For Jodie Niss, teaching painting has always been a part of her self-expression. She started teaching painting techniques around 12 years old guiding the younger students at her school. Jodie said, “From a very early age I was teaching people how to paint, it just came naturally. I like guiding others through the process of learning to paint and helping them discover their own artistic voice.”
Jodie started working at Educational Alliance Art School in 2014 teaching Intro to Painting and Advanced Painting courses, and now teaches the Painting from Life and Painting Your Vision. She particularly enjoys teaching her course Painting from Life because it’s about “learning how to see better so you can paint better. Learning to see shapes, values and colors quickly and put them onto the canvas.”
Jodie sees this course as an opportunity to help others find their inner artist through quickly diving into the painting process. “Showing others that painting is not as hard, daunting, or expensive as they often believe is something I love to do,” Jodie said. The class begins by learning to paint quickly in timed settings, then slows down to focus more on style and putting life to canvas.
For her, it’s about teaching people how important creativity is in our everyday lives. She thinks that learning to paint from life “helps you see the world in a way that you otherwise wouldn’t have noticed. It’s like you’re learning how to see for the first time in your life.”
The small class sizes at the Educational Alliance Art School allows for Jodie to spend plenty of time giving one-on-one attention to each student, allowing them to develop their individual artistic vision. She also loves the diverse community of the Lower East Side that helps to create a welcoming and open environment for classes.
Whether you are a new or returning painter, the diversity of practices within our student-favorite Painting courses creates an inspiring venue for students to explore 2-dimensional art in oil, acrylic and watercolor. Expand your artistic skills in Jodie’s course Painting from Life, or try one of our new courses like Watercolor Painting, and Drawing and Painting for Beginners. Learn more about all of the art classes offered at Educational Alliance’s Art School.
