Katie Botterman is a ceramic artist and instructor working in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She earned her BFA in ceramics from Ohio University in 2021. She began working at the North Hills Art Center later that year, sharing her love of clay through teaching. From beginners to advanced, wheel-throwing and hand-building, Katie loves introducing people to this most elemental art of playing with mud and challenging returning students with more advanced techniques. Katie also helps to keep things running smoothly in the studio by firing the kilns, recycling clay for classes, and other maintenance. When there is time to spare she enjoys reading fantasy novels and adventuring outdoors where she enjoys skiing, kayaking, hiking, and camping.  She also works on her own ancient-inspired sculptures and searches for opportunities to exhibit her works. To see more visit her website: katiebotterman.com

Douglas Brown is a Pittsburgh native who attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. After pursuing a career as a package designer and free-lance artist for almost 40 years, he recently returned to the Pittsburgh area. He is a signature member and past president of the Pennsylvania En Plein Air Society. For the past 20 years he has taught watercolors and shared his love of the beauty of colors with hundreds of students.

Ruthann Farinacci got her degree in Art Education from Edinboro University. She has previously taught pottery classes at NHAC and currently teaches Landscape Weaving. She has served on the Board of Directors here at NHAC for the past 20 years; 10 of which she served as Board President.  When not teaching here at NHAC, Ruthann teaches painting in the NHAC outreach program to residents of Vincentian Home. She is a member of several fiber arts guilds in the area and she demonstrates and sells her artwork at various festivals and shops in the area.

Marianne Hilke's early art education was in Pittsburgh at The Ivy School of Art, after which she continued at the Rhode Island School of Photography. She established the Art department and curriculum for grades K – 12 at a large private school while living in N. Palm Springs, CA.

She is affiliated with the Butler Institute of American Art, Shenango Pallette Club and  North Hills Art Gallery and attends different workshops to keep skills updated. She also teaches for different organizations and at her home studio along with volunteering at the Veterans Administration.

Sheila Klotz fell in love with the world of art from the very first stroke of a paintbrush. Years later, she embarked on a new chapter by enrolling in a watercolor painting class. Since then, her artistic horizons have expanded to include acrylics, collages, and Gyotaku (an ancient Japanese technique). No matter the medium, her creations celebrate the vibrant energy of life.

You'll find her work showcased at galleries including Manos Gallery, Latrobe Art Center, Butler Art Center, and the North Hills Art Center as well as at libraries including Shaler and Monroeville, and at several coffee shops, restaurants, and professional offices. She also maintains a home studio in Gibsonia. Connect with her on Instagram @bluehuesartbysheila or visit her website bluehuesartbysheila@gmail.com.

Stacy Koehler is a quilt maker who started her first quilt when she was 22, finished it when she was 35 and has since become a little more productive. Over the years she has grabbed all the opportunities she could to learn  about quilting and other fiber arts, all without acquiring an art degree. She is a firm believer in the idea that expressing oneself and influencing one’s environment through creative pursuits is a vital and enjoyable part of life, regardless of skill, interest or depth of participation.  In other words: for everyone. Stacy has been a certified quilt show judge since 2005. She has taught in schools, shops, conferences, quilt shows and community centers. She does not have a specialty because it is all too much fun. Stacy started her involvement with NHAC when she moved to the area seven years ago and wandered in, looking for a new art home. Which she found.

Donna Caroline Lesondak is a self-taught Mosaic Artist residing in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. Donna works primarily with stained glass but also with glass tile, smalti and found objects.  Always needing to do something creative, Donna was a cake decorator working from home for fifteen years while raising her two sons. She has won awards for her cakes that were entered in shows and taught cake decorating for five years. After attending workshops with mosaic artists Kasia Polkowska of Colorado, and Martin Cheek of Broadstairs, Kent UK, Donna found her true passion in Stained Glass Mosaic Art and has now been creating her art for eight years. Her favorite subjects are birds and nature. Donna has shown her art locally and has been a featured artist at Arts of the Albemarle, Elizabeth City, NC.

Jamie Monaghan was born in January of 1989 and began drawing as a hobby at the young age of 9. She enjoyed drawing some of her favorite characters, which eventually led her into an abstract style while also practicing realism from drawing her own hands. Jamie continued taking drawing and painting classes throughout middle school and high school. After receiving her undergraduate degree in social work in 2014, she found her way back to the arts one year later. With a longing to create again she began taking painting classes at The Baum School of Art in Allentown Pa. She began teaching painting sessions at a local studio in 2016. In 2017, Jamie moved and shortly after fully immersed herself into the art scene of Pittsburgh. 

