Workshops and Special Courses

New Options: Using Acrylics as Oils
Phil Garrett, Visiting Artist

(307B09) Friday–Saturday, 2 sessions
September 25–26, 10 am–4 pm, GCMA Studio 2, $169 (includes lunch)

Join printmaker and painter Phil Garrett for an outstanding opportunity to learn how to achieve oil-like effects with acrylic paints. Participants will experiment with an exciting array of acrylic media along with innovative new products, Golden OPEN Acrylics, which have an extended working time. The course addresses support preparation and the use of heavy body and fluid paints and gels to create surface textures and alter consistency. Students will learn a basic palette for traditional techniques, which pigments provide clean color mixing, and which media work for blending and glazing. All paint and gels provided by Golden Paints.

Calligraphy
Bruce Bunch

(306B09) Thursday, 4 sessions
September 17–October 8, 6:00– 8:30 pm, GCMA Studio 2, $99

The application of beautifully-formed letters to a holiday card or a hand-bound story book is an art as old as language itself. This class is designed for students who are just starting out or for calligraphers who want to invigorate their art. Students will warm up their skills with the Chancery letterform, using pens and brushes. Moving beyond letterforms, the class will cover addressing envelopes, layout, design, patterns, decorative borders, and the use of watercolors, as well as illuminated and gold gilded letters. After learning to put their hand to paper, students will bind their pages into simple hand-bound books. Classes include demonstrations and lots of hands-on time. Materials list mailed with confirmation.

 

Calligraphy for Celebrations
Bruce Bunch

(316D09) Saturday, 1 session
November 14, 10:30 am–4 pm, GCMA Studio 2, $59

Learn to adorn holiday cards, invitations, and gifts with a personal touch. This one-day workshop offers a wonderful opportunity to learn the basic skills of calligraphy. Students will begin with the Chancery letterform, using pens and brushes. Moving beyond letterforms, the workshop will cover envelope addressing, invitations and place cards, layout, design, and decorative borders. Class includes demonstrations and lots of hands-on time. Materials list mailed with confirmation.

 

Nature Photography: Fall Photo Hike
Diane Hopkins-Hughs and Anne Martin

(308B09) Tuesday, 1 session October 20, 9 am–4 pm, meet at GCMA, $59
(309B09) Saturday, 1 session October 24, 9 am–4 pm, meet at GCMA, $59

Journey with photographer Diane Hopkins-Hughs and naturalist Anne Martin to hike and photograph the foothills. Explore the best ways to frame, focus, and compose photographs of magnificent fall foliage and landscapes. Hikes will include easy to moderate trails within an hour of downtown Greenville. Students should bring a camera (35 mm or digital), film, a bag lunch, and gas money. Participants will be responsible for developing photos outside of class in either film or digital format and will be treated to a critique of their work in Hopkins-Hughs’ studio (date to be determined by class).

Draw Jewel-like Miniatures
Carol Leary, Visiting Artist

(312B09) Friday–Saturday, 2 sessions
October 23–24, 10 am–4 pm, GCMA Studio 4, $119

Capture the essence of nature using drawing skills that focus on living plants, flowers, and other natural treasures. Beginning to advanced artists will learn to portray natural life forms in a realistic style. Work will be done primarily in graphite pencil, with the subtle addition of color through the versatile medium of colored pencil. Artists may concentrate on monochromatic representation or incorporate color to create small jewels of art (6" x 8" or even 4" x 6"). Chiaroscuro, cropped composition, and textural detail will be important considerations in renderings. Instructor Carol Leary brings extensive experience as an artist and educator, along with graduate and undergraduate degrees in art education and participation in arts workshops nationwide. Materials list mailed with confirmation. Students are asked to bring a bag lunch.

