Mastering Teaching
My teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that art education builds creative problem solvers, critical thinkers, and confident individuals. I empower students to actively engage with visual culture and see art as a tool for communication, advocacy, and change rather than passive consumption. In my classroom, students develop creative thinking through hands-on projects that address real-world issues—designing posters, public artworks, films, and prototypes that explore social concerns, community needs, and innovative solutions. Emphasizing visual culture, community art, and representation, I encourage students to critically examine the images that shape their identities and experiences while understanding how art functions beyond the gallery.
My teaching experience spans preschool through intermediate college-level students, across disciplines including painting, drawing, ceramics, printmaking, photography, digital media, and web design. Student success is central to my practice; I have guided finalists in juried programs such as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Art Competition, Rodeo Quick Draw, V.A.S.E., and I Am Texas across Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture. Beyond the classroom, I have developed professional development workshops for educators, secured grants for classroom supplies, Wacom tablets, and student travel, and consistently advocate for expanded access to the arts. Together, these experiences reflect my commitment to teaching as both a practice and a form of leadership—one that cultivates skill, confidence, and opportunity.
Student Work
WORKSHOPS
Learn. Make. Experiment.
I am a visual artist, adjunct professor, and K-12 certified educator offering engaging, hands-on workshops designed to help participants develop technical skills, experiment with materials, and build confidence in their own creative voice. With experience teaching both studio art and art history at the high school and university level, I design workshops that combine strong technical instruction with opportunities for experimentation and individual expression.
Workshops can be adapted for museums, galleries, schools, universities, community organizations, arts programs, and private groups.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Ashley Anika Herndon is a Houston-based visual artist and educator with an MFA in Painting from the University of Houston. Her studio practice explores the human figure as a vessel for ascension spiritually, physically, or metaphorically. She has experience teaching painting, sculpture, drawing, studio art, and art history at both the secondary and university levels. Her teaching emphasizes technical development, visual literacy, experimentation, and helping students understand how artists transform ideas into visual form.
AVAILABLE WORKSHOPS
Painting: Building a Painting from the Ground Up
Participants explore the fundamentals of painting through color, value, composition, layering, and paint application. Rather than simply copying an image, participants learn how artists make visual decisions and develop a painting from beginning to end.
Topics may include: Color mixing • Value • Composition • Underpainting • Layering • Brushwork
Experience Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Format: Demonstration + guided studio practice
Available as: One-time workshop or multi-session course
$75 per person
Figure & Portrait Painting
A hands-on introduction to creating expressive portraits and figures through observation, value, color, and paint handling. Participants learn strategies for simplifying complex forms, establishing light and shadow, mixing skin tones, and developing a finished or expressive painted figure.
Experience Level: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advance
Available as: One-time workshop or multi-session course
$75 per person
Drawing with Charcoal
Participants explore charcoal as both a drawing material and an expressive medium. Through demonstrations and guided exercises, students experiment with value, mark-making, erasure, layering, and scale while developing a finished charcoal drawing.
Experience Level: All levels
Format: Demonstration + guided drawing
$50 per person
Art History Through Art Making
What happens when we learn about an artwork by actually making something?
This workshop combines art history, visual analysis, and studio practice. Participants examine a significant artwork or artistic tradition, discuss how its materials, techniques, and historical context shaped its meaning, and create an original work inspired by what they discover.
Workshops can be customized around a museum collection, exhibition, historical period, or selected artist.
Experience Level: All levels
Ideal for: Museums • Galleries • Schools • Universities • Community programs
$75 per person
CUSTOM WORKSHOPS
Looking for something specific?
Workshops can be developed around an exhibition, collection, theme, artist, artistic process, or educational program. I am available to collaborate with museums, galleries, schools, universities, arts organizations, and community programs to create experiences tailored to their audiences and programming goals.
Formats may include:• One-time workshops• Multi-session courses• Artist talks + demonstrations• Exhibition-based workshops• Art history + studio programs• Youth and teen programming• Adult workshops• Professional development for educators
$85 per person
BOOK A WORKSHOP
Interested in bringing a workshop, artist talk, or studio program to your organization?
Workshops can be customized based on audience, experience level, group size, available materials, and program length.
Houston, Texas + select travel opportunities
INQUIRE ABOUT A WORKSHOP USING THE FORM BELOW