GROUP STUDIO CLASSES will resume when I can accommodate my students with enough space to mitigate possible COVID-19 infection.
LEARN SOLVENT-FREE OIL PAINTING! OIL PAINTING SATURDAYS (suspended due to COVID-19)
11am to 4pm, every other Saturday; with periodic short breaks at Melissa Weinman Studio in Ruston, WA 98407
Study with me. I am an articulate, passionate, and experienced teacher who will help you progress swiftly and enjoy the process. My studio is spacious, comfortable, and well-equipped with natural and controlled theatre lighting. I use walnut oil, the non-toxic medium of the old masters. You will not be exposed to toxic solvents in my studio.
I grew up in my mother's painting studio and have been teaching oil painting at the college level since 1983. I was trained to paint from observation at Bowdoin College and earned my Master of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California under the instruction of Ruth Weisberg and Ron Rizk. I have over 20 years of college teaching experience and have taught Foundation Figure Drawing, Anatomy for the Artist, and numerous painting workshops at Gage Academy of Art in Seattle. I have had three solo exhibitions in museums across the country including the Frye Art Museum in Seattle. My first New York City solo exhibition at 57th Street Tatistcheff Gallery was reviewed by Eleanor Heartney for Art in America magazine. I am currently represented by Gail Severn Gallery in Ketchum, Idaho, and Masterpiece Gallery in Sante Fe, New Mexico.
TUITION: You may purchase individual sessions , or all classes in the quarter. Send me an email with your selections or use the online registration form. Space is limited to 10 participants. I reserve the right to close registration early when each class is full, and to cancel classes with fewer than 4 participants.
I also offer private and semi-private instruction at the rate of $80-160/hour. Workshops in PERSPECTIVE: THE NATURAL WAY, TROMPE L'OEIL STILL LIFE PAINTING, TROIS CRAYON PORTRAIT DRAWING, and THE INTERACTION OF LIGHT AND COLOR, are available to groups. Discounts are available to serious students who want extended atelier-style instruction. Please use the CONTACT page email link to inquire about instruction.
IN PRAISE OF MELISSA'S TEACHING
"Hi Melissa, Just wanted to share how much you are APPRECIATED as a person and as a Top Art Instructor to me over the past 5 years taking your courses. I miss those days dearly! I am going to think positive that you will be teaching again soon! I'll even wear a mask! Now some other Great news to share with you. My work pictured here sold this week (during Covid??) As an artist instructor as well my WC teaching classes, art shows & art fairs all have been canceled for the next 5 mo.) When it seemed like someone pulled the rug out from under us with that March news it was so great to get an online art SALE to an art collector! This was a reference pic I did from your class last yr! So please let your future students know they too can sell their class work with pride. It also sold at a nice art market value. Thank You Again! You're the best, and who doesn't want to learn from the BEST! Keep Creating & Teaching!" --Artist Kim Shuckhart Gunns "Your instruction is precise and logical, allowing your students to witness your entire painting process, which is so valuable to learning. Your graciousness and humor enliven every session." -- Dee Barrett
"In my business I am constantly on the lookout for great instructors, those artist/teachers who have, not only a breadth and depth of knowledge, but the ability to share that knowledge with students of various learning styles in ways that make the creative process come alive for each person. Having had the opportunity to observe her in action in her studio classes and having had the benefit of her instruction myself, I can say without a doubt, Melissa Weinman is an absolute gem! I highly recommend her to any painter who hopes to expand their painting skills." --Lisa Statkus, Principal, Lisa's Gryphon Art and Travel
"I had reached a point with my painting where I wanted some instruction to improve my skills - Melissa was the perfect fit. Her classes are challenging and fun, and the studio is a wonderful space. With Melissa's guidance and skill, I noticed an improvement in my work within a very short period of time. I always look forward to the next class!" -- Anne Klein
"I feel fortunate for the opportunity to be instructed by Melissa Weinman. She is a master artist and a generous teacher. Each class Melissa reveals new ways of seeing and methods of painting. The classes are fun and I am inspired by her and my fellow students' oil painting enthusiasm! " — Mike Martin