Here at the studio, although most classes are for adults, we do have younger student learners from 11 years old and up. Above is a self-portrait by a talented young student who has gone through our core curriculum. It’s a great job for someone so young!
Most art programmes geared towards younger learners place an inordinate amount of emphasis on “freedom and exploration”. Of course within the field of the visual arts, creative self expression is our ultimate goal. Yet the earlier a student can learn proper technique and gain a solid understanding of visual concepts, the greater their expressive capacity will be as they develop into young adults.
Artistic technique and the control of a given medium represents the “vocabulary and grammar” so to speak of the visual arts. Without it, our visual story telling is hampered by a lack of elements to be used for creative expression. No matter what the ultimate goal of the individual, be it to continue with representational art, or to do something farther afield in the world of abstraction, starting with a solid technical foundation becomes the roots to further artistic growth.
