NY ARTS ALIVE was founded in 2004 by local Hudson Valley artist Irene Czys. Irene grew up in NYC, and worked there until she moved to Rockland County in 1980. She has enjoyed a 35 year career in Graphic Design, Marketing, Publishing, Photography, Video and Art.
In 2004, she opened the Arts Alive Art School and Studio in the Garnerville Arts Center where she taught Drawing, Watercolor and Acrylic classes and workshops. She also had studio/class locations in the Hopper House in Nyack, in Nanuet and in Blauvelt until 2015.
She discovered that many local art programs were "sit down and paint" programs where beginner students were mixed in with advanced students and the beginner students felt lost and confused. Irene wanted her programs to be tailored to true beginners so she developed a series of easy-to-follow step-by-step classes and workshops that have helped hundreds of students discover their own artistic abilities!
In 2015 Irene paused are art teaching to pursue her interest in video and photography which she is still involved in today. However, Irene recently wanted to get back to her first love...art...so she has recently opened an Art Gallery in Nyack, where she will be showing her artwork along with the work of many other talented Hudson Valley artists! She has recently decided to offer some of her Art Classes and Workshops in the gallery.
Irene stated: "One of the saddest things I've heard from my adult and teen students is that an art teacher once told them that 'you will never be able to draw or paint.'
"The problem was that those TEACHERS didn't know how to teach! Clearly, they are in the wrong profession!" I teach an EZ Draw class that teaches anyone to basically be able to draw whatever they can see in just 3 hours! Students revealed amazing drawing skills! And the work my painting students created was truly amazing too!
"It brings me so much personal joy and satisfaction knowing that I helped many students overcome the false narrative injected by inept and frankly, cruel art teachers!"
