Drawing + Painting

At the completion of the fourth semester or when a transfer student has completed the first two years of studio classes, students are prompted to submit to the Advancement Review, which is a held twice a year at the end of each semester. A panel of chosen faculty review submissions and the student is given the results showing scores of: Excellent, Above Average, Average, or Below Average in: Drawing, Figure Drawing, Anatomy, Beginning Painting, Perspective and Color Theory. If a student falls below average, they are asked to remediate and re-submit the category for approval. Failure to pass the AR will result in the student being withheld from entering senior status.

This course covers figure drawing from the draped and undraped model, emphasizing accurate representation of anatomy, proportion, gesture, weight, balance, structure, and light-logic in a variety of drawing media. An introduction to portrait drawing with attention given to individual features: eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair and skeletal structure as they relate to the entire human head.

This course is an introduction to painting the draped and undraped life model with an emphasis on value control, shape design, temperature shifts, and paint application. Students learn methods to convincingly depict the life model through the study of light sources and color palettes using direct and indirect painting methods. The course also includes an introduction to portrait painting with an emphasis on accurate representation of the head and upper torso.

This painting course emphasizes accurate representation, composition, light logic, advanced color mixing, and further study of materials and techniques. Students paint primarily from observation, but also in combination with photographic sources. Subject matter includes still life and landscape. Historical and contemporary approaches and concepts are explored.

This course is designed to further the study of the human form through 3D media. Students will learn to build form using effective visual observation and analytical understanding of construction, gesture, movement and anatomy, while working from life models and referencing anatomical aides. The use of volumetric proportional systems and working from profiles is stressed, as is the construction and understanding of form. Technical procedures of clay modeling, use of tools, use of and construction of armatures will be addressed. Students will become familiar with important figurative sculptors and consider the issues facing the creation of figurative sculpture in a contemporary art context. Figure drawing will be a key element in this course. Course work includes: 1/3-life figures, 1/4- Life figures both quick study and long pose, Life size or 1/2-Life portraiture, analytical and observational figure drawing.

This course is a continuation of painting the life model, emphasizing observation and accurate representation with an emphasis on color and figure ground relationships. Students convincingly depict the life model through the study of light sources, color palettes, and compositional devices using various painting techniques. Students learn to make visual and artistic decisions in the context of historical and contemporary painting methods.

This course includes drawing and painting from the model and reference, with emphasis on accurate representation of the head and upper torso. Students examine structure and surface anatomy, light sources, color relationships, and compositional devices. Historical and contemporary approaches to portraiture are referenced from a technical and functional standpoint within the context in which the artwork was produced. An attempt to pursue the “essence of likeness” of an individual will drive the course content. Direct and Indirect painting will be covered.

This advanced painting course provides students the opportunity to master the art of high-energy quick painting. Class projects stress color theory, composition, paint handling, subject matter, experimentation and self-directed projects. Building confidence though decision-making is a key component to this course. This course enables the advanced student to focus on developing their own visual language and methodology while engaging in critical engagement with faculty and peers.

In this hands-on, project based class, students investigate traditional and contemporary drawing and painting materials and techniques. Designed to enhance the quality of students’ studio art practice,t his course is a practical guide to understanding the tools, materials and techniques for oil painting. Topics include traditional hand-made pigments, printmaking techniques, mixing mediums, solvent safety, frame building and canvas and panel building and preparation. This course will also touch on professional practices and how to showcase oil paintings in both a traditional setting and a digital format.

This course explores interpretive drawing and experimentation with drawing media and inventive techniques through group engagement and self generated projects. Projects include mental mapping, superimposed Pentimento printmaking, Cyanotype, and mixed media. Media include charcoal, pastels, watercolor, inks, natural gesso, printmaking.

This advanced course provides opportunities for students to work intensively from the life model using a variety of media. Development of visual languages and methodologies are encouraged through self-generated projects and critical engagement with faculty and peers. Projects address a range of contemporary approaches and explorations in the relationships between style and meaning.

This immersive studio class focuses on self-generated projects and critical engagement through individual critiques, open discussions, guest lecturers, and museum visits. Individual studio practice, research, and methods of creating preparatory work will be a key component to this course. Students will be able to place their own projects into the broader context of contemporary art and develop meaningful tools using campus resources to generate ongoing research for long-term investigation.

