Jan/Feb Update

It's been a busy January.  The Student/Teacher Art Show had lots of wonderful artwork hanging in the Montrose Gallery.  I've posted a photo of my portion of the wall, with my art and that of my students.  Great job everyone.  I got lots of comments on how well the students are painting the night I was there. 

I've also posted a photo of the Treasure Boxes that were painted at Cagan studio on Jan. 14th.  Some of the 'artists' had never painted before.  They all did a wonderful job.

The Teen/Adult painting class next Saturday, Feb. 4th 10 - 12 noon  will be this great looking fishing boat that was originally painted by an artist friend of mine, Ted Sieger.  Ted has graciously allowed me to use his boat to design a class - so be sure to call or email me to let me know that you will be in the class.   Remember, if you don't pre-register, I may not have enough canvases and patterns with me.    This will be an 11 X 14 canvas board and we will paint with acrylics. 

Does anyone want to paint abstracts?  I don't usually paint abstracts, but was looking for something to paint for one of the "spirited easel" painting classes that are held on Friday evenings at the Cagan studio.   Let me know if anyone is interested, and we'll try it on a Saturday.  Photo is shown of the "Hearts Afire" painting in shades of blue/green/yellow/red/white.  It's a little different from what we usually paint, but it loosens you up and lets you do your own thing.  It was fun painting it.

The Paint your Pet workshop still has some seats left.  Sat/Sun,  Feb. 11 & 12.  You paint a portrait of your pet from a photograph.  All materials are provided.  $150 ($135 members)   Pre-Registration is required.   alckathyc@juno.com    352 241-6407   

I'm so proud of my students.  This was the best part of the Student/Teacher art exhibit.

We had 21 Treasure Box 'Artists'  at Cagan.  These boxes are fantastic.  Great job everyone.

Teen/Adult Painting Class, Saturday, Feb. 4th at Cagan Studio,  10 - 12 noon.   Class fee:  $35.00 all materials supplied.  Pre-Registration required.  alckathyc@juno.com or 352 241-6407

My first abstract paint.  'Hearts Afire'   Let me know if anyone wants to paint an abstract and we'll have a class on a Saturday. 

New Classes

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas/Hanukkah or whatever you celebrate.  I miss seeing my kids and grandkids at Christmas, but I don't miss the snow and cold of Massachusetts in December.  I see them in June or July when the weather is hot and sunny.

The Adult/Teen oil class for Saturday, January 7th at Cagan will be the beautiful birch trees on a red background.   I've taught this class in acrylics and oils, and everyone loved the trees.  You will be amazed at how easy it is to paint birch trees once you learn how.   Please email me at alckathyc@juno.com if you wish to take the class. 

The Student Art Show will be held at the Montrose Street Gallery from January 14th to the 28th.  Here's your chance to get some of your work out there on exhibit.  It does not have to be framed, but it might look better framed.  I hope that some of my students will arrange to exhibit their work.  I can bring it to the gallery to be hung, as it needs to be there before the exhibit opens.  No Charge for this exhibit.  Come on everyone - show off your great paintings.   All students who have taken a class at the South Lake Art League are eligible.

On Saturday, January 14th, I will be hosting a Treasure Box Paint Party at Cagan from 1 - 3:30 pm.   For a $5 donation, you will get a box, use of brushes and paints and a pattern of your choice, and you will paint a wonderful Treasure Box to be donated to a chronically ill child at the Shriner's Hospital.  You will not only be getting a lesson in painting, you will be doing something great for a child.   Adults and teens are welcome at this event.  Mothers, bring your daughters or sons for a painting day out.  Grandma's bring your grandkids.  Children 8 -10 are welcomed, but must be accompanied by an adult.

I haven't decided yet what the regular classes will be painting in February, but here are some of the workshops I will be offering in Feb/March:

On February 11 & 12 from 10 am to 4 pm I will be teaching a Paint Your Pet Workshop.  If you have a pet that you would love to paint - sign up.  You will learn the basics for painting animals in oils.   Canvas, paints & mediums are provided for the workshop fee of $150 ($135 for SLAL members)   Supply list provided for other materials.  Contact me if you wish to attend this popular workshop.  alckathyc@juno.com

On March 17th from 10 - 3 we will paint Moonwatch, a Joyce Ortner inspired painting of the night ocean/beach/moon and a palm tree.  It is really pretty.  Class fee is $60 and all paints and mediums are supplied.  If you wish to attend, let me know.  I'll send you the supply list.

