Mary McAndrew » Art Classes

“Spring 2009 Nature Sketching and Painting Classes”

Mary McAndrew — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 00:40:00 +0000

photo courtesy of John Rusak-Clarence Bee News, teaching at the Burchfield Nature and Art Center Spring 2008, 5th grade class

Indoor and Field Classes

Join Naturalist Artist guide Mary McAndrew in sketching, painting and experiencing nature through art.
Mary McAndrew (716) 741-4544 mary@marymcandrew.com

Free talk and intro lesson! April 4, 2009 1pm
For full article go to this entry: http://marymcandrew.blogspot.com/2009/04/free-talk-and-demonstration-on-nature.html

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama, NY

Mary McAndrew, naturalist artist guide, will be giving a FREE introductory talk and lesson on “Nature Sketching in the Field” at the Iroquis National Wildlife Refuge. Please bring a sketch pad and pencils; the time of the program is 1pm at the refuge visitors center 1101 Casey Road. To read more about the Iroquois Wildlife Refuge visit their website: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/iroquois/ mary@marymcandrew.com

My students trying watercolors for the first time, it was so much fun!

Nature Sketching and Painting Classes

Mary McAndrew — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 03:02:00 +0000

Indoor or Field Classes

Join Naturalist Artist guide Mary McAndrew in sketching, painting and experiencing nature through art.

Mary McAndrew (716) 741-4544 mary@marymcandrew.com

Come explore nature with me as we work indoors or out from real nature subjects and photos. Whether it’s a weekly class or one day workshop we’ll learn drawing from life techniques that will improve your artistic skills in the field and how to draw from photos in the studio. We’ll learn how to identify subjects in nature and how to draw them. We’ll learn foundation drawing skills and how to use pencil, color pencil, watercolor pencil and watercolors. I’ll also introduce NEW materials on the market (water soluble graphite and the waterbrush) and how to use them. This is a fun class that will teach you how to capture nature on paper and help bring your skills to a new level.

I can offer my class to your group, whether it’s school children or retirement homes, everyone loves my classes and has a good time learning! Please call me if you’d like to talk about the possibilities of what we can arrange.

What we’ll do in class:

Create your own Nature Journal (mostly for field classes but we can do this for indoor class also).
Create your own Art Kit.
Work with pencil, color pencil, watercolor, watercolor pencil, ink, watersoluble graphite.
Learn how to do studies of plants, flowers, birds, leaves, trees, clouds, bugs…you name it!
Identify local wildflowers, plants, birds, trees and more from our sketches using field guides.
Introduction to landscape drawing and painting
Learn basic drawing skills– value, shape, texture, gesture, shadow and light
Learn how to see “Simple Shapes” + use “Comparative Measurements”.

my email: mary@marymcandrew.com

Adults and Children Welcome in ALL my classes!!

email me to inquire, I’d love to talk to you about our next adventure!

Mary

The Burchfield Nature and Art Center Open House 3-28-08

Mary McAndrew — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:09:00 +0000

(I’m posting this late because of the car accident)
This is the Open House of the Burchfield Nature Center where I’ll be teaching Nature Sketching (for kids and adults), plein air Landscape Painting (oils), and a Fairy class if we can squeeze it in! It’s a gorgeous gallery and many acres of grounds to walk on and discover, located right outside the city of Buffalo, nestled alongside the Buffalo Creek.

Each teacher had an area to display their work, I brought some oil landscapes, watercolor birds, and a few of my Goddess oil paintings to show how I combine my love of nature and mythology. I brought my field bag and actual supplies to show people who were interested. People were very curious and loved being able to look in my sketchbook, like a glimpes into someone’s personal world. Well it ‘IS’ a glimpse into my personal world, parts of it! Every page I’ve shared here on my blog they were able to look at in person, it was great. Three times during the night, new student sign up sheets had to be printed for my Nature Sketching class!! Wow, looks like I’ll be busy!

Some guests and friends checking out my display, (me talking with my hands as usual!), Dave, an old friend from college, Ken Morgan and Gene Witkowski, some of my photographer friends. And a picture of me and Cy Alessi ,
from “Art Voice” magazine.
The last photo I’m talking to an interested student, sharing my sketchbook with her.
Check out the website for the Burchfield and view the grounds, classes etc. I’ll post pictures as I teach and explore the grounds myself.

Reinstein Woods 1-10-08

Mary McAndrew — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:27:00 +0000

Thursday, 1-10-08 Cold morning but not too bad! I visited Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve in Depew, NY. It’s an almost 300 acre preserve with forests, wetlands and ponds surrounded by suburban developments. What a surprise it is to find a place like this when you can walk in and feel like your far outside the city (Buffalo) limits but you’re not!

Today was a camera exploring day, I didn’t pull out the sketchbook. I saw turkeys, white tailed deer, a beaver (must be the warm winter) chickadees, downey woodpeckers, mallards and Canada geese. I captured so many wonderful pictures of leaves, dead ferns, lichens, mosses and fungi…but…alas the computer Gods were against me when I downloaded them! I lost almost all!!! Heavy Sigh….

But I shall be returning there often as I will be teaching my Nature Sketching class there this spring and summer. I will be planning several different days and time options to accomodate as many as I can. I might also offer a ‘fairy house + fairy making’ class! Directions to Reinstein Woods: http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1975.html and here’s another link about Reinstein Woods: http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1965.html