Instructors

Morgan Arnett is an artist born and raised in Pensacola, FL where her natural surroundings inspired her journey into the visual arts. Morgan received her BFA at the University of West Florida in 2013 and her MFA at SUNY at Buffalo in 2017. She enjoys working in a number of mediums but primarily focuses on drawing, painting, and mixed media. Significant themes in her work include sensuality and perception, nature, physiology, and the narrative body. She has spent the last several years teaching various art practices for local arts non-profits.

Website: https://morganarnett.com/works

Joe Babcock is a visual designer who uses his instinctive ability of visual storytelling to help brands engage with their audiences. His skills in graphic design, web design, branding and multimedia have been instrumental in developing creative campaigns for lifestyle brands, artists and arts organizations. When Joe is not busy pushing pixels, he can be found tending to his collection of rare houseplants, renovating his 100+ year old home or working on his yoga flow.

Website: https://yeahspicy.com/

Sarah Chamberlin is an artist who works with cartoon/illustration and zines. She received her BA in Studio Art with a minor in Education from the University at Buffalo and is currently attending SUNY Buffalo State University to pursue a certification in Art Education. Her work is often centered around personal narrative and the healing process after traumatic events.

Website: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/stringcheesefiend/

Laura Cott is the artist and owner of LaCott Fine Art, living and working in Western New York. Cott graduated from Buffalo State College with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts degree in painting. LaCott Fine Art was born out of a passion for creativity and a desire to bring expression and beauty to the world through physical products and workshops.

Website: https://www.lacottfineart.com/about

Jack Edson, a quilter from Hamburg, NY, earned his BA from Canisius College and his Master of Library Science from the University of Rhode Island. Inspired at a 1976 Bicentennial exhibit in Elmira, Edson started quilting and has been honing his skills and exhibiting for the past four decades.

Clarimar Galarza is a high school art teacher in Buffalo New York. She attended Buffalo State College where she received a BFA in Art Education with a concentration in Ceramics and Painting. Her work consists of functional ceramics with a focus on surface design.

Website: https://clarimargalarza.wixsite.com/artist

Nicole Galuszka is a mixed media artist, designer and illustrator based in Buffalo, NY. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts: Communication Design (Minor: Art History) from Pratt Institute. With six years in educational technology as a visual designer and illustrator, her creative journey bridges art and design, utilizing digital as well as physical media.

Website: https://www.nicolemgaluszka.com/about-me

Jeff Heras is a writer and digital marketer with an education in journalism obtained from Buffalo State College. When he is not adventuring Buffalo and discovering what WNY has to offer, Jeff can be found at local art openings, on top of the slopes in Ellicottville or working on his CrossFit skills. Additionally, Jeff has worked on content and marketing strategies for brands and entrepreneurs in the tech, healthcare and arts/design industries.

Website: https://yeahspicy.com/

Lydia Kegler is a visual artist based in Buffalo, NY. Her oil painting and drawing centers on themes of body politics, anatomy, and botany. Lydia recently moved back to Buffalo after 7 years living in Los Angeles and Boulder, CO.

https://www.lydiakegler.com/

Shanel Kerekes is a painter from Buffalo, New York. As a graduate of Villa Maria College, she majored in Integrated Arts and obtained a BFA degree in 2019. Photorealism is the style that she continuously aspires to achieve in her work. Kerekes was exposed to a culturally diverse environment early in life, which later instilled a fascination with individuality, preestablished societal standards, and the ever-changing dynamic between the two. By having the position of being a woman in today’s world, Kerekes uses the tribulations that they are commonly confronted with and attempts to build a visual representation of the many obstacles women may face within their lifetime which can include objectification, sexualization, and exploitation.

Website: www.shanelkerekesart.com

Laike Palermo, resides in Buffalo, painting from her studio located at The Niagara Food Terminal. After attaining her BFA in Painting from Daemen, she has been specializing in the human figure and portraits; recently working through a personal series to fight against depression and anxiety to raise awareness of the battle of self-doubt but knowing there is still beauty within yourself. 

Andrea Pawarski is a ceramic studio artist at the Buffalo Arts Studio and elementary art teacher at the Charter School of Inquiry. She earned a BFA in Art Education and Ceramics from Syracuse University and a MA in Multidisciplinary Studies from SUNY Buffalo State College. Her ceramic work is inspired by geological formations and can be found on her website or Etsy account.

Website: www.andreapawarski.com
Etsy: etsy.com/shop/AndreaPawarskiClay

Tom Rojek has been teaching as a certified art instructor for over 23+ years at Erie 1 BOCES. He has taught Drawing, Photography, Life Drawing and Design at Daemen, Villa Maria and Erie Community College. He studied at the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto and at the Art Students League in NYC where he learned classical academic drawing methods, in particular the Charles Bargue Drawing Course which is a fundamental foundation for those who want to learn drawing language.

Deborah Stewart is a sculptor primarily working in clay. She has in the past been a biologist, modern dancer and choreographer, and studio potter. She has a BFA in Ceramics and an MFA in Visual Art/Sculpture. She has taught Ceramics and Three-dimensional Design in a variety of WNY colleges. Her work has been exhibited locally and nationally, and is in several public and private collections.

Website: DebStewartClay

Laura Valkwitch is a multimedia artist with a focus on oil painting. She studied fine art at Niagara County Community College and recently finished a residency at Hunt gallery in Buffalo, NY.

https://www.lauravalkwitch.com/

Catherine Walsh is a ceramic artist and certified NYS art teacher. She has taught in public schools, summer art programs, and art studios since 2014. Catherine holds a BFA in Ceramics with a minor in Art History from SUNY Fredonia where she earned the Fredonia Potter’s Co-op Award and taught Pottery on the Wheel for 2 semesters. Her work is in the permanent collection at Jamestown Community College where she earned an Associates in Fine Arts. In 2022, she completed her Master’s degree in Art Education at Buffalo State University and presented her research on the connection between historical and contemporary artwork reflecting social issues and current events, and student engagement in the classroom. Her sculptural works and surreal conceptual paintings were exhibited in the Buffalo State Graduate Exhibition last spring. Catherine volunteers as a docent at the Buffalo AKG and enjoys playing guitar in addition to operating her small business, Center Circle Ceramics.