Artist holds classes in Littleton studio - #lakewoodnews

Cliff Austin's studio at Woodlawn Shopping Center in Littleton opened seven months ago, where he offers beginning level drawing and painting classes. Check his Facebook page (facebook.com/cliffaustin.5) or email him (cliffaustin@comcast.net) for times and dates. His brochure says "instructed life drawing classes (beginners and intermediate) Thursday evenings and uninstructed life drawing every other Saturday 9 am. to 12 p.m." (Located across from the Post Office.)"It's gotta be fun," he says positively. Contact him by email or Facebook to find a class in oil landscapes, life drawing or pastels. "One really helps the other," he says on developing multiple skills.He says he has lived in Aurora for more than 50 years, arriving first as an Army brat, but he thinks Littleton is a more likely place to build a student following. He participates in plein air events through the year, trying to limit to a four-state area, and recently enjoyed the "In Plein Sight" weeklong event in Jefferson County's beautiful parks. He is also involved in a "30 paintings in 30 days" project and has works from both projects displayed in the studio.The first-time Jefferson County plein air event was a year and a half in the making and had great sales. (It will repeat in alternate years, he said.)Sales through conservation organizations are a growing market for him and he looks forward to the plein air paint sessions hosted in Douglas County and in Estes Park. (He spoke of a Larkspur paint-out of ranches and private homes, with a show in an abandoned building as another recent success.)Austin is a graduate of the Rocky Mountain School of Art and is a member of Denver Art Students League, Pastel Society of Colorado, Center for the Arts in Evergreen, American Impressionist Society, Plein Air Artists of Colorado and Oil Painters of America. "I used to do a lot more plein air events, but grew tired of living on 7-Eleven food," he said.He started teaching -- and still does -- at the active Park Hill Arts Club in Denver (pastel workshop). And Austin also teaches at Terry Ludwig's Littleton pastel studio, where Ludwig manufactures and sells 500 different colors of pastels, sold nationwide and internationally, as well as holding classes.Austin has offered a pastel workshop for Heritage Fine Arts Guild in Arapahoe County and miscellaneous other workshops. (He posts daily on his Facebook site.)He hopes to participate in Littleton's First Friday Art Walk next summer, citing the need for a balance between art and business. "Life is probably 80 percent management and 20 percent painting. I paint very fast." And, he'd like to start an artist's roundtable once a month -- usually on Saturday afternoons -- contact him if interested.Two other painters offer weekly classes in his space: Valorie Snyder teaches intermediate and advanced painting on Tuesday afternoons (valoriesnyder@gmail.com) and Scott Lines is trying to get a plein air class going, he said (scottlines@yahoo.com).

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Artist-holds-classes-in-Littleton-studio,237793