Date: 5th March 2010

Time: 7pm – midnight.

“The time has come,” the Walrus said….. for the Fourth First Friday.

On show will be photographs by Jackie Rado. Jackie is a portrait photographer based in Bangkok specialising in personally commissioned portraits of families, children, babies, maternity, as well as larger groups, celebrations and weddings. Her warmth and candid portrayal of the subject is also apparent in her travel photography, capturing a variety of individuals and events around Asia and further afield. Further, as a passionate and enthusiastic coach, Jackie teaches the theory and practice of phtoography in the classroom and outside on location.

See examples of her work at www.jackieradophotography.com.

Also on display are brass sculptures by Belgian artist Paul De Blieck, from his ‘Muule’ series.
Painting demonstration by Thai artist Weerasak Booncher will take place down stairs and life drawing will be on as usual upstairs.

Also, as a special treat we will have a salsa dance demonstration by professional dancer Ramona Neaga to announce the beginning of salsa classes at Attic Studios starting Monday 8th March:7-9pm.

This is going to be a good one!

*Attic Studios and it’s staff kindly requests that all who attend First Friday please remember why they are there – For the art. We are an art studio, not a bar. Thank you! Look forward to seeing you all on Friday.

Students started with building the human skull to understand it’s bone structure and how it dictates the shape of our heads and faces. After completing the skull, they began to add muscle in order to create features.

Spanish on 4 by Tapas catered the event with delicious finger foods, while guests enjoyed live flamenco music from duo Benjamin and Jacopo as “Danca das Cabacas”. Upstairs was a hive of activity with all who were willing trying their hand at some life drawing of a nude model. Downstairs, Gavin Gough’s beautiful photographs lit up the room with their vibrant colours and pensive moods.

It was a fantastically ecclectic gathering of people from all over Bangkok, plenty of expected faces and a whole bunch of new ones. Thank you to all who took part and all who helped out. It was much appreciated!

The next First Friday will be on the 5th March.
See you then!

Place: Attic Studios, Sukhumvit Soi 31

Date: Friday, 5th February 2010

Time: 7pm – 11pm

I know you’ve been itching for a First Friday since December last year, so you’ll be happy to hear our first F.F. of 2010 is approaching fast. As usual we’ll have food and drinks and a plethora of activity to feast your eyes on, including a bit of live music.

On display will be the ethnically vibrant photographs by Gavin Gough and various artists associated with Attic Studios.

You can watch Australian artist Lisa Bergan at work as well as life drawing/painting demonstrations of a nude model hidden away upstairs.

Bring your self and your friends and enjoy the atmosphere and highly intellectual conversation!

Look forward to seeing you!

Anyway, if you’re looking for something to occupy the kids…which I’m sure you are…Attic will be running a mid-term oil painting workshop over 2 weeks to cater to the different mid-term dates.

Dates: Monday – Friday

15th – 19th February (BPS)

OR

22nd – 26th February (NIST)

Time: 10am – 12:00 noon

Price: 5,000 Baht per student (5 days)

Ages: 9 years and up

Students will be taught the basics of oil painting. All materials supplied. Thai instruction available.

*Our Saturday kids’ workshop will run as usual.

I hope you all had a relaxing and fun-filled holiday. Attic is open and back in action for 2010. Classes are running as usual and we look forward to seeing you all in here as soon as possible.

A few anouncements:

1. The Foundation Impasto Painting Course taught by artist Alan Scott-Moncrieff, will commence on 1st February to 5th February, from 10am – 4pm everyday. If you haven’t already signed up please do. Spaces are limited.
2. First Friday will go ahead on 5th February 2010. We will have work on display by photographer Gavin Gough as well as other artists. There will be drinks, food and live music for your enjoyment. And as it was such a success last time, we will have a nude model posing for life drawing demonstrations!
3. On 2nd February 2010, we will start a 6 week course for complete beginners (as in, you have never picked up a brush or pencil in your life). You will begin at the very basic level of drawing and progress from there. You will be taught everything you need to build your confidence and knowledge of materials to move forward with your art.
4. Every week, beginning Tuesday 12th January, we will hold special workshops held by one of the studio teachers/artists, on various subjects, media and techniques. Each workshop will begin with a demonstration by the instructor. Days may vary but we will keep you updated.

Casts are a wonderful tool for drawing the human form and practicing the essential principles of shading and tonal value. It is a practice that has been used to teach drawing and painting since the 19th century, which focuses on mastering realism.

Drawing from the cast enables beginners to analyse shape and proportion, and to render the effects of light and shade without the complication of colour. It encourages a methodical approach from the start, and remains the best way to learn the ‘language’ of seeing.

“…The goal of learning how to paint a sculpture, reducing a complex three-dimensional object onto a two-dimensional surface while re-creating the illusion of depth and volume, helps us distill and master essential principles. The cast, usually depicting a full figure, or parts of the human form, provides an entrance-way into painting without the difficulties associated with working from life – as the cast is a completely stationary, uniformly colored object seen under consistent lighting conditions…”

- An excerpt from the book ‘Classical Painting Atelier’ by Juliette Aristides.

For all you studio members: if you come in and we’re not here, get one of the heads down and try the following:

Setting up:

1. Place the cast head on a darker surface and background. If you choose to use drapery, secure it behind the cast and gather it as you feel fit.
2. Direct a light source, window or lamp, in a visually pleasing manner on the cast and drapery.
3. Pay careful attention to the tone of the background, value of the ground plane, and the shapes of the shadows that are cast upon the background or ground.

Creating your cast drawing/painting:

1. Mark in the big measurements and overall proportions of the cast on your paper/canvas.
2. Begin blocking in the large shadow shapes.
3. Block in the shadows and drapery in the background. By opting not to concentrate on line, you will create a drawing/painting that more closely resembles what you actually see.
4. After placing the overall tones in the shadows and surrounding environment, begin modeling the big forms of the lights.
5. Next, work in the smaller forms within the context of the big shapes, working from dark to light.
6. Finally, examine the edges of your forms. Some edges should be so soft that they are lost entirely, dissolving into adjacent forms, while others should be strong and sharp and there should be every variation in between.