The primary objective of this course is to guide students in producing and assembling a body of work that is cohesive in methodology and concept and exemplifies the students' direction or focus in their studio practice. Under faculty supervision, the student first develops a proposal that defines the parameters of the project, such as the number of pieces, conceptual concerns, stylistic direction, and technical scope. Students are then guided in preparing a body of work based upon personal choice, strengths, and interests. Individual and group critiques are scheduled with faculty and guest artists throughout the semester. Fine Arts seniors have an opportunity to work independently in a private studio.

The primary objective of this course is to guide students in producing and assembling a body of work that is cohesive in methodology and concept and exemplifies the students' direction or focus in their studio practice. Under faculty supervision, the student first develops a proposal that defines the parameters of the project, such as the number of pieces, conceptual concerns, stylistic direction, and technical scope. Students are then guided in preparing a body of work based upon personal choice, strengths, and interests. Individual and group critiques are scheduled with faculty and guest artists throughout the semester. Fine Arts seniors have an opportunity to work independently in a private studio. The culmination of this course results in the annual Senior Exhibition held in the LCAD Gallery. This course must be taken the last semester prior to graduation.

This is a comprehensive drawing course that covers technical and observational skills necessary to create convincing representations of simple and complex still-life forms. Students are introduced to applied perspective drawing to strengthen their ability to communicate ideas using drawing media. Topics covered are composition, creating volume and space utilizing lines as measurement, construction drawing, linear perspective systems and basic light logic. Materials include graphite and charcoal.

This course is an introduction to drawing the human form that explores observational and imaginative drawing techniques using graphite and charcoal. Students work from the draped and undraped model. Emphasis is on accurate representation of the figure utilizing observation with the elements of gesture, measurement, construction line, volume, proportion, and surface anatomy. Materials include graphite and charcoal.

This course is designed to introduce the student to three-dimensional thinking and composition as it applies to the human form. Students will learn to render form using effective visual observation and measuring techniques, while working from live models. The use of linear and volumetric proportional systems is stressed, as is the construction and understanding of form. Technical procedures of clay modeling, basic use of tools, and proper use of the armature (its orientation in relation to the model) will be addressed. Materials used: oil clay.

This course is an introduction to direct oil painting working from observation and photographic references, with an emphasis on color theory applied to pigments and composition design. Historical and contemporary best practices with materials and indirect techniques are introduced. Projects include working from still life, concept building using color theory, and applying compositional elements to illustrate the artist’s intent. Materials used: oil paints

This course will introduce the technical skills necessary for creating and processing digital imagery for use as reference for paintings and drawings. Topics covered will include practical information on using digital cameras, processing imagery in Photoshop, the use of studio lighting and techniques for documenting artwork. Basic tools in Photoshop for use in creating compositions from multiple photographic sources will also be covered. Digital SLR cameras can be checked out from IT and basic Photoshop software will be required.

This course combines classroom and field activities and covers topics such as self promotion and online marketing techniques, working with galleries and museums, admission into graduate school, applying to residencies and professional organizations, entrepreneurship and small business practices. Course content includes development of an artist statement, resume, CV, social media, and a professional website. Resources include guest artists, speakers of interest, guest panels and field trips.

In this course students learn techniques and processes of creating maquettes and fantasy sculpture in oil and polymer clay. Working from self-directed multi-view drawings and reference materials students design and build armatures and go through steps required to create dynamic and detailed sculptures. With demonstrations and personalized critiques, students explore dynamic sculpture design concepts, small-scale tool making and texture/detail application.

This course is an introduction to water-based media with an emphasis on transparent watercolor. Students learn the techniques of flat washes, graduated washes, and wet-into-wet applications. Stretching paper, transparent glazes, dry brush, and experimental techniques are also explored. Subjects include still life, landscape, portrait and interior environments.

This course involves half life to full life sculpting from the model with emphasis on accurate depiction of the figure, compositional elements, and the analysis of aesthetic relationships. Students explore figurative sculptural ideologies and the history of figurative sculpture as a contemporary art form. Experimentation and personal expression are encouraged.

