Edible Abstraction with Nicola Bennett

Register now to learn more about the course and be notified when it’s open for enrolment

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Edible Abstraction - Art Inspired by Food and Flavour with Nicola Bennett is an online art course that connects food’s sensory world with abstract painting’s expressive possibilities.

Tap into your love of colour and flavour from your favourite recipes or discover new shared recipes.

You will develop visually and emotionally rich compositions through storytelling and recipe-inspired colour palettes.

Once engaged with your colour and flavour, you will be ready to embark on a personal drawing and painting journey. Using food imagery, you’ll create unique palettes and paintings based on your favourite flavours - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. This approach offers a new way to understand colour, though ‘eating with the eyes’ is nothing new - it’s why cookbooks captivate us!

Mark-making is another critical focus, introduced through playful drawing exercises like breaking the notion that drawing can only be perfect representational drawing from observation. These marks will become essential building blocks for later compositions. Along the way, you’ll explore optical painting with primary and secondary colours, learn how to harmonize palettes and discover the elements needed to resolve a painting - such as a tone, value, and balance.

This course uniquely connects personal passions with creative expression, helping students develop a discerning eye and bring their work to life.

Join a worldwide community of students who come together in a private online forum and share their art, experiences and insights. Ask questions, bounce ideas, share knowledge and benefit from this course being your resource for life!

Nicola Bennett detail of Ear of the Wheat, 2021 Oil and mixed media 180 x 120 cm

Nicola Bennett is an abstract painter based in Alexandra, in Central Otago, New Zealand.

Her work is about the pleasure and energy that comes from immersing ourselves in the exploration of sensory knowledge. Nicola begins with the everyday natural ingredients that we cook with – like asparagus, lemons, aubergines, avocados, and apricots – and gradually builds her understanding of them through conversations and collaborations with specialist growers and chefs. She shares her personal journey of discovery into these ingredients through touch, taste, smell, sound and sight whilst cooking with them in her own kitchen. Only after all that does she move into the studio.

Nicola uses the suggestive power of colour and how it relates to flavour. Her goal is for the viewer to eat with the eyes, to see what the mouth feels.

Nicola graduated with a first-class honours with a Masters in Fine Art from Whitecliffe College in 2007. Nicola has artwork in private collections in New Zealand, Europe, Australia and The States.

Teaching students of all ages was a big part of her life for many years before dedicating herself to her own art practice. Now she's reached a stage where she's ready to share what she's learnt about her painting journey.

Why Enrol in a Fibre Arts Take Two Signature Course?

Joining Edible Abstraction - Abstract Art Inspired by Food and Flavour includes:

Lifetime Access: Revisit the course content anytime to refresh your skills or find new inspiration. Learn at your own pace!
Student Community Group: Engage with like-minded artists and form connections that could last a lifetime.
Two Live Q&A Sessions: Get direct feedback and insights from Nicola herself.
8 Weeks of Tutor Support: Nicola will be there to guide you, answer your questions, and help you overcome any artistic hurdles.
Showcase Your Artwork: Your enrolment includes an invitation to participate in an online exhibition.

Edible Abstraction:

Art inspired by food and flavour with Nicola Bennett.

Connect your love of colour and flavour through experimental drawing and abstract painting.

LIFETIME ACCESS | 8 WEEKS TUTOR SUPPORT | PRIVATE ONLINE COMMUNITY | 2 LIVE Q&As

Register now to learn more about the course and be notified when it’s open for enrolment

Develop Visually and Emotionally Rich Compositions

Your Tutor Nicola Bennett

Nicola Bennett is an abstract painter based in Alexandra, in Central Otago, New Zealand.

Nicola uses the suggestive power of colour and how it relates to flavour. Her goal is for the viewer to eat with the eyes, to see what the mouth feels.

Nicola graduated with a first-class honours with a Masters in Fine Art from Whitecliffe College in 2007. Nicola has artwork in private collections in New Zealand, Europe, Australia and The States.

Teaching students of all ages was a big part of her life for many years before dedicating herself to her own art practice. Now she's reached a stage where she's ready to share what she's learnt about her painting journey.

Why Enrol in a Fibre Arts Take Two Signature Course?

Register now to learn more about the course and be notified when it’s open for enrolment