Growing With Art

An art classroom can be a safe place for self-expression as well as a place where layers of learning unfold for children of all ages. North State art instructors Jennifer Phillips and Janet Lombardi Blixt are committed to encouraging creativity in children. One teaches in a public school classroom, the other in a private classroom and studio. They are both great places for students to explore, learn and grow through art.

Children learn to express their creativity through a wide variety of artistic techniques and mediums at Chico Art School and Studios. Photo credit: Chico Art School and Studios.

Jennifer Phillips engages students in the adventure of art

Jennifer Phillips was an artist on arrival; she can’t recall a time that she wasn’t doing art. At age three, her parents supported her redesign of her bedroom, creating a pleasing color palette with different paints for each wall. She received a fine arts degree from Chico State University and started teaching at Sequoia Middle School in Redding 28 years ago, the very school where she performed her student teaching.

Art is an elective offered to Sequoia students in grades 6-8. Students range from those learning the basics to practicing artists building their skills to kids simply filling a gap in their schedules. Jennifer is eager to engage all types of students and employs different strategies to reach different students. Her hope for her students is that they lose any fear of adventuring into art, to keep trying until they have done their best. “That spark of excitement when they realize they can do this and like what they are doing is very special,” Jennifer says.

Art as expression, self-exploration and support for academics

Jennifer describes middle school art education as breadth versus depth, introducing the principals and elements of art and design, exploring pencil drawing and progressing to color theory, painting and even working with clay. Third year art students may design their own projects and petition the teacher for approval, but they can also accept an assignment. “I provide parameters when a student needs structure,” says Jennifer. “Others take off independently.” While not every student becomes a fantastic artist, she is certain they are acquiring math (measuring), science (color blending) and language skills (effectively discussing art examples) that help them in other academic areas.

The art classroom can be a refuge of expression, a place where students gain a deeper sense of themselves as they stretch into art. “But sometimes it’s not about the art,” says Jennifer. “Art is just the vehicle to self-expression and confidence. It can be a free form method of communication. But it is also about focusing on the process rather than the outcome. I like to challenge my students to work through a problem, understand their frustration and find a solution. If they can figure it out in art, maybe they’ll take that problem-solving away as a life skill.”

Janet Blixt, artist and teacher, shares the joy of art with her students

In Chico, about 65 students a week step through a Van Gogh inspired yellow door into Janet Lombardi Blixt’s art classroom. Against a soft soundtrack of brain-stimulating classical music, groups of children ages 7-18 learn to see with the artist’s eye and express what they see and feel by drawing and painting. Janet is the owner of and instructor at Chico Art School & Studio, a private classroom where young artists demonstrate a range of abilities and sensibilities, just like the students in Jennifer’s public school classroom. But students at Chico Art may develop as artists over many years, some attending classes for as many as 10 years.

Janet is an active artist and a gallery of her landscapes, abstracts, pet portraits and portrayals of local landmarks adorn the school’s walls. One of her favorite abstracts was part of “The Playful Spirit” exhibition this summer at the Museum of Northern California Art in Chico.

Janet launched her school in 2009, offering students a similar experience to the private art classes she attended as a budding painter starting at age 7. After getting degrees in fine arts and business from Chico State University, she married and raised three creative children while working as a graphic designer. Her transition to teaching art began when friends requested she teach their children. Now she shares the fun and rewards of art with hundreds of children and some adults.

Chico Arts gives students space for artistic freedom

All levels of ability are welcome at Chico Art and the only requirement is a positive attitude. Parents pay $40 per weekly small group lesson and provide supplies for their blossoming artists. Classes are available after school, during home school, and on Saturdays. Birthday parties and summer camps are also available.The occasional scholarship is offered to financially challenged families.

Students learn drawing and painting, working with charcoal, watercolor, tempera and scratchboards. They learn perspective, shading, cartooning, different painting methods and a bit about art history. Janet sees growth in both demeanor and artistic expression as students return week after week. A note received from a child on the autism spectrum is one of her treasures. It reads in part, “You helped me to maybe be an art creator when I grow up. When I do art, it is so calming, I have no anxiety. I can just sit and have no worries.”

“All creative effort is good, not ‘right’,” says Janet. “I tell my students I am the teacher, and I may offer suggestions, but you make the decisions.” She is keen on giving her students space to be free, her teaching approach centered on guidelines rather than rules. Whether she is teaching or painting outdoors (her favorite place for artistic expression), nurturing the creative spirit is Janet’s goal for each day.