This document provides biographies of various artists who teach at Whidbey Island Fine Art Studio in Langley, Washington or other art schools and studios. It describes their educational backgrounds, styles, subject matters, exhibitions, awards and accomplishments as painters, sculptors, or instructors.

2.  Whidbey Island Fine Art Studio is located in
Langley , Washington. We are dedicated to
providing education in high quality
representational art for artists at every level. In
a pleasant and well equipped environment, we
offer classes and workshops led by nationally
recognized instructors/artists.

4.  Steven Assael's style is unique and has characteristic sense of light
and shadow to illuminate the characters - paintings and drawings.
Steven Assael is one of the most famous present living artists of
our time. He presently teaches at The School of Visual Arts in
New York. He studied at Pratt Institute, NYC and with fine art
instructors as Robert Beverly Hale and David Leffel. He is known
for his conscientious focus on visual truth combined with his
compassion sensibility for the human condition transform his
figures into towering works of art.

5.  Anne Belov has been drawing and painting for
more than 25 years. She received her B.F.A.
from Philadelphia College of Art in
Pennsylvania and her M.F.A. from the
University of Washington.

6.  John Budicin was born in Rovigno, Italy. John was 12 years old when his
family settled in Southern California. After working as a commercial
artist for 19 years, John finally decided to make his true passion for art his
lifetime profession. With many awards and honors, Budicin's work has
been in museum exhibitions and featured in many art magazines, such as
Southwest Arts, Pasadena magazine, and Art Business News.
Recently, several of his paintings were selected and published in 200
Great Painting Ideas for Artists. Budicin is represented by the Long
Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona, as well as other galleries in
Pasadena, California; Laguna Beach, California; and Taos, New Mexico.

7.  A longtime student of color, light, and the vast potential for human
expression, Faye Castle has been recognized as a Distinguished Pastellist
with the Northwest Pastel Society. Her work was featured on the cover of
Rockport Publishers’ The Best of Pastels. Faye studied art at the
University of Washington, and received her BA in 1967. She followed that
degree with a teaching certification, beginning a lifelong interplay
between learning and teaching. She completed the Classical Animation
Program at the Vancouver Film School in 1997 and taught figure
drawing, color and design at the Art Institute of Seattle until moving to
Whidbey Island.

8.  Aleah Chapin is fascinated by the many languages that
pigment can speak. Through paint, she explores her
surroundings and the intrinsic physical quality of
things. By investigating exterior textures she delves
deeper into the unseen cerebral and psychological
substance of the person or object she is painting.

9.  Cheri Christensen was born in Enumclaw, Washington, a small rural
town of horse and cattle ranches and dairies at the foot of Mt. Rainier. She
attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and graduated
from the University of Washington. Cheri has recently been featured in
magazines such as “American Art Collector” and “Western Art
Collector,” and will be profiled April 2012 in “Southwest Art”
magazine. She can also be found demonstrating her painting techniques
in the Liliedahl Video Production “Straight Ahead, a palette knife
demonstration in oil.


10.  Aaron Coberly was born in Seattle in 1971. He has been
drawing for as long as he can remember. He started
taking art seriously as a teenager after being invited to
attend a life drawing class. Living and traveling in
Europe further inspired him. His work is primarily
figurative with a stylistic nod to the Masters and the
Impressionists. Aaron runs an open painting and
drawing session in Seattle.

11.  Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, David Gluck
currently resides in Toronto with his wife Katherine
Stone where he works as a full time artist and part time
instructor. He received his Bachelors of Science Degree
in Art Education from Penn State University.

12.  David Gray (b. 1970) acquired a strong foundational education in art while
obtaining his BFA from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. His
art education has continued with independent and occasional formal studies in
pictorial expression and oil painting. The resulting work reveals a personal and
contemporary expression of beauty and order which pays homage to the Classical
Tradition in its craftsmanship. David's paintings have earned several national
awards and his career has been covered by major art publications including
Southwest Art, Art of the West, and American Art Collector. David's works are
included in many discriminating private art collections throughout the United
States and abroad.

