“I want to help people of all ages find a connection to a medium and a creative process,” says Vicki Paret, one of ACA’s amazing art teachers, fresh off a successful spring semester and looking forward to a creative fall ahead. “I can’t imagine a life without participating in making things, and hope through teaching classes I can help others find the same joy in creating.”
A self-described “life-long” artist, Paret will be offering four classes at ACA this fall, each intended to spark this very “joy in creating” that she mentions above.
In “Paint with Gouache,” Tuesdays from 1:00 3:00 pm, students will work from resource photographs as they explore and experiment with the medium of Gouache – a versatile, non-toxic, opaque, water-based paint. “I am looking forward to sharing this wonderful medium for painting,” Paret says. “The color is beautiful, and because it is nontoxic and water soluble it is can be used in many settings.”
In “Drawing Studio,” Tuesdays from 9:30 am – 12:00 pm, students will utilize black and white media to explore elements in the art toolbox: line, value, shape, space, texture. Paret stresses how important she believes drawing classes like “Drawing Studio” to be: “I believe everyone can draw; and learning to see and capture things in the world in two dimensions is
profoundly exciting.”
In “Wheel Work,” Wednesdays from 6:30 – 9:00 pm, students will create functional works in clay using the potter’s wheel. “I get great joy in creating functional objects that can be enjoyed by the user in the day-to-day, and hope to help others develop the skills on the pottery wheel to feel the same satisfaction,” Paret notes.
In “Clay Studio for Teens,” Wednesdays from 4:00 – 6:00 pm, students in grades 6 and above will learn to throw bowls, vases and mugs on the pottery wheel – and how to build vessels using hand-building as time allows.
Paret is also quick to note her desire to help and support students and aspiring artists of all ages. “In the studio, I enjoy teenagers for their energy and openness, and in seeing adults, find satisfaction in developing new skills and engaging with creative process,” she says.
Having just retired from a full-time job as a middle and high school art teacher, Paret came to ACA last spring in search of a creative community – and was pleased to find an organization as grateful for her creative skills as she was for its boundless opportunities for self-expression and creative learning. “ACA offers a wonderful range of classes, and I liked the idea of becoming part of a community art center – a place that offers an accessible venue for people to engage with art and the creative process,” she says.
“Making my own art grounds me; the process has provided me with a life-long challenge that allows me to have focus and internal quiet while I am working, and to express things I seem to be unable to express through words,” Paret says. “It is rewarding to help others in their journey with creative process. I love what I do, and love to share with others. It is exciting to be involved with ACA classes, and I look forward to working with returning and new students in the world of art.”
For more info about any of Vicki’s creative arts courses this fall, or to register, visit www.acarts.org.