Prima Materia Institute

I attended a wonderful workshop with Nikusha on Sunday January 20.
She was totally prepared and enthusiastic for the class to have a great painting.
My only criticism is that the class ended too soon!
Hope to see you all next year!

I attended Olya's workshop on December 28th. This was my first class at Prima Materia. I totally enjoyed this class and Olya's relaxed, encouraging and positive style of instruction. The day flew by because of the fast pace and high quantity of paintings we all produced. We had no time to overthink or become self-conscious about our art. It all ended up drawing out the best in each of us, coming away with many unique works of art. Highly recommend!

Ulya is an amazing instructor, probably the best of the 10 I've painted with these last 3 decades.  She moves the one-day workshop along effortlessly, with grace, humor and encouragement for all. I learned new techniques, but mostly I discovered that I don't need days, weeks, or months to complete a painting. Ulya stresses freedom with the paintbrush and lack of self-judgement., so student confidence gets a big boost. One of my favorite aspects of yesterday's workshop was seeing over 100 paintings completed by classmates.  We 11 created 10 small paintings each, and no two were even close to being the same..  The Prima Materia staff works very well together. My first experience was easy from day one.  I've signed up for 1/2 price classes  (a workshop offer) and will continue to explore the many options available.  Thanks to all for the wonderful day.

I have taken a range of art classes from a range of teachers in the past and this class and teacher, Nikusha, far and away exceed any I have done before.  To begin, Nikusha was so open and friendly and made everyone feel not only welcome, but capable.  Art can be intimidating, and we all tend to have such strong inner critics.  Nikusha reminded us that nothing we did was wrong, there were no wrong answers, no wrong ways to draw, everything was individual and personally interpreted, which made it absolutely right.  Her teaching style was accessible and easy to understand.  She checked in with each of us throughout the class to comment on something she loved about our work, and include some helpful tip.  She was encouraging and very interested in each student, asking engaging and thoughtful questions.  I am really looking forward to signing up for my next class!!!  

Thank you Nikusha and Prima Materia!!!

Prima Materia is a great discovery! I purchased a 3-hour Fundamentals of Drawing class on Groupon. Our instructor, Nikusha was attentive, encouraging, and created a safe setting for us to work on drawing skills and take risks. After class was over (and my brain was full), I went home,  displayed my sketch, and signed up for another class.  What a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

I so enjoyed the Flowers by Kushner class taught by Olya last Sunday.  Not only was she informative on his style and helping us understand his process...she was very encouraging of our interpretations of Kushner.  Super fun, informative and I walked away with a piece of art I really like...and learned a new way to paint.  Thank you!

I attended the Intro to Art on a Saturday taught by Natishka, and she did a great job teaching us how to see like a true artist, and see objects from the perspective of light, composition, and perspective in order to recreate it on paper with whatever medium we use.   It's a class that every artist beginner or experienced can use to constantly retrain the eye and brain.

I participated in the pencil drawing class taught by Nitiska.. it was a fabulous class, a unique experience, and a lot of fun. I was amazed at how easily she was able to turn each of us into an artist. She taught us techniques in an experiential way, not  at all the pedantic. I had such a good time and felt very positive about my capabilities as an artist, even though I'm not particularly talented, I feel capable of expressing myself as an artist now.

I took the 3 class Introduction to Drawing on a Saturday afternoon. The teacher was very encouraging, nonjudgmental, and gave frequent support and demonstrations to explain a concept. There was an eclectic mix of people in the class a a variety of ages which I liked. I learned a lot and the time flew by. Looking forward to part 2.

This studio and the teachers are very uniquely special. I took the "learn to paint in one day" workshop yesterday. It blew my mind. Literally. Don't be intimidated by the idea of a 6 hour class. It felt like 5 minutes.  There's a significant discount for multiple people and it's a fun day to do with friends and family. I paid full price and it was worth every cent; in fact it's worth twice the price. Several people were actually taking the class for a second time. I will as well. Reviews are nice but experiences are what matter. Check it out for yourself :)