This course focuses on techniques and craftsmanship of taking students work from clay to a finished product. An exploration of traditional and modern mold making and casting techniques and materials. This course will cover box molds and multipart bush-up mold making styles and casting in urethane resin, gypsum plaster, and wax to be used in bronze casting, as well as of chasing and finishing techniques for these materials and procedures.

This course takes a deep dive into the Pop-Surrealist movement that came into prominence during the 1960s and the lowbrow underground art movement that developed in Los Angeles, CA in the following decades. This course analyses the social, cultural, and historical contexts that have helped shape this movement and explores leading figures and artists that have contributed to its formation, which solidified its role in the global art arena. Students will conduct in-depth research into various artists through a series of student-led assignments. Assignments are geared towards expanding students' visual vocabularies and will aid them in refining their own artistic voice. Besides developing stylistically unique portfolios, students will position and analyze their own art through the historical and cultural prism of the Pop-Surrealist movement.

This course investigates the design and execution of large-scale paintings as it applies to mural art. Students work in groups to execute a finished mural as the final product of this course. Concept development in relation to location, the use of digital skills for compositing rough designs, and scaling of final designs along with best practices are included in this course. Mural conceptualization, design development, presentation, client considerations, image responsibility, pricing and public art proposals, and grafitti protection coatings will be covered.

This course blends on-location plein air painting and studio practice with the goal of producing developed studio landscapes through the use of color studies, photographic reference and on-site sketches. Course lectures will cover the history of landscape painting as a genre and contemporary landscape painting. Minimal writing assignments will ask students to articulate their line of inquiry within the landscape genre.

This course further develops the use of water-based media. Students are encouraged to work from life, photographs, imagination, and to pursue individual projects. Students are also encouraged to explore the expressive and stylistic range of traditional and opaque watercolor. Research into historical and contemporary watercolor artists, culminating in a short research report to the class.

This course is a faculty-supervised, self-directed examination into individual imagery and professional attitudes with students working from the model to create up to a life-size sculpture. This course encourages students to employ advanced skills and techniques, with an emphasis on representation, invention, experimentation, and sculptural logic derived from comprehension of the figure as a contemporary art form.

Making Art in the Internet Age - This multimedia course explores the production of traditionally executed works of art and their online dissemination. Multiple aspects of the individual artist's Internet presence are investigated and addressed, as are the potentials for utilizing manifold social media platforms for maximum effectiveness in elevating professional visibility. Various methods of constructing visually stimulating imagery are deployed, and field-tested on each student’s personal online accounts. Field-test results are analyzed extensively in classroom discussions. Student discovery and experimentation is supplemented by input from experts in utilizing online formats for circulating aesthetic imagery and furthering occupational interactions.

This advanced course provides further study of drawing and painting techniques. An extensive exploration into more advanced materials: silver point, acrylic, oil, alkyd, watercolor, encaustic, and egg tempera is undertaken. Students focus on a particular technique.

This advanced painting course provides students further opportunities to master the art of high-energy quick painting. Class projects stress color theory, composition, paint handling, subject matter, experimentation, and self-directed projects. Building confidence through decision-making is a key component of this course. This course enables the advanced student to focus on developing their own visual language and methodology while engaging in critical engagement with faculty and peers.

This course further investigates the design and execution of large-scale paintings as it applies to mural art. Students work in groups to execute a finished mural as the final product of this course. Concept development in relation to location, the use of digital skills for compositing rough designs, and scaling of final designs along with best practices are included in this course. Mural conceptualization, design development, presentation, client considerations, image responsibility, pricing and public art proposals, and grafitti protection coatings will be covered.

This advanced course further investigates drawing and painting from the model with emphasis on concept development. Students examine color relationships, a variety of light sources, compositional devices, and conceptual development. Historical and contemporary approaches to portraiture are investigated through student directed portfolio projects. Critical engagement through peer, faculty, and visiting artist critiques is practiced throughout the course.

This course is a faculty-supervised, self-directed examination into individual imagery and professional attitudes with students working from the model to create up to a life-size sculpture. This course encourages students to employ advanced skills and techniques, with an emphasis on representation, invention, experimentation, and sculptural logic derived from comprehension of the figure as a contemporary art form. Critical engagement through peer, faculty, and visiting artist critiques is practiced throughout the course. Mold-Making and casting can be utilized.

