The Blog

Another busy summer went by with a blink. Hope everyone had a good one!

Classes are already getting full, but there are still spots left.
Some things that are new, I have opened up 2 new class times and change the schedule for Saturday a little bit.
Sunday 9:00 am, is now an 1hr Early Start in Art class. (Space is still available)
Friday after school at 4:00 is now open. (it is already currently fully booked as of writing this.)

I am hoping the weather will be on our side and this year we will be able to hold an outdoor class when the leaves have changed color and it’s not too cold.
Crossing my fingers.

This is also the first year I have increased prices since opening. Art supply costs have gone up, especially last year, along with all other costs of living.
I am sure it’s something we have all noticed. So to continue offering the same kind of classes as before, using quality and a variety of art mediums, the 12 class package and the 25 class package have gone up in price.
The the price of the full term 32 classes or more, has remained the same, but with an updated policy.
There is no flexibility for extending the full term package for any missed classes past the end of June. I can try to accommodate doing make ups, (before the end of June).
However, there is no guarantee that we will find a time that works for both parties. In such a case, missed classes will be lost.

Signing up for 12 classes leaves a lot more flexibility. Class registration periods can be extended, with no limits, as needed for any amount of missed classes.

25 class package has some flexibility. It allows for three extensions in the case of a missed classes, otherwise all other unused classes can be made up before the end of June, if a suitable time can be arrange, otherwise the classes are lost.

If anyone has any question about the new policy, or anything else, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Hope to see everyone soon for another new and exciting year of Art!

-Katherine

I write this, on the last day of August and the last day of art camp for 2018.
This is the first year of being so busy all the way to the very last day of August.

The website and calendar have been now updated. I will continue to update the schedule as classes become full and I discover what class times become over the next week or two.

I am admittedly a poor secretary, and administrator with my focus always on teaching first. This is the balance I have chosen. While seemingly un-professional at times, it allows me to prioritize what matters most to me, avoiding burnout and having the side teaching suffer.
I am so grateful for all the understanding, patience and support from parents and students regarding this.

Having said that I have put aside September 4th to 7th to catch up, as well as working on my yearly classroom improvement projects and yes cleaning up.
As I mentioned in my earlier post I can be available during this week by appointment if anyone wishes to meet with me. You may be able to catch me in without one, but I will be out at some points, buying supplies. Therefor I do suggest calling ahead.

Looking forward to another year of art making with all my students.

-Katherine

I can’t believe summer is nearly done with us! Again!
This is the second last week of Camp! So sad in one way. But also happy to see my students return in the fall.

If you are looking for class times for the fall, don’t believe this website!
I have to find a moment to completely clear the schedule on this site and calendar for the new school year.
No classes are full.
If you email me, I might be a bit slow to get back to you. I will respond once I get my timetable altogether on paper. I should be able to do this within the next few days.
As I mentioned camp is still taking place and this is the reason for the delay.
Sorry for any confusion.

Classes are back from September 8.
I will be in the studio from September 3-6, scrubbing paint off floors and setting up etc. So if anyone wants to meet with me, please make an appointment.

Hope to see you soon!

This years summer camp was fantastic! Students told me they had a lot of fun, I know I did.
Went to lots of great places, and saw so much improvement in the students art skills. With the warmer weather it’s sad that it’s over. But not sad to see old faces come back, and meet new ones for regular school year lessons.

Every year, I make what I hope will be improvements to the classroom enviroment. This year after a deep cleaning, I have added more storage, while also making more space for students in the class room. We should have more space to store sculptures in progress as well.
There is a new section to the website. The class calendar should make it easy for everyone to keep track of what days there is no class. I hope in the future to find a way for students and parents to use the calendar to inform me of class days they can not come. I am still looking into this.

I will continue to acquire more new and interesting resources and materials for students and will eventually need to get more storage, again!
I have other improvement projects in mind, to work on through out the year. I don’t think I will get to all of them! But every year I manage to check more off my list.
I still intend on making a model stage, and offer drop in life model drawing in the future, if only out of my own personal interest. It would be open to all persons interested in drawing from a model. I am still working on the design of the stage as I want it to be multi-functional, while it’s not in use as a stage all the time.

I have a number of new lesson plans in mind and I can’t wait, along with some of my old favorites.

This Halloween I would like to invite all my students (even parents) to drop by on that Tuesday and I will do their Make-up! For students who come to class that day, they will be learning how to apply their own! Let me know if you can make it!

-Katherine

The summer went by super quick, but it always does.

I think (other then one thing) this years summer camp was a success. Lot of trips, lots of paint, lots of crafts, lots of fun. Certainly I was very glad to discover a local splash pad for us to go to, so lots of splashing too. . .on me. Good thing it was hot, it didn’t take long to dry off.

I want to welcome all the new students and parents starting this month and say welcome back to all the ones returning! To those who stuck with me through the summer hi to you too!  We had a good summer together. To those who are not, and you know who you are. You are already missed. Be good, and find time to do some art, even if it’s a doodle in a text book.

Things new for this year, I want to arrange for another outdoor art class to take advantage of the fall colours. We didn’t go this spring, because I felt it would be too much of a repeat of the year before and I didn’t find a local area I felt would be interesting enough to draw building(s) instead. But I would still like to do a that too sometime in the future, it’s just a matter of finding the perfect spot. Know of any? Needs parking and washrooms.

Speaking of which I am investigating a new park for the fall art class day.  If it’s not what I am hoping for we will return to Edward’s Gardens. I will keep everyone informed ahead of time of when and where.

Before this I want to bring in a big and beautiful flower arrangement for students to study. No fake flowers in my studio. Yuck! This will create also natural time limit for students to capture the flowers, before they die!

I have a long list of  other things to do. Including making some further improvements to the studio. So please be patient with me as I continue to check things off my to do list one thing at a time. Including getting someone with better spelling ability to go through this website.

I have a growing collection of new objects to draw and I need places to put them, so add that to the list. I will try and get to the art supply store to get sketchbooks this week.

I want to put a really big focus on drawing and sketching this year. Some students have requested collage. I have some ideas kicking around for this too.

Very excited, the fall always brings new and exciting ideas.

-Katherine

Settling down from the move across the street and settling in. Most of the sculptures are nearly done and I am looking forward to focusing on drawing lessons again.

I put a lot of work into the new space because I plan on staying put for some time.  There is still a few more things I want to do. I think everyone is enjoying the chalkboard and all the extra room. I am especially happy that I can accommodate students doing large scale works once again.

There is a lot more to do. I have more to do on finishing this site and plan for the summer program. If you have any suggestions, or hard time finding what you are looking for let me know!

I have joined Wechat so it’s even more convenient for parents and students to stay in contact. My Wechat id is MartinArtsclass. If you have Wechat go ahead and add me.

-Katherine