Encaustic paintings can be so seductive because of their luminosity, transparent layers, and inimitable surface. I have  bought several ” How To”  books on the subject but the medium and tools  always seemed so complicated that I never pursued it.  Erin Wright’s classes at Flicker Street have shown me that painting with wax is indeed a new frontier and needs a knowledgable teacher to demonstrate the techniques and explain the methods.   Like cooking there are safety issues involved because of the heat guns, hot plates and fumes and like cooking, it helps to have a teacher demonstrate how to use the materials and learn the vocabulary of the basic techniques.  I learned  more from watching Julia Child saute her mushrooms and fold in her egg whites to make a souffle, than I ever did from reading her words in a recipe.  Erin’s demonstrations were so informative but the way she encouraged the students was perhaps the most remarkable aspect of her class.  She has a zen approach to teaching where there is no lesson plan and everyone finds their own way with the materials.  Every question from the students regarding possibilities  for their painting was met with the answer “Absolutely you can do that, let me show you how.”   What a great day for everyone!

Stencil Art has lots of applications and boy did we learn a thing or two about it from Laurie Nye!  She conducted an eye opening workshop  which resulted in some amazing work.  Laurie showed slides of  Banksy and other well known street artists along with some personal shots that she took in her home town L.A. Discussions about our culture  included media bombardment and how street art began as a reaction to the hierarchy of the gallery / museum/ Rarified Art World system.

Laurie showed us how to develop “the touch” with an exacto knife and demonstrated how that tool can make very delicate curves,  lines, and  patterns.  Once you get the hang of it, you can cut directly onto your canvas.  She showed us how to use spray paint to utilize it’s full potential.  Lights, darks, mid-tones are vocabulary words that are fundamental to formalist drawing and painting and it was a surprise ( but not really)  to see that those formal elements are used to make compelling stencil art.  Laurie, thanks for the great workshop!

The past few weeks at the studio have been golden.   The classes are full and the beginning of summer has been so creative and fun. Erin Harris and her assistant, Emma Kate Rose, taught an incredible summer camp called Art From Around the World where the children studied the art  of Africa, India, Japan, Australia, and America.  This group of children was focused, talented and well-mannered and I was  sad to see them go.  The prints, quilts, batiks, paintings, and masks that they made were fantastic!

Elizabeth Alley and Maysey Craddock taught really great Saturday Studio Workshops.  Elizabeth came fully prepared with images, materials, clear and informative instruction, helpful comments and of course her wonderfully light touch and lovely sense of humor.  I loved this class!  

Maysey  had a fun group with a family celebrating a birthday.  The students made such whimsical work and I think that everyone went home with a new appreciation of how many muscles it takes to make what looks like a simple wire form!

The month of June has been packed full of great surprises and I know that there are more to come.  I’m really looking forward to teaching my Watercolor class this Saturday, June 25.   Laurie Nye’s,  Stencil Art Revolution  is coming up on June 30.  This workshop is for teenagers and  I’m sure the energy, ideas , and vibe  in this class is going to be  indescribable!

See you soon, Nancy Cheairs

Today was the first day of summer art classes for children and Mrs. Harris took them on an exciting journey to Africa.  They studied a map, talked a bit about the people and culture, and made some beautiful African Masks!  I’ve never seen a group of children so enthralled  and focused on their art work!  Tomorrow they are off to India to create batik with wax and fabric paint.  Can’t wait to see what happens!

Once again, the students at Flicker Street came up with an extraordinary variety of creative, well made objects!   By bending, joining, wrapping and weaving steel and copper wire, the class found ways to develop their ideas through linear expression and volumetric form. Maysey Craddock has a knack for explaining technique while encouraging the student to forge ahead with their own ideas.

What a great class to start off the new Saturday Studio Series!  I’m looking forward to Elizabeth Alley’s, Landscape Class next Saturday, June 18.

Maysey Craddock shows her students that images with astounding beauty can be painted on tiny pieces of paper with tiny tubes of paint.   The students in her miniature painting class start off  looking through examples of miniature paintings from all over the world  to get a sense of the powerful and imaginative possibilities of this genre.  After Maysey does a demonstration on how to use gouache,  the students start forming their own narrative, make discoveries with the materials, and finally they hunker down and paint.