This advanced elective course delves into the intersection of on-location plein air painting and studio practice, with an emphasis on producing highly refined studio landscapes. Through a combination of color studies, photographic reference, and on-site sketches, students will develop their artistic skills and create compelling landscapes. Course lectures will explore the history of landscape painting as a genre and contemporary landscape painting, providing students with a deeper understanding of the artistic tradition. Additionally, students will be expected to articulate their individual artistic goals and line of inquiry within the landscape genre through minimal writing assignments.

This advanced Special Topics course provides an opportunity for students to explore painting techniques and develop their own unique style. With an emphasis on representation, invention, and experimentation, students will have the flexibility to delve into self-guided projects that support their senior thesis. Students will have the chance to work from life and various references to create their own personalized approach to the subject matter. The course also includes peer, faculty, and visiting artist critiques to encourage critical engagement and constructive feedback. By the end of the course, students will have honed their advanced skills and gained a deeper understanding of the creative process in painting.

This advanced Special Topics course is designed to help students develop their skills in drawing and painting from observation, while also focusing on concept development. The course emphasizes color relationships, lighting, composition, and conceptual development, providing students with the tools necessary to create powerful and impactful artworks. Through a series of self-directed portfolio projects, students will explore historical and contemporary approaches to portraiture. The course encourages critical engagement through peer, faculty, and visiting artist critiques, providing students with constructive feedback to improve their work. By the end of this course, students will have developed a strong body of work that demonstrates their technical abilities, conceptual understanding, and personal vision. They will also have the skills and knowledge necessary to continue their artistic growth beyond the course.

This internship lab provides students with a supervised, practical learning experience in a work setting that is relevant to their major. Through virtual assignments and workplace projects + training the student will apply what they have learned in their LCAD classes in order to solidify professional goals, test possible career choices, build their networks, and gain a better understanding of employer expectations. This lab is to be taken concurrently with an internship for-credit and is designated as CREDIT/NO CREDIT for up to three (3) units of academic credit. This lab may be repeated one time for credit (a total of 6 units)

This course investigates the history, practice, and visual language of collage. Utilizing varied sources to gather images and found objects, students will investigate and research interpersonal connections to images and objects they feel connected too. This course is structured around three main projects that seek to expand the creative, technical, and conceptual possibilities, all while aspiring to push the boundaries within the media of collage.

James Galindo (b. 1983) is a Southern California oil painter and a graduate of Laguna College of Art & Design’s bachelors and masters programs. He is currently represented by Dawson Cole Fine Art in Palm Desert, CA, where he exhibits three dimensional paintings on glass and acrylic. Notable commissions include paintings for the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam, Netherlands, Green Valley Hospital in Tucson, AZ, and artwork featured in various shows and advertisements in the Los Angeles TV industry. James has taught at a number of art studios and colleges in Southern California, including Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, Brentwood Art Center, Kazone Art Academy, FT Art Academy, Rio Hondo College, Saddleback College, Orange Coast College and Laguna College of Art and Design. James has more than 15 years of teaching experience and specializes in foundation level drawing and painting.

Matt Dickson teaches Life Drawing and Intermediate/Advanced Drawing at New School for the Arts and throughout the greater Phoenix area. He holds a BFA in Fine Art from Laguna College of Art & Design and also studied at Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Arts. In addition to his collegiate studies he also spent more than two years studying privately under portrait painter Adrian Gottlieb. During that time he developed a strong passion for classical techniques and the fine arts which is reflected in his teachings as well as his own art work. He currently works in oil, charcoal and produces decorative carpentry. Matt is also an exhibiting artist who has shown his work locally as well as in New York and Los Angeles.
www.mattdickson.net

A native of southern California, Elizabeth McGhee has exhibited at the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach since 2010.Her work has been displayed in museums and universities across the country, and she is both nationally and internationally collected. She is represented by Gallery Henoch in New York, NY.

