“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” - Pablo Picasso

Art Creatures uses photo references, art book tutorials, arranged still life set-ups, and sometimes ideas from Pinterest and other master artists as sources for the student artwork. Most students' works possess a great deal of personal creativity. If the ideas are borrowed, credit for the image is given to the original artist who inspired the piece. Students merely learn the process of creating their versions of these inspiring pieces so they can acquire the skills to create their own. The artwork is for learning purposes only and is not for sale. 

*Serious students only.

In order to try a class and potentially enroll in our art program, your child has to meet the following criteria:

1. Present a portfolio of at least 3 independently created artworks. The pieces can be simple. The purpose is to gage the student's current skill level and their interests. The ability to concentrate and enjoy the process will be estimated.

2. A potential art student must demonstrate the ability and confidence to try a new skill after instruction has been given. The more one is not afraid to fail, the faster he or she will succeed! Some level of independence is required in a group class. If a child requires greater amount of personal attention, a private or a semi-private class may be recommended, provided a time slot is available.

3. The child must be willing to draw and paint any subject assigned by the teacher. We believe inspiration arrives during the creative process, not before. Some drawings and paintings may be for exercise purpose only, never for decorating a home. (Although many homes have been decorated beautifully by our art students, but that's not the point!) The point is to acquire new skills, make visual discoveries, gain confidence, finished pieces or not. "But I don't want to draw this!" is simply unacceptable in our program for the sake of the student's own growth. 

4. The art program is teacher lead, not child or parent lead. We learn real skills. It is a structured program, so if your child wants to receive quality instruction, they are in the right place! If they want to draw and paint freely what they want to and however they want to, they can do it at home, or find a different unstructured, uninstructed studio. That said, using imagnation and discovering own unique techniques will be encouraged. We believe studying various techniques and different approaches to creating art will free the young artist in the future to experiment and create their very own approaches, after they have mastered the available tools. In addition, every child will develop a unique style of their own during the course of study.

5. Your child may bring home four-five artworks per month or just one artwork depending on the medium they are using and how much help they need, as well as their own preferred pace. You will be very pleased what they do bring. Art making is an incredibly painstaking process, especially for a child who is beginning to explore a new technique. Sometimes they would paint an area and then repaint it many times seeking their own vision for the piece. Sometimes, they will watch a short demonstration by myself, a fellow art student, or a short video clip. We will also pause for critiques or topic discussions, and talk about interesting art history facts or creative ideas.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me directly!