2024 Summer Camp Registration is open!
Painted
TWIG
art camps for kids
About Us
Painted Twig is a children's outdoor summer art camp hosted at Ottawa House Clay + Glass -- our family's art studio in the woodland dunes of West Olive, Michigan.
We focus on small-group instruction in a day-camp format with an emphasis on integrating art and play to help young people stretch their imagination, develop confidence in their own ideas, spark curiosity, and promote joy through exploration of art materials and media.
Our Focus
Painted Twig offers a balance of fine art, craft, and process-based art.
We value the use of traditional art materials as well as unexpected, clever, or repurposed materials. We allow for a whole lot of creative play and expression, while teaching the fundamentals of visual art.
This is an environment where children are honored for who they are and their innate abilities, interests, and creativity.
It's my hope that the time children spend here leaves them wanting to make, do, and be something that brings them joy and contributes to a better world.
Some might cringe at the thought of sticky glue, glitter, and kids running at you with paint covered fingers. I embrace it. I find joy in cultivating a space where kids can fully engage with art materials and take control of their own learning.
Hadley O'Brien
Hadley has been the director, instructor, and paint brush cleaner at Painted Twig art camps for more than 12 years.
She has a heart for children and a mind for effective arts instruction.
Over the last decade, she has led art instruction through the Holland Arts Council, Ottawa County Parks, the Springfield Art Museum, Springfield Regional Arts Council, Placeworks Arts Outreach, and several public school districts in Michigan. She earned a BFA from Kendall College of Art and Design.