About us
Art Encounters is a private art school that was founded in 1998 by Dena Lester who is an exhibiting contemporary artist.
The school is run on a number of fundamental principles that are the foundation for all of our courses from the youngest of children to our elderly students.
These principles are as follows:
- A solid basis in observational drawing is imperative to the artist's development.
- Being well informed about colour and its properties is essential to good painting.
- The understanding of materials and their application contributes to the integrity of art work.
- Learning to articulate one's personal journey and translate it into a visual form is the ultimate goal of the artist.
- Understanding art history and particularly contemporary art making practices is a prerequisite for any person considering becoming a serious artist (and most useful for those who do it just for fun).
- Every person who is interested in learning how to make art will upon studying consistently find an area that they can develop into a personal art practice.
- Visual expression is very healthy for the human being on both a physical and emotional level.
We provide classes for primary school aged children, secondary school students and adults of all ages. Our programs are well designed and carefully considered.
Art Encounters is an independent school that does not follow any government or national guidelines. We strongly believe that the outcomes of our classes and the skills that our students attain after spending a period of time in our programs speak well for themselves.
Please visit our program pages for detailed information about our courses.
