ArtsNow/uLearn
Fall 2009 Instructors
Juan Aguilera C336
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 C352
Kobbie Alamo--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.
Matt Babcock C308
Matt Babcock is an architect, sculptor and incorrigible tinkerer. He loves figuring out how to make things and talking about making things.
Paula Bronte C602
Paula Bronte has worked in the field of personal development since 1993. While employed by Stephen Covey she introduced hundreds to Covey's work - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Ms. Bronte holds certifications as a Master Rapid Eye Technician and in Thought Field Therapy. Rapid Eye Technology releases stress and trauma quickly and safely. Ms. Bronte teaches 'Skills for Living an Empowered Life' through public presentations as well as to individuals through her private practice.
Monica Baird C622
Katherine Billings C356, C360
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 C632, C358
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
Jeanne Dodds C332
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 C328
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.
Mohammad Fani C612
Mohammad is a native of Iran who immigrated to the USA in 1978 and studied Electrical Engineering at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM. He graduated in 1980 with a M.S degree and worked in the computer industry in CA. He has been active in the interfaith community for the past decade. He is the interfaith committee chair at the Islamic Educational Center of Seattle, an executive/trustee board member at Camp Brotherhood, a member of the Greater Seattle Council of Muslims, among others. Currently, Mohammad is the Business manager for the FMF40 LLC, a family owned real estate business.
Terri Farley & Suzanne Morgan Williams C368
Judith Forth C606, C610, C614
Christina Fusch C624, C626
Christina Fusch has a BA in Near Eastern Studies: Biblical and Ancient and a BA in Anthropology from the University of Washington, and she has a M.A. in Religious Studies from Gonzaga University. She has taught language courses at Eastern Washington University and Whitworth University. In addition to teaching for uLearn, she teaches Arabic here at Edmonds Community College.
Tracy Kay Fraker C326
Mary Pat Graham C354
Mary Pat [Plymale] Graham is a Vocal Coach, Choral Conductor and Pianist who has been helping people find their voices for over thirty years. Her professional conducting experience includes work with church choirs, community choruses and the Seattle Opera Chorus. She has been a workshop presenter and consultant for church music programs and currently works as an independent voice coach. For many years Mary Pat has coached both professionals and inexperienced singers, and is particularly skilled at creating a successful singing experience for amateurs. She has developed the SING FOR YOUR LIFE program to bring the fun, joy and health benefits of singing to people of all ages and abilities.
Christine Hanchett C608
Since 2001, Chris Hanchett has been teaching a variety of apparel related courses at Edmonds Community College. The decade prior was spent working in the field of Garment Manufacturing for local companies Nordstrom and Eddie Bauer. The subjects of clothing and the manufacturing of apparel have been at the core of her professional endeavors since graduating from Western Washington University in 1990 with a double major in Apparel Marketing and Design. Chris brings her enthusiasm and love of sewing to the Arts Now program and aspires to help students accomplish the basics of the craft.
Ruoxiao Ji C322
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
Steve Johann C600
Steve Johann is the owner of Sound Image Solutions a Promotional Products Company. He is the Producer and Co-host of Hog Radio a weekly Pod Cast/Radio show. He is also a Freelance writer with columns in three publications. Steve’s passions are creating, communicating, encouraging, inspiring and assisting individuals and business owners with freeing themselves of their limitations. He believes that everyone has the ability to live out a fully productive and satisfying life based on meaning and passion.
Lisa JonesMoore C310, C314
Lisa JonesMoore is a graduate of Colorado State University, with a BFA in Fine Art and Graphic Design. After working as a designer in Denver, San Francisco and Seattle for over fifteen years, Lisa decided to pursue her passion for painting, mixed media and collage.
Encaustic collage has been a particularly interesting and passionate pursuit for Lisa over the past five years, and "the scent of warm beeswax is glorious…". The end result is very durable, yet looks ephemeral in nature. Lisa includes many items in her collages--such as fabric, digital photos from her world travels, discarded tickets and papers, bottle caps, rusty nails and hinges, sand, hardware parts and disassembled jewelry.
