About
belArts is a visual arts school that facilitates your creative pathway through teaching portable techniques and skills. Our focus is on ‘process’ over ‘end result’, as well as on ‘learning through doing’.
belArts is housed in the beautiful, homely space called Chrome Street Studios, and together they are a thriving and social arts community.
belArts offers regular term-time painting and drawing classes over 10-week blocks in a variety of mediums. Unless otherwise stated, the classes are suitable for students of 15 years plus and adults of all ages. Find out what is on offer here: Classes and Workshops
Each of our carefully selected teachers has something unique to contribute to your artistic growth. Find out more about our teachers!
Specialised courses, weekend workshops and art-related events are also offered by belArts. Find out more here: Bookings
Weekly tutored and general admission Life Drawing Sessions are offered every Wednesday evening to practice your drawing/painting from life.
Our Long Pose Session is offered on the first Saturday of every month, where you can spend more time drawing/painting the figure or portrait. Prior to the Long Pose, we hold a yoga session, led by professional instructor Monica Batiste, which resets your mind, bringing it to focused calmness and creative flow, in time for your Long Pose Session.
Find out more about these sessions here: Bookings
We have monthly Artist Meet-Ups where practicing artists of various disciplines can get together and share resources, ideas, present demonstrations and socialize with other artists. Usually, it is every 3rd Friday of the month, please check our calendar for the next upcoming Artist Meet-Up.
belArts also holds art exhibitions in Chrome Street Studios’ Corridor Gallery.
Isabella Allis (Founder, Director & Principal of belArts Visual Arts School)
Practicing artist and art educator, Isabella Allis, launches the new visual arts school belArts in April 2025 at Chrome Street Studios. belArts is an expansion of Isabella’s own classes to include other teachers and mediums that share her vision.
She tailors her art instruction around each individual student, considering their chosen pathway in art and helping to develop their unique artistic voice. Isabella strongly believes in the benefit of having a strong technical foundation in art, developing skills through practice and observation, and then being able to apply these skills in any chosen way.
Although Isabella specialises in oil painting and charcoal/ graphite drawing, she draws on her knowledge of a broad array of mediums to guide students working in the medium of their choice.
Isabella’s weekly classes bring together a small art community where art students can socialise with like-minded people, share ideas and resources and paint or draw in a social setting, whilst receiving instruction and mentoring from Isabella.
Isabella also runs specialized art workshops (e.g. portraiture). She has also provided grant-funded private mentoring, private tuition and high school workshops/ vocational talks.
As an artist, Isabella works on a commission basis and has entered many competitions. Her portrait of Dr Jeannette Young (now Governor of Queensland) was a finalist in the inaugural 2019 Brisbane Portrait Prize. Her love of dance is evident in her figurative artworks as can be seen in “Picnic I” which won the 2021 Petite Pieces competition at Aspire Gallery.
