art education

“Every artist was once an amateur.”
—RALPH WALDO EMERSON

The Wellesley Society of Artists mission is to support and promote the arts in our community, and we believe that art education can and should be a lifetime endeavor. Art surrounds us daily — it brings joy, expresses feelings and gives meaning to our lives. Whether you are an art lover, weekend dabbler, or an aspiring painter, learning more can be one way to explore and express your creative spirit.

In addition to the WSA programs we want to share ways for the general public to participate in other educational opportunities. In the section below  there is a guide for anyone new to art instruction, book recommendations, a list of our members who teach, as well as other places that have regular classes for children and adults.

Want to view videos of past WSA demonstrations and critiques?

Our programs are designed to educate artists through workshops and demonstrations. We post our program schedule on the WSA Events & Exhibitions calendar and invite the public to attend. For those who can’t attend in person, we record many of these demos and critiques, then share them on our website’s Video Resources page.

Book Recommendations :

Courtesy of Dr. Ellen Winner, Professor Emerita, Dept of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College Senior Research Associate, Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education

For doing art at home with your kids:
 
Art for the Family by Victor D’Amico
 
Assemblage: A new Dimension of Creative Teaching in Action, by Victor D’Amico
 
Doing Art Together, by Muriel Silberstein Storfer with Mablen Jones
 
And for teachers:
 
Bringing Reggio Emilia Home by Louise Boyd Cadwell
 
Integrating the Visual Arts Across the Curriculum by Julia Marshall
 
Studio Thinking from the Start
 

Learn more why art is important:

What’s the connection between art and brain development?

Interested in art classes?

A guide to things to consider when looking for an art instructor:

1. What art mediums interest you?

  • Watercolors are a type of paint that can be mixed with water to create translucent layers of color on paper. 
  • Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints are water-soluble, but become water-resistant when dry. 
  • Oil paint is slow-drying and made with pigments suspended in a drying oil, usually linseed oil. The consistency of the paint may be changed by adding a solvent or medium. Oil painting takes more time to dry so it is easy to re-do sections of a painting simply by wiping out the paint. Oil paints require more preparation and clean up time.
  • Pastels are highly pigmented sticks that look like crayons, but are easily blended. They can be used like a crayon, but can be very soft and bright. Pastels come in many forms: soft pastels, semi-hard pastels, water-soluble pastels, and oil pastels.
  • Colored pencils cores can be wax- or oil-based, containing varying proportions of pigments, or they can be water-soluble (watercolor) pencils. They can produce drawings in styles ranging from loose and ethereal to photo-realistic.
  • Mixed Media is a broad definition that covers many arts and crafts including collage. It is a visual art form that combines a variety of media in a single artwork. “Mixed media” can includes paints, papers and board of all descriptions, glues, buttons, fabrics, found objects, photos, things from nature, inks, pencils, crayons, markers, or pastels to name a few.

2.  What kind of art do you like?

  • Abstract
  • Realistic
  • Impressionistic
  • Traditional
  • Contemporary

3.  Do you want private or class lessons?

4.  Are you a beginner or someone with experience who would like more instruction?

 

WSA member artists who teach

If you are interested in art instruction, this is a list of WSA member artists who teach. Please note:  The WSA is not responsible for any arrangements for classes or instruction. All arrangements must be made directly with the individual artist or hosting venue. 

Click on the artist’s name for profile and contact information

EDDIE BRUCKNER

Contact: Visit EddieBruckner.com for more information! Email: eddie@eddiebruckner.com

Where:

  • Personalized, Private, In-Home Art Instruction
  • Online Individual and group Art Instruction 
  • Needham Community Adult Education                                                                                                                                    

Ages and levels:
Children Ages 10 and up, All skill levels
Adults of all ages and skill levels
Type of medium:
•  Acrylic Painting
•  Watercolor Painting
•  Drawing
•  Color Pencil Drawing
•  Mixed Media … and more!
Special areas of interest:
“My love and enthusiasm for painting have drawn me into educating those who want to paint and draw for themselves. I am dedicated to helping both beginners and experienced artists explore their creative potential. I love to inspire others to discover their innate artistic ability. With my unique hands-on style, I encourage my students to reach their own personal artistic goals, inspiring and encouraging students of all ages in a fun and informative approach. Although my own professional style for my Studio Work is pop-art/abstract, I typically work with students on the fundamentals of drawing and painting through representational landscapes, still lifes, florals, etc.”

TERESA HIGGINS

Contact: thigginsart@gmail.com

Where: T. Higgins Studio, Natick, MA 
Ages and levels: Classes and private lessons for Grades 4-12, and Adults
Type of medium:
•  All mediums for children and teens
•  Graphite, pastels and oils for adults

Special areas of interest: Landscapes and seascapes

MARGOT HURLEY

Contact: margot.hurley@gmail.com

Where: Private in-home instruction, personalized to each student
Age and levels: Adults, children ages 12 and up,  all skill levels
Type of medium: Oil painting and drawing         
Special areas of interest:  Realism, portraiture, art history, oil painting in layers/traditional “old master” techniques, developing strong drawing abilities, plein air painting, observation/seeing accurately, composition, fine art materials and equipment, distortion/abstraction in representational painting and drawing, drawing and painting from life, drawing and painting from photo references, evoking emotion through art, creating and communicating “meaning” in art, using technology as an art-making tool, value and color theory, portfolio development.

Also Visit Margot’s website for contact information.

SALLY MEDING
Where:
•  Needham Community Education at Needham Center for the Heights:  beginning and intermediate watercolor
•  Needham High School, Spring and Fall semesters:  beginning and intermediate watercolor
•  Needham Center for the Heights, Winter and Summer semesters:  beginning and intermediate watercolor
•  Post Road Art Center, Marlborough year round:  watercolor, all levels
•  Weston Community Center, Watercolor for beginners
•  My studio in Natick, MA, all levels, year round
Ages and levels: Adult, all levels
Type of medium: Watercolor
Special areas of interest: Color:  how to mix it & how to use it in design both realistically and in abstraction

NAN RUMPF

Contact: nanrumpf@gmail.com

Where: (schedule varies) Zoom Watercolor and Chinese Sumi brush painting, and in person watercolor workshops.
Ages and levels: Adults all levels
Types of medium: Watercolor and Chinese Sumi brush painting

NAOMI WILSEY

Contact: 617-513-5499 or nwilsey@verizon.net or website: NaomiWilseyArt.com

Where: Home Studio in Needham, MA. 
Ages and levels: The lessons are customized to adults and students ages 16 and older who have some watercolor experience. 
Type of medium: Watercolor
Special areas of interest: Traditional watercolors, Japanese brush painting (Sumi-e)

 

Other organizations offering regular art classes