If you think you don't have a creative bone in your body, you haven't been to Art Ah La Carte yet.
Kimberly Argenta says she can teach anybody to create art.
"People have come in and said, 'I have no talent. I don’t know how to do anything,'" Argenta said. "I’ve actually had people come in and watercolor for the first time and their work comes out beautiful. They say they don’t have any creativity, yet I can pull it out of them. I believe everybody has creativity, you just have to find the right medium.”
Argenta has turned her passion for art and teaching into a business at the new Artisan Center at 56 Harvester Ave., Batavia.
Classes started this week and cover a range of mediums, from painting to paper mache. Art Ah La Carte also has classes on altered tins, beading, drawing and turning old junk into art.
Caledonia artist Robert Garland is helping Argenta and teaching drawing. He said getting involved in Art Ah La Carte has sparked his own creativity.
Among the students in class on Friday evening was Linda Carson, who raised her hand when Argenta spoke about students coming in thinking they had no talent. She completed two watercolors so far, one in class and one at home, and she seemed to think the second one turned out pretty good.
"I thought I would just enjoy expressing myself in painting," Carson said. "I always wanted to try it, but ... " at which point Carson just shrugged.
Art Ah La Carte is open to individual students as well as groups. Argenta said people can form groups for a girls' night out or a guys' night out or any special event, such as a bridal shower.
“I just really felt that the community needed an inexpensive way to come out and enjoy an evening without breaking the wallet, yet they’re learning something," Argenta said.
Art Ah La Carte is part of the new Artisan Center being created by Patricia Hawley for Mancuso Business Development Group at the Harvester Center.
Hawley has been in talks with a number of artists, multimedia companies, writers and others about taking space in the new center.
Well Mrs Argenta was one of
Well Mrs Argenta was one of the two art teachers i had when i was growing up and she helped me progress in art before i started the after school class with her i didnt think i had any talent and now because of her i am going to college with an fine arts degree