Art classes at Blandford Nature Center cultivate appreciation for outdoors, creativity

Written by Tasman Mattox for culturedGR.

Blandford Nature Center's many lovely outdoor spaces may have visitors itching to create some beauty themselves. Blandford has an new array of art offerings this summer so that people can capture nature's beauty themselves.

The next available class, Landscape Painting, occurs on July 26 at 6 p.m.. It costs $9 for members and $12 for non-members and supplies are included in the cost. A reservation is required but can easily be made on Blandford's website.

"It's such a rewarding experience to share my passion and love for nature with other people who are discovering that new aspect of art that's a little uncomfortable," says Morgan Denison, a senior at Kendall College of Art & Design. Denison is teaching the three available art classes this season. "Art can be uncomfortable but that's the wonderful part about it; it's an exploratory experience."

The classes were initially something Denison came up with herself. She then created a packet and proposed the art classes to Blandford's Marketing and Communications Manager Antonio Bailey in the spring.

"I said...'I'm an illustrator; I'm a natural science artist; I know how to do everything under the sun when it comes to painting animals -- and I want to do this. I think it's important.' He loved the idea, so we went forward with it," Denison said.

She feels that Blandford Nature Center was a good place for the environmentally-conscious and community-based art program she wanted to create.

"What they stand for, and the message of education, is exactly where I wanted to be," she says. "I love that they're a nonprofit and focus on community, growing together, and preserving the land that they have...Drawing nature now is a way for us to both learn and find a love and respect for it. If we instill a value of caring for something, it will help us learn how to preserve it."

Her classes are for all ages, and there have been a few kids as well as plenty of adults.

"I don't shy anybody away from wanting to learn and experience nature through their own eyes and put it down on paper. What everyone sees is different," Denison says.

The Landscape Painting class involves a hike into Blandford's woods, where everyone then settles down to paint. Another course, How to Draw Wildlife, is more intensive but still approachable. Denison takes a lot of time to help people get comfortable drawing.

"We go into the learning lab and we use a lot of the animals they have in there that are educational. We draw from them and then I teach about form, how to explore body and shape, because animals are really hard to draw," she says. "After that, we go over into the visitors center and draw from life. We visit, talk about them, and learn as we go. I teach how to capture movement and quick gestures. We tour outside too."

The other class is a Kids Creative Art Class, where children get the chance to do lots of hands-on activities. Helping people appreciate the outdoors is incredibly rewarding to Denison.

"Kids learn through observing their environment and doing tactile things. I just wanted to educate, share, and show people that being outside is exciting," Denison says. "In a day of technology and fast paces, we just need to stop, be outside, observe our environment, and be still."

Denison hopes that the classes give people a way they can slow down and relax.

"It's a way for you to escape...and just focus on something so rewarding and personal. It's a great way to release your emotions or stresses," she says. "Finding something that is so removed from the stresses of daily life where you can make a happy place is really rewarding."

Blandford Summer Art Classes

Blandford Nature Center
Landscape Painting: July 26, August 23 6:00p.m.
How to Draw Wildlife: August 2, 6:00p.m.
Kids Creative Art Class: August 9, 6:00p.m.
Tickets: Make a reservation at the links above on the Blandford Nature Center website.