La Palette Art School and Gallery

La Palette is a West Island art school opened in 1967 by artist Renate Heidersdorf, who has a BFA degree and a masters degree in art education. The school is located in Beaurepaire Village in the heart of Beaconsfield, a suburb of Montreal, Quebec. Students of all ages are taught how to work in a wide variety of mediums — from basic drawing/sketching/shading with graphite pencils/charcoal, to watercolor painting, acrylic painting, soft pastels, colored pencils, pen and ink, scratch-board, silk painting, stained glass effect painting, copper or aluminum (tooling) relief, collage, multi-media works, ceramic and enamel painting, wood painting, sculpture and more… The studio is a warm and stimulating environment filled with an eclectic mix of fascinating collected objects, hundreds of reference books and photo reference pictures, and student artwork lining the walls — all of which help serve to inspire the imagination. Projects and themes vary, alternating from observation to purely imaginative work. Each student’s personal style is respected and encouraged as it emerges. Nature and instilling respect for it is a common theme, and in some projects students are encouraged to be inspired by a personal belief, local, or world cause or political or other issue that ‘speaks’ to them — to ‘put themselves’ into their work.

At her home next door to the school, Renate's award-winning gardens serve as an inspiration to the students with it's magnificent array of perennials, several natural looking ponds — home to many frogs and koi fish, and mature trees — an oasis in the middle of suburbia!

Classes are divided according to age and intellectual level, with some overlap with consideration of the individual student’s graphic comprehension level: 5 to 8/9 years, 9 to 11/12 years, 12 to 14/15 years, 14 to 16/17 years, 18 to young adults, and over 25 years.

Most students attend the school for many years and now there are second and third generations of families attending. Over the last 40 + years numbers in the thousands have attended the school. Many former students have gone on to successful careers all over the world in the creative field such as graphic design, fashion/interior/industrial design, architecture, graphics in the movie/animation and video gaming industries, theatrical stage and costume design, and successful fine artists, while many of those who became doctors, lawyers, teachers, and business people etc, have said the art played and for many, continues to play a significant role in their lives, providing an escape, balance to their stressful lives, and provided new ways to ‘see’ and new ways of problem solving that has complimented their chosen field. La Palette also has a reputation at the local colleges and universities that offer Fine Arts and design programs — students’ portfolios for entrance are often recognized as ‘La Palette’ works because of the variety of mediums and high level of work.