Note: Tuition includes studio fees and material fees unless otherwise indicated. Some instructors will provide additional materials that you may purchase in class, and for some classes there is a model's fee.
May 16 - 18
Chinese Brush Painting
Donna Rockwell Haas
All levels
$195
Materials Fee Payable to Instructor: $26
Traditional and Contemporary techniques illuminate subject matter from nature
while symbolism and philosophy bring balance to this ancient art form. This
class will cover basics in Calligraphy and the Four Gentlemen of Chinese
painting with focus on landscapes and nature.
For over 25 years, Donna Haas has been teaching Chinese Brush Painting,
incorporating Japanese and Korean techniques as well. She is a member of the
Sumi-e Society of America, the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, the Society of
Experimental Artists, and Honored Assistant to Ms. Diana Kan, world renowned
Chinese Brush Artist.
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May 23 - 25
Discovering Native Plants through Botanical Drawing
Karen Sandorf
All Levels
$195
Materials fee Payable to Instructor: TBD $5 to $10
In the warm days of late May one never knows what beauties may be blooming in Touchstone’s woods. Trillium, white violet, and May apple could be in flower. Bishop’s cap, bellworts, other violets, and many more plants may also be. We’ll walk about to find and examine them and their favorite places, and if weather and their habitat permit, we’ll sketch them there. We’ll also be prepared to photograph and make prints of them to refer to in the studio. Graphite and colored pencil will be used, but if you are proficient in another medium, please feel free to use it.
Karen Sandorf has drawn and painted for a lifetime and has worked as a graphic designer and illustrator for many years. An art graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and member of the Botanical Society of Western PA as well as the PA Native Plant Society and Appalachian Trail Conservancy, she has hiked many of our national parks and the AT to enjoy wildflowers in their habitats. Her most recent (and still growing) illustrated series of regional native plant prints and note cards are in shops and museum stores throughout the Appalachian Piedmont area where these plants grow and will soon be available through a Pittsburgh gallery.
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June 22 - 28
Impressionistic Knife Painting in Oils
Joyce Werwie Perry
All Levels
$410
Materials Fee Payable to Instructor: $7
For the painter who wants to put more emotion and freshness into his or her work. Learn Joyce’s own impressionistic style and original technique of knife painting based on the generous application of buttery oils and their manipulation through rapid addition and subtraction of paint using knives and other tools. The result is vibrant color, boldness of surface, and the impression of quick movement. Complementary contrast, rhythm, and unity in painting will be discussed. You will work at your own pace, but be encouraged to push yourself. Bring many images of interest to work from. Those with strong contrast and uncomplicated subjects are best. Beginners and experienced painters are welcome. In the beginning, you will feel like you are cheating by moving too quickly, or not being careful enough if you’ve painted before. You will learn how to fight that feeling and begin to enjoy playing in the paint.
Joyce Werwie Perry is the owner of le Poire, a fine art studio and gallery in the heart of Crafton, 10 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, PA. She has won numerous awards in regional and national exhibitions, including a recent juror’s award in the Appalachian Corridor Juried Exhibition at The Clay Center/Avampato Discovery Museum in Charlestown, WV, and awards by the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh at Hoyt Institute and Butler Institute of American Art. Most recently, Joyce juried into the Butler’s 70th Mid-Year National Exhibition, Westmoreland Museum’s Biennial Exhibition, and AAP’s 96th Annual Exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Art. She is a former vice-president of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and served as co-chair of exhibitions. She teaches her technique at the Sweetwater Center for the Arts in Sewickley and at le Poire. Learn more at www.le-poire.com.
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July 6 - 12
Dive in and Design
Sue Pollins
All Levels
$410
Using water media, transparent or opaque watercolors, gouache, water soluble pastels, pencils or crayons, alone or any combination of the above, to divide the picture plane (papers or watercolor canvas), we’ll study, push, and play with a plan to create paintings of any subject matter. Technique will be taught along with compositional theory. Adventurous beginners are invited to join intermediate explorers to find images beyond the same old, same old. Emphasis will be on better compositions accompanied by demonstrations, dialogue, critique, individual attention, and studio time.
Sue Pollins holds a BS in Design from the University of Michigan, is past president of the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, and is a member of the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society and the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. She is a Residency Artist through the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. A frequent juror, lecturer, exhibitor, and award winner nationally and locally, Sue has taught water media workshops for 30 years.
