Archive » Arts and Entertainment

Art with Jada joins forces with local artist to teach painting

June 1, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

Local resident Ricky Schaede has opened his new business at Art with Jada on Mill Street in Orangeville. This is an important new step for Mr. Schaede to branch out on his own, to teach and have the time and space to paint when and how he wishes. His choice of renting space from Jada came quite organically, as he told the Citizen.

“Jada and I have been friends for a while. This just made sense for me to be my own boss and take charge of my own destiny,” he said. “She was generous to offer me a space to rent and do my own thing.”

He is very happy to have begun teaching his classes in his new location, for which people can register online through his website now that he is an independent agent. Mr. Schaede’s classes are running for the second half of June, and he is looking forward to doing kids’ summer classes, carrying into the fall, for youngsters and adults.

The summer classes are two-hour projects, and people can sign up for them in June.

During the summer, Schaede is staging his classes in June and August.

People can register online for the youth classes in August by email or telephone.

Schaede has been teaching since 2014, so he mentioned making this his ninth year teaching and says, “I love it; it’s extremely satisfying work. My most vivid memories are with my dad setting up materials to do art. He is an artist by hobby, doing wood carving, air brushing.”

Every painter needs walls on which to hang his work and in this, Orangeville has been a good support to Ricky Schaede. He is currently managing the art display at Moccaberry [coffee house], where his work and that of his artist friends are hanging. When he took it over, he completely re-did it and included new artists, he explained.

Schaede talked about the art world in Orangeville, “Art is thriving here. There are all different types of artists. Once things are established at Jada’s, I’ve taken a pause but this has always been an arts community. My only complaint is that young artists leave the town. They want to go to Toronto,” he said, “where the young art scene is.”

Yet, he likes living in a small town with a beautiful community vibe. Schaede offered the reassuring remark, “I know people and they know me.”

Originally, he and his family came from Brampton, moving first to Alton and then to Orangeville.

In August, he is running nine days of classes, two classes per day, per project, and kids can sign up for as many as they want. These projects result in two-hour sessions with a completed work of art, a time to practice drawing, and to learn about structure doing the same thing, while each person can do their own thing.

“I never want kids to create the same thing as each other but I want them to do their own versions.”

He has priced his lessons based on his experience, having been in the business for years, as well as his own time and costs of producing the lessons. He was happy to report that people are coming already, “with lots of repeat students who like my classes and the way I teach.”

One of the most rewarding parts of this is the students he has had for years, from young ages, watching them mature and grow as people and artists.

His own focus and style are always changing, for to keep painting the same, something would be wrong.

He told us, “When my mom passed away, I was doing all these birds and I had loosened up with oils. That bird series loosened my approach and now I work a combination.”

In some ways, his mother’s passing lit a fire under him to take the independence that he is trying to achieve here.

“It’s amazing how a loss can change you and give you another calling,” he remarked philosophically, adding to that mood that his ambition is to have a happy life, to live and make a positive impact on the community.

He wants to inspire young artists to have their art, give them support and earn the support of the community.

He said, “I’m not looking to be a millionaire or take over the world. I just want to make as positive an impact that I can.”

Emphatically, he declares that Orangeville has been very kind to him. Businesses have given him wonderful opportunities, all the way back in the day, with his paintings hanging in Barley Vine Rail (BVR), Euphoria and Maggiolly’s.

“This has been really important to me,” he was clear.

Asked why students should come to him, he offered, “I always make it a safe place to fall in love with art and think that art is for everyone. I try to connect you to the joy of making art first. Then you’re going to want to learn about art.

“To show that everyone can make art and to connect people with that the joy of art.”

If a person brings their personal stories with them, he encourages them to pour their trouble into art.

“Art,” he confirmed, “is therapeutic.”

Ricky Schaede does in-home private lessons and virtual lessons as well. For all those details and more information about the artist, his very interesting biography and his summer classes, check out his website at www.rickyschaede.com

Readers Comments (0)