Special Studies: "Figurative Assemblages"

Wednesday AM Class • Level 3

  • In This Class, You'll Learn:

    In this class, artists will transform discarded wood, salvaged materials, and found objects into expressive figurative sculptures.

    Inspired by the witty assemblages of H.C. Westermann, the bold figures of Marisol, and the monochromatic constructions of Louise Nevelson, students will learn to see raw materials as ready-made anatomy and discover the creative potential hidden within everyday objects.

    Artists will collect, manipulate, and assemble distinct wooden components into cohesive figurative totems.

    Along the way, we will explore surface preparation techniques such as sanding and carving, surface treatments including painting, collage, and texture, and a variety of cold-connection joinery methods used to construct stable, character-filled sculptures.

    By the end of this 5-week course, students will be able to:

    • See Found Materials Formally – Transform salvaged wood shapes into expressive figurative forms.

    • Master Wood Assemblage Techniques – Construct stable sculptures using simple joinery and assembly methods.

    • Develop Mixed-Media Surface Skills – Paint, texture, distress, and collage wood surfaces to bring sculptural characters to life.

    A major highlight of this class: there will be a 'featured exhibition' opportunity in Ashton Gallery for the August 22nd Exhibition opening.

  • Supply List for Students to Bring:

    This is a studio class and students will be using their supplies on the first week.

    Students to bring:

    • Personalized Found Objects: Any specific wood pieces, old furniture parts, trinkets, spools, old paint brushes, or hardware they want to incorporate to give their figurative totem a personal narrative.
    • Matte medium for attaching paper to wood.
    • Selection of acrylic or latex paints and brushes
    • Assortment of collage papers (instructor will provide more options)
    • Vintage photos or family photos
    • Sandpaper and/or sanding sponges in various grits
    • Rags or quality paper towels like Viva or Blue Shop
    • $25 materials fee is payable to the instructor at the start of the class on Week 1


    Optional:
    Any basic woodworking hand tools they own and prefer to use (e.g., hand saws, rasps, chisels, or clamps).

  • WED AM Class Info:

    • Next session: July 1 - July 29
    • Instructor: Robin Roberts
    • Wednesdays, 10:30am-1:30pm
    • Cost $199 (5 classes)
    • Max 14 students
    • Level: 3 (proficient)
    • Age level: adult (18 & up)
    • Parking Info

  • Who Should Take This Class:

    • those who want to learn new perspectives from different teachers
    • those who want to explore Art History
    • those who want to deep dive into a specific art movement or style or subject matter
    • those who want to try something new and fresh

Register Online

Cancellations & Refund Policies

About the Instructor

Robin Sanford Roberts

Robin Sanford Roberts is an artist and theatrical scenic designer working in models and mixed media. She makes art in studio #5 at Art on 30th. She has designed scenery for multiple theatres including the Old Globe Theatre, San Diego Repertory, Denver Center Theatre Company, Portland Center Stage and Broadway.

She holds a degree in Architecture from LSU and a MFA in Scenic Design from UCSD. She also studied at the Ecole Des Beaux Arts, Fontainebleau and at Sir John Cass School of Art, London Polytechnic. Robin teaches and designs scenery for the undergraduate theatre department at USD.

“I have an obsession with old books and other ephemera. The fragments and bits of pieces come together to make a new piece. I enjoy working with pieces from the past that have a history of a previous life.”

Instructor Website

About the Instructor

Jenna Cooper

I am an abstract artist that makes genuinely joyful, bright, fun original artwork that is full of movement, color, shape and texture. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Drawing, Painting & Printing from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, studied art at Florence University of the Arts in Florence, Italy and owned a gallery of my own, Glory Art Gallery & Studio, in 2018. Now, I’m happily married to my college sweetheart and we have two little boys running around. They are my little inspirations!

I love teaching painting and drawing to students who desire to get out of their own head when it comes to creating and feel free to make art with joyful wonder. My goal is to put the technicalities that confine the mind to the side and help my students trust their intuition and have fun! One of the biggest joys I have is seeing my students full of confidence by the end of my classes. So thankful to share my love for art with you!

Instructor Website

About the Instructor

Kristen Guest

Kristen is an award-winning and published full-time artist and art instructor in Southern California. She graduated from art school at Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Art Education, that focused on painting, book arts and printmaking, and has completed several courses towards her MFA in Corporate Media, that focused on multi-media campaigns and brand design. Kristen has been teaching realism painting since 2004 and abstract painting since 2018. She currently the Director of Education and heads up the Keys to the Art World mentorship program for Art on 30th in San Diego.

Kristen currently works in three mediums: acrylic, oil/cold wax, and colored pencil. She lives in Poway, CA where she works out of her home studio. Her work is currently represented through Janssen Artspace in Palm Springs CA, Libby Silvia Artstyle in Boston MA, Liza Pruitt in Richmond VA (a gallery partner for Serena & Lily stores), Sandstone Gallery in Laguna Beach CA, and Sorelle Gallery in Westport CT.

Kristen’s work has been on exhibit with Ashton Gallery in San Diego CA, The Athenaeum Arts & Music Library in San Diego CA, Huntington Beach Art Center in Huntington Beach CA, Borrego Art Institute in Borrego Springs CA, Arc Gallery in San Francisco CA, Port Angeles Fine Arts Center in Port Angeles WA, Jen Tough Gallery in Santa Fe NM, Woman Made Gallery in Chicago IL, JAG Gallery in Key West FL, High Point Market in High Point NC, Serena & Lily online store, and Saatchi's The Other Art Fair in Los Angeles.

Instructor Website

About the Instructor

Janyce Erlich-Moss

Janyce Erlich-Moss is an artist residing and working in San Diego, California. She uses mixed media to explore ways of seeing through both painting and photographic media. She earned a BA in Art from California State University, Northridge and an MFA in Fine Art Photography from George Washinton University. In recent years, she has chosen to paint because it allows for both freedom of expression and the visual representation of emotion. Her color palette is influenced by memories, dreams, music, and past experiences as a photographer. Her painting emerges from her unconscious. She does not work from any reference materials, simply focusing on her own mood, color preferences in the moment and then allowing a painting to “start itself”. While her paintings are an extension of her long career as a photographic artist, they are rarely realistic depictions of specific objects, scenes or still lives. She has won several awards for her acrylic paintings exhibited at Ashton Gallery. Her photographic work has been exhibited several museums in the United States and in galleries around the world.

Instructor Website

You May Also Like...

Buy a Gift Card Online

& Give the Gift of Art This Year

How the Gift Card Works

  • Choose which amount you want to gift, when you want to send it, and checkout! Then, you'll receive a unique code that you can give to your recipient.

  • To redeem online, simply type the unique code into Eventbrite's ticket box at checkout to redeem (where you enter a Promo Code).

  • Recipients can also redeem in person with our front desk staff. To find the right class for you, browse our Calendar page to see upcoming art classes and art workshops.
Visit Our Calendar Page