Studio Renovation Update

I took a little time off from renovating the new studio to have some fun in Chicago. But now I'm back framing in closets and bathrooms and windows.

Here is the basement.  It is one of the only shots you will see of it because it is not much to look at. I find it funny that this small house had a 50 gallon water heater.

The closet and the bathroom are now two separate spaces. Closet on the right, bathroom on the left.

This is a hole in the wall for a new window. It is covered by a shower curtain to keep the rain out. 

Now it is not covered.

Now it has a new window in it.

I purchased three matching windows at Building Materials Outlet in Eagan, MN. Got a great deal on them! I'm a little behind schedule but am hoping to have it ready for a workshop or class before the holiday.  There will definitely be an open house in November. 

I am looking forward to having a warm, welcoming and dedicated space for teaching art classes.

Learn Oil Painting Without the Mess and Cost: No Fuss Oil Painting Class at Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio

At Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio, starting in late April, you can learn how to oil paint without all the fuss of material costs and mess.

No Fuss Beginning Oil Painting (6 Sessions)

Have you ever wanted to try oil painting? Have you hesitated because of the mess and cost of materials?  Learn the basics of oil painting in a relaxed and supportive environment without purchasing materials. Materials are provided and you can keep your wet messy canvases at the studio until they are dry. Class includes instructional demonstrations, discussion and plenty of time to paint. Class will cover choosing subjects, creating a composition, and mixing color while working your way through the different stages of creating a painting from start to finish. At the end of this class you will feel comfortable approaching a blank canvas and creating your own unique painting. And you will know if you want to invest more in oil painting.

Wednesdays, April 22 - May 27, 2015
6:30pm - 9:00pm
Cost: $175
Register for and see other classes here

Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio One Year Anniversary

Today marks the one year anniversary of the opening of Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio.  It has been a fun year!

 Many classes in watercolor, botanical art and drawing have been offered.  There also were a few workshops and an oil painting class. I would like to thank everyone who has taken a class here at "the Pulpit."  I have enjoyed meeting each of you and I thank you for not only sharing your art talents, but also your lives.  Classes continue with the current round of classes beginning tomorrow night.  Check them out here.


I also have enjoyed having a well lit and spacious studio for my own painting.  It is the best studio space I have ever had -- and I am painting more because of it.  You can check out my most recent oil paintings at my personal website: markgranlund.com.

I am looking forward to this next year.  I have mostly promoted the classes through word-of-mouth and hope the Pulpit will slowly grow as a place where people can learn a solid understanding of how to create art and also have an opportunity to take the ol' creativity-car out for a spin.

My hope is that there will be some big changes this second year with the studio teaching space moving to the house next door to mine.  I am in the process of buying the property and am excited to have a separate space just for classes -- plus it will be really cute when I'm done.

I am also hoping to announce a project I am working on with World Without Genocide.  But I will wait until we hear about a grant we applied for.

Thank you all for your support!

Demos from Last Week's Art Classes at Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio

Here are some demos from last week's classes.

In the Watercolor Wednesday class we learned how to make strong color with only one layer of paint.  This is a small demo painting of some pencils bound by two blue rubber bands. Class will be held again this Wednesday and anyone can come on any Wednesday, as it is pay as you go.  For more info: www.jackinthepulpitstudio.com.

Here are some pencil drawings of an orchid, from the Botanical Drawing class on Thursday nights. We were learning about shape and shading.

We also learned about negative shape and positive shape. and did some shading exercises.

All in all a fun week of classes at Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio.  Up coming classes include a Flower Painting class and a painting event on painting like Arthur Dove.  For more class info, go to: www.jackinthepulpitstudio.com.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio: The Future of this Small Art Teaching Studio

In the next three months I hope to purchase the property next door to me with the intent of creating a small one-room schoolhouse setting with gardens for teaching art. The new Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio will be approximately 18 feet by 19 feet and will be surrounded by gardens of native and hybridized plants.  Classes will be held to a maximum of eight to ten students, depending on table arrangement. Jack-in-the-Pulpit will not be offering children's classes or camps - only classes for adults (and the occasional interested teenager). Some may ask what is the profit of such a small art school that is so limited in its offerings?

