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Abstract Drawing 1 is an 8-week course that focuses on abstract and non-objective techniques, composition, and the fundamental elements of art and principles of design. Throughout the course, students will learn how to use thumbnail sketches to brainstorm their artwork's context, concept, technique, or style, and compose basic elements such as line, shape, form, texture, value, and space with imagination within a composition. They will also learn how to simplify complex forms, shapes, or light to convey the essence of what they see onto paper in a composition or format. In each assignment, students will continue to explore the art fundamentals of composition, spatial relationship, value contrast, local value, light logic, value distribution, pattern, texture, and rendering, with a strong emphasis on imagination and creativity. If you are a creator who loves to create artwork with simple elements, this class is perfect for you!

Abstract Drawing 2 is an 8-week course that continues the focus on abstract and non-objective techniques, composition, and elements of art and principles of design that students learn in Abstract Drawing 1. Throughout the course, students will continue to learn how to use thumbnail sketches to brainstorm their artwork's context, concept, technique, or style, and compose basic elements such as line, shape, form, texture, value, and space with imagination within a composition. This class will allow students to have a more free range of self-driven assignments that they can create abstractly or non-objectively. We will explore different abstract exercises and projects such as abstract portraits, abstract landscapes, abstract still-life within spaces, and cubical forms and patterns. At this level, students will be introduced to Color Schemes and Color Theory. Students will continue to learn how to simplify complex forms, shapes, or light to convey the essence of what they see onto paper in a composition or format. Students will continue to explore the art fundamentals of composition, spatial relationship, value contrast, color, local value, light logic, value distribution, pattern, texture, and rendering, with a strong emphasis on imagination and creativity. If you are a creator who loves to create artwork with simple elements but wants to advance to a more complex level, this is the class for you!

Join us to exercise your creativity making mosaic art of your choice, in your style, & choice of materials. This class welcomes all - beginners as well as experienced students. Choose to work in glass, tile, or dishes with some supplies & tools on hand in the classroom ready for your use. Enjoy working with a group of students who encourage & inspire one another.

You've made it, now how do you protect it?  Jay Lucas, an SMU educated attorney with over 25 years experience will provide a survey of your rights as an artist, including plain language explanations of the issues with AI, copyrighting, sales, dealing with galleries, contracts, licensing, what one can and cannot use of another’s work, freedom of speech and one’s rights after the sale.  Question and answer will be a big part of this course, and we’ll cover how to register copyrights and other practical solutions.

Explore various mosaic techniques utilizing a wide range of materials, grouts, and adhesives. Suitable for beginners and more advanced students. Students work on projects of their choice in a community-based arts education setting.  The supply fee includes the use of adhesive, grout, glue, and some tile.

Set a foundation for all styles of painting with a focus on the fundamentals of oil painting. This class will focus on the process and skills using an instructor provided photograph and step by step demonstrations. Perfect for first time painters to intermediate level painters, you will leave class with a greater understanding of the basics skills to be used in any style of painting you wish to pursue.

Skills acquired in this class include:

• Best practices for building up oil paint.

• Techniques for maintaining control when painting wet on wet.

• A variety of brush applications like glazing, dragging and impasto.

Class will not meet July 4 or 6.

Please download the corresponding supply list here.

Start at the beginning, learning basic techniques or step in where you left off and increase your knowledge and skill level. Each student will paint to their own strengths. A one-on-one approach to teaching is applied as you develop your skills. Through the creative process students will discover and develop their own unique artistic voice and painting style using a wide variety of modern paints.

Start at the beginning learning basic techniques or step in where you left off and increase your knowledge and skill level. Each student will paint to their own strengths. A one-on-one approach to teaching is applied as you develop your sills using acrylic paint. Explore traditional to abstract and contemporary genres.

Skills acquired in this class include:

• Best practices for approaching painting from real objects, photos and your imagination.

• Knowledge of gels and mediums that can change drying time, texture and consistency.

• Fundamental composition rules and techniques such as dry brush, wash and impasto.

Please download the corresponding supply list here.

