The Chilton County Arts Council is preparing for a series of classes in printmaking and a new Rose Gallery exhibit, both featuring the expertise and works of Jefferson State Community College art instructor Patrick Mayton.

The series Mayton will lead starts April 5 with a free artist talk from 1–3 p.m., followed by hands-on printmaking classes April 12 and 19 from 1–5 p.m., all at the Arts Council building, located at 703 Second Ave. N. in downtown Clanton.

An opening reception will also be held for Mayton at his artist talk April 5.

The talk and reception are free and open to the public.

“We are very lucky to be able to offer this type of workshop,” said Diana Hiott, Class Committee Chair for the Chilton County Arts Council, in a press release. “I am very excited about this class. It can be for beginners, and it teaches an actual process that can be repeated.”

Printmaking usually involves applying paint or ink to a plate and pressing it onto paper, Rose Gallery Director Sue Anne Hoyt said.

“We’ll work the first Saturday on preparing the blocks for our printing,” Hoyt said. “On the second Saturday, we will make prints. It will be a process [Mayton] will take us through step by step. The goal is for everyone to have their own print to take home with them.”

Mayton defined printmaking as “the art of making multiples.”

“I think there’s a lot of benefit to making multiples,” he said. “Every one in the batch is original. These aren’t reproductions. You are making one-of-a-kind, original works of art by hand that have some irregularity.”

The cost of the classes is $50 per person and includes all materials needed for the two class sessions, which will afford students enough time to complete a project.

The class is intended for adults, and those interested in taking the classes are encouraged to attend the artist talk, where they may register for the classes if they haven’t already done so.

“I expect it to be entirely a beginner course,” Mayton said. “I expect everybody in the group to be novice, and I expect some to be open to it and some to be challenging towards it. I hope to have some converts.”

Attendees are not required to bring supplies, but Mayton said they could bring any of the following items if they already have them: a Sharpie or China marker, India ink and a brush.

“I’m trying to teach it in a way that doesn’t involve computers or photocopiers,” he said.

The classes must have a minimum of five registrants to be held.

Mayton’s artwork will be displayed in the Chilton County Arts Council’s Rose Gallery throughout April.

Gallery director Sue Anne Hoyt assisted Mayton on Thursday morning with sorting through and hanging his artwork on the walls of the Rose Gallery, which is housed in the front room of the Arts Council building.

“Patrick’s credentials are impressive,” Hoyt said. “Of course, he instructs printmaking at Jefferson State Community College, he has a BFA in printmaking from the University of Montevallo and an MFA in printmaking from Arizona State, which is one of the top three printmaking schools in the country.”

For more information, visit ChiltonCountyArtsCouncil.com.

To register for printmaking classes before April 5, call (205) 217-3027 or email chiltoncountyartscouncil@hotmail.com.

“We just encourage them to take the time to come because it’s just a wonderful opportunity for the area to have someone of that caliber,” Hoyt said. “You’re talking about eight hours of instruction by a college professor and all the supplies to do it. We consider it a bargain.”