Overview:
Clair Laustsen, a Denver-based artist and early literacy trainer, believes "art always creates an opportunity for a conversation."
For Denver-area artist Clair Laustsen, painting has never just been about filling a blank wall. It’s about creating spaces where art becomes a tool for growth. As both a muralist and an early literacy specialist, Laustsen blends her passions in ways that transform nurseries, classrooms and community spaces.
Her murals often begin with nature—trees, animals and the calming fractal patterns she believes help ground us. But they carry a deeper intention: each is designed to spark conversation between parents and children, offering prompts that build language and literacy skills from day one.
To Laustsen, art is more than decoration—it’s an invitation to talk, listen and grow together. That philosophy extends to her chalk art clubs, where elementary school students are encouraged to create work that is both temporary and meaningful.
In this week’s 5 Questions, we spoke with Laustsen about how her work brings together literacy and art, why she finds inspiration in nature and how parents can turn murals into daily opportunities to bond with their children.
How do early childhood literacy and art connect for you?
My connection between early literacy and art grew over my lifetime of working with children and having an art practice. Only seven years ago, I began painting trees in nurseries to create a calming space for parents and their new babies. As my knowledge of early literacy grew and I became an early literacy trainer, I started incorporating this knowledge into my mural work.
I really started exploring the connection while working with children and watching them create. I started learning how to have intentional conversations with them about their art. I started intentionally planning art projects that support different conversations.
Art always creates an opportunity for a conversation. You can ask a child, “Tell me about your painting.” Listen to their story. This practices narrative skills. Ask if you can write their story on the paper to practice print awareness. Talk about what shapes you see to start letter knowledge. There are many more ways to discuss a child’s art and practice early literacy, and every project is a unique opportunity.
You paint murals in nurseries. How do you work with parents, and how does your artwork help them and their babies bond?
When parents find me to paint a mural, they usually have a theme or idea in mind. I provide a mock-up with my ideas, and they contribute their thoughts. As I’m designing the mural, I am thinking about how to add details to provide opportunities for scaffolded conversation as the child grows.
To support parents to bond with their babies, I offer a write-up with my murals. This gives parents specific talking points to intentionally use their mural to explore the six main early literacy skills (similar to the examples in the last question). Art always creates an opportunity for a conversation. Conversation/singing with a new baby is critical. Sometimes parents don’t know what to talk about! I help bridge this gap.
An example of one of my early literacy murals was baby forest animals. To increase vocabulary, use the real words for a baby deer (fawn) or a baby fox (kit). This is one example of the many ideas I provide in my write-up to help parents intentionally talk with their babies to bond.
Nature is a big inspiration for you. Why do you enjoy bringing the outdoors onto a wall, and what reactions do you get?
Nature is our healing sacred space! As humans, we need to be getting outside and grounding much more than we do in this modern age.
When COVID had us stuck inside, I became more aware of this need. My intention became to bring nature inside. This first took form in trees. I believe the fractal patterns created by the branches of a tree, mountain ranges, streams branching off, and flowers growing are calming to our minds. I can see these patterns and paint them.
The most common reaction I get to a mural is happiness! And then I notice a period of “nesting,” or creating space around the mural. Some are used as a focal point for a reading nook or a space of joy in a backyard sanctuary. People usually send pictures once they have the space set up to show me how much they enjoy it. Â
You sometimes do chalk art clubs at elementary schools. Why is it important for children to express themselves this way?
I started chalk art clubs as a way to get children outside and creating. Chalk is such a different texture. Kids have to get on the ground. They have to make a plan about where they are drawing because the surface isn’t perfect, and people may be walking there.
I have many different lesson prompts that encourage different ways of thinking, but usually their favorite is the collaborative piece they get to work on all together! They make amazing plans and always make sure their friends have input and specific elements to add to their final product.Â
Because chalk art outside is ephemeral, children can feel free to experiment and be in the present moment. Their art will be washed away at some point. They also learn about community engagement because their work is in a public, high-traffic area.
This type of expression is important to become more open, collaborative, communicative and confident. Every child that comes to chalk art club gets something different out of it. There is usually one child that doesn’t want to get dirty that is covered in chalk by the last session. Another child finds the subject that they’re passionate about creating over and over each week. But all of them grow more confident about creating art and letting it BE SEEN, because their work is out in a community space.
What were your favorite books as a young child, and why? What are your favorite books to introduce young children to now?
As a child, I loved the author Bill Peet. He is an author/illustrator and has silly, creative stories and hand-drawn, colored pencil illustrations. Two of his books that I love reading to my son are “The Caboose Who Got Loose” and “How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head,” both of which feature characters that find their happiness in the most unusual ways.
Some of my favorite books to read during Storytime are “Chugga Chugga Choo Choo” by Emma Garcia and “I Really Want to See You, Grandma” by Taro Gomi. There are so many opportunities to highlight different early literacy skills in both of these books!