An exploration of pure abstraction and the abstraction in the figure through collage. We will draw and paint by means of collage. The statements, ‘You cannot make it up’ and ‘You must make it up’ are both true. We must let both guide us. What we put down on our paper are real things that we can adjust just as we pose the model in our studio. It is this abstraction that we must adjust if we are working purely abstractly or if we are working from life. On Day 1 the class will make a thousand collages. On Day 2, additional collages will be transformed into figures without losing the abstraction, all without a model. All on a path away from copying and rendering towards a more exciting and ultimately more real picture of what we find beautiful in the human figure.

THE LANDSCAPE: OUTSIDE-IN

Wednesday, November 9, 16, 30 and December 7
2-5pm
Instructor: Carol Rubin
$215

When the weather is raw there is much to learn about the landscape from studying natural motifs in the studio.  This workshop will focus on seeing abstractions in nature through observing gesture, form, shape and pattern found in the landscape. Students will be encouraged to bring their own temperament and expression into their mark making.

DIGGING INTO EARTH COLORS

Tuesday/Wednesday – December 13/14
10am-5pm
Instructor: Milena Spasic
$215

From Paleolithic cave paintings to contemporary times, earth pigments have been an unchanging staple on the palettes of painters. These largely organic materials have proven to be stable, durable and are relatively inexpensive. Participants in this workshop will explore the complexities of mixing and working with a palette of earth colors. By examining the value, temperature and saturation relationships of these colors, we begin to understand the role of earth tones in our paintings. What function do they play in modifying and affecting other colors? How do they work in conjunction with other more prismatic or synthetic colors, while contributing to the overall unity of the painting?  Students will paint a variety of still lifes which will be the springboard for exploring the answers to these questions. We will also examine the work of master painters who have relied heavily on the use of earth colors in their paintings.

Summer 2016 Workshops & Marathons

WSS is offering an exciting program of workshops this summer and a 2-day labor day Figure Marathon September 3-4. Read all the descriptions below, then register early! Class size limited to 12 students. Students may register online using PayPal by making your selection(s) from the drop-down menu below. Or you may complete our registration form or contact us to register. Payment in full is required at registration. More here on payment and refund policies.

LEARNING TO SEE: DRAWING INTO PAINTING FOR BEGINNERS

Instructor: Milena Spasic
Thursdays, June 30, July 7, 14
10am – 5pm
$290

This short class will provide an introduction to the foundations of observational drawing and how it relates to painting. Students will learn the basics of contour, shape, value, negative/positive space, proportion, through the use of simple drawing materials and a very limited (3 color) palette of paints as we look carefully at still life and interior space. This course is designed for beginning students. Students who prefer to draw exclusively may do so.

PORTRAIT VS. SELF-PORTRAIT (FULL)

Visiting Instructor: Brian Kreydatus
Friday July 1
10am – 5pm
$135

Self-Portrait, oil on paper/board

WSS is pleased to bring back Brian Kreydatus for both an exhibition and a workshop! Brian taught at WSS years ago before becoming a full time professor of art at William and Mary College. Many of us on the WSS faculty have studied or taught with Kreydatus and can attest to the strength of his teaching. Don’t miss this opportunity!

What is the difference between using the self that you know so well as model vs. the stranger who serves as muse in the classroom? In a self-portrait we are both the painter and the model, leading to responses that are bound to be different than when we paint someone other than our selves. What is the role of memory, prop, environment, color, and material in one vs. the other? With pencil and sketchbook in the morning, and choice of drawing materials on larger paper in the afternoon, these questions will be explored. Students will work from a model in the morning, and from themselves with mirror in the afternoon.

LEARNING TO SEE: INTRO TO PAINTING

Instructor: Brian Kelley
Tuesdays, July 5, 12, 19, 26
7-10pm
$215

This short class introduces students to some basic painting concepts and skills. Topics covered will include materials and surfaces, light/dark value relationships, shape relationships, placement, color concepts, mark, and composition. Using a limited palette of colors, students will work from still life and interior space.

FIGURE DRAWING (2 Sessions)

Instructor: Diane Wilson
Session 1: (FULL)
Wednesdays, July 6, 13, 20, 27
7-10pm
$215
Session 2: (FULL)
Wednesdays, August 3, 10, 17, 24
7-10pm
$215

Drawing from the model, this workshop will focus on the structure, movement and expressive qualities of the figure. Line, gesture, proportion, volume and placement are all considered as we work from this most enduring subject.

DRAWING THE FIGURE IN SPACE: TRADITIONAL / CONTEMPORARY

Instructor: Susan Yanero
Wednesdays, July 6, 13, 20, 27
2-5pm
$215

This playful, multi-media drawing class will relate the figure to varied and theatrical interior environments, combining traditional and contemporary ways of finding relationships and using materials. Students will learn to see the figure with accuracy and sensitivity, while enjoying the process of locating it in space. Some weeks the model will move throughout the space, other weeks a single pose will be sustained.

S STREET SKETCH

Instructor: Joren Lindholm
Mondays, July 11, 18, 25, August 1
6:30 – 9:30pm
$215

Wind down your work day by exploring the alleys, doorways, street views, Spanish Steps, Mitchell Park, and other visual treasures all within steps of Washington Studio School. Bring dinner if you like, and after briefly looking at examples of urbanscape drawings by historical and contemporary artists, we will head outdoors with sketchbook and an array of drawing materials in hand. Early evening summer light and shadows can be dramatic or soft, and we will learn to see the beauty in the seemingly mundane as we start to recognize the potential for drawing everywhere. When the light begins to fade, we will return to WSS to look at and talk about the work. Rain or shine. We will draw out of the windows at WSS if it rains. For all levels.

