by Kristen Andersen and Laura Salzberg | May 20th | @theartstudiony

Meet Laura Salzberg

Laura did not grow up drawing and painting. Her art journey began in high school when a classmate taught her how to develop film and to print black and white pictures. This led to Laura going to college to study photography, where she ended up learning about drawing, painting and mixed media as well. This opened up a whole new world for her; for the first time, she thought of herself as an artist. She did a little drawing, collage here and there but without a support system, it didn’t amount to much. After college, Laura began teaching special education in NYC public schools. Once Laura married and had her son, she stopped making art altogether. She found that she didn’t have the time or energy to do both. Her husband tried to convince her to go back to making art but it was met with resistance. Finally, when their son was about 15 and pretty self sufficient, her husband gave her a gift certificate to TASNY for Christmas. Laura started taking classes with Rebecca and other teachers at the studio and she didn’t stop!

Untitled, by Laura Salzberg

 “I found art again. I was very insecure and not sure I could do it again but Rebecca and the other teachers were so supportive, the community there was so friendly that I could take my time, develop my own style and skills and found the courage to try new things.”

Now, Laura and her husband are renting gallery space to put on their first solo show featuring Laura’s paintings! She will be exhibiting about 26 paintings  – acrylic paint and mixed media with some combination of acrylic paint, paper and mark making materials. The idea first came about when her husband suggested they do this on their anniversary last year. “Why wait for a gallery?” Laura’s husband is a jazz musician and wrote a suite of pieces based on three paintings of faces Laura did a few years ago. On opening day of the gallery, he’ll perform the songs with his trio and the paintings will be projected on a wall nearby.

Deivi at 6 years old, by Laura Salzberg

In Laura’s words, “I have continued to focus on making art dealing with issues like resistance, fear, lack of confidence, how to build an art practice, how to let people know what I do, how to improve my work, all things I think I’m getting better at and I can see progress over the last few years. I guess if I were to give advice to my pre-pandemic self it would be ‘Don’t stop. Keep going, don’t judge’”

“I don’t think of making art as a hobby, something I do in my spare time for fun. It is who I am. I am an artist.”

Those Eyes, by Laura Salzberg

“Pushing paint around, watching the colors mix, noticing happy accidents, making new discoveries is fun! Making art and seeing my own progress has helped me feel more confident as an artist and as a person. I can say to the world ‘I am an artist, this is my painting, it’s good enough to hang on the wall of this gallery, I think you’ll like it, if you love it you should buy it. I think it will bring beauty to your home.’ I couldn’t say that with confidence a year or two ago.

“I think that people see my earlier face collages as a totally different body of work from my abstract work but I see it as a progression. After the face collages, I wanted to work in a looser, more abstract  style. I have never totally let go of collage and do some collages with paint and some paintings with collage.”

Come see Laura’s beautiful art at Prince George Gallery at 15 E 27th St, NYC on Friday June 11th from 4 pm to 6 pm, and Saturday June 12th and Sunday June 13th, 2021 between the hours of 10 am and 6 pm. 

AT LEAST once a year, I go someplace I’ve never been before.

To know that the “stuff” that matters, I can carry on my back and in my heart.

To expand and learn and grow.

To see through new eyes and open to fresh perspectives.

To make new friends and delight in old ones.

To leave the routine, remember the magic, and bathe in the beauty.

To remember that through compassion and our shared humanity, no matter where I travel to, we are all much more similar than we are different.
#newdaynewyou #createalifeyoulove #goplaces #dalailamaquotes #changeisgood #mixedmediaart

-Rebecca Schweiger

by Rebecca Schwieger | May 4 | @releaseyourcreativity

Susan is a true blue Manhattanite. She is smart, sassy, classy, warm, friendly and genuine. She always pushes herself to explore, learn, and leave her creative comfort zone. As an interior designer in New York City, she’s a wizard at weaving together color, texture and space.

During in-person art classes pre-COVID, Susan was most often the student who continued working on her artwork long after the class ended. The class would end at 1:30p, and Susan was there at 3p still working away, warmly sharing rich conversation with staff and students alike. Susan is a core member of our studio family.

One thing we miss the most during the pandemic is the connective conversations IRL and time spent together with people like Susan, talking about everything from family, art, and city culture, to books, movies, and restaurants.

We are grateful to Susan for her support of our studio this past year, and she has continued to be a member of our art studio community through our virtual art classes every Thursday for the last year.

In yesterday’s class, Rebecca taught the group painting techniques of how to create an abstract floral painting. While Susan typically works in watercolor paint, she felt inspired to take the risk of jumping into acrylic painting, integrating all she’s learned from years of art classes at The Art Studio NY.

#soulart #arttherapy #onlinepaintingclasses
#theartstudio #artandhealing #remoteartclasses #artathome #createathome #createanywhere #artworkshops #acrylic #painting

 by Kristen Andersen and Emily Kilma | Apr 28 | @theartstudiony

by Kristen Andersen | Apr 19 | @theartstudiony

Meet student artist, Robin Price

Robin Price is one of The Art Studio NY’s first online students. Originally from New York, Robin moved down to Virginia with her husband over 20 years ago. Despite the 400 miles between NYC and Robin, she was able to take her first art class online with us at The Art Studio NY!

Once the Stay-At-Home orders were enacted, Robin found herself (like many of us) with a whole lot of time and not a lot to do. Robin was always interested in being able to paint, and she soon found herself on our website, signing up for an online watercolor class with our art studio. 

The pandemic has been incredibly hard on us all. However, Robin’s experience is a bit different than the average pandemic story. Shortly after the lockdown started, Robin went to the doctor for her routine mammogram screening. The doctors found a lump near her breast and everyone’s initial thought was breast cancer.

