Join instructor Mike Gibson for art classes at the Falls of the Ohio! During these two-week classes offered by the Falls of the Ohio Foundation, artists will learn fundamental drawing techniques and hear about the historical significance of the Falls of the Ohio. Each class offers something different and engages participants in different areas of the Falls of the Ohio State Park’s Interpretive Center.
This fun mix of art and history is great for youth and adults of all skill levels. Each session will last two Saturdays and be held in three-hour increments (10:00 am – 1:00 pm). Each two-week session has a limited number of slots. Registration is required and attendees are asked to attend both weeks in their chosen session(s).
Session 1, January 21 and 28 – Fossil Drawing
Artists will learn basic drawing fundamentals and render drawings of fossils from the museum archives.
Materials provided include: Drawing pad, vine charcoal, compressed charcoal, drawing pencils, eraser, kneaded eraser, and white conte charcoal.
Session 2, February 18 and 25 – Devonian Sea Comic Series
This will be a kid-based series where artists will learn comic book creating and create their own Devonian Sea comic characters.
Materials provided include: Bristol drawing pad, various colored pens/markers/pencils, eraser, and straight edge.
Session 3, March 18 and 25 – Painting at the Falls (SOLD OUT)
This series will teach basic painting techniques in acrylic and watercolor with the subject dependent on inclement weather. If the weather is nice, we will work on landscape painting. During inclement weather we will work on painting Devonian Sea dioramas inside the building.
Materials provided include: Canvases, watercolor paper, watercolor paint sets, acrylic paint sets, watercolor brushes, acrylic brushes, and vine charcoal.
About the Instructor, Mike Gibson: From Jeffersonville, Indiana. Gibson’s work involves several different artistic approaches, from oil painting to watercolor and experimenting with installation. Gibson works with subject matters that he feels are things that are often overlooked. Gibson carries a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Kentucky College of Art and Design at Spalding University. As a veteran, Gibson uses his art to help fellow veterans who are dealing with PTSD and other mental issues through a program he created called Warrior’s Path, which also uses outdoor recreation and community service. The emotional and healing power of art is what he finds most intriguing in the creative process. Gibson has also lead an art group with mental health patients at the Robley Rex VA Medical Facility in Louisville, Kentucky, through the Arts and Healing Program sponsored by the Kentucky Center for the Arts. In January, 2015, Gibson began teaching painting at the Warriors Transition Battalion at Fort Knox, Kentucky as well as teaching painting to veteran students at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.