Teacher Workshop: Making Morning (event)

Enjoy a morning of community through art making with other educators in a program led by educators featured in our first teacher exhibition. After registration you will be able to choose from 1 of 2 sessions offered: “The Emotional Color Wheel” with Eric Gibbons or “Taming the Beast: Learn How to Watercolor the Photorealistic Way” with Crystal Vandiver. A certificate of participation for 2 hours (.2 CEU) will be provided; participants must seek approval from the local school system for the credit to be accepted.

Option 1

The Emotional Color Wheel 

Instructor: Eric Gibbons 

Target Audience: K-12

It is often assumed that kids have a hard time working on a purely abstract level, non-figuratively, but I have found this is not true. I am NOT talking about letting kids go outside and splash paint, or close their eyes to make marks, but about thoughtful and meaningful works of art. Given a simple tutorial on the basics of expressionism, students do very well, creating works that are both artful and meaningful. Moreover, they will be able to look afterwards at works by Klee, Gottlieb, Pollock, Calder, Nevelson, and other abstract expressionist works and make some insightful statements about the works and the artists.

This lesson can also be applied to create 2D and 3D works in all media. It can be used to slightly abstract works through choice of color and shape or to create works that are completely non-objective. We will be focusing on a lesson with social and emotional connections reflecting on family or life experiences.

Participants can draw or watercolor. If a participant wants to work with colored 3D media, like clay, they can bring some. We will be set up to draw or paint.

Option 2

Taming the Beast: Learn How to Watercolor the Photorealistic Way

Instructor: Crystal Vandiver

Target Audience: Secondary/Educators

Watercolor has long been valued as a beautiful medium, capable of evoking strong emotion with its unique ability to blend and bleed colors, and to capture life’s beauty in strikingly imaginative ways. But with the unique attributes of this water-based medium come a reputation for being a medium of unruliness, impressionist style and lack of control. With a little training and understanding of some tips and tricks for the medium, watercolor can be controlled, changed and adapted to create strikingly realistic works of art.

Participants will engage in some introductory learning of tips and tricks for producing realistic watercolor by viewing sample works and learning about techniques and tools that allow watercolor to take on a photo realistic impact. Participants will also get to try out the techniques on sample paintings, observe and follow a live painting demo, and get-in-the moment feedback on their work. You’ll be learning painting and growing in a group of artists just like you! We welcome new and experienced watercolorists to this event. No experience in watercolor needed; there will be plenty to learn and explore together.