Meet the Faculty of the Victoria College of Art
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Victor Y. Arcega“Art’s for life’s sake and conversely.” Painting, Drawing Victor comes to Victoria from the Philippines, by way of Japan, California and Alberta. With an MFA in painting, BA in humanities, and diploma in marketing and advertising, he has taught drawing, painting, art history and graphic illustration, and worked as art editor, copy editor and advertising writer for Los Angeles Times and Southam Press. This sensei in Aikido martial arts also brings to his teaching his scholastic research work on the primitive arts of Africa and Oceania and the psychology of creativity. Instructor in: Illustration, Drawing, Painting. |
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Tony Bounsall“Creativity is like a muscle … it needs to be exercised.” Tony brings a background rich in 27 years of photography and graphic design experience to his teaching position at the Victoria College of Art. Along with his expertise in photography and design, he has worked as a technical illustrator and cartoonist. Over the years he work has been published in many magazines and he has photographed many notable people such as His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, Roberstson Davies and Brooke Shields. Tony is a graduate of the Ryerson University’s Photo-Arts Program in Media Studies (B.A.P.A). He is a multiple HCPRA awards winner and a PPABC winner of ” Most creative in Show” and a national award for “Digital Composition”. Tony’s also teaches workshops and classes at The Western Academy of Photography, The Coast Collective, MISSA, Photographer’s at Painter’s Lodge, The Denman Island Arts Centre and University of Victoria Continuing Education Dept. www.photo-design.net Instructor in: Photography |
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Georges DaigleA Graduate of the famed Sheridan College Animation Diploma, Georges is a veteran of the art and animation industry who got hooked by Animation way back in the late 80′s when he created an animated commercial. Weaned on the classic Bugs Bunny and the Saturday Morning Cartoons, he later found himself working on the TV Saturday morning cartoons in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver. “Getting your art out into mainstream society is very satisfying”, George believes. And he’s done that throughout his life journey through Architectural, Industrial and Graphic Design, and a host of other things like sign painting, printing and lately, repairing blue whale bones for museum display, as well as stop motion, 2D and 3D Animation.This course starts with learning Classical Animation skills – something which makes all the difference to how you use computer programs such as Toon Boom and other computerized tools which you will use later on in the course. You will finish off with making your own short animated film in your own unique style. |
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Steven Dickerson“It is the job of the Art Student to be visually literate.” Working as a Professional Artist in a highly realistic style for over 25 years, Steven’s work has ranged from Fine Art to Illustration and Design. As he enjoys the personal aspects of the Artist / Client relationship, Steven prefers to work on a commissioned basis. When it comes to teaching, he believes the students must learn to be honest with themselves about their art so they can see through their mistakes, both good and bad, and arrive at a place where they can start to control all aspects of their works, Steven is a graduate of the 3 year Illustration program at Sheridan College. www.stevendickerson.ca |
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Danielle Hogan“My classes are about exploration and discovery. The more a student explores their abilities the more they discover.” Danielle prepared, with awards and honours, for hands-on art making at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design (Diploma in Fine Craft), the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design (B.F.A.) and University of Victoria (M.F.A.). She has taught both two- & three-dimensional design, exhibited extensively in Alberta and New Brunswick, and recently shown in Seattle and the Rogue Art Gallery, Victoria. Her work is in the Canada Council for the Arts collection. www.daniellehogan.com Instructor in: Art History, Drawing |
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Linda Lindsay“I will help you unleash your creative expression through a balance of Technique and freedom. Sculpting and teaching are my passions, in equal measure.” California born and raised, Linda comes from a long line of artists. She earned her Art degree (1978) and credentials from California State University Fresno (1985), then taught art at high school and college levels before immigrating to Canada in 1993. Linda has taught sculpture since 1982 and is an inspired and dedicated instructor who empowers her students to create and bring their own visions to life. As a sculptor since 1976, she has become known for her life-like terracotta and bronze figures which portray human sensitivity and strength. Linda has been represented in North American galleries since 1985. Linda is a past President and Director of the Vancouver Island Sculptor’s Guild. Instructor in: Sculpture |
