Developing Confidence and Joy Through Art

About Me

Hello! I’m Maria Lan—an artist and educator with over 18 years of experience teaching children. I hold an M.A. in Education and a B.A. in Fine Art, and I am a certified K–12 Art Educator.
As a mother of two (ages 9 and 11), I bring a deep, everyday understanding of how children learn, grow, and thrive. My teaching is rooted in connection, creativity, and honoring each child’s individuality.

My Teaching Philosophy

My approach is grounded in the Studio Habits of Mind, a research-based framework developed at Harvard Project Zero and used in serious art-education studios around the world. I don’t teach templates, crafts, or step-by-step projects. Children never copy my work or reproduce the same piece as their peers.

Instead, I teach real fine-arts skills—drawing, painting, color theory, composition, experimentation—and then mentor each student as they develop their own ideas and make their own artistic decisions. My goal is for children to leave my class as real artists: thinkers, problem-solvers, and creators who can use the skills they’ve learned to make anything they imagine.

What Sets Studio Lan Apart

• No cookie-cutter projects. Every child’s artwork looks different because it comes from their mind—not from a template.

• Technique first. Students learn skills they can carry into any artistic medium or future education.

• Atelier-style mentoring. I coach each child individually, helping them reflect, make choices, and understand their next steps.

• Small groups, true attention. With tiny class sizes, children get the kind of personalized guidance that simply isn’t possible in larger programs.

• Nature-infused learning. Outdoor time, observation, and natural materials help children connect deeply with creativity and the world around them.

• Independent artistic thinking. Students learn how to envision, problem-solve, and create with confidence—skills that last far beyond childhood.