I created the educational department and ran the art classes at the Como Zoo and Conservatory from 1994 - 2004.  I raised over $500,000 in grants for arts and environmental classes. We ran camps and had more children's classes (and birthday parties) than can be counted. I understand the fiscal realities of the large art centers that seem to be popping up in every Twin City suburb - to make a go of it you have to have children's classes, have large beginner classes, receive grants and still need the support of your municipality.  Yet again, Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio will not be offering children's classes, will not have large classes, or write for operational or program grants from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council or anyone else.

Why will Jack-in-the-Pulpit not run like most other community art schools/centers in the Twin Cities?  Quite frankly, I find this model of creating arts opportunities onerous.  It is a treadmill that drives one down back alleys and dead ends in order to keep the money flowing.  It is a non-stop revolving calendar of events and activities that needs to be fed.  It is a model based on financing that neither provides a living for teaching artists or takes students much beyond hobbydom. Once your programming gets on this treadmill it needs to grow to keep up with the overhead - or else live off of someone else's largess. In the latter case, largess often comes with stipulations and is not sustainable for the long term.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit looks to circumvent this treadmill by focusing on only a few media and genres of art.  It will focus on only one essential audience: adult learners.  The purpose is to be personal, to shift with the individuals who are coming to learn art, to meet the students where they are at.  Two examples of this is:
- This winter some students taking watercolor class realized how important drawing skills are and asked for a class on drawing.  The class began two weeks after the watercolor class had completed
-  This summer, the Wednesday Watercolor - Whatever class will allow students who cannot afford the weekly fee to barter for the class - a pot of soup, or whatever, for an evenings lesson

I will write more later about the individual and creativity and how to best foster this. But, I wanted to take this time to put out there in writing what I am interested in doing with Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio, my approach to programming, and my hopes for the future.  I hope to take this project down a different road than what has been seen in the Twin Cities arts education scene: nothing large, something personal and responsive in a beautiful natural environment.  

Stay tuned, see what happens. If nothing else, it will be interesting.

Roddie the Rooster

Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio does not have a mascot, but Roddie the Rooster has been a central part of our still-life displays that we work from.

So, I sat down the other day and made a quick watercolor portrait of Roddie. I hope you enjoy it.

Roddie was the present of a friend and I have had him for a few years. Originally, I was going to repaint part of him, and then my friend would paint another part of him.  We would pass him back and forth until he was completely repainted in our two varying styles. We never did lay a brush on him.

Video: Trees in Ink Workshop

You asked for it... well, actually, you didn't.  But here is the video of the Trees in Ink workshop  this last weekend at Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio.  It was a great workshop with some really hard working artists.  We explored many techniques for using pens and brushes when creating trees in ink. Many thanks to all the students who made this fun and thanks also to Emily Samsel for the music to this video.



For more information about workshops and classes, visit www.jackinthepulpitstudio.com.

Students Response to Classes at Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio

Having completed the first round of classes at Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio, here are a couple of responses from students:

"No matter what level of art study we may be at, Mark’s teaching style is easy-going and quite helpful with individual instruction. The new art studio setting feels warm, welcoming and relaxed. I am really looking forward to the next class of drawing trees in ink and giving my creativity a jump start into spring!"

-Sandy Tuzinski (Bloomington)

"I came away from the Botanical Watercolor class excited to do more painting. Mark is a skilled artist and encouraging teacher, with the ability to be clear in his descriptions and inspiring in his demos. We had a great time on Tuesday nights, he creates a fun and light-hearted atmosphere in his inviting home-studio."   

-Amy Kirkpatrick

Donated Plants

The students in my recent classes have been so generous.  Here are some plants that have been donated to Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio:

African violet

Begonia

Dried plant parts: holly, rosehips, pine cones, tree bark and seeds

Shamrock - leaves are closed as it is a night class

Christmas cactus from Claudia

I have also received two vines from my sister that are in intensive care at the moment before being unleashed on my students.  I have purchased another shelf unit to hold them.  Maybe some day Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio will have a plant library - you will be able to take one home to work on your assignments.  I will be adding gardens in my backyard this summer that we will be able to draw and paint. Plants are always welcome, as long as they are healthy and come without hitchhikers (aphids, scale, etc.).

