This class is for art majors looking for personal training and assistance in their specific area of interest.  Painting, drawing, live model, cartooning, design, graphics, computer, portfolio reviews and assistance.  All of these in an open studio atmosphere with instructor/artist Karen Hitt. She received art scholarships and personal counsel to continue her art education and would like to share the same with area young adults working to advance their art encounters thatmight lead to a career.  Karen is the parent of 3 young adults herself, and is well aware of the demanding portfolio review, and limited access to advanced training programs. Karen looks forward to the opportunity to offer any assistance and expertise available.  This Venice Art Center class is a perfect learning environment, where art supplies are on hand to help each student with their personal art endeavors.  Karen is the perfect working professional artist to assist them with independent studies in the hopes of furthering the students’ Art Encounter.

Good art is well planned and created but, where do you begin? Are there rules? Are they important? Join us and explore the meaning and techniques of composition and much, much more! Beginner, intermediate and advanced skills welcome.

Painting with a knife in acrylic or oil produces exciting dramatic or peaceful results, depending on the technique.  We will cover basic techniques to achieve your goals. If you took the class before, pick up where you left off.  Beginner, intermediate, advanced skills welcome. 

We can’t always paint from direct observation.  Yet, using photos can result in exciting paintings if you know a few basic but CRITICAL techniques. Join us for this exciting class in painting from indirect observation. Beginner, intermediate and advanced skills welcome.

With a strong sense of experimentation and daring in our own work, we will begin a painterly dialogue with the artists of the impressionist period (the Plein Air Painters). This will include such impressionist artists as Renoir and Monet, and post impressionists (e.g. van Gogh and Cézanne). By studying their discoveries of composition and design and understanding how they mixed and applied color with palette knife and brush, we will be able to arrive at our own techniques.

This is the foundation class...continuing!

First we have to learn from the artists everything that their works can teach us about form, color and technique. Using the Renaissance as our criteria and as an ideal era in picture making, we will paint our way through such breakaway periods as:
* Baroque (Rubens)
*Impressionism (Renoir, Monet, van Gogh, & Cézanne)
*Modernism (Picasso, Matisse)
*Contemporary ( DeKooning, Pollock, Warhol)

By synthesizing, and appropriating all of these various influences, we will develop a new image of our own.

One of the things that slow most painters down is struggling to mix the color they think they see in front of them. This class will specifically focus on properly seeing and analyzing color, understanding how color works in mixtures, and what path to take to quickly mix the proper color relative to its hue, temperature, value, and chroma. Not only will this understanding speed up your painting and give you more confidence as a painter, but it will also add more life to your painted works. The class will begin with a color lecture and paint mixing exercise and progress in later weeks to applying our knowledge to painting still life setups under temperature controlled lighting. All wet media welcome.

Join us for landscape drawing and painting! This open format studio class is available to artists of all skill levels and all styles. Any artist wishing to paint landscapes in a class setting may come to paint and receive personalized input from the instructor on how to move your painting to the next level through application of design principles. Demonstrations, lecture and group critiques will be available as needed or upon request. This is an opportunity for experimentation with new styles and techniques or to strengthen the style and methods in which you are currently working. All skill levels.

This open format class is available to all students of all skill levels who want to practice portrait painting or drawing with the help and guidance of an instructor. The instructor will offer a lecture on the basics of facial anatomy. Personal critiques, group critiques and demonstrations will be offered at the request of class members to aid in their development and understanding. Students will work from photographic reference of their choosing. Come and work in the medium of your choice as we put the principles of portraiture into practice.

When painting from photos (and sometimes from life), colors and values can often seem dull or monotonous. This class will focus on how to design for emotional impact and variety through the control and harmonizing of value range and color. We will examine how different combinations of value "key" and limited color can create a variety of pleasing effects from the same source material. The goal of the class will be to open the students mind to a higher level of art making through control of design elements. All painting media are welcome and subject matter will be open. Canvas or paper size will remain small for multiple studies - 5x7 or 8x10 inches.