DEGAS, YOU, AND THE MONOTYPE: ‘A Strange New Beauty’

Instructor:  Brian Kelley
Tuesdays, July 12, 19
10am-5pm
$215

Channeling the much talked about and stunning show of Degas monotypes currently at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, students will create a series of monotypes using both the model and the immediate landscape around the school as source.  In the mid-1870’s, Degas was introduced to the monotype process, which involves drawing with ink on a plate and running it through a press.  The result is a single print, which Degas took to a radical end by modifying and reworking with pastel and other materials.  Looking at Degas and experimenting on their own with simple non-toxic printmaking materials, students will discover the potential of this medium and emerge with a series of their own unique new beauties. Read review of he Degas show at MOMA from ArtNews.

July 16 &17
The chance to be inside and cool while drawing from some of the best works the city’s museums have to offer. From old master to contemporary and from all corners of the world — a fantastic weekend immersion. photo @Rijksmuseum

MUSEUM MARATHON

Instructor: Joren Lindholm
Saturday and Sunday, July 16, 17 (See specifics below)
10am-5pm
$215

“Seeing is forgetting the name of the thing one sees” – Robert Irwin

Washington,DC is rich in museums, each with it’s own focus and flavor. This exciting opportunity to immerse yourself in several of them, while drawing and finding connections between cultures and epochs, should not be missed. Each of the four three-hour segments will be spent at a different museum, with lunch and transit in between. Topics covered will include:

Western organization of composition
Form and tactility found in sculpture
Rhythm and tension found in repetition
and how all three cross-feed or influence each other.

Schedule and Materials

• Saturday

National Gallery of Art 10am – 1pm
Smithsonian American Art Museum / Portrait Gallery 2 – 5pm

• Sunday

National Museum of African Art 10am – 1pm
Hirshhorn Museum (particularly Robert Irwin exhibit) 2 – 5pm

1 to 2pm includes transit and lunch

Materials list: paper, support for working (sketchbook is fine), dry drawing media (student’s choice: pencil, charcoal, ball point, marker). Drawings will be discussed and shared each session.

LOOKING AND PLAY

Visiting Instructor: Bettina Nelson
Saturday and Sunday, July 23, 24
10am – 5pm
$270

WSS welcomes back visiting artist Bettina Nelson, whose workshop last summer (Intuition: Working in Books) was met with rave reviews! Nelson graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art where she studied with Ken Kewley and Stuart Shils, among many others. Her work has been shown widely, including The Woodmere Art Museum, Gross McCleaf Gallery, Cerulean Gallery, PAFA, and Cameron St. Gallery.

Summer is for Play! Serious Play! The focus of this 2-day workshop is to exercise Looking and Play in the visual world. Day 1 will be spent Looking. We will spend time in our sketchbooks drawing from life, falling in love with looking, and using mark as an extension of sight. Day 2 will transition from Looking into reacting to the material we are using, focusing on Play. Guided by intuition and fun, using various mediums, facilitated prompts and memories of looking from life, we will focus on seeing what is possible when one is completely open to what the material has to offer. Material will be used as a catalyst for creation, and our process will open up limitless curiosity and receptivity to surprise. As a side effect of this workshop students will develop flexibility, open-mindedness, and a trust in intuition. All this while having fun together!

LABOR DAY FIGURE MARATHON

Instructor- Diane Wilson
Saturday and Sunday, Sep 3,4
10am – 5pm
$225

Working the first day with one model and the second day with two models, participants will have an intensive opportunity to explore the structural and expressive qualities of the figure in pictorial space. Principles of composition and underlying geometry will be addressed through periodic critiques, as will mark, material, contour, edge, and relationship to the page. Students will look at the drawings of Old and Modern Masters such as Caravaggio, Schiele, Diebenkorn and more. Through concentrated and vigorous engagement with the figure in a dynamic environment the door to invention and transformation begins to open.

EXPLORING MONOTYPE

Mon/Tues, Jan 11/12 (10am-5pm)
Instructor: Jenny Walton
$215
A monotype is a one-of-a-kind print made by drawing or painting onto a non-absorbent plate.  The image is then transferred to paper by either running it through a press or hand printing. Join this exciting workshop for 2 days of experimental mark-making using a variety of methods and materials.  Inks will be non-toxic Akua inks.  You will pull several prints as well as learning to properly use the press.

GREEN EXPLORATIONS

Thurs, Jan 14 /21 (10am-5pm)
Instructor: Milena Spasic
$215
Participants in this workshop will explore the complexities of mixing and working with the color green. By examining the value, temperature and saturation relationships of the colors used to create green, we also begin to understand the role of green in our paintings. How do we use the color green to create tension in pictorial space even when we are making a literal reference to it in nature? What role does green play in modifying and affecting other colors? What roles do earth tones play in mixing greens?  Students will paint a variety of still lifes which will be the springboard for exploring the answers to these questions. We will also examine the work of such artists as Cezanne, Van Gogh, Diebenkorn, Alice Neel, Lucian Freud and Gerhard Richter to analyze the use of green in their paintings.

ESSENTIALS OF ANATOMY: FIGURE DRAWING AND SCULPTURE  

(FULL –WAIT LIST ONLY)
Fri, Sat, Sun – Jan 15, 16, 17 (10am-5pm)
Instructor: Maggie Siner
$575

Due to extreme demand, a session of Essentials of Anatomy has been added.
Fri, Sat, Sun – Feb 12, 13, 14 (10am-5pm)

WHAT GOES ON BENEATH THE SURFACE?

