Our Instructors
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Owner, Director, Instructor and Artist
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Artist & Instructor Kathryn
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Kathryn has loved making art for as long as she can remember. She grew up in Vancouver but moved to Eastern Canada to study Psychology at Dalhousie University. After graduating, she turned back to her creative instincts and enrolled in art school in Toronto. Kathryn is now about to finish her degree in Drawing and Painting, and is currently a practicing artist working mainly in the mediums of oil paint, acrylic paint, and collage.
She is also a novice ceramicist and hopes to explore installation-based art. Her other hobbies include exploring the coast of BC, camping and cycling. Throughout her education she has worked with children in various creative settings and loves inspiring creativity and passion for art. Having recently moved to Victoria, Kathryn is excited about joining the community in Fernwood and connecting through making art. |
Artist and Instructor Renira
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Renira is a self-taught Painter and Visual Designer with roots that spread from South Africa to Canada. She likes to say she has lived a lot of life in a short amount of time being accomplished as a filmmaker, photographer, creative director, graphic designer, painter, and youth entertainer. Although most of her childhood was spent in Toronto, she has since travelled to over 50 countries creating experiences for children and working with artists to create beauty and capture stories that inspire us to reconnect with nature. Living a creative and artful life is something that she worked to embody since she was a child; learning different types of art from other cultures and playing with all mediums has allowed her to have a deeper connection with her art and her students.
This process and curious exploration of art is something that she wants to encourage in all of her students. She believes in making ‘bad art’, making ‘mistakes’, and embracing the mess of learning something new, whether it is a new skill or something about ourselves. Being a new member of the Fernwood community, she is thrilled to continue to explore art in all forms with the students of the Paint Box and make many beautiful things together. |
About Artist & Instructor Sarah
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Sarah grew up on Vancouver Island where, at an early age, she fell in love with the natural world around her. As a child she also developed a passion for art making that has grown over time and shaped the person she has become. Nature continues to inspire her and is embedded in her personal artistic practice. More recently, Sarah has become passionate about education and believes strongly in art making as a process with endless possibilities for exploration of the self and the world.
Several years ago, Sarah earned a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of Victoria and is now joyfully delving into the world of Art Education. She loves being a student again and is ecstatic about exploring so many different kinds of art, including painting and drawing, ceramics, printmaking, sculpture, and photography. She is even more excited about sharing her burgeoning knowledge with students at Paint Box and considers teaching young people an honour. |
Artist & Instructor Annabelle
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Annabelle is a multi-disciplinary artist residing in the quiet community of Fairfield. She became interested in art and visual storytelling at a young age, and has always gravitated towards the whimsical and fantastic. During her childhood in Newfoundland, she was lucky enough to take art classes at the Anna Templeton Centre, which inspired her to develop her talent and experiment with new mediums. She has explored photography, filmmaking, and painting in the process of finding her artistic voice, but ultimately always comes back to the simple pleasures of pen on paper.
In 2020 she completed her Bachelor of Arts at UVIC, majoring in Medieval Studies and minoring in Greek & Roman Studies. Academia provided the perfect opportunity to collect inspiration and broaden her appreciation for art and history. She spends most of her free time cycling around the streets of Victoria, going to thrift stores, drawing, quilting, making and collecting stuffed animals, and having picnics with friends. She believes that indulging in creative play is an important part of building confidence, and is excited about sharing her passion for art with young artists. |