My son (who had no previous art training) started at their mountain view studio with Teacher Svetlana in October 2020 to prepare for his portfolio for college application. Time was tight for my son. He devoted most of his time doing homework for his Junior and Senior years. Teacher Svetlana has gone out of her way to help my son by taking him with her to her other studio, so my son could work on his art portfolio last summer. In the end, my son produced an impressive art portfolio (I was amazed !!!) just in time for his college application last fall. He still goes to her art class (until he goes to college).

Q A.

Palo Alto, CA

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My 12 year old daughter attended the Advanced Teen/Portfolio Prep class with Teacher Cody in the fall semester. I considered it a "stretch" class for her because I was not sure if she was "advanced" nor was she yet a teen. I was just looking for a class where she could learn and be creative that was at the right time, schedule-wise, for our family. As it turned out, this was just such a class. My daughter really enjoyed it and came home always proud of her work. She thought Cody was a great teacher. On the business side, Svetlana was very kind and understanding, as well as professional, in helping me find the right class for my daughter. It was also very easy to work with Svetlana regarding prior credits I had with the Art School. I could not have asked for a better enrollment experience as a parent, and I am certain to re-enroll because of my experience.

Mike C.

San Francisco, CA

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It is very important for an artist to grow, and for a beginner it is very difficult to grow without guidance. Maria gives me the exact guidance that I need. Honest professional critique that helps me see my mistakes and understand why some things aren't working in my painting/drawing. And she always tells me what IS working, which is also quite important. One - because it shows me that, in fact, I did learn something from my previous mistakes and actually improving. And two - because without any positive feedback one might get discouraged very soon. I attended several of her adult classes and later took personal lessons and I am happy that I did. It was a really good kickstart. She helped me to overcome my fear of "white canvas". There was no pressure to make a masterpiece the 1st time. We drew simple objects/figures with ink and it didn't matter if they didn't come out perfect. Again, Maria knows very well how to balance positive feedback with constructive criticism that at the same time makes you feel a little bit proud of your work while learning how to improve. Maria is also very knowledgeable of art history, and will always give references to various artists that apply to the kind of work I am doing. Which is also very important, b.c. we learn a lot by looking at other people's successful work and I personally don't always know what to look for. Bottom line, I recommend Maria for any level artists - whether this is your 1st time holding a pencil/brush, or you want to improve on your skills, she will help you. She is very professional and a sweet person overall.

Maria T.

San Francisco, CA

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This is an excellent art school. My daughter has been taking classes and summer camps there for 4 years since she was 10, and she enjoys every minute of it! Maria is a loving teacher, very talented artist, went through rigorous art school training. Other teachers there are talented and patient too. They offer solid training in drawing/sculpture/digital art, foster personal style in a supportive environment. Their landscape summer camp is a particularly nice opportunity for the young artists to go outside to observe and draw in the park, and it's interesting to know how your kid portrait a lonely tree or a hungry fat goose. The digital art camp's teacher is very professional, even my daughter who draws with Photoshops hours everyday said she learned a lot from the teacher. I'm amazed how my daughter's art has thrived over these years. For kids who love art, this is the definitely the place to go.

Alice K.

Sunnyvale, CA

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This class helped my child advance her artistic skills, especially for life drawing. The skills she learned apply to digital and physical space as well. It was a valuable experience!

Kathy K.

Menlo Park, CA

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Teacher John is a great, chill teacher! He is funny and he also gives good tips on improving your art!

Green L.

Oxford, United Kingdom

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We are in love with this art school. My 7yo son really loves it and when we were trying to switch to something easier - like in the school - he was so upset they're completely different. Here they teach techniques, different material to deal with, different type of coloring and so on and so on. So he's really improved his draw skills; also he is extremely happy to go there and try something new.

Natalie Alshevskaya

Mountain View, CA

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TL/DR: My 5 year old daughter attended to separate camps at the school this summer and they were incredible. Long form: I grew up surrounded by art. I have close friends that are professional artists (painters, dancers, photographers, sculptors and so on) I'm married to an amazing photographer, my stepmother is a (great and inspiring) public school art teacher. I've taken a lot of art classes and know enough to see that, with a few exceptions, most people are doing it all wrong. Some (most) err on the side of concentrating on the "how" and not the "why". You can always tell when that's the case by the cookie-cutter results. Others have a fast and loose approach that is fun and creative, but leaves students on their own when it comes to theory and technique. While much better than the former, and a lot more fun, those tend to be really hit-or-miss when it comest to actually learning anything. This school is one of those rare examples that just nails it. The work that my daughter brought back was both sophisticated (incredibly sophisticated all things considered) but also clearly her own. She has been drawing and painting a lot since (on her own, we never push this on her) and I can tell that she's thinking about composition, uses negative space effectively, and generally speaking went from doodling to a form of self-expression. It's mind-blowing, really. That, and she begs to go back. If you have an opportunity to enroll your kid in any of these classes, don't miss your chance.

Amy Cole

San Francisco, CA