Art Workshop - A Poetry of Place: Charcoal Drawing

A wonderful tradition of Romantic landscape painting can be found in American art of the 19th century. From the Hudson River School to the Luminists to the tonalist painters, artists in this tradition transformed nature into personal poetic visions. The Ox-Bow campus offers a wealth of expressive elements from which to draw: water and sky, horizon and vista, shadow and reflection—both visual and spiritual. Our class will explore ways to create emotional moods, from serenity to high drama, with light. We will use charcoal and white chalk as our media.

DAVID BAKER is a visual artist who specializes in poetic landscape painting, much of it done en plein air. His studio pieces are often reinterpretations of paintings done outdoors. His principal media are watercolor, oil, and charcoal. Over the years, he has mounted more than four dozen solo exhibits. A lifelong artist and teacher, Baker recently retired as Art Professor Emeritus from Southwestern Michigan College; he has taught at Ox-Bow since 2000. He earned his MFA from Indiana State University. He is represented by Aveline Gallery, Benton Harbor, Michigan, and the Rising Phoenix Gallery, Michigan City, Indiana.