I teach private drawing, painting, and sculpture lessons in my San Francisco studio. I work with students at all levels, from real beginners to people with solid arts backgrounds, from young kids to retired professionals. Our weekly lessons are a time for students to immerse themselves in their work, refocus, and get inspired. Creating artwork is fulfilling and meaningful -- and it just feels good.
I am a patient teacher, and I meet students at their level and at their needs. For some that means teaching the very basics of line drawing and shading. For others it means an ongoing dialogue about the meaning behind their work, and how to develop, grow, and express ideas. For still others, the weekly lessons are simply a time of methodical and quiet practice, where my role is more like that of a coach -- creating structure, routine, and steady support.
My lessons are geared towards classical painting in oil, acrylic, and watercolor, but I can work with abstract painters as well. I paint from still-life objects with many of my students. We also get into portrait painting and narrative painting, depending on what direction the student wants to explore. Sculpture students learn the basics of modeling in plasticine and creating molds and castings.
Rates are $75 for a 1.5 hour lesson, with 10% off for prepayment of five classes. Emailme for more details or call with questions, 415.830.1815.
A very rewarding experience. Michael's teaching methods are precise and beginner-friendly. With his classes I achieved a spectacular progression, and now I enjoy drawing for the first time in my life.
-Dr. Jesus Molina, electrical engineer
I love walking into Michael's studio, the smell of paint, the paintings in various stages of completion, the energy around it. I'm inspired before we even begin.
-Sarah Klein, mother of three, retired marketing analyst
I came to my session with Michael Ross as a "lapsed" artist who never had any training in watercolor. In a single session, I learned about the feel of doing watercolors as much as about the craft. Michael encouraged me to choose an object to paint (I chose the tube of paint, itself) and to relate to it--to feel into it with my eyes, my senses, to see how it had dimension and texture and color and life. The painted sketches I did surprised me with their aliveness and dimensionality. Obviously, since I was the one who painted them, that capacity is in me. But Michael provided the lens of seeing -- a way to see that took in more of what I was looking at, and also took in more of myself.
-Naomi Rose, writer and publisher
