All CIRCLE CELEBRATION Modules are $85 with Lifetime Access!
Circle Celebration is a different kind of art course!
It’s about playful, foundational experiences that can help us really understand what we love by exploring simple things like materials, technique, line, shape and color.
The exercises and projects were designed to bring out your personal style in an authentic way.
All of it came from being an artist in quarantine… from how I was feeling as lots of my life as an artist was put on pause and life slowed down in this strange way none of us had ever experienced before. It also came from thinking about how we become our creative selves, how our choices and movements become instinctive and uniquely ours and how we keep growing and evolving artistically over time.
“Something magical always happens when you participate in one of Dar’s workshops.
Her easy-going manner and relaxed approached inspires everyone, no matter where you are on your artistic journey, to try the many techniques she willingly shares.
What amazes participants every time is how varied and unique the results are. There’s always something new to learn because Dar has always learned something new.”
“I just wanted to tell you again how much I loved and learned with your Circle Celebration course. The layers of thought that went into each lesson, exercise, and project were astounding. You shared and taught so many basics and techniques with such generosity and openness. The exercises developed certain skills that were then used in the subsequent project. I was just blown away.”
Exciting and unexpected knowledge comes from getting out of routines, trying new tools and materials, and slowing way down to experience and notice small things about our art… and ourselves.
“Dar has a super encouraging teaching style and breaks down unique techniques in a practical way.
You’ll end up producing fun, sophisticated, and beautiful pieces that you never expected.
There’s always such a positive energy and creative flow that swirls among and between Dar and her students. She’s creates more than a class—it’s a community.”
This course was designed as three modules that are most powerful taken in succession, for all skill & artistic levels!
Each module contains the following:
Nine Exercise videos
3 Full Projects broken up into steps
Nine downloadable PDFs for each “day”
Access to seven Mini Lessons designed to introduce you to the various mediums and supplies
All Mini Lessons, Exercises and Projects come with 3-5 “Questions Prompts” designed to give you scaffolding to support your own creative curiosity, style and interests and inspire you to move forward in unique ways.
Module One Self Study - Exploring Additive Techniques
We begin our exploration of the circle shape as a springboard for a variety of techniques and projects that utilize layering in an additive process. A few of the things we will look at are different ways to create circles by observing circles in nature, brainstorm on composition through picture “plane” and picture “frame,” experiment with the concepts of calm and busy and how they affect our work, use the materials in front of us to create unexpected color and pattern combinations through spontaneous creative play, and try a variety of acrylic materials in open ended exercises that lead to new, unique ideas and directions. Nine exercises, three projects (including Circle Paintings and working in a series with Tide Pools!)
Lifetime access
Modules are $85 each
ITINERARY:
Week 1:
Perfect and Imperfect Circles, Looking at Line
Circles in Nature
What to Do When Art is “Ruined”
PROJECT: Circles In Circles, Acrylic on Paper
Week 2:
Picture Plane & Picture Frame, Composition Brainstorming
Value Study to Increase Your Favorite Palettes
Playing With Homemade Stencils & Patterns
PROJECT: The Circle Painting, Acrylic on Canvas (Inspired by my Circle Abstracts)
Week 3:
Calm to Busy, Lines and Washes
Use What’s In Front of You, Gorgeous Grids of Spontaneity!
Shiny Stuff
PROJECT: Tide Pools, Working in a Series on Cradled Board
Module Two Self Study - Building Through Subtractive Techniques
In this follow up to Module One, we will broaden and enhance our understanding of layering by employing subtractive techniques. Some of the things we will play with are resist and sgrafitto techniques, using a grid as a design foundation, continued experimenting with various acrylic viscosities, and thinking about how to manipulate opacity, and considering how shifting values alters our layers. This module also includes an exploration of creating under paintings, using wet and dry materials together and, of one of my favorite things— SHINY STUFF! Nine exercises, three projects (including Acrylic Batik and Progressive Painting!)
Lifetime access
Modules are $85 each
ITINERARY:
Week 1:
Exploring Sgrafitto
Experimenting With Grid Composition
Activating Dry Media With Wet Media
PROJECT: Porthole Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Week 2:
Irresistible Resists
Subtracting Color Through Materials & Techniques
Possibilities with High Flow Acrylics
PROJECT: Acrylic Batik, Using Resist & High Flow for Batik Effects on Paper
Week 3:
Opacity & Transparency with Acrylics
Wet & Dry, With Chalk Pastels
Exploring “Whites” & Experimenting with Light on Dark
PROJECT: Progressive Subtractive Painting, Acrylic on Canvas & Paper
Module Three Self Study - Combining With Mixed Media Techniques
Module Three puts everything together with mixed media play and continued focus on color mixing introduced in the Color Harmonies Mini Lesson. Among other things, we will create a trove of hand-painted collage paper, mess around with watery acrylics, make an amazing array of acrylic skins, have fun with radial assemblages, paint on sticks, leaves and rocks, and experiment with acrylic “encaustic” effects. Nine exercises, three projects (including Collage Cairns and Collage Mandalas!)
Lifetime access
Modules are $85 each
ITINERARY:
Week 1:
Quiet & Loud, Creating Color & Pattern Inspirations
Water For Effect with Acrylics
Creating Neutrals & Blacks
PROJECT: A Trove of Collage Paper, Learning About Dry Adhesion
Week 2:
Making Acrylic Skins
Wet On Wet with High Flow
Radial Assemblages
Recipes for Faux Encaustic with Acrylics
PROJECT: Collage Cairns
Week 3:
Shape Play, Using Basics to Create Inspiring Patterns
Fabric & Collage
Making Art From Nature
PROJECT: Collage Mandalas on Wood Panels
GOLDEN ARTIST COLORS
In 2016, it was my great honor to train with GOLDEN Artist Colors and become one of their Artist Educators. Not only was this the experience of lifetime, it helped me understand the world of acrylics in a whole, new expanded way, and opened up so many creative possibilities!
I’m excited to be sharing that understanding with others and taking some of the mystery out of what’s in all those white containers and what do they do?!
SUPPLY LISTS
Access Supply PDFs here. Necessary materials are in bold. I am listing the materials I use, but you do not need to buy all of these! A large part of this course is about encouraging you to be improvisational with materials and technique in a way that both comes from your own style as well as informs it. You may decide to use what you have on hand, or watch the videos and then choose what additional materials you would like to get.
FAQs:
Do I have to take all three Modules, or can I just start with one?
Absolutely start with one if you’d like to see how it goes! The modules were designed to build upon each other, however, they also work independently. So, you can take any Module as a single and still benefit from creative exploration!
Do I need to be available at specific times to take this course?
No. You will have immediate lifetime access to all videos and PDFs, so you can work at your own pace. All the Exercises and Project step videos are pre-recorded.
How long will I have access to the course?
Forever!
Do I need to use all GOLDEN product in this course?
You don’t. I would never suggest you spend more on supplies than you are comfortable with. Having said that, however, investing in at least a “primary” trio of higher quality paints will change the way you understand color, which I believe is part of a strong foundation in any art practice. From a personal perspective, I prefer putting money into paint over things like very expensive brushes. Student grade canvases and paper are also very good for beginning to create art!
One of the ways I started collecting better supplies was by purchasing my paints one at a time, starting with just a primary trio, a black and a white. The nice thing about better quality acrylics is that you can get by with just a few. In the supply/material PDFs, we make some suggestions about what “basics” are good to begin with.
Also, many of the “big box” shops like Michaels and Blick have their own “pro” series, which are often very good.