Jewel Tree by David Fleming

DECEMBER EXHIBIT

A HOLIDAY MIX

NEW THIS MONTH:

Juliette Daley has a new group of her beautiful, delicate drawings in watercolor pencil.

Mikaila Maidment also has a new series of her stunning landscape paintings.

Donna Colby has some new angel paintings, including The Angel of Text, who wears glasses and is reading a book.

Judy Bales has some unique decorative bows with personality that can be used on packages, as a hair ornament, an extravagant bracelet, or on a Christmas tree.

Kartika Damon has made a series of decoupaged bottles with a vintage flavor.

CONTINUING ARE:

Rick Dunstan's very wonderful ceramic planters, complete with plants, marked down to an extremely affordable price. If you like plants, these planters are really special and shouldn't be missed!

David Fleming's enhanced photographs of elements of nature. Each one has a marvelous mood and design and they look more like silk screen prints or lithographs than traditional photographs. They are also offered at remarkable prices.

Patty Hancock has her large selection of small prints and her four new pieces on bamboo paper in bamboo frames.

Genevra Daley Bell's animal illustrations are being offered at special holiday prices.

Many more art pieces by the Flying Leap artists are on display throughout the gallery and classroom.

We are also still extending the Empty Bowls event (without the soup) to raise money for world hunger. There were many beautiful bowls left over after the main event, so we have them here—all made by local ceramic artists. They sell for $25 each and all the money will go to Table to Table or Oxfam. Empty Bowls purchases must be cash or check only (no credit cards).

An image from David Fleming's Tree series

 

NOVEMBER SHOW

A MARVELOUS MEDLEY

This month's exhibit features a variety of Flying Leap's favorite artists we've shown before and a few new ones: Mikaila Maidment, David Fleming, Patty Hancock, Genevra Daley Bell, Mara Winningham, Rod Falk, Rick Dunstan, Danielle Shier, Hilary Nelson, Scooter Glithorthian, Donna Colby, and many more.

David Fleming's enhanced photographs are mainly new ones, added to the exquisite series of trees from the Nature Show.

Patty Hancock has four new pieces on bamboo paper in bamboo frames.

Genevra Daley Bell has a new series of animal illustrations

New additions include beautiful color drawings by Juliette Daley, shadow box mixed media pieces by Dori Lewman, and a collage of figure sketches by Sarah Baron.

We are also extending the Empty Bowls event (without the soup) to raise money for world hunger. There were many beautiful bowls left over after the main event, so we have them here—all made by local ceramic artists. They sell for $25 each and all the money will go to Table to Table or Oxfam. Empty Bowls purchases must be cash or check only (no credit cards).

from Rocky Mountain National Park series by Mikaila Maidment

THE NATURE SHOW

continues with some new works added

Show runs until Saturday, October 26

Art Walk is Friday, October 4

 

Works featured:

Rod Falk’s powerful and primal paintings expressing “the flow of Mother Nature’s creative force.” Using paint combined with natural elements, these simple images evoke the source of creation and the condensed energy inherent in its expression.

Danielle Shier’s luminous pastel landscapes, each one an invitation into the forms, feelings, and colors of a beautiful place and aspect of nature.

Mikaila Maidment’s striking landscapes, in two formats—paintings in rich colors, with her masterful brushstrokes, and black and white illustrations in ink, graced with both simplicity and detail.

Hilary Nelson’s wooden animal cutouts, painted in a soft, tactile way that really gives each animal a strong personality.

David Fleming’s enhanced photographs of elements of nature, with marvelous color palettes and design evocative of fine silk screen or woodcut prints.

Rick Dunstan’s ceramic planters and fountains, with an earthy beauty.

Wendy Stegall’s glowing assemblages and prints, spiritual and contemplative, each one a sacred object. They will be exhibited in the small reading room next to the classroom studio, so they can be quietly observed as in a temple.

