art-painting-supplies-free-stock-photos-rgbstock-free-stock-images-paint-palette-3-photos – Baldwin Public Library

Learn to paint like a pro with sponges, rollers and paint pens!  Take home a finished canvas painting in under 2 hours at the Aug. 19 Stay Smart with Art program hosted by the Virgin Valley Artists Association.

Stay Smart With Art is a free program geared for adults.   Classes are offered four times a year with a focus on different art forms.  The classes are geared to introduce adults to both appreciate and understand the process of how some of the different art forms are created and to inspire them to create their own.  The goal is to make it a comfortable and fun atmosphere where learning something new is not intimidating. 

SSWA teachers hope the classes will inspire students to continue on their own journey of creativity.

The instructor will be Cheri Smith. Smith has had an artistic and creative career for more than 50 years. She owned and designed in her three flower shops in Virginia and Santa Fe, New Mexico, and has done floral work for the Reagan era White House and several movie stars.  

After a work-related accident in 2000, she shifted her creativity from flowers to art and began illustrating children’s books and doing murals with fantasy themes. Her professional signature, “The FaeryPaynter,” derived by combining her maiden name, Payne, with the Gaelic word “faery,” can be found in seven states and four galleries from New England to Florida and across Arizona and New Mexico.  

While she has lived in 17 states, an abiding love for the Southwest has brought her back out West and to Nevada and the Virgin Valley Artists’ Association.  She currently lives in Mesquite and rents studio space through the Mesquite Fine Arts Gallery.

Classes are free and supplies are provided. At this time, class size is limited to 15 students.  You will need to register by visiting the website www.mesquitefineartscenter.com. Those interested can also call 702-346-1338.