New Website! Check it out!

I just renovated my site since we have relocated to Chicago my photography and painting business!  I added more photography and a cleaner, fresher look and made it even simpler to navigate.  Whatcha think????

Just click the image to take a look!

(Get ready to tap and snap.. ;)

PAINT IN TUSCANY!

My twin sister, Carole Foret and I, have just announced our 2012 Tuscan Painting Journey!

  See all the details and links here!

Check out our 2011 slideshow!

STILL SOME SPOTS LEFT!

There are still some spaces left in both KIDS ART CAMPS this summer!

CAMP I
kids ages 7-10
June 23-25
10 am - 12 pm
Fee:$195
(1 spot left)

CAMP II
kids ages 11-14
August 11-13
10 am - 12 pm
Fee $195
(5 spots left)

We will study color theory, paint 2 canvases, learn special techniques,
and learn to critique work!

All supplies are provided including a snack!

Call me at 651.983.2743 or email me at claire@clairekayser.com

SPOTLIGHT ON...

... Pam Frecentese! Wow, after only one week painting, look what she produced! She painted this image of her Wheaton Terrior so effectively using her toning - the reds and other colors surrounding the dog's head - and she also put nice color in the light areas and shadowed areas of the doge's fur. Way to go, Pam!

All of my students have gotten off to a great start this fall, and I'm looking forward to journeying through with them to tap into their creative souls!

Kids Art Camp II !!!

Art Camp II was a great success, too! I had a couple more kids in this camp and all were mostly older along with young Tate (age 6) who really loves painting so I let him paint in this camp even though he was a little under the age limit. He did a fantastic job! We mixed a world of colors with primaries, secondaries and tertiaries, and learned about toning, texture, composition. We critiqued all the paintings and talked about each artist's pieces. Lots of great comments thrown out to help them along their way in their painting journeys.

Thanks for a great, fun week working with each of you, Hazen, Hugh, Isabelle, Tate, Grace, Blair and Marley!



Precious little Tate painted a thank you note for me! (Thank you for the art class). I hugged him UP after he gave that to me! Thanks, Tate!!!!

Art Camp I - Wow!

I had a wonderful group of young, budding artists this week for my first art camp of the summer! Wow, did they do a wonderful job! We did self portraits first, and this is a shot of them with their paintings. They learned basic color theory, toning, proportion, scumbling and other fun techniques. They even learned critiquing and involving in conversations about art and fun stuff! Way to go Elizabeth, Hannah, Anna, Gemma and Maggie - you were so much fun to work with, and I hope you continue on with your artistic journey!

What a GREAT time!

Just got back from Carmel, CA where Carole and I took a wonderful workshop with Artista Creative Manifesta where we learned encaustic painting. Encaustic painting is ancient way of painting dating back to 1 BC. It was practiced then and then again in later centuries not to be seen again for many centuries. Now, it still isn't very popular, but I plan to do it again I loved it so much. Encaustic painting is painting with beeswax producing a glaze effect over your painting. Like melting candle wax, this paint dries within about 2 seconds of applying. Therefore, you must work fast and layer paints onto your supports. This process lends itself well to more abstract styles of painting, but I found it challenging to employ my more representational style to the process, too. FUN! Carmel was so beautiful and an artist's paradise boasting over 100 art galleries in a square mile. The beach was GORGEOUS, too. Here are some pictures from our time there.

Look for some pictures of some of my paintings on my painting blog next week.  They're being shipped right now.

Carole on Pebble Beach

Me, on Pebble Beach.  We just stopped on the roadside, went up the little hill and found paradise on the other side!

from a restaurant that had such a magnificent view!

The beach from Ocean Ave. in Carmel

Sunset, as Carole and I headed back to our hotel.

The Artista studio which was founded years ago by Ansel Adams!

Mr. William Harsh, our great encaustic instructor!  Check out his work here!

Carole, hard at work with her painting.

Our wonderful group of women coming from New York, DC, Canada, Mexico, Minnesota, Alabama and California!

When the cat's away...

... look what happened!  "Blue Jori!"

Several of my students got together to paint together at Julia's house the week I was away a couple of weeks ago.  The ladies did a great job, and Gay painted a portrait of her daughter Jori with only a blue (not sure which one) and white making only a tonal painting which is really neat.  The results are astounding!  She really captured a likeness, too.  Gay has been painting only for 9 months.  She is really getting into her soul deeply and tapping into her creative part.  AWESOME!  Way to go, Gay!

Last Regular Workshop of the School Year!

Yep!  The last workshop begins April 22 for Tuesday students and April 24 for Thursday.  I still have 4 spaces in the Thursday class if anyone is interested.  Workshop will include working with a model this session focusing on proportion, light and shadows for a couple of sessions.  It will be great!  See schedule below:

Start Tuesday April 22 and Thursday 24

(5 weeks this time instead of 6 weeks)

skip the week of May 12-16

continue thru May 27th and 29th

Fee is only $225 instead of $295

We will continue painting - "come if you can Tuesdays" this summer!  Pay by the class.  Fee $50/class.  Plein air painting!  Yes, we will have warm weather soooooooon!  Please contact me if interested in summer adult painting on Tuesdays!

SPRING AND SUMMER PAINTING - ADULTS AND KIDS!

I have devised my spring and summer workshop schedules and wanted to share so you can include in your summer plans if you so desire:

SPRING PAINTING WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

Adults ages 14 - 80

This workshop is a 5 - week block

Tuesdays April 22 - May20

Thursdays April 24 - May 22

Tuesday and Thursday Morning classes: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Fee: $225

$75 deposit to reserves your spot - goes toward fee

6 student limit per class

Sign up a friend, and get $50 off your fee!

Email me to sign up!

ADULT SUMMER PLEIN AIR PAINTING

A LA CARTE SCHEDULE

TUESDAYS 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

(Day and time may vary from week to week!)

come when you can, pay per class, the day of class!

$50/class

Summer Children Workshops!
Ages 8 - 12

August 5-7
August 12-14

All supplies provided
May plein air paint (paint outside)
$195

2 workshops $170 ea.

6 student limit, first come, first serve!
$50/workshop to reserve spot - nonrefundable - goes toward fee!
Reserve now on my "Contact" page of my site!