Music, Art Workshop, and Sennett Social Coming to MACC This Month

Hiroya Tsukamoto

Arts in Education Concert March 1

We begin the month of March with a special concert at the Chuck Sennett Center for the Arts.

Russell Gulley is bringing internationally acclaimed guitarist Hiroya Tsukamoto back to Mentone as part of the Arts in Education program. The concert will be Saturday, March 1. Stuart Douglas kicks off the show at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $25 plus tax/fee and $30 at the door. Advance tickets can be purchased at Hiroyaforaie.eventbrite.com.

Hiroya is a one-of-a-kind composer, guitarist, and singer-songwriter from Kyoto, Japan. He began playing the five-string banjo when he was 13 and took up the guitar shortly after.

In 2000, Hiroya received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music and came to the United States. He formed his own group in Boston, “INTEROCEANICO (inter-oceanic),” which consists of unique musicians from different continents, including Latin Grammy Colombian singer Marta Gomez. The group released three acclaimed records (“The Other Side of the World,” “Confluencia,” and “Where the River Shines”). Hiroya has released five solo albums and has been leading concerts internationally, including several appearances at Blue Note (NYC), United Nations and Japanese National Television (NHK). Hiroya is a two-time second-place winner of the International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship in 2018 and 2022.

Mixed Media Workshop • March 8-9

Mixed-Media Workshop

We also are excited to offer a two-day mixed-media workshop, “Layering, Glazing and More,” March 8-9 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day at Moon Lake Village. The workshop is led by artist/instructor Lisa Opielinski. The class is limited to 10 students; tuition is $195 plus a $30 supply fee paid directly to the instructor. See contact information at the end of this article to register.

About the class: Here’s a glimpse of what students will learn:

• Layering and glazing with watercolors, acrylic paints, and media for rich mixed-media effects
• Adding texture with gel for depth and dimension
• Improving brush strokes using a brush stroke guide
• Painting birds with just a few simple strokes
• Using a soft lifting technique to create highlights
• Making a color-mixing guide for paintings
• Designing and creating stamps for unique details
• Using scratch techniques to highlight and refine elements
• And yes — wearing gloves and learning why it matters!

About the instructor: Alabama native Lisa Opielinski is a professional artist with an undying passion for her chosen career, and she has been doing it for more than 30 years. Unlike most other popular fine artists, Lisa is the product of neither a conventional university nor an art school education. Her knowledge was obtained through hands-on research and product experimentation, very much like a post-graduate student chasing a logical scientific hypothesis to prove to the world.

Lisa makes her living by creating works of art in oil, acrylic, clay, precious metal gilding, watercolor, mixed media, and media exclusive to the project at hand. Other facets of Lisa’s career include decorative finishes on walls, furniture, cabinetry, etc. If you need a plain wall to look textured or a flat door to look like a 16th century timber frame, she has done it. She is also an Ampersand Artist Ambassador. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Lisa’s abstract paintings is the multiple applications of her exclusive, innovative textures. Even on her smallest abstract paintings, there are many layers of texture; making the work more interesting. The pieces are then clear coated with an archival varnish for protection; making them touchable art.

Charles “Soc” and Barbara Sennett

Social and Tribute March 22

Our rescheduled Fall Social from last September to honor Charles “Soc” and Barbara Sennett will be held at the arts center on Saturday, March 22, from 5-7 p.m. We will pay tribute to these beloved supporters who have shown their generosity and devotion to the arts center since its inception. The Chuck Sennett Center for the Arts is named for their late son, a talented aerial photographer. The Sennetts have been part-time Mentone residents for decades. We invite the public, as well as all friends of the Sennetts, to join us. There will be a presentation at 6 p.m. followed by Brett Sennett performing songs he has written on guitar. Drinks and heavy hors d’oeuvres will be available.