Life in Color
“There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people” -Van Gogh
25 years of Engaging Art Instruction
Teacher and owner, Elise Hoeft has been operating her studio since 1997. She began her art training in her childhood home of Paris, France at Lycée Pablo Picasso and École des Arts Appliqués Duperré. After graduating High School, she moved to the United States to continue her studies at Tennessee Temple University, where she earned her BA in Art in 1986. After several years of independent work, she opened her private studio in Austin, Texas.
Her classes began as a small group of students gathered around the dining room table of her Texas home, covering a range of art skills in different media. As her roster continued to grow, the need arose to build an addition onto the house, dedicated to the instruction of her students, where she has continued to teach to this day.
She teaches weekly hour-long classes and also offers two day summer intensives. Additionally, she exhibits selections of her students’ work in an annual art show, which has been a popular fixture of her studio for many years.
Testimonials
“I am grateful to know Elise; she is a fantastic art teacher and a truly outstanding artist. I enjoy studying art with her. She is patient, kind, thoughtful of others. I am often amazed by the stunning works done by her young students of only 10- 13 years old. After I started learning art with her myself, I found she has always been encouraging and skillful in teaching that my interest in art has been augmenting after each visit to her studio. It is not a surprise that her students can do so well at a young age. Elise is very kind and hard working, with high integrity. During COVID-19, due to difficulties in teaching online lessons, she has been painting students' works herself to convey skills to her online students. I am taking in-person lessons and observed how she tirelessly cleaned up the studio after a class to ensure safety. The amount of work is probably tripled compared to that in the usual time. She never complained. Her talent in art is also exhibited by her beautiful studio, which is a piece of art itself that changes its appearance with season and time of day. I highly recommend visiting Elise's studio in person and learning art with her to enjoy a better life.”
— Dr. D. Fan
“My children and I have taken Art lessons from Elise for several years now. Both my girls, now 10 & 11, have learned so much that they often paint or draw at home with confidence. She offers a very thorough exposure to several mediums in such a way that meets each child where they are at in their own skill level. I absolutely love that she has an Art Show at which they can bring friends and family to display their own works of art. We have all gained the confidence to express ourselves through art, even outside of class. I would encourage anyone at any level to visit Elise's Studio and be encouraged to grow as an artist.”
— Kim B.
“My daughter really enjoyed her summer camp. Great projects (she did clay sculpting and knife palette painting), awesome teaching and homey studio. Will definitely come back next year!”
— Myrna K.
“This lady is gifted, kind, generous, self giving, a wonderful teacher…”
— Margaret H.
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Contact us to inquire about openings or the waiting list.