The Sharon Arts School of Art and Craft Faculty

Faculty Biographies (In alphabetical order by last name.)

VLADIMIR BARSUKOV: PhD in physics and mathematics from St. Petersburg University in Russia. He shows his work at galleries throughout New England. He is a member of the Cambridge and Concord Art Associations in MA. www.perpetualmobiles.com

JOHN BAYMORE: Professor of ceramics at New Hampshire Institute of Art and has a 40+ year career as a ceramist. He has spent time studying, working, and exhibiting in Japan and his work is included in numerous public collections in Japan and Korea. He has twice been guest lecturer at Tokyo National University of Fine Art and was recipient of the Judges Special Prize in the Mashiko, Japan Ceramics Competition. John has been a presenter at N.C.E.C.A. conferences four times, and was a featured artist at the Alabama Clay Conference. In 2012, his formal teabowls have been included in the Kansas City Teabowl National, The Contemporary Art of the Chawan Invitational at Cavin-Morris Gallery in NYC, Chawan Expo 2012 at Gallery Yusai in Nara, Japan, MunGyeong Teabowl Competition in MunGyeong South Korea, and the N.C.E.C.A. Chawan Invitational at Tacoma College in Seattle.

GUY BIECHELE : Member of a group of 21 international photographers showcasing state-of-the-art digital photography in exhibits in Japan, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and the US. Guy especially enjoys outdoor photography, and his preferred subjects are New England landscapes, Maine coast seascapes, lighthouses, architecture and wildlife. www.guybiechele.com CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GUY BIECHELE.

GYAKYI BONSU-ANANE: Has worked in the field of multimedia for over 20 years. Taught multimedia production at The New School for Social Research, The City College of New York, and Franklin Pierce College. He also works at the Peterborough Camera Shop.

FRANKIE BRACKLEY-TOLMAN: Signature member of the New England Watercolor Society; she is a full-time painter whose paintings have been accepted into many national, regional and local juried exhibits. Represented by the Mill Brook Gallery in Concord, NH, Art 3 Gallery in Manchester, NH, and Redmond/ Bennett Gallery in Dublin, NH, she is a juried artist at the SAC Gallery. www.frankiebrackleytolman.com

SHANA BRAUTIGAM: owns Rooted in Clay pottery studio in Rindge, NH. There she creates hand-built wood-fired pottery, instruments, and sculptures. Shana is a state juried member of the League of NH Craftsmen, and sells her work throughout New England. She is also on the NH State Council on the Arts artist roster, and teaches classes, workshops, and school residencies. www.rootedinclay.com

ROBERT K. CARSTEN, PSA, CPS: Robert Carsten is a nationally acclaimed, award-winning artist who teaches workshops from Maine to Florida. Recipient of a Juror’s Choice Award at this year’s national exhibition at the Southern Vermont Art Center, he is a regular contributing writer to the Artist’s Magazine and the Pastel Journal and is a board member of the Pastel Society of America He is a much sought-after exhibitions juror, and his works have appeared in many publications. www.robertcarsten.com

ELEANOR CLOUGH: Earned a BFA from New Hampshire Institute of Art after studying fine art and print making at UNH, Durham NH, and printmaking at Santa Reparata School of Art in Florence, Italy. Studied Graphic Art at Rivier College, Nashua NH. Found employment as illustrator and graphic designer at Kenmore Stamp and Softside Magazine in Milford NH. Presently works as art instructor at The Villa Augustina Academy, Goffstown NH, Currier Art Center and New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester NH.

BARBARA DANSER: Received a BFA at the University of Colorado. Studied at the Silvermine School with Charles Reid and David Boyajian, as well as drawing with James Aponovich at Sharon Arts. Founder of the Pastel Society of New Hampshire. Barbara has been juried into shows at the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery in Portsmouth, at the Sharon Arts Gallery, and has participated in the Dublin Art Studio Tour, Monadnock Art Auction and Keene Art Walk. In 2009 and 2011 Barbara served as curator of two contemporary artists’ exhibitions at the Jaffrey Civic Center, and in 2006 she curated the Pastel Society of NH exhibition at Sharon Arts Gallery. Barbara’s paintings and sculpture are represented in New Hampshire at the Mill Brook Gallery and Sculpture Garden in Concord. Conducted plein air painting workshops in the American Southwest and in Italy from 1996 to 2007.

HAL DANSER: Hal designs and creates unique contemporary glass jewelry in his Jaffrey studio. He is a juried member of the SAC Craft Gallery, is represented in select galleries throughout the United States, and participates in the Dublin Art Colony Open Studio Tour. www.DanserArt.com/

PETER DIXON: earned his BFA from Pratt Institute and has 18 years’ worth of experience teaching a wide variety of studio courses. Peter also teaches at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. Presently focused on the square as a format, he primarily uses the classical Renaissance technique of creating a monochromatic underpainting that is then glazed with transparent oil color. He has been represented by galleries in Concord, NH, Boston, MA, and Cape Cod.

