Noreen Powell is a painter and art educator whose creative journey has been shaped by a lifelong love of learning, teaching, and sharing the beauty of the natural world. She first earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Buffalo State University, which led to a 15-year career in graphic design before she later discovered her deepest professional passion: teaching art.

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After stepping away from design work to raise her children, Noreen felt called toward a more personal, relational form of creativity. She returned to school to earn her Master’s in Education with a concentration in Art from SUNY Albany, and became a New York State certified art teacher. For more than 20 years, she has taught in a wide range of settings, including private schools, homeschool consortiums, community programs, private lessons, and public workshops.

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While Noreen works comfortably with students of all ages, her most active and growing areas of teaching include:

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Homeschool consortiums - where hands-on art instruction becomes a foundation for skill-building, exploration, and enrichment.

 

55+ communities - where her passion, patience, and encouragement help individuals discover or rediscover their creative confidence.

 

Nature centers and environmental programs - where she leads “paint and learn” workshops that invite participants to observe, paint, and appreciate the intricacies of the natural world.

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She also teaches a well-loved Friday Paint Club at the historic St. Agnes Cemetery, a gathering that has developed into a warm and supportive artistic community.

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Noreen’s own artwork is inspired by long walks, time outdoors, and moments of quiet reflection. She often takes photographs on the trail, returning home with fresh ideas and beginning new paintings while the inspiration is still vivid. Sharing that sense of wonder with her students - whether young learners, lifelong hobbyists, or those picking up a brush for the first time - is one of her greatest joys.

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As she often tells her classes, creativity grows when the ears, eyes, and hands work together, leaving students not only with new skills but with a lasting visual reminder of their experience.

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Now expanding her work throughout the upstate and central New York region, Noreen is available for homeschool art instruction, 55+ community programs, nature-based workshops, private lessons, and commissioned artwork, including landscapes, nature scenes, and pet portraits.

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Warm, professional, and dedicated to helping others discover what they can create, Noreen welcomes artists of every background and ability. She believes that art is as much about the process as the result - an opportunity to learn, explore, and take joy in what you can do.

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To inquire about classes, workshops, or commissioned pieces, please visit the Contact page.