Online Class: The Stark Elegance of Bones and Soft Pastels 

Using Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting Horse’s Skull with White Rose, 1931 as inspiration, this class will use soft pastels to explore the artist’s fascination with the elegance and beauty of bones, which evoke questions of life, death, and mortality. Reference photos of horse skulls and flowers will be provided in advance for participants to work from during the lesson.

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

This program will take place via the video conferencing app – ZOOM. Details for accessing the Zoom meeting will be with your receipt upon registration and again sent via email the day prior. Please register in advance to access the program.

Note that all program times are in Mountain Time. Space is limited, reservations required.

Supplies Needed for this Class:

• Uart 12 x 16 Premium Mounted Board, #600 and scrap pastel paper
• Soft Pastels (not oil)
• Kneaded eraser
• Xacto knife
• HB graphite pencil for sketching
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Brush and cup for underpainting
• Pastel pencils in various colors for detail work
• White charcoal pencil
• Mask (always wear for pastel work!)
• Paper towels for tapping off dust
• Winsor & Newton Artguard Barrier Cream
• Fixative for the finished drawing
• Hand wipes
• Rag

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

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.