COURTESY OF SAWDUST ART FESTIVAL |
Also this fall , Reem Khalil will offer a series called The Art of Botanical Plant Dye and Eco Print through the city and at her studio , teaching how to bring nature and alchemy together to create plant-based color and prints .
Loca Arts Education is another organization that offers art workshops in various media throughout the year . From beginner to advanced , kids to adults , classes focus on teaching skills , material usage and concepts , and are instructed by Loca-certified educators . Rather than a set schedule , Loca ’ s Custom Art Escapes allow wouldbe participants to contact the nonprofit with a requested day , time and place and the instructor will respond to confirm the booking . Choose from courses in watercolor and ink travel journal painting , block printing , painting flowers with acrylics , working with pastels , sketching , photography , plein air painting inside small mint tins , making indigo sarongs with folded , tied and clamped resist dyeing , and more . In addition to in-person classes and events and free online videos for various projects ( learn to sketch and paint a hummingbird , decorate a tile and more ), Loca offers sessions through partnerships with other organizations around Laguna Beach . One of those groups is the Laguna Plein
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Sawdust Art Festival presents a variety of hands-on art classes , from ceramics to painting , during the summer season as well as throughout the year . |
Air Painters Association . Experienced painters and novice beginners are all welcome to join LPAPA and its artists for different levels of instruction throughout the year in group paint outs and workshops — both in person and online ( pay to view videos on the website ).
With grant support from the city of Laguna Beach , Loca collaborates with LPAPA to offer an annual series of landscape painting workshops taught by renowned plein air painters for all ages and skill levels . Coming up Oct . 18-20 , Signature Artist Suzie Baker will lead a three-day plein air painting workshop .
IMMERSIVE INSTRUCTION If ceramics and pottery are a student ’ s focus , Artime Barro offers hands-on classes for all ages . (“ Barro ” means “ clay ” in Spanish .) Students are taught the basics of ceramics , good technique and how to make pottery like bowls , cups and plates . Memberships are only required for ongoing classes and the open studio membership .
“ The classes are all one-on-one with an intimate setting of no more than four [ or ] five students at a time with one instructor ,” says Nicole Peredo , owner of Artime Barro . “ Our instructors commit their lives to pottery and ceramics ; they are artists in their
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own right and love to work with clay .”
Peredo says the most popular classes include the One-Time Class and the Matcha Mixer Workshop because they both cover the basics , are good for both group classes and beginners who have never worked with clay before , or they incorporate local companies , like MoonGoat Coffee , for collaboration workshops . For the One-Time Class , students make a hand-built piece on the table and then move on to use the potter ’ s wheel for a second piece .
“ Depending on the class , students will make the set projects . … For the ongoing classes , they start with the basic techniques to master and then they can make anything like cups , bowls , plates and then sculptures ,” Peredo explains . “ These classes are fun and students enjoy them because they are easy going , informative and therapeutic . We strive to have a Zen ambiance in the studio for optimal learning .”
SIP AND CRAFT Opened this past fall , Wine Craft is an outside-of-the-box art concept that pairs the creative process of crafting with wine tasting . A future class schedule is expected to be launched this summer , but anyone over the age of 21 who drops in for wine tasting can work on a craft at the same time .
“ When someone comes in to do a craft , while enjoying a tasting flight or glass of wine , they can choose from any of the options available ,” Vogel says . “ We will set them up with all of the items necessary for the craft and provide some brief instructions on how to complete the craft . From there , guests are able to explore their creativity . We are always available to provide advice and help troubleshoot .
“ There are a number of craft projects [ that people ] can choose from . These include creating items out of recycled corks , such as coasters , trivets , keychains , magnets and other home and holiday decor items ; crafts using scrabble tiles , such as coasters or holiday decorations ; small macrame items , festive bottle toppers , decorative gnomes made from various items and other seasonal items . Additionally , we have a selection of plaster and wooden items , as well as small canvases , available for guests who would like to paint something .”
Vogel says the great thing about crafting is that it provides you the opportunity to explore your creative side . And these kinds of creative outlets , she adds , are “ a great way to bond with people , relax and enjoy time away from the grind of work ”— something we all need . g
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LAGUNA BEACH MAGAZINE 51 |