Watercolor Workshop
Mary Whyte, Visiting Artist

(300C10) Friday–Saturday, 2 sessions
March 19–20, 2010, 9:30 am–4 pm, GCMA Studios 3 and 4, $295 (includes lunch)

Charleston watercolorist Mary Whyte returns to the Museum for an eighth year to unearth the mysteries of watercolor. Students will share Whyte’s expertise in portraying people in their natural environments as they work from a seated model to render the essence of form, personality, and likeness. From washing and glazing techniques to the fundamentals of mixing color and the creation of strong color compositions, this class is a must for students of all levels. It is carefully organized to provide a foundation for the development of individual style. The workshop includes a tour of the Museum’s collection with Mary Whyte and Museum Curator Martha Severens. Materials list mailed with confirmation.

Multi-session classes for adults

Introduction to Figure Drawing
Suzy Hart

(311B09) Friday, 5 sessions
September 25–October 30 (no class October 16), 9:30 am–12:30 pm, GCMA Studio 3, $119

Explore the techniques of life drawing with artist Suzy Hart, a lifetime member of the Art Students League of New York and recipient of the 2007 Award of Excellence from the Portrait Society of America. Topics include basic anatomy and classical methods of drawing the human form, as well as techniques for creating dramatic effects using gesture, expression, and shading. Classes will include demonstrations and lots of hands-on time working from a live model in both short and extended poses. Materials list mailed with confirmation.

 

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Fundamental Drawing: From Form to Figure
Glen Miller

(310B09) Thursday, 8 sessions
September 17–November 12 (no class October 15), 6:00–9:00 pm, GCMA Studio 3, $179

At times artists need to revisit the basics of their craft before forging ahead. This course will help artists at all levels sharpen visual perception and drawing skills to create more dynamic images and compositions. Join artist Glen Miller as he works with students to distill and render basic forms from complex objects, and then apply this approach to constructing the human form. Miller’s work will be on view at the Roe Art Building at Furman University August 27–October 5, 2009. Materials list mailed with confirmation.

Advanced Water Media: Colorful Forms in Collage
Carrie Burns Brown

(313B09) Wednesday, 10 sessions
September 9–December 2 (no class October 14, November 11 and 25), 9am–noon, GCMA Studio 4, $209

Embrace the harmony of color while experimenting with the richness of collage. As collage is explored, elements of color theory and design will be emphasized through critique, demonstration, and assignments that help students find new approaches to their work. In addition to addressing still life and landscape compositions, several sessions will deal with the human figure working from a seated model. Instructor Carrie Burns Brown is a member with distinction of watercolor societies across the country and teaches workshops throughout the US and Canada. Materials list mailed with confirmation.

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Watercolor: Getting Started
Bruce Bunch

(314B09) Thursday, 8 sessions
September 17–November 12 (no class October 15), 9:30 am–12:30pm, GCMA Studio 4, $169

This is an ideal opportunity for aspiring artists who have always wanted to paint with watercolor or who haven’t painted in years. This class will begin with a complete review of supplies and materials, then solve the mystery of paints, brushes, and papers. Participants will learn to set up a palette to avoid muddy paints and then explore color, basic washes, brush strokes, glazes, wet-on-wet and dry brush. Working in the studio, students will learn the importance of drawing, developing a concept, composition, and value. Classes include demonstrations, lots of hands-on time, and the opportunity to study watercolors in the Museum galleries, including the Andrew Wyeth collection. Instructor Bruce Bunch has won numerous awards, including Best of Show in the Georgia Wildlife Arts Festival and the Queens Award (UK) for excellence. He was recently selected by the South Carolina State Park Service as an Artist-in-Residence. Materials list mailed with confirmation.

Oil Painting: Still Life in Small, Medium, and Large
Paul Flint

(315B09) Thursday, 8 sessions
September 24–November 19 (no class October 15), 6–9 pm, GCMA Studio 4, $169

Discover the power of scale and proportion with artist Paul Flint, a founding member of the ArtBomb Co. Throughout this course, students will develop four oil paintings starting with a small 12" x 12" format and working up to a large 48" x 48" composition. Practical applications, color theory, and composition will be emphasized as students improve their techniques and define their individual styles in oil. Materials list mailed with confirmation.

More: classes for children

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