August 2015 Newsletter with updates!

QUICK NEWS

So much has been happening!

Last month we shared with you that after 4 years of holding many of our art classes in downtown Wake Forest, we moved all of our classes back to our professional art studios outside Franklinton. That address is 2109 Old Mill Farm Rd, Franklinton, NC 27525. We hold our summer camps and adult "Artescapes" there, so it just fell into place! We may occassionally offer a class in downtown Wake Forest so keep an eye out with our newsletters!

Secondly, we have partnered with Vance Granville Community College in both the Henderson and Louisburg locations to teach a number of their art classes. Most are courses ranging from 7-12 weeks and you can find them on our calendar! Just follow the links.If you want a cost effective fun experience, pop over to this link to see what and when and to register directly with the college . http://vgcc.edu/schedules/personal-enrichment
Classes held both at the main campus and the Loiusburg campus. Details on the site or contact me! Both night and morning classes in your favorite mediums and mixed media.


What's Coming up!

NEW!  Our after school art class format has changed!
Instead of parents coming for 1 hour, once a week, I have made it easier for all by adding a 1 day art camp once a month! For the low cost of $45.00 per child, they'll be immersed in clay, paint, mixed media and all kinds of artsy stuff  from 9:30-2:30 on scheduled Saturdays once, possibly twice a month. The first Art Day Camp is Saturday, Sept 26. Check our calendar for dates through January!   http://artstudentacademy.com/Saturday-Art-Camps.html

What just ended: Summer Art camps for kids! What fun we had! We promise to add a few more camps next year but until then-check out our monthly day camps for your family artist!
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You can always see what we are doing on Facebook on www.facebook.com/ArtStudentAcademy  or our website: http://www.ArtStudentAcademy.com
Artclasses@artstudentacademy.com
We are honored whenever you join us for one of our classes or workshops! We couldn't do it without you!  Have a suggestion or request? Ask us!
Remember, Friends don't let Friends paint alone :-)
Till next time! Steve and Theresa

ART CAMP for the GROWN UPS!

A Grown UP art camp?
Well sure! A group of young at heart participants gathered together on Saturday May 9 and they  had a ball creating the same art the kids do at our summer art camps in the country!

First, the day was perfect-sunny,breezy and in the 70's! The first tropical storm of the season, Anna, did not dampen the area till the following day :-)

Take a look below at some of the fun art we created!

Working in and around both studios!

Watercolor blotches with ink

Alcohol inks on tiles

They met the ponies, the dogs and tried to photograph the chickens :-) We worked with watercolor, ink, alcohol inks on tiles, painted cans and planted flowers....the one thing no one did was eat lunch in the trees (as the kids do!)  Enjoy a few more scenes from a terrific day!

The men relaxing :-)

Notice the men know how to relax naturally?

But that was the point of the art camp-open a beer or a cold drink, bring a bagged lunch and simply enjoy a day for yourself!

In the big studio

Front view of the large studio

Full house inside. But the day was nice enough to spread outside with no problem!












They enjoyed not just the many varieties of roses beginning to bloom but the peonies!

Visit us online and sign up for our newsletters so you can see when our next Art Experience will be!

So what do you do when it rains at your summer ART Camp?

So what DO you do when it rains at your summer art camp. Well, you get wet! And no one minded!
Because, as it turned out, a little drizzle did not dampen the student's enthusiasm at all!

We gave up on the wet shoes :-)

Eventually we did give up on the wet shoes. "Running the Trails" is like a pressure release valve that is especially effective after classroom concentration! So although the grass is short on the trails, it is wet.
With camp from 9:30-3:30 there is time to do it all without too much of any one thing! The "Secret" trails run through the fenced pasture next to the studio. Cut the width of my riding lawn mower, the trails circle, weave and sneak through the tall brush  and around trees, enter tunnels of growth and lead back to the entrance gate. Games of tag, hide and seek and even stopping for a a few late blackberries are just a few of the possibilities in the kids' minds! The popular climbing trees turned out to be too wet to effectively climb but oh the fascination of tadpoles, ponies, dogs and chickens-all treats after creating their beautiful art pieces!