Join us to spark your creativity while working on a mosaic of your choice with classmates that encourage & inspire one another. You’ll learn how to create a mosaic using broken dishes and recycled materials for a piece that is uniquely yours - as serious, comical, or quirky as you’d like. We’ll discuss materials, making indoor/outdoor pieces, where to find inspiration and how to translate your ideas into finished pieces. Adhesives, grouts, and some dishes are included, but bring any items you’d like to work with. Maybe you have sentimental dishes or favorite garage sale finds you’d like to use? Come break stuff with us to create your own mosaic work of art!

Do you daydream far more often than act on your creative endeavors? Do you have a multitude of ideas but difficulty making them happen?  This workshop introduces you to simple yet powerful methods to get clear, focus and follow-thru while strengthening your creative confidence.

You will learn how to use the power of Kaizen to make your creative time more productive and enjoyable; a 3-step process to help you diffuse overwhelm and find clarity around your creative projects; and simple, yet powerful, tools and techniques to strengthen your creative confidence. 

Note: this is not a visual art class, and these methods can be applied to ANY type of creative endeavor.  All materials are provided. 

This two-part series of classes is for you if:

• You are a new or experienced in your art form, but not yet selling your work.
• You have enjoyed giving your creations to friends and family.
• You would like to begin entering shows, competitions, and weekend festivals.
• You want to build an online presence.
• You want to learn the basics of the business side of an art.

The series will include professional speakers, field trips and the production of one art show at the CAC gallery. Artists never stop working on the business-end of art. It can take years to develop a successful art business, this course will help artists strategically transition from hobbyist to professional.

Your instructor, Kat Warwick, believes no one should spend years or thousands of dollars trying to figure it out. If you are looking to start selling or marketing your work, this 16-week series of classes will be your guide along the path. Each week we will approach a different subject to learn, explore, and implement into your practice.

You can register for Part One only or select the second option and register for Part One and Part Two. You can register for Part Two during session 3 registration beginning May 13.

PART ONE

Week 1 Who Are You? / What are your Goals? / What is your mission?

 Week 2 Business of Art I: Register your business. Sales Tax. Insurance.

Week 3 Marketing I: Target Market, Social Media, Trade Organizations, Online Galleries

Week 4 It takes a village: Who’s in your village and whose village are you in?

Break Week Kat is gone, teaching on a dance cruise. Do Research!

Week 5 Judging I: The art of judging yourself and others

Week 6 Business of Art II: Stay focused

Week 7 Opportunities 1-a: Competitions, Exhibitions & Festivals

Week 8 Opportunities 1-b: Hands On Class - All aspects of participating and producing an art exhibition.

Break Week** Gallery Visits and Research (Deadline for entering student exhibition.)

PART TWO

Week 9 Judging II & Producing an Exhibition Student Exhibition Jury Process and Planning Session

Week 10 Marketing II: Website, The Media

Week 11* Business of Art III: Legalities: Accounting, Copyright, Contracts, etc

Week 12 Activity Night: Load In and Hang Show

Week 13 Professionalism: Artistic and Business Integrity

Week 14 Opportunities II: Residencies, Micro Grants, Speaking/Demos, Work on Loan, Teaching, Donating and Public Works

Week 15* Selling Your Artwork: Commissions, Demo Gigs, Public Art, Festivals, Galleries

Week 16 Success Stories: Students share with the class what they have accomplished in these 16 weeks. Celebration Ensues! De-install Show and Load Out

This class is intended for the more advanced student who wants to take their basic skills to the next level with independent projects that will fine tune techniques and introduce best practices of design and production of functional ceramics. The teacher will work individually with each student setting goals and developing a unique voice in clay. Professional development and social media strategies will be introduced. 

Skills acquired in this class include:

• An introduction to advanced functional ceramic production techniques chosen from hand building and/or wheel throwing.

• Further confidence in the ability to design and produce functional ceramics from concept to finished product including multiple glazing methods.

• Professional development including product photography, applying for shows and social media strategies (Instagram portfolios).

NOTE: New registrants must be pre-approved by instructor before entering this course. Please contact the Office at 214.320.1275 to learn more about enrolling.

Discover the ancient technique for decorating metalwork.  Work with copper while you kiln fuse powered glass onto the metal. While you create a design in wire, you will then apply the in segments. Repeated firings build up the design in layers and since firing take only minutes, you will see results right away.

