Students get guidance all through the course enabling them to build skills gradually
Students get guidance all through the course enabling them to build skills gradually
Learning how to draw or paint is not just about producing a masterpiece for your living room — or even staging your own exhibition. Though both of those are possible, art classes are about so much more, says Annika Richardson, owner of the new Seasons Art Class course in the Bay of Plenty.
"Art classes bring people joy and happiness. The thrill of learning skills to create something from your imagination, and having something at the end to show for it brings pure pleasure to the students, as does the camaraderie built over weeks of learning with others."
Waihī mother of four Richardson is bringing the respected Seasons Art Class brand to the Bay of Plenty, offering 14-week art courses to people with a proven curriculum to teach them basic art skills in a variety of mediums.
The three-hour weekly classes, which are held either in the morning or afternoon, are in the picturesque setting of the Tauranga Yacht Club at Sulphur Point, and the first course starts in Tauranga on August 6.
The courses are specially designed for absolute beginners to intermediates.
"Whether you have never picked up a brush since school, or been told you were no good at art, or perhaps you like to draw but just not had a chance to develop your skills, the classes will help people learn all the basic skills they need to unleash their creativity," says Richardson.
Students will be taught skills in all aspects of art, starting with drawing
Seasons Art Class is a trusted brand with more than 10 successful years in the UK, says master franchisee David Craggs, who is responsible for bringing the courses to Australia and New Zealand.
It started when an English couple designed a detailed curriculum and began offering the course in a small town outside of London, Arundel. Demand was so great for the course that they expanded to more around town. Today there are more than 125 centres in the UK which offer the courses, teaching more than 4800 students each week.
It has since also expanded to Germany, France, Holland, and in the last two years has started in Canada and the US.
The Tauranga course is the among the first to open in New Zealand, says Craggs, with the Bay being a prime spot.
"When I stood in the location of the yacht club I had to brag about the view to my colleagues back in the UK and say I think we have the best spot in the world."
Craggs says the Bay population was also the perfect demographic for those who might like to attend art classes.
"With the classes being in the day time, we find there are two distinct groups — there may be mums in their 30s, 40s or 50s looking for time out, or who work part time, or there could be retirees. The classes of course are open to anyone — in a recent one I ran in Auckland the youngest was 37 and the oldest 79."
While Craggs plans to develop franchises in other parts of New Zealand including New Plymouth, Taupo, Wellington and Christchurch, he says franchise owners are chosen carefully for people passionate about the courses, with the result that expansion is driven by student satisfaction.
"That is what builds the demand — the experiences that students have are so overwhelmingly positive that this fuels demand for more classes. Students often return to upskill further, and often their friends and colleagues join too."
The course curriculum changes every season, so returning students will be learning new and more challenging material. In fact the courses have been changing every season for the last 10 years, a task that keeps over eight European based tutors fully employed and then every course is tested in the UK's head facility before being released globally.
Painting your own masterpiece might be easier than you think
Another driver in the increase in demand for art classes is the growing recognition from experts in the field of mental health of art as having a therapeutic role.
"People who complete the courses find the classes are confidence building, mood enhancing and can contribute to overall wellbeing.
"Students bond with others so there is that great social element. Learning the stages of art is often about problem solving, and we experience students having that 'Eureka' moment when they suddenly get it. It is actually a chemical reaction like a natural high. And then of course there is the beauty of creating something special to share with friends and family — it is very uplifting."
The 14-week course is designed to teach all the necessary skills of art, and the weekly modules specifically work to build a step by step approach, which Richardson says means total beginners have lots of time to absorb new skills and practice them. "The focus is not on speed of learning but the quality of learning."
The course is delivered of course by a qualified experienced art teacher. Students learn skills in four different media: drawing, watercolour, oil pastels and finally acrylics. They are taught how to paint faces, figures, friends and family, beautiful landscapes, and will discover artists' secret tricks of the trade to improve their results. As well as learning specific skills such as perspective, enlarging, shading, and illustrating, they learn how to use tools and equipment, all of which are provided.
Richardson will also provide refreshments during the classes.
With the classes limited to an average of 20 people, students get one to one guidance from both the tutor, and Richardson herself will be assisting in the classroom. In Tauranga the tutor is local artist Helen English, who is both an experienced artist and educator. A Waikato University scholar, English has a postgraduate diploma in education and has been studying for a masters in arts education. She worked as arts project coordinator for the Rotorua Lakes Council, and has taught beginner art to both children and adults at Rotorua's art village.
At the end of the course, students hold an exhibition of their works. "People are often amazed with what they have achieved — with people who have been maybe told that they can't draw producing work worthy of the local gallery," says Craggs.
That masterpiece on your living room wall and that local exhibition is in close reach — as well as a whole new life-changing experience that might just make you lifelong friends.
the fine print What: Seasons Art Class
Where: Tauranga Yacht Club, 90 Keith Allen Drive, Sulphur Point, Tauranga
When: Course begins August 6. Students can choose from two classes: 10am-1pm or 1.30pm-4.30pm
Bookings and more information: Call Annika Richardson on 0800 732 766. seasonsartclass-tauranga.com
