The Natchez Art Association is hosting a three-day painting workshop by M. Douglas Walton, of Ruston, La.

Douglas is a talented artist and a gifted teacher who is widely known not only in Mississippi and Louisiana but nationwide and in Canada where he conducts his workshop encounters. His workshops also extend internationally to exotic places as Mexico, Bali, Peru, Turkey, Thailand, Africa and many others. He now works in water media, mostly acrylics, although he is always experimenting and advancing new ideas to his students for them to use in their own art.

After spending several years as an architect, he became associated with Louisiana Tech University as associate professor of architecture where he taught architectural design and watercolor classes. He currently serves as director of the Watermedia Encounters Program at Louisiana Tech University, sponsored by the Division of Continuing Education. In his encounters, the student will be exploring and expanding his or her individual creative processes by doing work that is original and imaginative. His process includes lectures, demonstrations, critiques and individual instruction. He works with students at all levels, from a total beginner to the accomplished professional.

This encounter will be at The Priest House, North Canal Street, Natchez, on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, February 13-15, from 8:30 am to 4:30 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break. The cost is $150 for three days. The student will be exposed to different compositional and painting concepts in a concentrated atmosphere. If interested, contact me at 601-445-8646 or e-mail at kaiser_b@bellsouth.net.

Always growing, always reaching out to new ventures, Douglas has recently expanded his creativity to making jewelry. His line of jewelry includes rings, pendants, earrings, bracelets, pins and belt buckles. Working with fused glass, particularly dichroic glass fragments, he has designed some stunning pieces. The pieces are set in sterling silver performed by crafts people in Bali, Indonesia. Douglas explains, “The Balinese create the highest quality sterling silver jewelry in the world. To the Balinese their craft is their art and their art is closely linked with their spirituality. The combination of the glass work and silver work gives each finished piece a touch of mystery; art without mystery lacks soul and spirit.”

The Natchez Art Association invites you to an Open House from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, at The Priest House on North Canal Street (next door to The House on Ellicott’s Hill), in honor of M. Douglas Walton.

Douglas will have a collection of his paintings and jewelry for sale. This will be a benefit for The Natchez Art Association, and a portion of the profit will go to our group for the upkeep of The Priest House. The Priest House is owned by the Natchez Garden Club, who is generously letting our group use it. Twenty-three artists, who would have no other place to paint, have spaces there. So, please come and meet Doug and view his outstanding collection of art as well as the paintings of our members.

Barbara G. Kaiser is a member of the Natchez Art Association.