I've always been drawn to nature and revisited landscape painting with oil paints about 7 years ago…read moreafter having not painted since grade school. I've been quite fortunate to have painted with several very talented painters who happened to be instructors, as well. The Art Academy has given me the impetus to paint not only more often, but with confidence, especially, at the painting's sometimes difficult initial stages. I dove into the class after having had it recommended by an artist friend of mine. After several years in Stuart's studio class I've learned an entirely new approach to both studio painting and my original goals for plein air techniques. I'd recommend this course for painters at every skill level. Jim M.

Highly recommend Art Academy of San Diego! Stuart is a skilled artist and personable guide to…read morecreating your art. -CynC

Art on 30th has changed my life. It is my home away from home. My skills have greatly improved with…read morethe help of several fabulous classes and workshops. I even won an award at the Del Mar fair fine arts competition this year! Everyone is wonderful, and the creative energy I feel when I walk in the door is incredible. It's a healing environment. It is loving, important and beautiful. I'm so happy when I am there!

With a motto of "Create Joy, Grow For Life", this remarkable 2-story art center is the epitome of…read morewhat an artist is looking for. This welcoming creative hub has private art studios, a variety of art classes/workshops, artist opportunities and much much more. It's easy to find on 30th being in the heart of North Park with a community of its own cultivating up and coming artists as well as intriguing art lovers like me by their profound art shows/exhibits in which I had a pleasure of attending one of them in October. Brilliant collab AJ & Priyanka!! There's definitely lots of positive art-making vibes here to the point it got my creative juices flowing to take a class. Thank you Maureen! I highly recommend this art spot to the Yelp Community :-)

I enjoy the process of creating. Don't necessarily see myself as artistic though so I figured with…read morea mosaic, it would be easier to create something I enjoyed. It was the 2 afternoon glass on glass mosaic class I took. Lauren was the instructor. She's warm, approachable, works well with beginners. Got lots of good tips from her. I have never created something that I love as much as I love this piece. I'll be coming back for more classes and continuing to make more mosaics. I feel a bit like an artist now. It's awesome!!!!!

I finally got a chance to do the indigo dyeing workshop with Lauren and brought my two friends with…read moreme! We had the best time. What an incredible way to spend an afternoon or two learning a really fun approachable new form of art, working with your hands. Lauren was a great teacher, very supportive of our crazy ideas and was a great balance of structure vs. going with the flow and allowing the students interests guide the class. Opening each piece and revealing the pattern was almost better than Christmas morning! Cannot wait to return for more alumni days.

I went here with a group of ladies and we had the most wonderful experience. I loved drumming in…read morethe drums and getting out a little s of expression. Be warned, it can cause a little self reflection, more than I thought it would, and can help you to become a little more open. The ladies that run the establishment are wonderful and I enjoyed every minute I was able to spend with them. This was not really a class to teach you how to drum, but rather about expressing yourself through the drum.

I've been driving by this place for months and even with drive by glances it always sounded really…read morecool without knowing what it was. I finally pulled over to grab a flyer, and ending up quickly after signing up for the Wednesday paint to music class with zero idea basically of what to expect. I do paint etc, but truly beginners and every person of every ability are perfect for this class, which really is about expressing your unique style and feelings and self ! I was most pleasantly surprised by how the class just felt like such a sweet community meetup. It was so fun to hear everyone's stories and see it represented in their art; each painting was so so amazing in its unique style and all were so different. Additionally, the studio with the paint walls is so cool and having the freedom to dance and throw paint and get messy was truly just so refreshing and relaxing.

AWESOME STUDIO! I'd…read morebeen wanting to try making pottery on the wheel for the longest time and I'm so happy I found Teralta Art. It's the perfect place! Maggie, the instructor is very talented and informative and everyone in the studio is friendly and encouraging. It's a great creative community. I signed up for the 8-week package and loved it so much that I just purchased my 3rd package. The one-time wheel classes are also a great introduction if you are curious to dip your toe in. So much fun! Highly recommend.

Loved my experience here! We made reservations ahead of time for the $30 / 1hr wheeltime. This is…read moreperfect for beginners. They walk you through everything. You get two blobs of clay that you can make two items with. Maggie was super friendly and patient with explaining the process and helping us fix anything we messed up on. The price includes firing and glazing one of the two. You can pay an additional $15 to fire the second one. For the glaze they had a bunch of different colors which was nice. Shop is pretty small. There's 6 stations total for people to work at. Also only street parking so plan ahead.

Wonderful artist and teacher! Great studio and great person!!! If you want to learn to learn to…read morepaint Andrea is the best!!

I just finished my third class with Andrea and i have 3 more to go. I have been painting all of my…read morelife and I have never received as profound lessons as Andrea has been giving me. I have always had vision and ability however, Andrea as a teacher brings out what I already know and harps on basic principles I need to have with every approach that i have been missing. From rules of thumb to color concepts and using principles when I get stuck. Class is amazing, I couldn't ask for a better atmosphere to be in and I almost can get emotional about how freeing it is to be surrounded by all levels of painters. There is always music playing, discussions with students individually with Andrea and individual lessons can turn into all of us around Andrea discussing a technique with a student. Being in Normal Heights is a great central location and the openness of the class means bystanders can walk in and be amazed at all the work we are doing. It makes you feel privileged to be there working alongside him. One of my favorite things about the class is Andrea is usually sketching during the day, painting, or reworking something of his before we get there and if we are all independently working he will revisit it. It's great to see an instructor applying his love while enhancing our own abilities. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my money and time towards this passion.

