Abstracting Landscape by Construction and Deconstruction

Abstracting Landscape by Construction and Deconstruction

Fall Workshop | Available

414 Plush Mill Road Wallingford, PA 19086 United States
Duke Gallery
All Levels
11/13/2026 (one day)
10:00 AM-4:00 PM EDT on Fri
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$100.00
Member Discount Available

Abstracting Landscape by Construction and Deconstruction

Fall Workshop | Available

In this one-day painting workshop, visiting artist Mahshiul Chowdhury will share his essential techniques for abstracting image – including improvisation, elimination and selection of images from photo references, underpainting and layering. Work with your choice of oil or acrylic paint. Explore how to simplify the complexities nature, landscape, and images in your paintings by focusing on shape and values. Chowdhury will demonstrate out-of-the-box artistic techniques, and guide participants to discover and bring out forms in their work. There will be an emphasis on drawing, mark making and playing with colors. Using charcoal to draw with and then paint, an abstraction of texture, color and balance of architectural shape will emerge. Painters of all levels will be able to enjoy this workshop, and experienced artists will be able to loosen up.

*Students are encouraged to bring their own photo reference(s) of landscapes. The instructor will also share photo references with students.



  • *Students are encouraged to bring their own photo reference(s) of landscapes. The instructor will also share photo references with students.

    Below is a list of paints I generally use and recommend, but you can bring your preferred paints in oil or acrylic.
    • Yellow Ochre (Utrecht, W&N or Gamblin )
    • Chrome titanium yellow (Grumbacher)
    • Transparent earth orange (Gamblin artist’s oil)
    • Transparent brown oxide (W&N artist’s oil)
    • Blue Black (W&N artist’s oil)
    • Raw Umber (W&N artist’s oil)
    • Brown Pink (W&N artist’s oil)
    • Transparent red oxide (Grumbacher)
    • Ultramarine Blue (any brand)
    • Large tube of Titanium white (any brand) *I use Sennelier Titanium white and Gamblin flake white replacement
    Charcoal pencils: Generals 557-2B med (cut with knife, not by round sharpener)
    Charcoal sticks: medium and hard (I use W&N artists’ charcoal.)
    Original Liquin (I do not use linseed oil.)
    Bring any brushes you like to work with. Filbert 8-12 oil/acrylic paint brushes are good.
    Palette knife/knives
    Rags or paper towels
    Sand paper: 120 grit

    Surfaces and preparation:
    1. Arches Oil Paper Pad, 12x16 in. or smaller. 140 lbs.
    2. Masonite board 6x6 in. or larger – painted/prepared with a coat of gesso.
    3. Sketchbook (I use 10x7 in. SKETCHBOOK available in Barnes & Noble and Amazon.)
    4. Strathmore or other brands Newsprint and drawing pads, 18x24 in.
Mashiul Chowdhury

Webpage: https://www.artsy.net/artist/mashiul-chowdhury

Mashiul Chowdhury is a Philadelphia-based artist and an alumnus of Pennsylvania Academy of The Fine Arts (PAFA). He is also in the faculty of several art institutes in Philadelphia Including Penn Studio School of Art. 

Mashiul Chowdhury was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He grew up and went to medical school in Bangladesh and immigrated to the US in his late 20s. Mashiul started to attend alumni figure drawing session at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia (PAFA) in 2002. 

Mashiul’s work has won multiple awards including Best Landscape Award n 2014 at the Philadelphia Sketch Club.  He won second place at “In-Person” show for his figure drawing in a national competition in 2018. In 2022, he was one of the winners of “Strokes of Genius” special edition of Artist Magazine in USA.  His work is in the permanent collections of the Capital One Corporate Center in Wilmington, Delaware, Cancer Treatment Center of America and the New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Mashiul exhibited his works in at least 10 solo show since 2009. 

Mashiul offers workshop on abstracting landscape and figure drawing. He was invited to run workshop in New Zealand in 2019 and most recently in Bangladesh. He regularly teaches online and in-person. He has gained huge followers in social media.

Mashiul’s landscape painting process follows construction and deconstruction concept. He takes participants through an unconventional method. Using charcoal to draw with and then paint, an abstraction of texture, color and balance of architectural shape and form will emerge. All levels of students will be able to enjoy the process, use of color, line and space, use of notan in developing a painting. Mashiul gives emphasis on basic skill of drawing and shows how it helps loosening an image.