Jennifer Azadmanesh
Jennifer, a native New Yorker, has been an artist for her entire life. After graduating from Metropolitan State College in Denver, in 1986, Jennifer embarked upon her painting career and was met with a warm welcome in the Denver gallery and show scene. Known for her colorful compositions of interior scenes, gleaned from everyday life, Jennifer has developed a following of devoted collectors, both private and corporate.
Chuck Benson
Chuck Benson has been lecturing on Art and Architecture for over 20 years in Colorado Springs, Denver, and throughout the western region. He currently teaches Art & Architectural History at the Univ. of Colorado, Colorado Springs as a Visiting Professor, and has lectured and taught courses at the Denver Art Museum, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, the Art Center of Estes Park, and other venues around the country. Chuck has led a number of tours to explore Art & Architecture to European locales such as Italy, France, England, Scotland, and Spain, along with trips inside the United States to cities such as New York. He stays very active in both Architecture and Design at RTA Architects in Colorado Springs, and is a Principal and Owner of ATR Mission Concepts, LLC.
Bruce Black
Master Magician Bruce Black is an innovative, Award-Winning Magician and Comedy Hypnotist specializing in corporate and family entertainment. He performs Magic Birthday Parties, Strolling Close-Up Magic, Comedy Magic Shows, Comedy Hypnotism and Balloon Animals! He has a Bachelors Degree in Education and is fully insured. You may find one or two magicians who are slightly cheaper and some who are more expensive, but none will create the lifetime memories of BLACK’s MAGIC Productions!! In addition, they won’t guarantee your happiness!
Alyson Blanton
Alyson is a ceramic artist who has been teaching in the field for over 10 years. After receiving her B.A. from George Washington University, she worked in many potteries including The Greenwich House of Pottery and the 92nd Street Y in New York City and others in Texas and Pennsylvania. She was instrumental in founding a pottery in Grenada, West Indies. Alyson has been teaching at Bemis School of Art for over 5 years.
Kristin Bonk
Kristin is the Curatorial Assistant for 19th-21st Century American Art at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. An Illinois native, she completed her Bachelors at the University of Iowa and received her Masters degree in Art History with an emphasis in Museum Studies from the University of Denver in June of this year.
Nilgun Brenn
Nilgun received her Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts with an emphasis in K-12 teaching education and graphic arts from the Dokuz Eylul University in Izmir, Turkey. She has exhibited her work in numerous exhibits in Turkey and throughout Europe. She has taught art privately since 1993 and has experience in home schooling art subjects. She has worked with an array of students of all cultures, ages and backgrounds.
Joy Brewer
After completing a B. A. in Fine Arts, painting, in 1993 from University of Colorado at Denver, Joy Brewer received her Master of Arts in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology, emphasis in Art Therapy from The Naropa Institute in 1999. She has focused her Art Therapy practice in trauma work, domestic violence and child protection. She currently works in a residential treatment facility for at risk adolescents, as well as family preservation.
Craig Brown
Craig Brown, known as Farmer Brown to the schools and children he visits, is easily recognized by his farming books. For 22 years Craig Brown has been writing and illustrating books, teaching and visiting schools throughout the United States and overseas to promote creativity and his passion for the arts. Craig has illustrated and written Mule Train Mail, Barn Raising, Tractor and more. He has also received awards at the 25th Exhibition of Original Pictures of International children’s Books, Japan Certificate of Merit, 31st Society of Illustrators, 2004 National Exhibition Best Juvenile Book, Manhattan Kansas and 2001 Best of Show, KCIC Chair-ity Art, www.geocities.com/craigbrown_2000.
Kristin Byrd
Kristin, a native of Colorado, received a B.F.A. in Creative Arts from the University of Colorado and a M.A. in Special Education from the University of Northern Colorado. She taught special education for Adams County School District #50 schools in Westminster, CO, tutored for Colorado Springs District #11 schools and tutored and substituted for Academy District #20 schools. She has been teaching at Bemis School of Art since 1998. Kristin is the primary art instructor for the La Foret Art & Acting in the Forest program.
Juanita Canzoneri
Juanita began working in mosaics in 2001. She is self-taught but has tapped into the rich vein of artistic generosity in books, online, and through personal relationships with other mosaic artists. Juanita has been teaching mosaics at Bemis School of Art in Colorado Springs since 2002. She has curated mosaic art shows and is the program director for the Glass Artists of the Pikes Peak Region (GAPPR) and a founding member of the Rocky Mountain Association of Mosaic Artists (RMAMA).
