ArtsNow/uLearn
Fall 2008 Instructors
Juan Aguilera C405, C408
Juan G. Aguilera is an Industrial Designer from the University Autonoma Metropolitana in Mexico City with a pre-press specialty. He has been involved in digital publishing since the darkroom days. A self proclaimed color nut, he believes color is an independent language, with a specific grammar, spelling and intonation.
Juan is a teacher at heart, having taught geometry and design with students ranging from middle school to adults, he currently teaches Photoshop, Color Correction, Camera Raw, Fine Art Printing and Digital Photography workflow in the Northwest. He is a member of NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) and has attended several Photoshop World events.
Kobbie Alamo C701
Kobbie's cum-laude degree is in English Literature. Her graduate study at Michigan State University was also in English Literature with some journalism from Rutgers University tossed in. Additionally, she studied Shakespeare and Chaucer at Cambridge University, England. Her teaching credentials include expositional and creative writing at both the college and high school levels.
Currently she is an MFA student at the Whidbey Writers Workshop, a program of the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts of the Whidbey Island Writers Association.
Her publication history includes: Ghost-written New Age novel, 40 Minutes with God (Cambridge University Press), short stories, newspaper articles, magazine features. She is a recipient of the Best-Fiction Award from Michigan State.
Meredith Arnold C404, C410
Meredith Arnold teaches a variety of programs in the arts including Precious Metal Clay, polymer clay, design, metal etching, photography and more. Both art and teaching are passions that Meredith found early in life. "It is a thrill and a privilege to witness the information I've presented in a class become a reality for my students". In her own work, Meredith is fascinated with polymer clay, precious metal clay, fabric, paint, beads, glass and metals and is intrigued by the challenges of combining these materials. Her paintings, handmade books, sculpture and jewelry work has been exhibited internationally and continues to be published in books and magazines around the world.
Katherine Billings C305, C800, C801, C804
Katherine Billings is an award-winning director, actor, writer, producer, & Teaching Artist at the Broadway Center Conservatory, Eastern Washington University, Evergreen and South Puget Sound Colleges. Awards include the American Film Festival, U.S. Film Festival, International C.I.N.E., Stage Directing & Acting honors. A professional coach to actors for auditions and appearances on Wonder Years, Bull Durham, X-Files, Millenium, Stargate, DaVinci’s Inquest, Deadman’s Gun, Disturbing Behavior, Hot Rod, Nothing Too Good For A Cowboy and many commercials.
Lynne Compton C802
Lynne Compton is fascinated with helping people transform as communicators, tap into their natural presence, and express themselves with ease. She has twenty-five years of performance and teaching experience and is an Alexander Technique International certified teacher. She has taught at Seattle Opera’s Young Artists Program, the University of Washington, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle Pacific University, and Freehold Acting Studio/Lab
Barbara Depirro C419
Within the calm serene layers of Barbara's work, lies a deeply emotional and nurturing whisper of her perceptions. She finds a complexity of imagery in the simple echoes of our world. Colors, textures and patterns flow through the stream of her imagination, creating her own soft and gentle language."
Barbara is a Painter, Photographer, printmaker, eco-artist, Teacher and Lecturer, sponsored by GOLDEN Artist Colors® She is a many faceted explorer, finding inspiration from both cultural and natural influences. Bringing together a blend of techniques and influences, she then shares this through her art, workshops and lectures. Barbara’s artwork can be viewed on her website at http://www.depirro.com
Jeanne Dodds C421
Jeanne Dodds—A committed practicing artist, I work in a range of media, including scientific illustration and photography. Both disciplines merge the fields of science and art in a myriad of ways: skilled observation, creativity, technical skill, and the opportunity to observe the natural environment in an intimate fashion.
I hold a BFA with honors in Photography from Boise State University and a Certificate in Scientific Illustration from the University of Washington. As a teaching artist, I offer instruction to adults and children at locations in Western States and am the owner of the Seattle based art and teaching business, Artemis. In operation since 2004, Artemis provides visual arts classes for adults and children in partnership with museums, non-profit organizations and schools.
My primary teaching goals include providing students with the information and skills needed to become technically competent in a given media, and to support, encourage and foster individual creative expression. By actively creating and showing work in multiple disciplines, I remain current in art techniques and methods for artistic development, skills that inform my teaching practice.
