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Our Teaching Artists
Katherine Baronet
is a Dallas studio painter, art instructor and Certified Transformational Life Coach. After a 20 year career as a fashion model, she went on to complete her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Arts from East Texas A&M in Commerce. Her work has been exhibited in numerous gallery, group and solo art shows, and has worked in the healing arts. Her drawing and paintings can be found in both private and corporate collections.
Jill Allison Bryan
Jill Allison Bryan is a master creativity coach and founder of Creative Oasis Coaching. Since 2008 she’s helped thousands of multi-passionate humans around the world tame the ideas whirling around their brains, get clear on their creative visions and turn those visions into reality. Via coaching programs, workshops and presentations Jill provides expert and empathetic guidance that helps people move past procrastination, perfectionism, overwhelm, inner critic and fears so they can enjoy authentic, fulfilling creative lives and careers.
Jill’s philosophy: “When you say yes to your creative callings you become a
happier, healthier, more fulfilled human and the world becomes a better,
brighter place.”
www.creativeoasiscoaching.com
Kay Byfield
A watercolorist for 40 years, Kay Byfield
exhibits, competes and teaches classes and workshops widely. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at Vermont College/Norwich University and was a
college professor for ten years before coming to CAC. Her watercolor paintings
are representational and typically depict psychological realities. She will
be President of the Southwestern Watercolor Society in June 2025. As a teacher, Kay strives to provide support to budding artists as they develop ways to express themselves.
Glo Coalson
has been a professional clay artist for more than 30 years. She also works with bronze and is an internationally known illustrator of children’s literature. In 2003, Glo was sponsored by CIVITAS as a visiting artist to the Ukraine. Her work is sold through numerous galleries across the U.S. She holds a BA from Abilene Christian College.
Glo Coalson - Four Corners Fine Art & Framing (fourcornersgallerybluffton.com)
Carl Coan
Carl, while no official art background at university, has been an avid student of art throughout his life. His first interest in welding began over 15 years ago through a class at CAC, life got in the way and that dream was placed on hold for a bit. Over the last several years he has spent time with the stone carving group “Making dust” at CAC, and reignited his love of form and heat in welding. Carl recently retired after 34 years with the Garland Fire Department as Assistant Fire Chief/Paramedic. That path has given him a feel for the safety required while playing with the tools in use while “sewing with fire”. He is passionate about enabling others to achieve their vision in the arts. To quote his mentor T. Stone “Paws up”.
Rebecca Collins
is a mixed media mosaic artist. A commercial artist by day, she runs the pet portraiture studio Artpaw.com. By night, indulging her true love, she cuts and glues glass tessera, creating mixed media mosaics that explore a wide variety of themes and subjects. Her ability to move back and forth between traditional media and current digital technology gives her mosaic work a contemporary edge while maintaining the textural richness inherent in mosaic. Rebecca received her B.F.A. from the University of North Texas. She is married to a poet and together they play and create in their little east Dallas bungalow beset by two wild terriers.
Jennifer Christy
is an educator, collage maker, painter, & designer known for using vibrant color schemes, whimsical shapes, & a distinctive take on modern jewelry. She believes that both fine art and wearable art should uplift people & bring joy to their everyday lives.
Her days are spent teaching K-4 artists to find and freely express their creative spirits. It’s in the evening hours that she gets a chance to explore her own endeavors and blow off a little steam in the form of paint and resin. She is certain that The Cure, 1970s Saturday morning cartoons, Pee-Wee Herman, and Tim Burton have been major sources of inspiration and influence.
Cathy Drennan
Cathy Drennan’s art work is influenced by the colors, symbols and patterns of the world’s diverse cultures. Born in Texas and living around the world in Lebanon, Mexico, Iran and the Philippines has made a profound impression on her creative spirit. Drennan’s paintings bring a visceral response to memories and places she has explored between symbol, pattern and shape. The result is a continual re-working of the relations of color and form. Line, shape and color are represented in her recent work, abstracting both built and natural landscapes in "Wanderlust". Drennan received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Texas in Arlington in Fine Art and Graphic Communications. Her work has been featured in Washington, D.C. and Texas. She currently lives and works in Dallas and is active in the Dallas art community.
www.cathydrennan.com
Robert Dye
Robert A. Dye is a professional artist and writer who paints evocative large-scale landscape paintings in oils and intimate plein air paintings in oils and watercolors. Robert studied classical painting techniques at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He lives and paints at Cedar Creek Reservoir, southeast of Dallas. Prior to moving to Texas, Robert taught painting, drawing and art history at several Philadelphia area art schools, including the Samuel Fleisher Art Memorial and the Hussian School of Art. Robert has had numerous one-person shows of his paintings in Philadelphia and in Dallas.
