2017 Spring, Summer + Fall Courses, Workshops, Talks + Show

Halfway through February already, how did that happen? Definitely time for me to update you on my upcoming courses and workshops etc. I will start off by listing what I can and will flesh things out and update more as more items are finalized.

If items aren't listed on linked websites when you check, they soon should be, otherwise contact the group in question some other way. If neither works then please let me know :-)

Listed in order of start date, from soonest to least soon.

ONE DAY GALLERY WALK
It's baaaack!!
My Almost-Famous Gallery Walk & Talk!
Sat March 25, 2017
11:00am – 4:00pm
$50 (just for the tour, all food, drink and TTC/parking costs you pay directly as needed).

Many people have asked about/clamoured for the return of my Gallery Walk & Talk, so here it is! 

In these tours, aside from selecting the galleries and exhibitions we visit on the basis of what artists and venues are interesting and worth a visit, I also act as a resource and guide to the work, offering background, insight and a "way in" to the contemporary art which these Walk & Talks focus on.

As usual, I will pick a gallery area in Toronto for us to explore, we'll meet at a coffee shop where you'll receive a copy of the itinerary, we'll have a cup of tea or coffee and chat about what's planned for the day. Then we'll head off to our first gallery.
We'll likely visit a couple before lunch, have lunch at a moderately-priced restaurant or café in the area then continue on to more galleries, probably with a short coffee break in the middle.

These have proved very popular in the past, with many people returning again and again. Good, thoughtful and congenial company and conversation, makes for a very interesting and stimulating day.

Can't guarantee accessible access to all venues I'm afraid. Group size will be limited (to the benefit of everyone I think). Payment in advance, no refunds.
If you're interested, please contact me directly.

ONE-DAY WORKSHOP
Back by popular demand (the Fall workshop had a long waiting list)!
​The Art & Science of Image Transfers for Mixed Media
Weds March 29, 2017
9:30am – 3:00pm
​Markham Group of Artists (link)
In the latest version of this always-evolving workshop, we’ll discuss what makes a good image for transferring; zero in on transfer techniques and materials that produce interesting and versatile results; look at some creative strategies for integrating the transfers into mixed media artworks. $30 Materials fee and list. Contact me if you'd like an easier-to-read (much less overwhelming!) materials list than the one on the website. (Btw, ignore the "soft gel" listed, just bring polymer medium.)
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JURYING
Oshawa Art Association's 50th Anniversary Juried Exhibition (for members)
Sat April 1, 2017
​Oshawa Art Association (link)
It will be an honour to act as co-juror (one of three) for the association's 50th anniversary show.

NINE-WEEK COURSES
Drawing the Tough Bits 
(Face & Head & Hands & Feet)
Apr. 5 – May 31, 2017 (9 weeks)
9:30am – 12:30pm
Neilson Park Creative Centre (link)
Registration opens March 6 for members, March 8 for non-members.
Are you relieved when you can avoid the face, head, hands and feet of the people in your drawings and paintings? It's time to put an end to that fear! In this supportive environment, you'll be given the tools and knowledge to understand and work with the structures that give the face, head, hands and feet their defining characteristics. You'll learn to see them more clearly and get lots of practice drawing them, working from a live model. Small materials fee and list.
 
It's back! Figurative Art: Drawn and Beyond
Apr. 5 – May 31, 2017 (9 weeks)
1:00pm – 4:00pm
Neilson Park Creative Centre (link)
Registration opens March 6 for members, March 8 for non-members.
Not a classical life drawing class! Work with a life model as a doorway to exploring artistic thinking and approaches, expression and ways of seeing. Learn how to get more out of your tools and materials and try some you haven’t used before, or in ways you haven’t tried. Each term is different, each week looks to stretch your creative muscles, build your skills and abilities, help you see in new ways. One week leads into the next with an occasional sharp turn. Drawing-based but includes some other and mixed media. $10 materials fee payable to the instructor. Check NPCC website for materials list.

WEEKEND WORKSHOP
Shake It Up! Contemporary Approaches to Abstract Painting
Saturday/Sunday Apr. 29/30, 2017
9:30am – 4:00pm
Neilson Park Creative Centre (link)
Registration opens March 6 for members, March 8 for non-members.
Get a creative workout with Kim-Lee Kho to refresh and shake up the starting points and sources for your artwork and ideas. See what contemporary abstract artists are doing, how they mix things up and how the vocabulary of paint has changed. Stretch your art-making muscles by trying fun and adventurous processes – Kim will be there every step of the way! $35 materials fee payable to the instructor covers a host of specialized and unconventional tools and materials you will need. Check NPCC website for materials list.

LECTURE-PRESENTATION
A Contemporary Language of Paint
Weds May 10, 2017, 7:00pm
​Oshawa Art Association (link)
Much of contemporary painting is very interested in and pushes the vocabulary of paint, using and modifying its properties in diverse and unexpected ways to create paintings that surprise, wonderful optical effects and rich tactile experiences.

Anyone who is painting in a way that is not about replicating the camera or following a specific tradition, needs to grapple with the material of the paint itself. Most artists do so in a pretty limited way if at all, so I will show a range of contemporary work (including my own) that really makes painterly vocabulary and properties a central focus of the work. I will follow up the presentation with a concise demo to show a few ways of working with acrylic paint and modifying its behaviour to achieve some different effects. 

