Meet the Talented people that make Vancouver Art Space the place to be creative!
BARBARA SHEEHAN, OWNER & INSTRUCTOR
Meet Barbara Dianne Sheehan, the Owner of this exciting endeavor. Barbara has over 40 years experience designing, painting, and working in the creative arts. She has owned and operated an exclusive fine art and art furniture gallery, a custom home remodeling and design firm, and since graduating from Pacific NW College of Art in 1996, with a BA degree in Painting, has worked as an independent artist.
From 1996 to 2001 Barbara was a founding member of PBNJ Studios, a group of artists committed to the fine arts community in SE Portland. Her work includes oil paintings, pastels, computerized/digital and photography collages – generally experimenting with materials and visuals.
Her paintings have been featured in solo and group shows in Portland Oregon, New York City, and Ballyvaughan, Ireland.
Carolyn MacPherson
“I have worked my way through many trends, painting styles, and media because I am a restless person. Never satisfied with status quo, I love experimentation and teaching, which I find keeps my mind open to different ways of viewing the world. I discover from my students an entirely different way of reacting to the landscape. How in the world did Paul see that tree as if it were weeping? How did Mary see all that purple in a bush I saw as mainly green? Priceless input!
I work on a series with a rather mundane subject—eggs—until I had exhausted every single way I could see and paint them. I’ve used unusual material like powdered dye in the backgrounds because I get excited about the serendipitous result like when brown blooms out with the red, blues and yellows that comprise a neutral color’s makeup. This unifies my subject to their background. Thus, I have become an expert at controlling happy accidents or using them to lead me toward another interpretation of my subject. This has led me to put on workshops that teach aspiring artists how to loosen up and experiment with watercolors, because they are, indeed, so correctable in spite of their reputation.
My time as an interpretative camp host at Smith Rock State Park in Oregon taught me the necessary discipline for the plein air paintings.
The recent loss of my husband, best friend and critic has led me to an understanding of how grief can humble one, yet also teach you to be more expressive and introspective. My paintings are now softer, more atmospheric, as if viewed through a veil of tears. Watercolors allows for the fluid interpretation of scenes that I strive for and makes the statement I choose to make about how fragile our environment is; how important it is to respect the incredible diversity of the plants and animals we have been blessed with on this earth to paint and enjoy.”
HANNAH COMPLIN (She/They)
Hannah is a third generation artist who started taking art lessons in her teens. She has a Bachelors of Arts Degree from Cal State and has over 8 years of teaching experience. Hannah has taught here at the Paint Your Pet Sundays, Copic Marker Classes and Watercolor and Ink Illustration classes.
“I like to make things that make people laugh and I like to make people think in a different way. I want to learn to do both through my work.”
Hannah Complin’s illustration career began in kindergarten, when she discovered that if she drew the Ninja Turtles, other kids would give her quarters for her drawings. She has been creating things for fun and money ever since.
She attended private painting lessons as a teen, and put those lessons to use in college as a theater design major with an emphasis on scenic design and makeup special effects. She painted throughout school, creating rich, bright and often humorous watercolor pet portraits. She continued to paint realistic watercolors after becoming an instructor at Orange County School of the Arts where she taught for 8 years, and also began to draw fantasy, sci-fi, and sometimes comedic ink illustrations.
Today she is making a name for herself in watercolor and ink illustration with her own projects “Cats in Disguise” and “The Deadliest Animals on Earth”. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, 2 cats, and a Corgi named Sonja.
Hannah’s Official Shop www.etsy.com/shop/HannahComplinArt
Instagram @hannahcomplinart
KRYSTLESAURUS (SHE / HER)
Krystle has been a creative force her whole life. She has always believed in a diverse and explorative approach to art, but recently has decided to focus on painting. Working in both acrylics and watercolors, she brings her unique vision to life. With bold blending of color, the work interprets modern culture into dynamic visual images. She is best known for her creepy, yet cute, creatures.
In 2013 Krystle graduated from the Art Institute of Portland with an Associate’s of Arts degree in Apparel Design. Although she is still in love with fabric and apparel design her focus currently is 2D art.
Krystle’s Official Site www.krystlesaurus.com
Instagram @krystlesaurus
Sarah Hunter (SHE / HER)
“I am a fine artist with over 20 years of experience in creative pursuits. I have a degree in Apparel Design and Fine Art from Seattle Pacific University, and my current artistic passions include creating figuratively expressionistic paintings as well as designing my own line of artisan jewelry.
I particularly love painting portraits and figures and aim to capture both the visual complexity of the physical subject in addition to their emotional complexity. My most recent artistic works explore themes of femininity and mental health through a figurative lens, with elements of surrealism and modern expressionism. I juxtapose socio-cultural ideas of femininity and female identity with the experiences of the 21st century woman, and often include personal imagery within my work. I am inspired by trying to capture what words alone cannot– things that beg to be expressed but cannot be easily parsed. I try to capture feelings, emotions, and experiences with color, composition, and blurring the lines between reality and our own inner worlds and imaginings.
I also explore concepts pertaining to mental health. I believe that personal expression through art can be a very meaningful and healing form of therapy and that putting visual imagery to some of the mental health struggles that many people face offers a form of collective healing. At the very least, it is a tangible means of continuing the conversation around mental health, the significant role art can play in ameliorating many of these issues, and breaking down the misconception that we are isolated in our struggles.
My primary medium is oil painting, but I also have experience working in acrylic, chalk pastel, colored pencil, charcoal, graphite, alcohol inks, conte crayon, watercolor, printmaking, metal, fiber arts, and as a muralist. I have had my art exhibited in many local and regional galleries, fulfilled several private artwork commissions, and have also completed murals for both public and private clients –most notably a large, public mural commission in Vancouver, WA at River City Church located on Fourth Plain Boulevard.
I am based in Vancouver, WA, where I live with my husband, three children, two cats, and teach art classes on a part-time basis.”
Sarah’s Official Site www.alittlegreybird.com
Instagram @alittlegreybird
See how Sarah is helping the community in the Columbian article here.
Nathun Finkhouse ( He/Him )
Nathun Finkhouse is an artist who primarily works in Watercolor and Acrylic. Landscapes and rustic scenes of trucks and barns are among his favorite subjects to paint. After getting his Art Education degree in Idaho, Nathun moved to Vancouver and has been a proud member of the Southwest Washington Watercolor Society and the Mosaic Arts Alliance. Nathun is an active member of the art community as he participates in numerous exhibits every year and runs the Second Floor Art Gallery at the Downtown Hilton.
Nathun’s Official Website www.nathunfinkhouse.weebly.com
Instagram @nathunpaintings
Facebook Nathun Finkhouse