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Tom Eblen: Owners hope to fill community void with Lexington Art Academy

Dr. Cindy Derer, a Lexington dentist for three decades, doesn't consider herself an artist. For her, art is a hobby and a way to relax.

"I think most dentists have a little bit of artist in them," she said. "Sculpting is what I do for a living, but they all have to end up looking like a tooth. I wanted to do something that didn't look like a tooth, or fit in a mold."

Over the years, Derer took evening art classes through the Fayette County Public Schools and what is now Bluegrass Community and Technical College — "I closed down both of those programs," she said — and from the Lexington Art League and the Living Arts and Science Center.

She studied with sculptor Thomas Baker, whose day job is Web site development, but he often didn't have a good place to have classes. So they got an idea: Why not start an art school for people like them?

Derer and Baker rented a small suite beside her dental office at Alumni Drive and New Circle Road and, in April, opened the Lexington Art Academy.

The first group of 25 students finished classes last week. During the term, local artists taught classes in figure sculpture, universal drawing, portrait drawing, introduction to oil painting and beginning rug-hooking.

"It has been a lot of fun," said Michael Burrell, who taught the portrait-drawing class and whose own recent artwork includes the music-themed outdoor mural on the side of Al's Bar at the corner of East Sixth and North Limestone streets. "The students are doing better than I thought."

The next session of evening classes begins June 20 and throughout July and August. They include universal drawing, portrait sculpture, experimenting with watercolors and pastels, beginning rug-hooking, color composition, drawing foundation for painting, tapestry, and introduction to batik, an Asian art form of fabric dying.

The two-hour classes meet for between four and eight weeks and cost $80 to $280, plus some materials fees. for more information, go to Lexingtonartacademy.com.

The first group of academy students had a wide range of day jobs, including dentist, doctor, decorator, housewife and photographer. The classes are intended for adults, but some older teenagers are accepted.

"A lot of people tell me, 'You know, I'm just not artistic,' and I say, 'How do you know?' " Derer said. "I suggest people who are interested in art try several things until they find something that's fun and not frustrating.

Gene's Rug Hooking Blog » Blog Archive » New Book About Heather ...

Is a wonderful 191 page romp through the creative mind of one of the UK’s great fiber artists.  Using 350 detailed color photos, amplified with the artist’s personal recollections, author Lesley Mary Close tells the story of Heather’s life and art through a progression of the pictorial hooked works she has created.  (Go to www.schifferbooks.com if you are interested in getting your own copy.)

Right off the (cricket) bat I admit that I didn’t need the book to be a fan of Heather and all her work.  I’ve known her for several years, we teach for each other’s camps, we enjoy visiting in each other’s homes and I’ve watched her at work on several of the pieces documented in the book.  (I am even using all my own personal photos to illustrate this review.)  Still, with all that familiarity, Ms. Close was able to keep my attention with the underlying historical and technical backgrounds foundational to each piece.  It is always exciting to see a creative mind at work – understanding the reasons why designs have significance to an artist and listening in to the thought process needed to make a visually and structurally strong rug.  The only thing one needs to make for the perfect read-through is a cup of tea and an English accent.