A few examples below are from Day 1! Summer camps are held at our professional art studio just north of Wake Forest outside Franklinton, (NC.:-))

Our popular After School are programs are held in downtown Wake Forest and begin September 3, 2014! Just $50.00 a month! http://www.artstudentacademy.com/After-School-Classes.html

Blind pony "Helen" getting her share of attention!

Catch and release tadpole hunting

Lunchtime indoors during one downpour!

A few of the 14 participants showing their foray into modern art!

Art Camp in the country!

With 2 art camps tucked under our belt, the 3rd (and last one) begins next week!
My July21-23 became filled so I opened an earlier one from July 7-9. Even with the 4th being on our heels, 10 kids had a ball. That group, along with the June group had the fun of picking blackberries along the secret nature trails. Next week's camp won't be able to collect bags full but they'll be able to pick and eat!

What these camps do is give a number of our students the opportunities to experience a new kind of art camp. They are doing plenty of painting and sculpting but when was the last time you told your child, "Just run outside and play?" :-) The secret paths all lead back to one area and when the kids need that break from art, I tell them "Go run the trails!" And off they go.

Helen and Shadow, the two ponies are a favorite. Helen is blind so we bring her out to be groomed and get her share of the treats! 

And of course let's not forget all 5 dogs-yep-DaVinci, Gizmo, Rosie, Troop and Louie! Enjoy the photo collages below of random art scenes from the first 2 camps!

2014 SUMMER ART CAMPS in the COUNTRY!

We offer 3 opportunities this year for our ARTESCAPE Summer Art Camps! This year, 2014, we will be at our Franklinton area ART studio which is in the country. Our 3 and 5 days camps offer agreat opportunity for children to explore different mediums and experiment with techniques by learning about different styles to create paintings, sculpture and mixed media designs. They are divided into half days and ages.

Our mini farm consists of ponies, chickens, friendly dogs and assorted gardens so your child's art experience is indeed an ARTESCAPE :-)

Complete details about what to wear, bring, child drop off and pick up times, snacks, etc are included in the welcome email and release forms that all parents receive. 5 days of total artimmersion!

New Option - If your child would like to participate in any of the 3 sessions but the distance is inconvenient for the half day session, we offer a 3 day, full day option form 9:30 - 3:30 Monday - wednesday. You child will participate in both sessions regardless of age and will finish ahead of the half day sessions :-)  Because there is an additional half day session involved cost is $135 with 15% discount for siblings. Bring a lunch, drink a snack. Water always available!

Summer 2014 ARTESCAPE schedule:

CAMP 1: June 9-13

• Ages 7-10 9:30-12:00 $115.00
• Ages 11-15, 1:00 3:30 $115.00
• All ages, June 9 - 11, 9:30-3:30 $135.00  15% discount for siblings

CAMP 2: June 16-20

• Ages 7-10 9:30-12:00 $115.00
• Ages 11-15, 1:00 3:30 $115.00
• All ages, June 16 - 18, 9:30-3:30 $135.00   15% discount for siblings

Camp 3: July 21-25

• Ages 7-10 9:30-12:00 $115.00
• Ages 11-15, 1:00 3:30 $115.00
• All ages, July 21 - 23, 9:30-3:30 $135.00   15% discount for siblings

Please fill out the online form for each student, then click the Add to Cart button to pay $50. per child pre-registration deposit:  http://www.artstudentacademy.com/Summer-Program.html

School and ART and new studios are starting!

Wow, where did the month of August go? Kids are already back in school!
Panic mode-must get out newsletters!

So THIS week our after school classes begin, http://www.artstudentacademy.com/After-School-Classes.html  
We have some new and exciting programs for the kids, so sign up for September now!

The weekend of Sept 7 and 8 is the Wake Forest Artist Guild tour. I can't call it a studio tour as it will all be concentrated in downtown Wake Forest, but I will be there painting portraits and showing the art room to parents both days!

We're expanding  a few of our art courses to include a serious classical training course at our Franklinton studio. It won't be a course for everyone as it is does NOT involve creativity-it involves discipline...lol, the way it used to be taught actually back in the Old Masters Day. We'll keep you posted!

