FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAWDUST ANNOUNCES 2011 SPRING INTO ART
(Spring Into Art takes place weekends March 12 – April 3, from 9am-4pm)
Laguna Beach, CA – Sawdust Art Festival announces its all-new 2011 Spring Into Art class schedule. These popular two-day weekend art workshops offer students one-on-one instruction with local artists covering a wide range of hands-on art classes in many exciting art mediums including glass-blowing, painting, mixed-media, watercolor, digital photograpy, textiles, jewelry, ceramics and much more. Workshops are held during weekends in March and April and fees include all materials, tools and instruction needed. Schedule of classes can be found online at www.sawdustartfestival.org/spring-into-art and also below:
Ceramics
“Ceramics 1 for Beginners” with Robert Jones (March 26 & 27)
This course is intended for those studying ceramics for the first time and is a comprehensive introduction to the art of pottery and clay work with an emphasis given to learning the pottery wheel. In this class, you will explore techniques such as making a basic pinch pot; and coil and slab methods will be introduced. However, the main focus will be learning to use the pottery wheel. Students will get extensive hands-on training to help them learn and improve their skills on a pottery wheel in a fun, relaxed, and encouraging environment. Students will have the opportunity to complete multiple projects, which they will be able to take home once the pieces are fired. No previous ceramic knowledge is required.
“Fun and Function with Clay” with Jennifer Wedner (March 13, 20 & April 3)
This fun and informative class is designed to demonstrate what the structural basics are in assembling a three-dimensional ceramic art piece that is both decorative and useful; such as a lidded container or tea pot. The goal of the class will be for each participant to have fun as they create a useful ceramic art piece. Photo documentation of your creative process from start to finish and the use of basic shapes and tools will be another feature of the class. All work will be bisqued, glaze-fired and finished in a dip-colored glaze of choice.
“Human Forms in Sculpture or Jewelry” with Sue Winner (March 19 & 20)
In this class each student will start with mastering the formulas of human proportion via drawing. This knowledge will be used to sketch designs of the piece of jewelry or sculpture that will be created in this class in a fun and imaginative way. The student will select a design sketch and use techniques in three-dimensional sculptural paper clay to achieve the finished piece. After drying and painting the creations, each student can also embellish the jewelry and sculptures with memorabilia, gems, and treasures that may be brought from their home collection.
Glassblowing
“Beginning Glass-blowing” with Bruce Freund (March 12 & 13)
In this class, students will be taught the basics of glass-blowing. They will return home with some unique hand-blown glass.
“Glassblowing” with Christopher Jeffries (March 26 & 27)
This course will open your eyes and minds to a new material. You will be introduced to glassblowing using a fun collaborative approach. We will be working together, searching for ways to transform your ideas into glass, and execute them. Each day, everyone will have the opportunity to make their own piece of glass. We will cover the basic skills that are needed in making a vessel, and you will get to know the tools that we work with in the hot shop. In this two-day workshop, students will walk away with something special and a piece of their own.
“Glassblowing” with Jason McQuaid (March 19 & 20)
Come blow glass! This hands-on workshop will include one day of solid sculptural work, and one day of hand-blown glass. Students will keep their finished work and average five pieces during this workshop. No experience necessary.
“Glassblowing” with Muffin Spencer-Devlin and Gavin Heath (April 2 & 3)
Beginning glass on the pipe – sculpture. Learn to gather glass from the furnace and shape it into paper weights, egg shapes, heart shapes, angels and golf balls. Muffin’s glass career began with making paper weights for the 160 people that came to her wedding in 2006. Her best man was a glass blower and she taught her the same things she will teach you – how to gather glass from the furnace, apply color, and shape it at the bench. As you go, she will regale you with tales of her 21 years as a player on the LPGA Tour. With over 20 years experience, Gavin will teach students how to blow glass and experience the process of turning molten glass into works of art. Hands-on basic and intermediate skills in glassblowing. At the end of the weekend students will leave with artwork they have personally created.
Jewelry
“Playing with Fire – An Introduction to Jewelry Making” with Lorraine Hornby (March 12 & 13)
Transform plain sheet metal and wire into a unique piece of jewelry! Learn how to incorporate gems in to your design with a bezel setting. Class will introduce students to the fundamentals of jewelry fabrication: piercing, sawing, soldering, forming and stone-setting. Space is limited to ensure students receive one-on-one instruction to create either a pendant or ring.
Mixed Media
“Flags of Intention” with Terrell Anansi and Michelle Hutchinson (April 2 & 3)
Renew your intentions and honor the cycle of life by creating prayer flags with personal and universal symbols of peace and healing with a focus on our natural world. In Tibet, prayer flags, strung together on twine in colors to represent the elements, are flown high in the wind to carry prayers to the Universe. We will explore various methods of decoration including; stamp making, stencil making, block printing, and painting with dye. Hanging the flags, made from hemp linen and twine, manifests your intentions and represents the ritual of renewal of our natural world.
“Mixed Media Playtime” with Suzette Rosenthal and Cherril Doty (March 26 & 27)
We will be exploring different forms of self-expression and artistic identity in a positive, supportive and free-flowing setting. This is an opportunity to play with a variety of media, methods, and materials such as paint, paper fibers, and more to create an art piece, begin an art journal, produce artist trading cards and a myriad of other exciting possibilities. Collage techniques, textural substrates, image transfers – it is all a possibility in this class!
