meet our instructors

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Umayal Annamalai, a native of Chennai, India, is a Mixed media artist who lives in Charlotte, NC. Studied to be an architect, a beginner's painting class opened her eyes to the beautiful world of art. Self-taught, Umayal creates a sense of belonging and authentic expression within her work, allowing the viewer to experience a connection and emotional response.

Growing up in India, Umayal was influenced by her surroundings' vibrant colors and rich cultural heritage. She draws inspiration from her ancestral practice of Kolam, a sacred ritual and devotional art that connects her with Mother Nature and helps her stay grounded.

Her work explores authenticity, communicated with mixed-media portraits of self-reflection and thought-provoking storytelling. Art helped her heal and slowly climb out of the abyss. Her vision as an artist is to heal the past and to spread more Love in the future. She employs bright and bold colors to help people heal their suppressed negative emotions and find their voice.

Umayal has exhibited her works at various exhibitions, including juried art shows at the Charlotte Art League. She also has won a grant from the city of Charlotte to create artwork to spread awareness about COVID-19. She has also performed in BOOM Charlotte festival 2022, 2023, 2024and won an honorary award at South end Arts she has participated in CLT SHOUT 2023 and painted a 36” Easter egg with kolam.She has painted a Mural at Marion Dhiel Recreation Center in Tyvola Road with three other artists. She has conducted several workshops in local libraries about drawing kolam and expressing our emotions through art.

Learn more about Umayal here: https://umayal.art/about/

Register for Umayal's class: Abstract Painting with Sacred Geometry - One-Day Workshop

Photography is, was, and always will be Traci's passion. In her work, the line between reality and surrealism blurs, teasing the impossible. It is a real world of her own creation, where images are shot with intention, composited, and crafted in the digital darkroom to match what she sees in her head.

A proud graduate of Arizona State University with a BFA, Traci also enriched her knowledge at Oxford University. Her photography has received accolades, gracing various galleries, and is celebrated for its captivating blend of reality and imagination. "Art, at its core, is a way to capture and maintain your attention long enough that it works its way into your soul."  Visit Tracey's Website:

https://www.traciarneyphotoart.com/

Register for Traci's Art of Seeing: Pre-Visualization for Better Photography - Two-Day Workshop

 Laurie Basham is an award-winning pastel artist who enjoys capturing the beauty of color found in light and shadow, whether it’s a landscape, figure, or still life. She loves spending time plein-air painting but is also inspired by her travels around the country. When she can’t be outside, she will be found working in her studio using her own reference photos of her grandchildren or painting a still-life of freshly cut flowers.

A native of Rockville, Maryland, Laurie received her Degree in Art Education from the University of Maryland in 1985. After an award-winning career as an Art Educator in Howard County, Maryland, she retired in 2019.

Since retirement, Laurie has enjoyed being a full-time artist and has received awards in several Plein-Air competitions and many local, national, and international shows. She is very active in the art community in North Carolina and has taught many pastel workshops in the area and online. She also offers private instruction in the medium.

Laurie is a signature member of the Piedmont Pastel Society, where she previously served as President. She is also a signature member of the Maryland Pastel Society and the Degas Pastel Society and an Associate Member of the Pastel Society of America.  Visit Laurie's website: https://lauriebashamfineart.com/

Register for Laurie's class, Pastel Painting: Florals - One Day Workshop. 

Ashley Bell grew up in Raleigh, N.C., always enjoying taking art classes. She graduated from East Carolina University in 1985 with a B.A. in Art Education and a minor in painting. Living in Statesville since college, she has taught art in Iredell at the elementary, middle, and high school levels since 1986. She also taught years of private lessons and summer art camps.

After retiring in 2020 (with 32 years of service), she spends her time substituting for art teachers in the schools, painting, crafting, or babysitting her new granddaughter. She currently teaches a Watercolor class at the South Iredell Senior Center and after-school sessions for ages 8-11 at Mooresville Arts.  

Last summer, she taught two weeks of watercolor painting. This year, she will focus on various ways to paint creatively using different mediums. Even though she enjoys spending time painting and crafting, she says, “Teaching art is my passion, and I am thrilled to provide instruction for students at Mooresville Ars this summer. Come join in the painting fun this summer!”

Register for Ashley's Youth Art Class: Drawing & Painting

Kortney Gibson has lived in the Lake Norman area all her life. Now residing in Mooresville with her husband, daughter, and four dogs, she's excited to open more opportunities in the world for anyone who wants to paint. Kortney's primary focus is on painting animal portraits in oil mediums. She is passionate about bringing out the animal's personality in each painting. She wants to continue to help people of all ages find their inspiration to start making art.

Register for Kortney's Paint & Sip Class

Dixon Handshaw is a photography educator based in Mooresville, NC. He spent 35 years as a learning and performance consultant and president of his own company, Handshaw, Inc. Before that, he earned his living as a professional photographer. He combines those two experiences to teach fine art photography in digital and film formats. His favorite aspect of teaching is inspiring students to find personal expression through the lens of a camera.

Dixon has a BFA in photography from Alfred University and an MS in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University. He served on the Board of Directors for The Light Factory in Charlotte, NC, and chaired their Education Committee, where he also taught and designed courses. He also served on the Board of Directors at the Carolina Raptor Center in Charlotte, NC, where he designed and taught a Bird and Wildlife Photography course. 