www.elizabethmcghee.com

Sue Greenwood Fine Art, Laguna Art Museum, Terry Martin Gallery, Meyer Fine Art
Jason Kowalski was raised in the Upper Midwest and moved to Laguna Beach, CA in 2005 to study painting at Laguna College of Art and Design. Jason's professional career began with great success when in 2009 his first solo exhibition at Terrence Rogers Fine Art in Santa Monica, CA sold out in the first two weeks. He's been exhibiting in California and throughout the country ever since and continues to recieve acclaim as a tremendous talent in the representational painting world. In 2012 Jason and his wife relocated to the banks of the Mississippi River in Maiden Rock, WI. There he finds inspiration in the beauty of the river landscape, history of the towns, buildings, and locals.
"New things that have fresh coats of paint and clean lines command our visual awareness. Things that have been used and worn out are often naively labeled unattractive. My work is both a statement of the effect of time on a location, as well as a vehicle to arouse attention to things that are often forgotten. Growing up in the Midwest I was constantly surrounded by things that deteriorated over the natural course of time. Human nature dictates that we ignore or look past such blemishes. Abandoned and left in a state of neglect places and things are consumed and discarded like pieces of trash. Using different types of paint and mixed media, I hope to bring awareness to the forgotten beauty of those locations by creating a body of work that stimulates memories one has about the places I paint. Ultimately, my goal is to create contemporary paintings that somehow brings this unique and quickly departing beauty back to social awareness."
www.jasonkowalski.com

Sullivan Goss Gallery / Women Painting Women Founder
Alia E. El-Bermani was raised in a small town just south of Boston, where she spent most of her childhood enjoying the outdoors and discovering the natural history of the south shore of Massachusetts.
Alia El-Bermani started her art training as a young child at the North River Arts Society, which is a small community run association for people, of all ages, interested in the visual arts. She showed early promise earning a Silver Key in the national Scholastic Art competition held at the World Trade Center in Boston. In 1994, she briefly attended Roger Williams University in Bristol Rhode Island a large liberal arts college which didn't quite have the clear focus that Ms. El-Bermani was seeking. In 1996 she transferred to Laguna College of Art and Design in Laguna Beach California which is known for its strong emphasis on classical figurative training.
While studying at Laguna College of Art and Design Alia El-Bermani received the Plotkin Award for Excellence in Fine Arts. Then, in 2000 she received her BFA from LCAD, summa com laude. Ever since, she has enjoyed continued success as a fine artist. She is currently represented by two premier galleries, Sullivan Goss Gallery in Santa Barbara California, and The Loft Galeria in Puerto Vallarta Mexico. This talented young painter has had five Solo Exhibitions. Her figurative and still life paintings and drawings have been included in several group shows across the country as well as showcased in Museums such as the Palm Springs Desert Museum in California, the Anchorage Museum of History and Art in Alaska, the West Valley Art Museum in Arizona and most recently, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art in Toronto. Several articles have been written on her work in such prestigious periodicals as Art Week, The Independent and LA Weekly. She currently lives and works in Cary, NC with her husband and two young, talented children.
www.alia-fineart.com

California Art Club, Art Renewal Center, Southwest Art, The Artist's Magazine
Candice Bohannon is an American contemporary representational artist. She was born in Sacramento, CA in 1982. Raised in the rural forested landscape of the foothills of the sierra nevada mountains, her naturalistic aesthetic in art was honed from an early age. After high school, Bohannon enrolled in art college, and after intense studies in painting, drawing, sculpting, art history, philosophy and aesthetics, she graduated from the Laguna College of Art and Design in 2005 with a BFA in painting/drawing and a minor in sculpture. It was there at LCAD that Candice met her future husband, fellow artist and best friend, Julio Reyes. After nearly 10 years in southern California, they moved back to rural northern California where they currently reside.
Bohannon's artwork, an often-brooding combination of emotive figurative pieces and intensely studied works from life and nature, has already garnered the attention of many fine art connoisseurs, trade publications and artists. Her body of work expresses immense waves of controlled power and emotional sensitivity as she looks out at the world and attempts to share through art the touchingly sincere philosophical search for truth and meaning in our human existence. The artist describes much of her work's content as: the invisible yet perceptible quality of awareness, emotions, experiences, memories and expectations, the ethereal nature of the human soul and a searching for comfort and familiarity in the sublime unknown. Here is a refreshing example of a contemporary figurative artist who is not a cynical postmodern artist or a clinical academic realist. Bohannon's soulful work is firmly planted the inexplicably complex nature of human existence.
www.candicebohannon.com

