pARTiculars

pARTiculars is a significant sponsor of the 3^rd Friday Art Night Out in Lafayette. This is a community arts event in Old Town Lafayette, with live music, downtown art walk, beer and wine garden, artist booths, face painting, dining, literature, shopping, art receptions, children’s activities, & more. Such a great time and wonderful place to bump into everyone you know!

I started painting with Jane Whittlesey 3 years ago as therapy for a shattered job situation. She was wonderful and encouraging, and didn’t mind it if I was having a lame day. She was always considerate and generous. I have also taken fused glass with Arlyss G., which was great! I also took an encaustic wax melting way of painting class and enjoyed that as well. I also made 2 paintings with a Friday Sip & Paint class, which was a blast. We do collage with a huge collection Jane has of tissue papers, wrapping papers, patterns and metallics. Jane is classically trained at UNC in art and teaches from a vast store of knowledge.

Adult classes with Jane are stressful and uncomfortable. Her website said supplies cost $ 8 for a certain size canvas or BYO, and $ 3 for paint and brushes. I brought my own larger $ 80 canvas and expected to pay the stated $ 3 for the paint and brushes. Jane started the first class by teaching us not to waste time by not using enough paint. But then she kept repeating how $ 3 was so cheap for paint, she wasn’t making any profit and she was losing money, making me feel confused and guilty about how much paint I was using. So I ended up paying $ 11 for the paint in addition to the $ 80 BYO canvas and class fee.
During the 2^nd class, she started on this again, so I finally brought it up. She demanded I take my $ 11 back for the first class even though that wasn’t what I was asking for (I was asking her to set clearer expectations for the consumer, set the cost at a price that is acceptable to her). Then, I opted to pay $ 8 for the canvas instead of bringing my own this time, expecting the canvas size listed on her website. She handed me a smaller canvas, said she hasn’t carried the size I had expected for years, and then took time from class to check the website which sure enough listed the bigger canvas size.
I honestly dreaded going to more classes. But I had already paid for 2 more that I could take at anytime without expiration dates. I decided to go today, about 3 months later. I had left my painting at the studio to dry after the 2^nd class, and I had not been told there was any time limit on how long I could keep it there. When I called the studio, though, Jane said she painted over my work! I asked for a refund for the remaining 2 classes, which still does not make up for the time and effort I had spent, not to mention the $ 11 for the lost supplies. Jane said the studio doesn’t usually refund classes and she would have to take the money out of her own pocket, etc. She did end up giving me the refund but without apology while hiding behind a veneer of a smile, acting like nothing had happened.
The teaching itself was ok for a beginner. There is no formal agenda of teaching points. For my first painting, she forgot to tell me to mark my main lines before painting, so the whole painting was crooked. She also chose an opaque paint, which then blocked all the colors underneath, and we had to spend time trying to scrape off the opaque green. I learned a few basic techniques but I could have learned them elsewhere for much less with more ease.
I really wanted to support my local economy, but classes should be enriching and relaxing after a long day of work, not stressful and uncomfortable. I am at least glad to see that some of the incorrect website information have since been corrected for the future reader’s sake.

This is a unique, wonderful art gallery. It’s got a phenomenal range of media represented: oils, pastels, fused glass, water colors, wood working. Most are priced well within anyone’s budget (less than $ 5 for notecards, many pieces between $ 50 and $ 150). But, best of all, is that this place is operated by the artists themselves. The person behind the counter can talk intelligently about many of the pieces and can give you some background on each artist. Best of all, pArticulars offers single classes as well as series of classes to let you try out a new art form yourself. Great, great experience, and it’s in the middle of downtown Lafayette, so there are inexpensive places to eat, have coffee and even just stroll around. Terrific experience for anyone who loves art.

Great assortment of art at decent prices. The shop is set up really well and there is a lot to see. There’s something for everyone — from postcards to jewelry to large oil paintings. I love to support local art, and it’s great when I’d also love to have that art in my home!