The Artists Playground
learn to create...from the inside out!
est. 1987
SM
Our Instructors
Pat Lutz Owner / Teacher pat.lutz@comcast.net A self described landscape artist, this self taught artist's knowledge covers all mediums from drawing, perspective, watercolor, oils, acrylica,pastels and mixed media. Once the only teacher in her studio, she now has many artists that have studied under her, teaching their own classes. Pat currently teaches three Adult Studio Art classes.
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Emily Meleedy Children Instructor emeleedy1@gmail.com
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Ashley Courtney Adult Instructor ashley.conchieri@gmail.com Ashley received her BFA in Fiber Art from Mass Art and Design. She also studied weaving + textile design at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. She approaches fiber art in a loose and playful way. She teaches with the belief that everyone is already an artist.
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Cara Connors Adult Instructor caraconnors@yahoo.com Cara is an established local watercolorist who has studied with numerous international and local artists: Keiko Tanabe; late Charles Reid, Pat Lutz, Paul George, and Paula Grillo, and Caribbean artist Heleen Cornet. Her work has been shown locally and on the island of Saba in the Dutch Caribbean. Website: https://www.caraconnorsart.com Instagram & Facebook
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Rob Brun Adult Instructor airebrun@hotmail.com Born in Baltimore, MD my interest in art began at a very early age when I began drawing on any available flat surface, often with unwelcome result, but I did learn a lot about cleaning products. After winning a number of art awards in high school, I attended the Rhode Island School of Design (R.I.S.D.) earning my B.F.A. in Illustration. After graduation, I worked as a professional artist for 18 years both in agencies and freelance before transitioning to fine art. I found that solving visual challenges on a more personal level to be much more fulfilling. I enjoy sharing what I have learned with others developing their various talents. Awards etc: ASAA juried show, Baltimore, MD 200? Award of Merit, CAE Horizons of Flight 2009 and 2011 ASAA juried show, 8th Air Force Museum, Savannah, GA 200? WASP WW II Museum, Sweetwater, Texas 2001 ASAA juried show, National Museum of the USAF, Dayton, OH in 2019 .
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Tina Kennedy All Ages Instructor time2shine@verizon.net Tina has been a student at The Artists Playground for more than 15 years where she learned the fundamentals of drawing and painting. Her favorite medium is watercolor where she has experimented with adding line to her detailed landscapes and florals. Tina teaches afternoon children classes and also has an Adult/Teen Studio Art class in the evening.
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Beverly Heinz-Lacey Adult Instructor bevhlacey@gmail.com Beverly has been a student at The Artists Playground for more than 12 years where she learned the fundamentals of drawing and painting. Her favorite medium is acrylics where she has experimented with many different design approaches. Beverly’s most recent landscape paintings feature large shapes and bright contrasting colors.
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Sandra Turner Adult Worshops plumisl4@yahoo.com I have been with the Artists Playground as a student, then teacher and more recently as an administrator for some 35 years. I graduated from New England School of Art located in Boston, MA., then went on to enjoy a lengthy career as a graphic designer. In recent years I illustrated and self published several coloring books: Imagine; Color Plum Island; Color Newburyport and Color Cape Cod. An avid sketcher, I have been known to have filled many a sketching journal during my travels. From time to time, I teach workshops in various mediums through The Artists Playground in Newburyport and instruct outdoor workshops in the warm weather months. New mediums excite me and I love exploring the possibilities that each one opens up to me as an artist.
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Megan Biddle Adult Instructor megan.biddle@comcast.net Megan Biddle is a working artist and a school teacher in the North Andover Public School district for nearly 18 years. Her work borders modern expressive abstraction where her mark marking is inspired by the actions of both organic and mechanical structures. “I hope to shed light on the process of creating abstract work. Often there is a mystery to the how and why but I will offer my own perspective on how to be inspired by what surrounds you. I want abstraction to be accessible to all that find curiosity in the subject.”
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Cara Gonier Adult Instructor gonierartworks@gmail.com Cara Gonier is a New England based award winning contemporary artist in both painting and printmaking. Her work has been featured in solo, group, invitational, museum and juried exhibitions. Publications include the centerfold of the 2014 issue of Artscope Magazine, the April/May 2020 issue of International Artist Magazine under the feature: “Master Painters of the World”, North Shore Magazine Home April 2023 issue. Cara’s education includes degree studies in Music: Vocal Performance from Westminster Choir College, Princeton, NJ and Biology: Pre Med at Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, MA. Cara's work has been described as atmospheric, meditative and evocative while alluding to landscape in minimal detail, keeping viewers interest in the subtle flux of tones and texture in her paintings. "My artistic process is a fusion of traditional landscape painting studies with an intuitive approach in creating more contemporary meditative compositions. My explorations and study in various disciplines of printmaking such as drypoint, Ecoprints, monotype/monoprint have informed my painting and vice versa. Established is 2022, Cara founded and is the director of Gonier Fine Art Monotype Workshops a workshop program promoting and educating students on the techniques of cost effective, minimal equipment fine art printmaking.