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Bethlehem Catasauqua East Penn Northampton Northwestern Parkland Salisbury Whitehall-Coplay

Jen Avitabile’s teaching is direct and hands on

Published February 01. 2022 10:18AM
by Dennis Glew Special to the Bethlehem Press

If you ever thought it would be fun to try your hand at painting, the Bethlehem Township Community Center is an excellent place to start. For seven years Jen Avitabile has been at the center teaching beginners the elements of painting with acrylics. Each month she offers a class for adults and another for kids. The classes resumed recently after a long hiatus due to COVID. Three adults and eight children are enrolled.

Everything needed to paint a picture is provided: acrylic paints (which dry faster than oils and produce brilliant colors), an 11 by 14-inch canvas, and a table-top easel. Classes meet in a brightly lit room.

Jen’s teaching is direct and hands-on. Class begins by examining a painting by Jen that the students will reproduce. At the January session for adults, the subject was a Snowy Owl set against a wintry scene. Then Jen talks the students step by step through the process of producing their own paintings – first the background, then the owl’s perch and its head followed by its body and finally its wings. Jen distributes paints and brushes as needed for each step. Throughout the class, she circulates among the students, offering tips and encouragement.

The students’ painting might not be museum-ready, but for beginners’ work, it was outstanding. All agreed that the class was fun and that they now had a much better idea of how to produce a painting on their own.

Before class Jen Avitabile creates a painting for the students to copy. At the opening of class she discusses how the students will paint their own versions of the picture, answering any questions they may have. Easels are already in place, and paints and brushes are distributed.
PRESS PHOTOS BY DENNIS GLEW Three budding artists – Lillian Cerullo, Marilyn Wilner and Karen Mintz – paint in the abstract background on which they will impose their Snowy Owl. All three artists reside in Bethlehem.
After Marilyn Wilner has outlined the three parts of the owl (head, body and wings), Jen Avitabile offers a tip to the class about adding feathers so that the bird looks like an owl, not a chicken, as one of the painters jokes.
Lillian Cerullo adds streaks of gray to the breast feathers to make them stand out against the rest of the owl's body. The next class will be held Feb. 11. The theme for Valentine's day: LOVE. Register by calling 610-332-1900.There are fees.
8774. Jen Avitabile suggests a tweak to the body of Karen Mintz' bird. Her comments to the students are always helpful and encouraging. She said that while teaching may technically be a job, it has never seemed that way to her.
Karen Mintz finishes outlining the composition: the owl's head at the top, the base on which it stands at the bottom, its body in the middle of the central section, and its wings on the sides of the body. The bill and eyes will be the final elements.