I started my journey back to art school when I was seventy years old, as this was my biggest regret…read morein life - I didn't go to art school. I was a successful artist in my twenties, but life took over, and my art came to a screeching halt. I raised a family, had a busy life and a few careers, retired, and found myself living in San Jose. I thought I would take an art class to fill the time. This is how I wound up at the Art School of SF Bay.
The first classes I took were watercolor and portraits, which I enjoyed, though I struggled to walk through the front door. I had no confidence; I was my own worst critic; I had a fear of making bad art; and when I looked around, everyone was so talented, most of them young enough to be my grandchild.
My life changed when I found myself in Andrew Kim's Inking class. His upbeat, positive attitude gave every student a can-do attitude, including me, which helped me to relax. Andrew knew everything about art, from perspective and portraits to charcoal, ink, digital, manga, and more. Andrew is a doer of all art. He can do anything. His teaching style creates an atmosphere of learning; he will teach you how to do it; he will not do it for you. He made art fun.
He reminds me of my son, who is a conductor. My son can hear a flat note in a room full of top-notch musicians. Just like Andrew, with his eagle eye, he will help you improve whatever project you are working on just by looking at it.
Andrew promotes and encourages his students to be a community. He created a Discourse where everyone can interact with fellow students, get advice, build friendships outside of class, meet up for sketching and socializing, just be artists, and share their ideas and dreams. Having a support system is crucial. He also makes it easy to schedule make-ups and is a great communicator. Andrew makes sure everyone's artistic needs are met because he cares about his students.
I continued with Inking and also added Open Studio, where I could work on my own projects. That is when my life changed. I began sketching dog portraits, posted them on my social media, and before I knew it, I had three commissions. It was absolutely shocking! I accepted the commissions, and ever since then, I have been off and running. I owe and credit all my success to Andrew and Art School of SF Bay. This would never have happened without him at my side. When people ask me what I do, I proudly say, "I am a commissioned pet portrait artist." I'm very proud of this accomplishment, something I would never dream of happening.
Don't hesitate to contact Art School of SF Bay if you are interested in art. Check out their Instagram page to see posts of student work. There is something there for everyone. All the teachers are stellar and committed. They furnish all supplies. The teachers are great, especially with the little ones; the studio is clean, organized, and conducive to learning. It's my favorite place to be. It feels like home.
