Instructors
Our Regular Instructors
Cait Ides
Cait is an experienced art educator with a background in sociology and art history. She has been teaching art since 2013 and is passionate about helping students explore creativity in meaningful ways. Cait brings elements of both Reggio Emilia and Montessori philosophies into her teaching relationship.
Cait’s educational philosophy focuses on fostering curiosity, self-expression, and hands-on learning in an inclusive environment that encourages artistic confidence. She believes that art is a tool for both personal growth and connecting with the world around us.
Emily Luchetta
Emily grew up on the Central Coast, with a lifelong passion for art. She spent her childhood exploring art through drawing, painting, and collage, as well as a love of the fiber arts instilled in her by her grandmother, and her intrinsic curious nature.
Emily has enjoyed working as an educator with children for the past 10 years. Her experience in Waldorf education further supported Emily's connection to the nurturing and developmentally meaningful roll of artistic endeavors. She is passionate about creating for the sake of the process, not the product, and hopes to instill a love of creating for the sake of creating in her community and class culture!
Barbara Abbott
Barbara has an MFA in costume design for theatre along with 18 years’ experience in that field. From pattern making, to historical corsetry, millinery to magical teacups, Barbara has a broad range of experience in the costume shop.
In recent years, she has discovered a love of visible mending and hand sewing as a means of making art, creatively maintaining clothing items she loves, and slowing down in a busy world. Barbara loves sharing her knowledge, skill, and love for the craft blending patience, good humor, and the mantra that mistakes give us opportunities for creative solutions.
D'Arcy Castro
D'Arcy has a lifelong relationship with art and expression. Finding solace in creating, it was through teaching students that D'Arcy discovered the depth of joy that comes through sharing in and encouraging the exploration of artistic creativity in others.
D'Arcy is passionate about using beautiful materials, introducing different mediums to students, and (most importantly) enjoying the process! D'Arcy draws upon notes from both Montessori and Waldorf methods as scaffolding for her instructional inspiration.
Ron Pippin
Ron is a San Luis Obispo–based commercial artist, event producer, creative guide, and lifelong learner working across mediums. In his 25th year as Shiny Object, Ron hosts virtual and in-person workshops and pop-up cultural events. He’s also co-parenting two teens and playing all-vinyl DJ sets across SLO County.
Ron works a one-to-one guide and group lead helping others find inspiration in their own lives. See Ron's work at shinyobjectstudios.com
Marjorie Rehbach
Marjorie spent half of her life in the Midwest and the other half exploring Europe, both coasts of the US, and the Southwest. She has been involved with Waldorf Education as teacher, administrator, and therapist, for around 50 years. This allowed her to dive deeply into the arts as a way of life, eventually specializing in puppetry, storytelling, and needle felting. Marjorie enjoys sharing these skills and inspiring others to live and express creatively through fiber and puppetry.
Our Guest Instructors
Camilla Auchterlounie
Camilla is a multi-faceted glass artist living and creating on the Central Coast. She runs a teaching studio in San Luis Obispo, where she guides others in the hands-on process of working with glass through different class formats. Camilla's glass art blends playful and modern design; she takes on custom commissions for both homes and public spaces.
When she is not in her studio, sharing her love for freedom and expression through design, you can find her showcasing her locally made art at various maker markets and craft events. You can learn more about Camilla and her work on her website: https://througheyesofglass.com
McKenna Lenhart
McKenna grew up just outside of Denver, Colorado, and has called California’s Central Coast home for the past decade. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in Fine Arts from California Lutheran University, blending her love of the natural world with her creative practice.
Her work spans a wide range of mediums—from painting, printmaking, and graphic design to cob building and landscape design. McKenna serves as a Director of a garden-based education nonprofit, One Cool Earth, and also runs her small art business, Juniper Blue. She is excited to share her passion for art - encouraging students to explore, play, and find their own creative voice.
James Hovarth
James brings over 20 years of experience in teaching ancestral art and primitive skills, blending hands-on expertise with a deep passion for reviving traditional techniques.
Through immersive workshops, he introduces students to the timeless practices of craftsmanship, utilizing natural tools and materials. By guiding learners in the creation of functional art, James fosters a greater understanding of cultural heritage, self-sufficiency, and environmental stewardship, helping them reconnect with the earth and the wisdom of their ancestors.
Caroline Smith
Caroline spent her childhood in Western Maryland before wandering West and eventually landing on the San Juan Islands. There, she fell into a lively community of artists, makers, an regenerative farmers. Upon moving to Los Osos a few years ago, Caroline found her way into a similar community here on the Central Coast.
Caroline works within a few modalities, including fiber arts, poetry, natural dyes, floral design, and hide tanning. She is thrilled to be able to share these practical and ancestral skills with folks of all ages throughout SLO County. She believes that working with our hands allows us to connect more deeply with our hearts, creative spirits, intuition, and those who crafted before us.
Mary Strum
Mary Sturm enjoys sharing nature journaling with others. She especially enjoys helping new journalers who are nervous about drawing. She is the founder of the Central Coast Nature Journal Club, a community of people connecting with nature through nature journaling. Mary promotes nature journaling as whatever we want or need it to be.....scientific, meditative, or anything in between.
Mary has taught classes and developed curriculum for groups such as VIP (Volunteers In Parks), SLO Botanical Garden, Cal Poly, Land Conservancy and Camp KEEP.
Kim Bethel
Kim is a fiber artist specializing in spinning and natural dyeing. Kim has been exploring and refining her fiber skills for over 50 years. She has been blessed to spend several decades on land in the Sierra foothills, where she enjoyed raising animals and harvesting the land for fiber materials and dyes. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge, wisdom, and experience to inspire others in exploring and enjoying the benefits of natural and homemade fiber arts. Kim is a naturalist, gardener and spinner of brilliant ideas!