Shelley Lapham-Pastore (aka: Miss Shelley, or Ms. Miss Shelley as her younger students like to call her!) is a professional Artist, certified Instructor, and Elementary Art Educator who has enjoyed teaching her fun and Creative Art classes for over 15 years! She is well known in TN, NC, & SC for her work with Preschool, Home School, & Elementary Art programs, Enrichment Classes, and Summer Art Camps. Her Creative Art classes have inspired children and adults at the Charlotte Art League, Smart Toys & Books, United Artisans Studio, Blue Grass Elementary, AL Lotts Elementary, Park Road Montessori, York Prep Academy, Imagination Forest, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, YMCA of East Tennessee, and Michael's Art & Crafts Store.
Miss Shelley's classes allow her students the freedom to explore the world of Art while learning new techniques and fun ways to create Art under the positive guidance of a caring Instructor. Her mission is to keep classes affordable and available to all students who wants to learn and create so they will grow in their Art and pass it on to future generations. She truly loves teaching and her students enjoy taking classes and workshops in the areas they are interested in.
Shelley has been very involved with the Arts since she was a young girl. She would spend hours on her sun patio creating and painting and she enjoyed being involved in Music, Theatre, and Art programs. Over the last 20 years she has studied and taken numerous Art classes and workshops under other professional Artists and worked in Studios studying clay, glass fusing, and mixed media art and painting techniques. In college, Shelley studied Music and Elementary Education on a music scholarship and in 1999 she traveled to a small island off the coast of Belize to share her love of music and art with children. After her son Gabe was born, Shelley enjoyed being a Nanny for Michelle Rogers (the owner of Miller Street Dance Academy in Charlotte) and she was inspired to start teaching Art, music classes, and Art Parties for preschool, home school, and elementary age children in Charlotte, NC and Fort Mill, SC. In 2013, Shelley moved to Knoxville, TN to be closer to the mountains and accepted a position as the Director of Afterschool and Summer Camp programs for the YMCA of East Tennessee at Blue Grass Elementary and for the Westside YMCA and taught Art Classes at the Westside Y, Davis YMCA, and for Imagination Forest. In the Summer of 2017, Shelley moved her Creative Art Classes into the Art Studio at Smart Toys and Books and now enjoys teaching year round classes, workshops, and Art Parties for kids! She also travels to teach her Creative Art Enrichment classes in Knox County Schools, for private Art parties, and for the pro golfers kids on the PGA of America tour.
In her spare time Shelley enjoys hiking in the mountains with her husband Chris, son Gabe, and adorable Australian Lab (Felix) as well as traveling, kayaking, and photography (her cat Bailey loves the camera!) Her favorite styles of Art are Mosaics, Mixed Media, and Texture Painting on Canvas. Shelley's unique and creative style of painting have inspired others to pick up a brush and learn something fun!
Miss Shelley's classes allow her students the freedom to explore the world of Art while learning new techniques and fun ways to create Art under the positive guidance of a caring Instructor. Her mission is to keep classes affordable and available to all students who wants to learn and create so they will grow in their Art and pass it on to future generations. She truly loves teaching and her students enjoy taking classes and workshops in the areas they are interested in.
Shelley has been very involved with the Arts since she was a young girl. She would spend hours on her sun patio creating and painting and she enjoyed being involved in Music, Theatre, and Art programs. Over the last 20 years she has studied and taken numerous Art classes and workshops under other professional Artists and worked in Studios studying clay, glass fusing, and mixed media art and painting techniques. In college, Shelley studied Music and Elementary Education on a music scholarship and in 1999 she traveled to a small island off the coast of Belize to share her love of music and art with children. After her son Gabe was born, Shelley enjoyed being a Nanny for Michelle Rogers (the owner of Miller Street Dance Academy in Charlotte) and she was inspired to start teaching Art, music classes, and Art Parties for preschool, home school, and elementary age children in Charlotte, NC and Fort Mill, SC. In 2013, Shelley moved to Knoxville, TN to be closer to the mountains and accepted a position as the Director of Afterschool and Summer Camp programs for the YMCA of East Tennessee at Blue Grass Elementary and for the Westside YMCA and taught Art Classes at the Westside Y, Davis YMCA, and for Imagination Forest. In the Summer of 2017, Shelley moved her Creative Art Classes into the Art Studio at Smart Toys and Books and now enjoys teaching year round classes, workshops, and Art Parties for kids! She also travels to teach her Creative Art Enrichment classes in Knox County Schools, for private Art parties, and for the pro golfers kids on the PGA of America tour.