SDCC is great! I used to do a lot of ceramics in High School and College and have been looking to…read moreget back into a studio since I graduated and moved to San Diego. SDCC was the only studio to return my email and invite me to come in for a tour. All of the instructors are amazing, Erika, Katie, Kouta and Meredith are all awesome! I could not imagine being a part of another studio. I was a little rusty when I first started, so Katie and Meredith really helped me remember techniques and how to get my skill set back when it comes to throwing/hand building. Erika runs the open studios on Fridays, and even though it is an open studio with no real "instructor", Erika never hesitates to put her own work aside and help any of the students whenever a question arises. This is an amazing studio, and I have made so many friends since I started coming here in 2015. Sometimes it is hard to make the drive out to SDCC in the evenings, but I always try to make it there every week so I can interact with all of the incredible artists in the studio. All of the instructors work very hard to make the studio an inviting place to go. I could not have asked for more :)

Kouta Shimazaki is an amazing potter and an awesome instructor. San Diego Ceramic Connection is…read moretherapy

I love the bright open feeling of the new studio. (Today was my first day in the new space.) Annie…read moreis a patient teacher. She helped me with all the basics and then the challenges when I tried something new. She also has helped people with a lot of experience refine their technique and also top take on new challenges. The studio has the warm feeling of a community and now that we are in a new, larger space, there is finally room for a few more potters.

Popped in to check this adorable little shop out. Possibly greeted by the owner. No greetings…read morewhatsoever, just a big "No openings, try other pottery shops in San Diego" with a smile. How disappointing. I guess we will check out other shops for our creativity.

Great teacher. Very professional and serious. In a very short time, gave me some very valuable…read moretechniques to engage not only the mind but also the body. Very respect and attentive. Great experience! Thank you so much.

I met Jeffrey about 10 years ago and have worked with him in many different capacities through the…read moreyears. He is a thoughtful director, a positive and compassionate acting coach and, because of his talent as an actor, is a true 'actor's director and coach.' I cannot think of a better use of Jeffery's skills than to teach what he has learned to his students at the San Diego Audition Center.

I took the 5-week Form and Function class with Misha, where I learned to throw, trim, and glaze for…read morethe first time. While I walked away with new skills and 4 pieces that I am proud of, I found Misha's style of instruction difficult to follow and unpleasant at times. Misha began the first class by telling us that she will intervene if she notices our projects going south. However, on multiple occasions she purposefully stayed quiet when a student was having trouble and then when it was too late to save the piece, she said, "I was waiting for you to ask a question." This resulted in students having to scrap their projects without time to retry. I understand that Misha aims to strike a balance between hands-on assistance and letting students figure things out on their own, but her lack of intervention felt like punishment for not following her instructions well enough. I also found it challenging that Misha structured her classes by verbally explaining all of the tasks of the day at the beginning of class. After this intro, she did not speak much for the rest of the class. During several classes, she began to work on personal projects and did not seem approachable for questions. I would have appreciated a few more demonstrations and for instructions to be repeated throughout the class. Because this was a class intended for beginners, I expected a bit more patience and active involvement from Misha. The 5-week course was structured well and allowed students to learn the entire process making ceramics, but the style of instruction made the course harder than it had to be.

I took the five week Form + Function course with Misha and it unfortunately wasn't the fun…read moreintroduction to pottery I was hoping for. I liked that the classes were structured around specific projects as it gave us direction in our learning, however I felt Misha did not always have the patience that is required when working with a class of beginners. I think she sometimes got overwhelmed working with the students (completely understandable as 5/7 students in the class had zero experience with pottery) but she allowed this to negatively affect her instruction and often became short when asked basic questions about projects/next steps. There was very little time allocated for experimentation and students were taught to only do things one particular way (Eg. Centering, opening up). While this was likely due to time constraints, alternatives do exist and when myself/other students would inquire about modifications when steps weren't clicking or something went wrong with our piece, Misha would tell us to "figure it out" or to trash our piece entirely. She also began every class ignoring students as we entered and only broke her silence once 3+ students had greeted her. I was able to create some pieces I am really proud of in the course, and I did learn a lot, but it didn't feel like an environment where I could truly enjoy myself and explore the craft. There is no doubt that Misha is talented, however I don't think she enjoys teaching, at least not beginners. I was hoping for a welcoming environment, and am discouraged to say Ho/Co often felt a bit hostile. Perhaps my timing was bad as I know Misha released a new collection on her Etsy shop during this time and maybe felt overwhelmed due to order volume? She often worked on pieces for sale during classes, so maybe she had too much on her plate and our class was simply a casualty of this. Regardless of the cause, I unfortunately would not recommend Misha's courses and will be trying out a new studio.