Kartika Damon’s recently created Buddha series, uniting images of Buddha with elements of nature in rich mixed media pieces with many layers of meaning and depth and Kartika’s skill with design and tone.

New works by Olaya Veras, with a nature theme and her well-known sense of striking design and dramatic color choices.

One new work by Patty Hancock—another print of her ceramic paintings—this one printed with brilliance on a metallic surface.

Other new works by the Flying Leap artists, including Joyce Schindler, and a memorial exhibit of prints of Peter Graham-Bell’s paintings. Peter passed away on August 7 and will be greatly missed by the Flying Leap family.

Birth of Wholeness by Rod Falk

The Nature Show
September - October, 2013
Opens Friday, September 6, at Art Walk

Works featured:

Rod Falk’s powerful and primal paintings expressing “the flow of Mother Nature’s creative force.” Using paint combined with natural elements, these simple images evoke the source of creation and the condensed energy inherent in its expression.

Danielle Shier’s luminous pastel landscapes, each one an invitation into the forms, feelings, and colors of a beautiful place and aspect of nature.

Mikaila Maidment’s striking landscapes, in two formats—paintings in rich colors, with her masterful brushstrokes, and black and white illustrations in ink, graced with both simplicity and detail.

Hilary Nelson’s wooden animal cutouts, painted in a soft, tactile way that really gives each animal a strong personality.

David Fleming’s enhanced photographs of elements of nature, with marvelous color palettes and design evocative of fine silk screen or woodcut prints.

Rick Dunstan’s ceramic planters and fountains, with an earthy beauty.

Wendy Stegall’s glowing assemblages and prints, spiritual and contemplative, each one a sacred object. They will be exhibited in the small reading room next to the classroom studio, so they can be quietly observed as in a temple.

Kartika Damon’s recently created Buddha series, uniting images of Buddha with elements of nature in rich mixed media pieces with many layers of meaning and depth and Kartika’s skill with design and tone.

New works by Olaya Veras, with a nature theme and her well-known sense of striking design and dramatic color choices.

One new work by Patty Hancock—another print of her ceramic paintings—this one printed with brilliance on a metallic surface.

Other new works by the Flying Leap artists, including Joyce Schindler, and a memorial exhibit of prints of Peter Graham-Bell’s paintings. Peter passed away on August 7 and will be greatly missed by the Flying Leap family.

 Some of Donna Colby's 366 One-a-Days

LAST MONTH OF SUMMER SHOW

Art Walk is Friday, August 2, 6:30 - 10:00 p.m.

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE SHOW:

A new group of animal illustrations by Genevra Daley Bell, this time going from cats and rabbits to the wilder side—a giraffe, tiger, bison, etc.—all, as usual. with very British names and clothing.

New gouache paintings by Austin Merrill, whose rich, abstract work has been featured here and at ICON in the past. 

Here's a reminder of the ongoing features of the Summer Show:

Donna Colby’s One-a-Days - 366 small works of art produced from May 20, 2012 to May 20, 2013, one each day. Donna says, “I made a commitment on my birthday in 2012 to do this project. Some days I only had a minute or two to make my art piece, and those, to my surprise, were often my favorites. To me, all 366 pieces make one work of art. They belong as a group.” There are drawings, paintings, and collages, each one numbered and dated, displayed in sequence.

Marcia Tiffany’s Double-Walled Ceramic Vessels - dramatic works of beauty and mystery. Marcia says, “Something about double-walled bowls intrigues me. I am drawn to think of them as ceremonial vessels that honor the similarities and polarities in nature, art and ourselves. I think of the hollow space between the inner and outer shapes as the place where the spirit or breath resides.” With vivid colors and fascinating textures, these works were partly inspired by the ceremonial vessels of various cultures, including containers for sacred objects and holy water.

Steve Tiffany’s Newest Computer Animation will also be playing in the Art Club Room.

