Online Class: Drawing Found Objects from Nature

Inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s artwork and her collection of found objects, this class will be a focused practice of observational drawing of items from the natural world. Through interactive demonstrations and instructions, teaching artist Sudeshna Sengupta will guide participants through the process of capturing tonal and textural characteristics from objects like seedpods, shells, rocks, antlers, and more using pencil, conte’ and charcoal on white paper as well as toned/dark-colored paper. She will also instruct on how to use cross-contour lines across the surface of a form to describe its topography and volume. 

Participants are welcome to use their own collection of natural objects, or they can draw from the items used in the demonstration. 

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

Space is limited, reservations required.

This program will take place via the video conferencing app – ZOOM. Details for accessing the Zoom meeting will be with your receipt upon registering and again sent via email the day prior. Please register in advance in order to access the program. Note that all program times are in Mountain Time.

Online classes are not recorded. Online classes are offered only as a live and interactive experience.

Supplies needed for this class: 

• Strathmore Mixed-media pad and or Strathmore 400 series Black or Toned Mixed-Media pad or Canson Mi Tientes Earth Colors or Black or Gray Toned Pastel Paper pad in 9” x 12” to 12” X 16” size or similar paper pad. Thicker paper (140 lb or higher) is better.
• A 2B graphite pencil and an eraser
• Charcoal (black) Pencils in Medium (2B) and Soft/Dark (4B or 6B)
• A white and or gray charcoal pencil or conte’ pencil or pastel pencil
• A set of white, black, sanguine, and terracotta Conté.
• 3 to 5 Blending stumps (AKA Tortillons, often comes with drawing pencil sets) and or Q-tips.
• Masking tape or multiple clips to keep the paper flat especially is the pad is larger.
• Newsprint pad or sketch pad for warm-up sketches.
• Optional: Color pencils or pastels, tombow or other brand of brush pens, Sakura Micron pigment pens, soft cotton rags for blending larger areas (cut up pieces of old cotton t-shirt works well).

About the Instructor:

Sudeshna Sengupta’s career as a teaching artist spans multiple decades, continents, and cultures that inform her pedagogy for decolonizing studio art. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree in 1985 from Visva-Bharati, an international university founded in India, by the humanist poet Tagore, the first non-European Nobel Laureate (1913). After teaching art and design at the college level in New Delhi, Seattle, and California, she taught at NMSU-Alamogordo, where she established its first intaglio printmaking studio in 1995. Since moving to Santa Fe a few years ago, she has taught credit courses in online studio art at the Santa Fe Community College. Her etching prints are in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; Association Musée d’Art Contemporain, France; Kala Institute, Berkeley; Artists Trust, Seattle, Chandigarh Govt. Art Museum, India, Gerald Champion Memorial Hospital, NM, and more. Her etchings and lithographs from the permanent collection of the NGMA have been featured in a major exhibition on Women Printmakers of India in 2024 at NGMA, New Delhi. She also conducts workshops and short courses and presents lectures and community-based art events for various age groups with civic, cultural, and community organizations in the U.S. and in India, often with a focus on multicultural and intercultural experiences that emphasize human, cultural, and environmental connectedness through creativity. To see her art please visit notes-and-doodles.com and Instagram.

This class is being offered on a sliding scale.

$10 minimal fee.

$20 covers the cost of the class.

$30 covers the cost of the class, plus a contribution to support educational programs.