Art Retreats | Courtney Sanford

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Art Retreat I

May 2021

About Me

I was a writer, graphic designer, and art teacher until I had kids...then I added "classical educator" to the list of things I do. I really embraced the homeschool life studying Latin and reading classics and taking my kids on "field trips" to Colorado, Austria, Germany, and Mexico. I helped develop curriculum in English grammar, cursive writing, drawing, and math. I traveled and spoke to other homeschoolers encouraging them and giving practical teaching advice.

I taught lots of classes for homeschoolers, but my favorite was Western Cultural History. I was really inspired by Francis Schaeffer and Nancy Pearcey. Their books really helped me understand the flow of history and see it in art.

When the shut down happened, I moved my art classes online, thinking it'd be temporary...but it actually worked really well and I was able to reach students and parents all over the country, Canada, Hawaii, and Japan! We built relationships and painted our way through art history online and had a fabulous time.

In the first year of online classes, students had to download a print the handouts they needed for class. That turned out to be a lot of trouble, so I put all the handouts into a book so they would have everything handy for class. I included our devotion and worldview summary and instructions for the art projects.

Grace Martin joined me in the fall of 2021 to teach "Draw Your Way Into the Woods" and I wrote a book for her class, too! Next year, we plan to have a second class for her to teach called, "Paint Your Way to the Beach: acrylic painting."

I homeschooled my three kids. The oldest is in dental school at UNC-Chapel Hill and will serve in the Air Force after graduating. My daughter is the Director of Student Engagement at Bryan College and she's working on her MBA. The youngest is completing Challenge Four with Classical Conversations.

My dog Zoey is by my side during my classes and usually talks to us in the evening class asking for treats. Morning students often hear Fabio, the rooster, crow a little.

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