All skill levels from beginners to advanced students are welcome to attend this class. We will work on still life, landscapes, portraits and seascapes. Students will be encouraged to retain their own “handwriting” sense of design and composition. The subject matter is chosen by each student and we will  work from photographs or still life set-up. Step-by-step instructions are available for beginners. The Instructor will work with each student on an individual basis. Please bring any photos or images that you are interested in using in the class.

This class studies landscapes and seascapes. All mediums are welcome in this class, which explores capturing the effects of light in nature. Topics include how to make atmospheric, tonal, color theory, design, and composition choices. You will learn how to make your waves crash and transparently glow; paint clouds that become a landscape of their own and reflect their light, luminous quality; and how to capture greens in nature that you can believe. There is a strong emphasis on classic techniques and exploring and learning from the "Masters’" works of art. Demonstrations given by Karen will accompany each student's work, addressing his or her personal needs. Bring your own photograph or use the instructor’s samples. Weather permitting, we will work from nature.

Painting FUNdamentals continue in a more case- specific study. All mediums are welcomed (oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, mixed) in this class designed to add life to your face and figures.  Whether working from photographs or life, bringing these subjects to life in your paintings are the focus of this class. We will emphasize capturing the effects of LIGHT with basic artist anatomy; color theory; combining atmospheric, tonal, design, and composition choices with how to make your eyes, hair and mouth more than just an accurate depiction of the subject at hand. A strong emphasis will be on classic techniques, while exploring and learning from the "Masters’" works of art. Demonstrations will also be done by Karen to accompany current student's works, including individual and personal painting needs.
(You may bring your own photographic reference. Instructor will also have examples on hand.)

How do you capture that little face you love? Children’s expressions are genuine... and a great joy to capture in art. Though the fundamentals of all portraits will be discussed, advancing beyond an accurate depiction of the color of the eyes and hair will be explored; matched with learning how to add greater expression and personality to all of your portrait work. Come explore the possibilities, open to all mediums. Portrait mode, too.

Painting FUNdamentals continue in a more case- specific study. All mediums are welcomed (oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, mixed) in this class designed to further explore the fine art of still life and the many different elements pertaining to them, whether working from photographs or life, bringing these subjects to life in your paintings is the focus of this class, along with draftsmanship and drawing, color theory, combining the atmospheric, tonal, design, composition choices to make. A strong emphasis will be on classic techniques, while exploring and learning from the "Masters’" works of art. Demonstrations will also be done by Karen to accompany current student's works, including individual attention to each student.

A class designed to take you “Start To Finish” in the FUNdamentals of accomplishing your artistic endeavor. HOW TO’s of planning, thumbnails, composing and executing a painting. All mediums are welcomed (oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, pen & ink & graphite). Choose your favorite medium, and also learn from other classmates, mediums.  All levels welcomed, with a basic knowledge of your medium of choice. This class is designed to take the essential foundation of strong drawing skills, composition and value, capturing light, color theory and expression to a finished work of art. All of these will be explored in depth, to take your creative ideas from start to finish. still life, portrait, landscape, seascapes and cloudscapes may all be explored. Demonstrations will also be done by Karen to accompany current student's works. A strong emphasis will be on classic techniques, while exploring and learning from the "Masters’" works of art. The class meets for 4 hours at a time an open studio atmosphere. This is a great opportunity to explore the variety of mediums available, with all of them being used and demonstrated throughout the session while each student is  worked with individually. Every session is personalized for each student.

This class will use two separate mediums and a class specifically for the beginner in each. We will introduce you to the beauty of the specific medium of choice. This course provides instruction in acrylic or oils for the beginner and helps you to build a strong working foundation in each of them. The beauty of acrylics is that they dry very quickly, and the horror of acrylics is that they dry very quickly. The beauty of oils is that they dry very slowly, and the horror of oils is that they dry very slowly. These pros and cons will be worked together for the good. You will learn to see beyond the black and white of a subject, with a strong focus on color theory, how to mix colors, and play on the warm and cool of them. A classic Renaissance, palette and techniques will also be explored. You will discover, as the Masters did, where to begin with design, composition, palette, color theory, transferring and surface selection to build a strong working base in each of these painting mediums.

