Abstract Painting in Acrylic and Oil

Deriving techniques and inspiration from abstract artists from throughout history and today, this historically immersive, wonderfully experimental class explores a variety of different painting styles and techniques. We also grow and refine our skills through optional soft critique sessions, useful for practicing artists! This is a popular course for students of all levels, and often fills quickly with both new and returning students.

We typically study approximately 6-8 different artists each term, building on their techniques to create our own paintings. I aim to teach a diversity of renowned artists whose techniques and stories are varied and inspiring. Past studies have included Joan Mitchell, Arshile Gorky, Eileen Agar, Franz Kline, Hilma af Klint, Willem de Kooning, Yayoi Kusama, Robert Delaunay, Lily Ramirez, Pablo Picasso, Lee Krasner, Wassily Kandinsky, Daisy Parris, Paul Klee, Jade Fadotujimi, Larry Poons, Xiyao Wang, Mark Bradford, Helen Frankenthaler, Jackson Pollock, Betty Parsons, Cy Twombly, Flora Yukhnovich, Gerhard Richter, and Martha Jungwirth. (And I'm sure I'm leaving some out.) I am open to student requests and repeating studies!

Time and Location: On hiatus; TBD for fall 2026

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Creating Surrealism

This is a mixed media class for adult artists of all levels, in which we use the party games and brain-bending exercises of the French Surrealists to create our own collages, assemblages, sculptures, attire/masks, and/or painted works. Take your creativity where it's never gone before with surrealist thought experiments, a variety of collaborative creativity exercises, and unique projects inspired by works from the French and contemporary surrealists.

Time and Location: On hiatus; TBD for fall 2026

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Young Artists' Studio

In this class, young artists ages 8-13 can brush up on art skills such as color mixing, values scales, basic shape and contour drawing, and projects that explore the fundamental elements and principles of art and design. Projects are open-ended and encourage growth mindset, self-assessment of work, and application of the skills students learn in class. (P.S., Aside from being an artist myself, I hold a Master's in Education with a K-12 endorsement in Art, so you know your kiddo is getting a quality experience!)

Time and Location: On hiatus; TBD for fall 2026

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All artwork, images, and text on this website are the exclusive property of artist Nichole "Nilly" Livesay and are protected under international copyright laws. [1, 2] All content is copyright © Nichole Livesay, 2026. All rights reserved. Images may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, or used in any digital or physical format without explicit written permission from the artist. Unauthorized use of any content on this site for machine learning or artificial intelligence training is strictly prohibited.