This class is for the students with previous ceramic building practices who wants to work with clay in a sculptural manner.  Large scale, figurative or abstracted forms are encouraged.  Many students combine wheel thrown works into non-traditional shapes.  

Come join us as we delve into the historical process of cyanotype printmaking.  We will use a camera-less process to create blue-colored prints by combining iron salt-coated paper and ultraviolet light. 

May 11 - Intro to Cyanotype Printmaking

We will be making prints by placing objects on a pre-prepared light-sensitive surface.  These objects can be foraged at CAC or brought with you, and stencils, translucent objects like beads, plant specimens, or anything with unusual edging work great for this.  Items that light can pass through, like bubble wrap, glass, or marbles, work well also.  Paper and chemistry will be provided.

May 25 - Cyanotype Printmaking from Digital Print Negatives

Bring a collection of digital photographs.  Together, we will convert the digital file to a printed cyanotype negative and we will learn how to make a test print and a correctly exposed final print from there.  Similarly to the first session, these final prints can incorporate botanical objects or shapes in addition to your digital negatives to create a unique piece of art.

June 8 - Embellished Cyanotypes 

Using a variety of art materials, we will explore embellishing your cyanotype prints.  Paint pens, watercolors, colored pencils, metallic leaves, and collage materials are all forms of mixed media we will use to add depth and texture to your pieces.  For this workshop, you will need to bring finished cyanotypes and any additional materials outside of those provided that you wish to use. 

Immerse yourself in color in this four-night intensive workshop on color theory that will cover beginning to advanced concepts. You will be able to mix any color that you see as well as increase your understanding of flesh tones, color temperature, color harmony and design. We will be working with professional oil paints and thinner, so dress appropriately. The fee will cover all art supplies.

You will need to bring only a note pad & pen, and way to transport wet 11x14 canvas panels.

Further investigation into observation and accurately representing form in space. The interpretive aspect of drawing and experimentation with drawing media and technique will be explored. Project themes and still life, landscape, and interiors or exterior space in Graphite and Charcoal with an introduction to Color Pencil and Pastels.

Prerequisite: Drawing fundamentals. 

Students will continue learning about:

• Spatial relationship
• Composition
• Value contrast, pattern and texture

Please download the supply list here.

A sound knowledge of drawing is the foundation for success as a visual artist. Basic principles of drawing will be taught including line, light, shade and composition. We will work with vine charcoal and different grades of graphite as well as explore techniques and exercises that will help us gain a better understanding of how each material can be used. This is a fundamental course. No previous skills are required.

 Skills acquired in this class include:

• A firm understanding of gradation.

• Seeing and interpreting proportion within a drawing.

• Perspective as an artistic tool.

Please download the supply list for Gray Class.

For those who have completed Drawing Fundamentals and want further drawing investigation from observation and accurately representing form in space with an emphasis on colored dry media, this class is for you. Students will learn how to draw with color pencils, pastels, and introduction to watercolor pencils & watercolor brushes. Project themes are still life, student self-driven assignments, and landscapes. Drawing with Color will emphasize and implement color theory broken down into steps. Students will learn about composition, spatial relationship, value contrast, local value/color, light logic, value distribution, pattern, and texture. This class will help students gain confidence to pursue any painting class he or she desire.

Incorporate words and imagery into your encaustic routine with collage techniques. This workshop will cover will cover a multitude of ways to layer, color, pattern with commercial, handmade papers, and vintage epherma. You will learn to layer & fuse encaustic medium and paints; tips and tricks for using a tacking iron and you'll explore various weights of paper. The workshop is designed for artists of all levels, even those new to encaustic painting.

Workshop held at The Encaustic Center 

580 W. Arapaho #271 

Richardson, TX 75080

Full Beginner workshop with “Layers and Layers” (CAC – full day))

Learn various techniques for building up layers, manipulating the wax, and incorporating mixed media elements to add depth and dimension to your creations. From experimenting with color gradients to exploring texture and transparency, attendees will gain a deep understanding of the endless possibilities that encaustic offers.

