Gage Academy of Art will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this coming new year in 2020! By Joanne Levy
This coming new year will launch the full year of Gage Academy of Art 30th anniversary! Thirty years ago, Gage was a two-person staff operated out of our founders’ home. Today, we are a team of 20 dedicated faculty and staff and over 100 amazingly talented artist instructors who, every day, bring the joy of painting, drawing, sculpting and printmaking to the communities in and around Seattle.
Where were you 30 years ago? Were you searching for a place for your creativity to call home? Did you have paint on your hands, charcoal under your nails, a brush or two in your pocket and lots of ideas rolling around in your head?
Gage Academy of Art co-founders Gary Faigin and Pamela Belyea did. They were dreaming up a school that would touch, transform and empower students.
Thank you for giving us the best gift this season, you, our community.
Our winter classes launch the full year of our 30th anniversary! New York-based guest instructor Patricia Watwood is an accomplished artist with a successful fine arts career. Thirty years ago, when Gage was just starting out, she took classes at Gage! Now you have the chance to study with her. Do not miss her workshop, The Classical Approach to Figure Painting in Oil. Our Winter Studio Concentration, Using Color Now, will be taught by the excellent Michael Howard, who also started teaching at Gage nearly 20 years ago. We are excited to have him back! Our co-founder and artistic director, Gary Faigin, will be offering a weekend portrait drawing workshop, something that does not happen very often. Do not miss the new offerings in printmaking, like Cards for the Holidays! If you are interested in illustration and journaling, check out our illustration classes with the inimitable Brian Snoddy, the unique Steve Reddy and Gage’s new instructor Brian Morser.
As far as our youth programming, there will be plenty of opportunities for young artists to build foundational skills while also engaging their imagination and individual voice. For the 11- to 14-year-old artists in the making, learn what it takes to be a professional illustrator or concept artist by combining hands-on learning in figure drawing, creature design and sculpture! Students will gain everything they need to bring their imagination to life. For the 14- to 16-year-old artists, we are offering two classes in contemporary painting and design and introducing cool new classes in the epic culture of skateboard art, plus so much more you will love!
Workshops for the holidays:
Sunday, December 8, Winter Watercolor Greetings with Willow Heath - Create winter-themed watercolor cards for your holiday handouts. Learn simple painting techniques in watercolor for illustrating the Holiday Season spirit with your very own beautiful cards. Paint evergreens in the snow, winter woodland themes and birds perched on a snowy branch in time to share with your friends and loved ones.
December 9 through 13, Portrait Drawing in Pencil: Block in Boot Camp with Tony Ryder - The errors that distort a portrait drawing begin with the very first pencil strokes, and express misconceptions about the subject of the drawing. Discover an approach to basic block-in construction, including point-to-point vision, measuring length and tilt by eye, looking for the non-parallelism of the two sides of the form, avoidance of horizontals and verticals and more.
Saturday, December 14, Printmaking: Holiday Cards with Klara Glosova - Make holiday cards with linocut relief prints. Linocut is a basic printmaking technique where artists use tools to carve marks in the surface of a plate. Linocut produces results similar to woodcut except plates are made of soft rubber or linoleum, therefore easier to carve. This is both a great introduction to printmaking and a creative way to personalize your holiday cards this year! Give the gift of art this season!
As you make your resolutions for 2020, embark with us on shaping the next 30 years of Gage. The work continues only with the passion of our students and our supporters. Be sure to check out our Gift Guide, plus Gage has released new merchandise for sale including sweatshirts, mugs, beanies, paintbrushes and much more! Find it all on GageAcademy.org. From our family to yours, we wish you a happy, safe and healthy holiday & new year! Together, let's keep giving the gift of art this season.
For additional information about Gage Academy of Art, visit GageAcademy.org, Facebook.com/GageAcademy, instagram @gageacademy, email info@gageacademy.org or call 206.323.4243.