Ryan Ward
When I was five years old in my primary school in Barbados, I realized I had a talent for art. (I was the only kid that knew how to make the color grey.) Always drawing and painting throughout childhood led me on a path towards the arts. In middle school, I majored in art. I then went on to the high school of Art & Design in NYC where I majored in illustration. From A&D, I went on to The School of Visual Arts in NYC.
After getting my Bachelors in Fine Arts from SVA I began working as an art teacher just to make ends meet. I soon fell in love with teaching art and have been doing that for over 20 years now.
My wife Brigida and I, with the help of my oldest daughter Chelsea, launched FlyArtsAndBrushes. F.A.B. takes a different approach the usual sip and paint party. For example, we are a mobile operation. Our catch phrase is “We bring the party to you” Another thing that sets us apart from other companies is that we allow and encourage our customers to personalize the painting for their venue at no additional cost. That means you will never be surprised about what painting you are going to do and you will not be bombarded with paintings of wine glasses and tree branches with birds on them (unless that is what you want).
Brigida Ward
As far back as I can remember, I had visions of being a famous fashion designer/teacher/author. I wanted to do it all! In high school I was my yearbook layout editor and published work in my school’s art and illustration magazines. I attended Howard University as a design major, but changed my focus to education. I went on to earn my Bachelors and Master’s degrees in Education. As an educator, I can be a true generalist and bring all of my loves together and into my classrooms. In my twenty years of teaching, I have taught art, grades k-5 and trained teachers.
F.A.B. allows you to do it all as well. We give you space to follow the ‘teacher’ as much or as little as you like. We understand that there are different kinds of learners so we try to incorporate that into your experience. We start with an example, explain the overall painting, do some demonstrating, and offer some guided practice when needed. The goal is to have fun and leave with a product that you are proud of. We bring our experience as educators, and the party to you!