Weekly Classes with Rick Wheeler
Originally from Southern California, Rick Wheeler moved to the woodlands of Northern California in 1972 to pursue an art education. While obtaining an Associates of Arts degree in Graphic Design, he also studied studio arts, including drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and filmmaking. Part of his education included courses at two of San Francisco’s most notable art colleges – the San Francisco Art Institute, where he was awarded a scholarship to attend, and the San Francisco Academy of Art University, where he studied illustration. He also holds a B.A. degree in Fine Art from Prescott College, Arizona.
He has been heavily influenced by the light, color, and forms of the desert southwest – both in terms of the land and it’s people – and he enjoys hiking and painting the terrain as much as possible. As an artist, Rick feels being a keen observer of the natural world is as important as the tools with which those observations are rendered. His art pursuits have led to his interest in conservation and the preservation of open space and wildlife habitat.
His career has become a 3-pronged approach of commercial Illustrator; art instructor; and fine art gallery exhibiter. Clients have included Grand Canyon, Zion, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, and Arches National Parks, as well as several State Parks, the Bureau of Land Management, and assorted national and regional organizations and companies, including National Geographic.
As an art instructor Rick has had the great pleasure of teaching a variety of students, but always with a emphasis on the wonders of nature. A personal favorite was the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson (recently retired after 17 years).
Beginning/Intermediate Watercolor
Always a favorite, this watercolor class helps beginners to intermediate painters, and will cover the basics on how to prepare and produce your first or more experienced watercolor. We’ll cover color mixing, blending, wet-over-dry and wet-into-wet, glazing (sometimes referred to as layering), as well as other watercolor materials and techniques. Watercolor is a difficult medium to learn, but the results you’ll learn in this class will be something you can immediately apply to your paintings.
Dates: Every Monday, September 18, 2023, thru December 11, 2023; January 8, 2024, thru April 23, 2024
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Harry and Ann Paxton Gallery at CPAC
Fee Per Session: $50
Click here to view supply list.
Click here to review CPAC’s registration procedure.
Click here to register on-line.
Painting the Southwest Landscape: Tight to Painterly Techniques
When considering acrylic vs. oil painting my preference is the quick-drying acrylic. The technique we’ll explore is a combination of layers of pigment, texturing the tactile surface, and glazing. All these techniques are helped by the fast-drying time of acrylics.
Dates: Every Tuesday, September 19, 2023, thru December 12, 2023; January 9, 2024, thru April 23, 2024
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Harry and Ann Paxton Gallery at CPAC
Fee Per Session: $50
Click here to view supply list.
Click here to review CPAC’s registration procedure.
Click here to register on-line.
Weekly Classes with Fran Sutherland
Fran Sutherland, a native New Yorker, is a classical trained painter and educator who developed an art curriculum that coordinated with global students. She has taught watercolor, acrylic, oils, mixed media, in addition to photography, silk screening, and encaustics. Fran’s creative paintings synthesize both Eastern and Western formats in multi-media works. Her teaching objective is to show how the chosen media and techniques express personal ideas.
An award-winning artist and teacher, Fran Sutherland earned her BS and MS degrees at the State University of New York at New Paltz, NY. She is a member of the Arts Society of Kingston (ASK) Kingston, NY, Woodstock Art Association and Museum (WAAM), Woodstock, NY, Tubac Center of the Arts, and the Santa Rita Art League (SRAL), Green Valley, AZ. View works by Fran at http://www.fransutherland.com/.
Studio Sessions
As a lifelong teacher who has worked in all media, Fran enjoys facilitating people’s artistic journey, whether they are a relatively new painter or one who wishes to evolve. In this series of sessions participants work on their specific objectives while sharing the creative process with others. Emphasizing how different substrates respond to the media and contribute to the message of the artwork will also be explored as each student works.
The first hour and half, Fran will consult both with the group to develop individual objectives as well as give guidance. The second half of each session will consist of a group discussion and critique of the artwork.
Dates: Every Wednesday, November 8 – December 13, 2023; February 7 – April 24, 2024
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Harry and Ann Paxton Gallery at CPAC
Fee Per Session: $30
Supplies List:Students to bring images, ideas, past and present work, as well as all your painting materials for the medium of your choice.
Click here to review CPAC’s registration procedure.
Click here to register on-line.