YEStudio In Action

'Pieces of Summer' Camp Rocks!

2011-08-06T10:33:00.000-04:00

YEStudio held their second Summer Camp of 2011. It featured giant puzzle pieces depicting a Music Theme. Each student picked their music genre and fashioned their pieces in the most delightful way!
Here are the pictures.... Enjoy!

Here's Adam with his Rap theme. It's Buck!

Clarice is a Pianist. What an awesome piece, Clarice!

Katie is a fan of the 80's. Totally awesome, Katie!

Country Music Rules, Right, Nicole? Good job!

Pop Music! We love it, Kassidi

Ashley's Hip Hop piece is awesome!

These are such wonderful pieces! The YES Summer Camp Kids ROCK! We have already planned next summer's camp theme. Tune in later for that info. We have a very special project for Last Friday Art Walk in October. AND... there will be three Fantasy-of-Trees classes offered again this year.

2011 Fall Session starts in three days! Classes are filling up! For info, Go to: www.yestudio.org, Call: 865-607-4473, or Email: cindy@yestudio.org You're not too late to join Fall Session.

Tune in for pictures of our first Fall project in Charcoal... SWANS.
See you then! ;-)

"Summer in the City" camp showcases favorite cities!

2011-06-25T12:41:00.001-04:00

This June, several young artists, some new and some from YEStudio, gathered to depict their favorite city in a collage. The base was a large canvas. Acrylic paint was used for the background. The mid-ground was a silhouette of the city skyline. The artists then fashioned their main focal point from clay, which they painted in acrylics. Their secondary focal point was done in pastels. Some colored pencil icons were added that just brought the particular city to mind. Bling was added to jazz it all up. The results were quite wonderful! Here they are...


Nicole's favorite city is Memphis, TN. Elvis and and his guitar are a huge part of Memphis history. The Pyramid is an important where art is exhibited and shows are held. The beautifully blinged-out bridge curves around to the foreground, showing great perspective! Her icon is the hat and glasses that represent the Blues in Memphis.

Kassidi would LOVE to visit New York! She dressed her windows with colorful lights. Her statue of the Lady Liberty stands out beautifully. The Chrysler Building, a graceful skyscraper, looms along the Big Apple skyline. Scooting along the road, you'll notice a Yellow Cab. What better representation of New York than a taxi? AND... it's a Prius to be green! Great work, Kassidi!

L.A. The City of Angels is Ashley's choice. She got the smog laden sky just right. Who doesn't recognize The HOLLYWOOD sign? The street sign invites you to shop on Rodeo Drive! She added the palm trees to let you know that it's a sub-tropical climate. Nice job, Ashley!

Who doesn't love The Windy City? Chicago is represented with love by Sam, our newest YES-Kid. He visited there and had stories to tell going to the top of the Sears Tower. His clay rendition of the Picasso sculpture is terrific. The Field Museum stands as his secondary focal point, where he spent some time on his visit. He added a small boat putting along on Lake Michigan. Good work, Sam!

This concludes the Summer in the City camp pictures. We enjoyed having the camp. It was fun, educational and made us all want to travel!

The next Summer Camp at YEStudio is July 11-15th. It is called "Pieces of Summer". Large puzzle pieces are the canvas and 'Music by Genre' is the theme. Campers will choose a genre, such as; Rock, Country, Pop, Hip Hop, or Classical. Several mediums will be used, including clay, to create these collages. Sign up now, while spots are still available! Call: 865-607-4473. Or you can email: cindy@yestudio.org. Camp is from 10:am to 12:noon. Hope to see you there!

Remember also that 2011 Fall Session begins on August 9th and 10th. It's our usual 12-week session, but will all new projects! Held at FAB's ArtSpace, 106 E. Braodway, Maryville, TN. there will be four classes from which to choose. Tuesdays at 3:15 and 4:30. & Wednesdays at 3:15 and 4:30. Get the spot you want early! Call: 865-607-4473.... OR email... cindy@yestudio.org

THIS JUST IN.....! A brand new class is now being offered by Youthful Expressions Studio! It's for kids ages, 4-6, and is called YES Youngsters! The first 6-week session begins on Thursday, September 1st., from 3:30 to 4:15. The class instructor is Ms. Deede Edele. It will be held at FAB's ArtSpace, 106 E. Broadway, Maryville, TN. So, if you have a 4-6 yr old that is showing artistic talent or interest, call or email to sign them up! cindy@yestudio.org -or- 865-607-4473.

Thanks for reading the blog! Join us and make comments! We enjoy keeping you 'in the know' with YEStudio! Take care, have a wonderful Summer and we'll see you soon. ;-)

YES-Kids have Rhythm... In Layers!

2011-06-24T10:57:00.000-04:00

The last project of the 2011 Spring Session has been completed and is hanging in the Blount County Library for the entire month of June. The show also features other wonderful works of art from the last three sessions. Watercolor Sea Turtles, Op Art Checker, Pastel Resist Landscapes, The Scream, in pastel, The Eagle Has Landed in colored pencil, Big Blue Marbles in watercolor pencil, Parrots in Watercolor, Grid Drawings in Colored Pencil, Acrylic Art in the Sky, and the Colored Pencil Trio, depicting the three styles of Realism, Surrealism and Abstract. It's an awesome show. You shouldn't miss it!

Rhythm In Layers

These pieces of art are amazing and all come from the creative minds of Youthful Expressions Studio students! They were asked to choose a 'theme', then build up and out with it. We are amazed at the vast array of ideas and their innovation. Here are just a few of the results. :


Ashley did an Art theme. Good one!

Isabella did 'Sweets' as her theme.

Kassidi's theme was 'Ninja Star' Awesome!

Katie's theme depicted 'Storms'

Jonathan created a 'Landing Sight' Terrific!

Very 'Fishy' creation, Nicole!

'Stars and Swirls' by Kayla. Colorful!

Emma did a 'Patriotic' theme. Good work, Emma!

As usual, please go to www.yestudio.org to see all the Layers. There is no end to the variety of these pieces. Another very successful project at YEStudio! This was the final project for the 2011 Fall Session.