Andrew Myers Studio
Andrew Myers was born in Braunshweig, Germany, and raised in Ciudad Real, Spain. He now resides in Laguna Beach, California, where he has lived since attending the Laguna College of Art and Design (formerly the Art Institute of Southern California). The first time he set foot in the classroom, he was amazed to see students depicting live nude models in clay; a seemingly archaic art form he had only seen in books.
Distinct. Expressive. Tactile.
These are perhaps the three most fitting words to describe Andrew's unique brand of contemporary artwork. But linguistic descriptions fail to adequately capture the progressive mixed media works he creates with screws, oil paint, charcoal, bronze, cement, and found objects. To truly experience Andrew's art, it must be seen and even touched.
One of the artist's favorite memories was watching a blind man experience his work for the first time. As the man ran his hands over a large three-dimensional portrait tediously constructed with tens of thousands of screws over hundreds of man hours, his blank expression suddenly transformed into a warm smile. He could feel what others could only see.
www.andrewmyersart.com

Stefan Cummings was born in Washington, the fourth of seven children. Possessed of an avid interest in psychology and history, Stefan has always had a deep love of portraiture, one that lead him to the Atelier of Mark Kang-O'Higgins, in Seattle, where he was immersed in the study of the figure and the old masters. He was then able to obtain a full tuition scholarship at Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD), continuing his study of traditional drawing and painting while obtaining his Bachelor of Fine Arts.
Like the Impressionists and Call to Order artists at the turn of the 20th century, Stefan reconciles traditional art forms with the realities of the present era. His landscapes and portraits make use of light, texture and gesture to convey the ethereal isolation of the suburbs, incorporating elements of realism and abstraction to bridge the past to the present.
Stefan is currently the youngest exhibitor at the Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts and his drawings can be found in collections throughout the United States. He will graduate with honors from LCAD in 2015.
www.stefancummings.com

South Coast Art Center
Brianna Lee is a native California artist with a love of beauty and the human form. Born into an artistic family in Visalia, CA, her passion for art was encouraged and nurtured at a young age. Her work is a continuous search for the intrinsic beauty of all life around her. She gleans inspiration from the people she meets, the abundance of nature and Dutch masters such as Vermeer, Rembrandt and Rubens.
She studied Fine Art, Education and Western Art History at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Ms. Lee later moved to Los Angeles to study contemporary and traditional painting techniques under artists such as Ignat Ignatov, Aaron Westerberg and Adrian Gottlieb. Ms. Lee opened her studio doors to students in 2009 and has since taught for Glendale Community College and Kline Academy of Art.
In addition to building a successful teaching career, Ms. Lee is advancing her degree at Laguna College of Art and Design while accepting commissions and showing her work in select exhibitions throughout Los Angeles and Laguna Beach, CA.
www.briannaleefineart.com

Grand Central Atelier's Water Street Atelier New York
Angela (b. 1977) grew up in the Bay Area of California. She received her BFA from Laguna College of Art and Design and, after teaching for a few years, pursued classical training under the mentorship of Jacob Collins at the Grand Central Atelier's Water Street Atelier. She now teaches at her own studio, in Asheville, NC, as well as part time at the Grand Central Atelier, the Beaux-Arts Atelier in New York City and many workshops nation wide. Angela is a recipient of various awards including the Morris and Alma Schapiro Achievement Award, the ARC Scholarship First Prize Award, and the Alfred Ross Achievement Award.
www.angelacunninghamfineart.com

Alla Bartoshchuk is a storyteller at heart and uses symbolic imagery to tell those stories. The symbols in her work are usually implied and are not always used in a literal sense. Rather they are private, imaginative images that arise from the depth of the psyche and embrace the surreal quality of dreams, fantasies and premonitions. She often employs human body to tell a story and convey specific emotions. Even the tiniest movement of a muscle isn't arbitrary. Every detail, every movement adds to the drama of the overall painting. Born in Rivne Ukraine, Alla received her BFA from Memphis College of Art (2010) and later completed her MFA at Laguna College of Art and Design (2013). She currently lives and works in Huntington Beach, CA.

