If you're looking for a way to please both the work and play sides of your brain, you're in luck. ArtStreet will host a surrealist drawing workshop from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight in Studio E.

Seth Wade, 31, will teach the workshop. Wade is a fine arts education student at UD and is an experienced artist with work exhibited throughout the Dayton area.

"I've been featured in several galleries, including Gallery 510," Wade said. "I also won 'Best Drawing and Print Making' at Creative Soul of Dayton.

Creative Soul of Dayton, according to its website, is "an art exhibit aimed at showcasing the highest quality of individual artistic achievement in the visual arts in the Dayton region." It gives awards to local artists like Wade.

Wade has been doing surrealism work since 1995, his sophomore year of high school, he said.

Surrealism is an early 20th century art movement that is rooted in dream imagery and Freudian psychology. It draws from Cubism and Expressionism and stemmed from the earlier Dada movement, according to Art Street director Susan Byrnes.

"Most people are familiar with Salvatore Dali's 'The Persistence of Memory' with the melting clocks," Byrnes said.

Other popular surrealist artists include Joan Miro, Francis Picabia and Yves Tanguy.

Byrnes said she chose Wade to teach the workshop on surrealism because she knew he was skilled and had some teaching experience.

"For Wednesday workshops, we try to employ students who have skills they can share with other students, we try to work with faculty members, and we try to work with professional artists," she said. "So we really mix it up with different people to come and teach the students."

Wednesday Workshops are designed to provide an artistic experience without even leaving campus, the ArtStreet website said.

These drop-in hands-on weekly workshops are taught by students, faculty and visiting artists, with topics ranging from jewelry making to henna to printmaking," the website said. All supplies [are] provided except where noted. All sessions [run] from 7 to 9 p.m. in ArtStreet Studio E unless otherwise noted."

And don't worry about the cost.

"Workshops are FREE for full time UD students, faculty and staff," the website said.

"You may be required to present your ID at the beginning of the workshop. There is a $10 fee for all other participants. This includes community members, UDLLI students, and family members of students, faculty, or staff."

When not on campus, Wade currently resides in Kettering, Ohio, and teaches art at the Otterbein Retirement Living Community.

"I do it just to feel young again," he said.

Wade grew up in Springboro, Ohio. From there, he studied fine art at Sinclair Community College and the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

In February 2006, Wade moved to Mesa, Ariz., where he completed a year-long term of private study with professional artist Joel Coplin.

"It was a great experience," Wade said. "It gave me a much more academic approach to drawing."

An online portfolio of Wade's work can be found at his website, http://www.seth-wade.com.

"He truly is an amazing artist," said Byrnes of Wade.

Wade's surrealist drawing workshop is free and open to all UD students. Students can register for the workshop and get more information at the Art Street website, http://artstreet.udayton.edu.



Future Wednesday Workshops:

September 15: Ceramics with David Chesar

September 22: Cyanotype Printing

September 29: Jam Session with So Percussion, visiting artists