Historical Paint Making Techniques with Dylan Evans Weiler June 5th - 9th from 9:30am - 4:30pm $375 Members / $415 Non-Members Discover the traditional craft of creating hand-made paints. This five-day workshop will explore the process of crafting oil, watercolor, and acrylic paints. Students will learn about the fascinating history and progression of paints through the ages, as well as practical tips for how to use a variety of painting media. Each student will craft a full set of oil paints, which they will then use to create a finished painting during class. Level: Introductory through Advanced Find/Cut/Print: Woodcut Printmaking with Elijah Van Benschoten June 14th - 15th from 9:30am - 4:30pm $200 Members / $240 Non-Members Explore the oldest form of printmaking: the woodcut. This workshop is accessible to beginners and experienced artists alike, and will begin with an introduction to the process with easy instructions on proper technique. Students are encouraged to bring found pieces of flat wood to carve their designs, which will then be printed on specialty printmaking paper. The magic of printmaking means students can make dozens of copies of their prints! Level: Introductory through Advanced Beyond Basics: Oil Painting with Marc Hanson June 15th - 17th from 9:00am - 4:00pm $475 Members / $515 Non-Members This workshop is designed for students to move beyond basic exercises in value, color, and other relationships to more advanced considerations of how a painting is conceived and executed. Students will concentrate on concept and its purpose in making paintings that portray a specific idea. Level: Intermediate through Advanced
All Crooked Tree Arts Center workshops are rated by skill level using the following system:
Introductory: Students have no prior experience and expect to learn about and explore materials.
Beginner: Students have handled the materials previously, but need basic instruction on technique.
Intermediate: Students have mastered basic technique and are looking to stretch their current skills; they will expect to learn more advanced skills. Advanced: Students are proficient in their medium of choice and likely have their own style; they are looking to be challenged.
Dylan Evans Weiler
Elijah Van Benschoten
Marc Hanson
Upon completion of his BFA in painting at Northern Michigan University, Dylan pursued a second degree in art history, focusing on contemporary figurative painting and its connection to the history of cinema and photography. He chose to study at Laguna College of Art and Design in Los Angeles for the opportunity to work within a community of contemporary figure painters. His own work addresses the creation of myth in modern-day society, and is based in cinematic culture. As a working artist, Dylan has shown in Northern Michigan and Southern California, where he has also guest lectured on paint-making and traditional painting methods and materials.
A painter, draftsman, printmaker, and photographer, Elijah maintains a vigorous multidisciplinary studio practice as well as an active college teaching career. His work has been shown in galleries and museums across fifteen states and on two continents. In 2003, Elijah earned a BFA in painting from Siena Heights University and later an MFA in painting from Syracuse University in 2006. A Michigan native, Elijah has taught at various schools in New York, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan. He currently resides in Cincinnati where he teaches full-time as an online instructor with South Dakota State University and part-time with Miami University.
Marc is a Master Signature Member of the Oil Painters of America (O.P.A.), having won an Award of Excellence at the O.P.A. National Exhibit in 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011. In 2011 Marc’s painting, “Right or Left,” was awarded Bronze Medal for Painting at the O.P.A. National Exhibition in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Among his many awards, he’s placed four times in The Pastel Journal’s Pastel 100 competition.