The Encaustic Center
hosts dozens of classes and workshops a year in the ancient and beautiful process of painting with wax. Founded by Bonny Leibowitz, the fully equipped center is located in Richardson. For workshops all supplies are included, and students will learn a variety of processes including fusing, building layers, texture, working with grids, stencils, embedding objects, incising, transfers, collage and much more. Artists will come away with several pieces from the day.
Diane Flynn
became interested in art in childhood and painted oils in high school. Diane took a stained glass class and was smitten. Although she continued her nursing career, her free time was spent making stained glass gifts and later, architectural windows for custom homes and churches. An interest in glass beadmaking and jewelry was sparked by a glass beadmaking workshop with Alison Sheafor and she later studied glassblowing at UTA. The diverse properties of glass have given her an enormous palette.
Merry Fuhrer
has taught drawing and painting to adults and children for more than 20 years. Although she has worked with a variety of materials, she prefers the rich color possibilities of oils, acrylics, colored pencils and oil pastels. Merry is known for her portraits of people riding the DART Rail as well as her urban sketches. She holds a MFA from Texas Women's University. Merry facilitates the Live Model Labs of CAC.
CarolLaine Garcia
Growing up as a multi-identity Dominican immigrant in the US, I grew up having so much beef with who I was and what life had been. Even as I progressed in my education and career, I struggled to accept who I was and what I'd lived through. In the quietude of the pandemic, I harnessed my angst at the world and decided to heal my wounds with life. Four years and a deeply transformative experience later, I broke free from self-loathing and found the courage to leap into a life of deep meaning, wellness, and empowered femininity.
Now I’ve turned my self-love transformation into a new paradigm of being and leading: Queen Mindset Leadership. Created for leading authentically with empowered identities, this philosophy centers holistic inner healing and wellness as a conduit for social justice and community thriving.
Daniel German
received a BFA in ceramics in 2015. His work centers around altered thrown forms with a keen eye for a compelling surface. Daniel’s philosophy is simple: Clay is magic. There’s always something to learn and there is room for everyone. Daniel’s teaching style encourages exploration on an individual basis while also offering the direction needed to harness and grow an artistic style.
Ja’Rie Gray
Ja'Rie Gray‘s paintings have been exhibited in group shows throughout the cities of southern California, and her work was recently shown on Blackish sitcom, at Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), and CSULB University Museum. Gray’s group exhibitions were held at Craig Krull Galley in Santa Monica, SoLA Contemporary Gallery in Los Angeles, and Tag Gallery in Los Angeles.
In addition, her work is in private and public collections, including Metro LA, Portraits of the Fallen Memorial Foundation, Long Beach Community College, the private collection of Robert and Carole Urie-Chickering of Urie Properties, Inc.
Ja’Rie Gray received a B.F.A. from Laguna College of Art and Design, CA. She received a M.F.A. from California State University Long Beach, CA, in 2016.
Ashling Han
is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and curator with an MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and a background in biology. Her work blends science, art, and cultural exploration through ceramics, fiber art, sculpture, and photography. As an educator at the Creative Arts Center of Dallas, she teaches both ceramics and tufting, encouraging students to experiment with traditional and contemporary techniques to explore personal expression. Her work has been exhibited across TX, DC, MD, and PA, and she has received a public sculpture commission from the Asian Arts & Culture Center.
Amy Henson
earned her BFA in Studio Art: Ceramics from Southern Methodist University in 2007 and her MFA in Ceramics from University of North Texas in 2022. Her “Liquor Set” was selected for a Juror’s Award at Clay Art Center’s 2023 group exhibition “Functional Fall: A Seat at The Table,” and she previously received an Honorable Mention for one of her berry bowls from Clay Arts Vegas in 2017. At the most recent NCECA conference in 2023 Allee Etheridge and Amy Henson co-organized the successful concurrent exhibition "Obscene." She teaches ceramics as an adjunct in the D/FW metroplex and is pursuing her next solo exhibition. She lives with her husband, Aaron, daughter Rosalie, and 2 old house cats. When she is not working in the studio she enjoys sketching, reading, cooking, and one of her other great passions, horseback riding on her gelding Fuse.
Chad Ickert
is a self-taught leather artist who inherited his love of design from his mother and has spent his life creating items in his unique style. After discovering leather working several years ago, he has eagerly pursued the art to product beautiful bags, accessories and pet products.