We have since had our 'Wrap' party, where the YES-kids fashioned signs using NEON clay on a black, palette background. That was lots of fun. The signs were then displayed in black light and were awesome! The YES-kids dined on pizza, cookies and juice to celebrate another artistic 12-week session.

'Peace Out' by Kassidi

YES-Kids attending 2011 Spring 'wrap' party!


Back to front: Nicole, Sarah, Ashley, Kassidi and Jonathan, Garrett, Lydia, Katie and Paige. Isabella, Katelyn, Kayla and Emma. Vanessa, Claire and Anna. Not present: Shaelyn, Courtney, Bella, Brana, Belle and Parker

Stay tuned for another post showing the first Summer Camp at YEStudio. Theme: Summer in the City. Amazing!

The second Summer Camp starts on July 11th. It runs for 5 days, 2 hours per day. This one is "Pieces of Summer" and promises to be very unique. Large puzzle pieces will be the canvas for a music genre theme. Themes such as: Pop Music, Classical Music, Country Music, Rap Music will be used. It's their choice! There is still room in the class. Call or email to join the class! cindy@yestudio.org or 865-607-4473. You can also go to www.yestudio.org for more details. See you in the next post! ;-)

'Art in the Sky' in Acrylics brings beauty to the classroom skies!

2011-05-22T10:49:00.001-04:00

At YEStudio, this session's project in Acrylic paint has produced very colorful and delightful art pieces. Colorful skies were painted onto canvas. Students were given a choice as to what to paint, cut out, raise to 3D, and place in their sky.

As you can see, the results are phenomenal! Kites, Hot Air Balloons, Birds, Butterflies and Moths make a nice variety of subjects.


Anna's Hot Air Balloons. Wow!

Ashley's Owls are delightful!

What wonderful Birds, Kassidi!

Katie's Dramatic Sky with Sweet Birds!

Kayla brought lovely Butterflies into the sky!

Awesome work, Parker. Great colors!

Kites make the sky even more beautiful, Isabella!

Lovely Hot Air Balloons, Bella!

Vanessa launched some cute Butterflies! Very good!

Shaelyn decided not to decide and did three themes!

Kassidi's evening sky with reflections in the water. Wow!

Flags in the air by Garrett. Nice!

As usual, there are many more Art in the Sky pieces that you can see on the YEStudio website. Just check there to see all of them. This has been a very educational and fun session! One more project to go. YES kids are now working on their 'Rhythm in Layers' sculptures. It's very exciting to see what they are doing

The 'wrap' party is on Wednesday, May 25th, at 6:00! We are looking forward to that!

Next on the agenda is Summer Camps at YEStudio. 'Summer in the City' camp opens on June 13th. It is a two-hour, five day camp. Starts at 10:am and ends at 12 noon. A snack will be provided. Students will depict their favorite city using several mediums to fill a large artist canvas. NOW is the time to sign up for this camp.

Next on the YEStudio camp calendar is "Pieces of Summer" It begins on July 11th and goes through July 15th. Another 5-day, 2-hour per day camp with a snack. ;-) This camp is an opportunity for students to do a collage on a giant puzzle piece that can be joined together with others. Music is the theme and this one should be lots of fun!

It won't be long until time for Fall Session at YEStudio. I will send out reminders. We expect record enrollment this time. Please get your spot saved! Just go to the website or call/email us at 865-607-4473 or cindy@yestudio.org for more information.

Until next time, when I will showcase the 'Rhythm in Layers' sculptures, have a great beginning of summer! Stay cool. ;-)

They were right... Good things DO come in threes! The Colored Pencil Trio Project.

2011-04-26T14:20:00.000-04:00

Just look at the wonderful 'Trios'! The first one in each set depicts the YES-Kids' version of Realism. The second piece is Surrealism and the third is... you guessed it, Abstract. The students did a very good job with this and were really 'into' it. They were allowed to choose from many subjects. The students were given a tour of ArtSpace gallery to show them the different concepts relating to Realism, Surrealism and Abstractism. They are all so eager to learn and to put their newfound knowledge into action. See what you think.


Sarah's Tropical Bird. Great work, Sarah!

Garrett's Frog. Good color saturation, Garrett!

Paige's Backyard Bird. Wow!

Kassidi's Clown Fish. Lovely, colorful work, Kassidi!

Parker did a cool green Lime. Nice work, Parker!

Bella did a Tropical Fish. Really good, Bella!

Emma's Tropical Fish is very good and very colorful!

This Colorful Fish is very good. Nice work, Belle!

Owls got all funky in Kassidi's hands. So very cool!

Katie's Toucan is so colorful and very lively. Good job, Katie!

These are just a few of the 'Colored Pencil Trio' pieces. Of course, you can see the rest on our website. www.yestudio.org. Please visit often to see what the YES-Kids are doing. Next project: Art in the Sky Acrylics.

YES-Youngsters begins their first class on Saturday, April 30th, at 10 am. This is something we have been asked to provide for a few years. We hope to have a good response.

On May 15th, the YEStudio 2nd Annual Chalk the Walk will be held at Founder's Square in Maryville. It promises to be a day of Family Fun, Sun, Colorful Chalky Art, Music, and good Food! The cost is only $2.00 per person. For this $2, you get the use of a box of Pastel Chalk and you are assigned a 3' by 3' square for your artwork, and a ticket for a discount on a meal at FAB's ArtSpace. Chalking starts at 10 am and ends at 5 pm. Judges will judge the three categories of artwork and prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in three age catagories. Ages 7-12, 13-16, and 17 and up. Awarding of prizes will be at 6 pm. A "Best of Show' will also be awarded.

Be sure to visit FAB's ArtSpace to cash in your discount ticket for a meal. In addition, exciting door prizes will be given away at FAB. See you there!

Summer Camps will be happening in June and July at FAB's ArtSpace. YEStudio is having three camps and there are several others. You can get more info about these by going to our website. You can even sign up for the camps there. The place for information on other classes this summer is: www.fineartsblount.com, There you will find an email address and phone number to contact. Lots of fun, educational art for kids and adults this year!!

