Meet Our Teaching Artists!
Melinda Valentini
Founder/CEO (Chief Experience Officer)
I started Sweet Ridge Studios to share the transformative power of creation with everyone. Making allows us to communicate without language. It also connects and centers us. I adore children's art creations! I believe they are the purest representations of the world we live in. I hold degrees in Sculpture and Psychology from the University of Kansas and aim with children’s art programming to foster an environment of self-discovery that allows each child to be their entire wonderful selves! I look forward to sharing my love of art with your students.
If I could be any art material, I would be clay! Clay is both additive and reductive and its possibilities are limitless. Clay makes everyone joyful!
Tim Tindle
Instructor
Tim Tindle is an artist that enjoys sharing the infinite potential of creativity. As a teacher, he loves to see his students grow their confidence and skill, by practicing art. He loves working with clay, but also paints draws, and sculpts with found objects. One of his favorite things is a fresh block of clay or a blank page; the magic of pure potential.
A new bag of clay is one of my favorite things. If I could be any art material I would be a fresh block of clay. It is the magic of pure potential. So many fun and creative things can grow from that feeling of possibility.
Maria Abeyta
Instructor
I am a teacher who believes in the magic and fun that art is for children. Learning, expressing, discovering, and enjoying through various art forms has always been my philosophy and passion!
If I could be any art material I would be water! Water has so much to give, fluidity, value, consistency and control. And, you can’t clean up without it!
Michelle Higgins
Instructor
I am a proud Colorado native, mother, wife, and teacher. My husband and I have a young son and live in Longmont and I teach preschool in Boulder County. I have a degree in Human Development with a minor in elementary education, I am currently working towards my master’s degree in early childhood special education. I have worked with Melinda for a number of years and always look forward to learning and playing alongside one another. I spend much of my free time learning new art and crafting techniques. I have a passion for textiles, especially felting. I am a lifelong learner and my passion is instilling that same sense of wonder in all of the students that I work with. In my free time, I can be found hiking in the mountains, riding bikes with my family, or at home with paint on my cheek and a new experiment in the oven.
If I could be any art material, I would be felt, because it’s versatile and my favorite to experiment with.
