Visual Arts Academy Administrator/Founder
Grace Farquhar, also known as "Sparrow," was born in Toronto. Grace has spent half her life in the United States and now resides back in her native country, Canada, living in a small community about 60 miles Northeast of Toronto. Her first love is Painting and she has written over 40 painting tutorials, has been a mentor with the PI Beginners Workshop since its inception, was a mentor on a High School Board for the Workshop, and created the PI-I Painting Basics forum.
Home Site : Sparrowzworld
Painting Tool Tutorials
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Administrator
PC Basics
Ulead PhotoImpact 10: More to Discover
Ulead PhotoImpact 11/12: More to Discover
PhotoImpact: Fun with Paths /co-instructor with Sharon Cataldo
Virginia Miller found her inspiration in the southern Appalachian Mountains where she lived for many years after growing up in beautiful Vermont. She now resides in Southwest Florida.
After years in banking, Virginia decided that it was time to let her creative side play. She's been a quilter of quilts and clothing, gardener, webmistress for a family business, and custom tailor for that same concern. She came to computer graphics while learning webmistressing. Starting out with FrontPage, she adored Image Composer that came packaged with it. When that software became obsolete, she downloaded trial versions of every graphics program she could find, settling on PhotoImpact 6. Virginia has graduated to PI 12, and also to hand-coding those webpages, which is her latest conquest. She is the Owner/Manager of the Beginner's Workshop, and was a substitute mentor at the West Columbia High School workshop.
While fine-tuning the Beginner's Workshop, Virginia saw a need for a Computer Basics course that would assist the new computer user learn the very basics as well as help more seasoned users to keep their computer running smoothly while keeping it safe and secure.
In an effort to keep fit, and to balance the time at the computer, Virginia is a runner with four half-marathons under her belt. For fun she does most needlearts, cooking, baking, photography, and gardening.
More to Discover Testimonials
More to Discover 10 Gallery
More to Discover 11/12 Gallery
PhotoImpact Fun with Paths Testimonials
PhotoImpact Fun with Paths Gallery
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Adobe Photoshop Basics /co-instructor with Lynn DeBree
Adobe® Photoshop Photo Editing /co-instructor with Lynn DeBree
Camera Basics and Creative Shooting Techniques (2 semester course) /co-instructor with Lynn DeBree
Judy Gardner was born in Norfolk, Virginia, lived in Canada for her teen years and now resides in St. Petersburg, Florida near her daughter Jessica and granddaughter Jaden.
Judy ( better known as Scarlet Fever ) has been involved in computers and photography for over 18 years. Judy owns and operates her own photography studio. Besides her managerial responsibilities, she shoots, does layout and set design, and oversees editing and touch-ups of all portraits for her studio's photographers. Judy's educational background includes a degree as an audio-visual technician. Previously Judy owned and operated her own small community newspaper for several years, where she did everything from layouts and photos to the final print.
Photoshop Photo Editing Testimonials
Photoshop Photo Editing Gallery
Camera Basics and Creative Shooting Techniques Testimonials
Camera Basics and Creative Shooting Techniques Gallery
Photoshop Basics Testimonials
Photoshop Basics Gallery
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Web Design Basics with Ulead PhotoImpact
Johannes Jensson, a confirmed techi, Johannes´ working life has revolved around computers since 1981 when he first set his eyes on a PC.
His love of computing saw him pack in his job and even change countries when he moved from Iceland to Scotland to work with a computer training company. An HND in Information Technology followed, then employment in the public sector as an IT Training and Development officer.
He has years of experience as a certified instructor for Computer Associates and the Aldus Corporation. He´s also been involved in writing and tutoring Microsoft Office courses.
But even that wasn´t quite challenging enough, so Johannes embarked on an MBA and at the same time set up his own successful Web Design company. The company, Melcomedia, where he devotes most of his time, has a growing international client list.
