Extension Instructors
Agnes Pierscieniak is a creative director, multidisciplinary designer and brand consultant. She designs integrated brand stories, bright graphics and bold environments. Agnes has over 10 years of experience in the hospitality, education, health and wellness, retail, and entertainment sectors. She has taught at Otis, Otis Extension, USC, and the Rhode Island School of Design. Agnes earned an MFA in graphic design from the Rhode Island School of Design. Agnes has transitioned from years of corporate branding and identity work into launching her own brands, which include an online art shop, a handmade fashion textile label and a creative workshop company. She is focused on these new endeavors and empowering others how to launch their own visions. PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND As a multi-faceted designer for international companies, Agnes drives storytelling and the creation of innovative content for a wide range of places and products. She crafts engaging personalities and unexpected experiences to bring brands to life. She has art directed photo shoots, conceptualized and produced visual content for brands, managed comprehensive social media campaigns and designed branded environments. Expertise includes brand strategy and positioning, identity design, web design, publication design, and the design of branded environments.
Alex Sokoloff is an award-winning filmmaker and 30 year industry veteran who has worked on live action and animated films as a technical director, character animator, layout and pre-visualization artist and supervisor. He developed, wrote the screenplay for and directed the animated film “The Secret of Pirate Island” which has been translated into 9 languages and received critical acclaim. Mr. Sokoloff has also produced content for independent educational and edutainment projects. He has a B.F.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Massachusetts and an M.F.A. in Film/Experimental Animation from CalArts.
Alexandria Wallace received her MFA from the Otis College of Art and Design and her BFA in painting and photography from The University of Texas at Austin. Alexandria started her teaching career through Teach for America in 2012. After six years of balancing teaching drawing, painting and photography to high school students while sustaining a studio practice in Houston, Alexandria relocated to Los Angeles to pursue her MFA. While working towards her MFA, she taught drawing, acrylic and oil painting courses at the Brentwood Art Center and Let Us Consult the Arts - LA. Her work has been exhibited recently at Brea Gallery, the Bolsky Gallery and the Greater Los Angeles MFA show.
Amy Bond, acclaimed fashion designer, producer, and educator splits her time between Miami Beach and the Los Angeles area. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from Stephens College and Master of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from Academy of Art University. From wholesale manufacturing, bridal, and ready-to-wear to haute couture, Bond has a wide range of fashion experience. Her eponymous collections have been sold around the world, and her red-carpet menswear looks have won media acclaim. Groundbreaking celebrities that have worn her creations include fashion icon turned music director Shaun Ross and American actor Billy Porter. Bond has been teaching fashion since 2002 as well as co-developing a fashion design curriculum. She joined the Otis College faculty in 2003, where she has taught in the undergraduate program as well as Extension. Bond created the Fashion Retreat and is Lead Instructor in the Summer of Art fashion programs. Along with developing students in the classroom, in her freelance work she helps emerging and established brands to expand their lines and has leant her knowledge to entertainment projects across the industry. Bond appeared in the iconic Project Runway series as a Designer in Season 16, and in 2019 as Supervising Fashion Producer for the NETFLIX Next in Fashion series.
Andrew Armstrong, MFA in Fine Arts; BFA in Sculpture, Otis College of Art and Design. Mr. Armstrong is the Director of Technical Support Services at Otis. His work has been exhibited in many Southern California venues. He has also served as a consultant and fabricator for notable Los Angeles based artists, designers, and institutions.
Angela Rubien, BFA in Advertising, ArtCenter College of Design. Additional studies at Fachhochschule Nuremberg, Germany. Ms. Rubien is an independent graphic designer, art director, and illustrator working in the Los Angeles area.
Art Sims has created some of the most memorable and recognizable advertising campaigns in history. For more than a decade, he has set the standard in producing historical images that illustrate the “real” urban experience. The Hollywood Reporter, Ad Week, Advertising Age, the Los Angeles Times, LA Focus, Brill’s Content and several other leading publications have penned stories on this man considered a genius at capturing the attention of young urban Americans through his creation of pulsating creative campaigns that initiate action. After obtaining a BFA degree from Michigan State University, Sims began his career as an art director at CBS Records in New York. In 1990, through an act of faith, Sims decided to leave the ranks of corporate America and create 11:24 Design Advertising, a groundbreaking young urban creative firm located in Southern California. At the helm of 11:24, Art has crafted campaigns and creative presentations for award-winning projects for entertainment industry giants such as George Lucas, Spike Lee, Michael Jackson, Denzel Washington, and Will Smith. Projects include Red Tails, Do The Right Thing, Malcolm X, I am Legend, Ghost Riders, Jungle Fever, Mo Better Blues, Bamboozled, Love & Basketball, Clockers, The Original Kings Of Comedy, and When The Levees Broke, I Will Follow, and Black Panther. Corporate clients include STARZ networks, A&E, HBO, Lifetime, Netflix and the Uplifting Channel.
Beverly Bledsoe is a Southern California artist who earned an M.F.A. in Printmaking from Cranbrook Academy Art,1981, and a B.F.A. in Printmaking and Sculpture from Cleveland Institute of Art,1979. She has taught Life Drawing and Drawing at Otis College of Art and Design since 1999; and drawing, painting and printmaking at numerous colleges and universities in Southern California and Texas. Ms. Bledsoe has won various awards in printmaking and received a cultural grant from the America Center in Helsinki, Finland. Her work has been featured in numerous one person and group exhibitions in locations including Los Angeles, Houston, Texas and Helsinki, Finland.
Blanka Domagalska is an artist, designer, writer, and educator based in LA. Her practice-based research oscillates around issues of human-technology hybridization and focuses on future directions in human self-understanding within technological and scientific contexts. She has over 15 years of experience in television and information technology, leading multimedia companies and projects. A track record of pioneering new products, services and technologies providing visionary strategies and hands-on management. Blanka has published articles and delivered presentations on subjects revolving around digital humanities, media, art history, cultural theory, and space travel. Her artworks, designs and media work have been broadcasted, televised, and exhibited domestically and internationally.
Brett Barker, MAE, BFA, BA is a creative director, painter, graphic, surface, and textile designer, art faculty member, and writer. Brett creates graphic, social media, fashion and home decor designs for clients in the US, Europe, and Japan. Brett is currently an adjunct faculty member at Otis College of Design and has been an adjunct faculty member at ArtCenter College of Design. As the Creative Director for a home decor textile company, she produced the overall strategic design vision for multiple years as well as spearheading several innovative collections for the stylish home. As a fine artist, she creates in both the mixed media and textile world. Her work is in both national and international collections and is featured on multiple websites. She is a past faculty member/teaching artist at Sun Studios and at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, NM. Brett's designs are currently featured on the Netflix reality competition show, "Next in Fashion," hosted by "Queer Eye" alum Tan France and Alexa Chung. Brett also teaches students with learning differences for two private academies in New Mexico. CAA-College Art Association SDA- Surface Design Association NAEA-National Art Education Association AAM-American Alliance of Museums LACMA-Los Angeles County Museum of Art itaa-International Textile and Apparel Association NMPED-Level II license with art, TESOL, and gifted education endorsements CALP certification expected Jan 2022 Amazon.com-Featured author of Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter NMWIF: New Mexico Women in Film
Cassandra Manna has always considered herself to be a creative person. Having an early career as a makeup artist helped her to develop her eye for color and foster some creative energy. Although she enjoyed her career as a makeup artist, she found herself increasingly interested in fabric and textiles. This newfound interest led her to enroll in the surface design program at Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM). Ms. Manna graduated with an AA in Surface design in 2008 and has been working in the fashion industry ever since. Ms. Manna has worked for various fabric companies as well as garment manufacturers over the course of her career. With over 12 years working experience making textile designs and seeing them through the production process, she can pass along her skills to take her students’ designs to the professional level.