Nick Johnson’s Wacky Assemblages - Anyone who has seen Nick’s work knows that his creations are astonishing, intricate, funny, and always strange. Using items like doll’s heads, eggshells, machine parts, glass eyeballs, and clocks, Nick’s assemblages make between-the-lines statements (social, political), hinted at by his titles. One of these pieces was inspired by a scene in the 1973 movie Papillon. 

Edgard Camacho’s Inventive Ceramic Pieces - Edgard has been a painter and sculptor and is showing a collection of colorful pieces with marvelous geometric facets and unique design features.

Double-Walled Bowl by Marcia Tiffany

Donna’s One-a-Days,
Marcia Tiffany’s Doubled-Walled Vessels,
and more

Summer Show - June, July, August
Opens Friday, June 7, at Art Walk

Donna Colby’s One-a-Days - These are small works of art produced one each day for a year—from May 20, 2012 - May 20, 2013. The resulting 366 pieces will be displayed in this show. Donna says, “I made a commitment on my birthday in 2012 to do this project. Some days I only had a minute or two to make my art piece, and those, to my surprise, were often my favorites. Some are drawings, some paintings, some are designs made from paper scraps, many are spur of the moment experiments.To me, all 366 pieces make one work of art. They belong as a group.”

Marcia Tiffany's Double-Walled Ceramic Vessels - Marcia Tiffany says of her dramatic ceramic pieces: “Something about double-walled bowls intrigues me. I am drawn to think of them as ceremonial vessels that honor the similarities and polarities in nature, art and ourselves. I think of the hollow space between the inner and outer shapes as the place where the spirit or breath resides.” Marcia uses contrasting colors, highly textured and smooth surfaces, and size relationships to express and evoke the symbolism of these vessels, partly inspired by the ceremonial vessels of various cultures, including containers for sacred objects and holy water.

Nick Johnson's new assemblages - Anyone who has seen Nick’s work knows that his 3-D creations are delightful, sometimes political, often absurd, masterful, and ridiculously inventive.

Edgard Camacho's unique ceramic designs - Edgard, who has been a painter and sculptor, is showing a collection of ceramic pieces with marvelous geometric facets, unique design features, and great color palettes.

Dress by Judy Bales

Modeled by Mikaila Maidment

MAY SHOW - FASHION & CREATIVITY CONTINUE 

WITH NEW ADDITIONS

New feature:

The remarkable dresses of Charlotte Forbes. These dresses are art pieces, made to hang on the wall and not be worn. They are utterly fascinating—three styles made entirely of used teabags, with their gorgeous gradations of tea-color (tea itself removed). These dresses are poetic and romantic and offbeat. Another dress is made completely of crumpled paper towels that were used as paint rags. It's quite beautiful. Charlotte lives in New York but visits Fairfield regularly.

Continuing are the fashion-inspired mixed media works by Olaya Veras with their brightly colored inventive designs and the incredible costumes created by Judy Bales from the most unlikely materials.

Genevra Daley Bell has also added some more new Spring animals—charming ink and watercolor illustrations that are well-loved.

Art Walk night, Friday, May 3, also includes a studio activity of ongoing , ever-changing tabletop installations. Everyone can participate in these transitory works of art.

APRIL SHOW
FASHION & CREATIVITY
Show opens Friday, April 5th, at Art Walk and 

ends on June 1st

This show features:

The mixed media fashion illustrations of Olaya Veras. A designer and architect, Olyaya's pieces use fashion in a structural and pattern-oriented way. Using collage, paint, colored pencil, ink, wax, and other media, she has created a series of over 30 works that have incredible variety.

Costumes and photographs by Judy Bales. Well-known for her sculptures and theatrical costumes using found materials and unexpected items like plastic zip-ties and window screening, Judy’s work is always delightful to see. This exhibit features two of her costumes, accompanied by ten atmospheric photographs of models wearing her costumes in perfect settings.

New Spring Animals by Genevra Daley Bell. Her popular ink and watercolor animal series continues, with a group of rabbits, ducks, lambs, and one robin, dressed, as usual, in very British clothing, this time especially for Spring.

