Troy Becker
Ceramics
Troy Becker is head of the ceramics department at Mark Arts. He received his BFA from Wichita State University in studio Art with an emphasis in ceramics. His ceramic styles vary from artistic hand-built forms to highly crafted thrown pottery. He has shown his work in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Wichita. Becker was also the 2009-2010 Artist in Residence at Mark Arts.
Doug Billings
Printmaking & Acrylic Painting
Doug Billings graduated with the BFA in printmaking from Mankato State University in Minnesota and received an MFA in printmaking from Wichita State University, where he studied under respected printmakers, professors David Bernard and John Boyd. He established a new printmaking program at Mark Arts in 2002, and founded and directs the Tallgrass Press Printmakers Association, established in 2013.
He is currently a member of the American Color Print Society and a member/regional representative of the Society of American Graphic Arts. He is also a member and former president of Gallery XII in Wichita and a former president and board member of the Wichita Artists Guild.
Bernadette Bradshaw
Painting Instructor
Ms. Bradshaw received her art training from the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, MN with emphasis on fine art and illustration. She works in several mediums including fiber, watercolor, and soft pastel. She’s continued her studies attending workshops with nationally known artists, Doug Dawson and Marla Baggetta. Her work has been featured in exhibits in Orleans, France, the Ohio Craft Museum, the Birger Sandzen Gallery in Lindsborg, KS as well as multiple galleries, exhibitions and shows locally and regionally. Since 1997, Bernadette has taught watercolor and soft pastel for CityArts, Mark Arts and privately.
Gayle Clayborn
Watercolor, Pastel, Adult & Youth Workshops
Gayle Clayborn is an energetic, passionate artist who has been teaching private and group lessons for more than 12 years. A handful of her youth students have received national awards.
Nick Denny
Drawing & Youth
Nick Denny was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Air Force parents and spent his childhood living overseas. Exposure to many different countries and cultures fostered an appreciation for the arts. After moving back to the U.S. in 1995, he attended Wayne Community College in 1996 where he was inspired by his first college-level art instructor, brick sculptor Pat Turlington. Upon his father’s retirement from the Air Force, the family relocated to Wichita and Nick enrolled at Wichita State University where he went on to earn a BFA in fine arts, painting and drawing in 2002.
Jim Gross
Abstract Painting
Jim Gross earned his teaching degree at Friends University and his MFA degree from Wichita State University. He is a member of American Abstract Artists. His works are in the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Nelson–Atkins Museum of Art. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in Fine Arts from Friends University and was named Artist of the Year by the Wichita Arts Council. Gross has had three one-man shows in New York City.
Matthew Hilyard
Mixed Media & Abstract Painting
Born in Wichita, Matthew Hilyard maintains his home and studio in Andover, Kansas. He is a curator, studio artist and art instructor at Mark Arts. He was commissioned to paint a Keeper of the Plains Statue that can be viewed at the Urban Park in downtown Wichita. His work has been included in numerous local, regional, national and international juried competitions. His work has been included in New American Paintings.
Virginia Grass Simmons
Oil Painting
Virginia Grass Simmons has spent her life as a teacher and consultant for Wichita Public schools. She has taught oil painting at Mark Arts in Wichita for 14 years. She is represented by Beauchamp Gallery, Topeka and SNW Gallery, Manhattan.
Judy Lawson
Jewelry
Judy Lawson is a native Kansan. She earned a Bachelor’s in Education from Emporia State University, and was a teacher for 26 years. Retirement has allowed her to focus on her love of art, specifically metalwork. Judy draws her inspiration from nature’s palette, and her style is earthy. She constructs her pieces by combining patterns and textures found in nature, colorful stones, and rich beautiful metals. Judy obtained her Precious Metal Clay Certification from Rio Grande, and she
has taught classes at City Arts. Her work has been represented at Steckline Gallery, Wichita City Arts and Bella Luz. Judy’s pieces can be found locally at Aspen Boutique.
Lauren Miller
Digital and Paper Arts
Lauren Miller is a multidisciplinary artist based in the Mid-West. Miller uses paper craft, digital media, sculpture, and installation to elicit dialogue around the intricacies of human’s relationship to nature and the environment. She takes inspiration from recurring patterns, shapes and twisted lines found in nature, sourcing a wide array of imagery both organic and abstract to inform her process.
