Heritage Fine Arts Guild Announces Painting Workshops for Spring

Hands-on events designed to help artists develop water- and oil-media painting skills

Robert Gray will teach “Landscapes Bright and Bold,” a one-day watercolor painting workshop. Sponsored by the Heritage Fine Arts Guild of Arapahoe County, the workshop will be held in Littleton.

LITTLETON, CO – The Heritage Fine Arts Guild of Arapahoe County announces three painting workshops conducted by local professional artists. All three events are open to members and nonmembers. The workshops and instructors are:

• April 2 “Landscapes Bright and Bold” with watercolorist Robert Gray
• April 16 “Abstract Painting Made Easy” with artist and musician Jennifer Bobola
• May 20-21 “Abstracted Reality” with artist Victoria Kwasinski

All workshops will be held from 9:00 am-3:00 pm (doors unlocked by 8:30 am) at First Presbyterian Church, 1609 W. Littleton Blvd. in Littleton, at the northwest corner of Littleton Blvd. and Windermere Street. Artists aged 18 years and older may attend; cost is $30 for Heritage Fine Arts Guild members, $50 for non-members. Membership is only $35 and sign-up forms are at http://www.heritage-guild.com/membership.html. Payment is required to reserve a space at any workshop(s) and the number of participants is limited.

For complete details, supply lists, and registration forms for all workshops, please see http://www.heritage-guild.com/current-workshops.html or contact Beatrice Drury, Workshop Director, at btdrury@q.com, phone 303-796-8110.

The one-day April 2 workshop, “Landscapes Bright and Bold,” taught by Robert Gray, will focus on bold and intense transparent watercolors. Born in Denver, Robert is a Colorado artist who paints in several media. “When I’m painting, no matter what the subject matter happens to be, my goal is to keep the work exciting–with lots of action, color, and loose style,” he says.
Gray attended workshops by such noted artists as Charles Reid, Frank Francese, Eric Wiegardt, Don Andrews, Tony van Hasselt, and William Condit. Gray owned a gallery in downtown Littleton from 1998 to 2003. His paintings can be found in various foreign countries and corporate collections. He has won several art show awards including Best of Show in Littleton’s 1999 Own an Original, Roxborough Arts Council’s 2012 Autumn in the Arts, and the Heritage Guild’s 2013 This is Colorado statewide juried exhibition.

The one-day April 16 workshop, “Abstract Painting Made Easy,” taught by Jennifer Bobola, will help artists develop abstract paintings from primary acrylic colors–yellow, blue, and red. Bobola will supply additional acrylic paint and white frames so participants can frame their painted images immediately if they choose to do so. The frames are $10 each for those interested in taking one home. Another project will involve rice paper and gel medium, which Bobola will provide.
Bobola has played saxophone and painted since childhood. With a passion for both disciplines, she earned a double major in college. After college she studied further with Mark Nelson, Jeff Wenzel, and Kevin Weckbach. Since 2000 Bobola has shown her work at Abend Gallery Fine Arts in Denver and has exhibited at the Denver International Airport and the Denver Modernism Show in 2014.  Bobola had a solo show at Abend in July 2015.

The two-day May 20-21, 2016 “Abstracted Reality” workshop, presented by Victoria Kwasinski, will explore the creation of exciting paintings that reflect a feeling of a particular subject matter taken from reality and abstracted. Using the principles of abstraction (subtract and exaggerate), and pushing art principles and elements of color, shape and line, participants will create work that reflects their own unique artistic voices. Kwasinski will also discuss the importance of finding a signature style and how working within a series will help artists develop a cohesive body of work.
Kwasinski attended Colorado Institute of Art and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, where she graduated as class valedictorian.  She has more than 30 years of experience as a professional artist and has worked as a corporate graphic artist, freelance illustrator, gallery owner, fine artist and art instructor.

About The Heritage Fine Arts Guild of Arapahoe County
The Heritage Fine Arts Guild of Arapahoe County (www.heritage-guild.com) is a non-profit corporation organized in 1974 by Colorado artists. The Guild hosts art exhibits at several local Adventist hospitals and spring and fall art shows at Bemis Public Library in Littleton. In cooperation with Colorado Gallery of the Arts at Arapahoe Community College, the Guild holds “This is Colorado,” an annual, juried, statewide art show; the 2016 event is set for October 10-November 3. The Guild also sponsors weekly group painting sessions and workshops by accomplished guest artists. Membership is open to individuals at all levels of experience in fine arts media, as well as those interested in art appreciation. The Guild is supported in part by a grant from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District serving the seven-county Denver, Colorado, metropolitan area.