Bethlehem Historic District House Drawing Plein Aire Workshop (Chalk & Pastel)

with Raymond Keely

Saturday, August 23 · view days & times
Price: $80 | $72 ArtsQuest Member
Fees: $5 Visual Arts Service Fee on all orders
Additional taxes and fees may apply
Venue: Bethlehem Area Public Library - Laros Room
Ages: 18+

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1 Day Workshop

Saturday, August 23 | 12-3 p.m.

Drawing is often the foundation of the visual arts. Chalk and Pastels are a forgiving and fun way to explore bringing your ideas to life. In this class we will walk from the Library to a nearby home where members of the Bethlehem Historic District Association have invited us to come and draw some of the properties featured in the biannual Holiday House Tour. We will work on a variety of techniques using Chalks, Charcoal, Pastels and Colored Pencil to learn way that we can quickly and accurately capture architectural elements in the world around us. We will work on perspective, composition, blocking and detail application to capture these beautiful properties. Unlike other mediums, chalk is very inexpensive and easy to clean up, so you'll be able to take these skills with you anywhere, no home studio space needed. As a painter I often use chalks and pastels as the foundation for my compositions, its easy to make a quick sketch and just as easy to fix mistakes. Over time I've begun to develop the use of chalk as a medium for creating robust works of their own. I love the flexibility and simplicity that they offer. Its so easy to pack up my sketchbook and a handful of colored pastels and takeoff into the world to capture what inspires me.

Students are encouraged to bring their preferred chalks, pastels, charcoal to the class but we will provide these items if you need them. It is also encouraged that you bring your preferred drawing paper. Any will work but papers with coarser grains are recommended. Sketchbook paper is more conducive to most chalk and pastel work than printer/copy paper but both provide application different techniques that we will discuss in class. Since we will be outside drawing around a home, it is recommended that you dress appropriately for the weather as well as bring a hard surface to draw on and a camp chair or stool to sit on. Please also be prepared to walk up to 6 blocks from our meeting place at the Library to the plein aire location with your materials

Raymond is an artist originally from Bucks County now living in North Bethlehem. He works with a vast array of mediums including: Chalk/Pastel, Watercolor, Acrylics and Oil Paint, as well as a variety of Digital Mediums. He works primarily in his home studio doing living model portraiture, landscape painting and miniature/model painting and sculpting. Often, he can be found out in the wild drawing or painting en plein aire. Occasionally he works on murals or larger sculpted projects. When Raymond is not creating art or music, he is a bookkeeping, tax preparation and administrative services professional who has built his firm to support the needs of local artists and musicians.

Location Information:
The Main Library is located at 11 W Church St. in Bethlehem. There is free on-street parking around the library, most with 1 or 2-hour time limits. On weekdays after 5 p.m. and all day on Saturdays, parking is available in the garage beneath the library. To get to the Laros Room, enter the library and go to the second floor via stairs or elevator.

Schedule

• Saturday, August 23, 2025 @ 12:00 PM 08/23/2025 12:00 PM 08/23/2025 03:00 PM 15 Bethlehem Historic District House Drawing Plein Aire Workshop (Chalk & Pastel) https://www.artsquest.org/event/17319/bethlehem-historic-district-house-drawing-plein-aire-workshop-chalk--pastel/ Bethlehem Area Public Library - Laros Room false MM/DD/YYYY

Venue Information

Bethlehem Area Public Library - Laros Room
Bethlehem Area Public Library (Main Branch)
11 W Church Street
Bethlehem, PA 18018
610-332-1300
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