Colorist landscape paintings of rural California — Acrylics, Drawing, Mixed Media, Art teacher — online classes
Karen Lynn Ingalls is a working artist and California credentialed teacher in Napa Valley, whose artwork, including paintings, drawings, collages, and life-sized painted sculptures, has been exhibited in venues as far ranging as Lincoln Center in New York City, the Monterey Conference Center, and the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, and can be found in collections on both west and east coasts of the United States and a few places in between.
Originally a painter and drawer of people, she began painting endangered landscapes — places threatened by development — as she worked with others to save a threatened wetlands area. Enchanted by the land, its colors, and its spirit, she now paints colorist landscapes of rural California.
Karen's artwork, and articles about it, have appeared in Northern California newspapers including the San Francisco Chronicle, and a number of papers in Napa, Sonoma, and Monterey Counties. She has also been interviewed about her artwork on television station KCBS Sacramento, Channel 13, by Macy Jenkins, and radio stations KVYN in Napa, by Kellie Fuller, and KAZU in Pacific Grove, by John McNally.
You can find her artwork at Jessel Gallery in Napa and Sofie Contemporary Arts in Calistoga.
Karen teaches art classes and workshops — currently online — through the Calistoga Art Center, as well as private, group, and corporate workshops (or will once again, when we emerge into post-pandemic times). She also taught for Napa Valley College Community Education, in addition to previously teaching high school English classes. She is frequently described by her students as enthusiastic, inspiring, encouraging, and nonjudgmental.
Her long-time students are fond of saying, "She's always right!" when it comes to knowing how to create a better, stronger painting. She believes that making art in the spirit of experimentation and discovery is good for both the soul and the art.
Karen’s Statement about Teaching Art
Learning to suspend criticism and judgement can be tough. But it's absolutely essential in order for creativity to flourish. That’s why, in my classes and workshops, we don't do critiques.
Instead, I teach and demonstrate methods, techniques, and things to look for; and a process that you can take, step by step, to troubleshoot what isn’t working in a painting, and figure out how to fix it. It's all the theories you might learn in art school made practical and applicable.
We look at the examples of other painters; and we practice and try things out in a spirit of experimentation. When I meet with you individually, we talk about what your painting needs, just two of us at a time. You get the understanding you need to make better paintings; I ask you questions that will help you further see and understand what the painting needs.
Painting is, at its best, a dialogue between the painter and the canvas. At the beginning, the painter has a lot to say, but as the painting progresses, the painter needs to stop, step back, look, and listen, more and more, to learn what it is the painting wants. My intention is to teach my students how to look and listen more closely – to know what questions to ask — and to dive into the heart of the creative process.
That means trusting the process, too. When you trust the process, no matter what; you know what questions to ask; and you listen to the painting, magic happens.
Acrylic Painting Online
Taught by Karen Lynn Ingalls on ZOOM
Twelve Saturdays, May 22 - August 21, 2021
from 10 AM to1 PM Pacific Time
Plus Bonus follow-up session, Saturday, September 25, 2021
Are you looking to explore and expand your painting skills and knowledge? To learn how to make color sing in beautiful harmony in your paintings? To find, troubleshoot, and fix what isn't working in a painting? To develop and discover who you are as an artist? To get support for your creative process? This class may be exactly what you're looking for.
In this class, you will:
- Learn about color, and how to choose the colors you want to paint with
- Learn how to make color work harmoniously in your paintings, so it sings beautifully and makes your heart happy
- Discover:
- Who you are as a painter
- How that affects both your approach to the process of painting and what a painting means for you
- And how that will affect how you develop each painting
- Learn a special process to find, troubleshoot, and fix what's not working in a painting
- Learn about what goes into the design of a painting — all the elements of composition (hint: it's not just about the "Rule of Thirds"!), and how to make them work effectively as you create your paintings
- Learn different ways to approach a painting, with time-lapse video demonstrations and instruction, and looking at the work of historical and contemporary artists for inspiration and education
- Learn about the process of painting, taking it from beginning to end
- Create paintings based on what interests you
- Learn how to handle that inner critical voice that pops up every now and then to disrupt your critical process, and ensure it never bothers you again
What we'll cover will especially apply if you work from a visual reference, whether you are a painter of landscapes, still lifes, or portraits. But it can also apply to abstract paintings and mixed media with collage — contact Karen if you have any questions about that.
Our particular focus is on your development as an artist, and finding your own creative voice (no, we don't copy other people's work!). We’ll approach painting with a spirit of experimentation and discovery, so you can learn to see in new ways, apply what you’ll learn, and watch as each painting evolves and improves.
Each week we'll meet for instruction that includes slide presentations about the subjects we're covering, time-lapse video demonstrations, question-and-answer sessions, sharing what you're working on (no critiques!), and one-on-one consultations with Karen to talk with you about what you're working on.
Each workshop day will run from 10 AM to 1 PM, Pacific Daylight Time.
A month after the workshop’s end, you’ll be able to meet for a bonus session, to share what you’ve been doing; see the creative directions all the other participants are taking; and ask any questions that have come up for you in the meantime.
The class also includes handouts on everything we'll be covering, as well as:
- Karen's mini-book on Color and Composition,
- Karen's e-book Nine Ways to Tap Into Your Creativity and Tame Your Inner Critic,
- and Bonus introductory videos for you on Choosing the Colors of Your Palette; Color Mixing; and Paintbrush 101, to watch and work with before our first meeting.
This class is designed for Not-Total-Beginners, Intermediate, and More Experienced Painters. To be more specific:
If you have painted before, including at a Paint-and-Sip type of event, have learned how to use the paint and apply it to a surface, and have tried painting a few times, even though you may not have developed it much yet, this should still work for you.
If you're more experienced, but want to expand, develop, grow, and blossom as a painter — including developing your own style — this may be exactly what you're looking for!
If you've never painted before, you'll want to start with something more introductory, to learn about how to use the paint and apply it to a surface. When you've had a chance to play with that for a bit, come back when you're ready for this!
The teacher will be working in Acrylics, which does have particular advantages, but you are welcome to work in Oil Paints or Water-Mixable Oils, if you prefer those media.
Special pricing for the times we're living in — $295.00
Additional payment options — 2 payments of $150, or 3 payments of $100
NOTE: This workshop also helps support the Calistoga Art Center, currently closed to in-person classes, sustain itself until we can open our doors once more.
Location: Online, on ZOOM, from wherever you are.