Christopher Rowland, MFA - Otis College of Art and Design / Parsons. Mr. Rowland is a fine artist and filmmaker. His film credits include editor for HBO, as well as various other documentary projects with the most recent being linked to the State Department's website. In 2003, Mr. Rowland had the honor of representing the United States in an artist residency in Macedonia where he now has 2 paintings in the permanent collection in the Contemporary Museum of Art in Skopje, Macedonia. Christopher Rowland has been featured in Contact, a magazine for modern living in Arizona and in 2009 exhibited at the PVAC Juried All Media Exhibition in which he received the Trustees award.
Daniel Paige Toney is a designer, illustrator, and fashion historian. With a BFA in both graphic design and Illustration & Painting, as well as a MFA in Fashion Design; Daniel approaches the design process from a multidisciplinary approach. Daniel has worked for numerous designers and stylists in the LA area, the most notable including Michael Costello and B. Akerlund. Daniel has had the opportunity to sketch and design for internationally recognized fashion houses, including Dolce & Gabbana, Balmain, and Manish Arora. At Otis College of Art and Design, Daniel has taught Fashion illustration, Fashion Design, Digital Design for Fashion, as well as Studio & Construction for Fashion in the Summer of Art program. Daniel will also be teaching History of Costume this fall. In addition to his design work, Daniel is an award winning fashion illustrator with his high concentrated fashion watercolor illustrations found on the walls of LA ateliers as well as in digital fashion publications.
David Dodds is a Los Angeles-based motion graphics designer; his experience spans a decade in motion graphics, special effects, broadcast design, character animation, and infographics. As a motion graphics freelancer, Dodds has worked with big-time brands such as Disney, Netflix, X-Box, Marvel, Stardust, Mirada, Logan, and NFL Networks. Dodds is author of the book, Hands-On Motion Graphics with Adobe After Effects CC (2019). He teaches motion graphics for University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Extension and Otis College Extension. Dodds’ educational background includes a certificate in Motion Graphics from Otis College of Art and Design.
Deborah Nourse Lattimore is an illustrator and author of over 35 children's and educational books through publishers including HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Farrar, Strass & Giroux, Scholastic, The J.Paul Getty Museum and the UC Press. She is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including P.E.N. Award, ACLU Award in Art for Civil Liberties, Color Me Bright Foundation Award and Teacher of the Year Award. Her books are in the California Collection, and her illustrations are in numerous museums and personal collections. Ms. Lattimore has a B.A. in Art History and Ancient Near Eastern and Pre-Columbian Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Deborah Swan McDonald, BS in Art Education, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. Mrs. McDonald is an exhibiting fine artist and a Signature Member of Watercolor West and the National Watercolor Society. Additionally, she is an educator for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Debra Valencia is a visionary surface pattern artist, product designer and entrepreneur with a passion for world travel, artisan traditions, pop art and fashion trends. Valencia has branded a California style uniquely her own. Her colorful chic products are found in the licensed lifestyle market, appealing to women who love bold contemporary style. The brand has licensed with over 100 manufacturers in gift, stationery, craft, textiles, home décor, fashion accessories and beauty. Educated as a graphic designer, Debra graduated with a B.F.A. with honors from the University of Arts in Philadelphia. In Los Angeles, she worked for creative agencies, publishers and internet companies prior to starting her own graphic design studio, DeVa Communications. Debra Valencia has served as a part-time faculty member at Otis College of Art & Design in Los Angeles for over 20 years. Her current courses include Surface Design Basics, Surface Design Collections, Surface Design Digital Creation and Licensing Your Art for Royalties.
Enoch Davis received his MFA in 3D Animation from Academy of Art University and a BA in Studio Art from Vassar College. Mr. Davis launched his career in animation by assembling a team of artists and completing a 3D animated short which toured the country and won an award at every film festival where it was screened. After 12 years as a designer and animator in San Francisco and an instructor in design at U.C. Berkeley Extension, Mr. Davis moved to LA to work with Digital Domain in 2013. While at DD, he worked on the VFX for tentpole productions from Marvel, Disney, and Fox. He has since worked on the staff of many of LA’s top visual effects studios on numerous blockbuster films, hit tv shows, and commercials while continuing to freelance in 2D and 3D design and animation. He is also the recipient of several national and regional awards for design and animation.
Eric Collins is an artist, father, vegetarian, skateboarder, and educator. He was born in Virginia, lived in New York for over 12 years and is now back in Virginia. In describing his process he says: “When I make art, I usually start with a pen or pencil. At some point in the process, I am either holding an ink brush or a paintbrush and end up finishing the work on the computer. I still get excited about making new images for myself as well as other people.” Mr. Collins’ clients include The New York Times, Nature Medicine, Nylon Magazine, Soul Lovers Entertainment, Planet Earth Skateboards, Vessel Drinkware, Dragonfly Magazine, etc. He has also created prop styling designs for ad campaigns such as Valentino, Burberry, and Tommy Hilfiger. His award-winning work has been recognized by organizations including The Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, Adobe Design Achievement, and Richmond Illustrators Club.
Eugene Ahn, MA in Humanities, Pacifica Graduate Institute; BA in English, University of California, Los Angeles. Mr. Ahn is an artist, photographer, and web designer.
ince childhood, Gilly Shaeffer has been painting and drawing. In 1994, deeply inspired by the beauty in nature, she began doing botanical art. Gilly has received the Watercolor Program Certificate from master botanical art instructor, Anne Marie Evans, of the New York Botanical Gardens, New York, and the Chelsea Physic Garden, London. Her work has appeared in a number of juried international exhibitions throughout the United States, including Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, the United States Botanic Gardens in Washington, D.C., the Horticultural Society of New York, the Loveland Museum/Gallery in Colorado and the Filoli Estate and Gardens, Woodside, California. In 2000, she received the Georg Jensen Award from the American Society of Botanical Artists for a painting exhibited at the Horticultural Society of New York. As an educator, she has taught Botanical Watercolor Techniques for Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, the Virginia Robinson Gardens in Beverly Hills, California. She currently teaches at Otis College Extension as well as her home studio. Gilly is a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists and is the past president of the Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California from 1999-2005. Her work is included as a permanent part of the botanical art collection at the Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation at the Carnegie Mellon University and in private collections around the United States. Gilly's work was also selected to appear in the book, Today's Botanical Artists by Libby Kyer and Cora Marcus, Schiffer Publishers, 2008.
George Gularte was born and raised in Los Angeles. He has been playing video games since he was young and knew early on that this was the career that he wanted. Gularte received his Bachelors in Computer Science with a specialty in gameplay programming at the Art Institute of Los Angeles. Upon graduation he immediately got a job offer at Game Mechanic Studios (North Hollywood), an independent game studio where he grew his craft as a Software Gameplay engineer for 6 years creating a range of PC/ Console video games, mobile apps and VR experiences. As of 2021, Gularte is a Senior Game Programmer at Farsight Studios. As an Otis Extension instructor, he enjoys being a mentor and sharing his experiences with others who want to create in the industry.
