Picture a place where individuals can work at their own pace and discover their artistic abilities, all while receiving the mental health benefits of creating art. Art Group Gallery offers precisely this kind of space.
Curious creators, ages 18 and older, regardless of experience, can register for studio classes in oil, watercolor, pastels, acrylics and more taught by gallery artists Sean LeCrone, Holly Tilley, Clarence Cash, Shirley Anderson, Donna Twyford and April Burris. Classes offer more than a creative outlet; they can actually improve participants' health.
Research consistently shows that engaging in art can improve mood, mental health and cognition, and Holly, a gallery managing partner and oil painting instructor, would agree.
“Over the last 25 years, I've been doing this, and I feel like it's kept me vibrant,” she says. “There's so much math and science involved in painting. There are so many people to look, watch, follow, learn from experience. I’ve said to all the students that are here — I learned from watching them paint.”
Sean, a fellow gallery manager and acrylic painting instructor, says the classes are impactful because they inspire creativity in a positive, social setting.
“I think painting is generally a solitary exercise, but being with a group of excited and talented classmates is the best way to learn,” he says. “Both the appreciation for and the endeavor of creating art are healthy ways to keep the mind engaged.”
Instructors meet students where they are – even if they have never picked up a paintbrush – and guide them in the right direction, teaching them the value of patience, constructive criticism and artistic exploration. Classes are held Monday through Friday and kept small so every student receives individualized instruction.
“Anyone can learn to paint – they can. They just have to want to,” Holly says, adding that the gallery’s classes dispel the myth that individuals have to be born with talent.
“That alone builds endorphins,” she says. The result: a healthier mindset reflected in the students’ works.
“Painting with our sweet group is more than learning brushstrokes and color mixing. You have created a safe little microcosm where we can learn and grow,” says student Lisa Wright.
Student Katie Bradley says she’s always found art classes to be therapeutic.
“In college, I studied something completely different, but I always took one art class per semester just for mental health.”
Now, balancing her roles as a middle school science teacher and mother, Katie says having what she refers to as “selfish time” for creativity matters.
“It's important for a mom, really, for anybody, to have some selfish time — when you're doing something for yourself, not for others — and in the process, if something beautiful is the result, then that's the bonus,” she says.
Student Kay Combs says she enjoys the challenge of creating art, which keeps her focused on the project at hand instead of the stresses of everyday life.
“I think because this is not easy for me, you really have to concentrate,” she says. “And if you're concentrating on this, you're not thinking about all the other things in your life that are worrying you.”
Other students have seen a surge of self-confidence that comes from creating something beautiful. Student Jim Duckett, a retiree who began oil painting lessons at age 75, is a prime example.
“I have the personal satisfaction of growing in my ability and the enjoyment of others referring to me as an ‘artist,’” he says.
Holly says every class brings its own cherished moments, especially when the instructors see a student have a “light-bulb moment.”
“That kind of thing that just makes my heart sing because I love this,” Holly says.
Sean agrees, “I get as much out of the classes as the students.”
For a complete schedule of classes at Art Group Gallery, visit artgrouparkansas.com.