Tiny Yet Mighty (12/26) This tiny yet mighty class did some sweet pieces. Using pen and ink first some of them did a drawing and then filled in part of the painting. Pam worked on a beautiful box her brother built. It was a lovely end of the season experience.
Painting on Trader Joe's Bags (12/22)
Paint on Whatever You Like (12/15 & 12/19) This week I am offering small Canvases 3x3 or slightly larger. The goal this whole month is to focus on details and really small images and SLOW DOWN. A lesson I need to follow in my own work!
Holiday Handmade Gifts (12/8 & 12/12) We are focusing on tiny beautiful ornaments or small paintings on wood slices. Oddly enough these jewels are great for learning how to work small and use tiny brushes. All of the students did a great job and these will make wonderful gifts for the Holidays!
Painting Cigar Boxes (12/1 & 12/5) This concept was truly magical-each person thoughtfully chose the image that spoke to them for their cigar box. The result is a perfect holiday gift, a keepsake that anyone who receives it will treasure for years to come.
Finding Hidden Jewels (11/24 & 11/28) Each student selected a sheet of paper I had prepared, covered with colorful blots I call "Chaos." The first image shows the raw starting point, while the second reveals the painting that gradually emerged from the page-retaining some of the unexpected and fascinating color combinations. They did a wonderful job navigating the maze of messiness and discovering beauty within it.
Finding Hidden Jewels (11/17 & 11/21) The objective of this class is to give the students paper that is filled with color and having them find the story. "Listen to the voices that guide you to what the paper is saying" I was thrilled after my initial talk to hear the students helping each other to "see" things in each of the papers they choice. The end result was wonderful.
Words & Art (11/10 & 11/14) To celebrate the creative journey we’ve shared this year, I created a special gift for each student — a card and print featuring one of their own artworks from our classes, paired with a quote I wrote just for them. Inspired by this, I invited each student to create a new image that could carry a meaningful quote — something personal, poetic, or playful. John S. embraced the challenge beautifully, crafting both a vibrant abstract painting and his own original quote to accompany it. His piece radiates intention and imagination.
Each painting this week reflects something deeply felt by its creator, and now, with the addition of words, those feelings take flight. Denise painted a graceful Champagne Flute, and I had the joy of adding a quote to her artwork — a toast to the mystical moments we share. Together, these pieces remind us that art and language, when woven with care, can speak to the heart in ways that linger.
Miniatures (11/3 & 11/7) Our goal this month is to focus on smaller works as possible holiday gifts. These tiny pieces can also be sketches for larger works. John Roos' piece as an example.
Mustard Images (10/27 & 10/31) Our goal this week is to complete a painting featuring and honoring the amazing Mustard that blooms from January to March in the Napa Valley. This is a challenging exercise!
Magical Abstraction (10/20 & 10/24) Whether contemplating the 4 seasons or the 4 elements in nature~ Earth, Air, Fire, Water the class went to the place of unknowing and just let the colors and composition unfold resulting in lovely homage's to their inner artistic unspoken guides.
Muse (10/13 & 10/17) A muse isn't just a subject - it's a relationship. It challenges, comforts, and transforms the artist. A Muse is an individual, symbol, or source that inspires creativity, particularly in artistic, literary, or intellectual endeavors. It was the first rainy night and I am so proud of my students who came out in the rain. Here is Heather leaving on the chair lift!
Friday Class Note: Mastering their muse! The thing I loved most about this class was the willingness of each student to dig deep and commit to creating unique concepts while focusing on their inner devotion to their muse.
Mystical Movements (10/6 & 10/10) Descriptive Translation of "Mystical Movement" in Words
The wind dances through the trees, not just rustling leaves but stirring ancient memories.
Light bends and flows like a spirit, casting golden trails across hills that seem to shift beneath it.
Clouds swirl with intention, as if the sky itself is alive and dreaming.
The path curves not just through space, but through time-inviting the viewer to wander into the unknown.
Colors shimmer and blend like emotions.
Palette Knife Mountain Visions (9/29 & 10/3)
Palette Knife Florals (9/22 & 9/26) Feeling free and adventurous and letting go is the theme this week with the focus on flowers as the subject...real or abstract. We put a surface color on and then blotted color and moved the blots around forming flowers. That was exercise 1 and then some students went on to do a second image.
Palette Knife Trees (9/14 & 9/19) We did something different in class. I called it Sacred Silence. The idea came to me when I realized that it takes 100% of one's concentration to truly breath with the brush or paint with the palette knife as we did in this class. My students are normally very conversational. My goal this week was to change the focus from outward to inward and help them hear the voices in one's head to find the pure essence of the trees we were painting. It WORKED! And the pieces resonate with exciting color and creative composition!
