Craft and Art Classes for Children and adults enrolling now

Hearts on a mini stretched canvas $35.00 each plus postage. 

Rotorua Daily Post  Article by Janet Keen

Hearts on a 10cm  by 10 cm canvas using acrylic paint, stamps and scrap booking or other recycled paper  and pva glue.
   

This easy, peasy lesson can be made by children or adults and they make cool presents and wonderful affirmations for reminding yourself to be grateful.
 In a couple of hours you can make a number of hearts that look amazing and so funky
Go quirky or go romantic, all styles catered for.

                                          

Just give them away as thank you gifts or keep them yourself as you own special gift of  self love.

 You'll be happy ether way.

If you don't want to make them  by yourself you can always come to my studio and make some where all the materials are provided.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday  morning craft, art and mosaic classes from 9.30am to 11.30 am.

Children's After School Craft, Art and Mosaic classes from 3.30pm  to 5.00pm for one hour Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Weekend group craft and art classes by arrangement.

Call 07 346-3435

Email jkeen@clear.net.nz

Lesson that appears in the Rotorua Daily Post Saturday 30th March.

If you wait long enough, your creations that seem so rare are bound to catch on and you will see them everywhere.

This is the case with hearts. I’ve been making them for over fifteen years, they are now as common as sparrows and most people seem to love them.

Today I’m going to describe how to make some cute little paper hearts on stretched canvas. You can use bits of wood as well.

If you know a builder or go to a joiners, they usually have lots of pieces of wood that they throw out to the dump that you can make into recycled craft.

Feel free  to use your own favourite colours. Anything goes.

I have put some quirky and weird little ones on there just to cater to all tastes.

They are easy, peasy and won’t be too time consuming and you don’t need too much gear. 

Ingredients.

10 cm by 10 cm ( 4 by 4 inches) stretched canvas or blocks of mdf  or pine bits of firewood, cut to size.

Resene or Dulux testpots of acrylic colors of your choice.

Pva glue

Paintbrush

Rags/paper towels for clean up.

Scrap booking paper, old book paper, wrapping paper or magazine paper.

Scissors

Stamps with lettering on it or write your own with a fine black pen.

Black or white stamp pad.

Fine felt tip.

Hairdryer.

Embellishments like old buttons, coins, butterflies, flowers, skulls etc

Directions

Brush a colour of your choice on you canvas or piece of wood.

Paint the sides as well.

Dry off with a hairdryer and repeat.

Stamp some words onto the background with a white or black ink stamp pad, or glue some words on from old magazines or newspapers or write your own.

Cut a heart out of scrapbooking or any other type of paper.  

Glue the paper heart on top of the panted surface.

Cover everything with pva glue to protect it.

Smudge some ink or diluted paint around the edges of the canvas and the heart with your finger so that it looks integrated.

Dry off

Attach some embellishments on top or leave it as it is.

Have a go and good luck, you will be smiling after you have finished and so will the people you give them to.

Next  time I will be showing you how to make sun catchers.

Creative Quite of the Day.

I have witnessed the softening of the hardest of hearts by a simple smile. Goldie Hawn

Morning art craft and mosaic classes for adults and children after school, enrolling now.

Weekends for groups by arrangement.

Please enquire  at jkeen@clear.net.nz,  phone 346-3435. text 0273513887 Blog janetkeen.blogspot.com

Janet Keen Mosaic and Painting School, 374 Clayton Road, Rotorua.

Mosaic weekend workshops In Rotorua for Teachers, teacher aides, and support staff.

Mosaic Weekend Workshop for

Teachers, Teacher Aides and Support staff

Come along and have fun making mosaics in an

organic cottage garden setting.

 Make a glass tile bird and  

 a ceramic tile native bird paver each.

9.30am  to 3.30 pm both days.

$250 per person for up to 6 people.

or $200 per person for 7 to 12 people. 

 
 Including materials, morning and afternoon tea.

Bring your own lunch.

No Eftpos, cash or cheque.

Janet Keen Mosaics and Painting School

374 Clayton Road, Rotorua

Phone 346-3435.

Email jkeen@clear.net.nz

www.janetkeen.net

 janetkeen.blogspot.com


Creative Quote of the day  
It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.
Albert Einstein

Art Journaling and visual diary making.

