In the heart of Richardson, Texas, tucked away from the neon-lit rush of Arapaho Road, something quiet and profound happened this past Valentine’s weekend.
As an artist who has spent over two decades at the easel, I have always viewed the studio as a a place where time behaves differently. Most of the year, that art studio is a private site of struggle and revelation for my own work. But this last Saturday, I opened the doors of Art Be You to a group of couples and friends for an experiment in “The Art of Presence.”
We called it “Paint Your Date.“
To the casual observer, it might have looked like any other weekend art class. But for those inside, it was a fun, somewhat academic, and deeply personal investigation into what it means to truly see the person sitting across from you.
Beyond the “Sip and Paint” Loop
The modern “recreational art” scene is dominated by a specific model: the “Sip and Paint.” It’s an industry built on entertainment, where the goal is to follow a leader, drink a glass of wine, and produce a copy of a pre-determined picture that usually represent a sunset or a wine glass. There is nothing wrong with entertainment, but at the Bartosz Beda Art Academy, we aim for something more.
I founded this academy on the principle of Academic Fine Art Instruction. I believe that the act of painting is a cognitive workout. It is a discipline of the mind as much as the hand. When I designed “Paint Your Date,” I wanted to strip away the “noise”, the loud music, the crowded rooms, and the “follow-the-leader” repetition.
I wanted to offer a Creative Experience.
My goal was to take individuals, many of whom hadn’t touched a paintbrush since grade school, and guide them through a university-level investigation of portraiture. I wanted to prove that with the right “System of Seeing,” anyone can move beyond the “picture” of a person and capture their “presence.”
The Studio as a Sanctuary: The Importance of Environment
Last week, I spent dozens of hours remodeling the studio. I moved bookshelves, cleared out twenty years of accumulated “studio noise,” and rearranged the furniture to create an open, breathable space. I wanted the room to feel as intentional as the marks we make on canvas.
As an artist, I’ve realized that the ceiling height doesn’t matter as much as the intellectual atmosphere. When you walk into Art Be You, you aren’t walking into a classroom; you are walking into a working master’s studio. The walls are lined with my current investigations of a large-scale figurative abstractions and quadtychs that have been in progress for months.
This environment signals to the student: This is serious. This is real. You are an artist here.
For our Valentine’s couples, this setting was the first step in their “screen break.” We live in an era of digital exhaustion. We spend our days “doom-scrolling,” consuming thousands of fragmented images a minute. To sit in a quiet studio, under professional lighting, with the smell of high-end pigments in the air, is a radical act of rebellion against digital fatigue.
The Methodology: Instructional Scaffolding
One of the most common things I hear from new students is: “Bartosz, I can’t even draw a stick figure.”
Fear of the “blank page” is the #1 reason people stop creating. To solve this, I utilize a pedagogical technique called Instructional Scaffolding.
In a 90-minute session, we don’t have time to master three years of anatomy. But we do have time to master the logic of the brushstroke, the chemistry of color mixing, and the physics of light.
I gave my students the freedom to be brave.
The Experience: The Dialogue of the Gaze
When the sessions began, the energy in the room shifted instantly. There is a specific kind of silence that happens when people are focused. It isn’t a “bored” silence; it’s a “working” silence.
The task was simple but demanding: Paint your partner.
When we look at our loved ones, we rarely see them through the lens of an artist. Our brains use “symbols.” We see “eyes,” “lips,” and “hair.” But in the studio, I taught them to see Value and Temperature.
I watched as couples looked at each other with an intensity they probably hadn’t felt in years. They weren’t just looking at their spouse or friend; they were investigating the architecture of their face.
We used a Limited Palette of professional-grade pigments. I don’t use “craft store” paint in my academy. We used Golden and Liquitex Professional heavy-body acrylics. The difference is noticeable. You can feel the weight of the pigment. You can see the “vibration” of the color in a way that cheap paints simply cannot achieve.
The “Color Alchemy” of the Human Face
Looking at the photos of the finished works, you can see the results of a color logic. Look at the vibrant pinks in the glasses of one portrait, the deep, rich greens used to ground the beards of another, and the atmospheric purples in the backgrounds. These aren’t just “faces”; they are studies in Chromatic Harmony.
Analyzing the Results: Beyond Likeness
I am incredibly proud of what was achieved this weekend. If you scroll through the gallery of photos, you’ll see a wide range of styles.
Some students leaned into a more Expressionistic approach, using bold, thick marks (impasto) to create a sense of energy. Others were more Contemplative, carefully layering transparent washes to find a subtle glow.
One of my favorite images from the night is of the couple standing in front of my large “Palm” quadtych, holding their finished portraits. There is a beautiful contrast there: the professional, months-long investigation of the master artist in the background, and the 90-minute “Moment of Revelation” of the students in the foreground.
Both are valid. Both are “Art” with a capital A.
The Shared Success
There was a moment on Saturday night where a lady forgot her purse and had to come back to the studio. When her husband walked back in, he looked at the empty easels and the quiet room and said how much he had enjoyed the painting experience.
That, to me, is the ultimate metric of success.
In “War Time” business, we often talk about revenue and enrollment. And yes, those things are vital to the survival of the academy. But the “Soul” of Art Be You is providing that moment of peace. It’s providing the “Stamp in Time” where a student can say, “For 90 minutes, I wasn’t a manager, or a mother, or a worker, but I was an observer. I was a painter.”
Looking Forward: The Spring Studio Series
The Valentine’s event was a “Proof of Concept,” but the journey at the Academy is just beginning. As we move into the Spring 2026 semester, I am opening up more opportunities for the Dallas and Richardson community to experience this “System of Seeing.”
If you missed “Paint Your Date,” or if the experience left you hungry for more, I invite you to join our upcoming Academic Intensives. We are strictly limiting these groups to 6 seats per session to ensure that every student receives the same level of one-on-one mentorship that our Valentine’s couples enjoyed.
March Focus: The Atmospheric Landscape (Tuesdays)
We will spend five sessions (March has a bonus Tuesday!) investigating the acrylic painting. We will move beyond “flat” surfaces and learn how to use value and temperature to create an infinite sense of depth.
👉 Explore the Painting Course
March Focus: The Drawing Foundation (Wednesdays)
This is the “Skeleton” of everything. We master the graphite scale, proportional sighting, and the “Logic of Light.” If you’ve ever wanted to build a real skill from the ground up, this is the place to start.
👉 Explore the Drawing Course
The Spring Academy Pass: The Ultimate Commitment
For those who are ready to fully commit to their creative transformation, I am offering the Spring Academy Pass. This pass secures your easel for the entire three-month semester (March, April, and May). It is a progressive curriculum that takes you from the “Skeleton” of drawing to the “Skin” of advanced figurative painting.
It is an investment in your mental health, your cognitive focus, and your mastery of a timeless craft.
👉 Spring Academy Pass – Secure Your Seat
Final Thoughts
To the three couples who joined us this Valentine’s Day: Thank you. Thank you for trusting me with your evening and for being brave enough to “let the image fail” so that the painting could begin.
Every portrait you created is a record of a decision made, a gaze shared, and a memory captured in oil and pigment. You are now part of the history of this studio.
To those reading this: The studio is reset. The pencils are sharpened. The art space is open.
I look forward to seeing you at the easels.
Bartosz Beda
Director, Art Be You Academy
Richardson, TX
