Instructors - 2021/2022 Sessions
This page is currently under construction, check back soon for our updated roster for the Winter 1 and 2 sessions!
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Emma Anderson
Emma Anderson is an artist currently based in Cleveland, Ohio. She received her MFA from Kent State and her BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art. She has received numerous scholarships and awards and attended Anderson Ranch Arts Center. Emma currently has two collages included in the "Self Portraits: Artists Respond to COVID-19. “Teaching is about doing everything in your power to make sure students reach their full potential and are the best versions of themselves that they can be. “ |
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Judy Bennett
Judy Bennett received a BS in Art Education from Lake Erie College and a MA in painting and drawing as well as a MFA in Sculpture in Kent State. She have shown work extensively statewide and nationally. Judy taught for 35+ years and received the Maria Sharpe Grant for artist as teacher. "I am not sure a person is born with 'talent'. I believe anyone can learn to see and express himself in art if they have the desire and the willingness to work hard and learn new skills of expression. Then with time, the art will pour out of themselves if the person is willing to let go."
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Rob Crombie
Robert Crombie received his formal art training from Cooper School of Art and Kent State University. His patterns of agitated brush marks are descriptive and in the same instance they give the paintings an abstract quality. He captures, psychologically, his subject, be it nature or the back porch on a building. Crombie began painting again in 2002 after more than 30 years without touching a brush. His work is on display in Cleveland, St Remy France, South Carolina as well as local galleries and Summer shows. He has always believed the true “success” in being an oil painter is being very satisfied with your work and the final outcome of each painting." We must all be real, be honest and put a piece of ourselves on the canvas for the world to see." http://rhcrombie.com/
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Bud Deihl
Bud Deihl holds graduate degrees in painting and drawing (1963) and sculpture (1965) from Michigan State University. For 14 years he pursued dual careers as a graphic designer and illustrator and as a college art professor. In 1974 he began a university administrative career first as Head of the Fine Arts Department at the University of Cincinnati, then as the Dean of Arts and Humanities at the State University of New York College at Buffalo. He became President of Kendall College of Art and Design in 1989 and concluded his career as President of Columbus College of Art and Design. Since 2004, Mr. Deihl has taught at the Valley Art Center, and has won multiple awards, including Best of Show and First Place in Painting at the Gates Mills Annual Exhibition.
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Tessa Dicker
Tessa Dicker has a B.A. in fine arts from Washington State University specializing in photography. Tessa has a family of her own consisting of a three children, a dog, bunny, goldfish and a very understanding husband with a graphic design background who works with her on sports photography. Tessa enjoys teaching digital photography and helping people understand how to use their cameras to their full potential.
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Emily English
Emily English has a passion for helping children explore the world of art. She graduated from Hiram College with degrees in both Art and Education. Because of her teaching background, she understands that children need many varied experiences with art in order to foster their creativity. Emily teaches children’s camps, classes and workshops at the VAC. Check out Miss Emily's website, Art with Miss Emily.
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Diane Farr
Diane Farr received her MFA from the Academy of Art in San Francisco and her BA from Duke University. She as taken numerous classes At the Cleveland Institute of Art. Diane’s paintings are an interpretation of what she sees and feels, and as such are as much about mood and memory as they are about the specific details of a place or scene. “There are certain themes that I am repeatedly drawn to: the expressiveness of people; the expansive, limitless feel of distant views; the many moods evoked by the sky, atmosphere, and water; and the playful, intriguing patterns of light and shadow on shapes. My style combines elements of the old masters, tonalism, and impressionism, with a newfound interest in abstraction and simplification.” |
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Laura Ferrando
Laura Ferrando first began studying ceramics as a child at the Fine Arts Association in Willoughby. Later, as a student at the Cleveland Institute of Art, she quickly rediscovered her love of clay. She earned her BFA in ceramics in 2000, and has been teaching ceramics, as well as other media, to children and adults throughout the greater Cleveland area ever since. In 2012, Laura earned a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Pittsburgh. She is always looking for ways to combine her skill sets to help those with physical limitations to pursue their artistic interests. |
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Jared Gabriel
Jared Gabriel is a ceramic artist from Montana. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in pottery at Montana State University under Josh Deweese and Dean Adams. Jared then attended Wichita State University, where he earned his Masters degree in Ceramic sculpture under the direction of Ted Adler. Following graduate school, he worked at Gibson Guitars handcrafting acoustic guitars. His love of art and craft ultimately led him to leaving Gibson to pursue a career in art. Jared recently moved to Northeast Ohio with his wife to pursue art and teaching full time. |
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Jeremy Galante
