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Beach Art Center Faculty

Hiroko Borish teaches Sumi-e or oriental brush painting. She came to the U.S. from Japan in 1973 and has studied extensively in both Oriental and Western techniques.  Her work, however, primarily reflects her Oriental background.  After only one session, students can start to paint their own unique greeting cards.  Hiroko has also taught from her own studio and the Dunedin Fine Art Center.  Complementing her painting are her skills in traditional flower arranging and bonkei – the creating of tray landscapes.  Hiroko’s class is Thursday; 1-4 p.m.
Click for a larger image.

Charlotte DiGennaro has taught art to both children and adults for 28 years.
She holds a Masters Degree from the University of Wisconsin with studies at Nazareth College.  Her water media classes are all day Monday and on Tuesday morning.  Charlotte states, “If you don’t have fun doing it, don’t do it!”  In addition, “Art is mostly to please yourself first, not others.”  Click for a larger image.

Mary Spires’ work is featured in various national “Decorative Painting” books, and International magazines. She is the author of three Watercolor books, and was featured for several years on a weekly PBS painting series in the Columbus, Ohio area.  She conducts annually - extensive travel teaching and workshops internationally.  Her proven "Step-by-Step" processes, and overall painting methodology, provide students of all skills, the opportunity to develop a finished piece of artwork while also learning the basic relationships of: values, color of light and shadows, composition, and color mixing skills related to transparent watercolors.  For added information plus insights, please see both Mary’s Web Site, and Blog Site, at the following internet links:
   http://www.maryspires.com/  and  http://maryspires.blogspot.com/  

Larry Pumfrey is a landscape and portrait painter with over 20 years experience in both oil and watercolor.  He has studied at the DeCordova Museum of Art, the Montserrat College of Art and with numerous national known teachers.  He has exhibited most recently at “Studio Works 2001” at the Gulf Coast Museum of Art in Largo, FL and is a recipient of numerous awards in both oil and watercolor.
 For additional information, take a look at Larry’s Web Site at this following internet link:  www.pumfreygallery.com

Judy Pumfrey is a figurative and portrait painter in oil, pastel, and watercolor.  She paints in the American Impressionist tradition and has studied at the Cape Cod School of Art and with other nationally known teachers.  She is a sought after teacher and demonstrator who has exhibited widely.  Her works can be found in private collections throughout the U.S. and Canada.  She is listed in “Artists of New England.”   For additional information, take a look at Judy’s Web Site at this following internet link:  www.pumfreygallery.com

 
Julie Messerschmidt  Julie enjoys sharing her love and knowledge of watercolor with students to help them achieve their goals and develop their own unique style. She teaches sound fundamentals and techniques for students who wish to further their skills in the medium of transparent watercolor. She has had the privilege of studying with some of watercolor's best instructors and has gained a rich store of knowledge from continual reading. Julie's work appears in juried shows throughout the Bay Area, where her vibrant and luminous paintings win numerous awards. She is a signature member of the Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society, a founding member of C5Arts and a member of Florida Watercolor Society. For additional information, and to view her work, please visit her website at http://julie-arts.com/

Annamarie Goossens is our pottery studio manager.  She was born in Amsterdam and raised in Curacao . After getting her degree in nursing, marrying, and having five children, she returned to school for her B. A. in ceramics.  She had her own studio in Haarlem , Holland for ten years.  Annamarie oversees all aspects of our Gutwein Pottery Studio.  She works closely with the instructors, determines all clay studio policies, and directs all operations involving glazing, firing, scheduling, purchasing, and displaying instructor and student work in our gift shop.

Shamus Walker earned his Bachelor in Fine Arts degree from Alfred University in 1987.  He has been working in clay since grade school and was introduced to raku as a senior in high school.  He continued to perfect his technique through college and the following years.  Before moving to Florida he was a substitute teacher in Central New York State for 10 years, teaching art and special education.  In the spring of 2004 he set up a raku studio at his summer home in Northeast Pennsylvania .  He has also worked in a variety of other media including cast and blown glass and welded steel and bronze.  

Instructor Robert J. Simone has this to say about painting and teaching: "My father taught me to draw and fueled my passion. He wasn't a professional or anything he just loved it. Everything else I learned from books, videos and workshops. A great deal of credit for my development goes to Luis De La Lama, Anthony Ryder, Scott Christensen and Clayton Beck ."
" I love oil paint. I love the look, the smell, and the feel of it. I love everything about it. I love teaching it. I subscribe to the old adage, give a person a fish and they will eat for a day, teach them to fish and they will eat for a lifetime. Likewise help a student with a painting they will have a nice painting. Help a student learn solid fundamentals they will have as many nice paintings as they care to paint. I feel privileged to have this opportunity to help students develop their talents and reach their goals."  This course is suitable for all skill levels. 

