Karen is a passionate artist who is forever thirsty to learn a new technique, media or idea to help her or her students.

Karen comes from a family of artists and found this tough to live up to, and gave up on art education early on. Thankfully she has come to realize and believe in her creative abilities. Her early experiences have given her empathy with her own students who cannot see the beauty in their own work and is tireless when it comes to ensuring her students are happy with their work.

She teaches art in a local school for grades K- 8. The students cannot wait until Mrs. Welch-Smith comes to their class to teach art.

Karen has made it her mission to empower the teachers in learning techniques and ideas from her so that when she no longer teaches in their classroom they can confidentially teach art without her.

Karen continues to educate herself by continually taking art classes at the university, online and in the community so that she can be the best artist and teacher she can be.

Karen is a part of the local artist community and holds a position on the Saskatchewan Arts Showcase board.

Karen

Katharine

Katharine is a knowledgable artist with a questioning mind who pushes the boundaries and questions “what is art?”.

Katharine has been creating art since she was little and remembers having her art included in the Mendel School Art exhibit when she was in Kindergarten. Katharine feels that she was fortunate to have had great teachers who have inspired and encouraged her to continue with her art. These formative experiences have created the expressive and supportive art teacher she is today.

Currently, Katharine teaches pre-school and it is here she begins instilling a love of art in her students.

Katharine is passionate about empowering students in the Funky Artsmiths studio and at school to trust in their instincts and the decisions they make when creating their art. Katharine is supportive of her students and loves nothing better than when they return to the studio with stories of their art adventures.

Katharine is also a part of the local artist community and is also on the Saskatchewan Arts Showcase board.

The Funky Artsmiths Story

IN THE BEGINNING there was Karen & Katharine who had met when their own children were students in elementary school. They quickly realized a shared a love of art, completely contrasting tastes in music and a fondness for drinking tea, their favourite times are those spent creating art whilst drinking more tea!

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As the friendship grew they began working in the same elementary school and noticed a lack of art education and art experiences in the classrooms.  In answer to this, on one of those art making, tea drinking, arguing over music days an idea was born that grew into a plan. That plan has hatched and grown into an art studio that strives to give a comprehensive art education they felt was missing in mainstream schools.

Funky Artsmiths was born from the amalgamation of both Karen & Katharine's last names that totally captures a fun attitude and desire to create artists in everyone - while teaching actual skills to students and having fun together. The hope was that through all of these experiences students would take what they had learned and apply it elsewhere and have a life long love of art.

Beginning with just two small weekly classes Funky Artsmiths has been growing and adding more classes to the schedule ever since. 

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IN 2018 Katharine retired from all of her teaching positions to fulfil her travelling dreams alongside her husband.