In her spare time Shelley enjoys hiking in the mountains with her husband Chris, son Gabe, and adorable Australian Lab (Felix) as well as traveling, kayaking, and photography (her cat Bailey loves the camera!) Her favorite styles of Art are Mosaics, Mixed Media, and Texture Painting on Canvas. Shelley's unique and creative style of painting have inspired others to pick up a brush and learn something fun!
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“It's hard to express in words how much we adore Miss Shelley! She is one of those rare individuals who was born to work with children. She is gifted with the ability to effectively communicate with kids on their level - she teaches them SO many things, but they just think they're having fun! Emily has been attending classes for 3 years and continues to look forward to going, each and every time. Miss Shelley is like a favorite aunt, who doesn't mind if the kids make a mess, just as long as they are having fun - and you know, Shelley is having just as much fun as the kids! Miss Shelley's Art classes are truly one of the best experiences your child will have and there's no better person to care for your children than Shelley. I know that each child she teaches holds a special place in her heart, and she definitely has a special place in ours!”
-Jennifer B., Mom to Emily |
"Miss Shelley is the BEST teacher EVER!!" -Carson (age 8)
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"Lucy absolutely loved her experience with Miss Shelley in her Art classes! It gave her confidence and opened the door to music and art, which she loves so much. She looked forward to going every week and made lots of friends. As a parent, I really enjoyed the small class sizes. It was a wonderful introduction to the world of Art and I was always impressed with Miss Shelley’s positive energy and interaction with the kids. I would not trade this experience for Lucy for anything!!" -Cathy B., Mom to Lucy
"My daughter Olivia attended Miss Shelley's Art classes for over three years. Shelley always has such a cheerful demeanor and it is obvious that she really loves the children she teaches. It was great to know that Olivia was with someone with such a passion for Art, as well as a fun personality. I loved coming to pick my daughter up and seeing all the art projects they had made that Miss Shelley is so famous for!"
-Lisa G., Mom to Olivia
“When we first moved, we heard all about Miss Shelley and how she's the most amazing Art teacher. I took my once very nervous daughter, Hannah, to her first day of class in hopes to help her overcome her strong attachment to me. Within the first few classes, Hannah was a confident and outgoing little girl. She has learned a GREAT deal of knowledge and I am simply amazed at the level of attention that she and all of the other children in her class received. A million thank you's goes to Shelley for teaching her the importance of being creative!!” -Andrea R., Mom to Hannah and Ella
“I just cannot say enough good things about Miss Shelley and her classes! The love and attention Shelley gives every child is above and beyond what you would see anywhere else. Every week is a new adventure with new themes and new exciting art projects. My son was extremely shy and afraid to be away from me when I first signed him up. Now he can’t wait to go. I truly believe that it was in great part the loving and fun environment that contributed to his now outgoing and gregarious personality. Miss Shelley is absolutely wonderful!!!” -Daniela S., Mommy to Sean
-Lisa G., Mom to Olivia
“When we first moved, we heard all about Miss Shelley and how she's the most amazing Art teacher. I took my once very nervous daughter, Hannah, to her first day of class in hopes to help her overcome her strong attachment to me. Within the first few classes, Hannah was a confident and outgoing little girl. She has learned a GREAT deal of knowledge and I am simply amazed at the level of attention that she and all of the other children in her class received. A million thank you's goes to Shelley for teaching her the importance of being creative!!” -Andrea R., Mom to Hannah and Ella
“I just cannot say enough good things about Miss Shelley and her classes! The love and attention Shelley gives every child is above and beyond what you would see anywhere else. Every week is a new adventure with new themes and new exciting art projects. My son was extremely shy and afraid to be away from me when I first signed him up. Now he can’t wait to go. I truly believe that it was in great part the loving and fun environment that contributed to his now outgoing and gregarious personality. Miss Shelley is absolutely wonderful!!!” -Daniela S., Mommy to Sean
