New Mexico Art League - Adult Classes

The Portrait in Watercolor with Ruth Andrews-Vreeland (Tuesdays)

Start
01/04/2022
End
02/22/2022
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Art League Studios
Spaces left
0

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This class is designed for anyone who wants to learn how to paint portraits in watercolor using multiple transparent layers for ultimate depth in their work, with the goal of painting more realistically. Students will learn the basics of handling watercolor paints and brushes, and explore a variety of techniques: glazing, layering, methods for saving the white of the paper, juxtaposing color, key techniques in creating the perfect neutral color, softening and/or losing a few edges, the importance of incorporating the background-color as foreground-shadows, and others. Our portraits will be painted from carefully selected photos, instructor’s choice first, then photos provided by students, learning the importance of working from great, vs. bad photo references. We will also touch on the basic fundamentals of composition, contrast of values, the essentials of a good initial drawing, and how to achieve perfect chiaroscuro. Several technical demonstrations will complement your studio work. The goal of this class is to give students the basic tools necessary to begin their own realistic portrait work.

Please sigh up early; class size is limited.

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Painting the Clouds and Sky in the Landscape with Jeff Otis (Tuesdays)

Start
01/04/2022
End
03/01/2022
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Art League Studios
Spaces left
0

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This studio class will focus predominantly on clouds and skies in the landscape. The principles of composition, color temperature, shadows, brush strokes, thickness of paint, edges, philosophies of painting and centers of interest will be incorporated. You will learn why the sky is blue, why sunsets orange and yellow, how shadows take on certain hues, how to capture atmospheric perspective, and how to paint different types of clouds with an understanding of how they form. Interspersed will be lessons on how to avoid muddy colors, how to maximize the impact of the colors you use and which combinations of color please the eye. We will also explore the techniques of alla prima, multi-step painting, realism and impressionism. This course will be flexible and tailored to the students needs giving ample time to work on paintings in class. Jeff will demonstrate techniques on a regular basis and whenever requested. Instruction will be constructive and positive at the level you are comfortable with whether you are a beginner or professional. The goal is for every student to deepen his or her knowledge about painting while enjoying the learning process. Expect to have fun. Plan on producing works you will be proud of.

Please sign up early; class size is limited.

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Introduction to Drawing and Painting - Finding Your Own Path with Maria Cole (Wednesdays)

Start
01/05/2022
End
02/23/2022
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Art League Studios
Spaces left
0

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The objective of this class is to acquaint students with traditional and contemporary techniques in drawing and painting that will give them the solid background needed to develop their own individual style. Class will progress to the introduction of traditional drawing and painting techniques and fundamental principles of design including composition, perspective and color. Classes will begin with a short lecture and demonstration, after which students will explore these techniques working from still life arrangements or their own photographic material.

Please sign up early; class size is limited.

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Painting the Landscape in Oils with Waid Griffin (Wednesdays)

Start
01/05/2022
End
02/23/2022
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Art League Studios
Spaces left
3

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Students will learn how to paint in oils using the time tested methods of the masters. Color theory and its application to landscape painting will be a central focus as Waid helps each student develop greater skills of observation. Meeting each artist at their individual level of skill, Waid encourages self-expression and individual interpretation of the subject while incorporating the fundamentals of composition, depth of field and balance in landscape painting.

Class size is limited, please sign up early.

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Painting the Contemporary Still Life in Oils with Michelle Chrisman (Wednesdays)

Start
01/05/2022
End
02/23/2022
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Art League Studios

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So you've got the basics of painting down and now you'd like to push your representational work to a new level, a bit more out of the box — maybe even more loose and edgy. Michelle will guide you carefully (and at times even recklessly) down this fun and exciting path—no small brushes allowed in this class! We will paint several still lifes paintings each day, full of color, creative expression, and contemporary design. We will explore quick bold application of paint as well as the use of vibrant color. You will leave this class with a whole new perspective on what is possible in your oil paintings. Painters at all levels are welcome, from beginner to advanced.

Please sign up early; class size is limited.

