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IN THE CLASSROOM

Wayne’s World: Getting quiet and finding the groove

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In Wayne Huber’s art classes at Cruces Creatives, beginning, intermediate and advanced students are learning about contour line, form, value and color; experimenting with acrylics and watercolors, pastels and colored pencils; and learning to express themselves through painting and drawing or improving the skills and techniques they’ve already developed.

Maria Lopez said she been painting most of her life, but since retiring from her career as a classroom teacher, “now, it’s just a passion,” she said. “It’s something I have to do, because I love it.”

Juliette Acker works in marketing, but she’s moving more into graphic design and her work as an artist is helping her do more design work.

“A lot of people have art-teacher trauma,” Acker said. She was nervous coming to her first art classes at Cruces Creatives, but Huber “was so welcoming and so kind and so encouraging. It really increased my skill level. I really love drawing now. He’s a really supportive teacher.”

“I did some art in college and probably got very discouraged,” said artist Jean Long, who is also retired. She learned about Huber’s art class from her sister and decided to give it a try. “I’ve learned a lot,” she said.

“We can learn a lot of things and do really beautiful art,” said Long, who is also a member of a local calligraphy club. “Everything is better with practice. Being an artist means life-long learning,” she said. “You get quiet and find that groove. You practice it. Do art every day. Some keep. Some throw away.”

“It’s more about finding your style,” Acker said. “Picasso leaned into his style.”

“It’s a maturity of your ego,” Long said. “I can do this and it’s my style and it’s art and I don’t care what other people think.”

“His sense of composition is so exceptional,” Huber said of beginning art student David Cervantes, a 2018 graduate of Oñate High School who will study cyber security this fall at New Mexico State University.

Cervantes took art from Huber while a student at Highland Elementary School and later as a high school sophomore. At 19, he’s still finding the style and technique he likes best but already appreciates that “you’re never going to make the same thing twice.” Art, Cervantes said, is “original to the person that drew it.”

Huber has an MFA from the University of Arizona and has taught art for 55 years, including community colleges in Illinois and Missouri, and Washington University in St Louis. He has taught locally at Las Cruces Museum of Art, El Paso Museum of Art, Doña Ana Community College and privately.

Here are the art classes Huber teaches at Cruces Creatives, 205 E. Lohman Ave.:

  • Youth art: Wednesdays, 3:30-4:20 p.m. (ages 8-12) and 4:30-5:20 p.m. (ages 13-18). $40 for four classes and the first class is free.
  • Beginning art for adults: Tuesdays, 1-3:30 p.m.
  • Intermediate and advanced art for adults: Thursdays, 1-3:30 p.m. Classes are $60 for four classes with the first class free.

Contact Huber at 575-647-5684. Visit www.waynecarlhuber.com.

 

Mike Cook may be contacted at mike@lascrucesbulletin.com.

Cruces Creatives

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