‘On the road to being a good artist’ with Liv Aanrud
“I have not had an art class in over 40 years and Liv’s class was a great place to begin,” Sydney Ritchey Burnet said. ”It gave me the confidence that I needed to know that I do have some talent and that I can stay the course and build on that talent or gift that I have.”
Burnett holds a doctorate in educational leadership and is a retired principal. She has been enrolled at SMC for almost a year and took Liv Aanrud's Art 20A course last semester.
Wisconsin native Aanrud has lived in Los Angeles for 13 years and has recently joined Santa Monica College’s Art Department, teaching Intro to Drawing and Design. According to students, her expertise, quirkiness and humor serve her well in guiding a classroom of all ages.
“She’s relatable, her work is really cool. She has a really serious practice, she believes in her work and I think she’s a good example of how to be an artist,” said Emily Silver, an SMC art professor and co-founder of the LA Tactile Lab with Aanrud.
Melina Martinez, an SMC cosmetology major, said her Art 20A Intro to Drawing class with Aanrud felt like a family. Previously, Martinez had an instructor who was less hands-on, and she often felt she was missing out on key opportunities for learning, and more importantly, building community. With Aanrud’s teaching style, she felt students were encouraged to work together, talk with one another and complete assignments from start to finish.
“I truly felt at home. I didn’t feel like an outcast. That class was so special to me. Even though there were days I was like I don’t want to go and be here ‘til nine, I said, ‘I wanna see what we are doing in class and how far I can push myself,’” Martinez said.
“It makes me emotional because I never liked art. Was never good at art,” Martinez said. “Her pushing me to finish all my projects, to finish my final — she really believed in me.”
“She was such a spectacular teacher”, Martinez said. “I felt like Liv actually paid attention to her students and what they did and how to help them practice.”
Martinez said she often vocalized her self doubt or frustration with her own progress, and Aanrud would step in with words of encouragement.
“She’d be like, ‘Look at the photo again. Look at this still life from a different angle.’ She would give constructive criticism if something didn’t look right,” Martinez said. “She really helped me improve as an artist — like hands down love that class.”
Burnett said that Aanrud’s patience, guidance and encouragement supported her learning experience, highlighting that Aanrud’s personality shaped the way students communicated among each other.
“We provided positive feedback to each other which was helpful to, you know, get the best out of each of us,” Burnett said.
Burnett said that Aanrud often shared her own personal experiences in her journey as an artist, specifically when creating self portraits.
In her second semester of art school, Aanrud found a single tapestry made by her grandmother in the farmhouse where she grew up. Her upbringing in the Midwest is reflected in her work ethic in the studio and in the classroom.
“My first experience with drawing was with her, that was always something I liked to do and wanted to do”, Aanrud said in her video titled “One to One.” Her childhood memories include helping her parents on the farm and spending her afternoons with her grandmother.
At age 12, her grandmother passed away, and the art piece provided a gateway to her practice today.
“Being from a place that’s kind of rural and kind of unique has kind of given me just a different perspective of living in a city,” Aanrud said, “I’m very aware of how it’s not anything like where I’m from.”
“The art room was a little bit of a sanctuary when I was younger, and in a school that wasn't necessarily the most progressive, there was a lot of bullying.” Aanrud said about growing up in the 1980s.
Burnett chose to do a portrait of her great-grandmother for her final assignment and said Aanrud gave her clear and honest feedback.
“She watched over what I was doing. She gave me some helpful criticism as well as things I could do to help make the picture better,” Burnett said. “I was able to go home and add all of the feedback, and I was able to actually pull it off.”
Aanrud said she strives to create a safe space for her students, especially teaching during a politically charged time.
“She’s a really inclusive educator, who is super excited about being here. She’s also someone who is also very humble, has a beginner's mind,” Silver said. “She’s inclusive in that way. She makes students feel comfortable because she’s kind of walking alongside them with it. She’s quirky, kind of spunky, in a way that there’s like this humility about her that you don't typically see in a lot of people.”
“I’ve always aspired to teach at a community college. I just like the variety of students in a classroom — like the age, interest and where they're from and what people’s goals are. I like the generational knowledge that gets passed back and forth,” Aanrud said.
“It’s my first semester and I really liked it, so I’m excited to be back and to really build from it,” said Aanrud, who is teaching two sections for Spring 2026 and will return to teach in the fall.
“I think the first semester I learned a lot about what people want out of a class and how to get people encouraged enough to want to be in there and not feel intimidated or feel like there's not a spot for them or that you have to be at a certain level. So if you don’t have a lot of skills, it’s almost more interesting because then I can really see development,” Aanrud said.
“I’m on the road to being a really good artist, and so I have to also appreciate and love the process and love each part of my journey as I get closer to my heart’s desire of becoming a renowned artist,” Burnett said.