The Natchez Art Association and ArtsNatchez cooperative, both nonprofit organizations, will be co-sponsoring an art workshop opened to the public. Recently, ArtsNatchez created an education committee; the mission of this committee, as well as the Natchez Art Association, is to stimulate art and art appreciation in the Natchez area and provide the opportunity for training, education and practice of art through workshops and demonstrations.

The art workshops will be open to the general public, taught by accredited and experienced instructors, at a minimum fee. Any proceeds collected will go toward supplies for future workshops.

The Natchez Art Association is now housed in the Priest House, at 201 Canal St., next to The House on Ellicott Hill. This will be the location of the first workshop.

The workshop will be an Introduction of Oil Painting and will take place on from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, with an hour break for lunch. The cost of the all-day workshop will be $35 each and for high school students the fee is $20 each.

The Introduction to Oil Painting will be taught by Shawn Crowe. Crowe was born in Kentucky, but grew up in Natchez and graduated from Cathedral School High School. Crowe studied architecture at Mississippi State, but realizing his true passion a more visceral approach to art, he changed his major and his college, graduating from LSU in 2002, with a bachelor of fine arts degree. Crowe’s focus at LSU was mainly oil painting, but other mediums he enjoys are watercolor, gouache and mixed media.

This will be a beginning oil painting class. Students will learn how to use the color wheel, mixing colors, what surfaces to use, what brushes to use in oil painting and how and what to mix with oil paint.

Art supplies will be available, but if you would like to bring your own supplies here is a list: an artist pad, size 18×24; two average size canvas 18×11 and/or 16×20 or whatever you have on hand; brushes; a palette knife (a necessity); oil paint in colors of red, yellow, blue, white, black, orange, green and purple.

We hope art instructors at local high schools will encourage their students to attend. Everyone is invited and you need no prior art experience. This is an opportunity for the budding artist, as well as the more experienced, who would like to brush up on their skills or simply be motivated in a room with the smell of paint, light streaming through the windows and a patient and very skilled art instructor who is excited about sharing his knowledge.

Please remember, if you don’t have supplies, don’t let that stop you, we will supply them. Please arrive at 9 a.m., Saturday, at the Priest House, 201 Canal St. This will be a fun and informative well spent day in Natchez. For more information about this event please call Brenda Hicks at 601-446-5202.

Jane Gardner is a member of the ArtsNatchez Education Committee.