Helene Reiner is an educator, freelance illustrator and designer. She has designed for clients such as: One World, Kleen Sportswear, Cotton USA, St. Germain, and Young Edwardian. Ms. Reiner was head designer and owner of Full Nelson, Inc., a women’s contemporary sportswear label, as well as the head designer for Actionwear, Inc., including Albert Nipon and Nanette Children’s Clothes. In addition to teaching at Otis College of Art and Design, she currently teaches for:: USC and Santa Monica College. Has also taught for Woodbury University, FIDM, American Intercontinental University, and Kline Academy of Fine Art. Along with Nancy Reigleman, Helene is the co-author of 9-Flats. Ms. Reiner has a B.F.A. from Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA.
Hideyo Kameda graduated from UCLA's Master in Architecture program in 2020 and is co-founder of architectural design practice ZAKA Design Studio which focuses on the intersection of contemporary vernacular and highly custom residential design. Hideyo received his B.F.A. at Otis College of Art & Design where he studied illustration and architecture/landscape/interiors. He has exhibited work in shows around Los Angeles as an illustrator, which informs his multidisciplinary and graphic approach to architectural design. instagram: @hideyokittenz Instructor: Holly Ratafia Holly Ratafia designs lighting for commercial projects, most recently with The Producer’s Group, a provider of production and design services for destination attractions including integrated resorts, museums, casinos, and theme parks worldwide. She also seeks to understand how the exterior built environment affects our perception. She is a senior lecturer in the Environmental Design Department at Otis College of Art and Design and an Extension Instructor. In addition, she taught as adjunct faculty at Boston Architectural College, School of Architecture and worked at Brown University’s Theater Art and Performance Department. She holds an MALD Architectural Lighting Design, Parsons the New School for Design, New York, New York; a Master of Arts, Performance/Material Culture Studies, Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; and a Bachelor of Arts, Theater Arts, UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
Janet Kupcick, BFA, ArtCenter College of Design; BS, University of California, Los Angeles. Ms. Kupchick has been a teaching assistant for Otis College since 2010. She is also the Printer and Art Director for Original Kupchick, which she started in 2005.
Jason Burton is an environmental designer and Associate Professor from Otis College of Art and Design where he has taught 2D and 3D design in the Product Design, Toy Design, Foundation and Extension Departments. In 2014 his peers, graduates and students elected him as the recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award at Otis. His wide range of experience in different fields of design and teaching has shaped a multidisciplinary approach to his work. He studied graphic design and illustration at Palomar College, architecture at Southern California Institute of Architecture, received a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Environmental Arts at Otis College; and earned a Masters in Business Administration from CSU Fresno. His art, sculpture and furniture designs have been featured in various galleries and publications, most notably Architectural Digest. Jason has been a designer for R&D Architects in Venice California since 2003 and is the founder of JBstudio and Coincide Collectible Designs.
Jeanie Frias, BFA, Otis College of Art and Design. Ms. Frias has taught painting, drawing, and college preparation courses for over 20 years. She has taught for UCLA and Occidental College, as well as private and homeschool groups, specializing in mentoring young artists toward successful application to the art college of their choice. Ms. Frias has exhibited throughout the Los Angeles area. Her current work draws inspiration from her extensive travel and daily journals.
ennifer Graves is a letterpress printer, book artist, and instructor based in Los Angeles, California. Jennifer holds a Masters in Library Science from the University of North Texas and BS in Elementary Education from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Since taking her first letterpress class in 2010, she has spent years growing, refining her own skills, and learning from others. Her prints and collaborative artist book have been exhibited across the U.S. and in London. In 2021, Jennifer launched SCRAPScollective Workshops, in which she teaches printmaking and book structures workshops. In the summer, Jennifer also teaches an Introduction to Letterpress course through Extension at Otis College of Art and Design.
Jennifer Moyer is an artist and educator in the booming field of blockchain technology and NFT’s. She is the Artist Incubator Manager for NotFungible.com, facilitating NFT art creation, artist education and metaverse gallery curation. Jennifer grew up in Scranton PA and graduated from Kutztown University with a B.A. in Art Education. She has over 20 years of Promotional Marketing, metaverse building and digital asset sales Experience.
Jessica Robins Thompson leads teams of designers and technologists to breakdown and solve complex challenges. As a creative director and designer for 18+ years Jessica has extensive experience with branding, user experience, visual design, and digital strategy. She spearheaded the first online crime mapping system in the country for LAPD, and launched FireStatLA - an online initiative of Mayor Garcetti and LAFD for tracking emergency response times. Jessica has designed websites across industries including Government, Non-Profits, Education, Healthcare, Music and Entertainment, and has worked in the Start-Up Tech world designing SaaS products and Apps for the last 8 years. She is currently Owner/Creative Director at Fundamental Design Group.
Jo Lauria is a Los Angeles-based curator, writer, and educator who received curatorial training at The Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She is a specialist in the fields of design, craft, and decorative arts, with particular emphasis on objects and environments that define the California lifestyle and culture. Lauria is the organizer of several national touring exhibitions as well as author of numerous publications, including biographies charting the lives and work of contemporary designers and craft artists, and survey books chronicling major movements in the art/craft/design fields. Most recently she received the 2016 American Ceramic Circle Book Award for Ralph Bacerra: Exquisite Beauty. Currently she is co authoring a comprehensive text on American architect William F. Cody, Master of Mid Century Architecture, and developing major survey exhibitions for contemporary ceramic and fiber artists. https://www.jolauria.com/
Joan Takayama-Ogawa’s ceramics are in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution; deYoung Museum; World Ceramic Exposition Foundation, South Korea; Princessehof Leeuwarden Nationaal Keramiek Museum, Netherlands; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Oakland Museum of California; Long Beach Museum of Art; American Museum of Ceramic Art; Racine Art Museum; Hallmark Collection, Stanford University. She is a professor at Otis College of Art and Design.
Joanne Kim is a photographer, artist, and educator. She has worked in photojournalism, documentary, and commercial photography, as well as with the photographic medium as an arts practice. She has taught for over fifteen years and has worked with groups teaching photography in Palestine, Mozambique, and Hong Kong. She currently teaches at Otis College of Art and Design and California State University Long Beach.
Joe Micallef (who goes by Cogspa, which stands for Cognitive Space) runs a video production studio in Torrance, has a background in CG animation and is the author of "Beginning Design for 3D Printing". He received an M.F.A. from the University of Southern California (USC) film school in 2008. In addition to teaching at Otis Extension, he teaches design, web development, and animation at Pasadena City College. Joe has recently released several new NFT collections featuring whimsical hand-drawn characters, 3D renderings, and generative art. He is skilled in Houdini, Zbrush, Blender, Maya, Photoshop, and Procreate. His artistic work combines AI generative art, analog art, interactivity, music, and electronics in various ways. In his spare time, he builds synthesizers.
