Meet Our Instructors
Agresti, Francesco
Alysworth, Lynn Nelson
Lynn has been a member of the Hudson Valley Art Association since 1999 and has shown in many juried shows. She has won awards at the Salmagundi Club, American Artist’s Professional League National Show, Catherine Lorilland Wolf Show for Women Artists sponsored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Kent Art Association, the Ridgewood Art Insitute, the Florence Griswold Museum, and the Newark Museum. Her work was featured the American Artist Magazne twice. Her work is in many private and corporate collections.
Baxter, Julie
Julie is a lifetime and award winning potter. Her teaching career has been with the Arlington County, Virginia, Department of Parks, Recreation & Community Resources. She taught all levels of wheel-throwing classes and workshops on surface decoration. She also taught children’s handbuilding classes at Arlington County Elementary School. Julie was a member of Grey House Potters, Arlington, Virginia and the Kiln Club of Washington. Julie’s undergraduate degree is in ceramics.
Burgan, Beth
Beth Burgan brings experience of teaching art to gifted and talented (K-12) university students, and challenged adult populations. Her B.S. degree is in art education. She has an MFA, was a teaching assistant in sculpture at Kent State University. She worked in Human Resources for 15 years and owed a clinical massage therapy practice in Minneapolis for over 30 years. All the various career paths had one thing in common, to empower each individual to create and manifest positive self-awareness.
Cassidy, Marilyn
Marilyn has a B.A. in Sociology and an M.S. in Education. She taught in the Albany City Schools in New York State. She moved to Florida in 1990 and worked in Early Education in Sarasota. She has studied with several local and nationally known artists. Her goal is to share her collected knowledge with others who are honing their artistic skills; who want to have fun and discover a wonderful pastime.
Cutting, Harry
Harry Cutting is a professional photographer and writer. Over his 35-year career his work has appeared in hundreds of magazines, books, government publications and advertising campaigns. His clients include: Johnson & Johnson, Oxford University, Nestle, Penthouse, US Govt, Woman’s World, McGraw-Hill and the Red Cross. He’s online at hcuttingphoto.com .
Dicker, Carole
I love taking photos. I have photographed many different subjects: travel and local scenes, wildlife, landscapes, cityscapes, family and friends, and ‘the moment’. After several careers and raising a family, I am living my retirement dream of working as a photographer. My photographs are intended to reflect what I see; sometimes part of a larger camera image, and never far from what is real. Born in New York City, I obtained a BA and MBA for my formal education. Since then, I have studied much about how to achieve the vision I want photographically. I come from a family heritage of art and music; creating is in my genes. Please visit my new website and online store at: caroledickerphotography.com for a selection of my photos.
DiNapoli, Renee
Renee C. DiNapoli, award-winning, professional artist/instructor and former faculty member of Ringling School of Art & Design is noted for her contemporary florals and interior beachfront realism. Renee’s striking oil paintings have received critical acclaim for their high contrast, unusually intense use of color and exquisite detail. Her ability to achieve both impact and delicacy in her paintings attests to her 36 years of training with Italian master and studying at The Louvre in Paris for many years. She has taught at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL as well as Tulane and Loyola Universities in New Orleans, LA. Her graduate study was conducted at The Red Mountain Institute of Art.Three of her paintings were purchased by the State of Florida and placed in their permanent collection. Renee just completed an oil painting commission for Stallion Boot Company, El Paso, TX. One of her paintings was accepted into the permanent collection Vieques Museum of Fine Art in Puerto Rico. Several of her paintings were juried in international exhibitions at The Brownsville Museum of Fine Art in Texas, a national exhibition at the Ellington-White Contemporary Gallery, the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Raymond James Financial Center, among many others.Renee recently was awarded a bronze award from Camelback Gallery for the 2021 International Pet Competition plus many other awards and accolades (please visit www.dinapolistudios.com).
Doty, Barbara
A self-taught professional watercolor pencil artist, teacher and author. I have dabbled in many different mediums over the years. Retirement has allowed me the opportunity to pursue my passion for art. The love that I have for the beautiful wildlife that we share on this planet, well it was only natural progression for me to paint animals as well as pet portraits. I have done shows as well as solo exhibitions and commission work in the Kansas City area. Being awarded “Best of Show” at the Buttonwood Art Space”, was an honor for me. Recently moving to Sarasota, Florida to be closer to my family I am looking forward to painting, teaching, and writing.
Espinosa, Josephina
Josephina studied at the Instituto de Bellas Artes in Colombia, South America. She went on to teach both children and adults a wide range of media including drawing, painting, glass fusion, and stained glass. Her work is known throughout the world.
Farrell, Emilia
Emilia Farrell is currently an Englewood, FL, based artist and art instructor. She studied with V. Sangarov (Ukraine), Monique Johannet, Babrara Baum, Sue Miller (Cambridge AEC) and David Small, Mass College of Art (Boston, MA). The subject matter of her works: portraits, landscapes and still-life in the traditional/impressionistic style. She is fascinated by ideas and concepts of various time periods of art history and cross relationships between arts, science, as well as relevant to these periods’ techniques and use of materials. She participated in New England’s art events, exhibits and is a member of the Oil Painters of America (OPA). She enjoyed teaching drawing and oil painting classes at the Newton Adult Education Center, Lexington, MA, as well as at the private students’ studios. Her works are shown in Cambridge Art Association, Belmont Art Gallery of Art, Newburyport, MA. Her landscapes and portraits were purchased by private collectors.