Thank you so much to these students who have donated these plants. Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio is supposed to be more than what I can create alone. 

Class Demo - Sketch to First Wash

This last week I worked with the Introduction to Botanical Watercolor class, showing them how to proceed from a sketch, to transferring a drawing to watercolor paper and then applying the first wash of color.

This African violet plant is my subject.

This is my sketch of the plant - locating and plotting the shapes

I transferred the sketch to tracing paper while changing and improving some shapes.

Here is the drawing after it was transferred to watercolor paper and a first wash of color is added.

Art Classes: Drawings Made During Class

Here are a few drawings that I made during class demonstrations and drawing time.  If you are interested in taking a class at Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio, check the schedule here.

Ink Drawing of bromeliad leaves

Ink drawing of leaf coming off stem

Negative space drawing

Drawing: The Basic Elements Class

Here are just a few photos from tonight's class, Drawing - The Basic Elements.  This was the first class and we worked on developing our observational skills, understanding line and how our different pencils work. It was a very pleasant evening of gesture drawing, contour line drawing and creating thumbnail sketches.

Blind contour line drawing of a plant - I think.

Working hard

Working large on gesture

Not too late if you want to join us. 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio Final Update

Here is the final update on the class space before classes begin on Tuesday.

Here are two of the chairs. Colorful wooden Windsor chairs.Very comfortable.

This is the eastwall that you enter through. Here are the old original window and slice of siding. And the clock, small bookcase and bulletin board. The bright green room down the hallway is the bathroom. Yes, our own private bathroom!

This is the north wall with tables.

And finally the south wall with closet and a view of the hallway. And the small but growing plant collection. Soon there will be a second set of shelves with more plants I am very excited to be teaching in this space!

There is still time to register for a class! Check the schedule here.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio - Studio Update

With less than a week before classes start, here are some pics of the teaching art studio almost done.

Here are two shots of the two sides of the teaching studio. It has a very pleasant feel to it. Tomorrow I will be installing one more set of tracklights and finishing a couple of electrical things.  I am working on creating a pleasant balance of warm lights for ambience and bright cool lights for seeing and making art - just part of making the best private studio in the Twin Cities for learning techniques to create fine art and botanical art. In the daytime, the windows let in wonderful sunlight.

Another wall of the studio. Here you see the door (sans knob - soon to come), a small bookcase, an original window in the original exterior wall of the house and a slice of the exposed original siding to the house (built in 1900). The bookcase will have art and botanical books. Above the books will be a bulletin board and clock.  Here people can find information about the groups and businesses Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio is partnering with: Minnesota State Horticultural Society, Terrace Horticultural Books and Dreamland Arts Theater. The clock, well, that will be to tell time.

This is the door to the teaching studio (sans knob - soon to come).

 

I have a matching door to my private studio off the same hall (sans knob - soon to come).

We re-stained the stairway and will hopefully paint the walls this weekend.

Yes, there is a lot more work to do, like stripping and painting some trim. Here is an in-progress shot.

There has been much work done to make this studio a great place to teach and to learn. Several people have volunteered their time and help.  One former student (and future student, I hope) is donating some cabinets and a microwave. This weekend I will be picking up chairs and tables. This spring, we will be getting out into the yard and making gardens to paint in. I hope you can be a part of this fun adventure to provide quality art instruction.  Classes start next week - click here for info.

Teaching Studio Update

 

Changes are happening in the teaching studio as I am getting closer to the first class beginning. Above you see the general room so far.  Floor is painted, and walls and ceilings are being patched, too. It is interesting how the room seems to grow or shrink in size with each change.

 

The teaching studio is part of a newer addition to the home. A unique feature is the original window in the former exterior wall of the old house. The first image is of looking into the window from the stairway and the second is looking from the studio out into the stair and hallways. 

 I need to patch the ceiling.

 

I removed a closet wall and underneath one of the studs was the original siding from the house. I am leaving this strip to show the old siding, which is near the original window shown above.

This is the present stairway.

This is the current hallway floor.  The floor, when I bought the house, was covered with masonite and linoleum tile.  I will be fixing this up and painting it to match the studio floor, along with fixing trim, etc. I'm looking forward to the first students who will use this space starting January 7.