Signed up for the beginner's glass blowing workshop class (5 students and a teacher). Four of us…read moremade flower paperweights where we picked our rock colors, dipped the molten glass into the mix, set it into the kiln, rolled and shaped it on the bench, and gently knocked it off the rod. One person made an orb that the instructor, Agnes, demonstrated the glass blowing technique. The whole process from start to finish was amazing, a little nerve-wracking at times (working in a hot environment with spontaneous glass) but overall a fun thrilling experience! Agnes is extremely knowledgeable. She shared with us her studies in Italy and how she has dominated in a predominately male field. She runs her own business and sets her own hours, so at times she may not be quick to respond but was a great communicator in class and afterward when we scheduled pick-up of our finished pieces.

If you're looking for a cookie cutter Paint'n'Sip experience with laminated instructions, a…read morecorporate manual, and the only risk is some paint on your chinos, this isn't it. Agnes's glass studio is the opposite of franchised fluff. It's a living, breathing space of craft, care, and quiet mastery. Blowing glass is hard work with way more risk since you are working with molten glass. Agnes isn't following a manual. She has decades of experience. She knows what needs to be done, what you need to, what is safe, and what is above your skill level (that means some tasks are going to be done by Agnes). She has a deep respect for the medium and during your session, you will attempt to do the same. Yes, there are some old Groupon era reviews floating around, but let's be honest: those deals were coercive traps set by intermediaries who didn't care about the sustainability of small studios. Studios were pressured to offer steep discounts that brought in volume. That's not a reflection of her work, it's a reflection of a broken model. What you'll find now is something far more rare: a studio that trusts you to learn, to make mistakes, and to create something real. Agnes doesn't coddle, but she does empower. She's generous with her knowledge, firm when needed, and quietly celebratory when you get it right. What you will likely learn: gathering, marvering, color application, jacking, inflation, shaping, rolling, paddles, expanding, transfer to punty, and annealing. If you don't know any of these terms, you would do yourself a favor by catching a 10-15 minute video on YouTube before heading to class. If you already know all of this, Agnes may be able to create a higher level course around incalmo, battuto, or flameworking.

Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023 We wanted to take advantage of…read moreany and all things cannabis in Denver and Puff, Pass & Paint was at the top of our list. We confirmed and paid for our class online, arrived for our 6:30pm class, we were gifted with pre-roles and gathered in the smoke room and met 12+ cool people, we painted, smoked more, were gifted more pre-roles & edibles while paintings dried, those who did not smoke sat with the others or remained at their work station. This entire experience was exactly what we wanted and they delivered. The music was perfection, Foster the People channel, one banger after the other after the other, after the other. We highly recommend this experience and we will be back when we return to Denver. The instructor was friendly, knowledgeable, engaging, multitalented and they offer an array of services in and aside from the venue/experience.

False advertisement. For the price I payed for this I could not believe that I had to smoke…read moreoutside. The email confirmation was deceiving and made it seem like we were going to smoke and paint at the same time. But that wasnt the experience. then not to mention, the instructors attitude was so rude. She spoke to us like toddlers because we were high. It was difficult to enjoy, it was so bad I didnt even take my painting nor am I interested in a refund. just want to make sure others dont fall for this crap.

Crafting is my spirit animal and when I saw that The Craftsman & Apprentice was hosting a Macrame…read moreand Mimosas Class I signed right up. The class price was $75 and covered instruction, materials, Mimosas, and delicious brunch fare. I opted to attend solo and was lucky enough to make a few crafting pals during the class. The class was well led and the studio is beautiful. I'm loving that they have memberships for kids and that they exist in general. A woman-owned business and keeping our community growing and working together to make beautiful things. Sign me up again and again!!

I came here for a knotty good time (macrame class) and thought it was a ton of fun. I have a…read morenew-found appreciation for all of the beautiful macrame pieces I see on Instagram and for the macrame plant-holders my parents had from the early 80s. We got to use sticks instead of dowels and there was brunch served. Brunch included hard-boiled eggs, coffee, fruits and a quiche. There was trendy/cool music playing in the background and the space was nice because there were lots of arts-and-crafts tools laying all around. My only objection is how expensive the class is. This place hosts all kinds of different arts and crafts events for both adults and kids.