Here's photos of what we'll be painting.  Hope to see you in class.

Kathie Camara

Birch Trees - Sat, Feb. 7th   10 am - 12 noon

Moonwatch    12 x 16 oil     Sat, March 17th    10 am - 3 pm

Cagan Crossings will be hosting their annual Winter Celebration on Wednesday, December 14th, and there will be lots of entertainment, vendors, etc.  We will be having an Open House at the Artist's Boutique, and you are all invited to attend.  Stop in between 4 and 7 pm and have some refreshments, meet our teachers and artists, and sign up for the door prize. 

And remember the Artist's Boutique at Cagan Crossings when you are looking for a special gift. All our gifts are hand-crafted by local artists.  Most are one-of-a-kind.  We also carry gift certificates for classes.    We've got lots of new Christmas items for sale, including my new series of Florida Birds Ornaments.  Stop in and do some shopping at our Boutique.

Here's an early Christmas gift for you.    I just signed up for a free online workshop put on by WetCanvas.com.  If you can spend the next 3 Saturday's from 1 - 3:30 at your computer, you will probably learn a lot from this artist.  It can't hurt to learn about how to paint water! 

Remember, it is free, but you must sign up in advance.   Here's the information and the link to register.

Essentials of Painting Water with Johannes Vloothuis

Dates | Saturday, December 3, 2011- Saturday, December 17, 2011.
Time | 1:00PM-3:30PM EST
Cost | FREE!

click on this link:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/461425225

Join Johannes Vloothuis, our resident artist, in another exciting and popular live online session. Many artists want to know how to paint water convincingly. This 3 week course will give you the answers and make it look like the water in your paintings moves. Johannes will delve into this extensive and seemingly complicated topic and make it easy for you to be able to paint water in all its forms, such as, water reflections in still and moving water, lakes, rivers and streams, even rocks or logs under water, to the point that it feels like you can dip your foot in it or take a swim. (Seascapes and waterfalls to be given in a future course). Learn more about Johannes Vloothuis and view his work here.

November update

Well, the marathon portrait workshop and certification are over until next year.  We had lots of fun and painted lots of portraits in the Cagan studio.  I did something a little different.  Instead of painting with normal colors, I painted a portrait of my brother and sister in law in sepia & earthtones.  They play and teach blue grass music and have a music store in Spring Hill, FL, and I painted the picture they have on their website as a portrait for the store.  I'll be giving it to them on Thanksgiving day.  Hope they like it.

Also, as a reminder to my students to the importance of practicing your painting so you can get better - Recently, my sister gave me back a portrait of my mother that I had painted when I first started oil painting lessons in 1981.  I wanted to paint that portrait, and I was so proud of it, and my mother put it up on her wall for everyone to see.  During my mom's assisted living & nursing home days, it got lost & I forgot about it.  When I viewed it again, I was amazed at how BAD I was back then!  Instead of throwing it away, I am sharing it with my students.   I repainted the same portrait.  Look at what years of practicing and learning the proper methods of finding shadows and highlights can do for your paintings.  So, persevere, my students.  You, too, will get much better with time.

Reminder:  This Saturday is the Giraffe in the oil painting class.  I have heard back from Barbara and Jack that they will be in class.  If you want to take the class, make sure you email me at alckathyc@juno.com  to let me know.  I need to bring a primed canvas with the pattern on it for you.  Thanks. 

Here's wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. 

Last year, I sent out a number of $10 restaurant.com e-gift cards through their Feed it Forward program.  It's FREE and you can send food to as many as 40 people per day until Dec. 25th.  What a great way to thank people or give someone who is down on his luck a night out on the town.  You may be getting one of the ecards from me.    Here's the site, check it out in case you want to send cards, too   https://feeditforward.restaurant.com/

Cagan Event news and Half Price Ice Cream

We had about 80 kids come into the Artist's Boutique classroom last night at Cagan Crossings to paint pumpkins.  There were so many cute kids, and they just loved painting their own designs on the little Halloween pumpkins that were provided by Cagan Management.  One of our members provided face painting out in front of the Boutique, so there were a lot of cute kids wandering around the square.  A good time was had by all.

