Instructors

Rosemarie Brown

Having over 35 years of experience my works include historical restoration for homes and buildings on our national registry, museums , Disney and custom work. As an artist my work is inspired by nature. I love working with stained glass , it’s textures, vibrant colors and the way it dances in the light I enjoy teaching and sharing the beauty of stained glass, mosaics and fused glass with others.

Morna Strengholt

Morna began painting in oils at the age of nine and exhibited in her first one person show at twelve. Her Art education began in 1954 at the Midland Art Institute and studied architecture in 1964 at Texas Technological College before transferring to the Fine Arts program at North Texas State College. She also studied in the Upper Division Program at Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, Ca. Morna has taught art across the US and was a gallery owner in the Keys. She has received many awards and her paintings are in collections world-wide, private, public and corporate.

Tanya Purdy

Tanya received her (CRI) Certified Ross Instructor certificate in March of 2022. She learned the Bob Ross Wet-on-Wet technique under the instructor Nic Hankins at The Bob Ross Art Studio in New Smyrna Beach Florida.

Participating in a paint like Bob Ross class with Tanya Purdy offers numerous benefits. Not only does it provide an opportunity to explore your creativity and learn the Bob Ross techniques of landscape painting, but it also promotes relaxation and stress relief. Tanya’s guidance and supportive environment help to boost confidence and foster a sense of community among participants. This class is a fantastic way to unleash your inner artist and experience the joy of painting!

Paul Morris

Paul Morris has been a prominent member of the Florida commercial photography community for over three decades. Today he works with photography and other mediums creating dynamic 2D and 3D fine-art works for sale. Paul is a Compulsive Creator who applies a finely-crafted personal style to his work.

As a fine artist he uses photography as a creative medium to experiment with traditional and alternative photographic processes with a unique vision. His images can be seen in many homes, institutions and galleries throughout the US and Europe.

While Paul still does some commercial work, his focus has shifted to the art of photography and sharing his knowledge with others to help them make their images better.

Paul recently relocated to Mount Dora, joined the arts community here, and is bringing photography education to MDCA.

Susan Grogan

Susan Grogan is an award-winning artist; her passion is in watercolor and alcohol ink.

She started her art career as a fashion illustrator for a local department store in Cincinnati Ohio. Wanting to pursue her artistic interest, she concentrated on painting, and teaching classes. Now in Florida for 7 years, she sells her work and teaches beginner, intermediate and advanced watercolor class at the Mount Dora Center of the Arts.

Susan is an active member of the Central Florida Watercolor Society and is the workshop chair. She is currently on the public arts commission in Mount Dora and has been for 4 years.

She also is the Volunteer art coordinator for the W.T. Bland library in Lake County.

Paul Allen Taylor

Rochester NY Artist Paul Allen Taylor is a self-taught painter using watercolors and acrylics. He is a landscape painter first, but he could be classified as a maritime artist in that many of his works involve water, boats, ships lighthouses and shorelines. He holds a membership with the American Society of Marine Artists. His work is widely collected and has an extensive print collection. Paul is a well-traveled workshop instructor having taught in Florida, Illinois, Cape Cod and the Chesapeake Bay among others as well as Canada.

Mira Fallbeck

Mira Fallbeck is a Ukrainian artist. She began building her career as an artist, illustrator and instructor in Kyiv, Ukraine. She has successfully collaborated with Ukrainian fashion brands and fashion magazines such as Elle UA and MOLOKO. She is most recognized for her fashion and children’s illustrations. Mira is passionate about watercolor and acrylic painting.

“Since I moved to the U.S., my life and career have taken me on a great adventure. I have worked as a guest artist at the Albany, OR Carousel Museum, worked at an art studio and as an art teacher at a local school. I find inspiration in the incomparable beauty of nature, the smiles of children and the sweet, random moments of life.”

Jane Moody

I have been painting Sumi-e style since the mid ‘80’s. My personal style is a combination of traditional Chinese and contemporary Western techniques to bring landscapes and floral scenes to life. I practice with a variety of materials, using “zung-chi” and black ink to achieve the level of detail necessary in my artworks.
Sumi-e is like a beautiful flowing circle — the circle of life. Every step of the way is filled with wonderful surprises, you never know how and when it will end, but prepared with right frame of mind, ink, a good brush and a sturdy hand, you will get fantastic results.

Maria Pirone

Maria Pirone comes to us from New York City where she graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a Bachelors degree in fine arts and art therapy. During her years in New York City Maria worked over 20 years as a freelance makeup artist for film and television. She worked in several facilities providing art therapy for pediatrics ICU, AIDS/HIV infected and affected, all varieties of PTSD survivors, and the elderly. Her work slowly emerged into ordained ministry where she practices creative and intuitive counseling. Maria also worked as a freelance fine art model, animation model, 3-D animation model, and voice overs for animation.

Franklin Smith

Franklin Smith is a West Virginia native who lost his hearing (severely Deaf) at the age of 2. From a young age, he communicated mostly through lip-reading and fingerspelling. It wasn’t until his college years that he became immersed in the Deaf world and fluent in American Sign Language. It was then that he found his identity and joined the Deaf community. Franklin is a dynamic professional with a unique background of more than 10 years teaching ASL and working with Deaf students providing mentoring, advocating, coaching, career development training and job readiness among other skills. Franklin is currently an ASL Adjunct Professor and full-time ASL Lab Manager at the St Petersburg College. He is a people person who loves baking, bowling, arts and crafts, and making a difference in his community