Just finished Metalsmithing II and love this school. This is the most professionally run business…read morein the world of art classes I have ever experienced. Everything about the school is organized, ordered and first-class, especially the instruction. (Re: the negative review: It's not called attitude when it's true accomplishment. This is so rare that amateurs can't recognize it.) For the investment in the class fee + tools/supplies, I appreciated having such a structured environment in which to learn. Darlene Armstrong, owner/artist/teacher emeritus, has a definite point of view about craftsmanship. And, yes, it is her way or the highway. But who wants to take a class from a teacher who always says, "Sure,you can do it that way if you want; it's your art," when you don't know what the hell you're doing?? So if you are not a serious student of metal work or are just looking for something fun to waste a few hours, don't waste your time/$$ or the school's. But if you want to get better with your art (and learn how to make pieces that are commercially viable), this is the place to learn it the way all apprentices used to--doing it over and over till you get it right. I have been on an ongoing quest for good metalsmithing instruction for the past 10 years and use my vacation time to travel around the country taking classes. On a scale of 1 - 10, I've taken classes that were advertised as 10s that were barely 3s (one last year by a "name" artist who hated to, thus couldn't, teach.). I've also taken classes that I'd rate as 7-8 because they were super fun, but not all that special in my goal to "further my art." DSMA is an 11 because it hit the mark on excellent instruction, excellent venue, excellent design selection (ie., we worked on pieces you'd actually want to wear in real life). This is the only course I have taken in 10 years that had a teaching assistant because there were 11 of us in class (a large number for learning anything with a torch.) That told me that Darlene really cared that every student maximized her knowledge. In fact, Mary Ann was a great bonus to have, because besides the teacher, you always learn from other students who are better than you. Frankly, I over-estimated my own ability, based on my past experience with mediocre teachers. If it hadn't been for Mary Ann, I would have been left behind (something that Darlene did try to emphasize to me before I registered). Part of how I judge the success of my class experience is whether I am inspired to continue to the next level. With Metalsmithing II I was inspired to lower my self-assessment and go back to Metalsmithing I...with DSMA. Sort of a "not knowing what I didn't know." I love that. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because I felt I was not well enough prepared for the teacher's expectations ahead of time. It was a big personal value of Darlene's that everyone show up on time and come prepared. I suppose it was up to me to ask more questions about what to expect (and Jennifer who handles all the admin did a super job of sending me tool lists and answering the questions I did have). But when you are from out of town with no prior experience with the teacher or school policies that are so specific, I would have benefited from more of a walk-thru in advance. A simple page on the website of "What To Expect if This Is Your First Class" would have helped. Or a checklist for out of towners, too, like where to stay, how to order lunches, starting/ending studio times, etc. For ex., at other multi-day workshops, lunch is usually provided or easy to procure. Because the school is in a business park in an industrial area, there are no good options for lunch to be ordered over the weekend, and everyone is on their own. I had to spend a lot of time figuring out how to find my own food for lunch (without a car), until Darlene recommended Whole Foods. The lovely people at the Hilton/Doubletree Westminster happily accommodated a quick stop for me with their free shuttle service. But had I known that ahead of time, I could have made those arrangements at the same time I set up the shuttle service, and had one less thing to worry about in an unfamiliar city. Not sure if DSMA wants more out of town students, but, if so, more hospitality would mean a lot. I know I'm not the only traveling class taker. That's an easy fix, tho, and so I highly recommend this school.

Took one class and I will NEVER go back. Attitude galore and they seem to think you are a Pain and…read morethat they are doing you a favor by being in your presence. The lady teaching my class said she was not going to share any of her secrets with us. What???!!! So much for teaching. Don't go here unless you are a tortured artist type and you already know what you are doing. The skills they teach are no better than you can find on YouTube videos.

I had a great time painting at the MBodied studio! I took the Landscape Painting studio class. It…read morewas very laid back, and I felt like I could go through the nicely organized book of lessons at my own pace. Shannon, the instructor, is very talented and really helped me learn the basic techniques of painting with Acrylics, while also giving me freedom to experiment and learn on my own. She really helped me get the most out of the class. After 8 courses, I was able to take home two paintings that I am really proud of. I found myself looking forward to each week, and getting really excited for a couple hours to clear my mind and create something. I'll be signing up again for another class this Fall!

Something drew me to Michelle Baker's Facebook ad, but I had my doubts. I signed up for Wild Women…read moreSilver. It took a few sessions and doing the work before I was totally sold! It takes real commitment and the willingness to be honest with yourself and share with others. Now I have only a few sessions left, and don't want it to end, and have made friendships that I deeply value. Art is a language of the soul, and listening to one's soul takes some practice. It's a self-discovery journey that one's art reveals. Thanks to Michelle and Kc, our facilitator. I'd do it all over again, and would love to take more classes!