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July 13 – 19
Book Journaling with Haiku
Donna Rockwell Haas
All Levels
$410
Materials Fee Payable to Instructor: $35 to $61
Explore inner thoughts, feelings and experiences through writing, painting,
Haiku, calligraphy, brush painting, and more. Creative techniques open your
inner child and mind to build a unique journal of your own.
See Donna’s biography under Chinese Brush Painting, May 16 - 18.
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July 20 – 26
Drawing: Basics and Beyond
Bill Vrscak
All Levels
$410
This is a class for anyone wanting to improve their drawing skills and at the same time enjoy the opportunity to work in the natural, relaxing environment of Touchstone. Basic drawing exercises will help students learn to see forms accurately. Design principles and expressive issues will be discussed, and personal expression will be encouraged. Work will be done indoors and outdoors, so travel light, leave the brushes at home, and pack for a week of drawing enjoyment.
Bill is a free-lance artist/illustrator with 30 years experience in the graphic arts industry. He is a realist painter whose work reflects a strong sense of freshness and simplicity, consistent with his attitude that “the simplest statements make the most impact.” A frequent national award winner, he is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society and member of the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators. His work is widely published and is included in numerous private and corporate collections. Bill studied painting and design at the Ivy School of Art and currently teaches painting workshops throughout the US as well as Canada.
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July 27 - August 2
The Painter's Experience
Patrick Daugherty
All Levels
$410 (WCCC credit available*)
A painting course designed for all levels, from beginners wanting to learn the basics, to advanced artists seeking individual instruction. Emphasis is on understanding color and traditional painting techniques. All school styles and approaches welcome. A step-by-step program is included for those new to painting. Painters are encouraged to take advantage of Touchstone’s sylvan setting by experiencing “plein air” painting. One session with a model is scheduled. Students are expected to arrive with necessary materials. A list of recommended materials is available upon request or upon registration.
Patrick Daugherty is a professional artist, curator, and educator. He earned his MFA from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a BFA from Penn State University. Patrick has taught painting at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts for more than 25 years and first taught at Touchstone in 1983. Since 1991 he has been on the faculty of Penn State-Fayette. Primarily known for his portraits, his detailed and realistic oil paintings are in numerous corporate, private, and museum collections. A member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, Daugherty is also curator of the Frank L. Melega Art Museum, which he co-founded in 1998.
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August 3 - 9
Textured Painting
Adrienne Heinrich
All Levels
$410
Materials Fee Payable to Instructor: $20
Break free of traditional approaches to painting by allowing happy accidents, risk taking, and personal explorations. Relax and put fun into your work. More of you may emerge by allowing whatever happens to take place. There are no mistakes!
Adrienne Heinrich exhibits in Washington, DC, and NYC, and Pittsburgh where she was Pittsburgh Artist of the Year in 2002. An installation artist, her work alternates between painting and sculpture, allowing one media to feed the other. www.adrienneheinrich.com
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August 10 - 16
Five Paintings/Five Days: Developing a Series of Images
Chuck Olson
Intermediate to Advanced
$430
A five-day painter's workshop of ideas, techniques, and dialogue designed to produce an interrelated body of work. The instructor will work with each student individually to develop a series of five images based on his or her medium and subject preferences. Students can choose any painting medium and preferred working surface. The importance of establishing a motivating studio atmosphere, sketchbook references, idea development, and building sources of inspiration will all be discussed in order to prepare the student for a more productive, engaged home studio experience. Registered students will be contacted individually by the instructor prior to August 10th. For inquiries about this course, contact Chuck at chuckolson1@verizon.net.
Charles Olson received his MA in Painting from Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he also received his BS in Art Education. He has also done post-graduate work in painting at the Tyler School of Art. His work has been featured in many exhibitions all over the United States and well as in important exhibitions in France, Germany, Canada, and Japan. Olson’s paintings are found in many museum and corporate collections that include the Osaka Museum for Contemporary Art, the Carnegie Museum of Art, Blue Cross/Blue Shield Corporation, and ALCOA. Listed in Who’s Who in American Art, in 2001 Chuck also received the Harry Schwalb Award for excellence in the Visual Arts from Pittsburgh Magazine and WQED, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from IUP.
