Building the Image: Material, Surface, and Structure with Lauren Crawford
Class | Registration opens 3/2/2026 12:00 PM EST
This four-week workshop examines how the physical structure of an artwork shapes its meaning by focusing on the construction of painting and mixed-media substrates. Rather than treating supports as neutral or preparatory. Each week introduces a different substrate system: paper-based supports, stretched canvas, rigid box panels, and unstretched or soft supports. Students will learn foundational fabrication skills—including paper pulp casting, laminating and mounting paper, stretching canvas, building cradled panels, and sewing and grommeting fabric—while considering how tension, rigidity, flexibility, depth, and edge affect how an image is read. Emphasis is placed on material testing, craft, and intentional construction, allowing students to select supports that align with conceptual and formal goals.
The workshop is suitable for painters, sculptors, and mixed-media artists seeking greater material literacy and expanded approaches to surface and structure.
Your instructor has provided a list of materials required to participate fully in this class.
If you have any questions about specifics or what is needed week-to-week, please reach out to your instructor via the email in your confirmation letter.
- Sketchbook
- N95 or P100 dust mask (required for sanding foam and surface materials)
- Safety glasses
- Surform rasp
- Surform plane
- Sanding block
- Assorted sandpaper (60–220 grit)
- Putty knives (2–3 sizes)
- Permanent marker
- Acrylic gesso
- Acrylic matte medium
- Chip brushes (assorted sizes)
- Joint compound
- Gorilla Glue (specifically for foam)
Lauren Crawford
Learn about your instructor & more on our faculty page!