The brick building on East Dover Street with the high arched windows trimmed in white may look unassuming, but on any given weekend the inside is filled with easels, artists and enthusiasm. This summer, Easton Studio & School begins its fourth year in business and continues to gain recognition as a highly respected fine art establishment.

Whatever it is that students of art seek out; this school seems to have it.

Local art guild owners Carl Tankersley and artist Nancy Tankersley partnered with nationally recognized artist Louis Escobedo and his wife Yolanda to open Easton Studio & School in July 2009. Offering top quality instruction by nationally known professional artists, the school has significantly increased its enrollment, attracting students and instructors from 33 states and Canada.

The majority of workshops offered are oil painting workshops; be it in studio or en plein air (the act of painting outdoors). However, demand has increased for more specific genres such as portrait painting, color theory, drawing, pastel and watercolor. Most are open to all levels and average from two to four days in length. “We put a lot of thought into our workshop content and instructor selection,” explains Yolanda Escobedo, Operations Director. “Each has his or her individual style of teaching and areas of expertise within their medium.”

“Not only do we have a cadre of artists who are top notch,” says Director of Faculty Louis Escobedo. “But the caliber of instruction is high. Many have been conducting workshops with us since we began and the list keeps growing.” Artists such as Carolyn Anderson, Kim English, and Carol Marine are in such demand that they are scheduled for more than one workshop per year or could have long wait lists. Local artist instructors such as Tim Bell and Sara Linda Poly are also a big draws.

One of the new instructors on the docket this year is the somewhat “edgy” California painter William Wray. Other newcomers include Carol Marine, Texas-based artist known for her “a painting a day” concept; plein air acrylic artist Marcia Burtt; and Colorado artists Kevin Weckbach and Jordan Wolfson.

Students tend to register for workshops taught by artists they have been following or are simply attracted to their style of painting. “When I saw that Kim English was teaching on the East Coast, I was thrilled,” says one student from North Carolina. “I need to loosen up in my work and I knew Kim was the artist who could help me do just that.”

Workshops typically begin with a demonstration by the instructor and perhaps a slide show, interspersed with questions and comments by observing participants. Then it is off to the day’s painting location for plein air workshops or work will begin in the studio from a thoughtfully arranged still life or intently posed model. Whichever the case, the objective is the same – learning to see differently; like a painter, like an artist – concentrating on shapes, the quality of light, shadows, and the repetition of patterns – always comparing and contrasting as you work. The instructor provides as much individual attention to the students as possible during the course of the workshop and constructive critiques are common on the last day.

Portrait painter and gallery owner Betty Huang of Easton would not miss the chance to study with Illinois portrait artist William Schneider. “I make it a priority to free up my schedule to study with Bill when he comes to Easton Studio & School,” Betty says. “After taking his workshop, I am able to approach my work with new insight and renewed confidence.”

The rewards of participating in a workshop are reaped not only by the student but by the instructor. “I find great joy in sharing what I love through my workshops, not to mention the pleasure of doing so on the Eastern Shore,” explains Wisconsin based plein air instructor Ken DeWaard. “At the end of the day, I want my students to learn to loosen up, enjoy the process, and walk away with the tools they need to take their painting to the next level.”

This year, the school began offering weekly one-day open painting clinics with Nancy Tankersley. There is no formal instruction, but it offers the opportunity to paint in a studio environment with other artists who are unable to make the commitment to a workshop.

Indeed the future of Easton Studio & School looks bright and the 2013 schedule is already in the works. What began as a vision of establishing a national art studio and school on the East Coast has become a reality.

Easton Studio & School is located at 307 East Dover Street in Easton. To learn more, call 410-770-4421, or visit www.eastonstudioandschool.com
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As Master Printer Kevin Garber walked me through his Bozman studio, my naivete about this art form and its versatility quickly became apparent. There is much more to the medium than I ever imagined, and after visiting with this talented artist, I have become a true fan.