Instructor: Leigh Harrison

Workshop held at The Encaustic Center
580 W. Arapaho #271
Richardson, TX 75080 

In this specialty workshop, we will be using various papers and encaustic paint on the Hotbox to create unique encaustic monotypes - paintings on paper.

Workshop held at The Encaustic Center
580 W. Arapaho #271
Richardson, TX 75080.

Incorporate stencils & collage into your encaustic routine. This workshop will cover a multitude of ways to add depth, color, pattern, and texture with commercial as well as hand-made stencils.

Workshop held at the Encaustic Center

580 W. Arapaho #271

Richardson, TX 75080

Discover how to use textiles to create beautifully layered compositions in encaustic in this three or six hour workshop taught by Leigh Harrison. We'll also be doing some incising and tinting the surface with pigment sticks. All supplies included. We have plenty of textiles and papers but you are welcome to bring more; thinner textiles and papers are best. This workshop is designed for artists of all levels, even those new to encaustic painting. 

Workshop held at The Encaustic Center
580 W. Arapaho #271
Richardson, TX 75080

Pricing
Member Cost | $70
Non-Member Cost | $100

Fiber arts are experiencing a resurgence in popularity and a revitalization in the fine arts world. Breaking from homey cottage-craft and inaccessible industrial-sized free weaves, contemporary trends are incorporating a broad variety of fiber materials and techniques into painting and sculpture. In this class, we will explore some of the hottest new possibilities that artists around the world are reclaiming.

This course is meant for creative individuals looking to delve into new possibilities with integrating fiber into their existing art practice or to take their fiber skills into new art directions. While the emphasis of this class is on fiber art, the work does cross media. Skills competencies addressed will include: planning and design, sewing (embroidery, piecing, and quilting), knot work (free, crochet, loomed), felting and paper making, and surface treatment (dyeing, printing, painting); these will be explored in relation to sculpture, painting, and photography.

Wk 1: Introduction. Sewing techniques. Collage and embroidery.
Wk 2: Surface treatment. Dyes, resists, prints 1.
Wk 3: Surface treatment. Dyes, resists, prints 2.
Wk 4: Piecing and quilting in 2 & 3 dimensions.
Wk 5: Knot work and acrylic.
Wk 6: Fibers that bind and build themselves: felt and paper forms.
Wk 7: The significance of scale: micro works and mega-knots.
Wk 8: Fiber techniques in wood, clay, metal, stone.

Sculpting the figure is an exciting and fun way to capture the dynamic essence of human form and movement. Working from live models, using only your hands for tools, you will explore and learn the physical properties and possibilities of clay. Having your hands directly in the clay enables you to become one with the medium and lets you interpret and express motion in surprising ways. Whether you are new to clay or have more experience, you will succeed in advancing your skills. Boards, easels and simple armatures are provided. We use only terra cotta clay in class, which can be purchased from the CAC.

 Skills acquired in this class include:

• Confidence about the physical manipulation of clay.

• Heightened awareness of seeing the figure as an integrated whole, rather than an assemblage of parts.

• Broader understanding of the importance of having a "story" inside a sculpture.

NOTE: This is a 6 Week Class.

In just 6 weeks, you can master the art of drawing the human figure with our comprehensive course. Our expertly designed curriculum emphasizes disciplined focus, visual accuracy, and the use of different media to bring your art to life. Throughout the course, you'll work on projects that challenge you to accurately represent the proportions and structure of the human form using a variety of advanced techniques. By introducing you to the skeletal and musculature systems, as well as surface anatomy, we'll provide a solid foundation for you to build upon in your future studies of drawing the human form.

Prerequisite: Drawing Fundamentals

Skills Acquired:

· Understand how to draw a gestural figure using the basic structural method

· Understand how to draw a figure’s structure and construct with basic geometric forms

· Understand Basic Artistic Human Anatomy

· Understand how to render the figure with Light and Shadow

NOTE: This is a 6-week class

Current and former students are invited to sign up for three-hour work sessions to work on projects, experiment with glazing, kick off a new creative endeavor, or network with your Ceramics community. Teaching Artists will be available to assist, answer questions, and offer guidance as needed.