Early Comics = Medieval Manuscripts: UCLA Extension Course

Kelly Williams is offering the 3-week course The Medieval Comic Book: Illustrated Stories in Illuminated Manuscripts. You’ll get first-rate art instruction that begins with a lecture and hands-on demo, then is held on site  for two meetings at the Getty, then finally in a studio class held work with the materials and techniques in a studio class held at 1010 Westwood where students work with the materials and techniques. One unit of arts credit can be earned. The class costs $195.

I took a similar version of this course last summer. Kelly Williams is an excellent instructor, with expertise on a subject rarely taught in this format. A huge bonus is getting to use (and bring home the leftover) authentic pigments like lapiz and real gold leaf.

Course description:

https://www.uclaextension.edu/r/Course.aspx?reg=W1591

(Estimated supplies cost is $25.) Before manga and movies, decorated books inspired and awed the public by illustrating famous religious and secular tales. This three-part course explores stories in illuminated manuscripts through lecture, discussion, a museum visit, and a studio session. The first class investigates how and why these books were made and includes a hands-on exploration of medieval materials used in their creation. Class two visits the Getty Museum for an extended tour and sketching exercise of the exhibition “Stories to Watch: Narrative in Medieval Manuscripts.” The third session is a studio class, where students use manuscript templates to create their own illuminated page. Internet access required to retrieve course materials.

Westwood: 415 1010 Westwood Center
Saturday, 10am-1pm,
March 12

Los Angeles: Getty Center
Saturday, 10am-1pm,
March 19

Westwood: 321 1010 Westwood Center
Saturday, 10am-1pm,
March 26

3 meetings total

Another post about medieval art you might enjoy:

https://animary.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/discovered-got-medieval-by-craig-pyrdum/

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Art Shows in California, Fall 2009

Yes, I should get out more, but I did make it to the following art shows here in LA in 2009:

• Brewery Art Colony Los Angeles Fall Art Walk Oct. 24-25, 2009
• Getty Center: Out of Bounds: Images in the Margins of Medieval Manuscripts (closed 11/08/09)
• Hammer Museum: Heat Waves in a Swamp: The Paintings of Charles Burchfield (closed 1/3/10) and R. Crumb’s Book of Genesis: Exhibition Walkthrough (closes ?)

I was most impressed by the Burchfield exhibit, both because of the scope of the exhibition (including many sketchbooks, wallpaper and other objects from his designs and illustrations) and the artistic journey of this visionary watercolorist. After viewing all the work, I walked back through the show from beginning to end, to note the artist’s progression, especially the transition where he escaped the restraint of his middle work and coupled youthful early energy and feeling to masterful maturity. The rather simple device of adding paper to the sides of his early watercolors allowed him to literally rework and enlarge his vision. I found the results he achieved in his late paintings inspiring.

http://www.mocfa.org/exhibitions/ex_archives/ex_opensource/index_opensource.htm