Dixon is now a member of the board of directors for Mooresville Arts and Education Committee Chair. He has been passionate about photography since he was 14 years old. Learn more about Dixon at www.handshawphotography.com

Register for Dixon's Night Photography and Light Painting Class

Register for Dixon's Art of Photography I - Two-Day Workshop

Brenda is an artist in the LKN area; she enjoys painting flowers, nature scenes, and abstract. Her preferred medium is watercolor and acrylic. 

Brenda's artwork is a unique play of color, texture, and depth- a fresh, fun, modern take on the classic subjects she enjoys. She plans a little, plays a lot, and lets her instincts lead the way - it is all about the joy of creating! She is excited to lead the Paint & Sips and Paint Parties at Mooresville Arts, where she can encourage and inspire others to explore their own artistic talents! 

She was born in New Jersey and raised in Winston-Salem, NC. She attended UNC Greensboro, where she earned a BS in Interior Architecture and a BS in Human Development and Family Studies. Her background includes teaching preschool classes and working with children of all ages.  "I believe everyone can express themselves through visual arts." Learn more about Brenda at brendakadlecik.com

Register for Brenda's Paint & Sip Classes

Justin Leluika has instructed all grade levels, from kindergarten to collegiate, over the last 16 years.  

He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Time-Based Media Studies (Animation) from Columbus College of Art and Design, Master of Fine Arts in Illustration from the Academy of Art University, and Art Teacher Certification from Seton Hill University. Justin has worked with ESPN, Wendy's, and the Walt Disney World Company within the visual arts field.   

"As an educator in the field of visual arts, I feel it is important that every individual finds their way to self-express themselves and to use that skill when moving forward in life's journey."

Register for Justin's Saturday Art for Teen's Class

Register for Justin's Adult Art Class: An Artistic Exploration  

North Carolina native Mark Stephenson is a full-time artist based in central North Carolina who, through a multi-faceted background, brings a unique perspective to his work. A graduate of

Pfeiffer University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at

Greensboro, Mark earned degrees in Civil Engineering and Vocal Performance.

With a unique plan to pursue a career as an opera singer, Mark relocated to New York City in

the 1990s, where he eventually found his way to the prestigious Art Students League, studying

with noted painters and sculptors Frank O’Cain, Ron Sherr, Leonid Gervitz, and Leonid Lerman.

Success at the League ushered awards and commissions. He also was a member of the

copyist program at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Since returning to North Carolina, Mark has devoted much of his time to commissioned

portraits. He has exhibited in many national juried shows, and his work has been featured in

solo shows across the state. He has been recognized by the Portrait Society of America with an Honorable Mention in 2012 and a Finalist in 2020 in their Members Only Competition. In May 2014 he was artist in residence at La Macina di San Cresci, Italy. Mark and his wife, Caroline,

have a son, James, and a daughter, Emma.

Visit Mark's website:  https://www.markstephensonfineart.com/ 

Register for Mark's Beginning Portraiture: Building the Form with Color - Two-Day Workshop

Register for Mark's Volume & Gesture: Drawing the Figure from the Inside Out - Two-Day Workshop

Zan Thompson was born into a family of watercolor artists, which greatly influenced his passion and persistence for watercolor painting. Zan grew up playing and experimenting with art in his parents’ Atlanta studios. 

Today, Zan paints strictly in watercolor, is a signature member of the Watercolor Society of North Carolina, and teaches several workshops and classes on drawing and painting. He likes to share the little tricks that helped him conquer the difficult watercolor medium with his students. 

He paints both En Plein air and in the studio and always welcomes an audience. He works in realism, impressionism, and abstraction.  

"Watercolor paintings celebrating the essence found in our environments from the alluring subjects to the most mundane!" -Zan  Learn more about Zan at

zanthompson.com

Register for Zan's Watercolor Painting: Color Mixing & Paint Consistency to Elevate Your Art

Felicia van Bork was drawing portraits before she was two. Today, she is an artist who competes against herself to be “not boring.” In her search to document her world accurately and expressively, she pushes herself to use the minimum number of brushstrokes, paint the most accurate likeness possible, and dare to incorporate the most surprising and fresh mark-making she can.

Her several interrelated bodies of work all investigate the tension between representation and experience; she creates images that combine the appearance of an observed subject with the experience of responding to that subject.

In 2024, Felicia had a solo exhibition of figure drawings at McColl Center in Charlotte, NC, and a duo exhibition at Courtroom Gallery in Rock Hill, SC, featuring her gestural portrait paintings. Her work is in the Permanent Collection of the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC. In 2023, van Bork was awarded an Artists Support Grant by the Arts & Science Council. She was awarded a 2022 residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. In 2020, over 150 of her paintings and collages were in "NC Women Abstract Painters," at GreenHill Center in Greenhill, NC. She was the Featured Artist at Central Piedmont’s Sensoria Arts Festival, which received 80,000 visitors in 2018. In 2017, van Bork was honored to be a Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome. She is the founder and host of Draw McColl Center. Van Bork's “Heads” series of encaustic portraits earned her a spot in MassArt’s MFA program at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA, where she graduated in 2011. She has served as a professor of studio art at universities and colleges, including Penn State, Behrend College, Central Piedmont Community College, Columbia University, UNC Charlotte, and Davidson College. 

Register for Felicia's The Liberated Brush: Portrait Painting with Acrylics  - Two Day Workshop