Leah Chandler-Mills
After earning her BFA at Julliard, she performed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, across the US and Canada, as well as in soap operas, commercials and industrials in NYC. Locally she has appeared at the FAC, TheatreWorks and StarBar. Teaching and performing are now equal passions.
Gabriella Christians
Gabriella Christians, a native of New York City, received her B.A. from Syracuse University. She has taught art to children over the years in New York, Connecticut, and Colorado, in public schools and summer camps. A former member of the Pottery Co-op in Colorado Springs, Gabriella has extensive experience with clay. She has collaborated on large scale tile murals, and her hand-carved tiles grace many local gardens.
Jenna Conlin
Jenna received her Master of Arts in Teaching degree from the University of Pittsburgh and taught in Pennsylvania public schools for 9 years. She has been honored as an outstanding educator on several occasions, including recognition from her students, district and university. She has been working in freelance photography and graphic design for the past ten years. As a recent arrival in Colorado, Jenna is thrilled to share her passion for digital photography and teaching.
Linda Currell
Linda, a graduate of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California and Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, finds deep appreciation for her classical training and in-depth experience in illustrative techniques. She came to Colorado Springs in 1978, from Kansas City, MO. where she illustrated greeting cards for hallmark Cards, Inc. She continued greeting card illustration on the staff of Current Inc for fourteen years. Linda teaches drawing, figure drawing and portraiture in pastel and oils.
Louise Cutler
Louise has a thorough education in art fundamentals, painting, drawing crafts and pottery. She is currently developing a musical stage production that addresses the HIV/AIDS crisis in the African American community which was performed in Colorado Springs in October 2007 and will be opening in Chicago in June 2008.
Barbara Dimond
Barbara was educated at the C.U.N.Y. and is a masters Candidate at Colorado College. She has been teaching art for over 20 years at various schools, museums and has been on the faculty at Bemis for 15 years. In addition to her teaching, she is a paper artist currently working in paper mache. Barbara has exhibited at galleries throughout the United States and in museums such as the Fine Arts Center, the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center and the Mizel Museum in Denver. She was one of the original creators and producers of Body Packaging.
Patrice Filler
As a child of an artist growing up in Taos, it was almost inevitable that the art world would eventually become a big part of Patti’s life. Currently the owner of Fare Bella Studio and gallery in Manitou Springs, she brings her years of experience to the public through classes, commissioned pieces, creative art therapy as well as the decorative arts in the way of home decorating (faux finishes). Patti has studied extensively with local artists including Lorraine Danzo and Jade Weiland of Denver.
Nancy Fraser-Coco
Nancy, a licensed professional educator has taught in the Homeschool, private and public sector for fifteen years. She graduated with honors with a Masters degree in art history and fine art from Cal State in Los Angeles, CA. Also holding a masters degree in Special and Art Education from the University of New Mexico, she currently teaches advanced fine art courses in the Homeschool, private and public schools. Former students have received national and local recognition.
Danielle Grenier
Danielle graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Printmaking from the University of New York at Purchase College, NY. She taught alongside professors at S.U.N.Y. for undergraduates in design and printmaking. She has had over 5 years experience teaching and working with children of all ages. Danielle also works at the Bemis front desk at the Tour Coordinator.
Gayle Higgins
Gayle graduated from Colorado State University with a B.F.A. with a concentration in Graphic Design. She worked in both in San Diego and Pueblo as a graphic artist. She continues to study and experiment with both watercolor and colored pencil. Gayle feels each painting is a new learning experience and hopes to share her enthusiasm with her students. She is a member of the Colored Pencil Society of America, the Pikes Peak Watercolor Society and the Business of Art Center in Manitou Springs.
Jeremiah Houck
Jeremiah received his B.A. from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA and did his post-grad in Tunghai University, Taiwan. He worked under Barbara Diduk as a Pottery Apprentice in New York City and as her teaching assistant at Dickinson College. He has also been an Assistant Art Teacher at St. Scholastica Academy in Canon City, Co. Jeremiah has been an art instructor at Bemis since 1995 as well as a part of the Adjunct Art Faculty at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs.
