By Oregon Coast TODAY
Art you ready to learn something new?
A fresh season of arts learning opportunities at the Newport Visual Arts Center kicks off in April with courses that include drawing, painting with watercolors and oils, clay flute creation and gyotaku. Tuition for each class includes all materials.
Introductory watercolor
Wednesdays April 9-30
Led by Robin Berry, the four-week course will take place Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Students will get to know the beautiful effects and colorful possibilities that can be achieved using watercolor, and explore various techniques, brushes and materials designed for the beginning painter. The course is for adults and kids aged 16 and older with an accompanying adult. Tuition is $225.
Cloud painting in oils
Saturday, April 19
Led by Khara Ledonne, the one-day Saturday class will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Students will use brushes loaded with paint to explore the lush and smeary process of layering oils wet-on-wet, and the project of focus will be a small cloud seascape on panel. The class is for adults and kids aged 16 and older with an accompanying adult. Tuition is $85.
Clay ocarina flutes
Wednesdays, April 24 and May 1
Led by Rena Ekmanis, the two-afternoon class will take place on Wednesdays from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Both sessions will focus on refining and completing at least one clay flute per student, including a single coat of glaze. After the second class, the clay will be bisque-fired to completion and available for pick up. The class is for adults and kids aged 12 and older with an accompanying adult. Tuition is $125.
Drawing and painting the figure
Tuesdays, April 29 through June 17
Led by Jordan Essoe, the eight-week course will take place on Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m. Participants will create complementary sets of pencil drawings and watercolor paintings and explore the dynamics of the two mediums. Students will practice many drawing and painting techniques, try multiple methods of transferring images and eventually pursue mixed media experiments. The course is for adults only. Tuition is $475.
Gyotaku printmaking
Saturday, May 10
Led by Jill Marks, the one-day Saturday class will take place from 1-4 p.m. Students will explore the Japanese style of printmaking called gyotaku and make cards using an octopus specimen. The course is for adults and kids aged 12 and older with an accompanying adult. Tuition is $100.
Mandala drawing and painting
Thursday and Friday, May 22-23
Led by Rena Ekmanis, the two-afternoon class will take place Thursday and Friday from 1-4 pm. This class will introduce students to the relaxing process of creating a mandala, first learning drawing techniques and then adding color using watercolor to complete a personal design. The course is for adults and kids aged 12 and older with an accompanying adult. Tuition is $125.
After-school art day drop-In
From 3-5 p.m. Wednesdays, the center gives kids in grades 2 through 8 the opportunity to get creative. A rotating list of instructors lead art activities so students can experience something different in each class including drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, cyanotypes, sculpture and music.
If funds are a barrier to learning, scholarships might be available through Oregon Coast Council for the Arts. For more information, go to www.coastarts.org or call 541-265-6540.
Summer camp registration now open
Registration is open for summer creative day camps at the Newport Visual Arts Center and Newport Performing Arts Center. Camp age ranges are for students entering kindergarten through 12th grade in the fall of 2025.
Newport Performing Arts Center
Shakespeare Camp, led by Milo Graamans, will take place June 16-27. A deliciously dramatic offering for kids entering grades six through 12, this summer’s camp will culminate in a performance of the Bard’s masterpiece, “Hamlet.” The play is filled with love, death, revenge, a play-within-a-play, a choreographed duel and some of the most memorable lines in all of Shakespeare’s lexicon. This is a great opportunity for teens to try their hand at performing a classic.
Theatre Camp returns July 21 through Aug. 1. Led by Jennifer Hamilton, kids entering grades three through 11 are invited to take part in this performing arts experience where they will mount full productions as they make new friends, find out about the Happy Box, enjoy camp dress-up days and earn prizes from the camp treasure chest. Students will be cast in one of three shows based on age. The youngest group will perform “Willy Wonka Kids,” the middle group will perform “Mythically Mythical Myths” and the older group will perform “Attention Detention.”
Newport Visual Arts Center
New for this year, Arts 101 Camp, led by Kirk Robert Paulson, will take place June 23-27. Creative teens entering grades six through 12 are invited to participate in a week-long series of classes and take an in-depth look at the basic foundations of art and design. No art experience is necessary. Students will be encouraged to experiment with a variety of mediums as they develop their understanding of the elements of art, such as line, shape, color, space, value, movement, pattern, variety and unity in their work. Each class will include instruction, creation and reflection time.
The Creative Arts Camp for kids returns in July, led by Crystal Akins Meneses. Kids entering kindergarten through second grade can participate July 14-18, with a second camp for kids in grades three through five taking place July 21-25. Participants will explore a variety of creative arts including music, dance and visual art-making during this week-long camp. Activities will include drumming, marimbas, ukulele, singing, dancing, mosaic painting, drawing, sculpture, poetry and shadow puppets.
Tuition for these camps ranges from $200 to $490. If funds are a barrier, parents or guardians are encouraged to apply for financial assistance.
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