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Painting in Pastel - The Big Picture (Thursdays)

Start
01/06/2022
End
02/24/2022
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Art League Studios

Register

Join artist VASILI KATAKIS, in this course designed for artists who feel that they have reached a point in their work where they are ready for a new challenge. Learning something new allows you to build on what you already know, bringing a sense of excitement, accomplishment and confidence.The unique nature of the pastel medium, that exists between drawing and painting, is the immediate results with no waiting for pigment to dry. This allows for a great sense of freedom and immediacy. It also allows artists to work on a large scale with relative ease. Deciding to work large is a big step that has more properties to consider than you might expect. Vas will demonstrate how to ‘scale up’ a drawing to a larger format but also address the effects and important questions to consider when increasing the scale of your work. For example, it is important to consider the effect on the viewer. A large work of art can have a strong impact, perhaps even larger than life. This is very different from the intimate personal experience of observing a small piece that you are inclined to come up close to view. Exploring these characteristics will allow students a deeper understanding of what they are creating. This class will benefit those wanting to try out new techniques, designs, interpretation, expanding their vision and scale, or simply break out of a creative rut. This class will enable you to build on your strengths and explore new territory. Students should bring their preferred materials to work with. All dry media are welcome. Intermediate students with painting experience are welcome. Please feel free to contact the instructor with questions, vasilikatakis2@gmail.com.

Please sign up early; class size is limited.

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Creating Expressive Paintings from Photographs with Maria Cole (Thursdays)

Start
01/06/2022
End
02/24/2022
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Online Zoom Course
Spaces left
4

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Join Maria online as she works from her home studio where she will demonstrate and lecture for one hour and look at student's work offering guidance and critique for the second hour. Maria will also be in contact with students via email. This class will focus primarily on bridging the gap between creating vibrant, luminous paintings from photographs by developing the skills to solve the shortcomings that photography presents as a source of ideas for paintings. Light, distance, perspective, atmospheric effects, composition, color and principles of design will be covered. Students have the choice of working with their favorite medium: oil, pastel, acrylic or watercolor, using their own photographic material as reference. A great opportunity for turning joyful travel experiences into successful works of art. Individual guidance and demonstrations will be given by instructor in order to help each student develop their own personal style.

Please sign up early; class size is limited.

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Painting the Contemporary Landscape with Alice Webb (Thursdays)

Start
01/06/2022
End
03/03/2022
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Art League Studios
Spaces left
1

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Come learn how to put some pizazz in your landscapes as we investigate the power of color, simplified shape and texture. Designed for both beginner and intermediate painters this class will explore expressionism as it relates to the landscape. Alice will include numerous demonstrations, in and out of class assignments and lots of personalized guided instruction. We will also explore/review one, two and multiple point perspective. I will be working in oils but artists working in all media, watercolor, gouache, or acrylics are welcome and instruction using a variety of media will be provided. Check out Alice’s recent work at alicewebbart.com.

Please sign up early; class size is limited.

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Abstract Drawing with Michael Ottersen (Fridays)

Start
01/07/2022
End
02/25/2022
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Art League Studios
Spaces left
1

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This class will examine the bones of what constitutes a work on paper. If you are interested in abstract painting, the relative quickness and immediacy of drawing could be a great foundation to explore the potential of line, form, color/value and surface. Drawings can be fast and gestural or slower and complicated. The materials can be pencil and paper or mixed media including collage. We will utilize the idea of abstraction of line, form, value, color and surface of non-figurative drawing practices. Sitting equally between vision and process, the class will explore the boundaries of volume, the illusion of 3-dimensions on a flat surface, the object quality of material and let determination and chance have their say. Each week we will begin with a different simple process that is directional, serving as a catalyst to get the work going. We will work with both traditional wet and dry drawing media and mixed media as well to allow for experimentation. This class will be challenging but really fun!

Please sign up early; space is limited.

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Independent Study - All Media with Alice Webb (Saturdays)

Start
01/08/2022
End
03/05/2022
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Art League Studios
Spaces left
3

Register

This class is for intermediate artists who want to go to the next level. If you are asking yourself “Where do I go from here?”, this class will give you the direction you are seeking. Alice will be working with each student individually to determine how to build on your strengths and how to turn weaknesses into assets. Together you will clarify your visual voice and understand how your personal creative vocabulary is already apparent in your work. Alice will encourage an investigation of the imagery, color choices and composition you are presently using and guide you to a strong individual path in your painting. Please bring your preferred materials. All media, charcoal and pencil, pastels, oils, acrylics and watercolors, are welcome. Check out Alice’s recent work at alicewebbart.com.

