Lake Geneva Art Studio grew out of a lifelong love of art, teaching, and helping people feel at home in their creativity.
My Story
Art has been part of my life since I was a little girl. My Nonna and my Godmother, Aunt Carol, saw that in me early. Over the years, creativity became one of the ways I found my way through both the good seasons and the hard ones. Even when life pulled me toward more practical work, art never stopped feeling like the truest part of who I am.
Alongside teaching, I also continue creating my own mosaic and fused glass pieces in the studio, including handmade suncatchers, pendants, and other original work. That creative practice is an important part of this studio as well, and it continues to evolve over time.
I also spent many years teaching, training, and helping people step into unfamiliar things with confidence. That strength helped shape this studio.
Lake Geneva Art Studio brings those parts of me together: the artist, the teacher, the maker, and the woman who wants people to feel warmly welcomed, capable, and free to create something beautiful that reflects them.
Poppy, Co-Owner of Lake Geneva Art Studio
Why I created this studio
After years of high stress and work that often felt practical more than personal, I knew I wanted something different. I wanted to build work that felt restorative, creatively alive, and emotionally sustainable. Lake Geneva Art Studio is my way of creating that kind of life while also offering others a place to slow down, make something meaningful, and leave feeling lighter, proud of what they created and more connected to themselves.
Lake Geneva Art Studio is not a high-pressure art school. It is a warm, encouraging working studio where people can create something beautiful, feel capable, and enjoy the restorative power of creativity.
“I want people to walk in feeling warmly welcomed and leave feeling proud, lighter, and a little like a happy kid again.”
Karen Whalen - Founder, Lake Geneva Art Studio