When not sitting in front of a computer screen, Johannes enjoys climbing mountains in his beloved Scotland and combines this well with his love of photography. He´s also a founding member and former Chairman of the Air na Creagan Mountaineering Club 'On the Rocks'.
Web Design Basics Testimonials
Website: http://www.melcomedia.com/
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Animation Introduction with Ulead Gif Animator 5
Maggie Lombardi, a life long resident of New York City, is a former instructor from the School of Creative Arts where she taught her course for Gif Animator 5. She has been using PhotoImpact and Gif Animator since version 4.2 and has been on Uleads beta testing team for several years. Since its inception she has been the moderator of the Animation Station forum at PIRC bulletin board. If you can’t find her there, you’ll find her selling or shopping on eBay. The thrill of shopping doesn’t stop at her local retailers. Where else can you sell or buy items in your pajamas! In addition to graphics and eBay, Maggie enjoys photography, crocheting and sewing.
Animation Introduction Testimonials
Animation Introduction Gallery
Website: www.macographics.com
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Ultra Fractal Formulas 1
Ultra Fractal Formulas 2
Working with Ultra Fractal (co-Instructor)
My name is Kerry Mitchell and I was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1961, to an art teacher father and a secretary mother. After high school, I attended Purdue University, where I received my bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering.
After college, I moved to the San Francisco area, where I worked at NASA, performing aerodynamic research in the wind tunnels of Ames Research Center. While at NASA, I obtained my master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from Stanford. In 1987, I left NASA to do my doctoral work at Purdue, again in Aerospace Engineering. Then, I went back to NASA, this time in Virginia, to perform research in Jet Noise at Langley Research Center.
In 1995, I left aerospace to move to Phoenix. I served as the Staff Scientist at the Arizona Science Center for a few years. This was my bridge between technology and education. Following the Science Center, I was a professor of Mathematics and Science at the University of Advancing Technology. After those six years, I took a brief position as an Educational Consultant, then moved to the Maricopa Skill Center, where I am now the manager of the Essential Skills Center.
In my spare time, I am a algorithmic artist, having shown works in many galleries and museums. I've had my images published on several book covers, album covers, and calendars.
Ultra Fractal Formulas 1 Testimonials
Ultra Fractal Formulas 2 Testimonials
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Creative Painting:Paint tool Proficinecy
Advanced Creative Painting
Digital Fine Art Techniques
Fine Art Principles for all Media
Pixels Art Painting
Digital Cartooning
Advanced Digital Cartooning
Norma Murphy better known as Acadie of " Acadie's Art" was born
in the Acadian Peninsula in New-Brunswick, Canada. Acadie now resides in
Laval, Quebec with her inspiration Michel. Her passion is history, drawing
and painting. Most of her paintings reflect her love of history and are
a window to the past. Acadie studied Art and History and has painted on
canvas since she was a young girl, selling her first painting at the age
of 12. For the last few years she has found a new love in creating her artwork
digitally, using the graphics software PhotoImpact. Acadie loves to share
her knowledge of art and enjoys helping others learn digital painting and
the study of art in an online Painting forum at the PIRC Bulletin Board.
Her passion for history and art was instrumental in the creation of her art.
Digital Fine Art Techniques Testimonials
Digital Fine Art Techniques Gallery
Fine Art Principles Testimonials
Fine Art Principles Gallery
Pixels Art Painting Testimonials
Pixels Art Painting Gallery
Digital Cartooning Testimonials
Digital Cartooning Gallery
Advanced Digital Cartooning Testimonials
Advanced Digital Cartooning Gallery
Creative Painting Testimonials
Creative Painting Gallery
Advanced Creative Painting Testimonials
Advanced Creative Painting Gallery
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Filter Impact : Filter Impact for PhotoImpact
Mandy Olszewski is a 46 year old from Melbourne, Australia, with a background in Administration. She lives with her 19 year old son and has two jobs one in an office and one in a Supermarket.
