Nolensville, Tennessee

Michael Booysen (Substitute Teacher)

Michael loves art and art’s ability to connect others. It represents individuality and self-expression, inadvertently drawing others near through the shared connection of art. Art can inspire and motivate. Michael is a 3D artist and software developer who started his art career at Children’s Art Classes. He went on to study art in college and fell in love with the technological side of art. However, his love of fine art has not diminished at all. He is a forever student and is constantly doing fine art in his free time. Michael believes his foundation of fine art is the key to creating unique and successful art in his field of work. Michael has been trained specifically in the Children’s Art Classes curriculum and has worked closely with Martha in striving for the highest quality of teaching. He has taught at Children’s Art Classes for three years and has built wonderful relationships with all his students. Michael is currently the substitute teacher.

Lace Booysen (Studio Assistant)

Hi, I’m Lace! I have been an artist since childhood, and I am passionate about various forms of art, particularly portraits and anatomy studies. I enjoy understanding how muscles move to accurately portray different motions. My preferred mediums include watercolor, gouache, craft paper, and alcohol markers.

I attended cosmetology school at Paul Mitchell The School. Before that, my lines in art were quite shaky. However, once I started working with hair, my lines became steadier, allowing me to refine each piece of art I created. This experience also solidified my understanding of color theory.

I have four years of experience working with children, and I find this work to be both humbling and rewarding. I understand that it takes time to learn and achieve progress as an artist. I aim to encourage my students by showing them that dedication and practice lead to achieving their artistic goals.

I am grateful for the opportunity to work closely with Martha Booysen in the position of teaching assistant, supporting the teachers at Children’s Art Classes. I always strive to better myself and gain as much knowledge as possible, and I look forward to receiving specific training in the Children’s Art Classes curriculum. I am excited to be a part of every student’s learning journey and can’t wait to see how they grow as young artists.

Riley Housden

Riley has held a love for art ever since she saw her first cartoon. While animation is her greatest love, she also enjoys experimenting with various mediums, including gouache, watercolors, and graphite. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation from Lipscomb University, where she studied under animators from the classical Disney era of the 1990s.

Riley has four years of experience working with children, including teaching at Art of All Nations in Longview, Washington, and Jewell’s Gems Academy in Nashville. She looks forward to combining her artistic knowledge with her love of teaching. As a teacher, she enjoys connecting with and inspiring her students to express their creativity, fostering confidence in their ever-growing artistic identities.

Riley is excited about building strong, lasting relationships with her students at Children’s Art Classes. In her free time she loves horseback riding, reading, and playing board games!

Martha Booysen

Martha believes that the arts are fundamental. Art is a response to our individuality and our nature, and it helps to shape our identity. Art has a beautiful universality; it can speak many languages without a translator. It does not discriminate. Art lifts us up. Martha is the owner of Children’s Art Classes. She has been trained specifically in the Children’s Art Classes curriculum and has been enthusiastically teaching this program since 2017. Striving for the highest quality in teaching, she works closely with the founder of Children’s Art Classes. Her mission is to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.

Martha Studied Social work at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She moved to the United States in 2003 with her family. Throughout her children’s school years, Martha volunteered in the public school system and tutored reading and writing. Martha is the proud mother of three adult children. She holds a part-time position in social work. In her free time, she enjoys painting, drawing, jewelry making, sewing and gardening.