Contact:
www.jeannedodds.com
info@jeannedodds.com
Colleen Dunlap C420
You may have spent time at C K Dunlap's studio, looking at her watercolor paintings You may have seen her mosaics and tile for the garden at the Bellevue or Edmonds Art Festivals a few years back. You could have gotten your hands dirty trying to make a tile with her. Maybe you saw her quilt at the Snohomish Council for the Arts. In 35 years as an artist Colleen has worked in many mediums but specializes in watercolor and clay. "Color in nature" is the theme of her company Snohomish Arts. Visit her website for more information: www.CKDunlap.com.
Jennifer Eichmeier C303, C415
Jennifer Eichmeier graduated with a master in industrial design from Western Washington University in Bellingham. She currently displays her artwork at local venue around the Puget Sound. In the last year, she has begun to teach at local community colleges in a variety of different subjects in visual arts. Some examples of Jennifer’s work are available on her website at www.designedbyjenny.com.
Ute Freund C806
Ms. Freund holds a BA and MA in Opera Performance and Vocal Pedagogy from Hamburg University(Germany). She performed with Hamburg State Opera, Kiel Opera, German TV, opera companies in the San Francisco Bay Area and sang the role of CARMEN with Kitsap Opera. She was recently seen in the Gypsy Princess with the G&S Society at Seattle Town Hall. She taught Voice and German at the college and runs her voice studio "Conbellavoce" out of Edmonds. She werves as a judge in vocal competitions.
Haley Green C905
Haley Green, MA. Creativity Catalyst Life Coaching. Www.haleygreen.com. Haley offers her clients a rich pallet of coaching, adult learning, expressive arts, wellness, business administration and team-leadership development. She is passionately committed to supporting her clients as they embody their most meaningful and authentic life. With a Master's Degree in Human and Organization Development, Haley brings over 10 years experience in the Transformative Learning and Development field.
Kathy Heffernen C907
Kathy Heffernan, MA, has been a Reiki Practitioner since 2000 and has provided reiki treatments within hospital settings as part of her professional work as a hospital spiritual counselor (chaplain). She established Tree of Life Reiki Training Institute in 2005 with a special focus of training reiki practitioners for hospital and hospice settings.
Ruoxiao Ji C422
Jean is a well-known artist and Professor in the field of Advanced Chinese Sumi Painting.She is an MFA and BFA of Sumi in China.She has been teaching Chinese Sumi Painting for the past 25 years in University,She given solo exhibitions and lectures at the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Beijing,Washington State University,University of California at Berkeley, and San Francisco Art Institute. Her publications include three books on the theory and techniques of Chinese Sumi Painting. She occasionally won awards in international Sumi Art Competitions etc
Bill Kohlmeyer C906, C910
Bill Kohlmeyer MSW, LMHC
Bill Kohlmeyer has worked for 20 years as a domestic violence perpetrator treatment supervisor in community mental health and private practice settings and has served for 13 years on the executive board of the Northwest Association of Domestic Violence Treatment Professionals. He has taught anger management and conflict resolution classes in high schools, community colleges, technical colleges, chemical dependency programs, public service agencies and industries. Bill has over 15 years of teaching the Psychology of Human Relations as a faculty member of the Psychology Department of Highline Community College and has a private practice in Federal Way, WA.
Lisa Snow Lady C416
Seattle artist Lisa Snow Lady has a BA in Fine Art/Art History and a BFA in painting from the UW. She has been creating mixed media monotypes for the last 15 years incorporating a variety of printmaking processes into her prints. Her love of botanical form and studies in horticulture are reflected in her work. She is represented by SAM Gallery Rentals and Sales, Baas Gallery, Museo on Whidbey Island and has work in the collections of the UW Medical Center, Evergreen Hospital, and Safeco Corporation. Lisa maintains a studio in Ballard.
Robert Laughlin C805
Robert Laughlin has taught his unique piano workshop to thousands of adults for over 25 years. Drawing experience from his many years as a professional piano player, Robert enthusiastically shares his insider knowledge with his students. He’s the author of more than a dozen method books, and his system is used by over 300 piano teachers nation wide. Over 100,000 have taken his workshops, and several of his books have been translated into German.
