Digital Imaging CourseThe aims of the course

Welcome to our Digital Imaging Course.  So you want to know how to produce a satisfactory print from your film or digital camera?

The course is aimed primarily for people who want guidance in the control of digital images from the very start.  Maybe you have just acquired a digital camera and wish to get successful results from it.  Or perhaps you have lots of old prints, negatives or slides and want to know the right way to deal with these in the new world of Digital Imaging.  The course will also be useful to people who have been conventional photographers and want to move into the digital domain.

We will not be showing you how to take photographs or how to use a camera be they of the digital or film variety.

This course will show you how to use the Lightroom (formerly a Darkroom!).  We will explore how to load photographs into your computer and how to deal with them using Image Manipulating software.  We shall be using the Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 to co-ordinate the instructions.  However, you can use Elements 3 4 5 6 or 7. 

If you use ANY other software you may not get the best from the course since the tools included will be different or non-existent.

An Introduction to British Garden History

This delightful drawing was Osbert Lancaster's idea of a typical cottage garden, a type of British garden that spans many centuries and is still looked on favourably, today.

Aims of the course: To look chronologically at the development of gardens,

in Britain, from Roman Times to the Victorian Era. To identify distinctive features, such as layout,

structures and planting, characteristic of historic gardens at different periods of time.

To use a variety of source materials to investigate garden history.

To be aware of examples of surviving, restored and recreated historic gardens.

To provide material, and hopefully inspiration, for individual or group study.

Course contents Introduction (this unit) Unit 1 - The Romans Arrive: Gardening Begins Unit 2 - Cloisters And Castles: Gardening In Medieval

Times Unit 3 - A Fashion For Knots: Tudor And Jacobean

Gardens

Unit 4 - French And Dutch Influences: Late Stuart Gardens

Unit 5 - The Landscape Garden: Gardening In Georgian Times

Unit 6 - The Picturesque: Reaction Against The English Landscape Garden

Unit 7 - Gardening For All: The Victorian Era

Writing for Publication

This course is for those who want to get their non-fiction articles

published in magazines, newspapers and on the Internet. 

These markets are the best ones for new writers - there are

hundreds of such publications and their editors need thousands

of stories to fill their pages.

Your work doesn't have to be brilliant - it just has to be good

enough.  If you follow the Units diligently you will get published. 

This course has been running for five years with the U3A

Carlisle writers' group and our success rate is high - all the

members have been published.

Writing, like other disciplines, is a craft to be learned and the

course examines this in detail.  There are skills to be acquired,

rules to be adhered to and mistakes to be avoided.  These

matters are sympathetically addressed in an informal and

relaxed way.  The Units show you how to improve your writing

skills so that you can refine your stories to the standard required

for publication.

Creative Writing Fiction – IntroductionIt is no wonder that Creative Writing is so popular in U3A. The satisfaction of spinning words to express our creativity drives us on to strive for perfection. But writing skills need practice and in our busy lives, it is hard to make time for sustained effort.Why take a course?

Each unit will explore a new aspect of writing. By completing the exercises (called Activities) and comparing your results with those of fellow students, you will extend the range of your skills by trying out new ideas. Constructive Criticism   Best of all, you will benefit from the friendly criticism of fellow students. We have probably all been at Creative Writing Groups where work has been unjustly praised. It is hard to make critical comments face to face. After all, we have to live with our colleagues. But undiscriminating praise has little value. On this course, we can discuss our work more freely and constructively. Alone or in a group?      In order to reach more members, we are enrolling both individual members and groups. You can download the material and work on it at times convenient to yourself. Email your answers to the questions in the Activities to the tutor for comments and share your views with other students.Group convenors should consult the separate leaflet for suggestions on using the course materials in a group. What do I do?  Each Unit contains four/five Activities, along with

explanations and examples. Those labelled 'Optional' are intended for experienced writers but I hope you will all feel inspired to tackle them.

