Fall/Winter Classes

As the Blackfoot Art Center celebrates our spacious new classroom at Blackfoot's new community center, we are pleased to offer several popular art classes on an ongoing monthly basis. These include our children's painting and art exploration classes (now held during after-school hours); a preschool art exploration class, and art class/open studio times for homeschool groups and for adults:

Art is Fun! Ages 4-5
A preschool art class with unique, open-ended art exploration activities especially suited for 4- and 5-year-olds.
Mondays 11:00 am to 12:00 pm

$25.00/Month

Shark Art! Ages 5-12
A fun art exploration class for children K through 6th grade. This art class is included in The Center’s after-school SHARK program and is also open to non-SHARK participants depending upon space availability.

Tuesdays 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm

$25.00/Month

Homeschool Art Exploration! Ages 7 & up
A hands-on art exploration class. Students, ages 7 and up, will learn the basic elements of design through painting, drawing, collage, and other fine art forms, media, and techniques. There will be plenty of studio time to work on projects while enjoying the company of other homeschoolers! Tuesdays or Wednesdays 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm

$30.00 Month

Let’s Paint! Ages 7-12
Children will explore painting techniques & media including tempera, watercolor, and acrylics.

Wednesdays 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm

$35.00/Month

Art Adventures! Ages 7-12
Exciting, hands-on art exploration where kids will experience a variety of art forms, media, and techniques - something different every week!
Thursdays 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm

$25.00/Month

Adult Art Class & Open Studio
An open art studio for just for adults. Explore color theory, learn to draw, share ideas, and interact with other local artists while experiencing a variety of exciting exercises, techniques, and art media. Class sessions are ongoing, so you may attend whenever and as often as you wish.

Thursdays 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

$40.00/Month or $10.00 per class session

To register for a class, simply download the appropriate Registration Form by clicking on one of the links in the right side bar (just below Art Supplies, Books, and Magazines). Print and fill out the form, and mail or deliver with class fees to the Blackfoot Art Center at 146 S. Meridian St., Blackfoot, ID 83221 OR drop off at our classroom facility at The Center, 157 West Sexton in Blackfoot during after-school or class hours. By the way, you are welcome to come by for a tour of our new facility - come by during the above hours or give us a call first at 785-8022 or 785-0828.

. . .

The artwork shown above is a papier mache' sculpture, Cartoon Giraffe, by Ashley, age 8.

Art Center Update - We've Moved!

SO SORRY for my long absence!

The trouble with teaching art classes during the summer months is I get so busy planning and teaching classes that I rarely have time to even turn on my computer, much less post regularly on my blogs! (Maybe I have bitten off more than I can chew?)

Our summer art classes were so successful, I had to split a few of them into two or more classes due to my very limited space. I was thrilled that so many kids wanted to take art classes, but because I could teach only four or five students at a time in tiny little classroom, I spent many more hours teaching the same classes two and three times each week.

Guess what? All of that has changed!

As of October 1st 2007, the Blackfoot Art Center has relocated to The Center, a new community and recreation center in downtown Blackfoot. Our new classroom is spacious and roomy, with plenty of table space and elbow room. It is well lit, and has an attached restroom, lots of storage space for supplies and ongoing projects, and plenty of wallspace to display student artwork.

If you live in the Blackfoot area and have taken art classes with us or would like to do so, it's time to get excited! You will love our new facility, and we are excited about offering it to you. More great news: class tuitions for all classes will remain the same. How do we do it??? Well, just never mind about that. You'll still be getting terrific, fun art classes for all ages (4 and up), with most or all supplies and materials included; and now at a beautiful, centrally located facility -- and class fees are just as affordable as ever. Wow!

Take a look at our most current art class offerings at any time by clicking the Current Class Schedule link in the right sidebar of this page - just below Art Supplies, Books, and Magazines. You can also download class registration materials and instructions by using the appropriate links. (These are pdf files, so you need Adobe Reader to download them.) By the way, I'll post our Fall/Winter class descriptions in my next post.

The Center is located at 157 West Sexton in Blackfoot, Idaho. Phone is 208-785-8022. The Blackfoot Art Center contact phone is 208-785-0828. Note: private and semi-private art lessons will still be available at our original location at 146 S. Meridian Street in Blackfoot.

The artwork above, Snapdragons with Lemon, is tempera on paper, painted by 8-year-old Eden in our "Let's Paint!" summer art class.

Spring / Summer Art Classes - Sign Up Now!

Welcome to the Blackfoot Art Center's Spring and Summer 2007 Art Classes! We are celebrating our One Year Anniversary with three exciting new Art Classes, including a children's painting class, a color theory class for adults, and a homeschool art class just for teens! We are also continuing to offer our most popular children's art classes, and another basic drawing course for adults - now available online!

