Art Classes

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march ongoing classes

Watercolor
This class is geared for all levels.  The main objective is to improve your skills, while having fun. Guided projects are a portion of each class session. Also covered areas are: How not to make mud, mixing greens that sing, and what makes a good composition. Bring your materials, ready to paint, and a sense of humor. Levels: All  Offered: 6 Thursdays beginning March 4 Time:1:00- 4:00pm Fee: $145 / $125 -Members Instructor:  LINDA LORD is a self-trained artist and illustrator with over 10  years teaching experience in her studio and via the SC Watercolor Society; an Open Studio artist whose exhibits include Cozumel, Mexico. Linda also publishes with a decorative art publisher.

Pastel Studio
Draw and paint colorful, expressive work using soft pastels.  Learn various pastel approaches, color harmony, value contrasts, wet pastel underpainting and more. Participants may work from their own reference material or still life set ups.  This is a fun and supportive class with individual instruction and problem solving, demos and critiques. Level: All Offered: 6 Fridays beginning March 5 Time: 9:30am to 12:30 pm  Fee: $145 / $125 Members  Instructor:  JOAN HELLENTHAL - BA Fine Art Brown University, MA Fine Art SJSU; CA  credentialed art instructor, painter and mixed media artist who exhibits in many private and corporate collections inc. MAH, UCSC and Open Studios.

Painting Workshop
All painting media and levels of experience welcome. Learn the principles that will make your paintings come to life in a workshop filled with enthusiastic coaching.  Using still life, discover what really matters and how to analyze and fix problems as they arise.  Watch your work take on a new vibrancy and light. Level:  All  Offered: 6 Wed. starting March 3 Time: 6:30pm - 9:30pm Fee: $145 / $125 Members. Students say “Bill is an absolute font of knowledge. Instructor:  W. DOWNEY DYER. a fulltime professional artist with over 20 years experience as a gallery and frame shop owner, Bill studied 8 years privately with foremost impressionist Don Hatfield; an Open Studio artist who has exhibited widely.

Oil Painting Studio
Learn all aspects of oil painting: paint application, brush control, palette organization, color, value, perspective, and much more.  In this class students will work on their own projects from their own reference material (photograph or still life set up).  If you have a new painting you want to start or if you are stuck and don't know how to finish a painting bring it to class and Barbara will guide you through the painting process step by step.  Short painting demonstrations and critiques will be available when needed and time permits. Offered: 4  Wednesdays:  Mar. 24, 31, April 14, 21 Location: Off site  Time: 6:00-9:00  Fee: $145 / $125 Members.  Instructor:   BARBARA BAILEY-PORTER* has been a painting instructor at S.F. Academy of Art (where she received a Masters in Fine Arts), Cabrillo and DeAnza. She taught through the Santa Cruz City School District  and has been a Spectra Artist in the gifted and talented program in the past. An Open Studio artist, her work is found in many collections.

Oil Painting Landscape Demo
This is a good way for new students to see my  technique and the basic steps of painting from start to finish. Also  good for intermediate students watch how to simplify and  edit for loose, painterly results. Level: Begin./ Interm. Offered: Wed., March 17 Time: 6-8:00 Fee: $45 / $40 Members. Instructor:   BARBARA BAILEY-PORTER*
Location: Off site   May begins Plein Air painting!

Figure Painting in Oil  
Working directly from the model, the participant will explore concepts of anatomy, design and color.  While the emphasis will be in oil painting,acrylics and watercolors may be used.  A workbook will be provided. Level: Some painting experience necessary. Offered: 4 Wed’s starting  March 3  Time: 1-4:00pm
Fee:  $120 / $100 -Members Model Fee: $60 to instructor Instructor:  Richard M. Bennett one of the leading figurative painters in the community, has coordinated Monday Night Drawing at the Art League for over 15 years.

Courageous Color - Oil - in the Studio
Learn how to see more color & find your courage! Improve your odds of creating a beautiful painting. Learn about focal points, composition, value, perspective, shapes & volumes, color, edges, canvas prep. & brush care. Maggie guides you through the process step by step with demos, handouts and critiques.  All levels. Offered: 4 mornings - Tues. / Thurs March 30 April 1, 6, 8  Time: 9:00-12:00  Fee: $145 / $125 Members. Instructor: MAGGIE RENNER HELLMANN*** appeared in international publications such as 'The Artist's Magazine' Oct. 2009. She's won numerous International awards recently for her Plein Air Landscapes. BA in Illustration SJSU, Advanced fine art studies at 'Lorenzo de Medici' Art Institute, Florence, Italy. MAH Plein Air Affaire and Open Studios Artist. Her work is collected internationally.

Weekend Workshops

Portraiture and More!
Learn to paint expressive oil portraits and figures both clothed & nude. The individuality and style of each artist is addressed,  but the student will be given the encouragement to move out of their comfort zone and delve into new techniques.  The class will focus on the structure of the head but extra information and techniques will be explained in order for the students to understand how to set up an accurate life drawing.  Prior experience in figure & portraiture helpful, but patient beginners are welcome. Please no toxic materials in the class, such as turpentine. Offered: Feb. 20 & 21  Location: Off site Time: 10am-4pm  (please bring lunch)   Fee: $150 / $130 Members  Models Fee: $30, collected the first day of class. Instructor:  MICHELE GUILVEZAN-TANNER B.F.A and MA University of Illinois. Experienced Art Instructor Grammar through University level, has exhibited in many shows in California and Illinois.

