Kids Painting

Painters are encouraged to play, have fun and go on an adventure. There are no restrictions on the content, color or size of their paintings. After our opening talk, painters will be asked to stay quiet and to focus on their own paper. Students will learn how to: 1) work with the paints & brushes 2) use the paint table and 3) move through creative blocks (which, they rarely seem to experience.) This studio is unique in that it values creative freedom and emphasizes the process of painting and not the painting as a product. Therefore, we encourage both the students and the parents to refrain from making comments about the paintings – no matter how spectacular they are. If you have more questions, please feel free to contact me.

This fall we will be offering after-school classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays in Petaluma. Please visit the Petaluma Art House to see a schedule or the class calender.

Classes are taught by Heather (and an assistant, depending on class size.) 6-14 children per class (depending on age), 1-2 hours in length, $20-$25/child, all materials included. We also provide an organic healthy snack. If you would like to organize a class for your child and their friends, please email.  If you are interested in learning more about nurturing your child’s creativity, please read below.

How you can HONOR the CREATIVE JOURNEY of your child

As parents, we have a rare opportunity to make a huge difference in the creative lives of our children. Our attitudes, judgments and prejudices strongly influence our children’s experience – both positive and negative (just as our parents influenced us!) The easiest way to inspire a child’s Creative Spirit is to focus your attention on the creative journey (which is an ongoing process), rather than draw attention to the products of that journey. When the product becomes the focus (through either praise or judgment, celebration or denial), creative freedom is lost because the child will want to produce (or reproduce) the most favorable response in the adult – the same tree over and over again. Worse yet, if the response to their work was negative or perceived that way, the child might give up entirely! (Many of us can relate with this experience.) HOWEVER, when the focus is on “the process”…the child has permission to follow their natural impulses and please them selves, rather than pleasing others. As they continue to be encouraged to respond authentically to their own intuition and inner guidance they gain more self-confidence and trust in their abilities to create.

By focusing on the process, we teach our children that it is safe to play in the “I don’t know” spaces. Self-discovery happens naturally as they are encouraged to have fun, play, take risks and explore without concern for “doing it right” or ever having to show anyone their work. Therefore, an arm can be huge, a tree can be blue, and a giant duck can paddle a canoe. It’s painting for pleasure – and it’s really fun.

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