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Fred Williams Inspired Landscape Painting

In this lesson students will create an abstract landscape painting inspired by Fred Williams. Students begin by creating and experimenting with natural brushes. Students will then create their landscape painting using these brushes, found objects and carboard.

Lesson 1

Students explore the work of Fred Williams. Discuss his style and what inspired him. Discuss the impact of bushfires on the environment and how it can change the landscape and impact communities.

Students will create their own landscape painting using natural materials as brushes. Students will begin by collecting different natural materials such as leaves, pods and sticks. Students will bind some of these materials together using tape and twine. Students will practice mixing colours and experiment with the textures they can create from their handmade brushes and found materials. Students share what they have learnt with the class about colour mixing and creating texture.

Lesson 2

Students begin their painting by spreading acrylic paint on the top of their cardboard base using a small piece of card to create the sky for their scene. Students will spread the paint thickly and blend colours together. They will repeat this process for the middle ground to represent the ground of their landscape. Students should consider the colours they are using to represent a bushfire scene.

Students will then use their brushes and natural objects to create textures in the foreground to represent trees, bushes and shrubs in an abstracted way.

Reflection:

Students reflect on the way in which they made the textures for their paintings. Students compare and contrast their work to another students with a focus on colour, texture and composition.

Extension:

Students can be challenged to incorporate a broad range of textures from different objects into their work or create multiple textures in paint from 1 object.

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