All About Our Fabulous Team!!!
Nothing is more important to a business than an amazing team of people! While not everyone is lucky enough to have such a remarkable bunch of employees, we proudly stand by each and every one of ours, fully aware that they are the best of the best… And we think you’ll agree!
From creating art, to teaching and inspiring others to make it, and everything in between, we have THE BEST team in the world and we’d love to introduce you to them.
Know that you’ll be in great hands with any of these artists as your instructor or assistant for the night!
We asked all of our team members similar questions and LOVED hearing all they had to say about art and Pinot’s Palette.
Enjoy learning a little info about these magnificent people, and be sure to say “Hello!” the next time you’re in the studio for a class!
*** Courtney Gadrim ***
Courtney's interest in art grew in High School, and she has been teaching art for 16 years… For eight of these years, she’s been teaching at Pinot’s Palette!
Her favorite artist is Salvador Dalí, which of course, makes one of her favorite styles of art, ’Surrealism’ (*and post-modern art).
Courtney enjoys working with watercolors and mixed media as an artist.
For her education, she attended Northern Illinois University where she earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Art Education.
Courtney also has 2 kids and 2 dogs at home to keep her busy and give her all the love <3
We asked Courtney what she likes most about teaching at Pinot’s and she said that she loves to see the various and interpretations from her teaching instructions.
We couldn’t agree more! It’s truly the best part of our job.. being able to help someone else make art and knowing that we were part of the reason that they were able to do so! It’s a great feeling.
Courtney said that what she loves most about Pinot’s Palette is the atmosphere… It’s fun and laidback.
Cheers to that!
*More about Courtney’s favorite artist, Salvador Dalí: https://thed...eum/timeline/
*** Sydney ('Syd’) Meluch ***
Syd has been teaching art for 3 years and has been making her own masterpieces for as long as she can remember… ever since she could hold a paintbrush.
A lover of photography, Syd’s favorite artist is Sally Mann. She loves art that’s created with mixed media, combining several different materials into one work of art. She also appreciates all mediums for her own art but is super into photography, which is her favorite medium for making art.
When asked what she likes most about likes most about teaching at Pinot’s Palette she said she enjoys seeing people proud of their paintings at the end and how she was able to help them.
As for what she likes most about Pinots Palette? It’s the fun environment and liquid creativity, of course!
Sydney attended undergrad at KCAD (Kendall Collegge of Arts ad Design) where she majored in photography.
Fun Fact: Syd is a Bob Ross enthusiast!
*More about Syd’s favorite artist, photographer, Sally Mann: https://www.sallymann.com
*** Kristen Beneke ***
Kristen has been painting since she was in Middle School. She earned her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in ‘painting' in 2016 and has been teaching art ever since!
Her favorite artist is one of the greatest masters of all time, Rembrandt; She loves the incredible texture that’s found in so many of his timeless paintings. Kristen’s favorite style of art is stylized, impressionistic realism, and her favorite medium to work with in her own art is oil paint!
What Kristen likes most about teaching at Pinot’s Palette is watching people’s faces when they learn the techniques.
What she likes most about Pinot’s, in general, is the amazing staff and working with so many talented people.
Interesting Facts:
-Kristen used to work at Blackberry Farm in Aurora as a pottery demonstrator.
She has been knitting for 16 years!
*Enjoy learning more about the famous, Rembrandt van Rijn: http://www.r...tpainting.net
*** Angela Morgan***
All about our incredible 'Studio General Manager' AND ‘Instructor’, Anglea:
Angela has been interested in art since High School, which led to pursuing an art degree in college! She has been teaching for eight years, helping so many people along the way.
Her favorite artist is El Anatsui, one of the most highly acclaimed artists in Africa's History and foremost contemporary artists in the world.
Angela’s favorite style of art is ‘Mixed Media’. Her personal favorite mediums to work with are painting, weaving, sewing, and woodworking; She often uses all of these in her own art. Check out her website here: https://ange...om/index.html
What Angela likes about teaching at Pinot’s Palette is bringing smiles to peoples’ faces.
What she likes about Pinot’s Palette in that it's a fun environment for people to experience creating their own art!
*All about El Anatsui: https://elanatsui.art
*** Jacob Clark ***
Jacob has been making art for 22 years, working with acrylic paint which is his favorite medium.
He has been teaching at Pinot’s for a little less than a year, and enjoying every moment!
His favorite artist is contemporary American artist, Dana Schutz
Jacob’s favorite style of art is ‘Abstract Art’.
Jacob said his favorite thing about teaching at Pinot’s Palette is the spontaneous moments. He also enjoys creating a fun time for kids.
His favorite thing about the Pinot’s Palette studio is coming to a place that he WANTS to go to, and not knowing what could happen.
*Learn more about Jacob’s favorite artist and see some of her work: http://www.a.../dana-schutz/
*** Sydney Fay Audiffred-Zavner ***
Sydney has been creating art since birth.
