Rachel Hodis
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Exceptional Service at Every Level

Exceptional service at every skill level! Read more now on Hodis Learning & Music's website.

At Hodis Learning & Music, we pride ourselves on providing exceptional service for every skill level. Sure, any company can say they do these things, but we actually do, and we’ll explain how.


Our Expert Tutors and Teachers

We use a rigorous and methodical hiring process to ensure we have the most talented, experienced staff. We make sure that educators are proficient in the areas they are tutoring in and have several years of tutoring experience at the age-level they will be working with.

The same goes for our art and music educators. All music and art educators have completed formal education in their area of expertise, so you know you’re not only getting an instructor who is passionate about their instrument or medium, but also someone who was trained at the highest level.


Holistic Values

While we absolutely value improvement and high achievement at Hodis Learning & Music, we also value kindness and use it to guide everything we do. We use positive motivation, empathy, and engaging teaching methods to ensure students feel supported and excited to learn. When students feel safe and supported, improvement and excellence follow.


Every Skill Level

Whether you are a beginner who has never touched a guitar in your life or a drummer with 17 years of experience under your belt, we are able to help you achieve your goals and excel at the next level. This is true for every art medium and academic subject we teach. Academic tutoring can start as young as kindergarten and go up to college. Art and music instruction is for everyone from school-aged children learning an instrument or art medium for the first time, to adults picking up a hobby, to high school students looking to apply to art or music colleges.

Learn more by visiting our website at hodislearning.com or call us at (626) 227-1149 to start working with us today!

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Rachel Hodis

Artist Series: Georgia O’Keeffe

Blog post! Artist series: Georgia O'Keeffe. Image shows O'Keefe's famous painting, Pedernal and Red Hills.

Georgia O’Keeffe was born on November 15, 1887. She grew up on a farm in Wisconsin and was one of seven children.

Photo of Georgia O'Keeffe

After graduating high school in 1905, she studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League of New York. During that time she learned traditional painting techniques.

Four years later she experimented with abstract charcoal drawing after studying the ideas of Arthur Wesley Dow, a revolutionary American artist.

Artworks by Georgia O'Keeffe: New York Street with Home (left) and a charcoal drawing (right).

 

By the mid-1920s, Georgia O’Keeffe was highly regarded as a successful artist, known for her paintings of New York.

 

Deers Skull with Pedernal

In 1929 O’Keeffe took her first trip to New Mexico, where she found inspiration and beauty in the desert landscape and Native American and Hispanic culture. This inspired her painting for the next two decades.

 

Georgia O'Keeffe's painting, Pedernal and Red Hills

 

Georgia O’Keeffe died in Santa Fe, New Mexico on March 6, 1986. She was 98 years old. She is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and is known for her contributions to modern art.

 

Sources: https://www.okeeffemuseum.org/about-georgia-okeeffe/

 

Learn How to Paint Like O’Keeffe

Schedule a private art lesson with our expert art teacher!

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Rachel Hodis

Artist Series: Vincent van Gogh

Van Gogh's Starry Night Painting

This summer we’re starting an artist series where we’ll highlight a famous artist in a blog post! We’ll share facts and some of their most famous works in each post. This week we’re starting with Vincent van Gogh!

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Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch painter born in 1853.

While he is now highly-regarded as an influential artist and post-impressionist painter, he did not spend his whole life as an artist, and only sold one painting in his lifetime.

Van Gogh's Starry Night Painting. Learn how to paint with in our private art lessons!

Van Gogh began his career as an apprentice at an art dealership. It wasn’t until 1880 that he began to draw, mostly teaching himself. When he did paint, he used watercolor.

In 1881 he met and worked with other artists and eventually began oil painting.

Vincent van Gogh's paintings, Sunflowers (left) and self-portrait (right). Learn how to paint with one of our expert art teachers!

Throughout the last decade of his life, he studied different types of art, traveled, met other artists, and used nature as inspiration for his work. During this time he created some of his most famous paintings.

