Art School of SF Bay (San Jose) — Local services in San Jose

As a working professional who prefers the feeling of traditional atelier, which is very hard to find nowadays, especially in bay area where the tech scene is a lot more prevalent. This school has been a great find!

I took figure drawing class with Andrew Kim. Not only is he a very skilled artist who had extensive industry experience so he knows what he's doing, he is also a very caring and encouraging teacher who can explain difficult concepts in a way that's really easy to understand. I was able to pick up figure drawing again after almost 15 years with his help and patience.

One detail that also stood out to me is that we had a substitue teacher at the first class, Sara, since Andrew was sick at the time, which is totally fine and I did not expect anything to change because it's completely understandable as life happens, and honestly Sara was great too. But to my surprise, the school actually gave us the opportunity to have one more session, even though it's out of their control. It felt like the school staff/founder geninuely cares about their students' progress versus a lot of places might be a lot more interested in profits.

In addition to this, logistically it has been very easy to work with them for shcheduling/payments etc. I personally did not have the need for a makeup class, but I did see that other students were able to do makeup classes with relative ease with a lot of them having...

I love the Art School of SF Bay! I've taken five classes so far (as of October 2024), and while all the teachers have been exceptional, I want to highlight Anna specifically. I took her one-day landscape class in 2022 and am currently enrolled in her realistic open studio course.

Anna is a superb teacher with an impressive background, having trained for many years at the prestigious Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg before moving to the U.S. to work as a professional artist and instructor. Her feedback is invaluable, and she tailors her lectures to cover both advanced topics (like cloth folds) and fundamental concepts (such as warm/cool balance in composition and shadow work).

Thanks to her thoughtful and technical advice, I feel my art has truly come to life, and I now believe I have a real chance at getting into an MFA program. Anna’s insights on composition are spot-on, and her calm demeanor creates an encouraging environment where you feel empowered to pursue...

My two daughters have been taking art lessons from Maria for almost five years. Art School of SF Bay organizes their curriculum in a way that the students have opportunities to use a variety of media and materials, and to learn about different artists and styles from all over the world. Of course, they learn about art history as well. During the class, each student will work on a subject matter of their choice, but under a pre-designated theme. So you will not see all the kids are drawing the same apple, but rather each kid has their own still life set. This requires a lot more attention and guidance from the teachers, but really frees up the kids' mind when they create their own art. Art School of SF Bay is truly a hidden gem and we are delighted to learn that Maria is now teaching at their San Jose site (near Santana Row), which is much closer to us. If you are looking for some high quality art classes for young kids, I strongly recommend Art...