Description
An 11-week virtual Online & In-person Art Class offered via Zoom specifically designed and delivered around the world recovery of COVID-19. It is a unique mix of painting, art history/theory, and long pleasant discussions that will help you bring your art to the next level.
This class is for everyone, however, the participants should be at ease in their medium. The teaching begins at your level (from beginner to advanced) and we move on. Knowing that creativity comes from everywhere and everything, one purpose of this class is to help you fully express new stories, through the medium of your choice. If by any chance you are a sculptor or a printer, this class is also for you since art (as in a “work of art”) is foremost an expression of the self, manifested in a novel and personal way.
“Painting Resource – Rendering Visible the Invisible” is a stimulating weekly online art course emphasizing self-expression via personal stories since it is stories that link us all. What should I paint? Why am I repeating? Why am I imitating? Where lies my creativity? In brief, how can I become authentic as an emerging artist? It is within this framework that we will try, together as a group, to answer these questions, crucial to art-making.
This class has been taught for more than 15 years at the Ottawa School of Art (Ottawa, Canada), and now is going international thanks to the Internet and the pandemic. Nine classes will be offered online and three sessions in-person in Ottawa, Canada. Participants living elsewhere will, of course, be part of the group via online.
What you will acquire in this class
Painting techniques | Culture | Reasoning | Abstract Thinking | Critical Thinking
APPROACH
- A live virtual art class (synchronous) with in-depth human interaction.
- Done with Zoom v. 5
- There are thousands of art instruction videos on the Web and they are very useful for learning techniques. These videos show the artists’ step by step procedure. However, they do not involve the underlying philosophical thinking behind the creative process. This is our unique niche.
- It is a blend of art history, art theory, group discussions, and of course the action of painting itself.
- The medium of your choice.
- Each class is 3 hours — by previous on-line instruction, we found that it was the appropriate amount of time for such a class.
- We strongly recommend that you start painting 30 to 60 minutes before the official beginning of the class; the virtual classroom will be opened.
- Once a week, you will have the chance to send by email your current work in production to be commented on by the instructor.
YOUR FACILITATOR: Prof. YVES M. LAROCQUE
Yves M. Larocque holds a B.F.A. from the University of Ottawa, and a Doctorate in Art History from La Sorbonne (Paris) and has been teaching painting and art history in Ottawa (Canada) for more than 30 years. He has exhibited widely and today, his art teaching takes most of his time. He was a guest professor for Canadian and American colleges and various radio interviews such as the CBC and Radio-Canada. He gave many conferences mostly in France and the United States. He has published in peer review art periodicals in France and Canada; he is fluently bilingual (English and French). His strength is listening, making him one of the most sought-painting instructors in the Canadian national capital. Many of his students have become accomplished artists and show in reputable galleries.
Syllabus
You arrive to your own makeshift classroom as if you were arriving in the real college or art school classroom. Your instructor (facilitator or moderator) is always beside you via Zoom for any questions, any comments. See him as a kind of “consultant” for your art/creative/painting approach. He knows how to advise so you may escape all the great traps of art such as muddy colors, bad composition, the repetition of history, bland subject, etc. Consider this full course the unique weekly opportunity to bestow yourself to art-making; to dedicate all your creative potential energy to what we truly mean by “art”.
- Paint with conviction;
- Dedicate the whole semester to a series of paintings on one specific theme, one precise story;
- Under our guidance, do your best to unleash your creativity.
The class will be usually divided into three sections: 1) a specific topic derived form art history or art theory for a firmer grasp on your painting, 2) you! painting with the instructor always beside you, and 3) a group conclusion. The following syllabus may vary according to the class participants.



Week
1
US & CAN January 19
AU January 20
Arthur Danto’s Artworld and your art-world.
Where am I?
What do I paint?
Where do I want to be?
The act of painting
Week
2
US & CAN January 26
AU January 27
A look at Marcel Duchamp’s notorious “Fontaine”.
The act of painting
Week
US & CAN February 2
AU February 3
The act of painting
The act of painting
Week
4
US & CAN February 9
AU February 10
It is always good to tweek on it. It is an endless process.
The act of painting
Week
5
US & CAN February 16
AU February 17
Completing works for the first constructive crit as a group.
Week
6
US & CAN February 23
AU February 24
The first crit among ourselves
Mid crit while all dining in our studio. A menu built from our book Let Go! The Artist’s Way of Cooking will be sent.
Week
7
US & CAN March 2
AU March 3
You have a problem to let go! Let’s learn from the Surrealists, via the main ideas written in André Breton’s two manifestoes.
The act of painting
Week
8
US & CAN April 13
AU April 14
The act of painting
Week
9
US & CAN April 20
AU April 21
The fear of any radio host is “dead air”, and for any guest, the fear is to be speechless in front of the microphone. This class is to coach you on how to be comfortable during your future radio interview when talking about your art. The secret? Know what you are talking about (ref. class Week 9, Your artistic statement)
The act of painting
Week
10
US & CAN April 27
AU April 28
Completing works for the final constructive crit with guest artist or gallerist.
Week
11
US & CAN May 7
AU May 8
The final crit
Final crit with a guest artist or gallerist. Name to be announced.
Debriefing among each others, when crit leaves the class.
Testimonials
“Thanks again for your great interest in art — and in all that your students do…..We are all fortunate to have you in our lives…” (J. Hayney, Ottawa, Canada)
“Yves has really artistically influenced me to be the conceptual visual artist that I’am today. He has taught me to always look for new imaginative avenues of the unexpected for my art.” (JD. Powell, Ottawa, Canada)
“You’ve given me so much to think about! Your philosophy was impactful and thought-provoking!” (S. Sohn, Detroit, MI, USA, 2018)
“I was encouraged throughout the art workshop to let the process of art-making lead me. This mindfulness led me to breakthroughs in my process and to a new way of seeing and expressing myself in the paint. There was also a good sense of accomplishment and a very exciting feeling of reward when my paintings were finished in Italy. Thank you!” (K. Wilkie, London, Canada, 2017)
“The universe brought me to you and for this, I am very grateful. A good teacher is a rare and special treat and should be celebrated…thank you for sharing your light with me…and thank you for all my fellow students who also enriched my soul.” (E. Léger, OSA, Ottawa, 2016)
“Thank you for your teaching, encouraging words, new insights… I look forward to a new direction in art.” (L. Hiesley, Adelaide, Australia, 2012)
“Yves is a teacher who knows how to get the potential of his students. He makes us dive in the depth of who we are.” (Le Droit, Feb. 26, 1999)
« You gave me such great guidance and critic and I have found my style and continue to paint with joy in my heart.” (S. Brough, Adelaide, Australia, 2020)
Since 1997 Walk the Arts (icscis inc.) has been offering top quality painting workshops, art classes, and art history tours in Italy, France, Colombia, Spain, and the United States.
© 2021 Walk the Arts
Walk the Arts
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