Who We Are
Katie Barnett
Studio Manager
Katie grew up in Austin, Texas and attended Baylor University for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Communication Sciences and Disorders. As a Speech-Language Pathologist, she has worked in various settings including schools, home health, and a private clinic. Katie is looking forward to this new adventure at Firstlight Art Academy!
When she’s not working, Katie loves spending time with her daughters and husband. They enjoy traveling, exploring Nashville and the surrounding areas, and spending time at the barn where their daughter rides horses.
Tesch Jerles
Instructor
Tesch Jerles is a practicing artist and art educator who grew up in middle Georgia. She received her B.A. in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin and her Masters in Art and Teaching from Georgia State University. Before coming to Firstlight, Tesch taught in Metro Nashville Public Schools as well as in both public and private institutions in Georgia.
In her own art practice, Tesch focuses primarily on painting, illustration and ceramics. However, she also enjoys exploring other areas of art such as stop-motion animation, printmaking, photography and textiles. Tesch is a published author in the Asian Art and Culture Interest Group (AACIG) of the National Art Education Association and has exhibited work in the Visual Arts Center of Austin, Texas.
Tesch chose to pursue art education in order to share artmaking with the community, and is thankful and excited to have found that joy, connection and dedication to learning at Firstlight.
Katie Hestla
Instructor
Katie is an artist and educator with over 25 years of experience teaching students from elementary school through adulthood. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Ceramics, with an emphasis in metal casting, and has worked across a wide range of artistic media throughout her career. Her teaching combines foundational skills, art history, creative exploration, and hands-on projects designed to meet students at their individual experience levels. Katie encourages students to develop confidence in their abilities, strengthen their skills, and most importantly, discover their own creative voices. In addition to teaching, she maintains an active studio practice as an oil painter and mixed-media artist. Her work combines whimsy, symbolism, and narrative imagery to create imaginative scenes that blur the line between reality and imagined worlds through unexpected details and playful visual storytelling.
Julianne Lett
Instructor
Julianne loves all things cartoons, color, and animation. She loves these things SO much, she had to go and get a BFA Degree in Animation at Lipscomb University about it– she’s a fountain of cartooning, animation & painting knowledge, and now she’s here to teach you!
Julianne (Also known as Miss J) is an award-winning artist and animator who offers a hands-on, boisterous approach to cartooning and animation here at Firstlight. She encourages her students to be creative, learn the fundamentals, laugh, and be the best version of themselves they can be. She believes that every student’s own stories and ideas are important and worth exploring, and everyone ought to be equipped with the tools to tell those stories!
Each lesson is handcrafted to bring out the cartooning potential of the student, to stretch the drawing hand and learn a mix of beginner’s and masters’ techniques, and to HAVE FUN!!
When she isn’t painting or crafting, Miss J enjoys drinking a cup of tea, playing video games, and hanging out with her many wacky pets.
Adriana Greazel
Instructor
Adriana is an enthusiastic new member of Firstlight, bringing a vibrant creative spark and a deep passion for the arts. With a degree in Marketing from DePaul University in Chicago, she merges design-savvy insights with a heartfelt dedication to arts education.
With over six years of experience in teaching children from preschool through 5th grade across diverse settings, Adriana fosters a nurturing and imaginative learning atmosphere. She believes that art is more than pigment and paper—it’s a vital key to unlocking young minds. She is excited to lead engaging, hands-on art sessions that ignite curiosity and build foundational artistic confidence.
Finley Knight
Instructor
Info coming soon!
Dennas Davis
Founder
Illustrator, painter, teacher, and founder of Firstlight, Dennas has been a professional artist for over 40 years. He is the original illustrator of The Beginner’s Bible, and has worked for Disney, Forbes, Nabisco, and Betty Crocker. Dennas has over 5 million books in print worldwide in over 30 languages.
He has written 2 books for artists and parents: “9 Art Myths Totally Busted..” and the forthcoming, “I Am An Artist”.