Such nice helpful staff. Bought this as a bday gift for my mom. Very cool place considering…read morementally challenged people make most of the things for sale!! Such a cool. Idea, really good vibes there. Plus I love what we made. One of my pieces got stuck together in the kiln and they allowed me to make another piece, again great people, great customer service. Would go back!!

Had a girls' night out here on 2/2/18 - Amy was phenomenal! She taught us about all the different…read moretypes of glazes and showed tremendous patience while 5 women drank wine and tried to do it "just right"! The class was a blast and then we got to shop some of the works created by Amy and the other folks who spend their days building beautiful pottery. If you want to let your inner artist out, this is a great place to do it.

For $1200 I have an unfinished ring, a few tools I'll never use again, and more than a little…read moreregret. The teacher clearly favored a couple of students, always helping them first, while the rest of us fell further behind each week. I emailed the teacher to ask if I could come back for a couple of hours to finish, and she never responded. We clearly didn't click, it wasn't much fun, and I will not be taking more classes.

I have called and sent emails multiple times regarding classes and private instruction and no…read moreresponse. Unfortunate.

REAL Academy is an amazing community of artists on a journey to understand and create a visual…read morelanguage. The instruction is based on time honored traditions from the renaissance and students works at their own pace and based on the time they have available to dedicate to their art. Cannot say it enough...there's no better time to be part of the movement to create beauty in this world.

I want to be fair in saying that REAL Academy of Art Colorado was very clear that this is a…read moretraditional master-style art school. That was explained before I enrolled, and I take responsibility for not fully understanding what that style of instruction would actually mean in practice. I paid for a full semester of 12 sessions, and because of their schedule I had to complete them over four weeks, attending three days a week. I was driving a significant distance each time, so I was investing a lot of time, money, and energy into the program. What I found was that a large portion of the experience consisted of standing at an easel and drawing for very long periods with relatively little hands on instruction. I understand that sustained drawing is part of traditional atelier training, but personally, I could do that at home. I was paying for instruction, critique, demonstrations, and clear guidance, and I did not feel that I received enough of that to justify the cost. One thing that especially bothers me in hindsight is the lack of guidance around basic studio tools. They had mahl sticks available, but I was never instructed to use one. I was struggling significantly with fatigue in my arm and hand from holding my arm up and trying to draw straight lines for 3 hours at a time. I had also specifically explained that I had health issues that made prolonged arm positioning difficult. As I have continued studying art, I have learned how useful a mahl stick can be for exactly this kind of problem. Knowing now that such a simple tool could have reduced a substantial amount of the fatigue I was experiencing makes me very frustrated that nobody thought to suggest it, especially when the tools were right there. My experience with the instructors also varied. Ali was very disappointing for me. When I tried to express that I was unhappy with the amount of instruction I was receiving, I often felt that the conversation turned into long explanations rather than practical help or a concrete change in what I was being given. James was different. When I told him I was frustrated, he did listen and would try to give me something specific to work on. I appreciated that effort and want to acknowledge it. To be more specific about what I actually did during my time there, much of the work consisted of straight line blocking. They would draw simple shapes, star like forms, and I would the break them down into straight lines, working from the largest lines to progressively smaller ones. I later learned that this exercise had a name, but that was never really explained to me at the time; I was essentially just told what to copy and how to proceed. We also copied Bargue plates, again using straight line blocking. In my experience, there was very little actual instruction or critique during this process. Ali specifically told me that he did not believe in giving traditional feedback and instead preferred to tell students that they had done better than they had the day before. That may work for some people, but for me it made it extremely difficult to understand what I was doing incorrectly, why it was incorrect, or what specifically I needed to change in order to improve. I also found it frustrating that even while I was attending three days a week and clearly expressing dissatisfaction with the experience I was already having, I was pressure to purchase additional classes and and told i needed to spend even more time there. That did not sit well with me. Another thing prospective students should know is that many of the additional activities, painting workshops, and other offerings are not included in the regular tuition. They are separate and can be quite expensive, so the total cost of participating in everything the school offers can add up quickly. I also heard other students express similar frustrations about wanting more instruction, so I do not think I was alone in feeling this way. I do not think REAL Academy is necessarily a bad fit for everyone. If you specifically want a very traditional atelier environment where you spend long stretches of time independently drawing and observing, with relatively limited hands-on teaching, you may enjoy it. But if you are looking for an instructor who is actively teaching throughout class, demonstrating techniques, introducing tools and methods that make the work easier or more effective, giving frequent practical feedback, and helping you progress through varied exercises, I would strongly recommend asking very detailed questions before enrolling. I wish I had understood all of this before paying for a semester and making the drive several times a week. I hope this review saves someone else some time and money if this is not the type of art education they are looking for.