Art N' You - Highlights from various students -2022!

Lots of changes have happened during the Covid lockdown and restrictions that challenged my usual teaching venues at public schools. I wasn’t sure if I would be joining the exodus of Californians to another freer state or not. I still have my eye on Utah as it has beautiful mountains for skiing and hiking!

Homeschool groups and private tutoring groups opened up where doors were shut in the public schools. I also obtained a small kiln, that opened up the doors to teaching ceramic classes this past summer. So proud of the various outstanding work these students did in one week! All their smiles give me encouragement and joy to continue teaching art here in Ventura County.

Two new homeschool groups reached out to me: ACHEV and CASA. Both groups are geared towards Christians seeking an alternative to the values taught in the public school system. I offered basics in art to a high school group, as well as a few Art History classes so students would create pieces as well as understand what was occurring during the time of the artists masterpiece. I wonder what representations would take place here in California. . . perhaps, “The Scream”?!

Ceramics has always been a joy of mine. I remember getting a scholarship and award in high school. Working 3 dimensionally is challenging, but very rewarding. My students this past summer did incredible work learning concepts in only one week! I am very proud of them.

Plein Aire Class Inspirations

Amidst the restrictions here in CA, I decided to take some friends to Yosemite and teach a Plein Aire class. What fun, can I just stay there?? So I thought, why not enjoy some of the outstanding landmarks we have here in Camarillo and paint, or at least draw outside in the beautiful fresh air? These young students are doing an outstanding job drawing Plein aire (fancy word in French for outside) and painting back in the studio. What a wonderful experience and way to capture the beauty aroung where we live. Enjoy the pictures from Yosemite and from Camarillo!

Still Creating Amidst shutdowns

It has been extremely emotionally and economically detrimental to close down businesses and schools for 9 months here in California. I personally am hibernating like a bear financially in order to conserve my resources. I am thankful that a few small tutor groups have been going on to provide joy in my life and a trickle of income, as unemployment is not the way I want to stay afloat. I love seeing the excitement from my young students as they express themselves artistically in my private art classes. Art helps provides them with a creative release from the stresses of this extended quarantine.

During this time I had the opportunity to take a workshop to grow in my own Intuitive Expressive art skills. It was fun to let loose try painting with joyful strokes, new techniques letting paint drip down on the canvas, stamp into the paint, paint with my fingers, or spray more water on the canvas to see fluidity and spontaneous changes in the paint process.

This exercise was done in a course of several days, allowing the paint to dry in between otherwise opposite colors of the color wheel turn to mud or grey. It was great to have no idea in mind on what I was painting and let it just flow from pure fun and enjoyment of the medium. At one point though I really thought my piece was hopeless, everything was in a state of chaos and too busy with all kinds of lines and colors everywhere. . . very much like the state of our country - as if it could not get any worse!!!

The instructor encouraged me to go on and that I would like it. Could it turn out into something beautiful? Internally I thought I can not make any sense out of all this. I would need to let it rest and speak to me. Well nothing really spoke to me so I decided to add something that speaks fun to me- a sea turtle. Somehow as I placed this familiar and enjoyable object into the piece covering an area that I clearly did not like, something changed. I added some blue and greens to outline the shape. This helped coax the turtle out of the busy background so I could recognize it better. Then my turtle needed another friend so I added a seahorse went into another area that was too distracting. . . pretty soon these happy memories of underwater diving made my heart sing being under the sea again!

Once in my happy place, I was able to add bits of color and details to bring more attention to these whimsical sea creatures. Applying a light wash to the background also helped in bringing the seahorse and sea turtle forward. My energy and mood changed and soon this was turning into a piece of art that I am quite excited with.

My other painting was done having hinderances broken and taping into that playful creative side!

If you are interested in trying this creative approach, contact me at Michelle@Art-N-You.com.

Learning Masterfully!

This summer these students took their art to the Next Level!  And they fell in love with their paintings!  They already knew how to draw, so they went on to tackle the beast of mixing colors.  We first began the course by creating a color wheel so they could see how colors were made.  Then, really observing their animal, they had to decide where to place the shades first.  By understanding your darkest darks on your object you can gauge the lights and mediums.  Once that is in place, the artist looks at the highlight areas: areas where the sun is hitting their object.  We first started with a still life so by using simple shapes we could understand darks do not have to be black!  After that exercise,  we moved on to animals of their choices.  Here are their results. . . they were pleasantly surprised even if they felt it might be too hard.  SECRET: To tackle the fur and the palm tree fronds we used a special brush so you don't have to paint every hair or leaf.

