Classes & Workshops for Adults

Interested in becoming a little more Steampunky for our big event? We have a fun little class that can help you get into the Steampunk spirit. Call 218-733-7560 to register!

Steampunk Style: Watch Chains
Sheila Bohrer
Wednesday, May 15th
6-8 pm
$20 DAI members ($25 non-members) + $15 supply fee to instructor

Create an essential part of Victorian living to dress up your outfit. Watch chains held the valuable timepiece securely and also displayed small treasures or mementos. Make a charm, design a dangle, and use basic techniques to show off the classic pieces in your life. The instructor will have small watches as part of the supplies included, but feel free to bring your own.

Beginning Clay
Sheila Staubus
Mondays, June 3 – July 29
6:30-9pm
$200 ($240 non-members)
Learn the basics of hand building, wheel throwing, glazing and firing in this introduction to ceramics.  Perfect for people with zero experience using clay, or those who are a little rusty!  (Students can take this a maximum of three times).

Sculptural Ceramics: Low Fire
Robin Murphy
Tuesdays, June 11 – July 30
6:30-9pm
$180 ($220 non-members)
Go beyond functional and mold your clay into a sculpture.  Examine the conceptual process, from inspiration to ideas, while pushing the boundaries of what clay can do for you.  Learn new construction techniques and surface treatments with discussions on anatomy, structure, form and design.  Finish your work with versatile low-fire glazes.  Previous clay experience is required.      

Raku Firing Workshop
Pete Prudhomme
Tuesdays, August 13 – September 17, 6:30-9pm
Saturday & Sunday, August 21 & 22, all day raku firing
$180 ($220 non-members)
Experience the explosiveness of raku firing in the great outdoors.  We have the propane, the safety equipment and remote location secured; you bring your creativity and adventurous spirit!  Experiment with naked slip raku and horsehair effects.  Learn how to convert an old electric kiln into one ready for raku firing.  Previous clay experience is required. 

FIBER ARTS

Register now for Summer 2013’s Watercolor Portrait Workshop with Ted Nuttall
June 3-7, 2013
Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm
$450 DAI members ($540 non-members)
A $100 non-refundable deposit is required upon registration.
Learn the art of watercolor portraiture from a true master of the craft.  A graduate of Colorado Institute of Art, Ted Nuttall is a figurative watercolorist whose painting expression was born out of his observation of people, his experience and travels as an illustrator for the United States Air Force, and a twenty-five year career in graphic design.  His work, as a designer, illustrator, and fine artist has won numerous national and regional awards.  He is also a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society and Transparent Watercolor Society of America.  Ted says of his painting style, “For as long as I can remember, I have been a fascinated spectator of human behavior – the quintessential people watcher.  Often, as I observe someone in his or her everyday environment, I am rewarded with a moment when the play of light and shadow combine with a gesture or expression – and I see a painting.  My paintings are an attempt to compose and thoughtfully record the nuances that have transfixed these moments, these stories, in my mind.”  Get inspired by his work at www.tednuttall.com

 

Learn how to use clean, transparent watercolor washes to produce glowing colors while creating the illusion of a multi-layered composition that you can see through. Save a light pathway to produce a beautiful and strong design, turning ordinary subjects into something extraordinary. Karen Knutson leads watercolor workshops across the country while based in Minnesota. Her paintings are featured in Searching for the Artist Within and Watercolor Without Boundaries. Of her work she says, "I love watercolor for its free and wild qualities, forcing the artist to adjust to its many moods."

Acrylic Painting Basics & Beyond
Adam Swanson
Thursdays, May 2-30
6-9pm
$115 ($138 non-member)
A happy medium between oils and watercolors; acrylic paints have incredible versatility and can be pushed to the limits by beginners and intermediates alike.  This is a great intro for those just getting into painting and everyone else who feels a little rusty.  Experiment with glazes for different effects.  Don’t be afraid, it’s only paint!

The Joy of Plein Air: Intro to Outdoor Oil Painting
Mary Pettis
Saturday & Sunday, May 11-12
9am-4pm
$260 ($315 non-members)
Experience the joy of oil painting in the great outdoors with instructor Mary Pettis.  She is classically trained and has taught for 35 years throughout the Midwest and in Italy and France.  Her award-winning artwork has been exhibited in New York City, Scottsdale and Maui.  With this intro to plein air you learn a sound approach to the basic methods that produce successful paintings with a special emphasis on powerful compositions and color mixing.  Learn to paint what you see in a dynamic and changing outdoor environment.  Perfect for beginner and intermediate artists, although some experience with oils is helpful.

Creative Breakthrough: Plein Air Workshop
Mary Pettis
Saturday & Sunday, June 15 & 16
9am-4pm
$260 ($315 non-members)
Advance your oil painting knowledge and skills while painting on location in the beautiful backyard of Duluth.  Understand what makes a “Master Painting” through the use of line, shape, value, color, edges and texture.  Previous oil painting experience is necessary.

**Register for BOTH Mary Pettis workshops at a reduced rate!  Ask for the Two Workshop Discount.  $470 DAI members ($580 non-members)   

Seeking Self: The Self-Portrait in Art History
Sarah Brokke
Monday-Thursday, August 5-9
9am-3pm
$210 ($255 non-members)
Combine your love of art history and portrait painting in this unique workshop experience with instructor Sarah Brokke.  Get inspired by artists that looked to themselves as their subject while painting your own self-portraits.  Explore different painting styles and apply these new skills to your artwork.  Capture the outer and inner layers of your Self with each layer of paint.   The week will feature a morning art history lecture followed by an afternoon of portrait painting (oils or acrylics) inspired by what you learned.

Mark your calendars for May 2014…because we’re painting in Italy with Sarah Brokke!  That’s right.  Spend a week in Italy immersing yourself in painting and art history;  where it all began!  We will start the adventure in Florence getting inspired by classical art of the Renaissance masters then move to a villa in Tuscany where you will paint under the guided instruction of Sarah Brokke.  If you are interested in what this adventure has to offer, attend our informational meeting on Monday, June 3 at 6pm, or call our Education Director at 218-723-1310.  Ciao!  

MIXED MEDIA

 

Stay tuned for Mixed Media classes at the DAI.