Workshops
UPCOMING CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS...
INTRODUCTORY & INTERMEDIATE ENCAUSTIC
WHEN: June 18-20, 2010
INSTRUCTORS: MIchael David & Thomas Swanston
LOCATION: King Plow Arts Center (Atlanta)
COST: Intermediate Full Weekend $395
Beginner Half Weekend (Friday & Saturday) $195
(Beginners may enroll in the complete weekend)
This weekend workshop is an fast paced, immersive, hands-on studio experience, providing an introduction and review of earlier methodologies, plus an opportunity to advance your encaustic technical skills and abilities.
Friday 7-9pm will be a “meet and greet” with a powerpoint presentation on the history of the medium to its current popularity in present day use.
Saturday 11am-6pm
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•For those new to the medium, an introduction to different formulas for using and making your own encaustic mediums, a discussion of sub-straits and materials to use in combination with the encaustic medium as well as important safe studio practices.
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•For those familiar with medium, individual discussions on the techniques they have been working with and their individual projects. Prior to the workshop, those at the intermediate and advanced level must contact the Fine Arts Workshop to schedule time with them. The use of new and experimental tools, gouging, scrapping, subtraction and mixed media will be the technical focus.
Saturday afternoon will be a brief overview and review of the techniques we have taught this summer; Encaustic with paper, photo Encaustic and the use of Impasto and Cold Wax techniques.
Sunday 11am-6pm participants will have the chance to work one on one, with Michael and Tom.
A materials list will be provided based on workshop level selection prior to attendance. We ask that participants send jpegs of their art work by Wednesday, June 16 to info{at}fineartsworkshop{dot}com.
DRAWING INTO PAINTING
WHEN: June 17 - July 22, 2010
INSTRUCTORS: MIchael David & Thomas Swanston
LOCATION: Serenbe & King Plow Arts Center (Atlanta)
COST: $365 for any four classes ($85 for each additional class)
Please join Michael David and Tom Swanston for Drawing Into Painting…a unique program that meets every other week: Wednesdays (except for 2 consecutive weeks in mid-July) at our King Plow Studio & Thursdays at our Serenbe Studio, starting the week of June 15th. For some, you will pickup where you left off in our Direct Observation drawing class, now turning your attention to drawing AND painting from life. You will draw for the first hour ,review homework( yes there will be homework, reading, writing, drawing but no rithmetic, we promise !) from the week between classes, then spend the next two hours painting from the model and your drawings; developing paintings based on two or three different poses that we will return to, week to week.
For others not familiar with the Fine Arts Workshop unique class structure and qualities, this program is an opportunity to explore model, materials and focused input on your art work in a relaxed, informative and personally rewarding environment.
Tom and Michael will focus on the use of materials, wet on wet painting in acrylic and mixed media, stressing content and narrative married to an in-depth understanding of how the use of materials and formatting directly impacts the content and meaning in your work. There will be power point presentations on contemporary and historic painting, critiques of your work from class and outside of class….and of course wine….lots of wine !
Come join us!
Classes will start at 7pm,end at 10pm. You may elect to attend any four of the ten classes for the cost of $365. You may add other dates as you wish, for a per class fee of $85.
Dates at King Plow: June 23, 30, July 7, 14, 21
Dates at Serenbe: June 17, July 1, 8, 15, 22
“Plein Aire” Spring Painting Class at Serenbe: The Landscape as Narrative
When: June 14 - August 7, 2010
Instructor: Michael David & Thomas Swanston
Location: Serenbe
Cost: $349 for any 4 sessions (a fifth date may be added for $95)
Experience the inspirational Serenbe and Chattahoochee Hills countryside this summer with Tom Swanston & Michael David in an “anyone, any level, most ages” plein aire painting experience. Serenbe and The Chattahoochee Hills landscape will be the tool we will use to develop a greater understanding of each of our creative processes ~ expressing the various elements through the practice of painting and drawing paired with guided travels through the history of landscape painting over the past 2000 years.. We will go outside with the technique of plein aire painting, (A technical achievement of 1841 made possible because of the ability of paint manufactures to put paint in to new transportable tubes along with “French Easels”) while learning about the history and philosophy of different cultures and different centuries attitude toward the landscape as Art form and of course the contemporary landscape painting field.
