Our Teachers
All instructors at ArtWorks are highly skilled, practicing artists who have been selected for their interest in working with children and their ability to relate to students of all ages. Each has been thoroughly trained in our approach to provide consistency in experience and to create a wonderfully supportive and non-competitive learning environment. Our teachers co-teach in teams of two and our classes maintain a teacher-student ratio of one to six. Our teachers interact with each student one-on-one creating a very personalized experience. This structure allows teachers to cultivate close relationships with their students and to be mentors to aspiring artists.
Our teachers are all ideally suited for their roles in our studio. As part of their development as artists, they each pursued a high level of mastery of skill and recognize the value and importance of that foundation in their own personal experience. Most importantly, each has a passion for sharing their expertise with their students, and every teacher strives to pass along their knowledge and love for the process of making art.
ArtWorks is pleased to introduce you to our current teachers:
Carmie Long (she/her) attained both her Bachelor's in Painting and her MFA at the University of Santo Tomas - College of Fine Arts & Design in the Philippines. She went on to teach a variety of fine art mediums and subject matter as an instructor at Far East University and her alma mater. Since moving to San Francisco in 2017, Carmie has been working as a freelance visual artist and worked with students of all ages in local art programs. ArtWorks has been a wonderful pathway for Carmie to transition back into teaching art again.
Dewayne Hunter (he/him) is a Bay Area native who received his BFA in Illustration from the Academy of Art University. He has been working as a freelance illustrator and artist for the last 8 years working on many varied projects in the gaming industry, children's books, and in the fine art world. Dewayne has had some experience teaching both children and adults traditional and digital art, and has now reached a point in his career that he would like to commit more of himself to teaching. He believes that by teaching the basic fundamentals of art that students can create anything no matter what the medium is.
Diane Flick (she/her) received her B.A. in Studio Art with an emphasis in Drawing from UC Santa Barbara, and her M.A. in Humanities with an art emphasis from Cal State Dominguez Hills. Diane discovered how much she loved working with children and teens when she worked as a camp counselor. She has also volunteered in educational programs for children and adults. Since moving to the Bay Area in 2004, Diane spreads her time among the things she loves: her family and friends, teaching, and making art.
Elana Lutz (she/her) has embraced the many different roles that she has had at ArtWorks since she started in 1997, but by far the one she has most cherished has been her role as teacher. Beginning in January of 2020, Elana proudly became the new Director/Owner of ArtWorks. As thrilling as it has been to tackle this new position, Elana is honored to also be able to continue her devotion to her students by remaining in the classroom teaching alongside her exceptional co-teachers. Please learn more about Elana when reading about our Office.
Jaia Linden-Engel (she/her) is a graduate from the California College of Arts with a BFA in illustration. Originally from Big Sur, Jaia spent many summers there teaching art and set design to children. She feels that teaching art helps her continue to grow as an artist and also feeds into her other primary goal of pursuing children's book illustration. Jaia loves to see the pure enthusiasm and creativity with which children create art and believes encouraging creativity in children and young adults is one of the most important things that fellow creatives can do, and she loves being part of that process.
Justin Oltesvig (he/him) is an illustrator, graphic designer and photographer who has a BFA in Design from UNC Greenboro, and MFA in Illustration from the Academy of Art University. He’s had the pleasure of working with children and teens in many environments from impoverished areas in Brazil, as well as with at-risk high school youth in Florida. Justin welcomed the opportunity to join the ArtWorks teaching staff to work with Bay Area art students.
Lee Vang (she/her) is an SFSU graduate with a Bachelor's in Studio Art and an emphasis in Printmaking and Comic-making. Lee regularly showcases her prints at various venues throughout the Bay Area, and is working towards publishing her first children’s book. Teaching art is something she is very passionate about and she is delighted to have the opportunity to share her artistic insight with all of her ArtWorks students.
