New 970West Studio Artist in Residence to present variety of workshops

Emmi Hall, a graphic designer with a strong interest in education and artistic expression, is the new Mesa County Libraries 970West Studio Artist in Residence.

During her residency – which lasts from Jan. 9 through April 24, 2017 – Hall will present a variety of workshops and activities for all ages.

Hall recently graduated from Colorado Mesa University with a bachelor of fine arts degree in graphic design. Her passions include education and art, with the belief that artistic expression is a necessity of living. Her passion for art flows from her desire to share knowledge; she believes that you must learn all you can to share all you can. Hall is a freelance graphic designer, and her work ranges from illustrating children’s books to advertising project management.

Here is a list of workshops and events that Hall plans to host during her residency. All are open to the public at no charge, although some require registration in advance:

• Studio Hours. Hall will host regular open studio hours in the 970West Studio, Fifth Street and Ouray Avenue (across from the Central Library), from 9 a.m. to noon every Monday (except for holiday closures on Jan. 16 and Feb. 20).

• Fueling the Creative Process. 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, in the Central Library Community Room, 443 N. 6^th St. Seating is limited, and registration is required either by calling 970-243-4442 or visiting the online Events Calendar. Do you have a goal to be more creative in 2017? The creative process can be difficult, and sometimes stepping away from a project is the best solution. Different methods of brainstorming, word association, mind-mapping, and other methods of promoting creativity will be presented. Hands-on and visual examples will let attendees solve prompts in their own personal way that will carry over into their everyday life and personal artistic process. Supplies are included.

• Meet and Greet. 4-5:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, in the Central Library Community Room. Join us for an open house to meet Emmi Hall and hear about plans for her residency.

• Groundhog Day Party. 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, in the Central Library Teen Area (teens only, please). Join us in the Teen Area for a party you’ll want to repeat over and over again. Create cartoons out of Punxsutawney Phil’s shadow while watching the movie “Groundhog Day.” Snacks will be provided.

• Un-Valentine’s Party. 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, in the Central Library Teen Area (teens only, please). Valentine’s Day can be gory. As we watch “Warm Bodies,” learn how to apply horror movie special-effects makeup. Use our camera to document your fresh wounds.

• Finger Paint Monsters. 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, at the Central Library (this Kids’ Club event is for children only, please). Learn to finger-paint monsters! Use watercolors to create creatures of your own imagination while we read stories about scary and silly monsters.

• Watercolor Sketching. 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 8, in the Central Library Community Room. Seating is limited, and registration is required either by calling 970-243-4442 or visiting the online Events Calendar. Nontraditional resources will be used in this hands-on workshop. Participants will create their own watercolor kits using everyday household ingredients. Observational watercolor sketching will focus on creating artwork from limited ingredients and surroundings. Supplies are included.

• Cartoon Fingerprints. 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 23, at the Central Library (this Neighbors Read event is for children and their families). Learn to create cartoon characters from your own fingerprints! Finger-paint with watercolors and learn how to give feelings to your creations.

• First Friday Showcase. 4-5:30 p.m. Friday, April 7, at the 970West Studio. Join us for an open house to see what Hall has accomplished during her residency. The event is open on a drop-in basis, and a short presentation will begin at 4:45 p.m.

• From Sketch to Digital Art: A How-To. 9:30-11 a.m. Saturday, April 22, at the 970West Studio. Seating is limited, and registration is required either by calling 970-243-4442 or visiting the online Events Calendar. The process of getting a sketch to a final digital interpretation can be a frustrating process. Learn the steps of getting your idea from paper to screen in this hands-on class. Participants will need to bring a small piece of original artwork to be digitized using Adobe Illustrator.