Photography and Printmaking
April 20-22
You and Your Camera: The BASICS
Dan Salitrik/ All Levels / $225 / Weekend Workshop / Materials Fee TBD / (CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TODAY!)
This weekend workshop is designed for the beginning student who understands basic functions of their digital SLR camera. We will explore the basic camera controls, such as exposure, selective focus and fundamentals of composition. Through lectures, demonstrations and hands-on lab sessions you will become adept at making and understanding digital images. Working with your digital camera, you will complete a number of assignments that emphasize camera controls, composition and subject matter. Class lectures and demonstrations will show the basics of exposure, quality of light, and discussion of file formats, resolution requirements and file compression. A brief history of photography will be covered to create an understanding of how we got to where we are in the digital image world today. The class will also be introduced to works of contemporary and historical photographers. This is not a class for point-and-shoot cameras.
Dan Salitrik has been a prolific and critically acclaimed photographer for more than 40 years. He received his formal education in photographic processes from the Rochester Institute of Technology. The influences on Dan’s photographic vision have been Edward Weston and the “f64” movement in modern photography. Other internationally renowned influences include W. Eugene Smith, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Ralph Eugene Meatyard. Locally, Dan draws his inspiration from the work of Jack Gates of Photographit. Dan is a frequent instructor at Touchstone Center for Crafts, teaching all aspects of the photographic process. His work can be viewed at www.foliolights.com.
June 11-15
Pyro-Adventures in Large Format Black & White Photography
Richard Stoner / All Levels / $400 / Weeklong Workshop / Material Fee $100 / (CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TODAY!)
Students will be supplied 8x10", 4x5" and medium format cameras and film, and complete instructions for use. All levels of experience will be accepted with an emphasis on directing students to see and compose more effectively with any camera. Field trips will be conducted off-campus. The instruction will result in students producing a set of matted prints on fine art black and white printing paper using fine art toner. Students may bring their own cameras, but none are required. All materials will be supplied for a modest at-cost fee.
Richard Stoner’s career has included more than 150 exhibitions nationally and internationally, including exhibits in New York; Rome; Spoleto, Italy; and Scotland. His work is in the permanent collections of the Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, Pa.; the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, Pa.; as well as numerous corporate and private collections. During this period he has worked almost exclusively with large format cameras, especially the 8X10 format. Richard teaches at Seton Hill University and St. Vincent College.
June 18-22
Nature Photography
Christopher Rolinson / All Levels / $400 / Weeklong Workshop / (CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TODAY!)
During this workshop you will learn a variety of landscape, nature and wildlife photography techniques including strategy, location scouting, high dynamic range imaging, and image preparation and presentation. Students will be required to have any digital SLR or point and shoot camera, and a laptop computer with imaging software. Those students using film should be prepared to use 1-hour developing for digitalizing images.
Christopher Rolinson joined Point Park as a full-time faculty member in the fall of 2006. He teaches photography and photojournalism courses and employs a hands-on teaching approach that enables students to build polished portfolios for professional employment. He earned a bachelor’s degree in art from Slippery Rock University in 2000 and his master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Point Park University in 2004. Rolinson began his career as photojournalist at the Steubenville, Ohio Herald-Star. He has since started his own freelance photography company, StartPoint Media, Inc., whose clients include the Associated Press, Washington Post, as well as other local and national publications. He has introduced new courses, collaborations and partnerships to expand and diversify the photojournalism program. He is a member of the Pittsburgh Press Club, American Legion, National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) and the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), in which he is the treasurer of the Pittsburgh chapter. His work can be viewed at www.startpointmedia.com
June 25-29
Nature Printing: New and Traditional with Flora and Sun
Gudrun Garkisch / All Levels / $400 / Weeklong Workshop / Material Fee $15 / (CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TODAY!)
