Event: Oil Painting Workshop with Stephen James
Time: March 9,16 and 23
Event Type: Art Class
Location: Black Belt Treasurers at 209 Claiborne Street, Camden.
Cost: $195
Event Website: www.blackbelttreasures.com
Sponsor: Black Belt Treasurers
Contact: Kristen Law kristen@blackbelttreasurers.com
Info: Black Belt Treasures will be host to an exciting three-day Oil Painting Workshop with Monroe County artist Stephen James. James will discuss how he chooses the lively compositions of his paintings, and share his mostly self-taught painting techniques. By the conclusion of the third class, each student will have completed a Black Belt inspired painting, approximately 11” x 14”.
Stephen James was born in the 1950’s in Monroe County, Alabama, where he developed a love for the beauty of the Black Belt at a very early age while hunting, fishing and farming with his father and grandfather. His experiences, vivid memories and stories of ‘times gone past’ are the basis for many of his paintings. Stephen began producing and selling his art over 30 years ago while working in a Mobile art studio painting photography backdrops. James states that his biggest influence on his style of paint came from countless hours spent scrupulously studying the American Masters at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. He would visit the museum often where he would study the brush strokes, colors, compositions, and details of iconic American landscapes. The artist would spend the next thirty years of his life working as a nurse in rural Alabama, memorizing the landscape and personality of the people as he traveled through the rich land.
James uses rich, colorful oils on art boards in order to create the romantic nostalgic scenes depicted in his paintings. His super-realistic paintings reflect everyday life as lived in the Deep South, with incredible detail. In each of his paintings, James tries to express the importance of hard work and close-knit families, one of the richest qualities of living and working in Alabama’s Black Belt.
Students of all levels are invited to attend, and may contact Black Belt Treasures to learn more about materials and class specifics. Classes will run from 8:30am – 12:30pm on Saturdays, March 9, 16, and 23. Because the workshop builds skills progressively, students are expected to attend all three days. The cost of the workshop is $195.00 and includes all materials. The class will be limited to twelve students, so please register as soon as possible.
To register for classes, please call (334) 682.9878, email info@blackbelttreasures.com, or register in person at 209 Claiborne Street, in Camden. In addition to Oil Painting, Black Belt Treasures also offers youth and adult classes in Basket Weaving, Chair Caning, Painting, Ceramics & Pottery, Textiles, and more. Currently, After School Art classes are offered each Tuesday & Thursday for students in grades K-6, while adults may choose from regular ArtEscape Pottery and Painting classes offered the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month from 7-9pm. These classes are made possible by the generous support of the Alabama State Council on the Arts and Black Belt Community Foundation.
Black Belt Treasures is a non-profit 501(c)(3) designed to recognize the quality of artistic work in the Black Belt and promote free enterprise through the Arts. Black Belt Treasures features the works of a cross section of talented painters, sculptors, potters, basket-weavers, quilters, and woodworkers. Join Black Belt Treasures and its artisans in celebrating the superb talent of the region, learn from expert craftsmen, and enjoy a visit in the Black Belt region, where the culture is as rich as the soil. To learn more visit www.blackbelttreasures.com or phone (334) 682-9878.