Everyone who came in just loved the painting of the Zebra that the Teen/Adult class painted last Saturday.  They really liked the giraffe and the tiger that we're going to be painting in the coming months, too.  Maybe we'll get some new faces in our Saturday class.

This Saturday & Sunday is the Holiday Portrait workshop.  Santa Claus will be a great learning experience.   Remember, painting portraits is easy - once you learn how. 

Does anyone love Ice Cream as much as I do?  I just bought today's LivingSocial deal for Abracadabra Ice Cream Factory in Clermont (near the Epic theater), and thought you may be interested in it too! For $5.00 you get $10.00 to Spend on Ice Cream or Baked Goods.   Click here to see this deal.   https://livingsocial.com/deals/69299?ref=conf-jp&rpi=33457691

The deal is only available until Friday, the 28th, so scoop it up soon!  See you in class.

Change in October Class - New November Class

Well, the Red Hat marketing event was fun, but it was a lot of work.  We gave out lots of flyers about our mini-classes at Cagan and sold some Red Hat items.  Not as many as we thought we would sell.  That's what craft shows are all about.  Lots of work and then you bring items back to your store to sell.  Oh well, we have lots more inventory for the Holiday Boutique. 

I haven't had any interest in the landscape class that is scheduled for October 22nd, so I think I will make a change.  I know that students wanted to paint a Zebra, so we will do that instead.  We will paint the underpainting first in acrylics and then, when dry, paint over with an oil wash.  The class might take a little longer than 2 hours. probably 2 1/2 hrs..  I'm working on basecoating and putting the pattern on the canvas before class to save time.  I really need to know if you will be in class so I can be sure there is a basecoated canvas for you.   Email me at alckathyc@juno.com or call 352 241-6407.  

The October 29 & 30 Holiday Portrait workshop has a couple of spots left if anyone is interested.  I do take teens in my portrait workshops. 

Next month the Art League is sponsoring a portrait artist from California for a 4 day workshop and a 4 day instructor certification.   All of the Saturdays are taken up with either the SLAL meeting or the portrait workshops except for Nov. 26th.   I will teach a class on that day.   It will be the Giraffe.  Let me know if you want to paint the Giraffe.  It will be fun. 

Happy Halloween everyone.  Don't eat too much candy.

Kathie Camara

October Classes

This month is a busy month, as some of us artists from the Artist's Boutique at Cagan Crossings will be participating in a big Red Hat event that benefits the Florida Hospital Waterman's cancer and heart center.  We've been busy making hats, jewelry, eggs, tote bags and anything red and purple that might be purchased by the Red Hat Ladies.  We will also be marketing our Mini-Classes for groups of 6 - 20.  We have jewelry, mini-cake decorating, treasure boxes and other classes.  Lots of work putting together a booth for a show!

Oil painting classes for this month will be

Saturday, October 8th    Birch Trees w/Red
Saturday, October 22nd   Mountains, lake, trees

Wednesday's Acrylics classes are on hold, as we have not had any students sign up for them. 

Remember, if you do not register in advance for the class, I may end up cancelling.  I need at least 2 students.  Sorry if you showed up and found the studio closed, but you didn't pre-register.  I didn't know that you would be coming.  Also, as I supply canvas, brushes, paints, and patterns, I really need to know how many supplies to bring.  So, please, shoot me an email at alckathyc@juno.com and let me know that you will be there, or sign up at the end of the class for the next one.  Thanks.

Here's the birch tree painting and a similar mountains, lake, trees that we will be painting this month.

October 26th at Cagan will be a Pumpkin Patch celebration during the Market (4 - 7 pm)  Kids will be able to paint pumpkins at the Art Gallery for a small fee.  Pumpkins will be sold at the market.  There will be all kinds of fun things going on for the kids.  Check it out.

Also, the Holiday Portrait Workshop on October 29 & 30 has spaces available.  Learn to paint portraits - the easy way.  Check out last month's blog to see the description of the class.