east bay art classes
Plein Air at Point Pinole Regional Shoreline Park
About Point Pinole Regional Shoreline Park
Probably “the most enjoyable” of all the East Bay Regional Parks, according to several hiking blogs. The area accessible via Giant Rd is quiet and less traversed by dog owners and cyclists. Bathrooms, shade spots and water fountains are plentiful. The trail to Cook’s Point (the beach) is shaded.
Please Read Carefully If You Have Been To Point Pinole Regional Shoreline Park
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline Park has two entrances. We are not going to the Giant Road entrance. We are going to the Atlas Rd entrance. On highway 80, take the Richmond Parkway exit west. Cross San Pablo Ave and make a right on Atlas Rd. Continue past the UPS headquarters and the entrance to the Point Pinole Business Park (with a fountain) all the way to the end of Atlas. You will cross a bridge, and see the Atlas Rd staging area. We will meet at this parking lot and decide whether people want to walk .5 of a mile to the beach with its orange grasses, or stay near the lot with views of eucalyptus groves and rolling yellow grass. There is plenty of parking and bathrooms.
If using GPS, enter “Atlas Road Bridge Extension,” which appears on Google Maps. You won’t get an address with a street number, but the GPS will lead you directly to the parking lot where we will meet.
Plein Air at the Blake Garden
Topics
Get to know each other, review of materials, supplies and gear. Goals for the class. Aspect ratios. How to use a viewfinder.
How to Get To The Blake Garden at 70 Rincon Rd, Kensington, CA and Avoid the Very Steep Streets Leading Directly To It:
Plein Air Fridays Session 2
Topics
How to begin a landscape painting. Foreground, middle ground, background.
Please Read Carefully If You Have Been To Point Pinole Regional Shoreline Park
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline Park now has two entrances. We are not going to the Giant Road entrance. We are going to the Atlas Rd entrance. On highway 80, take the Richmond Parkway exit west. Cross San Pablo Ave and make a right on Atlas Rd. Continue past the UPS headquarters and the entrance to the Point Pinole Business Park (with a fountain) all the way to the end of Atlas. You will cross a bridge, and see the Atlas Rd staging area. We will meet at this parking lot and decide whether people want to walk 5 min to the beach with its orange grasses or stay near the lot with views of eucalyptus groves and rolling yellow grass. There is plenty of parking and bathrooms.
If using GPS, enter “Atlas Road Bridge Extension,” which appears on Google Maps. You won’t get an address with a street number, but the GPS will lead you directly to the parking lot where we will meet.
Acrylic Still Life
Realistic effects are part of the impasto mystique.
Acrylic is possibly the most versatile and forgiving medium. This day is structured so that beginners as well as more experienced painters can take a tour of its exciting possibilities while painting the still life. We’ll cover the uses of several additives and how to mix acrylic colors.
Register here, at the Frank Bette Center’s site. The FBC has a list of materials available once you register.
The workshop runs from 9-4 pm. It costs $80 for members and $100 for non-members. Here is the agenda for the day:
Goals
- Learn the most versatile way to begin an acrylic painting
- Choose the best acrylic paints for the task at hand
- Understand the possibilities of the medium
- Complete more than one still life
This canvas was first treated with molding paste and the acrylic wash accentuates the textures.
Format
You will be able to receive instruction and create one or more still lives during this workshop. Each student will be given the choice of trying out a new effect with an acrylic additive. You will be able to receive as much or as little support as you specify. So that we can all be in the same page, during the first hour we will go through the basic steps in the development of an acrylic piece.
Here is the agenda for the day:
9:00- 9:15
Introductions, purpose and goals for the class.
9:15- 9:45
Survey of acrylic pigments and additives. The role of quality in acrylic supplies. How to prime cardboard.
9:45- 10:15
Demo of the basic steps in starting a traditional acrylic painting.
10:15-10:30
How to prepare your own impasto or “fresco” textures.
10:30- 12:00
Still life #1
12:00 – 12:30
Lunch (bring your own)
12:30 – 1:00
Demo: how to make acrylic behave like oils. Retardant, gel medium and acrylic glazes
1:00 – 3:00
Still life #2
3:00-4:00
Debrief or critique of the work done today. Evaluation an.d cleanup
Plein Air Sundays Session 5
Topic
Determining a focal point.
Directions To Lake Anza
No exact address is provided by Tilden Regional Park, but the lake is located at the end of Lake Anza Rd. The exact GPS Coordinates are
37.89700°N / 122.25359°W
If coming from Richmond, el Cerrito, Berkeley or Albany:
Go to the intersection of Arlington Blvd and Boynton St. Get on Boynton, go uphill until you see Colorado Ave. Continue going uphill until you hit Michigan Ave, then Spruce. Turn left on Spruce. You’ll cross Grissly Peak later, and find yourself on Wildcat Canyon Rd. Go on Wildcat until you see a Lake Anza sign pointing to your left. You will get to the multiple intersection, and take the one that seems to go in the opposite direction, which should be Lake Anza Rd. We’ll meet at the very last parking lot.
If coming from Emeryville, Oakland, Lafayette:
The Shasta Rd entrance at 1180 Park Hills Rd, Berkeley is your best bet. There is a map here. Go north on Grizzly Peak, then turn right on Shasta Rd. Make an immediate left on Park Hills Rd. Stay to the left at the fork on Park Hills Rd. Continue on Park Hills Rd, then cross Wildcat Canyon by making a right and an immediate left onto Central Park Dr. Make a right onto Lake Anza Rd. We’ll meet at the very last parking lot.