13.  PSA, AAPL portraitist, Annette studied at the Art
Students League with John Sanden, Daniel Greene
and Burt Silverman. She has won numerous awards
in pastel and oil, including four Gold Medals in
Painting. Author of book on portraiture and featured
in September 1999 American Artist magazine, the
Best in Pastels II, 2002 Portrait Highlights and pastel
Artist International.

14.  Ingall’s education in art began early. She first studied with her
father, Richard Ingalls, who created the Art Department at
Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. She continued at
the Accademia Delle Belle Arte in Florence, Italy in 1977, then
returned home to earn her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Gonzaga
in 1979.

15.  Robert A. Johnson received his training in painting and drawing at the
Art Students League of New York and individual instruction from master
painter Lajos Markos. His numerous awards include First Place from The
Artist's Magazine annual competition and the Salmagundi Club. Johnson
has participated in national juried shows sponsored by the Salmagundi
Club, Knickerbocker Artists, National Watercolor Society, Oil Painters of
America, National Arts for the Parks, and the Portrait Institute in New
York, among others. He has had numerous individual gallery shows, and
his work is currently exhibited in galleries in the Southwest and in
Washington, D.C. Johnson is the author of On Becoming a Painter, and
his work is also featured in The Best of Flower Painting 2.

16.  Currently living in New York, Michael Klein is a burgeoning artist in the Classical
Realist movement, creating melancholic paintings that have a distinct and
haunting feeling. Klein grew up in the Midwest, where he developed a special
connection with nature and a desire to describe his world accurately through his
work. He began his academic art training at 19 with Richard Whitney and, two
years later, at Richard Lack’s The Atelier in Minneapolis. Still searching for further
enrichment, he moved to New York City to study at The Art Students League of
New York and, subsequently, the Water Street Atelier with Jacob Collins. Just a
few years later, at the age of 27, Klein had his very first solo exhibition at Arcadia
Fine Arts in New York.

17.  Simon Kogan is a world-renowned artist residing in
Olympia, WA. Born in Moscow, Russia and studying under one of
Russia's most eminent sculptors, Simon has worked in nearly
every medium the art world has invented. Kogan's monuments
and commissioned work can be seen throughout the
world, including major pieces in the United
States, Russia, France, and Spain. Simon also spends a good
portion of his time teaching sculpture, drawing, and painting at
art schools and programs around the world. He lives with his wife
and two children.

18.  In 1991 Lamb was chosen Artist of the Year for the nationally recognized
Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, South Carolina. His work was also
selected for the National Birds in Art Show which traveled to Japan and can be
seen in North Light's book, The Best of Wildlife Art. He is a member of the
prestigious Western Rendezvous of Art (NWR) group of artists, which holds its’
annual show in August in Helena, Montana. In 2008 Jim was awarded the merit
award by his peers at the Rendezvous Show for his painting, APPROACHING
THUNDER. His work was on the cover and featured inside the May 2010 issue of
Southwest Art magazine, as well as in the February 2001 issue. The February 2009
issue of Art of the West magazine also featured his work.

19.  Jeff Legg, a native of Missouri studied painting and drawing at the Minneapolis College
of Artand Design and also Atelier Lack, a private art studio school modeled after 15th to
19th century classical European instruction. His “old master” techniques combined with his
inspired contemporary use of chiaroscuro engage fellow artists and collectors world wide.
Today, Legg’s artwork is represented by some of the nation’s most distinguished galleries and
is an Oil Painters of America signature Master painter. A nationally recognized award winning
artist, his paintings have been featured in many publications including The Artists
Magazine, AmericanArtist, North Light books, Art of the
West, Western Art Collector, American Art Collector and has graced the cover
of Southwest Art Magazine. Legg now resides in Estes Park, Colorado where he paints daily in
his studio.
 --

20.  Robert Liberace is equally accomplished in drawing, painting, and
sculpture. His work is inspired by the centuries of knowledge, skill, and
elegance of the old masters. He works in a variety of mediums including
pencil, chalk, pen and ink, watercolor, and oil. Rob has been selected to be
an honorary member of the America China Oil Painting Artists League.
Robert received his B.F.A. and M.F.A. from George Washington
University. He is represented by the Arcadia Gallery in New York
City, the John Pence Gallery in San Francisco, and the M Gallery in
Charleston. Rob lives with his wife, illustrator Lina Liberace, and their
two daughters in their 1910 Virginia home which has turned out to be a
never-ending renovation project.

