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.

Overcoming Challenges Through Art

I want to share how two of my art experiences with art are helping the individuals to overcome challenges. The first is an autistic young man who is taking private art. The art is building up his skills that he enjoys doing. Working together we are conversing on different life goals he has. I was so excited to have another parent donate a drawing apparatus to be used with a computer. This week he showed me some of his simple sketches. I am proud to show you some of his art that he has created and his work continues to grow each week. Praying that God continues to use this young man in a special way! Notice the before and after pictures. What a vast improvement!

My second group that is overcoming challenges are a group of seniors at Clearwater Senior Living in the new Riverpark development in Oxnard. For most of the seniors they had never taken an art class in their life. And you never ask a lady her age, so I wasn’t about to ask how old these seniors were. We created a still life piece in the style of Fauvism. It uses a lot of color, rather than trying to be representational. You can see the piece by Maurice de Vlaminck. I was so thrilled to see how their pieces expressed their unique personalities. Apparently one man in the group is known for doing his own thing and yet he joined in following my guidance. Another lady kept saying her work wasn’t real good, and yet in the end her friends were telling her how beautiful it was, and she was quite pleased with the affirmation. In the end it proves you can learn something and enjoy it even in older age. But please don’t wait to join an art class when you’re past 80!! I have classes now :))

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.

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.

Ventura's Youth Art Show winners in 2016

This art show sponsored by Crowell Weeden & Co. in Ventura gave gift prizes and cash awards to many of my private tutors.  In every elementary group category, my students and parents were pleasantly surprised to see how their children performed on a county level.  Students won cash, art supplies, and a whole lot of confidence!  Not only do they see other art pieces from various students, but going to their first reception is quite an honor.  It was held at the offices of Crowell Weeden in Ventura with a special reception for all participants.

This year's show is held by D. A. Davidson & Co. in Ventura  The deadline is March 7 at 4:00 pm to bring in work.  The address is 60 So. California St., Suite 301, in Ventura above the Lure Restaurant.  If you are interested in entering go to the Art N' You/sign up page and click on the form to download and fill it out.  This year's show goes from March 13 to May 19th.  Good Luck!