In the spirit of its founder, Woodbury artist and environmentalist, Natalie Van Vleck, Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust is introducing a new series of art workshops for adults, “Inspiration Comes Naturally,” at which students will learn to paint or hone their skills under the tutelage of prominent Litchfield County professional artists. Each workshop will take its subject matter from a natural setting on Flanders’ 200-acre campus. Classes are held from April to October on the first and second Thursday of the month from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at various locations at the Van Vleck Farm and Nature Sanctuary, 5 Church Hill Road in Woodbury.
Spring sessions include:
April 7 and 14 – “New Life In The Old Barn”
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The new-born animals at Flanders’ North Barn serve as subjects as students learn how to create fur and feather texture and express concepts of light and shadow in their artwork.
The instructor is a former courtroom sketch artist, Melody Asbury, who is a signature member of the International Society of Animal Artists.
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May 5 and 12- “Painting Flowers”
Students will meet on Flanders’ Botany Trail, managed by the Pomperaug Valley Garden Club, to capture the trail’s vast collection of flowers in bloom, on canvas. Instructor Dorie Petrochko works in watercolor, acrylic and gouache pigments. With a Master’s Degree in Art Education from Southern Connecticut State University, she holds a certificate in Botanical and Natural Science/Illustration from the New York Botanical Garden.
June 2 and 9 – “Blue Birds”
Flanders’ Blue Bird Trail, with its 22 nest boxes, attracts scores of bluebirds, from hatchlings to adults. Dorie Petrochko, who specializes in bird drawings and paintings, will instruct students on the techniques for capturing their artistic impressions of the blue birds.