Lori Martin-Price
Jewelry & Metalsmithing
Lori Martin–Price earned her BA in metalsmithing from The University of Kansas. She is a professional artist who also teaches K–12 art at Elyria Christian School and noncredit silversmithing at Hutchinson Community College. She is also a member of the Hutchinson Art Association with work in its gallery.
Lynda Medlock
Youth
Lynda Medlock is an enthusiastic artist and art teacher committed to the life-long learning of art and art appreciation. She was born and grew up in Wichita, graduating from East High with a focus in art. She then attended Wichita State University, with studies in art and art education. Lynda moved to Jonesboro, Arkansas in 1990 to take a job as executive director of an art organization. While in Arkansas Medlock finished her college education at Arkansas State University located in Jonesboro. She began teaching elementary art in Jonesboro in 2005, teaching students in grades kindergarten through six. Medlock taught art for eight years in Jonesboro until an opportunity to teach art for Wichita Public Schools brought her back home.
Mary Binford Miller
Oil & Acrylic Painting
Mary Binford Miller received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and a Bachelor of Science in art education from Kansas State University. She worked as a fashion illustrator for The Oklahoma Publishing Co. and The Wichita Eagle newspapers. Mary has studied with Everett Raymond Kinstler, official portrait painter of Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, as well as David Leffel, Daniel Gerhartz, Jeff Legg and Daniel Keys, all world-renowned classically trained painters. She is a multiple Addy Award winner in the graphic arts field. She has also won awards for her fine art paintings, the most recent being an Honorable Mention in the 2018 Mark Arts Oil Painting National Exhibition, juried by internationally known painter Daniel Keys. Mary is co-winner of the Koch Cultural Trust Enabling Grant for 2018. She is represented by SouthWind Gallery in Topeka and Reuben Saunders Gallery in Wichita.
Adyson Mikesell
STEAM & Youth Workshops
Adyson Mikesell was born and raised in Wichita. She is on track to graduate with a BFA in Graphic Design in Spring 2022, from Wichita State University. Her favorite mediums include paint, oil pastels and colored pencil. She enjoys calligraphy and would love to sell her own greeting cards someday. Her favorite artist is Jessica Hische because she shows typography is more than just words on a canvas. Adyson loves working with children and watching their imagination come alive on paper.
Caryl Morgan
Watercolor
Caryl Morgan is an internationally recognized contemporary realist watercolorist whose primary interest is in vivid, highly saturated watercolor. Through teaching, she passes on her enthusiasm and belief that anyone can successfully create art to express his or her own creativity. Morgan has a diverse educational background gained by attending colleges and universities in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Illinois. These educational opportunities aided her growth as an artist. She taught art at Ark City High School and adjunct art history at Cowley College.
Jack Norris
Ceramics
Jack Norris has a master’s degree in microbiology from Wichita State University and worked for many years in engineering at Boeing. In addition to his art practices, he enjoys the outdoors through camping and canoeing.
Casey TZ Smith
Ceramics
Casey TZ Smith is a sculptor and ceramic artist from NJ, currently based in the midwest. She earned her BFA at Metropolitan State College of Denver, studying under Kathleen Royster, Brian Evans, and Marie E.V.B. Gibbons. After completing her undergraduate studies, she was a working artist with a studio in downtown Denver. She made traditional pottery along with developing non-traditional ceramic surfaces. Being an active member at EDGE Gallery, one of the oldest art co-ops in Denver, Casey was part of the thriving Colorado art scene. Currently, Casey is a working artist, Adjunct Professor, MarkArts Instructor, and an Educative
Teacher Performance Assessor for Pearson.
Jennifer Walterscheid
Enameling
Jennifer Walterscheid is an artist living and working in Wichita, Kansas. She is a graduate of Wichita State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and a Certificate of Ornamental Painting and Design. Enameling has become her passion since she discovered it nearly fifteen years ago at the Wichita Center for the Arts. Jennifer has been a Kansas artist working to create art with the historic copper reclaimed from the Kansas State Capital Building in Topeka.
Melinda Weis
Oil Painting
Melinda Weis is an award-winning artist represented by Gallery XII. In her former life, she was a graphic artist, but can now devote all her time to the joy/agony of painting. She loves sharing her knowledge with others, especially making technology “make sense.”
Addie Wise
Drawing
Adelia Wise had mentors in both art and education starting at an early age, though she may not have realized that would be her path until she had already started college. Addie’s work primarily focuses on the human figure, using two-dimensional media and drawing processes to describe the complex relationships between nature and culture. Many of her recent pieces have been exploring personal experiences and the challenges of becoming a mother.