Golden, Sheila
Gordon, Beverly
Groff, Erica
Erica Groff is a sculptural artist and teacher with a BFA in ceramics from California College of the Arts. While ceramics is her favorite medium, she also creates with metal, plastics, and other tactile materials, often incorporating them. During her 14 years in the area, Erica has enjoyed a Hermitage Residency, solo exhibitions, a public sculpture, co-judging several fine art festivals, working administrative positions for art institutions, and teaching artistic skills to people of all ages.
Heart, Nancy
Hinger, Victorine
Victorine Hinger was raised in Luxembourg and moved to NY in 1992 to become a full-time artist where she studied stone carving at the Art Students League in Manhattan under Lorie Goulet and attended several carving symposiums around the country. Her work is in private collections all over the world, she has won several business awards including last year’s commission to create a 5-foot bronze sculpture for the Centennial Celebration of Luxembourg Immigrants to the US
Hopkins, Nanette
Keck, Alan
Kelly, Patricia
Larisch, Linda
Linda is the fourth generation of artists from a multicultural background. She has been painting for the past 40 years, had over 30 one-woman shows, and has been represented by various galleries in the US and Mexico. Her medium is acrylic paint on canvas. Her style ranges from realistic to abstract. She was an educator for pre-school children with delays and taught middle school herein Florida as well as art classes at several venues in the area.
Maria, Gary
McCullough, Heather
McElhinney, Laura
Meyer, Katrina
Nishihira, Robert
Outlaw, Dione
I am an award winning jewelry and glass bead artist. I have been making jewelry for 34 years and teaching for over 30 years. Most of my teaching has been at William Holland Lapidary School of Art where I taught for 22 summers. I have also taught in several art centers. Most of my experience is in wire, silver, glass bead making and cold connections. In the classes I mostly teach, I show the students how they can combine wire, sheet metals and bead to make unique pieces of jewelry.
Palmer, Jeanne
Pica, Linda
Linda began painting in oils at the age of 15 under private and group instruction. She earned her Master’s Degree (MBA) at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and currently offers over 15 years of experience teaching adult students in a variety of business, arts and sciences courses. She maintains active memberships with the Bethel Art League, Venice Art Center, North Port Art Center and Englewood Art Center, winning awards for her work in local shows and competitions and selling her work at galleries in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Venice and surrounding communities in Florida, and has completed a variety of commissions nationally.
Platte, Roxcy
Pommier, Laura
Laura Pommier resides in Rotonda West, Florida. Her formal art education comprises a Master of Arts from Indiana State University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Murray State University. Previously living in Jasper, Indiana, she worked as a graphic artist. At the same time, she produced studio art and exhibited in juried, group and solo shows nationwide. Now in Florida, Laura continues to work in her studio and teaches painting, drawing and pastel. She has been featured in The Herald Tribune, The Sun, Harbor Style, Sarasota Magazine, Healthy Living Magazine, Venice Lifestyle Magazine and Wellen Park Living. Additionally, she has painted numerous local murals. You can find Laura at www.laurapommier.com; FaceBook, and Instagram.
Ponder, Haley
Rose, Nancy
Sadel, Christine
Christine has been a creator and artist since childhood In New Jersey and attended Pratt and Parsons in NYC. She has owned her own interior design and an event company for over 30 years
along with building a cafe” and music lounge. She is an accomplished potter, seamstress, photographer and has recently resumed painting. Her jewelry design business ChrisinaBellaBeads started
in the early 90’s and she began metalsmithing and instructing while living in Raleigh NC for 25 years. She was a Docent at the North Carolina Museum of Art and now Christine is a full time artist and designer, living here on Venice Beach. She offers workshops to private groups, institutions and at events.
Schwab, Rita
Born and raised in Heidelberg Germany Immigrated to the US in 1973 BFA Fine Arts University of South Florida, Tampa MFA Florida State University Rita has been a studio artist since the early 80’s. She has taught art as an adjunct at FSU, traveled to many Art Centers in the US to hold weekend workshops and offers classes out of her private studio. Rita has resided in Englewood, FL since 2010 and has taught Abstract Painting at The Open Studio, the Northport Art Center, Englewood Art Center and the Arts Alliance of Lemon Bay This season she is excited to offer her painting techniques at the Venice Art Center. Rita shows and sells her art locally, nationally and internationally. She attends juried art shows and shows in a variety of galleries. Please https://www.facebook.com/artforthesoal, https://www.instagram.com/earthelements01/ and https://www.ritaschwabfineart.com to view her work.
Shelby, Nancy
Throughout her life, Shelby has been a working artist with her main focus on studio and gallery shows, plus teaching. She has taught her art in Florida, California, Mexico and Greece. In the past few years, dot painting has entered into the mix, and she has been sharing this technique with her students. Her current dotting work has been creating Mandalas, Masks and nature designs.