Classes and Workshops - Studio K and WATERFALL ARTS
Coming in 2026 - Winter/ Spring/ Summer/ Fall • TO ENROLL CONTACT WATERFALL ARTS • 207 338 2222 * Dates TBD
NEEDLE FELTING
With a little wool, a few barbed needles, your imagination and a bit of magic, you can create any and all manner of things from 2 dimensional landscapes/figures to 3D woodland creatures - such a versatile and user-friendly medium. If you are a maker of things and love soft fibers, needle-felting is a blissful integration of color mixing, technical skill, observation and creativity. It’s a great way to explore something new and interesting during the indoor, winter months. You can expect demonstrations, specific assignments that will teach technique, plus guidance toward achieving your individual goals. There’s some beautiful work out there and we’ll take a look at that too. Three days isn’t much, but it’s a good amount of time to jumpstart a curiosity into action.
Examples of work by Kris Engman
DRAWING
5 different drawing experiences from January through October — 3 Day Intensives
STILL SKILLS - A basic and thorough introduction to drawing, working from a variety of still life setups - For those who love to draw, a drawing fundamentals refresher experience is a bonus. In this class, we’re going to take the ‘still life’ to a new level. We’ll go beyond representation of the arrangement itself, to finding structure on the page. This means thinking about basic drawing issues: size and placement of information/ accurate measurement/ figure-ground interaction/ editing/ focal points/ compositional integration/ managed markmaking. Drawing is about taking what we see and translating it into the language of the visual .
Shown work by Kris Engman, students and other artists
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE - Drawing animals from farm to forest - Oh…. those animals! In this drawing weekend, we’re going to go beyond ‘cute and fuzzy’ into the structure and basic skeletal anatomy of some favorite creatures - chipmunk to chickadee, tiger to tarantula…or at least something along those lines. We’ll squeeze a dog and cat into the mix as well. Working from photographs of choice, we’ll use skeletons as reference material and build outward to the surface patterning that makes the animal kingdom so totally fascinating. Emphasis first and foremost on the methods and materials that make for beautiful drawings.
Examples of work by Kris Engman, students and other artists
LINEAR PERSPECTIVE - From the near to the far away -
How do we establish a sense of depth and distance on a piece of paper that’s flat? Linear perspective is a good place to start. The very workable formula has served artists well for over 500 years. It isn’t hard, although people often mis-think that it is. In 3 days you can get a handle on it……so useful. Handouts and demonstrations will explain it all.
Examples of work by Kris Engman, students and other artists
LAB DABS - an experimental drawing experience - This is a drawing course that’s about experimentation - trying on ‘the new’. This means leaving preconceived notions at the door and crossing the threshold into ‘discovery’. We’re going to draw with who-knows-what - sticks, sponges, fingers, Q-tips, stamps, brayers, homemade pens and more…..we’ll try out different mediums - mushroom ink, water-soluble graphite, oil paint.; different substrates - paste papers, Yupo, paper bags, + … This class will be full of surprises… be brave - think BEYOND EXPECTATION.
Examples of work by Kris Engman, students and other artists
HEADSTRONG - A focus on drawing the human head - Drawing the head from the ground up - meaning from the skull outward. A bit of basic anatomy is in the mix, but mostly these sessions are about finding the value structure, integrating line with tone, composing the page, balancing figure and ground. This is not a class about portraiture, although you’re welcome to go for a likeness if you’ve a mind to. Each day will include demonstrations and group critique. We start with representations of the head and then venture into abstractions of that. We’ll look at the beautiful works of other artists, and there are many.
Examples of work by Kris Engman, students and other artists
PAINTING
For those who are eager to step into the world of painting ( or advance a practice that is already underway ), this 3 session-class breaks it all down into specific color assignments that address painterly issues — composition, mixing pigments, color harmony, translating observations into working color relationships, how to apply paint, preparing substrates ( painting surfaces ), with explanations about all manner of methods and materials. The course consists of 3 weekends ( F/S/Sun ) over the span of two months, totaling 9 days ( 54 hours ). A student can commit to as few or as many days as is personally relevant.
Examples of work by Kris Engman
MIXED MEDIA
ENCAUSTIC PUZZLES
Beeswax + Pigment + Heat = Encaustic
Encaustic painting is age-old, dating back to ancient Egypt with memorial portraits painted on entombed sarcophogi. A vibrant, recent revival in encaustic use in the past 25 years has lead to innovative ideas and contemporary practices, resulting in some beautiful, creative work. This course is about expanding the possibilities, wondering and experimenting with the riddles of color and wax. Supported by demonstrations, handouts and discussion/critique, the class can embrace the unusual, particular behaviors that are encaustic painting. The medium is infinite and forgiving.
Examples of work by Kris Engman
ONCE UPON A COLLAGE
Pattern, line, shape, tone, color, fabric, stamping, tissue paper, rag paper, paste papers, photographs, metal leaf, wax, fibers, organic elements ….the list of collage considerations and materials is without end. It’s how you combine the various components into an cohesive, visual statement that makes this process so unique and captivating. Come and be 5 years old again…..find your open mind and explore.
Examples of work by Kris Engman, students and other artists
WATERCOLOR + INK + OTHER STUFF
Watercolor and Ink ( which comes in as many colors ) are a great combination. The addition of the ink into a watercolor painting allows ‘drawing’ to play a bigger role in a composition as it combines tone with line. Then there’s all the other stuff - marker, gold leaf, wax. We’ll experiment with all the various possibilities just to see what happens. Demonstrations and discussion will spark ideas. Lots of masterful work out there to look at too.
Examples of work by Kris Engman, students and other artists
WRAPPING STONES
Round-and-round, over-and-under, front-to-back…..beach stones, leather cord, beeswax. The serene and meditative practice of wrapping rocks comes from Japan but has been brought into the light by ‘wrappers’ all around the world. The process involves a combination of artistic skill, patience and attention to detail, with the result of producing an aesthetically pleasing stone that is so satisfying to hold; the simple pattern makes the most elegant statement; less is more. Maine has an abundance of stones, especially well-rounded ones…easy to collect while beach-combing in a search for the perfect shape; ideal for the task at hand. Our 3-day class will introduce the do’s and don’ts of this traditional art form. Each student can expect to finish up with a number of completed pieces, and gain knowledge to get themselves moving forward on their own.
Examples of Work by Kris Engman
CALLIGRAPHY
HANDWRITTEN
Working with fonts and flourishes, a hand-decorated letter is born. The tradition of manuscript illumination has been modernized to combine pattern, gold leaf, ink, watercolor/gouache, markers, wax and colored paper; it’s marvelous fun to play around with, whether a design is simple or complex. It’s a creative way to embellish our common, everyday alphabet. No experience necessary - you’ll surprise yourself at how talented you are! Lots of examples to motivate and use as food for thought.
A single, decorated initial makes a unique gift for a special person, when made by hand.
Examples of work by Kris Engman, students and other artists
PUTTING THINGS IN ITALICS
The elegance of the calligraphed letter has traced us through history into our modern epoch, refining and developing, as we have, to tell the human story. From the goose quill to a metal nib, ink flows onto parchment with the fluid grace of practiced strokes, combining the vision of a 4th century friar, a Persian scribe or Papal manuscript illuminator or the many who now carry the evolving alphabet forward. The 3-day weekend will focus on the ITALIC hand which is widely used by contemporary calligraphers.
Examples of work by Kris Engman, students and other artists
Student work from various classes -