Writing Poetry I am always amazed that so many people - and sometimes very unlikely ones - write poetry.  Often they are inspired by strong emotions.  Love poetry is a well-known example.  On other occasions, sheer exuberance or a feeling of unity with one's surroundings, can inspire an outburst of verse.

Sometimes these poems are kept secret or cautiously revealed only to those nearest and dearest.  However, other writers are proud of their poems and seek ways to publicise them.  U3A offers many opportunities, from joining a Writers' Group to publishing in a local anthology.  This course aims to add to these incentives by encouraging experiments with new forms and bringing the benefits of friendly criticism.

But how can a course help in such a personal inner process?  Surely poetry arises from inspiration, not from set exercises?This is true, but every form of writing has an element of craftsmanship and a knowledge of the nuts and bolts of poetry is a good basis for more successful work. Eight weeks of study and practice may well bring new inspiration but at the very least, it will bring a deeper appreciation of this ancient human skill. What do I need?1. A home computer with an internet connection 2. An anthology of poems by various authors, including a selection of modern poets. Can I work with a friend or with my U3A group?Yes, these options are possible.  There are special

guidelines available for group leaders. Please let me know if you plan a group option.  

 Broadly speaking, all writing is creative, but unlike most creative writing courses, this one focuses on the main principles involved in writing persuasively, and these principles can be applied to fiction and non-fiction, or information based writing. Why are the principles important?They discipline the writer to:

Keep to the point, (readers do not appreciate being taken on verbal rambles).

Explain complex issues eloquently, in plain English. Allow meaning to bring the right word to mind. Select words for their power to create atmosphere

and descriptive detail. Create prose in a balanced structure of simple and

complex sentences. How long is the course?It runs for 8 weeks in a sequence of 8 Units.  The first four units are theme-based, which helps to get you started, practise organising your thoughts and finding your focus. Here is a guide to writing practice covered in the units.  

1.  Clarity rules. On the theme of Waterways (canals, rivers, lakes, ponds, floods, drought, or any topic that links to the theme) you will aim to write three paragraphs of prose in simple, direct terms, and achieve a clear interchange of information.2.  The power of words - you will make them pull their full weight, and deliver the sense and meaning you intend to your reader.3.  Grammar and punctuation  - Why bother? What happens when rules are bent?

4.  Your opinion - put it across by including personal experience, relevant to a topic of public interest of your choice5.  Comment on a topic through narrative and character.6-8.  Essay writing - separate fact from opinion, draw conclusions.  Essential editing skills practice.

Aims of the course To consider some representative artists who were

born north of the Alps during the 15th to 17th centuries

To note the development of styles compared with Italian work of a comparable period of time

To appreciate that the political unrest affected many of the artistic centres

To realise the religious influences upon the genres and subjects which were available to artists especially during the 16th and 17th centuries

To be aware of the result of travel to other European countries, upon a number of the artists

To note any characteristic traits which may be common to artists of this geographic region.

 Course contentsUnit 1: Hieronymus Bosch, Netherlandish moralist of theunconventional and grotesque.Unit 2: Hans Holbein the Younger, German portraitist and court artist.Unit 3: Peter Bruegel the Elder, Netherlandish, traveller and recorder of his culture.Unit 4: Anthony van Dyck, Flemish traveller and court portraitist.Unit 5: Frans Hals: Dutch portraitist of individuals and groups.Unit 6: Peter Paul Rubens: Flemish court artist, designer, traveller and diplomat.

Unit 7: Rembrandt van Rijn: Dutch artist, portraitist, draughtsman and etcher.Unit 8: Johannes Vermeer: Dutch artist of the contemporary domestic scene.

The aims of this course To show the rise of the Venetian Republic and its

eventual decline and collapse; the acquisition of her great wealth, then the loss of its source, matched by the artistic output of this unique city.

To concentrate on the artists who came to, or who were born and worked in, the city of Venice, following them from the beginning of the fifteenth to the end of the eighteenth centuries.

To highlight the peak of this period, known as the Golden Age; the sixteenth century with three great artists.

