alumni:
Drawing + Painting
Department Chair
Joseph Todorovitch
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 naturalists lens, employing rich technical details and implied psychological narratives in his paintings. Awarded the Draper Grand Prize by…
Associate Professor
Brittany Ryan
Adjunct Faculty
John Brosio
Adjunct Faculty
Gabriel Castro Hebel
Adjunct Faculty
Aleah Chapin
Aleah Chapin (b. 1986 Whidbey Island, WA) is a painter whose direct portrayals of the human form have expanded the conversation around western culture’s representations of the body in art. She has exhibited in solo and group shows throughout the world, including Flowers Gallery (New York, London, Hong Kong), The Belvedere Museum (Vienna), Cascadia Art…
Adjunct Faculty
Averi Endow
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…
Adjunct Faculty
Natalia Fabia
Adjunct Faculty
Chapman Hamborg
Adjunct Faculty
Kayla Janes
Kayla Janes is a fine artist located in Laguna Beach, CA. Janes received both her Bachelor's degree and Master's degree from Laguna College of Art. From growing up along the California Coast, Janes's artwork reflects her nostalgic love of the world around her. Sun drenched scenes of familiar people or places inspire Janes's drawings and…
Adjunct Faculty
Rupinder Kaloti
Adjunct Faculty
Olga Krimon
Adjunct Faculty
Alla Musgrave
Adjunct Faculty
Ryanne Phillips
Adjunct Faculty
Christian Ramirez
Christian olid-ramirez is a first-generation Mexican-American artist born and raised in San Gabriel Valley, CA. ramirez completed his MFA at Michigan State University as a University Enrichment Fellow in 2023. His studio practice explores the possibilities of constructing a system of working as an arena for social and political anxiety. Informed by his mestizo hybrid…
Adjunct Faculty
Olivia Stude
Adjunct Faculty
Thadius Taylor
Adjunct Faculty
Agostino Vaccaro
Adjunct Faculty
David Van Patten
Dave Van Patten is a muralist and illustrator from Long Beach CA, best know for his playful imagery and humorous tone. As a freelancer, Dave has worked with Warner Music Group/ Rhino Records, Starbucks, Whole Foods, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Yeti, NPR, Hollywood Reporter, Liquid Death, and various local businesses. In 2023 Van Patten won a…
Adjunct Faculty
Alejandro Buchner
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…
Adjunct Faculty
Rachel Chang
Adjunct Faculty
Matteo Di Ventra
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 academys in Orange County and Los Angeles. Matteo also works within…
Adjunct Faculty
Matthew Duckett
Matt Duckett is a painter whose work examines the ghosts of tradition that inhabit our lifestyles, drawn from a deep involvement in the various places he’s lived, including Scandinavian cultural legacies in rural Wisconsin, the interplay of heritage and hardship in Irish immigrant communities in Chicago, and disaster-stricken refugee communities in the Philippines, investigating issues…
Adjunct Facutly
Ananda Fetherston
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…
Adjunct Faculty
James Galindo
James Galindo (b. 1983) is a Southern California oil painter and a graduate of Laguna College of Art & Designs 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…
Adjunct Faculty
Emily Gordon
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…
Adjunct Faculty
Cody Jimenez
Adjunct Faculty
Adam Matano
Adam Matano is a contemporary representational artist specializing in sculpture. His work is an organically evolving process combining a visceral reaction to life, his interest and admiration for the natural world and our relationship with it. The exploration of these ideas allows for psychologically dense, rhythmic artwork. Adams interest and involvement with nature and the…
Adjunct Faculty
Kelley Mogilka
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…
Adjunct Faculty
Michael Obermeyer
Michael was presented with the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. He recently won the "Collector's Choice Award, Artist Choice Award and the Southwest Magazine Quick Draw Award at the Laguna Beach Invitational Plein Air Competition as well as the "Best of Show" at both the Kern County Plein Air Invitational…
Adjunct Faculty
Hilary Schmidt McCarthy
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…
Adjunct Faculty
Betty Shelton
Betty Shelton is an accomplished and award-winning artist whose work has been exhibited extensively in the United States. Betty has received numerous painting and drawing awards throughout her artistic career, most notably she has been a finalist in the Art Renewal Center Salon, and the 6th Annual TAPPED at the Manifest Gallery. She has shown…
Adjunct Faculty
Eric Stoner
Adjunct Faculty
James Thistlethwaite
Adjunct Faculty
Daniel Von der Ahe
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…
Gary Musgrave
Gary Musgrave is a Southern California-based problem-solver, illustrator, designer, and educator with both a BFA from the Art Center College of Design and an MFA in Illustration from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). With 15 years of professional commercial experience, his work spans editorial illustration, branding, public art, and design, showcasing his versatility and…