News Flash

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to take a class at the Brambleton Center? They offer a little bit of everything from group fitness to art classes. After running the police agility course last month, I was ready to take it easy with some time in the studio.

I recently went over to join Intro to Watercolor, a multi-week class taught by Raine Matos, a graduate of Hollins University.

This week, Raine was going over mixed media techniques. The class was focusing on how to layer gauche, colored pencil, and other art supplies on top of a watercolor painting.

We worked on a timed exercise where we had three minutes with watercolor, three minutes with gauche, and three minutes with colored pencil. The idea was to be able to loosen up and practice the techniques without worrying about perfection. After the exercises, students had a chance to work on their own pieces with guidance from Raine.

Classes at the Brambleton Center are designed to be beginner friendly. Emily Hannah, one of the programmers, said, “if you haven’t taken an art class that you felt good about – even if it was like you got a frowny face in elementary school on something that you made – we are ready to welcome you in.”

Everyone I met at the Brambleton Center from Raine to the participants in the class were indeed very welcoming. Now is the perfect time to sign up for a class at the Brambleton Center because registration for spring classes is live. You can find some of the classes in the Spring RecLife Brochure or see the full list on classes here.

Watch the full video on YouTube.

Em Poertner is Roanoke County's Public Information Specialist. She hosts the Out of the Office podcast and Roam RoCo video series. If you have ideas for something to explore around Roanoke County, email her at epoertner@roanokecountyva.gov.