 APRIL INFO COMING SOON

Blog post for April Show with a Fashion theme (opening Friday, April 5, at Art Walk) will appear here sometime tomorrow (Wednesday). Sorry for the delay. I'm waiting for a picture.

CLASSES page is now working! April class schedule is there now.

Mermaid by Patty Hancock, print from natural oxide painting on clay

MARCH SHOW AND CLASSES

More new works by Patty Hancock, featuring her beautiful prints—many new ones this month—that originate from her natural oxide paintings on clay. For March, she has brought the ceramic plates themselves from which several of the large prints were made. It is utterly fascinating to compare the two and see how the images translate from one medium to another in such a dramatic way.  The images evoke cosmic worlds, geographic forms, mysterious environments, or microscopic organisms.

Patty says of her work:
 "Natural oxides--red oxide, rutile, yellow ochre, to name a
few--provide the basis of my natural oxide paintings on hand-formed clay. I feel like a magician when I draw and paint with oxides. Transformations happen during and after the repeated kiln firings. High resolution close-ups sanction the final image."

The Lulu & Chaiden Show includes the impressive and delightful work of Lulu and Chaiden Miller, ages 10 and 7. Their art pieces include watercolor, pencil, pastel, and mixed media work and show a wonderful grasp of design, composition, color, and the possibilities of various media, plus an originality unique to each of them, loaded with personality.
 
Genevra Daley Bell has made some new animal portraits in her inimitable Beatrix Potter-like style. Also now available are postcard sets of her artist animal series—nine cards featuring Andy Warthog, Labrador Dali, Vincent van Gopher and all the rest. She has also made a birthday card involving bears and offbeat humor. Be sure to check that out.




CLASS SCHEDULE FOR MARCH 2013

These are adult classes (ages 17 and up). All classes are suitable for both beginners and those with art experience. Materials are provided. No preregistration necessary for any of the scheduled classes.

SATURDAY MORNINGS 10:30 - 12:00
Saturday Creativity Session - $10  (only $5 for Flying Leap Art Club members)
This class will be varied and will often be based on requests from students. Here are the projects for this month:

March 2 - Buildings and Streetscapes - In this class, we will look at the many fascinating ways artists have depicted buildings of all sorts and the groups of buildings making up a city, town or village. We’ll discover differences in perspective, the addition or elimination of detail, the use of color and tone, and more. Chagall, Matisse, Picasso, and Kandinsky are among the artists who have portrayed buildings in wonderful, original ways.

March 9 -  The Use of Templates and Stencils - Continuing our once-a-month “How To” Saturday, we will focus this week on different ways to use templates or stencils within a work of art. These methods can be useful in creating repetitive motifs or in exploring variations on one theme. We will use existing templates and also learn how to create our own, which we will use with a variety of media.

March 16 - Works of Art Involving a Grid -  In this class, we will look at many possible ways a grid format can be used in a work of art. Paul Klee’s marvelous irregular grids are beautiful explorations of color relationships; Kandinsky’s grids are displays of incredibly inventive calligraphic forms laid out like a chart; and many other artists have used grids in equally creative ways. We’ll experiment with our own take on grids in the class today.

March 23 - Creating a Narrative Scene in Mixed Media - This class will look at contemporary illustrators and their inventive use of mixed media to create works that tell a story. By tweaking size relationships, combining unlikely styles and images, and by weaving realism and abstraction, wonderful effects result. Narratives become less literal and more fluid, open, and mysterious.

March 30 - Lettering - In this class we will play with a variety of ways to add our own handwritten text to a work of art, using paint, ink, pencil, cut paper, and any other media. We’ll look at different kinds of alphabets and writing styles, options of size, boldness or subtlety, ways to place text within a work, the proportion and relationship of text to images, and so on.


