In-Person Class: Exploring “Rams Skull with Brown Leaves,” 1936 in Soft Pastels (2 Parts)

Part 1 | Wednesday, September 30, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM MT

Part 2 | Thursday, October 1, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM MT

Registering for this class will automatically enroll you in both sessions

In this two-day workshop, join artist Deborah Shea as she explores Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting Ram’s Skull with Brown Leaves, 1936, which is currently on loan to the O’Keeffe Museum from Roswell Museum and Art Center.

DAY 1

Class will begin at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, where participants will study Ram’s Skull with Brown Leaves, 1936 with Deborah along with other works by Georgia O’Keeffe to gather inspiration for the workshop.

Next, the class will gather in the Creativity Studio, where Deborah will provide an introduction to the pastel medium, covering topics like tone and color development, mark making, and how to create color and value scales. Finally, students will select from a collection of bones, skulls, and leaves to create their own compositions and value sketches.

DAY 2

Class will reconvene in the Creativity Studio, where after a short review, participants will begin creating their own pieces starting with a pencil sketch and a pastel underpainting. Students will then add many layers of beautiful pastels to develop a finished painting. 

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This class is suitable for youth ages 12 and up. Children are welcome to participate alongside their adults.

Note that all program times are in Mountain Time.

About the Instructor:

Deborah Shea was born into a family of artists and grew up in San Francisco. At the age of 14, she attended a summer arts program with Ruth Asawa and created images for the Hyatt Fountain and UCSF Mural. Deborah received a BA in Studio Art & Design at UC Davis. She had a career for over 20 years as a creative director, designer, and illustrator before becoming a full-time fine artist in 2017. She has won numerous awards in juried and solo exhibitions, and has taught pastel classes at Filoli, the Pacific Art League, the Atherton Art Foundation, and in her studio at Art Bias. In 2023, she was selected as one of seven San Mateo County artists for a yearlong exhibition in the Chan Zuckerberg Community Center in Redwood City. Deborah is currently pursuing her MFA at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. She resides in Redwood City, California.

For more information about Deborah, please see her website or her Instagram page @debdsheastudios

Registration

All supplies are included: Members $80 | Non-members $100