TEACHING ARTISTS
Lynn Armstrong
is a professional ceramic artists producing textural hand-built ceramics at her home studio. She is a Dallas native and a visual arts graduate of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. She obtained her BFA in Ceramics and Painting from the University of Texas at Austin. When she is not teaching, Lynn travels the world with her architect husband.
Katherine Baronet
is a Dallas painter and graphic designer known for her Pink Alien series and other whimsical work. After a 20 year career as a fashion model, she went on to complete her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Arts from East Texas A&M in Commerce. Her work has been exhibited in numerous gallery, group and solo art shows and her drawings and paintings can be found in both private and corporate collections.
Jill Allison Bryan
is a certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach and works as a consultant with groups, businesses and individuals through one-on-one coaching, classes, workshops and retreats. She is the founder of Creative Oasis Coaching and is a performing singer-song writer. Jill is passionate about helping people make the time and space in their busy lives to enjoy creative fulfillment.
Kay Byfield
has been a watercolor painter for more than 30 years and has exhibited and taught classes to adults throughout the southwest. She earned a MFA at Vermont College of Norwich University and was a college art professor for 10 years. Her paintings are representational and typically depict psychological realities. As a teacher, Kay strives to help budding artists access their unique vision and find their own voices.
Glo Coalson
has been a professional clay artist for more than 30 years. She also works with bronze and is an internationally known illustrator of children’s literature. In 2003, Glo was sponsored by CIVITAS as a visiting artist to the Ukraine. Her work is sold through numerous galleries across the U.S. She holds a BA from Abilene Christian College.
Glo Coalson - Four Corners Fine Art & Framing (fourcornersgallerybluffton.com)
Carl Coan
Carl, while no official art background at university, has been an avid student of art throughout his life. His first interest in welding began over 15 years ago through a class at CAC, life got in the way and that dream was placed on hold for a bit. Over the last several years he has spent time with the stone carving group “Making dust” at CAC, and reignited his love of form and heat in welding. Carl recently retired after 34 years with the Garland Fire Department as Assistant Fire Chief/Paramedic. That path has given him a feel for the safety required while playing with the tools in use while “sewing with fire”. He is passionate about enabling others to achieve their vision in the arts. To quote his mentor T. Stone “Paws up”.
Rebecca Collins
is a mixed media mosaic artist. A commercial artist by day, she runs the pet portraiture studio Artpaw.com. By night, indulging her true love, she cuts and glues glass tessera, creating mixed media mosaics that explore a wide variety of themes and subjects. Her ability to move back and forth between traditional media and current digital technology gives her mosaic work a contemporary edge while maintaining the textural richness inherent in mosaic. Rebecca received her B.F.A. from the University of North Texas. She is married to a poet and together they play and create in their little east Dallas bungalow beset by two wild terriers.
Jennifer Christy
is an educator, collage maker, painter, & designer known for using vibrant color schemes, whimsical shapes, & a distinctive take on modern jewelry. She believes that both fine art and wearable art should uplift people & bring joy to their everyday lives.
Her days are spent teaching K-4 artists to find and freely express their creative spirits. It’s in the evening hours that she gets a chance to explore her own endeavors and blow off a little steam in the form of paint and resin. She is certain that The Cure, 1970s Saturday morning cartoons, Pee-Wee Herman, and Tim Burton have been major sources of inspiration and influence.
Cathy Drennan
continues her interest in the world of cultural symbols. In her latest series “Lost in Translations” the symbols that were once used for specific communication within their cultures of origin have evolved into artifice…recognized only as decorative motifs and patterns. As the mark becomes more relevant, the meaning of the symbol continues to descend. She received a BFA in Graphic Communication and Fine Art from the University of Texas at Arlington. Her work has been featured in exhibitions in Washington, D.C. and Texas.
Robert Dye
Robert A. Dye is a professional artist and writer who paints evocative large-scale landscape paintings in oils and intimate plein air paintings in oils and watercolors. Robert studied classical painting techniques at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He lives and paints at Cedar Creek Reservoir, southeast of Dallas. Prior to moving to Texas, Robert taught painting, drawing and art history at several Philadelphia area art schools, including the Samuel Fleisher Art Memorial and the Hussian School of Art. Robert has had numerous one-person shows of his paintings in Philadelphia and in Dallas.