Jonathan Lo works at the intersection of business and design strategy, helping people and organizations express their big ideas by building impactful brands. As the Creative Director at Virgin Orbit – the Long Beach, California-based NewSpace rocket launch start-up, he is responsible for designing the brand experience across physical and digital platforms. Prior to Virgin Orbit, he worked at several agencies including Mirada and 2x4. He has also shaped in-house visual design systems as Design Director at Shop Architects and The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. He supports additional projects through Public Assembly, collaborating with mission-driven partners like The Bronx Museum of the Arts, NRG Station A, New York University, and The Broad Center. Jonathan graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Before transitioning to design, he worked as an investment banker, a consultant at an economics think tank, and an instructor at a wall street financial training firm. He has co-founded several entrepreneurial initiatives including The Drop, an art festival designed to fill vacant space in New York City during the Great Recession; and Sugar Pie Honey Buns, an online bakery with a digital-first business model. Outside of the workplace, he is a passionate climate change activist with Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project.
Jonathan Scott is a Senior Artist for Scopely Playa Vista, and has been working professionally in video games for 14 years. He has worked with companies including Toyota, Hitachi, Disney, 21st Century Fox, SF Moma, the W Hotel, Roblox, Lightstorm Entertainment and Marvel. Scott was the catalyst for beginning a biannual company-wide game jam at Scopely, which seeks to highlight the ideas and talents of all individuals within the company. He currently teaches game design coursework for Otis Extension.
Julianna Ostrovsky (M.F.A. in Painting and Sculpture, Columbia University) is a visual and community artist currently living in Los Angeles whose work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Julianna works in many media and is committed to making art a process understood and practiced by all creatures with the desire to think creatively and problem solve collectively. As an arts educator, she has taught a range of visual arts workshops to grades K-12 and adults, including in-depth painting, mixed media, drawing studios, and summer camp workshops for youth at Otis College of Art and Design, LAUSD, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). She was recently presented “How to Incorporate Art and Design to Engage Students in a Digital Environment” at Community Works Institute. A recipient of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) Artist in Residence Cultural Grant 2014-15, Ms. Ostrovsky has worked as an Artist-in- Residence at the Skirball Cultural Center and PS Arts in the Santa Monica Malibu School District.
Justin graduated from the Architecture/Landscape/Interiors program at Otis College of Art and Design. Upon graduation, he attended and received his Masters of Architecture degree from the University of Southern California (USC). His notable accomplishments are leading the design team for an architectural installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Shanghai, China, and his role as project manager for solar net-zero homes, an initiative known as "Solar Decathlon" under the direction of the US Department of Energy. He has also been a designer for an architectural research and development firm designing smart zero-energy building facade systems. Justin is a current faculty member at Otis and a co-founder and head designer for a design-build firm located in Orange County. His focus on residential and commercial projects but also works with fine artists specializing in public works. He is also on the board for a non-profit organization where they help children worldwide break out of the cycle of poverty by providing them housing, education, meals, and healthcare. Currently the project focus is on Peru by providing permanent structures for housing and education.
Karl J-G Petion has been a visual artist and musician for the past 2 decades. After graduation from CalArts he moved to NYC to work on his films and music projects. He had screened his experimental art films at Film Forum in NYC and played with various avant-garde jazz musicians. Simultaneously documenting avant-garde jazz seen in the 90’ in a series of interviews with underground musicians. He has studied at The NYU towards a degree in Africana Studies 2001-2003. Moving to Los Angeles in 2005 he collaborated with a local music artist on a pioneering international web based music project. All along creating a body of visual art work in his studio. Back in Los Angeles he turned his complete attention to visual art and is currently working on a series of paintings focusing on “American Experience”.
Kathleen Marinaccio, BFA in Communication Design, Pratt Institute. Ms. Marinaccio is a Creative Director of Design Services and Presentation Strategies at Warner Bros. and founder of Fishbrain, LLC. She specializes in brand identity, paper engineering and presentations.
Katrina Healey started her artistic career around three when she confidently asserted that “pastel bwack was too a color in the wainbow!”. She eventually moved on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Art from University of California at Berkeley in 1994. By 2004 she had added post graduate work in Apparel Design at the College of Alameda. As of 2014 she is currently ABT (All But Thesis) for her Master’s in Apparel Design and Merchandising from California State University at Northridge. In all of this time Ms. Healey has run the gamut of medium from crayons and pencil, to acrylic and oils. From paint by number and “panel” sewing to wall sized canvases and fashion shows. She has played with wood and wire in sculpture, and dance and music for movement. She had dabbled with, and dropped, many mediums only to rediscover them when she embraced process over product, and the zen of allowing a piece to unfold and evolve as she worked on it. Along the way Ms. Healey has held a wide variety of jobs, each one in its own way contributing to her artistry; even if only extremely creative organization and cleaning. Somewhere on this path she discovered a love of teaching and applied it to all of her creative endeavors. She has taught computers, color theory, sewing machines, sewing quilts, garments, and home decor, organization, time management, and outside the box ways to market and grow personal business and portfolios. Her teaching career has spanned homes, studios, retail environments, trade shows, and professionally at the college level. In the last decade Ms. Healey has narrowed her interest to all things fiber and ways to combine those elements. She uses dye and other pigments with stitching to create wall or wearable art. She dyes one of a kind yardage, yarns, and painted warps and turns around to use those in garments, paintings, weavings, and knitting. She loves the texture and movement of textiles, the presence in 3 dimensions, and the illusion of 3 dimensions. She works with all of the yummy feeling fibers and fabrics so that she will enjoy the process of creation and others will enjoy the touching or wearing. Ms. Healey takes great delight in the use of color in gradations and variegations, analogous and complementary, warm and cool, bold and subtle. While she has often claimed she has color ADHD, she often works in a limited or even monochromatic palette. She is constantly inspired by the vibrancy in nature and entranced by the opposing delicacy.
Ken Jones has been teaching life drawing since 1996. He currently teaches at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), Otis College Extension, and Gnomon. Mr. Jones has a B.A. in Art from CSUN, M.F.A from California State University, Los Angeles with additional figure-drawing studies with Karl Gnass and Glenn Vilppu.
Kristen Gonzalez is a contemporary fashion designer based in Los Angeles, CA. After studying at FIT in NYC, she worked at several companies such as Ralph Lauren, Creatures of Comfort, and a small bridal atelier. Her clothing line, Selva Negra, is rooted in the use of ethical practices and is committed to sustainably sourced materials and production transparency.
Laura London, MFA, California Institute of the Arts; BFA, University of Arizona. Ms. London is an artist based in Los Angeles, California working in the medium of photography and video. London’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including a recent solo show at Chimento Contemporary in Los Angeles where her artwork is represented. Her work explores themes of human emotions in experiences such as life and death, which are depicted through imagery. The recent series of artwork analyzes issues of identity, youth, and contemporary culture. She is the recipient of two Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Grants. Press coverage of her work includes reviews and features in the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Huffington Post, Time Out New York and Artillery Magazine. She presently teaches at Otis College of Art and Design and privately. London has also taught at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Barnsdall Junior Art Center in Los Angeles and many other visiting artists and guest lecture appointments.
Lawrence Mascia combines art and interactivity to create unimaginable beauty mixed with unmistakable horror. He is a freelance interactive designer, a game developer and a college professor. As CEO/Lead Designer of Goodnight Games, he has created award-winning games for iOS, Android, and Amazon platforms including Deathly Fathoms, Invasion of the Cutie Bots, Shadow Protocol, Pet Pat and Never Go Home. In addition to teaching at Otis Extension, Lawrence is full-time faculty at Seton Hall University where he is responsible for building and teaching the curriculum for Animation for the Web, Game Design and 3d Animation to undergraduate degree students.
