Instructors

Brian Oberlin

Most of the instructors at the Glenn and Viola Cultural Arts Center are listed below along with the class variety they teach and a brief biography of each.  Get comfortable with your instructor and their qualifications before you begin your class by selecting your instructor at the left and reading about them.  A sample of the instructor's artwork is also included, if applicable.

Constance Lee Adams

 

Drawing, Sculpture

Constance Lee Adams is a multi-disciplined artist who focuses on sculpture and has exhibited her work in the greater Portland area since 1987. She also works in Interior Design and decorative painting for Ladybug Wallpapering and Design, which she owns in Aloha. Before teaching at the Cultural Arts Center, she was an Assistant Art Instructor and Artist Assistant at the Leon and Bronowski Studios, Portland. Constance holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Pacific Northwest College of Art and an Associate of Arts in Humanities from Portland Community College. Constance Adams

Bonnie Burbidge

Painting

Bonnie Burbidge has a fascination for light and color. She is dedicated to the direct observation of nature and paints on location, studying the constant shifting patterns of light and color. She returns often to the same location at different times of day and different seasons, looking for newness, as well as the familiar. She is continually inspired by the subtle beauty of the back roads of the Northwest and the people, history, and power of nature. Bonnie Burbidge

Jen Champlin:

Ceramics, Pottery, Sculpture

Jennifer Champlin has a masters degree in ceramics from Syracuse University. She has taught art to all age levels from kindergarten through college. Jen married her high school sweetheart Glen and has two "works in progress," Brett and Geneva Rose. www.jenchamplin.com/index.htm
Jen Champlin

Cynthia Lahti

Drawing

Cynthia Lahti's goal is to 'create works of art that resonate with honesty and reflect the beauty and chaos of the world.' Cynthia is a Portland artist with more than 25 years of experience creating engaging artworks. She is best known for her surprising combination of images created in figurative works of collage, drawing and sculpture. She enjoys sharing her knowledge with students and inspiring them to grow artistically. She has taught at Oregon College of Arts & Crafts, Portland Art Museum and Creative Arts Community. She has her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. Cynthia Lahti

Brian Oberlin

 

Guitar, Mandolin

Brian Oberlin is a singing multi-instrumentalist originally from Grand Rapids, MI.  He has taught hundreds of students of all skill levels and ages on the mandolin, as well as beginners on guitar and tenor banjo for more than 12 years.  Being self-taught has significantly heightened and refined Brian's teaching techniques.  He believes that some students can be intimidated during their first music lessons.  He mollifies these feelings by making students laugh and by reminding them that music is FUN!  In addition to teaching, Brian has toured and performed throughout the United States with bands and also performs frequently as a solo act.  www.mandoberlin.com Brian Oberlin

Jessica Orlowski

sicaOrlowski

Ceramics

Jessica Orlowski's twelve years in the ceramics field have included numerous exhibitions and educational pursuits.  She received her Masters of Fine Arts at Georgia State University and has recently completed her term on the board of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts.  Jessica received her Bachelor's Degree at Alfred University and was a Post-Baccalaureate student in ceramic arts at the University of Florida.  Jessica's work has been honored with awards, including the 2010 NICHE Award and can be seen in collections including the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute Collection in China, and the Porter Price Collection in Columbia, South Carolina. Jessica Orlowski

Sue Anne Seckora

Watercolor

 

Sue Anne Seckora has enjoyed painting in watercolor since 1993. she values a step by step approach to discover the uniqueness and pleasure of painting in watercolor. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. She and her husband moved to Oregon in 1983. She enjoys hiking and traveling and her paintings reflect her delight in natural beauty. Sue Anne's lovely notecards are for sale in our gift shop! Sue Anne Seckora

Victoria Shaw

 

Pottery
Victoria Shaw has a background in ceramics spanning over thirty years. She has a Bachelors of Fine Art and a Masters of Fine Art from the University of Oregon. She has instructed locally since 1988 at Multnomah Art Center and more recently at Portland Community College. Victoria has taught teens and adults, and her work has been featured in several ceramics publications and galleries throughout Oregon.   See Victoria's work at her web site:  www.vshawsculpture.com. Victoria Shaw

Gerald Sticka

Wildlife Art

Gerald E. Sticka, a native Oregonian, grew up on a farm in the rural community of Gaston, and he could always be found wandering the wooded areas surrounding his boyhood home.  His love of nature and his desire to retire from a 30-year career as press foreman for the Oregonian Publishing company led him to pursue his interest in art.  He studied with Western artist Roberta St. Louis, and his new vocation has blossomed.  His work is part of corporate and private collections throughout the Pacific Northwest, and in Japan, Germany, Australia and Canada.  Gerald's beautiful notecards are for sale at our front counter! Kingfisher
    * Instructor schedules vary by class session
     
     

 

 

 

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