Narrative Painting: How to Personify Objects Workshop with April Werle

  • Narrative Painting: How to Personify Objects with April Werle

    About the Workshop: 

    In this workshop, students will explore how contemporary figurative painters use motif, personification, and color to build narrative within a composition. Through guided analysis of current artists' work, participants will develop their own narrative concept and compositional approach before applying these ideas in a small acrylic painting on paper. Students will work with a limited duo-chrome palette to discover how deliberate color choices reinforce emotional tone and storytelling.

    All materials and supplies are included.

    Day & Time: July 23, 2026, 10:30-1:00 pm

    Place:     Home Resource Community Room

    Audience: This workshop is suitable for all ages

    What to bring: no preparation is necessary!

    Cost: The workshop is free, but a donation is appreciated!

    Registration: Registration is required

    Questions? Email: susie@openairmt.org 


    About the Artist: 
     April Werle (b. 1995, Helena, Montana) is a narrative painter depicting mixed-race identity, memory, and diaspora through magical realism and intimate domestic scenes. Her recent solo exhibitions include Our Sometimes Home, Glacier Art Museum; I Live With a Ghost, PlatteForum; and My Other Half, The Chase Gallery. Her work has also been exhibited at Brea Gallery and the Montana Museum of Art and Culture. Werle completed a residency at PlatteForum and the Emerging Artist Residency at Centrum Foundation. She was awarded the Creative West Artist Fund Award, as well as the ARPA Grant and the Strategic Investment Grant from the Montana Arts Council. Her work has been featured in New American Paintings and Create! Magazine.

    • Required Registration Form 
    • Format: (000) 000-0000.
    • What is the age range of participants?
    • Do you have any experience with acrylic painting? (No experience is required).
    • Would you like to be added to our mailing list?*
    • Are you comfortable having your photograph taken during the workshop for publicity purposes?

    • Sliding-Scale Workshop Contribution*

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