Intimidated by art classes? Feel convinced you have no talent, yet long to draw and paint? This class is for you. Rediscover your natural artistic instincts for color and design in a playful, non-judgmental atmosphere that combines the spontaneity of a kid’s art class for grown-ups with seemingly sophisticated concepts and techniques. Activities include drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, giant self-portraits and more! Great for beginners or seasoned artists seeking more spontaneity in their work.

Not only is making homemade paper a fun experience for you, but it’s a good way to recycle waste into wonderful possibilities such as envelopes, greeting cards, artwork and more. Express your creativity, make paper to embellish paper stock for Valentines Day cards. A supply list with directions for making a simple mold & deckle and press will be mailed to you upon registration.

This course begins with learning to use the materials of oil and acrylic painting in exercises to gain skills in simple value studies, in developing strong, vital compositions and in learning and using varying mediums such as oil bar, pastel and charcoal. In this manner, you begin to develop confidence in your basic skills, and a further control as you experiment with content and method. We begin with working on gessoed high-quality papers; and for those who haven't done so, learn the magnificent process of stretching and preparing canvas. There naturally will be ongoing stimulating discussions of styles and movements as they relate and enrich what occurs in class. We will also have at least four group evaluations that allow support of each others growth and work. You will work continually on a journal of ideas and sketches. There will be one research assignment as well as constant, stimulating discussions of styles and movements as they relate and enrich what occurs in class.

The art of bending wood to a purpose is a useful skill employed by many generations of woodworkers. Stair makers, boat builders, wheelwrights, cabinetmakers, and furniture makers all require curved elements in their work. This short but intensive, hands-on course will expand the student’s ability to engage in meaningful creative work through an exploration of steam bending and bent lamination; the two most common methods of achieving those curves.

This course will continue the use of the Max programming to build custom electronic instruments and audio processors using MSP (Max Signal Processing). Students will design and build their own digital synthesizers, samplers and effects to create pieces of music or sound installations. The course continues with the use of Jitter for video manipulation in the spring quarter. For information about MaxMSP, see www.cycling74.com

They are as much places as objects. We meet at them to share meals, we gather around them to celebrate events, and we use them to display our most cherished possessions. Tables are integral parts of our daily lives and the best of them are among the finest examples of design and craft that we have. This hands-on course will provide students with an opportunity to explore their own vision of what tables can and should be.

This course will open up drawing to the student as a valid artistic experience all its own, not merely as a precursor to painting. You will gain an ability to approach any subject with a new confidence in the choices in how to represent it. We will work with various materials in order to explore the range of ways one can draw, such as with the oil bar. We will look at the formal elements of line, shape, volume and composition as well as the ability to experiment with both materials and surfaces. There will also be exposure to and discussion of the rich history of drawing.

The course will consist of four two-hour classes designed to unleash creativity and quiet the art critic residing inside one’s head. No previous skills working with clay are necessary. Students will be guided to create by a registered art therapist who believes that artistic expression lies in all of us and requires only a sense of trust and the freedom to allow the flow of creativity. The SOUL craves the experience of creativity. Clay will be provided at each session along with a unique experiential to foster self-discovery and self-awareness. Time will be given to share the art and the process by which it was created, providing opportunity for reflection. Bring to class a sense of fun and play, and wear clothes that can get messy.

The transformation of wool fleece into sturdy felt will amaze you! In this weekend workshop you will join the centuries-old tradition of making wool felt clothing. You will make flat felt, a hat and a small bag that will definitely put the FUN in FUNctional, while learning the FUNdamentals of felt-making. Needle felting, wet felting, fulling from scratch, and using resist materials in the creation of three-dimensional shapes will all be covered in this workshop. The methods you learn will be applicable to the making of many other wearables, and to artistic and functional flat and three-dimensional shapes, limited only by your imagination. No previous experience is needed. Dress to get wet and use your arms vigorously

This winter workout for guitarists will enable students to improve their abilities in areas such as finger picking, alternate tunings, slide guitar, melodic expression, composition and performance. Students must have existing ability to play first position chords with facility. Electric or acoustic instruments are welcome.

This workshop will be an introduction to basic digital photography, starting with the camera. We will cover digital camera operations and how to improve your images by understanding composition, color, lighting, file formats and resolution. Working in our new digital photo lab with Adobe PhotoShop Elements 5.0, we’ll go over simple ways to improve and correct digital camera files, organize them and save them in appropriate sizes and formats. We’ll introduce printing techniques with professional Epson printers.

This workshop will focus on simple and effective ways to work with your digital images in the computer. Using Photoshop Elements 5.0, we will discuss image retouching, importing, cataloging, resolution, and file formats. We will review various forms of output and image sharing, including slideshows, web sites, and printing. By the end of the day students will know simple photo-finishing techniques to enhance and present their photographs.

This course is an advanced image editing workshop using Photoshop CS3. Topics covered include RAW conversions, color correction, adjustment layers, retouching and image enhancement. Advanced sharpening, toning, instant depth of field, actions and other finishing techniques to present your work will also be introduced. We will get more in-depth with the Epson print drivers and ICC profiles. Geared to the intermediate-to-advanced photographer.

Instructor Ellen Miffitt will introduce you to the four treasures: ink stick, ink stone, brush and paper. The simplicity and spontaneity of brush painting begins by learning to hold the brush, making the basic strokes, and loading the brush to create tones and depth. The goal is to break away from logical thinking and to be spontaneous in expressing with the brush.

This music theory course will begin the study of tonality and its use through classical and popular music. Students will learn about major and minor scales, chord construction and function, melody and rhythm. Examples from many genres of music will show the practical uses of these concepts. Singing and rhythm exercises will foster a healthy musical practice. Assignments will include music notation exercises as well as small compositions. The course continues as Music Theory for Creative Musicians II in the Spring.

For the beginning student of North Indian or Hindustani music, this course will introduce the student to basic techniques of North Indian voice/sound culturing. Students will be introduced to techniques that focus on breath control, pitch accuracy, notational conventions, basic exercises (alankara and palta) and introductory compositions.

This course will focus on basic principles of North Indian music with emphasis on empirical discovery. Basic notions of organology, tonal structure, concepts of mode and time, and fundamentals of genres and subgenres are explored via listening. Musical principles are interconnected with Indian philosophical principles based in Hindu and Islamic thought.

Want the look of watercolor and the control of colored pencils? Water-soluble colored pencils can match anything watercolors do, plus have the ability to create effects impossible with watercolor. Discover this medium’s exciting versatility with techniques such as wet-on-dry, dry-on-wet, wet-on-wet, and much more! Learn about materials, tools and techniques, and then apply this information to create a painting.

This course expands the opportunities for participants to explore the techniques of voice over, animation voice over, and commercials. There is ongoing practice and recording of professional material, sample reels, post production sound voicing, marketing and the business of making money with your voice. Expand your voice acting abilities while working with an entertainment industry pro. Recommended for those who have completed Voice Overs I.

Women and Art. We need a place where we can express, share and work alone. This course will provide an environment of comraderie while each brings to the experience a project to work on. There is an amazing energy when women join together to do art. We discuss all kinds of issues, those relating to our work and beyond through a look at readings about painting and creative work as well as writing ourselves. This class welcomes any woman who wants to start making a creative place in her life, despite her level of experience in art.

First begin by practicing brush control and continue the basic stroke study by painting the “Four Gentlemen” and the “Four Seasons” in color (with a flower representing each season). Using the refined sumi-e style, students learn to paint flowers, insects, birds and animals with simple strokes in color.