A Chagrin Falls native, Jeremy Galante has directed and produced a variety of award winning independent and for-hire short films. Clients have included Sesame Workshop, They Might Be Giants, and American Greetings, among others. Since 2004, his work has appeared in over 100 film festivals worldwide, and has regularly been screened at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, the New York International Children's Film Festival, and the ASIFA-East awards. Specialties include traditional and digital 2D character animation, stop motion animation, motion graphics, and compositing. He is currently Associate Professor of Animation at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. |
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Peter Green
Peter Green is a professional artist and arts educator based in Cleveland, Ohio. He received his BA in Drawing from Cleveland State University and his MFA in Illustration from the Academy of Art in San Francisco. In addition, he has taken specialized workshops and classes with master artists and illustrators and has studied at Studio Escalier in France. Peter is a representational artist, using traditional media to pursue the figure, still life and landscape. His work has won awards, been published in art annuals, and shown in galleries across the nation. https://petergreenart.wordpress.com Artwork pictured by Peter Green
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Carla Guseilo
Carla Guseilo has a BFA with a double major in Painting and Printmaking from the Fine Arts School at Miami University. Carla's art was primarily restricted to the flat surface till a random summer class at Kent State introduced her to the wonders of the ceramic three-dimensional world. "The materials of clay and glaze and the element of fire pose endless opportunities for expression. My continuing journey into clay heightens my conventional vision of the world around me. Landscape, pattern, and texture of nature, inspires the form and imagery of my work. Mundane objects now represent a unique path to travel as I create an opportunity to transform the ordinary to a richer existence."
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Lindsay Gryskewich
Lindsay Martin Gryskewich received her MFA from Oregon College of Art and Craft and her BA from Denison University. She has received numerous scholarships and attended Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and a residency in Deschutes National Forest, Oregon. Her paintings are exhibited locally and nationally. In addition to creating artwork, Lindsay is an arts administration professional as well as an educator.
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Darlene Jackson
A founding member and past President of VAC, Darlene Jackson has taught at Cuyahoga Community College, and Orange Arts Center as well as VAC. She is a member of the Ohio Watercolor Society, and Whiskey Painters of America. Darlene has won awards in many exhibitions, including at the Butler Museum of American Art. Darlene continues her own art education by taking workshops with renowned artists once a year.
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George Kozman
George Kozmon, an internationally collected artist, is best known for his monumental paintings which have been widely exhibited and critically acclaimed throughout the US and abroad. He is the recipient of numerous awards including The National Endowment For The Arts Individual Artist Fellowship, and four Ohio Arts Council Grants. His resume reflects over 30 solo exhibitions in commercial, academic and institutional venues, and over 100 two-person, invitational, or group shows. Mr. Kozmon’s work is represented in prestigious public and private collections including the Cleveland Museum of Art. As well as being a full-time artist, George also engages in various cultural engagements, writes essays and articles, teaches, lectures, curates exhibitions for various institutions, and serves on several non-profit boards.
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Jan Mettee
Jan Mettee is a watercolor artist who has lived in the Chagrin Falls area for over 20 years. Educated at Skidmore College and Kean College, she became a student of watercolor years later at the Valley Art Center in Chagrin and eventually one of its instructors. Her paintings most often reflect her love for this area and for the Finger Lakes region of New York, where her family has owned a summer cottage for nearly 60 years. As a painter and teacher, she celebrates close-up images of every day life, and explores the effects of watercolor on a variety of paper surfaces.
An award winning artist, Jan’s work has been selected for exhibition in local, state and national shows, and as a member of the Ohio Watercolor Society, she received their transparent watercolor society award in 2005. |
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Kim Mettee
Kim Mettee received her BFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design. As a teacher, Kim introduces the fundamentals to each student creating a springboard from which to begin their own individual artistic journey, and inspires her students by encouraging them to keep an open mind, use their imagination, exercise patience and non-judgement towards themselves and by all means ENJOY the process! As a jewelry designer, Kim’s art is a reflection of her knowledge and experience along with instinctive and emotional creative responses. Each of Kim’s one of a kind creations stand alone with her use of beads and components ranging from ancient to antique, vintage to contemporary in addition to the use of repurposed materials which reflect a passionate philosophy: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
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Yesi DeLeon-Mettee
Yesi De Leon-Mettee graduated from Ohio State with a bachelors in Psychology and Art and is currently studying for her masters in Art Therapy and Counseling at Ursuline College. She has taught art for 6 years with many different children in many different places. From Columbus, Ohio to Panama City, Panama to right here in Chagrin Falls she has discovered her love for art and being part of a person's art exploration. Yesi teaches children and adult classes with an eye for the wellness art can bring to life.
