Being able to jump between media is what brings Sue Scott back again and again for classes at Port Townsend School of the Arts.

“I moved to Sequim in 2013 and I have been taking classes here since they opened,” she said. “Mixed media is what I really like. I dabble in the different fields and I needed a way to make my artwork cohesive. I am willing to take up anything, so I need to find a way to integrate it all.”

PTSA was founded in 2015 by area artists inside a former army supply depot at Fort Worden State Park.

At PTSA, the learning never ceases, even for seasoned artists, said Barbara Ramsey, a fiber artist and faculty member.

“There are tons of people here that know super cool stuff. I have taken classes in silk painting and doll making and non-fiber arts. I just feel like it is such an accessible way to open your mind to a different way of thinking about your work.”

Anna McEnery recently took her first classes at PTSA, and found the experience rewarding, she said.

“I am just so thrilled that they have an arts school here and that you can think about working on emerging the artist within you.”

McEnery works for Jefferson County Public Health, and used a vacation day to attend one of the class days, which was for mixed media.

“I am not an artist, but you feel like one here,” she said.

That day, the mixed media class was taught by Kathy Constantine. It was her first time teaching at the school.

“I am self-taught and it took me so long to learn all this stuff, so I would love to save people the trouble,” Constantine said. “I would love to help them find their creative voice and to not make all the mistakes I made through trial and error.”

Constantine was a former labor and delivery coach for a maternity ward, and said she enjoys being a mentor.

“I am a guide and I like to help people find their own voice and not try to imitate what other people create. Give them the tools and techniques, but don’t tell them how to express themselves.”

Constantine said having a facility such as PTSA available to the local community is invaluable.

“I think it is absolutely fantastic and that the majority of people do need to start in a classroom environment,” she said. “I think I am kind of different that way. I have always been an experimenter. I cook the same way I do art, by trying things. I don’t have the feeling that I’ve got to know everything.”

Most people, however, need to have a firmer foundation on which to build, she said, which can be laid at PTSA.

“It is really good they are offering this and there is a real variety of classes.”

Becoming a better artist

Scott said she has noticed her art getting better since attending classes at PTSA because of the feedback she gets from teachers and fellow students.

“Part of it is practice, but a large part of what you need as an artist, because you spend so much time alone and working alone, is to see what other people are doing and share the lessons they have learned.”

The best part of the school is that it is as informal as the participant decides.

“You need a place where you can regularly pop in and out of classes,” she said. “You meet new people, you get exposed to new things and then you take that back home and work it in.”

For more information about PTSA, visit ptschoolofthearts.org.