We've added a smaller studio to our mini-farm...or maybe I should call it an Art Compound? What with our large art studio, the 2 story woodworking shop and now the smaller studio (re-purposed 12 x 20 storage building!) we'll need to re-think our parking areas!  Read all about the studios on my other blog: (http://www.mtheresabrown.blogspot.com/)

Shed being positioned after moving

Fall is a time for  art shows for us as well so it's incredibly busy! But we always find time for your questions....new 2 hour classes coming up on the calendar on our webpage!


STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES and
Have a Safe and Great LABOR DAY!

Our working art studio

Painting Mountains

Since my artist husband, Stephen Filarsky and I are full time artists, we must constantly coordinate our art schedules with our instruction schedules and it takes some serious organizing to do that!

Recently, we completed a show in the stunningly beautiful mountains of NC near Blowing Rock. It must be the cool weather combined with mountain vistas that is so inspirational but whatever it is we squeezed in a workshop for a group of ladies. Only one had painted before. The others were total beginners. Apparently a former group experience had not inspired confidence nor enthusiasm so it was fun to watch them not only create a beautiful painting but become enthused enough to later run out and purchase paint to continue their art studies!

Learning to paint is all about learning to"see". That was the missing component that no one had ever showed them. None of them will ever look at clouds or mountain vistas again without experiencing that "AHA!" moment when what we shared, clicked with them! And that is a good place to be for an artist of any skill level!  The tips and techniques we shared for painting mountain vistas is the same for ALL mountains whether it is the Blue Ridge, Adirondacks, Himalayas or the Rockies. Painting such a scene once and painting it well is often the inspiration needed for a beginner to become and enthusiast.  And painting is one hobby that can be enjoyed year round, at all ages and for minimal expense (compared to other hobbies!)

Happy Painters :-)

If your group would like us to to share our methods of instructing with them, contact us!
classes @ artstudentacademy.com  (just re-do without spaces!)

Art at 79...60....50....39.......oh my!

SO June 8 was our ART RETREAT and oh my, what a great time we had! And yes, one of our participants was a vibrant 79 years old and jumped right into the art zone with us!

Journaling is all about the journaler and what she wants to include on her various pages. So using  basic art supplies available to everyone, and incorporating some stress relieving tips and techniques, each participant spent the afternoon learning to become "one with her art."

Yep-it ain't that easy initially because we ALL want to be told what to do and especially in art-expectations are always based on one's previous art experiences and teachers! So step by step the ladies all learned to loosen up, let go and then-walla! They created.....and marveled at how easy it was after all!

Check it out! below:

See the woman in blue standing to the left and sitting and raising her hands in the air to the right? Patricia was our 79 years young student who, along with the others, reveled in the freedom of "no holds barred" art.

Each person took home the enthusiasm and techniques necessary to continue their art journey-there are a lot of pages to cover!


Our next art retreat is scheduled for Saturday July 27! Visit me on facebook to stay up to date on what's happening! www.facebook.com/MTheresaBrown or www.facebook.com/artstudentacademy 

JUNE 8 ART RETREAT!

LADIES ART RETREAT!

Join Theresa and her special guest, artist Ophelia Staton, Saturday JUNE 8 from 1:00-4:00 at our LADIES ART RETREAT and learn some new and exciting tips in creating or adding to your Art Journals!   Ophelia is a creative and carefree artist whose easy teaching  style will inspire and motivate you to step into the world of art journaling, expressionism and "no holds barred" art. 

http://www.artstudentacademy.com/Ladies-Art-Retreat-2.html

Read more about Ophelia here:http://opheliasart.blogspot.com
Read more about Theresa here: www.ArtsyJourneys.com

Painting with acrylics

Painting Butterflies

 

Evening Stroll on Beach

So we were so busy with classes, art shows and new animals at the farm that TIME slipped up on me!

But not to worry! The following are images of what our painters have been creating and they have been busy!

Whether you are experienced, a total beginner, 5 years old or 105, you will leave with a beautiful painting in just 2 hours!

Piglet in Acrylics

Acrylics are water soluable, easy to clean off of you (not your clothes) and dry quickly. That means you can paint oiver areas you may not like or add to areas that you have already painted!



