Abstraction as Language – Digital Art Inspired by Beyond Boundaries

About the Workshop

Discover the power of abstraction as a tool for storytelling, reflection, and self-expression in this hands-on digital art workshop inspired by Beyond Boundaries: Black Abstraction in the Elliot and Kimberly Perry Art Collection.

The experience begins with a self-guided exploration of the exhibition galleries, where participants will encounter works by contemporary Black artists who use abstraction to communicate complex ideas, respond to personal and collective histories, process trauma, and reflect on lived experiences without relying on figurative representation. Through color, texture, gesture, layering, and form, these artists demonstrate how abstraction can function as a powerful visual language.

Drawing from the exhibition's themes, participants will examine how Black artists use abstraction to communicate ideas, memories, emotions, and cultural experiences beyond traditional representation. During the workshop, we will listen to excerpts from artist Gabriel Mills's gallery talk, offering a firsthand perspective on his creative process and approach to abstraction. Mills's richly layered paintings serve as records of thought, memory, and transformation, embodying his belief that "each mark is a thought, each thought is a mark." His work demonstrates how painting can become a language for reflection, revision, and self-discovery.

Through guided instruction in Procreate, participants will create their own abstract digital artwork, experimenting with color, shape, texture, layering, and composition to convey a personal story, feeling, or perspective. As you create, you'll consider how powerful narratives can emerge without depicting a recognizable subject, discovering how abstraction can become a means of expressing identity, experience, and imagination.

Whether inspired by a memory, a mood, a piece of music, a personal journey, or a moment in time, your final artwork will serve as a unique visual expression of your voice and creativity.

About the Teaching Artist

Born and raised in Long Island, New York, Quincy Woodard grew up in a community richly rooted in African and African American artistic traditions and found inspiration in local museums and the city's vibrant graffiti scene. His work is deeply influenced by the visual culture that shaped his youth. As both an artist and educator, Woodard seeks to increase representation within the field of design through the use of cultural iconography, symbols, language, values, and artifacts that reflect diverse histories and lived experiences.