Our Studio
Every lesson starts with curiosity
Fine Arts Tutoring · Ages 6–16
Where your child's first brushstroke becomes a lifelong voice.
Small-group and one-on-one lessons in drawing, watercolor, oil painting, and portfolio prep — taught by credentialed artists who remember what it felt like to be seven with a new set of brushes.
240+
Students
8 yrs
Teaching
Free
First Lesson
Meet your child's tutors
A small, trusted family of working artists — each with real classroom experience and a genuine belief that your child's creative instinct is worth taking seriously.
Ms. Renée Okafor
Oil Painter · Former Elementary Art Teacher
Renée spent six years in a Chicago public school classroom before she realized the children who changed her most were the ones who drew on everything — margins, desks, sneakers. She left to paint full-time and tutor privately, bringing the patience of a teacher and the eye of a working artist to every session.
- BFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- 6 years classroom experience, grades K–5
- Specializes in color mixing, observational drawing, and narrative painting
- Exhibited at the Chicago Artists Coalition, 2019 & 2022
"I don't teach children to draw. I teach them to see what's already in their hands."
— Ms. Renée Okafor
In the studio
Renée guides a student through mixing skin tones for a self-portrait study.
Mr. Dario Espinoza
Watercolorist · Portfolio Prep Specialist
Dario grew up in Tucson watching his grandmother paint desert light on postcards she never sent. He studied illustration in New York, then returned west to teach teenagers how to build portfolios that say something real. He believes the difference between a good portfolio and a great one is whether the artist was afraid to be honest.
- MFA Illustration, School of Visual Arts, New York
- 4 years leading portfolio prep for art school applicants
- Specializes in watercolor, ink, and mixed media narrative work
- Former instructor at the Tucson Museum of Art youth program
In the studio
Dario reviews a portfolio spread with a 16-year-old preparing for art school applications.
"Portfolio prep isn't just about art school. It's about knowing you made something true."
— Mr. Dario Espinoza
Programs for every stage
From a six-year-old's first careful line to a sixteen-year-old's portfolio review — each program meets your child exactly where they are.
Foundation
Drawing Fundamentals
Line, shape, proportion, and observation. Students learn to slow down and truly look at what's in front of them — a bowl of fruit, a hand, a favorite toy. No experience needed, only curiosity.
Explorers
Color & Composition
Students begin mixing their own palettes, learning color theory through paint rather than diagrams. Lessons move between watercolor studies and small oil paintings, building intuition for how color builds mood.
Advanced
Portfolio Preparation
For teenagers who want to be taken seriously. Students develop a cohesive body of work across 10–15 pieces, learning artist statement writing, presentation, and the vocabulary to talk about their own practice.
The first lesson is free.
Thirty minutes. No commitment. Your child leaves with something they made — and you leave knowing whether this is the right fit.
Available weekdays & Saturdays · Online or In-Studio