Artists gain new perspective

Students gather in the arts and crafts room at the Oasis Senior Center every Wednesday to develop new perspectives on the world.

Using pencils and paintbrushes, the artists capture subjects including misty Virginian hillsides and toilet paper rolls. With teacher Marvette Anderson’s guidance, seniors get the chance to explore interests that may have been stymied earlier in their lives.

“A good number of the students were not allowed to study art in their era,” Anderson said. “Parents required them to use their college education to make money. A lot of students are living their dream now.”

Pamela Stanger, a 63-year old real estate agent, entered college hoping to major in art. But her parents, concerned about the financial prospects of the art world, steered her into the airline business.

For Wednesday’s class, Stanger painted three phases in the life of a rose, from vibrant red to dying brown.

“Art is very healing,” Stanger said. “I stay all day, and I don’t get tired.”

Anderson, an art instructor at Coastline Community College since 1997, took over the Oasis art classes 3 years ago after the previous teacher became ill.

Each Wednesday she works with students from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., teaching a freehand sketch class in the morning and oils and acrylics in the afternoon. Most students attend both classes.

“She gives you hot tips on things you’d never even think about,” said Kathy Barnes, a participant in the class for three years.

Barnes takes the class with two friends from the graphic design industry, Marcia Divona and Barbara Shaw. Divona and Shaw have been in graphic design for 20 years, working at the Irvine World News and co-authoring the book “City Symbols,” a collection of official municipal emblems from across the U.S.

In 2005 Shaw entered her paintings in contests at the Orange County Fair and at Newport Beach City Hall.

Newport Beach resident Ray Warner finds painting is a way to keep his body and mind working in coordination.

The class “gives us old-timers a chance to get our brains tuned up again,” Warner said.

This week the freehand drawing class worked on perspective drawing, and the oil and acrylics class painted still lifes of vegetables. Anderson limited the class to a four-color palette ? Venetian red, yellow ochre, black and white ? challenging students to mix colors in order to represent various shades and lighting.

The classes have also ventured out to paint Southern California landscapes such as Upper Newport Bay and the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Oasis art classes are available free or for college credit through Coastline College’s emeritus program. Artists of any age may sign up.

For more information, go to coastline.cccd.edu or call the Oasis Senior Center at (949) 644-3244. dpt.04-boomer-C.1PhotoInfoAO1OJQM520060304ivksqbknDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)Pamela Stanger paints a rose during a watercolors class at Oasis. Nearby, a classmate’s painting of her grandson playing baseball rests on an easel.