Two Saugus women will teach tree science and art class at the Lynn Museum

  Saugus artist Kelly Slater and landscape designer/horticultural instructor Laura Eisener will be teaching several classes on looking at and drawing trees at the Lynn Museum this month and in April. Participants will learn how to identify trees in winter and also how to draw them using several fun drawing techniques. The Lynn Museum is located at 590 Washington St. in Lynn, Mass.

  The first workshop is an all-ages exploration of trees in winter and will begin with Laura’s introduction to identifying trees through their twigs, cones and other visible features, even in the dormant season. Kelly will then facilitate an experimental drawing workshop, using locally collected twigs and cones as our subjects. Participants will explore ways of looking deeply at tree characteristics and experiment with playful approaches to drawing tree twigs and cones. It will be held March 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is free, with no registration required.

  On Tuesday, March 21, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Laura Eisener and Kelly Slater will present a two-part workshop on urban tree care and printmaking inspired by trees. Laura’s workshop, Urban Tree Care, will include information about the significance of urban trees in improving life for residents and those who work in these environments, how trees improve morale and property values, enhance safety and separation of vehicle traffic and pedestrians, decrease noise and glare, improve air quality, reduce heating costs, improve views and provide other benefits. There will be sufficient time for questions and answers.

  Kelly will lead participants in a trace monotype workshop. Inspired by urban and old-growth trees of Massachusetts, participants will make one-of-a-kind prints without a press using the simple but expressive trace monotype technique. Participants will have the opportunity to use the solvent-free, least toxic Akua Intaglio Inks and one or two homemade inks created with items such as blue spirulina powder, turmeric, rice paste and honey. Photos of urban and old-growth trees will be provided for inspiration, but people are encouraged to bring pictures or drawings of their favorite trees. Registration is required for this workshop.

  These programs are supported in part by a grant from the Lynn Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Additional support is provided through a Sustaining Practice Grant awarded to Kelly Slater by the Collective Futures Fund.

  Laura D. Eisener is the landscape designer at Northeast Nursery and teaches in the horticulture department at North Shore Community College. She also writes the weekly column on Saugus gardens in The Saugus Advocate. Kelly Slater is a local painter and printmaker who teaches stress-free improvisational art workshops. Both women are longtime Saugus residents.

  Finally, participants will be able to exhibit one or more of their creations at the upcoming Lynn Museum exhibit. Opening in May, the exhibit “A CLOSER LOOK AT TREES: FROM OLD-GROWTH TO OUR URBAN FOREST” will display the work – depicting both old-growth trees and the trees of our local urban forest – of Kelly and participants in Kelly’s and Laura’s early spring workshops at the Lynn Museum/LynnArts from May through August. Works will include experimental drawings of twigs and cones, trace monotypes of trees, artist’s books, and woodblock prints using nontoxic, plant-derived inks. The opening reception will include a short artists’ talk and a chance to ask questions of participating artists.

  For more details, or to register for the March 21 class, follow this link: https://lynnmuseum.org/events/second-saturday-march-23/