Shape Language

Artist/Instructor: Joey Goergen

Saturday, September 20

10:30 AM–2:30 PM

Fee: Members $75, Not-yet members $90

Supplies are provided

Register Here

In this workshop, participants will explore the expressive possibilities of gouache, a form of opaque watercolor, by developing their own unique “shape language.” Through intuitive mark making and patterned variation, participants will create abstract works that prioritize presence, responsiveness, and trust in one’s innovative instincts. The workshop will include demonstrations on how to work with gouache, including layering techniques, composition fundamentals, and idea generation. Participants will be encouraged to explore personal themes and design their own visual systems. A key part of the workshop will involve observing the work of Charles Burchfield, who used sound and movement to personify abstract concepts in his vibrant, sensory-rich landscapes. His ability to give color a voice and shape a rhythm will serve as inspiration as we dissect these themes and translate them into our own visual language. Participants will create a gouache painting that reflects a personalized approach to abstraction, rooted in emotion, intuition, and personal mark-making.

Joey Goergen
Joey Goergen is an artist from Buffalo, New York. He is currently a visiting professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Goergen attended the University at Buffalo for his MFA in studio art, graduating in 2024. He had his master’s thesis, Anything Can Happen Here, at Hunt Art Gallery. This show featured abstract paintings that examine grief and finding joy through sampling personal narratives, punk as a subculture, and fiction. Joey went to the Cleveland Institute of Art and graduated with a BFA in Drawing and Printmaking in 2018. Goergen has worked as an illustrator for bands like Excide and Sign Language, doing their album art and merchandise. Joey has also shown work at places like Transformer Station Cleveland as well as at The Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo, New York. His works often manifest in works on paper and have also reached installation and sculptural works that explore the shapes and themes presented in his paintings through laser-cut Plexiglass and sound.