Pygmalion School Of Fine Art

In 1992, Dixie Orriss was working as a lab technician during the day while taking, and even teaching, art classes at night. When she was laid off from her day job, she turned the negative into a positive, and took the opportunity to chase her dream of opening her own business. Dixie founded the Pygmalion School of Fine Art. “My first love is teaching and I like doing art as well," she says. "My students inspire me to be more creative. You get so much back from students when you see them grow. It’s rewarding.”

Dixie enjoys seeing her students develop into budding young artists and believes everyone can be molded into a sculptor or a painter. “Everyone can learn how to draw," she stresses. "You don’t have to have natural talent. If you want to learn you can do it. A lot of times when kids are small they might get told they’re not good and become discouraged. But the ones who are good are the ones who keep doing it and keep practicing.”