This workshop teaches traditional, as well as new techniques, to directly transfer the design of leaves, grasses, ferns and feathers to paper and fabric. The traditional nature printing technique involves rolling ink or brushing paint on a natural object, placing it on a surface and applying pressure with hands, feet, a rolling pin or an etching press to transfer the image. An inexpensive new technique has been added: solar exposure facilitated by acrylic paint. (Note: this is different from commercially available kits.) The techniques can be applied to scientific or imaginative illustrations, or used for decorative purposes. Using what you will learn in this class, you can illustrate a garden or travel log, your diary, children’s books or poetry; print note cards; decorate your walls, your clothing, your table and bed linens. Materials fee is $15.00. A limited scholarship for this workshop is available through the Robert Little Scholarship Fund.
Gudrun Garkisch studied with Robert Little and continues in his tradition of teaching at Touchstone, where he re-introduced the art of nature printing to America. She has been printing for 30 years and has participated in juried international exhibits and won statewide awards. She is a member of the international Nature Printing Society and the Pittsburgh Print Group. Gudrun has conducted classes for diverse civic centers, YWCAs, and workshops at the annual meeting of the Nature Printing Society. Gudrun was the 1996 Touchstone Artist of the Year.
June 25-29
Developing a Photographer's Point of View of the World
Dan Salitrik/ Intermediate / $425 / Weeklong Workshop/ Materials Fee $25+ / (CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TODAY!)
This workshop is designed for the skilled student who wishes to improve his/her vision of the photographic image. You will explore ways to broaden your vision, and learn to view images from a photographer’s point of view in order to create images that are more interesting and powerful. A history of photography will be discussed in order to understand how we got to where we are in the digital world today. The workshop will view and discuss works of contemporary and historical photographers. We will also explore the way images and points of view are presented on the web via Flickr and other social networking websites. Assignments will include photographing nature, people and structures. You will consider such matters as composition, lens choice and lighting. Workshop lectures and demonstrations will help enhance your knowledge of exposure and the use of light. In this workshop we will print and discuss a minimum of 20 of your images (in-class printers will be supplied). We will explore the Digital Work Flow process and Digital Asset Management (DAM), the management of indexing and retrieval of digital images.
Dan Salitrik’s bio can be found under You and Your Camera: The Basics.
July 9-13
A Conversation About the Earth by Way of Poetry, Printmaking & Paper
Kathy Mendus Dlugos and Marie Pavlicek-Wehrli / All Levels / $425 / Weeklong Workshop / (CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TODAY!)
“For a time / I rest in the grace of the world, and am free” poet Wendell Berry writes. Mindful of the larger studio (the woods) that surrounds us, we’ll bring the natural world into our papermaking and printmaking projects, incorporating elements from Touchstone’s woods while we simultaneously consider various contemporary poets whose subject is the earth. We’ll use these ideas, as well as our surroundings, to jumpstart a sequence of prints (monotypes, rubbings, etc.). We’ll then assemble these prints into a handmade book. The work of our hands, as well as our reading and discussions, will serve to deepen our awareness for the grace of the world, its riches and, increasingly, its fragility. Experimentation with found and recycled materials is encouraged; good craft will be equally stressed.
Kathy Mendus Dlugos is an artist/educator. She is an associate professor of art at Westmoreland County Community College, received her MFA from Penn State University (Painting, Art Criticism) and her BFA from Seton Hill University (Studio Art). She is a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. Her regional exhibitions include a one-person show, “The Shape of Days,” at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, Pa., and a two-person show, “Degrees of Interference,” with artist Carol Brode at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. She is included in “Time Capsule: A Concise Encyclopedia by Women Arts,” to commemorate the Beijing conference on women.
Marie Pavlicek-Wehrli, painter, printmaker, and poet, is a graduate of Seton Hill University (B.A., Studio Art) and Warren Wilson College (MFA, Creative Writing). She has been a Fellow at both the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the Ragdale Foundation, as well as resident artist at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. Her paintings and prints have been exhibited locally and regionally, and her poems have appeared in various journals and anthologies. She is a recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist's Grant in Poetry. Her website is www.mariepavlicek.com
July 30 to August 3
Monotype Printmaking
Roger Hyndman / All Levels / $400 / Weeklong Workshop / (CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TODAY!)