Her love for digital art began when she decided to put her poetry on the internet. After purchasing a HTML editor Mandy discovered that PhotoImpact 5 was included as part of the bundle. She downloaded Harry's Filters to further enhance PhotoImpact and since then has been hooked on filters.
Mandy has recently resigned as moderater for the Fonts and Filters forum at the PhotoImpact International Bulletin board after four years. She has also been part of the beta testing team for the ColorWasher, FocalBlade and LightMachine plug-ins, as well as creating Photoshop compatible filters of her own.
Filter Impact/Filter Fun Testimonials
Filter Impact Gallery
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Working with Ultra Fractal
Ultra Fractal Masking Techniques
Ultra Fractal Artistry
Janet Parke is a fractal artist living in Tennessee. A beta-tester for
Ultra Fractal 2 since 1998, Janet began helping other users learn the
software and those early writings became a series of tutorials that
were subsequently translated into six other languages. She was then
asked to write the official tutorials included in Ultra Fractal 3's
Help files.
As a fractal artist, Janet's images have won top honors in online
Fractal contests, the 2000 Toray Digital Creation Awards, and are part
of "The Frontier Between Art and Science" exhibition which has toured
throughout Europe and South America. She currently exhibits and sells
her work at art festivals throughout the United States.
When she's not creating fractal art, Janet teaches classical ballet and
has choreographed over 75 works for student and professional dancers.
Working with Ultra Fractal Testimonials
Working with Ultra Fractal Gallery
Ultra Fractal Masking Techniques Testimonials
Ultra Fractal Masking Techniques Gallery
Ultra Fractal Artistry Testimonials
Ultra Fractal Artistry Gallery
Websites:
http://www.parkenet.org/jp
http://www.infinite-art.com
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Introduction to Front Page
Introduction to Photo Editing with PhotoImpact
Introduction to MS Excel
Introduction to MS Word
JC is an amateur photographer although he has worked professionally in the field. Because of his love for photography ever since he was a wee munchkin, he has more often than not been seen with a camera (or two) in hand. He developed his first film under the kitchen tap using water - of course he soon learnt that was not the way to develop film.
He once rolled down Grouse Mountain in Vancouver whilst carrying two cameras, a tripod and a couple of cases of equipment. The equipment (as well as JC) survived the fall.
By profession JC has worked with several Information Technology companies and government agencies. He has been involved in Managing and Administering a IT and soft-skills Training Facility as well managing teams of individuals providing computer desktop support to over 40,000 Public Service employees.
His background was and remains Customer Care and has been the author and tutor of courses in Presentation Techniques, Customer Service, Customer Care and Office Automation productivity.
His personal and business travels have taken him to various parts of Canada and, several times to Italy, Greece, Malta and England, as well as to Australia, Ireland, Holland and some parts of the United States amongst other places.
PhotoImpact PhotoEditing Testimonials
PhotoImpact Photo Editing Gallery
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Introduction to HTML: Just the basics
Introduction to HTML2: Tables and More
MaryLou White has an extensive computer background with over 40 years hands-on experience. She has a degree in Business Data Processing and spent most of her life as a computer programmer. MaryLou ran her own local Bulletin
Board for over 10 years prior to the popularity of the "net".
Before her retirement, she created web pages for the schools in her local
school district. MaryLou is also the founder of the PhotoImpact Resource
Center (PIRC) Network and the PIRC Beginners Workshop. She has written over
100 tutorials for PhotoImpact.
MaryLou has unending patience and will work diligently with those who wish
to learn to write their own HTML code.