The Encaustic Center
hosts dozens of classes and workshops a year in the ancient and beautiful process of painting with wax. Founded by Bonny Leibowitz, the fully equipped center is located in Richardson. For workshops all supplies are included, and students will learn a variety of processes including fusing, building layers, texture, working with grids, stencils, embedding objects, incising, transfers, collage and much more along with a working knowledge on how to melt and mix wax paint, a bit about the history of wax painting, a working knowledge of supplies and equipment and how to create your own workspace! Artists will come away with several pieces from the day. Once you’ve taken a workshop, you are qualified to participate in any of the focused, independent workdays and multi-day workshops as well. The Encaustic Center also carries encaustic supplies.
Diane Flynn
became interested in art in childhood and painted oils in high school. Diane took a stained glass class and was smitten. Although she continued her nursing career, her free time was spent making stained glass gifts and later, architectural windows for custom homes and churches. An interest in glass beadmaking and jewelry was sparked by a glass beadmaking workshop with Alison Sheafor and she later studied glassblowing at UTA. The diverse properties of glass have given her an enormous palette.
Merry Fuhrer
has taught drawing and painting to adults and children for more than 20 years. Although she has worked with a variety of materials, she prefers the rich color possibilities of oils, acrylics, colored pencils and oil pastels. Merry is known for her portraits of people riding the DART Rail as well as her urban sketches. She holds a MFA from Texas Women's University. Merry facilitates the Live Model Labs of CAC.
CarolLaine Garcia
Growing up as a multi-identity Dominican immigrant in the US, I grew up having so much beef with who I was and what life had been. Even as I progressed in my education and career, I struggled to accept who I was and what I'd lived through. In the quietude of the pandemic, I harnessed my angst at the world and decided to heal my wounds with life. Four years and a deeply transformative experience later, I broke free from self-loathing and found the courage to leap into a life of deep meaning, wellness, and empowered femininity.
Now I’ve turned my self-love transformation into a new paradigm of being and leading: Queen Mindset Leadership. Created for leading authentically with empowered identities, this philosophy centers holistic inner healing and wellness as a conduit for social justice and community thriving.
Daniel German
received a BFA in ceramics in 2015. His work centers around altered thrown forms with a keen eye for a compelling surface. Daniel’s philosophy is simple: Clay is magic. There’s always something to learn and there is room for everyone. Daniel’s teaching style encourages exploration on an individual basis while also offering the direction needed to harness and grow an artistic style.
Ja’Rie Gray
‘s paintings have been exhibited in group shows throughout the cities of southern California, and her work was recently shown on Blackish sitcom, at Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), and CSULB University Museum. Gray’s group exhibitions were held at Craig Krull Galley in Santa Monica, SoLA Contemporary Gallery in Los Angeles, and Tag Gallery in Los Angeles.
In addition, her work is in private and public collections, including Metro LA, Portraits of the Fallen Memorial Foundation, Long Beach Community College, the private collection of Robert and Carole Urie-Chickering of Urie Properties, Inc.
Gray is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. In 2019 She received a Certificate of Appreciation, South Gate City Council, Metro “Through the Eyes of Artist” poster series South Gate, South Gate, CA, Certificate of Recognition, California Legislature Assembly, Metro “Through the Eyes of Artists” poster series South Gate, South Gate, CA, and in 2018 First Place Award, Tag Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. She received an award from the Peter & Masha Plotkin Memorial Foundation, Los Angeles, CA for excellence honors in art. From 2008 through 2012, Gray was awarded Academic Scholarship and President’s List honors from Laguna College of Art and Design, Laguna Beach, CA.
Ja’Rie Gray received a B.F.A. from Laguna College of Art and Design, CA. She received a M.F.A. from California State University Long Beach, CA, in 2016.
Ashling Han
is a multidisciplinary artist working across installation, performance, video, collage, and social engagement. Her work is research-based, it is a journey searching for intersectional identities.
Born and raised in China, Ashling’s formative years were shaped by the constraints of patriarchy, which instilled in her a fierce determination to break free from societal expectations. After graduated from Chongqing Medical University, she worked in the field of biology science, she dutifully fulfilled her role as a good daughter, but her innate curiosity and free spirit beckoned her to seek answers beyond the ordinary.
Leaving her comfort zone behind, Ashling ventured to the U.S, where she embarked on an extraordinary artistic odyssey. Her dedication and talent earned her the highest honor of a scholarship, and in 2023, she proudly graduated with a master’s degree in multidisciplinary art from the prestigious MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art).
With a masterful handcraft skillset, Ashling adorns her art with diverse media, exploring various scientific fields and artistic formats to convey her profound concepts and satiate her relentless curiosity. She likens her artistic practice to experiencing a Chinese Hotpot dish – a harmonious blend of unseen and conflicting flavors.