 Creative Quote of the day.
Whatever it is that you write, putting words on the page is a form of therapy .
It is a productive way to deal with the scars and dark places from our pasts.
Self-expression is one way to lay a problem or demon to rest.
 It’s also a way to bring forth suppressed feelings and fears. It’s a way to bring a sense of resolution and a sense of satisfaction to our lives.” Diana Raab

                                                                   ART JOURNALING
These two young pupils of mine are making at least one illustration in their visual diaries  or art journals every week. 
What they come up with is so cute feel like stealing their drawings for my own paintings. 
They are so honest and free.
When theyfinish  the diary  I  am going to see if  I can turn  the illustrations into a little book for the ipad.

 Art Journaling Workshop.

Discover the joy of capturing the moments and memories which make up a life in a journal of your own making.

You will learn some simple bookmaking methods to give your journals an individual style.

Explore and play with mixed media techniques to create exciting layered backgrounds and develop your own 'voice' through the use of easy lettering tricks.

We will paint, stamp, stencil, collage and more. Using everyday objects and materials you can recycle and re-purpose them to become useful art tools.

Six weeks of fun.

Call Janet Keen on 07 3463435  for dates and details.

Email jkeen@clear.net.nz

After School Open Studio Art Classes in Rotorua with Janet Keen

Due to popular demand I have increased the days that I am opening my studio to after school pupils for  painting and mosaic adventures.
The hours are 3.15pm to 5.00pm
 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday  and Friday during school term.
Each lesson lasts an hour.
This is so young people don't get bored and tired.

Yukha and my cat Gary.

Everyone  will be encouraged to 
Buy a visual diary and to do at least one illustration per week at home which could be about a character of their making,  having adventures.

Each persons lessons are different and are tailor made to match their personalities.

 We are starting a series of children's book illustrations. Here they are learning to hold and control a brush and colour mix. Most children's book illustrations are outlined in black . I love to see what they come up with. 
Next week we are doing bird mosaics. 

 This is Finn's ist painting with me. He likes motorbikes and skulls. He's handling the paint well aready and has a good handle on drawing. 
 This work reminds me of Basquaits. 
Next week he is going to mosaic a car. 




Classes are small so each person gets plenty of attention.
Our primary focus is on having fun in a constructive  and creative environment. 

 Ryan and Cecily are a fun brother and sister to have in my class

 Practising their doodling skills.

 Here they are with the mosaic shark and flower they have just finished.


People are expected to focus and work to the best of their ability so that they have something lovely to show for their effort.
Loveliness is up to the individual. 

If you're into trucks, motorbikes and cars so am I. 
If you're into fairies, angles and dolls, so am I. 
If you're into birds or dinosaurs I'm your art teacher.

Topics covered are 
Acrylic painting, 
Oil painting, 
Watercolour painting,
Mixed media painting, 
Doodling,
Childrens book illustrating 
Book making
Mosaics animals
Mosaic mirrors
Mosaic pictures
Mosaic pavers. 

Here are some images of my pupil, Kyra. Kyra could do quite well selling her designs on teeshitrs. i have suggested she set up her own blog.

And her work

 Kyra's work is quite Gothic and could be described as edgy cute. There is a biog market for this type of work amongst young people. 

 

In addition to this I am running art classes for teenagers who have  on a Monday morning from 9.30 to 10.30 and from Friday mornings 9.30 to10.30 who may have special gifts with their art but don't fit into the school system for one reason or another. 

 Kyle is my longest term pupil and he is now going to Waiariki studying for a Diploma in Art and Design. I will still be teaching him and we are going to look at a series he can exhibit and sell. 

We are looking for a good venue. 

I am also training him to do commission work.  

A practising artist who doesnt want to be tied up with  or can't get into a gallery needs to spend over 50 per cent of their time marketing. 

I am going to be on hand to help in this area. 

Creative Quote

“The urge to draw must be quite deep within us, because children love to do it”

David Hockney

 Art for Health

I run classes for Outsider Art which is essentially classes for people with disabilities and challenges. I believe all people should have access to art.

Lorraine, tutor from Te Aratu Training Centre  in Rotorua which helps people with mental health issues. She is here with a group of the people's work.in an exhibition that her people made from a series of six mixed media painting classes they did with me.

People who are special like this are often gifted artists and they need a quiet place of understanding where there is encouragement to express themselves in their own unique way.

