconstruct it in new and surprising ways.
Art reveals the evidence of our experiences and values. By observing and creating, the artist suggests themes that are essential to his or her character, and perpetuates the making and sharing of experiences. Through art, subjects become significant to us in unique ways, aesthetically and conceptually. This workshop will not only reinforce an understanding of composition and form, but will also explore methods to break up and strip down the subject, then reconstruct it in new and surprising ways.
Working in oils, we will explore systems of dividing the space within the rectangle, distributing the lines and forms of the subject. Students will participate in discussions regarding the subtleties, variations, lines, textures and colors that enliven our senses and captivate our interest; the way our eyes perceive things and how we make choices regarding their relative importance; the suggestion of the passage of time; the relative states of motion and stillness; how the artist may represent nature in order to reflect on his or her perceptions, experiences and values while also contemplating the important power of content, symbol and abstraction. Douglas demonstrates every day of the workshop. This class is meant for intermediate to advanced painters.
IMAGES
Douglas Fryer at work in his studio
BIO
Douglas Fryer was born in Lake City, Utah, and was raised in Illinois and California. In 1988 he received a BFA in Illustration from Brigham Young University in Provo Utah, and later returned to BYU for further study toward an MFA in Painting and Drawing, completing the degree in 1995. Douglas has taught fine art and illustration at several universities and art schools, including BYU, The University of Hartford in Hartford Connecticut, and at The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.
Although he works mainly in oil, Douglas enjoys working in a variety of mediums including watercolor, printmaking, and digital. His love of landscape stems from having lived in many beautiful areas of the country, including seven years in rural Vermont, and most recently Spring City, UT.
His personal works are moving images of places, objects and people that have simple, yet profound significance to him. He hopes that those who view his paintings will sense his love for his subjects and his pleasure in working with his materials.
