About
“I love teaching art. Painting and drawing are so much fun. I want everyone to experience the excitement of creating a piece of art. It is extremely fulfilling when a student says, “This is the best art camp I have ever been in!” I also love it when one of my students runs up to me at an art store and gives me a big hug, then their parents ask me for advice on paints and brushes.” –Karen
I teach:
Acrylic Painting
Watercolor Painting
Oil Painting
Plein Air Painting
Drawing
Oil Pastel
Chalk Pastel
I am a native Texan. I received my Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree from The University of North Texas in 1987. In 1986 I spent a year studying abroad at American College of Switzerland. This was a great experience for me and I still remember doing plein air paintings in watercolors on a hillside overlooking Lake Geneva. After working for three years for a packaging company in Dallas, she went back to school and got a degree in Computer Graphics in Multimedia at the Apple Regional Multimedia Center in Plano, Texas.
Since graduating from college I have taught a variety of art classes for students ranging in age from 4 to 85. Her first teaching experience was right out of college teaching summer art camps at a Montessori school in Texas. Karen’s California classes started at the Vista Art Foundation’s Gallery 204 in Vista in 2008. She created her own curriculum for the classes at the Gallery. When the Gallery closed she found teaching positions at several Montessori and Catholic schools. Karen also creates the curriculum for ChristianArtLessons.com
If you would like to learn more about me, please visit my website at www.KarenBrake.com.
Find Me On Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/karenbrakebarge/
Photos and videos
Reviews
Debbie J.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I ask their age because I have worked with students from 4 to 84 years of age. I ask what type of art do they want to learn. I ask if they have supplies. Many times I have had grandparents who have given a child I box of art supplies and they do now know what to do with them. I can show you how to use just about every type of tool to create art.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I received my Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree from The University of North Texas in 1987. I also have 2 years in Computer Graphics in Multimedia at the Apple Regional Multimedia Center in Plano, Texas.
I have been teaching art since 1991.
How did you get started teaching?
I was asked to teach a three-week art camp at a Montessori school in Texas in 1991.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have taught all types of students.