After more tests, it was discovered that the lump was not from breast cancer, but from stage 4 ovarian cancer. 

Robin remembers clearly the day she was informed of her diagnosis. “I’m sorry, what?” she repeated, in shock. It had to have been a mistake. She’s a woman in good health, exercises regularly, eats well– how could she have stage 4 carcinoma?

At first Robin’s weekly online art class was a way to break up the monotony of the long pandemic days. Once she began her treatment, however, Robin was determined to create more than ever. Her diagnosis is always on her mind and art is a distraction– a way to quiet the worrisome thoughts even if for a moment. Her art practice leaves her with a sense of accomplishment, it makes her feel good at a time when nothing else could. 

Before art class begins, Robin feels a sense of “anticipation and excitement”.  After all, it is always important to have something to look forward to. Robin’s virtual drawing class instilled within her a sense of community.  The Art Studio NY’s smaller class sizes create an atmosphere of camaraderie and familiarity amongst the instructors and students. After class, Robin is left with a feeling of satisfaction and a creative spark that stays with her throughout the week. 

The more she practices, the better she gets. Seeing how quickly her artistic skills improve makes her want to practice even more! Robin’s therapeutic art practice usually consists of finding a photo online and trying to recreate it with watercolor. After months of practice, she finds herself learning to handle paint better– with more delicacy and intent. 

“The more I paint, the more I want to keep doing it!” 

Here is Robin showing us how strong she is after finishing chemo.

Robin loves painting florals, Japanese florals, and landscapes. 

Robin likes to incorporate the color teal into her artwork as it is the color of the ovarian cancer ribbon. 

The Art Studio NY team thanks you, Robin, for supporting us throughout those uncertain months. We are so happy to hear that art is able to keep you anchored during a tumultuous time in your life. We couldn’t be more grateful that you are still here with us! Here’s to kicking cancer’s butt; the world needs you here to create more of those elegant watercolor flowers you love so much. We look forward to seeing many, many more artworks from you!

If you’d like to learn more about ovarian cancer and show your support for those affected by it, please visit @nocc_national (National Ovarian Cancer Coalition) on Instagram.

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Sign up for a LIVE online art class today! We have classes for adults, teens, and kids. The Art Studio NY’s nurturing style of teaching is perfect for beginners. Engage with some of New York’s top rated artists and mingle with students who share a similar passion for art.

by Kristen Andersen and Kate Mailer | Apr 12 | @theartstudiony

The transition from in-person learning to virtual was a swift and unexpected one. Fortunately for us, online learning has been a wonderful opportunity to connect us with not just our usual NYC community, but artists from all over the globe. This week, I’d like to use our blog as a platform to spotlight one of our regular NYC students, Kate Mailer.

Kate has taken art classes at The Art Studio NY’s W96th St location since 2016

“I have been practicing art for many years as a relaxing and meditative activity, but I always and still  feel like a beginner!”

Kate has been practicing art since the 1990s. She started out doing small drawings in colored pencils which led to a further exploration of different mediums– pastels, ephemera, acrylic, oil, and mixed media. Kate even enjoys art in the form of writing!

“What I find with art is, I can do some form of it, whether abstract or figurative,  almost anywhere; inside, outside, alone, and with other people around! I love doing art with kids and chatting to them while we draw or paint together,” Kate wrote. 

Kate was one of the first of our online students when we made the initial transition last March.  When asked how the two modes of learning compare, she says there are upsides to both. 

“I love the in person studio classes at The Art Studio New York. The teachers are all so wonderful and supportive while also offering great advice and tips. I also loved the social aspect of it. I have dear friends from the class and we would often go to lunch afterwards. They are all incredible artists who I am in awe of.”

While we all miss learning in person together at the studio, online classes do have their own advantages. Kate shares, “I have loved the chance to just be at home and have the class available online with all of my materials available and at my fingertips. I also love having the chance to take different courses- two which I have taken steadily- painting with Rebecca and drawing with Amy- as well as some other classes in different mediums- which I would not have done had I had to travel by train to get uptown! The community with my friends has continued and blossomed as we have all taken class together online for almost the whole year! We hope to have lunch in person again, though, at some point.”

My Desk 2020, mixed media by Kate Mailer

Kate’s recent art piece, My Desk 2020, has been the talk of the office lately. Its bright colors catch your eye, while the scrupulous details keep you staring! In Kate’s own words: 

“What initially inspired me was the colors and shapes of the flowers of the central candle holder. I have many such items in my apartment and had just finished a mixed media/ more collage-y  abstract piece that had started with another candle holder. I thought this would be another such mixed media piece but then I got caught up in drawing  and painting other objects on my desk- the spines  of my journals, my paintbrushes in their jar,  an art journal piece I had done. Then I decided that I would include postcards I had been writing to registered voters urging them to vote in local and national elections.  Once I threw in my “I voted” sticker, it became for me, about 2020 and the combination of writing, doing art and engaging in politics. Which is why I included my calendar for 2020.

‘The mediums I used to create the piece were pencil, Caran D’ache Neocolor water based wax pastels. The pastels I used as both watercolor and as a crayon/ drawing tool. I also used black ink. I am quite experienced with these mediums. I’ve used them in many places both at home over this past year and while traveling for many years.”

We are so excited to see what 2021 has in store for Kate’s art practice. Kate, we thank you for your continued support of our studio. The Art Studio NY just wouldn’t have the amiable atmosphere it does if it weren’t for students like you. 

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Sign up for a LIVE online art class today! We have classes for adults, teens, and kids. The Art Studio NY’s nurturing style of teaching is perfect for beginners. Engage with some of New York’s top rated artists and mingle with students who share a similar passion for art.