Portrait of Nikki Barber as she teaches an online printmaking class, by Shruti Ghatak
Instructors at the League are encouraged to take each other’s classes. It is a fun way for us to continue our learning, get new ideas, and stay connected with each other. Shruti Ghatak has been taking all the League classes she can, and evidently she sketches our portraits while we are teaching.
Portrait of Ruthie V. by Shruti Ghatak
Ghatak received her Master of Fine arts degree in painting from the NY Studio School, and an MS in Organic Chemistry (specialized in Color technology) from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India. She has an interdisciplinary background and studied both Science and Art with the belief that crossing boundaries sometimes opens up new ways of seeing. She enjoys drawing and painting a variety of subjects from life, memory, and imagination – including figures, landscapes, still life and portraits. In an online Quickie with Nikki Barber, she created a monoprint:
“Initially I started with a photograph, but I was having hard time working from a photographic reference (maybe because I am not used to doing that in my practice at all) and at the end I stopped looking at the photo and started working intuitively. I felt more free and into the process than following something. It worked for me.”
Shruti Ghatak drawing from observation in Fran O’Neill’s Giant Figures class 2020 …as if everyone stands on their drawing
Why do you teach?
“Being a teacher is like a river- what you received you transfer to your students. “
“I enjoy guiding students to find their individual expression. Here is a selfish reason: teaching allows me to witness the joy of learning new things again and again.”
I see you’ve been enjoying our online classes as a student as well. Can you say a little about what it’s like to take an online class with us?
“The best way to be a good teacher is to understand your student. And to understand someone you have to be in his/her shoes! When I take classes and see things from a student’s perspective I get an idea of what a student might be expecting or thinking when I am teaching a concept.”
“You only get to know how it feels from the other side is by being on the other side. I have sat in few of the quickie classes and I learned how to make the online teaching platform even better. Every teacher brings in a new perspective, their unique way of teaching and there is always something to learn from everyone.”
“I love learning new things. This year I am learning Printmaking – a completely new medium for me and I am totally enjoying it.”
Nikki Barber’s online printmaking crew, with Shruti Ghatak
“I learn new things as often as I can. This year I am learning printmaking with Nikki Barber at the League. It’s a new medium for me. I am totally enjoying it and will continue to explore more. Nikki is an awesome instructor and an amazing printmaker. I would highly recommend taking her classes. I am going to explore relief printmaking next. Just did a quickie class with Nikki to see whether I will be able to follow along online. Printmaking is a process based class. Transferring that into an online platform is not an easy thing. But you will be amazed to know that it totally works. I am going through the supply list and cannot wait for my next venture. The best part is we will be hand printing. I think that gives me more freedom as I don’t always have to depend on a press. I can do it on my studio table.”
Current Project “I generally work on multiple series and like going back and forth. Teaching took a lot of my studio time last year. This year my goal is to manage my time better and save some for my own work. I am working on a interior space and still lives.”
Shruti Ghatak in Fran O’Neill’s Giant Figures class 2020
Shruti Ghatak is an intuitive teacher. I watched her lead her day one beginning drawing class in a series of exercises for form, mark-making, creative expression, and perspective. She didn’t tell her students how to draw. Instead, she created an environment that encouraged them to look, and to trust themselves. She gently fosters intuition and discovery, quietly growing the artist from inside out.
[image_with_animation image_url=”7922″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Vincent Bal Place an object that makes an interesting shadow, and use the shadow as the beginning of a doodle. Share your work to this post on our Facebook page. (#salchallenge). See more of Bal’s shadow doodles here. The January Creative Challenge: 15 minutes, once a day, for 30 days – BONUS …
Today’s TRANSCRIPTION Challenge: Maharana Sarup Singh Inspects a Prize Stallion, by Tara To learn more about this giant Indian miniature painting, visit The Met. Post it To be eligible for prizes (yes prizes!) at the end of the month, post your work to Instagram with #30sal and #indianminiature so we can find your post. To find more …
[image_with_animation image_url=”9121″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Pictured above: Gamblin’s recycled Torrit Grey, a different color every year Oil paints have a bad reputation for being toxic, and many of the solvents and pigments can be, but oil paint itself is essentially friendly. In any oil paint tube are two ingredients: Pigment Oil Pigment The pigments in …
Welcome to Day 18 of this 30 Day Creative Challenge! Richard Tuttle made a series of playful abstract minimalist drawings. Sometimes there would be only a few small lines on the paper. What’s the most minimal drawing you can make and still have it be interesting to you? Try making a series and post your …
Interview with Shruti Ghatak
Instructors at the League are encouraged to take each other’s classes. It is a fun way for us to continue our learning, get new ideas, and stay connected with each other. Shruti Ghatak has been taking all the League classes she can, and evidently she sketches our portraits while we are teaching.