We will explore the landscape through the use of drawing and painting: You will become familiar with the principles of drawing and painting such as line, tone, mass, light, composition, positive/negative space, scale, and both analytical and emotional observation. We will do all of this in a supportive atmosphere. The painting program is held every other week so that participants have the opportunity to work for extended periods of time. Presentations and discussion of studio work and will be an ongoing group activity with the goal being, that when you complete the course you will be energized about “plein aire” painting with a well rounded sense of direction for the development of your future painting. Through experiencing the landscape in this way, we learn to express our own individual relationship to its beauty and transformative power.
Materials list provided; this is an acrylic painting program
Schedule (Participants elect to participate on any 4 days)
1. Monday, June 14th 4pm to 8pm
2. Monday June 28th, 9am to 1pm
3. Monday July 12th 4pm to 8pm
4. Saturday July 24th 9am to 1pm
5. Saturday August 7th 4pm to 8pm
When: Friday, June 25 - Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Instructors: Fran O’Neill
Location: Serenbe
Cost: $1,950 (w/ housing); $1,220 w/out housing
The internationally-recognized New York Studio School’s Marathon programs were developed in 1988 by Dean Graham Nickson. The primary purpose of this intensive workshop is to encourage personal growth through drawing from perception. Working with both the life model and the landscape, students will, through a variety of exercises and critiques, be guided in the exploration of working from direct observation. Fundamental issues of the make up a drawing will be discussed; looking at depth, form, light, the negative and positive and pathways through space. Students will be challenged to look with more intensity and broaden their visual language.
The class is aimed at students wishing to improve upon their perceptual skills, from the beginner to the advanced. More information...
For information on advance placement for high school juniors and seniors or undergraduate and graduate college course credit contact Michael David: michael@fineartsworkshop.com, 917-287-8051
When: Any four sessions beginning March 13, 2010 (see schedule below)
Instructors: Michael David & Thomas Swanston
Location: Serenbe & King Plow Arts Center (Atlanta)
Cost: $400 for any four sessions
Michael David and Thomas Swanston are pleased announce the Fine Arts Workshop Atelier Program, a professional level development tool designed to provide individuals working in the studio with a heightened intensity of on going critical support through portfolio review and guidance. This review process is designed to provide a graduate and post-graduate level of ongoing instruction and support. Atelier is for those returning to the studio after a prolonged absence, the professional artist preparing for an upcoming exhibition, or those that want the support and fellowship of other artists.
Through exposure to other artists’ work and techniques and an emphasis on "process and materials," Michael and Tom, with their combined fifty-years of professional experience, will help to motivate and deepen your practice of painting, and help you with your questions regarding professional practices.
Suggested assignments will serve to reinforce what we learn in the classes. (These classes are included for those enrolled in our Extended Encaustic Program.) More information...
Atelier Schedule (eight offerings)*
Saturday, March 13th (Serenbe) 12:00pm - 3:00pm w/ Michael David &Thomas Swanston
Saturday, April 10 (Serenbe) 12:00pm - 3:00pm w/ Thomas Swanston
Sunday, May 2nd (King Plow - Atlanta) 10:00am - 1:00pm w/ Michael David
Saturday, May 22nd (Serenbe) 12:00pm - 3:00pm w/ Michael David & Thomas Swanston
Saturday, June 11th (King Plow - Atlanta) 10:00am - 1:00pm w/ Michael David
Sunday, June 26th (King Plow - Atlanta) 12:00pm - 3:00 pm w/ Michael David & Thomas Swanston
Saturday, July 11th (Serenbe) 12:00pm - 2:00pm w/ Michael David
Sunday, July 18th (King Plow - Atlanta) 10:00am - 300 pm w/ Michael David & Thomas Swanston
* Dates subject to change based on participant’s schedules and needs.
Taking a Break From Life: Drawing 3
When: Thursdays 7:00 - 9:30 pm, May 13 – July 1, 2010
Instructors: Michael David & Thomas Swanston
Location: First floor gallery space under the Serenbe Photograph Center
Cost: $350 for 8 week session (includes model fees and some materials)
This hands on studio experience is designed for those with experience drawing who wish to deepen their creative expression and have fun doing it.