Jeanine Murch is a freelance illustrator specializing in whimsical art and hand lettering for books, greeting cards, magazines, and advertising campaigns. She holds a BFA in Illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and started her career designing children's books in the big publishing houses of New York City. After a decade of experience there, she took the leap from the corporate world into freelance to expand her creative opportunities and start a family. She's now happy to be living back in her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA with her husband, two children and sweet rescue pup—who all can be found as inspiration in her work.

Karen Nootbaar is a native of the Midwest, although for nearly 30 years she, her husband, and their daughter have called Pittsburgh home. Art has been a constant passion of hers and she currently enjoys watercolor, soft pastel, weaving, wet felting and knitting. A love of color and the interactions between colors is a continuing focus of her artwork. She has experience teaching a variety of creative projects, including knitting, crochet, Shibori dyeing, wet felting, rubber stamping, and collage.

Jeanne Perrier's art training and education is primarily from the past 20 years with a focus on botanical illustration in colored pencil, graphite, and pen and ink. She lives with cats. Pencils are safe. She has studied under various national and international botanical artists and colored pencil artists and earned an Advanced Level Certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration from Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. She has participated in numerous juried national and local exhibitions and is currently on faculty at the North Hills Art Center. She previously taught at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Oil City Art Center, and Masonic Village Senior Community. Recently she was awarded signature status (CPSA) by the Colored Pencil Society of America for having been accepted into their juried international exhibition three times within 10 years. She is a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, Allegheny Highlands Botanical Art Society, Colored Pencil Society of America, Botany Society of Western Pennsylvania, and Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation. jeanne.perrier@att.net

Dwight Pritchett is a native of Pittsburgh but has also lived in Franklin, PA and Fort Lauderdale, FL. Upon graduating from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Dwight ran his own successful graphic art studio for 45 years. After retiring, he joined the North Hills Art Center to brush up in various mediums like watercolor, painting and sketching. With his experience as a graphic illustrative artist, the NHAC invited him to join the talented and inspiring teaching staff at the North Hills Art Center. Dwight enjoys the challenges and rewards of teaching.

Saige Runyan is a watercolor artist based in Pittsburgh, PA. In 2021, she graduated from Penn State with a Bachelor of Architecture and a dual minor in Art and Philosophy. Though she had been creating art since she was old enough to hold a pencil, she first fell in love with watercolor when she began to use it to add depth to her technical drawings in university. After university, Saige and her partner settled in Pittsburgh. She focused on further refining her art style and began showing her work at Vestige Gallery. However, she soon found that she craved creative community. This led to her seeking employment at the North Hills Art Center, where she now serves as an office assistant and watercolor instructor. To see more of Saige's work, visit www.saigeleaf.art.

Tyler Stauffer is a User Experience Designer by day and a teacher by night. He has a BS in Art Education with certifications in Art K-12 and Mathematics 6-8. He has taught children aged 4-18 in the school setting and adults in both private lessons and at Painting with a Twist. He enjoys creating ceramic works focused on birds along with teaching ceramics, drawing, and printmaking.

Heather Tantalo-Spiegel took every art elective she could get her hands on through school, focusing on ceramics and metal shop. This experience lead directly into a jewelry repair shop apprenticeship where she stayed for the next 4 years. Later she went into childcare, working primarily with preschool/school age children for the next 5 years and planning many of the art projects at the school age level before moving on to work at an embroidery shop. Heather now teaches various art classes at North Hills Art Center, focusing mainly on pottery and fiber arts.

Susan Vincent is an illustrator with long-term experience in the art field, and her work has included everything from business card designs to wall murals. She has a passion for working in pastel and oil, but more recently has leaned into computer-generated artwork and is loving the versatility it provides! As a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, she has illustrated six children’s books, is working on her seventh, and hopes to publish her own children’s books someday. She has taught painting and drawing to both adults and children at the NHAC, as well as other local art centers. Part of her joy as an artist is helping others discover and develop their talent while being a part of their creative journey. She has a degree in Visual Communications from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and took art classes at Carnegie Mellon University. Her artwork has been featured in various shows throughout the Pittsburgh area and has won Juror’s Choice and Honorable Mention awards. 

James Warmbrodt is an attorney by profession, but his avocation is watercolor painting. A mostly self-taught painter, James is a signature member of the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, and he is also a member of other art organizations including the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, the Cranberry Artists Network, and the North Hills Art Center. In addition to exhibiting his paintings in art shows, James accepts commissions from a growing number of patrons. James began teaching watercolor painting as a way to share his interest and enthusiasm for watercolors with other artists, and he particularly enjoys seeing students develop their ability and enjoyment as watercolor painters.