NCLAC Member artist Christiane Drieling's Brush Hour studio is ready with its Spring/Summer schedule of classes. from Christiane:
Happy New Year, happy new classes! There are lots of new projects on the Brush Hour agenda, and I hope they will excite and inspire you.
For grown-ups, I have planned a sculpture class where we will focus on the human face, as well as unique upcycling and paper craft projects. These classes are scheduled for Wednesday evenings, and – this is new – also for Wednesday mornings!
“Fiber Frenzy” is a 10-week after-school class taking place on Thursdays (new day!) for children 8 years and up. In addition, I have prepared a few Tuesday afternoon classes (single sessions). For these after-school classes, I have chosen particular projects that spark a lot of creativity and are very relaxing at the same time. – Just the right thing after a long school day!
Again, you will find “Wake up to Art” classes with playful activities I have designed especially for preschoolers for no-school days. These classes are very small (only 4 spaces per class) and provide a very quiet and creative atmosphere for the very young ones, allowing them to stay focused on their projects for a long time and to enjoy the process and results.
My summer art camps will be happening during the weeks of July and August. You may want to have a look now, even though summer seems so far away … As the main focus during these weeks, the kids will learn about some of my favorite artists and art styles from diverse cultures, and make fantastic collages, paintings, and sculptures accordingly.
“Brush Hour” is meant to be the opposite of “rush hour”, a place for creation and recreation. It can give you a fresh start into the day, or it can help you wind down after a busy day at work or school, as you make something beautiful with your own hands and mind. You can challenge your artistic abilities or practice your technical skills; you can learn something new or just do what you love to do – with friends or friends-to-be.
Classes are now open for registration. I am excited about sharing this new season of Brush Hour with you!
P.S. Ask about birthday parties!
The Classes:
Classes for Grown-Ups
Morning Classes
Amazing Stamps
March 5– 19 (3 weeks)
Wednesdays, 9-11am
You will make fantastic stamps from a variety of materials. We will start with easy, yet effective, cutting techniques, and then proceed with carving more intricate designs into rubber and linoleum. I will show you how these different stamps can be combined to make beautiful stationery, wall art, clothing, linens, even jewelry.
Fee: $ 45 + $ 15 for supplies
Sculpting Faces
April 16 – May 14 (5 weeks)
Wednesdays, 9-11am
Sculpture is one of my favorite art forms, so I am excited to teach you a few things about it. In this course, we will focus on the human face, on position and proportion of features, and how to bring out certain expressions. First, you will build a head from paper mache; this layering technique is slow and controllable and will help you create the kind of face that you want for your final piece. You will then use self-hardening artist clay to sculpt a head based on your paper mache model.
Fee: $ 75 + $ 15 for supplies
Evening Classes
Upcycling Paper
February 26 – April 2 (5 weeks; no class on March 26)
Wednesdays, 7-9 pm
Junk mail, old phone books, used gift wrap – there are lots of great ways of what you can do with your growing piles of paper. In this class, I will show you several unique and fun-to-make projects. You will try some new paper-making ideas, by using the pulp for sheets, bowls, beads, and ornaments. Other projects are based on quilling or weaving techniques by which you can turn those old catalogs and magazines into stunning canisters and picture frames.
Fee: $ 75 + $ 10 for supplies
Sculpting Faces
April 16 – May 14 (5 weeks)
Wednesdays, 7-9 pm
Sculpture is one of my favorite art forms, so I am excited to teach you a few things about it. In this course, we will focus on the human face, on position and proportion of features, and how to bring out certain expressions. First, you will build a head from paper mache; this layering technique is slow and controllable and will help you create the kind of face that you want for your final piece. You will then use self-hardening artist clay to sculpt a head based on your paper mache model.
Fee: $ 75 + $ 15 for supplies
After-School Classes
For Children 8 Years and Up
Fiber Frenzy
February 27 – May 15 (10 weeks; no classes on March 27 and April 10)
Thursday, 4-6 pm
Imagine all the amazing things we can do with yarns, threads, and fabrics. Among other projects, we are going to finger-knit a fun bracelet, make a silly sock monster puppet, sew a fancy Indian pouch, batik a snuggle pillow, and felt some colorful juggling balls.
Fee: $ 150 + $ 30 for supplies.
This class is open for drop-ins also. Children can join for single sessions, if space is available. Please call ahead. ($ 25 per single session)
For Children 6 Years and Up
“Tangrami” means the fusion of Tangram and Origami: Triangular modules are folded origami-style and then puzzled together. Tangrami is very versatile: With simple shapes only, you can create 2- or 3-D decorations for all kinds of occasions, or make little toys. This technique is great for practicing fine motor skills and precision. It encourages creativity and imagination, and also teaches children patience and perseverance in a playful way.
