Composition is the hidden plan of your artwork. It's what first grabs attention, then invites the viewer in and encourages them to move throughout the piece, staying enchanted from first glance to last. 

In this workshop, teaching artist Anne Pfeiffer will share composition wisdom from master and contemporary artists, and lead you in hands-on practice. You'll create thumbnail sketches from on-site views and photo references, and analyze existing works of art to see composition principles in action. These sketching exercises will build a compositional eye you can apply to any medium, whether you paint, draw, print, or work in mixed media. You'll come away with practical tools to strengthen every piece you create, at any stage in your artistic practice. 

You will also receive a follow-up PDF outlining key ideas to remember when composing a landscape, so you can keep applying what you've learned long after class ends. This workshop is relevant to artists of all mediums and includes a 1-hour lunch break.

TOTAL COST: $140

Course Fee: $140

Materials Fee: $0

LEVEL: Beginner to Advanced

AGE GROUP: Adult (ages 18+)

SUPPLY INFORMATION

Students should bring a sketchbook as well as 2B, 4B, and 6B pencils.

If the weather allows, we will sketch outside. Please prepare by bringing a hat, layers, and folding chair (optional). Please also bring printed or digital photos to reference if we need to stay inside. 

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Anne Pfeiffer has a graduate degree in painting and decades of experience as a high school art teacher, community college art instructor, and adult and teen workshop instructor. She currently lives in Port Angeles and paints landscapes and still lifes, often plein air, and participates in regional and national exhibitions and events.

Artist website: Anne Pfeiffer, @annepfeifferartist and @annepfeiffer 

You may know the term “ekphrastic” — when a poet is inspired by a work of visual art and writes from that inspiration. In this 3-hour workshop, we turn the ekphrastic process around: You get to read and reflect on poems, and then respond with your visual creations.

Teaching artist Meg Kaczyk provides plenty of choices, including poetry from well-known writers such as David Whyte, Liesl Mueller, Mary Oliver, William Stafford, Billy Collins and other contemporary poets. Meg also guides you in exploring different modes of expression, including typographic, narrative, symbolic and non-representational ways to convey the feelings and the tone of the poems. Your art will honor the mystery of the poet’s magic, tapping into the reciprocity possible between art forms. Prior to the first class, students will receive an email with a poem packet and guidance on supplies. 

TOTAL COST: $80

Course Fee: $80

Materials Fee: $0

LEVEL: Beginner to Intermediate

AGE GROUP: Ages 15+

SUPPLY INFORMATION

You’re invited to bring your own supplies and work with your favorite mediums. The exploration is in the expression itself, and not training with the mediums. Please have your supplies ready and handy in preparation for making art.

Any kind of dry or wet media is great! Some suggestions: collage with painted or colored papers, acrylic, watercolor, oil pastels, water soluble oil pastels, soft pencil. Mixed media can be a good way to work too. Please bring a generous supply of papers in small to medium size formats, approximately 4" x 6" to 10" x 12".

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Meg Kaczyk guides artists of all levels in classes and workshops based on her own studio process. Her work is fed by daily life, the natural world, poetry, and a long-standing meditation practice. Originally trained as an illustrator and graphic designer, Meg has enjoyed a long creative career including art direction, graphic design, arts administration, and teaching. She exhibits her paintings across the region.

Artist websites: Meg Kaczyk, @megkaczyk