A New Way of Seeing Color: Oil Painting with Camille Przewodek June 19th* - 23rd from 9:00am - 4:30pm (*Meet at 8:00am on June 19th) $675 Members / $715 Non-Members Color that expresses the light of nature makes even the most mundane subject strikingly beautiful. This plein air workshop covers capturing the time and type of day through accurate color relationships. Camille is an authority on color and the Hensche/Hawthorne approach to capturing light in painting. Students are encouraged to bring original artwork or photos and talk to Camille about their vision as artists during the week. Level: Beginner through Advanced Watercolor Journey to Sleeping Bear Dunes with Janet “Cedar” Kindy June 27th - 29th from 9:30am - 4:30pm $375 Members / $415 Non-Members - SUPPLIES AND ONE-DAY SITE VISIT TO SLEEPING BEAR NATIONAL LAKESHORE INCLUDED! Learn about clean transparent colors, brushstroke simplicity, and dynamic composition. Basic watercolor techniques covered will include wet-on-wet, graduated washes, lifting out, dry brush, and more. Students will focus on the Michigan coastline: dunes and their flora, old outbuildings, and Lake Michigan! Learn to paint quickly and gear up simply for continued daily painting practice. Level: Introductory through Advanced Classical Painting Alla Prima with Patrick Wise Medium: Oil (watercolor and acrylic also welcome) July 10th - 11th from 9:00am - 4:00pm $215 Members / $255 Non-Members Alla Prima is Italian for “at first attempt,” a classical method of painting in which expressive brushstrokes and vibrant colors are used to capture the essence of the subject. The class will include demonstrations and one-on-one attention for a deeper understanding of Alla Prima. Students will learn direct observational painting by focusing on value patterns and color relationships. Level: Beginner through Advanced Expressive Photography with Alan Ross July 10th - 12th from 9:00am - 4:00pm $650 Members / $690 Non-Members In this hands-on and inspiring workshop, the emphasis will be on connecting Ansel Adams’ approach and mastery with today’s tools and technologies, allowing students to better express their own photographic vision. By the end of the workshop, students will have a better grasp of the tools, techniques, and methodologies needed to respond to their vision with confidence. Level: Upper-Level Beginner through Advanced
Camille Przewodek
Janet “Cedar” Kindy
Patrick Wise
Alan Ross
Camille has been a regularly featured, on-stage demonstrator at Plein Air Magazine’s Annual Plein Air Convention, and has taught the Hensche/Hawthorne approach to seeing and painting color in classes at American Artist Magazine’s Weekend with the Masters, at her home studio in Petaluma, California, and at workshops across the United States. Her paintings’ successful capture of natural light effects has been featured in numerous books, magazines, and national advertising campaigns for clients Alfa Romeo, Target, and Loews Hotels.
“Cedar” has been painting for over 30 years. She is passionate about watercolor and changing its reputation for being a difficult medium. Using her teaching format, anyone can paint a successful watercolor! She has taught in Arkansas, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Florida, Michigan, and Mexico. A graduate of the American Academy of Art in Chicago, she has studied with master watercolorists Irving Shapiro, Nita Engle, Alvaro Castagnet, and painted with Gordon MacKenzie. Her watercolor, “Jersey Dunes,” was a finalist in the Artist’s Magazine 2015 Annual Competition. She is represented by Petri Gallery in Pentwater, Michigan.
Patrick earned his Master of Arts from Wayne State University, and is an award-winning painter and college professor. He won First Place/Best in Show at the Richard and Jane Manoogian Contemporary Art Contest at the Mackinac Art Museum, and the Detroit Artist Market John F. Korachis scholarship award. Patrick splits his time between Northern Michigan and the Detroit metropolitan area, as he continues to be inspired by people and places for his artistic work. He exhibits both locally and nationally.
Alan is a well known photographer, master printer, and educator. He was Ansel Adams’ Photographic Assistant in Carmel from 1974 to 1979, and was integrally involved in Adams’ books, teaching in Yosemite, and production of fine prints. He has been the exclusive printer of Ansel Adams’ Yosemite Special Edition negatives for over forty years. His photography hangs in collections and galleries throughout the country and internationally, and he has lectured and led workshops from Yosemite to China.
