Yulia Balobanova
I have been teaching art since 2015 and my mission has always been to inspire people to create their own art, especially if they do not have any previous art experience. I truly believe that everyone can do art with the right guidance. And with simple materials that you probably already have in your home!
I have been painting and drawing since childhood, and completed my professional art education at a reputable Design School in Saint Petersburg, Russia. I worked in interior design for many years, and also designed custom furniture for clients. Now, my passion is teaching art to children and adults and inspiring people to be creative. Art can be relaxing, help you express yourself, and you always learn something new. I am making art accessible to people so anyone can try their hand at painting, drawing, or sewing.
I focus on creating a friendly, cozy and supportive atmosphere for my students and explain very simply how to draw or paint. Participants come away from the workshop or art class with a beautiful final picture. I’ve taught art classes to young children of 5-6 years old, to private groups of adults, and to seniors, who all enjoyed the experience!
I am a multimedia artist. I love learning new techniques for my own practice and for teaching my students. My favorite mediums for now - watercolor and watercolor pencils which I can draw in my sketchbooks everywhere. I also love hand sewing, crochet, embroidery, sport, yoga and travelling. I am inspired by nature and love to share this passion with you in the pictures we create.
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My family - husband, 3 children and 2 cats are my big love and support!
Art Instructor: Brynn Kirbyson
My name is Brynn, and I have been a teaching assistant and art instructor alongside Yulia for over a year now. Since I can remember I have always had a burning passion for fine arts, and I enjoy channelling that through teaching the youth. I am in my fourth year at the University of Waterloo in the fine arts department with a teaching specialisation.
My goal is to guide my students through step by step instructions to complete a piece of work they are proud of. I always encourage my students to use their creative imaginations to create unique artworks. Our classroom is a friendly space filled with eager students to express themselves through their art. It is my belief that art is for everyone and is so important for the development of a child's sense of identity.
As an artist, I am a multimedia creator, I am drawn to acrylic painting, linocutting, and drawing. I am inspired by the world around me, especially the intimate beauties of day to day life.
I grew up in the charming town of Port Carling, nestled in the scenic region of Muskoka. Living in Muskoka exposed me to the wonders of nature, as I frequently embarked on long walks and developed a profound admiration for the natural world. Skating has been a part of my life since the age of five, both in arenas and the great outdoors. I have been playing competitive ice hockey for about 15 years, and I continue to pursue the sport during my time at university. In addition to hockey, I enjoy engaging in other hobbies like skateboarding, ATVing, snowboarding, and thrifting.
I am immensely grateful for the experiences I have shared with Yulia and the rest of our remarkable team. Each art class is a source of excitement for me as I get to work with incredibly talented, bright-minded, and inspiring young artists. I eagerly look forward to continuing this journey with them.
Art Instructor: Katy Malkevich
I have been creating art for as long as I remember, everything from aspiring to be a fashion designer in grade 4 to now being an art teacher assistant and taking art courses at the University of Waterloo.
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I am currently in my second year of post secondary education and I am majoring in Fine Arts at the University of Waterloo and striving towards becoming an art educator in the next five years. I enjoy teaching younger kids as they almost always have a much broader imagination and I find that a fun environment to be in; I myself have a younger sister whom I teach art at home and I thoroughly enjoy passing down my knowledge to her.
As an artist I enjoy working with mainly oil paint, but I have great experience with all sorts of materials such as acrylic paint, clay, glass painting, pencil sketching, oil and dry pastels, and many more. Although I tend to lean towards a realistic style, I enjoy experimenting and trying new things with art.
I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to work for Yulia as an art assistant and art instructor and learn more about the art of education.
Marketing and social media assistant: Maximilienne Lalonde
My name is Maxi, and I am a member of Yulia’s team as a marketing and social media assistant! I have always been passionate about creating meaningful works that can arouse emotions in individuals, and as a first-year visual arts major at university, I am hoping to continue doing this in my future.
In my position, I am lucky to have the opportunity to incorporate both my love of art and digital design in order to curate expressive pieces of media. Rousing my various graphic design experiences within my creations, my work can be considered a combination of visually appealing and informative, allowing me to create captivating designs that draw in audiences and leave a lasting impression.
I am thrilled to be working with Yulia on exciting projects, and am looking forward to seeing what we’ll create!
Art Instructor assistant: Mira Abdullayeva
Volunteer for Spring Session, Summer Camp July 4-7 and Fall Session, 2023
My name is Mira, and I’ve been very passionate about art since I was a little kid! I have always loved to create new things, join in on local art classes, and spend my time in art galleries . As a student in high school I wish to continue pursuing my creative side and help out
others who also love art.