Alejandro Buchner was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina where his passion and career in the visual arts began. Alejandro studied fine arts at the University of Bellas Artes and trained privately with artist Fernando Arranz. Alejandro has worked as a digital artist developing concepts for animated commercials and advertisements and has worked in concept design for Le Elephant Blanc in Paris, France. Since returning to the United States, Alejandro has exhibited his figurative sculpture throughout Southern California and teaches classical drawing and sculpture in Los Angeles and Orange County.

Matteo Di Ventra is a contemporary painter who works in traditional and digital media. His work has been displayed in multiple galleries on the West Coast. He is currently teaching representational painting at Laguna College of Art and Design as well as other art academy’s in Orange County and Los Angeles. Matteo also works within retirement communities and memory care facilities sharing his passion for art to Seniors.

Averi Endow is a painter from Southern California. He received his Bachelorʼs degree in Drawing + Painting from Laguna College of Art + Design (LCAD) in 2012 where he was a recipient of the Weingart Foundation grant of the West Coast. His work can be found in the permanent collection at LCAD and in the private collections of admirers in and around Orange County. He is currently pursuing his MFA degree in Painting at LCAD and works out of his studio in Aliso Viejo where he also teaches privatel

Ananda Fetherston received her education at the City College of New York in Mathematics and Physics. After discovering the work of painter, Jacob Collins, Ananda chose to abandon her graduate studies to join the prestigious full time student body of the Grand Central Atelier. Upon graduating from the Grand Central Atelier, Ananda assumed the position of Director of Public Programs for the school. She is also currently an instructor there with an emphasis on figure drawing, color theory and materials. Ananda's work is heavily, albeit indirectly, influenced by the quatroccento and the Italian Mannerists. She is the author of "The Whimsy Manifesto", an essay outlining an artistic ethos she calls whimsy. Her work can be found in private collections around the world and she is the recipient of the 2021 Ancient Worlds, Modern Communities grant by the Society for Classical Studies.

James Galindo (b. 1983) is a Southern California oil painter and a graduate of Laguna College of Art & Design’s bachelors and masters programs. He is currently represented by Dawson Cole Fine Art in Palm Desert, CA, where he exhibits three dimensional paintings on glass and acrylic. Notable commissions include paintings for the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam, Netherlands, Green Valley Hospital in Tucson, AZ, and artwork featured in various shows and advertisements in the Los Angeles TV industry. James has taught at a number of art studios and colleges in Southern California, including Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, Brentwood Art Center, Kazone Art Academy, FT Art Academy, Rio Hondo College, Saddleback College, Orange Coast College and Laguna College of Art and Design. James has more than 15 years of teaching experience and specializes in foundation level drawing and painting.

Emily Gordon has a BFA in Illustration and completed 7 years of private study with nationally known artist William Whitaker. Named as an “Artist to Watch” by Riviera magazine, her art has been juried into numerous exhibitions, including the prestigious ARC Salon held by the Art Renewal Center. She received her MFA in Painting from Laguna College of Art + Design and was invited to be a live demonstrator at the Huntington Library’s Brushstrokes: Beyond the Gallery event. Emily currently teaches art at the university level and exhibits her work in galleries in Utah and California.

Graduate Alumni: Painting

Kenny has been a fixture in the Los Angeles art scene since arriving in Venice Beach in 2001. He paints atmospheric interiors, cityscapes, and figure in his work, and has exhibited around the world. Drawn to quiet subjects, his muted palette and spare spaces evoke a calming energy. He has had over 20 solo exhibitions.

Kenny teaches figure painting and drawing at LCAD, as well as guiding students through their Senior Portfolio as they find their artistic individuality and voice. He has been an instructor with the school since 2006, full time since 2018.

He as studied at the atelier of Charles Cecil in Florence, with Frank Mason at The Art Students’ League of New York, and more recently he earned his MFA at Laguna College of Art + Design focusing on portraiture.

Kenny is an Assistant Professor of Painting and Drawing at Laguna College of Art + Design and was awarded the prestigious Elizabeth Greenshields Grant in 2016.

He currently shows at Koplin Del Rio Gallery in Seattle, George Billis Gallery in New York, and Galerie Mokum in Amsterdam.

Artist Gary Kim is internationally recognized for his paintings. Born in South Korea, he relocated to the United States in his late thirties. Before embarking on his career as a professional artist in New York, he worked as a successful illustrator for many years in South Korea. Additionally, he taught art and design at several colleges.