Spring has sprung at YEStudio.... Finally!!

2011-03-31T13:10:00.000-04:00

Spring session is now in full swing and the YES-Kids are already into their second project of the session. These pictures are of the first project, the Pastel Resist Landscapes. Students were allowed to use their artistic license to make the landscape of their choice. We are very happy with the various results! Enjoy these pictures and remember, all the rest are/will be available on the website: www.yestudio.org. Let us know what you think. You can join this blog as a 'follower' and leave comments if you wish. We have quite a few new students for this session and they are promising to be very good artists! Welcome new YES-Kids!

Anna's Pastel Resist...Good job, Anna!

Emma's Pastel Resist. Very nice work, Emma!

Very good landscape, Isabella!

Katie's Pastel work. Nice perspective, Katie!

Lily's water scene in Pastel Resist. Very good, Lily!

Vanessa did a colorful playground. Good work, Vanessa!

Pastel resist is done using glue to outline the drawing, then using pastels to place the colors into the scene. This lesson taught about perspective in background, middle-ground and foreground. Analogous colors and complimentary colors were also explained.

Next on the schedule is a gorgeous parrot done in Watercolor Pencils. They are having a lot of fun with this one! Please check back often to see the results!

Plan to be present at the 3rd Annual Fine Arts Blount Kite Festival on April 10, from 10 am, to 4:30 pm. Bring your lawn chairs and spend the day enjoying the sun and fun. Register to design and/or fly your own special kite. Open to all ages. Kite designing, kite flying, food, music, games and competitions will be happening all day. This is a very special family event! You won't want to miss it.
See you there! ;-)

Trees of Life and Some Awesome Stocking Sculptures!

2011-03-09T13:38:00.000-05:00

Our YES-Kids have been turning out some remarkable pieces of art. They finished up the Winter Session, 2010-11, in great style.
The Trees of Life, on canvas board using acrylic paint, gave them the opportunity to use their artistic license and imaginations. The original Tree of Life painting, by Gustav Klimt, was their inspiration and it's amazing what they produced! You can see the rest of them at www.yestudio.org.

Butterflies on the Tree of Life. Nice, Kassidi!

Konner's Tree of Life is his video game tree!

Kevin appreciates chocolate in his life!

A shoe tree! Very good idea Courtney!

Lovely expression of decor, Kelsey!

Shaelyn's polka dots in the tree of life.

This final sculpture project for the Winter Session... is one of my favorite to date. The YES-Kids did sculptures from a block of wood, a knee-high hose, and a hanger. They used glue to make it a pallet and acrylic paints to design the shape they fashioned from the wire and hose. Amazing and wonderful!

Beautiful abstract sculpture, Bella!

Very 'heart'felt, Taylor! Love it!


Very imaginative and colorful, Nicole!

Very well done, Kayla. Love the duck!

Wicked 'Tornado Ted', Jonathan!

Jenna preferred the 'splatter' method. Nice!


It's a tropical bird! Wonderful, Brana!

Jack Brovo rendition by Garrett. Good work!

All the YES-Kids did excellent work on these projects. All their work can be seen on www.yestudio.org. I am still taking pictures of some of the sculptures. Be sure to check back for the results!

We are into the 2011 Spring Session and the YES-Kids are doing Pastel Resist Landscapes in their own designs. Should be fun! They love working with glue. We have a lot of new YES-Kids for this session. And many of our regulars are back as well. Some of them are playing sports this Spring and hopefully, will be back in the Fall.

Several exciting and fun Summer Camps are planned at FAB's ArtSpace again this year. Here is a brief line-up for those.
YEStudio's 5-day camp 'Art in the City' collage. June 13-17.
FAB's 'Picture Me'Writing a Book. June 27-30
YEStudio's 5-day camp "Vacation To Remember" collage. July 11-15.
Call Cindy at 865-607-4473 or email cindy@yestudio.org.
See you next time! ;-)

2011 Spring Session begins soon at YEStudio!

2011-02-17T16:58:00.000-05:00

Wow! After the long, cold winter, there is nothing more welcome than the first signs of SPRING! One of the first signs of Spring is the opening of registration at Youthful Expressions Studio for the 12-week Spring Session.

Ahhh, Spring!!

YEStudio will begin the 2011 Spring Session on March 8th and 9th. Classes are offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 3:15 and 4:30. Sign ups are already coming in. Get your favorite spot reserved right away.

Another Sign of Spring?

You can register online at www.yestudio.org, (where you can pay by credit card), by emailing us at cindy@yestudio.org or by calling us at: 865-607-4473.

Birds & Bees, Flowers & Trees....

Please do go onto our website and access the gallery. See what the YES-Kids have been up to. They have done some beautiful work! www.yestudio.org

Don't hesitate to call or email for any information you might need.
We hope to see you in art classes this Spring. We have some awesome projects planned!

Yours in Artistic Enrichment,
Cindy and Mary Jane
Youthful Expressions Studio

Watercolor Sea Turtles are one of the best... so far!

2011-01-30T15:34:00.000-05:00

Youthful Expressions Studio's YES-Kids have now completed their Sea Turtles in Watercolor. They are so good! They did a watercolor wash in blue first, then drew in the sea turtle. Most of the turtles are a good size. This is a complicated project and is made up of many steps. The bottom of the sea and some colorful coral reef gave the pieces depth. Some tiny fish, some in schools, were added for interest.

Enjoy some of the finished pieces below. The next project will be in Acrylics on canvas board. It will feature Gustov Klimt's Tree of Life. The YES-Kids are very excited about it.

Here's Claire's Sea Turtle. Good job, Claire!


Jenna did a great job! Glad you are back!

Garrett's Sea Turtle. Nice one, Garrett!

Shaelyn did an awesome Sea Turtle!

Good job, Courtney! Very nice!

Very realistic Sea Turtle, Ashley!

Terrific Sea Turtle, Kelsey! Welcome back!

