Julyan Davis

The North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement invites artists of all ages to enroll in the new Studio Masters Series, featuring programs for artists with intermediate to advanced skills. The first of the Studio Masters Series will begin this fall with courses taught by noted studio painter Julyan Davis and prominent photographer Tim Barnwell.

“We’re excited about this new venture in fine arts,” said Ann Bass, the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement’s College for Seniors director. “We welcome any painter or photographer who wishes to advance his or her skills to a higher level. We plan to continue expanding our offerings in the future and hope to see lots of new faces and talents.”

First in the series, “Modern Landscape Painting: New and Traditional Painterly Techniques” will be a two-day program taught by Davis. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, and Saturday, Sept. 9, in UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center. There will be a lunch break from noon to 1 p.m. each day. It is open to experienced painters who will complete at least two finished pieces during the program. Participants will explore varied oil techniques from Durer to de Kooning, learn new painterly techniques, and gain a broader understanding of the history of the painterly tradition in oils. The fee is $240.

A native of England, Davis is a plein air and studio painter who studied at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London. His art is exhibited in galleries in London and on the American east coast. Currently, he also has works on view at the Blue Spiral 1 Gallery in Asheville. An established realist painter, Davis recently began exploring aspects of modernism in his work. His most recent paintings combine traditional techniques with an emphasis on the abstract qualities of painting. Davis is a popular painting instructor and now resides in Asheville.

Tim Barnwell

Barnwell will teach “Developing a Personal Photographic Portfolio” from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays from October 10 to November 14 in UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center. This series is open to film and digital photographers working in all subject areas. Participants will identify themes in their current photography, select a subject to explore in depth, and learn the skills needed to follow a project from concept through completion. The class will also emphasize organizing one’s work into a prototype for publication, a portfolio or a collection for Web-based applications. The fee is $280.

Hailed by the Village Voice as “the most gifted documentary photographer to come out of Appalachia since the Depression,” Barnwell is an accomplished commercial and fine art photographer. His career has spanned over 25 years as both a professional photographer and photography instructor, including eight years as executive director of the Appalachian Photographic Workshops. His photographs have appeared in dozens of magazines, including Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. Barnwell’s images have also been featured in exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad, and his prints are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New Orleans Museum of Art, Atlanta’s High Museum, the Mint Museum in Charlotte, the Asheville Art Museum and numerous corporations. Barnwell is the author of the acclaimed photography book “The Face of Appalachia” and the forthcoming “On Earth’s Furrowed Brow,” which is due for release next year.

Class size is limited; early registration is suggested. For more information or to register, call the N.C. Center for Creative Retirement at 828/251-6384 or click on www.unca.edu/ncccr/StudioMastersSeries/. For information on need-based scholarships, contact Ann Bass at 828/251-6873 or e-mail abass@unca.edu.