“Creativity is contagious, pass it on.” Albert Einstein
April showers and breaks with the sunshine is the start of our brisk spring here in Whatcom County. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you know that our spring weather is unpredictable until Mid-May or sometimes into June. The great part about it for me is to see all of the new things growing in shades of green and flowers popping-up all over the place. Spring also gives me inspiration for new art and new classes arising. I was so full of joy and gratitude for being able to attend the 2018 NAEA conference that was in Seattle on March 22nd – 25th, where I was able to learn from art workshops, meet new friends, and be a part of art teachers’ presentations. It gave me new insights, skills, and so much more to share with my future art classes.
Awesome Art Announcement: This Friday, April 6th, is the RARE (recycled arts and resource expo), that Allied Arts of Whatcom County puts together every year for all of us to enjoy, is happening this next downtown art walk in Bellingham. There is the opening art exhibit on Friday between 5-8pm, (which I’ll be at for showing some of my art), with free artist presentations, music, special art shows, and on Saturday there’s more with art workshops. Join us for some local art, & community fun! Find out more with Allied Arts of Whatcom County's RARE!
Awesome Art Announcement: This Friday, April 6th, is the RARE (recycled arts and resource expo), that Allied Arts of Whatcom County puts together every year for all of us to enjoy, is happening this next downtown art walk in Bellingham. There is the opening art exhibit on Friday between 5-8pm, (which I’ll be at for showing some of my art), with free artist presentations, music, special art shows, and on Saturday there’s more with art workshops. Join us for some local art, & community fun! Find out more with Allied Arts of Whatcom County's RARE!
Registration is Open for the Summer Art Camps at BAAY and WCC!
There’s a variety of Summer Art Camps for kids of all ages, such as Drawing & Painting, Upcycled Art & Sculpture, Preschool & Kinders Art, and there’s options for several age groups with BAAY (Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth - Summer Art Camps) and a Drawing class at WCC (Whatcom Community College – Kids College)! Details for BAAY are listed below:
Upcycled Art & Sculpture with Art Walk at BAAY. Ages 9-16 years.
Teacher: Rachel Simpson
July 23rd - 27th & July 30th - August 3rd, 11:30 - 3:00pm, Finishes with Kids Art Show at BAAY for the Downtown Art Walk at 6pm! (Register for 1 or 2 weeks)
In this amazing art course, we’ll start the first week to develop skills and techniques to create a miniature shadow box in mixed-media with use of recycled tins, metallic’s, lace, buttons, glitter, gears, moss, gems, keys, photos, felt, collage and our unlimited imagination. We’ll also explore how to do Paint-Cup-Pour acrylics in fluid art of an abstract painting of swirls of color onto canvas into our very own works of art.
During the second week, we’ll explore Sculpture & Papier-Mâché and Paper Clay; we’ll discuss styles of sculpture, a variety of artists such as Leonardo DaVinci, Picasso, & contemporary artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Claes Oldenburg, and Romero Britto…. We’ll also select an animal of their choice to build into sculpture, by learning the use of building armatures, sculpting, using paper mache, paper clay, and painting to finish their pieces. The class will also have a 1-day field trip to visit a local gallery or museum downtown.
Register with BAAY!
Upcycled Art & Sculpture with Art Walk at BAAY. Ages 9-16 years.
Teacher: Rachel Simpson
July 23rd - 27th & July 30th - August 3rd, 11:30 - 3:00pm, Finishes with Kids Art Show at BAAY for the Downtown Art Walk at 6pm! (Register for 1 or 2 weeks)
In this amazing art course, we’ll start the first week to develop skills and techniques to create a miniature shadow box in mixed-media with use of recycled tins, metallic’s, lace, buttons, glitter, gears, moss, gems, keys, photos, felt, collage and our unlimited imagination. We’ll also explore how to do Paint-Cup-Pour acrylics in fluid art of an abstract painting of swirls of color onto canvas into our very own works of art.
During the second week, we’ll explore Sculpture & Papier-Mâché and Paper Clay; we’ll discuss styles of sculpture, a variety of artists such as Leonardo DaVinci, Picasso, & contemporary artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Claes Oldenburg, and Romero Britto…. We’ll also select an animal of their choice to build into sculpture, by learning the use of building armatures, sculpting, using paper mache, paper clay, and painting to finish their pieces. The class will also have a 1-day field trip to visit a local gallery or museum downtown.
Register with BAAY!
Drawing & Painting. Ages 6-12 years.
Art Teacher: Rachel Simpson
July 9th - 13th & July 16th - 20th, 2:00pm - 6:00pm (Register for 1 or 2 weeks)
In this exciting summer art camp, we’ll gain the confidence & ability to work in any medium. We’ll take the first week to learn to accurately draw what you see, self-portraits, & learning the beginning of perspective and shading, through the use of charcoal, graphite, oil pastels and chalk pastels. The second week will be about painting, using watercolors/acrylic paints onto canvas with different techniques to change the look and texture, with inspiration of Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keefe, Van Gogh & the contemporary artists Amy Sherald & Kehine Wiley, who were the first black artists to create official, Smithsonian-commissioned portraits of former President Obama and First Lady in 2018. Students will explore the arts, creating fun & educational drawings/paintings taken from observation, photographs, & illustrations. The class will also have a 1-day field trip to visit a local gallery or museum downtown. By making art of the world around us, we learn to see it in all of its beauty.
Register with BAAY!
