“Stephanie encouraged us to be creative and gave excellent context to the masters we were studying. The course was so fun!”
— BELLA BISHOP“Very informative to study the Masters, the underlying structure of their portraits, and their creative variations. Choosing the ones we would like to copy gave us wonderful freedom to explore and learn. A wonderful addition to your classes!”
— INGRID TURNER“Best educational investment that I made this year. So thrilled to be able to take inspiring and expert instruction from world class artists.”
— NANCY WILLS“The course was incredibly well structured and so interesting! The images used inspired creativity and Stephanie was so supportive and encouraging.”
— BELLA BISHOP“A wonderful experience for all. Sharing our work, Stephanie’s feedback and encouraging approach; Along with her academic knowledge and experience she is a brilliant artist and a very giving instructor.”
— MARTI BLAIR“Stephanie’s lecture at the beginning of each class focus on the specific goals and various approaches to the topic. Her in-depth analysis of technique, observation and wide range of styles is instructive and inspirational. I learned a lot.”
— STEPHANIE FRIEDRICH“Athenaeum classes provide high quality instruction in an encouraging and positive environment.”
— PAMELY FOLEY“The course is excellent. One component that is especially enjoyable is the lecture at the beginning of each class. Stephanie will present perhaps two dozen examples of artistic styles, some may be great master drawings or paintings, and she will carefully explain the techniques that were used. Often this lecture is related to the subject of that specific class that day. Then she sends us all the images at the end of the day in an email. Zoom enables her to do this kind of lecture very easily and we can really see the colors and details much better than if we were in a live studio. Zoom works very well for her classes. We all adore Stephanie. She is generous in her comments always finding something to praise no matter what a student creates. This bolsters the confidence and enjoyment of attendees. I don't think there could be a better instructor. I have studied with Ken Goldman and Stephanie in live classes at the Athenaeum for about nine years and my progress and skill have improved dramatically.”
— JAIN MALKIN“This class is terrific. There’s a good balance of technique, critique and inspiration in each class. My artwork has improved significantly. Thank you, Stephanie!”
— LESLIE ZWISSLER“While not quite the same as “live” classes, Zoom classes help students to maintain and continue to use and improve their artistic skills as well as to enjoy being with their art class friends! Stephanie is ‘The Best!’ Stephanie provides the ultimate conditions for learning: Clear instruction and demonstration, individual attention and feedback and an abundance of positive energy and encouragement!”
— PAMELA FOLEY“I’ve taken Stephanie’s Focus on the Features class online and in person and enjoyed them both tremendously! Honestly, I was expecting the online class to be a little bumpy because of technical challenges but it went very smoothly. Stephanie did a great job fielding any issues that arose and the class all worked together to help each other figure things out. Stephanie provides about 30 minutes of instruction up front, adds her invaluable insights throughout the class and offers individual “breakout” sessions for critiques and assistance. She’s such a wonderful and positive teacher and I find her input to be incredibly helpful and useful. Aside from Stephanie, the best part of this class was that my best friend (who lives in another state) took it, as well. When would we ever get to have such a wonderful experience together outside of a Zoom class? This class helped me find a bright side to the pandemic!”
— CINDY PURVANCE“I have now taken ten Zoom classes (not all at the Athenaeum) and find it to be a terrific platform with few problems. It is remarkably consistent and the functionality is great. They have anticipated what people would be looking for and have made it easy to use (for example, the private “conference” rooms). I also work with my private trainer on Zoom now. It is very user-friendly. I am looking forward to joining Ken Goldman’s class which normally causes me to have to drive to Bread and Salt (near Imperial Ave.) and it is sheer joy to now be able to have the same class while sitting at my 27” monitor at my desk with great lighting and not have to leave home! A total win!”
— JAIN MALKIN (SPRING 2020)“The Zoom format worked very well. One of the highlights of Stephanie’s classes is the “lecture” she does at the beginning, using works of art to illustrate various techniques and issues. Each week it is different but always great.”
— JAIN MALKIN (FALL 2020)“The online experience was better than I expected. It enabled us to get the same viewpoint for our portraits and this was helpful to see the way in which each student differed in their interpretation-when Stephanie critiqued each of us, the information was applicable to all of us since the pose was identical. This increased the amount of useful information I could take away from her evaluations. The models were also very professional and fun to draw. Great course!”
— ROBIN FLINKInstagram: @1californiagirl
Read More“It gets easier the more you use Zoom. Stephanie gives excellent feedback both during the class and in her own time.”
— KATHLEEN HOWARTH