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.
Art Class Ideas and Options
Gwen has provided all kinds of fun art classes workshops over the years for children and adults. She teaches a variety of mediums – watercolour, acrylic, oil, and more. Below is a selection of a few popular art classes/workshops
Exploring the Foundations of Art
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 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 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.
Creative Expression Journalling
This is an expressive workshop based on healing from trauma and loss. Typically taking place over two afternoons.
It’s all about having permission to feel and express in a creative way. Journals are begun at the workshop, but students are encouraged to continue the process at home on their own.
Watercolour, stamps, cut outs and stencils are all used. Students are also encouraged to incorporate poetry, Scripture, and personal journaling with their pages.
Gwen demonstrates how watercolour works but is largely there to facilitate and encourage and give ideas to explore. She provides all the material to use to develop the pages as each participants desires.
Parent/Child Art Workshops
These 2.5 hour workshops are super fun!
Both a parent and a child between 7 and 12 years old get to paint the same picture together.
Gwen has hosted several of these in local facilities and they have been wonderfully successful. The results are remarkable as parent and child get to enjoy learning together and creating a piece of art, side by side.
Students work from Gwen’s demonstration, following along in watercolour. Gwen provides all the supplies needed and students learn all about watercolour painting together.
Adult Watercolour WorkshopS
Gwen offers a short 2.5 hour workshop on watercolour painting for adult groups.
This class has often been offered during private, multi-day retreats as a creative activity for the group, but can be adapted to almost any use case.
Subject material varies depending on the group. Sometimes all the paintings are drawn out, other times people are given the image and will draw it for themselves. Each time, people who have never painted in their adult lives are so thrilled with the results!
Gwen provides all the material and demonstrates each step of the process.
And more
Something else in mind? From “Paint Nights” to skill-focused classes, Gwen would be happy to create a class for your group.
Please get in touch to discuss!
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
Questions? Don’t hesitate to get in touch.