Alessandra

Ciao! I am Alessandra! I have a Studio Art degree from Grand View University as well a big heart for corgis (but apparently you can't get a degree in that). Besides making and appreciating art, I love video games, classic Mario and Sonic all the way and working out. Besides teaching art I also teaching Boxing at TITLE Boxing club. My background is of Italian decent and my family and I go there every 3-5 years. I'm hoping to further develop my own art portfolio and one day go to grad school. Art really had allowed me to express my wide love and appreciation for all things and I'm happy I can be here to help you explore art!

Amy

I am a lover of all things creative. Being able to create my own art and leading others to create is a passion. I dabble in various forms of art: welding, painting, repurposing anything that requires getting messy. As a middle school art teacher, Bottle & Bottega Des Moines is a great avenue to share my love of art and my love of a great party! “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” ~ Maya Angelou

Brittany

Hi, I'm Brittany! My passion is creating art in many different forms. I'm a graphic designer by trade, but I've also discovered a love for painting, tattoo design and audio engineering. Outside of Bottle & Bottega, I work in the marketing world, designing printed materials and developing a company-sponsored podcast, hosted by me! When I'm not creating art, you can find me either sleeping, playing games, hanging out with friends or with my husband, Alex, and dog, Chewbacca. I can't wait to teach you in one of my classes!

Carole

Bonjour! ¡Hola! Hello! Trilingual speaker/ tri-medium painter! I started painting when I was two – under my mother’s walnut side tables and on her over-the-couch print – with her lipstick! She eventually painted the whole garage white and said “have at it!” When I was in 6th grade, I was accepted into the Chicago School of Art, but I never attended. I ended up winning the Iowa State Blue Ribbon in Black and White Ink drawing in 1973, as a junior in high school and went to Iowa to become a painter who would restore great European works of art. Very quickly I realized I was going to starve! Changed my major to French and education, worked on my Masters years later in Spanish, and here I am teaching art!!! I've been doing wine and canvas for over two years now! I love to work in acrylic, but also enjoy water colors and oil. I must confess, however, I cannot paint my finger or toe nails: the color goes all over the place or not at all.

Jill

Jill is an Artist that relocated to Des Moines from Los Angeles. She has a degree in Fine Arts and Apparel Design. Her focus on photo realism in drawing led her to really push the limits in abstraction through photo realism. She has done many art shows in Iowa, was selected to be a featured artist in a show in New York and has been preselected by a Curator of an International Art magazine to be featured in the magazine. Jill has brings Art Instructor experience from another local studio. She is now very excited to be apart of the Bottle and Bottega team!

Jordan

Jordan is a Higher Education professional by day and artist by night. His primary mediums are pen and ink, digital painting, and acrylic painting. Jordan creates art to better understand who he is and the world around him. He says, “A better me, a better you, and a better world all starts with our capacity to imagine.“ He’s been working with Bottle & Bottega Des Moines since 2018 and loves sharing his passion for art and creativity with the people in his class.

Kayana

Born in the South Suburbs of Chicago, 21-year-old Kayana Thomas has always had a love for art. Growing up in a Christian home filled with beautiful African art she developed her faith and her passion for art. Proud of her African-American heritage she loves illustration, animation and portraits, particularly depicting African Americans. Formally trained in still life and figure drawing she is currently working towards earning a bachelor's degree in studio arts at Grandview University. She plans on using her degree to fulfil one of life-long dreams, creating and directing animated films. Along with a separate part-time job she works weekends at Bottle & Bottega of Des Moines where she teaches and hosts painting parties. Kayana also volunteers for a new faith-based non-profit known as the Des Moines Dream Center, where she directs and teaches free art classes for impoverished children of Des Moines. Kayana's faith in God has opened so many opportunities to use her art to better herself and impact her community in positive ways.

Frankie

My name is Frankie! I'm an Iowa transplant from Milwaukee, WI with a BFA in Integrated Studio Arts from Iowa State University. I focused in ceramics and drawing but eventually succumbed to the "painter" label. I love working with mixed media, mostly 2D, and rarely travel without my bullet journal and fineliner pens. While I've dedicated a large portion of my life to the visual arts, most people know me as a dancer! I work gigs as a professional dancer and represent the Iowa Barnstormers as a veteran of the Stormchasers Dance Team (3 years and counting). I love the pom dance style and all things sassy but the majority of my dance training was through Irish dancing! After competing and performing with the Glencastle Irish Dancers in Milwaukee, I grew as an instructor and director of the Irish dance program and Irish Performance Team with the Robert Thomas Dancenter in Ames, IA. I have a passion for expression and all of my work, including performance pieces, is flooded with symbolism and personal stories or meaning. I can't wait to discuss color theory with you during our next event!

Mel Rae

Hey everyone! My name is Megan Langerak, I am 26 years old ; I grew up in Altoona, Iowa . I attended The Art Institute of Chicago for two years, studying media arts and animation. I live in Des Moines and have a six year old daughter. My passions include oil painting, acrylic painting, and enamel painting. My hobbies outside of painting are making jewelry pictures, and spending time with my family. I have a motto " It can only get better from here, if you mess up keep going your mistake could be a masterpiece". Bottle & Bottega Des Moines has helped me embrace my passions, so I may help you to discover yours. See ya there!

Monika

Hi, I’m Monika! I recently graduated from Iowa State University with a BFA in Integrated Studio Arts. I always knew I would continue my path to become an artist from when I was young. My family is full of painters and artists who inspired me to follow my dreams. I love to inspire others to discover their inner artist and not be so afraid of a canvas! When I’m not painting or drawing, I spend my time with my two cats, Riso and Denali, baking in the kitchen, or out skateboarding. I like to channel our beloved creator, Bob Ross, when painting and hope you can join me to paint some “happy little trees” soon!