Alice Valenti is a Maryland-based artist who exhibits nationally. She has received several awards for her drawings and paintings, including an Elizabeth Greenshields Young Artist Grant and a Maryland State Arts Council Individal Artist Award. Her work is represented in collections at Johns Hopkins Hospital and SUNY Geneseo. Valenti received a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and an MFA from Towson University.
Carmelo Ciancio
Carmelo is credited with having developed the technique of applying color to the traditional black and white medium scratchboard. Carmelo loves the total control the medium provides him and its unusual e ects. With painstaking attention to detail, Carmelo adds layers of color to the scratchboard, which seem to sparkle in the light like little diamonds or jewels. By trial and error he has developed his own technique for mixing color and types of paint. “There were no instructional courses in this technique,” Carmelo says.
Shana R. Goetsch's art frequently involves themes of social justice, empowerment, love, loss and bereavement; she began painting in 1989 after witnessing the murder of her mother. Often using words, cultural references or found objects, she injects personal voice, history and memory into her pieces. Originally from southeastern Wisconsin, Goetsch's work has appeared in numerous exhibitions throughout Wisconsin, Virginia, Maryland, Arizona, New York, Washington D.C. and British Columbia, Canada.
A native of Baltimore, Barbara Epstein Gruber's early career aspirations were brought to an abrupt halt at age six when Mr. and Mrs. Epstein discovered her going full Rembrandt on the wall behind the living room couch. This Crayola-on-plaster endeavor went largely unappreciated, and it would be 30 years before Ms. Gruber began to paint seriously again.
Illustrator and professional graphic designer based in Annapolis, Maryland.
Maggii Sarfaty has been painting since she was a child and studied fine art at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Growing up along the Chesapeake Bay of Maryland instilled a love of the water and all things coastal. In 1990 Maggii embarked on her career in interior design as a muralist and faux finisher. Her work has been featured in Women’s Day and Traditional Home and several regional publications. She now adds set design to her creative resume working with two theatre groups in her hometown Easton Maryland.
Leah Lewman is an artist whose current work focuses on the visual struggles between manmade structures and natural landscapes. Lewman has exhibited her work in spaces across the country, including the 2012 National Juried Exhibitionat the Art Institute & Gallery in Salisbury, MD; Landscape at Escape Velocity, a 2015 exhibition at Fine Arts Complex 1101 in Tempe, AZ; and the 2016 Wet Paint MFA Biennial Exhibitionat the Zhou B. Art Center in Chicago, IL.
Sarah is an avid hand letterer. She is obsessed with the written word and the majority of her art showcases that. She also enjoys drawing architecture, watercolor painting, and photography.
Caroline Serafinas is a fine art painter working primarily with oil and watercolor. She draws inspiration from the world around her which often manifests as figurative and still life paintings. Caroline is active on social media where she documents her daily pursuit of making art while working as an engineer in the public sector. Her website name, The Colorful Engineer, is a nod to her dual interests.