Introduction to HTML Testimonials
Introduction to HTML2 Testimonials
HTML Basics Gallery
PIRC network url: Pircnet.com
PI tuts url: http://wwell.net
Visual Arts Academy instructor:
Portrait Painting
Born in Hamburg, West Germany, and emigrating with her family to the United States when she was twelve, Gisele Zeitler has been drawing and painting all of her life. Her first serious art education began at Washington Irving H.S. in New York City, which had a unique Academic Art Major program. Gigi received a Bachelor of Arts degree in art and film from Douglass College, Rutgers University. She continued her education at Parsons School of Design in New York, and the Graduate School of Architecture at New Jersey Institute of Technology. NCIDQ-certified and former member of the Board of Directors of NJ ASID, she worked for eighteen years as a contract interior designer, doing offices for such clients as the New York City Opera, the Brewmaster of Budweiser-Newark, NJ, also winning an ASID award for her sixteen-thousand square foot facility for National Marketing Associates–a project that was also featured on the cover of Design NJ. During this time she continued painting portraits and figurative paintings, studying under renowned portrait artist Paul McCormack at the New Jersey Center for Visual Arts for more than five years, and taking eight workshops at the Woodstock School of Art with portrait artist Lois Woolley and contemporary master HongNian Zhang. Her work is in private collections in the United States and Europe.
Portrait Painting Testimonials
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Apophysis Exploration
Apophysis:Beyond the Basics
Travis Williams is often described as eccentric and crazy. Possibly being true, he set out into the art world at a relatively young age. Quickly finding his niche in fractal art and community spirit at Deviant Art, he made it a point to help others know what he knows about his medium of choice. Now one of the heads of a large Apophysis group and the leader of a growing charity army, Travis continues to enjoy fractals and helping out. Travis currently lives with his aunt in North Eastern Pennsylvania. He also has plans for further education and employment.
Apophysis Exploration Testimonials
Visual Arts Academy Co-Instructor:
Paint Shop Pro Beginners
Paint Shop Pro Intermediate
Paint Shop Pro Advanced
PaintShop Pro Creative Scrapping and Elements
Alene Robinson, also known as Brandy, discovered Paint Shop Pro with the release of JASC Paint Shop Pro 5. She was fortunate to take online lessons with Lori Davis who has written several books on Paint Shop Pro. She has been active in several online Paint Shop Pro groups in the past 9 years and enjoys sharing her knowledge with others. Paint Shop Pro’s friendly user interface and affordable cost makes this one of the most popular graphic programs used today. Having taught piano lessons for several years, her instructor skills inspired her to write many Paint Shop Pro tutorials for the beginner as well as advanced users. Her motto is “tutorials are only a guide, so above all, experiment and have fun”.
PaintShop Pro:Beginner Testimonials
Visual Arts Academy Co-Instructor:
Paint Shop Pro Beginners
Paint Shop Pro Intermediate
Paint Shop Pro Advanced
PaintShop Pro Creative Scrapping and Elements
Cammy Cochrane, also known as Stormy, lives in Rochester, NY. She spent 8 years in the United States Air Force as an Aircraft Maintenance Scheduling Specialist and was stationed in England for 6 years and in California for 2 years. She took evening college classes from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, University of Maryland, City Colleges of Chicago and Merced Community College during the eight years she was in the military. She spent 7 years in North Carolina before moving to Rochester in October of 2001. She went back to school in March of 2002 at Rochester Institute of Technology and earned a dual degree in Business Management and Web Systems Development in August of 2003. She works as an office manager at the Rochester Vet Center, which provides counseling for war zone veterans. Cammy has been working with Paint Shop Pro since its inception. She got serious with it in the late 90’s when she and her mom, Alene, took a class in PSP 5 with Lori Davis. It’s been a hobby ever since to include writing tutorials, running her own PSP group, and belonging to several others.
PaintShop Pro:Beginner Testimonials
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Dynamic Presentations with PowerPoint
Cornelia Yoder is an artist, scientist, and public speaker living in upstate New York. A long-time member of Toastmasters International, Cornelia began using PowerPoint presentations as part of her public speaking career. Her presentations were so attractive and dynamic that she was encouraged to teach others, and so this course, Dynamic Presentations with PowerPoint, was born.
As a speaker, Cornelia regularly gives presentations on Global Warming and Climate Change, on Fractal Art, and in classes to teachers in her local high schools and college on using mathematics in art and in classroom science projects.
