About
Renee Lee
Painter, Illustrator, Sculptor
"The artist is not a special kind of man, but every man is a special kind of artist."Ananda Coomraswamy (1877-1947)I've been teaching painting and drawing for 27 years. I've taught college level at the top art school in the country and have taught people of all ages and backgrounds. I'm an award winning, practicing artist and have a bachelors and master degree in studio art from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I have invented some fantastic methods in skill development and excel at coaxing the artist out of folks. I can help you or your group find their artistic voice and have a blast doing it! My website is under construction. Check out recent student work on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/artlessonschicago/
There is nothing like helping someone to find a new language, a new way to communicate to the world. I teach the skills, better and faster than anyone you'll come across. I find the things that set my students apart from others...their style, their process, their imagery, their personal visual language. It feels good to do something well. This is something I do exceptionally well and the blessing is helping my students to transform into the artists they always knew they were. When they see what they are capable of, and when they recognize themselves, their soul in their work, there is no greater enjoyment for me!
Highlights
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I find out first what it is that my student wants to learn. Some students want to learn portraiture, some landscape, still-life or abstraction. Some students want to learn everything and I have clients I've been working with for more than two years now! One has his first solo show in March!
So my process changes depending what my student wants to learn! But I have many, many approaches that have been formulated and perfected for over 25 years.
First I find out about my students natural leanings. This is the way they use their materials, the way they make marks, their artistic sensibilities and tendencies. What their interests are and what their nature is. I feel like a detective in some way helping to uncover the artist that I'm working with.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Practicing Artist
Bachelors of Fine Arts
Masters of Fine Arts
Taught for 28 years
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Pricing changes sometimes if the student is far to me to travel to.
Pricing changes if the client comes to my studio to do one-time workshops.
How did you get started teaching?
I was awarded an undergraduate teaching position as a grad student. I didn't even apply for it. A couple of my professors slid my name into the competition without me knowing it! They said they just had a feeling about me.
What types of students have you worked with?
All ages! Mostly with adults and teens. I have just started working with younger children, the elderly and people with autism and special needs. I enjoy working with everyone really!
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
Two ladies drove two hours to do an abstract painting workshop with me in my studio. At the end of it one of the women started to cry after stepping back and really looking at her piece, which was beautiful and highly emotive. She then explained to me she had lost her daughter to a car accident two years before. Art was her daughter's passion. Her mom decided she would pick up her daughter's love of art and find herself in it, new meaning and way of connecting to her daughter.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Find someone who has the expertise, passion and experience to give you what you want to learn.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
What do I want to learn? What do I want to experience? What do I expect to leave with?