testimonials |
Feedback from Watercolors Art on Ricepaper classes participants "Love them!" "I absolutely loved it. Reallly learned a lot! "It was great! Fun! Easy!" "Love them!" "All was great .. a treat ... Karen is encouraging, fresh, and a terrific teacher!" "Fun! Helpful ... enriching... Lots of tools and techniques to practice with and GROW! Karen is a talented teacher." "Very organized teaching method which helped us to create a nice paintings" "This class was so enjoyable. is an excellent instructor making the entire class feel valuable" "Wonderful. Karen is very methodical and explains why as well as how to achieve the desired effects. Very patient and complimentary" "Karen is fun and has a great personality. Enjoyed her class very much" "Wonderful experience - so much fun and learning and loved it!" "Great class! Very enjoyable and informational! Karen is very supportive and encouraging. She's very positive and has a great outlook on individuality and artistic ability!" "Excellent - one of the best classes I've attended - very good instructor" "Excellent presentation" "Great Great Great" "Wonderful Instructor" "Extremely enthusiastic. Very attentive" "Very nice personal attention and one-on-one direction. Karen was easy to understand and enthusiastic. A very fun class" "Yes, very satisfied with the class. I will sign up for her other classes" "This was fun" "Great class, personal attention, wonderful explanation, great flexibility to let personality and artistic talent show" "Wonderful - a lot of fun and Karen was a good teacher - easy to follow and methodical" "I've studied Chinese Brush painting - (many classes with other teachers) but this was more detailed and true to the real Chinese Brush painting style - excellent!!" "I truly enjoyed every moment. Of course it's extra special when the teacher offers such special attention to students. I really appreciated the help." The students below took my special 1 hour introductory class during the Santa Clarita Emblem Club Fund-raiser. They were all new to watercolors art on ricepaper. Seeing their bright smiles of surprise and joy with their first painting is just special. "Karen changed my life. I painted for the first time with Karen in 2007, I loved it, and have continued taking workshops and 1:1 sessions from her ever since. Karen encouraged me to purchase a painting that I had fallen in love with but was hesitant to buy. This painting now hangs in my living room and inspires me daily to take my own art to the next level. Because of this inspiration, I am now not only painting, but framing, selling and exhibiting my art. With Karen's help, I have reinvented myself. Throughout my whole life I have been someone who loved art, admired and envied artists, and wished I could be an artist. With Karen’s instruction, encouragement, and friendship, I am now an artist. My life is forever enriched" - Lynda Frautnick, Flower Power Artist, California (http://www.lyndafrautnick.com) "Karen gave me ideas and tools that are simple enough to get me over my fear and take my first steps. She breaks things down into a language I can understand. She is sincere and makes me feel comforted. Karen has felt it, done it and taken those first steps herself. For 25 years, I always wanted to paint but was too afraid to take the first step. Now I've found my passion and my entire family always asks for my paintings as Christmas or birthday presents" - Jody Ferguson, Stylist, Carmel-by-the-Sea. "I started attending the Chinese watercolor class about 6 months ago. I've always enjoyed drawing, and other artistic activities, and Karen has really helped me to advance my skills. Starting from the first class I went to, I've felt comfortable. Some art classes I've taken feel somewhat judgemental, but Karen's class is not that way. I feel welcome, like I'm going to hang out with friends and family. Everyone in the class is super nice. One aspect of the class that I really enjoy, is that it gives my wife and I an opportunity to spend quality time together. As a young couple, is it hard to find fun activities to do together, that fit in our budget. This class totally meets those needs. For about the price of a night out at the movies we instead get to spend the evening together painting! I was a little apprehensive before the class, because I'm not very good at painting. Totally doesn't matter! The media is very forgiving. Even if I feel like my painting doesn't look that great, when I look at it later on the website (Karen posts all of her students artwork to the website), I totally change my mind" - Justin Monnett, Saute chef, California. "Karen breaks down the brushstrokes for everything we paint. At the end of every class I am surprised at what I am able to achieve