Creative
Coaching

Creative Coaching is simply assisting any artist along their creative path. For artists of any age, whether they are preparing a portfolio, seeking a creative outlet, or looking to explore and express their creative depths.

Established artists also benefit from Coaching; Objective feedback, brainstorming fresh ideas, or a shift in perspective can provide you with the confidence to continue your current path or explore an exciting new direction.

Book a Coaching class!

Portfolio
prep classes

Portfolio prep classes for
Canterbury High School’s
Visual Art Program

Learn more

Portfolio Prep classes for the following
Post-Secondary Programs;

  • Fine Art
  • Architecture
  • Design
  • Animation

Learn more

GROUP
CLASSES

Looking For Some Artistic Fun?!
Explore Your Creative Side In Small Group Settings

Mixed Media Mania

In this class we will play with different paint and drawing media, collage and fabric and learn as we go. In addition to various mediums we will work on surfaces such as paper, canvas and wood. We will explore a variety of subject matter – both real and imagined! Let’s see what kind of crazy fun we can get up to in the world of mixed media mania – let’s go!

Book a class!

Learn To Draw

Learning to draw is not scary! Using both traditional and more contemporary techniques we will work on developing skills of objective drawing, composition, make-making and more!

Book a class!

Patchwork Party

Bring your fabric, sewing needles, thread and embroidery floss and let’s create some patchworks together! Patchwork is a wonderful way to express yourself. We will work with different imagery, simple stitches and fabric paint. Your patches and can be framed as stand alone piece or sewn together to create larger works such as blankets or wall hangings.

Book a class!
photo credit: Helene Anne Fortin

ABOUT
ME

One of my most favourite things in life is to support creative projects and people.

I love to pass on artistic knowledge and practices that I have found useful in my own work and that of the many students I have taught over the last 20 years.

Whether I am facilitating students work during Portfolio Preparations or working with Creatives who love throwing mixed media materials around and seeing what sticks, my passion is artistic expression and encouraging others to trust the creative process.

My teaching philosophy is simple; build trusting working relationships with students and the art will follow! This trust fosters the motivation required, and feeds the confidence and skill building in the student to generate the work. I provide a safe and supportive teaching environment where students are encouraged to be themselves and express this in their artistic endeavours.

I offer private and small group classes in my home studio, on zoom and will make house calls 🙂

Please contact me for information on upcoming classes.

For more information about me and what I do please visit my website vanessauschy.ca, and/or my instagram @twinfeathersstudio

TESTIMONIALS

CONTACT

    CONTACT

      MEDIA

      Blog posts

      Canadian Canoe Museum – Contribute to the making of a 14-foot textile canoe with artist-in-residence Vanessa Coplan

      Canadian Canoe Museum – Extended – Contribute to the making of a 14-foot textile canoe with artist-in-residence Vanessa Coplan

       

      Press Coverage

      www.thehumm.com

      Global News: Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough hosting public build of 14-foot textile canoe

      PTBOCanada: Help Make A 14-Foot Textile Canoe At Canadian Canoe Museum With Artist-In-Residence Vanessa Coplan

      Peterborough Examiner: Otonabee Ward: Paddle into autumn at Peterborough’s Canadian Canoe Museum

      Electric City Magazine: Museum Invites Citizens to Create Community Textile Canoe Project

       

       

      Social Media

      Canadian Canoe Museum post #1 (Facebook)

      Canadian Canoe Museum post #2 (Facebook)

      Canadian Canoe Museum post #3 (Facebook)

      PTBO Canada post #1 (Facebook)

      CHEX Newswatch – Aug 22, 2019 (Twitter)

      Marg Bartlett – Aug 27, 2019 (Twitter)

      PTBO Canada – Aug 19, 2019 (Twitter)

       

      OSCAR – The Ottawa South Community Association Review

      September, 2019 – Dirty Hands, Creative Play and the Clay Creations of Kelly Hastings

      October, 2019 – Passion not pushing fuels Bella Torunski’s art

      November, 2019 – Tanya Collins: Family heritage, intuition, and an open-heart guide her creative path

      December, 2019 – Creative problem solving…when you have great ideas but have completely run out of time

      January, 2020 – Un-common sense, social smarts and creativity

      February, 2020 – The presence of place: Artist Leslie Reid

      March, 2020 – Building “creative character,” the ingredients to living art

      April, 2020 Creative options for filling your down time

      Curriculum Vitae

      Vanessa Uschy, B.A., OCADA, M.A.

      Personal Data

      Address: 312 Ramsay Concession 12, Almonte, Ontario, K0A 1A0
      Phone: (613) 558-4661
      E–Mail: ness@vanessauschy.ca
      Web: https://vanessauschy.ca      
      https://vanessaU.ca.                  Citizenship: Canadian

      Education

      2000-2008 Carleton University (Ottawa)
      M.A. in Art History (part-time studies)

      1995-1999 Ontario College of Art and Design (Toronto)
      Diploma Program, drawing and painting major

      1997-1998 Off-campus year abroad program, Florence, Italy

      1989-1993 McGill University (Montreal)
      B.A. in Anthropology

      Awards

      Mrs. W. O. Forsyth Award (Awarded to fourth year women painters)
      Ontario College of Art and Design (Toronto)

      2016-2017

      Artist in Residence

      Canterbury High School, Ottawa:In preparation for the I, Canada Exhibition at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte Ontario in 2017

      Selected Exhibitions, Talks, Jurying

      2024 “Text/iles”, Art Talk, Almonte Writers Guild, Mississippi Mills Public Library

      2024 West Carleton Art Society, Juror

      2019 “It Takes A Village To Build A Canoe”, Peterborough Canoe Museum, mixed media textile canoe
      2017 Jabbany Hair Salon, 1067 Bank Street, Ottawa
      2017 The Mississippi Textile Museum, The I, Canada Project, Almonte, Ontario
      2017, 2015, 2013, 2011, 2007 Loft Artist Studio Open House
      2016 The Annex Gallery, Interwoven, City Hall, Ottawa
      2014 – 2015 Ottawa Mixed Media Artists (OMMA) Small Wonders South III, French Café, Manotick
      2014 – 2015 Art and Parcel holiday show, ART Rental and Sales, Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG)
      2014 – 2015 Visual Assembly, OAG Annex Gallery
      2014 Ottawa Art Gallery Sales and Rentals, Ottawa
      2014 OMMA, Proverbs, Centrepointe Theatre Gallery, Ottawa

      Teaching

      I have been teaching art since 2003 in a variety of venues in Ottawa. I specialize in coaching  students in elementary school and high school who are interested in preparing visual art portfolios for education programs, employment and exhibitions.  I also offer coaching programs to those interested in diving deeper into their artistic practice.

      To learn more about my teaching please visit my website at https://vanessauschy.ca/teaching.

      Courses I Have
      Created and Taught

      Creative coaching – all ages

      Teaching Venues

      My home studio (2013-2024)
      Algonquin College (2014, 2019)
      Ottawa School of Art (2003-2013, 2024)
      Old Ottawa South Community Centre (2012-2013)
      Greenboro Community Centre (2012-2013)
      Soloway Jewish Community Centre (2003-2008)
      For Media and Publication information please visit my website at https://vanessauschy.ca/media.