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After high school I hope to pursue a career that will allow me to also
think freely and create beautiful things!
At school, I also love to include myself in art clubs, and classes. I think it is important to have a time in your day where you can let imagination flow, no matter which form of art you choose to express it in! I personally love working with graphite. I find it very relaxing to draw in my sketchbook and let my creative side shine. Painting is also one of my favorite art mediums, it is amazing what you can do with colors and different types of paint.
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All styles of art amaze me, and I love to appreciate them all, since everything is unique!
I am very grateful for this opportunity to work with Yulia and the rest of the team. I am excited to help out others while also learning new things and skills.
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My name is Siwoo Kwon.
I am going to Huron Heights this September, and I will be in grade 9. The reason I am volunteering here is because I like art.
I also like coding and playing the piano because those are very related to art. They both require creativity and expressiveness. Coding can be seen as a form of art, as programmers use their skills to create unique and functional software. Similarly, playing the piano involves interpreting and expressing emotions through music, making it a creative and artistic endeavor.
I am looking forward to learning useful skills and developing deep bonds with kid.
Siwoo Kwon
Volunteer for Fall Session 2023
I have always enjoyed all forms of art including watercolour, painting, and drawing. I started taking art classes with Yulia in 2021, and was excited to have the opportunity to have my sketch included in her student exhibit. I have also set up my own space for art creation at home.
I love working with kids, and I am looking forward to volunteering at Yulia's art camps this summer!
I am a student at Elmira District Secondary School. My other interests include rock climbing, swimming, music, cats, and writing.
Adelia Albrecht
Volunteer for Summer Camps 2023
My name is Emily Hilverda. I’m a 15 year old student who is going into tenth grade. In my free time I like to draw, write, play piano, and accidentally spend hours researching Club Penguin lore.
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Art is something I’m very passionate about - in fact, I wouldn’t mind pursuing it as a career in the future! While I enjoy writing stories and songs, visual art is something I’ve loved for as long as I can remember. I’ve been drawing avidly since I was about 4 or 5 years old, but I started taking it seriously a year or two ago and I enjoy learning about things such as anatomy and colour theory. (Even if they are very hard to master.) Drawing characters is my niche, but I would love to learn how to draw backgrounds better. I’ve dabbled in many mediums such as digital art, painting, and sculpting, but drawing in my sketchbook is my favourite.
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I’m interested in volunteering at this art camp because I think it would be an interesting new experience that I can learn a lot from. I’ve attended a couple art camps, but I haven’t volunteered at one before. I help out with my church’s Sunday school every so often, but I think this art camp will be a great opportunity to sharpen my skills with working with kids while getting to be involved with one of my favourite interests. It will also be a chance to make some new friends with some of the other volunteers. I’m very interested in art and I’m always willing to help out with whatever is needed, so it will be a pleasure to volunteer here this summer!
Emily Hilverda
Volunteer for Summer Camp August 21-25, 2023
My name is Liana but everyone calls me Lily instead, I’m a tenth grader with a strong passion for visual art, ever since grade 3 I've wanted to be an artist when I grew up so here I am making that happen, I'm planning on going to an art college (hopefully Sheridan) and I’m currently working on my portfolio with the help of a mentor by having weekly meetings and discussions regarding my progress.
As a kid, I was often inspired by older artists around me so now I want to be that person for the children in these classes, I have a younger brother at home who I sometimes draw with and it’s very sweet to see him look up to me by telling his friends about how “his big sister is very good at art”, and so I wish to help other kids like him develop their artistic side.
My brother has attended Mrs. Balobanova’s art classes in the past and so I’ve accompanied him a couple of times, and while I was there I helped my brother as well as a few other kids with the activities, I found the experience to be very fun and something I had hoped to do more so I am very grateful for the opportunity to volunteer. And since I am part of multiple music bands at my school I am very used to working with people alongside me and I am looking forward to getting to know and assist the other workers and volunteers.
Art-wise, my forte is definitely in digital art, I have a pen tablet at home and draw with the art software Clip Studio Paint almost every day, despite that I like all and any art media, after taking art courses in high school I’ve worked with all kinds of materials such as watercolor, collage, acrylic, gouache, paper mache, just sketching on paper, and I’ve even picked up a bit of sewing from my mother. So I’m looking forward to helping out the kids and staff with all the activities.
Liana Shirinova
Volunteer for Summer Camp July 4-7, 2023