AAS Presents: Exploring Art Through Nature

EXPLORING NATURE THROUGH ART
Saturday Drawing Workshop Series
With Atlanta Artist Carol Anne Sutherland

Class Times: Saturdays, 10:00am to 3:00pm
Class Location: AAS Education & Conservation Center
4055 Roswell Rd., Atlanta, GA 30342

Learning about the natural world gives us an appreciation for the value of all living things. Just as John James Audubon based his study of birds on naturalistic drawing, you can learn more about birds and their habitats by exploring them through close observation and drawing. While photography is a fine medium for capturing meaningful images and personal encounters with nature, drawing brings us even closer to our subject. Time, patience, and practice are required in drawing for a sequential skill-building process. Drawing is something everyone can learn and having a highly experienced instructor like Carol Anne Sutherland can speed up the learning curve.

Carol, a graduate of Agnes Scott College, is a fine artist and art instructor. She has been an instructor at the Atlanta Botanical Garden (ABG) and Callanwolde Fine Arts Center since 1996, and she began the ABG Botanical Drawing Certificate Program in 2002. Carol spent 11 years as head of the Art Department at St. Pius X Catholic High School and ten years practicing site-specific art. Her areas of expertise include drawing orchids, tropical birds and botanicals, as well as portraits of children and pets. Check out her website at http://carolannesutherland.tripod.com.

July 17, 2010—Basics of Colored Pencil Drawing
Learning basic techniques for colored pencil can enrich your drawing experience. Soft buttery wax Prisma color pencils can produce bright, vibrant color (like acrylic or oil) or they can look light and airy using a more sketchy approach. We begin with some color exercises in fundamental skill building, then progress to drawing a small leaf. Our major focus will be a small “color rich” image of a bird or natural object drawn with a layering technique. Bring color-rich images of birds (i.e. painted bunting, tropical parrot, etc.).

August 14, 2010—Art of the Quick Sketch
This class provides a strong foundation for outdoor field sketching. The quick sketch is a more advanced skill requiring practice and clarity of composition. Experienced artists have mastered “quick insight” in order to capture the essence of a subject with simplicity and economy. The student can experience this process in a series of skill-building activities drawing a variety of subjects.

The day will fly by in this quick sketch intensive. Prior drawing experience is very helpful.

October 16, 2010—Field Sketching
You will have fun today in the GREAT OUTDOORS. Expect the day to soar by as you find yourself immersed in discovery. You’ll learn to use your viewfinder to frame in interesting choices for drawing subjects: perhaps texture of a tree’s bark, lichens on a log, rocks in the creek bed, a composition of leaves on the ground, or a group of tree forms in the landscape. Select your favorite and begin to observe, study, and then draw!

Your perception and drawing skills will evolve in this class as your instructor guides and helps you draw the Natural World.

Please register for this class by downloading the “Registration Form for All Workshops” document or you can call our offices at 678-973-2437 for a registration form.

The Atlanta Audubon Society is dedicated to protecting Georgia's birds and the habitats that sustain them through education, conservation and advocacy.