21.  Carol Marine holds her BFA in Studio Art, with a focus
in painting from the University of Texas in Austin. On
October 5, 2006, Carol began the process of doing one
small painting a day and posting them on her blog.

22.  Growing up in Sitka, Alaska, Kim developed an appreciation for
nature and enthusiasm for birds. After graduating from Western
Washington University with degrees in Biology and
Chemistry, Kim worked as an analytical/ research chemist, but
soon volunteered with the United States Peace Corps, in
Botswana, Africa. Upon returning to the States, Kim focused her
efforts on creating a career dedicated to birds. She actively works
as an ornithologist, bird trainer, wildlife rehabilitator, field
researcher, and avian artist.

23.  Dreama Tolle Perry’s masterful handling of
color combined with exuberant brush work
results in paintings that stir the senses. She has
published two books, The Artist’s Toolbox and
Let There Be Love.

24.  David’s education as a painter began with the
Art Students League in New York City. David
Leffel was his primary influence and instructor
among the many fine instructors at the League
he was fortunate to study with.

25.  Henry Stinson has the master's touch in both drawing and
painting. His work reflects the old masters that he studied
incessantly. His oils show the influence of Russian
Impressionism, but with Henry's trademark approach. A bit
quirky and more modern, his subjects include heating oil
tanks, VW starters, and Martians. His focus and true love is the
human figure, however, which he conveys with incredibly
graceful and painterly brushstrokes. His drafting skills are superb.

26.  Art and the study of nature have been dual passions for Todd Telander
since his childhood in rural Northern California. He began to seriously
focus on art as a career while attending the University of California at
Santa Cruz. While earning degrees in Environmental Studies and
Biology, he completed a graduate-level program in scientific
illustration, and immediately began work as a freelance artist on a
national and international level. He has since studied fine art
independently in several western states and was awarded an artist's
residency at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. For the past
twenty years he has made his living as a freelance artist.

27.  Dan Thompson was born in Alexandria, Virginia, and graduated from the
Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC. He earned his MFA from the
Graduate School of Figurative Art of the New York Academy of Art, and
supplemented his training with several additional years of private study
and studio apprenticeships along the east coast of the United States. He
has been awarded two grants from the Elizabeth Greenshields
Foundation and has twice received the Ethel Lorraine Bernstein Memorial
Award for Excellence in Painting from the Corcoran College of Art and
Design. In 2001, Thompson won Best of Show in the American Society of
Portrait Artist’s International Portrait Competition at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York.

28.  Mary Whyte's paintings of the people and places of the South
Carolina Low Country are richly narrative. She combines abstract
design with sensitive rendering to produce the dynamic portraits
she is known for. Mary is also an avid teacher and author. She
lives and paints in Charleston, South Carolina and teaches
painting workshops across the country.

29.  Zhaoming Wu was born in China and grew up in Guangzhou City. He
received his BFA from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art China and his
MFA from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. Since 1983, he
has been exhibiting his work in Asia, Europe, the United States and other
countries around the world. He has won numerous awards, including the
Merit Award at the 6th National Art Exhibition in Beijing, China, the
Gustafson Fund Award, the National Oil and Acrylic Painter's Society
(US) Award, 1st place in the 9th Biennial National Figure Painting and
Drawing Exhibition, Second Prize Winner in International Artist
magazine's Challenge No. 4 (Aug/Sept 2001), and the Daler-Rowney
Award from the Oil Painters of America.

30.  "I paint and I teach. I paint people, I paint landscapes and I paint
anything that inspires me to mix colors and brush them on canvasses.
Galleries, private collectors, and commissioned clients are those to whom
my paintings went. I teach drawing, I teach painting and I teach anything
that my students like to share with me. Many years I have taught, and
still I am teaching full time at the Academy of Art University in San
Francisco. I've seen energetic students, I've seen sleepy students, life is
delicious—as long as one is happy.”