The Paintbrush... - Meet Your Muses

Meet Your Muses

Mindy S. Apel is the Owner, Artistic Director, and Lead Teacher at The Paintbrush. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in photography from Southern Illinois University and a Master’s Degree in elementary education from DePaul University. She taught kindergarten at Resurrection Catholic Academy for four years, and prior to that she was an assistant teacher and French teacher for pre-K through 8 at Catherine Cook School. Mindy decided to leave formal teaching behind and pursue more artistic endeavors. Mindy brings her extraordinary gift for working with children and her love of art and music to The Paintbrush.

Melanie Ann Apel is the Owner and Coordinating Director of The Paintbrush. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre Arts from Bradley University, and earned a subsequent bachelor’s degree in Respiratory Care from National-Louis University. She worked as a pediatric respiratory therapist at Children’s Memorial Hospital for six years. Melanie has also been a freelance writer of predominantly children’s books (plus the popular pictorial history Lincoln Park: Chicago) since the mid-1990s and her most recent book, Cystic Fibrosis: The Ultimate Teen Guide, was published in the spring of 2006. Melanie is a stay-at-home single mom to two energetic little boys. She brings her organizational skills as well as her amazing ability to multitask to The Paintbrush.

Liz Killackey is a certified teacher with a BA in Elementary Education from the

University of Illinois at Chicago. She has worked for nearly a decade as a nanny for

several families in the Chicago area, while working as a pet caretaker on the side.

Liz has a passion for creative and humor-filled childcare. She believes that people of

all ages can cultivate an appreciation for the arts and their own unique artistic expression.

Liz and her husband live on the north side, and are the proud parents of three kitties.

Liz joins The Paintbrush this August as a new teacher for some of our Tiny Artists classes.

creativity. She is the mom of a 9-year-old figure skater.

Carol Koeller (Drawing Workshop) is a published illustrator, a member of SCBWI, the mother of two brilliant teenage daughters, and a really fun teacher.

Helen Wanderstock (Creative Arts Workshops) is passionate about photography and