In these multi-level oil painting workshops, students will paint outdoors in the historic Ox-Bow landscape. Instruction will focus on recognizing and then painting what we actually see. Through this process of learning to see, we will create paintings that have veracity and strength. The workshop will include discussion of the tools and materials needed to set-up and paint in any landscape you choose. Sign up for one, two, or all sessions of these three-hour morning painting workshops on the meadow alongside the lagoon. Students will be required to bring their own materials; a material list will be provided in advance. Please note that you must sign up for each session separately.
“I am a painter. I work primarily in oil. I studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. My relationship with Ox-Bow started in 1987 when, as a student at the School of the Art Institute, I answered an ad for a summer job. While at Ox-Bow, I began my practice of painting landscapes and people. I currently work in Saugatuck, Michigan. My studio and gallery has been in operation in downtown Saugatuck since 1994.” –James Brandess
James Brandess, 2022, Texas Bluebonnets, oil on canvas, 9 x 6 inches. Images courtesy of the artist.
In these multi-level oil painting workshops, students will paint outdoors in the historic Ox-Bow landscape. Instruction will focus on recognizing and then painting what we actually see. Through this process of learning to see, we will create paintings that have veracity and strength. The workshop will include discussion of the tools and materials needed to set-up and paint in any landscape you choose. Sign up for one, two, or all sessions of these three-hour morning painting workshops on the meadow alongside the lagoon. Students will be required to bring their own materials; a material list will be provided in advance. Please note that you must sign up for each session separately.
“I am a painter. I work primarily in oil. I studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. My relationship with Ox-Bow started in 1987 when, as a student at the School of the Art Institute, I answered an ad for a summer job. While at Ox-Bow, I began my practice of painting landscapes and people. I currently work in Saugatuck, Michigan. My studio and gallery has been in operation in downtown Saugatuck since 1994.” –James Brandess
James Brandess, 2022, Texas Bluebonnets, oil on canvas, 9 x 6 inches. Images courtesy of the artist.
Learn to paint a floral still life in oils from a local master. Turn your focus to painting from observation, using a demo floral arrangement made that morning as the subject. Luxuriate in the colorful playness and compositional inspiration that only flowers can provide. Students will be required to bring their own materials; a material list will be provided in advance. For a full-day making experience, during which you will make your own floral arrangement, sign up for the first part of this workshop, Flowering: History and Arrangement led by Maddie Reyna!
“I am a painter. I work primarily in oil. I studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. My relationship with Ox-Bow started in 1987 when, as a student at the School of the Art Institute, I answered an ad for a summer job. While at Ox-Bow, I began my practice of painting landscapes and people. I currently work in Saugatuck, Michigan. My studio and gallery has been in operation in downtown Saugatuck since 1994.” –James Brandess
James Brandess, An Autumn Bouquet, 2022, oil on canvas, 34 x 30 inches. Images courtesy of the artist.
Tuesday–Friday, July 30–August 2, 2024, 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Tuition: $210
Four-day workshops do not include lunch. A four-day lunch plan is available for an additional $75. Please select this option when registering if you wish to join us for lunch each day at 1 p.m.
Playfully expand your art practice! We will begin by making drawings. We will then cut out and pose our 2D drawings into 3D environments, creating different ways to experience the work – both in-person and through basic photographic and video documentation. We will use unconventional materials like found objects and organic matter and try varied processes, putting our drawing into the contexts of sculptures, texts, and more. We will use our experiments to discuss the different venues for experiencing art – online, in galleries, and in public spaces. Students will be required to bring some of their own materials; a material list will be provided in advance.
Zehra Khan is a multi-disciplinary artist whose current preferred medium is hot glue. Often absurdist and provocative, Khan uses unconventional found materials and methods to create combinations of drawing, sculpture, installation, performance, photography, and film. Zehra is Pakistani and American, born in Indonesia. She received an MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art & Design in 2007, and a BS from Skidmore College. Khan loves attending artist residencies including Yaddo, the Studios of Key West, Ox-Bow, the Vermont Studio Center, Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, Art Space Sonahmoo in South Korea, and Space A in Kathmandu. Zehra is based out of Chicago where she works as an artist and educator.
