Originally from Ventura County, Erik Abel is a painter, illustrator and graphic designer. As an avid traveler in search of perfect waves and creative inspiration, Abel’s artwork has been attracting notable surf industry clients which include Billabong, Reef, Maui & Sons and Oxbow.
Actress Britten Barry, recently appeared in the Octavia Spencer film Unforgiving Minute. She has experience as a theatre director and voice artist, and has worked in television on shows for the History Channel and the BBC. In 2008 she produced the short film Bluff Point, scripted by Kieron Barry.
New Yorker, Stew Birbrower received his B.F.A. from Syracuse University. After serving as a Captain in the Army Infantry, he worked for some of the largest ad agencies in New York as art, creative and later, film director. He has produced thousands of ads and won numerous creative awards.
Paul Benavidez has numerous awards and prizes for his art and is an active southern California artist exhibiting locally and regionally. He is in public and private collections, holds a degree in Art Studio from UCSB and is currently a 2011 MFA candidate.
W. Michael Bingham is an award winning artist whose oils on canvas have been shown at Los Angeles Arts Council's Gallery 825, NoHo Gallery LA and Hollywood's Antebellum. Originally from Ohio, his figurative works, particularly The Rainbow Collection, capture an intensity of, color, light and the human Spirit.
Andrew Cummins is a ceramicist, sculptor and photographer from Rancho Palos Verdes and graduated from CSUCI in May of 2009. He is currently working on a Raku ceramic installation that is a commentary on history, utilizing image transfer and display to convey his concepts.
Angelica Chong is an adventurous jack-of-all-trades, graphic artist and photographer from Southern California. Loud music, classic midcentury style, horror films and dark humor heavily inspire her design work. Currently working as a shoe designer and photographer, she also heads up the local Roller Derby Jeerleading squad in her spare time.
Guillermo Fígoli explores human emotions through painting and film. Figoli studied Art in Argentina and Film in Puerto Rico. He has been the recipiant of grants and awards from institutions such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, the Government of Buenos Aires and the Uruguay Embassy in the United States.
Jacob Foko is currently a Visual Journalist, Documentary Filmmaker, and founder of the Global Humanitarian Photojournalists (GHP) under the United Nations Association, Santa Barbara and Tri-Counties Chapter, where he also serves as a board member. His mission is to raise awareness of social injustice and work towards viable solutions.
Nancy Hanna. From cobble stone roads, forgotten dialects, burning sun of Mexico. From explorers who crossed a cold sea to the new world. From dreamers, travelers, story tellers I acquired wisdom and strength. I am a mother, a friend, a poet and a writer.
Robert Hanna. I am an American born in Mexico and a San Francisco Art Institute graduate. Art plays an important part of my life. I am an inter disciplinary artist, painter and muralist as well as a sculptor of stone, metal and bronze, without attachments to any particular movement.
I am Johni Helohahoma (Red Thunder). My visual, auditory and material arts are based on my Turtle Island (North American) tribal heritage. Tribal material/spiritual culture allows me to express and share concepts using leather, stone, bone and media including painting, drawing, song and dance.
Wyatt Hull has toured the U.S. and UK extensively as vocalist in the EMI band “The Colour”. His latest self-produced record releases include “Cheetahsaurus” and “GypsyDeathStar”. Jodi Hull has been working in the hairstyling industry for 8 years, as well as performing music.
Jaesen Kanter I love visual communication. What influences people fascinates me. I am amazed that each creative expression reveals a deeper portal to self realization. I'm an Artivist, an evolutionary pioneer of the subconscious realm, using my intuition to communicate ideas that incite conversation. Lets talk,
Craig Kasamis. I am a musician, promoter and member of the band The Fucking Wrath (T.F.W.) and work at DW Drums in Oxnard. My wife Rosie, who runs Mom Core (a co-op preschool) and I are expecting the first WAV-born child, King, brother to 2yr old sister, Scout.
