SIGN UP for Art Classes & Workshops at the Sedona Arts Center

Come join us in the cool of the classroom and imagine dipping your feet into the waters of Oak Creek!  We will be working from photo reference to learn to simplify and compose scenes from the creek.  Composition and simplification are key elements in producing successful paintings, whether it is from photo reference or in plein air.  It all applies!

Through demonstration and one-on-one instruction, students will learn to throw a variety of forms on the potter’s wheel or techniques to create hand-built works. Slab roller, extruder and forms are also available to create functional and decorative pieces. Class sessions are 6-weeks long and meet once/week.

Dennis Ott has been the head of the Arts Center’s Ceramics Department for over 22 years. Along the way he organized workshops in Italy, taught clay on the Navajo Reservation, built a kiln in Nicaragua, and interacted with many clay artists organizing presentations and exhibitions.

Dennis received the Sedona Mayor’s Arts Award for art instruction in 2017. In 2018 Dennis was awarded the Arizona Governor’s Arts Award for an individual arts instructor.

Dennis Ott, Instructor and Head of the Ceramics Dept

Ceramics – Advanced
August 26–September 30 : Mondays from 4 to 7pm
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Ceramics – All Levels
August 27–October 1 : Tuesdays from 9am to 12pm  
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Ceramics – All Levels
August 28–October 2 : Wednesdays from 9am to 12pm
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This six-week course focuses on developing, strengthening and advancing one’s skills using the potters wheel, as well as understanding the properties of clay in order to expand one’s potential to architecturally create a version of what one envisions. Have fun, gain knowledge and confidence.

In today’s technological world, even professional photographers and artists are recognizing the iPhone as a useful (and even practical) photographic tool. Join photographer artist, Kelli Klymenko in his one-day class for beginner and advanced students and you’ll go beyond the basics and learn to shoot professional quality photographs with your iPhone.

You will learn how to shoot, edit and share remarkable landscapes, portraits and the macro world around you using only your iPhone. Kelli will guide you through simple tips and tricks that will take your photography to the next level. Discover how to capture the essence of a place and your subjects rather than just taking a picture. You will also learn basic video and video editing techniques for use with apps such as Facebook and Instagram.

• Learn how to get the highest resolution images on your iPhone and apps
• Practice creative techniques including HDR (High Dynamic Range)
• Shoot panoramas
• Learn about the latest editing, filters and stylizing apps
• Learn about iPhone equipment: remotes, tripods and more
• Learn how to use the hottest new tools on your iPhone

This will be an In-Person class, to join this class virtually, click here

This course is designed exclusively for those who are new to wheel work and is open for ages 12 through adult. Have fun while gaining confidence on the potter’s wheel. Learn the throwing fundamentals and the skills necessary to throw cylinders, bowls, mugs and plates. Glazing will also be demonstrated.  Small class size ensures that each student receives personalized, one-on-one instruction and encouragement for a fascinating hands-on experience that will bring out the potter in you.

Drawing is the foundation for everything else! A gateway to mastering other visual art forms, drawing is also an entryway to mindfulness. Time slows down. You become very present. And the truth is, when you draw something, you see it differently and somehow more profoundly.

Storyteller Claire Obermarck presents The Sea, The Sea using her magical way of telling stories to stir new visual ideas for artists and their work.  Over the three sessions–sea myths, legends, and folklore will lead participants through whispered legends and uncharted waters, where The Sea holds both treasure and terror.  These tales remind the listener of the awe-inspiring power and the untamed majesty of the deep waters that surround us.

Claire will present different stories for each session. The elements of the story will be discussed among the group and the different ways the story can be interpreted visually, including exploring the use of symbolism.  Participants will then be encouraged to sketch, paint, journal or use any medium of their choice, to incorporate elements of the story into their own work.

The Intuitive process gives creatives the unique opportunity to stretch beyond their boundaries, to express emotion and discover the unexpected.

We will create artwork that has something to say, whether it is in the literal sense of using words or simply knowing how to place color and textures so that your work lures the viewer in to seek and enjoy more. We will focus on abstracting the human figure and will use different mediums to create a powerful, expressive composition that is deeply personal.

Art speaks volumes. In this workshop I will guide you in harnessing your intuitive creativity and creating visual storylines that uncover the power to express in your own unique voice.

Join us for inspiring demonstrations, lectures, encouragement and practice. You’ll learn how to coax hints of reality from an abstract background, how to integrate collage imagery, how to control values and colors for emotional emphasis, and how to suggest rather than delineate. You’ll explore working intuitively, responding to what shows up, working in a series, mixing and utilizing neutrals for softer, more ethereal abstracts.

We’ll touch on notions of confidence, procrastination, vulnerability, curiosity, courage, talent, play, inspiration, intuition, your mean critic, metaphor, symbolic elements, competition, marketing, your belief systems, finding balance, and more! There will be plenty of time for “playing” and creating along with individual attention and guidance.

In this workshop you will learn the basic concepts of Nature Journaling and overview and practice of illustration and watercolor.  Ed and Julie are both experienced hikers and began Nature Journaling many years ago while living in Phoenix. They have honed their process, focus and skills over the years and will share with their students a fun way to enhance their outdoor and hiking experience while creating a journal documenting their travels.

This one-day workshop will involve an up to 2.5 mile hike at a location in Sedona to be determined. 

This workshop pushes you out of your safe zone and into a brand new, looser, abstract direction drawing and painting the contemporary nude. You will learn expressive painting techniques for the modern painter. If you ever wanted to learn how to paint the freestyle abstract figure, this workshop is for you. Color is explained and explored. You will learn the 12 Design Compositions for a successful painting. Your “drawing the nude” skills are not a prerequisite.

The second day of the workshop will include working directly with the live model in a variety of undraped, partially draped and nude poses. You will do lots of paint sketching, gestural drawing and finger painting techniques.

The third day – be prepared to paint looser, bolder, freer, lighter and more intuitively. The model will transform into one of Burridge’s “Lounge Ladies” with imaginative sets and playful costumes!

There is plenty of time for action-filled painting exercises, demos and personalized attention in the form of critiques and comments. All water soluble paints are welcomed. Materials list provided on this page – click the Materials List tab above. PDF handouts will be provided.

For more scholarship information, policy updates and to apply: CLICK HERE