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Creative Collages
Collage is more than gluing papers together. Learn elements of composition by layering a vast selection of various prepared and bought papers. Collage on a mixture of surfaces, such as Tyvek (a commercial product) and boards of different weights. Integrate paints, pastels, and simple prints on tissue and rice paper. Ages 16-Adult
Refresh Your Artist Within
Wanting to get back in touch with your own creativity? Refresh your hidden talents through mixed media in collage, watercolor, pastels, simple printmaking, and more. Work with fabulous papers, prepared by you, as well as printed and rice papers of various textures. Embellish with paints, various pastels, and inks. Through this variety of techniques, you will find a medium you love. Adults
Line, Color, Blend
Using various textural work surfaces, learn to apply and blend a variety of mediums for your compositions. Combine chalk (wet and dry), inks, paints, and different pastels to create layered works of art rich in color and texture. We will prepare some of our own papers with simple printmaking to add to our layered techniques. Fabulous fun! Ages 16-Adult
Kids’ Sensory Stroll
Learn to see art in a whole new way on the Kids’ Sensory Stroll! We will explore the Fine Arts Center galleries and interpret different artworks through sensory charts. Write, draw, doodle, or perform in expressive ways by exploring how we use our five senses to enjoy art. You will be encouraged to seek inspiration for your creations by fully investigating the artworks around you. Parents are encouraged to join in the journey through the galleries. Ages 9-12
Inspired Postcards
This class is inspired by Mary Chenoweth, iconic Colorado College professor of art, and the woman who carved the wooden doors at the entrance of the Bemis School of Art. Let us explore collage through a playful expression of making small postcard-sized art influenced by Mary’s, Matisse’s, and Picasso’s work. Gather your stash of ephemera from travels or precious papers you have been hanging onto, bring them to the workshop, and transform them into small pieces of art. Ages 16-Adult
Line, Color, Blend
This mixed media workshop focuses on the layering and blending of pastels, paints, inks, and more. Work on a variety of surfaces creating fabulous textural and painterly works. We will explore wet and dry techniques with some simple printmaking, stencils, and stamps. Join us for this fabulous class! Ages 6-9
Partners in Art: Cutting into Color
Matisse traded in his paintbrush for a pair of scissors. In this class, you and your young partner will work together to explore collage using various layered techniques as Matisse and other collagists do. Work with found, prepared, and altered papers of various weights and textures, along with paints and pastels to create fabulous out-of-the-box compositions. Ages 7-11 with parent
Expressive Florals
Learn to use bold, vivid color to create an expressive floral painting. A bit of layering with collage and gel medium for enhanced texture, underpainting techniques, strong brush strokes, mark-making, and acrylic paint will work together to define floral shapes. Oil pastels will be used for finishing touches and definition. This class is about discovering your unique style by integrating hand, eye, and heart. Individual attention emphasized. Ages 16-Adult
Taking It Apart, Putting It Together
Learn how to repurpose recyclable materials such as cardboard, soft plastics, and papers into fabulous sculptural objects and compositions. With bought and mostly found materials, we will create constructions, hanging collages, jewelry, and more! Of course, we will add lots of color to our projects as well. Ages 9-12
Painting & Collage on Tyvek & Board
Tyvek is a plastic-like commercial material. Repurposed, it is a fabulous and pliable surface for collaging with papers, fibers, and painting. In this out-of-the-box class, we will create unusual compositions on Tyvek as well as paper and board. Tyvek collages can hang and be perforated to add beads and buttons as well. We will also prepare our own papers and work with found and bought materials. Ages 7-11
Art Around the World
Would you like to be inspired by art from regions other than our own? This class explores several techniques from different cultures and countries across the globe —painting/sculpting animals, tangled drawings, dot designs, and stamped hieroglyphics. Make art while you learn about other art processes from around the world. Ages 6-9
Partners in Art: Line, Color, Blend
Join your child in this fabulous, shared experience! You and your young partner will create a variety of compositions in painting, design, collage, simple printmaking, and more. Work with various textural surfaces and colorants. Create your own designs on tissue, rice, and deli paper using a Gelli plate. Ages 7-11 with parent
Story Making Through the Monotype Process
We will make prints using stencils and symbols that represent something important to our life experience. The prints will create an opportunity that will help each member share a personal story about who they are. Experience the freedom to begin a journey of self-discovery by making art that helps express yourself in a new way. You will have a chance to create work that can go home with you, or maybe even a small series of work. We will end the workshop with an hour to critique. Ages 16-Adult
