by John Stapleton, Contributing Editor
Even though she loved art and had aspirations to become an artist, Nichole Kluth says she didn’t believe anyone could make a career of it. The great ones she learned about in school; all long gone and part of museum tours.
“My only option was to teach it, which I settled in my heart as an option,” Kluth says. “A series of decisions redirected me to a different path, and aside from the occasional scrapbook night with girlfriends, a holiday craft, or a sewing project, the idea of art had completely slipped out of my heart and mind.”
Among the different paths — marriage and motherhood. Kluth says she used them as an excuse when it came to time and energy to put into her craft. However in 2014, Kluth had one of those moments that would bring her back to her dream.
“I had called and scheduled one of those private paint parties for my mom’s birthday, anticipating just another craft-type affair,” she says. “Little did I know, on this night as I smelled oil paint for the first time, it would birth a dream that would only lend itself to dreaming bigger, gifting me with abundant passion, divine purpose and a clear vision.”
From that moment, Kluth began her professional life as an artist from taking classes to selling her own work. In 2020, her dreams pushed her further and in the midst of the pandemic, she opened the Divine Art Institute, teaching those who had inquired about her techniques.
“My goals were to create a space to teach both drawing and painting to every age level and every experience level,” Kluth says. “I wanted a safe space for individuals to create without judgment regardless of their age, skill set or limitations. I wanted to cultivate world-changing art created by world-changing artists. I wanted a place for professionals to further their learning, to try a new technique, and enjoy a creative space to push the envelope with their work.”
The Studio offers workshops for those who want to give a class a try and a weekly proficiency program for those who want to study further.
“It’s a joy and privilege to teach both the young and young at heart. We are created to create — it is within us,” Kluth says. “A child needs art in their lives. While it provides both advances in fine motor skills for holding pencils and brushes and building muscle memory in the left brain understanding steps and following directions, the right brain is activated and children are free to explore their emotions, their imagination and simply ‘be’ without reservation.”
Kluth says one of her favorite aspects is to watch children teaching older students. Most classes are for ages 8 and up. Kluth says the younger artists help the older ones break free and get back to that creative side they once had as a child.
“As adults, we have so much to unlearn in our left brain that inhibits our creative flow in the right brain,” she says.
