Month: September 2013

Categories
Community Enthusiast Students

Most Often Asked Question at Wet Paint

Susan Rostow demonstrating Akua

If you were to ask Darin, General Manager at Wet Paint, what customers ask for the most that we don’t provide, it would be “classes.”  Besides not having classroom space, we at Wet Paint also believe the Twin Cities offer many options for further artistic learning. We have come up with some unique partnerships to connect those who manufacture art supplies with a number of organizations to bring new learning experiences to our customers and our community.  There are a number of classes and workshops we have helped develop this October featured at existing educational venues with our friends in the art materials industry, our customers and the Twin Cities community.

Mary Esch
Mary Esch

St Paul Community Education still has space open in “Almost Intermediate Drawing & Color Pencil” with Mary Esch.  An internationally recognized artist who has art in the Walker Art Center’s permanent collection, Mary Esch worked at Wet Paint a long, long time ago.  This is a hidden gem of an opportunity to work with this talented artist at Community Ed prices.  The class is held Monday evenings at Creative Arts High School.

Another Community Ed opportunity is “Open Studio Painting” with Dan Mackerman starting October 9th at Edgcumbe Rec Center.  Professional artist Mackerman will help beginning artists decide which is the best wet media for them.  This is a way to experiment with watercolor, acrylic and oil without having to purchase 3 ranges of color.

Brian Buell, president of Logan Graphic Products will teach a ½ day class on DIY mat cutting.  The class, held at Macalester College on October 26th, will take you through border calculation, mounting and cutting both single and double mats.  Brian comes armed with mat cutters and materials for everyone in class to have hands on training. This workshop is also part of St Paul’s Community Ed. Click here to see the entire Community Education Catalog!

Susan Rostow demonstrating Akua
Susan Rostow demonstrating Akua

Wet Paint is pleased to bring Susan Rostow, founder of Akua Inks to the Twin Cities.  Susan became concerned about health safety issues surrounding printmaking and created soy based printing inks which are highly regarded in college printmaking departments.  Besides offering a free talk at Wet Paint the evening of October 11th, Rostow is teaching a workshop at Highpoint Center for Printmaking on Saturday October 12th.  At this writing, there are still some spots open in this workshop.  Read more here!

Yuming Zhu
Yuming Zhu

Yuming Zhu, master of Sumi painting, has come to the Twin Cities for a number of years doing demos at Wet Paint and teaching workshops at some of the art centers in the area.  October 29 and 30, Yuming will teach a two-day workshop called Golden Leaves at White Bear Center for the Arts.  Yuming is a mesmerizing teacher and quite witty, too. This is a way to experience White Bear Center for the Arts’ new building which I saw last week and it is fantastic. Read more here!

All these classes have fees and registration through the organizations presenting the classes and workshops.  Wet Paint is happy that we can pool our resources and bring these opportunities to our community.

Categories
Community Professionals

Artists and Healthcare or Why Wet Paint likes Springboard for the Arts

Springboard for the Arts' Guide to Healthcare for MN artists
Springboard for the Arts' Guide to Healthcare for MN artists
Springboard for the Arts’ Guide to Healthcare for MN artists

Early on I decided that Wet Paint should offer health insurance benefits to our employees.  I concluded that our artist employees did not necessarily put insurance high on their priority lists.  Recently I have been reading biographies of Abstract Expressionist  artists such as Pollock, de Kooning, Joan Mitchell and Rothko who all seemed to have total disregard for living healthy lives and anything as mundane as insurance.

As of January 1, 2014, everyone, artists included, will need to have healthcare insurance.  The Affordable Care Act has added a number of players into the world of paying for healthcare that is complicated enough to try to figure out without the Federal and State governments being directly involved.  Everyone from the evening news to insurance brokers, business associations, payroll services, and accountants want to tell you what you need to do.  Most of what they have to say is a lot of administrative goop in a language foreign to most average citizens let alone artists.

There is a bright light to help artists out.

springboardlogoSpringboard for the Arts, a non-profit organization, provides professional services and resources for artists.  They have two programs for artists to navigate health care, health insurance and the Affordable Care Act.

Firstly, they have written the most comprehensive, readable booklet on insurance and healthcare options I have ever read.  They are available online with practical information on actual services available in Minnesota, Iowa, the Dakotas and Wisconsin.  Here is a link to these documents http://springboardforthearts.org/health/guides-to-healthcare/.

 

Secondly, they are hosting a free Artists’ Health Fair on Saturday, October 10, at Open Book in Minneapolis.   This is a great opportunity for artists of all forms and their families to gain an understanding and make considered decisions about their insurance and healthcare.  You can RSVP for this event at http://springboardforthearts.org/health/health-fair/.

Take care of this business so you can get back to making art.

Categories
Community Enthusiast Students

Wet Paint’s Friends at the Art Academy

New location at 651 South Snelling Ave.
New location at 651 South Snelling Ave.

Once the Minnesota State Fair is over, Wet Paint, Grand Avenue and Saint Paul is buzzing with the excitement of the Back to School season. And after you settle into the fall semester routine, make sure you have set aside time for art classes. A favorite school for many of our customers is the Art Academy here in St. Paul. For 20 years, the Art Academy has leased space from educational institutions. Early in 2013, they moved into their own space at 651 South Snelling.

Sarah Jane Stowell Oil
Sarah Jane Stowell
Oil

We are raffling off free tuition for one class for the fall term 2013 which runs eight weeks from September 30th through December 8th. It is for any class (except the figure drawing class or co-op). This is a $180.00 value. The drawing will take place Friday, September 20th at 10 a.m… You will be notified by phone or email. Of course, this raffle is only open to anyone who can attend a class in Saint Paul.

The Art Academy opened in 1993 and celebrating its 20th year. Director Jim Robinson came to the Twin Cities from Chicago with a degree from Columbia College to study at Atelier Lack. As he read art history he questioned trends in kids’ art instruction. “When I was growing up, children’s art education had dwindled to craft-based “creative” exercises. Skills weren’t being taught. I wanted to create a program with a focus. I believe kids have an innate capacity to draw and paint exceptionally well, and I constructed a school so those natural abilities can blossom.” To support that idea, Robinson researched Renaissance teaching methods and has patented a method based on those ideals.

State Fair Blue Ribbon! Andrea Fields, Age 15
State Fair Blue Ribbon! Andrea Fields, Age 15

The Art Academy has taught thousands of children (and adults) drawing and painting skills. Although the school is structured with classes, it offers a Montessori model. Students work on individual projects at their own pace. Instructors teach 2 to 7 students at a time. The atmosphere is supportive and positive, fun and non-competitive. Similar to the Suzuki violin method, Robinson does not believe that the sole purpose of instruction is to train professionals. “In any art school, only a small fraction of students pursue fulltime careers. Equally important is to build confidence and an appreciation of art that fosters individuality and nurtures kids to become well-rounded adults.”

State Fair Winner! Malcolm Kelner, Age 7
State Fair Winner! Malcolm Kelner, Age 7

What also develops over time is a community of students and teachers spanning generations. Kids return year after year, forming long-term relationships with Robinson and his staff. Many have become apprentices and teachers at The Art Academy. “By structuring the school around a Renaissance studio we were able to help students acquire successful life skills to carry into any path.”

This is a great opportunity to learn or improve your drawing skills. You can see the proven results of their methods to teach representational drawing and painting skills at their website www.theartacademy.net. Get into the swing of the back to school season and add an art class.