We are pleased to bring Maggie Siner’s ever-popular anatomy class to WSS. Always a sell-out. Don’t wait to register! This intensive 3-day study of anatomy is the single best thing you can do to improve your figurative work. Using primarily drawing, class will also include 3-D clay modeling for a better grasp of anatomical volumes. Human anatomy in its 3-dimensional structure of complex forms and ever-shifting configurations (i.e. movement) is the foundation of good figurative painting. This class offers a rare opportunity to study anatomy with Maggie Siner. Fascinating, informative, challenging, never quite long enough. If you understand the coherence of forms beneath the figure’s surface, if you can control volumes and be sensitive to balance and gesture, then your figurative work will be more convincing and expressive. NOTE: Previous drawing experience required.

OPEN CRITIQUE

Thurs, Jan 21, Feb 18, Mar17 (5:30-8:30)
Led by Jo Weiss
$50 for critique (5 people per session – registration required – only one critique per person each term)
$10 to observe and learn – unlimited number but registration required
Five people each session will have the opportunity to bring up to five works apiece to be discussed in a critique led by master teacher and former Head of Faculty Jo Weiss. These critiques are open to the community and can be attended by observers for a small fee.

MUSES AT WORK: DRAWING AND COLLAGE

Sun, Jan 31 and Feb 7 (noon-5pm)
Instructor: Susan Yanero and Deborah Kahn
$180
This workshop is in conjunction with an exhibition in the WSS library of collages and small works by internationally acclaimed artists Lani Irwin and Alan Feltus. On Sunday, January 24^th at 3pm, Susan Yanero, close friend of the painters, will be giving a slide talk on the work of these artists. The following two Sundays she will conduct a related workshop. Participants will look closely at the work in the exhibition, as well as at the work of their muses , particularly Simone Martini and Piero della Francesca. Deriving compositional lessons from Martini and Piero, as well as Irwin and Feltus, students will enjoy a process of producing drawings and fun collages using beautiful color shapes. Color sense, compositional sense, and underlying abstractions based on these works will be explored in the students’ own works.

RAPID NOTATION

Wed, Jan 27, Feb 24, Mar 23 (7-10pm)
Instructors: Milena Spasic and Jill Phillips
$165
Through a sequence of short and quickly executed studies in oil paint, students are challenged to hone seeing skills by quickly identifying the most significant forms, gestures, spatial relationships and sense of atmosphere. Students learn to depict the essence of the subject at hand in short 5 to 30 minute painting sessions. The studies can stand as paintings in their own right or source material for further paintings. Students will work both from a live model and still life. Recommended for students with painting experience.

OPEN PRINTING SESSIONS (CANCELLED)

Fri, Jan 22, Feb 26, Mar 18 (1-5pm)
Instructor: Jenny Walton
$180 for 3 four hour sessions
For students who have experience with printmaking but would like monitored access to a press, these sessions allow the opportunity to prepare plates for monotypes or drypoint and pull several prints. Linocuts and other relief prints can be produced as well. Participants provide their own plates, paper, tools, and inks. Inks should be non-toxic water-based inks such as Akua. Instructor will be there to assist with printing process as well as plate preparation.

DRAWING CHANGE

Sat, Feb 6, 20, Mar 5 (1-5pm)
Instructor: Mary Freedman
$215
Over the course of several weeks, students will carefully observe the changing nature of living objects such as flowers or plants as they move through a progression of vibrancy to decay. The beautiful gestural and shape related changes that occur will be captured in a series of drawings done with a variety of materials.

WAX FIGURE SCULPTURE

Thurs, Feb 25, Mar 3, 10 (7-10pm)
Instructor: Jon-Joseph Russo
$165 plus $30 materials fee paid to instructor
We start by building an armature and will explore handling the wax with a variety techniques and tools. Our focus is to interpret the anatomy of the figure by understanding it as a form in space. Sculpting from the figure is a three dimensional drawing exercise, one that reveals the planes, proportions, balance and composition of the pose.

WHAT THE MASTERS TEACH US

Sun, Feb 21, 28 (10am – 5pm)
Instructor: Joren Lindholm
$215
The transcription of a master painting is often the key that unlocks the visual language and spatial structure of the masterpiece for students. Throughout history artists have studied and transcribed the work of those before them and brought the lessons learned into their own work. Students in this workshop will individually choose works by master artists, both old and modern. They will use dry drawing media to make a series of studies based on the master imagery, as well as personal interpretation of the work, in varying scale from thumbnail to actual size. A finished full-scale transcription will then be produced.

FLESH AND MARBLE

Sat, Mar 12 at WSS (10am – 5pm)
Sat, Mar 19 and 26 at National Gallery of Art (10am-1pm)
Instructor: Carol Rubin
$215
A chance to draw from some of the most splendid models of all time.  This beginner figure drawing workshop will start by drawing from live models at WSS and move to drawing from fabulous classical figures in the sculpture galleries of the National Gallery of Art. Here the ‘models’ take permanent poses, are beautifully lit, and have much to teach us.

OIL AND WATER

Sat/Sun – Mar 19/20 (10am-5pm)
Instructor: Jill Phillips
$215
Oil paints and acrylic paints are both wonderful materials each with their own advantages and disadvantages and appeal to individual sensibilities. In this weekend workshop we will learn about the properties of each and the additives/mediums that can alter and expand their use. Using the same still life set-up, we will make a painting each day – one with oil and one with acrylic to explore methods, possibilities and results of working with each.