Art can be thereupeutic, it can help you get through depression, express your anxieties, give you a feeling of relaxation and a feeling of accomplishiment.  
 It always brightens your day

Call me today if you think your young person may be interested. 
If they are interested in art I am interested in them. 
 374 Clayton Road,
Rotorua 
New Zealand. 
Phone 073463435
jkeen@clear.net.nz
www.jkeen.net

I am always interested in teaching out of town groups whether it be schools or special needs or interest groups. 
Contact me for a quote. 
You may be eligible for Creative Communities Funding  or Civic Arts Trust Funding, depending on which region you are in.

If you are a charitable Trust you can apply for all sorts of grants which could help you with the cost of a mosaic mural project. 

 Contact me today and we can talk about it. 

I love doing Community Art Projects and I have designed a number of them for schools and community groups. 

 Ring 3463435 or text 0273513887

Creative quote
Attitude determines Altitude

Acrylic painting Techniques for Absolute Beginners. 4 weeks taster. By Janet Keen.

  Monday or Tuesday Mornings. 9.30am to 11.30am For 4 weeks.

Start whatever date you want but I have spaces only for 8 people at a time. 

Week One 
Learning  how to handle a paint brush. 
Applying paint with a brush. 
Beginner Colour Mixing.
 

 Week Two
Learning to control your brush. 
Looking at positive and negative space. 
Looking at a graphic style of work. 
Paint your favourite symbol or animal outline

Week 3.
Collage with string and mixed media materials plus paint. 
Getting into texture. 

 

 Week 4

Simple landscapes.  

Copy from a book  or use your own photo reference. 

Use colour, overlapping and scale to produce depth. 

Modern or traditional have a go. 

If you find landscapes boring you can out something in it like a bird. 

Phone Janet Keen on 3463435
Email jkeen@clear.net.nz to book your place. 
Get cracking this March.
$250 including materials.
 or pay $62.50 per week per time 



All levels welcome, if you are more  advanced  than a rank beginner, you can just come along and have a look at my art books for some inspiration and do your own thing. 
Constructive feedback if you want it can be arranged. 

  Pay only  $50.00 for two hours plus bring your own materials.  

Any medium
Any style.
All welcome. 
Just pick up the phone and book your space. 
My place is your place.   

374 Clayton Road, Rotorua  
Phone   (07) 346-3435
or txt 0273513887  
Email:  jkeen@clear.net.nz 

Out of town people welcome to enquire about weekend workshops.  

Art Art journaling Instructions by Janet Keen Rotorua, New Zealand.

These are the instructions and art materials list for your art journaling workshop which I will be running at Rotorua Arts Village for 6 weeks. 
Starting  next Thursday night 28th February,  from 6 to 8pm. 

Pay at Rotorua Arts Village and turn up with your art journals and your pva and brushes. 

Plus your gesso and your brush for applying the gesso.

 You will be spending the first week setting all your pages up so they are good to go. 

Materials needed 

Session one. 
Acid free A4 visual diary from a place like Warehouse Stationary.

PVA glue from a $2.00 type of shop. 

Cheap Brush from $2.00 shop. 

Instructions 

Glue every second page together so you have around 29 pages. 

You are gluing them together so that they are stronger and won't buckle so much when you add extra layers put on them.

Session Two: At home or you may get some done in class.

Buy some white gesso from a place like Warehouse Stationery. 

Applying gesso 

Gesso every page. You can speed  drying  up with a hairdryer. 

Try not to let the pages stick together. 

Colouring your pages

Session Three. Equipment needed
Icecream container with water in it. 
Paper Towels. 

Resene Test pots buy a
bright blue, 
a bright red, 
a bright yellow, 
a black and 
two pots of white. 

A pile of white plastic plates from the Supermarket.

Buy some acrylic brushes from Warehouse Stationery
 a middle size flat brush.

For this journal  
We will be working in pastel tones so you need to add a lot of white to your colours. 

It's important toget at least seven of your backgrounds painted so you aren't freaked out by white space.

You will need one plate per colour. Only mix up one colour at a time.

Do not waste any paint if you have some left over from painting a double page spread.  
Paint more pages with it.

Colouring  your pages. 
You can mix up these combinations. 
 It's up to you.

Mix up a baby blue colour. 
Paint the first page and the two inside two pages with it. 

