Spring Art Camp: From Degas to Day-Glo: Painting That Pops

By Kristy Thomas

Image credit: Peter Halley, Self/less, 2015. Acrylic, fluorescent acrylic, and Roll-a-Tex on canvas.Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Museum Purchase, Contemporary Art Acquisition Fund.

Looking for a cool spring break option? Students ages 5–12 are invited to sign-up for the From Degas to Day-Glo: Painting That Pops Spring Art Camp offered at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s offsite studio art facility, the Ridley-Tree Education Center at McCormick House, located at 1600 Santa Barbara Street.

March 28 – April 1

$300 SBMA Members/$350 Non-Members.

To register, visit www.sbma.net/kidsfamilies or contact Rachael Krieps at 805.884.6441 or rkrieps@sbma.net.

Younger students will focus on contrasting cool colors with warm colors, and playing with organic and geometric shapes in their painting, sculpting and mixed-media projects. They will design a sketchbook for the week inspired by the bright Day-Glo colors in artist Peter Halley’s work.:

Experiment with cutting and stacking paper shapes in hot and cold palettes inspired by Frederick Hammersley’s Growing game (1958): 

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Image credit: right, Frederick Hammersley, Growing game, 1958. Oil on canvas. Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Museum purchase with funds provided by an Anonymous Donor and the Ludington Antiquities Fund.

Paint a large canvas using impasto and sgraffito techniques inspired by Hans Hoffman’s Simplex Munditis (1962): 

Image credit: right, Hans Hofmann, Simplex Munditis, 1962. Oil on canvas. Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Hans Hofmann.

Construct clay shapes to create sculptures inspired by George Tsutakawa's Obos # 5, (1957). 

Image credit: right, George Tsutakawa, Obos # 5,1957. Wood. Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Museum purchase, Third Pacific Coast Biennial Fund.

Older students will examine paintings of bridges by Henri Matisse and Max Pechstein, and take a walk through Alice Keck Park to create their own plein air bridge compositions using water soluble oil pastels. They will also explore portraits of dancers by Edgar Degas and use paper, clay, wire, fabric, and paint to build their own figures. 

Image credit: left, Max Pechstein, Die Alte Bruke, 1921. Oil on canvas. Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Gift of the Joseph D. and Ann S. Koepfli Trust.