Red Dot Gallery — Attraction in Homewood

Red Dot! What a cool, fun, creative, happy place!!! I've been fortunate to have drifted into the doors of Red Dot Gallery and meet Dori DeCamillis and her daughter AnnaBelle and Scott Bennett about two years ago. These people run a delightful gallery and offer classes in painting, drawing, clay and pottery. I have to thank Jenny Dixon for affirming my long search for such a place by saying, "Oh you'll love Dori!!". I called and signed up for drawing classes that afternoon! Jenny was right!! I'd wanted to find some kind of place to rekindle the habit of drawing! Found it and then some!

Classes are just as the others have described, college level art and spot-on with kind, knowledgeable instruction and just enough challenge to keep students aiming high! We have very cool music and take to singing-a-longs at times! Great fun! It reminds me of studio classes at Auburn, long ago!

There is a wonderful mix of people, ages and artwork being done by all. It's creative and therapeutic! For all that have been around a while, the weekly trek to Red Dot is a refreshing bright spot in the week.

I highly recommend this to any and all, no matter the age or the skill level you think you have. You will thrive here! Dori is an excellent instructor and knows her stuff. Plus, she's got brilliant wit! Humor and art are a grand combination--no stiff, fussy stuff here, and yet some very serious work is being produced by all. It just doesn't feel serious and stuffy and she fosters that beautifully! Dori also has the ability to meet-a-student-where-they-are and then grow natural ability into more and more over time. I remain amazed at the oil painting ability of Dori and many of the students.

So, come one, come all to draw, to paint, to create pottery, to laugh, to sing and to enjoy being creative and alive! It's a...

Been taking art classes at Red Dot for over 9 years and have watched my abilities improve greatly with a talented and patient teacher. I started doing watercolors and then decided to practice my drawing too. Received helpful and practical instruction that deepened my skills and paid off later when I transitioned to oil painting. The teaching style very helpful, open, and encouraging. No pressure from teacher mostly fun and acceptance of a variety of styles and levels of ability that show up in class with gentle guidance always offered. There are many useful tips on products and tools with no pressure. Some tools available in the classroom for purchase at very reasonable prices and suggestions always available if you want to try something new or different. Besides transitioning from a beginner watercolor painter to a portrait artist in this studio have enjoyed the workshops too. They deepened skills like the creativity, photography with a smart phone especially for capturing good photos to be used for future paintings, and others. Have not had the opportunity to take pottery and they all seem to be having a great time in there! During COVID we transitioned to Zoom and that has been great. Now we are back at the studio with all necessary precautions if we would like. Both options are available. My time with this studio has been memorable and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great atmosphere, excellent instruction and a a desire to nurture...

I signed up for the oil painting class with Dori. In the class description they offer a kit for an additional fee which is almost as much as the cost of the class. After exchanging a few emails regarding questions I had, I asked if I could bring my own supplies. Dori said that would be fine. I showed up for class and she asked to "see what I brought". She started by telling me that the paint I brought wasn't worth the tubes it was manufactured in, then she told me the brushes I brought were "flimsy". Then she moved onto the palettes I brought which I wasn't even told to bring but did anyway. She looked at them with disgust and told me I could use them but they were made for watercolors. Why does it matter where you mix paint as long as you have a surface to use??? So at this point I am feeling insulted, unwelcome and angry that clearly Ive gone through all this for no reason. She made me feel like I wasn't elite enough to be there so I immediately wanted to leave. I asked for a full refund and received it. I also have no idea how you can "teach a class" if you can come any date and anytime they have available. That never made sense to me and should have been my first red flag. It seems this isn't much of class. If you want to save yourself the trouble of being looked down upon unless you have $400+ dollars to spend on learning to oil paint, I would...