Department of Art

Spring Virtual Art Workshop Series

The Department of Art presents

a series of Virtual Art Workshops by WCSU MFA Alumnae throughout the month of April

Intuitive Watercolor Painting with Abbie Rabinowitz

Come join us on Friday, April 9, 2021 from 3:00–5:00 pm for an Alumna-led virtual art workshop where Abbie will begin the workshop from Hawaii with a guided meditation and gentle breath work, designed to promote balance and prepare for creative expansion and surrender. The workshop will focus on experimentation and abstraction. Watercolor allows us to explore our use of control while challenging our ability to let go. A variety of watercolor painting techniques will be introduced including wet-on-wet, layering, and creating different textures. Students will be encouraged to experiment with materials and have fun! Supportive critique. All skill levels are welcome from beginner to advanced. The Workshop Zoom link will be provided with registration.

REGISTER HERE


About the instructor:

Abbie paints in an expressive, painterly style while observing and painting intuitively from nature. Her subjects include pleinair landscape, figure and portraits, and painterly abstractions. She completed an emotionally evocative portrait series of her elderly parents for her MFA thesis (2015 WCSU). After receiving her 200hr yoga teacher training certification (in India) in 2017, Abbie has at times, integrated aspects of her yoga training with her art courses. She encourages her students to breathe and relax and to come from a place of equanimity in their creative practice. Abbie currently lives on the Big Island of Hawaii where she has established herself as an island artist. She teaches art workshops online and leads art retreats in Hawaii.
Check out more of her work on her website at https://www.abbierabinowitz.com

Potato Print: printed mandala with Karin Mansberg

Come join us on Sunday, April 18, 2021 from 1:00–3:00 pm for an Alumna-led virtual art workshop where we will make stamps out of potatoes and create mandala prints and other patterns (on paper or fabric). The marks you print can be as simple as a circle, a semi-circle, or more complex ones. The emphasis is on process and experimentation with printed pattern and color. All skill levels are welcome from beginner to advanced. The Zoom link to the workshop will be provided with registration. Be creative! Grab some potatoes and let’s print!

REGISTER HERE


About the instructor:

Karin Mansberg, a WCSU MFA Alumna, is a printmaker and a teaching-artist. She teaches multidisciplinary classes and printmaking to all age groups. Since 2014 her focus has been on block-printing and sharing her experience with others. Karin's style has developed over the decades through her personal art practice and academic training (including studies in art history and criticism). She has worked for private clients, collaborated with small businesses, solo entrepreneurs, and non-profit organizations on various projects such as banners, logo design, art stamps, book illustration, art direction, wall murals, and art projects for a forest school. She also creates surface pattern designs for private clients and sells fabric, gift wrap, and wallpaper at her online store Spoonflower. Check out more of her work on her website at https://www.karinmansberg.com/.

Out the Window: Amaryllis Cityscape Watercolor Painting Workshop with Jess Bartlett

Come join us on Friday, April 23, 2021 from 3:00–5:00 pm for an Alumna-led virtual art workshop. Be inspired by women painters and look no further than out the window to make art. Students will learn about organic vs inorganic shapes, the nuances of 3D space in a 2D picture, and a fun way to use watercolor to suggest buildings! Don’t worry about the drawing! A sketchbook scale copy of just the drawing will be sent out to students ahead of time to transfer. This class will be focused on making beautiful watercolor paintings that are super simple to create and pack an added benefit of teaching valuable lessons about technique, color theory, and women in art history.

REGISTER HERE


About the instructor:

Jess is a professional artist living and working in Northwest CT. She holds a BFA from Eastern Michigan University and an MFA from Western Connecticut University. She has been professionally showing in New York City as a member of First Street Gallery since 2010. Bartlet is passionate about art and excited for getting the chance to share it with you!