Leslie Ross-Robertson is the owner and designer of Modern Optic a contemporary design studio established in Los Angeles in 2001. Inspired by modernism and contemporary art, she is creating work integrating contemporary technology and the traditional art form of letterpress printmaking. She has produced two lines of stationery, one printed on her Vandercook SP-20 as as well as a series of prints. She has collaborated with artists, architects, and designers to provide custom work. In 2012 Leslie started Wavelength Press, focusing on collaboration with contemporary artists producing special edition prints.
Lily Williams is an author, illustrator, and storyteller who seeks to inspire change through education. Her work covers many topics, from the trophic cascade in the award-winning animated documentary short film FINconceivable and critically acclaimed award winning If animals Disappeared nonfiction picture book series, to menstrual equity in the LA Times Book Prize finalist and Eisner Nominated graphic novel, Go With The Flow, to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in her My O.C.D Story and I’m so O.C.D That... comics and upcoming graphic novel Exposures (First Second). Lily believes in the power of making information fun, educational, and accessible for all audiences. Lily grew up in Northern California where she graduated from California College of the Arts with a B.F.A. in Animation. She spent time working in feature film animation in Los Angeles before becoming a freelance illustrator. She now works primarily in publishing and is also a Lecturer at CU Denver. When she isn’t creating, Lily can be found dreaming about the smell of cold winter air, listening for the sound of airplanes on a rainy day, and perfecting her gluten-free waffle recipe. Lily lives in Colorado with her husband and fellow illustrator, C. Grey Hawkins, and their rescue rabbits.
Linda Jacobson is an artist who lives and works in Venice, California. Her landscape paintings, fused with lyrical mysticism, arise from her conviction that a positive force permeates all things and offers a tremendous power for healing and growth. In her creativity seminars she helps participants tap into this source to find their own creative voice. She teaches her seminars nationally and internationally. Ms. Jacobson has a B.F.A. from ArtCenter College of Design; B.A. from California State University, Northridge; and pursued post-baccalaureate studies with Lorser Feitelson.
Linda Jo Russell, MFA, California State University, Long Beach. Trained to teach perceptual drawing techniques by Betty Edwards, Ms. Russell now teaches workshops on drawing and creativity throughout the United States. www.ljrussell.com Instagram: @lj.russell Instructor: Linda Pollari Otis College of Art and Design Department Chair, Environmental Design MArch, University of Illinois at Chicago; BFA (Painting), University of Wisconsin-Superior Linda Pollari is an Architect and Principal of P XS, an architecture office committed to advancing contemporary design in collaboration with progressive clients. No design solution is predetermined; difficult problems are sought and solved.
Lisa Adams is a painter and public artist. She is the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship, a Brody Grant and a Durfee ARC Grant. Her work is in the collections of LACMA, Eli Broad, the Edward Albee Foundation, the San Jose Museum of Art, the Long Beach Museum of Art, the Laguna Museum of Art among others. She has taught throughout the Los Angeles area and abroad, including the University of Southern California, the Claremont Graduate University and the University of Ljubljana. Recently her work has been included in exhibitions at the San Jose Museum of Art, Gallery Fu in Yokohama, Japan, and PULSE Miami at the Miami Basel Art Fair. Her monograph Vicissitude of Circumstance is available on Amazon. Ms. Adams has an M.F.A. from Claremont Graduate University and B.A. from Scripps College.
Lisa Oxley is a Los Angeles based artist who defines her practice as rooted firmly in painting, while working across the disciplines of drawing, installation and time based media. She often creates large, site specific installations that explore the relationship between painting and architecture; language and image, as well as how a painting is received perceptually in its space. Oxley did her undergraduate work at Sarah Lawrence College and School of Visual Arts, and received a BA in Liberal Arts from State University of New York and an MFA from Otis College of Art and Design. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally at numerous venues and has been awarded fellowships to complete residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, Verge Center for the Arts, and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Annaghmakerrig, Ireland.
Lorna Turner is a graphic designer and fine artist whose work has been shown at the Loop Film Festival (Barcelona and Madrid). Ms. Turner has an M.A. in Communication Art & Design, Royal College of Art and B.F.A. in Design and Art History, Ohio Wesleyan University.
Lucas Eddens is a digital content creator, who has been working in digital media for more than 20 years. His work includes motion graphics, digital, print, and web design; brand consulting; writing/composing music for short films; music production; directing and editing music videos; and creating content for social media. While Mr. Eddens considers himself to be a creative, he measures his success in this capacity in small doses, with the approach of setting a series of short-term goals. He does this by creating systems that guide the creative work to completion. He teaches this “workflow” approach to his students. He has a bachelor's degree in Social Sciences from the University of California, Irvine, where he first started freelancing for local bands and small businesses. During this time, he also co-produced a song with Christian rock band, Switchfoot, and has received a gold record for his participation. As an instructor at Otis Extension, Mr. Eddens guides students through the process of digital creation using Adobe Photoshop, Premiere, After Effects, Illustrator, and InDesign. While these programs are specific to certain tasks, he uses a holistic approach to teaching the skills necessary to leverage these tools. Most commonly, addressing the "why" as well as the "how" these things get done. Mr. Eddens gives his students real-world assignments that mirror the kind of requests they would receive from clients or employers. His goal is to instill confidence in his students as they prepare to go out into the workforce or start their own businesses.
Maija Beeton is a digital storyteller. She designs and produces animation, visual effects, and mixed-reality for film, television, game, theater, science and fine art projects. She collaborates locally and internationally on independent theater, film and fine art projects and is the recipient of an Emmy Award for outstanding achievement in graphic design and the winner of the 2015 Los Angeles WonderWomenTech Hackathon. Beeton is a former artist-in-residence and director of the American Film Institute’s Graduate Program in Digital Media.
Marc Kompaneyets BFA University of Pennsylvania. Also attended School of Art Institute of Chicago and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Mr. Kompaneyets is a Los Angeles based fine artist and writer/illustrator. He is the writer/illustrator of The Squishiness of Things (Knopf 2005) and The Troll-Control Expert (self-published 2010). He is also the writer and illustrator of many yet to be published works, among them, The Discourses of Discombobules, the story of a crazed, ancient Greek philosopher, The Shadow, a 400-plus page, wordless graphic novel, and Zinnober, a graphic novel loosely based on a story by ETA Hoffman. His fine art work, informed by his classical training and inspired by the European masters, spans a wide range of subject matter, from the purely observational to the psychological and the surreal. His most recent series of works are paintings based on Hans Christian Anderson’s story The Shadow. His portraits, landscapes and figurative compositions are in many private collections. Marc is an adjunct professor at Santa Monica College, a senior lecturer at Otis College of Art and Design, and a teaching artist at Ryman Arts, a non-profit organization that provides free classes in drawing and painting to gifted high-school students.
Marie Lafia is a design professional with over 10+ years of experience working for global brands, creative agencies, startups and directly with clients. She graduated from Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, California. And has taught Visual Design Workshops at General Assembly, and Typography 2, Introduction to Graphic Design and Designing the Campaign (remote course) for Otis College of Art & Design.
