INSTRUCTORS

The Art School in Sandy Springs
5197 Roswell Road, NE
Atlanta, GA  30342
678-755-1079
 

**(see our tips about art technique on our blog tab)

Who are we?

Past, present and future in alphabetical order...

Adrienne Anderson - Color Theory:  

Adrienne is a noted award winning artist and past Assistant Dean and Associate Professor at American Intercontinental University in Atlanta, painting and drawing instructor at Kennesaw State University, the Penland School of Art in NC, and Chair of Drawing and Painting at the Alabama School of Fine Arts.  She has been featured in over fifty solo exhibitions in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, Louisiana, New York and Virginia and has exhibited locally at MOCA, Fay Gold, The Swan Coach House, AIU, and the Spruill Arts Center. Her works are largely collected by such corporations as Coca Cola, Pepsico, Walt Disney, and IBM.  Adrienne has been featured in numerous publications relating to the arts.  For more information: 

Elizabeth Bame - Oil Portraiture

Gary Bodner - Expressionism (Oil) (Workshops)

Patricia Branch:  

Atlanta native and professional artist Patricia Branch’s use of light and color creates a luminous quality in her work. She fell in love with watercolor at first brushstroke and attended the workshops of many famous artists, winning her first watercolor award in 1979. Her favorite subjects are flowers and landscapes which she paints with inspirational liveliness. In 1989, while working on a Masters in Architecture at Georgia Tech Patricia decided to pursue her true passion and become a professional artist. She has been painting and teaching workshops and private lessons ever since. 

Kim Chesney - Children:
Kim has taught children in various capacities for many years.  She has traveled extensively and received instruction from international artists including Marc Chatov, Jerry Fresia, Joseph Paquette, and Haxel Jarvis.  Her work leans towards realistic impressionism, but her capabilities include encaustic. Kim has been featured in the Flourish Magazine and has received numerous awards and achievements since she began showing her work last year.  One of her most notable accomplishments was her vision and leadership for the Tuxedo Artisan's Market, an Atlanta group of diverse artists, who showcased their art while raising funds for non-profits. 

Robert Christie - Animal Drawing and Drawing the Human Form

Elizabeth D; Angelo - Children:
 
Beth is a graduate of the University of Florida School of Art and is a professional artist (painter) working in the field today.   She has exhibited extensively throughout the southeast and has been awarded residency into the Hambidge Art Center in north Georgia in 2007.  

Emory Daniel - Watercolor:
Georgia Artist Emory Daniel, a signature member of the Georgia Watercolor Society, reflects a nostalgic mood, paints with watercolor on fine paper to produce realistic and impressionistic two-dimensional art.  Emory’s recent works have taken on a more abstract look with his more aggressive indirect application of paint; pouring, spraying, squirting, etc.  Yet he has retained some impressionism with a combination of direct brush application within the same works.   Emory has been involved in the Atlanta art community for over thirty years, and is currently an Advanced Merit member of the Atlanta Artists Center.  As a painter and a teacher, he gets a wonderful amount of satisfaction out of sharing his knowledge of watercolors with fellow artists. Emory’s paintings are in private collections all over the United States.

John de la Vega - Portraiture Drawing and Oil (Worlshops)

Helen Deramus - Encaustic Painting and Photography"
A member of the Fulton County Artists Registry, the Registry of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Women Artists Archive Special Collection at Sonoma State University, Helen earned a BA degree in art history and history from Emory University.  She completed further studies at North Carolina State University and the Southeastern Center for Photographic Arts with New York art director and photographer, the late Art Kane, and with Gerald Samuels at the Art Center of Northern New Jersey.  She studied extensively with Joseph Perrin who is internationally known for his color field paintings and is Emeritus Head Professor of the Visual Arts Department of Georgia State University. 
Her exhibits encompass more than a hundred collective, solo, invitational and juried exhibits including the Montgomery Museum, Thomas Deans Fine Art, Shorter College, 621 Gallery, the Atlanta Women's Foundation and the Artists Space in New York City.  Helen's work is collected corporately, privately, and publicly throughout the United States including Georgia Perimeter College, North Georgia College and State University, The ART Station, the Ben Hill-Fitzgerald County Library, the Women's Center at Kennestone Hospital, the Atlanta Women's Foundation in Atlanta and Livingston College in Rutgers University in New Jersey.  www.helenderamus.com

Sabre Esler - Mediums (Workshops)