Please sign up early; class size is limited.

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Introduction to Painting in Oils - From the Beginning with Waid Griffin (Mondays)

Start
01/10/2022
End
02/28/2022
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Art League Studios

Register

If you have never worked in oils but always wanted to, don’t be scared. Waid will show you how enjoyable and rewarding this medium can be. This will be a fun introductory class discovering the beauty of working in oil paint. We will cover materials, including different mediums, brushes, pigments and how to prepare the painting surface with a primer; working on different supports such as canvas, wood panel or prepped paper. Students will try out different techniques working in traditional and alla prima methods, while painting from a limited to a full color palette. We will use reference to work from, such as master copies of landscape, still life and portrait, as our subject matter. This class will be informative, without being intimidating and will give you choices that allow you to decide how you want to work with the medium of oil painting.

Please sign up early; class size is limited.

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Exploring Techniques of Egg Tempera Painting with Maria Lilly (Mondays)

Start
01/10/2022
End
02/28/2022
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Art League Studios

Register

The technique of painting with egg tempera has been used for centuries, by Egyptians, Byzantine icon painters, Sandro Botticelli, Andrew Wyeth and many more since and in between. This painting medium can be used in a variety of ways with soft brushes, bristle brushes and sponging. Egg tempera does dry quickly, so modeling is built up with brush strokes. A bit of scumbling is also possible. The best part of egg tempera is the detail and luminescence that can be achieved no other way. During the first part of the class we will work with egg tempera on paper. Yes! It can be done. Mr. Wyeth achieved this. In the second part of class we will use ampersand clay board, utilizing a more traditional approach. Join Maria on this new adventure into an age old but versatile medium! Please sign up early; class size is limited.

Please sign up early; class size is limited.

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Experimental Mixed Media and Collage with Lea Anderson (Mondays)

Start
01/17/2022
End
03/14/2022
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Online Zoom Course
Spaces left
0

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Back by popular demand! Join Lea this fall to learn new ways to create dynamic, visually exciting art! Discover the secrets of com-positional design with all kinds of interesting materials in this playful, yet information-packed class! Lea will be working from her home studio where she will look at student's work offering guidance and critique for the first hour and demonstrate and lecture the second hour. She will also be in contact with students via email during the week between classes for questions that might arise. Students will enjoy exploring the limitless potential of collage and mixed media; layering, tearing, and surface development combining a plethora of exciting materials such as acrylics, found objects, ink, and more. Gather your own images, patterned papers, fabric scraps, etc to use. Participants will come away with several finished pieces and a broad range of ideas for further exploration.

Please sign up early; class size is limited.

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Classical Portrait Drawing with Toby Hall (Thursdays)

Start
02/03/2022
End
03/24/2022
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Online Zoom Course
Spaces left
2

Register

In this eight- session online course, we will explore portrait drawing by studying a variety of paintings and drawings from the masters of Western art history. The class will build from the ground up, covering fundamental concepts and strategies that will help us analyze and draw from these masterworks. Through practice, we will gain insight into how those artists that we admire understood and represented light and form through the language of drawing. Ultimately, the lessons from this class will translate directly to the practice of drawing from life. Though some material techniques will be covered, the goal of this class is for us to focus on ideas that will help us grasp the visual experience as it applies to nature and the human form.

Please sign up early, as class size is limited.

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Splash Ink with Watercolor with Ming Franz (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)

Start
03/11/2022
End
03/13/2022
Schedule
3 sessions
Location
Art League Studios

Register

Join Ming for this delightful journey breathing life into your work with a spontaneous Western interpretation into a traditional Chinese painting technique - PoMo. Blending black Chinese ink with the three primary watercolors on Ma (mulberry paper) creates images unique to the artist's spirit of the moment. Ming will give a demonstration of the unique features of Splash Ink with Golden Watercolor QoR, and explain the materials used in the random and controlled process of pouring. Students will experience splashing ink on rice paper as well as experimenting on watercolor paper. After the piece has dried overnight, everyone will separate the sheets to see the resulting abstract and learn how to listen to the color. Ming will explain various ways to finish paintings using special effects such as salt, alcohol, etc. We will finish the workshop with a group critique.

