Learn more about charcoal drawing, paper collage and acrylic painting...

Ever tried oil pastels, pen, ink and watercolor wash or…winning an art ribbon at the Alaska State Fair?

Paint a miniature masterpiece on a tile, or make a needle felted or soft pastel painting of your favorite animal!

Block printing is a blast but maybe bead weaving is your thing?

Make a tiny posable needle felted or beaded friend or learn to paint with watercolors!

Welcome to The Art House!

Betty Dye has offered fine art instruction at The Art House in Anchorage, Alaska since 1998. and has been teaching art since 1988.  The Art House alternates classes in many different mediums for children from ages 8 – 12, teens and adults throughout the year.

Learning to create art is a forever gift to give yourself or someone you love!

Featured Work:

• all

“Stained Glass” Painting

Create a stained glass masterpiece with paint!

This is a fun way to get some of the effect of real stained glass art but it is much simpler and less expensive than the real thing. In this class, after making an 8X10" design to work from as a pattern to follow, a sheet of glass was placed over the drawing and adhesive backed lead strips were placed on the lines and pressed down. The separate areas of the design were "flooded" with very fluid Vitrail glass paint which hardens within 24 hours. Depending on the complexity of the design, lots of fun things can happen within that paint while it is still wet. I made 3 large three foot by four foot windows for my church, Chapel by the Sea, which you are welcome to stop by to see anytime. They are lit artificially from behind but in these photos you can see how natural light is wonderful behind this art medium too.

read more

Watercolor Painting

Learn step-by-step how to master this medium!

Some have described watercolor as the most difficult of mediums to master, but it is so much fun when you learn the techniques in a step-by-step way and use quality paints, brushes and paper.

read more

Tile Painting

Paint a mini masterpiece!

Using acrylic enamels students turn ordinary tiles into miniature paintings that are ready to hang on the wall. Composition, perspective, values and color are all explored as these paintings come to life.

read more

Pen, Ink and Watercolor Wash

Go wild with detail with Pitt pens and watercolor!

This is a great class for those of us who love to get into fine details! You will learn to create texture with many different techniques and perspective by just varying the thickness of your lines. When you add the watercolor washes you can see a whole different dimension to your picture!

read more

Painted Rocks

What do YOU see in a rock!

Using acrylic paint students learn how to turn common rocks into little sculptures. In the process they learn how to make shadows recede and turn flat surfaces into 3 dimensional shapes to create animals, houses and anything else that they can imagine that rock could become!

read more

Jewelry Making

Make your own jewelry!

Learn to use the proper tools needed to create your own earrings, necklaces and bracelets with my extensive collection of beads! You will be surprised at the professional results you can get with a little practice!

read more

Paper Collage

A wonderful world of colored papers!

Using papers painted here at the studio and hand made papers from all over the world you will learn how to create pictures with many different textures. It is amazing what students have done with a pair of scissors, glue and paper over the years in my collage classes! Besides a new appreciation for this medium you will develop a love for the beautiful papers you can create and purchase which have endless creative possibilities!

read more

Soft Pastel

Sort of like chalk but way more beautiful!

Using good quality materials makes such a big difference in art and this is especially noticeable with soft pastels. You will love the way they blend with just a touch of the finger! Learn the importance of the color wheel while you also explore how to use the right values to make your paintings really come alive.

read more

Oil Pastel

SO much more fun and creamy than those old crayons!

Often simply called "pastels", oil pastels are very different than soft pastels so it is good to know the difference. You will learn how to masterfully blend these creamy pastels sticks to create the many textures you'll find in the subject matter you choose to work from.

read more

Acrylic Painting

Everyone loves to paint!

Learn all about the color wheel and how it is used to help you mix just the right hue. You will also learn all about the importance of value in a painting, and that's just the beginning!

read more

Block Printing

Draw, transfer, carve then print!

Block Printing is a wonderfully satisfying medium for anyone who loves to work through a step-by-step process. Your original drawing, after transferring it to the printing block, is then carefully carved into a graphic image you can then print as many times as you wish for just that many original works of art! More blocks are then carved for additional colors. My students love this process!

read more

Beaded Creatures

Beads and wire turn into all kinds of creatures!

Bugs, frogs, bumblebees and many other creatures can be made with simple stringing techniques using beads and wire!

read more

Bead Weaving

Get creative with a needle, thread and some seed beads!

It's amazing how many ways seed beads can be used to create everything from necklaces to purses! There are so many different stitches that even kids as young as 10 can learn.

read more

Monochromatic Watercolor Painting

Even painting with only one color is fun!

Using just one color, such as Sepia or Payne's Grey, you can learn all of the watercolor techniques you'll need to feel confident before using a full palette and at the same time achieve wonderful results.

read more

Charcoal Drawing

Charcoal drawing is messy but fun!

I offer charcoal drawing classes on every new schedule because learning to see values without worrying about color is a great way to introduce students as young as 6 to the world of art! Besides that, it is really fun!

read more

3D Needle Felting

Make 3D sculptures of wool!

Needle felted posable animals are made with wool, wrapped and felted with special barbed felting needles around a wire armature.

read more

2D Needle Felting

Needle felt pictures of soft wool!

Needle felted pictures are created with soft wool of different kinds and many colors by using a special barbed needle that binds the wool fibers together when repeatedly poked.

read more

Hover your mouse over the testimonials below to read them or tap your smartphone screen. On your smartphone, to continue the thread hit your back button and then return to this page again.