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Joyce Kline“Life drawing teaches us how little we truly observe the world around us. It is the basis of all art education because it requires us to open up our powers of observation, concentration, empathy and reflection.” Joyce’s interdisciplinary approach stems from her eclectic career as an installation and performance artist, arts writer, dancer and dance teacher, journalist, community organizer, playwright, and lecturer on contemporary art. She has exhibited in artist-run centres and public galleries across Canada and Finland and has been the recipient of awards from the Canada Council, Ontario and Toronto Arts Councils, as well as two Ontario Arts Council Arts Writing grants. Joyce has been a visiting lecturer in the graduate schools of Tampere and Helsinki Universities in Finland and the University of La Laguna in Tenerife, Spain. She ran and delivered the slide talk program for Toronto’s Women’s Art Resource Centre, Canada’s largest slide collection of contemporary Canadian women’s art. In addition to her BFA with distinction from York and Cornell Universities, she has traveled widely, studying everything from folkloric dance in Tunis, to post-graduate studies at the University of Art & Design Helsinki, along the way dabbling in such traditional art world pursuits as puppetry and stand-up comedy. She enjoyed 15 minutes of fame and a week of respect from her teenaged daughters when she was featured on the cover of Toronto’s NOW Magazine. Instructor in: Drawing, 3D Design Illustration |
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Kerry Mason“Learning is one of life’s greatest pleasures…” Kerry Mason is an art historian, curator, and art consultant. She teaches in the Department of History in Art at the University of Victoria, offering a range of courses focusing on Canadian and BC art history with a particular emphasis on Emily Carr and indigenous art of the Northwest Coast art. An early passion for both these subjects led her to complete degrees in art history [Hon. B.A. UVic and M.A. UVic] and pursue a career in the field. In addition to her enthusiasm for teaching, Kerry has a long career in art curation. From its inception in 1977 through 1988 Kerry was the curator of the Emily Carr Gallery for the Province of BC, creating 27 different exhibitions of Emily Carr’s art. Mason has authored several articles and published the book, Sunlight in the Shadows: The Landscape of Emily Carr for Oxford University Press. Enthusiastic about all the arts, Kerry served ten years as a board member and as President of the Community Arts Council of Victoria. She represented Victoria on the Provincial Arts Board. In the past decade Kerry has curated and co-curated more than thirty exhibitions for the Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery of the University of Victoria and other commercial and public institutions. A particular enthusiasm has been melding different art traditions, indigenous and Western, in a number of exhibitions. Most recently, Kerry worked with the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria to develop the major exhibition on Emily Carr, and coauthored the companion book, Emily Carr on the Edge of Nowhere. Instructor in: Art History |
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Jessica Michalofsky“Writing is a way of imagining the world so that it makes sense.” Jessica attained a B.A. in English Literature from the University of British Columbia and followed that with a degree in Education. She is currently working at an M.F.A. in Creative Writing through UBC. She works at Camosun College and at VCA where she teaches and supports adults in both creative and academic courses in writing. She is published in Canadian journals such as Event, The Malahat Review, CV2, and in chapbook and anthology form. Jessica is most widely known for her work in prose poetry, but has recently turned her focus to short fiction under the wise tutelage of East-Coast novelist Lisa Moore. She believes writers benefit from being around other writers and that practice is the best sort of talent. Her teaching methodology encourages students to find their authentic voice through a supportive workshop process, invigorating writing exercises, and study of the masters. Instructor in: Art English |
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Yvonne OwensYvonne Owens obtained her B.A. in Art History from the University of Victoria, and her M.A. in Cultural Studies from the University of York in the U.K. She was awarded a Marie Curie Ph.D. Fellowship in 2005, and is currently completing dissertation in Art History for the University College of London. Yvonne has presented papers to many academic perspectives and disciplines, and has published articles and reviews on art for international arts, academic, and literary journals. Instructor in: Art History |
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Paul Peregal
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Yesman PostYesman R. Post is presently completing her PhD in Visual Art Education, has a Masters degree in Art Education History and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Victoria. She is an Honours Associate in Design from the Ontario College of Art. She has taught in the Faculty of Education at the University of Victoria, Visual Communications at University Canada West and primary to college level courses during her 14-year residency in Barcelona. Her experience as a practicing artist is extensive. In Barcelona, she researched the works of Spanish Masters, and in Toronto she was represented by Baas Studio, while owning and operating Innerspace Gallery. She is also immersed in International Art Education, publications and conferences, and is one of the few Art Education Historians in Canada. |
