I love it! Teaching art at this studio has been one of my main purposes in life since 1977. More than a thousand beginning students have participated in painting and drawing classes, ages 6 through 85. Many friends have been made over the years as a result of this mission in Saugerties, NY.

I was born in Fort Fairfield, Maine, known as the "World's Largest Potato Producing Town" with over 23 thousand acres of rich, fertile and tillable soil for planting potatoes in Aroostook County. My parents, who came from generations of farmers, observed and appreciated my ability to draw recognizable subjects at age 4 by saving the artwork. By the time I was six, I was winning art awards. At age 8, I studied watercolor and oil painting with professional artist, Bessie Higgins in Presque Isle, Me. After sojourns to Florida and California, I moved to Saugerties, NY in 1973 to study at the Art Students League in the Woodstock art colony. My great great great grandfather Samuel Bishop was born in Westchester, NY in 1770.

Children ought to be encouraged to develop their creativity at a young age and be able to speak in public about it. I have been facilitating annual art shows for my students since 1991. Since my involvement with Toastmasters Club in 2008, I have encouraged the young ones to express why and how they execute their artwork in front of crowds in access of 150 people. It is vitally important to develop leadership skills as well as creative abilities.

This year, we are celebrating the 21st Annual Student Show with over 150 works of art on display. Young and older students gain self-confidence by sharing their works with the public, winning awards and making sales.

Being a teaching artist, I was the founder of "Kristy's Kreative Kids" in 1996. That year, I began writing a weekly column by that name for a local newspaper about the artwork and lives of young artists. It is now published bi-monthly in Ulster Publishing Company's Saugerties Times since January 2000. It contains profiles of artists of all ages and a variety of arts-related subjects.

I have produced several hundred works of art and am in the process of writing my memoirs for publication. The Hudson Valley is ripe with creative people who encourage one another and I am grateful for the opportunity to share my life and work with everyone.