2015 Fall Workshops

LABOR DAY WEEKEND FIGURE DRAWING INTENSIVE

Instructor:  Diane Wilson
Saturday/Sunday – September 5/6
10am-5pm (with an hour lunch break)
$225

2015 Summer Workshops

Visiting Artist Series with Bettina Nelson

Bettina Nelson is a young Philadelphia artist who came to DC last year to assist Ken Kewley with has workshop at WSS. In the few hours that Kewley turned his class over to Nelson for a mini session, she opened the eyes and minds of students in ways that couldn’t have been predicted. At the request of many, we are bringing Bettina back for her own workshop. Don’t miss it!

INTUITION: WORKING INSIDE OF BOOKS (FULL)

Instructor: Bettina Nelson
Sat/Sun — July 25/26
10am-5pm
$270
This workshop will focus on exploring working from intuition, inviting the unexpected by immersing students in the present moment of color and shape, and by imposing limitations on the work. Each student will have his or her own book to work inside of. There will be no guidance as to what the pages will look like. We will focus on the process of: beginning a page, reacting to that by using different tools to play and explore, and coming to recognize when to move on. We will try to fill an entire book. This workshop is meant to strengthen practices of open-mindedness, play, intuition, looking, trust, and flexibility. http://www.bettinannelson.com/

CARICATURE: NOT WHAT YOU ARE THINKING

Instructor: Diane Wilson
Wednesdays, July 8, 15, 22, 29
1:30 – 4:30pm
$215

NOT your party souvenir caricature! Derived from the Italian word ‘caricare’ meaning to charge or load, a caricature is a description or drawn image showing features in a simplified or exaggerated manner. As one of the earliest caricaturists, Leonardo DaVinci would seek out people with deformities in order to create impressions more striking than ordinary portraits. Honore Daumier created over 4,000 lithographs most of which were politically and socially charged caricatures. Working from the model to discover the natural characteristics, acquired characteristics, and accouterments that contribute to a person’s individuality, the class will learn the art of the ‘loaded portrait.’

FIGURE DRAWING (FULL)

Instructor: Diane Wilson
Wednesdays, July 8, 15, 22, 29
7-10pm
$215

This class is for students with some prior drawing experience. Emphasizing the continued refinement of perceptual drawing skills, the course concentrates on the structure, movement and expressive qualities of the figure. Students work towards a personal sensibility through a variety of drawing materials.

LEARNING TO SEE WITH PAINT

Instructor: Brian Kelley
Mondays, July 6, 13, 20, 27
1:00-4:00pm
$215

This short class introduces students to some basic painting concepts and skills.  Topics covered will include materials and surfaces, light/dark value relationships, shape relationships, placement, mark, and composition.  Using a limited palette of colors, students will work from still life and interior space.

2 DAYS WITH LINOCUT PRINTS

Instructor: Brian Kelley

Tuesday / Thursday, July 21 and 23
10am – 4pm
$215

Excellent work has been produced with linoleum by artists such as Matisse and Picasso.  Discover the versatility of this popular relief print technique, which does not require a press. This course will introduce the basic skills of linocut from designing your image to cutting your block and printing. You will have the opportunity to experiment with mark making, color usage and reductive printing. In a reduction print the artist develops all colors from the same block. With each color pass more linoleum is removed from the block. Each color is printed on top of the last, and the entire edition is printed at once.

PAINTING WITH THE MASTERS: BEG, BORROW AND STEAL (FULL)

Instructor: Carol Rubin
Tuesdays, July 7, 14, 21, 28
7 -10pm
$215

Looking at artists such as Thiebaud, Matisse and Morandi, students will gain insights into what makes their still lifes so appealing as they apply the lessons learned to their own class work. Set-ups will be reminiscent of some of these master paintings with their composition, structure and color relationships in mind. A fun and valuable summer painting class, this workshop is appropriate for all levels.

THE LOGIC OF COLOR! (FULL)

Instructors: Milena Spasic and Jill Phillips
Thursday / Friday, July 9/10
10am – 4pm
$215

Color is deceptive and elusive, with characteristics that shift from the tube to the palette and then to the context of the painting. This workshop will provide you with in-depth color mixing strategies, plus the vocabulary to get color to say what you want it to say. A series of exercises, both abstract and from looking, will help you to understand how color functions and to hone your own personal color vocabulary. The class will also explore several limited palettes to see how expansive limitations can become.

LEARNING TO SEE: BEGINNING DRAWING (FULL)

Instructor: Milena Spasic
Saturdays, July 11, 18, 25, Aug 1
10am – 1pm
$215

This short class will provide an introduction to the foundations of observational drawing. Students will learn the basics of contour, shape, value, gesture, negative/positive space, proportion, and the use of basic drawing materials as we look carefully at still life and interior space. This course is designed for beginning students.

WORKING WITH WATERCOLOR

Instructor: Milena Spasic
Thursday / Friday, July 16, 17
10am – 4pm
$215

A watercolor mark is distinct and easily stands out from the marks made with oils or acrylics. Transparent layers of washes interspersed with the glistening of the textured white paper left untouched, and crisp dry brush marks that stand in contrast are part of the language of watercolor. To handle the medium is to balance the fluidity, the unexpected with the controlled; to observe the water as it carries the pigment across a shape. One chooses to interfere or not interfere, to dab, to subtract, or to let dry and add another mark afterwards. At the same time the placement, size and relationship of the shapes in the composition have to be considered. With practice comes playfulness with the element of chance, rather than hesitancy; and that is when the marks come to life. Students will have an opportunity to practice mark­making and handling of the medium, while painting from observation from a variety of subject matter. Some outdoor painting is planned, weather permitti

SURFACE PREP FOR PAINTING

Instructor: Brian Kelley
Tuesday, July 14
10am – 4pm
$110

The difference between store bought canvases and ones that you stretch and prepare yourself can be huge, with different methods and materials leading to varied painting experiences. This one day hands-on workshop will introduce students to the different weights and weaves of canvas and linen, types of stretcher bars, methods and materials for stretching, and the primers and barriers used to protect the canvas from the destructive properties of the oil. In addition to stretching and prepping a flexible canvas, students will learn about other surface possibilities for painting, particularly the more rigid surfaces like wood, fiberboard and paperboard. While traditional methods will be discussed, the workshop will use more contemporary, conservator approved materials.

