Our Instructors

Owner, Director, Instructor and Artist
Emily Grav (she/her)


Emily Grav graduated from UVIC with an Honours BFA in Visual Arts in 2005. She gained extensive experience teaching Art and ESL while living in Taiwan from 2007 to 2008 and also directing children’s Art Camps here in Victoria.  In September 2008, Emily was inspired by the children she’d been teaching at a local art camp and decided to open The Paint Box School of Art so she could teach art to kids, teens and adults, all year long!   Emily enjoys teaching all styles of art, especially drawing and painting.

Through an open and engaging teaching style, she encourages students to express themselves creatively through many mediums.

Since opening The Paint Box, Emily has exhibited her paintings in numerous art shows around Victoria.  Having explored watercolour, acrylic and mixed media for many years she's now engrossed herself  "En Plein Air" Paining (the art of painting out doors) using oil paints. She's now also taking the occasional mural commission. 

Along with painting, Emily enjoys other hobbies, such as, swimming, tennis, mountain biking, gingerbread house baking, telephone pole painting, apple cider brewing, and playing with her kids, Jasper, born in 2013 and Quinn born in 2017. 

Artist & Instructor ~ Ashley Moore  (she/her)

Ashley is a passionate Elementary and Middle School Teacher who grew up in Bella Coola, a breathtaking valley located on Nuxalk territory where the mountains, ocean, family, friends, and community nurtured an inspiration for art making. Ashley has a dedicated personal art practice. She enjoys tapestry weaving, gouache, print-making, photography, digital illustration and experimentation with new mediums.  

After completing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Education, Ashley transitioned from working in the school system as an Education Assistant to her new role as a classroom Teacher. In this new role she uses art to nurture problem solving, positive risk-taking, fine-motor skills, patience, expression and identity exploration. 

Ashley describes working with young people as a gift that reminds her that art can exist without the pressure of a narrowly specific outcome; that being a successful artist can be measured by the joy experienced in the process and what is learned along the way.

Artist & Instructor ~ Ana Eligio (she/her)

My name is Ana and I am a self-taught artist born and raised in Mexico, I’ve been doing art ever since I can recall, always having a creative outlet for myself since it is something that brings me comfort and happiness. I am always learning something new and I’ve delved into all kinds of artsy activities such as mural-ism, resin art, embroidery, clay sculpting, jewelry making, animation, graphic design,and more! Plus, I specially enjoy painting and drawing.

This passion for art led me to study digital design and in 2021 I graduated with honors from Vancouver Film school, specializing in motion design. I worked in digital design and animation for a while before moving to Canada, and now I’m currently getting a bachelor of arts in professional communications. I strongly believe that anyone can be a great artist, the key to achieving this is staying motivated and enjoying the process!

Artist & Instructor Vida Akef (she/her)

My name is Vida, and I am from Iran, where every corner has a sign of art.  I
grew up loving painting and this love led me to the University of Fine Arts.
I got a bachelor's degree in graphics and a master' degree in illustration, during
which I gained different and valuable artistic experiences such as painting,
sculpting, bas-relief, tile work, handprints, and book illustration. 
I first started with colored pencils, then I experienced oil, acrylic, charcoal, and watercolour.
 
After graduating from the master's degree, I was accepted into the Ph.D. course
in Philosophy of Art at Tehran University.  
At the same time, I was hired to teach at the University of Art, where I was teaching art for about 7 years until I came to Canada in 2018. 

I enjoy teaching people of all ages and look forward to sharing my vast knowledge of art with new students at The Paint Box.