Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Lane.
Hi Paige, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My earliest interest in visual art began when I was about four years old when my grandmother, an oil painter, created incredible marine paintings and portrait sketches and hung them in her house. I was amazed that simple materials could create incredible imagery and that every artist had their own unique style. That interest quickly turned into a passion at fifteen when I attended the Spring Junior/Senior Art Show at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Captivated by the pieces in the gallery, art became my total focus. I joined Art I during my senior year of high school and began my journey into understanding and creating art.
After graduating high school, I majored in Visual Art and received training, encouragement, and support from my professors. Inspired by my painting professor’s artistic and teaching abilities, I sought to share the power and joy of art-making with other people by becoming a visual arts educator. I did student teaching in 2008 and quickly discovered how much I loved seeing students discover their own creativity and self-expression through learning new artistic skills. I graduated from The University of Texas of the Permian Basin in 2008 and received a TEA teacher certification in early 2009.
I taught at two private schools, one in central Plano and one in central Dallas. During my time in the classroom, I designed and built art programs, assembled and maintained art studios, developed and implemented all art curriculum and assessment measures, taught all art classes from kindergarten to advanced high school art, created collaborative outdoor sculpture installations, and entered students in local art competitions. I made connections with my students and watched them grow into incredible artists and people.
While building curriculum for the classroom, it was imperative for me to introduce students to artists from all across the world and time, from the past to the contemporary, and from other nations. Art history, theory, discussion, and exploration were at the heart of the lessons during art time, and projects were given that allowed students flexibility to introduce their own creative ideas alongside the instructions and messages of the lesson.
After an encouraging conversation with my husband, I decided in 2019 to teach individual lessons and small classes independently from my home studio. Starting small at first due to the pandemic, I built up a student roster that went from a few kids to 45 students by 2021. Using the experience, I had in creating content and programs, I was able to work this into my studio instruction by designing education platforms, then classes, then summer camps, and enrichment exercises for my students while also getting to know them individually. New ideas and content for these programs are still being created in my studio to this day!
The works that are created in the studio are primarily two-dimensional; however, works in foam, clay, found objects, wire, and wood are created occasionally. Three-dimensional art (especially ceramics) is something that I hope to expand upon and work more within the upcoming years. Students have also worked with embroidery, origami, and weaving. This summer, I’m hoping to introduce metal embossing and wood-burning to students this summer during our camp season. Working with new materials and ideas is a must in the studio, and I’m always so excited to introduce new things to students of all ages.
I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work on an in-depth level with my students. These individual lessons and small classes allow me to spend the appropriate time needed to build artistic skills and creative thinking with all of my students, and I’m able to tailor instruction to their specific needs and interests.
I continue to create art independently through drawing, painting, printmaking, and ceramics. I also continue professional development through resources and classes from art museum education programs and Region 10.
I’ve loved working with my students for the last four years and seeing their skills and creativity build in such positive ways. My studio offers an individualized and unique approach to learning artistic techniques and working with creativity. I feel so grateful for each student that I’ve taught and what they have taught me over the years. I look forward to even more positive experiences with my current and future students!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
To be honest, the process has mostly been smooth! The educating part was the easiest thing for me, but where I needed help was with getting my name out there, getting listed on search engines, and building a website. Fortunately for me, my husband was more than willing to help me in getting all of these things set up, so once all of that fell into place, people started reaching out about lessons and classes. Other business-related things like policies, contracts, and accounting were new territory for me as well, since my background was in studio classroom education.
Other interesting challenges that have taken place over the years are brainstorming new ideas for summer camp projects year after year, especially if you have a lot of repeat students that come to the camps every summer. Keeping things new and innovative in regards to different types of art making and projects can be a juggle, but it’s so rewarding to see students gain experience and try new things with all kinds of art media, not just drawing, painting, and clay.
Scheduling and balancing time can be quite the challenge as well. I have two kids, so getting out of the studio past 7:00 pm can be taxing on family time. Since most of my business involves kids and teens who need after-school lesson times, the afternoons and evenings are always busy, but with more homeschoolers and adults with flexible schedules seeking lessons during the mornings and daytime, the schedule from time to time frees up some evenings.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My studio is a place where students of all levels of experience can learn, experiment, and expand their skills and creativity in a relaxing and fun space. Students in individual, group, and small class lessons may create different art pieces, whether it’s drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed media, or small-scale sculpture. What I’m most proud of regarding my students and what I’ve seen in the studio is witnessing the growth that takes place within each student. My students learn and master various techniques in a variety of mediums, learn to take chances and experiment, discover new mediums, and find who they are as an artist and creative individual.
Getting to know my students on a personal level and helping them with their own personal ambitions and goals, needs, strengths, and differences has always helped in ensuring their success. Since each person is different, each lesson and class is different. I’m able to focus entirely on the progression and development of my students since instruction is either one-on-one or on a small scale. Compared to the classroom, where you might have 20 or more students working on art pieces all at once, the luxury of working on a smaller scale allows the time during lessons to be maximized in a way in which personal progress is guaranteed.
What sets my studio apart from others is that I specialize in the individual and their own artistic journey; this isn’t a space that is a one-size-fits-all class setting, a crafting space for kids, or a studio in which everyone creates the same things in the same way at the same time. The customization of each education platform for each student is so very important, and I believe that my studio offers these features, whereas others can be more standardized.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
What has really worked for me is being involved in the art and education community. This is very important, as well as having a good support system from my family and friends. As an educator, working with the museums in DFW and their education departments has helped me in building better content for my studio and classroom. Networking with other educators and creative people with businesses (florists, painters, potters, designers, etc.) has also helped me with collaborative workshops and projects and has allowed for new and experimental projects and ideas to come into the studio.
Contact Info:
- Website: paigelane.art
- Instagram: laneartstudios
- Facebook: Lane Studio Art Lessons
