🎨 “I love when someone comes in and says, ‘I don’t know how to do watercolor.’ And I tell them, ‘You’re in the right place.’ Those are the ones who end up saying, ‘This is the best thing I’ve ever done.’ It’s fun,” says Lynn Richardson. Richardson is the instructor for the summer AdultLab courses Watercolor Figure Drawing and Drawing from Observation — both open to the public! 👥✨ (Link in bio 🔗) She loves guiding students with structure first, then giving them room to explore. “Teaching adults is really fun,” she says. “I love teaching kids too, but with adults, it’s different.” 🧑‍🎨👩‍🏫 Richardson’s own life changed after taking an adult class at KCAI, taught by the late Sharon Hunter-Putsch, former director of admissions. “I just thought, ‘Oh my God, I love this.’ And I kept going further and further with it until I started creating really bizarre pieces,” she says. “Sharon even said in class, ‘You’re onto something new and fun.’” 🌈🖌️ “That’s where it started. It changed the trajectory of my life. Now I have a degree in art and a master’s in liberal arts,” she says. 🎓✨ 👉 Check out the link in bio to see all current #AdultLab classes available for sign-up — and keep an eye on our website and socials for more coming soon! #kcai #kansascityartinstitute #watercolorart #figuredrawing #drawingfromobservation #arteducation #creativejourney #adulteducation #artclasses #artschool #makeart #kcartscene #lifelonglearning #artinstructor #exploreyourcreativity #watercolorlove #kcevents #kansascity @kcai_gallery (fb)

KCAI Fiber Lecturer Rebecca Vaughan is preparing for a summer AdultLab course (open to the public!) called "Portable Looms and Weaving." Registration Link: http://www.kcai.edu/portableloomsandweaving In this class, she’ll introduce students to several different weaving methods that can be used around the house or taken on the go — very flexible. Rebecca’s personal artwork is closely tied to her story: "I'm adopted and have spent my life searching for my biological family. The inkle loom requires anchoring to something solid to work. That symbolism resonates with me deeply — it’s like attaching yourself to a place, even temporarily, to create something." Last year, she co-curated an exhibition in Northern Ireland and needed a loom she could travel with, since there were shows in both Derry and Belfast. "So, I made 14 of these looms by hand. I cut the rigid heddles, the shuttles, and the beaters. I used Missouri walnut for the frame and sourced Kansas wool. Then, once I got to Ireland, I got Irish wool so that the warp was from Missouri and the weft from Ireland. It became a kind of conceptual weaving — connecting materials from different parts of my life." Rebecca is designing the course to be approachable and fun. These AdultLab classes are open to the public and aim to spark the joy of making. After 25 years of teaching at the college level, she knows there’s no one-size-fits-all method of learning. She builds her classes to support many styles, using demos, visuals, and hands-on instruction. "I hope they leave with a love for making," she says. "They’ll walk away with their own loom, knowledge of how to warp and weave, and an understanding of different shapes and textures. More than anything, I hope they feel empowered to keep experimenting and maybe even teach someone else or take another class." "If they keep weaving," she adds, "they’ll keep learning." Registration is required. Learn more here: http://www.kcai.edu/portableloomsandweaving #kcai #kansascityartinstitute #fiberarts #weavingclass #textileart #artanddesign #adultartclass #creativekc #summerworkshops #handmadeloom #portablelooms #arteducation (fb)