Arty Girl: Painting Class by Suzanne Falk

One of my favorite artists in town (if not, my absolute favorite) is trying to fill a painting class.

Trust me, if you have any fleeting interest in learning the craft, Suzanne Falk is the lady to take lesson from.

Falk is a self-taught painter who makes her entire living from artwork sales and teaching art. If that wasn't impressive enough, anyone would be further wowed by the imagery she creates.

She has a nostalgic, gumdrop, paperback, junk drawer aesthetic. I realize those "adjectives" don't really count as typical descriptors. But it really just takes one look at her paintings to understand why I have the urge to use those words.

Falk has been on our radar for a while - we interviewed her a couple years ago and I blogged about her show at Perihelion this past January.

Her class is for folks with a beginner/intermediate level and it's called, "Contemporary Realism Topped with Sparkles and Light" which completely fits her whimsical nature.

But Falk isn't always about shiny, frilly things that make our guts feel all warm. Surely, her glimmering paintings mesmerize the senses. But what compels me most is Falk's relentless ability to touch an emotional darkness with her visuals. Her paintings make you feel a child's ignorant safety but the jumbled confusion of random objects start poking holes in your false security...it's that slightly unsafe feeling you got when your mom was really late picking you up from soccer practice.

She gives a great description of her upcoming class on her Cragslist Ad:

"Throughout this course, you will try out traditional techniques including composition, glazing, and design. We will also focus on textures and special effects and learn how to make these techniques part of your personal painting style. The course begins with a hands-on look at the materials and how to make the most of them. You will explore oil's unique properties by creating a color grid, getting a handle on complimentary colors, (and their power to create a luminous painting), how to shape your style, choose intriguing subjects, and articulate your ideas or dreams into your individual paintings. This is a great course for beginners and intermediate level painters who are looking to find magic just at the tip of their brush. Returning students will continue with their personal storytelling and development of their painting style and series with individual help from the teacher. Includes professional critique and a fun quirky perspective to make this class not only a wonderful place to learn about the world of painting but the world of making painting fun again."

Sign me up.

• Visual Arts