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Kathy Oravecz
Kathy Sabbath Oravecz lives in the vineyard region of northeastern Ohio with her husband Mark and toy American Eskimo dog “Hana”. She is a graduate of Ursuline College with a BA in Graphic design/Art education, and a MA from John Carroll University along with numerous post graduate hours from the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. The National Endowment of the Humanities awarded her two fellowships from Rutgers and Syracuse Universities. Ms. Oravecz is also the recipient of the American Watercolor Society Teacher Scholarship. She is a signature artist with the Ohio Watercolor Society, the Hawaii Watercolor Society and the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, and Whiskey Painters of America. Her watercolors are in collections across the USA and in the Netherlands.
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Cathy Paetz
Catherine Davies Paetz loves to create wearable art that brings people joy. Her original jewelry designs, made from silver metal clay and/or silver wire, explore playful line work or surface texture and may be accented with gold, enamel, beads, or pearls. Catherine has been creating jewelry for more than 35 years and has a BFA in Metals. As a Certified PMC Artisan, she regularly teaches classes and workshops in jewelry making. She has presented seminars at International PMC Guild Conferences, written several magazine articles, an instructional book, and her jewelry has been included in numerous books and other publications.
http://www.cdpdesigns.com/ |
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Linda Merchant Pearce
Linda Merchant Pearce has been painting for as long as she can remember. As a child, she was inspired by the detailed wildlife artwork of Robert Bateman, Carl Brenders, and others. Primarily self-taught, she pursues a realistic approach to drawing and painting, creating detail in meticulous layers. Each painting can take months to complete, as she must wait for each layer to dry before adding the next. Linda holds a BA in Archaeology from Youngstown State University and a MS Degree in Special Education from National University, as well as teaching credentials in K-12 and Pre-K special education.
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Gary Schmidt
Gary Schmidt earned his BFA in Studio Art from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, and has taken numerous workshops and post-graduate courses. Gary worked as an art teacher for grades K-12 for 35 years. His current work in clay draws from his previous experience in many art mediums and uses sculptural forms in a relationship with line, shape, and color of the designs that interact with them. "Underlying all of my endeavors is an ability to draw. Anyone can develop the skill of drawing, and that can be of benefit in many areas and a joy in itself."
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Michael Steinberg
Michael Steinberg's photographic experience spans over three decades in the Cleveland area where he has been a wedding photographer and commercial photographer. His photography has been featured in The Knot wedding magazine and his contemporary, photojournalistic style of photography has appeared in publications such as Time, Business Week and Forbes. What is it that sets Michael apart from other photographers? Maybe it's his keen eye for beautiful compositions or his friendly, easy-going personality or possibly his extraordinarily honest shooting philosophy. Michael is also an award winning member of WPJA and a member of Digital Wedding Forum.
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Mary Urbas
Mary Urbas has been the Gallery Coordinator/Exhibition Curator/Installation Designer at The Gallery in Lakeland Community College in Kirtland since 2005. She initiated a highly successful “May Show at Lakeland Juried Art Exhibition”, which features local and regional artists, and curates “The Skull and Skeleton in Art: Folk Art to Pop Culture” bi-annually. Mary is Part-time Faculty at Lakeland Community College; she teaches Art Fundamentals to students in the Early Childhood Education Program. She also teaches Textile Design, and Professional Practices for Artists/ The Business of Art for Artists: Presenting and Promoting Your Art, as well as summer art camp for grade school children.
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Victoria Wagner
Victoria Wagner is a graduate of Cooper School of Art, Cleveland, Ohio and the Cleveland Institute of Art. She is the owner and resident artist of Serenity Studio in Aurora, Ohio. Victoria creates portraits and original paintings in oil, watercolor and pastels and also sells her liturgical prints that raise money for many charities and churches. Victoria has been an award recipient in local, regional and national art exhibitions over the past 40 years. "I have a fondness of rural America and its people because I grew up on a 600 acre farm in Ohio. My earliest memory as a child was drawing faces, human or animal, which led to landscapes and still-lives. I love sharing this enthusiasm for nature with students in my classes and inspire each person to express in their own way their view of the world around them."
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