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Spring Workshops: The Watauga County Arts Council’s Perfect Antidote to the High Country Winter Blues

Feb. 5, 2015. Are you tiring of winter with its cold winds, snow and ice, and wrestling into and out of your overcoat? If so, the Watauga County Arts Council has just the thing to lift your spirits and brighten your day!

The Arts Council has just released the Spring Workshop Series. These 37 workshops and classes will last all the way up until Memorial Day, at which point the Arts Council plans to launch into its Summer Series!

The Spring Workshop Series is aimed at adults, with a wide variety of offerings designed to appeal to just about anyone. There are workshops featuring watercolor painting, acrylic painting, painting landscapes, painting on tile, painting on glass, and even painting with your bare hands using pulp!

artscouncilBut if painting’s not your favorite activity, why not try creating portraits in pencil, pen and ink and colored pencil preceded by an initial demonstration workshop designed to show you how easy it can be to achieve a realistic look if you know some of the tricks of the trade. Or if you’d prefer to get your hands just a little dirtier, why not try designing your own scarf created from a basic white silk scarf and ending up with a colorful, flowing accessory you will be proud to wear. Or perhaps you’d prefer to work with gourds, dying, lining, weaving and adorning them with natural materials.

Included in the series are six workshops which are part of the Arts Council’s Business of Art Series, (workshops to empower artists with tools to help them succeed). This spring these workshops range from marketing and social media, to digital photography, to creating digital images from paintings, to compiling a high quality artist portfolio.

Four of this spring’s Business of Art series are co-sponsored by Watauga County Economic Development Commission and Handmade in America, which enables the Arts Council to offer significant discounts on tuition to member artists.

The Arts Council doesn’t limit their offerings to workshops and short-term experiences. They also offer drawing classes for children, and guitar, mandolin, and flute lessons for all ages.

If you’re asking, “Where are the Children’s Art Activities or Summer Camps?, the Arts Council is asking for your help in putting Youth Art Education Series together. Currently they have a survey link on their website (www.watauga-arts.org) and their Facebook page. By completing a 10 question survey on time and date preferences, parents will be rewarded with a $10 gift certificate which may be used on any workshop, classes, or lessons offered by the Arts Council. With the help of the results of this survey the Arts Council is hoping to begin offering a full slate of children’s activities lasting into the summer. The targeted date for the release of this information is late March.

To learn more about these workshops, classes, and lessons go to www.watauga-arts.org and use the “Online Store” link. There you can browse all the workshops and sign up online using PayPal or your credit card. If you prefer to register in person, come by the Blue Ridge ArtSpace or call 828-264-1789.