Art & Acting in the Forest
Enjoy outstanding arts education with instructors from the Fine Art Center’s Bemis School of Art set in the lush forest at the 400-acre La Foret Conference and Retreat Center. Experience a variety of artistic styles and techniques, including painting, printmaking, and mixed-media art while exploring elements of composition and design. Cultivate your acting skills, voice, movement, and characterization with theater games, mime, and improvisation. Art and acting will come together on Fridays with a special showcase performance and art exhibit for friends and family. Ages 6-11
Beginner Gold Leafing
Have you ever got to the end of a piece and felt like something was missing? Maybe it needs a little razzle dazzle! In this 4-hour workshop, you will learn about the history of gold leafing, how to prepare surfaces and pieces for gold, then the actual process of leafing — how to use sizing adhesive, apply leaf, burnish, and seal it all. You will leave with extra materials and enough experience to experiment on your own! Ages 16-Adult
Create Your Own Tarot Deck
Interested in tarot? Are you a beginner or a seasoned reader? In this class, you will learn about the art history of tarot cards, their various systems of symbolism and interpretation, as well as basic image-making techniques to create your own deck of tarot cards using a medium of your choice. Ages 16-Adult
Introduction To Studio Practice
This course is for students who have expressed a love for art and wish to create their own art free from typical in-school restrictions. Students will be guided through a simplified creation experience aimed at helping them generate their own ideas. Learn practical idea-generation tools while also reviewing the elements of art and the principles of design. Ages 9-12
Virtual: Military Artistic Healing
Discover the techniques to inspire creative skills and gain greater self-awareness. Learn to utilize artistic and creative exercise, through therapeutic processes, to develop self-expression and healing. Explore possibilities, develop your creativity, and gain personal insight through working with a variety of controllable mediums. Increase personal management of life stressors by utilizing artistic exercises outside of class to help with trauma. There are many benefits to using art to express emotions — art can furnish a healthy outlet and an alternate way to communicate something that one cannot always put into words, provide safe containment for emotions that are expressed, and reflecting on art can give new understanding and insight about feelings. Visual thinking strategies will be used to increase group cohesion. This course includes live Zoom class sessions. Adults
Papier Mache Mask Making
Familiarize yourself with traditional masks from different regions of the world and build your own decorative mask. Using a mold and papier mache, we'll construct the mask on day one, paint on day two and add embellishments on day three. Ages 12-16
In-Person: Military Artistic Healing
Discover the techniques to inspire creative skills and gain greater self-awareness. Explore possibilities, develop your creativity, and gain personal insight through working with a variety of controllable mediums. Visits to the Fine Arts Center’s museum galleries using visual thinking strategies will increase group cohesion. There are many benefits to using art to express emotions — art can furnish a healthy outlet and an alternate way to communicate something that one cannot always put into words, provide safe containment for emotions that are expressed, and reflecting on art can give new understanding and insight about feelings. Adults
Tell Your Story With Graphic Novels
Learn to write and draw your own graphic novel! Students will format a story complete with setting, plot and characters and learn how to illustrate the narrative with their own drawings. Students will learn how to draw from a bird’s eye view, worm's eye view, and will learn basic design elements to add excitement or drama to their story. Students should come ready with an idea of their characters and a conflict that will help drive the story. Ages 12-16
The Secret Garden
Inspired by the classic book, “The Secret Garden” by Frances Burnett, learn to draw the main character Mary Lennox, build the graffiti garden with collage and paint, blend colorful art tissue with acrylic paint to make the blossoming garden, and design a keyhole peeking into the garden. Create a floral headpiece with dangling ribbons for a tea party hosted by the instructor on the grounds of the Fine Arts Center. Ages 7-11
Cardboard Picasso
More than just a painter, Pablo Picasso created dimensional art from paper, a variety of cardboard, paints, and thin metals. Join us as we look at his work and create our own mask creations, distorted portrait collages, and constructions from paints, pastels, paper, and unlikely materials. We will be doing simple printmaking on various papers with Picasso-like imagery. Ages 6-9