Cornelia has had careers in computers as a programmer and manager for IBM, in science as a professor of earth science at Syracuse University and the University of Connecticut, as a flight instructor in sailplanes, and most recently has become a sought-after public speaker and a freelance fractal artist. She is a great advocate of lifetime learning and claims her biggest fear is that she will die before she's learned everything.
Dynamic Presentations with PowerPointTestimonials
Dynamic Presentations with PowerPoint Gallery
Website:
http://www.corneliayoder.com
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Bryce: Beginner
Bryce: Advanced
DAZ Studio: Beginner
DAZ Studio:Advanced
Poser: Beginner
Poser: Advanced
Sharren Graham better known as Spirit on the internet was born in Australia, and now lives in a small country town in Northern N.S.W. Sharren has always loved art and when computers became available to homes it opened a whole new world for her. In her initial search of the internet she came across an article on Digital Art which had a link to Paintshop Pro and that was the beginning of a long lasting passion for Digital Art. She still works with Paintshop Pro as well as several other digital art programs. Sharren said she owes a huge amount of thanks to a dear friend & mentor, a retired Graphic Artist, for her ability to further her knowledge of the 3D programs she is offering at Visual Arts Academy.
Sharren has been working with Bryce, Poser and Daz Studio for many years and will help you to understand the fundamentals of each of these programs and perhaps develop the same passion for the programs artistic design abilities that she holds dear to her.
Her other passion in life is trialling her dog in obedience and agiliity.
Bryce: Beginner Testimonials
Bryce Beginner Gallery
Bryce Advanced Gallery
Daz Studio Beginner Gallery
DAZ Studio Advanced Gallery
Poser Beginner Gallery
Poser Advanced Gallery
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Dreamweaver CS3
Debbie Hardisty was born to a creative lifestyle. Before he died, her father was a relatively famous tattoo artist in London, her mother enjoys oil painting, and her younger brother is a professional sand sculptor. Influenced by her surroundings Debbie pursues art in several different forms but mainly through digital art using PhotoImpact and acrylic painting. Debbie lives on the island of Jersey (Channel Islands, UK) with her son Dylan whom she home-educates, and her husband Dave.
Debbie has used Dreamweaver since the early versions and continues to share her knowledge of this powerful program through her classes.
Personal Website
http://debisty.com
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Xenodream
My name is Joseph Presley and I was born in Bradenton, Florida in 1973. I now live in Sarasota, Florida where I work as a database analyst for a software company. Coming from a musical and artistic family, I found my passion in music and art from a young age and I have practiced them ever since. In April of 1999 I was introduced to fractal art and I began working with a program called Ultra Fractal.
In September of 2002 I purchased XenoDream after researching "3D fractals" over the internet. Fractal art has become my art form of choice as I find a deep satisfaction in manipulating algorithmic perfection and I enjoy the process of analysis between each step. My goal in working with fractal art is to create unique and original creations that invoke thought and emotion in the viewer. My works have been shown in several galleries here and abroad and published in several books and calendars.
My objective as a VAA instructor is to share my understanding in the realm of three-dimensional fractal art through XenoDream and to encourage students to pursue excellence in this field.
Website: FractalAbyss
Student Galleries:XenoDream Galleries
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
MS Access
Paul Houston was born and raised in Ayrshire, Scotland. Paul has been a sad computer geek since getting a ZX Spectrum (that’s a Timex TS2068 in the States!) for Christmas in 1982. This was soon followed by a Commodore 64, Atari ST and eventually a PC.
Paul has been doing I.T. Training for the past 20 years and for the past 10 employed by a local authority in Scotland as an IT Employee Development Adviser. This includes training all of the staff in the use of MS Office applications through tutor led classroom training and more recently e-learning. Paul also manages their ICDL/ECDL Testing Centre and has done so for the past 5 years.
Hobbies include football (soccer!), rock music and retro-computing. That ZX Spectrum still works but it’s easier to use a PC emulator now!
