Karen Gustafson enjoys a career in the kitchen. But it has nothing to do with cooking.
“I teach art in the kitchen, sometimes up to eight students per session,” Gustafson says.
She has a career in her living room, too, teaching piano.
But Karen Gustafson does get out of the house. She is the director of the Children’s Creative Arts Workshop, which she created 10 years ago after leaving a job teaching art in the public school system.
“It’s not arts and crafts,” she says. “I’m talking professional-level art instruction brought to the kindergartner’s level of thinking and understanding.”
Gustafson says she breaks instruction into technical, then conceptual, techniques. “It is amazing what these children can learn when exposed to fine art.”
She exposes the children to French, too.
“During any kind of instruction, I like to teach them conversational French. Everything is so much easier for them at that age.”
The workshops are conducted during the school year. Gustafson’s annual art camp begins July 18, and in addition to art, children learn theatrical face painting and introduction to the guitar ukulele. Both the camp and the workshop are held at Forest Meadow Baptist Church. Fees vary. For information, call 349-2041.
Gustafson, who has taught piano for 35 years and art at all levels of public school, says teaching children is the joy of her life.
“There is simply nothing like the look on a child’s face after creating real art,” she says. “By teaching them not only how but why, along with 100-percent positive feedback, you’d be amazed what they can do.”