Tangrami I: Pets (easy)
March 11
Tuesday, 4-6 pm
In this easy class the children are going to combine five or six modules to make simple but delightful tangrami animals, such as turtles, fish, and dogs.
Younger children are welcome to this class, too, if they are accompanied by a parent who will stay to help her or his child.
Fee: $ 20 + $ 5 for supplies
Tangrami II: Chickens and Bunnies (easy)
April 1
Tuesday, 4-6 pm
In this easy class, five or six modules are used to make cute ladybugs, chickens, and bunnies, – just in time for Easter!
Younger children are welcome to this class, too, if they are accompanied by a parent who will stay to help his or her child.
Fee: $ 20 + $ 5 for supplies
Tangrami III: Flowers and Peacocks (advanced)
April 29
Tuesday, 4-6 pm
This “Tangrami” class is a little bit more advanced than the other ones because the construction of each piece requires a larger number of modules and is more complex in itself. We will start with folding flat ornamental flower and heart shapes and then continue with 3-D peacocks. These pieces can be mounted on origami boxes to create beautiful Mothers' Day gifts.
Fee: $ 20 + $ 5 for supplies
“Wake up to Art” for Preschoolers (4-6 years)
Playing with Stamps
February 17 (Presidents Day, no school)
Monday, 9-12 pm
The children will have fun making their own sets of stamps while exploring lots of different mediums and surfaces. Next, they will create their own matching games by using all their fantastic stamps. And then we will play a few rounds!
Fee: $ 30 + $ 10 for supplies and snacks
My Crazy Dream House
May 2 (no-school day at MSR)
Friday, 9-12 pm
For this collage project, a shoe box will be transformed into a two-room house. The kids will decorate the walls and floors and make all the furniture and appliances they need for their home. They will cut, glue, and paint, while working with fabrics and papers, ribbons, wire, plastic things and wooden parts, egg cartons, bottle caps, and lots of other cool stuff that I have in my studio. I am curious to see what the children will come up with!
Fee: $ 30 + $ 10 for supplies and snacks
Summer Camps for Children and Teenagers
Camps for Children 8 and up
Platypus and Kangaroo
June 30 – July 3
Monday through Thursday, 1-4 pm
In this class, we will look at typical examples of aboriginal art, the painting techniques, and the characteristic symbols, colors, and patterns. Then, the children will build rock animals and rain sticks and paint them in aboriginal style.
Fee: $ 85 + $ 20 for supplies and snacks
Castle and Sun
July 9-11
Wednesday through Friday, 1-4 pm
This course will be driven by the diverse and colorful work of Paul Klee, a significant German-Swiss artist of the modern era. Children of all ages can easily relate to Klee's style because of his artworks' playfulness. The summer campers will make their own renditions with oil pastels and water colors.
Fee $ 70 + $ 20 for supplies and snacks
Handmade Beads
July 21-25
Monday through Friday, 1-4 pm
This class was so much fun last summer and the results were so amazing that I am happy to offer it again! We are going to make clay beads, paper beads, felted beads, and fabric beads. Then we are going to combine them with seed and other small glass beads and create unique pieces of jewelry.
Fee: $ 100 + $ 25 for supplies and snacks
Medieval Times
July 30 – August 1
Wednesday through Friday, 1-4 pm
Many great projects for imaginative play are on this week's agenda. The kids will work with lots of different materials as they build a draw well, paint goblets, and sew and decorate medieval bags and jester shoes.
Fee: $ 70 + $ 15 for supplies and snacks
Building Worlds with Hundertwasser
August 11-15
Monday through Friday, 1-4 pm
Friedensreich Hundertwasser, an important contemporary Austrian artist, is known for his bold colored paintings and, even more, for his unconventional architectural design of living spaces. Characteristic of his art pieces are an abundance of circles, spirals, ornamental details, and uneven lines. The young artists in this class the will stretch their imaginations and, first, create an ornate multi-textured wall piece. For their second project, they will construct and paint a model of a Hundertwasser house, avoiding as many straight lines as possible.
Fee: $ 100 + $ 20 for supplies and snacks
Camps for Children 6 and up
The Red Balloon
July 7+8
Monday and Tuesday, 1-4 pm
This course will be driven by the diverse and colorful work of Paul Klee, a significant German-Swiss artist of the modern era. Children of all ages can easily relate to Klee's style because of his artworks' playfulness.The children will experiment with various techniques to make their own whimsical pieces in Klee style.
Fee $ 50 + $ 15 for supplies and snacks
(More) Milk and Eggs
July 28+29
Monday and Tuesday, 1-4 pm
A last summer's favorite! We will give milk and egg cartons a second life by turning them into fantastic toys. This time, however, the projects include a monster hand puppet, a cute little tea set, an airplane, and a house for a mouse.
Fee: $ 50 + $ 15 for supplies and snacks
For registration and more information
please call me at 318-255-7422,
or e-mail: christiane.drieling@gmail.com.