CAMBRIDGE – Dorchester Center for the Arts is pleased to welcome Katie Cassidy for a two-day pastel workshop in September. Cassidy graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park with a BFA in Art.

She worked for many years at the Academy Art Museum both as an instructor and head of the adult art curriculum. In 2022, Katie made a bold change in her life by moving to Colorado where, with three partners, she opened Blue Pony Artists and Gallery in Colorado Springs.
She continues to teach adult art classes, which she considers one of her greatest joys. She has won numerous awards, including several national awards in pastel. Katie looks forward to seeing old and new friends when she returns in September to teach a pastel workshop at Dorchester Center for the Arts.

Mastering Composition in the Landscape:
Strong, engaging composition does not appear miraculously at the end of a painting; good composition is built from the beginning. With Katie’s guidance, this workshop will help unravel the mystery of composition.

Katie will take students through the steps of building a successful pastel painting: strong composition, value structure, engaging color, edges, and detail. Working from photos, the student will learn to simplify the subject through a series of notan thumbnails before starting their pastel painting.

There will be lots of personal attention as well as group critiques. Katie will contact each student prior to the workshop with advice on photography as a subject matter.

The students will work from their own photos – no professional photography is permitted. Cost: $180 DCA members, $225 non-members. Sept. 10 and 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day.

Additional upcoming classes include Watercolor Saturdays with Marianne Kost, held April 13 and May 11, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Instruction will focus on journaling with pen and watercolor wash.

Students will work from travel or memorabilia photos. Urban sketching will also be included, with instruction on perspective for architectural components. Take one class or both with ongoing critique of previous months’ studies.

Students should bring a few favorite photos, whether travel, nature or celebrations of daily life. The instructor will have photos for architectural studies to practice simple perspective for travel themes. The many types of journals as well as basic exercises for artistic expression will be discussed.

Please bring a bag lunch or enjoy a local restaurant on the lunch break. Cost per class: $25 DCA members, $70 non-members. Materials list available upon registration.

Dorchester Center for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, dedicated to enriching Maryland’s Eastern Shore community through high quality, engaging programming in the visual, literary and performing arts. Visit online at dorchesterarts.org. Programs at DCA are supported by the Maryland State Arts Council.