Workshops
These exciting offerings are Montalvo’s first-ever night specific art classes! Engage with the Munro exhibition in an exciting new way: outdoors at night, and make works of art that express your creativity, and encourage you to engage with central themes in the exhibition in thought-provoking and imaginative ways. Classes are not sequential, and may be taken independently. A small group size ensures individual guidance. All skill levels are welcome.
Plein Air Painting Noir
How do we translate the subtle colors of night into paintings? How do we capture the intensity of Munro’s light sculptures on paper? How does narrative come to play in a two-dimensional form? In this series of painting workshops, students will learn to capture the abstract effects of night light into mixed media compositions. Each workshop will begin with a basic introduction to the materials and techniques of plein air nocturne painting before heading out to pick a spot to create from. Artist Chris Sicat will guide students not only in technique, but also in how to interpret and construct a visual narrative in order to tell a new story within the painting. All materials included.
How do we translate the subtle colors of night into paintings? How do we capture the intensity of Munro’s light sculptures on paper? How does narrative come to play in a two-dimensional form? In this series of painting workshops, students will learn to capture the abstract effects of night light into mixed media compositions. Each workshop will begin with a basic introduction to the materials and techniques of plein air nocturne painting before heading out to pick a spot to create from. Artist Chris Sicat will guide students not only in technique, but also in how to interpret and construct a visual narrative in order to tell a new story within the painting. All materials included.
Workshop # 1: Italianate Garden
November 14, 2018, 6-8pm, $45 Bacchus’ Spring and The Gathering of the Clans will provide two very different pieces to work from in Montalvo’s beautiful Italianate Garden. One provides the challenge of painting lit up figures and illuminated glass, while the other is resplendent with bright colors to engage artists in an abstract exploration of color. This workshop focuses on the techniques of contrasting values and saturation of colors. |
Workshop # 2: The Villa
November 28, 2018, 6-8pm, $45 The front veranda of the Villa provides a perfect vista for The Silver Sea, with a full view of the clusters of lit up “lilies” spread across the Great Lawn, making for an expansive sketch. Facing the interior, one can also paint the Light Shower in the Villa’s Solarium for a more focused painting. This workshop features the techniques of composition and design narrative. |
Workshop #3: Charmaine’s Garden Terrace
December 5, 2018, 6-8pm, $45 Students can work with three different pieces in this location: Dawn Treader, Ramandu’s Table, and Reepicheep’s Wave. All three provide fantastic openings for adding narrative, whether it’s from the stained glass galleons voyaging to distant shores, flamingos transforming with the colors of dawn, a wave of mussels taking center stage, or students’ own imagination. This workshop elaborates the theories of color temperature and painting movement. |
Night Photography
What does it mean to “capture” light? How do artists use light as a medium to create completely original works? In this new series of night photography workshops, students will learn the technical basics of shooting in low or high contrast light as well as how to move beyond documentary style photographs into artistically manipulated images by using lens movements, flash fills, and other experimental methods. These workshops take place during Munro exhibition hours to fully take advantage of the light installations as both subject and inspiration. They will be led by photographer Ken Fong.
Students will be asked to bring their own camera with manual controls, a sturdy tripod (along with the adapter to mount the camera to the tripod), a cable release for the camera, a standard zoom lens (24-70mm), (recommended but optional: an ultrawide zoom lens, a longer telephoto lens greater than 100mm), and extra camera battery. They will also be asked to wear dark clothing.
What does it mean to “capture” light? How do artists use light as a medium to create completely original works? In this new series of night photography workshops, students will learn the technical basics of shooting in low or high contrast light as well as how to move beyond documentary style photographs into artistically manipulated images by using lens movements, flash fills, and other experimental methods. These workshops take place during Munro exhibition hours to fully take advantage of the light installations as both subject and inspiration. They will be led by photographer Ken Fong.
Students will be asked to bring their own camera with manual controls, a sturdy tripod (along with the adapter to mount the camera to the tripod), a cable release for the camera, a standard zoom lens (24-70mm), (recommended but optional: an ultrawide zoom lens, a longer telephoto lens greater than 100mm), and extra camera battery. They will also be asked to wear dark clothing.
Workshop #1: Introduction to Night Photography
Wednesday, January 16, 2019, 6-8pm, $45 During this class, students will be introduced to specific photographic techniques useful for capturing compositions in low ambient light situations. They will also receive a primer in fundamental composition and capturing techniques which will be relevant to the evening’s activity, discussing night vs. daytime photography, compositional fundamentals, techniques for best capturing light at night, and optional post-processing suggestions. |
Workshop #2: Lens Movements for Unique Effects
Wednesday, January 30th 2019, 6-8pm, $45 This course introduces photographers to the use of various movements and manipulations to open additional creative options which can be used to establish visual flow, create a sense of movement, uniquely isolate a subject, or generate repetitions, all without special effect filters or post-processing. Lens manipulations, camera movements, and ideal exposure settings will be discussed. |
Workshop #3: Painting with Targeted Light
Wednesday, February 13, 2019, 6-8pm $45 This course introduces students to the use of long exposures and supplemental light to create photographic compositions. Students will be using either precise pen lights pointed into the camera, or relatively softer colored lights pointed toward the subject. |