Art Classes

Oil, watercolor, and drawing in Marina’s Idaho Falls home studio — with live demonstration, theory, and practice at your side.

Reserve a spot

Home studio

Learn the way working artists learn

The most important thing Marina teaches is how to see as an artist. You are not copying objects. You work with shape, tone, color temperature, perspective, and the relationships between them — that is the language a painting is made of.

Art classes are held in Marina Zavalova’s home studio in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Whether you are beginning or returning to the easel after years away, you will work from life, watch Marina paint in front of you, and leave with a clearer eye for color, form, and light. Each session weaves rare books from her library, demonstration, theory, and plenty of time at the canvas. See examples of her oil, watercolor, and drawing in the portfolio.

Oil painting still life of autumn branches and crab apples by Marina Zavalova

Oil painting

Color mixing, brushwork, and the richness of oil — still life, landscape, and figure. Learn to build a painting in layers, the way Marina does in the studio and outdoors.

Watercolor painting of a sunlit tree by Marina Zavalova

Watercolor

Transparent color on paper, built from a plan. You observe the light, decide once, and paint from that decision. Chasing its changes as you work — especially outdoors — only unravels the painting.

Charcoal figure drawing study by Marina Zavalova

Drawing & figure drawing

Line, proportion, and the living model. Figure drawing sessions include a live model so you can study gesture, structure, and the figure from life.

Every class includes

More than a weekly lesson

Marina teaches as she was taught in the Russian academic tradition and as she has practiced for a lifetime: look, demonstrate, discuss, then paint.

  • Rare books from the studio libraryStudy masterworks up close, not only from a screen.
  • Live demonstrationsWatch color, edge, and composition solved in real time.
  • Theory and practiceWhy a painting works — then time to try it yourself.
  • Live model for figure drawingDraw from life, not only from photographs.
Oil painting of a purple iris by Marina Zavalova

Schedule & tuition

Come as you are. Times can flex.

The hours below are the regular studio rhythm. If they do not fit your week, say so — Marina can often find another time.

Adults

Monday & Wednesday

10:00 am – 1:00 pm & 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

$40 per 3-hour class

Oil, watercolor, or drawing. All levels welcome in the home studio.

Kids

Thursday

3:00 – 4:30 pm

A focused hour and a half for young artists — drawing and painting, with the same care Marina brings to her adult students.

Ask about the current kids tuition when you inquire. Times are negotiable.

Oil painting of two dogs, an example from Marina Zavalova’s studio teaching

Kids classes

Thursday afternoons in the studio

Young students learn to look — at animals, still life, and the world around them — and to put that looking onto paper or canvas. Classes are small, personal, and held in the same home studio as the adult sessions.

If Thursday at 3:00 does not work, write anyway. The time is negotiable.

Your teacher

55 years at the easel

Marina Zavalova has painted for more than five decades. She trained at two art schools, including the Art Academy in Moscow, and has taught oil, watercolor, and figure drawing at the College of Eastern Idaho for 10 years. She has shown in galleries across the country and taken part in juried competitions and workshops throughout the United States.

55 years of practiceStudio, plein air, and teaching
Two art schoolsIncluding the Art Academy, Moscow
10 years at CEIOil, watercolor, figure drawing
Galleries & competitionsShows and awards across the U.S.
Oil landscape at dusk by Marina Zavalova
Oil study of a musician resting by Marina Zavalova

One-to-one

Consultation for your project

Already at work on a painting, a series, or a portfolio? Marina also offers advice on pieces in progress — color, composition, and the next step. Bring what you are making, or describe what you hope to make.

The studio is ready when you are

Join an adult class on Monday or Wednesday, a kids class on Thursday, or ask for a time that fits.

(208) 262-1315

Call or text Marina, or send a note with the form below.
Instagram: @zavalovaart