Ruby Peven (he/they) is originally from Spokane, Washington and received their bachelor's degree in Visual Communications Design from the University of Washington. They have experience with youth in various school and camp settings and also work as a freelance visual designer. Ruby describes themself as an attentive and empathetic mentor who cares about encouraging youth toward their creative vision. They are passionate about working with young people because they believe it makes them a better artist and a better teacher, and they are excited to continue along this path while dedicating time to their own creative practice.
Rachel Corn-Hicks (they/them/she/her) is a Bay Area native who received her BS in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. She is an illustrator and graphic designer who brings creativity, passion and flexibility to everything she does. She is delighted to share her artistic insight and excitement for working with children with the ArtWorks community.
Rea Shin (She/Her) is an abstract painter who has worked in San Francisco since 1998. She holds a BFA from The Academy of Art University and an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. For many years, Rea has focused on art education for young children and youth working at various after school art programs. Her focus has been on foundational drawing and painting and she is now passionately sharing her extensive knowledge at ArtWorks.
Ryan Martin (he/him) is a practicing fine artist who is represented by Mark Wolfe Contemporary Art, San Francisco and Elizabeth Houston Gallery, New York City. He graduated from California College of the Arts in 2007 specializing in Painting and Drawing. Ryan has worked extensively with children and teens through ArtEsteem in Oakland, where he had the opportunity to instruct over 1000 students at five different public schools, over a four-year period. After a year off to focus on his own painting, Ryan was thrilled to be returning to the classroom to work with the students at ArtWorks.
Sam Lee (she/her) is a native San Franciscan and received her BFA in Art / Animation from California State University Fullerton. She has experience working with children as both a museum educator at the de Young Museum as well as work as an academic tutor. Additionally, Samantha dedicates her time to immersing herself in the San Francisco art scene and the animation industry. Samantha was also a long-time ArtWorks student for many years, and she loves that she is now able to experience ArtWorks from a different perspective as an ArtWorks teacher!
Sofia Venegas Mardall (she/her) is a fine artist who works primarily in oil paint and focuses on themes surrounding portraiture, personal relationships, and nature. She received her degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz and prior to moving to San Francisco worked as an art teacher at Artist Lab and Education in Los Angeles and also as a Paint-Night instructor through Muse Paintbar in Maryland. At ArtWorks Sofia has found an opportunity to immerse herself working with youth, while sharing her passion for art.
Tom Colcord (he/him) is a painter and art educator currently living in San Francisco California. Originally from Indianapolis Indiana, Tom holds a BFA in Painting from Indiana University Bloomington and an MFA in studio art from the San Francisco Art Institute. His work ranges in style from surrealist murals, plein air painting and pixel art. Tom currently works as the Bay Area Representative for Dixon Ticonderoga and Strathmore paper, and teaches at Artworks Fine Art Studio. He was the 2021-22 recipient of the Tournesol Award at the Headlands Center for the Arts. Most days, he can be found painting En Plein Air in Golden Gate Park.
Yujin Lim (she/her) grew up in San Francisco and has a B.A. in Studio Art from UC Irvine. She first started teaching art in 2003 as an Artbridge Scholar and has been teaching art, English, and photography for nearly two decades to children and adults alike. We are thrilled that Yujin has devoted the last ten years to passionately teaching her ArtWorks students. In her free time, you can find her taking photos of her art and for clients, painting, gardening, and shooting pool.
“I really appreciate the support and patience of the teachers. I never expected art to become such a big portion of my life when I first enrolled here and now I am bringing this passion with me to college. “ ~Jane, student
"Over eight years our children thrived in the nurturing environment at ArtWorks. Their abilities were tapped and their art skills refined through the direction, guidance and coaching of your very professional and committed staff."
~ Susan and Robert, parents
“The teachers are so amazing here and give so much support and love for everything that I have done. I think that the teachers are what makes ArtWorks unique in the care and affection that they put in.” ~Julianna, student