Kirkwood looks to spread appreciation, love of art with non-credit Blinn-Schulenburg class

Artist to teach Exploring Art course beginning March 24

February 24, 2026

Fernanda Kirkwood says she loves teaching art – and what art can teach people.

Kirkwood will serve as the instructor for an Exploring Art class offered this spring at the Blinn College-Schulenburg Campus. The non-credit leisure learning course will meet Tuesdays from March 24 through April 28, from 6-7:30 p.m.

“I believe art can do wonders for the mind and soul of a person,” she said. “This class is a basic art dynamic warm-up course before the more serious painting begins.”

Students will experiment with acrylic paint, making abstract shapes, lines, and textures, and will delve into color theory to make mixing fun.

“The paintings will be done on simple surfaces found at home from recycled materials like cardboard, packaging paper, card stocks, rocks, and scraps of wood. Many things can be useful to paint over without the necessity of always buying expensive art materials,” she said.

Kirkwood is a teacher with Arts for Rural Texas, which was established in 2003 to provide art education in rural schools. Recognizing that exposure to the arts would only be possible if brought directly to local communities, organizers set out to provide meaningful cultural experiences that nurture personal and academic growth.

Kirkwood, who has been painting since she was a child, earned a degree in visual arts from Bellas Artes school in Mexicali, Mexico, and has taken additional coursework at Southwestern College.

Throughout her career as an artist, Kirkwood has experimented with different materials.

“My favorite is making sculptures, some from paper and cardboard, clay and pottery, wool, wood, wire, and recently air-dry foam clay,” she said. Kirkwood also works in watercolors, acrylic, and mixed-media landscapes and portrait painting.

“I like the joy and the creative confidence that art brings out of people,” she said. “I believe that we are all creative beings capable of making wonderful and unique things. Having that experience in life is giving students a chance to be playful by discovering something new, exciting, and refreshing about themselves.”

Cost of the course is $89. For more information on the Exploring Art course and other classes being offered, visit www.blinn.edu/workforce or contact Loraine Orellana, Coordinator of Distance and Community Education, at 979-743-5237 or loraine.orellana@blinn.edu.