What We Teach
Blue Merle is a leaping off point for personal creative growth at any level. We offer introductory workshops to explore processes and materials before diving in, as well as, 6-week classes and extended workshops. Each class session provides 2 ½ hours of contact with the model/subject and instructor, allowing for 30 minutes at the end of each class to pull together learned concepts, ideas and improvements while receiving extra help from the day’s session. We also include open studio time for enrolled students to be able to come in and comfortably continue to work independently with support of a dynamic community of engaged people that creative rapport is built upon.
Testimonial:
"Susan is a gem of a teacher. She encourages creativity in her classes while providing clear, precise technical instruction both for the group and individually. As a beginner, I felt immediately welcome. Susan is generous with her time and expertise, supporting students at all experience levels, which makes learning and growing as an artist under her guidance a true joy. She creates a relaxed, happy, exciting, and inspiring learning environment"
— Angelica, Current Student
Who We Are
Blue Merle Studios is a unique and inclusive educational studio to guide, nurture and hone personal creative growth within a diverse top-notch teaching and coaching environment. Perfect for students at all levels of commitment and interest.
Our goal is to teach a range of levels from introductory formal principles and techniques in sculpture, drawing, painting and design to graduate level critiques and theory. Outside of teaching, our skills also include portfolio preparation and coaching for college admission for both undergraduates and graduate students. As well as, annual professional development training for art educators.
We pride ourselves on the ability to meet students where they are at. It is this ability to provide not only thorough technical expertise but conceptual understanding at any level that catapults our students into the magic of their own creativity and believe that high quality individualized education should be affordable and attainable for everyone.
About Our Owner
Susan Krause was born in Toronto, Canada and is a 35 year award winning art educator who's true passion lies in facilitating access to the magic of creative experiences for everyone that are truly life enhancing.
Susan holds an MFA from Yale University with distinction and has taught consistently on the college level from freshman to graduate students for over 25 years. She was the Chair of sculpture for SCAD for over a decade and has held 100’s of diverse, fun, skill and career building workshops, talks, critiques and demonstrations all over the world for those with and without art experience.
Her personal creative process is wide reaching based in concepts of humanity and commonality, ranging from installation and mixed media to figurative abstraction.
All to lead us here to opening Blue Merle Studios.
“Every child is an artist, the problem is staying one when you grow up.”
Our Inspiration
Blue Merle Definition- A dramatic canine coat color that consists of a variety of bluish gray tones mixed with bold splotches of black.
Meet our studio inspiration and Mascot “GUS” -A Blue Merle Catahoula Leopard Dog adoption from LifeLine Animal Project.