Zehra Khan, Last Cigarette, 2010, acrylic paint on canvas, paper and self, 69 x 84 x 36 inches. Images courtesy of the artist.
Four-day workshops do not include lunch. A four-day lunch plan is available for an additional $75. Please select this option when registering if you wish to join us for lunch each day at 1 p.m.
This basic drawing workshop in Ox-Bow’s natural landscape is suitable for anyone who ponders these questions: How is drawing important to painting? Where does one leave off, and the other begin? How does light give form to the things around us? Why does “conservation of values” matter? Students will deepen their drawing skills with a nod to the painter within and with a specific understanding of structure, value, and composition. Painting problems are often drawing problems. This workshop is aimed at strengthening both, in turn. Be prepared to get messy with charcoal! Drawing references and demonstrations will be shared, as well as group discussion. Students will be required to bring their own materials; a material list will be provided in advance.
Dawn Stafford is a full-time artist working in the Saugatuck/Fennville area. Her oil paintings of West Michigan’s landscape, rural fauna & flora, and everyday human objects explore subtle color palettes, rhythms, and harmonies that seek to reduce the noise of the outer world. Often using color and scale to effect a sense of intimacy, atmosphere, or presence. Painter, artist, teacher, mother, and gardener she creates and exhibits her work in a repurposed historic one-room schoolhouse, The Peachbelt Studio - formerly the Peachbelt Schoolhouse, ca 1867. Open weekends seasonally, May - October. Since 1996 she has participated as both student and staff member at Oxbow, as kitchen staff, teaching assistant, course instructor, and Art on the Meadow facilitator. Originally from New York, she received her BFA from Swain School of Design in Massachusetts before moving to Michigan in 1992. Her work is widely collected.
Dawn Stafford, Vintage Schwinns, oil on canvas. Images courtesy of the artist.
Saturday–Sunday, July 20–21, 2024, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Tuition: $215
This workshop includes lunch at 1 p.m. on Saturday and brunch at noon on Sunday.
Experimenting with Gelli Plate monotypes can add a playful and exciting new dimension to any painting practice. Gelli Plates are durable, reusable and store at room temperature, allowing for easy monoprinting without a press! Working in layers, students will experiment with mark-making, stencils, masking, and making creative tools out of common household items. Learn how to use the right paper to get the effects you desire. Water-based ink, Golden Open Acrylics or fluid acrylics can be used with Gelli Plates. Gelli Plates will be provided for in-class use.
Janet enjoys creating gestural abstract paintings. Her focus is on the sensual nature of art and the healing aspect of beauty. “Like the meeting point of mind and body, experienced through yoga and the Chakra system, artistic composition can be felt both physically and through conscious response.” This interest in the full spectrum of human experience, from primal instincts to highest consciousness led to her studies of Eastern art and healing, becoming a Reiki Master through the Usui Shiki Ryoho System of Natural Healing and Certified Feng Shui Designer at the New York Institute of Art and Design. Janet says, the acceptance of paradox has been one of the most healing lessons of her life. Her process reflects this attitude. It is both fluid and structural, organic and geometric. Janet is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she received her BFA in Studio Art, she teaches drawing and painting, currently online, and leads workshops on Drawing as Meditation as well as other topics. Collectors include Northwestern University, the Illinois Institute of Art, Frank Thomas and Fifield Companies.
Janet Trierweiler,, Coast, 2024, mix media on panel, 8"x10" inches. Images courtesy of the artist.
In these multi-level oil painting workshops, students will paint outdoors in the historic Ox-Bow landscape. Instruction will focus on recognizing and then painting what we actually see. Through this process of learning to see, we will create paintings that have veracity and strength. The workshop will include discussion of the tools and materials needed to set-up and paint in any landscape you choose. Sign up for one, two, or all sessions of these three-hour morning painting workshops on the meadow alongside the lagoon. Students will be required to bring their own materials; a material list will be provided in advance. Please note that you must sign up for each session separately.
“I am a painter. I work primarily in oil. I studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. My relationship with Ox-Bow started in 1987 when, as a student at the School of the Art Institute, I answered an ad for a summer job. While at Ox-Bow, I began my practice of painting landscapes and people. I currently work in Saugatuck, Michigan. My studio and gallery has been in operation in downtown Saugatuck since 1994.” –James Brandess
James Brandess, 2022, Texas Bluebonnets, oil on canvas, 9 x 6 inches. Images courtesy of the artist.
