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Art Instructor Mackenzie Miller Gores is teaching adult and youth art classes at The Well. Residents can sign up for classes at The Well at thewellok.org/all-classes.

Art Instructor Mackenzie Miller Gores is teaching adult and youth art classes at The Well. Residents can sign up for classes at The Well at thewellok.org/all-classes.

I am excited about one of The Well’s newest teachers, Mackenzie Miller Gores.

Gores is an adjunct art professor for Moore Norman Technology Center currently working exclusively for The Well. She will teach two art classes at The Well, 210 S. James Garner Ave. in Norman.

“Art is the essential ingredient to empowering the hearts of ourselves and others,” Gores said.

One of the classes is painting for adults. The other class will focus on art for youth.

“My adult class is more heavily involved in the painting process,” Gores said. “We’ll explore various techniques and styles each week.”

The adult class serves ages 16 and up, while the youth class is for ages 9 to 16 years.

“I give guidance and step-by-step instructions to students,” she said. “I teach artistic procedures and give lots of options while students find their inner artist and unleash their creativity.”

Gores has a Bachelor in Fine Arts from East Central University with a focus in education, which makes her well-suited for teaching.

“I taught at Putnam City schools for a little over eight years,” she said. “I love being able to see the creativity come out of my students and to watch that growth and their pride in their accomplishments.”

Teaching at The Well is an opportunity to be creative and share that with the community while being able to have time with her family, Gores said.

The Well is providing pre-drawn canvases, paint, brushes and easels. Students take completed art with them.

“We don’t have aprons yet, so I encourage students to bring an apron or paint with caution,” she said.

The first adult class featured a colorful rooster, but future paintings will explore a variety of themes from different animals to landscapes and seascapes, as well as Van Gogh or Monet styles of painting.

“In the youth class, we’ll start with painting, but I hope to cover various mediums such as oil pastels, air-dried clay, colored pencils and water colors,” she said.

Gores hopes to teach sculpting, drawing, collage and other methods, in addition to painting in the youth class. She will teach several classes per month.

Currently, both youth and adult classes are on Tuesdays, but that will change in the fall.

“Each class, we will start and finish a new lesson,” she said. “Students will have a great opportunity to finetune their art abilities and enjoy creating at their own pace.”

Classes are capped at 10 students, so residents are encouraged to sign up early. Due to the cost of the materials, the adult class costs $10. Currently, the youth class is free.

“While the canvas is pre-drawn, it is far from a paint-by-numbers class,” Gores said. “There is room for creativity and individualism. You have autonomy to make choices as I’m walking you through your creation.”

Sign up for these and other classes at The Well at thewellok.org/all-classes.

Joy Hampton is a public information officer for Cleveland County.

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