Neighbor has Art Workshop at Longue Vue

Garden Art Series:
Robert Guthrie

Art classes taking place on January 28 and 29, 2012 will begin a multi-media art series exploring Longue Vue’s natural beauty.

Longue Vue House and Gardens
7 Bamboo Road, New Orleans, LA 70124
504.488.5488
www.longuevue.com

Faubourg St. John artist Robert Guthrie is having a two-part watercolor workshop that takes place this Saturday January 28th and Sunday January 29th, 2012, the first in a series of stimulating new art classes exploring the natural beauty of Longue Vue?s gardens. As the gardens represent a diversity of styles and plant life, the workshops focus on a multi-media approach to art.

A historic city estate built in 1942 by philanthropists Edith and Edgar Stern, Longue Vue is considered one of the last great houses of the Country Place Era. Encompassing eight acres, the house and gardens reflect the collaborative visions of the Sterns, architects William and Geoffrey Platt, and landscape designer Ellen Biddle Shipman. The gardens, a National Preservation Project of the Garden Conservancy, include a series of 14 historic garden rooms, each of which maintains a distinct identity. Garden Art Series participants will explore the Longue Vue gardens reflecting on the colors and representation of citrus in January, when it is at its best followed by instruction with Robert Guthrie where they will create their own watercolor Still Life with Citrus.

“In the winter, because flowers are not blooming, the garden might seem less lush. Citrus becomes a vibrant, special natural light by standing out against the winter background,” says Gardener Megan Roniger.

Mr. Guthrie will give a short painting demonstration and then provide individual instruction. The workshop is limited to 20 participants, small enough to allow for personal one-on-one art instruction as well as feedback. Fees for the workshop cover paints, brushes, and canvas boards. Additional items will be purchased by the participants including sponges and rags. At the end of the workshops, participants will go home with a completed or nearly-completed work of art. All skill levels are welcome.

“We’ve had a wonderful response to our garden-inspired art exploration programs for toddlers, young people, and their families and the Garden Art Series endeavors to bring that creative experience to our adult audience,” says Director of Education Jen Gick.

“This new workshop series will provide the opportunity to explore different artistic media inspired by the gardens as they grow and change throughout the seasons. Longue Vue is pleased to make available its extensive gardens for the Garden Art Series,” says Executive Director Joe Baker.

Long regarded a national treasure, the gardens come alive once again through the artists’ inspired interpretations.

Robert Guthrie is a New Orleans artist with a distinctive style. He has taught at the Bellas Artes Institute in Central Mexico and currently teaches at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts in New Orleans. Mr. Guthrie was the selected artist in 1992 for the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival poster and one of the official designers for the Les Rendez-vous D’Lerdre promotional poster in Nantes, France in 1999. He believes the fluid radiance of watercolor is well suited to the charismatic wash of lines and light intrinsic to the French Quarter. He will bring hat aesthetic of lines and light to Longue Vue. His art is displayed throughout New Orleans on canvases, posters, walls, banners, and murals. His work can also be found at Gallery Rinard, 738 Royal Street in the French Quarter.

Registration is required for the Garden Art Series and online payment is recommended. The cost is $200 for Longue Vue members and $225 for non-members. Tickets may be purchased on the Longue Vue website at www.longuevue.com. For more information, contact Jen Gick at 504.293.4723 or jgick@longuevue.com