To note changes in decorative fashion, too, which brought fame to some artists and some loss of livelihood to one in particular.

To record the chain of influences which link the artists, giving a coherence to the long, mainly uninterrupted, period of the Venetian School.

Suggested book titles from The Dictionary of Art ed. Jane Turner, vol. 32.   Macmillan 1996.1.  Veronese Pedrocco & Pignatti. Complete catalogue, (Florence 1991, revised Venice 2, 1995).2.  The Art of Paolo Veronese 1528-88, ed. W.R.Rearick (1988) Exhibition catalogue.3.  Veronese Paolo 1528-1588 Gregory Martin, (The Masters 73) Knowledge Publications. Date unknown.4.  T. Pignatti Veronese 2 vols. (Venice 1976). Complete biography and excellent plates.5.  P. Veronese D. von Hadeln (Florence 1978).

6.  Divine Love & Veronese's Frescoes at the Villa Barbaro I. Jackson Reist. Date unknown.7.  Paolo Veronese K. Badt (Cologne 1981) Monographs & exhibition catalogue.8.  Venetian Painted Ceilings of the Renaissance J. Schulz (1968). 

  

A Practical Appreciation

.IntroductionThe course focuses on painting and sculpture in northern and central Italy mostly between the years 1400 to 1600. Its aim is to consider the production, purpose and style of the works and the changes which occurred through the period. In a word or two: HOW and WHY.

For some background to this statement, read this:The earliest "renewal" took place at the time of Charlemagne, during the late 8th & 9th centuries. A second revival occurred in the 12th century and with the recent "discovery" of others in the 10th and 13th centuries, the Italian "Renaissance" increasingly appears the brilliant culmination of a series of earlier trends than a break with the past and a totally new beginning.from The Atlas of the Renaissance, C. F. Black et al.(1993)

The StructureThe eight parts will each be about a different aspect, :-1.  Practical painting; FRESCO2.  Practical painting; TEMPERA3.  Practical painting; OILS4.  Mathematics in art5.  Painting of figures

6.  Sculpture styles7.  Reconciling Christian and Pagan images8.  Patronage and religious controlEvaluation of the whole courseYour role in the courseTo respond to the activities which are inserted throughout the eight parts. These may be practical exercises, passages of reading, questions and answers, quizzes, filling in the blanks, etc. On a downloadable course: to join in discussions with the other participants, through your group email, during the whole course

Aims of the course To show the different experience of artists according to

the region of Spain in which they were working To point to the effects of the marriage of Ferdinand of

Aragon and Isabella of Castile in 1469 and their eventual expulsion of the Moors from southern Spain

To highlight the power of the Church, the religious fervour and mysticism of the Counter Reformation in Spain

To explain the influences from imported artists and imported works, upon native artists

To show the lowly status of native artists and mention those who strove to raise it

To point to the pattern of patronage through the centuries

And to concentrate on the work of the outstanding artists featured, over five centuries

Additionally, as an optional exercise, by recording the travels of the artists, that you may discover how their painting styles were influenced by the works they saw

 Course contentsIntroduction:  Preparing the map; providing your Profile;

finding how to email the the other members of the group; finding websites.Unit 1: Spanish history in outline from the 15th to the 20th century;  the regions;  the Kings Charles V and Philip II;  The Immigrant; El Greco.Unit 2: The Emigrant; de Ribera & the Church Decorator; Zurbaran.Unit 3: Artist & Courtier; Velazquez.Unit 4: The Social Observer; Murillo.Unit 5: Court Artist & Depressive; Goya.Unit 6: Early Picasso & Gris.Unit 7: Later Picasso.Unit 8: Surrealism, Miri & Dali 

13th - 17th centuriesThe aims of this course To refer to the history of Rome for the background of

Church and political changes during these centuries To explore the underlying reasons for much

commissioned work To appreciate the attractions of Rome for artists at this

period To note the market outside of commissioned work and

the opportunities it offered for sales, and attracting patrons

To highlight the work of the greatest artists of the time through Papal patronage

