One of Our Own at Kline Academy is Having a Solo Show!

 

Upcoming art show!

JESSICA TAYLOR BELLAMY
Endnotes for Sunshine

Opening reception:

 Saturday, January 21 from 5-8pm

 at 

Anat Ebgi

6150 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048

On view through Feb 25

In Conversation with Cheryl Kline...

 

In conversation with Kline Academy founder

Cheryl Kline:

Create Meaningful Artwork

an interview with GoSolo

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in fine arts but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Cheryl Kline, Founder and Owner of Kline Academy of Fine Art, located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are a skill-based art academy dedicated to teaching historic and contemporary drawing and painting techniques to teens and adults of all skill levels. Classical techniques, French and Italian academy, as well as innovative abstract, non-objective, and Bay Area figurative. Our students are very diverse - teens working on a portfolio for college, adults who want to advance their painting skills, animation and video artists, tattoo artists, retirees, and basically anyone who wants to get better at their art-making.

Tell us about yourself

I was a working artist, and I also had about 10 students. I started Kline Academy of Fine Art in 2007. My partner and I purchased the property on Motor Ave in Los Angeles on an interest-only loan until we could get funding. This was supposed to be a place for my personal studio and a classroom. But in 2008, there was a financial crash, and to survive, I gave up my studio, added a classroom, and created an academy. I hired my artist friends whose work I loved, and a school was born!
I have had to put my own work on hold over the years and try to juggle the demand from the galleries that represent me. It has surely been a juggle, but what motivates me each day is to see all who come to our studio for art classes... it's more than an art school; it's an arts social event.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is surviving since 2008! Anyone who got past 2008 and Covid should receive an award! Not only that, we kept our artists working throughout the pandemic.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

In the beginning, being able to pay all the bills on time like rent or mortgage, property taxes, upkeep, payroll etc. I used to wait until someone would pay for a month of classes and then race to the DWP to pay the electric bill just before it would be shut off. Once business starts to improve, it's hard sometimes to think about taking risks to continue to build your business like adding more to an advertising budget or hiring a new employee because you never know when the next crisis will hit and you don’t want to be stuck without a cushion or “nest egg.” Also, having to wear all the “hats” to make a business run smoothly and be successful. I still answer the main phone 24/7 so I don’t miss a potential new student. Another difficulty is overworking and not taking “me” time. This is super important for any entrepreneur to be sure to set boundaries and know when your body, mind and spirit needs to be nurtured. Working with many types of personalities, skill sets, backgrounds, cultural differences, age groups will surely give you some sleepless nights. Remember too, that no matter how hard you try to be a considerate employer, someone will always find fault with you and it only takes one disgruntled person to poison your team. I wake up every day and try to do my best to keep the business running and growing so everyone has a job and at the end of the day, that is all you can do.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

It's not as easy as you think. What is your overhead vs. what you are offering = price you charge. Find an equation that gives you the true cost of what you are offering. Overhead, advertising, staff hours, social media ads, other advertising, hotel, air, food, transportation, etc., assistance during a workshop, monetary loss due to cancellations, etc.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.klineacademy.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KlineAcademy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/klineacademy/
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3zRQKFZ

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Contact information: 
staff@klineacademy.com  | (310) 837 - 7194

Office Hours: 

Mon 12pm - 7:00pm

Tue 9am - 7:00pm

Wed 12pm - 7:00pm

Th 10am - 4pm

Fri *By Appointment

Sat 1pm - 5pm

Sun Closed

Kline Academy has some Exciting News... Read about our landscape instructor Sharon Weaver!

 

Kline Academy has some Exciting News...

Our instructor has been published!

Outdoor Painter,
The home of PleinAir magazine

Painting Landscapes:
Changing Times call for a Different Approach
by
Contributing Author

Read about Kline Academy instructor Sharon Weaver! 

She shares how she transitioned to new methods of teaching amidst new circumstances, how to discover new subject matter for painting, and her step-by-step painting process.

Read more about Sharon Weaver's In-Studio Landscape Painting class HERE
Every Wednesday, from 10am - 1pm.
Enroll HERE

Reach us at artist@klineacademy.com or 310-837-7194 if you have any questions.

Kline Academy as some Exciting News... Living Brentwood Magazine publication

 

Kline Academy as some Exciting News...

We have been published!

Living Brentwood Magazine
September 2021 issue

Kline Academy of Fine Art
Art classes for adults, teens and tweens - taught by exhibiting artists
by
Nicole Selhorst

Read about Kline Academy founder
Cheryl Kline and her artistic journey with
Kline Academy of Fine Art.

"Often students aspiring to be artists 
know what they want to do, but don't know or have the skills to achieve it... For students who attend the Academy, Cheryl says, The sky's the limit."

Rey's Anatomy: Figurative Art Lessons From the Classroom

 Professor / Instructor Rey Bustos' newest book is now available!

"Rey's Anatomy: Figurative Art Lessons From the Classroom"

Purchase today 

AMAZON or Design Studio Press

================

We are hosting Mr. Rey for his anatomy drawing workshop this Spring

Demystifying the Figure: Anatomy Drawing for Artists

8 Week In-Person Workshop

Sun. April 18 - June 6

10:00am - 1:00pm

View Our COVID-19 Guidelines HERE

More Info / Enroll HERE

Featured Student Anne Allen

 

Moved by Music, 8 x 5 inches, pastel on sanded paper, paired with a Haiku poem by Yosa Buson, seventeenth century Japanese poet and painter.

