Celebrate youth and art and spring at the Berkeley Arts Council’s Youth Art and Young At Heart exhibit, which blends the art of kids with one who educates kids, and celebrates the youth in us all!  The exhibit features the artwork of the Boys and Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle’s Art Club, and the art and creative work of Mr. Joe Santoro, owner of Wonderment Puppet Theater and the Black Sheep Art Gallery.

The Boys and Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle’s “Art Club” got its start in 2019.  Vanice Colas, the Jefferson County Unit Director would draw, color and paint with the kids.  “Since they were always asking me to teach them to draw, one of them suggested we start an art club,” she says.  “Kids use art to express themselves.  In the Art Club, we use art as a means to learn about culture, history, emotional learning, and of course – Art!”  During pre-Covid days, the kids went on art trips, participated in community art projects, and created individual artwork.  Since Covid, they’ve been unable to attend Art Club and they miss their fellow Art Club members.  “Several of them make art at home, but without the Club, they haven’t had ready access to paints, canvas and other supplies.”  

Joe Santoro is an art instructor at Hedgesville Elementary School.  He helps his students explore different types of materials and learn about various art media in imaginative but meaningful ways.  Joe uses many types of media in his own artwork, which includes paintings, illustrations and 3-D wall pieces.  As the proprietor of Wonderment Puppet Theater and Black Sheep Art Gallery, Joe puts a lot of creative energy into developing and producing his puppet shows.  Joe truly exists in a world of wonderment and his creative world can be experienced fully at his theater at 412 W King Street. 

This exhibit is a celebration of youth and art and the creative mind as our region wakes from a cold winter and warms into spring.  The pandemic of the past year has been a winter of sorts and as we emerge from it, hope is waiting to bloom.  Full of bright colors and good energy, the artworks on display will fill your heart with hope and the promise of spring!

Youth Art & Young At Heart is on display Friday, March 26 through Saturday, April 17 at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 N. Queen Street, Martinsburg.  Hours are Friday and Saturday March 26 and 27 from 11am to 3pm.  Beginning in April, hours at the Art Works are Thursdays and Fridays 11am to 5pm, and Saturdays 11am to 4pm.

Get ready to capture the colors of spring!

Brighten up your art skills with a colorful class from the Berkeley Arts Council with instructor Judith Becker.  Judith is a professional artist with degrees in design and education.  Her popular classes cover many art techniques to enhance the skills of beginners and experienced artists.  She specializes in painting with colored pencil, pastel and watercolor, and often mixes her media for unusual effects.  Judith’s deep knowledge of color, style, and technique will help you build on your current experience and progress in your artistic skills!

“Beginning Colored Pencil” starts April 6, from 2:00 to 4:00pm.  This 4-week class introduces beginners and those with experience to creating a painting with colored pencils.  Explore the many effects possible, including mixing colors, blending, and creating textures.  A variety of painting surfaces will be used and participants will create several small paintings.

Also in April Judith will offer a free workshop, “Introduction to Watercolor Pencil Painting.”  Choose your date and time on either Thursday, April 8 from 7pm to 8pm, or Friday, April 9 from 2pm to 3pm.  In this one-hour overview, Judith will demonstrate how to use watercolor pencils for creating paintings as well as how the pencils can be used to augment other mediums.  Watercolor pencils are very versatile – learn how they can be used for fine detail work as well as for covering large areas.

If you are interested in working more in-depth with watercolor pencils, take Judith’s 4 week class, “Beginning Watercolor Pencil”.  This class is appropriate for students who have no watercolor painting experience as well as those who paint with watercolors, but want to expand their techniques.  Learn to lay down colors to create variations of hues and achieve different textures.  Watercolor pencils are easy to use when traveling, for journaling, for making note cards, or when sketching as well as painting entire compositions.  Two four-week sections are offered beginning on May 5 from 6:30 to 8:30pm, or May 7 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.

All Berkeley Arts Council classes and workshops are conducted via the Google Zoom application.  Pre-registration is required.  For the full schedule, information, materials lists, class prices, and to register, visit https://berkeleyartswv.org/instruction/#zoom.  Direct questions via e-mail to berkeleyartswv@gmail.com or call 304-620-7277.

The Berkeley Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) non‐profit organization incorporated in West Virginia working to ensure that Berkeley County has a vibrant, vital arts environment by promoting awareness, understanding and appreciation of the literary, visual and performing arts in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.  The Berkeley Arts Council supports local and regional artists, brings quality arts experiences to the community, and provides a wide range of arts learning experiences for local residents, artists and artisans.