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11/15/2025 - 11/22/2025

Studio: Fine Arts

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Intuitive Abstraction: Painting Workshop

Inspired by the painting practice of Russna Kaur, this immersive two-part painting workshop invites participants to move beyond realism and lean into a more intuitive, reactionary and expressive form of painting. Participants will first be guided to create abstract acrylic paintings in response to a personal image of their choosing, using intuitive mark marking to explore gesture, colour, texture and form to communicate emotion and story. In the second session, participants will rework their paintings through layering and intuitive responses to existing brushstrokes, engaging in a process of letting go and  discovering new meanings.

This workshop is fit for all skill levels, and all materials are provided to create a finished abstract acrylic painting at the end of this experience.

About the instructor

Par Nair (she/her) is an Indian born interdisciplinary artist and educator who lives and makes in the GTA (Canada). The primary focus of Par’s art practice is to investigate and explore lived experiences of diaspora using decolonial methods and a return to ancestral practices through paintings, hand embroidery, installation, and creative writing. Par acquired her Master’s (MFA) in Interdisciplinary Arts from OCAD University and has shown her works nationally and internationally. Notable showings include Art Museum at University of Toronto, Bradley Museum, The Textile Museum of Canada, Eastern Edge Gallery (NL), Craft Ontario, Xpace Cultural Centre, Onsite Gallery, Project Casa (Montreal), Hamilton Artists Inc, Riverdale Art Gallery, Rajiv Menon Contemporary (LA), Nuit Blanche ‘23, and The Kochi Biennale (India). In 2023 and ’24, Par’s practice was supported by various OAC and CCA grants. Par currently holds the position of Sessional Faculty at OCAD University, where she teaches painting and art theory. On the weekends and in the summer, Par facilitates drawing and painting workshops with young artists (ages 14 and up). She also instructs embroidery workshops at local libraries and has continually presented her research methods and creative practice through artist talks.