About Wendi
Wendi Jensen is a freelance artist who teaches art lessons to children from elementary to high school at Art Underground. Jensen was an art teacher for ten years before deciding to devote her time to working on her own artwork and teaching students outside of the classroom.
I grew up as the kid who saved every Hershey’s Kiss wrapper so I could add them to some art project. I won coloring contests but stunk at any sport my parents had me try. My patient mother even let me paint all of my bedroom furniture and do chalk art all over the basement's cement walls. They had a hard time finding activities that suited my trash-saving, creative self.
My mom had a friend who taught adult oil painting classes in her basement and asked if she would allow an 11-year-old to join. These ladies liked to watch spicy movies as they painted, so they had me sit with my back to the TV! I loved those oil painting lessons and was so thankful for an after-school activity that I was actually good at!
In 2009, I was a mom, wife and public school art teacher in Liberty, Missouri. I had been teaching for ten years, and loved the job, but was frustrated with several aspects of public school: paperwork, large class sizes, and very little funding ($1.25/student for the entire year for art supplies) were just a few of the setbacks I was facing. I loved being a part of these kids' lives, but with 500+ students, it was very hard to get to know any of them.
One of my fellow co-workers had a daughter in fourth grade at the time who was quite talented in art. She begged me to give her daughter lessons for months. I put her off over and over. I felt at that point, I was just too busy.
My co-worker was persistent, and I opened up the third floor of our century-old house into an art space. I started with three young ladies, who in part, told their friends, who told their friends and birthed my first business, Art in the Attic. By the end of 2011, I had enough students to quit teaching public school and pursue this business venture full time.
My goals for this business were:
1. To provide an outlet for creative people in a nurturing, safe environment.
2. To encourage and hone those skills that were harder to reach when I was teaching to the masses in public school.
3. To keep class sizes very small and be able to do projects that would be difficult to do in large groups.
4. To be a positive influence in the lives of young people.
To supplement this income, I worked as a freelance artist during the day doing murals in businesses, homes and churches. I painted portraits, book covers and did architectural drawings. It was truly a gift to be able to create art for a living and to teach small groups of kids who were seeking more guidance for their artistic skills.
I continued with Art in the Attic until 2014 when my husband’s career brought us to Columbia. I struggled with leaving my little business I'd started five years earlier. It was SO great to be a part of these kids' lives, getting to know them, and encouraging them to be creative and use their talents for good.
Upon arriving in Columbia, I was hopeful to start a new business. It was humbling, starting over from scratch. We live in a 1950s ranch and the name “Art in the Attic” no longer applied, and ”Art in the Basement” didn't quite have the ring to it I was hoping for. “Art Underground” began in October 2014.
Being able to provide a venue for those kiddos who love to create has been ideally rewarding. Problem solving, critical thinking and using that right side of the brain are so important in forming young minds. I have seen such validation on the faces of my students when their work is shown in public and complimented. I love running into former students and seeing how they've grown artistically and made their way into design vocations.
I grew up as the kid who saved every Hershey’s Kiss wrapper so I could add them to some art project. I won coloring contests but stunk at any sport my parents had me try. My patient mother even let me paint all of my bedroom furniture and do chalk art all over the basement's cement walls. They had a hard time finding activities that suited my trash-saving, creative self.
My mom had a friend who taught adult oil painting classes in her basement and asked if she would allow an 11-year-old to join. These ladies liked to watch spicy movies as they painted, so they had me sit with my back to the TV! I loved those oil painting lessons and was so thankful for an after-school activity that I was actually good at!
In 2009, I was a mom, wife and public school art teacher in Liberty, Missouri. I had been teaching for ten years, and loved the job, but was frustrated with several aspects of public school: paperwork, large class sizes, and very little funding ($1.25/student for the entire year for art supplies) were just a few of the setbacks I was facing. I loved being a part of these kids' lives, but with 500+ students, it was very hard to get to know any of them.
One of my fellow co-workers had a daughter in fourth grade at the time who was quite talented in art. She begged me to give her daughter lessons for months. I put her off over and over. I felt at that point, I was just too busy.
My co-worker was persistent, and I opened up the third floor of our century-old house into an art space. I started with three young ladies, who in part, told their friends, who told their friends and birthed my first business, Art in the Attic. By the end of 2011, I had enough students to quit teaching public school and pursue this business venture full time.
My goals for this business were:
1. To provide an outlet for creative people in a nurturing, safe environment.
2. To encourage and hone those skills that were harder to reach when I was teaching to the masses in public school.
3. To keep class sizes very small and be able to do projects that would be difficult to do in large groups.
4. To be a positive influence in the lives of young people.
To supplement this income, I worked as a freelance artist during the day doing murals in businesses, homes and churches. I painted portraits, book covers and did architectural drawings. It was truly a gift to be able to create art for a living and to teach small groups of kids who were seeking more guidance for their artistic skills.
I continued with Art in the Attic until 2014 when my husband’s career brought us to Columbia. I struggled with leaving my little business I'd started five years earlier. It was SO great to be a part of these kids' lives, getting to know them, and encouraging them to be creative and use their talents for good.
Upon arriving in Columbia, I was hopeful to start a new business. It was humbling, starting over from scratch. We live in a 1950s ranch and the name “Art in the Attic” no longer applied, and ”Art in the Basement” didn't quite have the ring to it I was hoping for. “Art Underground” began in October 2014.
Being able to provide a venue for those kiddos who love to create has been ideally rewarding. Problem solving, critical thinking and using that right side of the brain are so important in forming young minds. I have seen such validation on the faces of my students when their work is shown in public and complimented. I love running into former students and seeing how they've grown artistically and made their way into design vocations.