Auli's Studio is truly a special space. Both myself and my child have done workshops/classes with…read moreAuli. She is an incredibly talented and creative artist, and a warm, patient and engaging woman. The setting of her studio is very unique as well, being so close to SF but tucked away in the forest. Each session, the children create amazing work, and the pieces they come home with are incredibly unique. She has definitely instilled a love of art within my child. I also did a scarf dying workshop with my husband and parents. It was unlike anything any of us had ever done. We learned so much about the area around us through the local dyes. The process was made to be engaging, hands on, and so fun. Auli can definitely bring out the artist in anyone! I cannot recommend any of her sessions enough.

Yesterday the dental practice I work in attended a scarf dyeing workshop for a team building event…read morewith Auli. Her studio is up on a hill in a peaceful, beautifully wooded area which borders the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. After educating us about the types of natural dyes available (red onion skins, acorns, berries, dried insects, avocado skins & pits, goldenrod flowers, among many other items), the elements that could be added to change or enhance the colors or create a design (alum, iron and others) and the fabrics available (wool or wool/silk blend) we got started creating our individual scarves. Auli had outdoor work stations set up to comply with social distancing and sanitation supplies (wipes & hand sanitizer) readily available. She worked with us to add features such as one teammate who wanted an ombré effect at one end of her scarf and another who wanted a tie-dyed effect on the ends of hers. Every one of our scarves turned out beautiful. If you're looking for a fun activity for a small group, I highly recommend contacting Auli. She has other workshops available including weaving, beeswax cloth making and upcycling plastic. You won't be disappointed! www.aulistudio.com

Kids birthdays in November are tricky to plan for. The weather could be spectacular outside, or it…read morecould end up being grey, cold, foggy, or worse, rainy and wet. My beloved firstborn likes to paint, color, draw, do something creative. So I thought, why not have a party where they create something fun indoors? I searched online for art and kids party, and found the Art Maker Studio in San Rafael. And am I glad that I did! There's good info on Yelp and on their website, but what sold me is how responsive Renee was with my millions of questions via email. She answered quickly and was very organized about everything! There were different options for the kids art project for a party, and my daughter decisively opted for the jellybean mosaic art project. I tried to persuade her to choose the ceramic art or painting, but the idea of jelly bean mosaic captured her imagination and she was excited! There were 16 kids between the ages of 3-6 that took part in the art project, a few younger siblings hanging around, parents helping out with the party and art project, and the kids had such a blast! We brought our cake and snacks, some decorations, but Renee was ready with the tables, chairs, music selection, and lots of jelly beans We did the cake first since we brought ice cream cake, snacks, then the gallery and studio tours were fantastic! The older kids could totally envision being artists and putting their art up. It was fascinating and inspiring The art project itself was a lot of fun. A few kids even wanted to complete multiple jelly bean mosaic pieces, and what was so great is that they got to take their masterpieces home So if you're looking for something unique and creative for your kids and their friends to do during a birthday party, I can't recommend this place enough! I might even have my own birthday party for adults here one day.

My kids, ages 12, 9, and 6 all love their classes at Art Monsters. The studio is in an art gallery…read morecentrally located in downtown San Rafael. The kids get to tour the gallery and draw inspiration from local artist. The class were so fun! Lots of different mediums and techniques are used to create everything from puzzles to pots. The instructor, Renee, is an artist and a mother. She is engaging and encouraging and made each class interesting!

Love this art class. My daughter has gone after school for the last few years. Lisa provides a…read morewonderful environment where the kids learn about various artists, techniques and enjoy creating their own masterpieces.

Awesome! My daughter loves Masterworks and Lisa, and so do we. She's amazing with all age groups…read moreand holds their interest for an astounding amount of time. The after school class is an hour and :45. We've been going for several years now and it's been great to watch our child's talents blossom. Also taken some of the Summertime, longer-day courses and always had a ton of fun. Lisa manages to balance focused time with some moving around and a bit of snack. Somehow manages to take care of a huge range of talents and temperaments and some high maintenance parents to boot. Never had a problem with starting on time and she always try's to help us with make-up classes if we're the ones that reschedule. Truly a godsend to a busy parent. We and a few school friends always grab the next class as soon as it's available so we don't get booked out. I'd give more stars if I could.

I took Lara's resin charm class on Sunday, July 29th at Book Passage Corte Madera and I LOVED it!…read moreShe is super nice, explains very well and shows you step by step examples. It is easy and fun! I will definitely take more classes with her! I highly recommend her!