2015 Spring Workshops

Join our Spring Visiting Artist series with Janice Nowinski

Workshop: Photo as Catalyst: Extracting and Transforming (FULL. Please contact us to be placed on waitlist.)

Visiting Artist and Instructor: Janice Nowinski
Saturday May 2, 10am-5pm
$190
This is a painting workshop. At WSS where working from life is emphasized as the way to learn to see visual relationships, how do we make use of the photograph as source material for paintings?  What information can we glean, what do we jettison?  Why do we extract what we do, and how do we transform that into work that is personal and felt? What can the photo lead us to in terms of memory, narrative, metaphor and invention?  And how do the painter’s mark, color, and use of material contribute to the content?

We will depart from the basic rule of realism as stated by painters such as Courbet, Manet, Monet, Cezanne and Signac “paint what you see” (perceptual painting) and move into the territory of Matisse, Picasso and Francis Bacon and “paint the emotion awakened by what you see” using photographs as a catalyst as well as some aspects of the perceptual painting approach.

This workshop is for experienced painters. Certificate students have priority. Class limited to 12. Supply list will be provided with registration confirmation.

Washington Studio School is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of Janice Nowinski works “Recent Paintings,” April 17 through May 30. Included in the May 2 workshop is a gallery talk at 2pm.

Learning to See: Drawing for Absolute Beginners

Instructor: Milena Spasic
Saturday mornings April 18, 25, May 2, 9, 16
10am–1pm: $270
This short class will provide an introduction to the foundations of observational drawing. Students will learn the basics of contour, shape, value, gesture, negative/positive space, proportion, and the use of basic drawing materials as we look carefully at still life and interior space. This course is designed for beginning students.
Supplies:  Click for Basic drawing supplies

Figure Drawing Intensive for Beginners

Instructor: Jo Weiss
Fri, Sat, Sun May 15, 16, 17
10am–2:30pm, $270
This workshop offers an opportunity for focused attention on the human figure to those with some drawing experience but who are new to working from the model.  Focus will be on controlling the complexity of the figure, understanding the structural issues involved in building the form of the figure, expression through gesture, empathy, the space the figure occupies, and the spatial qualities of mark-making.

Digital Photo for Artists

Instructor: Alexander (Sasha) Vasiljev
Wednesdays May 13, 20, 27, June 3, 10, 17
10am–1pm, $270
A “must” course for the student and professional artist! Learning to take, correct and store proper digital photos of our artwork for websites, juried show submissions, grant applications, residency applications and blogs is critical. This workshop will teach you the basics of digital photography in addition to how to photograph artwork. Through hands-on instruction, you will learn your camera’s functions, exposure, the difference between aperture and shutter speed, selecting ISO, depth of field, exposure compensation, and more. You will learn how to avoid common mistakes through discussion and professional critique. After completion of the workshop you will better understand your equipment and be able to take the photographs you desire with more confidence. What to bring: DSLR or point-and-shoot camera with MANUAL capabilities, lenses, charged battery, memory card, camera’s manual, paper, pen (and artwork on the days designated by the instructor).

iPad Sketch

Instructor: Alexander (Sasha) Vasiljev
Saturday May 30
10am–2pm, $70
Many prominent artists are beginning to use the iPad in lieu of a sketchbook to make visual notations and quick sketches on location that they then take back to the studio to develop into paintings. This one-day workshop will introduce you to a variety of drawing apps and their capabilities for sketching with a stylus or your finger and literally having color at your fingertips. Students will learn about the apps, download what they are interested in, and then have the opportunity to do a digital sketch (most likely from still life).

2015 January-March Workshops

Learning to See: Drawing for Beginners
Instructor:  Mary Freedman
Thursdays 7-10pm, January 8, 15, 22
$170
This workshop will provide an introduction to the foundations of observational drawing. Students will learn the basics of contour, shape, value, gesture, negative/positive space, proportion, and the use of basic drawing materials as we look carefully at still life and other natural objects. This course is designed for beginning students.
Supplies:  Basic drawing supplies (see website)

Life Drawing – The Ballerina as Model
Instructor:  Diane Wilson
Wednesdays 7-10pm, January 7, 14, 21
$170
With a ballerina from the Kirov Academy of Ballet as our model, we will draw the gesture, movement, and beauty of the figure as dancer.  Our model will pose in traditional ballet dancewear as well as costumes borrowed from the Kirov closets.  Don’t miss this opportunity!Relief

Printmaking – Linocut
Instructor:  Brian Kelley
Wednesdays 10am-4pm,  January 14, 21
$215
Excellent work has been produced with linoleum by artists such as Matisse and Picasso.  Discover the versatility of this popular relief print technique. This course will introduce the basic skills of linocut from designing your image to cutting your block and printing. You will have the opportunity to experiment with mark making, color usage and possibly the addition of collage.