Marie Claire Macadar is a puppeteer, musician, artist, and educator. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from The Maryland Institute College of Art with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fibers. Marie Claire’s first puppet show, “Hangers! The Musical” was nominated for the 2016 National Puppet Slam, and she has since created seven original puppet shows. She has taught art and puppetry for students from ages 4 to 74, including classes for YoungArts in Miami, Florida, and two Otis Art at Home workshops this summer.
Mark Lewison is the Principal of Mark Lewison Design, an Interiors practice with specialties in Residential and Hospitality projects with emphasis on Lighting Design. With offices in Boston, Massachusetts and West Hollywood, CA, Mark has completed large-scale Residential projects in the United States, France and The Virgin Islands as well as Hospitality projects on both the East Coast and West Coast of the United States. Recent projects include Large-scale Residential projects in Arlington, Massachusetts and Sarasota, Florida, both completed in 2019 and a Residential project in Santa Fe, New Mexico currently underway, slated for 2022 completion. Mark Lewison is an Adjunct Professor in the Environmental Design Department at Otis College of Art and Design, where his classes include Technologies + Ecologies II and Studio III as well as in the Interior Architecture Program at UCLA Extension. In addition to his teaching and working on current Interiors projects, Mark is also CFO of TCXR VR Educational Solutions, specializing in the design, development and operation of educational Virtual Reality content delivery platforms for Higher Education.
Markus Maciel is currently serving as the Assistant Chair of the Toy Design Department at Otis College of Art and Design. Alumni of the Toy Design program from 2001, his teaching career started over twelve years ago at Otis and has taught countless courses through a wide range of programs. His career has spanned over seventeen years at some of the most prominent companies such as Mattel, Hasbro, Spin Master, JAKKS Pacific, and Razor USA. His profession as a visionary designer, engineer, corporate instructor, and college educator lead him to his current role as leading one of the only toy design majors in the United States. His professional body of work includes some of the world's most iconic brands, Hot Wheels, Polly Pocket, Barbie, Disney, NERF, Razor USA, and Infinity Harmen. His experience stretched through the design and manufacturing divisions of companies located in Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Martha Fuller, M.F.A., M.A. is an artist, writer, editor, and instructor. For over twenty-five years, she has developed and taught courses and workshops in Creative Writing, Literature, Artist’s Books, Visual Art and Photography at universities, colleges, museums and private venues. She exhibits her Photography and Artist’s Books nationally. As creative consultant for visual and literary projects, she coaches, instructs, and inspires emerging and established artists, as well as aspiring and published authors, transforming ideas and experience into word and image. She also maintains a blog, contributes images, print and online articles. With dual degrees (MFA – Photography and MA – Literature) she has an interdisciplinary approach to teaching Creative Writing and Visual Art. Many of her students and clients publish and/or exhibit their work.
Michael Carroll, Otis College 1995 B.F.A. Graduate with focus in Surface Design. Michael Carroll has worked in the Los Angeles textile industry since 1995 as an In- House and Freelance Artist for various market groups. He has taught surface design coursework at Otis College of Art and Design Extension since 1987.
Otis College of Art and Design Director of Interdisciplinary Studies & the Artists Community Teaching Program, Associate Professor Interdisciplinary artist, educator and academic administrator who has been teaching in various departments at Otis since fall 2000. Trained in the expanded field of sculpture (installation, video, performance art), Jaquis combines strategies of conceptual art, documentary and social practice to examine the complexities within personal and social relationships, identity, language and communication, resulting in a range of image-based, object-based, time-based and engagement-based projects. Work has been presented at conferences, film and video festivals, galleries, museums, and alternative spaces across the U.S. and in Australia, Canada, Ireland, England, New Zealand and South Korea. With over twenty years teaching at the college level, she has also taught art to incarcerated and at-risk youth and adults with developmental disabilities, and was a therapist of Applied Behavior Analysis for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Residencies: Field Workshop: Action Projects at the ICA LA, Reciprocity LA Artist Retreat / Asylum Arts + Institute for Jewish Creativity, Skirball Cultural Center, Institute for Cultural Inquiry, Vermont Studio Center Represents Otis on the Arts for LA Advisory Board and the Community Works Intstitute Advisory Board. Featured in Anuradha Vikram’s “How Can I Teach Art in a Pandemic?”, KCET Southland Sessions, Feb. 9, 2021 Watch Michele discuss her socially engaged art and inclusive teaching practices with Joe Brooks, Executive Director of Community Works Institute, for the CWI Spotlight Series: Conversations with Educator Change Makers, Feb. 24, 2021
Miguel Navarro has exhibited his artwork nationally and internationally at galleries including Plastic Factory (Los Angeles), Grotesku Gallery (Prague); 464 Gallery (New York), and Punch Gallery (Seattle). He was an Artist in Residence for Joshua Tree National Park, with two screenings at Jumbo Rock Amphitheater. Miguel recently participated in Le Dépistage de la Guérilla in Marseille, France. Miguel has an M.F.A. from Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, and B.F.A. from University of California, Santa Cruz.
Miguel Angel Reyes (b. Colima, Mexico) Otis/Parsons 1987-BFA in illustration. Portrait and figurative painter, muralist, photographer, Drawing teacher, stylist, designer, printmaker and illustrator. Exhibited nationally and Internationally. Murals for Los Angeles MTA, Hollywood CRA and Plaza Village. Works in the collections of LACMA print collections, Laguna Art Museum, Watts Towers Arts Center, University of Austin, TX, and Fine Arts gallery Museum, Chicago. Awards: Self-Help Graphic 2012 Honoree; 2001 CSW Artist of the Year; and the 1992 VOGUE/SOTHEBY’S Cecil Beaton Award for Fashion Illustration.Artwork used on: Falcon Theater, Spread (2009, movie), Att. Commercial, Dave Koz music video (1995, Amistades Mural). Publications: "Triumph for our Communities", 2005; "Chicano Art for our Millennium", 2004; "Contemporary Chicano and Chicano Art" Bilingual Press, 2002; ”Chicano and Latino Artists of Los Angeles" Alejandro Rosas, 1993. Miguel teaches costume drawing and design at ArtCenter/Pasadena and Otis College/Los Angeles as well as the virtual Drawing session at the Tom of Finland Foundation.
Moshe Godwin, BFA in Illustration, ArtCenter College of Design. Mr. Godwin is an illustrator, graphic artist, and motion graphics designer who works in both traditional and digital media. He is an art director and multimedia specialist for the Educational Technologies Network (ETN), a division of the Los Angeles County Office of Education.
Norland Téllez is a CalArts graduate who has worked in the animation industry for over two decades, spanning the range of production from animation director and writer to storyboard artist and production designer. Having worked for studios including Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, he has worked on projects including Beauty and the Beast, The King and I, The Quest for Camelot, and Space Jam. A master of classical figure drawing, Norland also specializes in caricature and character design. His keen interest in the deep well of storytelling, however, led him through a doctoral study in world mythology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, where he finally specialized in the epic imagination as seen through ancient Maya mythology. Norland has a B.F.A in Film/Video from the California Institute of the Arts, M.A. in Mythological Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute, and Ph.D. in Mythological Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute.