“Our daughters have taken many art classes with Betty Dye. I can vouch for her character and abilities. She is a pleasure to work with! After a recent class, our daughter said; "My art class is fun AND interesting!" The artwork our girls brought home are framed and hanging on our walls . . for all to enjoy.”

─ Susan, DaniSue & S'vana W. age 11

“The classes are so much fun. We really learn a lot, and Mrs. Dye is very nice. She teaches each student at their level, and uses nice quality materials.”

─ Gretchen M. age 13

“I have been going to the Art House for about 6 years and I always enjoy it because of the atmosphere and Mrs. Dye's teaching. I have taken many of her classes including printmaking, watercolor and ink, charcoal, tile painting, paper collage and felting. The thing I enjoy the most is that I have improved over the years. Mrs. Dye helps by showing you what she would do but in a way that you can do it all by yourself.”

─ Annie S. age 13

"We have had nothing but great experiences with Betty and the The Art House. My kids always look forward to coming to class on Friday nights and working on their latest masterpieces. The quality and instruction of the artwork is what keeps us coming back. It is truly amazing to see what young children can create under the guidance of a teacher that not only cares about art but also about the children creating it.”

─ Christine F.

“My son has enjoyed drawing and painting since he was very young. He learned as much as possible from art books. Once he was old enough to join Betty Dye's art classes at The Art House a whole new world of art was opened to him. He has learned so many techniques that have brought his art to an amazing level and is always so pleased with the finished product.”

─ Marnie S.

“I really like learning how to do the fine details that make my art look great. Classes at The Art House are the best!!!”

─ Gavin S. age 12

“Having watched his brothers come home with pieces of art, my youngest son could not wait to start his first art classes at the age of 6. He is now in his sixth year at the Art House. When parents think of art class, they may think their child will come home with a craft that will make its way to the fridge for a couple of weeks before mysteriously disappearing into the waste can. Not so with Betty Dye’s classes. Kids come home with beautiful, frame-able art. What isn’t framed goes into a working portfolio we have at home. He has worked and practiced with a variety of mediums, everything from watercolor to block printing to creating animals out of beads. He loves art and his art teacher.”

─ Kari F.

"My 10 year old daughter has loved taking Betty's art classes every summer. It's become an annual tradition. The artwork they create is amazing! The classes fill up quickly so don't delay once you get the schedule."

─ Laile F.

“The Art House has been a pleasure for myself and my family. It is a comfortable environment to learn in and greatly facilitates creativity. The key to this is Betty who is a patient and wise teacher. She gives just enough help, where you are producing your own art but are growing without frustration through the entire experience. She has a great ease with all people and deals with the classroom environment (with a wide range of children's ages) as well as any teacher I have ever had. She is also a fantastic artist who understands the little tricks that make anyone's art and development flow more easily. She is encouraging and happy thus bringing light to the world of art.”

─ Taylor E.

“Betty Dye and the Art House had a transforming effect on my daughter and her current work as an artist. My daughter took her first art classes with Betty. Betty had both the knowledge of art and love of art to inspire her. Most importantly, Betty's positive and kind nature gave my daughter the confidence to create and express herself in art. Betty was patient and careful in her teaching, and the exposure to many different mediums was excellent. Today my daughter creates and sells her own work for others! Art has become such a passion that she plans to pursue it in college. Thank you Betty and the Art House!”

─ Cathy N.

“I have over the years spent numerous hours dropping my five kids off and picking them up from the Art House, and every day the kids came and went with great joy and the pleasure of accomplishment. Students begin their life with built in creativity and curiosity. At the Art House, my kids learned to cultivate this for a lifetime. Ms. Dye helped them swing the doors of creativity open, and folks who know my kids can see they have never shut them. With all my children, she helped them build on their art skills putting concepts in place and growing their understanding. In some ways my students have chosen between various art forms--drama, music, visual art and creativity for their chosen careers. But most of them still love to pick up a pencil or watercolor and see what happens. One of my boys plans to make art a career. He graduates this year with a major in graphic design, and he sold his first oil painting for over $400. I tell friends to check out the Art House whether their students feel creative or not. It always has great benefits.”

─ Valerie B.

“I can't speak highly enough about the quality of the instruction at the Art House! My daughter was excited to go see Mrs. Dye every week, and she learned to create quality works of art from a variety of materials. The classes are small, allowing for personal attention as the creations take shape. My daughter's favorite class series was learning to create a felted wall hanging. She later entered her piece in the State Fair and won the top prize for the category!”

─ Stephanie C.

“It's awesome. I usually wait the whole entire week for art class at the Art House. It's my favorite part of the week.”

─ Mena F. age 10

“We have been coming to the Art House for 4 years. My son and daughter have taken many classes. My son does not enjoy art but he really liked taking the class with Betty and he made some impressive art in spite of his not loving it. My daughter loves art and really enjoys the time she has with Betty. She can't wait for classes to begin each year. I really appreciate the different options for classes and the different days to choose from to fit our crazy homeschool schedule. I especially like that I feel like my children are in a safe environment at the Art House.”

─ Kimberly F

“Art is the girls favorite subject/extra curricular. I'm so glad that you offer these classes and it's more than finger painting and coloring 🙂 We really appreciate what you do.”

─ Amanda O.

“I just love coming here every week! When Friday comes I think about coming to art class all day and it makes me feel so happy!”

─ Lily F. age 12

“Betty, Sarah and I think of you all the time - and the wonderful part you have played in her development in art, her love for art and her confidence as an artist! We absolutely loved her experiences at your Art House! You were her first art teacher outside of classes at school! We are so thankful for you!”

─ Cathy N.