Introduction to Monotype – Making Marks
Instructor:  Jenny Walton
Monday and Tuesday 10am-4pm, January 12 and 13
$215
A monotype is a one-of-a-kind print made by drawing or painting onto a non-absorbent plate.  The image is then transferred to paper by either running it through a press or hand printing. Join this exciting workshop for 2 days day of experimental mark-making using a variety of methods and materials.  Inks will be non-toxic Akua inks.  You will pull several prints as well as learning to properly use the press.

Exploring Collage
Instructor:  Maya Weber
Saturdays 10am-4pm, January 24, 31
$215
Collage, whether used as the primary method for building an image or incorporated into a mixed media piece, is a wonderful way to engage with the abstract play inherent in two dimensional art. It is direct and malleable, and encourages emphatic statements of shape, plane and color. For painters accustomed to habits of palette and brush, collage introduces an element of surprise and that can present new possibilities. In this two-day workshop, students will use hand-painted papers and magazines to construct abstract studies and works from life that build awareness of essential painting elements and encourage experimentation.

The Playful Still Life
Instructor: Susan Yanero
Sundays 1-4pm, February 1, 8, 15, 22
$215
Fun, dynamic and instructive!  Where will your still life go? What will stay still? Using an amusing collection of colorful, unconventional objects in a fun and lively environment, the class will use still life to explore the visual dynamics and forces which are so inextricably bound to the dynamics of life.  With a variety of drawing materials (including color) students will push the boundaries of still life both visually and conceptually.

Digital Photography for Artists (6 weeks)
Instructor: Alexander (Sasha) Vasiljev
Tuesdays 10am-1pm, February 3 to March 10
$270
A “must” course for the student and professional artist!  Learning to take, correct and store proper digital photos of our artwork for websites, juried show submissions, grant applications, residency applications and blogs is critical. This workshop will teach you the basics of digital photography in addition to how to photograph artwork. Through hands-on instruction, you will learn your camera’s functions, exposure, the difference between aperture and shutter speed, selecting ISO, depth of field, exposure compensation, and more. You will learn how to avoid common mistakes through discussion and professional critique. After completion of the workshop you will better understand your equipment and be able to take the photographs you desire with more confidence. What to bring: DSLR or point-and-shoot camera with MANUAL capabilities, lenses, charged battery, memory card, camera’s manual, paper, pen (and artwork on the days designated by the instructor).

The Handmade Sketchbook
Instructor:  Milena Spasic
Saturdays 10am-2pm, February 28, March 7, 14
$215
An artist should never be without a sketchbook as a repository for ideas, discoveries, and recollections!  In this three-day workshop students will learn the basics of making a handmade hardcover sketchbook – and then begin to fill it with work!  An introduction to making signatures, types of binding methods, paper choices and more will be covered in this class.  The materials and tools of bookmaking will be explored, while the importance of using the book will be emphasized.

Drawing at the Museum
Instructor: Joren Lindholm
Sundays 1-4pm, March 1, 8, 15, 22 (at The National Gallery of Art)
$215
There are no better teachers than the masters, and no better way to learn from them than by standing in front of their paintings and drawings.  In this workshop issues of space, picture plane division and organization, directional lines, edges, rhythm and light will be included.  Some drawing experience is recommended. Each of these 4 sessions will focus on either a specific artist or period in western painting.Materials list: paper, support for working (sketchbook is fine), dry drawing media (student’s choice: pencil, charcoal, ball point, marker).For each session meet first in the main rotunda, mall side, and then the instructor will take you to a selected area in the museum.  Drawings will be discussed and shared each session.