So there is a sampling of the Sea Turtles! Let us know what you think. We love how the YES-Kids are improving consistently in their artistic abilities. It is a pleasure for ua to teach them. A show of their work is planned for the upstairs gallery in the Spring.

Watch for the next finished project here on the YEStudio In Action blog, as well as on www.yestudio.org. All YES students' work will be shown on the website. Their work will also be put up on www.artsonia.com.

Please join us as fans and followers! You can then share with all your friends and relatives; plus shopping can be done that features the YES-Kids' artwork. It is a lot of fun!

We will be starting Spring Session sign-ups very soon. If you want to sign up, go to the website or call/email Cindy at: cindy@yestudio.org. 865-607-4473

Thanks for joining us to see the latest on the happenings at YEStudio. We love to recieve your comments! See you next time! ;-)

2010 ends with the Landing of the Eagles!

2010-12-28T11:59:00.000-05:00

YES-Kids have finished the year 2010 with their Colored Pencil renditions of the American Eagle and their background version of the US Flag. We are amazed at the variety of ideas they were able to produce. The only 'rule' was that the flag backgrounds had to have at least one star and one each red and white stripe. Amazing work!!

Ashley's Eagle

Great work, Ashley!

Bella's Eagle and Flag.

Nice work, Bella!

Kassidi's American Eagle

Terrific job, Kassidi!

Katelyn's Rendition

Awesome work, Katelyn!

Courtney's Eagle

Very unique, Courtney! Nice!

Nicole's American Eagle

Great work, Nicole!

Shaelyn's Eagle Project

Way to go, Shaelyn! Good job!

Kayla's Eagle

Very unique background, Kayla!

There are more Eagles and Flags to be shown. See them at www.yestudio.org. It always amazes me to view all the different takes that the YES-Kids are able to produce. Such talent and focus they have!

Our next project at YEStudio will be in watercolor. We will put up pictures when the project is completed. Be sure to visit us in two weeks to see the Watercolor Sea Turtles! See you then!

Some new students are joining us after the holidays to begin the session mid term. We still have a few spots left in the Tuesday 3:15 class and the Wednesday 4:30 class. They will begin with watercolor. Email Cindy to get in one of the above spots. cindy@yestudio.org. You can call Cindy: 865-607-4473 to sign up also.

When we next update the blog, it will be a brand new year! Here's wishing you, your families and your friends all the best in the coming year of 2011.

Happy New Year from all of us here at

Youthful Expressions Studio!

December is here and holiday spirits are in the air at YEStudio!

2010-12-02T13:58:00.000-05:00

Hi All and Happy Holidays! We are in full swing at YEStudio and in the third week of classes for the 2010 Winter Session.

Up front in our news is the YEStudio contribution of a decorated 5' potted tree to the Fantasy of Trees, in Knoxville at the convention center. Trees were sold and all proceeds went to the Children's Hospital in Knoxville, TN.

I want to share with you the pictures of our tree and some information about the participation of our YES Kids.

Here is the gorgeous tree by Youthful Expressions Studio's YES Kids!

Ashley's Star Parol (Lantern)

Jonathan's Star Parol (Lantern)

Kassidi's Star Parol

Nicole's Star Parol

Parker's Star Parol

The YES Kids also did some Mini Masters with Acrylic paints, on Shrink Film, they were then put into the oven and shrunk. They are quite beautiful!

Jonathan's Matisse

Kassidi's Degas

Nicole's Picasso

Konner's Van Gogh

Jonathan's Dali

Kassidi's Dali

Konner's Monet

Nicole's Chagall

The third project for the Fantasy of Trees was wooden ornaments, painted and covered in Bling! We call those 'Shimmers" They were a wonderfully delightful addition to the tree. Here are a few of the red ones.

Ashley's Heart Shimmer

Kassidi's Heart Shimmer

Nicole's Heart Shimmer

Jenna's Heart Shimmer

Jonathan's Heart Shimmer

These are just a few of the Shimmers they made for the tree. They also did snowflakes in blue and swirls in green, with lots of bling. The students had a great time and most of them were able to attend the Fantasy of Trees gala and see the product of their generosity in person. We plan to be involved with the Fantasy of Trees again next year. We hope to get more students involved then.

Check back with us soon. I'll be showing you our latest projects which include a beautiful sunset with lovely white birch trees in the foreground. See ya! ;-)

November 2010 Featured Artist of the Month-Katelyn Carver

2010-11-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

Katelyn is a very much improved artist. She has been with us since the Fall Session of 2009. She is 10 years old. Katelyn has her own ideas and is good about putting her artistic personality into her work.

Here are some of Katelyn's best pieces of art. She has improved so much and has gained self-confidence.

Katelyn's Chihuly piece. Fall 2009

Katelyn's Totem in Clay

A is for Katelyn's middle name (and Acrylic)

Very colorful (Pastel) Lizard!

Self portrait 4-shortened! (Colored Pencils)

An Acrylic and Wire Starry Nite Sculpture

Katelyn's Watercolor Shark

Watercolor Big Blue Marble

Awesome Tree Frog! (Grid Drawing)

Optical Illusion! (Charcoal & Markers)

'The Scream', starring Katelyn (Pastels)

Katelyn's Architectural Letter 'A'

We are looking forward to having Katelyn in our next (Winter) session. She has requested a project with the American Flag. We will be happy and excited to do that for one of Winter Session's projects!

2010-11 Winter Session is starting next week. November 16th and 17th. Classes are filling up nicely. Contact us to get your spot saved! 865-607-4473 or cindy@yestudio.org.

See you at the next update here at YEStudio In Action blog. ;-)

A celebration of Autumn with Acrylics by the YES-Kids!

2010-11-04T11:01:00.000-04:00

Once again, we are wrapping up another session at Youthful Expressions Studio. This past 12 weeks has been chock-full of fun, educational projects.

Here are some of the Acrylic paintings done by YES-Kids. They were allowed to choose from many subjects representing Fall or Halloween. We are very happy with these results. Several of the more advanced students used a still life model of a haunted house for their piece. Here they are:

Nicole-Age 12

Will-Age 9

Kassidi, Age 10

Such a large variety of spooky paintings! They had such a good time with this project! They were allowed to work from an easel and with canvas boards.

