Penland Drawing and Painting Classes

Classes are open to serious students of all levels unless specified in course description; beginners welcome.

Miles Bair, Garden, acrylic, oil and gold

leaf on canvas, 40 x 30 in.

This class will explore the brilliant effect of gold’s glittering light combined with landscape painting. We will cover step-by-step techniques for incorporating metallic leaf and powder into acrylic paintings. Using composition gold and silver, students will practice gilding techniques that can be applied to any painting style or medium including collage, oil, and watercolor. We will explore the exciting possibilities for combining contemporary landscape painting with gilding. The result will be a series of small landscape paintings and a new visual vocabulary. All levels. Code 01d

Professor and director of the Ames School of Art at Illinois Wesleyan University (IL); exhibitions: Gallery KH (Chicago), Harumi International Center (Tokyo).

Erin Goodwin-Guerrero, The Leathery

Beasts, mixed media on paper,

13 x 9-1/2 in.

Students in this class will explore painting, drawing, collage, transfer images, and print to create mixed-media work on paper and/or to sketch ideas for paintings or three-dimensional works. This process can be carefully and meticulously developed or it can evoke a street-art aesthetic. Other possibilities include surreal relationships and layered imagery in contrasting styles. Experienced artists can use the selective combining of media to develop their personal style. Beginners can use the experience to expand their portfolio of art-making possibilities. All levels. Code 02d

Professor emerita from San Jose State University (CA); exhibitions: Triton Museum of Art (CA), Mazatlan Museum of Art (Mexico), Byrnes Institute (Germany).

Self-portraiture has a long and rich history. This class will explore self-portraiture through observation, working with oil paint and a primary palette. Once our first self-portrait is complete, we will make a psychological self-portrait. With the help of paint and collage, we will dig deep and discover our inner beauty. No painting experience necessary; you only have to be willing to explore who you are. All levels. Code 03d

Michael: assistant professor at Albion College (MI); exhibitions: Konakalti Kutur Merkezi (Turkey), Holter Museum of Art (MT).

Beverly: professor at North Carolina Central University; awards: Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, Creative Capital Project Grant, North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship.

Michael Dixon, Untitled (Afro-Turk Portrait

Series), 130 x 110 cm.

Beverly McIver, Remembering Yesterday, oil on

canvas, 36 x 36 in.

Pinkney Herbert, Tracks, oil on canvas,

53 x 48 in.

We will eliminate restraints by working intuitively, allowing the spontaneity of paint to express surprising results. Taking chances while trusting our instincts, we will have fun experimenting with a variety of techniques to discover that memory, personal symbols, and responses to nature can evolve into “unsacred” paintings filled with content. Constructive critiques will move us toward freedom in personal expression. We will work with oil paint on a variety of surfaces and alkyd media that help with glazing speed drying. All levels. Code 04d

Studio artist; teaching: Memphis College of Art (TN), University of Memphis (TN); NEA fellowship; collections: New Orleans Museum of Art, Arkansas Art Center, Ogden Museum of Southern Art (New Orleans).

Susan Goethel Campbell, Aerial #15, relief print

with perforations, 35 x 39 in.

This class is for the twenty-first century naturalist. While reviewing drawing basics, we will use an assortment of drawing materials and electronic media to gather, collect, observe, map, and record plants, birds, trees, and habitats around Penland. These documents will serve as inspiration for creating large, finished drawings in a variety of media. We will also look at artists, past and present, who are/were inspired by nature and use(d) drawing as a primary form or expression. All levels. Code 05d

Studio artist; teaching: Cranbrook (MI), College for Creative Studies (Detroit); Kresge Artists Fellowship; exhibitions: International Print Center (NYC), Fred Torres Collaborations (NYC); collections: National Museum of Women in the Arts (DC ), New York Public Library.

John Beerman, Field Near Camp Towanda #2, oil

on linen, 30 x 40 in.

Our task in this oil painting class will be to fuse our observations of shapes, designs, and colors in the landscape with our own unique sensibilities resulting in emotionally engaging work. We will use our oil sketches, drawings, photos, and written notes as reference material to create paintings. The class will include outdoor and studio painting, individual instruction, and group critiques. All levels. Code 06d

Studio artist; teaching: Rhode Island School of Design; fellowships: Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (ME); collections: Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), Walker Art Center (MN), Brooklyn Museum (NYC), Whitney Museum of American Art (NYC), North Carolina Museum of Art.

Holly Roberts, Wild Dog Running, mixed media,

18 x 24 in.

Working with collaged/layered images, we can quickly involve ourselves in our image-making, giving us immediate feedback and allowing us to proceed with our process while identifying problem issues. By painting expressively with oil and/or acrylic, the student can access an immediate and direct link to their creative self and, by understanding how different media work together, can understand what process works best in finding their creative voice. We will cover transfers, gluing, painting technique, surfaces, supports, media compatibility, and layering of different materials. All levels. Code 06p

Studio artist; teaching: Anderson Ranch (CO), Shakerag (TN), Penland; exhibits nationally and internationally; three published monographs.

Nicholas Raynolds, Portrait of

Simba, pencil on paper, 10 x 6 in.

Participants in this workshop will explore the craft of representational portrait drawing from the live model. Through demonstrations and hands-on practice, we will employ a method aimed at increasing the skills of perceptual observation and manual application. Topics will include capturing character and likeness, developing a drawing from block-in to modeling of form, the anatomy of light and shadow, proportion and accurate placement of features, and the structural and physiologic anatomy of the head and face. All levels. Code 07d

Studio artist; teaching: The National Academy School of Fine Arts (NYC), The Art Students League (NYC), The Gage Academy of Art (Seattle); worked as an assistant painter to Jeff Koons; work featured on the cover of Seek My Face by John Updike.

Marguerite Jay Gignoux, Marco illustration, textile

collage, hand-dyed cotton, linen, machine-stitched,

57 x 45 in.

Marguerite Jay Gignoux & Susie Wilde - Pictures & Words: Writing & Illustrating for Children

In a class especially (but not only) for teachers, we will explore the magical world of writing and illustrating for children. We will invent and connect words with innovative mixed-media illustrations. This class includes playful writing explorations and imaginative surface design activities including printing, drawing, stitching, dyeing, and layering paper and fabric. We will discuss works by creators of children’s literature, the role of the book designer, and DIY publishing. All levels. Code 03tb

Marguerite: textile artist; teaching: Elon University (NC); public art: Duke Hospital (NC), North Carolina Museum of Art.

Susie: author; children’s book columnist; teacher; work featured in Children’s Book Review, and Learning.