We love how kids see the world, and especially the things they create. We asked a handful of young artists of all ages from Orange Easel School of Art to tell us in their own words what they love to create, where their ideas come from, and what keeps them coming back to the easel.
Sofia Wells, 10
How long have you been coming to Orange Easel? 5.5 years
What class(es) do you take at Orange Easel? Mixed media
What are three words that describe you? Creative, kind, helpful
What makes you smile? Younger kid's art
If you could spend an entire day doing anything you wanted, what would you do? Make clay sculptures
What is the coolest thing you've ever made? Heart for KC Parade of Hearts
What is something special or unique about your child? (parent response) Sofia is thoughtful, creative, and very observant. She notices details that other people often miss and has a unique way of seeing the world. She has made a lot of growth over the past few of years, and when she feels comfortable and supported, her kind personality, humor, and creativity really shine.
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Miller Vincent, 3.5
How long have you been making art? 15 years! Ha
How long have you been coming to Orange Easel? When I was in my mom's belly with my sister.
What class(es) do you take at Orange Easel? Preschool explorations
What art supplies do you love using most? Clay and paint
What are three words that describe you? Silly. Jokester. Strong.
What makes you smile? Being with my sister and eating chips.
What do you love about making art? Getting to do it with my friends at Orange Easel.
Where do you get ideas for your artwork? In my head from the stories we read!
What is the coolest thing you've ever made? A wolf with paint!
If your art could have a superpower, what would it do? It would shoot a rainbow of colors everywhere!
What advice would you give another kid who wants to make art? To start with a banana and see what happens!
Is there anything else you'd like people to know about you as an artist? Making friends at art is fun!
What is something special or unique about your child? (parent response) He finds the little things in life to laugh about that we might miss.
What are you most proud of when it comes to their creativity? (parent response) His three-year-old body has lots of energy. This year, he grew a lot with getting started with his idea and next year we will work on finishing more of them before making a new idea!
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Amber Gailey, 16
How long have you been making art? I have been making art for my whole life (it wasn't always good).
How long have you been coming to Orange Easel? 11 years
What class(es) do you take at Orange Easel? Realistic Drawing 103 and Multi-media for high schoolers
What is your favorite thing to create? I like drawing animals and people.
What art supplies do you love using most? I really love colored pencils and have been liking charcoal more recently.
What are three words that describe you? Colorful, prepared, and caring
If you could spend an entire day doing anything you wanted, what would you do? I would want to spend most of the day with my friends doing random fun activities and then come home for some me time and work on one if my crafting projects.
What do you love about making art? I think it is an amazing way to be able to express yourself and trying to make something that matches your vision can be quite cool when it finally gets to the point that you want it to be.
Where do you get ideas for your artwork? Normally from the world around me, from pictures or something I see just around me.
What is the coolest thing you've ever made? I would say the coolest thing that I have made is my drawing of a blue butterfly that I made for my mom.
What advice would you give another kid who wants to make art? Try not to stress about how your art looks, and just have fun.
If you could create anything in the world, what would it be? I think it would be cool to do a mural like in my house (when I own a house) or in a town.
What is something special or unique about your child? (parent response) Amber celebrates everyone and encourages expression even if she disagrees with their opinions.
What are you most proud of when it comes to their creativity? (parent response) Amber is fearless
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Graham Stoecker, 11
How long have you been coming to Orange Easel? 2 years
What class(es) do you take at Orange Easel? Drawing 102 Illustrative
What is your favorite thing to create? Video games on Scratch
What art supplies do you love using most? Pencil, Microns, Posca/paint markers
What are three words that describe you? Programmer, artistic, and friendly
If you could spend an entire day doing anything you wanted, what would you do? I would probably code on Scratch, play Terraria, and maybe do some art at the end of the day.
Where do you get ideas for your artwork? I get a lot of my ideas from nature and plants.
What is the coolest thing you've ever made? The coolest thing I think I've ever made is a Scratch project called Peashooter Platformer. It has over 300 views on Scratch, which may not sound like a lot, but I worked very hard to earn all those views.
What advice would you give another kid who wants to make art? Just make one thing every day. It doesn't have to be good or original; you just have to make it. Your brain naturally improves over time, so if you commit to this goal for a while, you should improve.
If you could create anything in the world, what would it be? I would create a super popular video game that was a chill gardening simulator with cool pastel graphics.
What is something special or unique about your child? (parent response) So many things about Graham are unique! He has always been really creative, but something unique about him is he really likes plants, learning about plants, and turning them into characters. Last summer, he was so excited to buy a book about plants of the Rocky Mountains so he could base his new drawings on real plants.
What are you most proud of when it comes to their creativity? (parent response) We are proud of Graham for how he stays true to himself and his art style. He is proud to be an artist and creator and we are proud of him for continuing to pursue his passion!
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Lennon Vincent, 5
How long have you been making art? Since I was born!
How long have you been coming to Orange Easel? Since I was 1 year old.
What class(es) do you take at Orange Easel? Preschool exploration
What is your favorite thing to create? When it's clay day! We make all kinds of stuff from the clay.
What art supplies do you love using most? Clay! And the teachers. I like to see what they make because they are so crafty.
What are three words that describe you? Helpful. Brave. Silly.
What makes you smile? When I see my best friends.
What do you love about making art? I really really, really like to build stuff. I really like to put lots of clay together and add decorations.
Where do you get ideas for your artwork? From my teachers
What is the coolest thing you've ever made? My three worms sculpture.
What advice would you give another kid who wants to make art? I will teach them about how I made my art. I would say we do lots of practice and lots of different types of things to learn.
If you could create anything in the world, what would it be? A sculpture of my whole family for my house
What is something special or unique about your child? (parent response) She's the best big sister ever.
What are you most proud of when it comes to their creativity? (parent response) She's a perfectionist at heart and this year she's learned to be okay with something coming out different than planned. We learn from it and use that for the next creation.
If your child would like to become an Orange Easel artist, you can sign them up for their 2026-27 classes at orangeeaselart.com. Registration opens August 1st at 9am.
If your art could have a superpower, what would it do? It would shoot a rainbow of colors everywhere!