Serendipities By Dena

First-time painters show up in my art-classes all the time.  I meet you where you are.  I create a warm, welcoming, safe environment in which you can take the risk of inviting your inner-artist out to play.  I offer instruction, inspiration and encouragement, every step of the way.  So far, NO one has yet died in one of my art-classes ... and, in fact, everyone has left feeling both competent and confident.  Be careful ... that confidence will start spilling over into other areas of your life.  ;)

I am entirely self-taught.  I discovered that I could paint in 2000, when I was almost 40.  I've been giving myself permission to explore, to make mistakes, to try various creative venture, ever since.  

I know how to "break down" an image, and show you where to begin, how, and what to do next.  I'm able to walk you through the process, because I discovered that navigation for myself, first.

I homeschooled (unschooled) my own 8 children, and I believe passionately that each human is unique, creative, and that we never lose our childlike propensity to explore who and how we are.  

I am not the world's best artist.
I am not the world's best teacher.

Where I excel is in my ability to inspire each person I meet to see and be who *they* truly are.  Art classes are one of the vehicles in which I do that.

Pricing:  My rates are below the industry standard.  For private parties, I charge $30 per person, and $25 for youth under 16.  In some of my public venues, in order to compensate the businesses for sharing their table-space, I charge $40 per adult, with $10 of that being a voucher toward your tab.

For fundraisers, I can be very creative in working with your organization, to create a win/win solution.  Contact me so that we may collaborate.

The price includes everything you need:  16 x 20" canvas, all paint, all brushes, a table-top easel, an apron, a palette, water -- and I cover all tables.  I arrive early to set up, and I stay after to clean up.  You have fun, you get creatively-empowered, and you leave with your own painted-by-you masterpiece!

I worked for other art-class businesses for about a year.  I became frustrated with corporate control -- non-artists determing what was, and was not, art.  I prefer to listen to the folks who want to paint, as to *what* they want to paint.  I often ask my students for inspiration -- to share images with me that they like, and I transform them into paintings.

I launched my own business on Leap Day of 2016 (though I've been painting since 2000).  I took a leap of faith, and I've been having a wonderful time inspiring others creatively ever since!

I've worked with students as young as 2 (in private homes) -- and as old as 92 (in retirement centers).

NO experience is required ... I can meet anyone where they are, and instruct/inspire them to discover what they have hiding inside of them!

For more experienced painters, I give them full licence/permission to be as creative as they'd like -- no one *has* to copy me ... I'd rather see the glory of creativity come out of each one.

Oh, SO many!  Each one is unique and special!  

I just led a non-profit group (30 of them) in how to paint a tree-silhouette with a moon.  The vast majority of them were first-time painters, some were nervous, some were reluctant.  By the end, they were enthusiastically surprised at how well they did.

In a retirement home, recently, a woman showed up who hadn't touched a paint brush in over 75 years.  An art teacher told her, when she was 12, that she had "no talent."  I encouraged her to just play along with me.  By the end of the class, she was tearful, re-discovering a lost-love, and regretting the years she'd not allowed herself to create.

I taught a regularly-scheduled children's class last month.  Several of the parents wanted to stay and watch.  I encouraged them to join in, with their children.  My heart was touched, watching how two generations of families found a way to bond together.

When it comes to taking an art class, such as what I teach, I would encourage you to first find the art that strongly speaks to you -- what do you want to paint, and display?

Secondly, work with a teacher who inspires you to trust yourself, rather than to copy her/him.  If someone says you're doing it "wrong," leave.  Your art is YOUR expression, not the domain of another.  

Third, work with a teacher who is not afraid of you surpassing their own expertise.  

I am not the best artist.  I am not even the best teacher.  Where I excel is in knowing I can inspire you to see and be who YOU truly are, using art as merely one vehicle of your own glorious expression.

I don't believe that the impulse to create, including paintings, requires a great deal of thought.  

We humans have a need to create, to express, and to see our own ideas and creative impulses come to life.  

All that is needed is that impulse, curiosity, and the willingness to show up.

I provide a safe, playful, inspirational, and FUN place in which you can show up, and discover what wants to be expressed.