Jamie Howard
Jamie is a native of Colorado who spent 20 years in the architectural millwork industry. He has been recognized for his technical expertise and artistic interpretation of millwork finishes for architects such as Frank Geary and Michael Graves as well as and many others. He has been a full time artist for 10 years with a passion for ceramic arts and glazing. He learned the craft from many great potters of southern CO and NM. His work has been exhibited in several Pikes Peak area art shows and galleries. Jamie is currently the ceramics program coordinator at Bemis School of Art.
Kathy Hutton
Kathy received her M.F.A. in Sculpture from the University of Colorado in Boulder, her M.A. in Art and Adult Education from Eastern Washington University in Cheney, WA and her B.F.A. in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. Her most recent exhibitions include “Rocky Mountain Biennial” at the Museum of Contemporary Art, “AKA” Group Invitational, Gallery of Contemporary Art and “Shelter” Sculpture Installation at Pirate, A Contemporary Art Oasis.
Julie Kirkland
Julie began her art studies at the Bemis School of Art and has continued to study with nationally known watercolor and oil painters. She brings the best of that instruction and the wealth of her own personal discoveries to her students. Julie's work has been included in numerous national and international exhibitions including the Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Show in Golden, CO. She is a signature member of the Pikes Peak Watercolor Society and the Kansas Watercolor Society. www.juliekirkland.com
Martha Kisling
Martha graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Texas Tech University and discovered the exciting medium of watercolor sixteen years ago. She taught at the Greenville Art Museum in South Carolina before moving to CO. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and displayed in private collections around the country. Martha enjoys sharing her own discoveries in watercolor landscapes, florals, mixed media and collage while encouraging students to develop their own artistic expression. Her work can be seen at www.MarthaKisling.com.
Philip Lane
Philip is a professional comic book illustrator and an award winning stop motion animator. Philip has been teaching cartooning and animation for over 12 yrs, and his former students have gone on to work in Hollywood and the Comic Book industry.
Geoffrey Lasko
Geoff received his B.F.A. in drawing and painting from the University of Iowa and his M.F.A. in printmaking from the University of Denver. In 1985 Geoff received a National Endowment for the Arts grant for his work in drawing and printmaking. His plein air paintings, hand-made etchings and mezzotint engravings have been collected by the Library of Congress, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, President William Jefferson Clinton, Qwest, Quaker Oats and many more. Geoff’s printmaking collaboration with painter Jay Moore on a suite of 16 etchings was the subject of a feature article in the November 2005 issue of Plein Air, currently known as Fine Art Connisseur magazine.
Carol Martinelle
Carol pursued oil painting at the age of ten and completed her education at the Kansas City Art Institute where she received the Thomas Hart Benton Award. She copied a Rubens and a Rembrandt at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and has visited preeminent art museums in the United States and Europe. She has adapted her art philosophies and studio practices of the 17th century masters thus producing unique drawings and paintings for today’s discriminating collector. Carol’s instruction reflects her extensive research, learning and enthusiasm on the Old Masters as well as a comprehensive knowledge of the essential art elements and abstract concepts required in the visual language of art.
Blake Milteer
Blake is Curator of 19th – 21st Century American Art at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. He is also an art historian and artist. He received a Bachelors degree in fine arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a Masters degree in art history and museum studies from the University of Denver. Previously, Blake was Curatorial Assistant for the Modern and Contemporary Art department at the Denver Art Museum. Since 2003, Milteer has taught Contemporary Art for the University of Colorado, Denver. He has also taught at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Arapahoe Community College, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design and the Community College of Denver. As an artist, Mr. Milteer has exhibited in Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Texas, and Germany. He is a published photographer and his essay “Eyes on the American West” was included in The Wild West (2001) for the Arken Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Janice Olmstead
Janice was educated at Arizona State and Colorado College. She is a Colorado native and has practiced art since childhood. She attended Bemis School of Art youth programs since childhood and has been a teacher for nine years in Elementary schools. She strives to instill a love of the arts in all of her students. She currently runs an art after-school club in Worcester, Massachusetts.
David Plambeck
Plam is always thrilled to work with talented young actors. He has been acting since he was 17 and directing and teaching since he was 29. He has appeared on stages here since 1987 and plans to keep it up until 2187, if possible.
Anne Roe
Anne received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Denver in l967 and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota in l977. As an art educator in public and private institutions with adults and children of all ages, she has exhibited in shows and galleries in Santa Fe, NM, Duluth, MN, Bozeman, MT, as well as in several galleries here in Colorado. Anne's work graces many private collections throughout the country.
