Grades 9–12 · Ages 14–18

Teen Studio

A real studio, run like a studio. Five two-week studies over the workshop, each one producing a finished piece worth putting in a portfolio — not a sketchbook page.

Email me to enroll See all four classes
An oil still life of a single pear against a deep red background

One of my own still life studies — value, light and edges, which is the ground this class covers.

When

Mondays, 2:30–4:15 PM

Length

105 minutes

Per class

$38

Full 10 weeks

$380

First class is $20, so you can try it before committing. $20 off for each additional sibling. Classes are held at my home studio in Holladay — I send the address when you enroll.

Fall 2026 workshop

Foundations — September 14 to November 16.

Ten Mondays. The fall workshop is about learning to see like an artist and building technique that holds up — and meeting a working artist most people have never heard of, every single week.

Kids finish the year knowing thirty-odd artists beyond the usual ten. That's deliberate. Every week is anchored to a real artist whose work connects to what we're making that day.

What we cover

The ground this class covers.

Observation and interpretation

Drawing what's in front of you, then drawing what you think about it.

Value and light

One light source, the full range, and what that does to a room.

Composition and framing

Three thumbnails before a single committed mark.

Color as meaning

Choosing color for what it says instead of what's accurate.

A portfolio piece

Your subject, your medium, finished to your own standard.

How a class runs

What a Monday looks like.

  • Five studies, two weeks each. Every one ends in a finished piece.
  • Real critique — specific, useful, and not just encouragement.
  • Four or five vocabulary words a week, threaded through demo and discussion.
  • Small group. Nobody disappears in the back of this room.
  • Not an AP track. No summer work, no multi-month sustained investigation.

Class starts at 2:30 on purpose. Utah high schools release at 2:10 on Mondays, so this works as an after-school class — homeschool and traditional high school students are both in the room.

I tell students what we're learning at the start of class, then reveal the steps one at a time as we go. It keeps everyone moving together and leaves room for the lesson to bend around the group in front of me.

Coming soon

The week-by-week schedule

I'm still finishing the ten-week lesson plan for Teen Studio — each week's project, materials, and featured artist. It'll be posted here before the fall workshop begins on September 14.

Email me when it's posted

Coming back next year

No repeats.

The curriculum runs on a three-year rotation, and every tier is a three-grade band. A student can stay in Teen Studio for all three years and never repeat a project. When they age up into the next class, the ideas come back — but at a depth they couldn't have handled before.

Enroll

Come try one class first.

Your first Teen Studio class is $20. Email me and tell me your child's grade — I'll send the studio address, the supply notes, and confirm your spot.

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