Our Instructors
Lauré Smith
Lauré received her BFA degree in Illustration at Parsons School of Design in New York City. She later returned to the beautiful Pacific Northwest to attend the Art Institute of Seattle earning an AA degree in Visual Communications. As a student in elementary school, she was chosen for an "Enrichment Art Program" where she was exposed to a more in-depth art education at a young age. She believes strongly in the necessity of art in elementary school and understands a lack of art education for kids is a missed opportunity. To fulfill this need, Lauré spent nine years as an "Art Start" teacher at Christa McAuliffe Elementary where her children attended. It was in that role where she discovered how much of a joy and privilege it is to be able to teach, share the art process and encourage her students. Seeing her students become excited about the lessons and thrilled with their own unique creation is a big part of her love for teaching art to children.
Although she enjoys drawing the human form, especially faces, her passion is drawing animals (Lauré has Australian Shepherds who she trains and competes in dog agility with). From t-shirt design and signage, to murals and logo design, she loves the creative process and is thrilled to be part of AFKS!
Forest Lance
Forest earned his bachelor’s degree in Illustration from California State University, Fullerton in 2021. After art school, he stayed in California, where he worked as a Tattoo Apprentice and later as the manager of a swim school with over 600 students. It was during this time that he rediscovered his love for teaching — especially the joy of watching students’ abilities and confidence grow over time.
Forest believes that teaching art is not just about learning technique, but about building self-confidence, patience, and personal expression. He sees art as a powerful way to step away from perfectionism and embrace freedom, fulfillment, and happiness.
Forest spends his free time attending figure drawing sessions, creating linocut prints, and designing traditional tattoo flash sheets. He’s especially passionate about drawing animals, nature, and people — and he’s absolutely thrilled to share his love of art with students through AFKS!
Ginger Chanfrau
Ginger has received a Bachelor and Master’s in Fine Arts degree from DigiPen Institute of Technology, the latter received in 2026. She has grown up most of her life in the Pierce County area. Before her Masters, Ginger has worked as an Assistant Stage Manager at Lakewood Playhouse and an artist with Spaceworks Tacoma. Her interest in teaching was discovered as a tutor for the Academic Support Lab at DigiPen, where she helped fellow students hone their skills and assisted them with new software and mediums.
Ginger’s focus in teaching the arts stems from her time as a student herself, knowing the importance of the early introduction to develop that fondness. The encouragement and refining of those skills is what she thinks is crucial for kids to not only succeed, but love what they create and the process to get there.
Ginger spends her free time working on playing pickleball, listening to music and podcasts, and practicing new art software. She enjoys making urban fantasy-themed stickers. Her favorite subjects are people and supernatural beings, both in 2D and 3D media. She is currently focused on a graphic novel that involves Greco-Roman mythology. She is excited to take her artistic journey and share it with students as a part of AFKS!
