Bay School News

Teacher Profile - Kathleen Noffsinger June 15 2016, 0 Comments

Kathleen Noffsinger will be teaching Painting the Summer Landscape - Shimmering Beach Scenes in Watercolor! Friday & Saturday, July 22 & 23, 10am - 3pm at the Bay School.  Join Kathleen as she shares her secrets to painting summery light and shimmering color.

Kathleen Noffsinger is an award-winning professional artist and educator from Hartfield, Virginia, who expresses her talent in colorful watercolors of wildlife and nature.  From the simple design of a wading egret to the tranquil beauty of her butterfly garden, Kathleen’s works are images of nature that elicit an appreciation for the simpler things in life.                     

Having spent many enjoyable hours on the Rappahannock and Piankatank Rivers and the Chesapeake Bay with her husband, Tom, Kathleen chooses the water and its many facets as one of her favorite subjects.  Preferring to work from her own reference material, she often takes photos of the wildlife she loves to paint, capturing “close ups” that force her to use her creativity.  She labels her style of painting impressionistic realism.

Drawing and painting since childhood, Kathleen holds a BS in education from the University of Maryland and has been teaching adult watercolor and drawing classes since 1998. Her students love her organized approach to teaching art as well as her hands-on demos and one-on-one individualized instruction.  As an award-winning artist she has been featured in national juried shows locally and throughout the South including Naples and Marco Island, Florida and the Florida Keys.  Since 2007 she has led Travel and Paint workshops in Bermuda and Florida. Her paintings have been featured in numerous publications, including Chesapeake Bay Magazine (February, 2002) and she has appeared in a segment on the Chesapeake Bay for PBS.  In 2010, her painting “Pastel Cottage, Bermuda” was accepted into the National Watercolor Society Juried All-Member Show in California.  In 2016 her painting “Mangrove Sanctuary”  won an Award of Excellence at the Annual Virginia Watercolor Society Exhibition in Gloucester, VA.

Noffsinger is a member of the National Watercolor Society (Associate), Virginia Watercolor Society (Signature Artist Member), Rappahannock Art League and the National League of American Pen Women.  She exhibits her work in galleries and juried shows throughout the East Coast.

To learn more about her paintings, show schedule and classes, Kathleen may be reached at her studio in Virginia.

 

A few questions to Kathleen

 

Kathleen's Process:

Kathleen begins her paintings with a compositional plan of lights and darks in a 2” x 3” sketch and proceeds to a full-size drawing on her watercolor paper.  Working in both her studio and on location "en plein air",  she then begins adding color using both large brushes as well as a “pouring” technique.  Vibrant colors are added in layers of transparent glazes which allow the white of the paper and previous layers of color to visually mix in the viewer's eye.   Working with “purist” watercolor techniques as well as combining pen and ink and mixed-media collage with watercolor, Kathleen’s goal is to capture on paper a memorable and creative visual impression for the viewer. 

 

What do you get out of teaching?

 

I was trained to be an elementary school teacher at the University of Maryland and love to teach!  My beginner adult watercolor students often say it's a good thing I know how to teach first graders.  It is a special joy to share what I have learned in watercolor and to see artists fall in love with mixing color right on the watercolor paper and then improve their skills until they are proudly framing their first paintings.  I now have many students who are winning top awards in juried art shows and I am the one who is proud of them.

Tell me something people would be surprised to find out about you.

I think people might be surprised to find out that I consider myself an absolutely terrible public speaker ...except when I am teaching an art class.  Then the spirit of this creative gift that I have been given by God to share with others just gives me all the right words.

 


Teacher Profile - Virginia Coyle April 07 2016, 1 Comment

Virginia Coyle teaches many classes at the Bay School.  She teaches the Art Break series of classes that meets on the 3rd Wednesday of every month 10am - 12pm.  These classes are stress relief in the daytime!  You will create fun art & craft activities - you don't have to be a serious artist to be creative!

 

Virginia is a Bay School teacher and artist. She is a lifelong resident of Virginia and has been a resident of Mathews for over 20 years. Her paintings are inspired by her family, nature and experiences. She is self-taught in all her artistic mediums and other skills. Her favorite medium to work with is watercolor because it is so unpredictable. Virginia loves to paint mermaids, fabrics, children, folk art scenes and sometimes something just out of the ordinary. She also enjoys being creative by drawing, sewing, and participating in other forms of artistic projects and crafts. She currently has new works in progress and resides in Bavon with her husband and 2 grandchildren who continue to inspire her every day.

A few questions to Virginia

 

 What made you start teaching?

I started teaching because of Wendy Wells - Bay School founder.  She took me to the Laurel Shelter to help her with the outreach program that we offer there.  She asked me if I liked going and I said yes.  She said the job was mine!

What do you get out of teaching?

I like creating art with the children more than teaching.  I like for them to create what they like verses me telling them what to do.  I like letting them get messy and mixing stuff up!  I enjoy seeing kids having fun creating art and getting their hands in the paint - just being free to create.  It doesn't matter if they make a masterpiece or a mess as long as they can be creative.

Tell me something people would be surprised to find out about you.

My idea of fun is to stay home and spend time with my grandchildren.  I like to create my art and shop for art books and art supplies.