Fall 2017 Classes

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Ways of Seeing: The Clothed Figure in Landscape
October 3rd - December 5th
10 weeks: Tuesdays, Meeting and end times vary based on location (approximately 10:00 to 3:30)
Instructors: Lon Clark and Laura Harden
Levels: All Levels
Media: Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media, Collage
Tuition (non-refundable): $1250 due September 26th (Model fees included)

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Join us as this unique class explores drawing and painting the clothed figure in landscape. We will work from the model at scenic locations, participate in discussions and interpret the subject through both observation and the imagination. Abstract and figurative painters will be equally rewarded as we experience the personal use of color, light and space in transforming this inspirational visual motif into paint. Throughout the semester we will define and support individual interests in painting, provide technical information and develop an overview related to the growth and refinement of each participant’s work.

Process

Our first three sessions will take on the qualities of a retreat at a location in the Marin Headlands. We will introduce our topic through lectures, discussion and multiple poses in different settings. Lunch will be provided. The following two weeks we will work with the model in situations featuring more cultivated surroundings including gardens. Students should bring a brown bag lunch for noontime discussions. The following weeks of the semester we will meet at our usual location at Fort Mason Center. During these sessions we will continue our investigation of the figure in landscape in relation to the concept of the emerging artist and the development of a mature body of work. The final week of the semester there will be a review of the semester’s work. All media are welcome.

Locations have been selected for their visual qualities, facilities and driving convenience:

Sessions 1-3: Location work at Marin Headlands, NatureBridge
Sessions 4-5: Location work at Falkirk Cultural Center, San Rafael
Session 6-10: Fort Mason Center, Building C, Room 210

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Please email with any questions about materials and locations. A complete supply list and meeting times/locations will be provided upon registration.

Email info@sfstudioschool.org or call 415-398-4300 to register.

Observing Abstractly and Interpreting Figuratively

When we see a landscape or a figure, we assume that is what we really see.  However, a fundamental law of perception is that we see form first and fact second.  Our first impression is not a figure or a landscape.  What we see first are colors and shapes -- and then we translate them into subject matter.  So, we actually see abstractly first -- and we interpret what we see figuratively second.  One of the experiments we encounter in painting The Clothed Figure in Landscape is to intentionally experience seeing form and color first and then consciously deciding the degree to which figuration expresses our visual intent.