Upcoming class sessions are:

Spring Session: May 15 through June 2 (3 weeks)
Summer Session 1: June 4 through June 30 (4 weeks)
Summer Session 2: July 2 through July 28 (4 weeks)
Summer Session 3: July 30 through August 25 (4 weeks)

Here is a brief outline of what's coming up:

Art is Fun! Ages 4-6
Unique, open-ended art activities exclusively suited for 4, 5, and 6 year olds.
Mondays 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Sessions: 1-3
Tuesdays 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Sessions: Spring, 1-3
$25.00 (Spring - $19.00)
...
Let’s Paint! Ages 7 – 12
Explore painting techniques & media including tempera, watercolor, acrylics & more!
Tuesdays 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm Sessions: Spring, 1-3
$30.00 / Session ($23.00 / Spring)
...
Art Adventures! Ages 7 - 12
Hands-on art exploration through a variety of art forms and fun art activities.
Wednesdays 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Sessions: 1-3
$35.00 / Session
Note: Session 2 for this class is three weeks in length due to the July 4 holiday.
$28.00 / Session 2
...
Art Exploration for Teens Ages 12 - up
Explore painting and drawing techniques and the basic elements of design – line, shape, space, form, texture, color, and value - through a variety of media and art forms.
Thursdays 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Sessions: Spring, 1-3
$35.00 / Session
($27.00 / Spring)
...
Homeschool Art Classes Ages 5 - up
Hands-on art exploration through a variety of art experiences, study of master artworks, and fun arts & crafts activities.
Fridays – openings after 1:00 pm - OR contact us for your best day and time. Sessions are ongoing monthly.
$25.00/ month
$35.00/ month - teens, ages 12 – up
...
All About Color! Adults 16 - up
An introduction to color theory through a variety of exciting exercises and art media,including paint, colored pencils, put paper, and pastels. Sign up for one or all sessions!
Thursdays 7:00 – 9:00 pm Sessions: 1-3
$40.00 / Session

You may download our Spring/Summer 2007 Class Schedule, print, and make copies to post or share. (pdf, one page.)

Current downloadable class registration materials can now be found in the right sidebar of this page - just below Art Supplies, Books, and Magazines. (These are pdf files, so you need Adobe Reader to download them.) Simply print and fill them out - then mail or bring to the Blackfoot Art Center with your payment. Be sure to ask about our Anniversary Discount! New students only - valid for May and June 2007 classes.

Classes are small, so to avoid disappointment, sign up now!

The artwork shown above is a short-line pen and ink drawing, Tree Squirrel, by Alicia B. at age 16.

Try Salt Dough Art

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, I had a great craft idea for my classes - salt dough art!

Dough art was very popular during the 1980's when I was raising my children. This very plain salt-and-flour, cookie colored dough is fun to manipulate and work with, and it dries rock-hard. We used to make all sorts of fun craft items, from Christmas ornaments to wall plaques to woven bread baskets (remember those?).

Dough art seems to have fallen by the wayside for polymer clay (like Sculpey). By the way, if you would like to learn more about polymer clay, you'll find plenty of ideas and resources here. But right now we're talkin' salt dough, which I like best for kids because you make it yourself and it's practically free! Here's the recipe:

Heirloom Ornament Salt Dough

4 cups white flour

1 cup plain salt

1 1/2 cups water

Mix with a wooden spoon, then knead until soft and plyable. Add more flour if too sticky, more water if too dry. Place creations on upside down cookie sheet and allow to dry at room temperature. For larger items or for quicker drying time, place in oven at 250 F and check often. Projects should be hard and golden - not brown!

My plan for this project was simple enough. We would make the salt dough together. I would show a few sample Christmas ornaments (shown above), demonstrate a few techniques, then set the kids loose so they could make their own ornaments. Some did just that, but a few little tykes had their own ideas!

We ended up with a beautiful mermaid (cookie sheet size) with strategically placed seashells, a handprint "in the sand" with more seashells, and a soaring eagle. We learned that tiny seashells make great accessories for salt dough projects.

Oh well, that's what open-ended art is all about.

The next week, after the projects were hard and dry, we painted them with CeramCoat acrylic craft paints, then applied an acrylic gloss finish. (Use brush-on or spray-on finish.)

A word of caution. Your canine friends will think these are wonderful, hand-made doggy treats and will EAT them. Keep out of pets' reach.

This recipe is just one of 75 craft recipes you can find in our ebook, 75 Craft Recipes for Kids: Crafty Concoctions Your Children Will Love! You'll also find recipes for making your own paints, crayons, chalk,bubbles, play dough, paste, silly slime, hand-made paper, and much more. Great fun!