SATURDAY AFTERNOONS 1:30 - 3:00
Self Discovery Collage Workshop   $10  ($8 for Flying Leap Art Club members)
Aimed at self-exploration. Anyone can do it. Each class has a theme and the abundant collage materials are used to work in an art journal, poster board, or any other format. There is a wonderful feeling in the room and great fascination at the end to see the incredible variety in the results. This is a very popular class.


SATURDAY AFTERNOONS  3:15 - 5:00
Working with the Masters    $18 individually or $60 for a 4-class punch card  ($12 a class for Flying Leap Art Club members)
A painting class based on observation and knowledge of the works of great master artists. Suitable for both beginners and experienced artists. Students create their own works, based on inspiration from the artist studied. Gouache and watercolor are primarily used, but pastels, acrylic, and other media come into play if appropriate, This class is full of wonderful discoveries, as well as naturally developing technique.

Each month or two a particular master artist is the focus:

March & April - Matisse in Nice - For these two months we will focus on the beautiful work Matisse produced during his years in Nice, in the south of France, where he fell in love with the light. Many of his painting were done in the same room, depicting the same window and view, but the variety is incredible. This exploration will reveal the subtle choices an artist can make at every stage, each choice creating a different feeling or vantage point on a subject. We will especially notice choices of color, composition, and pattern.

TUESDAY CLASS  1:30 - 3:00
Basic Drawing & Painting   $18 individually or $60 for a 4-class punch card  ($12 a class for Flying Leap Art Club members)
Formerly called "The Timid Artist," this class is for beginners or those who want to refresh the basic skills of drawing and painting. Each student gets individual attention and a curriculum based on interest and natural pace. Included are figure drawing, forms in nature, buildings and landscapes, composition, color palettes, and exploration of various drawing and painting media.

WEDNESDAY CLASS  1:30 - 3:00
Self Discovery Collage Class   $10  ($8 for Flying Leap Art Club members)
A repeat of the Saturday 1:30 class.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON:
Thursday afternoon is designated as Studio Day for members of the Flying Leap Art Club or Art Collective, with the classroom available for those who want to work of any project of their own or get together for collaborative work.

FRIDAY CLASS  1:30 - 3:00 (every Friday except Art Walk week, the first Friday of every month)
The Joy of Writing - $10  ($8 for Flying Leap Art Club members)
Words are a wonderful art form, and one of the very best ways to become a good writer is to read great writing. In this class, each session begins with readings from exceptional writing of a particular author, genre, culture or era of literature and then focusing on what makes it great. There will then be an opportunity to do writing exercises to practice those elements. Members of the class will also be able to read to the group from their own writings if they desire. This is an ongoing class that you can join at any time.

All classes are taught by Donna Colby, owner and director of Flying Leap Art Space. She studied drawing with Robert Vickers at Ohio Wesleyan University (1964-66), attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City (1966-67), and majored in painting and Illustration at RISD (Rhode Island School of Design - 1967-69). She has worked as a free lance illustrator in New York, Boulder, Colorado, Portland, Oregon, and in Fairfield, and has worked as an art teacher, and a writer for many years. She started Flying Leap Art Space in January 2010 after giving numerous presentations about art at ICON Gallery.

Crab Nebula - high resolution print by by Patty Miller Hancock

FEBRUARY SHOW AND CLASSES

(Classes page not working, so please scroll down for class schedule)

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS NEW WORKS BY PATTY MILLER HANCOCK

The show features Patty Hancock's new large enhanced prints of her natural oxide paintings on clay. These are spectacular images that seem like pictures of galaxies or undersea worlds or landscapes from the air, but they are, in fact, extreme close-ups of her paintings on clay.  We have had smaller prints of Patty's works before, but these are higher quality, richer, larger pieces—fine archival limited edition prints on paper and also works on canvas.
Patty says of her work:
"Oxides and gems are minerals found in the earth.  Many of the same chemical characteristics are shared.  I feel like a magician when I paint with oxides and glazes on my hand-built clay plates.  The unpredictable transformations happen both during the repeated kiln firings, and during the artistic decision-making.  My art process explores the subjectivity of objectivity."  

