Art Lessons and Coaching
WORKSHOPS AND LESSONS
Helen Norton Artists Mentoring
ARISTS COACHING AND CONSULTING (ONLINE AND PHONE)
- Cost for Artists Coaching and Consulting services by phone or online is $160 for a one hour session only.
- Package of 6 x 1 hour sessions over 6 weeks - $800
PAINTING COACHING AND PRIVATE LESSONS
- ONE on ONE art services (painting) at my studio is $350 for a two hour session (which is the minimum). Extra persons (friends - relatives) add on $50 per person - for the full session.
E.g. Mary + 2 friends for 2 hours = $350 + $50 + $50 = $450.
- 4 sessions of painting coaching over four weeks (two hours each) = total of 8 hours of studio time is $1300
- A full day in the studio (6 hours) is $990
*Click here to book a free 30 minute Session - online (Zoom or Skype) or by phone to see if I can help you.
WORKSHOPS and LESSONS
I have been working on several different ideas for weekend art workshops. I have also received some interest in groups or bundles of shorter weekday lessons. The location will be my Perth Hills studio in Lesmurdie West Australia. Some of the proposed ideas are:
- 2-day Weekend Workshop - working with a specific medium to achieve several completed works + a good stash of small practice works.
- 1 day Saturday Workshop - working with a specific medium to achieve a completed work and other small practice works.
- My workshops will cover some basics as quickly as possible, (so we can get to the good stuff with some formal knowledge under our belts), such as colour theory, composition, tone, form, materials, and finally 'ideas', depending on the nature of the goal in the workshop.
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ONE ON ONE MENTORING AND STUDIO WORK
I am currently mentoring a few students over a four week period (2 hours a week) to help them find their voice and direction as artists. We are exploring the areas my mentoree's most want to develop which may be in a particular medium or another area of struggle in the studio including finding their unique style as an artist.
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ONE ON ONE PAINTING TUTORING IN THE STUDIO
I will also be offering a one on one service where a paying student (be they a beginner or advanced artist) could work with me for an entire day in the studio, at the easel. We can achieve a lot in one day with few distractions. We might be working to solve your art dilemmas or even just an issue with motivation and drive. For example, we can look more closely at bringing meaning back into the work when an artist has lost their mojo. Often artists become unhooked from their purpose, and this requires a bit of one on one exploration with someone who gets it.
ONE ON ONE COACHING FOR OTHER ARTISTS PROBLEMS
Perhaps you need help with how to set up or run your art business, but don't know where to start. I am a very practical artist. With 30 years of art business experience under my belt, including having opened seven of my own art galleries, with framing workshops behind them, and ongoing print publishing business. And for the Mums or Dads out there who have to also look after young kids at the same time, after divorce, I raised two boys on my own from the ages one and three during all this, and they have turned out to be wonderful grounded young men. It is possible ... and with a smile on your face.
I stretch my own canvas, prime it, paint it - (yes that too:-) ) - photograph my work, print and publish it (limited and unlimited editions), frame, sell it, ship it, and market it. I keep all my own customer lists, have built, maintain and update my own website, and social media platforms. I make my own videos. I do all my own archiving of artwork, (and so should you) and yes ... my book entry, bank reconciliation, BAS statements, record keeping bla bla bla. It is not that hard if you are pointed in the right direction. I have drilled this down into expediency over the years so I can do it all myself. Being an artist is not as easy as it looks if you want to go pro and make a business out of it, so knowing the shortcuts but to no loss of your integrity in your business is vital.
The process of actual painting seems to have been lost in all this talk of 'running the machine'. Often artists just give up the idea of going pro, because it is all too hard. It seems contrary to the right-brain activity of creating art. I know many very successful artists have a little secret. They have a business-savvy partner to run things for them. This was not my story. I had to roll up the sleeves and learn it all. I am glad I did. My art business has put two sons through private college, and uni paid off a very nice home. Yes its been a bit hard at times, but guess what? I have wasted all the time under the sun in between trying out every option available for all processes. Happily, I have culled it down to only what works and is needed for best practice.
I also know of artists who refused to compromise their creative genius and have given over all their control of their careers to 'others' such as agents and galleries. This sounds great, right? Well not really. Not only do galleries take up to 50% commission for doing so, but you also get to pay half the costs of having an exhibition with them, and you get to share their services with up to 100 other artists in their stable! Gone are the days when a gallery is the answer. Times have changed. Technology says so. I know many very high profile artists who do not even have a website because they are so averse to the smell of business.
Sounds great right? Well ... not really (again). Over the decades I have been let down by more galleries and agents than you want to know about and can tell you many horror stories about other artists losing tens of thousands of dollars to such arrangements. In some rare situations, things go well, but if not, the artist is left feeling ripped off and powerless. Galleries are closing down everywhere now, thanks to technology - for better or worse. You don't need them unless you are so introverted you can't put your hands on a keyboard.
I can guarantee - if an artist is painting or making art, they DO WANT to share their work. They do it because they want to express themselves. As Thomas Merton said, "No man is an island". There would be no point to them even taking a brush to canvas if they did not have an outward-facing orientation to their character.
Setting up and running your own business is not that hard if you just break it down into efficient steps which I can help you identify.
There are few 'sympathetic shoulders' artists like us can lean on when some of these inner and outer issues start to derail our drive. Switching brains is tricky, but can be good for your creativity.
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OLDER EXPERIENCED ARTISTS ALSO NEED HELP
For the older, more experienced artist, new problems emerge at different stages of the artist's career. How many 'mid-life' crisis does an artist have? Answer - BILLIONS! It is healthy because it's about consciousness development - however, it causes some huge problems in an otherwise successful career path which seems unstoppable - (until this thing happens). There are logical reasons for the necessary spiritual change one has to make. If you don't make it, you don't get it, you may just give up your work. I nearly did. Believe me, I have done this one to death, and am pretty sure I can help you. Artists are very pragmatic people who use their hands connected to their hearts to make a living, so any solution has to also include real practical effort, to work out what to do in this time of life. The philosophy of it is all very well, but at the end of the day, what does it look like in our hand? I had a really hard time finding any help on this when it came to my 'practice, my vocation', and how to go about being motivated when the ego stage of life came crashing down completely. Too few artists understand how even they (in our sacred artist's skin), are totally driven in our success by our ego or hero stage of life. There is life after this, in the studio, and it's VERY VERY EXCITING.
SKYPE CONSULTING AND COACHING
The above consulting service can be done live at my studio, or via 'skype' if you would prefer or are located outside my region.
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WAITING LISTS for WORKSHOPS
PLEASE DROP ME A LINE BELOW
If you want to be on the mailing list to be kept up to date on when I open up my workshops, put on a waiting list for one you missed out on and other services above, please also drop me a line, and put in the message box your areas of interest.
Thank you
Helen Norton