Prima Materia Institute, San Diego

Olya is a fabulous teacher! I leaned so much about how light and color works. I have taken lots of art classes over the years, but this class gets into the nitty-gritty on how the brain and eye see things. Plus it’s just fun.

It was an awesome experience that taught me a different way to look at my art. The time went by very fast and I am looking forward to my next class.

We learned alot of good information beyond techniques that you would expect to get. Instructor, Kinusha, was knowledgable, interactive and enthusiastic about art in all its facets. I'm really looking forward to more.

I recently attended Intro to Drawing parts 1 and 2. Because I am left-handed, I wanted to learn the techniques of drawing "from the right side of the brain." I was delighted that the course delivered what it promised. Drawing was no longer frustrating and intangible. Olya is very personable. You can tell she has learned from and worked with exceptional artists over her lifetime. She doesn't hold out on sharing the techniques she's learned. It was exciting. The first class, I was spoiled by a small class size taught by Olya. The second class was studio time with a larger group. Everyone working in the studio was supportive and kind. She taught the whole group advanced concepts on seeing light color, shadow color and the fill color of reflected light. Mind-blowing stuff. You see these details in everything afterward. She encourages taking notes. She gave a real gift making art attainable and fun. Also, she has that rare quality in a teacher where you trust the potential she sees and you want to strive.