{"id":12488,"date":"2011-08-24T13:02:43","date_gmt":"2011-08-24T18:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/?p=12488"},"modified":"2011-08-24T16:42:00","modified_gmt":"2011-08-24T21:42:00","slug":"new-classes-at-the-wassenberg-art-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2011\/08\/24\/new-classes-at-the-wassenberg-art-center\/","title":{"rendered":"New classes at the Wassenberg Art Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Hope Wallace<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
Manga\/anim\u00e9 character by Matthew Temple, Wassenberg Art Center instructor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Would you like to learn to make art, or improve the art you do now?\u00a0 Did you ever wonder how the hilarious movies of Wallace and Gromit were created?\u00a0 Are you crazy for Japanese manga and anime comics?\u00a0 Would you like to learn how to oil paint, draw, or zing up your watercolors?\u00a0 Hey! We are an art center and we\u2019ve got art!<\/p>\n

The Wassenberg Art Center is now taking registrations for several new classes, listed below.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrawing in Your Right Mind,\u201d a class for adults taught by Pat Rayman, will be presented on Tuesday evenings in September.\u00a0 This unique drawing class will help you train the right side of your brain, where artistic skills originate, and show you how to improve your drawing with observation and practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cLandscape Oil Painting with Sally Geething\u201d for ages 10 to adult, will be held in late September and early October.\u00a0 You can choose between morning classes or afternoon classes. Participants will learn the basics of handling oil paints and creating a landscape.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatercolor and Mixed Media,\u201d an adult class taught by Pat Rayman, will show participants how to combine different media with watercolors for exciting results.\u00a0 The class will be held on Tuesday evenings in October.<\/p>\n

\u201cDynamic Acrylic Painting,\u201d a class for adults instructed by Pat Rayman, will be held Tuesday evenings in November.\u00a0 You\u2019ll learn how to use acrylic paint to create exciting artwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnime\/Manga\u201d, for ages 8 to adult, will show you the techniques and procedures associated with this popular art form.\u00a0 It will be held on four Saturday afternoons in September and October.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeginning Drawing,\u201d for ages 10 and up (people younger than 10 may ask for authorization to take the class) is taught by Matt Temple.\u00a0 Learn the basics of drawing and how to use drawing tools.\u00a0 The class will be held in six evening sessions in October and November.<\/p>\n

\u201cClaymation,\u201d for ages 6-8, will be held in two morning sessions in October and November.\u00a0 Matt Temple and Hope Wallace are the instructors.\u00a0 Learn how to make animated videos using clay characters.<\/p>\n

\u201cMedieval Multimedia,\u201d with Valerie Parsel will be offered Saturday mornings, September 24 and October 1 from 10 to noon.<\/p>\n

Initial Line Art, ceramics and potentially a beginning Photoshop class will also be on the horizon so stay tuned or better yet stop in or give us a call! Is there something you want to learn let us know. We will do our best to set something up.<\/p>\n

Contact the art center at\u00a0 419.238.6837 or wassenberg@embarqmail.com<\/a> for further information or to register.\u00a0 Class size is limited, and preregistration is required.\u00a0 The Wassenberg Art Center is located at 643 S. Washington Street in Van Wert, Ohio.<\/p>\n

Stylin\u2019!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

By Kay Sluterbeck<\/strong><\/p>\n

When people begin to make art, the first impulse is often to find the work of artists they like, and then try to paint like that artist.\u00a0 Some people never get past that stage; at any art show you can see work that emulates the work of well-known artists.\u00a0 But anyone who truly wants to be a serious artist will eventually wonder \u201cWhat is MY style, and how do I find it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Some artists work out a technique and style that suits them, and then find subjects that work well with that style.\u00a0 Others begin with a subject they enjoy and then gradually find the techniques that express what they feel about it.\u00a0 But either way, the idea is to develop a way of painting that says what only YOU can say, and to paint what most appeals to you.<\/p>\n

How does an artist know what\u2019s right for him or her?\u00a0 It\u2019s an evolutionary process.\u00a0 Artists paint differently at different stages of their life.\u00a0 Children begin by trying to draw the world as they see it.\u00a0 As they progress, they learn ways to make things look \u201creal\u201d on paper.\u00a0 Once they feel comfortable with drawing reality, they may experiment with fantasy drawing (princesses and castles, tanks and airplanes).<\/p>\n

In high school, if they have a good art teacher, they will probably polish their realistic drawing and painting skills.\u00a0 If they go on to art school, they\u2019ll have the chance to try nontraditional art forms such as abstraction and cubism.\u00a0 And at some point they will choose a path that most appeals to them.\u00a0 Artist Cathy Johnson did abstract paintings in art school because she enjoyed the visual impact and the tactile application of paint.\u00a0 But, she says, \u201cAfter a while\u2026 my completely abstract works seemed like cop-outs\u2026When I finished a painting, my overriding feeling was \u2018what\u2019s the point?\u2019\u201d\u00a0 She realized that what she really liked to draw and paint was the natural world — plants, animals, and the outdoors.\u00a0 She went on to become a successful fine artist, naturalist, art teacher and author of how-to art books.<\/p>\n

There are ways to search for your own style.\u00a0 First, become aware of what you do.\u00a0 If your work pleases you, ask yourself why.\u00a0 Was it the technique, the subject, or the color that made you feel good about your work?\u00a0 Analyze your feelings and take notes if necessary.<\/p>\n

Paint for yourself.\u00a0 Life is too short to spend time painting things that you don\u2019t care about.\u00a0 If you\u2019re concerned with painting subjects that \u201csell,\u201d or using the colors that match peoples\u2019 d\u00e9cor, your artwork will reflect your lack of emotional involvement.\u00a0 If you aren\u2019t true to yourself and to your own inclinations, you won\u2019t do your best work.\u00a0 It\u2019s all right to take on the occasional commission, which is essentially a painting done to please someone else.\u00a0 But in your own day-to-day artwork, don\u2019t think about selling or pleasing other people.\u00a0 No one else can say what you want to communicate about a subject, so use your art to say what is in your heart.<\/p>\n

Painting like someone else will only stunt your growth.\u00a0 There was only one Andrew Wyeth, but too many people are turning out copies of his vision.\u00a0 His style reflects his knowledge of himself and his world.\u00a0 He painted what he cared about even when the critics disdained his work.\u00a0 Your slant on life is just as valid as his, so paint what YOU want to say.<\/p>\n

When you look at the work of other artists, analyze what you respond to \u2013 or don\u2019t respond to.\u00a0 Do you like the way Hopper used light in his paintings, or the way Rockwell painted familiar scenes of American life?\u00a0 Do you get excited over the colors and drips of a Pollock?\u00a0 Don\u2019t try to copy their work, but remember what you liked and try to get that feeling into your own work.<\/p>\n

Once you find your \u201cstyle,\u201d don\u2019t get locked into it.\u00a0 Life involves change, and your style should also grow and change to reflect your changing vision of life.\u00a0 When something in your work no longer expresses what\u2019s in your heart, search for a new way of doing it.\u00a0 Remember that safe art is boring art \u2013 for both the artist and the audience.<\/p>\n

In short, paint the way you want to because it expresses the way you feel at this point in your life; it feels truthful to you; and it makes you happy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Hope Wallace Would you like to learn to make art, or improve the art you do now?\u00a0 Did you ever wonder how the hilarious movies of Wallace and Gromit were created?\u00a0 Are you crazy for Japanese manga and anime comics?\u00a0 Would you like to learn how to oil paint, draw, or zing up your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wassenberg"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-24 14:08:11","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12488"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12488\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}