Gifts Made by Hand Warm the Heart

In the holiday hustle, it's easy to get lost in the commercial side of Christams. Even while thinking of others, finding "the perfect gift" for someone is often a quest that proves all too stressful.

When my friend Maggie approached me with an idea for a painting involving her kids to give  as gifts, I knew she was onto something. We decided to get all the kiddos together for an impromptu art playdate to make gifts for the special people in our lives. The idea was to create something handmade by the children, but with a little more substantiality and polish. A keepsake piece.

We decided to go with a pop-art , Warhol-inspired theme: bright colors, and the simple imagery of the child's handprint. 

We took a square canvas and divided it into 4 squares, which I painted and let dry before the kiddos entered the studio to help curtail the madness of having 5 children ages 5 and under dipping their hands in unwashable paint and running amok. 

Maggie and Dylan...he was a pro from the start!

Maggie's Linley was so proud of her her handprints

I won't say that there was no madness, but once we got a system down, it was more like controlled chaos, and quite enjoyable to see each of the children's different reactions as they took in the sensations of choosing their colors, painting their hands and applying their handprint to the canvas. Maggie has two kids, and each of hers made two handprints on a canvas. My three kids each made one handprint and I had my 5 y/o daughter paint a heart on the spare square.

My Annie going to town.

My Mack, an adorable curious mess,
let's just say there's one in every crowd.

After we wrapped up, the finished pieces were so lovely. And really not too far off from the Warhols that they were inspired by. I am so glad mine made one for their Daddy so I get to enjoy it in our house, too. :)

If anyone wants their kids to come play with me more in the art studio this year, I teach at Art Stop in Preston Center on Mondays from 3:45 - 4:45, ages 5-7.  the Winter Session begins January 9. Join us!

Teach the Children Well

"Where the world ends and imagination and creativity begin."

This is Art Stop's motto. 

I could not think of a more wonderful, happy place to teach art to children.


For the sixth year in a row I am thrilled to be a part of the Art Stop magic. Now in its 13th year, Art Stop is a staple in Dallas' University Park.  


The Owner and Founder, Kathleen Alexander, is the heart and soul of the school. She has been instilling a love of creativity in children for over 25 years, and I am deeply grateful that she took me under her wing six years ago, when I was worn down and, frankly, a little bitter, after putting in hard time in the Corporate PR World, and brought me back to my passion. 


"Mrs. A" re-lit that creative fire in my heart and taught me how to teach art to children. Learning from her is like learning how to play football with Troy Aikman...the chance of a lifetime from a living legend. Now, I could not imagine my life without "Mrs. A", or my fulfilling career, in it.


My class just made the Fall leaves, above, and they are so lovely. What I cherish most about them is that they were created from a place of joy and freedom that can only be found in a child's heart. 


Art Stop offers a fun, relaxed environment where children can experiment, learn and discover the joy of the creative process, along the way building knowledge and skills.  Most importantly, they learn to love and appreciate art. I am teaching there on Mondays at 3:45.  Ages 5-7.  Our class is full, and I am so deeply grateful for that, but if you are interested in signing your child up for another time, please email artstopinc@yahoo.com for more info.

Teach the Children Well

I think one of the greatest compliments I ever received was being told I am naturally good with children. For the past six years, it is my love of working with them combined with my passion for art that has called me to teach. I have had the pleasure of encountering so many wonderful students and their families through my years of teaching at the Dallas Museum of Art, Art Stop in Preston Center and offering private lessons at my home studio.

This Fall marks my return to teaching children's art regularly. I took some time off while my third and youngest was born and I adjusted to life with three small children.  This time also enabled me to focus more on my own painting, and now as life starts to settle a bit I am working to find a way to incorporate both into my regular routine.  It is so much fun to be able to tell the kids I work with that I am a "real" artist, they love to hear about my gallery shows, and what it's like to work in a studio and sell paintings.  They love asking me how much money I make--their candor always makes me laugh.

Although I used to teach nearly full-time, I am only taking on one regular class this Fall at Art Stop (Mondays from 3:45 - 4:45). I am so grateful to Kathleen Alexander, Art Stop's Owner, for allowing me to return to something I love and, best of all, bring my 4.5 year-ols to the class with me and expose her to the magic of Art Stop.  Kathleen is like a second mom, a mentor and a dear friend all rolled into one.  In Art Stop she has created a haven of creativity for these kids. (That's us up there in the picture, teaching the kids together. Selfishly, I find this time to be so much fun...I can't believe that I get paid for it.)

