By Cathy Hay

Mastering a brush stoke can be frustrating. The dozens of settings on a digital camera can be overwhelming. Putting oil-pastel chalks to paper can be intimidating. Formal art instruction can clear those emotional hurdles and spark unknown talents.

Art classes for children, teens and adults are available in the Albert Lea area. Keep reading to learn about a few places to find instruction.

 

Albert Lea Art Center

Location:

226 W. Clark St.

507-373-5665

thealbertleaartcenter.org/

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Art is more than fun for youth. It can provide a channel for energy and emotions, build confidence and foster creativity, especially for students who are more artistic than academic or athletic.

“It gives them an outlet for something they might be good at,” said Beth Tostenson, an Albert Lea painter who teaches both youth and adults. In addition to the public classes she teaches, private lessons from Tostenson are available by calling her at 373-1899.

To foster artistry, Tostenson advises parents make different art materials accessible to their children, then let the kids experiment.

“Let them get lost in their creativity,” she said.

If the children show interest, enroll them in classes to learn the basics of different media. Painting with water colors can be frustrating if you don’t know the basics, she said. The same applies to acrylics and oil pastels, because it’s not just coloring but blending and shading.

See the Albert Lea Art Center’s current classes on its website, in the Community Education catalog or on the Albert Lea Area Schools website at www.albertleacommunityed.org/insight/registry/catalog.asp.

Funded by a grant from the Larry R. Olson Foundation Fund of the Freeborn County Community Foundation, the center has scheduled an upcoming series titled Connecting Creatively with Kids.

This series is designed for students in grades 1-6, except for storytelling, which is for grades 6-7. All classes will be held at the Art Center, which is now on Clark Street.

Parents should call the Albert Lea Art Center at 373-5665 to enroll their children for any of the classes. There is no fee for the classes and they are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a minimum of 4 children and a maximum of 10 children per class.

The Art Center also offers a birthday party package that includes art lessons, similar to Canvas and Chardonnay, but for children.

The center has open studio hours every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where artists can practice their newly discovered talents or nostalgic relaxing hobby.

 

Freeborn County Arts Initiative

Location:

224 Broadway

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Art instruction goes beyond the typical at the Freeborn County Arts Initiative, the newest arts group in Albert Lea.

Artist Susie Crane will offer Bookmaking 101 in January and fine loom beaded jewelry in February and March. Both of these classes have a $25 fee.

Crane will also offer Mixed Media Painting for the Adventurous Beginner in April and May for $30. Artist Dee Teller will provide a sumi-e brush painting demonstration in August at no cost for Freeborn County Arts Initiative members and a $15 fee for nonmembers.

Photographer Teresa Kauffmann is planning Getting Off the Automatic Mode and Light Painting for Beginners classes, at a fee of $25 each.

Crane and Kauffmann will provide one-to-one instruction. For details, follow the arts initiative on Facebook, send an email to 224broadway@gmail.com or stop by Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 1 to 4 p.m.

 

Urban Easel

Location:

608 Seventh St. NW, Rochester

theurbaneasel.com/

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Put some color in your Friday night with an Urban Easel class at Green Lea Golf Course from 7 to 10 p.m. on Nov. 7.

Participants will learn to paint “Vibrant Tree,” a colorful abstract landscape. The $40 fee includes all supplies needed to complete the project, from brushes to paint to the canvas.

A portion of the proceeds will go toward the Albert Lea under-12 girls’ hockey team. Drinks and appetizers, provided by Green Lea, are an extra cost.

To register, go to www.urbaneasel.com, click on class calendar, and then click on Nov. 7.

Urban Easel, based in Rochester, started about a year ago and focuses on traveling parties, according to instructor Elin Johnson.

“Not everything has to happen in a big city,” she said.

The business offers painting parties for small and large groups. This idea is popular for bachelorette parties because participants can take home a memory, literally, Johnson said.

Participants should note that the paints are acrylics and can stain clothes.

“Don’t wear your chenille suit,” Johnson said with a laugh. Urban Easel provides aprons so be ready to have fun, be messy and get creative.

“It’s more about having fun than the actual painting,” she said.

To learn about booking parties, send an email to info@theurbaneasel.com.

Urban Easel also offers an open studio for painting with guidance but not instruction. Check the Urban Easel website for dates and fees.

 

Classes

Scrapping class, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Dec. 13. Instructor: Laura Anderson.

Small Canvas Decoupage class, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 10. Instructor: Kelly Gau.

Storytelling class (for grades 6-7), 10 to 11:30 a.m. Feb. 14. Instructor: Bev Jackson Cotter.

Mosaic class, 10 to 11:30 a.m. March 14. Instructor: Pat Garbisch.

Jewelry Making class, 10 to 11:30 a.m. April 11. Instructor: to be determined.

Fiber Arts class, 10 to 11:30 a.m. May 9. Instructor: to be determined.