Fran Gregg hadn't touched a watercolor brush since she was a
child and her palette came in a little tin box. Seven years ago, while staying
at her cabin in Cloudcroft, she met one of the organizers of the summer art
workshops on a Friday, and was a student in a class the following Monday.
Although she wouldn't recommend such a last-minute sign-up, Gregg, who makes
her home in San Angelo, Texas, has been taking classes ever since. In addition
to watercolor, she has signed up for pen-and-ink, pastel and a number of
drawing workshops.
From mid-June to mid-August, well-known professional artists from across the country teach five-day classes inside the study hall at the old redbrick schoolhouse, which today also houses the local library. Classes average 10 students, who work at long tables or set up easels on the well-worn wood-plank floors. By keeping the class size small, instructors are able to provide one-on-one guidance and feedback.
Every teacher lends his
or her own style to the class. Some spend the morning demonstrating techniques
underneath an overhead mylar mirror, others paint on an easel, with students
looking over their shoulders. Students usually work on their own pieces during
the afternoon, sometimes completing a painting every day, or, in the case of Gregg's
watercolor class, working on a specific technique every day. She learned
different ways to paint skies and weathered buildings, and how to apply
watercolor to dry and wet paper.
Sometimes, teachers
take students for outdoor painting sessions among the white-barked aspens in
the nearby national forest or weathered historic buildings in this mountain
village. A favorite spot is the ethereal landscape of White Sands National Monument. Although students are on their own for meals and lodging, no one goes
hungry: Every morning, home-baked bread pudding or rolls accompany coffee and
fresh fruit, and brownies and trail mix are set out in the afternoon.
"These workshops, which have been going on for more than 50 years, offer students a chance to see the world through an artist's eyes, through light, colors, objects," says Mary Jo Gussett, a former workshop organizer who remains a loyal student. "They become better artists and have a chance to relax in the mountains."
For more information: www.zianet.com/cloudcroftart or call Jan Rausch at (505) 682-2889.