Pat Fiorello - Watercolor (Workshops):
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Pat Fiorello, a professional artist, capturres the beauty and energy of nature painting in both oils and watercolor.  Her primary subjects include landscape and garden scenes, lush foliage and architectural accents. Pat began to learn watercolor at the age of 35 and is self-taught in addition to taking courses, workshops and private study. After a successful 20 year corporate career, with executive positions at The Coca-Cola Company and Nabisco, Pat pursued her passion for painting and became a full time artist.  Pat is a Signature Member and Past President of the Georgia Watercolor Society and has has been featured in over 60-juried shows and over a dozen "one woman" exhibits. Pat has taught painting since 1998 in the U.S., Caribbean and Europe including a recent workshop on location at Monet’s Garden in Giverny, France. Pat is represented at Frameworks in Marietta, GA, The Gallery in Decatur, GA and The Burton Gallery in Clarkesville, GA.     www.patfiorello.com

Isabel Forbes - Street Scenes (Workshops)
Award winning South Carolina artist who earned a Bachelor of Fine Art Degree at Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota, Florida believes that learning is an on going process.  She continues to develop and refine her artistic talent through workshops with renowned artists such as Albert Handell, Morgan Samuel Price, Charles Sovek, Sigmund Ables, Sue Lyons and Burt Silverman.  "My goal is to reveal something new about the familiar.  I choose my subjects because I have a personal response to them, or a sense of familiarity.  I carry my sketchbook and watercolor pad and make thumbnail sketches to get the feeling, light and space of each location, then return to the studio to develop the forms in oil.”  Forbes is a founding member of the Charleston Outdoor Painters Association (COPA) and a board member of Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg.  Her work is represented in galleries in Spartanburg, SC., Charleston, SC, Sullivan’s Island, SC and Clarksville, GA.  http://www.isabelforbes.com

Kathryn Forrester - Children

Nancy Franke (Workshops)

Nancy painted as a child in Pennsylvania and studied with Glenn Brougher, a noted watercolorist.  She majored in Fine Arts at Wilson College, and received her Master’s Degree in Art History at UNC Chapel Hill.  Largely self-taught as an adult, she benefitted from workshop study with some of the finest painters today, including Gregg Kreutz, Carolyn Anderson, Sherrie McGraw, Kim English, Tom Browning, and Kenn Backhaus.  She works primarily in oils in the  “alla prima” style (one session).  Nancy has participated in many group and juried shows, is a member of Oil Painters of America, Landscape Artists International, the Quinlan Art Center, and the Cherokee Art Advisory Board.  Her work is in many private collections, and she is represented by Huff Harrington Fine Art and the Swan Coach House Gallery , both located in Atlantawww.nancyfranke.com

Kyle Godweris - Mixed Media Collage
Kyle Godweris is an Atlanta based mixed collage artist.  He uses acrylic, spray paints, paper and found objects to bring his visions to life.  He received his BFA at the Art Institute of Atlanta and has participated in over a dozen art shows and events throughout the southeast..   http://newjuncture.com/kyleg

Lamar Gee - Photography:
Atlanta area photographer, Lamar Gee, is the owner of Lamar Gee Photography, specializing in wedding photography.  Lamar has studied with several of the premiere wedding photographers in the United States.  In addition, he brings the practical experience of operating his own photography business.  Lamar’s class will focus on the basics of photography - digital or film.  (www.lamargee.com) 

John B. Guernsey - Oil Instructor
Originally from southern California, contemporary landscape artist, John Brian Guernsey, moved to Georgia in 1993 for a business career, and transitioned to an art career in 2006.  Having developed his drawing skills through college courses and workshop study he now concentrates primarily on landscape painting.  Impressed by the great western landscape artists, past and present, he seeks to combine those influences into his own unique vision of southern landscapes and
cityscapes.
In 2006 an artist from California encouraged him to try plein air painting, and since then he has found it an essential part of his ongoing education and inspiration.  
Most of his work is in oil paint, and is usually done en plein air, or alla prima (completing a painting in one sitting); although he is gradually increasing the output of larger studio paintings, which may require days or weeks to complete.  Mr. Guernsey's work reveals a keen observance of atmosphere and light, and is inspired not only by his love of nature, but by his interest in city life and architecture as well.   
 www.johnbguernsey.com   
 