This is one part colour to two  parts white. 
Half a tsp of colour and two teaspoons of white.

 or
Mix up a light pink, paint the next two pages with it
or 

Mix up a light yellow, paint the next two pages. 
or 

Mix up a light green by mixing a green, a blue and white
or 

Mix up a light orange by mixing yellow, and red, plus white
or 

Mix up a light violet by mixing a red, a blue and white together. 
or 

Coat at least seven pages with pastel colours. 

Note, you will most likely have to wait in between coats or you can speed up with hairdryer. 
Try not to let pages stick together. 

This is the first lot of instructions for the week. 
it looks a lot but it isn't really. 
So stick the pages together so the diary becomes 29 pages 
Gesso these pages.
Paint at least seven of the pages in pastel colours.  

Note you could aways stay at home infront of the tv for the next six weeks.
But it would be way much more fun if you decided to enrol in my visual dairy workshop at Rotorua Arts Village which starts next Thursday night.
You will really be learning at least 6 painting and drawing techniques and instead of making them on canvas you are making a book. So you don't have to show anyone your work if you don't want to. 
It's easy peasy. 

 If you don't enrol in my  class and try to go it alone,  you probably won't complete it.
It's  way more fun to work together and with a teacher like me so that I  can help you.

Invest in yourself.  
Make the decision now to go for it. 

2nd Thursday. You should be coming to class with all your pages stuck together, so they are 29 

All your pages gessoed

At least seven of your pages painted in pastel colours. 

I will show you  in class my example so you know exactly what we are doing. 

Remember you can always ring me on 346-3435 or email on jkeen@clear.net.nz during the week, if you are having challenges.
 I  am here to help you.
 Nothing is too much trouble to me. 
No question too elementary. 
 Just ask away and we will fly together. 


Why don't you bring a friend?
 Do it together. 
It will be way more fun. 
You will make friends in this class because I  foster a helpful, class climate where we are here to work together in a non- competitive environment. 

Creative Quote of the week

 It has been said that 80% of what people learn is visual. Allen Klein

Art in the Park Rotorua 2013

           





Janet Keen and April Hines at their stand at Art in the Park,  Rotorua Government Gardens, photograph taken by Rotorua Arts Village Manager Tania Short.


It  was great running it with April because it made it easier for us to look after the stand. 
People just adored April's dolls, they are just so cute and well made.
I have one of my own and she's a guardian of my studio.
April has had a lot of stands at art fairs and itsa not normally what I do, but I  enjoyed talking to everyone and I  loved the way she had some great accessories and fabric to make our stand really attractive. 

The time went so quickly. 

I am now going to mosaic some owls, which I have been meaning to start for ages. 



Thanks so much to Tania, Julia Steele Marketing person and the volunteers and board members of Rotorua Arts Village for running such an enjoyable and successful event.
All the people coming to view our works were really happy, interested and wanting to talk to us about our dolls, paintings and mosaics, so we had a fantastic time.
April sold some dolls and I sold some cards and had a number of people interested in my Visual Diary Art workshop at Rotorua Arts Village, which I'm running on Thursday nights, starting 28th February.

Creative Quote of the Day
 “A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”
― William Shakespeare

Tarawera Art Exhibition success, congratulations.

I had a great time going out to the exhibition at Tarawera. The day was fine, the photography by Meg Lipscomb was really fantastic.
 Because I am a photographer I  really appreciate the level of expertise and skill that Meg shows in her work.

The quality of light and the subtlety of the subject matter shows that Meg has a fine eye and many years of experience.

Meg said they estimate about 400 people came to the event, and in fact raised over $700 in the gold coin donations for our Tarawera Fire Brigade and Rat Eradication program which was tremendous.

Everyone there had a very successful day.  Meg   sold 2 large images, several smaller ones and just about sold out of cards. 

 Megs inspirational Photographic Fine Art.

 Onre of my favourite images of Megs.

 Beautiful paintings by Pam Painter.  Home and garden at Tarawera, lovely setting.

 Lots of visitors

Julia from Rotorua Arts Villgage  supports the event
 
 Copper Trout
 Candle holders out of wine barrels.
 
 More art

:Lots of Tarawera visitors.

 Huge crowds Enjoying the sunshine. 

 Creative Quote of the week

Look at lots of exhibitions and books, and don't get hung up on cameras and technical things. Photography is about images.
Fay Godwin

Why not illustrate your story this year?