Floral painting with Suzanne D’Arcy _ Acrylic or Oil _ Mondays _ February 3 – March 21 _ 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM _ Studio 1

Floral painting with Suzanne D’Arcy

Mondays – February 3 – March 24 – 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM – Studio 1

Maximum Spaces: 12

Price for Members: $100.00

Price for Non-Members: $120.00

8 Weeks (3-hour class)

Class content

Painting is a marvelous activity as it teaches us to look and observe without visual clichés the environment around us. Flowers deserve a full “read” for their beauty, design, colors, and shapes; they add a fantastic, gorgeous, joyous element to our lives.

In this class, we will learn how to paint the floral species by the basic shape of each unique bloom. Learning to mix colors and understand color harmonies will enhance the emotional effect of one’s painting. With either acrylic or oil paints, we can explore this beautiful world of floral painting.

The limited palette will start with black, white, yellow, red, and blue, adding more colors as color mixing becomes comfortable. Composition will include understanding the influence and effectiveness of overlapping, cropping, shapes-negative and positive, tangencies, design and more. Starting with a limited number of blooms gives time to explore and investigate problems and opportunities.  We will cover how to paint copper, brass, silver, and glass.  Full flower set-ups will conclude the class.  Beginners and all skill levels are welcome.

Suzanne D’Arcy, Instructor

California native, Suzanne D’Arcy was born in Los Angeles, later moved to Sacramento with her family. She has two Bachelor Degrees in Art History/Art Studio from University of California at Davis CA.  She then worked for the newspaper Sacramento Bee as a graphic artist in the advertising art department and left the Bee after five years, moving to the East Bay wanting more technical artistic academic training. She found that education at the Academy of Art University and earned another degree, an ABA in Illustration. Suzanne had been teaching painting at the Academy for thirteen years. She has taught the Summer Abroad experience twice for the Academy, once in Corciano and then in Florence. Suzanne taught onsite, online, and Zoom classes with both undergraduates and Masters degree students, enjoying the in-class experience of active student discussions, excellent questions, and constructive critiques. Her teaching style uses engagement and guidance, helping the student come up with effective solutions through their own critical thinking and acute observation. Subject matter in the Fine Art Department classes included location painting (plein air), still life, florals, quick studies, and wildlife painting. She recently retired from the Academy. Suzanne has won various awards, is a guest lecturer/demonstrator for various art leagues, enjoys painting competitions, and loves to travel, participating in painting workshops in Italy, Austria, France, Cuba, and the Netherlands