"I have always loved the idea of using recycled and discarded items in my artwork…. It's my tiny contribution to preserving our beautiful environment."
Lisa also loves making altered books and personal shrines as a way to connect with herself and other artists on a creative level. Lisa's works are part of private collections in the Northwest, Midwest and East coast of the United States. Her mixed media work has been published in Cloth•Paper•Scissors and Somerset Studio magazines.
Lisa Snow Lady C324
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 C634
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.
Jenn Leach C304
Jenn Leach was raised in the arts’ community of Laguna Beach, California, where she developed a love for the visual arts at a young age. In her 15 years as a professional photographer, she has worked in a variety of settings including as a product shooter in the catalog houses of New York City, a photojournalist for a weekly newspaper in rural Alaska, and as a portrait photographer specializing in environmental portraiture and events. Since moving to the Puget Sound region, she now works with artists, interior designers, and architects.
Janet Lehwalder C334
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.
Nathalye Isaacson C370, C372
Nathalye Isaacson is a Colombian native and is passionate about dancing with fifteen years of expereince with latin rhythms. She is movtivated by the idea that dance is an art form and a great way to enjoy life. She has been teaching street salsa in this area for the past five hedars, focusing on how this dance style is danced and lived in Latin Amierican towns. She added Zumba to her repertorie because it is a fitness class with a party atmophere that allows her to express and enjoy the enthusiastic energy intrinsic in Latin American rhythms.
Wendy Lee Lynds C330
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 C638
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 is a writer, editor, educator, and publishing consultant in
Seattle WA. Throughout her 25 year career in the book business, Jennifer
has worked in nearly ever aspect of the publishing industry‹from traditional publication paths to small press and self-publishing ventures. For many years, she has dedicated her experience to the success of the Northwest writing community‹as UW Extension Advisory board member, President of The Seattle Free Lances, the Advisory Board for the Fine Writing Program at Edmonds Community College and as past president of PNWA. She currently lends her expertise in the book business to writers and publishers through her consulting and coaching business, Jennifer McCord Associates.
www.jennifermccord.com
Daniel Neish C306
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.
Paul Nelson C350
Paul Nelson is co-founder of Northwest Spokenword Lab, their webpage is www.splab.org. He is also the founder of Global Voices Radio. Paul earned a M.A. in Organic Peotry from Lesley University. Paul's work has been published in Golden Handcuffs Review, Jacket Magazine, Fulcrum, Olson Now Blog, The Argotist, Raven Chronicles and elsewhere. He has interviewed Allen Ginsberg, Michael McClure, Anne Waldman, Robin Blaser, Sam Hamill, Wanda Coleman, Eileen Myles, Jerome Rothenberg and other poets. His serial poem re-enacting Auburn history, A Time Before Slaughter will be published in Apprentice House in Summer 2009. Paul writes one American Sentence every day.
Tim Nichols C628
I have worked in the beer industry for the last twelve years giving brewery tours, working beer festivals, holding private beer tastings, and currently work at a bar that is a brewer’s hangout, and specializes in local microbreweries and Belgian Beer. I currently handle all of the beer tasting events at the alehouse, as well as educate the staff and help select most of our seasonal offerings.
Craig Orback C320
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 C362, C364, C366
Ray has worked in photography for over 20 years – as photographer, educator, stock agent, editor, and consultant. He teaches and consults on the business of art and on photography across the US. Ray received Bellevue College’s 2008 Margin of Excellence Award and the North American Nature Photography Association’s 2006 Recognition Award for making a difference with his photography and its 2003 Fellow Award for career contributions in nature photography. His photography is widely published. His primary interest is in coaching new talent and in having art and especially photography seen and sold. Ray holds a Masters from Duke and a BS from Yale.
Barbara De Pirro C316
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
Patricia Ridenour C338
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 C616
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.
