NOMA’s Art Thrives program creates opportunities exclusively for adults ages 55 and up to learn new skills while building community and having fun.

The power of color in a painting cannot be underestimated. Be it subdued, bright, or absent, it is a key component of any artwork. Along with the ability to mix colors together, understanding color theory allows one to not only create unity, but also to convey emotion in a painting.

Color can be intimidating for beginning painters, and color theory is a body of principles that provide guidance on the relationship between colors and the physiological impacts of certain color combinations. As an artist, one does not necessarily need to be concerned with the complex underlying principles of color theory, but you should understand general applications of color theory and color relationships.

In this workshop, we will use the basic concepts of color theory to learn about how we perceive color. We will explore the qualities of color and how light affects color within a painting. For this workshop, we will work in oil paint since the colors do not change when dry.

$160 for the entire course | $120 for members

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Participants are expected to attend all eight sessions of this course.

Program Schedule

Class time is every Tuesday and Thursday, 2-4 pm on these dates:

Week 1:
October 17 and 19

Week 2:
October 24 and 26

Week 3:
October 31 and November 2

Week 4:
November 7 and 9

Participants are expected to attend all eight sessions of this course.

Additional Program Information

What You’ll Need

Wear clothing and shoes that you don’t mind getting messy. All materials are included with registration.

What You’ll Get

You’ll receive pencils and notebooks for sketching, as well as the work you create throughout the workshop.

Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance is available on a first come, first served basis. Please complete a brief form requesting financial assistance, and a staff member will reach out to you soon.

Apply for Financial Assistance

About the Instructor

Rebecca Birtel Madura is a New Orleans–born visual artist and art educator. Many of her colorful paintings represent humanity’s sometimes detached relationship with nature within an urban environment. Working primarily in oils and mixed media, the emotional impact of color and color relationships is as important as the subject matter itself in her paintings. Recent work is especially concerned with the balance between saturated and muted hues depicted in her abstracted compositions.

NOMA’s Art Thrives programs are supported by E.A. Michelson Philanthropy.