A Closer Look at Northern Michigan: Acrylic Painting with Mike Hyrman July 10th - 14th from 9:30am - 4:30pm $460 Members / $500 Non-Members - SUPPLIES INCLUDED! Try acrylic painting without investing in materials, and learn a process that allows acrylics to remain workable for weeks! Topics covered include: choosing materials, crafting compositions, creating depth/dimension, technology as a tool for painting, and more! Students will create a finished painting based on the places, plant life, and/or people of Northern Michigan, with an optional kayak float to learn to take successful reference photos for future projects. Level: Introductory through Advanced Watercolor Portals with Betty Bea Washburn July 14th from 10:00am - 3:00pm $110 Members / $150 Non-Members In this one-day workshop, students will learn and practice an intuitive style of watercolor painting by floating color to create special effects, and pouring atmospheric color to achieve an internal glow. Level: Intermediate through Advanced
The Beauty of Imperfection: Pastel Workshop with Jen Evenhus July 18th - 20th from 9:30am - 4:30pm $300 Members / $340 Non-Members Students will explore fearless mark-making, negative painting, exaggeration, simplification, and bold colors through working in a series. Experiment with pastels as well as ink, markers, brushes, and charcoal in a loose, impressionistic style. Students will work from reference photos, move on to still life, and (weather permitting) plein air sketching. There will be challenging exercises, instructor demos, one-on-one coaching, discussions, and critiques. Level: Beginner through Advanced Beadweaving: Peyote Bracelet with Joyce Eaton Brady July 25th from 9:00am - 4:00pm $85 Members / $125 Non-Members - SUPPLIES INCLUDED! Students will be given detailed information, a demonstration, and assistance in the process of learning the Peyote Stitch, a commonly found technique in historic and contemporary Native American art. They will go on to create a custom Peyote Stitch bracelet. A complete kit will be provided including a bead mat, beading needle, thread and all other materials for the project. Level: Introductory through Advanced
Mike Hyrman
Betty Bea Washburn
Jennifer Evenhus
Joyce Eaton Brady
Mike Hyrman has been creating for as long as he can remember. His art education began with a Famous Artist correspondence course he took in the sixth grade in 1970 and he has been hooked on the world of art classes and workshops ever since! In 2012, Mike won the Michigan Water Color Society Founders Memorial Award for his entry in their annual exhibition. Mike’s enthusiasm for sharing his artistic methods and discoveries has become a lifelong passion. Currently, his teaching and personal practice focus on communicating the illusion of depth. He lives in Traverse City, Michigan.
Betty Bea Washburn has been a professional watercolorist for 30 years. Before settling in Northern Michigan, Betty Bea was an art teacher in the Marshall Public School system. Today she finds inspiration for her large and vibrant watercolors in area landscapes, gardens, and historical sites, especially those on Mackinac Island. Betty Bea is intrigued by watercolor relationships: the harmony between the physical properties of the medium, the effect of atmosphere on the subject matter, and the use of color to create an internal glow.
Jen is a nationally recognized, award-winning artist. She is naturally drawn to patterns, shapes, and movement found in nature, cityscapes, interiors, figures, and everyday objects. Jen captures their essence with simplification and exaggeration in contemporary impressionist and abstract paintings. Jen has become well known for her ten-minute pastel paintings. Completing a painting in just ten minutes forces her to focus on composition, value, shapes, and movement, and to not overwork the surface. This is a great exercise she uses with her workshop students. Jen is a Master Pastelist in the Pastel Society of America, a Distinguished Pastelist in the Northwest Pastel Society, an I.A.P.S.-Master Circle member, and a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of the West Coast. She is an established national workshop instructor and show judge.
Joyce Eaton Brady is a nationally acclaimed and award-winning jewelry artist. She is a member of the National League of American Pen Women. Her jewelry is available in several locations in Northern Michigan including Mackinac’s Little Gallery on Mackinac Island, Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey, Three Pines Studio in Cross Village and the Round Lake Gallery in Charlevoix. Her work can also be found in several Central Florida museums and galleries including the Orlando Museum of Art.