We will explore drawing through the use of a variety of tools, both traditional and nontraditional. Imagining the figure requires an artist to invent a believable body that holds an interior emotional reality. There will be a focus on developing visual vocabulary, distinguishing preconceptions from personal meaning. Artists will be encouraged to value the experience of genuine engagement—how one feels while painting and drawing—as the criteria for quality. Reproductions of various artists’ work will be discussed with an emphasis on visual meaning. We will do all of this in a supportive atmosphere. Discussion of studio work will be an ongoing group activity with the goal being that when you complete the course you will be excited about drawing and with a sense of direction in the development of your drawings for the future
Drawing from the model will be the ONLY tool we will use to develop a greater understanding of each of our creative processes. Participants will use perceptual skills as a point of departure but the emphasis in the class will be on experimental modes of mark making, the use of the imagination, drawing systems and technologies
Participants will extend their drawing practice by broadening their comfort level of with traditional drawing methods, by utilizing innovative techniques, experimenting with non-traditional drawing materials (consider unorthodox media) and scale shifts. We will emphasize the use of different media to expand our effort to render, at the same time to a deeper involvement of self expression. More information...
Private dialogs about your art, your development as an artist (includes 1 eight week class).
When: Beginning March 25th until May 22nd depending on the selected class
How Often: 4 times during the 8 weeks of class
Instructors: Michael David & Thomas Swanston
Location: Critical Dialogs will take place at the Serenbe Institute studio off the courtyard & at participant’s studios
Cost: $749
Here is how it works, if you elect to sign up for “Art House Calls” we will work with you individually on your relationship to your work, helping you grow and develop a unique “body of work.” We will design a curriculum and syllabi related to materials and techniques and process to achieve your goals. You will also be able to attend either the eight week “Landscape As Narrative” or “Drawing III,” meeting at the regularly scheduled class time.
The “Art House Calls” portion will run concurrent with any eight-week class, i.e. “Direct Observation Figure” and the upcoming “Plein Aire Spring Landscape Painting”, You will receive four “Art House Calls” within the eight weeks, scheduled on weekends for 1 ½ hours that would take place on a mutually agreed schedule. For “Direct Observation Figure” Michael will meet privately with you twice, Tom once, Michael and Tom together for the last critique. For the upcoming “Plein Aire Spring Landscape Painting” Tom will meet privately with you twice, Michael once, Tom and Michael together for the last critique. More information...
This Will Not Be Your Mother's (Life) Drawing Class!
When: Any eight sessions - Wednesday evenings from 6:30–8:30pm beginning April 21st - June 30th, 2010
Instructor: Michael David & Thomas Swanston
Location: King Plow Arts Center: 949 W Marietta Street NW, Suite X-105, Atlanta, GA
Cost: $349 for an 8 week session (Bring a friend and get 25% off!)
Please join Michael David & Tom Swanston Wednesdays from 6:30–8:30 pm for lessons in an “anyone, any level" class in drawing paired with “hi-lo” culture. This “hands on” studio experience is designed for everyone who desires to explore and deepen their own creative experience and have fun while doing it. Drawing from the model (yes, beautiful and not so beautiful "neked men and women" will be among us) will be only one of the tools we will use to develop a greater understanding of each of our creative processes. We will use apples, eggs, fabric and trash too… In class we will view and discuss other artists and their work: One week after a visual presentation on contemporary art we’ll have a lively discussion, playing “Jerk or Genius," Gioto to Hirst.
Here’s an example of “hi-lo” that we’ll explore: After viewing Film Noir will discuss how Seurat influenced the “value and tone” in post war American cinema.
Seriously… after work instead of heading home (boring) or to the local bar (mind-numbing), come by the new studio at King Plow – The Fine Arts Workshop. We will draw beautiful live models, mix and meet, have some wine and food. It’s a fun and informal way to feed your creative side. Wednesday night will always be provocative and FUN. More information...
Private VOICE LESSONS
When: Monday or Tuesday after 5pm by appointment
Instructor: Marilyn Carino - myspace.com/mudville
Where: King Plow Arts Center: 949 W Marietta Street NW, Suite X-105, Atlanta, GA
Lessons in Serenbe are available other times by appointment.
Cost: $45/hour
Award winning vocalist and songwriter Marilyn Carino (myspace.com/mudville) is offering, private voice lessons at Fine Art Workshop’s Atlanta campus in the King Plow Arts Center.
To schedule a lesson or for more details: 917-741-2560
Fine Arts Workshop at Serenbe provides exceptional workshops and classes for emerging and established artists and lifelong learning students. Year-round intensive three day and one week workshops are taught by teams of professionals from both the creative and business sides of the art world. This multifaceted approach, combined with small class sizes provides participants with a personalized, immersive, hands-on experience. Workshops are held both in Serenbe and at our studio at the King Plow Arts Center in Atlanta.