Stacey Schwartz C630
Dean Smokoff C618
Seattle native and veteran of 35 years in the radio broadcasting and entertainment industries. Graduate of UofW with experience in strategic planning and marketing in the business world. Involved in antique and collectibles since 1975. Worked at two antique malls in the area. I’m actively selling antiques and collectibles at this time. Expert at finding and appraising antiques and collectibles. Also can consult in setting up your business and the tax advantages of doing so. I believe in being successful and enjoying what you spend your time at. My goal is to show you how easy it is to turn your passion into a great business and have fun doing it.
Bruce Taylor C348
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.
Jennifer Taylor C604
Jennifer Taylor has been the wedding and event industry since 2005, she opened Taylor'd Events by Jennifer and also worked as a consultant for Occasions, LLC from 2007 through 2009. She has orchestrated over 25 events since 2005. She has earned Distinguished Graduate through Association of Bridal Consultants, Professional Business Development class and is one of 26 Professional Bridal Consultants in Washington.
Roberta Trahan C302
Roberta Trahan is a copywriter, editor, marketing consultant and instructor in the Seattle area. Her more than 20 years experience in communications ranges from newspaper journalism to advertising, media relations, corporate & retail sales, event promotion, and publicity. Roberta serves as Vice President & Program Chair for The Seattle Free Lances, and on the Advisory Board for the Fine Writing Program at Edmonds Community College. She is also a writing instructor at Bellevue Community College and a presenter at various conferences and industry events. Roberta's company Idyllwynd Communications offers editorial and marketing services to writers and publishers.
Karen Ulvestad C342
Karen Ulvestad started her photography career shooting sports. She loved the action, and the challenge of creating a photograph using stop action. Her mainstay was competitive swimming, though she ventured into running and other athletic activities. She next stepped into shooting landscapes. She loved the line, form and texture that can be created in a photograph. After mastering Landscape, she moved to photographing children. It was more fun than Landscapes, because they like to move and explore the world. She’s continued with children, and added birds, wildlife, performance and stock photography to her experiences. She’s been teaching photography on and off since 2003, and enjoys the classroom experiences.
Chia-Chia Wang C620
Chia-Chia Wang (王家嘉) loves to teach and guide students at all ages to learn the beauty of Chinese language, as well as its people and rich culture. She was born and grew up in Taiwan. She came to the US to study and received a MA in Education from University of Colorado in 1999. Currently, Ms. Wang teaches at elementary and middle schools in Seattle metro. She is also experienced in teaching formal and private adult class for many years.
Before becoming a language teacher, Ms. Wang has worked as a Chinese newspaper journalist and magazine editor for many years both in Taiwan and America. Her Chinese language class is creative and rich in culture. It is her wish that her class would help to link the West to Chinese people and culture. The following quote would best reflect the message that she try to pass to her students:
"Through learning language, we learn about culture.
Through learning about culture, we learn respect for others.
Through learning respect for others, we can hope for peace."
Michael Wewer C340
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.
Kelly M Williams C635, C636
Kelly Williams has has a degree in Business from Central Washington University. He has been a financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial
Services, Inc., Edmonds since 1995 and has previoulsy worked in realestate and accounting.
Candace Wilson C346
Candace Wilson is an engaging and experienced teacher who has taught classes in topics such as journaling, memoirs writing, writing as a tool for self-care, and conflict resolution. She has also led weekend retreats and workshops. As a memoirs consultant, Ms. Wilson works with clients to complete the memoir or autobiography they envision. She also works as a commercial freelance writer, helping business clients with all of their writing needs.
Mi Wu C374
Mi Wu received her MFA in Ceramics from Northern Illinois University. She currently teaches ceramics at Bellevue Community College and Kirkland art center. She is a ceramic and mixed media artist with a focus on abstract sculpture. More about her work can be viewed at http://www.geocities.com/miwumiwu/
Kristi Zevenbergen C312
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.
