As a way to combat the winter blues and show residents that everyone can be an artist, the Selma Art Guild is hosting an array of classes this February in fused glass, paint, pottery and so much more.

A month of workshops will kick off Sunday, Feb. 2 with a “Fused Glass Fun” class taught by art guild member Jo Taylor.  The class will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude at 3 p.m. Cost is $50 with all materials included.

“We’ve got glass, we’ve got clay, we’ve got painting — just a little bit of everything,” Taylor said of the month of workshops. “Along with a fused glass class I’ll also be doing a collage class, which I’m really excited about.”

On Friday, Feb. 8, a Seize the Clay for Hunger class will be held at the guild, located at 508 Selma Ave., from noon until 3 p.m. This class, Taylor said, will also serve as a fundraiser for Integrity Worldwide, a local non-profit organization.

Participants will make two bowls using the slab and coil method, keeping one bowl and donating the other to the Empty Bowls Project to support the efforts of Integrity Worldwide, which help feed people in need. The class will be taught by Becky Blaylock and will cost $30.

The Empty Bowls Project, a grassroots movement created by the Imagine Render Group, has the simple goal of filling empty bowls with food for those who suffer from hunger, Taylor said. Participants will keep one bowl as a reminder of all those who go hungry every day.

On Saturday, Feb. 9, a tips and techniques on the abilities of interactive paint class, taught by artist Kellie Newsome, will be held at the guild. Newsome will host a hands-on workshop using Chroma Atelier Interactive acrylics. Through a multi-layering paint process, Taylor said participants are sure to walk away with something beautiful.

The class will begin at 1 p.m. and last until 3:30 p.m. Cost is $5. Participants are asked to bring brushes and either a canvas or watercolor paper to paint on.

“Her paintings are very bright and alive,” Taylor said of Newsome’s work. “They have a lot of movement because of the color combinations.”

Another Seize the Clay for Hunger class will be held Saturday, Feb. 16 from 9 a.m. to noon followed by a Collage Craziness class, which will be held from 12:30 p.m. until 3 p.m.

Taylor said she wants to dispel the notion that collage making is simply “cutting out images from magazines and pasting them on paper.”

“Collage is such a beautiful art from,” Taylor said. “We’re going to do one where you take freezer paper and then you tint tissue paper using water based oils or acrylic and you lighten them up to make a beautiful piece.”

The class will cost $20 and all materials will be provided.

To conclude the month of workshops, a paint party will be held Saturday, Feb. 23 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and a gourd art-making class from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The paint party, hosted by art guild member Sally Jordan, will entail painting a portrait of Kenan’s Mill using vivid acrylics. Cost is $20 with all materials provided.

The gourd art making class, also taught by Sally Jordan, will involve creating a usable basket out of a gourd and decorating it with paint, wood burning and raffia. Cost for the class will be $50.

“This is something Sally has been wanting to do for a while,” Taylor said of the gourd art making class. “It’s something very unique, and I think the people who come will really enjoy it.”

To attend any of the classes, Taylor said all you need to do is call and sign up.

“We’re trying to get the word out that you don’t have to be an artist to come out and have some fun and learn something new,” Taylor said. “We also wanted to break up those winter blues and get people out of the house.”

To sign up for a class, call Taylor at 412-3852 or Sally Jordan at 875-4262. To participate in the Seize the Clay for Hunger classes, call Becky Blaylock at 872-8920.