Private lessons and camps will come later. My head is teeming with ideas on ways to reach out to kiddos but I have to put my own young ones first right now.  Until then, I am thrilled to be back in the classroom.

Budding Young Artists at Artisan Style Gallery

Tonight, from 5-7 p.m., Artisan Style will host its second opening reception for the "Budding Young Artists" show, featuring works from the children of Art Stop, a private children's art school in Preston Center.

I attended last week and had the unique viewpoint of seeing this event through the eyes of a mom of an Art Stop student (There's my little angel standing underneath her painting of a Geisha she so aptly named "China Girl" at last week's opening reception.), an Art Stop teacher and an Artist represented by the Gallery.



From every way you can slice it, this is a wonderful show. "Children" and "art gallery" are not two concepts that usually go hand-in-hand, but Brandon Lynch and Steve Iha, Co-Owners of Artisan Style, have gone out of their way to make this a family-oriented event, serving kid-pleasing beverages and nibbles along with your typical opening reception fare.

It pleased me so much to see the pride on the children's faces as they found their artwork on display and the delight in their parents' eyes as they admired their children's work. The art teacher in me knows how hard these kiddos have worked all year and how much they have been looking forward to this opportunity to display their artwork at a Gallery. Each student was invited to select 1-2 of their strongest pieces of the year to display at the gallery and I was truly amazed by the quality of work that they produced.

It was also wonderful for the families who visited (and I could not believe how many parents, and grandparents, and friends came out) because in addition to viewing their children's artwork, they got a dose of what Artisan Style usually has to offer as they took in the other works from Artisan Style's in-house artists peppered throughout the children's works.

This is such a wonderful family event and I encourage all of my Dallas friends with young children to attend tonight. The opening reception this evening is showcasing the works of the older kids, ages 7 - teen, and is sure to impress. I am a firm believer that it is never too early to instill a love of arts in your children!

Three Year Old Art Prodigy Debuts on Dallas Gallery Scene

Ok, ok , ok....part of the fun of having a blog is that you can write anything you want. And my little headline was just a mom getting carried away with pride at my 3.5 year-old daughter's Art Show opening at Uptown's Artisan Style Gallery this weekend.



Here she is hamming it up in the studio...cuteness personified.

Art Stop, a private children's art school in Preston Center, has partnered with Artisan Style Gallery in Uptown to present, "Budding Young Artists", a juried children's art show featuring exclusively the works of Art Stop students.

Artisan Style Gallery has generously opened their doors to our families for this event. “We are excited to host Art Stop’s students at our gallery and feature these talented kids,” said Brandon Lynch, Co-Owner of Artisan Style Gallery. “It’s my hope that by reaching out to the children and inviting them to participate, this gallery show will be an unforgettable experience for them that incites a lifelong love for the arts.”

The show will be divided into two openings divided by age to fully showcase each group’s abilities. May 8 will feature the works of children ages Pre-K – 7 (including my little Picasso!), and May 15 will feature children ages 8 – 16. The Opening Reception time for both is 5 – 7 p.m. Both age groups’ art will hang at the Gallery for a week following the opening reception.

In addition, I am pleased to be a part of the panel of professional judges that includes Margie Sibrizzi, Early Childhood Specialist at the Museum of Nature and Science, and Jenny Grumbles, Co-Owner of Uptown Country in Snider Plaza. It is our privilege to select the most outstanding works in each age group and award those students with scholarships for future art lessons. In the spirit of children helping children, we will also be raffling off an Art Stop Summer Camp scholarship at the Opening Receptions, with the proceeds benefitting Heart House Dallas, an program dedicated to providing a safe haven and artistic enrichment to children of low-income families in the densely populated Vickery Meadow community in Dallas, Texas.

This is a one-of-a-kind gallery experience that will be sure to create lifelong memories for you and your "budding young artists." Even if your little artist artist did not participate, this is a wonderful opportunity to expose your child to the art world in a kid-friendly gallery setting. It is never too early to incite a lifelong love of the arts in your child. Please join us!