Although several of Kevin’s prints hang on the walls, many are leaning against shelves full of art books, lying on table tops, neatly tucked away in levels of deep drawers, or propped up randomly throughout the sunlit room. There are prints in various sizes, colors and techniques. Some are monochromatic, some multi-colored. They range in subject from people to wildlife. None, however, lack in interest or creativity. “I love nature,” says Kevin. “Especially birds. This is my Valdez Crane; you know, from the oil spill.” He points to a large, somewhat dramatic image of the oil-soaked bird. It is extraordinary in its sheer uniqueness. Not all of Kevin’s feathered friends are recreated in such large scale. “I’m working on a series of smaller birds lately and it is great fun,” he says.

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What soon becomes apparent is Kevin’s versatility. Eyes wandering, I am intrigued by some beautiful, somewhat abstract, figure work. They turn out to be watercolor prints; Garber’s medium of choice. “I will work the image on a piece of grained Plexiglas, drop a piece of paper on top, run it through the press, and it transfers the image. The “guide” or drawing is underneath the glass.”

Beneath this artist’s humble persona lies an impressive background. Kevin’s art career began at the York Academy of Art in Pennsylvania (now known as the Pennsylvania School of Art) in 1976. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Art degree at Millersville University and his Masters at the University of Nebraska. It wasn’t long after graduation that Washington University in St. Louis “snatched him up”, hiring Kevin as a Fine Art print instructor, lecturer, and Master Printer of their Collaborative Print Workshop.

For the next ten years, Garber found himself working alongside internationally known visiting artists as well as his students on all methods of printmaking. “The majority of my work at the University was to publish the visiting artists and help them with their presentations.” says Kevin. “The shop would make a small edition of prints, the artists would take home half and the school would retain the other half. Since the program was funded, it allowed us to do some pretty cutting edge stuff.”

As if mastering printmaking were not enough, add sculpture, ornamentals, murals, and other large scale work to this artist’s repertoire. “After opening Fishing Creek Studios in St. Louis back in 1996,” Kevin explains, “I began seeking out site-specific public work. It wasn’t until my affiliation with another sculpture studio that I had the space required to take on large scale 3-D projects.” Working mainly with the architecture and interior design trades, Garber’s commissions began to include sculpture and ornament work for mixed use developments and other public art spaces.

Twelve years later Kevin did what many artists find the need to do – reinvent themselves. He and his wife, writer and photographer Kathy Bosin, moved to the Eastern Shore and began looking for new studio space. Kevin found the perfect spot in Wittman and quickly befriended his new landlord and custom furniture maker, Jim McMartin of McMartin & Beggins. “One day, Jim told me he had some of his late father Philip Martin’s woodcuts from the early 60s he wanted to show me,” Kevin recalls. “He proceeded to pull out a bunch of these things. One by one, I watched him reveal wonderful, stylized black and white woodcut prints of local history – particularly the watermen’s way of life. I was blown away!” Each sugar pine plank had been remarkably crafted, beginning with a line drawing into which McMartin would carve his vision. What ends up being printed is nothing short of amazing.

Now the “official publisher and agent” of the McMartin woodcuts, Kevin is currently working on printing a special edition of them for shows and collectors. He offers to do a demonstration of one and I gladly accept, awaiting the reveal with childlike anticipation. Relying on his upper body weight, Kevin presses down and rubs the wood with a piece of glass block. “Philip McMartin actually used a wooden spoon” he says, smiling. “It’s funny; I find that the smell of the ink lifting off of that wood and on to paper still excites me.” I can certainly understand why.

Kevin’s work can be found in the Kemper Art Museum and Island Press at Washington University as well as in collections throughout the country, including the Whitney Art Museum in New York City. He continues to work on developing new techniques and shares his love of printmaking through lectures and workshops.

The Philip McMartin print edition will be exhibited at the Art Academy Museum in Easton beginning April 5^th. They will be custom framed by Jim McMartin and offered for sale.

To learn more about Kevin’s work or to visit his studio, call 314- 497-4244.
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