Alisha Gratehouse Archives

Geneva will be starting high school this fall and art and the study of art history has always been a passion for her. One of the ways we help her to increase her skills is to take part in art classes with local artists as well as online courses. Perhaps the best things about an online course is that they are less expensive. We also love the convenience.

To calculate high school credit, students are required to log 120-180 hours of experience in one subject. For art credit options may include field trips, research and writing assignments, and direct instruction either in person or via an online course. A combination of these strategies all work together to help her to meet her academic art goals.

I am so excited for Alisha’s new mixed media online art workshop available at Flourish – the first in an art history series focusing on master artists like Van Gogh and Georgia O’Keeffe. Mixing with the Masters is a course designed to allow students to do art with the masters and learn art history in an online format. I know this course will be a fun and fascinating look into art history.

Disclosure: We were given free access to “Mixing with the Masters” in exchange for our honest insights. This post contains affiliate links.

Art History with the Masters

Art appreciation and learning from art masters is an excellent way to introduce children and teens to various forms of art and the people behind them. Here are a couple of print resources we have used to teach about art masters in our homeschool:

Art That Changed the World

An Eye for Art: Focusing on Great Artists and Their Work

Art museums, galleries, and public installation art also provide opportunities for students to learn from the masters. Small museums sometimes feature traveling exhibits and one such occasion enabled us to see works by MC Escher.

Our travels have permitted us to see original works by Gustav Vigeland and Edvard Munch in Oslo. We have also seen works by Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, and Wassily Kandinsky, and Alexander Calder at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice.

Art History Online Course

The six week Mixing with the Masters volume 1 art history course begins in August and will integrate a variety of art techniques including:

Sketching & charcoal drawing
Acrylic painting techniques, such as:
- Fresco
- Chiaroscuro
- Impasto
- Alla Prima
- Gradient
Watercolor painting
Pastel painting
Wax resist
Collage art
And MORE!

Each unique art piece will reflect the artist’s original style and intent, but we will playfully reconstruct it in our own whimsical way.

Mixing with the Masters Mixed Media Workshop, Volume One

Each Mixing with the Masters volume will study 6 different master artists (released over a 6-week period). Volume One includes:

Da Vinci ~ High Renaissance
Rembrandt ~ Baroque
Monet ~ Impressionism
Van Gogh ~ Post-Impressionism
Picasso ~ Cubism
O’Keeffe ~ American Modernism

Each week beginning August 1st, the instructor will email a link to a private eCourse with tutorials for the lesson. The best part is that we can work at our own pace. We will receive lifetime access to this course so there is no pressure to get through the material. We can take our time and review the lesson tutorials as often as we like.

We are really excited for this art history mixed media course. Having taken previous mixed media classes with Alisha, I know she will inspire my daughter and help to cultivate her Passion for art even more.

We know it will be the perfect way to begin the new school year. If you would like to join us, register today! Classes begin Monday, August 1st!

Early Registration price = $48 (through July 31st)
Regular price = $60 (beginning August 1st)

For more information or to register, visit Mixing with the Masters volume 1 today.

Summer is upon us and I am delighted. I have been battling with a growing feeling of burden upon me. I can’t seem to shake the desire to just drop everything and run into the hills.

My husband says I do too much, that my burdens are self imposed. I know he is right yet the eager beaver within me has a hard time letting go.

As obligations have begun to fall aside with the changing season, we have been giving thought to our summer plans. Vowing to relax and enjoy the sunshine a little more, we’ve settled upon the following activities.

More Art Journaling

Over the past year we have begun to dabble a little with art journaling, incorporating it into literature circle. It has been a fabulous way to express ourselves, combining art and words. We have begun to explore new media, mixing paints and printed papers to create unique art pieces.

We are looking forward to celebrating the delights of summertime by turning them into beautiful art under the tutelage of Alisha Gratehouse. Alisha offers a wonderful e-course, Celebrate Summer: Mixed Media Workshop. These projects are not your typical “summer camp” crafts. Each is a unique work of art to encourage your child to explore his or her creative talents.

