How cats and dogs help kids get excited about art

Yesterday I started my painting class by talking to my students about their pets. Now I've taught lots of art classes and I know that if there is one thing kids love talking about, its their pets!

So to get the kids involved in the process, I chose to paint cats and dogs with them on the first day of class. They very much enjoyed the project. Take a look at our groovy Picasso cats and funky colorful dogs.

What to Do With The Kids This Summer

Summer is on its way. Moms, you know what that means. Nine weeks of "I'm bored," or "so what are we doing today?" and more...

Well, fear no more, Bear Hands has a huge schedule of summer camps just for you. We like to say, "A creative kid is a happy kid." The word "creative" may also be exchanged with the words: painted, messy, muddy, etc.

You can drop them off here for a two-hour class, or pack them a lunch and take the day off. We have morning sessions, afternoon sessions, and price breaks for a whole day of art camp. Our schedule is packed with classes!

See you there!

Zentangle Craft Ideas #1 - Alcohol Inks

Did you know that we are offering a Zentangle Class? 

For this project, you will need...

Yupo paper, ceramic glazed tile, glass, or high gloss photo paper.

Alcohol ink colors, (blending solution, brushes)

Micron Pen, and basic understanding of Zentangle.
(optional) acrylic varnish

On your smooth surface material, create a colorful composition using alcohol inks. Let the image dry completely. Tangle over the various color sections with a micron pen. 

If you want to turn a tile into a coaster, spray a protective varnish over it, let dry, then paint with a liquid varnish. Do not put in the dishwasher. 

Alcohol Ink Tile Coasters

 To start out my six week mixed media course (ages 7+), I showed the kids an exciting, moving, wild kind of painting that most of them had never experienced. Alcohol inks are becoming more popular as a painting medium. vibrant  wild, are hard to control, these inks allowed my kids to paint in a way they didn't think was possible.

When my kids used these inks, the art changed focus tremendously.  For some, it became more about the process than the product. It was a lot more like a science experiment than most of my other classes. But take a look at what happened!

I passed out some straws and let the kids blow the wet ink around.

The child who painted this piece was very excited about the finished product. 

He said "I didn't even know I could paint like that!"

"Cheap Art" May 10th

On May 10th, New Bern's next Artwalk, Bear Hands will be hosting a unique art show aimed at getting Local art into the hands and homes of our community. Everything piece in the show will be priced at $15 or less. This artwork will make great gifts, decorations for your home, or additions to your art collection!

Although we believe that art is inherently valuable and worth paying a good sum for, we challenged our artists to create and submit art that is affordable and accessible to the public.  Here's a sneak peek at some of the artwork that you will have an opportunity to purchase at this event!

Keep your eyes open for more sneak peeks! You may also find Jewelry, knits, and pottery at this show!

Chris Mathiot

Chris Mathiot

Chris Mathiot

Chris Mathiot

Chris Mathiot

Hannah C. Mathiot

Chris Mathiot

Hannah C. Mathiot

Hannah C. Mathiot

What Can Kids do in our Summer Art Camps?

This summer, I am planning the BEST summer art camps your kid will ever take. I'm concentrating all of my efforts and materials on making camps that will awaken your child's artistic nature. We have tons of awesome materials to use, and tons of ideas on creative ways your kid can use them. So don't wait! sign up today! Oh, and take a look at some of the projects that Shelley has planned for the pottery camps!!

 +Shelley Mathiot  has designed tons of amazing projects that kids can do in our hand building pottery camps!

 Collage, paint, draw, and create in my art camps. Perfect for 7+, but I've also had some five-year-olds do pretty well in these classes, so I'll be flexible with the age groups.

 Space Diorama! Kids can make some awesome dioramas themed however they wish in our Art Camps.

This is a kitty teapot! make an animal teapot in our hand building pottery camps!

monsters and castles and mermaids, Oh My!

Wall Pockets and paper sculptures...

lets face it...kids' pottery is just plain awesome

Click here for the schedule! you can even register online!

Starry Night Painting Party

Starry Night is probably the most iconic image of the impressionist art movement. And at Bear hands, its one of our favorite canvas Connections events. This two-hour painting session includes all materials and guests are welcome to bring wine and snacks


 Most of the people who participate in these classes have never painted before, or haven't painted in years. But you don't have to know how to paint to join this event. Chris, the Canvas Connections instructor, guides the class through this painting step-by-step. We boast a 100% success rate! Everyone leaves with a beautiful painting.
Register here!

Coastal Women's Forum Tuesday

Tomorrow I will be at the Coastal Women's Forum Trade Show at the Christ's Church Ministry Center representing Bear Hands Art  Factory & Framing! I'm so excited to get the word out about our wonderful new Drop-In Painting area, our exciting Canvas Connections classes, custom framing, professional art supplies, and Summer Art Camps!

Our Drop-In Painting Area is the newest addition to our growing business. Our goal is to make the experience of painting accessible to everybody: artist or not.  Kids, teens, adults, and seniors will all be able to enjoy spending time in our store painting. Our canvasses have everything you need sketched onto them, and each painting has simple instructions on how to get the results you want. An experienced artist and teacher will be at hand at all times to answer questions and provide you with the materials you need!

I'm thrilled about the Drop-In Painting program, and I can't wait to share the news about it with the other ladies on Tuesday!

Drop In & Paint at the Festival of Fun

Great News! Bear Hands Art Factory and Framing will be operating a Drop-In painting booth at the Festival  of Fun at Union Point. For $10/person, you can come paint a creative 6x8 painting of a bear. Come learn more about our Drop-In painting program, and get a taste of what its like to paint at Bear Hands. I'll be there with a few members of the Bear Hands Team to provide a fun painting experience.
We're so excited to show New Bern how fun and easy acrylic painting on canvas can be! The Festival of Fun is on April 13 at Union Point,  and we'll be there all day with canvas, brushes, paint, and teachers to give you pointers on your paintings. See you there!

This Summer: Pottery Camps at Bear Hands

Summer Camps are now on schedule at Bear Hands! I'm Hannah Mathiot, Bear Hands Blogger and part of the summer camp teaching team. We teach a wonderful variety of summer camps for kids ages 4-6, 7+, and 10+ every year. Our experienced teachers plan each class individually and we are always integrating new projects into our lessons.

This year, we are offering more pottery classes than ever before. We will have four week-long, hand building pottery classes for kids ages 7+, and two wheel classes for ages 10+.  I am always amazed at how much the kids enjoy making functional art. When they make something beautiful that they can use every day, they feel really creative and accomplished. We teach the kids the fundamental rules of making pottery. They learn how to join the clay properly,  how to create secure structures, how to decorate and glaze their work, and about the firing process the clay goes through to become vitrified.

Our pottery wheel classes, for ages 10+, are always in high demand. This year, we will be running two week-long beginner's wheel camps. Each wheel camp has only eight slots, due to the size of our studio, and these camps generally fill up quickly. If your child is interested in learning the process of throwing bowls on the wheel, sign up and put a deposit on your space right away!

We're offering a lot of other summer camp opportunities as well, mixed media, drawing, and painting! Click here for a full calender of our kids summer camps. 

Have questions? Email us as info@bearhandsart.com!