Journey-Age 9

Kassidi-Age 10

Shaelyn-Age 10

Jonathan-Age 12

Katelyn-Age 10

Bella-Age 7

Brana-Age 6

They sketched their drawing onto the canvas after first sketching the contours on newsprint. No details were allowed to be sketched, so they used paint only to provide details. The talent that we see with these kids is amazing! It is so rewarding to work with them.

Architectural Letters

This was a very intense project for the YES-Kids. It took several steps with quite a lot of drying time in between them. The results are amazing!

Sydnie, Age 9

Brana, Age 6

Kassidi, Age 10

Ashley, Age 9

Jonathan, Age 12

The Letters were the last project of the Fall Session at YEStudio. We are looking forward to the Winter Session and many new and exciting projects.

The 2010 Fall Session 'Wrap' party!

The wrap party for this session was a lot of fun. The YES-Kids started by posing for a group picture. There was party food, with their favorite Yoo Hoos to drink. The games played were "Guess Who" and The Marshmallow Challenge. They split into teams to build the tallest structure possible from spaghetti, tape, string, and a marshmallow! There was much laughter as they had 18 minutes to compete and win. The winning group was Jonathan and Sydnie. For their prize, they received a 'standing ovation' from their fellow classmates. Here is a picture of the YES-Kids at the party.

Journey, Jonathan, Sydnie, Nicole, Kassidi, Will, Ashley.

Marshmallow Challenge

The next update to the blog will be all about the Halloween Haven event at YEStudio/ArtSpace during the Last Friday Art Walk, on Oct. 29th. Be sure to check back for more pictures and the lastest news of YEStudio. Our featured artist will be up very soon too! See ya! ;-)

Grid Drawing, Acrylics and Architectural Letters! Wow!

2010-10-14T13:59:00.000-04:00

Hi and Happy Fall! We are so glad to have a reprieve from the heat of Summer!

The blog has been down for a while. Sorry about that...

So, this will be one posting; featuring several projects.

Grid Drawing.
It is drawn, then finished in Colored Pencil. Each student chose from many ideas to use for their grid drawings.Grid drawings are a great way to 'get' the size and proportions of objects.

A grid form was drawn onto their paper using 'math' (gulp) to fill their pages to capacity. They drew their designs in a 'square by square' method. The results are phenomenal.

Here are some of their renderings. We were very pleased and the YES-Kids had so much fun!

THE SCREAM!!

This next project uses Pastels and a little dramatic acting. Yes-Kids were asked to think of something that really scares them and fake a scream that depicted Edvard Munch's 'The Scream'. They used pastels to make the background with the bridge, railing, field, water and scary 'thing' that was approaching from the back. Eeek!

Their own photo was then placed onto the background, and they became 'The Screamer'. Such a lot of fun! You can see all the YES-Kids' pictures with their works at our website. www.yestudio.org. Their works are also avcailable at www.artsonia.com You can even purchase something featuring their work of your choice. Meanwhile, here are a few of the results! ;-)

Autumn Acrylics on Canvas
The YES-Kids are now working on two projects. They are going from one to the other, allowing for drying time. Their acrylic project features paintings that depict the Fall/Halloween season. They were asked to choose a drawing and then to sketch the contours on newsprint. They went to the canvas boards and lightly sketched their design again, then began to paint with acrylics. This project will be finished soon and pictures will be up on this blog, our website and Artsonia. Here are some 'in progress' shots:

Sculptured Architectural Letters.
The YES-Kids are working on the final project of this session. It's the sculpture/3D project. Architectural Letters! They are very large and wonderful! It will be a challenge to 'show' them. ;-)

REMINDER:

The third and final Fantasy of Trees class will be held on Sunday, October 24th, from 2:30-4:00. We will be doing the Shimmers! The YEStudio, 5' potted tree is going to be beautiful! Thanks to the YES-Kids that did double duty when others didn't make it to the first two classes.

ATTENTION KIDS!!

On Friday, October 29th, from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., YEStudio is hosting a "Design Your Own Trick or Treat Bag" event! Just show up at ArtSpace, 106 Broadway, Maryville, and come on back to the Halloween Haven. There will be an assortment of ways to make your trick or treat bag very special and all your own. Special 'Spooky Treats' will be available.

Cost is: $5.00 each. ($2 each for siblings), payable at Halloween Haven door. We look forward to seeing you there!

There are only two weeks left in this session. We will have our 'wrap' party, which will be announced at a later time. Surprises are in store!

Winter Session begins on Tuesday, Nov. 16th and Wednesday, Nov. 17th. Class times are: 3:15-4:15 and 4:30-5:30. Sign up is now in progress! You can sign up at ArtSpace or online at the website. www.yestudio.org. Call or e-mail Cindy at 865-607-4473 and cindy@yestudio.org.

Be sure to check back often! See ya soon! ;-)

YEStudio's Artist of the Month---Shaelyn Jeremiah

2010-09-09T13:57:00.000-04:00

Shaelyn Jeremiah has been a YES-Kid since November of 2009. She has done very good work with us. She is 10 years old now and improving with every session. She is very diligent and interested in the projects. Here are some of her works.

The first piece is her Acrylic snowman scene. The snowman was peering around into the scene. There was a lesson in perspective in this project. Artistic license was given for the decorating of the snowman and trees. Shaelyn's snowman has lots of personality!

This second piece is 'Falling for Foreshortening'. This is also a lesson in perspective and uses colored pencils. This piece is a cartoon-like portrait of the artist.

Next on the list is the Shark in Watercolor. Shaelyn did an excellent job with this one. Awesome work, Shaelyn!

The Pastel Sunflower was a great success for Shaelyn, even though she missed one class and had to make it up. She sure came through with good work!

This is the Faux Mexican Bark lesson that was done on brown paper in lieu of bark. The lessons involved Mexican-like drawings, crumpled paper, and the use of acrylics. What fun!

