10-Year Masters Art Series
This series originally started out as a 2-year drawing class that eventually morphed into 10 years of studying the basics of art. The students come to a designated venue once a year to study. Each year we cover a different subject and one year leads to the next. We start with three years of drawing, then one year of color, two years of design, two years of thread work, one year of value and style, and the last year is Independent Study. We start working with fabrics in year #5.
This is my favorite way of teaching. Through the studies we learn to know each other better. I watch the students grow, find their own style, and become more confident. Each group grows closer as we progress through the years. The retreats become a type of reunion with a special time of creativity and growth.
Here is a brief outline:
Year #1: Drawing 1 - We cover line, light and shadow, perspective, and negative space. Three day class.
Year #2 : Drawing 2 - We cover light and shadow, perspective, negative space, and gesture drawing. Three day class. No prerequisite.
Year #3: Portraiture - We draw from live models in addition to photographs and drawings from the Masters. Three day class. Prerequisite: Drawing 1 or 2.
Year #4: The Art of Color - We work with Color Aid paper, Prismacolor pencils and construction paper. The lessons cover the color wheel, complementary colors, analogous colors, contrast complementary colors, value, intensity, after-images, edges, transparencies, hot & cool colors, harmony, mood, and emotion. Five day class. Prerequisite: must have taken at least one class from Hollis beforehand.
Year #5: Color Challenge 1 – We move from exercises to creating your own work. Students design and make 4 quilts in five days. Each one is based on a "challenge" that is given to them. Each challenge is created to help the student think more about what they want to bring across in their artwork and how to achieve it. It is a class where we learn about the basics of design and composition. Five day class. Prerequisite: The Art of Color.
Year #6: Color Challenge 2 - Students create small studies out of fabric to learn about the basics of design for the first three days of class. The last two days they create a quilt based on a "challenge" given them. Five day class. Prerequisite: The Art of Color.
Year #7: Understanding Threads - Students do exercises in thread to learn how to create depth, texture, and realism in quilts. We also learn how to shade, highlight, draw attention to an area, and create a mood in quilts with thread. Five day class. Prerequisite: The Art of Color and the Color Challenges.
Year #8: Hand Dyes - Since so many quilters are afraid to cut into hand dyed fabrics, this class teaches how to use thread on hand dyes and bring out what you would like to show, whether it be pictorial or abstract. Five day class. Prerequisite: This class follows the same prerequisites as Year #7.
Year #9: The Neutral Challenge - Students work only with neutral fabrics, B&W & greys, or just B&W, or just browns and tans. We also start to talk about what it means to have your own style. This class follows the same prerequisite at Year #7. Five day class.
Year #10: Light - Students will learn the difference between Luminosity, Transparency, and Translucency. After we look at many examples and do exercises to understand the differences between these types of light, students will spend four days working on a quilt expressing light. Five day class.