Beadweaving: Embroidered Earrings with Joyce Eaton Brady July 27th from 9:00am - 4:00pm $105 Members / $145 Non-Members - SUPPLIES INCLUDED! Students will learn bead embroidery techniques including the backstitch, brick stitch and picot stitch with instructor demos and assistance. They will go on to create a stunning pair of custom fringe earrings. A complete kit will be provided including a bead mat, beading needle, thread and all other materials needed to complete this project. Level: Introductory through Advanced
Overshot & Inlay Textile Exploration with Nancy McRay July 28th from 5:30pm - 8:30pm -AND- July 29th - 30th from 9:00am - 4:00pm held on the North Central Michigan College campus $185 Members / $225 Non-Members Learn traditional overshot and inlay! After learning the rules of traditional overshot, students will proceed to break those rules to experiment with different weights, treadling combinations, supplemental weft pick up, and inlay. Together students will explore shibori, collapse weave, and textural effects. Students should arrive with a pre-warped four or eight shaft loom. Level: Upper-Level Beginner through Advanced Make Your Own Sketchbook! with Suzanne Boissy Medium: Book Arts and Fibers August 2nd - 4th from 9:30am - 4:30pm $275 Members / $315 Non-Members In this workshop students will create a beautiful, personalized sketchbook! They will hand-dye and hand-print their own custom fabric, then learn and use stitching and appliquĂŠ to create a cover that reflects their personal artistic style. Finally, they will use traditional bookbinding techniques to construct the sketchbooks, assembling pages and cover into a truly one-of-a-kind product. Level: Introductory through Advanced The Imaginary Figure: Acrylic Painting with Ardith Goodwin August 3rd - 6th from 9:00am - 4:00pm $495 Members / $535 Non-Members Learn to sketch and paint the human figure in loose, expressive ways using acrylic and mixed media. Students will sketch live models and learn to capture poses and postures using photo references. Using these sketches, students will transfer ideas to a larger painting. With emphasis on impact, contrast, loose movement, and altered brush strokes, students will leave this workshop with a great deal of confidence in approaching the abstract figure. Level: Beginner through Advanced
Joyce Eaton Brady
Joyce Eaton Brady is also teaching a Peyote Bracelet Beadweaving workshop at Crooked Tree - Petoskey on July 25th from 9:00am - 4:00pm. Please reference previous page for information on Joyce’s bracelet class, as well as to view her biography.
Nancy McRay Nancy McRay is a weaver, dyer, and textile artist living in Michigan. She owned and operated Woven Art, a yarn shop and fiber arts teaching studio for more than ten years. Prior to owning Woven Art, Nancy was a co-creator in The Art Apartment in East Lansing, Michigan, a space for contemporary performance art and installation with an emphasis on community involvement. Since earning an MFA in Fiber from the University of Michigan in 1994, Nancy has enjoyed teaching weaving on a local and national level.
Suzanne Boissy Suzanne Boissy is an artist and professor of art at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan, where she lives with her husband, sons, and menagerie of pets. She completed her BFA and MFA in fibers at Eastern Michigan University. Suzanne is an alumni of Interlochen Arts Academy, where she has taught fibers classes at both the Academy and Summer Arts Camp. Her work reflects a non-traditional approach in both material and format.
Ardith Goodwin Mark-making is fundamental to Ardith’s creative practice and she captivates the viewer with her expression of dynamic and fluid line work mixed with a bit of oddity and strangeness. As the line moves, color gives spacial structure for the marks to flow through facial expression, the juicy tidbits of geometric planes, and layers of glazes - the impact is a delightful composition of the unexpected. Ardith combines her love of writing and educating with a self-taught passion for art and has been a professional artist for the past 15 years.
Winning with Watercolor with Tony Warren August 7th - 11th from 9:00am - 4:00pm $495 Members / $535 Non-Members Through teaching, ample demonstrations, brushwork and material usage, easy to understand explanations of concept, composition, drawing, problem solving, value, color, presentation and attitude, Tony will help students get the most out of this five-day workshop. With plenty of individual attention, sensitivity and a dose of good humor and fun, each person will come away with a refreshing new insight and determination to excel in the fascinating medium of watercolor. Level: Beginner through Advanced Start Abstract Painting Today! Acrylic Workshop with Robert Burridge August 7th - 9th from 9:30am - 4:30pm $460 Members / $500 Non-Members Learn to paint looser, bolder, freer, lighter, and more intuitively. Experience hands-on demos, basic strategies, and composition and color techniques to create more meaningful abstracts. There will be action-filled painting exercises and personalized attention. This is an acrylic workshop with mixed-media and collage for visual impact. Level: Beginner through Advanced
Start Abstract Painting Today! Acrylic Workshop with Robert Burridge August 11th - 13th from 9:00am - 4:00pm $460 Members / $500 Non-Members Learn to paint looser, bolder, freer, lighter, and more intuitively. Experience hands-on demos, basic strategies, and composition and color techniques to create more meaningful abstracts. There will be action-filled painting exercises and personalized attention. This is an acrylic workshop with mixed-media and collage for visual impact. Level: Beginner through Advanced
Paint by Note with Kevin Barton Medium: Oil (acrylics also welcome, but no instruction in their use given) August 16th - 18th from Noon - 6:30pm $480 Members / $520 Non-Members - $40 giclee canvas included Be the first to learn Kevin Barton’s unique approach to creating a “musical painting.” The 12 notes in an octave are equated to specific colors. Students will create a “musical painting” using such a scale and its chords in the key of A-Minor. Improvisation and use of bold color will be encouraged. Instruction will be given in oils and they are recommended. Level: Beginner through Advanced
Tony Warren
Robert Burridge
Hundreds of times each year, Tony shares his skills, teaching, lecturing, and demonstrating abilities in public and private studios. In addition to hosting his own national cable TV program, “Expressions,” Tony has won well over 100 awards and recognitions, is a member of the Michigan Water Color Society and has been published internationally in books, newspapers, and magazines. He is represented in collections across the United States and Canada.
