Karl Stephan Studio
"Pantheon, Rome" Oil on Canvas, Student Age 17
Museum-quality lessons in art and art history for teens, adults and groups help students find and develop their visual language through personalized instruction.
Studio students have gone on to be admitted to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, MassArt, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Savannah College of Art and Design, Tufts School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University Arts, and others.
See the history of art as a shared human endeavor across all cultures.
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Connect with friends and co-workers through artistic collaboration.
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Offerings:
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Teen Classes: First-Year Painting, Developing Visual Language, Next Steps
"Karl is very helpful with painting. He has helped me improve my work a lot... I'm much more confident in acrylics and I'm really enjoying working with oil paints. Being in Karl’s class is really fun - he is very funny and plays great music!" Aly, Age 13
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"...we are so impressed with your teaching and her progress this last year...we really have seen a spark in her art, and her most recent oil efforts are all looking great. Art is her passion, and I'm thrilled she's found a great teacher to help her along this path." Joe, Aly's Dad
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"Karl is cool!" Sophia Age 17
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"Our daughter (Sophia) studied drawing and painting with Karl for several years. His ability to connect with teens is exceptional, and he has consistently encouraged her to stretch her imagination while simultaneously improving her technique and evolving her personal style. Karl successfully creates community, among his students, their families and the greater local arts scene. Karl has been an important mentor for our daughter's artistic and personal journey."
Eric and Debbie, Sophia's Parents
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Adult Classes: Returning to Art-Making, Developing Visual Language, Next Steps
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"Karl helped me loosen up and to learn new skills... I enjoyed the creative drawing projects, lessons in composition, and his gentle suggestions. Great teacher for adult learners!"
Maren Anderson, Boston
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"...Karl was able to pull the artist that had been hiding in me out. Now I am able to create large works for friends and family which I've received great feedback on." Matt T., Boston
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Group Classes: The Power of Art History
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"I wanted to take an art history course that inspired me, that would take a creative approach while exploring the past, but still keep my eyes and thoughts on the present. I often professionally pair living composers with living visual artists. Not only did Karl Stephan achieve my art history wish list, he did it with grace and compassion, always staying fresh and interesting, giving us examples that inspired and gave us lots to think about. I love being able to look both forward and back in time with the new perspectives I have gained by taking The Power of Art History."
Sarah Bob, Musician & Creative Director
NewGallery Concert Series, Faculty, Longy School of Music
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"Thank you, Karl for a beautiful class! My ability for appreciating art has always been limited by my own self-consciousness that I don't know enough about it, therefore I don't understand it. So taking the class was a way to push through that barrier and it actually worked!"
Maria Minkova
Arlington, MA
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"I found myself sad at the end of both Art History classes with Karl because it became a community of new and old friends to visit with every week. Especially wonderful because art is a subject that we love...student (final) presentations were inspiring and a complete surprise! That’s the fun of it!"
Myra Loveless
Artist, Houston TX
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"As a teacher, Karl has the remarkable ability to inspire and relate to students of all ages. His love of art and art-making is genuine and infectious. He has an uncanny ability to keep students focused and productive for hours, whether in his studio-based classes or the hushed galleries of the MFA. Karl has an exhaustive knowledge of art history and a visual memory to match. My work with Karl helped me prepare a strong portfolio for application to the Tufts-SMFA’s masters in fine arts program, where I am now a 2nd year graduate student. I base this on my first-hand experiences as a student in his painting classes, an observer of his MFA-based drawing classes and a participant in his Power of Art History online course."
Rose Christian, MFA
Tufts School of the Museum of Fine Arts
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Additional Teaching Experience
Click here for testimonials and more about Guided Art Experiences.
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