JANET DUCHESNEAU: BA, Green Mountain College, VT; studied with Gerry Williams, NH’s artist laureate; ceramic artist and instructor for over 35 years; juried member of the League of NH Craftsmen. She has taught in clay at SAC since the 1980s, and now teaches in glass as well. She has studied glass with Jordana Korsen, Bandhu Dunham and Nancy Tobey (at Snow Farm), and with Marta Bernbaum. Janet’s work is available at the SAC Fine Craft Gallery, League shops, Tates Gallery (New Boston, NH), Woodworkers Gallery (Milford, NH), and in various shops in Newport, RI. Recently she has been working on collaborative pieces with Joy Raskin, SAC’s jewelry faculty.

SEAN DWYER: Sean is a regional artist specializing in figure painting and drawing from his studio in Harrisville, NH. He has taught Comic, Manga, and Anime illustration for over a decade at the Sharon Arts Center and at the DeCordova Museum Schools. He Graduated from the Philadelphia University of the Arts in 1984 and is thrilled to share his knowledge and expertise with artists of all levels of ability.

LAURA EDWARDS: earned her BA in Art with a focus in Art History from Plymouth State University, and a MAT in Museum Education from The George Washington University. She had an internship in education with The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, MD, an internship with AFTA (Arts For The Aging), in Washington D.C., and has worked on a few projects with the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Laura has also been an AmeriCorps Vista and an after-school arts instructor. She is a mixed media artist interested in Eco Art.

MARYLISE REILLY FAJAL: MFA Sorbonne University in Paris, France and an MA in English/French. Studied at The Art Academy in Paris, The Montparnasse Art Academy, and The Louvre Museum. International Career from 1985 to today includes Painted in Oils and Watercolors for over 30 years. Widely exhibited in the US and abroad (Paris, France, Syrian Cultural Center, Pavillon Baltard Damascus, Syria, National art event sponsored by the French Cultural Center and Syrian Culture Ministry), she has also had solo exhibits in Switzerland, Germany, England, Portugal, Paris, France and south of France. A working artist/educator, Marylise splits her time between several public and private schools and non-profits. www.Marylisefajal.com

LIZ FLETCHER: Since graduating from Massachusetts College of Art in 1970, Liz has been working in clay as a sculptor, potter, and teacher. Concern about human impacts on the land led her to pursue a Masters degree in Resource Management at Antioch. For the next 15 years she worked part-time with the Nashua River Watershed Association, doing open space planning and coordinating their Greenway program. She has always continued her clay work on a limited production basis, concentrating on clay sculpture, combined with teaching at regional art centers in NH. Liz aims to encourage students to surprise themselves by tapping into their own imaginations. Liz is a juried exhibiting member of the NH Art Association and the League of NH Craftsmen. Her work has been exhibited in New England and as far as Georgia, Texas, and the state of Washington. She has won prizes in several regional exhibitions: Fitchburg Art Museum, League of NH Craftsmen Annual Juried Exhibition, and Sharon Arts Center Juried Exhibition. Through the NH Arts Council’s Percent for Art Program, Liz created a clay mural for the Health and Human Services Building in the state capital.

CONNIE GRAY: BS, Skidmore College; has taught Weaving and Fiber Arts for 20 years at SAC, also studied with Leslie Voiers, Nell Znamierowski, and taught at Harrisville Designs, NE Weavers Seminar, Fiber Arts Center, Amherst, MA, and privately. Also has studied Polymer Clay with Tory Hughes, Kathleen Dustin, Sandra McCaw, Marcia Herson, and Donna Kato. A workshop junkie! Member of National and Regional Guilds.

SAM GUAY: “Sam Guay was raised by crows in the Great North Woods. After acquiring ancient leafy wisdom from her telepathic tree mentors she was sent off into the world of humans. She discovered the Maine College of Art where she learned the art of Illustration. With nature and myth as the central muse for her work, she spends her spare time fortune-telling, meandering, and having tea parties with her corvid kin and beloved feline son, Doctor Meriwether.” http://samanthaguay.wordpress.com/

MARY ISELIN: Mary studied painting at McGill University and with Robert Higgins, Alex Farquharson, and Robert Collier. Her work is on display at SAC’s Juried Artist Gallery and Monadnock Fine Art Gallery in Keene, NH. www.maryiselinfineart.com

ERYK JADASZEWSKI: Creator of replica armor and the owner/operator of Polish Hussar Supply Plus Dublin, NH, Eryk creates custom pieces of 16th- and 17thcentury Eastern European-style armor for re-enactors and collectors. A full suit of his hand-fashioned “Winged Hussar” armor was commissioned by and is in the permanent collection of the Polish Center Museum Chicopee, Mass. Eryk is also a professionally trained horticulturist for over 25 years. He holds certifications as a Nursery Professional, Landscape Contractor, and Arborist. Currently owner/operator of Moose Maple Nursery Dublin, NH. www.moosemaplenursery.com and www.polishhussarsupply.com