Also on Art Walk night, February 1, 6:30 - 10:00:

Wendy and Sebastiana's Flying Fashion Showroom, set up in the Fun & Gamed Room, will present "Pieces" Clothing—Chic Essentials and Dance Through Life collections. Most pieces $20 and $25.
The sale will be on Art Walk night and also Saturday, February 2, 10:30 - 5:00.

Valentines and small works for Valentine gifts. We'll have handmade Valentines, our usual large collection of ceramics, jewelry, and other items, and a room full of small art pieces by Genevra Daley Bell, Scooter Glithorthian, and others.

Betsy Dockhorn's exquisite handmade boxes will also be part of the Valentine theme. Every aspect—the structure, covering with special papers, and decoration—have been carefully created by Betsy.

Origami paper cranes made and donated by a local artist have been lovingly hand painted and decorated with prayers and symbols. They are her offering to anyone who wants one to keep or give as a gift. 

FEBRUARY CLASS SCHEDULE

 

These are adult classes (ages 17 and up). All classes are suitable for both beginners and those with art experience. Materials are provided. No preregistration necessary for any of the scheduled classes.

SATURDAY MORNINGS 10:30 - 12:00Saturday Creativity Session - $10  (only $5 for Flying Leap Art Club members)
This class will be varied and will often be based on requests from students. Here are the projects for this month:

February 2 - Layering with Strips or Shapes of Painted Paper - By request, we will spend the month of February exploring many ways of layering during our Saturday morning sessions. In today’s class, we will create painted surfaces, which we will then cut up in various ways to be used in the creation of layered designs. There are many ways to do this to create different effects, such as Matisse’s cut paper designs, Lance Letscher’s intricate collages, and more.

February 9 -  Layering with Transparencies - Continuing our once-a-month “How To” Saturday, we will focus this week on different ways to use transparency in a work of art, and, in keeping with the theme of layering, we will apply these techniques to a layered work of art. Some ways to create transparency are watercolor washes, the use of pastels, different kinds of transparent or translucent paper, acetate sheets, tape, filmy cloth, and so on.

February 16 - Layering with Printed Materials, Photographs, Paint, and Ink-  In this class, we will use book pages, maps, and other printed items, along with photographs, to create mixed media pieces to which we will add paint and or ink. We have many of these materials here, but feel free to bring any of your own if you have some you’d like to use.

February 23 - Layering Using Drawings, Text, Stamps, and Pictures from Magazines or Books - This class will complete our month on layering with a wonderful combination of elements that can produce a rich and delightful effect. The contrasts of these elements, along with the ways their differences can be blended together in a coherent composition will create surprisingly fascinating results. The overall effect is often mysterious in the best way.


SATURDAY AFTERNOONS 1:30 - 3:00Self Discovery Collage Workshop   $10  ($8 for Flying Leap Art Club members)
Aimed at self-exploration. Anyone can do it. Each class has a theme and the abundant collage materials are used to work in an art journal, poster board, or any other format. There is a wonderful feeling in the room and great fascination at the end to see the incredible variety in the results. This is a very popular class.


SATURDAY AFTERNOONS 3:15 - 5:00Working with the Masters    $18 individually or $60 for a 4-class punch card  ($12 a class for Flying Leap Art Club members)
A painting class based on observation and knowledge of the works of great master artists. Suitable for both beginners and experienced artists. Students create their own works, based on inspiration from the artist studied. Gouache and watercolor are primarily used, but pastels, acrylic, and other media come into play if appropriate, This class is full of wonderful discoveries, as well as naturally developing technique.

Each month or two a particular master artist is the focus:
January & February - The Fauve Artists - For two months we will look at the early 20th century art movement known as Fauvism. The artists included Henri Matisse, André Derain, Raoul Dufy and others. Their work was characterized by bright, intense colors, often non-naturalistic and, at the time, shocking. Forms and spatial relationships were simplified and color dominated. These works have a rich, vibrant atmospheric power. Matisse, especially, carried the principles of Fauvism throughout his career, even though the movement itself only spanned three years.