So from Farm animals to insects, to beautiful scenes, to abstracts.......well we are painting it all!

Southern Magnolia

Realistic flowers to Pop Art Pets!

Scroll down a bit further and you can ssee what ASA can been doing with the MIchael's Store on Caital Blvd. in Raleigh!

Want to join in? Email us at artclasses@artstudentacademy OR visit us on the web at www.ArtStudentAcademy.com and check out the calendar!

Pop Art Pets

Classes by ASA at Michael's!

 

Adding classes to another location

Speaking of news!
Grumbacher Company asked me to teach some art lessons at the Michael's store at 5240 Capital in Raleigh NC....what fun! 
They have not had a painting instructor there in a year so I'm essentially building it back up. BUT it should be a great location for the morning and evening classes and those participants in Raleigh and further south. They have a nice sized classroom where we can accommodate a group of up to 12 comfortably. (no stools in any of our classes-just chairs!)
Classes at Michael's are $25.00 per person. Supplies are not included but a nice Grumbacher starter kit can be purchased with everything in it you need to keep painting for a long-g-g-g time for $49.95. :-) Bring in one of their coupons and get it 40-50% off!

So, first class tomorrow morning 10-12 "Field of Pumpkins!" See what a previous class (all ages and abilities) painted below :-)

Class for Field of Pumpkins

For all of our participants north, don't worry-we keep right on with our classes at 139 S. White St!
The rest of the October classes only have a few spots left and can be found here  http://www.artstudentacademy.com/Getting-Started-Dates-and-Times.html

Start painting for the Holidays!

The cameo pastel

LOL-So I completed this whole blog thinking it was on my personal art site blog but no....it is on the art instruction site...ah well, everyone enjoy! (maybe I can copy and paste to my other blog?)

Lots of small portraits have been ordered from my clients right now so I am busy creating memories for many people. This time of year everything is starting into the secrecy stage :-)

Bella, cameo pastel

This small pastel was photographed on my easel but is a popular size for gift giving. They frame out to around 12 x 15 (with mats) Almost any kind of photo will work-even the old black and white ones pulled from a relative's album :-)
I call them "cameos"...the face (of a person) is usually around the size of roughly a saucer...then of course I add a bit more to balance the portrait and...Walla!, a cameo  portrait

 cameo pastel

 This cute baby was just 2 weeks old when her photo was taken as was her brother (who is now 2). I suggested to their mom to do separate portraits simply because each one at 2 weeks, put together, will look like a set of twins!

 cameo pastel

There was a little coordinating of clothes and colors of course-but all timeless!



So did everyone order pastels? No. Another popular medium is pencil. Yep. Soft, black and white pencils :-)

3 separate pencil portraits, cameos

I have combined 3 pencils together for display purposes but each one is a cameo. Pencil is super hard for me to photograph as you can see! Each background is white but the soft, subtle shades of gray get lost in a photograph! So enjoy by using your imagination!

Coming up later-more cameos featuring dogs and horses!

Tulips and Cats on Windowsills...

Three weeks in Seattle may have put me behind but it did not affect our many classes-the advantage of 2 artists in the family :-)

 To the left are four friends who were part of a larger class and they settled at a table together to paint. Needless to say, theywere thrilled with their results in our "Vase of Tulips" class.


While the adults tend to stick to the painted example as we paint,,,but obviously with very different results. the other part of the class was a group of nine year olds who simply.....painted!

Check out their results and individual efforts!

Further down was a Saturday group who enjoyed painting "Peonies on the Table" and "Cat on the Windowsill", all with remarkable results!


Saturday will be our "Tea for Two and later "Ladies Art Journal Retreat"

Whimsical POP Art PETS!

Nothing is more fun and less stressful than painting with no holds barred! No expectations, no predictable outcome! Bring a photo of a pet and turn it into a whimsical pop art experience! Why should Andy Warhol have all the fun?

See what others have created and enjoy!

A husband and wife team

mother and daughter

 

A family Painting event

So the next time you are at a loss of what to do or want to reach into that artsy side of you, come to one of our no stress (well they are all no stress!) classes and unleash your creativity!