H A I K U: Poetry and Pastel

Anne Allen, North Carolina

The Artist’s Workshop, a weekly zoom classroom with founder and owner Cheryl Kline, was the driving force for Anne Allen to develop a collection of small works based on the imagery in Japanese woodblock prints. Following a talk on symbolism in art, Cheryl asked why I thought Asian-inspired imagery was appearing in my artworks. “What is your story as an artist? What are you trying to communicate with your art?” Moved by Music, a poetic landscape in pastel, charcoal, and alcohol wash is the first artwork is Anne’s new collection, named H A I K U: Poetry and Pastel.

Japanese woodblock prints and illustrations flourished in seventeenth century Edo as Tokyo was called. Between weekly classes, Anne studied the art and culture of Japan and viewed Van Gogh & Japan, a British film produced by Exhibitions on Screen. “Colorful Japanese prints were often paired with poetry. Each pastel painting in the new collection is paired with a poem.” The pastels are showing at BlackBird Frame & Art, Asheville, NC.

Anne Allen lives in the Appalachian region of Western North Carolina and serves on the board of the Appalachian Pastel Society, NC. She is a member of the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS). Anne participates in Kline Academy’s weekly critique and virtual presentation every Thursday at 11 a.m.

H A I K U

https://www.anneallenart.com/collections/151641

Blossoms at night,

and the faces of people

moved by music.

- Yosa Buson

Contemporary Realism: 14th Virtual ARC Salon Exhibit

Kline Academy of Fine Arts

announces

Contemporary Realism:

The Art Renewal Center's
14th Virtual ARC Salon Exhibit

This is a huge achievement for the Representational Art Movement! Having an organization like Sotheby's host an event like this for Contemporary Realist Art says a lot about the growth of this movement.

The Art Renewal Center's 14th Virtual ARC Salon Exhibition is now live at Sothebys.com

https://sothebys.com/en/articles/contemporary-realism-14th-international-virtual-arc-salon-exhibition

"Featuring 70 short video interviews with many of the exhibiting artists from around the world (2 hours of video content), a newly created digital exhibition catalog, and a virtual walk through exhibition space. Also included is a written interview with Kara Lysandra Ross covering topics such as the importance of representational art and why it is a good investment and a short video capturing the core philosophy of the movement including live footage of the exhibition while on view at the European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) in Barcelona, Spain".

Important Update on Resuming Studio Classes

Over the last few months, we have taken precautionary measures to help prevent the spread of the virus by closing the studio and moved our classes to an online format to support instructors and students. 

As the state begun easing restrictions at some level, we are planning on a slow opening of the Academy between June 1st and June 30th, 2020.

By “slow” we mean that not all classes will be on. We will start with one - two classes with the restrictions below:

• We will limit the class sizes to 8 people in the front studio and 10 in the back studio

• There will be enough distance between easels (6 ft).
  
• We ask everyone to wear a mask or face shield while in the presence of others. (Students bring their own masks.)
  
• We will provide disposable gloves and hand sterilizer.
  
• We will clean the surface before and after the session with alcohol wipes.
• We will keep the doors and windows open for airflow. 

Students who have class credits will receive emails from us regarding the date classes will resume.

Students who have class credits may resume classes at no cost. (*Make-ups are not class credits.)

If students are not feeling comfortable or well enough to come take the class, they can resume at anytime, when they feel ready.

In the meantime, we will keep our Live Zoom Classes going. 

If you’d like to take the virtual class instead from the comfort of your own home, please view all the offerings through the link below:

https://www.klineacademy.com/live-zoom-classes

If you have any questions, feel free to email us at artist@klineacademy.com or call us at 310-837-7194 or 310-927-2436.

Please stay well and safe,

Cheryl Kline

Update about our April Schedule

First of all I want to check in with each of you to see how everyone is holding up. I really hope you are well and safe. Just to remind you, the best way to prevent the spread of the virus or any germs is to follow the "Safer at Home" order in place across the entire state of California.

It's been more than two weeks since we postponed classes and workshops. I was hoping this would be over soon... But it looks like we should take at the very least another month or maybe more to start getting back to life again.

That being said, we will not be meeting until mayor Garcetti eases the restriction. We will send you an update about when to resume your class and workshop as soon as we hear from him, and in the meantime if you have any questions, feel free to email Juri at artist@klineacademy.com or call Cheryl at 310-927-2436.

We can get through this. We artists are survivors and we don’t give up!

Virtual hugs to all,

Cheryl Kline

Update on our March Schedule: We will not meet until the first week of April

We are as concerned as you are and with Mayor Garcetti’s new announcement for us all to be more proactive in preventing the further spread of this virus in our city.

We have also decided that we also need to play it safe. Teen class will have their last class today and resume first week of April. All other classes will not be meeting until first week of April.

EXCEPTIONS:

Plein Air Landscape Painting Workshop

The outdoor landscape workshop will still meet at Kenneth Hahn State Park on Saturday, March 21st from 9:30am to 1:30pm. Since it is outdoors we feel it is safe and will be a good relief for those who need art to get through this.

The Imaginary Landscape Workshop

The Imaginary Landscape Workshop will still meet on Friday, March 27 and Sunday March 29. There will be a limited number of students (eight) with plenty of space in-between easels.

One-on-Ones and Private Lessons:
Most of our instructors will be available for private in-studio lessons or critiques. Limited to a maximum of 2 people per session at the private class rate. (If you want to help these artists keep afloat and pay their bills, please schedule a session with them.)

To schedule:

Call our office at (310) 837-7194 or Cheryl at (310) 927-2436 or email us at klineacademy@att.net

I will also be available by phone or Skype / Facetime free of charge if any of you are working at home and need a quick look or some guidance to continue your project.

None of us could have predicted this type of event so we will greatly appreciate your patience and understanding. Everyone will have a class (classes) credit as soon as you resume your time with us.

Stay healthy and keep making art...

- Cheryl Kline