Egg-in Nest is a unique art studio for artists located in Raleigh, NC just off Penny Road and Kildare Farm Road near the Cary and Apex town limits. Professional art supplies of every type fill the studio along with young artists and the occasional adult art student who are there to make art, learn art and love art.
What’s so different?
At Egg-in-Nest, in business for fifteen years, the artists receive one-on-one instruction while working on the projects they want to do. And that’s an important distinction. Here there are no “canned” art lessons. Instead the projects are chosen by the artists and reflect each student’s interests and personality (age 5-adult).
What type of student?
The studio caters to students of all types from home schooled young artists to year-round students, or those attending from traditional semester schools. The approach is designed to nurture creativity from the start of class to the end which comes way too sudden for the students who hate to leave this highly-creative, working-studio environment.
“In the beginning, new students wait for instruction from me on what to do. And that’s the impact our ‘top down’ learning system has had on our children, teaching them to wait for lessons to be doled out. At our studio, the young artists lose this behavior in a week or so and are soon picking out their own supplies and starting on their projects just like the experienced students do. It’s so much fun to see the creativity take charge.” says Jenny Eggleston, the resident artist, and the “Egg” in the studio’s name.
The studio’s learning process
With each student working on their own projects there is a wide range of media out at any given time. Each student therefore gets exposed to a wide variety of techniques and materials. As the students work on a their individual projects side by side mentoring develops, suggestions are made along with gentle critiques and open praising. Self confidence is passed out in heaps by the pound.
The elements of design, basic and advanced drawing techniques, and color theory are most often topics of discussion, mixed with stories of art masters. And at every step, love of art is the underlying theme. Jenny comments that with this open and unique organic approach, the artists are happy and more creative.
“I watch every day as great art happens in our studio.”
Jenny Eggleston
Artist in Residence
