1. Welcome to the Art Studio!

Welcome to EMcGee’s Art Studio!

I’m so glad that you are joining me for class! I have been an artist and art teacher for many years. This series of online classes was created during Covid19 when my students could no longer paint in person in my studio. The unexpected outcome though has been that now you can be my student!!

Let’s Start!

Lesson Preview: Hint…the first lesson is getting to know me as a painter!

3. Lesson: Claude Monet

Lesson: Claude Monet

Let’s Begin.

Impressionism is a style of painting that tries to get the look and feel of a scene right at the moment it was painted. Monet was interested in the effects of light and its relationship with color.

Gather Materials

• Thicker White Paper (Mixed media or watercolor)

• Paint Brush

• cup with water

• tablespoon of salt

• watercolor paint (Blues and Greens)

• Oil Pastels

Did you know?

• Claude Monet’s nickname as a child was Oscar.

• Claude Monet’s nickname in his 20’s was Dandy. He liked to wear fancy shirts with ruffles sleeves.

• Monet ate beans for two months straight because he didn’t have enough money for other kinds of food.

• Monet painted from a floating Art Studio Boat when he was older.

Watch Lesson Video

Chef LaRee As Claude Monet. BEANS

Exercise 1: Single tree, different times of day and season. Light and color changes.

Exercise 2: Monet’s Bridge with water lilies

Finish Art and Share to Youth Gallery

Books I read:

Next Lesson Preview: West African Masks

4. Lesson: Nigerian Masks

Lesson Promo

Special Guest: African Art Collector- John David McGee

Let’s Begin:

Gather Materials:

• Two pieces of same size paper. Each a different color

• pencil or pen

• scissors

• glue stick or bottled glue

• (You don’t need the coffee!)

Watch Lesson:

Extra Video Clips:

African Art Collector- John David McGee Talk:

Chef LaRee Prepares Mango Salsa

Tropical Mango Salsa by Chef LaRee
2 Mangos, peeled, pit removed, diced
2 cups Papaya, peeled, seeds removed, diced
1 Ripe Avocado, pitted and diced
1/4 cup Red Onion Diced
1/2 bunch Cilantro, chopped
3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
To Taste Kosher Salt or sea salt
Juice of one lime
Mix all ingredients together except the salt. Taste and then add some of the salt. This fresh salsa is meant to be made and eaten right away.

Finish Mask and share your Art to Gallery:

• Fold each paper in half. Length wise

• cut the lighter colored paper in half along the fold

• draw 1/2 of the mask on the half of paper (demonstrated in video)

• cut and paste facial features on opposite paper (demonstrated in video)

Learn to African Dance video

Making a wooden mask video

Traditional dance with masks video

Suggested Books:

Photos of lesson in action:

Promo for next lesson: Picasso

5. Lesson: Picasso

Lesson Promo:

Picasso: Last lesson we explored West African Masks. This class we shift our focus to Pablo Picasso. This Spanish artist was greatly influenced by masks and often painted his figures wearing them.

Let’s Begin:

Before watching EMcGee, watch these two videos about Picasso’s life.

Gather Materials:

• Blank Paper

• Oil Pastels or Crayons

• watercolor paints

• paint brush

• pencil

• small cup of water

Did you know:

• Pablo Picasso could draw before he could talk?

• Picasso’s father was an artist who spent much time painting pictures of pigeons?

• Picasso was so poor when he first moved to Paris that he painted furniture and bookcases on his walls to make the apartment feel full.

• Picasso got married lots of times and many girlfriends. He married his last wife at age Eighty.

Watch LESSON VIDEO:

How Masks influenced Picasso’s Art:

Additional videos of Picasso drawing:

Finish painting & Share to Gallery.

Books I Read:

Fun Photos from EMcGee’s Studio.

Promo for Next Lesson:

6. Gee's Bend Quilters

Lesson: Gee’s Bend Quilters

Let’s Begin:

Gather Materials:

• paper

• scissors

• glue

• magazine (to cut up)

• colors (crayons, oil pastels, markers, or colored pencils)

WATCH LESSON VIDEO:

Visit Gee’s Bend, Alabama

Other great videos to watch:

Show off Your paper quilt designs.

FINISH ART AND SHARE TO YOUTH GALLERY

Resource Suggestion:

NEXT LESSON: Outdoor Watercolor Painting

7. Watercolor Summer Excursion 1

SUMMER Watercolor Painting

Let’s Start:

Welcome to Youth Art Studio 2. Part 2.

It is time to grab your watercolor paints and head outside. This series of videos are fun and full of imperfections. The wind blows paper around, the bright sunlight prevents seeing the light shades of paint in the wetlands video, and sometimes lawn mowers interrupt my teaching. Welcome to the adventure of outdoor painting.

Gather Your Materials:

• Watercolor paint

• brushes

• watercolor paper

• pencil

• fine black ink pen

• cup of water

• paper towels

• masking or blue painters tape

Watch Teaching Videos:

Lesson 1. Painting in the car. (Rest Stop in Pennsylvania)

Lesson 2. Perspective. (Crescent Court. Louisville, Kentucky)

Lesson 3. Bridge Architecture. (Ohio River, Louisville, Kentucky)

Lesson 4: Maine Wetlands (Falmouth, Maine)

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SHARE YOUR WORK:

Upload your Watercolor sketches to the Youth Art Facebook Page!

8. Watercolor Summer Excursion 2

Lesson 8: Town Landing Beach, Falmouth, Maine

Plein Air Painting (Outside Painting) always requires flexibility and Ingenuity. A friend let me paint from her deck, use the wifi for my computer, and her covered hot tub became my table.

Let’s Start:

Go outside in your yard, on a porch, or by a window. It’s time to paint! In this lesson you will be with me in Falmouth, Maine on the Casco Bay. It’s a foggy summer morning so the usual blue sky and water are shrouded in mist. This provides a perfect environment for our class to learn watercolor Drip Techniques.

GATHER YOUR MATERIALS:

• Watercolor paint

• brushes

• watercolor paper

• pencil

• fine black ink pen

• cup of water

• paper towels

• masking or blue painters tape

Watch Video:

Share Your Art:

Look at some of the paintings that students created from the lesson. Now upload your art to out Youth Studio Page. We all want to see it!

Next Lesson Preview: Cousins Island, Yarmouth, Maine

9. Watercolor Summer Excursion 3

Cousins Island Bridge. Yarmouth, Maine

Lesson Promo video:

Let’s Start:

Gather Materials:

• Watercolor paint

• brushes

• watercolor paper

• pencil

• fine black ink pen

• cup of water

• paper towels

• masking or blue painters tape

Just a note. I created both watercolor and oil paintings in this location on the same day. Images on this lesson’s page are all of those works. Watercolor paintings look very different. It’s fun to see how different kinds of paintings can be made with various materials.

Watch Lesson Video:

Continue Working. Upload to Youth Art Gallery:

Post your painting to our Youth Art Studio Gallery. I’m so excited to see it!

Thank you so much for joining me in my Maine Art Studio! I am so excited that we could paint together.

EMcGee’s Other Art Classes:

Contact me with any suggestions.

SEE YOU SOON! Keep Painting!