Art Station Staff

Highly educated, creatively engaged, and very experienced, our instructors and staff create a welcoming and relaxed art experience.

Education Director: Ingrid Lustig
Program Manager: Heather McNally 

Instructors

• Barbara Berry received degrees in art education and fine art from the Univ. of N. Colorado. Teaching since 1985, Barbara teaches those new to the arts; drawing, watercolor, acrylic and oils. Known for her acrylic and oil paintings she has recently written a book called Watercolor 101, detailing her unique teaching technique for watercolor. www.barbaraberry.com
   
• Helen Bommarito received her B.A. in Art from the University of Washington and completed two years of postgraduate study in Ceramics and Photography at the Univ. of Texas, Austin. She is active in the Clay Guild of the Cascades and Cindercone Clay Coop.
   
• Cindy Briggs earned a degree in Fine Arts from Brigham Young Univ. with a minor in Art History. A working artist for over 25 years, she was awarded a Signature Membership in the Northwest Watercolor Society in 2002, her work has been recognized in numerous juried shows and published in Watercolor Magazine along with numerous periodicals and newspapers. Briggs is also a juried member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon, High Desert Art League, and a member of NWS.  The co-author of a step-by-step comprehensive watercolor manual, Make Every Day a Painting; she also leads painting workshops touring Europe. www.cindybriggs.com 
   
• Paula Bullwinkel has a master’s degree with honors in art education, and a bachelor's degree in English from the University of California at Berkeley. She teaches the "Art Envy" series at the Deschutes Public Library, as well as their "Novel Idea" art classes for children and adults. Paula is very inspired when teaching, and never fails to be delighted by what people may create! As an artist, oil painting and monoprinting are her focus, and she has participated in numerous one-woman and group shows. For 18 years, she was a professional fashion and portrait photographer for magazines in NYC and London. www.paulabullwinkel.com 
   
• Rita Dunlavy was educated in the world of finance, yet found her balance and creative outlet in mosaics. She taught a small group of fellow enthusiasts in southern California, produced commissioned pieces and regularly sold her work in art fairs around the area. She is a member of the Society of American Mosaic Artists.
   
• Sarah B. Hansen is an award-winning professional portrait painter who specializes in watercolor. With a degree in Interior Design, she has focused on watercolor painting for 17 years. She enjoys teaching stress-free watercolor and art lessons to children and adults.  She is a member of the Northwest and Oregon Watercolor Societies and has shown her work in many exhibits. www.artbysarahbhansen.com 
   
• Sondra Holtzman is a record-keeper of an evolving life, both as an artist and writer. Her work is an eclectic mix of prose, illustration and ephemera. Collage illustration is a specialty where each assemblage is hand-built, making use of eclectic materials to give her work a striking, unique feel. www.sondraholtzman.com 
   
• David Kinker is a professional painter and muralist perhaps best known for his art-deco murals in the Tower Theater in Bend. His murals also grace the walls of the Deschutes Brewery Pub and McMenamin’s St. Francis School as well as numerous businesses and homes in Central Oregon. www.kinker.com 
   
• Meg Kissel has a BFA in Graphic Design and Digital Illustration and Ceramic Arts from Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD. Her work has been featured in national magazines, newspapers the airwaves of HGTV and in 26 galleries through out the country.
   
• Rachael Manzo is an artist of many mediums, but her favorites are those using natural materials. She studied pottery, sculpture, and "eco-painting" in college at the University of Vermont, and felting later in Port Townsend, WA. Integrating organic elements into art is a way that she likes to bridge the creative connection between art and the earth.
   
• Denise Mahoney graduated from Moore College of Art in Philadelphia as a clothing design major, but painted and sketched her way through those years and after.  Has always loved fabrics and yarns and has knitted since childhood.  The excitement of the variety of yarns available today has inspired a new knitting frenzy and exploration of mixing yarns and new designs.
   
• Amy Meadow has a B.A. in animation and illustration from Columbia College in Chicago as well as a teaching certification in art education from San Francisco State Univ. She has taught K-12 art throughout the Bay Area and Santa Cruz. Amy is also a published book illustrator, jewelry designer, painter, and dabbler in anything artistic and/or crafty.
   
• Anne Rustand graduated from Willamette Univ. in 2000 with a B.A. in Humanities and French. She received her Masters in Teacher Education from Eastern Oregon Univ. in 2002. She has taught art in the Redmond School District and is a member of the Central Oregon Clay Guild.
   
• Deb Sether has been getting her hands dirty in clay for 25 years. She specializes in large-scale wall pieces, female figure sculptures, and whimsical clay animal sculptures. www.debsether.com 
   
• Vicki Shuck has a B.A. from Oregon State Univ. in Painting and Drawing. She has taught K-college classes as well as Arts Central’s Artists in Schools program. She believes that it is not only enriching, but critical, for each person to live and work creatively. She is represented by Tumalo Art Gallery Co. in Bend. www.vickishuckartwork.blogspot.com 
   
• Kurtis Simmons is an avid potter who has called Central Oregon home for over 13 years. He started volunteering at the Art Station in 2003 and has been helping people manipulate clay ever since at Clay Open Studio.  He cares about other peoples’ progress and encourages creativity in the classroom. Whether he’s at the Art Station or exploring this great place we live, Kurtis is willing to lend a helping hand.
   
• Karen Williams studied drawing and painting at Cal. State Long Beach and is currently working as a mixed-media artist.  She spent many years teaching middle school and writing art curriculum.  She has taught seminars to other teachers, helping them incorporate art and art history into their curriculums.