About
One of the best kept secrets in the art instruction world. Our instructors are nationally recognized artists and some of the top professionals working in the field. Classes are appropriate for beginners to pros.
We offer weekly classes and workshops in drawing, indoor studio painting and outdoor, Plein air painting in Southern Maine’s coast and the New Hampshire seacoast year round. We also offer a variety of destination workshops in the U.S. and Internationaly as well.
Art and painting is our obsession and passion and it is one of our great joys to carry on the tradition of passing the secrets of drawing and painting along.
We draw energy from the pier camaraderie. There is nothing quite like a group of like minded spirits working together all with the same goal of cracking the codes to good painting.
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Photos and videos
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Joe D.
Elaine M.
Casey
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
Our classroom settings are appropriate for beginners to professionals. We first get to know students through a simple discussion to get to know their experience, the level they are at and what they wish to accomplish. We can then begin the process of zeroing in on areas to focus on in their work, eliminate bad habits and maximize growth and progress.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I received my BFA in Art and illustration from the Art Institute of Boston. I continued post bachelorette study of classical painting and drawing at the Pennsylvania Academy of fine Arts. I have been a professional artist for 25 years. My oil paintings are represented by ten art galleries in New England, US and the UK. I own and operate two art galleries on the New England Seacoast.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
The pricing for the lessons varies greatly. Indoor studio and weekly classes are priced differently than destination workshops in Europe for example. To get an idea, an indoor studio class is roughly ten dollars per hour.
How did you get started teaching?
I started teaching at the university level just out of college. I taught at both the Art Institute of Boston and Montserrat College of Art in Beverly. I went on to teach at several arts centers until I eventually developed my own curriculum and opened my own art school. I teach in a manner that I wish I was taught as a young art student. I have summarized the big ideas and great lessons in art and teach them as if I were taking the young, freshman me and saying, “come here and do these things...This will save you years of nonsense and fooling around”.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have worked with beginners who have never touched paint before, all the way to professionals.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
I just taught an international, weeklong, plein air painting workshop in Tuscany, Italy. It was a workshop that combined the rich culture and art history of the region into the painting lessons.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Find instructors who are doing the type of work that you would like to do. Get the best quality instruction you can, as soon as you can. It takes a mile of canvas to attain your first masterpiece. Good instruction puts you on the correct road to mastery. Without good instruction providing solid direction, you could waste your time driving on that mile of canvas road and not attain mastery.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
Your questions should be related to long-term thinking. Another words, think about creating a long-term plan of understanding the material and committing to becoming a better painter.