Nature Sketching workshop at the Lubeznik for the Arts (6/27/21)

Spots are still open for the Nature Sketching workshop at the Lubeznik for the Arts!

Sunday, June 287th from 11am-4pm CT

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nature-sketching-tickets-153535836821

In this one-day workshop, learn to start sketching from life with inspiration from nature! We'll be combining a mix of found natural objects to study from, as well as exploring the Great Marsh for your own discovery of plants, bugs, feathers, rocks, and more. Get started with the basic techniques to render your studies from real objects in pencil where we'll focus on capturing the overall impressions as well as details from your observations.

Class will start inside the classroom at LCA then move for a field trip to the Great Marsh of Beverly Shores (6 miles away – transportation not provided). Bring a bag lunch for this all-day event! Dress for the weather, sunscreen, long pants, hat, comfortable shoes, etc. In the event of poor weather, nature sketches will be done inside of LCA. All materials provided.

Ages 17+

$10 supply fee

Instructor: Kristina Knowski

On Display: June 2021

Wonders of the Wetland: Birds of the Great Marsh

Opening Reception Jun 11, 5-7pm Ct

The Great Marsh is a unique habitat in the Indiana Dunes as the critical refuge for some of our most celebrated avifauna. Join watercolourist and birder Kristina Knowski, as she explores the unique bird species that are exclusive to the Great Marsh and our Indiana Dunes Region. Birds are painted full-size to capture the essence of their characteristics including the tiny Marsh Wren to the towering Sandhill Crane.

Kristina is a watercolorist depicting primarily avifauna and is best known for her portfolio of extinct bird species. The natural world is her inspiration, drawing from the existing beauty of our environment. As an avid birder, Kristina prefers to work from life and spends most of her time sketching and researching species in the field. In working with extinct species, she visits the Bird Collections of the Field Museum and Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum to study from skins. She enjoys using observation, anatomical references, and specimens to examine these species with an acute attention to detail. By exploring these birds in both life and in death, she hopes to bring a remembrance and sense of dignity to these lost species.

All works are watercolor on paper. A planned composition is drawn first, followed carefully by several layers of transparent paint. The extant, or existing, bird paintings are usually more illustrational, creating an optimum version of the species similar to that of a field guide. These are made as a formal study of the bird and keeping the background minimal. The extinct species, on the other hand, have a more uninhibited approach. Backgrounds are intentionally loose and ambiguous, contrasting representation with abstraction. Inevitably, these paintings are designed to express strong anecdotal value and often play on the history of the bird and it’s relationship with mankind.

Since graduating Valedictorian from the American Academy of Art in Chicago in 2012, Kristina has participated in numerous shows in Chicago and surrounding states, including Animalier: The Animal in Contemporary Art, Apocalypse 2012: Genesis 2013, and Facing Extinction. Her most notable solo show was at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Dreams of Martha, in conjunction with the 100th year anniversary of the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon.

https://bsdepot.org/kristina-knowski/

2021 Indiana Dunes Birding Festival -- Visit me at the Migration Marketplace!

Hi Folks! If you’re in the area in the Indiana Dunes region, be sure to stop by my artwork booth at the Indiana Dunes Birding Festival Migration Marketplace at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center (map it here). I’ll be at my booth from 10am-4pm CT with my husband and fellow artist/birder Aaron Melendez. We’ll have cards, prints, magnets, and even small originals available for purchase. Message us for more info or follow my Facebook page for more updates!

https://www.facebook.com/KristinaKnowskiArts/

2021 Summer Classes are Available!

This year, instead of my usual Arts in the Parks programs at the Indiana Dunes State Park, I’m excited to announce NEW classes at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts. Classes include:

Nature Sketching

Sunday June 27
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: LCA & The Great Marsh, Beverly Shores

In this one-day workshop, learn to start sketching from life with inspiration from nature! We'll be combining a mix of found natural objects to study from, as well as exploring the Great Marsh for your own discovery of plants, bugs, feathers, rocks, and more. Get started with the basic techniques to render your studies from real objects in pencil where we'll focus on capturing the overall impressions as well as details from your observations.

$120 per session

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nature-sketching-tickets-153535836821

Drawing & Painting Birds

Class will start inside the classroom at LCA then move for a field trip to the Great Marsh of Beverly Shores (6 miles away – transportation not provided). Bring a bag lunch for this all-day event! Dress for the weather, sunscreen, long pants, hat, comfortable shoes, etc. In the event of poor weather, nature sketches will be done inside of LCA. All materials provided.

4 Sundays

July 11, 18, 25 and August 1

1:00PM – 3:00 PM

Join local bird artist Kristina Knowski for this four-session long workshop to draw and paint birds! This workshop features hands-on help working from real mounted specimens to draw, learn, and paint some of our own local diverse bird life and allow participants to create their own original bird painting. All materials provided.

$100 per session

Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/drawing-painting-birds-tickets-153536278141