Sarah Janece
is a Dallas-based artist, working primarily in watercolor to create unique wildlife portraits and nature inspired paintings. Sarah’s work is influenced by her passion for art, attraction to color, and love for nature’s beauty. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally and won grand prize in a design challenge sponsored by Uncommon Goods. She is a Golden Artist Color’s Artist Educator, working exclusively with Golden’s QoR Modern Watercolors.
Sarah’s combined passions of creating art along with her deep love for nature and wildlife allows her to use her work to help raise awareness and funds for various wildlife charities, endangered species, and art organizations.
Dave Kramer
Dave started his career as a freelance
illustrator and then moved into the world of fine art and portraiture. He
uses traditional techniques to paint in a realistic style. He studied art at
Indiana University, and has received awards from the Dallas Society of
Illustrators, New York Society of Illustrators, and Artist Magazine. He's
volunteered with many non profit art organizations over the years, and has been
teaching for 25 years at the Creative Art Center of Dallas.www.davekramer-art.com
Brad Ford Smith
is an accomplished painter, printmaker and illustrator, born and raised in Corpus Christi. His work is often reflective of his heritage, upbringing and current surroundings. Benjamin paints primarily in watercolor, using singular imagery to illustrate defining moments in his life. In printmaking Benjamin works in large scale woodcuts and is the owner/operator of Casa Press. He has been educating artists for several years and has a passion for helping to cultivate community and collaboration among artists. His work has been displayed throughout Texas and he has curated several exhibitions over the years.
Nathan Portnoy
is a Texas native who received his MA from the University of Dallas with Dan Hammett and his BFA at the University of North Texas with Elmer Taylor. He also has worked and shared a studio with Randy Brodnax for four years. He has over 15 years working in clay and 8 years of teaching experience from at-risk students with Big Thought to adults at Cedar Valley College and now teaches at Booker T. Washington HSPVA. His studio work focuses on art for the people that works in the way of functional ceramics and uses the clay to record the process in which it goes through. Using wheel thrown and altered forms that provide a surface for the atmospheric and High firing techniques that he’s so captivated with, to leave their mark.
Dan Sellers
has taught metal sculpture at CAC for more than 15 years. He has been involved in the promotion of public art in multiple municipalities and educational institutions and is represented in both public and private collections and has exhibited at the Little Rock Museum of Art and obtained his MFA from Southern Methodist University. He also leads CAC’s Camp MetalHead welding program.
Brad Ford Smith
is both a visual artist and a fine arts conservator. As an artist he has explored
a variety of materials and topics from ink drawing to tongue-in-cheek pseudo-science art installations incorporating photography, painting, drawing and sculpture. He’s currently focused on publishing a book of drawings based on sites around Dallas where forgotten historical events have occurred. He is
represented by Ro2 Art Gallery. For a more extensive list of art projects.
Rebecca Swann
obtained her MFA from the University of North Texas and has taught at the University of Texas at Arlington and the Dallas Museum of Art. She works in sculpture, printmaking and jewelry. Her works have been exhibited in Dallas and Atlanta galleries as well as public and private collections.
Daniel Teran
received his BFA from the Kansas Art Institute and has completed residencies at Watershed Center for The Ceramic Arts in New Castle, ME, and The Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, FL. He regularly gives workshops and teaches at several community art centers throughout Philadelphia and New Jersey. His work can be found at The Clay Studio, Schaller Gallery, Harvey Meadows Gallery, Red Star Studios, and Lill Street Art Center. Daniel has work in the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art and numerous private collections.
Claire Terrell
began learning mosaics right here at the Creative Arts Center! Her painting and art background has led her to produce mosaic works that have been featured in Dallas’ Art 214 exhibit 2 years in a row.
Tabatha Trolli
is an artist working primarily in the medium of ceramics. She received her BFA in ceramics at Temple University Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, Penn. and an MFA at The University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton, Texas. As an active artist making functional ceramics and sculpture as well as works in painting and photography, she has exhibited in galleries and craft shows nationally since 2010.
Along with a rich studio practice, Trolli is a ceramics and three-dimensional design instructor at the university level across North Texas and has experience teaching in high schools and community art centers. Her work has been published in Pottery Making Illustrated and in Working with Porcelain. In addition to teaching at CAC, she also serves as the Center’s staff kiln technician.
Kat Warwick
is passionate about sharing the ancient art of shaping stone into objects of usefulness, worship and beauty. Kat holds a BFA from UNT and has been creating art most of her life. In her 50’s she found her true calling, stone carving and now she has work on display across the metroplex, regularly receives awards, and produces event sculpting activities. Kat’s teaching philosophy, “Every moment is an opportunity to be curious, creative and bold.”
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