This workshop will explore the monotype printmaking process. Students will learn to create painted images on a metallic, glass or plastic plate. A damp sheet of paper is applied to a painted plate and the two layer are squeezed through the press by hand. As a result, the entire image is transposed onto the paper with the raised surfaces of the plate embossing the paper to create an interesting light and shadow effect. The magic occurs when the paper is lift off of the plate to reveal a one-of-a-kind image. By repeating the inking and printing process, students will learn to build up the shapes, images and colors to create a variety of compositions. Experimentation with techniques, compositions and colors is encouraged to produce exciting effects.
Roger Hyndman has conducted numerous printmaking workshops for artists, arts councils, arts organizations, professional organizations and school districts. He has engaged in artist residencies at arts organizations, colleges and regional schools. Roger’s partnership and teaching experience includes the VIEW (Art Center/ Old Forge, NY), Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts, Yates County Arts Center, Mid-Hudson Teacher Center, SUNY New Paltz, Fletcher Farm School, Touchstone Center for Crafts, Sagamore Great Camp and the Saratoga Arts Council. Over the past decade he has organized and coordinated eight trips to Italy to explore the art, history and culture of the Medieval and Renaissance time periods.
August 2-3
Digital Asset Management (DAM)
Dan Salitrik / All Levels / $125 / Two-Day Workshop / (CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TODAY!)
We will explore the Digital Work Flow process and Digital Asset Management (DAM), the management of indexing and retrieving digital images.
What is Digital Asset Management?
Digital Asset Management (DAM) is the effective management and distribution of digital assets such as images. DAM solutions allow you to centrally catalog, store, retrieve and distribute small or large collections of valuable digital assets.
A DAM solution can provide many benefits:
• A central location to store and protect digital assets
• The dynamic distribution of your assets to internal and external teams
• A place to quickly find and retrieve assets
• Improved workflow efficiency
This session covers general digital asset management best practices that will help you determine how a DAM solution can be most effectively implemented.
Dan Salitrik’s bio can be found under You and Your Camera: The Basics.
August 6-10
Solarplate Printmaking
Roger Hyndman / All Levels / $400 / (CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TODAY!)
Solar printmaking (intaglio) is a highly versatile and expressive medium. This dynamic process enables the artist to transform drawings, paintings, collages, vintage images, contemporary photographs, JPEGs and copier art into high-quality etchings. In this workshop students will learn to create an image plate using UV light from the sun with no acids or solvents commonly associated with plate etching. Enjoy making plates in the sun, developing them with ordinary tap water, and printing the images with an intaglio press. The focus will be to utilize the basic tools of the printmaker, develop artistic creativity, appreciate the simplicity of plate processing, and produce high-quality artwork. Solarplate printmaking will appeal to artists of all levels, from beginners to experienced artists of all media.
Roger Hyndman’s bio can be found under Monotype Printmaking.
August 20-24
Paper Lithography & Mixed Media
Chris McGinnis / All Levels / $400 / (CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TODAY!)
Often the most thought-provoking works of art combine multiple techniques and materials to expand traditional notions of artistic excellence. In this course participants are invited to explore creative possibilities in two‐dimensional mixed media design. This weeklong course will introduce various techniques including paper lithography, chine colle, collage, ink pen, collotype and other simple image transfers that can easily be combined with traditional painting and drawing techniques. Participants will develop a small series and learn the importance of concept, texture, color and composition while designing unique works of contemporary art.
Chris McGinnis earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Arizona in 2010. His work has been shown extensively throughout the United States and abroad in museums, galleries and universities. Upcoming exhibitions include a solo exhibition at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in February 2012 and the Southwest Biennial taking place at the University of Arizona Museum of Art during the fall that same year. Chris was born in Indiana, Pennsylvania, but currently lives in Pittsburgh, where he teaches painting at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and writes art criticism for Pittsburgh’s City Paper. His work can be viewed at www.chrismcginnisart.com.
