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?

Art Journaling Workshop.... calling all would be art journalers.

                       











 Create Your Own Book Using 6 different Mixed Media Techniques. 
                   Come and have a play, relax and have fun. You won't regret it and it maychange 
                   your life for the better.
 

Week 1. Create a Positive vision for your future, using collaged words, photos and pictures out of  old books  and magazines, glue, glitter, paint and coloured pencils.

 Week 2.  Relax, close your eyes, listen to music and create an abstract or semi abstract picture from your imagination, write down what you think this picture is telling you.

Week 3. Bring a photograph of yourself along and we will create a quirky self portrait using coloured pencils, felts paints and crayons.

Week 4. Become a child again. Using my vast range of children's books for  inspiration, create a picture that would appeal to a child or your inner child.

Week 5.  Gathering  inspiration from nature. Come for a quick walk into the bush next door to Rotorua Arts Village breathe in the fresh air.  Doodle a picture with black felt about your memory or experience.

Week 6. Create a map or vision for your creative future using mixed media and paint, stickers and any other embellishments you want to include. Decorate three words you can take away with you from your expereince of the course.

Book and pay for your course now at Rotorua Arts Village. Phone 348-9008
Thursdays 6pm to 8pm, 21st February to 28th March
Investment: $140.00 plus around $50.00 for materials.

Materials to buy  A4 Visual Diary  from Warehouse Stationary. 
 From any $2.00 or thrift  shop in town.

Cheap coloured pencils, Felt pens, glitter,  graphite pencils, stickers, pva glue, acrylic paint tubes, brushes, crayons or oil pastels, or other embellishments. 
Bring old magazines and photos you want to use.
You don't have to spend a lot of money  on expensive materials. 
We will be playing and having fun.
 It's not a serious course.
 It's designed to loosen you up and let your creative juices flow.
Well behaved children and young people are welcome, the costs are the same for them.

Phone Janet Keen on 346-3435 if you want to know any more information.
 I am happy to answer your questions. 


NB You will be encouraged  to do some home play.
 You may not finish each task inside the two hours. You will be encouraged to finish off each task at home. 
You will be encouraged to write in your visual diaries at home as well.
You do not need to show others your work if you prefer it to remain private.
I will be positive about your creativity at all times.
There is no right or wrong,  there is just having a go.


 Creative Quote of the Day.
"Every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain one once you grow up" Pablo Picasso.

Illustration by Orla Walsh

 

 

 

 

 

Today I received in the mail a lovely letter and this illustration  from Orla Walsh who came with her brother Eamon to my studio last week to help make a Walsh Family mosaic of a seagull in a beach setting.

We had such a lovely time together.

 They are excellent young  people to make art with because they are focused, imaginative and have wonderful manners. 

They were a pleasure to have in my class and I miss their intelligent and sensitive conversation. 

  This illustration I have laminated and put up on my wall of fame in my studio. 

I love it because it has all the elements that speak to me of magic and joy. 

It is full of happy Kings, Queens, Princesses and Princes. 

Mermaids are another personal favourite of mine. 

 

Orla and Eamon with the ungrouted seagull mosaic.

Orla, Janet Keen,  mosaic tutor  and Eamon 

Didn't they do a wonderful job?

Creative quotes of the day 

 ‘If children are to keep alive their  inborn sense of wonder, they  needthe companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with them the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.’— Rachel Carson

 

 ‘To stimulate creativity, one must develop the childlike inclination for play and the childlike desire for recognition.’Albert Einstein 

 

‘Children, like animals, use all their senses to discover the world. Then artists come along and discover it the same way all over again.’

— Eudora Welty

 

Children's  and Young Adults, After School Creativity Classes. 

 I am enrolling students in after school creativity classes at the moment. Numbers are limted to six people per class. 

The charge is $25.00 per child  per session including most materials. 

A starter pack of a visual diary and some basic art supplies will be recommended so that your child can do some creative work at home. 

We may be doing an end of year exhibition in the Rotorua Public Library so you may be required to buy some 10 by 10 stretched canvases that you can obtain from The Warehouse. 

10 by 10 MDf boards are available for sale from my studio for $4.00 each.

Times are Monday, Tuesdays Wednesdays and Fridays after school for one hour.

Please phone 346-3435 if you are interested in having your child included.

Mosaic Night Classes Enrolling Now.

Janet Keen Mosaic and Painting School

374 Clayton Road, Rotorua, Phone 346-3435

 

Monday Night Mosaic Classes

Fish, Mirror, Pot Beginners

Dates: 11^th,18^th,25^th, February 4^th March

Mosaic Paver Intermediate Kiwi, Pukeko, Kereru, Ruru,  Fantai  or  Paradise Duck.  

Dates: 11^th,18^th,25^th, March, 1^st April.

Investment $250.00 including materials. 

This is a small class for  up to 8 people to learn how to make an attractive and functional mosaic piece for their  home or garden.

Mosaic making is relaxing and therapeutic and encourages friendships and creativity.

Phone Janet  07 346 3435 now as numbers  are limited.

Blog   http://janetkeen.blogsot.com

www.jkeen.net

What people have said about the course:

 “Janet is an amazing tutor, I thought I didn’t have an artistic bone in my body but with her help and patience I am on my way.” Julie.

“I liked the attractive studio and examples that Janet provided, she made it so easy for me.” Susan

 I love Janet’s work, I have recommend her to lots of people”. Jenny

After you have completed beginners and intermediate workshops you are welcome to approach me to help you tailor make a custome mosaic of your dreams. 

           

Mixed Media acrylic painting Classes by Janet Keen.

It is the end of the year and it's a worthwhile exercise as an art teacher to show case your pupils work . 

 Lyn Benfell did a beginners mosaic class with me about three years ago and has just completed the beginners  6 week Mixed Media  painting course. 

Students do 6 paintings using different materials to produce a group of  works that may or may not relate to one another. 

Lyn's father is a professional portrait painter. 
She is naturally a competent realistic artist.
 It is hard to believe that these are the results of her very first lessons. 

Some people are just born with this talent for being able to render things realistically. 
This is a celebration of her work. 

               Lesson 1. Laying down paint with masking tape to produce an abstract expressionist work.

     Lesson 2.  Laying down a smooth base and using a controlled graphic design technique with the brush to produce strong lines.

       Lesson 3    Mixed media to create texture and a 3 d effect

Lesson 4. Bright Primary colours on tinfoil with black paint in the style of Hundertwasser.

Lesson 5.  Doing a tonal portrait using 7 tones of white to black, using my secret sure fire way to achieve a realistic impression.

Lesson 6. Free forming a portrait using colour to create a rounded form. 

We discovered that Lyn's forte is portraiture so we did an extra portrait  lesson to help develop these skills. 

My classes are individually tailored to a certain extent to the individual to get the best reults. It's not about me,  it's about the pupil. 

Class sizes are small with a maximum of 8 people. 
They are run on Mondays and Tuesdays in my studio /classroom which is set in a rose and perennial filled cottage garden. 

 If you would like to take some lessons call me on 07 3463435.
Out of town customers are welcome. 
I can put a package together for anyone. 
Email me on 346-3435  

Creative Quote of the day 
"One must from time to time attempt things that are beyond one's capacity." Auguste Renoir




PS. I have gift vouchers, so husbands if you want to treat your wife to some creative painting or mosaic lessons, I have them available. 
Family gift vouchers also available and believe it or not I've even had wives buy gift vouchers for their husbands. 

Get cracking and get creative with Janet Keen in 2013