Amy Henson
earned her BFA in Studio Art: Ceramics from Southern Methodist University in 2007 and her MFA in Ceramics from University of North Texas in 2022. Her “Liquor Set” was selected for a Juror’s Award at Clay Art Center’s 2023 group exhibition “Functional Fall: A Seat at The Table,” and she previously received an Honorable Mention for one of her berry bowls from Clay Arts Vegas in 2017. At the most recent NCECA conference in 2023 Allee Etheridge and Amy Henson co-organized the successful concurrent exhibition "Obscene." She teach ceramics as an adjunct in the D/FW metroplex and is pursuing her next solo exhibition. She lives with her husband, Aaron, daughter Rosalie, and 2 old house cats. When she is not working in the studio she enjoys sketching, reading, cooking, and one of her other great passions, horseback riding on her gelding Fuse.
Chad Ickert
is a self-taught leather artist who inherited his love of design from his mother and has spent his life creating items in his unique style. After discovering leather working several years ago, he has eagerly pursued the art to product beautiful bags, accessories and pet products.
Sarah Janece
is a Dallas-based artist, working primarily in watercolor to create unique wildlife portraits and nature inspired paintings. Sarah’s work is influenced by her passion for art, attraction to color, and love for nature’s beauty. The energetic movements in her organic abstractions, along with vivid colors, and a focus on intricate detailing allows her work to capture nature in both literal and abstract ways. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally and won grand prize in a design challenge sponsored by Uncommon Goods. She is a Golden Artist Color’s Artist Educator, working exclusively with Golden’s QoR Modern Watercolors.
Sarah’s combined passions of creating art along with her deep love for nature and wildlife allows her to use her work to help raise awareness and funds for various wildlife charities, endangered species, and art organizations.
Matthew Kies
is a professional fiber artist, book artist, photographer, and sculptor. He is an Army veteran and a veteran educator. He studied ceramics and mosaics under Mary Ann Moore when he got his AA from OCCC, managed the ceramics studio under Grant Hargate when he got his BA and MFA from Lindenwood University, and did research and studio work with Marilyn Waligore and John Pomara as he earned his MA and Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Dallas. He has shown his work across the US and Europe. Matthew’s work focuses on craft media and the importance of the hand in making and apprehending art. Dr. Kies teaches us to help others explore their creativity and find the limitless beauty of human potential. When he is not making art or teaching, he enjoys spending time with his family and in the kitchen.
Dave Kramer
started his art career as an illustrator, producing product, editorial and book cover illustrations. He then moved into the world of fine art and portraiture. Dave paints in a romantic realism style using a traditional approach. He has been teaching for over 20 years and studied art at Indiana University. Dave has received awards from Dallas Society of Illustrators, New York Society of Illustrators and Artist Magazine. Over the years he has volunteered with many nonprofit organizations and is just a swell guy.
Benjamin Munoz
is an accomplished painter, printmaker and illustrator, born and raised in Corpus Christi. His work is often reflective of his heritage, upbringing and current surroundings. Benjamin paints primarily in watercolor, using singular imagery to illustrate defining moments in his life. In printmaking Benjamin works in large scale woodcuts and is the owner/operator of Casa Press. He has been educating artists for several years and has a passion for helping to cultivate community and collaboration among artists. His work has been displayed throughout Texas and he has curated several exhibitions over the years.
Nathan Portnoy
is a Texas native who received his MA from the University of Dallas with Dan Hammett and his BFA at the University of North Texas with Elmer Taylor. He also has worked and shared a studio with Randy Brodnax for four years. He has over 15 years working in clay and 8 years of teaching experience from at-risk students with Big Thought to adults at Cedar Valley College and now teaches at Booker T. Washington HSPVA. His studio work focuses on art for the people that works in the way of functional ceramics and uses the clay to record the process in which it goes through. Using wheel thrown and altered forms that provide a surface for the atmospheric and High firing techniques that he’s so captivated with, to leave their mark.
Jessica Ronci
is a textile artist and graduate of the University of Kansas with a degree in Visual Arts. She primarily works with dyes, pigments and thread to transform fabrics into pieces of art through shibori techniques, screen printing and embroidery. Born in Baton Rouge and raised in Dallas, she has found a way to translate her love of nature and organic forms into her artwork. She has come back to Dallas to share the joy of creating and knowledge of fiber arts with others.
Daniel Sellers
has taught metal sculpture at CAC for more than 15 years. He has been involved in the promotion of public art in multiple municipalities and educational institutions and is represented in both public and private collections and has exhibited at the Little Rock Museum of Art and obtained his MFA from Southern Methodist University. He also leads CAC’s Camp MetalHead welding program.
