Art Classes

Teaching art has been one of Gwen’s most rewarding experiences in life, whether to adults or children. She has been teaching art classes since 1993 and loves helping others explore art in its many forms.  Her typical areas of focus are still life in charcoal, pencil, watercolour, and mixed media.  She loves to share with her students the elements of art, and their ways of seeing and capturing the images they love in the world around them. Planning compositions, using thumbnail sketches and deciding on values and design before diving into the paint is an important part of Gwen’s teaching. 

Gwen has a real passion to inspire others to explore and have fun with art. She encourages her students to give themselves permission to enjoy the process and let go of the pressure of creating a masterpiece! This is so important in the learning stages – to be fearless, to jump in and learn through experience without expectations. 

She enjoys teaching drawing basics as well. Drawing from still life (with well-lit objects) and doing quick blind contour drawings is a wonderful way of building one’s drawing skills, which she believes is the foundation of any further creative endeavor. 

Gwen  custom designs her classes to suit the needs and abilities of her students – medium, subject, difficulty, and duration.

Exploring the Foundations of Art 

October 9 – December 4, 2019
March 4 – April 22, 2020

This is a strategically planned, 8-week course is designed to explore the elements that build the foundation of good art. 

Each week, students learn about a key element, then put that into practice using one of many mediums. Students will learn to use pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, pastel and watercolours. Working on developing a strong base in drawing and expanding the variety of ways of seeing. Students will work for the bulk of the 2.5 hour class from a still life designed each week to allow for skill development in each of the mediums and elements at the same time. 

Small classes of up to 6 people are welcomed into Gwen’s Home teaching studio in Carstairs. Contact Gwen with any questions.

Testimonials

Thanks again for such a fabulous class. Everyone loved it so much! Here are some of the comments from the class:

  • Loved it, wish it was longer!
  • Instructor was Excellent!
  • Very informative, learned so much

– Cremona CES