Teaching artist, Christine Grace (Lytwynczuk)
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Good Artists Copy. Great Artists Steal. – Pablo PicassoThere is something about me that is only fair you should know; I am an Artist that teaches and not a Teacher that draws and paints.
Up until now; you may never have stopped to think about the different types of Instructors that could be teaching your Art Class. (And you wouldn’t be alone in that.) Whether it be a Private Art Lesson or a Group Painting Class; deciding between someone who can show you how to set up your palette to naturally and effortlessly mix your colors in a way you can remember quickly and easily instead of someone who has you just randomly putting blobs of paint on your palette can significantly shorten your learning curve. (Not to mention you will probably waste less paint.)
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Due to Covid19, some class times have temporarily changed. Please see "Art Classes" for details
Painting Classes
 Drawing Classes
Private Lessons
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Fine Art Classes in Tucson
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Think of it this way. Thanksgiving is coming and you want to do something special for friends and family so you decide to take a 6 week course on French Cooking. You find you have 2 choices. The first is a Chef who has been working in a French Restaurant for 10 years and the other option is someone who has taken a few classes over a couple of years at a Community College. Which do you think would be more likely to enable you to produce your masterpiece?
“I love taking classes with Christine! It has been a dream of mine to become an Artist for 20 years. Christine’s classes are so much fun and informative. She treats every student more like a friend. She has amazing talent but is very humble. She has a wealth of knowledge and tailors her lessons to what each student wants to learn often in a structured way even though the overall feel of the class is relaxed and has great energy. I am so glad I found her classes!
Her most impressive talent still to me is color mixing. You can point out any color and she will mix it up in seconds to match perfectly. I highly recommend her art classes!” Candace B.
As you continue to read about the Art Classes I offer here in Tucson you might find yourself realizing that I can assist you on your Artistic Journey. When you naturally arrive at that decision either click on the contact button or if you prefer you can pick up the brush and register here.
Why take Lessons? |
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If you are like most people I meet; at this point you may find yourself asking, “What benefit is there for me to sign up for painting or drawing classes?” Well, at this point I am sure I don’t know. After all we have just met and only you can convince yourself that registering for a class is a good idea.
Now before you go ahead and make that decision I wonder if I could ask you one question. What if you were to sign up for a couple of months? Imagine you were able to learn at least one new skill or technique. How would that make you feel? It makes no difference whether you have never even tried before or if you have been painting and drawing for years; if you find yourself getting energized just thinking about taking some lessons, it might be a good idea if we at least had a conversation in regards to your goals on improving your artistic abilities.
"I have learned more and had more fun in 2 hours with Christine than in a year of art lessons. She is the greatest teacher you could ever find."~ Harrie M.
My Teaching Philosophy:
Now I am not going to tell there are good, bad, and great instructors out there because you already know that. The question you are probably asking is; “How can I know the difference?” Now I can’t be the one to tell you what makes a great instructor because there are a lot of variables to consider only you can convince yourself if an Instructor is right for you.
What if you asked a better question? What if you asked; “What makes a great Artist and what kind of instruction would they want?” What skills and techniques do they learn to master? How confidently do they approach a body of work and how did they become so confident? Usually; the Artist that knows what to do, how to do it, why they are doing it, and; most importantly is not afraid to do it, has a great teacher. It is most likely they found someone that in addition to teaching them proven techniques and fundamental skills also took the time to explain why it is done that way. They found someone who did not just teach them to copy someone else’s work; their instructors taught them how to create their own.
You may recall that I mentioned that I am an Artist that teaches. If you were to sign up for one of my classes; I am confident that you would quickly realize that my goal is to equip other Artists with the techniques, skills, and confidence to reach their personal goals.
"Dear Christine;
You have given me such an amazing gift. You have not only helped me grow as an Artist but you have been such an amazing role model and have taught me what it means to be a truly dedicated teacher.
I am confident that I can accomplish great things with the skills you have given me.
Thank you so much for being a kind and talented individual.
You have truly been a mentor to me."~ Sophia T.