Janet Lehwalder C418
Janet Lehwalder paints on silk using fiber reactive dyes. Her work includes framed silk paintings, done in a watercolor style, and quilted silk comforters. “I love watching the colors flow and blend naturally on the silk. And the way silk reflects light gives the paintings a special luminosity.”
She teaches a variety of silk classes all around the Pacific Northwest. Home is five acres east of Bellingham, WA. View her work and learn more about classes on her website, www.moonlightsilks.com.
Wendy Lee Lynds C414
Believing that creativity is our birthright, but realizing that fear can paralyze the creative soul, Wendy Lee Lynds seeks to bring the joy of creating into everything she does. For as long as she can remember, Wendy wanted to be a visual artist but let fear and choosing a more traditional life-path, keep her away from her heart's desire. For a million reasons, and one motorcycle man from Utah, she radically changed her life, and has been living her dream on beautiful Whidbey Island since 2005, creating multi-layered, textural works in collage, encaustics and now, printmaking. Happily, she recently 'caught' the teaching bug and loves sharing her joy of art-making!
Susana Martinez C908, C909
Susan Martinez, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, moved to the United States in 1984 after living in Spain for 13 years. She has traveled extensively throughout all of South and Central America. She has a degree in Architecture from the University of Buenos Aires and a masters degree from the University of Seville in Spain. She, also, continues to read and write poetry. Her rich background allows her to follow the interests of her students as she works with them to improve their Spanish speaking skills while having a great deal of fun.
Jennifer McCord C302
Jennifer McCord currently owns her own publishing consultant business in Seattle, and has over 20 years of experience in the publishing business, including writing, producing, marketing, selling, speaking, teaching and publishing. She has been a national spokesperson for Waldenbooks on the romance industry, which included writing columns, giving speeches and granting media interviews. She received an industry award in 1991 from the Romance Writers of America; an Affair d’Couer award in 1993 for promoting the women’s fiction, romance genre and authors in the genre; and a Melinda Hefler Award in 2002 from the Romantic Times for promoting and writing about women’s fiction and romance. She is a member of the National Romance Writer’s Conference, and is on the Advisory Committee for Writer’s Program at the University of Washington, as well as the Program Committee for the Northwest Book Festival and Oregon Writers Colony.
Mel Michaels C702
Mel Michaels recently earned his MFA in poetry from Goddard College. Excerpts from his poetry book entitled Fatal Ajective have been published in the 2008 Pitkin Review. He has taught poetry workshops in the Elementary and High School setting as well as completing a two month poetry course at the Vashon/Maury Senior Center. He has a penchant for surfing, mountain climbing, and shark diving (although he can honestly say he has never participated in any of those activities). When he's not finding poetry, teaching poetry, or writing poetry he avoids the urban matrix by living on a strange Island in the Puget Sound.
Dan Neish C400
Dan Neish, is an Edmonds Community College art instructor. Dan graduated from the University of Washington with a Master’s of Fine Arts. His area of expertise is ceramics. He has had many solo exhibits in Seattle and been in invitational exhibits across the country.
Craig Orback C413, C417
Craig Orback graduated with a B.F.A. in illustration from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle in 1998. He has taught Children's Book Illustration for four years at local colleges. Children's book illustrations fulfill Craig's passion for telling stories with his art and he enjoys sharing his passion with others. Working primarily in oil, acrylic and watercolor, his illustrations are realistic yet painterly. In his free time he enjoys painting landscapes of scenes around his home. Some of his award winning published books and clients have included "Nathan Hale: Patriot Spy", "Benjamin Bannaker: Pioneering Scientist", "Bronco Charlie and the Pony Express", and "Paul Bunyan", all for Lerner Publishing. Other clients have included Simon and Schuster, McGraw Hill, Scholastic Inc., Houghton Mifflin, and the Seattle Children's Theatre. Craig's illustration website is at www.craigorback.com
Ray Pfortner C301, C304, C407
Ray Pfortner has worked in photography for over 30 years – as a stock photography agent, a photographer’s representative, an educator, and a photographer. Pfortner now works as a consultant to photographers and stock agencies on book publishing, marketing to magazines, and business practices. He frequently teaches and writes articles on the same topics. His primary interest is in coaching new talent.