Website: Paul Houston Training
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
PhotoImpact: Fun with Paths (co-Instructor with Virginia Miller)
Sharon Cataldo is an Aussie girl - born and bred in Queensland, living in
the beautiful tropical north. She is a primary school teacher-librarian,
mother of two and wife of one!
She has been using PhotoImpact for several years after being introduced to
it at a school computer inservice session. Initially she got PhotoImpact to
touch up her photographs and maybe create a scrapbook page or two, but soon
found she loves playing with path objects - her Easy Palette is crammed with
her creations! This interest led her to becoming co-moderator of the Dynamic
Path Objects forum on the PhotoImpact International Bulletin Board. She is
also a mentor in the Beginner's Workshop. She loves to share her knowledge
and delights in watching people develop their skills.
As well as playing on computers in her spare time, she is an avid reader,
listener to radio and crafter. She enjoys all forms of craft and will try
just about anything crafty, but her current passions are leadlighting,
jewellery making and scrapbooking, both digital and virtual.
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Adobe Photoshop Basics co-instructor
Adobe® Photoshop Photo Editing co-instructor
Camera Basics and Creative Shooting Techniques co-instructor (2 semester course)
Lynn DeBree has been involved in photography and the arts for 20+ years starting with photo classes back in high school and continues in digital portrait work today. Lynn grew up in Western Montana on a large family ranch, and then got her BA in Theatre Design and Direction at a private school in Eastern Montana. Photography was always a 'paying hobby' as she took portraits and headshots and did darkroom work to pay her way through college. Lynn still travels occasionally to Pittsburgh and other areas to direct and do set and costume-design for live theatre production.
Her full time position is now a photographer for VAA Studios where she also edits, sells, and assists in all areas of production.
She has worked professionally in the arts her entire adult life. She now resides in Florida with her fiance and her soon-to-be stepson and stepdog.
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Digital Scrapbooking with PI
Cindy Piper is originally from Illinois and now lives in Arkansas. When Cindy’s hubby retired from BN/SF Railroad after being with them for 30 years, she resigned from the university where she worked as secretary for a residence hall that housed 1200 students. Cindy will be married 39 years this January, she has two sons and five grandchildren and five grandnieces and nephews that she considers her own grandkids. They also have a family of cats and dogs living with them now. She says “They don’t want to borrow the car keys, but they will eat a person out of house and home just like the kids!”
Cindy came into the world of scrapbooking kicking and screaming, until she discovered digital scrapping... and that changed everything. She still creates scrapbooks in the traditional manner, but digital scrapbooking is her favorite. Cindy makes her own backgrounds, embellishments,and finds that with a bit of photo-editing skills, she can transform any photo into something wonderful. Her beautiful scrapbooks can be kept on the computer or printed professionally. “I have been doing digital scrapbooking since 1998—back before I knew that’s what I was doing, and when I learned I could do this fun thing on PhotoImpact, I was hooked from then on.”
Visual Arts Academy Instructor:
Landscape Painting
PainterX Basics: Tools
Lin McBee is a California girl. She was born in Los Angeles and grew up in North Hollywood, going to North Hollywood High School where she majored in art. She also majored in art at Los Angeles Valley College and at California State University, Northridge. Lin also has an Associate's degree in Liberal Arts at Antelope Valley College.
Since discovering PhotoImpact, (she was formerly a dyed-in-the-wool PSP user), she has discovered digital painting and pursues that with great enjoyment in both PhotoImpact and PainterX. She has taken many of the courses here at VAA. Lin also paints in watercolor, oil, acrylics, and draws with colored pencils. Birds, animals and landscapes are her favorite subjects. She has also dabbled in 3D programs such as Poser and Vue, but prefers to paint her own landscapes and people.
Lin is a mentor for the Beginner's Workshop and is a moderator for the Painting Basics and the Fun with Images and Shapes forums on the PI-I board.
When she is not painting or in front of her computer, Lin enjoys reading, (almost anything) needlework, beading, making miniatures and just about anything artistic and crafty.
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