Well-known pastel artist, Alan Flattmann, from Covington, La., demonstrates technique during the Plein Air Workshop held in Stone County May 23-24. The two-day workshop, which included lectures, demonstrations and critiques of participant’s artworks, was sponsored by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and the Stone County Arts Council and raised more than $1,000 for the Yellow Brick Project/Dairy Barn Renovation at MGCCC’s Perkinston Campus.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and the Stone County Arts Council hosted a Plein Air Workshop for almost 25 participants on May 23-24. Well-known pastel artist Alan Flattmann, from Covington, La., completed demonstrations before students worked onsite under his direct supervision.
More than $1,000 was raised to help the Yellow Brick Project/Dairy Barn Renovation at MGCCC’s Perkinston Campus.
“This was an exceptional opportunity for the community to have access to an internationally renowned artist and to work with him first hand,” said Dr. Mary S. Graham, MGCCC president. “Additionally, funds were raised for a community project that will offer a wonderful venue for the visual and performance arts in Stone County that will benefit the local community and all of South Mississippi.”
The first day of the two-day workshop included a pastel lecture and demonstration at the Visual Arts Center on the Perkinston Campus before the group worked on their individual creations at Hilton and Nell Murray’s Red Creek Train Bridge Site in Perkinston. The second day, the group ate breakfast together, toured the MGCCC Archives with archivist Charles Sullivan, and worked the rest of the day at David and Donna Richard’s Briar Patch in Perkinston. The day ended with Flattmann critiquing each person’s work.
Flattman, who is a Pastel Society of America master pastelist and Hall of Fame honoree, and a member of the Masters Circle of the International Association of Pastel Societies, is one of the most influential and respected pastel artists in the country. He wrote the definitive guide to pastels, “The Art of Pastel Painting,” in 1987. Flattmann’s work is featured in numerous art books and magazines such as “American Artist,” “The Pastel Journal,” “Pastel Artist International,” “Watercolor,” “Southwest Art” and the French magazine “Pratique des Arts.” His work has also been shown in more than 60 solo exhibitions and included in major group exhibitions in the U.S., France, Columbia and Taiwan. For 30 years, he has taught workshops and juried competitions around the country and abroad.
The Yellow Barn facility, when completed, will include the yellow brick dairy barn that is already on the campus, a pavilion, amphitheater, library, studios, outdoor classrooms, a gallery store, nature trails and gardens. It will provide a place for students of all ages to experience the arts through classes, performances, exhibits and workshops.
For more information about supporting The Yellow Brick Project, contact the MGCCC Foundation at 601-928-6205.