Emma Paints Colorado

First lesson is a "get to know you" meeting to learn my student's goals and what sort of experience they have. I like to offer many different processes for their lessons and talk about different mediums that they are interested in working with.

Once we have established some goals and ideas of what the student wants to achieve, we begin with practice in a wide variety of techniques. This would include texture, shading, blending, color mixing, light, etc. We would then move into developing detailed skills such as creating shapes and forms, or building landscapes.

From there, we would start a project or specific painting that the student wants to create. Many of my students enjoy replicating photographs that they have taken of their favorite places, their pets, or just a beautiful scene or still life. I encourage my students to think outside the box when it comes to their pieces. One of my main goal with my lessons is to help my student gain the confidence to develop the necessary skills to choose any subject matter and know that they can achieve it! I will work with the student until they have mastered a wide skillset and could potentially begin creating paintings on their own. 

I have a great deal of experience that makes me a great art instructor. I began teaching myself to paint (primarily with acrylicsc and also some work with watercolors).when I was ten years old and have been doing it ever since.

I have been teaching group acrylic painting classes at Canvas and Cocktails for over 6 years and have been doing private, one-on-one lessons on the side for roughly 5. Prior to working at Canvas and Cocktails, I worked in early childhood education for 8 years and mentored college students in the education program at Colorado State University that worked in my classroom. This work allowed me to develop many skills that pertain to my painting lessons today including in-depth instruction and detailed explanation, patience and understanding, people and communication skills, and many more. I am very good at giving very clear instructions and making sure that my student(s) understands and grasps the concepts before moving on. 

While working at CSU I independently implemented an art program in the pre-kindergarten classroom. Each week we studied a different famous artist and explored and observed their techniques and style. We worked on emulating that style and developing our own techniques that mimicked those that we were studying. For example, when studying Vincent van Gogh we learned about impressionism and his techniques used to create texture and movement in his paintings. The children would recreate their own versions of his most famouse works such as Starry Night and Sunflowers. By the end of the week, the children were painting their own unique creations inspired by van Gogh and his style. This program was called "Art and Artists" and it created VERY high demand at the school and in my classroom. Many families were placed on a waitlist to enroll their child so that they could participate in my program. 

In 2015, I founded my own program within Canvas and Cocktails in which I travel to various bars, breweries and restaurants and host classes there. I have gained a great deal of knowledge and experience through this program and have developed a variety of skills related to art, instruction, connection, managment, leadership and many others.

Most recently (summer 2020), I introduced this program at Canvas and Cocktails in the form of day camps that focused on a different artist each day. These classes have been selling out completely! All of this experience translates direclty to my ability to run painting lessons one-on-one with people of ALL ages.

Painting is in my blood, it is a part of me. Teaching is my passion, it holds a special place in my heart. Building a career in which I can bring these two things together is a dream come true!

I typically charge $50 for a 1.5-2 hour lesson. The client provides the painting materials, or I am happy to purchase  materials and be reimbursed. We can also use the Canvas and Cocktails studio where the material and studio cost is $25, so $75 total for the materials and the lesson. The studio is location in Centennial, but I generally travel to the client's home. 

Growing my skills in art and painting instruction while I was working at CSU (read information above) made me realize how much I loved it and wanted it to be a bigger part of my life and career. So, in 2014 I decided it was time for a change and I knew I wanted to use my artistic talents full time. So I applied at Canvas and Cocktails in the summer of 2014 and started teaching public painting classes in the fall. I have been teaching and instructing in some form since 2008 and have loved every minute of it!

All types. Our classes at Canvas and Cocktails are open to people of all ages and experience levels. I work with students who have some painting experience already, but mostly I work with people who have never painted, or haven't done it for many years. Some of my private lessons are with children - I typically suggest no younger than 6 years of age for lessons. I do most of my lessons in person, but with the recent changes and restrictions related to COVID-19, I have begun doing lessons online as well! 

This year (2020), I have gained many more clients due to the COVID-19 pandemic. People have been looking for things to do and ways to distract themselves from what is happening in the world.

One of my students is a 13 year old girl who just started painting at the beginning of the outbreak via Canvas and Cocktails' online classes. She quickly realized how much she loved it and began taking classes several times a week. So, I reached out to her mother and offered up my services for private lessons. She and I have now been working together for several months.

Most recently, her best friend had a birthday coming up and my student wanted to paint her something special. So she had her friend's mom send her some photos of her dog that recently passed away. I helped her look through the photos and narrow it down to the ones with the best lighting, angle, etc. Once we chose the best photo, we started working on replicating it. We sketched it first and working on several "rough drafts" before starting the final piece on canvas. It took several lessons to complete the project, but when it was complete I was absolutely in awe of her talents. I could see how much she had learned over the past few months and all of the skills she had devleoped. The painting was amazing and the experience was amazing! However, the best part was the videos she sent me of her giving her friend the gift. There were so many schocked faces at what a beautiful piece she had created. There were tons of happy tears for the time, effort and love she put into it. And most of all, my student was SO PROUD of herself and her accomplishment. It brought her so much joy, and our weekly lessons continue to bring us both joy!

First, I want them to know that no experience is required. We can start from the very beginning - wherever that might be for you - and work our way up. I am wiling to work at your speed and within your interests.

Any student that I work with should be interested in acrylic painting lessons. I can also do watercolor lessons, but acrylics are my specialty. I would advise them to let loose and just enjoy our lessons. Trust the process and trust me to give you the best experience that I possibly can. Life is about the journey, not the destination! So remember that art is just the same, it is more about the process than the product... although I promise to help you create the best possible product as well ; )

Students should think about what they are interested in learning. This includes what sort of techniques and skills they want to develop, what media they are most intereseted in using and what types of art they are most interested in creating. For example - would you like to work on portraits, landscapes, abstract art, photo replication?

Also, think about experience level and your skillset and don't be afraid to be comlpetely honest with me about this. Think about how you can communicate your needs and be willing to speak up if your expectations are not being met.

And finally think about and decide on logistics - where would you like to do your lessons, how long would you like lessons to be, and what is your budget? Do you want to get your own materials, or have me purchase them and build that into your fee? I always try to work within my student's budget as much as I can. I believe that everyone should have access to art, so if I can make it work for you while still making sure it makes sense for me in terms of my time and effort, then I will1