Encouraging my students to turn inward and truly listen to their own creative instincts was both challenging and deeply rewarding. The fact that it led to such vibrant, resonant work speaks volumes about the emotional depth they tapped into. There's something magical about painting trees, too-so rooted, so symbolic. By quieting the external chatter, they connected with the essence of nature and their own inner landscapes.
Palette Knife Landscapes (9/8 & 9/12) It always amazes me when I watch a brand-new student - check out Cindy's piece (#2 below)- struggle and think she hasn't grasped the concept, only to complete a lovely painting that truly shows she's beginning to master the medium. There's something magical about that moment when a student, still unsure of themselves, creates something that quietly announces, "I'm learning. I'm growing." Cindy's piece was one of those quiet triumphs.
We all struggle when stepping into new territories in life. What I encourage my students to do is keep their eyes on the direction the painting is going and trust that the painting will "talk" to them, guiding them forward. It's about stepping back and letting the colors lead. It's not just about technique-it's about surrendering to the flow and allowing the medium to speak. My hope is to teach resilience, self-trust, and the courage to explore the unknown.
It reminds me of how artists often say the canvas knows more than they do. There's wisdom in the brushstrokes, if we're willing to step back and let them lead.
All About Palette Knives (9/1 & 9/5) Each Student worked on 2 concepts. The first was a play page where they got acquainted with all sorts of shapes and sizes of palette knives and the second was using only palette knives to create a concept
Abstracts (8/25 & 8/29) Part 1: In this class I gave everyone a square piece of paper and asked that they create an abstract that worked in all 4 directions. The lesson this week is about balance. A painting feels balanced when its visual elements - color, shape, texture, and space - work together in harmony, guiding the viewer's eye without confusion or tension. It's not about symmetry; it's about equilibrium. The dance of balance in a painting - it's one of the most intuitive yet deeply structured aspects of visual art. When we talk about "the path to balance," we're really talking about how the eye travels across the canvas and how the artist orchestrates that journey.
Abstracts Part 2: After painting the abstract, I found that each student's second piece was much looser and more impressionistic.
Landscapes & Still Life (8/18 & 8/22)
Four Seasons (8/4 & 8/8) Here is a great example of the differences of each students take on the idea of 4 seasons.
Working from Old Photos (7/28 & 8/1)
Color Mixing (7/21 & 7/24)
Learning to Use Different Brushes (7/14 & 7/18)
Faces (7/7 & 7/11) This class was not easy and yet the challenge seemed to inspire the class.
Creative Color (6/30 & 7/4) Everyone was given the same black and white image (first) to paint however they were inspired. No one was allowed to look at anyone else's piece until the end of class. Fascinating and unique results!
Farmer's Market (6/24 & 6/27)
Interiors in a Loose Style & The View from Your Window (6/16 & 6/20)
Sky Reflections on Water (6/9 & 6/13)
Switching Hands for Sky Paintings (6/3 & 6/6) For this class, students painted the same image using both hands. On the left are the non-dominant hand paintings and on the right are the dominant hand paintings.
Flying by the Seat of Your Pants (5/26 & 5/30) This was all about what I called "flying by the seat of your pants." Flying by the seat of my pants means to act without a plan or to rely on instinct and improvisation rather than a structured approach. The students were given a piece of paper with abstracted paint on it and they had to find forms faces figures and creatures in the abstraction.
Trees (5/19 & 5/23)
Animals in Their Environments (5/12 & 5/16)
Color Blending and Matching (5/5 & 5/9)
Working from Photos (4/28 & 5/2)
Shadows (4/21 & 4/25)
Moonlight Studies (4/14 & 4/18)
Walk Your Neighborhood (4/7 & 4/11)
Flower Arrangements from Abstract to Realism (3/31 & 4/4)
Boats & the Swoosh (3/17 & 3/21)
Fences & Florals (3/10 & 3/14)
Human + Natural (3/3 & 3/7) This month we are focusing on human and natural concepts coming together
Iconic Locations (2/24 & 2/28)
Abstracting Landscapes or Just Abstracts (2/17 & 2/21)
Honoring the Masters (2/10 & 2/14)
Animals (2/3 & 2/7)
The Quintessential Napa View - Sponging Technique (1/27 & 1/31)
Working from Your Photos: Country Roads (1/20 & 1/24)
Working from Your Photos: Napa Barns (1/13 & 1/17)
