Posted on: October 3, 2018

Humans were inspired to create art on cave walls thousands of years ago to try to understand their place in the world. Art in all its many forms inspires creativity and innovating thinking, which helps increase motivation and appreciation in all aspects of our lives.

Jenny Nagle is an artist and instructor who specializes in sculpture, painting, and drawing. “I think it’s important to incorporate all three into the classes I teach,” she explained. “Learning to draw gives my students a great foundation for visualizing how they want to proceed with a project. Sometimes we start with landscapes, so they can learn about perspective and proportion, and then build upon that. I like to help them learn and understand the process of creating, and then let them work independently to bring their vision to life.”

Nagle is offering a new class through the Glen Ellyn Park District in October. “The new class is called “Draw, Paint, & Paper Mache“, and we’ll focus on making three-dimensional masks that the students can hang on their wall as a decoration,” she said.

Part of creating the masks involves learning to put things together in the right sequence. “Students start by choosing a subject for their mask; this could be an animal, a zombie, or a whimsical fantasy-type person or creature,” Nagle explained. “They then create a representational drawing of their idea. Once that’s complete, they’ll use a balloon to create the base layer for the paper mache to form the mask. After that, they can work on three-dimensional details, including muzzles and other features. The final step involves painting the dried mask to achieve the look they’re going for. I love seeing what each student comes up with. They really enjoy the process, and they’re so excited when their mask is complete.”

There are many benefits for kids who take art classes of any kind. “It’s important to be exposed to different styles of art, and to experiment with a variety of mediums,” said Nagle. “Sculpture, painting, and drawing all help develop fine motor skills, and give kids opportunities to express themselves. It also gives them opportunities to fail at something, so they’ll learn to try again and to try harder to succeed. It gets them out of their safe zone, and helps them develop confidence, which they’ll carry with them throughout their life.”

Nagle earned her BFA in Painting (Fine Arts) at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. “I received additional instruction and training in both sculpture and painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and I studied ceramics with the renowned Marina Kuchinski at the College of DuPage,” she added. “I’ve always worked in visual arts, including collaborating with interior designers to create mural paintings and installing foam displays for a variety of retail stores.”

Nagle also taught art classes for 18 years at the Community School of the Arts at Wheaton College. “I have of repeat students from that program,” she said. “Some have transferred to my classes at the Glen Ellyn Park District.”

Becoming an artist came naturally to Nagle, as she is part of an artistic family. One of her favorite artists is Anish Kapoor, the sculptor who created Cloud Gate, also known as “The Bean”, located in Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. “He addresses playing with our perception of things, which is fascinating,” said Nagle. “You look at the Bean, but you’re also looking at yourself.”

Nagle also tries to incorporate other artists’ works into her curriculum. “When I show them works by Picasso, especially paintings from his Cubist period, they can’t appreciate his talent; for that matter, I didn’t either when I was younger. But when I show them one of his paintings from when he was fourteen years old, they’re amazed at how realistic it looks.”

Draw, Paint & Paper Mache classes offered by artist Jenny Nagle will begin on October 25th and October 27th. For more information and to register, please click here.