GOING BEYOND MENTORSHIP
The professional artists program is for San Diego artists who don't necessarily need to take more classes but want to grow through community and professional critique. What's included:
• gallery representation • exhibit in any planned off-site shows • online visibility on our website • private consultations • showcased in gallery promotions • weekly Thursday sessions, 10:30am-1:30pm • lower gallery commission rates |
Learn under the guidance of owner and artist, Kate Ashton. Kate brings her years of experience in making a living as an artist to this amazing group of artists.
There are many talented art teachers, but few who are called to teach, to mentor, and to assist artists in taking their art to the marketplace. Being with an extraordinary arts community has been a great inspiration. Kate was honored to be one of the finalists chosen by Professional Artists Magazine, as Mentor of the Year and placed 12th in the nation. |
There is no application process for the professional artists program; artists are eligible to undergo a private interview process once the prerequisite has been met.
Artists looking to join this small, focused elite group can begin to prepare for the interview process by having a body of work ready to show and knowing where they would like to go in their career. The professional artist program requires an initial six-month commitment before proceeding on a month-to-month basis. |
"i have learned so much in such a short time! kate is the best teacher I've ever had."
~Gigi Woodward
Roberta DYer"I moved to San Diego in 1971 and took art classes as time would allow and has since enjoyed many forms of expression from sculpture to copper enameling, oil painting to mural assignments. Today, I focus on figurative subjects in watermedia/collage, that lean towards the abstract and non-representational, with an occasional foray into landscape and florals."
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pnina gold"I have been passionate about art since a young age. Color was my deepest inspiration in different aspects of my life and led me to painting. I love the promise that a blank canvas carries and feel excited when the paint finds its place on the canvas. I like to explore pushing boundaries when I paint. I don't only bring my life into my paintings, the paintings spill over into my life."
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Kirby Kendrick"From my first paintings using Crayolas to graduating from New York Studio School in Greenwich Village, New York, living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and San Diego California, and becoming an impressionist artist, I have been on a journey filled with passion and adventure. Twenty years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. While still hospitalized, I began painting the only colors I found and discovered a deep and abiding love of color and a desire to create more. Once I was home again, I proceeded to unabashedly paint the walls of my Santa Fe adobe home in the patterns of Matisse—and once those were covered, I moved onto canvas. For me, art enriches my soul to respond to the beauty and even the strange awkwardness found in people and landscapes. The object of painting a picture is not to merely make a picture. Rather, the picture by an impressionist painter is the product of those moments of experiencing this beauty and strangeness. It is the moments of the human experience that intrigue and astonish me."
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Christine mckee"Each canvas is approached with an open mind. The painting may begin with an idea or just an emotion. I start to work, allowing the painting to dictate its direction. Colors change as they are layered, figures emerge and take form, and texture is applied in an almost meditative nature, until finally the painting arrives close to its destination. I step back and consciously apply technical principles to enhance its design or to emphasize its message. It is a soulful union of painter and canvas through which the painting arrives at its final state."
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SHIRIN NIKOUKARI"I started painting when I was young. I moved to the United States in my 20's and mix my Persian culture with my abstract inspirations. The pomegranate is a sacred symbol for me and often shows in my work as well as Persian Calligraphy. As I have evolved, my work has become more abstract."
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Manaz Raiszadeh"My name is Manaz and I am an artist, humanitarian, fashionista, health/foodie wannabe and wife to an amazing soul. I decided to be "all that" when I started searching for my passions, my drive and my role as a new wife. Don't we all need to have our own sacred, secret garden to flourish our soul? If you don't have one, go get one because the journey to your garden is empowering, stunning and soul soothing. I see myself as a traveling and always evolving bubble of energy. I was born and raised in lovely Normandie, France, made my way to sunny San Diego, CA and my parents are both from the forgotten and beautiful streets of Kabul, Afghanistan. My paintings tell the stories that my words can't tell. The universe gifted me a French edge, a Californian dream and some hot boiling Afghan blood. Look for what the universe gave you and join me in my soulful journey!"
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LISA TEAR"I don't have a specific subject or plan in mind when I start a piece, but rather a feeling. I let the painting evolve from a very deep place in my heart and soul. Many of my pieces feel like tapestries with many layers. My paintings are abstract collages in color and texture, but upon closer examination, the layers (many times, more than 25) reveal themselves in their true complexity, matching the depths of quiet introspection."
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NANCY TORNS"Multiple layers of acrylic paint and glaze combine to create texture and rich depths of color. The viewer instantly has an urge to touch the canvas—to dip a finger in a pool of water or sky—to not only see, but feel the emotion of the painting. I paint in an emotional environment that often includes painting at daybreak, hot coffee, and classical music. These components combined feed my mind and soul, and the canvas and my thoughts are one. I am able to express what my heart is feeling and what my mind is thinking. Art creates an emotional reaction in each individual. My hope is that others too, will experience their own emotion through the ethereal blend of color, glaze and texture—enabling each person to reach their own conclusions and illusions."
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Yahel Yan"People often ask me what technique I like the most, I can’t really say. I love realism because it is like doing magic, I enjoy printmaking which involves planning, guessing, surprises and problem solving. I love abstract painting, which is new for me, given that it allows me to pour my life and heart onto the canvas, it is like writing in a diary using images and color."
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SUSIE ZOL"Each painting brings me closer to understanding my emotional and intellectual connection with life. There is always a reflection from within, along with the gift of clarity and purpose. I paint intuitively, letting layers of paint, fabric, collage and paper interact and unfold into a story. When I discover the story within the painting, its meaning comes into focus. When the meaning has been revealed, my painting is complete."
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