Painting
“Painting Workshop” with John Eagle (March 12 & 13)
Come paint a beautiful landscape and seascape in oils on canvas with Laguna Beach artist John Eagle! Beginner to intermediate artists 18 and older are welcome. Design, values and color mixing will be emphasized.
“Acrylic and oil impressionism” with Charleine Guy (March 19 & 20, 26 & 27)
Flowers and seascapes for beginners to experienced painters. Charleine’s motto is “keep it simple, have fun and let’s paint!” In this class, students will be studying composition, limited palette, focal point, brush strokes and lost and found edges. Students will have their own original art to take home each day.
“Language of Landscape Painting” with Amy Jackson (March 20)
This class starts with the basics of color theory, tone and value, composition and development of a personal art vocabulary. The focus of the class is landscape and creating art in Plein Air outside.
“Pet Portraits” with Anne-Liv Scott (March 26 & 27)
The objective of this class is to have all students walk away with a fabulous, well-composed, personal, oil rendition. This class is for all level painters. Students should bring a blown-up well-lit clear pet image in color AND in black and white to fit one 11″x14″ canvas, and wear clothes and/or an apron to paint in. Instructor Anne-Liv Scott will have everything else. About the instructor: Anne-Liv Scott is a graduate from Laguna College of Art and Design. She is a five-year Sawdust exhibitor and has been voted three years “Best Painter” by her peers. Scott was also nomintated “Laguna Beach Artist of the Year” in 2009.
“Watercolors” with Linda Swanson (April 2 & 3)
The objective of this class is to acquaint first-time painters and to reacquaint returnees to the art of pure and transparent watercolors. Instruction will include ideas on: composition and what makes an interesting picture, drawing techniques, palette decisions, planning to save your whites, and correcting mistakes. Students should bring an open mind, and should not think ‘I have no talent,’ ‘I cannot draw,’ or ‘my mother, father, sister or brother got all of the family talent.’ Come ready to learn from your neighbor and take away even just one learning idea from each class! About the instructor: Linda Swanson has been teaching for over 10 years and painting for over 15 years. While primarily self-taught Swanson has learned so much from her students and from associating herself with various levels of educated fellow artists who love to share. Her passion with watercolor is for Plein Air but she loves studio work as well. Swanson is a Laguna Beach resident and Sawdust exhibitor.
Photography
“Enjoying Your Digital Camera” with Mary Hurlbut (March 12, 19, 26 & April 2)
Three-hour intro class to digital photography for beginners. Learn the art of seeing light, while also having those pesky technical questions answered in plain English! Bring your digital camera, the manual it came with, and, if you have one, a laptop. Wear shoes for walking. We will spend time in the classroom covering the Art of Photography and the basics for using digital cameras. Then we’ll get outside and practice what you’ve learned, before returning to the class and uploading the images to a computer for viewing and discussion. Please make a list of questions you have about digital photography and email them to Mary, one week prior to the class: mary.hurlbut@verizon.net.
Textiles
“Silk Painting” with Olivia Batchelder (April 2 & 3)
Paint your own long silk scarf with vibrant dyes. Learn how to create a simple design, stretch a white silk scarf onto a painting frame, transfer your design onto silk and outline it with special resist, mix your own colors and paint your design. We will start with a few exercise pieces, exploring simple watercolor techniques and texture treatments. You will go home with an original silk scarf you have made for yourself.
“Exploring with Silk Painting; Paint a Sarong” with Reem Khalil (March 12 & 13)
Beginners and advanced students welcome. Experience the ancient art of silk painting. Learn how to apply colors to silk fabric and create a one-of-a-kind scarf and sarong (just in time for summer!). This class is taught by Sawdust artist, Reem Khalil, who has 15 years of experience.
“Felted Purse Class” with Shelly Munoz & Cheryl Frye (March 27 & April 3)
Find your inner creativity in this felted purse beginner class! Knit this purse in the round out of wool and shrink it in your top-loading washer. You will learn to make different knitted flowers and butterflies to decorate your newly felted purse. You will also learn some new skills and get a new bag, too (perfect for spring!) Two-day class – First day; cast on, and learn decrease and increase. Homework: knit 12 inches. Second day; decrease and cast off, make handles and embellishments (flowers & butterflies).
Other
“I am an Artist” with Mischa Martineau (March 12 & 13)
“I am an Artist” teaches you to nurture your belief in yourself as a talented and successful artist. Stories are shared about defining life experiences like the powerful words that were spoken to you about your capabilities as an artist. Time is given to record personal insights in your ‘My Discovery Journal.’ You’ll learn to craft powerful “I AM” statements to shape strong beliefs and, for lasting change, you’ll practice concepts such as: riding the thought elevator, releasing the fear vacuum and achieving mental momentum. You’ll walk away with creative mental tools for a lifetime of empowerment as a thriving artist!
Spring Into Art class space is limited. Class fees include all materials, supplies and instruction needed. To register or for more information on the Sawdust’s 2011 Spring Into Art workshops, please visit www.sawdustartfestival.org/spring-into-art or call 949-494-3030. The Sawdust Art Festival is located at 935 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.
The Sawdust Art Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public
and promoting the art created in Laguna Beach.
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