Education & Classes in Kirkland

Founder Neil Buckland grew up with a Canon FTb in his hands, and as an adult, parlayed his affinity for striking images into a lucrative career in advertising design and branding. But something wasn’t right. As time passed, Buckland was spending more and more time finding excuses to ditch work and take some snapshots. Finally in 2008, he gave into his true calling, ditched the workaday world of office life, and founded REDred Photo School & Studio.

Today, his accessible workshops and classes help students learn some of the trickier intricacies of modern photography—from understanding what exposure is and how to manipulate it to how to rejigger a DSLR’s auto-modes so that it actually takes decent pictures. Other classes cover more technical concepts such as studio lighting, while still others such as The Art of Photography focus on the aesthetic side. Buckland’s studio is available to rent for personal or commercial photo shoots of any kind, and, for additional fees, the staff can augment such shoots with make-up services, lighting assistance, models for hire, and old-fashioned pterodactyl-powered cameras.

Wings Aloft BFI's experienced flight instructors share their love of cloud wrangling during hands-on lessons that help pupils log hours of in-flight and ground instruction. The instructors are matched with students based on personality fits, and their instructional flight programs mix and match ground and in-flight lessons to teach students that staying airborne requires more than a pair of pigeon wings. The membership program also grants access to Wings Aloft's Cessnas, and rental of their planes allows pilots to fly from city to city with proper clearance and large jet-stream hearts.

The staff at Edge of Seattle Cooking ushers guests onto its lush, 5 acres of wooded land for gustatory experiences ranging from simple, peaceful relaxation to a romantic and refined experience in this culinary destination. An extensive roster of chefs, including French natives and a culinary instructor from the Art Institute of Seattle, welcomes students to six-hour, hands-on cooking classes, ongoing class series, and Michelin-starred bake sales. Classes instruct students in a range of skills, from basic kitchen competency to how to whip up haute cuisine, and many courses focus on classic French cooking methods. Owner and Proprietor Nancy Gates-Douglas developed her love for food and wine growing up in Morocco and the Loire Valley of France, and these culinary roots spurred her to create the inn as a place for celebrating French regional cuisine and Washington-state wines. The inn itself combines the provincial with the modern by incorporating such contemporary touches as wireless Internet into its bedrooms and banquet areas, which brim with French antiques and fluffy, decorative lap dogs.

With a mastery of acrylics and a particular passion for both natural and urban settings, Painting on the Vine owner Stani Meredith creates her own inimitable magnum opuses and encourages her students to do the same, regardless of their artistic skills. She strives to establish an atmosphere of fun and relaxation, in which her pupils can unleash their creativity while painting sweeping portraits of multihued birds, lush blooms, or how the boss’s house would look covered in toilet paper and justice. Along with the help of local artists, Stani lends her expertise during corporate events or private parties.

Young at Art owners Theresa and Andrea were inspired to open a year-round arts-and-crafts haven after the successes of their afterschool art program and Theresa's summer art camp. A class roster attuned to the school district's off hours and fire-drill schedule lets kids as young as age 1 get messy with glue, paint, and paper crafts. Longer attention spans—including those of adults—can soak up more structured workshops that result in mosaics, fabric art, or beaded jewelry.

The craft masters at Seattle Glassblowing Studio & Gallery guide pupils to artistic bliss by expounding on a spectrum of steps needed to create intricate pieces. Whether joining 10–25 fellow artisans in a group workshop or forming a clique in a one- to two-person private class, students turn provided materials into bowls, cups, and decorative piles of glass shards. Professional glass wielders safely impart etiquette and basic techniques such as gathering glass on a rod and shaping it into colorful geometric forms.

The shop's instructors also offer their own artistic services, including custom commissions such as functional lighting and installation pieces. Damaged glass heirlooms undergo repairs in the cold-working shop, where artisans restore shattered pieces and polish away dullness left behind by covetous pawing.