NANCY LEFKO: Nancy is a regional artist specializing in collage and mixed media. With a Master’s Degree in Education, Nancy taught elementary school for many years before starting a family and now combines her love of art with her passion for teaching. She teaches online workshops in collage and mixed media and her artwork has been collected internationally. She has been published numerous times in Somerset Studio; Cloth, Paper, Scissors; Art Journaling by Somerset Studio and Somerset Studio Gallery magazines. www.mycollageart.com.

AMY MACGREGOR-RADIN:has been creating white line woodcuts, also known as Provincetown prints, since 2002 after being inspired to learn the technique by an exhibit at The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Amy is drawn to a scene, view of the horizon, or particular angle of an object. These are her favorite things to portray in woodcuts, in part as a way of memorizing them. She enjoys experimenting with this hand-printing technique and relishes the freedom to play with wood, color and shapes as this method allows. Each year she participates in exhibits around Greater Boston and her work is currently available through 13forest Gallery in East Arlington, MA, The Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown, MA, The Sharon Arts Center in Peterborough, NH, and The Sign of the Dove in Newton. She has studied the white line technique with Ruth Hogan, Willy Reddick, Christian Kozaki, and Kathryn Smith. She has degrees from Michigan State University and Boston University. http://www.amymcgregorradin.com/

MARIA M. MEAD: “Mia” graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and moved to Peterborough, NH in 2008. Trained in oil painting but now working primarily in watercolor, she currently teaches in Boston. She paints throughout New England and France where she and her late husband traveled each year. Member of the Salmagundi Club in New York City she shows there, at the Rhode Island Watercolor Society and has paintings in various small collections in the U.S.

MAUREEN MILLS: one of 2012’s NH Council on the Arts Fellows and is the Ceramics Department Chair at the New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester, NH. She has worked with her husband Steve Zoldak at their pottery studio in Portsmouth NH for 25 years creating slip decorated stoneware.

JAMES MITSCHMYER: BFA, Maine College of Art in 2005 (ceramics); studied at The International Workshop for the Ceramic Arts in Tokoname, Japan. He uses various throwing and hand-building techniques to communicate spiritual ideas. James is the Clay Studio Manager at SAC. www.jamesmitschmyer.com

KARRIE MITSCHMYER: earned her BFA from Maine College of Art, focusing on extensive study and practice in clay and metal arts. Karrie participated in the International Workshop for Ceramic Arts (IWCAT) in Tokoname, Japan, where she studied Japanese ceramics, culture and woodfiring techniques. Karrie also holds a Master’s Degree in Art Education from Plymouth State University and is currently a professional art educator with a focus on ceramics.

JOE MONTROY: MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology, BA from State University of New York at Potsdam, AFA from Munson Williams Proctor Institute, and a Certificate of Art Education from Saint Lawrence University. Joe teaches drawing, design and sculpture at Lakes Region Community College, and has taught at a wide variety of other institutions, such as Chester College of New England, Exeter Center for the Creative Arts, Andres Institute of Art, Old Forge Arts Center, Kimball Jenkins School of Art, and Rochester Institute of Technology, among others. He has participated in demos, lectures and conferences throughout the United States, from Louisiana, to Alabama to New York. He currently operates out of Catalyst Studios in Portsmouth, NH doing custom commission metalwork. www.josephmontroy.com

RACHEL MONTROY: MFA in Ceramics from the School for American Crafts in Rochester, NY and a BA in Studio Art, with a concentration in ceramics, from UNH. In conjunction with teaching, Rachel is a ceramic sculptor and a potter. She regularly exhibits her work in galleries and is in private collections throughout the region. You can visit her website for more information and to see her work- www.rachelmontroy.com

ROBERT O’BRIEN: has been a watercolor painter for over 30 years, focusing on landscape and architectural studies. He is featured in American Watercolor Magazine (2003) and in Splash 9, The Best of Watercolor (Oct. 2006.) www.robertjobrien.com

JULIE PüTTGEN: lives with her husband in Lebanon, NH. She attended Yale University (BA, Studio Art) and Georgia State University (MFA, Drawing, Painting and Printmaking). Her practice includes painting, book arts, public art, and non-fiction writing. She is passionate about the soul-making and community-building power of the arts. You can find out more about her work at www.turtlenosedsnake.com.

ELLA RANK: Whether as a Waldorf school parent or traveling and living in the US or abroad, the study of artistic traditions formally and informally has shaped Ella’s goals. While living in England, a love of the country’s sheep and their wool has cultivated her creativity towards recreating unique sheep and owls in fleece.