Robert, a noted international award-winning industrial designer, is much sought after as juror, lecturer, and workshop instructor. He is the Honorary President of the International Society of Acrylic Painters and Signature Member of both the I.S.A.P. and the Philadelphia Watercolor Society. He is a recipient of their Crest Medal for Achievement in the Arts. Robert attributes his success to his education from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, his experience as an adjunct professor at Cooper Union School for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City, and in 1966, his Fluxus art performances with Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik, Jim McWilliams and Charlotte Moorman.
Robert Burridge
Robert Burridge is teaching the same workshop, “Start Abstract Painting Today!” at Crooked Tree - Traverse City August 7th - 9th from 9:30am - 4:30pm. Please be sure to verify location when you register. See the Traverse City listing above for Robert’s biography.
Kevin Barton
Over the past 20 years, Kevin, who lives in Petoskey, has become one of Northern Michigan’s most collected artists with paintings hanging across the nation. His work has garnered countless awards and accolades, including the Manoogian Museum’s Gold Medal, signature status with the American Impressionist Society, and numerable Best of Shows at paint outs and other venues. Kevin’s images have also been featured or chosen by competition to represent various events and publications - notably, Mackinac Island’s Lilac Festival and CTAC’s D’Art for Art 2015.
Transforming the Landscape: Watercolor Painting with Joyce Hicks August 21st - 24th from 9:30am - 4:30pm $415 Members / $455 Non-Members Students will learn how to declutter complicated landscapes to create simple and powerful compositions. Joyce teaches easy-to-learn strategies, and will explain how to “think like an artist” through daily demonstrations and guidance. Students will become more comfortable with watercolor while learning to simplify scenes from inspiration to finished works of art. Once technical aspects are mastered, students’ confidence and signature style will emerge! Level: Beginner through Advanced Pastels are Perfect for Plein Air with Nancie King Mertz August 22th - 25th from 9:00am - 4:00pm $375 Members / $415 Non-Members This workshop will improve students’ speed and confidence when using soft pastels for plein air painting. The information shared over the four days will also be helpful for studio pastel work. One or two paintings (or more!) will be completed each day. Individual attention is stressed in this workshop rather than group lecture. Short demos will be offered, as needed, throughout the workshop to help clarify techniques. Level: Beginner through Intermediate Create Beautiful Watercolor Landscapes from Easy-to-Paint Shapes with Joyce Hicks August 26th - 28th from 9:00am - 4:00pm $310 Members / $350 Non-Members Learn a visual language from common symbols found in landscape! These will be used to create paintings from the imagination. Emphasis will be on strategies for turning ordinary scenes into extraordinary ones with watercolor. Students will learn from clear explanations and step-by-step demonstrations how to deconstruct complicated subjects making them easier to paint. Level: Beginner through Advanced Conceptual Self-Portraits: Multimedia Workshop with Megan Hildebrandt Medium: Open to all! (see website for supply list suggestions and details) August 29th - 30th from 9:30am - 4:30pm $80 Members / $120 Non-Members Explore conceptually-based self-portraits, from studies of facial structure to images of first memories to large-scale brain maps. Does a self-portrait always need to include a face? Can a person be represented using an object, place, or animal? As a building or landscape? Students will use metaphor and conceptual thinking to develop their own aesthetic of autobiographical drawing. Level: Beginner through Advanced
Joyce Hicks
Nancie King Mertz
Joyce is an award-winning, internationally-recognized, self-taught artist. She is a three-time award winner and Signature Member of the American Watercolor Society. Her work is widely published and her painting, “Out Santa Rosa Creek Road,” was chosen by Watercolor Artist Magazine for their April 2011 cover. Her latest accomplishment is a fine art book published by North Light Books. She travels frequently in search of beautiful places to paint and enjoys conducting watercolor workshops, gallery talks, demonstrations, and jurying watercolor exhibitions across the United States and internationally. Her passion is to share and teach others using her simple techniques and watercolor principles.