Ghatak received her Master of Fine arts degree in painting from the NY Studio School, and an MS in Organic Chemistry (specialized in Color technology) from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India. She has an interdisciplinary background and studied both Science and Art with the belief that crossing boundaries sometimes opens up new ways of seeing. She enjoys drawing and painting a variety of subjects from life, memory, and imagination – including figures, landscapes, still life and portraits. In an online Quickie with Nikki Barber, she created a monoprint:
“Initially I started with a photograph, but I was having hard time working from a photographic reference (maybe because I am not used to doing that in my practice at all) and at the end I stopped looking at the photo and started working intuitively. I felt more free and into the process than following something. It worked for me.”
…as if everyone stands on their drawing
Why do you teach?
“Being a teacher is like a river- what you received you transfer to your students. “
“I enjoy guiding students to find their individual expression. Here is a selfish reason: teaching allows me to witness the joy of learning new things again and again.”
I see you’ve been enjoying our online classes as a student as well. Can you say a little about what it’s like to take an online class with us?
“The best way to be a good teacher is to understand your student. And to understand someone you have to be in his/her shoes! When I take classes and see things from a student’s perspective I get an idea of what a student might be expecting or thinking when I am teaching a concept.”
“You only get to know how it feels from the other side is by being on the other side. I have sat in few of the quickie classes and I learned how to make the online teaching platform even better. Every teacher brings in a new perspective, their unique way of teaching and there is always something to learn from everyone.”
“I love learning new things. This year I am learning Printmaking – a completely new medium for me and I am totally enjoying it.”
“I learn new things as often as I can. This year I am learning printmaking with Nikki Barber at the League. It’s a new medium for me. I am totally enjoying it and will continue to explore more. Nikki is an awesome instructor and an amazing printmaker. I would highly recommend taking her classes. I am going to explore relief printmaking next. Just did a quickie class with Nikki to see whether I will be able to follow along online. Printmaking is a process based class. Transferring that into an online platform is not an easy thing. But you will be amazed to know that it totally works. I am going through the supply list and cannot wait for my next venture. The best part is we will be hand printing. I think that gives me more freedom as I don’t always have to depend on a press. I can do it on my studio table.”
Current Project
“I generally work on multiple series and like going back and forth. Teaching took a lot of my studio time last year. This year my goal is to manage my time better and save some for my own work. I am working on a interior space and still lives.”
Shruti Ghatak is an intuitive teacher. I watched her lead her day one beginning drawing class in a series of exercises for form, mark-making, creative expression, and perspective. She didn’t tell her students how to draw. Instead, she created an environment that encouraged them to look, and to trust themselves. She gently fosters intuition and discovery, quietly growing the artist from inside out.
If this sounds like an approach you’d enjoy, consider taking one of Ghatak’s beginning drawing classes, or her watercolor painting class. We have broken the classes down to 2, 4, and 8 week sessions so you don’t have to plan too far ahead. You can just take it a couple of weeks at a time. Classes start next week, so now is the perfect time to sign up. Click here to find your online art class.
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[image_with_animation image_url=”7922″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Vincent Bal Place an object that makes an interesting shadow, and use the shadow as the beginning of a doodle. Share your work to this post on our Facebook page. (#salchallenge). See more of Bal’s shadow doodles here. The January Creative Challenge: 15 minutes, once a day, for 30 days – BONUS …
Day 28. Maharana Sarup Singh Inspects a Prize Stallion #30SAL
Today’s TRANSCRIPTION Challenge: Maharana Sarup Singh Inspects a Prize Stallion, by Tara To learn more about this giant Indian miniature painting, visit The Met. Post it To be eligible for prizes (yes prizes!) at the end of the month, post your work to Instagram with #30sal and #indianminiature so we can find your post. To find more …
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[image_with_animation image_url=”9121″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Pictured above: Gamblin’s recycled Torrit Grey, a different color every year Oil paints have a bad reputation for being toxic, and many of the solvents and pigments can be, but oil paint itself is essentially friendly. In any oil paint tube are two ingredients: Pigment Oil Pigment The pigments in …
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Welcome to Day 18 of this 30 Day Creative Challenge! Richard Tuttle made a series of playful abstract minimalist drawings. Sometimes there would be only a few small lines on the paper. What’s the most minimal drawing you can make and still have it be interesting to you? Try making a series and post your …