Our Teachers
Kate
Kate teaches our Zoom Drawing, Sketch and Tween/Teen, and Digital art classes. She also is a content creator for the studio.
I am a multidisciplinary artist and freelance illustrator located in Orange County, CA! I am a recent graduate of Laguna College of Art and Design with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Entertainment Design, and I am trained in classical drawing and painting, sculpture, animation, visual storytelling, game development, and concept design. I discovered my love for teaching while employed as a tutor by LCAD and have been teaching art to kids and adults of all ages ever since. I create a lot of my art digitally, but I also enjoy painting with oils and gouache, sketching landscapes en plein air, creating tiny paintings, and woodburning. I am also working on building my own video game. I love finding new ways to create art, and showing others how to discover their creative energy and exploratory mindset. I find constant inspiration through hiking and discovering new places, listening to music, and playing games.
Mikayla
Mikayla is an artist and designer from Thousand Oaks, California who recently graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree as a double major in Graphic Design and Sustainability. She is an assistant instructor at The Arterie.
Six years ago as a sophomore in high school I joined The Arterie’s Teen Class and immediately fell in love with the studio and all it had to offer. I started working summer camp just before my junior year and have been working classes and camps whenever I find myself back home, while finishing up my degree. The Arterie has been such a safe space for me over the years to express my artistic interest and discover new things about myself along the way. Working and learning at this studio truly inspired me to pursue an artistic career path! Though most of my art education is in design, my true passion is illustration. Painting and drawing have been lifelong hobbies of mine and often inform my digital artistic process. Additionally, working at the Arterie has shown me what amazing art education can look like, and I would love to continue to pursue art in a classroom or instructional environment in the future! As a recent grad, some of my short term goals include working full-time in the fields of sustainability and/or graphic design somewhere in Southern California, traveling abroad, and most controversially, adopting a pet rabbit :). In my free time I enjoy thrifting, finding new music, catching up on my favorite podcasts, and chatting about all things pop culture with my closest friends.
Cara
Cara teaches our in-studio Tween/Teen classes and our Zoom Watercolor for Adults class.
When I opened the studio, I knew I'd wanted a relaxed and supportive, judgment-free space, where we might strive for perfection but know that we’ll never get there. Having taught for 18+ years in both public and private schools, I realize the importance for everyone to experience creative expression. I am formally trained in watercolor painting, hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and Art Education from the University of California, Santa Cruz and completed my graduate work in Art Education and Fine Arts at CSUN. When I’m not in the studio, I can be found outside, reading a good book, painting, or hanging with my husband and our super cute kiddo.