Unique visitors...

I had the privilege of working with a special needs group of adults from Twin Oaks this past Saturday in the Creative Genius studio. We are set up to do three different classes with the group over the next few months. At first it seemed as if the students didn't quite know what to expect when they walked into the studio and sat down. But once I started chatting and explaining what we were going to accomplish, everyone seemed to warm up. 


The communication skills varied in the group, from very verbally communicative to no verbal communication at all, which would have made things challenging had I been alone. However, there were two group leaders from Twin Oaks who assisted with the students and they were fantastic with the group. They were very aware of everyone's natural strengths and were really encouraging to each of the students.

The Bowl Everyone Helped Create

Each student created a small clay bowl using the pinch pot method of creating with clay. Then everyone got to paint their bowl using underglazes. Once they all completed their bowls, they got to help me paint the demo bowl I created to show them the project at the beginning of class. So overall, everyone got to work individually and also as a team.

I enjoyed having the group in the studio and am looking forward to our next project in March. I hope they enjoyed themselves too!

Painting and Drawing Masterpieces

Because we offer so many cool classes and workshops at Creative Genius, a lot of people tend to overlook the fact that we also offer PAINTING and DRAWING CLASSES and we have for the past 8 1/2 years. Currently our painting and drawing programs include an offering for TEENS, an offering for KIDS and two offerings for ADULTS and everyone in our program seems to really enjoy themselves--and learn too.

When exploring any art medium, it is important to work with many instructors to freshen your perspective. We are proud of our painting and drawing instructor, Wendy Campbell, who does a fantastic job of balancing creativity, patience, objectivity and skill level to create a program that is interesting and draws her students in (no pun intended!). She is very talented and has a fine art degree but also continually studies in formal classes and workshops to fine tune and hone her own skills, all while working on creating programs that seem to generate a lot of interest for her students here at Creative Genius. She communicates to her students that talent isn't always the whole picture when it comes to the arts. On her latest class flyer she wrote: Artistic talent is not innate. It is the result of experimentation and lots of practice. Agreed!

This week her Adult Morning Students worked on sketching golden beets (lots of character in those objects!). Her Teen Class spent two hours learning about and practicing circle painting by creating a moveable mural on canvas as a group. Everyone contributed and the results were very cool. Pictures shown give you an idea of what was created.

The Kids Class, along the same lines, created individual circle paintings and explored a more modified version of the exercise. They still got to paint on the floor, which got all of them excited to start.

Painting and Drawing Classes are offered year round at Creative Genius. Prices vary per program. Figure Drawing workshops are also offered throughout the year. For more information or to become a part of our artistic and creative family of students, call 609-714-1131 or email julie@creativegeniusonline.

Now stop reading and go paint something!

Weekend Happenings....

It's always exciting when there are a lot of activities happening in the Creative Genius Studio. The next few weekends definitely meet the "full schedule" criteria that I set for myself whenever I am putting together my studio workshop schedule.

This Saturday, February 11th,  there are two really cool workshops scheduled in the studio. 

The first is actually not a Creative Genius offering but the workshop instructors booked the Creative Genius studio. It is a workshop being taught by gallery owner, Julie Basello-Holt and jewelry artist, Michele Grady, for artists who want to learn how to turn their creations into a viable business. The name of it is Fine Crafts 101: The Business of Selling Your Creations and it was put together by Michele and Julie to help emerging artists create or fine tune their businesses with help from our varying knowledge bases. For more information on future dates for this workshop, visit www.finecrafts101.blogspot.com. Future dates will be held throughout the area in various locations.

The second great offering is Ghost Night Pottery Workshop for Couples, also being held on Saturday, Feb 11th from 6-8:30pm. Couples can enjoy a pottery workshop including hand-building, wheel-throwing and light refreshments. Creative Genius instructor Chris Holt will guide students through a 2 1/2 hour pottery lesson...good stuff! And perfect to do with your significant other...

Next Saturday, Feb 18th during the day, Creative Genius will be hosting two kids clay workshops. One is a clay cupcake workshop, where students will create a sculptural cupcake out of clay. The other workshop is funky clay breakfast, where students will create a clay breakfast plate. Both workshops promise fun and creativity, plus hand-building clay lesson. Registration is required so call 609-714-1131 if interested in registering your child.

To visit Creative Genius's website for more upcoming workshops, click on this link 

http://www.creativegeniusonline.com/upcoming_events.htm

To register for any workshop on the Creative Genius workshop schedule, call 609-714-1131 or email julie@creativegeniusonline.com