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August 17 - 23
Watercolor: A Painting Adventure
Ron Thurston
All Levels
$410
Let’s all open our bag of design tools, find our creative muse, and maybe even break a few rules. Ron will take his students on an adventure of exploring mysterious controlled accidents, lost and found shapes, and color temperature. Just playful art making is OK, too. Learn to combine spontaneity with a few basic techniques. Each day a different approach will be represented. Demos will be given indoors and outdoors (weather permitting), along with individual and group discussion encouraged. Students will earn their own Water Authority Badge as you come away with fresh ideas and new stimulation for your watercolor painting.
Ron Thurston is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society and a past president of the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society. He is president and co-founder of Watercolors Gallery, an artists’ owned gallery located in the heart of Pittsburgh’s downtown cultural district. “A surge of visual impact here, a wisp of creative style there. If it looks good, leave it alone.”
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September 5 - 7
Composition in Landscape: A Drawing and Painting Workshop
William DeBernardi
All Levels
$195
Explore landscape with the drawing or painting medium of your choice, as you learn the initial translation that creates dynamic composition from landscape. Students will work directly from the natural landscape to explore value and color as a way to create space, form, and light. There will be demonstrations and discussions about the use of various media, methods, and their application to understanding landscape.
William DeBernardi is an Assistant Professor at Carlow University in Pittsburgh, PA. He received a BFA in painting from the Pennsylvania State University and an MFA in painting from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. William’s paintings have been exhibited in galleries and museums nationally and abroad. His work is in various private, corporate, and museum collections in the US, France, Italy, and Venezuela.
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September 12 - 14
Celebrity Portrait Painting
John Fleenor
All Levels
$195
Celebrity portraits: an indulgence or serious study? Beautiful, ideal in form,
and always getting into trouble, celebrities are the Greek gods of our time.
This is a painting class that, you got it, uses imagery from magazines and
advertisements, as its main source material. We will focus on painting
techniques as we open up the possibilities for content and subject matter in a
work of art -- and have fun.
Painter, potter, and sculptor John Fleenor has made his living as an artist for
15 years, first in Oregon as a potter, and since 2001 in Pittsburgh as a
sculptor and portrait painter. Fleenor's painting moves from one obsession to
the next. He focuses on contemporary times while employing techniques from old
masters, going from portraits of real estate agents, to portraits of shop-vacs,
from a series of paintings of a ceramic bunny, to paintings of the Daughters of
the American Revolution. But his focus is always on the mythic dimensions of
everyday life.
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September 19 - 21
Pastel Workshop
William Pfahl
All Levels
$195
Pastel is a fun summertime medium. Pastels can be developed into serious paintings but can also be used to record the quickly passing “sweet light” of a summer’s evening in a quick sketch. Painterly techniques that will enable the student to work both quickly and on a larger scale will be demonstrated. Instructor will show pastel making using gum tragacanth as a binder. Gator board with a pumice and latex surface will be used. This substrate provides an ideal surface with tooth that is lightweight, strong and can be used for larger outdoor pieces. Pastel is a versatile and spontaneous medium which can be worked up layer upon layer with a fixative into a finished painting very similar to oil paint. The technique that will be shown is a simple and fun way to “paint outdoors,” as a second language for both established oil and watercolor painters, and as an introduction to painting for artists who are new to color.
William Pfahl earned a BFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design European Honors Program. He has been a member of AAP since 1989 and is also a member of the Pittsburgh Pleine-Aire Group. His work has been juried into AAP Annuals, National Pastel Annuals, and the Pittsburgh Society of Artists shows. He has also participated in group shows at Concept Art Gallery, Panza Gallery, and the Gallery in the Square. His pastel and oil cityscapes and landscapes have been represented by Concept Art Gallery since 1991, and his work is in several collections including the Vira I. Heinz Foundation, Duquesne University, and National City Bank. Bill currently works as a middle school visual arts instructor at Arsenal Middle School in Pittsburgh.
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October 10 - 12
Fall Watercolor Weekend
Donna Rockwell Haas
All Levels
$195
Experience the beauty of the mountains in the fall. Traditional and experimental
instruction offered with common and unusual techniques in water media. This will
be a weekend sure to please all who enjoy painting.
See Donna’s biography under Chinese Brush Painting, May 16 - 18.
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July 6 - 12
Treasure Trove of Book Arts
Janice Patrignani Beginner to Intermediate $430 (WCCC credit available*)
Materials Fee Payable to Instructor: $50
This workshop will concentrate on formal and informal book structures. We will also explore a few magical paper-embellishing methods such as paste paper and printmaking. Using our decorative papers we will cut, fold, and assemble as well as bind many bookmaking structures. By the end of this workshop you will have amassed a treasure trove of amazing, personalized, one of a kind handmade books and journals. The creative possibilities will be endless. A great resource for teachers!