An award-winning artist, Nancie has spent her lifetime painting in oil and pastel. She was awarded the Master Circle Medallion by the International Association of Pastel Societies in 2015 and is also a Master Signature member of the Pastel Society of America and the Chicago Pastel Painters. She teaches across the United States and internationally and is on the faculty for the Plein Air Convention and the I.A.P.S. Convention.
Joyce Hicks
Joyce is also teaching a “Transforming the Landscape” workshop in Traverse City on August 21st - 24th from 9:00am - 4:00pm. Please be sure to verify location and workshop when you register. See the Traverse City listing above for Joyce’s biography.
Megan Hildebrandt
Megan received her BFA from the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art and Design, and her MFA in studio art from the University of South Florida. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, including: The Painting Center, New American Paintings, The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Craft, Arlington Arts Center, Detroit Contemporary, HEREarts Center, Latitude 53, Johns Hopkins Medical Center, the LIVESTRONG Foundation, and the Michigan Institute of Contemporary Art. An artist, educator, cancer survivor and arts-in-health advocate, Megan currently teaches painting and digital media at Interlochen Arts Academy as well as Interlochen’s Summer Arts Camp.
Earth Books: Handmade Artist’s Books with Rita McNamara Medium: Book Arts September 9th from 10:00am - 4:00pm $80 Members / $120 Non-Members - BOOK-MAKING SUPPLIES INCLUDED! In Earth Books, get ready to bring the outside in and turn it into art! This oneday workshop will teach basic book construction, how to hand-dye and use recycled art papers, and how to assemble natural found materials into a beautiful handmade book. Students will explore a small collection of handmade books to help jumpstart their own creative ideas. Students will need to bring a few simple tools from home but all book-making supplies are included in tuition costs. Level: Introductory through Advanced Rita McNamara A working artist and writer for more than 45 years, Rita’s books have been translated into eight languages and her artwork has appeared in exhibitions and collections across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, South America, and Japan. Fascinated with the things we throw away or leave behind, Rita creates her artist books and collages from recycled and discarded papers, scraps, found materials, and ephemera.
Painting Birds and Birch Trees using Watercolor, Collage, and Charcoal Pours with Karen Knutson September 13th - 15th from 9:30am - 4:30pm $300 Members / $340 Non-Members Multiple techniques will be explored in this workshop, beginning with contour drawings to set the tone for a fun and artistic adventure! After contour drawing their subjects, students will use charcoal pours for their bird paintings. This process is fun and easy! Watercolor and collage will be added. Karen will demonstrate painting crows or cardinals. In addition, students will paint a landscape with birches and a rock spill. There will be new ways to establish texture using collage papers and different surface treatments for special effects.
Karen Knutson
Level: Intermediate through Advanced
Karen is primarily a watermedia artist. She attended Concordia College and lives in Minneapolis. She loves teaching watercolor and collage workshops nationwide. Karen is a signature member of Transparent Watercolor Society of America, San Diego Watercolor Society, Red River Watercolor Society, Minnesota Watercolor Society, Missouri Watercolor Society, Montana Watercolor Society, Northern Plains Watercolor Society, Northstar Watermedia Society, and has had many paintings accepted into other national shows. She has won many awards, both locally and nationally.