TUESDAY CLASS  1:30 - 3:00Basic Drawing & Painting   $18 individually or $60 for a 4-class punch card  ($12 a class for Flying Leap Art Club members)
Formerly called "The Timid Artist," this class is for beginners or those who want to refresh the basic skills of drawing and painting. Each student gets individual attention and a curriculum based on interest and natural pace. Included are figure drawing, forms in nature, buildings and landscapes, composition, color palettes, and exploration of various drawing and painting media.

WEDNESDAY CLASS  1:30 - 3:00Self Discovery Collage Class   $10  ($8 for Flying Leap Art Club members)
A repeat of the Saturday 1:30 class.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON:Thursday afternoon is designated as Studio Day for members of the Flying Leap Art Club or Art Collective, with the classroom available for those who want to work of any project of their own or get together for collaborative work.

FRIDAY CLASS  1:30 - 3:00 (every Friday except Art Walk week, the first Friday of every month)
The Joy of Writing - $10  ($8 for Flying Leap Art Club members)
Words are a wonderful art form, and one of the very best ways to become a good writer is to read great writing. In this class, each session begins with readings from exceptional writing of a particular author, genre, culture or era of literature and then focusing on what makes it great. There will then be an opportunity to do writing exercises to practice those elements. Members of the class will also be able to read to the group from their own writings if they desire. This is an ongoing class that you can join at any time.


All classes are taught by Donna Colby, owner and director of Flying Leap Art Space. She studied drawing with Robert Vickers at Ohio Wesleyan University (1964-66), attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City (1966-67), and majored in painting and Illustration at RISD (Rhode Island School of Design - 1967-69). She has worked as a free lance illustrator in New York, Boulder, Colorado, Portland, Oregon, and in Fairfield, and has worked as an art teacher, and a writer for many years. She started Flying Leap Art Space in January 2010 after giving numerous presentations about art at ICON Gallery.

Senecio by Paul Klee, 1922. His creatures are among those that inspired Scootrer Glithorthian.

JANUARY SHOW AND CLASSES
(The classes page is not working, so please scroll down for class schedule)

The show, NEW CREATURES FOR THE NEW YEAR opens at Art Walk on Friday, January 4, and features:

Genevra Daley Bell's newest animal illustrations. This time they are artists, including Frida Calico, Vincent Van Gopher, and others. Genevra's finely rendered ink and watercolor animals are loaded with personality and charm. 

Scooter Glithorthian's latest invasion of creatures, who come to Earth from who knows where to bless, observe, hang out, or make playful mischief. These mixed media pieces are set in scenic landscapes that have been visited by these friendly creatures.


 JANUARY CLASS SCHEDULE

These are adult classes (ages 17 and up). All classes are suitable for both beginners and those with art experience. Materials are provided. No preregistration necessary for any of the scheduled classes.

SATURDAY MORNINGS 10:30 - 12:00
Saturday Creativity Session - $10  (only $5 for Flying Leap Art Club members)
This class will be varied and will often be based on requests from Flying Leap Art Club members. Here are the projects for this month:

January 5 - The Strange Power of a Pseudonym- In this class we will play with our identities. There is a magical thing that happens when we make a work of art under a made-up name, especially a whimsical one. My own—Bobbysox Einstein, Scooter Glithorthian, and others—each have their own style, which seems to emerge spontaneously when I drop my own fixed identity and take up an imaginary one. Creativity can move in a less self-conscious way and expand into unexpected territory. So, in today’s class, each person will make up an artists name and see what comes out.

January 12 -  Drawing Birds - Continuing our once-a-month “How To” Saturday, we will focus this week on the form and variety of birds and learn different techniques of drawing them. We’ll look at how various artists have depicted birds in flight, sitting on branches, perches or wires, birds in groups or alone, details of feathers, beaks and other features.