with just a couple of techniques. Karen does a very good job of personalizing her teaching and she ia able to guide us to a successful painting regardless of skill level. I am a bit of a perfectionist and often over critical of my own work. I rarely finish the things I start, I usually just throw them away. I got to the point where drawing was more stress than fun. Karen class has changed a lot of that. The last class we had before holiday break was a turning point for me. I think that what the rest of the class was painting, (and what I was attempting to paint,) were lilies. My pictures kept turning out looking like giant, sickly starfish. I think that this was the only class I didn't concern myself with the end result. Even though it was probably the worst looking thing I've ever painted, it was one of the most fun. That was the first time I remember being okay with something not turning out like planned. I'm excited for classes to start up again, I want to paint something more obvious beauty. My weeks pass a lot easier when I have my Tuesday night class to decompress. Learning a new skill is never a bad idea, and aside from my starfish incident I am always proud and excited to show off what I've painted. My favorite part of Karen's workshop is knowing that I'll be leaving with a beautiful, completed, work of art." - Marie Monnett, Server, California. "I had such a nice time. I appreciate meeting with other women who are kind, fun and supportive. Thx so much." - Jennae Arrias, Nurse Educator, California |
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testimonials |
testimonials |
Jody Ferguson with her very first paintings - peonies! Jody had never painted before and her daughter asked for these paintings to display in her new apartment. She was just so proud of her mom and so am I! |
Marilyn McDonald exibiting her ricepaper art for the first time. Marilyn had painted with watercolors for many years before taking Karen's Watercolors art on ricepaper class. Marilyn fell in love with painting on ricepaper and has been taking classes and continues to create beautiful art on ricepaper. |
Erica Guzalo is a radiologist and she has to convey bad news to patients. After a particularly stressful day, Erica painted this beautiful bamboo painting in color. I will always remember this day. Erica's first creative expressions were at my classes and she has continued onto other media like silk painting to express her creativity! |
Jody Ferguson with her very first landscape painting. Jody's son wanted this painting for his room but after I matted and framed it, Jody loved it so much, it now hangs in their living room! |
Jody Ferguson with her very first landscape painting. Jody's son wanted this painting for his room but after I matted and framed it, Jody loved it so much, it now hangs in their living room! Jody's art is so popular that her very large family and many friends frequently request her paintings for Christmas and birthday gifts and adorn their wall all over the US and Germany! |
Anne Dinsdale is primarily a textile artist. I call her my first principles lady, she has sheep which she shears and spins the wool into yarn which she dyes and knits into amazing textile art. Anne's first time painting was at my classes and this landscape painting was created very quickly and spontaneously by Anne. I mounted it on a special bamboo frame to highlight the art! |
Lorriane White used to paint with oils and had graduated with an art degree. Painting with watercolors art on ricepaper helped Lorraine loosen up and take chances, bringing a new fluidity to her paintings. Lorraine stopped worrying about everything and started changing internally and found a new sense of peace and freedom. |
Tessie Chua Chiaco is an amazing pianist - performing in concerts and teaching Master classes. Tessie had never painted before until she discovered her love of painting at one of my classes. This is one of Tessie's first landscape painting which now hangs in her mother-in-law's home. |
Karen Geller-Shin exhibiting her ricepaper art. Karen has had extensive painting experience and gradated wtih an art degree. However, watercolors was Karen's nemesis when she was at college. To Karen's surprise, she found watercolors art on ricepaper enjoyable and fun as the spontaneous style of painting meant that she only focusses on expressing the essence of the subject and not try to paint every single detail. |
Vicki Cole had never painted before and fell in love with Cherry Blossoms while vacationing in Japan. She could not find any paintings to her liking and lo and behold, Vicki found her way to my classes on her return and was soon exhibiting her very own cherry blossom paintings! Bravo Vicki! |
testimonials |
testimonials |