Chris Cruz was a stay-at-home Mom when she signed up for her first painting class over 30 years ago. She was looking for something creative and fun to do. Chris was introduced to the power of the paintbrush and was hooked from then on.

The vibrant colors reminiscent of her Caribbean and Florida living were the perfect setting for her to let loose and express herself in a visual way that words could not.

Chris says that there are creative opportunities all around us. She had learned how to paint at a local craft store near her, and one Sunday morning in 1982, she woke up to see on her front porch three huge boxes of supplies and surfaces with a note from the store owner that read, “Chris, I have decided to close my store because of an illness, and I know you can use these supplies and don’t have the means to buy them all. It is time you start your own business. God has given you the gift of teaching; share your talent with others.” She held her first painting class as a gift to a friend for her birthday and then started holding painting parties at people’s homes.

Her second opportunity arrived while having breakfast with her friends. She saw an open storefront and thought that would be a good place to have a painting studio where she could teach women the techniques that she had learned. It was the perfect location right next to an elementary school. She had no money but a vision that “if you build it, they will come.” Soon the word got out that she had a store and classes started filling up. She had that store for eight years.

Her third opportunity happened when faux finishes were becoming popular. She decided to paint the bathroom in her store. People loved her work and started hiring her to do their homes and offices. She soon signed up for professional faux finishing training at a school two hours from home and drove there every day for a week to get her certification as a professional faux finisher. Then the events of 9-11 happened and uncertainty was all around. Her faux finishing business was booming but she decided to close her store while she was still on top. Since she had no debts, she contacted the students who had been loyal all those years and asked them to bring boxes and fill them with the art supplies they wanted for free. She was “paying it forward” for the art supplies she got for free in 1982.

In 2018, Faith brought her to Alabama to be near her family. She did not know any artists here. She loved GOLDEN Paints so much that when she heard that GOLDEN had a program available for artists to become educators about GOLDEN products, she applied immediately. It was a long application and only 20 artists per year were chosen. She did not know how many people had applied and she did not hear from them for over six months. One Friday, she got a call that she was one of the 20 selected and had to fly to New Orleans for a week of intense training. She did not think twice and told her husband she was packing her bags to be trained by GOLDEN Paints. After becoming an Artist Educator for GOLDEN Paints, Silver Brushes contacted her, and she soon became an Artist Educator for them too.

She offered to teach a workshop at Alabama Art Supply and Pam Truitt, the Arts Education Manager, gave her the opportunity to do so. At first, workshops were slow because people did not know her. Then the COVID pandemic hit and that was scary.

She learned how to make videos and started posting her videos on YouTube (Chris Cruz Designs) and offering painting supply kits so people could paint along with her. She now has over 70 videos on her channel and people continue to purchase her painting kits to paint at home along with the videos. Once the COVID pandemic was over and classes started again, the word got out and her workshops started filling up.

Chris loves connecting creative women (and men) through art. She loves trying new mediums and techniques and calls herself an Experimental Artist. In her two-hour workshops, students go home with a finished product, new knowledge, and maybe a new friend or two. She is full of energy and willing to share all she knows with you.

She does workshops in mixed media, watercolor, acrylics, and silk scarf painting. You can find her teaching around town, and she holds workshops at Alabama Art Supply once a month. Her classes fill up fast. Students always leave happy that they learned something new and that they have something beautiful to hang in their homes.

Chris is a member of the Shelby County Arts Council, Chilton County Arts Council, Mountain Brook Art Association, and Middle Tennessee Artists Art Association.

Discover more about Chris Cruz

ChrisCruzDesigns.com

Related Studio Notes

This artist’s work connects to a Studio Notes art blog that explores related ideas, materials, and ways of working—offering guidance for artists who want to dig deeper into their process and creative thinking.

→ Read the related Studio Notes: Pulling It Together — Process, Play, and Personal Voice