Essentials of Anatomy: Figure Drawing and Sculpture (FULL. Please contact us to be on the wait list)January 9, 10, 11 from 10am-5pm
Instructor: Maggie Siner
$550 (Class limit is 12)WHAT GOES ON BENEATH THE SURFACE? We are pleased to bring Maggie Siner’s ever-popular anatomy class to WSS. Always a sell-out. Don’t wait to register! This intensive 3-day study of anatomy is the single best thing you can do to improve your figurative work. Using primarily drawing, class will also include 3-D clay modeling for a better grasp of anatomical volumes.
Human anatomy in its 3-dimensional structure of complex forms and ever-shifting configurations (i.e. movement) is the foundation of good figurative painting. This class offers a rare opportunity to study anatomy with Maggie Siner. Fascinating, informative, challenging, never quite long enough. If you understand the coherence of forms beneath the figure’s surface, if you can control volumes and be sensitive to balance and gesture, then your figurative work will be more convincing and expressive. NOTE: Previous drawing experience required.   (No cadavers but not for sissies)2014 Marathon & September Workshops3-DAY DRAWING MARATHON WITH JO WEISS (FULL. Please contact us to be placed on the waitlist.)“From […] apprehension is formed a concept, a reason engendered in the mind by the object, whose manual expression is called drawing.” Vasari, 1568This year’s Marathon will focus on experimentation. Driven by process, participants will consider three different purposes of drawing and how they effect material and design. Through apprehending the subject from an experiential basis, participants will form a concept generated by the arrangement and plan its construction.Saturday, Sunday, Monday – August 30, 31, September 1
Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday 10am-4pm, Monday  10am-5pm
$400 (plus a small materials fee for shared roll of paper payable to instructor)Limited to 10 students  – Register early online through PayPal or send in your completed registration form.
2014 Fall WorkshopsStarting in early September, WSS kicks off the fall season with nearly a dozen exciting workshops, ranging from drawing to monotype to exploration of paper, plus digital photography. And, in November we welcome the return of guest and visiting artist Ken Kewley. Read more about all of these offerings below, and register early! These workshop offerings fill quickly. Class size is limited to 12 students. Before registering, please read WSS policies on refunds, cancellations, and student withdrawals. You may register online, using PayPal from the drop-down menus below, or complete our registration form.Installations in Mitchell Park (FREE)
Help WSS Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Mitchell ParkSaturday, September 6, 11am-2pm
Instructors: WSS Faculty members
(Mitchell Park is located just up the street, one block west of Washington Studio School.)
In the spirit of Andy Goldsworthy and other environmental artists, WSS will work with participants to prepare small installations from natural materials to be discovered and enjoyed around the park.  Bring sticks, stones, twine and any other materials useful for suspending and tucking away interesting site specific installations.  These temporary installations will be enjoyed throughout the fall, and will accompany a showing of Andy Goldsworthy’s film “Rivers and Tides” at WSS main floor. (Date to be determined, please check back.)The Essentials of PaperTuesday, September 23
11:30am–1pm – Sarah Becktel
1:30–4:30pm – Milena Spasic
$90 (plus $10 material fee paid to afternoon instructor)
Understanding the various properties, uses and limitations of the materials we use is essential in order to make decisions about the right material and surface for the particular work at hand. This special workshop begins with Sarah Becktel, Artist Educator for Strathmore Artists Paper, in a hands-on presentation on Strathmore Drawing and Watercolor Papers and focuses on how understanding a paper’s fiber, weight, texture, surface, grade and permanency affect an artist’s choice and usage of fine art paper. Attendees participate in exercises, using Strathmore papers and drawing materials. In the afternoon, students will spend 3 hours with WSS instructor Milena Spasic and continue the discussion with further exercises using an array of additional papers. The 90-minute presentation will cover all aspects of fine art drawing papers:
History of Writing Surfaces: parchment to papyrus to paper
History of Paper: from China to Europe
How Paper is Made: past and present
Handmade paper vs. Machine made paper
Components of Paper: fiber, watermark, surface texture, sizing, weight, permanence.
Environmentally friendly papers and alternative fibers
Types of Paper: newsprint, sketching, drawing, bristol, illustration, charcoal, pastel, watercolor, mixed-media
Grades of Paper: student, artist, professional
Paper StorageStrathmore will provide free to registered students:
Strathmore papers and literature
Selection of drawing materials
Watercolor brushMonotype: Making MarksTuesday, September 9, 10am-5pm
Instructor: Jenny Walton
$130
A monotype is a one-of-a-kind print made by drawing or painting onto a non-absorbent plate and then running it through the press to transfer the image.  Join this exciting workshop for a day of experimental mark-making using a variety of methods and materials.  You will pull several prints as well as learning to properly use the press.Drawing DupontSundays, September 14, 21, 28, 10am-1pm
Instructor: Joren Lindholm
$170
Students will have three Sunday autumn mornings drawing the gestures, movement, shape and value relationships found in our nearby environment, particularly around the Dupont Circle Farmers Market.  A wonderful way to enjoy the season!Rapid Notation: Quick Response in PaintInstructor: Milena Spasic
Mondays, September 8, 15, 22, 7-10pm
$170
Quick studies in paint are valuable to the student in so many ways.  By doing multiple quick studies from a variety of subjects, students in this fast-paced workshop will learn to edit what is inconsequential and superfluous detail.  They will gain an understanding of what elements are important to them by capturing the critical elements that express their emotional response to the subject. They will reach a greater understanding of the broad relationships between light (value), color and form, and they will learn to simplify and strengthen compositions.Figure DrawingInstructor: Diane Wilson
Wednesdays, September 3, 10, 17, 24, 7-10pm
$215
Drawing from the model, this workshop will focus on the structure, movement and expressive qualities of the figure. Line, gesture, proportion, volume and placement are all considered as we work from this most enduring subject.Learning to See: DrawingInstructor: Mary Freedman
Thursdays, September 4, 11, 18, 25, 7-10pm
$215
This workshop will provide an introduction to the foundations of observational drawing. Students will learn the basics of contour, shape, value, gesture, negative/positive space, proportion, and the use of basic drawing materials as we look carefully at still life and other natural objects. This course is designed for beginning students. Supplies:  Basic drawing supplies (see website)Multiple Figure DrawingInstructor:  Tania Karpowitz
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday – September 10, 11, 12
Wed 10am-4pm; Thu 10am-2pm; Fri 10am-4pm
$285
