Joe Cibere

Award winning and nationally recognized watercolor artist. Joe is a seasoned artist with forty years experience, his teaching practice involves a wide range of techniques to explore the expressive potential of watercolor, inks and acrylics.

Joe will offer a series of quick introductions to watercolor techniques to demystify the medium and share his love for this rapid and fluid way of making art. He will teach brush, pen and knife techniques to make marks and create beautiful pictures which evoke both the physical landscape and his own love for the natural world.

In these workshops you will learn how to confidently use bold colors and compositions to express yourself on the paper. You will learn how to use a brush, pen and knife to move the paint and create vibrant artworks.

Ian Bermann

Ian Bermann is a ceramicist and sculptor. In the early stages of his career he was struck by car and despite repeated surgeries the resulting brain injuries will have to be managed for the rest of his life.

Ian will offer a series of taster sessions in making three-dimensional artwork with plasticine and air-drying clay. He will teach building techniques and the use of texture tools to create patterns. This class is intended as an introduction to making with ceramic, once the limitations on in-person meeting is relaxed Ian will offer a progression route to building useable ceramic vessels such as cups, vases and bowls.

In this class you will learn the basic techniques for making simple vessels and how to apply texture and pattern. This class will lead into an in-studio class with fired work.

Judith Hopkins

My practice is a quirky form of documentary. As a multi-media artist, I have used images, written and sometimes spoken word, as well as performance to represent under-represented or often misrepresented communities. My work, though not always autobiographical is often informed by my own biography.

In 2018 Judith was involved in an automotive accident which left her with persistent and debilitating symptoms of stiffness, neck pain, numbness and dizziness. This event deeply affected her quality of life and her art making.

Judith would like to work with a small group of participants on an intensive project to further develop their creative skills and express the deep impact that brain injury has upon people's lives. This project would take place every week and would best suit participants who had already taken part in the introductory courses.

Karrie Ross

Karrie Ross is a curator, installation and performance, award winning visual artist, art-book-project organizer/publisher, and award winning writer/author, based in Los Angeles. Her Art practice extends into inspiring and how-to presentations for groups and schools in the Southern California area with plans to grow it over time.

Karrie experienced a significant brain injury in 2017. The lasting impact of this event has left her with some speech and memory issues. Her artwork incorporates many motifs which express the fragility of our consciousness of the world around us (the use of broken eggs and wire suspensions) and mixed-media installations which depict the experience of injury.

The focus of my work explores the concepts and twisting perception of inclusion/exclusion and the magic of the in-between, the what-ifs and cause change at the cellular level. Using metaphors, my art questions the metaphysical aspects of being human, asking "Are you ready to collaborate with nature?"

Karrie will lead a class in making art with pen and ink and everyday objects. Starting with a scrap book or journal she will lead the group to make personal artworks reflecting upon their environment and how they live within it.

In this class you will learn to make and illustrate an artist journal. How to use collage, wire and other household items to make art and how to discuss the results.

Melanie Roschko

My work is based on the study of forms, shapes and lines in a spatial atmosphere that I intuitively express as colorful abstract paintings or prints. The lines allow me to explore spaces as they dance and spin and the colors and textures create depths to examine. My work is lyrical and elusive, inviting the viewer to delve into my inner world.

Painting is a means to create whatever comes to me. It is a creative process that becomes a conversation with myself. The paintings sometimes resolve immediately and other times with a struggle. However the process unfolds, hopefully it will be honest and valid.

Melanie will lead a series of workshops exploring line, color and composition. She will work with the group to create abstract works which reflect mood and personal journeys.

In this class you will learn to use color and shape in composition.

Mary-Gail King

Mary-Gail is a Contemporary Impressionist and Creativity Catalyst. Her unique program of classes, workshops, and retreats taps into the creative process to jumpstart transformative change. She is President Emeritus of the California Gold Coast Watercolor Society and her work is included in both corporate and private collections in North America and throughout the world.

Mary-Gail will lead a series of workshops exploring the world around us through the eyes of an artist. She will focus upon developing self-expression through self-exploration, demonstrating impressionistic techniques and methods of handling paint to create landscapes with personal significance.

Gerald Zwers

Versatile artist, curator, author and event organizer. Gerald makes art as a method of communication, as a way to connect with other human beings and to share ideas.

Gerald will lead a series of workshops exploring art making for beginners. His sessions will focus upon selecting the right medium, experimentation with technique and the problem solving.