Pfortner was the Executive Editor of Wildlands Press, producing the nature photographer Art Wolfe’s first self-published books, including the award-winning The Living Wild, Africa and The High Himalaya. He coordinated book production from design to printing, distribution, foreign rights, and worldwide magazine serialization. He has also served as the Publishing and Magazine Liaison for Art Wolfe, Inc, with responsibility for coordinating the production of 16 books and for marketing stories to magazines worldwide.
Pfortner has worked as the in-house stock agent for Kennan Ward Photography and as an Account Executive for Minden Pictures (developing the commercial side of the agency), both in California. In New York City, he was a Partner at Peter Arnold, Inc. (handling the work of 125 photographers specializing in nature, science, and medicine).
Previously Pfortner worked in government for the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Park Service, and the NYC Environmental Protection Administration as a project scientist, an educator, a citizen participation specialist, and a photographer. He teaches at Seattle-area arts centers and colleges, including: Photographic Center NW; Art Institute of Seattle; Bellevue, Cascadia, Edmonds, Everett, Highline, Seattle Central Community Colleges; and the University of Washington. Pfortner also gives national presentations on book contracts, publishing, and marketing for organizations including the Blue Earth Alliance and the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA). He is an instructor for the NANPA High School Student Scholarship Program and has taught for the Sierra Club’s national educator’s environmental education program. NANPA has awarded Pfortner its 2006 Russ Kinne Grant for sharing freely of his expertise, its 2006 Recognition Award for making a difference with his photography and its 2003 Fellow Award for career contributions to nature photography.
His own photography focuses on Vashon-Maury Island, his home in the Pacific Northwest. His images are often used to support the preservation of open space, habitat, and historic sites on and off the Island. He received the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust’s coveted 2003 Emma Award for his photographic support. Pfortner concentrates his editorial and commercial shooting on environmental issues from hazardous waste to land use, pollution to habitat restoration. Peter Arnold, Inc. in New York City licenses Pfortner’s photographs for editorial and advertising stock uses.
Claire Putney C412
The foothills below the Flat Irons of Boulder, Colorado were my first home. I soon after began to retreat further into the mountains with my family to explore. We read maps, collected rocks and walked. This is the context through which I came to understand my surroundings and my place within them. Growing up with a mother who is a painter and a grandfather who was a watchmaker/machinist, I quickly learned to communicate through the process of making.
I completed my Bachelor of Arts in Painting, Printmaking and Photography at San Diego State University, although the majority of what I learned during that time was in the open desert of southeast California. Before applying for graduate school, I spent one year as a visiting artist at Hoover High School in San Diego, CA through the Price Community Builders Fellowship and five months as an art instructor at the Bakersfield Museum of Art, while continuing my personal studio practice. In June 2007 I completed my MFA in Studio Art at the University of Washington.
Since my arrival in the Seattle area, I have had the pleasure of participating in a number of group and solo exhibitions, have had my work purchased for the City of Seattle Portable Work Collection, and have contributed to the University District Public Art Project. My work has been shown in group exhibitions around Seattle and San Diego. I am also looking forward to an upcoming solo exhibition at the Haydon Art Center in November 2008.
Patricia Ridenour C406
Patricia Ridenour is an award winning, internationally published, fine art and commercial photographer. She has won multiple awards in The International Photography Awards, done the series posters for The Seattle Opera, a book by Random House, and been published in Vogue, Mirabella, Conde Nast, and Travel Leisure magazines. She is on the faculty of The Photographic Center Northwest in Seattle, along with teaching travel photography for Rick Steves Europe Through the Backdoor.
Rebecca Ross C903, C904
An architect for 20 years, Rebecca Ross became involved in helping people tackle their clutter problems as a prior step to introducing feng shui applications or energy clearing in a space. Her blend of practical organizing skills, personal warmth and humor supports her clients in creating balanced nurturing environments in which to live and work. In her career as an architect and network administrator Rebecca developed pragmatic skills in both spatial and informational organization. As a practitioner of meditation and T’ai Chi she is experienced in balancing energy and cultivating stillness in body, mind and surroundings. Rebecca’s ability to clear environmental energies provides a more subtle level of assistance in creating a "composed domain". With her assistance each client is empowered to create meaningful and lasting change.