We enjoy having Shaelyn as one of our YES-Kids. She is bright and willing to try all the new projects that we offer. Here is another of her renderings. It's Op Art. The use of two complimentary colors plus shading makes the ball look like it is flying off the page. Nice work, Shaelyn!

Check back often to see what the YES-Kids are doing! There will be another 'Featured Artist' in a month or so. See ya! ;-)

The Big Blue Marble Comes to YEStudio!

2010-09-05T09:54:00.000-04:00

The second project of Fall Session at YEStudio features The Big Blue Marble in Watercolor. It denotes the good blue/green Earth as a marble along with other brightly colored spheres. Students are able to make these orbs actually look like marbles with the 'shines' and reflections intact. Awesome stuff! They did wonderful work!

Some are already finished and have been taken home. We will finish the rest up this week and move on to our next project, which is grid drawing. Each YES-Kid will choose the graphic that they want to replicate and enlarge it, using the grid. There will be a lot of variety in this project, as the YES-Kids will make their choices from many ideas.

Upcoming classes by YEStudio are:

Graphic Design Art, by Cindy McDannel of YEStudio. A 6-week course, ages 12 and up. Starts Sept. 9th at 4:15-5:15.

Three extra classes to make ornaments for YEStudio's tree at the Fantasy of Trees,

First: Sept. 12th, (Star Lanterns)

Second: Oct. 3rd (Mini Masters)

Third: Oct. 24th. (Mirror-Tile Shimmers)

Held on Sundays at 2:30-4:00.

E-mail: cindy@yestudio.org or call: 607-4473

Featured artist of the month will be up very soon!

Keep an eye out for it! ;-)

"Op Art" at YEStudio. Is it really what you see?

2010-08-23T19:33:00.000-04:00

The YES-Kids just finished their Op Art project. The sphere looks as if it is actually raising from the paper! How cool is that?

This shows Journey's Op Art piece. She did an excellent job! Journey is a new student to YEStudio. We are excited to see how she progresses. She picked purple and yellow which are complimentary colors. This project was done using colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel.

There is an Op Art piece from another new student, Lauren. She did a very good job and picked the complimentary colors of orange and blue. Looks good!!

The next project begins this Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be Watercolor project called 'The Big Blue Marble'. Should be lots of fun. The YES-kids will be using Watercolor Pencils to do this art project.

Here are a few more pictures of the Op Art Project.

Nicole and Kassidi both did a more advanced version of the Op Art Project. Great job, YES-Kids!

Here are Shaelyn's and Will's Op Art pieces. They really look like they are raising off the page! That's an optical illusion!

It is still not too late to join us for Fall Session here at YEStudio. Just give us a call at: 865-607-4473, or email cindy@yestudio.org. We will pro-rate the cost of the remaining classes!

Be sure to check back with the blog to see the finished Big Blue Marble Project! See ya!

YES-Kids Begin Fall Session with Op Art!

2010-08-12T17:37:00.000-04:00

The first week of the 2010 Fall Session at YEStudio is behind us. The YES-Kids are well into their first project, which is Op Art. They used pencils to draw a checkerboard on the paper, made a round circle in the middle, and then drew arc'd lines inside the circle. Then they chose two complimentary colors each. Blue and orange, red and green, black and white or purple and yellow. Using the checkerboard method they did opposite colors in each square. Next week they will finish up using charcoal to shade parts of the piece. It will look as if the checks are moving when they are finished!

Our second Tuesday class (4:30) is now completely full. We do still have some spots open in the other classes. We will continue to take students until the middle of the session. We will prorate the costs accordingly.

I always take some 'in progress' pictures along the way. Here are a few. Enjoy! Be sure to check back here to the blog for finished pictures of the projects.

We are doing some very interesting and unusual projects this session. We'll have a very wide selection of art for our next show! It's going to be a great session. We invite you to become a follower here on the YEStudio In Action blog. Then you can comment on our work and support your favorite artist! Also, don't forget to check out the gallery at www.yestudio.org. Be sure to contact us with any questions you may have. cindy@yestudio.org -or- 865-607-4473.

YEStudio's August Show is On Exhibit at Blount County Library

2010-08-03T11:17:00.000-04:00

Now showing.... the YES-kids' artwork from the last three sessions at YEStudio! It is the best one yet! Lots of color and loads of talent in this show. There are pieces in Pastel, Watercolor, Charcoal, Colored Pencils and Acrylics.

You won't want to miss this show. Our students have worked hard! Well okay, maybe not worked, (they consider this as fun, after all) but were very focused and put forth a lot of effort to turn out such awesome works of art.

Pictures here do not do the show justice, it needs to be seen in person. The artwork will be on view for the entire month of August. Take your friends and family too. Some grandparents dropped by yesterday while we were hanging the show. They were visiting from Mississippi and loved seeing their granddaughter's work in person.

We wish to thank all the YES-Parents and Kids that brought their artwork to be shown at the Blount County Library. It takes some effort to ready the pieces for viewing and bringing/picking them up as well.

Our next show will probably be in the Spring of 2011, so keep that in mind when the YES-Kids bring their new works of art home.

There are still some spots left in classes for Fall Session. Call or email us to secure your place in class. Call: 865-607-4473 or email cindy@yestudio.org You can also register and pay online at: www.yestudio.org.

Check back often to see what YEStudio has going on. Please become a 'follower' and you will receive an email when the blog is updated. You can then comment on the posts. We are always happy to hear from you! ;-)

YEStudio is gearing up for 2010 Fall Session!

2010-08-01T16:20:00.000-04:00

It's almost time for the Fall Session to begin. Summer just flew by, and we are almost ready to move on into everyone's favorite season... Autumn! Oh my, the beautiful fall colors and the mild weather. Wonderful times are ahead!

We have some very fun and interesting projects planned for the YES-Kids. One of the projects is Op Art. Exciting and that's all you get. Don't want to let the 'cat out of the bag' ;-) Another project is Architectural Letters. Hmm, sounds interesting, doesn't it? Still another is called 'The Big Blue Marble' Sorry, no more hints. You just have to 'be there'.

