April 18, 2023
By Meagan Friberg
With April in full bloom, spring break and Easter celebrations bring friends, family, and plenty of visitors to the area. It’s the perfect time to take a stroll through downtown Paso Robles and stop in at Studios on the Park and witness creative processes happening daily in a true open studio environment. Want to be part of the creative process or improve upon your artistic skills? There are plenty of classes and events at Studios for artists of all ages and skill levels.
For the younger crowd, Studios is offering two special Spring Break Art Camps with professionals Eve Chartrand and Anna Meyrick for ages 7+. Focusing on paper and clay fine art, these educational sessions include small group instruction, high quality art materials, and a mini art show to complete the five-day camp. Offered from 12 to 3 p.m., choose from April 10 through 14 or April 17-21. To register, call (971) 221-3438 or email truth_is_free@hotmail.com; $190; scholarships available by request.
Additional offerings during April include:
How to Make Your Paintings More Visually Powerful
John Cosby
April 1-5
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
This workshop with acclaimed American Impressionist Painter John Cosby will be taught in the Studios classroom and outside on location. John painted for galleries around the country for about 20 years and, when he was asked to teach by enough serious students of art he decided to give it a try. “The first few years I found it a great challenge to condense and articulate into words the actions that were almost second nature to me,” said John. “This process made my thoughts more defined and, as I developed methods for passing them on to students, I found the students were painting better in a shorter amount of time. Since I have been doing this for many years now I feel confident I can help anyone express themselves better as an artist. The tools we posses and the dexterity with which we can use them go a long way to making a better painting.”
John teaches through demonstration at his easel and gives as well as individual student easels, guiding them to the next level regardless of their experience. $700.
The Evolutions of the Bicycle and the Bicycle Poster
April 8
3:15 p.m.
Join Austin McInerny, president of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) and VEPCA Collector Elizabeth Norris during Eroica Weekend, the vintage road bicycle ride and festival taking place locally, as they share an informative talk about how the bicycle changed the world in the 19th and 20th centuries. Posters magnify the attitudes of the period in which they were made. McInerny will describe the technological evolution of the bike and Norris will use her bicycle poster to illustrate the excitement and sometimes social strife created by this transformative technology.
Oil Painting in Color Intensive: Still Life Workshop
Elio Camacho
April 8-12
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
As an instructor, Elio Camacho’s mission is to provide students with the foundation necessary to be creative. His goal is to assist students in capturing the particular mood of the moment and to express themselves in a bold and colorful way, while capturing the beauty and spontaneity of nature. He believes that giving instruction is important, but showing students how this instruction applies to their individual work is crucial. “I enjoy helping artists see beyond the ordinary,” says Elio. “There is so much inspiration surrounding us if we just look. The challenge then is transferring that vision to the viewer.” Based on the student’s level and goals, Elio develops a program for improving each individual’s ability as a painter, and does a large demonstration each night for the students. Limited to 10 students; $275 for two-day, $375 for three-day, $550 for five-day; cash or check only, payment by credit card requires processing fee.
Please register or RSVP for all sessions and classes. For more information on these and other happenings at Studios on the Park during April and throughout the year, call (805) 238-9800, stop by 1130 Pine St. or go to www.StudiosOnThePark.org. Open daily; closed Sunday, April 16 in celebration of Easter.
