Stepping Up to Art : Carole Becker-Goldman helps amateur artists conquer their inhibitions to create unique painted stools.
One of the first lessons every child learns is “Don’t draw on the furniture,” but on a recent Saturday, eight women and one small girl spent the better part of a perfect Southern California day in an artist’s studio doing just that.
Using crayons, markers, Q-Tips, masking tape, paper towels and a concoction of paint mixed with urethane, these scofflaws rejected that childhood message and turned small wooden stools into personal works of art.
Their reasons for attending this five-hour furniture-painting class, taught by artist Carole Becker-Goldman at Learning Tree University, were as varied as their finished products.
Susanna Sandke came with daughter Darby-Scarlet Godfrey, 8, for a belated birthday celebration. Marsha Roseman, who attended with grown-up daughter Randi Williams, was looking for a creative, calorie-free hobby. Kathy Doucette was there because her husband--who may set new standards for spousal consideration--insisted she take some time for herself.
“I’m sitting here, thanking him profusely,” confessed Doucette of Van Nuys as she practiced dabbing paint onto a foam board. “We had an argument before I left. I kept saying, ‘I don’t want to go.’ He heard about the class through a friend and thought it would be fun for me.”
They all hoped to learn a skill that would enable them to rehabilitate family furniture, garage-sale acquisitions, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, even walls.
“We need things like this, especially since the earthquake,” said Roseman of Van Nuys, who recently retired from work as a caterer. “We did not have as much damage as some. We’re very lucky. I was looking for creative ways to put love back into our house.”
In fact, creativity is what the class is all about, according to Becker-Goldman, who said she gears her course to people who “failed Coloring Book 101.”
“The idea of teaching people who particularly were afraid to paint was exciting to me. Getting a 50-year-old woman or a 30-year-old man to paint is a challenge,” said Becker-Goldman, an artist who studied at the Parsons School of Design in New York.
Becker-Goldman, who juggles her art with an acting career, also teaches at Everywoman’s Village in Van Nuys and at her home studio in Sherman Oaks. Becker-Goldman often begins each class by displaying the line and blob drawings of Mark Chagall, Pablo Picasso or Alexander Calder, then exhorts her students with “I’ll bet you can do that!”
After the stool is primed with a white or black water-based paint, Becker-Goldman hands out a variety of square foam boards, cups of paint and foam brushes while the primer is drying.
She encourages her proteges to experiment by covering the boards with layers of paint, crayons and markers. The idea, Becker-Goldman said, is to give artists a chance to conceptualize the design that ultimately will be painted on the stool.
At various points, Becker-Goldman encouraged her students to experiment with crayons, magic markers, Q-Tips and paper towels. The results were a startling array of designs and textures.
After a short lunch break, the budding artists began working on their stools. After deciding on colors and design, the students dabbed and discussed their way into creating a unique piece of furniture.
“I don’t think it’s going to be at the Getty,” said Mary Heffernan of Woodland Hills, “but it’s just fine. I learned something new about mixing paint. It was fun to go and do that and not be restricted.”
“My husband was really proud of what I did,” said Doucette a few days later. “But my tail was between my legs. I had to say, ‘Honey, you were right. I really had fun!’ ”
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WHERE AND WHEN
Location: Learning Tree University, 20920 Knapp St., Chatsworth.
When: Five-hour class 9:30 a.m. March 25.
Price: $59 plus $27 materials fee, including stool.
Call: (818) 882-5599.
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Location: Everywoman’s Village, 5650 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Van Nuys.
When: Five-hour class 9:30 a.m. April 22.
Price: $46 plus $27 materials fee, including stool.
When: One class over two three-hour sessions 6:30 p.m. April 3 and 10.
Price: $40 plus $27 materials fee, including stool.
Call: (818) 787-5100.
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Location: Carole Becker-Goldman’s Studio, Sherman Oaks.
When: Two-session, three-hour evening classes 7 p.m. March 22 and 29 or April 4 and 11.
Price: $55 plus $27 materials fee, including stool; $14 without stool.
When: One-session five-hour classes 9 a.m. April 2, 16, May 14, 21, June 4, 11.
Price: $45 plus $27 materials fee, including stool, or $14 without stool.
Call: (818) 785-1711.