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WEEK-LONG INTENSIVE
In downtown Toronto (OCADU campus)!
Mixed Media with Photos & Image Transfers
Monday June 12 – Friday June 16, 2017
9:00am to 4:30pm
Haliburton School of Art + Design (link)
Re-energize your painting and mixed media, and give it a more contemporary flavour by exploring methods of integrating photography and image transfers.

Working directly with photographs, learn various image transfer methods – what they're good for, when to use which, and how to work with them creatively.

In a combination of structured exercises and personal exploration, you'll layer, distress, work into, and interfere with your mixed media and images to better integrate and reveal contrasting visual material. Work with and against the rectangle, enriching your work with meaning and association. Materials fee and list. Suited to most levels, including advanced, but some previous art-making experience is required.

WEEK-LONG INTENSIVE
One of my most popular courses
Acrylics – Explore, Express, Experiment
​Mon July 24 – Friday July 28, 2017
9:00am to 4:30pm
​Haliburton School of Art + Design (link)
The most versatile of all paint media, acrylics can do almost anything you want.

Through the magic of acrylic mediums you can change the appearance, behaviour and characteristics of acrylics in surprising ways, from pourable glazes to texturized and transparent impasto, layered encaustic-like effects to sculpted surfaces.

In this intensive, materials and process-based course, a variety of acrylic mediums, physical processes and techniques will be explored. These may include drip, scrape, scratch, scumble, tickle, pour, squeeze, sculpt, roll, collage, layer, making skins and embedding objects. You will also investigate tools - how to select, use and customize them, with particular emphasis on unconventional choices. Materials fee and list. 
All levels and abilities are welcome (including advanced or pro), the only prerequisite is an open mind and an adventurous spirit.

​LECTURE-PRESENTATION
New & improved!
THIS ISN'T PHOTOGRAPHY:
The expanding (and sometimes surprising!) use of photos by contemporary artists
​Weds July 26, 5:00pm (I think!)
​Haliburton School of Art + Design (link)

Using photographic material and playing with how to use it, is a deeply contemporary way to work with imagery and perception and the way we experience the world now.

Starting with photography’s development, what we tend to believe about it, what it made possible, we will move into the uses of photography by contemporary artists, including in visual artworks that are not “photography”. 

While not well-understood, photography’s role is rich, lively and and incredibly diverse part of contemporary art in sometimes surprising – even hidden – ways. 

As a multidisciplinary artist, presenter Kim-Lee Kho works in various photo-based mixed media forms herself including prints, video, sculpture and textile. Kim also teaches photo-based mixed media for HSA+D and elsewhere – exploring the various technical challenges as well as the vast creative possibilities.

WEEK-LONG INTENSIVE
Brand-new!
Acrylic Glazing & Encaustic Effects
​Mon July 31 – Friday August 4, 2017
9:00am to 4:30pm
​Haliburton School of Art + Design (link)
From the Old Masters to cutting-edge contemporary artists, the use of transparent paint glazes is a tradition that has come a long way. In this process and materials-based course you will learn the language of transparent colour in acrylics, how to mix and work with glazes, which mediums to use when, and the importance of dilution, sheen and thickness.

Glazing will be complemented with the rich surfaces and translucent depth of encaustic effects in acrylics. In structured exercises and your own creative explorations you will work with layering, blending, painterly marks, impasto surfaces and combine acrylics with other media to create depth and invite light into your paintings. Materials fee and list.
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Very suitable for students who have taken acrylics courses and workshops with me in the past, particularly involving the use of mediums. In this course we can focus more and get more in-depth with glazing and encaustic effects in particular, and explore the creative potentials of them.

SOLO EXHIBITION
Heart of a Wanderer
Mon Sept 11 – 24, 2017
Reception: Thurs Sept 14, 7:00–9:00pm
Otto Art (in The Junction area of Toronto)
Very excited to be presenting a whole new kind of work at this charming gallery in one of Toronto's most creative neighbourhoods! Heart of a Wanderer will combine drawing and text, narrative and heart-based work, originals and (affordable!) multiples. Stay tuned for sneak peeks in my blog and on social media in the coming months!

ONE-DAY WORKSHOP
Acrylic Painting: Thick & Thin
Sat or Sun, October 14 or 15, 2017
Quest Art School + Gallery (link), Midland ON
With the remarkable range and versatility of acrylic paints, you can enrich the visual and tactile qualities of your paintings by pushing out from the flatness of your canvas or panel and making delicious relief surfaces or working thinly and transparently. Best of all, you can combine the effects to create the richest results! 

In this workshop we will discuss ways to thin and thicken the paint, (trying out some of the most useful and reliable), technical considerations, and look at some of the creative possibilities as well, through a combination of recent and contemporary art history, show & tell, demonstration, hands-on exercises and “playtime” (aka open exploration).

Instructor Kim-Lee Kho will provide some materials so you can fully enjoy the content of this workshop and benefit from it. A basic materials fee of $10 will cover that. The necessary acrylic mediums will also be available at a cost of $3 per 4oz for acrylic polymer gloss; $5 per 4oz for gloss gel (prices subject to change depending on supplier costs of course). We will work with both. Please read through the materials list to make sure you are fully equipped!