Viewpoints Gallery to offer free January art classes and lectures

Makawao’s Viewpoints Gallery will host a series of free art classes and lectures throughout January as part of its “Luminosity” show, which is based on the work of artist and educator Dick Nelson.

Classes will be two hours each, and will be led by Maui-based artists who are sharing their knowledge and perspectives on color, light and artistic expression. Sessions are open to the public, require no prior experience and include all materials at no cost.

Viewpoints Gallery is located at 3620 Baldwin Ave. in Makawao. 

January Class Schedule

Saturday, Jan. 3 | 9–11 a.m.
Luminosity in History with Brandon Kralik
Brandon Kralik will explore a brief history of color theory, the nature of light, how the eye interprets color and Dick Nelson’s teachings based on his tri-hue palette, with the intention to gain a better understanding of luminosity in painting. 

With guest students, he will look at pictures of paintings throughout art history to facilitate conversation about luminosity in art and what makes a work of art catch the eye and appear to glow. He will compare subject matter and look at how different artists approach similar motifs. 

Guests will also have the opportunity to work with colored paper to help them understand color arrays and the phenomena of halations. 

Saturday, Jan. 10 | 9–11 a.m.
Basic Watercolors with Christine Waara and Husa Adams
Try your hand at watercolor. This class is geared towards the beginner artist who thinks they cannot draw. A few lines on a piece of watercolor paper to get started are all that is needed to harness a creative spirit. 

Assistance will be given to determine what appeals to guests about their subject and demonstrations will help them understand how to achieve the technique they are looking for. Using only a few colors, they will leave with a masterpiece of their own.

Sunday, Jan. 11 | 9–11 a.m.
Introduction to Color Theory and Oil Painting with Damian E. Smith
Immerse yourself and enjoy a lighthearted morning with thoughts of color. In this one day workshop based on the teachings of Dick Nelson, guests will learn the basics of how to discuss the characteristics of color and apply these ideas using colored cards and direct mixing of oil colors. 

The class will start with a choice of any two parent colors and discover the offspring produced from these colors when mixed together incrementally in a series of squares painted on an oil panel. 

These colors viewed together in an “Array” create an illusion that can be described as “Luminous.” 

Saturday, Jan. 17 | 9–11 a.m.
Exploring Three-Dimensional Reality with Jett Green and Tina Ah Puck
The artists will be addressing their personal experience and history on how and why they fell in love with the process of painting and their experience in their different fields. They will then step into how subject matter is chosen, and how personal perception shapes representation. 

This immersive painting workshop explores how people perceive and translate three-dimensional reality through color and the understanding of how light effects the form, using a tri-hue palette of cyan, magenta, yellow and white. 

Participants will learn to construct realistic imagery while deepening their understanding of color relationships, value and perception.

Saturday, Jan. 24 | 9–11 a.m.
Understanding Artistic Expression From Realism to Abstract with Joëlle C. and Susanna Cromwell
Joëlle and Susanna will shine a light on the difference between realism and abstract, and the decisions made by an artist to navigate between both worlds. Emotions and spirituality in art will be addressed as well, specifically using color intentionally to express an artist’s spirit and create relevant works of art. Guests will have a chance to experience hands-on painting, using color with in mind to bring clarity to intention.