Olga Eysymontt, B.F.A., Rochester Institute of Technology, AAS, Surface Design, FIT. Since 1990, Ms. Eysymontt has taught a variety of classes in Surface Design and Botanical Illustration for Otis College and Extension. She is the founder of the Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California (BAGSC) and started the Botanical Illustration Program for the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. Her portfolio career also includes the titles of Surface Designer/ Stylist, Fine Artist, Interior Designer, Botanical Illustrator and Art Educator.
Orly Ruaimi has taught Metal Fabrication for Sculpture at Steel Cats Studios in Los Angeles, and Metals for Jewelry Design at Techshop Inc. in San Francisco. Ms Ruaimi has an M.F.A. in Studio Arts, San Francisco Art Institute, and M.F.A. in Jewelry and Metal Arts, Academy of Art University, San Francisco.
Pamela Smith Hudson is a painter, printmaker and teaching artist based in Los Angeles. Mrs. Smith Hudson is a UCLA graduate who studied art, art history, museum studies, and dance. She has 15 years of experience working in the art material industry as an art educator and consultant for some of the most innovative art material manufacturers across the globe. Ms. Smith Hudson is also currently part of the teaching staff at Los Angeles County Museum of Art and a Certified Encaustikos Instructor.
Patrick Miller, BFA in Photography, Otis, College of Art and Design. Mr. Miller's work has been exhibited at Estation Tijuana (Tijuana, Mexico), Los Angeles Municipal Gallery, Ghetto Gloss (L.A.), and Class: C (various locations). Mr. Miller is also an accomplished Performance Artist whose work has been presented at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Wignall Museum (Rancho Cucamonga), Orange County Museum of Art (Costa Mesa), Venice Graffiti Walls (Venice, CA), Lady Fest (L.A. and San Diego), Russell Space (La Jolla), The Smell (L.A.), and KSDT Radio (Online).
Phillip Griswold was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He received his MFA at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA in 2010. He has been featured in exhibits in Santa Monica, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Culver City, Beverly Hills, as well as internationally including Beijing, China. His paintings are a part of public and private collections in New York, Los Angeles, Greater San Francisco, Beijing, China and Lucerne, Switzerland. Griswold is represented in San Francisco by Slate Contemporary, Oakland. He lives and works in Southern California.
Phillip Donahue has been designing and developing games for over 14 years, having produced many successful games from AAA to Indie, mobile, PC, Console and VR. His passion for video game creation extends to his teaching which includes college and professional education-level game development coursework and as an Unreal Authorized Instructor for Epic Games. He has worked at various Los Angeles-based studios including Game Mechanic Studios, Game Design Network, AWOL Studio, Machinima, Xoobis, Mobotory, THQ, Epic Games, and Luxoflux, Inc/Activision. Philip’s degrees include an M.F.A in Game Design, Laguna College of Art/Design (2019); BSc in Game Art and Design, Art Institute (2009); M.A. in I/O Psychology from Argosy University (2001); and A.A.S. in Computer-Aided Drafting, ITT Tech (1999).
Raul is an award winning Los Angeles based photographer whose photographs have appeared on covers and in such magazines as Time, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Vogue, InStyle, Glamour, and Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine to name a few. His Time covers are collected in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D. C. He received the National Publications Design Award for his Time cover of Carl Sagan. Raul has also won a national Gold Key award for architectural interiors and has won a Clio award for directing. Raúl has been creating Abstract Fine Art Photography for the past 10 years. The Annenberg Space for Photography requested 2 pieces for an AIDS benefit.
MA in Fine Arts, California State University, Northridge with an emphasis on painting and drawing. Ms. Osherow is an artist with 20 years of teaching experience.
Rebecca Chamlee is a self-taught naturalist, citizen scientist, writer, letterpress printer and book binder who has published letterpress printed fine press and artist’s books under the imprint of Pie in the Sky Press since 1986. Her award-winning work is in prominent special and private collections and has been exhibited widely. Rebecca joined Otis as an associate professor in 2002 to teach book arts classes including Introduction to Letterpress, Advanced Letterpress, Book Structures, Experimental Printmaking and Book Making Projects. Rebecca’s limited edition books examine the intersection of her artistic and scientific interests by collecting and cataloging the natural world. As a life-long amateur naturalist, she studies the rich and diverse elements of the natural world that her native California has to offer. From the unique flora and fauna of the arid inland valley that she calls home to the rocky tidepools of her childhood; Rebecca is inspired to record, interpret and celebrate nature.
Robert Roach, BS, Butler University. Mr. Roach has created storyboards for movies, commercials, videos, and cartoons. His client list includes Universal, New Line Cinema, Fox, The Zubi Agency, Mutual of New York, and Mann Theaters.
Robin Schneider is the Reigning Queen of Adobe for Fashion with 8 Illustrator and Photoshop for Fashion courses on Linked In Learning. She has trained designers at top companies including Belk, Juicy Couture, and Liz Clayborne; and is the co-owner of Belden Schneider Studio, a Los Angeles based textile print design studio specializing in repeats, color reduction, and recoloring. Her Adobe for Fashion: Illustrator textbook is being used at fashion schools around the world and she is frantically hard at work on her Photoshop book for fashion and textile design. Robin is currently recording tutorials for her YouTube channel.
Roni Feldman creates meditative works that deal with the notion of exploration. Through his choices of colors, iridescent materials, and obscured imagery, he prompts viewers to move about, look closely, with a sense of wonder and discovery. His work has been featured in over a dozen solo shows and a hundred group shows in the U.S. and abroad. His work is in numerous private and public collections and he has been awarded multiple prizes including the Durfee ARC Grant and a recent Faculty Development Grant to conduct research and produce an exhibition in Rome. He co-founded the art collective, Durden and Ray, in 2009. The group has gone on to organize hundreds of exhibitions in both LA and around the world. Feldman lives and works in Los Angeles, CA where he teaches at Otis College of Art & Design, loves hiking in the local hills, and is plotting the sequel for his novel, The Creator’s Eye.
Salvatore Leonardi, BArch Polytechnic of Milan, Italy and a MArch in Architecture from Polytechnic of Turin, Italy. Mr Leonardi was a researcher for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ardhi Institute of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania conducting conservation projects of historical sites. Currently, Mr. Leonardi is heading his own independent practice as a licensed architect and designer with more than 20 years of experience specializing in interior architecture, surface materials, historic conservation, scenography, commercial and industrial design.
BFA Studies in Painting and Drawing, Otis College of Art and Design. Mr. Zaragoza has been in solo exhibitions at the Salon Gallery, London, U.K. and group shows in both the U.K and Los Angeles including George Billis Gallery. His work has been included in the prestigious Gilbert B. Silverman and was recently featured in Flaunt Magazine Nov, 2014 issue. Lecturer, Otis College of Art and Design.
Stephanie Sabo is an artist, designer and educator living in Los Angeles. She has exhibited her work nationally and works as a freelance textile designer. In more than ten years of teaching college students, she has researched and implemented pedagogical methods for accommodating a wide range of learning styles, regularly presenting her findings in faculty seminars. She recently gave two presentations at the 2021 Foundations in Art: Theory and Education conference, and published an article pertaining to foundations pedagogy in the journal FATE in Review.