 
Millie Gosch - Plein Air:
Millie Gosch “Painting was always a part of me,” says Mille Gosch, who has painted since she was a child. She pursued her passion in art studies at Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Later. she returned to her native Georgia and settled in the Atlanta area. After a successful career in the decorative arts, Ms. Gosch returned to her first love of fine arts.  A native of a classic southern town, Newnan, Georgia, she finds the lowlands and rural fields in the area and the marshes and waters of coastal Georgia inspirations for her landscape paintings. She is active in bringing well-know plein air painters to the Southeast to teach workshops. Ms. Gosch has won several awards, most recently as a finalist in the prestigious RayMar Second Annual Fine Art Competition with her oil painting “Sunrise in Summer.” She has been accepted in exhibitions throughout Georgia and in the Southeast. Her work hangs in numerous private collections and she is represented by four Georgia galleries: Frameworks Gallery, Marietta; Two Sisters Gallery, Columbus; Panoply, Newnan; and Huff Harrington Fine Art, Atlanta. www.milliegosch.com

J. Wiliam Hill - Drawing and Painting:
J. William Hill began painting in the early 1990s and has a degree in visual arts from Florida State University and an art education degree from Georgia State University. He has worked as a professional artist and decorative painter for the past eleven years and has won awards and recognition both locally and regionally. His teaching philosophy is that all art begins with a good foundation in the elements and principles of art, but at the same time one should be open to new methods, materials and emerging technology. Technology has not killed traditional painting; it has simply brought new tools to the artists’ disposal.
http://www.jwilliamhill.com


Barbara Jaenicke - Pastel/Composition 

Barbara received her Bachelor’s degree in Art from The College of New Jersey in 1986 and has studied with a multitude of seasoned artists over the years.  After a 17-year career in advertising art direction and corporate marketing, she was able to shift her career back to fine art.  Residing in Roswell, GA, Barbara paints landscapes and still life in pastel and oil.  Her landscapes are derived from various places she’s visited around the country and photographed.  However, she rarely copies a photograph exactly as it appears, but adapts the colors and composition into an impressionistic interpretation of that scene.  In her still life work, she strives to express the simple beauty in simple objects.  Barbara is a Member of Excellence in the Southeastern Pastel Society.  www.barbarajaenicke.com

Stephanie Lieberman - Lanscapes (Workshop):  
Stefanie Lieberman is an award winning painter and graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She has received numerous painting awards for her landscapes as well as being the recipient of the Nantucket Painting Residency awarded by the Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Her work has been widely exhibited throughout the United States including the prestigious Biggs Museum of American Art in Delaware. Her paintings are among the collections of the Rome Council of the arts, Rome, GA , The American Kennel Club, New York, NY as well as numerous private collections, both nationally and internationally. 
Her philosophy on painting is to "apply paint as a form of feeling rather than just a tool to depict the scene or object before me. I am less interested in the components of the landscape such as; trees, sky, water, road, buildings and more interested in painting the experience itself, the atmosphere, the smell, the weather etc." She uses many variables of paint application i.e.: the juxtaposition of soft, transparent washes against bold impastos, lost and found edges, deliberate brush strokes as well as the use of the palate knife and splatter to capture those experiences. Stefanie has had numerous solo exhibitions in Philadelphia as well as in the South Eastern region of the US. She is currently represented by Artists' House Gallery in Philadelphia, Anne Irwin Fine Art in Atlanta, GA, Principal Gallery in Alexandria, VA and The Shain Gallery in Charlotte, NC. She was recently a featured artist in American Art Collector magazine.  Stefanie travels extensively to find subjects for her work.  She currently works and resides in Philadelphia. www.stefanielieberman.com

Jason McGrady - Encautic 
Jason studied at the Art Institute of Atlanta and earned a degree in Advertising Design in 1995 and is now one of Atlanta's leading encaustic artists.  Co-author of "A Studio Guide to Encaustic Art".