I LOVE Charm School with Lara Starr! It's a great way to unleash your creativity and sense of…read morestyle, as you produce personalized, one-of-a-kind, keepsake pendants. Lara's warm personality and quick wit will make anyone feel comfortable very quickly. This is a perfect activity to do as a private party with friends or make new friends attending her open classes. I've done it twice and plan to do it many more times.

Benji is an amazing ceramicist, who is a wonderful teacher. He works great with people of all skill…read morelevels, from beginners to advanced. Classes are small, so there is a lot of individual attention, and the environment is warm and friendly.

Taking the ceramics class with Benji was such a rewarding experience. I learned how to make bowls…read moreand cups on the wheel as well as how to make a small vase by hand. I love Japanese ceramics, and Benji was really supportive of my ideas and color schemes. The class was a perfect balance of instruction and creative freedom, and now I have a bunch of ceramics that I am proud to display in my home. Benji was really great at teaching me all about ceramics. He has a wide breadth of knowledge, and he's also lots of fun!

My 8 yo daughter loved Poekie nook camp! The camp was great. She sewed little stuffies, danced,…read more did karate and yoga and math at mathnasium. A well rounded and fun camp.

Poekie Nook is the most magical place that our daughter has ever found. It's her retreat and…read moresanctuary; there is no place else she would rather be! My daughter, now nearly 8, found Poekie Nook 2 years ago and since then she has sewn about 40 poekies, made 4 houses, and a couple different habitats. She has gone to summer camps, holiday camps, after school hours, spent most Saturdays, and had her birthday party at her beloved Poekie Nook. It's a place where she can go, be herself, and visit with kind friends and teachers while keeping her imagination and hands busy sewing the softest, cutest animals ever. Sophia, Christine, Jay, Abby, and all the amazing teachers that work with the kids each provide guidance and allow for independence and imagination to flourish. The other children there range in ages so the younger ones get to listen in on conversations about middle and high school life, while they all develop skills of conversation and socialization, as well as dexterity and the craft of sewing. Honestly, it's the best thing that could have happened early in her life to have found such a wholesome place and be a part of such a lovely community. I can't say enough good things about Poekie Nook and the people who work there!

I have known Hilary Maslon for many years as an artist and art teacher in NYC with an MFA and she…read moreis very creative. Her class will educate the basic artistic principles of developing skills and confidence when your child tunes in. She will focus on their creative thoughts while being confined at home during these times of stress and their need to express their surrounding environments. She allows a fantasy world to be developed in each child's exploration of his/her artistic skills. This will give a child an activity to express their creative thoughts into a conceptional three dimensional usages by utilizing household items i.e. bottles, soda cans, soda caps, toilet paper rolls, corrugated cardboard, or fabrics. Her instructions will guide children from drawing skills to creation of three-dimensional animals to fantastical buildings as viewed in this MoMA exhibit of 2018. https://youtu.be/qiP83u5Zd9o I'm sure her classes would be inspiring, because she is so inspired.

I took Hilary Maslon's Abstract Class because I wanted to expand my art into a different range. It…read morewas such a fun class and I learned so much about Abstract Art. Hilary is very knowledgeable and happy to share much information and make the class a joyful experience. I have been an artist for many years and have taken art classes all through my school years including collage classes. I highly recommend Hilary as an art teacher of Abstract Art. I would definitely sign up for more of Hilary's classes when available in my area.

I've been attending Marin Art School for about 2 years. I've been painting on and off most of my…read moreadult life. I've taken lots of workshops and classes over this time but had never found a place/teacher who could really TEACH me what I need to know to skillfully paint as I wanted. Dorallen is this teacher. I've learned more in these past 2 years of how to actually paint, mostly in the impressionist style of actually painting light, than ever before. Is the school or teacher perfect? No, nothing is perfect. But here's a real community of folks of various skill levels with whom you will really learn

Here is an update to my PERSONAL experience at Marin Art School. I write the update to balance out…read moremy earlier enthusiasm. When I wrote the earlier review, I was still considered new in the class. I make this point now, because it is important to remember that when you start an adventure, one often puts aside seemingly unimportant and unpleasant details in order to get to the heart of the journey. So, as the weeks passed and I continued to attend the classes, I could no longer ignore those above mentioned unpleasant details. Again, this is a personal thing. I got triggered by D.D's behavior. When someone yells and pitches a fit in front of the entire class because they don't agree with you, it is distracting, not only to the person getting yelled at, but the entire class. That is it.