A brief history…

Jean Skamra and Shana Sundstrom met in 2002 and soon realized they had the same vision of one day opening an art studio. They joined forces and began an art teaching venture in 2006 at some local Private Schools. After a few years of hard work, their dream of opening an art studio came to fruition in 2010. Currently, their art program is in 20 locations and counting.

Jean and Shana have over 20 years experience of teaching art to children at school locations and art studios. This includes volunteer work at a local non-profit gallery where they spear-headed two children’s art programs. Jean and Shana both earned their BFA’s at Bay Area Universities. Both are ECE certified, and have been exhibiting their own artwork for over 25 years.

Additional Info About Hidden Talent Art Studio

We strive to purchase American-made and recycled/environmentally safe materials as much as possible to help oureconomy and protect our planet

Parent Testimonials

“My boys (8 and 12) started taking on-line classes with Hidden Talent in April of 2020. At first I thought another on-line class would be too much, but the boys love this class! Art class has become an important part of our creative enrichment curriculum. Since we are a homeschool family we are constantly trying out enrichment classes. We have stuck with Hidden Talent going on two years now. I know there are free tutorials on YouTube, but this is an actual art class with teacher interaction and includes Art History. The Art History gives us something to research together as we will often look up the artists afterwards to learn more about them. The timing works out great because the boys do their art while I’m prepping dinner. Overall, we have had only good experiences with Hidden Talent and we love the projects!”   -Sandra, Idaho

“I really want to thank you, Miss Shana for your amazing art lessons! My daughter Elena loves to draw your projects. Here is what she said: ” I like Art because I understand how I’m supposed to draw. And I like the things you pick for drawing.” I personally love when they create projects about our environment (cars, planes, cafes, towns) and nature (different animals, plants). Also, they learn some history about artists in the beginning of the lesson, which is nice. In person is preferable; but during the last year, we did not have another option so it worked great! When I show Elena’s art projects to others, they sometimes do not believe that it could be possible to draw like that during online group lessons. So I think the teaching style is very beneficial for the kids.” -Alexandra, Elena’s mom (7 years old), currently in Switzerland and taking the class.

“This is our son’s (age 8) favourite course. He has been able to produce a great piece of art with each class and has a lot of fun. Initially we were skeptical about taking an online art class, whether this class would capture his attention and if he’d be able to learn without in-person instruction. The course went well beyond our expectations and we highly recommend it.” – Elisangela, Florida

“My kids have been attending art classes at Hidden talent for a while now and they love it. The group size is small so kids gets a lot of attention when required. And we like how they change things up every week (oil or chalk pastels, model magic, sketching etc) to address different styles and spatial recognition. The move to online classes due to Covid was seamless, and my kids have been taking lessons throughout the pandemic. They begin each class with an Artist review and then proceed to work on art employing techniques used by the highlighted Artist. Miss Shana and Miss Jean encourage the kids to add their own twist to their art, maybe a different background or color. We are very happy with this studio; thanks to them, my kids’ interest in art carries on….” -Sunitha

“Hidden Talent Art Studio is truly top notch!  We started the kids (5-11) online classes during the pandemic, and have now been participating for over a year.  Our son really loves art and all things involving creativity, but prior to starting art class he had only used the standard art tools (pencils, markers, crayons).  From the first class, he was hooked!  Despite being remote, on Zoom, Shana and Jean have everything set up perfectly – a camera focused on their drawing and another focused on the instructor.  They adapted so quickly to the remote learning environment, were always organized and accommodating, and the lessons always have a new fun/interesting subject (ie. animals, nature scene, flowers, underwater, etc). During class, the instructors ask to see every student’s artwork, paying a specific compliment to each.  They take extra care to comment on the uniqueness that the children put into the art to make it their own. It is so heartwarming to see our son so engaged in the lesson, and then so proud of the art he created!  We have now also started our daughter (5) in online classes.  While she was reluctant and nervous at first, she now absolutely loves it, too!  Shana really makes the class approachable and fun; she has an incredible way of instructing these young artists to create masterpieces that are all their own.  I highly recommend Hidden Talent Art Studio!” -Germaine, San Jose

“I had the privilege of meeting Miss Jean 15 years ago when I taught at a school where she did an after school art club. I was always amazed at how focused the students were and the incredible projects they created when they were with her. I was so excited when I heard that her and Miss Shana had opened up their own studio. Thankfully, my first born son was interested in art from an early age. I immediately thought of Miss Jean and Miss Shana and had him take a few classes at their studio. He absolutely loved it. When Covid hit and we were in lockdown, Miss Jean and Miss Shana opened up virtual classes for the kids at home. It was seriously our saving grace. It gave my son an opportunity to have a creative outlet during a difficult time. Miss Jean and Miss Shana are always so patient, encouraging and come up with the most amazing art projects. Anything with modeling clay is a big hit in our house! We were able to continue with the virtual lessons and even did an in person art camp this past summer with Miss Jean. She made it fun and safe for all of the kids. This past winter, my youngest son decided he wanted to do the virtual art classes as well. He was never as interested in art as his older brother, but from the first class he was hooked. He wanted to do everything on his own with Miss Shana and wouldn’t let me look at his project until it was complete. He asks for art class every day now! Thank you Miss Jean and Miss Shana for instilling a love of art in both of my boys and always making the classes so enjoyable.” –Dianne Newman, San Jose