April is double the fun with two Corks & Canvases Painting Parties scheduled at the Albany Museum of Art.

At the first painting party this Friday, April 12, participants will recreate a painting of spring flowers by Albany Museum of Art Teen Art Board member Cora James, a junior at Byne Christian School. At the second painting party on Thursday, April 18, participants will re-create the 1890 painting Still Life with Apples by Paul Cézanne.

“We added a special Friday evening edition of Corks & Canvases as a fundraiser for the Teen Art Board as they work to raise money for their big project for the school year—a large mural on the north wall of The Cookie Shoppe,” Director of Education and Programming Annie Vanoteghem said. “It’s a departure from our usual Corks & Canvases in that Cora, a Teen Art Board member, will lead the workshop, and they will re-create an artwork she painted of white spring flowers against a bright blue sky. All the April 12 workshop proceeds will go toward their project.”

The registration for the April 12 workshop is $35, or $30 for AMA donors. The two-hour workshop starts at 5:30 pm. The online registration link may be found at www.albanymuseum.com/tab-mural-project.

Like sessions in the regular Corks & Canvases series, the workshop is for painters of all skill levels, including those who have never painted before. Participants get step-by-step instructions on the painting project while they enjoy charcuterie boards and refreshments, including wine for participants who are 21 and older. There is conversation and light background music to set the mood.

“Some like to make it a date night, some like to paint with a friend, and others join in solo,” Vanoteghem said. “It’s a low-pressure, high-enjoyment evening centered on friendship and art, and you go home with a painting you’re proud to show off. You don’t need to bring anything. We provide the canvases, paint, and brushes.”

The most important aspect of the evening, she said, is that it will help the high school students who comprise the Teen Art Board (TAB) achieve their goal. The Teen Art Board is an Albany Museum of Art educational program that uses art as the catalyst to help students learn and develop leadership skills. Each school year, the TAB selects a project to give back to the community.

“This group wanted to leave an imprint on Albany in the form of a large downtown mural that they hope will beautify and help destigmatize the downtown area,” Vanoteghem said. “Public art can transform the way people look at an area, and the hope is more positive things will grow from it. We always have a good turnout for our Corks & Canvases events, and I hope folks will come out to encourage our hardworking student leaders on April 12.”

TAB members and volunteers from middle and high school will work with Ramiro Davaro-Comas, a New York-based artist whose work was on exhibition at the AMA last fall. Davaro-Comas will guide the teens on the mural painting project. He designed the mural from drawings submitted earlier this year by area elementary school students.

The artist said the experience will be valuable for the students. “They will learn image transfer, prepping a wall for a lasting public artwork, painting the mural, permitting, fundraising, and so much more,” he said. “The group will become the first cohort of teens to produce a large-scale public work in Albany.”

After the special TAB fundraiser, Corks & Canvases will return to its regular schedule. On tap for the 5:30-7:30 pm workshop on Thursday, April 18, is a recreation of a work by French Post-Impressionist Cézanne. Still Life with Apples is a striking example of the artist’s innovative approach to still life. The composition features a table with a white tablecloth adorned with a variety of apples, some whole and others sliced. Cézanne employs his characteristic geometric forms, using cylindrical shapes for the apples and creating a sense of depth through careful placement and overlapping of objects. The color palette is subdued, with earthy tones dominating the scene.

Registration for the April 18 workshop is $30, or $25 for AMA donors. The online registration link may be found at www.albanymuseum.com/event/corks-and-canvases.

The Corks & Canvases Painting Party series of bimonthly Thursday evening workshops will not be taking the summer off. On June 27, the painters will be inspired by Claude Monet’s San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk. It will be followed on Aug 22 with the recreation of Pablo Picasso’s Asleep.

For more information about these and other programs, visit the AMA website: www.albanymuseum.com.