Garden Art Series: Robert Guthrie

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Meda Contact:
Hillary Strobel
504.293.4720
hstrobel@longuevue.com   

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

Robert Guthrie's watercolor workshops, which will take place on Saturday January 28^th and Sunday January 29^th, 2012, will be the first in a series of art classes intended to explore the natural beauty of Longue Vue's gardens. Just as the gardens themselves represent a diversity of styles and plant life, the art classes will focus on a multi-media approach to art.

The focus for January is watercolor painting. Participants in the workshops will be creating an original work entitled Still Life with Citrus. On both Saturday and Sunday, the classes run from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Participants will walk the Longue Vue gardens in the mornings, see the amazing colors and representation of citrus in January, when it is at its best, and then gather in the Coach House for the workshop. "In the winter, because flowers are not blooming, the garden might seem less lush. Citrus becomes a natural light by standing out against the winter background. They are vibrant and special," says Gardener Megan Roniger.

Mr. Guthrie will do a short painting demonstration and then he will provide individual instruction. Each class will be limited to 20 participants, which is a small enough size to allow for good one-on-one art instruction while giving each person the opportunity for feedback from their peers and Mr. Guthrie. Fees for the workshop cover certain costs, such as paints, brushes, and canvas boards, which are typically the most expensive items required for painting. Several additional items will be necessary and will be brought by the participants when they arrive for the classes: sponges, rags, and so forth. 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 have had a wonderful response to our garden-inspired art exploration programs for toddlers, young people, and their families and this 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 taught for two years at the Bellas Artes Institute in Central Mexico and currently teaches at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts on Magazine Street. Mr. Guthrie was the selected artist in 1992 for the annual Jazz and Heritage Festival poster and one of the official designers for Les Rendez-vous D'Lerdre 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 that aesthetic of lines and light to Longue Vue in these workshops. His art is displayed throughout New Orleans on canvases, posters, walls, banners, and murals. He also has an art gallery called Gallery Rinard at 738 Royal Street in the French Quarter. His website address is www.robertguthrie.com and he may be contacted at 504.522.6536 (gallery), 504.914.8914 (cell), or at info@robertguthrie.com.

Registration is required for the Garden Art Series classes and online payment is recommended. Workshop size is limited to 20 people. 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. 

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About Longue Vue House and Gardens
Longue Vue House and Gardens is a magnificent 8-acre Country Place Era estate comprised of a Classical Revival-style mansion surrounded by beautifully landscaped formal and informal gardens, including the interactive Lucy C. Roussel Discovery Garden for children.  The former home of philanthropists Edith and Edgar Stern, Longue Vue was designed by renowned architects William and Geoffrey Platt and by Ellen Biddle Shipman, one of America's premier landscape architects.  Longue Vue, which now serves as an educational and cultural resource, offers tours daily and hosts numerous events centered around design, preservation, gardening, architecture, and civic engagement.  Longue Vue is a designated National Historic Landmark, is accredited by the American Association of Museums, and is included on the National Register of Historic Places.  Located in New Orleans at 7 Bamboo Road, Longue Vue is open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.  General admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children and students.  For more information, call 504.488.5488, or visit www.longuevue.com.