This class explores the time-honored topic of multiple figure composition in drawing and painting. Working with multiple models or a single model in multiple poses, students will continue to develop their perceptual awareness and ability to transpose figures into imagined or constructed spaces. Students will look at the work of many master and contemporary painters, and learn strategies for creating dynamic figure groupings that relate and project content.  This is primarily a drawing class and is recommended for students with drawing experience. Great painters throughout the ages have composed paintings, both quiet and epic, by finding the relationships between two or more figures. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity.Large Scale Compositional Figure DrawingInstructor: Carolyn Reece-Tomlin
Monday and Tuesday, September 15 and 16, 11am-5pm
$215
Students draw the figure with an emphasis on maintaining energy through experimentation with a variety of drawing materials including cut and glued paper. The importance of process, change and structure is explored in resolving each student’s individual compositional and spatial issues in a large format drawing.
VISITING ARTIST KEN KEWLEY (Full – please contact us to join the wait list.)Abstraction for the Realist: A workshop for both the figurative and the abstract artistInstructor:  Ken Kewley
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: November 14, 15, 16
10am–5pm
$500
On the occasion of “The Intimate Diebenkorn” exhibition in Washington, DC at the Katzen Arts Center at American University, November 8 through December 14, 2014.With Diebenkorn as our starting point we will explore abstraction; the pure abstract work and the abstraction in the figure, still life, and landscape. A very structured workshop of looking and abstracting through drawing, painting, collage and sculpture to get at a balance between the two. Between looking at something out there and looking at our work a balance must be found to say something and to say it in an interesting way. The statements, ‘You cannot make it up’ and ‘You must make it up’ are both true. We must let both guide us. What we put down on our paper or canvas are real things that we can adjust just as we adjust objects in a still life. It is this abstraction that we must adjust if we are working purely abstractly, or if we are working from life. We will make abstract drawings, paintings, collages and sculptures that we will transform into figures, still lifes, landscapes and then turn back into abstractions, all to explore the balance between the two. The  non-representational work and the representational work both need to work abstractly to fully satisfy ourselves and then others.2014 Summer WorkshopsSummer at WSS brings short classes, workshops and our Teen Intensive program, all taught by our regular faculty, plus WSS is proud to bring you our Artist in Residence, Reem Bassous.  Summer session will run July 7 to July 31, and workshops will vary on day of week and time of day.If you’ve always wanted to take one of our classes, but short on time, we encourage you to immerse yourself in one or more workshops with us this summer. You will be thrilled. Visit our drawing and painting sections for workshop descriptions and to register. Class size is limited to 12 students, so register early!Join Us! Open House, Sunday June 15, 1-3pm. Free drawing session2014 Spring, Visiting ArtistMemorial Day Weekend “Master Class”
with Stuart Shils
Life Studio as Painted SpaceA two and a half day indoor painting class
Lecture:  Friday May 23 at 6pm – open to the public
Class:  Saturday/Sunday May 24, 25 (9am-5pm) and
Monday May 26 (9am-1pm)
$725 (includes Friday lecture, attendance required)The Life class offers a controlled and carefully orchestrated setting for engaging with and exploring many pictorial concerns ranging far beyond “how to” paint the figure. In fact, our first requirement is learning to see, so that “how to” paint a figure is not part of our agenda at all. Rather, students will be encouraged to focus on pictorial structure, to consider close and accountable looking at both the set up of the room and at the painting, with a model as part of a much larger organization of form and color. There will also be an emphasis on drawing for its own sake and in relation to planning for and thinking through painting. We’ll also explore aspects of collaboration between students as a way of understanding the decision making process more fully and seeing where we stand individually by way of working together. Using materials such as acrylic paint and Crayola crayons, students will have the opportunity to leave the familiar behind and turn over new rocks.The night before the first day is the 90-minute introductory lecture, Explorations of the Figure in Space, and workshop students are required to attend.Stuart Shils workshops fill quickly all over the country – Register early! It’s a great way to spend the long weekend!Digital Media(short classes): Intro to Digital Media and iPad Sketch.Portrait Interpretations, Painting (short class): May 29,30,31. 10am-3pm, KarpowitzFigure Drawing (short class): May 28, June 4,11,18. 7-10pm, Wilson2014 Winter WorkshopsOur winter workshops run for several weeks in January, starting January 4. We also bring Gerald Wartofsky in January and Maggie Siner in February as part of our Visiting and Guest Artist Series.     2014 Winter Workshop DescriptionsThe Figure in Expressive Composition (by visiting artist Wartofsky)Our Visiting and Guest Artist Series is funded in part by a grant from the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities.
Instructor: Gerry Wartofsky, Visiting Artist
Thursday and Friday, January 23 and 24, 10am-4pm
$215
Join visiting artist and professor of art Gerry Wartofsky for a 2-day workshop to accompany his exhibition of drawings, paintings and pastels at WSS.  Working from the figure with a variety of drawing materials, students will use their own class studies to organize figure groupings into sustained compositions.  During the 2 days students will attempt to realize different modes from expressionistic to atmospheric to structured and serene.  Students will work in black and white the first day, and introduce color into the drawings during the second day.Anything Goes! A Dialogue in Drawing (2 sessions) – REGISTER NOW!Instructors:  Deborah Kahn and Susan Yanero
Tuesday and Wednesday, January 14 and 15, 11am-5pm
$215
This collaborative class between longtime teaching and painting colleagues Susan Yanero and Deborah Kahn and their students will be both a conversation and a studio class.  Students are each to bring a drawing with them, a dialogue will ensue, and assignments will evolve out of the conversation.  The workshop will address problems in drawing, leading to deeper issues of perception.Rapid Notation: The Quick Response in Paint (2 sessions) – REGISTER NOW!Instructor: Milena Spasic
Thursday, January 16 and 23, 7–10pm
$110
Quick studies in paint are valuable to the student in so many ways.  By doing multiple quick studies from a variety of still lifes, students in this fun and fast-paced workshop will learn to edit what is inconsequential and superfluous detail.  They will gain an understanding of what elements are important to them by capturing the critical elements that express their emotional response to the subject. They will reach a greater understanding of the broad relationships between light (value), color and form, and they will learn to simplify and strengthen compositions.NEW! Layering: Gouache and Pastel (1 session) – REGISTER NOW!Instructor: Brian Kelley
Wednesday, January 22, 10am–5pm
$130
Contemporary artists use mixed media in increasingly experimental ways. This 1-day workshop explores the interaction and layering of a water-based wet medium (gouache) and a dry medium (pastel.)  Using still life and interior space as subject, students will work perceptually to build an image with these materials in combination.Approaching Acrylic (2 sessions) – REGISTER NOW!Instructor: Maya Weber
Saturdays, January 11 and 18, 10am–2pm [please note that on the flyer, the dates are Jan 12 and 19, but the day of week is Saturday]
$145
In this introduction to the