Carnegie Hall’s Spring Classes & Workshops Series continues with Teaching Artist John Coffey leading watercolor workshops. Coffey will teach Painting Textures in Watercolors on Saturday, Apr. 27, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and a new workshop, Plein Air Watercolor Landscapes, on Saturday, May 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Limited Scholarships are available for students 50 years of age and older for both classes. All materials will be provided by the instructor.
The Painting Textures in Watercolor is a four-hour class that will concentrate on techniques for painting old buildings, such as old barns and houses. The class is designed for students of all experience levels, but some basic drawing skill will be helpful. More advanced students may bring their own brushes.
Plein Air Watercolor Landscapes is a new specialty watercolor workshop at Carnegie Hall, where classes will be taught en plein air (live, outdoor) on the Ivy Terrace, weather permitting. Designed for all experience levels, this class will focus on painting watercolor landscapes. The class will also include instruction in drawing and sketching basic cloud types and tree shapes and will explore the different materials and techniques used in watercolor painting.
John Coffey is a watercolorist specializing in landscapes and buildings, primarily in and around southern West Virginia but also other parts of the world. He grew up in Monroe and McDowell Counties, and currently lives in Mercer County, WV.
Coffey majored in art at Concord College in the 1960s, where he took only one watercolor course and decided the medium wasn’t for him. In the late 1980s he had a change of heart and decided to teach himself to paint with watercolor. When he made the connection between drawing and watercolor, he achieved some small degree of success.
Coffey is currently a member of the West Virginia Watercolor Society as well as being a Tamarack juried artisan and a past member of the Mahoning Valley Watercolor Society, the Appalachian Artist Association and the Beckley Art Group. He has held one-man shows at the Chuck Mathena Center, Princeton, WV; Sister’s Coffeehouse, Princeton, WV; Carrington’s Coffeehouse, Bluefield, WV; Neighbors Arts and Crafts, Princeton, WV; and the Payne Gallery, Bluefield, WV.
His awards include Tamarack’s Best of West Virginia show 2011 – Award of Merit; Beckley Art Group / Cynthia Bickey Gallery, West Virginia Memories Show – Best of Show, and various awards at other Beckley Art Group shows; Various first, second, third, honorable mention and best of show awards from Appalachian Artist Association and Mahoning Valley Watercolor Society shows.
To enroll or for a complete list of classes and workshops visit carnegiehallwv.org/classes-and-workshops or pick up a Classes & Workshops brochure at 611 Church Street, Lewisburg.
Carnegie Hall WV is a member-driven nonprofit organization supported by individual contributions, grants, and fundraising efforts such as TOOT and The Carnegie Hall Gala. The Hall is located at 611 Church Street, Lewisburg. For more information, please call 304-645-7917 or visit www.carnegiehallwv.org.
