Shining Bear Art Studios was started in April of 2015 by me, Mike Carroll. I believe that an arts education is necessary for the development of the full potential of our brain. [I focus on the visual arts, but when I say “arts” I am referring to art, music, dance and movement, and theater]. I have been an Art teacher in the public school system [K – College], since 2000 and have now expanded to create Shining Bear Art Studios so that I can reach more students! Although I am used to handling 6-7 classes per day, with class sizes sometimes above 30 students, at Shining Bear we try to keep our classes much smaller so the student and teacher interactions can be much more productive. We usually max out our class size at 15 students.

I say “We” because Shining Bear has a second teacher, DJ Osmack. DJ is an accomplished teacher with a great resume. He was awarded the “Rookie Art Teacher of the Year”, in the state of Colorado, by CAEA a couple years ago. He was the CAEA President for 4 years. Now he is the CAEA “past president” and doing great things in the world of art – including “guest teaching” for Shining Bear Art Studios! He brings teaching experiences from Kindergarten through adult classes. He currently teaches at North High School, in Denver.

Shining Bear Art Studios is open to students with special needs and disabilities. DJ and I work in the public school system where special needs students are “mainstreamed” all the time. In addition to that, I grew up with my twin sister, who is on the Autism spectrum, and my youngest brother who has hearing and vision impairments. Both of my brothers are ADHD andI am no stranger to these kinds of differences in my students. And as long as we know ahead of time, Shining Bear Art Studios can make adjustments to our classes to accommodate most needs immediately.

When making my own art, I will typically work in clay with the human figure, or I’ll be building kinetic sculptures with my welding torch.  Although in my heart and soul I am an Artist and Teacher, there are other things I enjoy as well. I am a runner and fisherman and a climber. Running is a part of my life and I have run approximately 10 marathons and 3 ultra-marathons, including the Leadville Silver Rush 50 Mile Run. In my down time you might catch me out on a lake or reservoir, in the boat my dad made, fishing for Walleye or along a stream fly-fishing for Trout, or out on a rock somewhere climbing with friends.

I am a member of the Colorado Art Education Association, and a member of an organization called ArtSource. These two associations are the leading groups in professional development for Art Educators in the Rocky Mountain Region and maintaining the integrity of Art Teachers as Artists. They are also the reason I became the “2011 Elementary Art Educator of the Year” in the state of Colorado. We should all support them, and you can contact me if you would like to direct donations towards either group.

Shining Bear Art Studios is based in Broomfield, Colorado, where I live with my wife, one of my two sons, and my Bernese Mountain dog, Jameson. Shining Bear started small with a huge support from my family. All of our first classes were outside for the “Art in the Park” kind of experience. What a great success! Some criticized me for not having a building to work in, but to be out in the fresh air with easels and paints and pastels, [open air painting], and a picnic lunch is awesome!