Joseph Weinzettle  Joseph received his BFA from the Cooper Union and his MFA from the University of Mississippi. He teaches drawing and painting to youth and adults in Pinellas County. His drawings and paintings are in numerous private collections and has exhibited his artwork nationally. He was awarded a Pinellas County Cultural Affairs grant to study "Gothic Silverpoint Drawing" in 2007, and received Puffin Foundation Awards in 1999, 2001 and 2003 for artwork exploring African culture and history. Samples of his work may be viewed at:   www.myspace.com/josephweinzettle

Doug Land  Doug is a full time artist and instructor of drawing classes and workshops in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. The focus is always to help students improve through the use of the basic elements of art and principles of design. Students from the beginner to the more accomplished often will see improvement in their work in a very short period of time. Each class session is structured to include group and individual instruction, handouts, instructor demonstrations, practice exercises, discussion and critiques. Additional information may be found at the website:  DouglasLandArtist.com

Catherine Cross - with 30 years experience in the arts working with adults and children of all ages and abilities. Catherine considers herself an artist, advocate and educator of the arts. Her mediums of choice are clay and printmaking. She arrived in Florida five years ago from her home state of North Carolina where she taught and exhibited at the Sawtooth School for Visual Art and the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (affiliate of the NC Museum of Art) for 15 years. Catherine taught and created for 13 years from her NC studio The Gardener's Cottage. She has worked in both private and public schools, provided Professional Development workshops for Art Educators and curriculum development in the arts. In addition, she is a co-founder of the pottery program at the Enrichment Center and Gateway Gallery (a center for adults with developmental and physical disabilities). She is the 2009 Inaugural Artist for the Homeless Coalition of Central Florida's ABC Program where she teaches pottery to teens and because of this work she has received with the Orlando Museum of Art a 2009 Disney's Helping Kids Shine Grant. Catherine has been selected to be a presenter in November 2009 for the National Association for the Education of Young Children's National Conference in Washington, DC to discuss early childhood art. She will also be a co-presenter with the Orlando Museum of Art at the Florida Arts Educators Association's Annual Conference in October. She is the Preschool Arts Specialist and Cultural Arts Coordinator at Winter Park Presbyterian Church. Catherine is also on the Faculty at the Maitland Arts Center, Orlando Museum of Art and the Morean Arts Center.

Nancy Phelps has been a studio potter for fifteen years. She is originally from Michigan but has been a resident of Pinellas County for thirty five years. She has taken pottery classes at the Azalea Adult Center for four years, and has participated in various pottery throwing and raku workshops.  Her pottery is displayed at the Nature of Art Gallery in St. Petersburg, and she sells it at art shows.  Nancy is looking forward to sharing her techniques with you.

Melissa Miller Nece

Melissa Miller Nece is regarded as one of the foremost colored pencil artists in Florida. Her enthusiasm and humor have made her a favorite speaker for arts groups, and she has inspired many others to try colored pencils through her classes and workshops. She is a frequent prizewinner in state, national and international shows. A featured artist in the book Creative Colored Pencil Portraits by Vera Curnow, her work has also been published in two national magazines and other books on colored pencil and portraiture. A resident of Palm Harbor, Florida, Melissa has a BFA from Lake Erie College and has been teaching drawing, colored pencil, and oil and acrylic painting at the Dunedin Fine Art Center since 1990.

Robin Borland

Robin received her degree in Fine Art from the University of South Florida. Upon graduation she began her full time career painting at a studio in Dunedin Florida. In 1999 Robin helped to create and manage Trailside Artist Colony, an artist co-op dedicated to helping professional artists show, market and sell their work. In 2000 Robin moved her studio into her home in Safety Harbor Florida and began a career in local politics winning two terms as a commissioner for the city of Safety Harbor. In 2004 she successfully held a position as an aide to then State Representative Gus Bilirakis and left in 2005 to make a bid for State Representative District 48. Robin continued her painting through out her political career often painting places that she would visit on vacation or business.
"I like to capture places and people as they are in that moment in time. I try to convey not only what my eye is seeing, but also what emotions are being felt by the people or places in that moment in time. I use color, line, and shape to build images that will project an emotion to the person viewing the art."
Robin works in acrylic as well as oil. She now resides in Palm Harbor Florida with her husband Bob and son Oliver. Her paintings are owned by many local politicians, business professionals and several New York radio personalities.

Michael Cercone

Michael Cercone's love and passion for photography drives him to create new and exciting work. Whether it is in his studio, located in sunny Clearwater or on location, you can expect fantastic imagery. A graduate of the International Academy of Art and Design, Michael's primary focus is in food/drink photography, product photography, commercial advertising and fashion photography, and it's all done with a digital camera not too unlike your own. Michael's work has been seen on billboards, calendars and in magazines around the globe. Some of his clients and credits include AOL/Time Warner, The WWE, Cumulus Broadcasting, and Hot Boat Magazine to name a few.

Debbie Slowey

Trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Debbie took to art as soon as she was able to hold a crayon. After graduation from the university, she made her way to New York where she set up a studio and was mentored by Bob Blackburn and will Barnet at their printmaking workshop. This is where she discovered fine art printmaking and was exposed to the great humanistic ideals that would inspire her future work as an artist, teacher and registered nurse.
Today, she teaches Art Healing for people with emotional or physical limitations, and believes in generating self esteem and encouraging risk taking and experimentation in her teaching.

Carolyn Dischinger

Carolyn Dischinger's day job has always been in accounting, but her passion is art. She has painted since the age of five on seashells with oil paints and won an honorable mention in the Boston Globe Art Contest when in high school. She studied functional pottery at Lebanon College, New Hampshire; the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, New Hampshire and oil painting, photography and early American arts and crafts at New Hampshire Vocational Tech. She discovered reverse glass painting in a decorative arts class and has loved the historic technique ever since.