September 7-9
Entropic Processes on Paper
Kyle Ethan Fischer / All Levels / $210 / Weekend Workshop / (CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TODAY!)
This is a mixed media course! Students will be using unorthodox painting, printmaking and drawing techniques that explore entropic and elemental processes. Topics such as ink, watercolor and gouache will be covered. An in-depth analysis of mark-making will also be covered. Students will push the materials to their limits through a series of exercises developed to heighten skill with material and give depth to creative process and problem solving. The idea will be to create a "lab" where an idea or image is exercised in a multitude of ways. A focus on creating personal systems to achieve similar and drastically different marks will be emphasized. Deductive ways of approaching paper will also be addressed. Participants will be encouraged to share their findings with one another through guided critical analysis.
Kyle Ethan Fischer's artistic achievements include exhibiting on regional and national levels. Recently his painting Blood Quantum appeared on the cover of Neuron, a special review on neurogenetics, by Cell Press. He was also selected for the State of the Arts Exhibit at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, and chosen for the Westmoreland Museum of American Art's Biennial. Fischer had the privilege to develop a workshop series celebrating the Carnegie International's Life on Mars, which provided an opportunity to demonstrate studio application of salient issues in contemporary painting to art educators. As a practicing artist, he manifests his passion for art not only within his own process, but also to showcase the talents of others through collaborative endeavors within the arts community. He has been selected to curate & coordinate various exhibitions, lecture, and aid in developing public art projects. Fischer's art draws on nature, scientific inquiry and process; working in a multitude of mediums from ink drawings to life-size additive sculpture. Fischer tries to represent the dualities that are present within the human condition. . His work can be viewed at www.kyleethanfischer.com.
September 21-23
Advanced Digital Photography
Dan Salitrik/ Intermediate - Advanced / $225 / Weekend Workshop / Material Fee TBD / (CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TODAY!)
This weekend workshop is designed for the advanced student who has a more than basic understanding of the functions of their digital camera. We will explore advanced camera controls, such as exposure, selective focus and fundamentals of composition. Through lectures, demonstrations and hands-on lab sessions, you will become adept at creating advanced digital images. Working with your digital camera, you will complete a number of assignments that will emphasize using advanced camera controls. We will study composition, lens choice and using available light through photographing nature, people and structures. Other topics will include choosing the most effective camera position and selective focus, or depth of field, to make the foreground/background enhance the main subject. Students will also be introduced to works of contemporary and historical photographers. Topics to be covered include:
• Lens Types
• Specialty Lenses & Attachments
• Caring for Your Camera & Lenses
• Practical Lens Choices
• The Shutter
• F/Stops
• The Aperture / Shutter Speed Relationship
• Depth of Field
• Depth of Field Scale
• Hyper-focal Distance
• The Depth of Field Preview Button
• SLR Shooting Modes
• Putting it all Together • Using Available Light
Dan Salitrik’s bio can be found under You and Your Camera: The Basics.
September 21-23
DIY Images: Conventional and Eccentric Techniques in Printmaking
Jesse Billimack / All Levels / $225 / Weekend Workshop / (CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TODAY!)
In this weekend workshop, students will learn about additive and reductive image-making in print and explore image-making through the use of multiples. Topics covered will include developing idea creation through juxtaposition and learning how monoprint infuses spontaneous painterly qualities into the graphic art of printmaking. Students will also discuss and refine printmaking methods such as: ink handling and mixing, print tool selection and use, paper handling, image registration, hand coloring, development of “ghost imagery” and more. Group and individual critiques will take place as needed.
Jesse Billimack is a mixed media sculptor and printmaker who received his MFA from Rutgers University, and his BFA from the University of Arizona. His work has been exhibited in the University of Arizona Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Fort Collins, CO, nationally in New York City, New Jersey and Arizona, and internationally in Mexico. Because Jesse's work blurs the line between printmaking and installation art, he is highly knowledgeable about the many unconventional and interesting ways of rendering images with an assortment of materials, ranging from pigment to earth to rope.