Debbie Ross
Debbie received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Art Education from Kutztown State University, PA. She also attended Pennsylvania State University, completing one year of graduate work in Graphic Design at UCCS towards a Professional Writing Certificate. She currently teaches art classes at Colorado Springs Senior Center and Colorado Technical University.
Anna Santistevan
Anna, a Colorado Springs native, came to the Fine Arts Center in 2000 to become involved with the Docent program, also serving as the “Docent Palette” editor for two years. She soon made the transition to visual art instructor at Bemis. Anna has organized and instructed after-school K-12 programs for local school districts. She specializes in children’s education in basic drawing, painting and clay skills. Existing public work: Chicago Skyline, Water Street Historical District, Bay City, MI (City of Murals).
Father Luke Sheffer
Luke was born in Colorado Springs and graduated from Palmer High School in 1991 and later from Amherst College, MA. He began drawing at an early age at home and at Bemis School of Art. He studied classical painting with artist Graydon Parrish while in Amherst and then for two years at the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1998 he was received into the Orthodox Church and lived from then on in monasteries in Russia (2 years) and on Mt. Athos, Greece (6 years). In 2007 he was tonsured as a monk by Archimandrite Elisaios, abbot of the Athonite monastery of Simonos Petras. Currently he is residing in Colorado Springs.
Krista Steed
Krista graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art with her BFA in Photography and Metals and jewelry. She’s been teaching private art lessons for the past ten years in Michigan, and has recently been teaching photography classes through Shewmakers camera in Colorado Springs. Krista’s background is in photojournalism, and fine art. She is ecstatic to be back in the darkroom and share her passion for film!
Lee Stuurmans
Lee is currently majoring in Elementary Education at Pikes Peak Community College. He has devoted much of his time to helping those with special needs and has participated in such special needs programs as Academy District #20’s Peer Assistance. His passion for ceramics has led him to Bemis School of Art where he works as an apprentice under the skillful tutelage of Jeremiah Houck. He has exhibited his artwork at the Pikes Peak Fine Arts Festival as well as a multitude of other establishments in the Pikes Peak region.
Kathy Sullivan
Kathy has a B.A. in French from The University of Nevada, Reno and a B.F.A. in Art Education and painting from Utah State University. She spent a year in France studying Art and French and bicycled throughout Europe for several summers. She has been a calligrapher and a calligraphy teacher for more than 25 years. She has studied with some of the best teachers both in the U.S. and in Europe. She designs greeting cards and does illustration for several national companies, has been a puppeteer, loves to garden, and wishes she had a little more time to ride horses.
Micki Tschur
Micki received her MFA in Painting from the University of Colorado, Boulder and her MFA in Studio Art from the University of Illinois, Chicago. After receiving her degrees, she moved to Germany and studied at the Staedelschule in Frankfurt with Hermann Nitsch, the infamous Viennese Actionist. She currently works as an elementary school art teacher.
Melissa Wagner
Melissa Mayrath Wagner is a 30-year veteran artist in Metal Arts, PMC, and jewelry design. Her work has been displayed at galleries throughout California and Colorado. She now shares her knowledge, experience, and resources with students in her workshops, with creative teaching techniques to inspire beginners and experienced artisans alike. Melissa is a member of the PMC Guild of America, a certified PMC instructor and artist in Rio and PMCC education programs.
Stephanie Wienecke
Stephanie is a native of Colorado Springs, who has had a passion for art since childhood. In elementary school she was selected for a gifted and talented arts program and began taking classes at Bemis School of Art. She is currently studying at Colorado State University earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture and pottery. She has a sculpture in the permanent collection of Colorado State University and her art has been displayed at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Museum and the Hatton Gallery at Colorado State University. She has experience in a variety of art media and she specializes in clay and metal working. She is enthusiastic to be returning for her second year to Bemis School of Art to teach young and inspiring art students.
Mariya Zvonkovich
Mariya, M.A, Art, is an award-winning artist and educator teaching drawing and painting for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and for the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center's Bemis Art Academy. As partner in Painters Retreats International, she conducts workshops nationally and internationally, including the popular painters retreats at Ghost Ranch, NM. She and a core group of colleagues founded the Pikes Peak Pastel Society in 1999. Her local and regional representation include Squash Blossom Gallery in Colorado Springs; Cogswell Gallery in Vail, CO; and Eddie Griffith Fine Arts in Santa Fe, NM.
