In this still life drawing workshop, participants will explore the foundations of using colored pencils to build rich, dimensional color through thoughtful layering. Working from a Maine themed still life set up, class members will learn how to gradually develop hue, value, and texture using colored pencils. Artist instructor Suzy Kopf will cover a variety of techniques including burnishing, blending, and color mixing directly on the paper to create depth and luminosity. Special attention will be given to observing subtle shifts in shadow, highlight, and reflected color.
This class is ideal for beginners as well as artists looking to strengthen their drawing practice with colored pencil. By the end of the session, you’ll leave with a finished study and a clear understanding of how to create depth through layered color in this exciting, and extremely approachable medium.
Instructor Info - Suzy Kopf is a multidisciplinary artist who scrutinizes the paper ephemera of midcentury consumer culture to probe the enduring mythos of the American Dream. Through water media paintings, collages and site-specific installations she excavates archival materials and inherited nostalgia for utopias erected and cast aside. Vibrant colors unify her work across media and evoke the built landscape of the eroding Silicon Valley where she grew up. Conscious of how much byproduct can result from art-production, Suzy maintains a “no waste” practice, recycling materials back into her work and making her own paint from botanical materials.
Suzy has been the recipient of more than a dozen residency fellowships including the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Kala and The Studios at Mass MoCA. Her art practice has been funded by the Hagley Museum, Baltimore National Heritage Area, the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and the Design History Society, among others.
In addition to her studio work, Suzy is passionate about helping other artists achieve their professional goals and generate sustainable income. She has been an invited speaker at the College Art Association, The CUE Art Foundation, Artists Thrive Conference, and the Maryland State Art Council, among others. From 2015-2024 she was a contributing writer for several publications and organizations including the Baltimore Museum of Art, Johns Hopkins University Magazine, Artwork Archive, Baltimore Magazine, BmoreArt and others.
Suzy has exhibited throughout the United States and Canada including the Turchin Center, Delaware Contemporary, Spring/Break Art Fair and the Austrian Embassy in Washington, D.C. She holds an MFA from MICA.
Formerly a college professor teaching watercolor painting, professional development and museum studies at Johns Hopkins University, Maryland Institute College of Art and Anne Arundel Community College, Suzy is now exclusively working with adult learners and focusing on her own studio practice. In 2023 after sixteen years on the east coast, Suzy and her partner moved home to San Francisco to be closer to family. They enjoy walking the San Francisco hills with their two rescue pups, Theodore Roosevelt and Penny Lane.