Please sign up early; class size is limited.

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Storytelling Through Photo Encaustic and Collage with Carolyn Berry (Friday through Sunday)

Start
03/18/2022
End
03/20/2022
Schedule
3 sessions
Location
Art League Studios

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Everyone has a story. Come explore how to create your personal narrative by using found or photographic images and traditional collage elements. Join encaustic and collage artist, Carolyn Berry and discover different ways of printing images and layering with collage papers and mixed media applications. Unique surface treatments like encaustic wax, cold wax and adding three-dimensional aspects will be presented as options for your creations. Combining techniques and different mediums you will learn to create mystery in your imagery while enhancing your artistic voice.

All materials will be provided for a fee of $45. that should be paid directly to the instructor on the first day of class. Also, please feel free to bring your own ephemera (found images, old books, maps, letters, stamps, thin fancy papers, and fabric) that you are willing to cut up incorporate into your work making it more personal. Students are encouraged to bring their own photographic images, but since we will be experimenting, it might be wise to make copies of precious photographs, letters or non-absorbent papers. A scanner and printer will be available to make copies and size changes.

Please sign up early; class size is limited.

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Painting the Alla Prima Portrait in Oils with Cynthia Rowland (Monday through Friday)

Start
03/21/2022
End
03/25/2022
Schedule
5 sessions
Location
Art League Studios
Spaces left
0

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In this workshop you will advance your painting from the literal replication of the model to an expressive and unique work of art. We will revisit the basics of portraiture and offer simplified techniques that will help to build confidence in this most rewarding subject. Manageable concepts of anatomy are presented that will add to the student's knowledge base. These will be integrated with classic principles of art: rhythm of application, design and composition, tones and values, shapes and forms, cool and warm colors and more as they relate to painting the portrait. And finally, we will discuss the magic of Fechin, Zorn, Sorolla, Repin, Sargent and others which will help students take the leap to applying the principles of these masters.

Please sign up early; class size is limited.

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Quick Sketch with Watercolor: Studying Flowers with Marjorie Leggitt (Thursday through Saturday)

Start
03/31/2022
End
04/02/2022
Schedule
3 sessions
Location
Online Zoom Course
Spaces left
3

Register

Come in from the garden and pick up your paint brush! Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to work with award winning botanical illustrator and artist, Marjorie Leggitt. Joining you from her studio in Boulder, Marjorie will show you how to capture the gestural lines and transient color of spring flowers whether you're inside or outside! Starting with demos and drawing exercises, discover the simple lines, basic shapes and geometric forms that build the foundation for your sketches. Learn how to capture values and shadows before the light changes and apply simple watercolor layers to create that colorful spark. Have fun as you follow the twists and turns of a flower using expressive line work while developing solid techniques that will make future sketching and painting a breeze. Before you know it, you'll be out in the garden again filling your sketch book with nature's floral bounty.

Please sign up early; class size is limited.

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Devoted to Drawing : Your Sketchbook Practice with Stacy Innerst (Fridays)

Start
05/06/2022
End
06/24/2022
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Online Zoom Class
Spaces left
7

Register

This class will explore the very essence of how ideas are formed from your sketchbook. Practice makes perfect and in this case it is so true. By developing the habit of taking your sketchbook with you everywhere you will begin to notice more and hone your ability to see and then draw very personal glimpses of life. Stacy will be working from his studio in Pittsburgh where he will share his various sketches and notations that grew into full fledged children’s books. Sketchbooks can also serve as a place to work out compositions, ideas for a series, preliminary drawing for a painting or any work of art. Stacy will guide you through a progression of exercises that will review drawing methods and principals that will become second nature to you as you develop the routine of sketching and drawing every day. Don’t miss your chance to work with Stacy Innerst who is an award-winning children’s book illustrator and exceptional artist. This workshop is open to students at all levels.

Please sign up early; class size is limited.

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