GAEDA/CVB Education Series: Expressive Landscape Techniques Workshop with Clyde Downs

Date of Workshop: August 27-28, 2025
Ages for class: 18 up, 6 slots available
$75 per person
10:30am-3:00pm (2-day workshop)

This class is about using landscape as a starting point for paintings that seek to connect more directly with the emotive properties of landscape. Landscape painting in general is able to range from almost purely non-objective to realistic and still read as landscape. The goal of this class is to take landscape images as a jumping off point for creating original, expressive works of art. Artwork that departs from slavishly copying a landscape to using it as a source for personal reflection and invention.
It is important that students in this class have a basic familiarity with painting techniques andmaterials. Though the works in my exhibition are in oil, we will use acrylics due to it’s quicker drying times.

Meet Clyde Downs:
Clyde Downs, a Central Louisiana native, earned a BFA in Graphic Design from Louisiana College and later an MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Stephen F. Austin State University. His interest in art began at age four when his grandparents gave him a chalkboard. He worked as a studio artist at River Oaks Arts and Crafts Center in Alexandria, Louisiana (1986-1991) and then taught at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for 32 years before retiring in 2023 to paint full time. His work as appeared in numerous regional and national competitions, including a solo retrospective at NSU, the Old School group show at Louisiana Exhibition Museum, and solo shows at Arkansas Arts Center, Arkansas State University, Centenary College, and Angelina College.

You may also like the following events from River Oaks Square Arts Center:

• Next month, 5th August, 05:30 pm, Ceramics Classes- August in Alexandria
• Next month, 28th August, 05:00 pm, Opening Exhibition ft. Downes, Tate, & Ratcliffs in Alexandria
• This October, 18th October, 07:00 pm, Van Gogh Gala in Alexandria

Also check out other Workshops in Alexandria, Arts events in Alexandria, Fine Arts events in Alexandria.