Art Swarm 2026 - Meet Our Instructors
Rick Bennett
Born in the small town of Arapahoe, NC, Rick lives in Raleigh. He is a full time artist and has
taught watercolor for 13 years. His work has been exhibited at the Pullen Arts Center, Charlotte Mint Museum, Fayetteville Museum, Raleigh Fine Art Society Annual Exhibition, Watercolor Society of NC Annual Exhibition, Visual Art Exchange and the Imperial Center, Rocky Mount NC.
He is represented by Mattie King Davis Gallery, Beaufort, NC and GreenHill Gallery Shop,
Greensboro, NC.
Continuing with Watercolor
Nancy Carty
Oh My! Coffee and Pie: Introduction to Still Life Painting
I have always had a passion for art and culture. Born in the Middle East I was exposed to the significance of art, culture and language at an early age.
My passion for Art History was ignited under the direction of my art history teacher while I attended The American School in Switzerland, Lugano, Switzerland. Initially I was self taught in the art of Photography and used this medium to document my travels and record visual images that provided a powerful record of the visual history I was able to witness.
Chip Freund
Making a Fine Art Photograph
Chip Freund is an award-winning fine art landscape and nature photographer born and raised in Northeast Ohio who now calls Raleigh, NC home. Throughout his life, photography has been one of his passions amid a career in marketing and a growing family. In 2017 the passion became a profession. Chip has been an active artist in art festivals across the Carolinas and beyond.
I am an artist who uses photography to engage others with the natural world by sharing unique and unexpected perspectives. I find my greatest inspiration in places where water meets land, the water's edge. Not only are these places rich in biodiversity, they are also some of the most beautiful.
Jim Hallenbeck
Painting a Tree Landscape With Pastels - and Paint!
Jim earned a BS in Art Education from Florida International University of Miami in December 1979. My dream of being an art instructor then artist, however, was put on a 35 year hold! I was hired by IBM in September 1979 in Boca Raton, FL and transferred to Raleigh, NC in 1999. I retired from IBM as a Vice President in September 2014. I have taken workshops from nationally recognized artists such as Nicole Kennedy, Dan Beck, Dawn Whitelaw, Derek Penix, and 13 with Albert Handell (my mentor, teacher, and friend). I am a studio artist of Artspace in Raleigh, NC. I was a studio artist of 311 Gallery in Raleigh, NC from 2016 to July 2020. I have taught adult oil and pastel classes at Artspace, Eno Arts Mill in Hillsboro, and the Florence Thomas Art School in West Jefferson. I have been juried into 90 local and national exhibitions winning 20 awards.
Kim Lantz
Transforming Magazines into Art: CitriSolv Image and Mixed Media Creations
Kimberly Lantz is a North Carolina–based photographer and encaustic fine artist whose work explores presence, memory, and human connection. Her practice spans more than four decades and includes photography, encaustic media, ceramics, and painting. Through intimate portraiture and richly layered surfaces, she examines themes of identity, ritual, and emotional depth—most recently through photographic documentation of participants in Día de los Muertos celebrations. Although she is currently living in NC, her roots began in New Mexico with the ability to embrace tradition and culture.
She studied Fine Arts with an emphasis in photography at the University of New Mexico and at SUNY New Paltz, and later continued her formal training in ceramics and painting at the Art Institute of Southern California.
Cheryl McCardle
Cheryl McCardle paints in an expressionistic abstract style using texture to enrich the surfaces of her work. The artist has been seriously painting and sculpting since 1990. She received a Bachelor of Arts from George Mason University in 1996. Cheryl paints in acrylic, watercolor and mixed media. She makes use of non-traditional materials, such as fiber and found objects in her works. The artist also enjoys teaching creativity and painting classes.
From Reality to Abstraction
Kelly Oakes
Kelly Oakes is a classically-trained portrait painter based in New Bern, North Carolina. She graduated from The Maryland Institute College of Art, attended The Parsons School of Design, and has recently studied at The Art Students league under Sharon Sprung.
Painting a Portrait from a Photograph
Patricia Pittman
Patricia is a native of Atlanta , GA. She attended Stephens College, Columbia, MO and is a Mississippi State Alumna. Patricia is an award winning artist that has focused much of her artistic career on the classical approach to oils used by the masters, and continues to be fascinated by the human form, often reproducing Masters in the Italian Verdaccio method.
She has been juried into and won awards in Local, National and International Shows. She specializes in Landscapes, Portraits, Still Life and Classical Reproductions.
A "Wipe Out" Approach to Painting Animals
Scott Renk
Scott Renk is an urban sketcher, award-winning animator, and teacher of At-Risk students. After attending the 3rd International Urban Sketchers Symposium in the Dominican Republic in 2012, Scott has founded and developed an urban sketching community in Raleigh, North Carolina and beyond. He has taught sketching sessions at CAM Raleigh, Artspace, North Carolina Museum of Art, Nasher Museum, Activate 14, Arts4life, and the 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022 National AIA Conventions. He has attended USK symposiums in the Dominican Republic, Chicago, Portugal, and Amsterdam.
Urban Sketching:
Character, Conflict, Setting
Gowri Savoor
Gowri Savoor is a visual-teaching artist whose practice includes sculpture, illustration, and writing for children. Originally from England, she has now found her home in Cary, NC. She is the co-founder of A River of Light, an organization committed to bringing art to the community through lantern parades and light installations, and the co-director of the non-profit, Teaching Artists Connect. Gowri's art is inspired by the brilliance of the natural world, particularly that which is fleeting and ephemeral. Each day she spends time in nature–marveling at murmurations, capturing shadows, or making up stories while wandering through the woods with a little red dog.
Build a Personal Talisman: A Mindful Journey
Maureen Scullen
Nationally recognized for her classical realism, Maureen Scullin creates compelling portraits, figures, and landscapes distinguished by their strong design, luminous color, and sensitive observation. A Detroit native and graduate of Parsons School of Design, she transitioned from a successful illustration career to fine art, building a reputation for work that combines technical excellence with emotional depth. Maureen is a member of prestigious organizations including the Portrait Society of America and Oil Painters of America.
Portraits: Light & Reflections in Focus