Heritage Camp

The kids attended the Sons of Norway Heritage Camp last year for the first time and had an absolute blast! They have been looking forward to returning again this year and have been working hard to earn money to help offset the cost of the camp.

Classes will again include Rosemaling, folk dancing, heritage, crafts, and Norwegian language. This year campers will learn money management with bank books, Norwegian Krone, a daily kanteen for purchasing special treats, and much more authentic Norwegian food at mealtimes.

Junior Olympics Swim Meet

The kids have been a part of swim team since we first moved to California. As is typical, JOs conflicts with heritage camp on the calendar. I thereby gave the kids the choice, “JOs or camp? You can’t do both.”

Last year, they were both in new age divisions and while they improved their individual times, only one qualified for JOs. After a short discussion, they agreed they would rather go to the meet with both competing. They were also eager to experience heritage camp.

This year they’ve both qualified in numerous events and their coach is encouraging them to compete. As we expected, camp and JOs conflict once again. Fortunately, camp is only 40 miles away (as opposed to 170 miles as in 2014). We thereby plan to do both – albeit they will miss a day or two of camp.

Lake Days & Sailing

Last year we had the opportunity to take part in a wonderful sailing clinic. The kids loved it so much they have asked to become a member of the local yacht club so that we can utilize the sunfish sailboats all summer long.

Whether we pursue that option or not, I am not sure. I do know, however, that we will be getting out to the lake more regularly. The kids also want to camp more – so my plan is to pitch a tent a few evenings each month.

Training

I’ve also come to discover that I need to resume training – for both my physical and mental health. I know myself well enough to also know I need a little carrot to keep me on target with my fitness goals.

I have thereby registered for a full marathon in late August. It will be my fourth – but I am building from scratch. I must focus on quality of my runs as well as build endurance and distance. I can’t let myself worry about speed – which was my Achilles heel years ago.

As before, Geneva has expressed interest in also running distance events. We will be running the Moonshine Trail Run again this year (in 2013 I did the 15K and she the 5K). I am excited to run it with her .. her pace, if I can keep up. 🙂

We have integrated art projects and sketching into our homeschool curriculum for years but I haven’t always been consistent. Recently however, my kids have developed a stronger interest in art, particularly my daughter.

She spends hours watching tutorials on YouTube. She has also created several original My Little Pony characters (are your kids into MLP, too?!) and enjoys drawing the mythical creatures from Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.

This post contains affiliate links.

artworkshops It has become clear that they desire more in-depth instruction than I can necessarily provide. So we’ve begun a quest for art courses and mixed media workshops taught by professionals.

Earlier this fall, both kids enjoyed a mixed media art workshop at a local studio. In the course, they had the chance to play with Gesso for the first time and try out techniques that even I hadn’t tried. They both loved it!

When I discovered the online art workshops available at Flourish and shared the course description with my daughter, she jumped at the chance to enroll. “I really want to take this class, Mom. I can make many gifts for Christmas!”

We were given free access to “Winter Wonderland” in exchange for our honest insights about how this course is working for our family.

The Winter Wonderland Mixed Media Workshop that begins in December will integrate a variety of art techniques. Students will create 20 beautiful handmade gifts to give, ideas for Christmas cards, and simple homemade Christmas decorations and ornaments.

Each week through December, the instructor will email a link to a private eCourse with tutorials for four projects. The best part is that we can work at our own pace. We will receive access to this course for one full year.

We are really excited for this course. We know it will be the perfect way to celebrate the holidays. I can just see us sitting down to do art together with a pot of tea and plate of cookies beside us.

If you would like to join us, register today! Classes begin Monday, December 1st!

Early Registration price = $36 (through November 30th)
Regular price = $48 (beginning December 1st)

For more information or to register, visit Winter Wonderland: Mixed Media Workshop today.

Alisha Gratehouse Archives - Eva Varga

Art History with Alisha: Mixing with the Masters Mixed Media Workshop