We will begin classes on August 10th and 11th. There are four class times offered. Tuesdays at 3:15-4:15 and 4:30-5:30. Wednesdays at 2:30-3:30 (this time has been set earlier in the afternoon to benefit home schooled kids) and 4:00-5:00. As we finish a project, this blog will be updated with pictures of what the YES-Kids have done. Be sure to check back often to see their work.

We are hanging the August library show today and tomorrow. This show features the 'hanging' work of the last three sessions. We invite you to drop by the Blount County Library in the next month (August) to see the show. Call with any last minute additions to the show today (Sunday)! We can still get some more artwork in the show.

Be sure to call right away to sign up for Fall Session at YEStudio. Call Cindy at: 865-607-4473, or email cindy@yestudio.org

Be sure to go to www.yestudio.org and to the gallery to see what the YES-Kids have been doing. Our students are very talented and love their art classes!

Beginning again in the middle of August, I will be featuring another one of our YES-Kids and their work here on the YEStudio In Action blog. Be sure to check it out. You will also get updates with pictures, on each project as we complete it.

See you soon! ;-)

Filipino Parols are made in Summer Camp at YEStudio!

2010-06-29T11:53:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday was filled with summer fun at ArtSpace! Students gathered for YEStudio's latest adventure in cultural customs. Filipino Parols (pur-rolls), or star lanterns, are used in the Philippines to celebrate the Festival of Lights. They can be seen hanging outside homes and along the streets of cities and small provincial towns, farms and fishing villages.They symbolize the victory of light over darkness as well as hope and goodwill. What a delightful and colorful way to celebrate! These are made using basket type reed and rice paper, glue and liquid watercolor paints, and.... oh yes, lots of imagination and design skills.

YES-Kids began by opening up their reeds into star designs. Then they glued the stars to rice paper (masa) While those dried, they started designing a fiber letter that was the first letter of their names. They used scrapbooking papers, punches, paint, and their own ingenuity. Lots of different designs were made and they had plenty of time to work on the letters.

Then, it was back to the parol project! After the glue dried on the parols, they cut out around the stars and proceeded to paint them using liquid watercolor paint. Each student created very different designs and lots of color was applied. This took quite a while, so it was good that they had a nice lunch in between projects. The Moms brought chicken from Chick fil A and all the trimmings. Chips, cookies and iced tea, lemonade and cheese cubes were enjoyed. Thanks to the Moms for bringing the lovely meal! Art makes a person very hungry! ;-)

When painting was finished, they made colorful 'tails' for their parols. These were done using colorful tissue papers, cut into swirls. Lovely! The results were striking and beautiful! The students were so polite and enthusiastic! They were a delight to teach! We are looking forward to seeing them all at the Fall Session!
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We at YEStudio are very excited to begin the next 12-week session of classes for Fall of 2010. We have some very interesting and fun projects planned for Fall. Classes begin on August 3rd and 4th. Times are: Tuesdays at 3:15-4:15 and 4:30-5:30. Wednesdays at 2:30-3:30 and 4:00-5:00. Classes are filling up, so get your spot reserved now. You can call Cindy, 865-607-4473, email: cindy@yestudio.org, or sign up online at www.yestudio.org. Online, you can use a credit card via PayPal.

Yours in Artistic Enrichment,
Mary Jane and Cindy
www.yestudio.org

YES-Kids do "A Day at the Beach" Summer Camp!

2010-06-19T14:39:00.000-04:00

Last week was the YEStudio Summer Camp, at FAB's ArtSpace, in Maryville. The students made a diorama in the theme of:

"A Day at the Beach"

Each day, the students used a different art medium. Monday, they used Colored Pencils to fashion a Lighthouse or a Lifeguard's Chair. These were done using the grid method.

Tuesday was Pastel Kites day. Each student drew and designed the kites in their own unique style. Some kites had a different design on each side.

Wednesday was for Watercolor Sand Castles. They drew their own designs, front and back, then sprinkled salt on their wet castles to produce a very cool effect!

On Thursday, the YES-Kids used Acrylic paints to finish their Clay Beach Toys, which were built in spare moments here and there. The Beach Umbrellas, which were also done with Acrylics, were an awesome addition to the diorama! They can be seen on the finished pieces below. Here they are! To see more, please go to www.yestudio.org and click on the gallery at 2010 Summer Camp.

Friday the YES-Kids assembled the projects onto their dioramas. They put some added touches on their sandy beaches with glue and glitter.

Since all the students' names begin with 'K', they did a side project using a fiber board 'K'. They painted, glued and papered their 'Ks' to get the following results. Very impressive!

'K' is for Kassidi! 'K' is for Katelyn!

'K' is for Konner! 'K' is for Kyleigh!

Everyone had a good time doing their projects at the YEStudio Summer Camp. We enjoyed the new students and as always, loved seeing our returning kids.

2010 Fall Session at Youthful Expressions Studio begins on August 3rd and 4th. One class is filled already! Please go grab your spot for 12 weeks of fun and educational art. As always, we will be delving into the mediums with new and exciting projects. We have planned some very interesting and artistically rewarding challenges.

You can grab a spot for your artist by calling Cindy : 865-607-4473, emailing: cindy @yestudio.org, or you can sign up online using a credit card, via PayPal at www.yestudio.org. You will find all the info regarding times, cost, etc by using the above methods.

Look for a write up in the Blount Today and the Maryville Daily Times!

Yours in Artistic Enrichment,

Cindy McDannel & Mary Jane Booth

Youthful Expressions Studio.

Jonathan Kear: YEStudio's Featured Artist of the Month!

