Studio emphasizes expression, fundamentals

Virginia Garrigos recalls enjoying art since she was 4 years old, a passion that compelled her to teach for years and eventually open her own teaching studio, Young Artist Art Studio.

"Art is in my blood—it's my passion," Garrigos said. "It's always been my dream to own my own studio, to run it the way I think art should be exposed to children— very open and contemporary. And that's how we teach the art here."

Before opening Young Artist Art Studio in July of last year, Garrigos said, she held summer camps at her 9-acre home in Conroe every summer. Although she adapted her instruction style somewhat for the studio, Garrigos continues to teach art her way, instructing her students to work from their emotions while learning extensive technique and some art history.

"Anybody can learn from one of those 'how to' books," Garrigos said. "You can practice over and over to eventually learn it. But art is not about learning how to draw. It's about how to understand and express yourself."

She and instructor Lisa Herrington use three rooms in the 1,900-square-foot office space to teach classes of students as young as 2 years old to teenagers, as well as adults and special education classes. Garrigos said they teach a different medium every month, including charcoal, paints and even sculpture with clay. Each of her 25-30 classes every week learn from the same medium, but at different levels.

With advances in technology, Garrigos said many of her students do not know how to properly hold a pencil and rarely learn the basics because of dependency on computers.

"I tell parents all the time, 'They're not going go be Picasso in one, two, three or four months,'" she said. "It's a process, and my belief is to teach art from the basics and very slowly teach them the techniques and how to get there."

Garrigos encourages the use of distinctive media in her students' work as well, including everything from rope to melted plastic to achieve a desired texture or effect. She also explains the history behind the styles and the medium they are using.

"It's very important for [the students] to know where things came from," she said.

Classes are about one hour and 15 minutes, once a week for a month, Garrigos said, with prices ranging from $120 for pre-schoolers to $145 to kindergarten students and up. Prices include high quality, professional supplies for each class. The studio also holds birthday parties, workshops and summer camps.

Garrigos said her business has grown since opening, but she has some parents who have followed her from summer camps years ago to her studio. She now has more than 75 students and plans to open a second, 1,500-square-foot facility in the Heights at 1024 Studewood St. sometime in July.

"I'm just overwhelmed by the support I've received," she said.

Types of Media

With a different medium every month, Young Artist Art Studio teaches students the history and the technique behind the following media:

• Charcoal
• Oil paint
• Acrylic paint
• Watercolor paint
• Clay
• Oil pastels
• Pencil

Young Artist Art Studio , 8000 McBeth Way, Ste. 130, The Woodlands, 281-645-6580 , www.youngartistartstudio.com

Hours: Open pottery studio Mon.—Fri.: 9:30 a.m.—6 p.m., Saturday by appointment only, Class hours vary; closed Sunday