The Adult Studios Visiting Artist Program brings renowned international artists to our community. Visiting Artists work in the Art Center Studios and share their creative processes. Programs include:
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Demonstrations
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Workshops
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Lectures
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Exhibitions
A Visiting Artist Workshop with Melinda Cootsona
August 26, 27 and 28, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Accidents and Intentions: Creating Expressive Figurative Work
Do you have moments of complete frustration with your work? We all do. In this course Melinda will help you to embrace those moments and learn to work with the idea of Chaos and ‘The Uglies’ in your paintings for as long as possible in order to achieve rich work with history and lasting interest.
Additionally, we will focus on the contrast of accidents and intentions in our work. These two opposites can create a dynamic energy and memorable work. Their combination will also make the difference between a “complete painting” and an unfinished piece.
Exploration of the use of color in figurative work and as a tool to enhance abstraction will also be addressed.
Having taught oil painting for 21 years to students around the globe, Melinda takes particular care to interact with each student individually to help them discover their own voice and to work on their individual goals. Join us for this fast-paced workshop as we embrace chaos and make history together!
Teaching creativity and art to students all over the world is an essential part of Melinda’s work. She has also been on the forefront of eCourse instruction developing her first course in 2012. Greatly influenced by the Bay Area artistic tradition, her paintings focus on the strength of the female figure. Created with layers of oil paint, applied and then scraped away, her paintings reveal figures that fill the canvas in varying poses of contemplation or reflection in abstracted surroundings. Whether in a soft or harsh surrounding, the strength of the female figure is primary.
Cootsona received her BA from the California College of the Arts. Her work can be found in collections in the United States, Europe, Australia, and China.
This workshop is for intermediate to advanced level students. Oil paint or acrylic paint is acceptable. Oil painters may use cold wax medium if desired, however, this is not a cold wax specific course.
Melinda Cootsona, Together/Apart I, 2022, Oil and cold wax on panel, Courtesy of the artist
For more information email Studio Program Director or call (650) 617-3525.