Christy Mull - Still Life Drawing and Painting: 
Christy Mull is an Atlanta native.  After attending Ringling School of Art in Sarasota Florida, she returned to Atlanta to begin a career in Commercial illustration. That career spanned thirty-five years, including five years in Chicago, Illinois.  Illustration gave her a strong background in drawing and realistic painting.  Christy is now retired from the ad game and has entered the fine art world with her oil paintings of still life, plein aire, and figure. She has participated in many shows at the Atlanta Artists Center winning several awards.  “Paint the Parks” Competition accepted her river painting last year and it is still touring the USA.  Her painting “Ted’s Bar” was accepted into “Oil Painter’s of America Eastern Division Show” in 2007

Rebecca Nagel - Children: 
Rebecca has taught children for the past six years. She has been an instructor at the Spruill Center for the Arts and Vanderlyn Elementary School in Dunwoody. Her expertise is in working with children to release and nurture their creativity using a variety of mediums. Recently she was recognized by the Governor of the State of Georgia as a Georgia Exceptional Teacher. She has even taken the opportunity to use art with teenagers as a therapeutic tool and means for expressing their unique style and imagination! Needless to say, Rebecca's passion is art! Rebecca holds a B.A. from Auburn University in Mass-Communications/Journalism, and has studied in Europe with the Art Institute of Atlanta. Her artwork has been featured in several films across the nation, earned awards, and been displayed at schools such as Agnes Scott College. She is in the process of publishing a book and producing and facilitating adult seminars on art as a powerful healing tool. 

Angela Nesbit - Palette Knife (Workshops)
Angela Nesbit received a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and studied classical drawing and painting at Queens University and Spirit Square Center for the Arts in Charlotte, N.C. She has studied intensively with Andy Braitman of Charlotte, NC for several years and credits him for her success. She has also studied with many nationally recognized artists such as Cedric and Joanette Egeli, William Schultz, Kate Worm and Connie Winters.  Nesbit lives in Charlotte, NC with her very supportive husband Chris and her two forever inspiring children Elizabeth Rose and Christopher.

Kenson Thompson - Mixed Media (Workshop)
www.kensonart.com

James Richards - Plein Air - Destination Workshops

Donna Thomas - Beginner/Intermediate Oil and Teens 
Donna is a local artist and  Sandy Springs resident.  She attended the Fine Art School at the University of Georgia School of Fine Arts and has painted for more than 35 years primarily in oils.  She is the past gallery owner at TULA on Bennett Street in Atlanta, is a past member of The Landings Art Association of Savannah, Georgia, is a member of the Atlanta Portrait Society, the Portrait Society of America and the Atlanta Artists Center.  She teaches a variety of painting techniques including palette knife, impressionism, and realism.  Donna has studied under Philip Carpenter of Atlanta and Susan Rochwerger of Roswell.  She accepts all levels of experience believing that each student is capable of learning the necessary skills to create a work of art if there is a strong desire.  www.donnathomasfineart.comwww.donnathomas.com, dthomas555@aol.com

Halima Washington - Palette Knife
Halima received her MFA in 2005 from the Academy of Art University of San Francisco and a BA at Occidental College in Visual Arts in La.
Exhibition Record: Present- Fine Line Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia 2007-Hedonnism VII-Apache Cafe,Atlanta,GA 2007- Dalton Creative Arts Guild, Dalton, Georgia 2006- Fine Line Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia 2006- Cultural Interiors, Los Angeles, California 2006- Cultural Interiors, Los Angeles, California 2005- * Foster City Art Gallery, Foster City, California 2000- Senior Comprehensives, Weingart Gallery, Occidental College Los Angeles, California. www.halimawashington.com

Basil Watson - Figure Drawing - Famed JAmaican Sculptor
Basil Watson, artist / sculptor, works mainly with the human figure, drawing from the live model being his staple. Although Basil works in wood, stone, metal and a variety of other materials, clay modeling is his method of preference. His final pieces usually are either bronze, bronze composite or terra cotta. With a focus on the big picture his work reflects movement, gesture, attitude and emotion.  Basil is Jamaican where he studied at Edna Manley College of the Visual Arts and later taught figure drawing and representational sculpture at his Alma Mata. Working over 30 years, he has risen to prominence as Jamaica’s premier figurative sculptor and moving to Atlanta in 2003, Basil works, teaches, exhibits and is collected internationally, most recently in China, Spain and Guatemala. He is exhibited at Mason Murer in Atlanta. All levels.

Ellen White - Advanced Painting and Figure Drawing 
Graduating from Southern Ilinois University with a commercial art degree, Ellen began a long and award winning career as a television art director in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Tampa, Florida, and New Haven, Connecticut.  She has continued her studies with Ray Roberts and Joe Paquet and has participated in national exhibition including the Oil Painters of America (OPA) (2006, 2008)  and is involved in the LAI/PAP World Tour of Contemporary Landscape Artists (2008-2010),  She is included in the Best of American Artists and Artisans  book (2007).