Walking away with $100!

You can imagine the surprise on these two young artists as they came for a nice evening out to see their artwork on the wall and enjoy dinner in Ventura.  Both Syna and her brother Aayan went to the art show and walked away with a ribbon and cash award's!   Now that's encouragement to keep on doing well in art class!  Many of my other students took ribbons as well in pastels and in mixed media.  You can see many of their art pieces and the talented art they are creating.  Thank you to D.A. Davidson Investments in Ventura for making this possible to showcase the art in Ventura County.

Creating with Clay

It always feels like Christmas when you open the kiln after a glaze firing, so much anticipation and sparkle from the colors.  You never know exactly how the pieces will look, if the student added enough glaze coats, or if they added something you didn't quite see them do.

Working with clay is very therapeutic as well as something that is rarely taught anymore because of the "mess".  Most children and adults like to create in 3D, they just need some help to get their imagination come to reality.   I am fortunate to have a large kiln at Mesa Union School to help students create whimsical owls, pinch pot flower bowls, slab dogs, handprints for Kindergarteners, pinch pot sea turtles, and of course I had to make a test coil plaque for my mother for Mother's Day!

This summer I will be teaching a clay class with a friend Terry who has also worked with clay for a number of years.  We have a variety of projects in mind including the crazy boxes that come out unique to each child.  And of course, you need to at least try your hand at coils.  These take some time to get even pressure on the clay snake.

The summer clay class is June 25 - 29th 9:30 am - NOON  $185 includes all supplies and you won't have to worry about the mess!

Enriching Students at Cam Heights!

I just finished an art enrichment program at Cam Heights Elementary School bringing a variety of projects to help these 4th and 5th graders learn about art history, various artists like Klimt, Georgia O' Keeffe, and create great pieces of art.  It has been a delight to see students accomplish goals in art, express their creativity, as well as learn about real artists.  I still have to help students learn art terms as most teachers refer to a landscape direction of paper as "hotdog" and "portrait" as "hamburger", UGGH.  It reminds me when I heard kids talking about Michaelangelo and Donatello, just to find out it was regarding ninja turtles and not the real artists!!! 

I also am able to help students from a professional eye, adust a picture to make it more appealing with the use of either complementary colors or how to fine tune a picture with a stroke or two of a line.    And many students do not know how to use brushes, as they don't get to paint much in schools.  So these students learn the difference between watercolor and tempera/ or acrylic brushes, how to properly clean and store them,  and how proper tools are used.  

Many of the pieces of art you see now will be on display at the school's art show held yearly at Studio Channel Islands Art Gallery this coming February.

Creative Juices Still flowing in Seniors!

I am seeing how art is helping Seniors in the Assisted Living and in Memory Care Facility here at Alma Via in Camarillo.  I have also learned it is not the product that is important but the process of enjoying creations and expressing yourself.  Many of the residents have limited dexterity, but enjoy creating pieces that are broken down simply.  This helps them engage their minds and stay focused.  They also enjoy the fellowship creating within a group and the dialogue and exchange of ideas, but don't we all learn and are inspired by others in a community.  Some projects are just for the fun, and other times I like to work with my art therapy training to focus on a theme to help them process emotions.  Especially as we are approach Thanksgiving, it is nice to have something that reminds us of the positive things in life.  It is easy to slip into negativity when your mind is slipping, and the body isn't moving like it did at 40, but to focus on thankfulness brings health to our minds and bodies.  We really have a lot to be Thankful for our friends, family, community, and needs met at a great facility like Alma Via Senior Living Home.

Listening to my students for ideas

I was quite surprised after my summer Fashion Design class when students told me how much they enjoyed learning to sew.  They wanted to have more sewing classes, so I took them up on that and this Fall I offered a sewing class that was FULL and had a WAITLIST!  Here are some of the projects we worked on.  I am looking forward to sharing my sewing skills with another group of girls soon!  

These girls had no prior sewing skills and learned how to operate their own machine, practice how to control the pressure, follow a line, and make a bobbin.  We redesigned a T-shirt and then we made emoji pillows.  We started some snakes from old socks but we will need another class to complete them, if they did not finish them on their own. 

If you are interested in a sewing class for your daughter call me at 805 443-1555 for the next available class.  Students must have their own sewing machines.