Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Emily Fitting, an artist from the Downtown Art Place in Ironwood, teaches participants how to paint an abstract nature composition in a class at the DAP Art Park on Tuesday.
By ZACHARY MARANO
Ironwood - The Downtown Art Place offered a nature painting class on Tuesday. The class was held outdoors at the DAP Art Park, which is the green space across the street from the Downtown Art Place between Mattson's TV & Appliance Inc. and the former bookstore on East Aurora Street.
Class participants used acrylic paint to create compositions with abstract backgrounds and then added botanical elements that overlayed on top of the background, such as flowers and leaves. The canvas, paint and other art supplies were provided by the organizers.
The class was taught by Emily Fitting, an artist from the DAP.
"(The goal of the project is) artistic exploration with color, shape and form. Understanding the beauty of nature and how organic shapes and form can be beautiful in themselves. It's just an exercise in self-expression and form making," Fitting said.
During the class, Fitting provided step-by-step instructions for creating the composition and provided assistance to the participants as needed.
Fitting said that the class looked to their immediate surroundings for inspiration. She said that simply being outdoors allows an artist to connect with nature and see different kinds of leaves and flowers.
Tuesday's event was the third time that Fitting taught a DAP Summer Class in 2021. She said that she has taught classes on botanical illustration, abstract painting, geometrical forms and cubism at the DAP in the past.
Fitting said that she is an Ironwood native who recently moved back to the area to start a family. She has a background in graphic and web design and has been involved at the DAP for about three years.
The DAP is also offering classes at the DAP Clay Studio today and in the DAP Art Park on Thursday. Both classes will take place from 9-11 a.m. Thursday's class, which will be taught by Arlene Schneller, is the last program on the 2021 DAP Summer Classroom Schedule. A registration form for these classes can be downloaded on downtownartplace.com.