She describes herself as "inspiration"… not a “teacher”, always looking to inspire others to make art!
Her favorite artist is none-other than the incredible Jackson Pollock.
‘Surrealism' is a favorite style of art, as is ‘Abstract Art’. Abstract is a style of art where the artwork does not refer to anything outside of the artwork itself; Surrealism is a style where the artwork draws from the unconscious and the irrational.
Sydney enjoys working with all mediums of art but ink, specifically.
What does she like about teaching at Pinot’s Palette? “The vibes, the humor, the support, and the art."
What is her favortie thing about Pinot’s Palette? The people — The customers and team she works with.
This talented artist is creative, works well with others, and has a great sense of humor and quick wit.
*Learn more about Jackson Pollock: https://www....n-pollock.org
*** Autumn Schaefer ***
Autumn has been painting and drawing since she was a child; As soon as she picked up a pencil, she was creating all of the time.
She has been teaching for about 1.5 years now and enjoys every moment of it!
She has several artists that she admires for their talent, listed below. Learn more about them:
-Gian Lorenzo Bernini, was arguably the greatest sculptor of the 17th century.
https://www....renzo-Bernini
-Caravaggio, who became famous for the intense and unsettling realism of his large-scale religious works.
https://www....oundation.org
-Artesmisa Gentileschi, a Baroque-period painter.
https://www....a-gentileschi
Autumn’s favorite style of art is realism… and if you didn’t guess from the amazing artists she looks to for inspiration, more specifically, she loves 'Classic Baroque’. Her favorite medium to make art in is oil paint.
What Autumn likes most about teaching at Pinot’s is helping create a fun, positive atmosphere for people. She also loves having the opportunity to paint, even if it's not technically her own creation.
When it comes to Pinot’s Palette, in general, Autumn loves how many different artists come together and make different artwork for Pinot's Palette. She loves how it doesn't matter how much experience you have… the artists make it super easy for anyone to paint!
Autumn has a painting degree from The American Academy of Art in Chicago, where she just graduated last Spring!
*** Grace Bales ***
Grace has been making art for as long as she can remember! She can think all the way back to first grade and recall how her art teachers really inspired her!
She started teaching at Pinot’s Palette in October, which has been her first real experience teaching art (*outside of school clubs in high school and college).
When asked about her favorite artist, she said it’s difficult to pick just one; Grace did say one of her inspirations is 'Hayo Miyazaki, one of Japan’s greatest animation directors.
This is a part of why Grace’s favorite style of art is mostly digital illustrator; She is actually, currently studying animation!!
She wants to become an animator because animation is what sparked her interest in art and has been a source of inspiration throughout her life. She wants to use animation as a tool to inspire others and create a new generation of artists.
Grace enjoys working with different mediums and styles of art, in addition to digital art!
What she enjoys about Pinot’s Palette is that it's a great way to get people to create art, and really embodies her life’s goal of inspiring others to make art of their own!
She says “I know anyone can come in without any experience, and walk out with a fully-rendered painting.”
Grace is working on a bachelor’s degree in art at DePaul University in Chicago. She also has an associate's degree in art from Waubonsee College.
*More info on Grace’s favorite artist: https://www....iyazaki-Hayao
*** Sarah Maicke ***
Sarah has been creating art for as long as she can remember. She took her first ceramics class around the age of eight.
A newbie to Pinot’s Palette, Sarah has plenty of experience teaching in the past; She was a teachers’ assistant in high school where she helped children to learn the art of ceramics.
Her favorite artists are Daniel Blimes, a contemporary artist, and Brett Harvey, an American sculptor.
Sarah’s favorite type of art is ceramics and sculpture, and her favorite style is ‘Surrealism’.
What she likes best about working at Pinot’s is teaching kids’ parties. She said it’s really great to see what they end up with.
Her favorite thing about Pinot’s Palette is the atmosphere and how the other artists make it an amazing place.
Fun Fact: Her favorite painting is ‘The Budgie’ By Vincent Van Gogh, a bright and cheery textured painting of a yellow bird.
*Learn more about Sarah’s favorite artists:
Daniel Blimes: https://arca...bilmes/works/
Brett Harvey: http://www.b...ttfharvey.com
****Shelby Anderson****
Shelby has been painting and having fun at Pinot's Palette for over four years. She also works as a preschool teacher where she shares her passion for art with her students.
Shelby graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. SAIC is a global leader in art and design education in the US.
Her favorite thing about working at Pinot's Palette is working with the whole team to bring fun and joy to all of our fun guests.
She enjoys teaching private parties; especially birthday parties!
Join us at Pinot's Palette to create your own masterpiece. You will be led step-by-step through the painting by one of these very talented artists! https://www....om/naperville
We also have paint at home options available. https://www....paint-at-home