
Sara Szumilas
Teacher, SJ studio manager
San Jose studio
Sara Szumilas is an artist, musician and teacher.
She creates with a variety of mediums, from oil and watercolor to digital and 3D work. Her interests involve mythology, fantasy and philosophy which she tries to include in her work. She completed studying Art History at Foothill College and graduated from San Jose State University with a Pictorial Art BFA in Fall of 2022.
Through teaching she gets to share her knowledge and passion for art. It’s important to her that students enjoy the process of creation and stay true to themselves while making art that they are proud of. Most of all she enjoys working with children and watching them become confident with their artistic abilities.
Students' reviews:
My husband and I took the Key Elements of Fine Arts class with Sara S. for 12 weeks during Fall 2022. We thoroughly enjoyed our class with her. She would start the class with a small lecture and demo and then release us to try on our own. Then she would walk around to assist and provide tips for us to improve. This is where she really exceled! She was great at analyzing our paintings and trouble areas and getting us on the right path quickly. For my first art class ever in my life, I have gained a greater appreciation for artists now. Sara is also very calming and chill in her mannerism, and she would hum a gentle tune as she helps us.
We learned many different types and techniques. We learned about the skeletal structure and the body shapes and perspectives. We learned vanishing points, scale, shading, and proportions. We also got to draw a live model. It was a fun and relaxing atmosphere. Highly recommend!
This was one of my best Birthday Present! Loved and Enjoyed each and every moment of the class. Sara was amazing, meticulous and very patient as a teacher. I took it for the Spring of 2023 and learned a lot. I would recommend anyone to take these classes if you want to learn some new skills!
Sara Szumilas is a fantastic painting teacher. She has a deep mastery of painting that comes through in her teaching. She meets you where you're at, sees the strengths in your work, and identifies opportunities to develop it further. Her approach is supportive, and her example is inspiring.
This was soooo much fun! We had a team building event with Art School of SF Bay, a team of about 8 engineers. Some of us have some drawing background, some are complete newbies, but amazingly everyone's drawing turned out awesome. Big kudos do Sara, she was super friendly and helpful to all of us. She helped us with color mixing, provided helpful advice on how to start the sketch, how to start the coloring, and provided tips along the way. All in all, a super super fun team activity, would highly recommend Art School of SF Bay and Sara.