Art Teacher: Rachel Simpson
July 9th - 13th & July 16th - 20th, 2:00pm - 6:00pm (Register for 1 or 2 weeks)
In this exciting summer art camp, we’ll gain the confidence & ability to work in any medium. We’ll take the first week to learn to accurately draw what you see, self-portraits, & learning the beginning of perspective and shading, through the use of charcoal, graphite, oil pastels and chalk pastels. The second week will be about painting, using watercolors/acrylic paints onto canvas with different techniques to change the look and texture, with inspiration of Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keefe, Van Gogh & the contemporary artists Amy Sherald & Kehine Wiley, who were the first black artists to create official, Smithsonian-commissioned portraits of former President Obama and First Lady in 2018. Students will explore the arts, creating fun & educational drawings/paintings taken from observation, photographs, & illustrations. The class will also have a 1-day field trip to visit a local gallery or museum downtown. By making art of the world around us, we learn to see it in all of its beauty.
Register with BAAY!
Preschool & Kinders Art. Ages 5-6 years.
Art Teacher: Rachel Simpson
July 9th – 13th, 8:30am - 9:30am
In this fun preschool summer art camp, we’ll explore a variety of different art mediums, experience choice based art, hands-on tactile sensations such as air dry clay, charcoal and soft pastel drawing, shaving cream painting, create sun-catchers with glass beads, paper craft flowers, use balls marbles and balloons to make art, use movement and music to express themselves in art, use of children’s books as inspiration, as well as explore painting onto various types of surfaces. Your child will be able to take home many pieces of art as well as wonderful experiences and stories to share with their family.
Register with BAAY!
Art Teacher: Rachel Simpson
July 9th – 13th, 8:30am - 9:30am
In this fun preschool summer art camp, we’ll explore a variety of different art mediums, experience choice based art, hands-on tactile sensations such as air dry clay, charcoal and soft pastel drawing, shaving cream painting, create sun-catchers with glass beads, paper craft flowers, use balls marbles and balloons to make art, use movement and music to express themselves in art, use of children’s books as inspiration, as well as explore painting onto various types of surfaces. Your child will be able to take home many pieces of art as well as wonderful experiences and stories to share with their family.
Register with BAAY!
WCC’s The Art of Drawing (ages 10-14)
Art Teacher: Rachel Simpson
June 25th -28th,10:00AM – 12:00PM
Learn how to draw what you see and gain the confidence and ability to work in multiple mediums in this fun class! Using pencil, charcoal, soft pastels, and ink, we'll develop skills in contour drawing, shading, and creating depth. We'll discuss our artwork as a group, as well as gain positive feedback from your instructor, local artist Rachel Simpson. We'll also look at a variety of artwork and discuss such famous artists as Leonardo da Vinci, Paul Cézanne, Andy Warhol, Kiki Smith, and more! All materials included.
Register at WCC Kid's College!
June 25th -28th,10:00AM – 12:00PM
Learn how to draw what you see and gain the confidence and ability to work in multiple mediums in this fun class! Using pencil, charcoal, soft pastels, and ink, we'll develop skills in contour drawing, shading, and creating depth. We'll discuss our artwork as a group, as well as gain positive feedback from your instructor, local artist Rachel Simpson. We'll also look at a variety of artwork and discuss such famous artists as Leonardo da Vinci, Paul Cézanne, Andy Warhol, Kiki Smith, and more! All materials included.
Register at WCC Kid's College!
Winter Kids Art Ended & Spring Kids Art Begins!
We had a great last day of all of the after school arts enrichment programs at various schools, with kids & parents sharing in fun art games, an art show-and-tell, awards, and a photo booth for the kids with their art.
In case you didn’t know, I teach at a few different schools in the Bellingham School District with BAAY EduArts, & in Arts Enrichment Programs with Allied Arts of Whatcom County. Both of these amazing non-profits bring the arts to many kids throughout the schools, and I’m so thankful I can be a part of it.
In case you didn’t know, I teach at a few different schools in the Bellingham School District with BAAY EduArts, & in Arts Enrichment Programs with Allied Arts of Whatcom County. Both of these amazing non-profits bring the arts to many kids throughout the schools, and I’m so thankful I can be a part of it.
You can still Register for the Ceramic Garden Masks at WCC!
If you’re in love with working with clay like I am, or just want to learn how to try your hands at making something fun for the first time, then this is the class for you. This spring quarter, I’m teaching a one-day ceramic workshop that is all about bringing in the joy of the changes for spring. Registration with WCC is below:
Dates: April 28th Saturday, 9:00am-1:00pm. Class Description: Join local ceramic artist Rachel Simpson and create a hanging garden mask OR a nautical mask! Choose to make a classic Green Man mask, sun/moon face, or a nautical themed face with starfish, fish scales, and shapes of shells. Rachel will guide you in sculpting facial features in the right proportions for a realistic mask, or get creative and make it whimsical. Dress for mess and be ready to have some fun with clay! All levels, including teens ages 12 and up with a parent, are welcome. All materials included in class fee. Finished masks will be ready for pickup on May 11. Ages 15 and up are welcome to join.
Register with WCC.
Thank you for all your enthusiasm for The Arts and keeping it alive within our community!
~ Rachel Simpson
~ Artist, Art Teacher, (K-12)
Dates: April 28th Saturday, 9:00am-1:00pm. Class Description: Join local ceramic artist Rachel Simpson and create a hanging garden mask OR a nautical mask! Choose to make a classic Green Man mask, sun/moon face, or a nautical themed face with starfish, fish scales, and shapes of shells. Rachel will guide you in sculpting facial features in the right proportions for a realistic mask, or get creative and make it whimsical. Dress for mess and be ready to have some fun with clay! All levels, including teens ages 12 and up with a parent, are welcome. All materials included in class fee. Finished masks will be ready for pickup on May 11. Ages 15 and up are welcome to join.
Register with WCC.
Thank you for all your enthusiasm for The Arts and keeping it alive within our community!
~ Rachel Simpson
~ Artist, Art Teacher, (K-12)
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