Janice Patrignani is a design professional, visual artist, and art educator. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Cincinnati's School of Design, Architecture, and Art. Since 1995 she has been developing and teaching workshops in her many areas of media expertise which include silk painting, shibori, ceramic sculpture, paper transformations, and book making. Her mixed media sculpture has been exhibited throughout New York. She received third place for sculpture in the Best of New York Artists & Artisans, 2005, book series.
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July 13 – 19
Nature Printing with Touchstone Plants
Gudrun Garkisch All Levels $400
Materials Fee Payable to Instructor: $12
Professionals and dabblers alike favor the flora at Touchstone. Marvel at the intricate design when you transfer the image of inked leaves, grasses and ferns on paper or fabric. Create art to frame or to wear. Turn a stained tablecloth into an heirloom. We’ll press with our hands, feet, rolling pin or etching press. Fabric paints, water-soluble and oil based block printing inks (non-toxic clean-up), as well as note cards and oriental (rice) and western papers will be provided. Pre-dyed or blank silk scarves are offered for a fee. A limited scholarship for this class is available through the Robert Little Scholarship Fund.
Gudrun Garkisch studied with Robert Little and continues in his tradition of teaching at Touchstone where he re-introduced the art of nature printing to America. She has been printing for 20 years and participated in juried and invitational exhibits, winning statewide awards. She has conducted classes for diverse civic groups like garden clubs, weavers’ guild, and senior citizens centers, and is a member of the International Society of Nature Printers and of the Pittsburgh Print Group. Gudrun was the 1996 Touchstone Artist of the Year.
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September 12 - 14
Solarplate Printmaking (Intaglio)
Roger E. Hyndman All Levels $195
Materials Fee Payable to Instructor: $45
Solarplate printmaking is a highly versatile and expressive medium, transforming original drawings, paintings, vintage and/or contemporary photographs collage, JPEG’S, and copier art into high quality etchings. Create a solarplate using UV light (the sun) without losing your image. Make a small edition and clean up without the use of turpentine or acids. The focus will be upon utilizing the tools of the printmaker, your potential and creativity as an artist, the simplicity of plate processing, learning techniques, and the production of professional artwork. Learn how to explore the unique sensitivity of solarplate using an Intaglio press to create limited edition etchings. Solarplate will appeal to artists of all levels, from students and beginners to experienced printmakers, photographers, painters, and artists of all media. The workshop will conclude with a class exhibit, critique, and celebration.
Roger E. Hyndman is a practicing artist who is striving to find and record a balance between the natural environment and the human imprint upon it. His recent work focuses on recording the harmony and balance that exist between the creative expressions of humans and the majestic forms and beauty of nature. In recent years, he has moved away from using artistic materials that pose health issues, such as toxins, solvents, pigments, acids, chemicals, and powders, and has explored the use of environmentally friendly materials and accepted conservation practices. He has conducted workshops in solarplate printmaking over the past six years for school districts, arts councils, arts organizations, and professional organizations. Presently he is engaged in an artist residency at a regional high school and is participating as an Invitational Artist during the month of May at the Old Forge Center for the Arts Exhibition “Leave Only Footprints.”
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October 10 - 12
Papercutting and Pop-Up Techniques for Families
Kathy Trexel Reed
All Levels - adults and children, age 10 and older with family member $195
Materials Fee Payable to Instructor: $7
Papercutting pleasures are fun and inexpensive! Learn to use simple scissors,
knife, and paper to draw with scissors, cutting paper designs as folk artists
have been doing for centuries. Papercutting traditions are multi-cultural;
Scherenschnitte (German-Swiss), Wycinanki (Polish) and contemporary pop-up
styles are well suited for
family entertainment and the creation of personal love tokens. We will use
non-toxic and easily found materials, but caution - these activities are highly
addictive!
Kathy Trexel Reed is way beyond cutting out paper dolls. She loves to experiment
with cut paper, two and three dimensional variations, and she enjoys sharing
papercut art forms with others. Kathy holds her MA and her teaching career
includes nearly 30 years overseas in the Philippines and Germany. Now as a PA
Council on the Arts Rostered Artist in Education for Southern Alleghenies Museum
of Art, she shares papercutting in many regional schools. Exhibiting widely,
Kathy is president of The Guild of American Papercutters and also serves on the
board at Laurel Arts, Somerset, PA.