All four of my children were taught art by Stacy Smith in grades Kindergarten through 8th. I obviously think my girls are talented in the art department but I knew that Stacy had made a difference in perspective with my oldest girl, then 13.  We had driven the canyon road in Montana many times with children with noses in books, games, sleeping etc. when Kaitlynn made the comment about how pretty the scenery and the landscape was.  She commented that,  “I really hadn’t paid much attention to it until Ms. Smith had us painting such scenes and it really is beautiful here.”  I knew right then that Ms. Smith had impacted the way my teenager saw things and had given her a new appreciation for the beauty that surrounds us.  Stacy had a way of pushing a little and pulling out the best work from her students.  Her broad range of expertise and sense of humor made art classes enjoyable for the children.  Celia Milner, Pearland, TX

Ms. Smith taught my daughter art for several years at a private school in our city.  My daughter is not an artist, but Ms. Smith made her enjoy art class – she didn’t judge her on her art talent, but on her creativity and hard work, and inspired her to appreciate art.  We keep a painting of a chicken our daughter did in our house – I can tell it’s a chicken – anybody can tell it’s a chicken.  My daughter’s favorite t-shirts are those Ms. Smith painted for our school’s fundraisers as a gift to the school.  She has a loving, giving spirit – she even came to my church and did face painting at an event.  She is a talented artist and a lovely person. Amanda Lohec, Parent, Pearland, TX

Stäcy is an extremely artistic person, in every sense.  My 6 year old daughter loves to draw and we were recommended to Stäcy by a friend.  We have taken art lessons from  Stäcy for over a year.  My daughter is very shy by nature, but with the art lessons, she's able to come out of her shell slowly.  Stäcy has a skillful and gentle knack with children.  She has a great sense of humor, and it pervades every aspect of her teaching.  My daughter is learning how to mix colors, how to perceive the depth of pictures and not just what is there, and most importantly, gaining some confidence in her drawings.  Stäcy will not only give you art lessons, but also art history lessons.  We, my daughter and I, highly recommend Stäcy to anyone who wants to learn "Art" in every sense of the word. Joann Lim, Pearland, TX

MY PHILOSOPHY ON TEACHING ART CLASSES:

It’s important for your child to experience all the education they can.  This is especially important during the first 10 years of life, as it will continue to affect the child’s thinking skills into adult life and may even be the determining factor in the profession your child may decide to enter.

Art is a beautiful and enjoyable medium that uses all of the skills a child is learning and working on.

We use language to communicate our thoughts; likewise we use language in art to emphasize what we like and dislike and even use the visual language to communicate our emotions.

Math is a major part of Art. It takes a keen eye to observe and calculate balance through size, shape, composition and color harmony.  We use formulas of color to communicate depth, and degrees to balance perception.

Science, especially chemistry is a valuable tool in Art.  Learning to mix colors exactly, how one color reacts to another that is painted beside it, how to achieve certain affects on paper, canvas, and wood are all practiced with experimentation.  Let’s not forget all the major advances made in art through chemistry, the new paints, acrylic, latex, and even oil have gone through changes to make them more color-fast and resistant to fading over hundreds of years.

History is also a key player in my teaching.  I prefer to give children the experience of Art History in age appropriate classes so that they understand that all things have an affect on each other, and how important Art is to Archeologists who study primitive human nature and even more recent human nature, where art is the recorder of emotions where words just can’t express the feeling of the times.

I don’t teach crafts, I teach Art.  Your child will not be coming home with macaroni-necklaces, or paper plates covered with cotton balls.  Your child will instead be coming home with work that you may wish to frame simply on its merits; on your child’s understanding of line, color, and composition.   I start with realism, first and foremost. It is much harder for anyone to copy what they truly see as to what they think they see.  And this is something that will help change your child’s perception of the world into a great thing.  He/she will no longer just look at an apple as a fruit to be eaten, but as an object to be admired for all the various reds, oranges, purples, yellows and even blue shades it contains.

Keeping all of these things in mind, your child will enjoy learning; I have a comedic approach to teaching that will entertain your child while they are learning.