Arts Center Heats Up February with Workshop and Winter Social

After a brutally cold January, things are heating up this month as we move closer to spring. We begin with our first workshop of the year on Saturday, Feb. 1, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Moon Lake Village. Tuition is 0 plus a supply fee. Class is limited to 10 students. There were a couple of spots still available at press time. To check availability, please see the contact information at the bottom of this article.

Light and Shadow Workshop

UAB artist and professor Gary Chapman will lead the workshop titled, “A VALUE STUDY: The Anatomy of Light and Shadow.” Students using oil paint will create a simple value study exploring the anatomy of light and shadow. This exercise will help students understand and better utilize the properties of light and its effects, thereby empowering them to create more accurate and expressive representational work in any 2D medium.

After students complete the value study assignment, they will create a second painting of a simple object of their choice, employing what they have learned. The workshop will include slide presentations, work examples, and critiques.

UAB artist and professor Gary Chapman

About the instructor: Gary Chapman is an artist and professor of painting and drawing at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has had more than 80 solo exhibitions with institutions such as The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts; The Arts Center of St. Petersburg, Florida; University of Cincinnati; and the Indianapolis Art Center. He has also participated in numerous group and invitational exhibitions at regional, national, and international venues.

Chapman was named a Joan Mitchell CALL Legacy Artist in 2013 and has received numerous grants and fellowships, including a 1996 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Painting from the Southern Arts Federation and 2002 and 1994 Individual Artist Fellowships from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

Winter Social

We will host a Winter Social Thursday, Feb. 6, from 5:30-7 p.m. to honor two local artists: woodworker Jeremy C. Clark and photographer Mikel Yeakle. The public is invited to attend this free event and learn more about these two impressive artists.

Woodworker Jeremy Clark

About Jeremy C. Clark: Clark was born and raised in the small community of Jumbo in Chilton County. He and his wife have six children and two grandchildren. They moved to the Mentone area eight years ago to work for the local telephone company.

“My telephone career ended, and I decided to take a hobby of 10 years and make it my full-time profession,” Clark said. “I believe God has a plan and path for all of us, and I have been blessed to create things for people to enjoy and use every day.

“I have been a woodworker for a decade, making mostly things for my family and friends. I consider myself a mid-century organic artist. I let the piece of wood show me what it wants to become. I hope to bring joy to people that see my work, and that I can bring out the natural beauty within each piece.”

Photographer Mikel Yeakle

About Mikel Yeakle: Yeakle is originally from Indiana but spent his career as a professional photographer in Atlanta. In 2005, Yeakle started downsizing into retirement; after a process of minimalism, he and his wife moved into their present home on Lookout Mountain.

“Photography is what I chose to create interpretations of what I saw,” Yeakle said. “My life is my art…and the pure result of my frustration and humiliation within it. My philosophies are simple and to the point. I shoot pictures as a way of stopping time. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, and I try to make it look easier than it is.”