Hi, I'm Courtney Sanford, artist, author, homeschool mom, and founder of Delightful Art Co.
For seven years, I taught Western cultural history to homeschooled 10th-graders, and for even longer, I taught art and design. My Western Cultural history students wrote a ton of essays about art, and one day a student who was in both my history class and my art class asked, “Why don’t we paint instead of writing about art?” That question changed everything.
Drawing on my design training (B.A. in Design from North Carolina State University) and my training and experience in classical education, I created a new kind of class—one that blends the story of art history with the joy of hands-on creativity. The idea grew into an online course, and since then, more than 300 students and moms have painted their way through “Paint Your Way Through Art History.”
What makes Delightful Classes unique?
* We teach an academic subject and art in one class.
* Students do their work in mixed media art journals, so they create their own book on the subject, making learning creative.
* We are relational: most classes are live because we believe students learn best in a relationship with the teacher.
* We invite parents to watch and participate in class so they can support and encourage their student outside of class time.
At Delightful Art Co, we believe creating is how we connect—with our gifts, with each other, and with our Creator. Through live online classes, retreats, and books, we make art meaningful, joyful, and accessible for every skill level.
Where is there a lemon and a lightbulb in the logo?
Delightful Art Co. became an online school during the pandemic, so when life gave me lemons, I made lemonade and the online classes were a hit and I was able to reach many more students. I also use lemons to lemonade in art classes helping students turn a "mistake" in their painting into something good. (Like Bob Ross calls "happy little accidents.")
The lightbulb represents creativity. In all our classes we encourage students to add their own ideas to the work and think outside the box. Creativity is an important skill no matter what field you go into. Real leaders are the ones who can come up with creative ways to solve problems.
Our Mission:
To glorify God through art education by supporting homeschool families with guidance integrating art into academics and to encourage and support budding Christian artists.
Our Core Values:
The following values can be seen in all our teachers. We hope they rub off on our students, too!
1. Humility: We're eager to learn new things.
2. Enthusiasm: We can make it fun.
3. Integrity: We stick with it.
4. Grace: We give it.
5. Excellence: We give it our all!
Our Statement of Faith
"God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
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