Dates: Tuesday–Friday, July 16–19, 2024, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Tuition: $210
Four-day workshops do not include lunch. A four-day lunch plan is available for an additional $75. Please select this option when registering if you wish to join us for lunch each day at 1 p.m.
This workshop provides students with a chance to practice drawing techniques that slow down the art-making process, resulting in a peaceful and healing experience. Use intuition and inspiration from Ox-Bow’s landscape to connect to natural, creative forces. Through meditative practices, we will engage all of our senses to enjoy calming, observational, and imaginative drawing. Learn to use tone and color to create serene and joyful moods with water soluble materials on watercolor paper. Students will be required to bring their own materials; a material list will be provided in advance.
Janet enjoys creating gestural abstract paintings. Her focus is on the sensual nature of art and the healing aspect of beauty. “Like the meeting point of mind and body, experienced through yoga and the Chakra system, artistic composition can be felt both physically and through conscious response.” This interest in the full spectrum of human experience, from primal instincts to highest consciousness led to her studies of Eastern art and healing, becoming a Reiki Master through the Usui Shiki Ryoho System of Natural Healing and Certified Feng Shui Designer at the New York Institute of Art and Design. Janet says, the acceptance of paradox has been one of the most healing lessons of her life. Her process reflects this attitude. It is both fluid and structural, organic and geometric. Janet is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she received her BFA in Studio Art, she teaches drawing and painting, currently online, and leads workshops on Drawing as Meditation as well as other topics. Collectors include Northwestern University, the Illinois Institute of Art, Frank Thomas and Fifield Companies.
Janet Trierweiler, Behavior, 2024, oil on canvas, 32 x32 inches. Images courtesy of the artist.
Tuesday–Friday, June 11–14, 2024, 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Tuition: $210
Four-day workshops do not include lunch. A four-day lunch plan is available for an additional $75. Please select this option when registering if you wish to join us for lunch each day at 1 p.m.
Capture the visual poetry of the filtered sunlight falling on one of Ox-Bow’s historic cabins. Enhance the timeless quality of this place by creating the scene in classic black and white. In the process, we will learn and employ a range of charcoal drawing techniques. Students will be required to bring their own materials; a material list will be provided in advance.
David Baker is a visual artist who specializes in poetic landscape painting, much of it done en plein air. His studio pieces are often reinterpretations of paintings done outdoors. His principal media are watercolor, oil, and charcoal. David is a lifelong artist/teacher. He recently retired as art professor Emeritus from Southwestern Michigan College. He earned his MFA degree from Indiana State University. Over the years he has mounted more than four dozen solo exhibits. He has taught at Ox-Bow School of Art since 2000 and at the Krasl Art Center since 2016. He serves on board of the South Haven Center for. He is represented by Rising Phoenix Gallery in Michigan City.
David Baker, Rivulet, 2020, charcoal, 11 x 14 inches. Images courtesy of the artist.
Tuesday–Friday, June 11–14, 2024, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Tuition: $210
Four-day workshops do not include lunch. A four-day lunch plan is available for an additional $75. Please select this option when registering if you wish to join us for lunch each day at 1 p.m.
Sometimes, watercolor paint applied to paper seems to have a mind of its own. This is particularly true when using wet-on-wet methods. In our class we will learn a variety of techniques to coax the paint into accepting our vision! In doing so we’ll create works that celebrate some of the unique characteristics of this medium. Students will be required to bring their own materials; a material list will be provided in advance.
David Baker is a visual artist who specializes in poetic landscape painting, much of it done en plein air. His studio pieces are often reinterpretations of paintings done outdoors. His principal media are watercolor, oil, and charcoal. David is a lifelong artist/teacher. He recently retired as art professor Emeritus from Southwestern Michigan College. He earned his MFA degree from Indiana State University. Over the years he has mounted more than four dozen solo exhibits. He has taught at Ox-Bow School of Art since 2000 and at the Krasl Art Center since 2016. He serves on board of the South Haven Center for. He is represented by Rising Phoenix Gallery in Michigan City.
David Baker, Old Hickory, 2017, oil, 30 x 37 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.
