In the Beginning

By Sarah Swoffer

Why I Started Let’s Paint: Art Classes in Bend, Oregon

Rooted in Compassion and Creativity

Let’s Paint didn’t begin as a business plan. It began as a response to a real and urgent need.

During Covid, I was a licensed teacher in a classroom. Seemingly overnight, our doors shut and students were moved online. Very quickly, we saw how deeply kids were struggling. Routines disappeared. Social connection vanished. Anxiety, isolation, and uncertainty became part of everyday life for children and families in Bend and beyond.

What stood out most was how little space there was for kids to process what they were experiencing.

Art became that space.

How Art Helped Kids During Covid

In response to COVID, we opened our backyard, built a dozen easels and invited our community to come create with us. When kids were given time to create art—without pressure, grades, or expectations—something meaningful happened. They relaxed. They expressed emotions they didn’t yet have words for. They became curious instead of overwhelmed. Their confidence grew.

Art provided a safe, grounding outlet during an incredibly difficult time.

Teaching art during Covid showed me just how powerful creativity can be. What began as a way to support kids grew into a deeper understanding of art as an essential human practice.

That experience changed the direction of my life.

Photo courtesy of Suzzette Hibble of SHE Photography and her project to share the struggles and solutions during the pandemic.

From Teaching Art to a Calling

Over time, teaching art stopped feeling like “just” teaching. It became a calling. I recognized that it wasn't just children who experienced transformation with art. I started offering adult classes, community murals and more. Rooted in curiosity, we added science to our children's classes. The combination was magical. Both art and science encourage us to at the world more carefully and with different perspectives. By 2022, I had stepped out of the classroom and Lets Paint became by full time career.

Today, Lets Paint is more than my full-time work - it is my heart’s work. I offer art classes in Bend, Oregon for kids, teens, and adults, grounded in compassion, curiosity, and creativity.

I believe art is not a luxury. It’s not reserved for people who consider themselves “talented” or experienced. Art is a powerful tool for building confidence, connection, emotional awareness, and resilience.

Why Art Matters for All Ages

Art helps us slow down. It softens our inner critic. It gives us permission to explore without needing to get it right.

In a world that constantly asks us to be productive, efficient, and certain, art invites us to be human.

This philosophy shapes every Let’s Paint class. Whether I’m working with children discovering art for the first time or adults returning to creativity after years away, my goal is the same: to create a welcoming space where people feel safe to show up exactly as they are.

No experience required.

No pressure to perform.

Just an invitation to create.

A Creative Community in Bend, Oregon

Lets Paint exists to meet a real need in our local community—for connection, expression, and creative exploration. These in-person art classes in Bend are about more than finished paintings. They are about process, presence, and belonging.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’m not creative,” or if you’re craving a space to slow down and reconnect with yourself, you belong here. Art is for you, too.

I’m grateful to be doing this work, and I’m honored to share it with the Bend community.