At Artworks we show you how to draw and paint with the simple act of slowing down.

I'm Kimbra Taylor, an artist, art coach and facilitator living on the beautiful Kapiti Coast of New Zealand. It is my joy to enable anyone who is willing, to open to their inherently creative nature, through learning to draw and paint. There is a perception that only 'artists' can draw and paint and yet, in my many years of experience both as an art coach and artist, I see again and again and have absolute faith that everyone can learn. Paul Brady, my husband, manages the IT aspect of the business. We offer art classes and workshops in Kapiti and the Wellington region for absolute beginners and those with some experience, and a range of online courses which have the same content as my face to face classes.

"Kimbra is an amazing art teacher. Her method has been life changing for my artwork. She helps you think differently while providing a meditative process which is so good for the soul."

Art Classes

I teach classical drawing to begin with,

"Oh no" I hear you say, "That's not for me, no way, that's only for artists."

Well, not so, the course is designed for you and you have everything you need to do it: you can hold a pencil; you can shift your attention and focus. That's all you need to begin and the rest follows naturally as I show you how to slow down and open to the deep presence of your right hemisphere. It is already within you, already attuned to the wonders of the natural world, already guiding your hand, your breath, your heart and your eye ~ we just bring it into your conscious awareness.

Yes, it's for you too if you're willing, (not just the 'great masters'!) Take a look at my student gallery, all beginners just like you. Everyone can develop their own level of mastery; their own imagery, reflecting their own perception, and create drawings and paintings that look and feel authentic. For me, to see this flowering in those who come to me and who didn't believe it was possible, is one of my great joys. Yes, you, right now are fully equipped for drawing and together, we create a safe space where you can open the portal. Those with some experience are also welcome; you will extend your skills and benefit from the  meditative environment, where you watch others students just like you but further down the track, doing drawings you may never have believed possible.

And there's tea/coffee and biscuits. 🙂

Introducing Christine;

Christine enrolled in Artworks about 3 years ago. She had not drawn or painted since childhood but like you, was fully equipped to do it. After learning how to see and slow down through the step by step program I offer, she began to produce beautiful, classical drawings in full tone. The birds are drawn in graphite and the yellow lily is a card she had printed of a gorgeous coloured pencil drawing. She is now in my watercolour class creating the lovely paintings you can see in the gallery below and has spoken of the possibility of having them printed as t shirts and placemats for her grandchild. Everything you can dream of is possible; this is all available to you too and it is my absolute pleasure to show you how.

So What is Classical Drawing?

Classical drawing and painting were founded by the "great masters" of the renaissance; Leonardo Da Vinci, Michael Angelo and Raphael being the most familiar. It evolved over the centuries, to create realism and the impression of 3 dimensions on a 2 dimensional surface, using chiaroscuro, an Italian word that means blending or shading. Those we know of as artists are simply activating more of their whole brain but everyone has the capacity to do so. Classical drawing with it's fine layers and gentle pacing provides a safe, solid foundation for artistic growth and what follows is loose drawing, painting and all that I do myself and love to share.

Online Courses

We have a range of online do-it-yourself and Interactive drawing and painting courses, which have the same content as the face to face classes. You receive the same encouragement, feedback, concrete tools and strategies to help you relax during the process and maximise your results, as my face to face students.

Weekend Workshops

I show absolute beginners how to draw in 10 hours. Such is the power of your right hemisphere, you can learn to do a line drawing in two days and discover techniques and strategies for heightening your quality of life. I will guide you through the simple steps of accessing your right hemisphere : the portal to who you truly are beyond the contracted world of your left hemisphere. Right here, right now, in every moment where the right hemisphere always resides, exists your potential for a happier, more peaceful and empowered life.

Albert Einstein, who had many immersions in the right hemisphere, said
"The right hemisphere is the sacred gift, the left hemisphere is the faithful servant."
Our world at present tends to support a left hemispheric mind state, whilst the right hemisphere has become largely dormant in most people, unless they are involved in sport or a creative pursuit. Drawing introduces you to the miracles which unfold when you are deeply present in the gentle, silent space of your intuitive mind.

The right hemisphere is connected to the intelligence of your heart; the seat of love and compassion. The heart is not only muscle, 60 - 65% of it's cells are neuronal. Stanford and Oxford Universities state, "The heart is a state of intelligent consciousness." Your right hemisphere is a conduit to the profound intelligence of your heart.

"In the past, jobs were about muscles, now they're about brains, but in the future they'll be about the heart." Dame Minouche Shafik - Director, The London School of Economics and Political Science.