The North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement invites artists of all ages to enroll in the new Studio Masters Series with master teachers who are celebrated and recognized in their disciplines. The third installment of the Studio Masters Series will take place this fall with workshops taught by noted Asheville Symphony conductor Daniel Meyer and respected landscape artist Deborah Squier.

Daniel Meyer

Meyer's workshop, "A View from the Podium," will lead participants through scoring, techniques of conducting and the business of conducting, including programming, season planning and guest artist selection. Class members will plan a mock concert season and will attend the Asheville Symphony's dress rehearsal and opening night performance on September 15. The workshop will meet from 5-7 p.m. on September 17, 19 and 21 at UNC Asheville's Reuter Center. The fee is $120, which includes tickets to the opening night performance for workshop participants.

Noted as one of the youngest and finest conductors in America, Meyer serves as music director of the Asheville Symphony as well as resident conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony and music director of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra. In June he was named music director of the Erie Philharmonic in Pennsylvania. A native of Cleveland, Meyer is a graduate of Denison University and the University of Cincinnati's College of Conservatory Music. He is a doctoral student in conducting at Boston University.

"Ancient Source" by Deborah Squier pastel on paper, 24"x20"

Squier will lead a landscape painting workshop, "Witness to the Land," from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. October 6-7. In this two-day intensive workshop, students will learn to refine their technique in interpreting local color, temperature shifts, atmosphere, focal point and laying in of masses. Demonstrations by Squier inside and outside the classroom will give students the opportunity to observe the process. Artists will also learn how to work smarter on location, how to compose thumbnails and how to make studies and return to the studio to develop more finished paintings. The weekend workshop, which will meet at UNC Asheville's Reuter Center, is targeted toward painters with good basic drawing skills and understanding of color concepts. The fee is $240.

A third generation artist, Squier is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill. Her regional landscapes in pastel and oil have been met with critical acclaim. She exhibits regularly at Blue Spiral 1 Gallery in Asheville. Squier is dedicated to capturing the Appalachian landscape on canvas and is committed to preserving it as well. She is a member of Artists Working for the Environment, a group of environmentally conscious artists who help raise money for conservation of the Southern Appalachians.

Class size is limited; early registration is suggested. For more information or to register, call the Janice Banks at 828/251-6140 or click on www.unca.edu/ncccr/StudioMastersSeries/. For information on need-based scholarships, contact Ann Bass at 828/251-6873 or abass@unca.edu.