Creative Spirituality: Still Life Self-Portrait Class

Still life is a collection of inanimate objects arranged together in a specific way.

  The magic of still life paintings is that they can show us a new way of looking at the ordinary objects around us….and a new way of looking at who we really are inside. The objects that get chosen for a still life painting often have a special meaning, either on a personal, cultural, societal, religious, or philosophical level. The way that the objects are depicted can evoke a wide variety of emotions, depending on their arrangement, as well as the lighting, color choice, and handling of the paint.

Purpose

The workshop will provide you an opportunity to reflect on your authentic self, what parts of it you want to share, and how to creatively express that.

Items Needed

For this workshop, you will need to bring 3-5 items that are precious to you, have personal significance, or represent you in some way. You will be guided in arranging the objects. Then you will work on painting them in your own personal style with your own creative eye. All materials for painting will be provided. No prior painting experience or “artistic” ability is required.

Cost

$50

This Creative Spirituality workshop is presented in collaboration with Prism Studios, a fem-owned, queer-owned, arts initiative with a focus on inclusion, diversity, and creativity. Recommended for aged 15 and up.

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:

KTKannibal to their fans and patrons, Katye Newhouse (They/she) is an acrylic painter from Champaign. A lifelong love of art led Katye to take a year of drawing courses at Parkland Community College to hone the skills they acquired from teachings from their Great Grandmother in childhood, also a professional painter. The next few years were spent moving cross country with their spouse for military service. Upon resettling in their native town of Champaign, Katye relaunched their painting career beginning the first installment in their Tarot series in 2019, with the official launch of KTKannibal Acrylics in early 2021. Katye’s painting focuses on the playful, color-filled, and bold figures that trigger strong emotions in their viewers. They draw inspiration not only from traditional painters like Van Gogh, and Toulouse-Lautrec but also from modern heightened reality media sources such as Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal and experimental folk band Heilung.