Maysey is a soft spoken teacher who is able  to tap into her student’s thinking and emotional life by asking a few direct questions and making a few sensitive suggestions with gentle prodding along the way.   – Nancy Cheairs

The Arts Enable Us to have Experience We Can Have From No Other Source – Eliot Eisner

Experiencing  your world through a creative lens broadens one’s perspective and helps tap into a multi-layered  way of understanding. We discover feelings, thoughts and focus that we didn’t know we have,  find dexterity and sensitivity to  new materials, learn that there is more than one way to solve  a problem and we learn to see in a more holistic way.   The teachers at  Flicker Street Studio had an awesome spring  teaching  to all ages!  We want to commend and thank everyone who took one of our classes because you showed  the courage to  set aside your fears of the blank page and risk tapping into the unknown…We all learn a lot from each other!   Children have an innate  joy and impulse to create and we should be aware of and nurture that form of expression at every age. – Nancy Cheairs

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The sun is finally starting to come out, the water will hopefully start to recede, and all the signs that summer are here are starting to show up all around us. One of my favorite things about the summer is the way that our schedules start to change. Going from the tightly regimented life that revolves around the school calendar to the more abstract and spontaneous time of summer is something that I always look forward to. I think that our schedule at Flicker Street will provide great opportunities for us all to learn new skills, take new classes, and find a new part of ourselves.

With the help of my great faculty, we have come up with three areas of focus for this summer. Our Saturday Studios will provide an intensive workshop and in-depth exploration of a new subject each week for 7 weeks.  These intense classes provide a great way for people of all ages to spend some time together creating and learning. We are also offering two special workshops, one specifically geared towards teenagers, and another that focuses on the magic of encaustic art. Lastly, we have three fantastic week-long summer camps for younger children. Each will open new windows into the imagination for your children.

To me, the summer is often the time in which we find ourselves with free, alone time. The study of art gives me (and hopefully you!) something special to practice in that alone time. These gifts of discovery, invention, and creativity have made my life much fuller. I hope that your experience at Flicker will leave you saying the same thing!

Have a fantastic summer, and I hope to see you in the studio!

-Nancy Cheairs

PS. Here’s our class schedule for the summer. You can sign up online or by calling me at (901)-767-2999 or emailing me at flickerstreet@gmail.com

SATURDAY STUDIOS

New classes for ages 15 & Up
Saturdays: 10:00am – 4:00 pm
$100/ Workshop · Materials included

June 11: Wire Sculpture – Maysey Craddock
By bending, joining, wrapping and weaving steel and copper wire, we will find linear expression and volume, resulting in forms from elegantly simple to detailed and complex.

June 18: The Landscape – Elizabeth Alley
Using various media, students will go in the field and learn to isolate areas of the landscape to maximize composition, as well as to use shading, line and texture to tell the story of their surroundings.

July 9: Collage & Color – Mary Jo Karimnia
We will use a variety of paper, fabric and other materials to learn about color, composition and individual expression. 

July 16: Exploring Abstraction with Acrylic – Melissa Dunn
We will learn a variety of abstract painting techniques to be used in your personal artistic style, while also giving you the chance to learn more out the versatility of acrylic paints.

July 23: The Portrait – Kate Bradley
We will study anatomy, composition, values and free-hand measurements for creating realistic portraits. We will also learn techniques for creating flesh tones and will study great portraits from the past.

July 30: Creative Journaling – Colleen Couch- Smith
Learn basic bookbinding techniques for making your own visual journal. We will create handmade stamps for custom papers to make a personal and meaningful book.

Sign up for all seven classes for $600 (a $100 discount)!

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SUMMER CAMPS FOR CHILDREN

JUNE 13- JUNE 17TH

Art From Around the World
Erin Harris – Instructor

1st and 2nd Grades
9:00 -11:00 am $150 · Materials Included

3rd – 5th Grades
1:00 – 3:00 pm $150 · Materials Included

JULY 11-JULY 15TH

Knowing Nature
Mary Jo Karimnia – Instructor

1st and 2nd Grades
9:00 -11:00 am $150 · Materials Included

3rd – 5th Grades
1:00 – 3:00 pm $150 · Materials Included

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AUGUST 1-AUGUST 5

Art Fun in The Summertime
Kate Bradley – Instructor

Ages 5-7
9:00 -11:00 am $150 · Materials Included

Ages 8-10
1:00 – 3:00 pm $150 · Materials Included

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WORKSHOPS

Stencil Art Revolution (Ages 14-18)
Laurie Nye – Instructor
Two Day Workshop June 29 & June 30 1pm – 4pm
$125 · Materials Included

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Encaustic Workshop
Erin Wright – Instructor
Wednesday, July 22 10:00am-4:00pm
$175 Materials Included

Drawing has always played an important role in my life as an artist trying to understand our complex world.  Drawings can be preparatory, investigative, imaginative, visionary, factual, emotional, and poetic or narrative, but they are always a means of understanding and communication.

Drawing is the backbone of the visual arts and the variety of drawing classes being offered at Flicker Street Studio this April will provide a solid foundation in this fundamental and expressive skill.

-Nancy Cheairs

Here are some photos from our second class….I think we are off to a strong start!