To record, as an optional exercise, the artists, the works, the locations, and the patrons, in time-line format

Course contentsUnit 1: The earliest works: Cavallini's mosaics and frescoes in two churches; Giotto's large mosaic (now lost) and, with his studio assistants, an important altarpiece.  The decoration of the walls of the Sistine Chapel by a group of Tuscan and Umbrian artists.Unit 2: Michelangelo's frescoes: the Sistine Chapel ceiling; the altar wall; the Pauline Chapel.Unit 3: Michelangelo's sculptures and architecture; for cardinals, one in St. Peter's; for Bruges; the Julius Tomb; the Dome and late architecture; the last Pietas.Unit 4: Raphael's frescoes in the Papal Rooms (Stanze); his designs for tapestries for the Sistine Chapel; his portraits; his altarpieces; the decoration of the Villa Farnesina.Unit 5: Caravaggio's still-life work; his first single-figure and group paintings; genre paintings; religious work; the last altarpieces. A mention of Artimisia Gentileschi and Annibale Carracci.Unit 6: Bernini; his early work for a cardinal; the bust

portraits; tombs for popes; the Baldicchino and Cathedra Petri; the Cornaro Chapel; the Fountains.Unit 7: Poussin; works for a cardinal; works from Ovid and Tasso; the introduction of landscape; landscape with Biblical figures; series' of Seven Sacraments.Unit 8: Claude (Lorrain); early work; paired paintings; Port scenes; the Compagna and Caprice landscapes; Biblical figures in landscapes.

In search of the Russian soul - through history, culture and language

This is a good time to study Russia, now that many historical archives have been opened up for the first time and historians- Russian and non-Russian- can analyse more accurately the actions of the Tsars and the Soviet leaders, especially Lenin and Stalin.

An account of Russian history spanning more than a thousand years, is necessarily brief.  To help remedy this, some interesting aspects have been highlighted and described in more detail.  These sections are called ‘Spotlights’ and deal with such topics as Genghis Khan, serfdom, and the Trans Siberian railway.Russian AlphabetThe Russian Cyrillic (who was Cyril?) alphabet is an obstacle we can overcome.  Unfortunately without hearing you speak, we can’t learn much of the spoken language. But at least we can become familiar with the written forms.  Each unit will contain a language puzzle for you to solve. Russian words are translated and transliterated into our Roman alphabet.BooksThere are many new and exciting books available, and I’ll

begin with a list which looks alarming.  However, I don’t expect you to read them all, but just to select the ones which interest you personally.  I give an indication of their contents so you can choose accordingly.  All are available from the public library.  Web SearchesYour main source of information will be the World Wide Web. Rather than use web sites, which tend to change and disappear, search for a name or topic which can be found in Google (or whichever browser you prefer

Each unit contains ‘Activities’ for you to complete in your own time. 

China - an introduction, through history, culture and languageChina is much in the news today, after the 2008 Olympics, the Three Gorges Dam and China 's extraordinary economic growth.  This is a good time to look more closely at this fascinating country.An account of Chinese history spanning more than three thousand years, is necessarily brief.  To help remedy this, some interesting aspects have been highlighted and described in more detail.  These sections are called Spotlights and deal with such topics as China 's Dragon Ladies, Confucianism, civil service exams and foot binding. Written Chinese

The Chinese writing system is so different from our own that it makes a fascinating study.  Each Unit will end with a language section dealing with tones to calligraphy.  There will be puzzles for you to try. Books

There are many new and exciting books available, and I'll begin with a list which looks alarming.  However, I don't expect you to read them all now, but just to select the ones which interest you personally for later reading.  I give an indication of their contents so you can choose accordingly.  All are available from the public library.  They will amplify and explain the course material. Web searches

Your main source of information will be the World Wide Web. Rather than use web sites, which tend to change and disappear, I will give a name or topic which can be searched for in Google (or whichever browser you prefer.