Teaching Formats:
Independent Art Studio Class – AKA - My most popular class. Students choose to draw or paint
Private Art Lessons - Get me all to yourself
Workshops - 1 to 3 day painting and drawing workshops focusing on a specific theme, for example "In the Style of John Singer Sargent" or "Alla Prima Roses"
Destination Workshops / Art Retreats - 1 to 4 day, all expense included art get a ways
Online - emailed critiques, (Live video - coming soon)
Private Art Lessons - Get me all to yourself
Workshops - 1 to 3 day painting and drawing workshops focusing on a specific theme, for example "In the Style of John Singer Sargent" or "Alla Prima Roses"
Destination Workshops / Art Retreats - 1 to 4 day, all expense included art get a ways
Online - emailed critiques, (Live video - coming soon)
"I absolutely love my art class. Christine is an exceptional teacher who masterfully guides us as we discover what we are capable of. I look forward to each class and appreciate the camaraderie enjoyed in our room."~ Mia
Portrait painting workshop
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Oil portrait study of Sargent's "Lady Agnew"
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Example of Alla Prima Roses
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About Me:
To me, teaching is a divine calling. It was never something I wanted to do…until one day, when a Jr. in college, I had a sudden change of heart. I knew it was a path I was called to travel. Not just to be the best artist I could be, but also translate the process, and open the door of beauty and creativity to others. My mission was to not have any of my students experience the same frustrations I went through. To shorten the learning curve, and establish a foundation of right processes and good habits.
That, unfortunately, was not my experience. I came up the hard way, with teachers who couldn’t draw or paint well themselves. Or they were accomplished artists that couldn’t (or wouldn’t) relay the information in a way that could be easily interpreted into practice.
Most of my art student years were filled with frustration. I knew what I wanted to create, but lacked the skills and techniques to put on canvas what was in my head. I sought the best instruction; taking community college classes in Jr. High and high school, and also attending a summer intensive in France with Parsons/Otis school of design. I also did my best to pick from the best art schools for college; but to my dismay, I found that most of my teachers were better at giving criticism than they were at giving instruction.
Fortunately I did find a few Instructors who taught me some basic principles of art making. Armed with this knowledge I dove into my own research for answers and studied to rediscover art skills that were mostly lost during the modern era. For the past 25+ years I have searched for and studied books (some of them hundreds of years old) on art processes. I look at great art whenever possible, not just to appreciate it, but also to reverse engineer it. I picture myself standing behind the master, watching him paint. What brushes does he use? What colors? What is the paint consistency like? What order are the paint layers put on? Then I take my observations back to my art studio and steal them when useful. After all, if my artistic heroes can get away with certain things, and their paintings look better because of it, so can I, and so can my students!
Once, I traveled to Montreal for a week so that I could be the first person in and the last person out of the Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal every day for a special J.W. Waterhouse exhibit. One of the best aspects of the show, from my perspective, they included several of his studies and unfinished paintings and sketchbooks. I got to see his process up close!
Since I believe that it is important for me to pass on all I have learned; I have trained myself to pay attention to my thought processes when I paint and draw. This way I can more effectively articulate to my students what they should do, why it should be done and exactly how best to it.
Call me TODAY!
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Register for an
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Register for an
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STUDENT Registration FormsAll new students must fill these out before the first lesson
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Once a month, Saturday Wine Glass Paint Parties!
Carnations theme July 18
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There's a new paint night in Tucson. Join me one Saturday a month at the Oro Valley Community & Recreation Center from 2-4pm for a wine glass painting party!
Great for a Date Night, Girls Night, Mom's Night Out, Company bonding, or just to get your creative juice flowing! SIGN UP TODAY!
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Refer friends, earn FREE Classes!
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Painting Process
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Pre-tone a canvas
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Finally, NON TOXIC Oil Painting!
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If you are an oil painter, or have ever wanted to become one but have hesitated because of the health risks, I invite you to try this Soy based oil paint cleaner.
After 25 years of searching and experimenting, I finally discovered a non-toxic oil paint brush cleaner that is easy and enjoyable to use while painting. It is "essentially" essence of Soybean Oil. Just because Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS) have little to "no" odor, does NOT mean they are non-toxic to breath. OMS products such as Gamsol, Odorless Terpenoid, and Mona Lisa are all petroleum distillates, basically the same thing as gasoline. I have been painting with this non toxic solvent for oil paint now since 2017, and I LOVE IT! |
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Register for an art class at the Oro Valley Community Center.
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Register for an art class at the Hobby Lobby East or a Private Lesson
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