Suhn Lee is a mixed media artist with a focus on ceramics. She has a legal background in Intellectual Property licensing and Buying and Merchandising in fashion. She developed her work with ceramics at Otis under the guidance and mentorship of Joan Takayama-Ogawa. Her work combines her technical skills with highly tuned concepts that explore the human condition and the nature of the mind. Ms. Lee has a B.A. from University of California San Diego and J.D. from Southwestern Law School.
Susan Beningfield, March II, Architecture, Princeton University, New Jersey; BArch, Architecture, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; and Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Ms. Beningfield is an architect and designer of fine jewelry. She launched her company in 2009, producing custom made jewelry that is unmistakably sculptural, reflecting her years of practice as a design architect and her fascination with natural lines and sensual forms and her view of space as a material which shapes the object. She also teaches 3D Digital Design in Otis College’s undergraduate program.
Susan T. Fisher is an illustrator and sculptor whose works have been featured in numerous periodicals, books, florilegia, private collections and national exhibits including the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation. Ms. Fisher is a former president and member of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Botanical Artists, as well as the Executive Board of the Society of Animal Artists. She served as Director of the Art Institute at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (2004-2012) where she created the Nature Illustration Certificate Program. In addition, she was the former Coordinator for the Botanical Art and Illustration Program at Denver Botanic Gardens (1998-2006). Ms. Fisher has a B.A. from Metropolitan State University, Denver. In addition, she has studied Art Programs Management at University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Art History at University of Bordeaux, France; and Modern Art at University of Pau and Toulouse, France.
@smartdesign is the Santa Monica-based design office of Susanne Manheimer. For the previous vigorous and exuberant 20 years, Susanne has been recognized for her work by its elegance, sophisticated humor, style, and wit. Her knowledge, understanding and respect for innovative design, is incorporated in her invention of new design approaches. Simplicity and directness of communication are the main elements of her style. Her work makes people smile, laugh, and...think. Today, she divides her time between running the studio, teaching, and lecturing to corporations and schools on the importance of The Democratization of CreativityTM as well as Conceptual Thinking and Problem Solving. Susanne graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute with a BFA in design. Susanne a native New Yorker worked in "The City" as a Creative Director for Tiffany and Co. where she was awarded a Certificate of Distinction for Typography, Creative Director for Bloomingdales by Mail, Revlon, and also The Museum of Modern Art, to name a few. Disney called, and she moved to California to work for Disney + Co. as Creative Director for the Disney catalog. Susanne has a history of success mentoring young designers, both in academic roles and as an industry leader. She has been described as a “needle in a haystack,” a conceptual designer who is creative yet has strong business acumen.
Sylvia Leung, BFA in Digital Media, Otis College of Art and Design. Ms. Leung is a comic book artist and writer whose Manga, Wish3, was self-published in 2004 on www.wish3.net. She has been teaching this Manga course since 2006.
Teri Suzanne (Nagasawa), MA in Multi-Cultural Education, University of San Francisco; BA in Fine Arts, University of California Los Angeles; Bilingual Specialist Instruction Credential, University of San Francisco. Teri Suzanne, a dual language specialist, art educator, multi-media edutainment producer, author, illustrator, and cut-paper artist, has returned to Los Angeles after a 35 year stint in Japan. Her cut paper art system, “Terigami”, was showcased on year-long children’s television programs and on stage in Japan, and in workshops for children, parents, and educators throughout Asia and in California. Her “Alphabet City Cuts”, an original fine motor/literacy cut-paper program and accompanying alphabet songs, are copyrighted by the Library of Congress, and her 3 book series, Teri’s Magic Scissors, was awarded the honor of being placed in nationwide libraries throughout Japan.
Tracey Corinne has wide and varied experience in several mediums but is best known for her ceramics and mosaics. Her training is as varied as her work, having attended FIT in New York for fashion design and graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a B.F.A. She apprenticed in glassblowing and jewelry design studios and worked as an illustrator for many years in New York. While her first mosaic was made out of linoleum tile when she was a child, her formal training took place in Ravenna, Italy where they still teach the Byzantine methods used 1500 years ago. Ms. Corinne has made a career working in blown glass, illustration, sculpture, printmaking and mosaics. Clients include Ferrari racing, Concord Studios, Elizabeth Arden, Estee Lauder, Ferrari North America, the City of Los Angeles, Mirage Hotels, NBC, Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures. In mosaics, her use of mirror and iridescence invokes light on water or brilliant dappled sun through a canopy imbuing each work with multiple, often contradicting layers of meaning. She employs both geometric pattern and literal representation in single works, specializing in subject matters of nature and pattern. Her works have garnered many awards and she custom makes some of her mosaic tessera and substrate using ceramic methods and materials. In addition to private commissions, Ms. Corinne taught all levels and methods of art as well as mosaic making, bringing new interest to this enduring and ever evolving art form.
My name is Vernetta Thomas. I was born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas. I developed an appreciation for photography while living in Europe, and by looking at the images shot by my dad when he lived in Germany. The images of Henri Cartier Bresson, Robert Doisneau, Josef Koudelka, and Irving Penn just to name a few, had a lasting influence. These photographers had a powerful impact on my appreciation for photography. Those photographers were visual storytellers. I instructed photography at Collin College for five years in Plano, Texas. In 2015, I was offered a position at University of Nevada Las Vegas where I taught for five years. I was also offered a position at the College of Southern Nevada where I taught for a year. While teaching in Las Vegas, I worked as a food photographer and food critic for Cozymeal for three years. I am now back in Plano, Texas teaching photography at Collin College. My spare time is spent cycling, walking, reading, and playing with my cat Stella who is convinced she is a human.
Veronica DeJesus is a visual artist currently living and working in Los Angeles. She was raised in Miami, Los Angeles, Oakland and on the open road along Highway 10. Her transitory childhood is an important part of her art practice. Beginning with a simple line, DeJesus creates fantastical representations of autobiographical and imaginary characters and worlds in her drawings. Her pictures reverberate constant movement taking the viewer on a wild ride through her abundant imagery, and concoct a rich soup of play, warmth and darkness that only an individual who has experienced deep loss and love could conjure. Her works, Carrier and Fantasy Car, are two such drawings that explore the ebb and flow of family, friends, lovers and mentors who have left a mark on the artist’s life. They will soon be permanently installed at Foothills Elementary as part of the Washington State Art Collection, a place of great significance for the artist. Veronica DeJesus has had numerous solo shows at galleries in New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco, including a remarkable exhibition of her Memorial drawings at The Berkeley Art Museum. Her work has been featured in publications around the world—notably, People Are a Light to Love, a collection of inspirational drawings spanning 12 years. Veronica is currently the Artist in Residence at the community-based Transformative Arts program and is creating a body of new work for an upcoming solo exhibition at Anglim/Trimble gallery in San Francisco. She holds an MFA from UC Berkeley and a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute.
Yury Chudnovsky is an artist, calligrapher, educator, product designer, and founder of YC Fine Art Studio. His murals and fine art paintings have been displayed at Caesar Palace, Mandalay Bay and other casinos in Las Vegas, as well as at Universal Studios Theme Park and the Tobu Hotel in Tokyo. Mr. Chudnovsky’s paintings are included in private and corporate collections in the U.S., Russia, Japan, and Mexico. He is currently a calligraphy contractor for Los Angeles County, and continues to receive commissions for his paintings and murals for luxury homes internationally.