WET CARVED CONCRETE
Wet Carved Concrete 3-day Workshop
July 25 – July 27, 2024 | $300 | Ages 16+
July 25: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
July 26: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
July 27: 10 a.m. – noon
Wet carving concrete is a technique that involves hand-carving a soft mixture of sand and cement. Each student will mix their own batch and place it in a form. As it starts to set, carving begins and must be completed before it becomes too hard to carve. Each participant will create a planter weighing approximately 40 pounds.
All supplies are included in the registration price.
Instructor Bio:
Elder Garrison Jones is a native “baby boomer” of Chattanooga Tennessee. He received his undergraduate, biology and art, and graduate, biology, degrees at Middle Tennessee State University. He was the only apprentice of the late Jack B. Hastings where he was exposed to wet-carving sand mix concrete and has developed his own style over the past forty years. He is also a graduate of the School of Healing Arts, The Estuary, in Nashville Tennessee with abilities in Kabbalistic and Auric healing.
Elder’s current studio and vegetable garden are in the mountains of western North Carolina.
PAINTING JEWELRY ON FIGURES
With Shana Levenson
Painting Jewelry on Figures 2-day Workshop
January 17 – 18, 2025 | $425 | Ages 14+ | All Levels
January 17: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
January 18: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Description: In Shana’s two-day workshop, students will dive into the art of painting jewelry with a focus on capturing its texture and shine. This intensive workshop is designed for oil painters of all skill levels. Artists will begin by closely examining various jewelry pieces, noticing the play of light on different surfaces—polished metal, gemstones, and pearls. The group will observe how the jewelry rests on the skin. The shadows and highlights on the jewelry will be influenced by the curves and texture of the skin. By the end of the workshop, students will have a nuanced understanding of how to portray both the intricate details of jewelry and the natural interaction between jewelry and skin. The key is in layering paints, paying attention to light and shadow, and blending to achieve realistic textures and shines. Students will palette setup for portraiture and skin tones and will work from a photo reference provided by Shana during the workshop.
Jewelry from the Mark Arts Study Collection will be present during the Artisan Academy for viewing and inspiration.
Instructor Bio:
Shana Levenson is a representational painter from Albuquerque, NM. Her passion for the arts led her to pursue a BA in Fashion Design from The University of Texas, in Austin, and after the birth of her children in 2009 and 2010, an MFA in Fine Art Painting from the Academy of Art University, in San Francisco.
Shana’s work focuses on the story telling with the figure as well as contemporary mylar balloons. Her inspiration for her figurative comes from painting people that are important in her life, and her goal is to capture each person’s story in an honest and meaningful way. Shana draws inspiration from her own experiences and uses specific series as a way to illustrate chapters in her life. The power of the work capture what’s happening right now, in the moment, and documenting its meaningfulness in a memorable way. Shana hopes that her legacy from her work will be a time capsule of the world around us, through her eyes, spanning her lifetime.
In her collection of word balloons, she’s playing with the artificiality of mylar and the natural element of flowers. By painting these mylar word balloons hyper realistically and the flower backgrounds slightly softer, Shana is playing with the juxtaposition of the longevity of mylar and the fragility of a flower. While both objects are given at times of need, whether it’s a celebration or sending condolences, both items are gifted to send a message to someone we care about. And while both, when given, can bring great meaning to a person, words tend to last longer when said in a certain context.
Along with a busy painting and exhibition schedule, Shana teaches workshop internationally as well as mentoring students online. She currently lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her kids and husband, artist David Kassan. Shana’s works can be seen in regular exhibitions across the United States and abroad. You can currently find her work at Sugarlift gallery in NYC, Rehs Gallery in NYC, and Abend gallery in Denver.
PAINTING WITHOUT BORDERS
With Patrick Saunders
Painting Without Borders 3-day Workshop
September 11 – 13, 2025 | $550 | Ages 14+ | All Levels
September 11 – 13
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Description: Explore the essential techniques for painting from direct observation and photography with award winning painter Patrick Saunders. Learn to paint any subject, from the simplest to most complex, with one approach. Patrick will demonstrate the process of simplifying the subject and moving to finish as rapidly as possible in order to add more energy and excitement to your painting. Students will learn about composition, value, texture, color temperature and accuracy in paint application. While Patrick will be demonstrating in oils, acrylics and pastels are also welcome, as the concepts are the same. Each day will begin with a short lecture and full demonstration, followed by one-on-one instruction with students. The day will end with a group critique and individual goal setting. The class is highly tailored for each individual student. Class size is limited, so that each student can receive the maximum amount of interaction with the instructor. A suggested materials list will be provided prior to the class.
Instructor Bio: TBA
OIL PAINTING STARTING METHODS – FROM PHOTOS
With Tina Garrett
Oil Painting Starting Methods – From Photos 3-day Workshop
June 25 – 27, 2026 | $700 | Ages 14+ | All Levels
June 25 – 27
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Description: ARC Living Master, Tina Garrett shares with her students the practical methods she uses in her award-winning portraiture to help artists make the best paintings they’ve ever made. This workshop is perfect for anyone struggling with portrait painting. Students will learn to see and simplify values, create form, and understand edges and chroma to control your composition and create dramatic portraiture using Tina’s practical and easy to use strategies.
This is a from photos workshop and Tina will still teach you how to pose, light and photograph a model using your smart phone and how to edit your photos with and without Photoshop. Tina will teach you how to organize your palette to mix realistic colors, values, and temperatures for different skin types and how two easy strategies to achieve an accurate likeness in your portraiture.
If your portraits look cartoonish or dead, you need this workshop. Tina will demonstrate three oil painting starting methods including open grisaille, accurate color wash and Tina’s favorite, selective start to help students discover the process that will help them achieve their best work. All levels welcome! Paint from your photos or Tina’s!
Instructor Bio: Tina Garrett is one of the most well recognized women artists in Contemporary Western Art. Her works center on emotion and mood, and they often contain dramatic light or atmospheric effects. Tina has earned recognition as an Art Renewal Center Living Master, (ARCLM) and holds a Master Artist designation from the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society. Tina is a longtime Portrait Society of America mentor for the PSoA Cecilia Beaux Forum Mentoring Program and in 2024 earned PSoA Signature Status. Tina is Faculty at the PSoA Annual Art of The Portrait Conference as well as Oil Painters of America’s National Conference Faculty and offers mentorship and workshops around the world annually.