January 19 - Choosing a Color Palette - In this class, we will look at a variety of exquisite color palettes used in a wide range of artistic styles. The choice of a color palette greatly affects the mood, coherence, and success of a work of art, yet there are no hard and fast rules that can be applied. We’ll look at the factors involved in making color choices that work for your particular piece at any time.

January 26 - Layering - This class will explore a number of ways layers are used in a composition. Some examples are: ink lines over a painted ground, pencil or ink drawing over a background of muted images, text or numbers overlaid on pictorial forms, translucent paper over a painting or collage, paper with windows or holes through which an underneath layer is revealed, and opaque painted forms on a background of pale wash or a drawing.


SATURDAY AFTERNOONS 1:30 - 3:00
Self Discovery Collage Workshop   $10  ($8 for Flying Leap Art Club members)
Aimed at self-exploration. Anyone can do it. Each class has a theme and the abundant collage materials are used to work in an art journal, poster board, or any other format. There is a wonderful feeling in the room and great fascination at the end to see the incredible variety in the results. This is a very popular class.


SATURDAY AFTERNOONS 3:15 - 5:00
Working with the Masters    $18 individually or $60 for a 4-class punch card  ($12 a class for Flying Leap Art Club members)
A painting class based on observation and knowledge of the works of great master artists. Suitable for both beginners and experienced artists. Students create their own works, based on inspiration from the artist studied. Gouache and watercolor are primarily used, but pastels, acrylic, and other media come into play if appropriate, This class is full of wonderful discoveries, as well as naturally developing technique.

Each month or two a particular master artist is the focus:

January & February - The Fauve Artists - For two months we will look at the early 20th century art movement known as Fauvism. The artists included Henri Matisse, André Derain, Raoul Dufy and others. Their work was characterized by bright, intense colors, often non-naturalistic and, at the time, shocking. Forms and spatial relationships were simplified and color dominated. These works have a rich, vibrant atmospheric power. Matisse, especially, carried the principles of Fauvism throughout his career, even though the movement itself only spanned three years.

TUESDAY CLASS  1:30 - 3:00
Basic Drawing & Painting   $18 individually or $60 for a 4-class punch card  ($12 a class for Flying Leap Art Club members)
Formerly called "The Timid Artist," this class is for beginners or those who want to refresh the basic skills of drawing and painting. Each student gets individual attention and a curriculum based on interest and natural pace. Included are figure drawing, forms in nature, buildings and landscapes, composition, color palettes, and exploration of various drawing and painting media.

WEDNESDAY CLASS  1:30 - 3:00
Self Discovery Collage Class   $10  ($8 for Flying Leap Art Club members)
A repeat of the Saturday 1:30 class.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON:
Thursday afternoon is designated as Studio Day for members of the Flying Leap Art Club or Art Collective, with the classroom available for those who want to work of any project of their own or get together for collaborative work.

FRIDAY CLASS  1:30 - 3:00
The Joy of Writing - $10  ($8 for Flying Leap Art Club members)
Words are a wonderful art form, and one of the very best ways to become a good writer is to read great writing. In this class, each session begins with readings from exceptional writing of a particular author, genre, culture or era of literature and then focusing on what makes it great. There will then be an opportunity to do writing exercises to practice those elements. Members of the class will also be able to read to the group from their own writings if they desire. This is an ongoing class that you can join at any time.


All classes are taught by Donna Colby, owner and director of Flying Leap Art Space. She studied drawing with Robert Vickers at Ohio Wesleyan University (1964-66), attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City (1966-67), and majored in painting and Illustration at RISD (Rhode Island School of Design - 1967-69). She has worked as a free lance illustrator in New York, Boulder, Colorado, Portland, Oregon, and in Fairfield, and has worked as an art teacher, and a writer for many years. She started Flying Leap Art Space in January 2010 after giving numerous presentations about art at ICON Gallery.