Cara Calvert-Thomas:
CLASS OF 1995
Dimond High SchoolClass of 1995
Anchorage, AK
Cara's Story
Life
I graduated from the University of Kansas in 2000 with my BAEd in Visual Arts Education and completed graduate hours while I student taught and interned in Lawrence, KS. I got married to Gary Thomas in 2001 in Oklahoma City, and then moved to Ponca City Oklahoma, where I spent 10 years teaching elementary school art. Gary taught the automotive technology class at the local Vo-Tech.
Ten years in rural Oklahoma had us ready for a change of scenery, so we started actively looking for new opportunities. In 2011, Gary accepted a corporate position with Chrysler, so we packed up our belongings and dogs and moved to Irving, TX. The Dallas area was not on my list of places I thought I'd want to be, but I ended up loving it there.
I began work as an instructor and assistant studio manager at Pinot's Palette, an upscale BYOB painting studio in Dallas. After three years in that position, I also began contracting as a corporate Pinot's Palette Artist Trainer, traveling to new studios across the country to train staff and assist in the studio opening process. In 2015, I was offered a position in Houston at the Pinot's Palette Franchise corporate headquarters as their Director of Artist Training, where I remained for about two years.
In 2017, Gary was promoted within Fiat-Chrysler as the Lead Technical Instructor for their Western region, and we relocated to Southern California. I continued contracting remotely for Pinot's Palette corporate HQ, directing...Expand for more
the Artist Training program, while spending the majority of my time working in local Pinot's Palette studios, mainly at their Tustin location in Orange County. It was a pretty sweet gig getting paid to hang out with artists, paint, and listen to music while people happily follow along as they drink wine.
The pandemic brought a change to my paint and sip trajectory, first pivoting to virtual paint classes and eventually all outdoor classes. Unfortunately, I had to leave the studio due to unexpected health problems, and in late 2020, started treatment for grade 3 neuroendocine cancer of the colon and rectum. It was a wild ride with extensive surgery, a new ileostomy, chemotherapy and radiation, but 2+ years out, labs and scans are clear, and it’s my intention to keep it that way!
Recently, we left the SoCal burbs and moved to the Mojave Desert near Joshua Tree National Park (artists, nature and aliens - oh my!). I am working on furthering my art and creative coaching business, Akcara Studio, as well as connecting with local venues for workshops and vending at regional art markets. Most of all, we’re focusing on creating a simpler, more authentic life for ourselves.
The majority of my free time is spent living like a tourist, checking out musical, cultural, local food and entertainment venues, and enjoying my garden. If you're ever in the area, look me up on IG, FB or LinkedIn -- I'll take you out to dinner and give you one of my unofficial local tours!
Register for Free to view all details!
Yearbooks
Register for Free to view all yearbooks!
Reunions
Photos
Register for Free to view all photos!