“I had four years of classes with two instructors, but I was never able to reach this level of confidence and knowledge. I took a chance and reached out to Zhenya Gershman through a Blick demonstration. There’s just something about the way she teaches and her passion that, even through zoom classes, helped me reach this level. I’ve even learned from watching the other super talented students I’ve had the privilege to watch. Thank you Zhenya!! ”
“I’ve been painting for many years with a few different instructors. Good fortune led me to Zhenya Gershman. In only a few months, my work has progressed immeasurably. Zhenya is more than a teacher - she is a mentor. Students will find her to be dedicated, invested and honest in her teaching and her assessment of their individual growth. Because she is a brilliant artist, she understands the creative process and how unique that is for each student. I’m grateful to be working with her. ”
“It is a huge honor and privilege to be a student of Zhenya Gershman‘s Academy and to be in the company of such talented and hugely supportive fellow students. Zhenya has a way of continually pushing her students to new heights, and speaking for myself, enabling me to surprise myself and escape my own self-imposed limitations with her unique teaching skills. Thank you Zhenya for all you are, for all you have done and continue to do for your grateful students!”
“I have learned more in 2 lessons with Zhenya than I could have in months somewhere else! She is an excellent teacher and her style is creative, clear, and immediately implementable. This has been an investment of life-changing value so far and it has only just begun. Zhenya is very gifted and it’s obvious that she values imparting that wisdom because she deeply believes in the potential of her students to grow. I can easily present Zhenya’s Art Academy with the highest of recommendation.”
“Zhenya knows what is needed and she knows how to impart the knowledge. Trusting her is also trusting myself, that whatever I do I can get where I want eventually to be. Zhenya’s work speaks for her ability to see and analyze - that she can also convey this to students in a way that they can hear it is her great talent.”
“Zhenya is an art teacher that is on another level! From her tour of the masters at the Getty to her teaching in her studio has been an incredible experience for me. I have had no formal training, never worked with oils or live models and she immediately put me at ease. Her patience, her love for what she does and her encouragement, has given me the confidence to paint without my negative inner critic! When you are in the studio with other students, she is attentive to each and every one of us as well as including us in demos. Her energy is contagious and I feel so lucky to have found her.”
“Zhenya Gershman is the most extraordinary teacher I have ever had. She seems to magically know how to help me grow beyond my wildest dreams as a painter. I am so deeply grateful to her for guidance, instruction, inspiration, and insights which have nurtured me as a painter.”
“I told my family I’ve started painting again and I’ve learned more from Zhenya’s Art Academy in such a short time than I have in the four years I did in other classes. I have had teachers, but no one was ever able to explain warm and cool colors before now. Thank you!”
“I have been painting with Zhenya for a year and I continue to be amazed by her genuine love of teaching. Zhenya is determined to help her students delve deep in order to truly understand what it is we are painting. I had absolutely no idea that I could paint and I have learnt to trust my own abilities and I cannot wait to learn more. Thank you Zhenya!”
“Zhenya is the best painting teacher I know and she passionately loves teaching. The first time I attended her Getty lecture I was stunned and exhilarated by Zhenya’s wealth of knowledge, her rare perspective of being both artist and art historian, and her peerless talent as an educator and speaker. Museum tours don’t usually hold my interest, but Zhenya was captivating and able to answer any questions that came up about the history, the Masters and their techniques.”
“And then, after sixteen years of dormancy, the acrimony and ugliness playing out in a divided America inspired me to look to painting for solace and I decided to take art classes. I found an incredible art teacher, Zhenya Gershman, who helped rebirth the artist in me and empowered me to experience the exquisite delight and cathartic pain of painting.”
“I took Zhenya’s workshops at her art studio and every time it was magical! Each class was different from the other and it was always great. I am delighted to discover that online classes are able to keep this magic and I’m so happy to now have the option to paint at home by myself, but still with the support and detailed directions from my lovely teacher.”