2010-06-01T19:16:00.000-04:00

Jonathan has been with us since January 2009. He has shown talent from the first, but has since had extensive growth in his abilities in many mediums. At the FAB-ulous Kids Art Show, upstairs at ArtSpace, Jonathan sold his pastel sunflower piece! He was ecstatic to be a professional artist! His sunflower was unique with an abstract quality.
He has a lot of fun in the ArtSpace classroom and we enjoy him so much. He has the ability to get along with both the new and returning students and instantly makes the newbies feel welcome When we have a show, he is one of the first to bring in his artwork for us to display. Jonathan is an avid TN Vols fan and loves to show it in his art pieces. If there is an opportunity to put a power T or some orange in a piece, he is all over it! Jonathan likes to be given artistic license; probably more than any of our other students. If we tell him he can add his own touches, he is very happy to use his 'artist's eye' to create something of his own.

Since his first session, he has continued to improve. We just recently learned that he has decided to join us for another session at YEStudio and we couldn't be happier! He keeps the conversations moving all during classes. When we ask questions about art history, an artist we have done, or about the elements of art. Jonathan readily answers these questions and proves that he has learned a lot!

We hope to continue teaching Jonathan the basics of the mediums that we explore in classes. He is a willing and able student. Keep up the good work Jonathan, and keep on having fun!

YEStudio's Chalk the Walk was lots of fun!

2010-06-01T17:49:00.000-04:00

The weather was perfect for the 1st Annual Chalk the Walk! The food and drinks were plentiful and the artists had so much fun creating their works of art on the pavement. Kids and adults alike were inspired to create some colorful, beautiful pictures in the parking lot of the First United Methodist Church on Sat., May 22nd.

Both newspapers were present taking pictures, writing about the bright creations in chalk and interviewing the artists. The Sunday Daily Times featured the event. Blount Today also took pictures and conducted interviews. We are looking forward to seeing their write-up too.

We want to thank our sponsors. There were many! First United Methosist Church, for the location and facilities, Fine Arts Blount for providing food and drinks for purchase, SAX, School Specialties, for the Pastel Chalk, Office Depot for the colorful fliers, ABC Monograming for o drawstring bag with free monogramming, Anderson's Lumber for sand and stakes, Pope's Garden Shop for buckets, Salsaritas for combo meals prizes, Chili's for free kids meals, McAllisters Deli for free combo meals, Chick-fil-A for free milkshakes, Indaguy for free t-shirts in the prize bags. We thank all these supportive folks and hope they will be on hand next year for the 2nd annual Chalk the Walk!

We also want to thank our illustrious judges! They are: Katie Kinney, President of FAB, Karen Miller, art teacher at Heritage Middle School and Becky Patterson, art teacher at Alcoa Elementary. We appreciate you!

Winners of prizes are:
Best of Show: Nicole Butcher, for her abstract creation of a flower, inspired by Georgia O'Keefe.

Cat 1, ages 6-11,
First prize: Kassidi McDannel, for her parrot, monkey and tree frog creation, 2nd prize, Sarah Godwin, for her Rainbow and Sunshine creation. Third prize, Ashley Butcher, for her undersea tropical creation.

Cat 2, ages 12-16
First prize: Kayla Ellis, for her drawing of a horse inside a fence. Kayla also won 2nd prize, for her fierce dragon.

Cat 3, ages 17 & up
First prize: Mary Cunningham, for her Astral Abstract. 2nd prize: Renee Breiner, for her Daisy and Butterfly creation. 3rd prize: Tim and Jennifer Ellis, tied for his creation of a gator in a manhole and her creation of a landscape, with a tree and horse.

Much fun was had by all the contestants. Some didn't want to leave! YEStudio will be very excited to present this event again next year. We plan to have the Chalk the Walk on a Sunday, making it more available to families. There will be a band on site too!

Upcoming Events! Saturday is Chalk the Walk!

2010-05-20T00:22:00.000-04:00

Here are some reminders of the upcoming events from YEStudio. First, Saturday, May 22nd is Chalk the Walk. It will be held at First United Methodist Church, 804 Montvale Station Rd, Maryville, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can get your chalk and start creating at 10, right after signing up and paying a fee of only...$2.00. This event is to promote art enrichment for kids in the Blount County area. YEStudio is able to sponsor this event through Fine Arts Blount. Come one and all. There are three categories... ages 7-11, 12-16, and 17 and Up! That means it is for kids and adults! Lots of fun!
CHALK the WALK.
There will be food and drinks to purchase, made available by Fine Arts Blount. They are having a bake sale as well. YUM! Goodies!

We would like to thank Chalk the Walk's many wonderful sponsors.
They are:
FAB, First United Methodist Church, SAX (School Specialists), Office Depot, Lowe's, ABC Monograming, Salsaritas, Chili's, Chik fil A, McAllisters Deli, Pope's Nursery, Anderson Lumber, and Indaguy!

We hope to make this event a yearly one. Come out, bring your family and friends.

YEStudio will have one more week of classes this session. Next Tues and Wed. will be regular classes, then at 6 p.m on Wednesday, after the Wed. class, there will be a 45 minute 'wrap' party. Students from all three classes are invited to participate. There will be food and music and a last art project.

YEStudio's Summer Camps

On June 7th, YEStudio will begin Summer Camps. The first camp is entitled 'A Summer Safari'. It will run through June 11th. June 14th, through 18th, another Summer Camp will be held. This one is entitled 'A Day at the Beach'. Both camps will feature five mediums, Pastels, Acrylics, Colored Pencil, Watercolor and Clay. For five days, two hours per day, students will be creating and having fun. Camps begin at 10 a.m. and end at 12 noon. A snack will be provided.
Sign-ups have already started, so call or email to get your spot. Space is limited! Cost per camp is $150. All supplies and materials are included. 865-607-4473 or cindy@yestudio.org.

In July, Fab and YEStudio will have a camp called 'Let's Make a Book'. Students will write their own book and then illustrate it. Cost is $75.00. Materials are included. This camp is July 12th -19th for kids in 6th - 8th grade.

The second Let's Make a Book camp is for kids in 3rd - 5th grade, and will begin on July 26th - 30th. Cost is $75.00.

August 3rd and 4th will see the beginning of the 2010 Fall Session of classes at YEStudio. There are 12 weeks in a session of classes at Youthful Expressions Studio. These classes will end on October 19th and 20th. More information can be found at: www.yestudio.org.

See you at the Chalk the Walk!