Description
Whimsical Wilderness: Creating Ethereal Animal Portraits
Instructor: Sasha Wilk
Mondays, March 23 & 30
Step into a realm where nature meets the subconscious. This class invites you to move beyond realism and explore the dreamlike intersection of wildlife and dreamy, expressive landscapes. We will focus on capturing the “spirit” of an animal rather than just its anatomy. I will guide you through the techniques needed to place majestic creatures within soft, glowing environments that feel like a memory or a myth.
What You Will Explore:
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Atmospheric Backgrounds: Learn to create “ethereal” depth using soft-blending, glazing, and intuitive, expressive brush-strokes.
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The Spirit Animal: Choose your subject—be it a luminous white stag, a fox trailing stardust, or an owl emerging from a nebula. We provide reference photos that emphasize movement and grace.
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Light & Glow: Master the art of backlighting and luminescence. You will learn how to make your animals appear as if they are radiating light from within or caught in a perpetual “golden hour.”
ARTIST BIO: Sasha is a self-taught painter, printmaker, and muralist, born in the former Soviet Union and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Before becoming a professional artist, she lived many lives: studying behavioral neuroscience, experimenting on the sensory systems of fish, working with sea lions at an aquarium, as a counselor for a girl with autism, as a circus arts teacher, a science teacher, and an organic farmer. These experiences have informed her creative process and inspire her to portray people and animals as complex individuals with rich inner worlds, while celebrating the wonder of nature and interconnectedness. Her journey continues as a full-time artist in Portland, where she lives with her husband, toddler, and two dogs. /www.sashawilkart.com/ www.instagram.com/sashawilk/
SUPPLY LIST
Surface 11” x 14” canvas is fine, or larger.
Brushes Bring your assortment of brushes
Acrylics Paints Basic colors are fine (yellow, red, blue, green, black, and white; we can work with that.) Bring your other colors if you have them.
Palette
Water Container
Pencil
Eraser
Sketchbook