His artistic journey encompasses a diverse range of studies, from academic figurative drawing and painting to computer graphics. He pursued an MFA in Computer Arts at Pratt Institute in New York, while also earning an MFA degree in Advertising Design from HongIk University and a BFA degree in Painting and Drawing from Inha University in Korea.

As an artist and educator, Kim honed his skills under the mentorship of several prominent New York-based master artists, including Nelson Shanks, Daniel Greene, and Burton Silverman. This experience greatly influenced his development as a figurative artist.

For more information about Gary Kim and his work, visit www.garykimart.com.

Kelley Mogilka (b. 1995) is a figurative painter originally from Edmond, Oklahoma. After obtaining her BFA in Studio Art at Oklahoma City University in 2018, she attended a summer artist residency at Otis College of Art and Design that inspired her to relocate to California. Spending two years struggling as a working artist and taking online courses to improve her technical skill, she built up her portfolio to attend Laguna College of Art and Design for her Master of Fine Arts Degree in Painting. Since then, she has lived, worked, and studied out of Laguna Beach, winning several awards for her paintings at the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association and being featured in Southwest Art Magazine’s 21 Under 31, Young Artists to Collect Now. Mogilka is represented by Vanessa Rothe Fine Art in Laguna Beach and Pence Gallery in Davis where she was the recipient of their annual Emerging Artist Award.

Hope Railey is a passionate and driven fine artist and teacher who has dedicate the last 20 years to painting in the studio and teaching future generations of artists. Hope has exhibited throughout the country and was most recently featured in December 2021 issue of Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, is an Associate Professor, and currently serves as chair of the Fine Arts department since 2011. She is a regional juror for the AXA Art Prize and has served on artist panels at the 2021 LPAPA Invitational.

Hilary McCarthy is a contemporary figurative painter living in Laguna Beach. She is currently adjunct faculty in the Fine Arts Department at Laguna College of Art + Design. Prior to that she lived in NYC for 18 years. Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries in the United States and Europe. She received her BFA from Hartford Art School and her MFA from New York Academy of Art. She also attended The Art Students League and Columbia University. She has attended art residencies in Puglia, Italy; Victoria, Australia; Leipzig, Germany, and Johnston, Vermont. She received the Fostering Creativity in a Time of Crisis Grant in 2020 from the Laguna Beach Community Foundation.

“My paintings aim to be visual poetry based on dreams and the subconscious. As a subject in my recent work, the ocean is healing both physically and emotionally to me. It existed before we did. It is wiser than we are. We need it more than it needs us. I am constantly inspired by its majestic beauty. The women I paint in the foreground deal with the messy complexities of the human condition. In the background, the ocean forms a vast rhythmic backdrop. The narrative of the painting tests these two interfaces. “

Joseph Michael Todorovitch is a figurative artist in the Los Angeles area with an undivided curiosity for the academic traditions and the conceptual possibilities that proliferate the modern art world. He explores the craft with a naturalist’s lens, employing rich technical details and implied psychological narratives in his paintings. Awarded the Draper Grand Prize by the Portrait Society of America, his work has been included in exhibitions at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., the Butler Institute of American Art, and the Beijing World Art Museum in China. An Assistant Professor at Laguna College of Art and Design in Southern California, Joseph has taught at various institutions nationally and abroad. Currently enrolled in the MFA program at LCAD devoted to the pursuit of mastery, he enjoys numerous gallery partnerships and is proudly represented by Maxwell Alexander Gallery in Los Angeles CA.

Daniel Von der Ahe is a writer/illustrator and teacher living in San Juan Capistrano. He trained at the Florence Academy of Art and has worked as a classical portrait artist, illustrator, and visual development artist for animation where he discovered a love for story and writing. He teaches figure drawing, color and painting in any medium. His teaching focuses on clear, strong, fundamentals to give students the ability to achieve any style, understand different types of expression, and ultimately discover their own. Everyone has a story and it’s worthwhile to develop the best, clearest way to tell it. Following his first illustrated novel, Daniel is currently completing his second novel in addition to working on his first hybrid graphic novel. Meanwhile, he keeps up with painting commissions and changing diapers.