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Peter Such“I believe in art that gives a sense of awe and beauty and a fresh understanding of human life, which grows out of the artist’s own cultural experience and community and serves to enrich it.” Peter Such is an author and educator, Professor Emeritus of York University, Toronto. He has published eight books, and has been active in founding art organizations, art magazines and technology-based teaching initiatives. He has taught and given seminars as a visiting professor in Helsinki, Cambridge and other European universities as well as in North America. Although he is a critic, and has worked as an archaeologist, Peter is not an artist himself, preferring to be entranced by the magic of art practitioners, who often figure in his novels and plays. He views creativity as the one saving and non-polluting grace left to human beings. Peter thinks of the Victoria College of Art as a joy-oriented creative community and, as its President, he attempts to dispel the dragons of stress and angst whenever they arise. Instructor in: Animation storyboarding and dialogue English 100A |
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Joanne Thomson“Art is all about you. Your experiences, your interpretations, your emotional responses to your subject or simply to the experience of being human.” Joanne Thomson has a long career as a professional artist exhibiting watercolour and acrylic, installation art as well as many of the traditional female art forms of sewing, crochet and embroidery. In addition Joanne is a professional illustrator and currently the president of the Island Illustrator’s Society, with many books to her credit. Thomson holds a Masters of Adult Education and has taught at UVic, RRU, Camosun College and through Parks and Recreation Program, in Victoria. Her belief that the most important ‘talent’ a student needs is motivation to learn. “If you really want to learn how to do something you will ask, practice, research and watch until you figure it out.” Instructor in: Painting, Illustration201 , Business of Art |
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Carole Thompson“Painting for me is a journey which reveals new realities.” Carole Thompson is a visual artist, primarily a painter of large and smaller works who lives on Vancouver Island. Her work is informed by dreams, memories, photography, metaphysical interests and symbology. A recent series, “From the Beginning” explores Sacred Geometry and the five associated elements. Current works, inspired by an Australian residency, involve themes of Earth Connections evoked through geometric forms and personal symbolic languages. One intent in both series is to create and support unity conscious in viewers. Carole is the recipient of Canada Council Awards and a Honours graduate of Vancouver School of Art (ECCAD). Her work is found in many private and corporate collections, nationally and internationally including Art Bank-Ottawa. She has taught privately, at Arts Umbrella-Vancouver, Art Gallery Greater Victoria and Quadra Arts Centre-Victoria. Carole is represented by Fran Willis Gallery-Victoria Gallery-Victoria. http://carolethompsonart.blogspot.com Instructor in: Painting |
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Lesley Turner” The supreme art of the teacher is to awaken joy” – Albert Einstein Lesley is a trained teacher with a BA in Geography and holds City and Guilds of London Institute certificates in embroidery and design, and from the University of Calgary, a Certificate in Visual Design. She is currently a student in the BA(Hons) Embroidered Textiles programme in the Julia Caprara School of Textile Arts, Middlesex University, London UK. Working in the textile medium, Lesley has exhibited across Canada and in South Korea. She is a member of the textile art group Articulation and the Surface Design Association. Lesley’s teaching philosophy is based on the premise that all people are creative and it is her role as coach to support each of her student’s personal development. She recognizes every student has strengths and passions, which need nurturing in a supportive learning environment. |
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Andrew WooldridgeAndy Wooldridge is a formally trained and professional artist of 33 years. His work is widely sold and collected throughout North America and distributed internationally in print, by the WinnDevon Art Group. In 2005 he was inducted into ‘Painters at Painters Lodge’, a prestigious collective of BC’S best artists. Born in Egypt, Andrew was then raised and educated in England where he augmented his student grant by painting miniatures. He has lived and painted in Israel and Australia and also exhibited there. In conjunction with Alcheringa Gallery, he visited Papua New Guinea to paint a series of works on the life and myths of the Sepik River region. Widely regarded as a ‘master of pictorial composition’, Wooldridge has been a faculty member at the Victoria College of Art for 13 years. www.andywooldridge.com Instructor in: Master Class Painting
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