Aaron Karger is a photographer with an eye for the subtle nuances of seemingly ordinary objects transforming them into art with his unique perspective. A seeker in pursuit of answers to human inconsistencies, he expresses his findings through the lens of his penetrating, inquisitive eye.
Janet Lamb creates intuitive drawings in line and color that demystify the intangible world of thought. Working with a set of symbols, her art decodes the mechanics of the subconscious to reveal the tangle of personal and collective thought forms impeding the free flow of energy.
John R. Leamer is a retired casting director who worked at Disney, Paramount Studios, and was head of casting for Procter & Gamble's REDNA Productions. He was Founding Executive Director of The American Actors Theatre in Rome, Italy. He resides at the WAV with artist Michael Bingham and is writing his first play.
Katrina Maksimuk uses photography and film to explore what shapes others and herself by peering through the overlooked power and entertainment lens of daily life. She captures images that tell stories of political movements, community events, life challenges and most importantly, hope.
JKoo Mondol is a renowned artist who started his career in the 1970’s, who is also known as Jitsoo in the Midwest. His work is often influenced by his love for the outdoors and nature. A diverse artist, his projects range from music and video production, to photography, watercolors and large acrylic canvas paintings.
Lucé (C. Patricolo) is a critically acclaimed architectural glass artist who distills a theme to it's very essence, transforming the ordinary into extraordinary through her use of functional objects. From child protégé to master her publications and exhibitions span the US and Europe.
Taya Pocock has a diverse background in photography, music, communications and intercultural relations. Since receiving her MFA in Performing Arts Management she has worked with organizations such as Putumayo Records and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and currently serves as the Director of Panomatics USA.
Paul Roux. Growing up in South Africa, I came to the US in 2006 on a scholarship for further study at SMFA in Boston. In a world that regularly leaves something to be desired in terms of how we treat each other, and the planet that sustains us, my writing and painting is often concerned with exalting the unadulterated beauty that lurks always only a flip of the coin away.
Leighton Collier Roux. Having grown up in California, I received an MFA from Tufts University in 2008. My interdisciplinary art practice is centered around movement and the body. I often incorporate soft sculptural objects into my work, which I then relate to in my performances in an attempt to reveal something intuitive about relationships and interconnectedness.
Morgan Steven is a writer with a focus in hip-hop influenced song and poetry. His work explores aspects of the human condition including aspiration, failure, and beauty. As a cultural observant he creates work reflective of the personal environment he occupies.
Ami Shupe Ami is an award winning costume designer who travels the world working on cruise ships for stiletto entertainment. She met her husband of 16 years at a local Ventura theatre.
Will Shupe is an award-winning actor and set designer for many Ventura county theaters. He is also the cofounder and writer for the High Street Broadcast, which produces a monthly old time radio show.
Carol Swangler. I am older than most and younger than some. I have worked in visual arts since I was very young. My mediums are oil and watercolor and stained glass I have moved to the WAV for one purpose to promote the greening of America. I have never wanted to be an artist, but I find I must.
Taras Tulek. Born in Slovakia, Taras immigrated to the USA with his parents at age 5, grew up in New York City and studied Art in NYC, Oakland, Denver, Los Angeles and Ventura. He is a painter in several mediums and has had numerous professional gallery shows. He experiments with phosphorescent and florescent pigments.
Sean Tully Sean’s practice emphasizes an exchange between painting, photography, and sculpture. His work is subculture driven, engaging influence from street art, pop art, and neo-expressionism. It embraces aspects of distortion, energy, and tapestry to convey feelings of human experience from a youthful viewpoint.
Julinya Vidigal De Vince is a citizen of the world who has lived in U.S. for 30 years. Her diverse painting technique arises from having worked with a variety of great artists. She paints with her son, Victor Emmanuel Vidigal who contributes his anti-traditional elements with her complex mannerist style.
