Aurora resident Laura Lynne found her passion as an artist when she was a child and probably never dreamed that one day she’s be teaching art using a computer screen to kids who now Zoom with her on a regular basis.
“That was something that started during COVID of course, but I’ve continued to do it along with working as an art teacher in residence with the Indian Prairie School District, thanks to a grant,” Lynne, 46, said recently.
Lynne is the owner of her own business, Laura Lynne Art, LLC, which was launched back in 2013 where the artist was at first doing craft and art shows.
Lynne has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee with a concentration in painting and drawing. She said her art interest was influenced early on by her mother.
“My mom is a hobby painter, I guess you could say. When I was younger, she was painting a picture for my aunt and that inspired me. I wanted to paint along with her too,” she said. “My cousin also inspired me a bit too. I knew that I wanted to be an artist when I was 8 years old.”
Lynne said her favorite mediums include collage and painting and include hand-cut paper collages and colorful murals.
“I do watercolor and I do acrylic. I learned oils, but right now, I do mural painting with acrylic and I’ve been doing portraits with watercolor. I know a lot of different media,” she said.
Today, Lynne says she offers “nature-inspired art curriculum for online and in-person workshops,” something that reflects her love of the outdoors.
“I love combining local nature and art so that kids can learn about their surroundings and also experience art in a more connected way,” she said. “I love nature, It’s kind of my first passion. I grew up camping. I grew up in nature and not everyone is like that. I think that if we can educate kids about nature they’ll have a much greater appreciation for it. I did a project with a possum in it and the kids thought it was a rat. I never get any pushback, however. Most of them will draw whatever I show them.”
Like thousands of others, Lynne found herself pivoting during the pandemic which then led to a business model that today takes up half of her time.
“In 2020, I was supposed to have an artist-in-residence with the DuPage Children’s Museum but I convinced them (because of the pandemic) to let me do it virtual and I ended up doing it online for them,” she said.
Besides her current gig with Indian Prairie School District 204, Lynne says she also teaches art clubs at St. Rita of Cascia Catholic School in Aurora and also art for kindergarten through eighth-grade classes at Annunciation School, also in Aurora.
“For the Indian Prairie schools, I’ve done online summer camps and I do this family art club program which are both online so for me half my work is in-person and the other half online,” she said. “People may question the lack of personal contact in the classroom when you’re doing online instruction, but we just have the kids hold up their art in the screen. Sometimes they’ll tip their screen down so I can see but for the projects that I do, I mostly like to inspire them with artwork in nature and let their creativity take over.”
Parents like Amanda Hunkler, whose daughter Aurelia Hunkler, 6, is a first-grade student at Longwood Elementary School in District 204, praised Lynne’s skills and said the positive impact is noticeable.
“This is our first year being a part of the Family Art Zoom Club, but I can already tell how enriching the program has been for my child. She has access to materials and techniques that I could never provide her, and it has proven to be a very positive creative outlet for her outside of the traditional classroom,” Hunkler said. “My youngest child, who is 2 years old, even participates during the Zoom class so it really has benefited the whole family. Laura (Lynne) is so patient and thoughtful in her responses and how she explains what art skill they are learning during the class. She really allows and provides a safe and creative environment for the children to learn and grow as young art students.”
The online method has its advantages, Lynne said.
“It’s not great for everything. I mean, I wouldn’t teach sewing online,” Lynne said. “But as far as more open-ended art projects, I feel like it works very well. A lot of the kids that have seen me on the TV screen feel like I’m some kind of superstar when I come and visit their class. Once kids figure out they can take the project wherever they want, they love it. They love the online classes.”
Lynne calls the online method “a great way to reach kids, especially in the summer camps as parents might be working all day long and can’t drive them anywhere.”
“Some have parents that also work in the evenings as well so it also works after hours,” she said. “Some kids have trouble in school where they are always talking and getting in trouble, but in the Zoom they can do their work while still talking. It’s not a disruption.”
Regarding the classroom environment her teacher creates, student Maddy Miller, 13, of Aurora, who attends Annunciation, said she likes Lynne’s approach and flexibility.
“She always gives demos and photos on the board to follow along,” she said. “We always have the option to have our own project instead of having to be forced to do her art. She likes nature and we have seen lessons directed that way and even though that’s not my favorite subject we feel free to explore our own thing.”
“I really want that – for kids to take the reins for the project,” Lynne adds. “I’ll inspire them, I’ll show them techniques, and I’ll show them a whole completed project, but then they can decide what direction they want to take it in.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