Rebecca Swann
obtained her MFA from the University of North Texas and has taught at the University of Texas at Arlington and the Dallas Museum of Art. She works in sculpture, printmaking and jewelry. Her works have been exhibited in Dallas and Atlanta galleries as well as public and private collections.
Daniel Teran
received his BFA from the Kansas Art Institute and has completed residencies at Watershed Center for The Ceramic Arts in New Castle, ME, and The Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, FL. He regularly gives workshops and teaches at several community art centers throughout Philadelphia and New Jersey. His work can be found at The Clay Studio, Schaller Gallery, Harvey Meadows Gallery, Red Star Studios, and Lill Street Art Center. Daniel has work in the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art and numerous private collections.
Claire Terrell
began learning mosaics right here at the Creative Arts Center! Her painting and art background has led her to produce mosaic works that have been featured in Dallas’ Art 214 exhibit 2 years in a row.
Terri Thoman
has over 20 years printmaking and paper arts experience. In addition to having a BFA in Printmaking from the Swain School of Design, Terri has held several arts residencies in Venice, Italy. Her work has been featured in numerous exhibitions as well as the Texas Women’s Museum. She owns Paper Arts, a local store featuring the largest selection in the country of fine arts papers from around the world.
Jan Thomas
is a mosaic artist who works primarily in the piccasiette style (broken dishes). She studied art in collage & dabbled in various mediums through the years but found her artistic niche through mosaics classes at the CAC. She’s made a work studio in her garage & works surrounded by multiple shelves of dishes ready to break. For several years, she worked as a free-lance Stylist for commercial photographers & as a location coordinator for the Dallas Film Commission. She holds a BA from University of Texas at Arlington.
Tabatha Trolli
is an artist working primarily in the medium of ceramics. She received her BFA in ceramics at Temple University Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, Penn. and an MFA at The University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton, Texas. As an active artist making functional ceramics and sculpture as well as works in painting and photography, she has exhibited in galleries and craft shows nationally since 2010.
Along with a rich studio practice, Trolli is a ceramics and three-dimensional design instructor at the university level across North Texas and has experience teaching in high schools and community art centers. Her work has been published in Pottery Making Illustrated and in Working with Porcelain. In addition to teaching at CAC, she also serves as the Center’s staff kiln technician.
Christine Unruh
Fascination with volume, line, and color led to a BS degree from CU Boulder in the field of Environmental Design in 1987. Returning to Dallas, Chris was jazzed to find classes in metalsmithing at the Dallas Craft Guild, studying with Michelle Lawrence. Around that time, fate landed her a job in the home studio of Idelle Hammond-Sass, a full-time jewelry artist working in modern, colorful materials such as niobium and silver. Through her help, Chris landed a scholarship to study Jewelry Design at Fashion Institute of Technology.
Living in NY meant an opportunity to study from a few giants of the jewelry world at the time, including Madame Boucher of the famous costume jewelry line of the 1950’s, as well as head designers for Tiffany, Boucheron, and Van Cleef & Arpels. Following graduation summa cum laude in Jewelry Design in 1991, Chris was able to support herself as a designer. She is most proud of her work with Van Hill, where she was promoted from part-time sample maker to full-time lead designer within six years.
When the company moved offices out of the U.S., she returned to Dallas and continued selling her own jewelry and handbag creations to local boutiques in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and Colorado. She also took part in several local art and craft shows, until opening her own brick and mortar store in east Dallas to represent other artists she’d met along the way. She’s thrilled to have an opportunity to share her love of modern, colorful jewelry with students at the Creative Arts Center!
Kat Warwick
is a sculptor who works in clay, bronze and stone with a BFA the University of North Texas. She also teaches horseback riding and dance when she is not at CAC. She believes “where there is passion there are no failures, there are only goals reached and goals not yet achieved".
Audrey Williams
is a painter/printmaker native to Dallas, Texas. She is an advocate for mental health and a current M.S. Counseling and Art Therapy candidate at Southern Methodist University. She has professional experience as an illustrator in freelance work and news media. Williams also holds a BFA. in Studio Art and Art History from the University of Texas at Austin. She has exhibited and published her work locally and internationally. When she is not studying or making art, she is playing with her dachshund or reading in her home in Upper Greenville.
Anja Yamaji
Anja Yamaji is an artist dedicated to bringing color and sparkle to everyday life with her design custom work. Through beauty makeup, body paint and headdresses, she finds joy in helping others feel beautiful and confident. Her fine art paintings are tuned to the positive energy in a space and are designed to enhance a room with the right colors. As your art mentor and instructor, she is here to help you succeed.