This class is designed to further build and enhance the methods and techniques of the student who has been exposed to acrylic or oil painting. Students will be assisted individually in the development of their skills and execution of these very versatile mediums. Demonstrations will be given by the instructor to aid students in their understanding of the processes of composition selection, color theory, advanced design elements and execution.  Classic Renaissance palette and techniques will be explored by exploring examples from the Masters. Continual emphasis on the importance of color temperature, color theory, values, shapes, design and developing and advancing your execution in each area with the focus on advancing the foundation of your painting.

Come experience the individual challenges and rewards of working outside with a group of artists using any medium (oil, acrylic, watercolor). Pastel preferred. Classes meet at local parks and beaches. Each class begins with a demo and continues with individual guidance and then ends with a critiques. Call Sally prior to each class at 484-4113 for the location of classes.

This class offers an introduction to painting with acrylic paint using “heavy body” acrylics (the ones in tubes). We will cover how to set up an acrylic palette, preparation of the canvas, different ways of approaching the canvas, application of paint and use of color including shading, value and composition. We will also cover the use of various acrylic mediums for retarding drying time, glazing and texture. Methods for blending colors, which can be a challenge in this quick drying medium, will be covered. A still life subject will be set up to practice on or you are welcome to bring a simple image or an idea.

This class will continue on from Acrylic 101. For those who have some experience with acrylics taking Acrylic Painting 101 is not necessary. We will focus on different ways to approach abstract painting. Techniques for painting clouds, water, trees etc. will also be covered. Positive constructive criticism and encouragement will be offered for these and compositions of your choice.

Students will learn how to work with photographs that Bill will provide. The instructor will paint a demo at the beginning of every day and provide a final critique of all the students’ works on day three. All students must have an easel and oil painting supplies.

This is a three day workshop, painting Plein Air, in which students will paint from life at different locations each day. Demonstrations will be done every morning, with a critique of all work done on day three. All students must have an easel and oil painting supplies.

The purpose of this workshop will be to teach students to develop their observation skills as they relate to shapes, value, color temperature, edges and paint quality. These are the principals, or tools one must understand to create good paintings. These are not rules, but principals based on observation, particularly when working from a live model. There will be demonstrations by the instructor to illustrate these universal concepts.

This class will develop an expressionist oil painting with wildlife as the theme. Anything from the dragonfly to the great white has a special feeling provoked by it's name alone. We will try to push the boundaries of color and create a memorable moment in time with the help of some simple wildlife photos. Creating an emotion for the viewer is our main goal.

This class will focus on the raw emotion that can be provoked from oneself, as well the image that is used for reference. Expressionism in oils on canvas will be the driving style of this session. Bring your creative side for this one.

Paint portraits with a less is more mentality. This session will focus on the iconic style of Pop Art. In this world of painting, we will try to express more with less by using the negative space to our advantage. Pop Art is the style, so bring your 1960’s thinking cap.

In this class we will work through the process of creating a painting. Nontoxic acrylic paints will be the chosen medium, and all materials will be supplied, but if you are an oil painter, feel free to attend this course. We will be working in the studio using photo references. Many people have abandoned their artistic journey. My aim as an instructor is to encourage class participants to reconnect with their creative side, and take the fear out of the artistic process. All skill levels welcome. $25 material fee paid to instructor.

In this class we will work with nontoxic, water based acrylic paints. Ron will demonstrate the new “open” acrylics and take class participants through the painting process. Landscape painting will be the focus of class demonstrations. No expensive materials list for those signing up for this class. Students of all skill levels are welcome to attend.
$25 material fee paid to instructor.

This is an unmonitored open studio for multimedia. It is an ongoing open studio for anyone who wants come join a fun group!