Abstract Landscape Painting

I've been painting abstract landscapes for over twenty years now, and the question people ask me most often is the same one I asked myself at the start: how do you get from a real place to an expressive painting?

Abstract landscape painting isn't about abandoning what you see. It's about getting closer to what you actually experience when you stand in a landscape, the weight of the sky, the pull of a horizon, the way light changes everything in a moment. Those things are real, but they don't look like a photograph. They feel like something. And that feeling is what I try to paint.

If you're anything like me, you probably started out trying to paint what was in front of you as accurately as possible. And maybe that was satisfying for a while. But at some point, you wanted more. You wanted your paintings to carry something of what it actually felt like to be in that place, not just what it looked like.

That's what this page is about. I've gathered together my guides, articles and courses on abstract landscape painting in one place. Whether you're just starting to explore a more expressive approach or you've been experimenting for a while and want to push further, there's something here for you.

I don't believe in formulas or guaranteed results. What I do believe is that if you look carefully, respond honestly, and give yourself permission to experiment, your paintings will start to carry something true. That's the work. And it's worth doing.

What is abstract landscape painting?

Abstract landscape painting sits somewhere between pure abstraction and traditional landscape work. It uses the real world as a starting point, a view, a place, a memory, but the finished painting doesn't try to describe that place accurately. Instead, it captures a quality. An atmosphere. A feeling.

For me, it starts outdoors. I'll stand in a landscape and notice what draws my attention. Not everything, just the thing that made me stop. The weight of a hillside. A line of dark trees against a pale sky. The way a path disappears. Then I'll sketch, quickly, roughly, to pin down the bones of that response.

Back in the studio, those sketches become the starting point for paintings. But the painting isn't a copy of the sketch, and the sketch isn't a copy of the landscape. Each step is a translation. And with each translation, the work moves further from description and closer to expression.

What makes it abstract is the willingness to let go of accuracy in favour of something more honest. You stop asking "does this look right?" and start asking "does this feel right?" That's a big shift. And it changes everything about how you make marks, choose colours, and build a painting.

Guides & articles

These articles walk through the ideas and techniques I come back to again and again in my own practice. Each one stands alone, but together they build a picture of how abstract landscape painting works, from the very first steps through to developing your own visual language.

How to Abstract a Landscape: From Real View to Expressive Painting
The process I use to get from a real view to abstract marks on a surface. This is where most people get stuck, so I've tried to lay it out as clearly as I can.

Abstract Landscape Painting: A Beginner's Guide
If you're new to working this way, start here. A straightforward introduction to the ideas, materials and mindset behind abstract landscape painting.

What Is Abstract Landscape Painting?
A deeper look at what abstract landscape painting actually is, where it came from, how it differs from traditional landscape work, and why so many painters are drawn to it.

Plein Air Painting for Beginners
Getting outdoors is where it all starts. This guide covers the practical side of painting and sketching in the landscape, what to take, how to work quickly, and how to use that experience back in the studio.

Courses

If you want to go deeper, these courses are where I share everything I know about working this way. They're built around the same ideas you'll find in my articles, but with video lessons, demonstrations and exercises that let you work alongside me at your own pace.

The Abstracted Landscape
26 lessons | £150
My most comprehensive course. We work through the full process, from observing and sketching in the landscape through to building bold, expressive paintings in the studio. This is the course I wish I'd had when I started.

Developing Visual Ideas
10 lessons | £59.99
A focused course on taking your initial responses to a place and developing them into a series of paintings. If you've got sketchbooks full of ideas but struggle to turn them into finished work, this is for you.

Noble Art Membership
Monthly projects | 50+ tutorials
An ongoing community where we explore new projects, techniques and ideas together every month. It's a place to experiment, share work, and keep your practice moving forward.

Start here

If you're not sure where to begin, I'd suggest starting with one of the free articles above, How to Abstract a Landscape is a good first step. It'll give you a feel for how I work and whether this approach resonates with you.

And if you'd like to try one of my courses, The Abstracted Landscape is the place to go. It covers everything from first marks to finished paintings, and you can work through it at whatever pace suits you.

The most important thing is to start. Pick up a sketchbook, go outside, and notice something. Then try to respond to it with marks, not a copy, but a response. That's the beginning of abstract landscape painting. And it's a way of working that will keep surprising you for years.

Lewis