 

Vincent van Gogh's painting, The Bedroom. Learn how to paint with one of our expert art teachers!

Van Gogh is best known for his post-impressionist work characterized by bright, dramatic brush strokes.

 

Vincent van Gogh's painting, Irises. Learn how to paint with one of in our private art lessons!

 

He is also remembered as a lonely, misunderstood artist who struggled with mental health.

When van Gogh died in 1890, he was almost completely unknown, but now is one of the most well-known and influential artists of all time.

Sources: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vincent-van-Gogh

Learn How to Paint Like Van Gogh

Schedule an art lesson with an expert art teacher at Hodis Learning & Music today!

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Rachel Hodis

Building Your Art Portfolio for Art School Applications

Building Your Art Portfolio for Art School Applications. New blog post! A photo of an art student painting and another art student creating a ceramic bowl.

If you’re a prospective art school applicant, you might already know about or even have your own art portfolio. After all, your portfolio is 90% of your application to schools, according to HLM educator and professional artist Gwen Hollingsworth. Gwen graduated from the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture in 2020 and now works professionally as a painter and art instructor in Los Angeles.

While UCLA was her chosen school, she is also familiar with the application process for the Art Center College of Design, Yale School of Art, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and California Institute of Arts. She can also help review art portfolios for high school programs such as LA County High School for the Arts.

We spoke with Gwen about the importance of your art portfolio, when you should have one compiled, how a professional review can prepare you to speak about your work, and what a portfolio review workshop might look like.

Q: What are the steps students must take to apply to art school?

  • A: It depends on the school, but most include a portfolio, a personal statement, and an application. It’s important to make sure you have a strong body of work that is continuous and cohesive. You’ll also need a good statement describing your work and practice and why you want to attend the school you’re applying to.

Q: How important is it to have a developed and polished art portfolio?

  • A: Your portfolio will be 90% of your consideration for art schools. Keep in mind though that while your portfolio is important, they’re also not expecting professional-level work. They really want to see that you have potential.

Q: What goes into developing and polishing an art portfolio?

  • A: It depends a bit on the schools you’re applying to because different schools have different requirements. However, for every school, it’s important to show a story and progression in your portfolio. You want to make sure all pieces of work are tied in and connected. It’s also important to craft your technique and show you know what you’re doing and that you do it well.

Q: How can you specifically help students develop their art portfolios?

  • A: I have a lot of experience talking about and critiquing artwork. I’ll ask students questions about why they’re making what they’re making. It’s important to be able to talk about your work. I also have experience with the application process and getting into a selective program. I know what schools are looking for and can help students meet those requirements. I can also help students refine and perfect their technical skills.

Q: How will students be better off after working with you on their art portfolios?

  • A: They’ll have a more realistic understanding of the application process. I also want to make sure they aren’t making random pieces. Instead, they’ll have a body of work that’s more put together and ready for review by an academic committee.

Q: What kinds of students, in terms of level and subject area, can you help?

  • A: I can help students of all levels and in different mediums, including painting, illustration, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and TV & Film Editing.

Read more about the Hodis Learning & Music Art Portfolio Workshop, which we’ll be offering soon! And learn more about Gwen or schedule a session with her today.

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Rachel Hodis

Art Lessons For Every Age

Do you remember when you were a kid and the freedom you felt sticking your hands in cold paint and slapping them all over paper. How fun was it to see the mix of colors you’d create or the imprint of your hand?

Art is an incredibly fun, freeing way to create and express yourself at any age! In a world where we spend so much time looking at what other people are doing– constantly observing and absorbing– we can actually create something tangible and meaningful through art.

Whether you are an experienced student seeking to build your art portfolio for college admissions, or a beginner trying something new, Hodis Learning and Music has talented educators who can support your artistic endeavors. Some of the art lessons you can take with an HLM educator include:

  • Drawing
  • Ceramics
  • Photography
  • Sculpture
  • Painting with acrylics, oil, or watercolor

Check out our awesome art educators and their interests and see what they enjoy doing in their free time here!

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