Artist Friendly Perspective - The Key to a Successful Design
A unique approach to learning perspective. Artists will be taught a new way to see & understand what is in front of them. We will cover drawing & painting from photographs and “en plein air”.  Subject matter will include landscapes, perspective of nature, drawing reflections, creating dramatic lighting, adding buildings to a landscapes and still life (get the vase to look right).  Offered: March 27 & 28  Level  All   Time: 9-3:30, please bring lunch Fee: $150 / $130-Members  Instructor: Daryl Hosick has completed numerous workshops and art courses, including courses in perspective and color mixing.  He has shown his work extensively at art shows and galleries.

Courageous Color - Taking Oils Outside
Learn how to see more color and find your courage in an outdoor landscape class! Get immediate feed back and help creating a beautiful outdoor landscape. Learn more about and practice creating focal points, composition, value, perspective, shapes and volumes, color, edges, easel options, canvas preparation, palette color layout and care of brushes. Maggie will guide you through the painting process step by step with demos, handouts and critiques. Level: All Offered: April 17&18 Time: 9:00-3:30 (please bring lunch) Fee: $150 / $130 Members. " Instructor: Maggie Renner Hellmann appearing in 'The Artist's Magazine's' Oct. 2009. She’s won numerous International Awards for her Plein Air Landscapes. BA in Illustration at SJSU, Advanced fine art studies at 'Lorenzo de Medici' Art Institute, Italy. MAH 'Plein Air Affaire' and Open Studios Artist. Her artwork is collected Internationally.

Collage “Painting” with Watercolor & Oriental Papers & More!
Using watercolor pigments, Kay will show you how to color and create texture on special oriental papers. Portions of these papers, as well as metallic papers, dried leaves and flat objects, will be collaged into shapes and patterns to create abstract or impressionistic paintings. There will be a demonstration, personal assistance and a critique at the end of the session. All supplies and specialty papers will be available in class. Bring your painting supplies and base paper or canvas to work on. Offered: May 15 & 16  Level  All   Time: 10-4, (please bring lunch) Fee: $150 / $130-Members  Instructor: Kay Duffy  has been painting for over 40 years and has studied with numerous nationally renowned watercolor artists.  Kay shows her work at numerous exhibitions throughout the Bay Area. In 1993 she spent 6 months studying and painting in France.  Her work was included in 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2007 in the Triton Museum's statewide, watercolor exhibition.

Out in the Air with Watercolor
Join us as we immerse ourselves in a plein air (outdoors) watercolor weekend with instructor Bonni Carver!! Bonni will demonstrate her watercolor painting techniques in an outdoor setting and offer personalized guidance throughout the process to each attendee. If you've never painted before or if you just want a fresh perspective, this class is geared to inspire . Offered: July 17&18  Level  All   Time: 9-3:30, please bring lunch Fee: $150 / $130-Members  Instructor: Bonni Carver An Open Studio artist, Bonni is as passionate about teaching others as she is about her own art.  She exhibits her work in the Bay Area and locally,has painted murals in Europe,and has recently composed books of watercolors.

Pastel Painting Exploration
Come discover the versatility of the chalk pastel medium. We will cover the basics including choosing surfaces, mark making, color use, pastel brands and their qualities, underpainting techniques and composition. Participants will work on many small studies over the two day period both outdoors and in the studio in this very hands on workshop.Offered: September 11 & 12  Level  All   Time: 9-3:30, please bring lunch Fee: $150 / $130-Members  Instructor: Erika Perloffis a local landscape painter who has been working with pastels for over 10 years. Her work hangs in private and corporate collection and she is a regular participant in Open Studios, the Plein Air Affair and other regional shows. When not outside painting the landscape she teaches classes and workshops to adults and children.

Having Fun Painting the Figure
We will approach the figure from an intuitive place, exploring ways of revealing the emotional nuance of our painting. We work on integrating the figure with the background, while maintaining a feeling of looseness and spontaneity. Whether you want to learn to paint the figure or broaden your skill with new approaches, this acrylic workshop is for you.Offered: April 10 & 11 Level  All   Time: 10-3:30, please bring lunch Fee: $150 / $130-Members   Instructor: Sefla Joseph
efla Joseph is a full time professional artist and educator with over thirty years experience. She is an Open Studios artist whose work is collected locally and internationally.

More About Pastel
Want to learn a lot about pastel in a short time? If so, this workshop is for you! It will cover the fundamentals and much more. All levels welcomed. Demos, exercises and critiques included. Claire will bring the reference material for you to work from. Offered: Nov. 6 & 7  Level  All   Time: 9-3:30, please bring lunch Fee: $150 / $130-Members  Instructor: Claire Verbiest’s* work appear in national exhibits as well as in national publications such as Splash 4,6,7, The Best of Pastel, Pastel Artist International, Masterstrokes: Pastel and many more.

PMC Jewelry Class
Coming Soon! - Look for a beginner and an advance class with Joyce Chadderdon coming out in March mailing.

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