JOY RASKIN: BFA from the RI School of Design, MFA from the Univ. of MA. Joy has studied at Penland School of Crafts, Peters Valley Craftsmen, Haystack Mt. School of Crafts and the Gemology Institute of America and is a juried member of the League of NH Craftsmen and SAC Fine Craft gallery. Her flatware and fine jewelry has sold at various shows, including Craft Boston, Crafts at the Castle, ACC in Baltimore, the Philadelphia Craft Show and the Smithsonian. Her work is in the permanent collection of the White House, the Currier Museum of Art and the League of NH Craftsmen. She has won many awards including an Artist Fellowship from The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. Images of her work have been published in The Crafts Report, Boston Globe, Metalsmith and Southern Accents. www.joyraskin.com

CHRIS REID: Chris Reid has received numerous awards including the “Best in Show,” National Northeast Pastel Exhibition and the Pastel Journal Award, Pastel Painter’s of Maine’s 7^th annual international juried exhibit. Working en plein air, Reid’s work is “rich in color… landscapes with powerful abstract elements” (Art New England) Chris’s work can be seen at Gallery 4 India Street, Nantucket, MA, Aries East Gallery, Brewster, MA, Art 3, Manchester, NH, Sharon Arts Center, Peterborough, NH and the Shaker Style, Chesham, NH. Chris is a member of the NH Art Association, the Pastel Society of America, and NH Pastel Societies. Chris has taught art classes for all age levels in public and private schools as well as landscape painting at the NH Art Institute and workshops at the Sharon Arts Center.

ALEXIA ROSOFF: received her BA from Williams College, in Art History and studio art, and an MA in Visual Media Arts from Emerson College. Alexia has studied communication design and digital fine art at MassArt, digital filmmaking at the New York Film Academy, and was a docent at the Harvard Art Museums. Her teaching goals are to encourage experimentation, to combine history and academic techniques with the vitality of new ideas, and to create a supportive classroom environment.

L.P. RUNYON: BFA in Sculpture from Maine College of Art. His work has been included in many group and solo exhibitions throughout the country. Metalwork includes fine art sculpture, production furniture, and commercial installations. He is also a teacher and coach at the Dublin School.

CYNTHIA LIEBLER SAARI: Cynthia Liebler Saari has been making jewelry and glass beads since 1995. Her work has been included in “1000 Glass Beads,” Lapidary Journal, the “Obsession” catalog, and other publications. Guest presenter at the Peabody Essex Museum, lampwork exhibition curator at Brookfield Craft Center, lampwork program founding consultant Corcoran College of Art and Design, and nationally recognized instructor, her work is known for its painterly compositions and use of color. Adjunct professor, Nichols College. www.clsaari.com

GARY SAMSON: Gary Samson is recognized as an accomplished fine arts photographer and photo educator. In 1984 he received a fellowship from the NH Council on the Arts for his environmental portraits of NH artists and writers. His work is included in the permanent collections of the Currier Museum of Art, the New Hampshire Institute of Art, the State of New Hampshire, the Art Galleries at the University of New Hampshire as well as private collections. As Filmmaker, Gary has produced ten films reflecting the history and culture of the State of New Hampshire. These documentary and dramatic films have been aired locally, and nationally on cable broadcasts such as Cinemax, as well as on commercial and public television stations. His best known films, A World Within A World: The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company and Milltown, are sensitive portrayals of Manchester’s textile mills and the people who labored in them. In 1982 He organized and curated an exhibition on the Franco-American experience in New Hampshire which has traveled to Canada and France as well as throughout New England. After producing a film on the life of internationally acclaimed portrait photographer Lotte Jacobi, Gary spent six years with Ms. Jacobi cataloging her archive of 47,000 negatives which were donated to the University of New Hampshire in 1981. Gary has also written several books on New Hampshire history including A World Within a World: Manchester, The Mills, and the Immigrant Experience and Capitol Views: A Photographic History of Concord, New Hampshire 1850-1930. In 2001 he was appointed Chair of the Photography Department at the New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester, NH.

ROBERT SEAMAN: A graduate of Williams College, Artist in Residency at The Legacy Publishing Group, freelance illustrator. His work is available at the SAC Juried Artist Gallery. www.368art.com CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ROBERT SEAMAN.

NANCY TOBEY: A life-long love of glass brought Nancy Tobey to bead-making in 1996. Her work in borosilicate glass is both colorful, and sculptural. Nancy shares her love of handmade glass through teaching and exhibiting in venues throughout the country. See her work online at www.nancytobey.com

CELESTE WASILEWSKA: Celeste earned her BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and from Tufts University. She also earned a M.Ed. from Antioch New England. Celeste’s teaching experience hails from the DeCordova Museum School, Harrisville Designs, Snow Farm, Worcester Center for Craft, and the NH Institute of Art.