Bruce Taylor C700
Bruce Taylor, aka. “Mr. Magic Realism” is best known for his writing of Magic Realism, and surrealism and, more recently,. in the anthology, The Bizarro Starter Kit (wwwbizarrogenre.org) Bruce is called one of the “ …ten … leading authors in the bizarro genre.” Bruce has three books in print, The Final Trick of Funnyman and Other Stories (www.FairwoodPress.com), Kafka’s Uncle and Other Strange Tales (www.Afterbirthbooks.com). His third book, Edward: Dancing on the Edge of Infinity came out in November, 2007 from RedJack books. Presently, Bruce has two more books coming out; a novella, 13 Miles to Paradise will appear with three other novellas from three writers in a collection titled Amblican (Golem Press) which is to be released at the 2008 World Fantasy Convention in Calgary, and another book, The Tails of Alleymanderous and Other Odd Tails (www.subatomicbooks.com) will come out mid-2009. Currently under editorial consideration: Stormworld (co-authored with Brian Herbert), The Mountains of the Night, and Kafka’s Uncle: the Unfortunate Sequel and Other Insults to the Morally Perfect. Bruce has just completed two new books, Kafka’s Uncle: the Ghastly Prequel and Other Stories of Love and Pathos in the World’s Most Powerful, Third-World Banana Republic, and The Magic of Wild Places, a sequel to The Mountains of the Night. Bruce was Writer in Residence at Shakespeare & Company, Paris, and former Co-Director, The Wellness Program, Harborview Medical Center. He’s also a hypnotherapist and was Vice-president, Switchback Backpacks, manufacturer of hard-shell backpacks.
Recently, Bruce has accepted the position of president of the Seattle Free Lances, the oldest (1921) and reputed to be the most respected, professional writers group in the Northwest.
Michael Wewer C411
Michael Wewer has taught photography at Edmonds CC for over a decade. His photographic images radiates out in all four directions from his home in Seattle. They take you as far south as Mono Lake and the Sierra Nevada Range in California; East to the Grand Tetons of Wyoming and the Sawtooth Range in Idaho; West to the rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula and as far North as Vancouver Island. Michael's work represents pristine areas with the hope of giving a person a sense of place and gratitude for still having such a vast number of places to escape. The intent is to capture these wild spaces with the idea of protecting them. The overall positive and negative footprint people leave behind are exemplified in his work as well. These footprints can range from recreation and preservation to clearing the land without thought.
Michael Whithmarsh C409
George Winn C901
George has 40 years experience helping people fall in love with golf -- the game of a lifetime.
Kristi Zevenbergen C401, C402
Kristi Zevenbergen teaches beading, wirecraft and metalsmithing in the Seattle Area, designing projects that enable students to learn technique. “I enjoy watching the process of discovery as students begin to imagine and discuss new possibilities. Teaching gives me a chance to impart the joy of creating and to give others the permission to create just for the sake of creating. ”. In her own work she uses the process of “responding” to what she sees before her, choosing from a variety of techniques to accomplish a finished piece. “ I’m happiest when I am able to make art freely without the boundaries of marketplace aesthetics”. Inspiration for her pieces comes from old things and things in nature. See Kristi’s work and class schedule at www.kristizevenbergen.com
Ya Ming Zhou C900
Ya Ming holds a B.A. from Shanghai Foreign Trade Institute, a Graduate Study of Economics Freiburg University, a Diploma of Marketing British Columbia Institute of Technology and is a Licensed Banker and Mutual Fund Representative. She currently is a Financial Advisor for Edward Jones. Edward Jones provides financial services for individual investors in the United States and, through its affiliates, in Canada and the United Kingdom. Every aspect of the firm's business, from the types of investment options offered to the location of branch offices, is designed to cater to individual investors in the communities in which they work and live. The firm's 10,000 plus financial advisors work directly with over 7 million clients to understand their personal goals -- from college savings to retirement -- and create long-term strategies for their investments which emphasize a well-balanced portfolio and a buy-and hold-strategy. Edward Jones embraces the importance of building long-term, face-to-face relationships with clients, helping them to understand and make sense of the investment options available.
