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Our Instructors
OIL PAINTING
Charles Gulbrandsen
See AvailabilityCharles graduated from the Cooper Union with distinction in 1985 as a painting major and soon began a career in art restoration. After many decades of in-painting the missing and damaged areas of thousands of paintings, he had to resolve many technical challenges, and in so doing, synthesized this experience into the development of his
own style.
Major Restorations include:
St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral, Café Des’ Artiste, The
Daugherty murals.
He was fortunate enough to participate in the restoration of the ceiling of Grand Central Terminal, which his grandfather, also Charles Gulbrandsen, painted in 1945. The younger Gulbrandsen continued to pursue his passion for painting large scale works throughout his career. The mature phase of his own painting style would surface in pieces like “Rising” 2016 in which techniques both old and new reveal a luminous nebulae of organic structure.
ART INSTRUCTOR, BUSINESS OWNER
Dee Dee Colabella
Gallery Studies | Monday’s 3:00pm - 6:00pm
Publication Studies | Wednesdays 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Dee Dee Perrone Colabella is an art dealer and gallerist, and the owner and director of the D.Colabella Fine Arts and RPAC Art Center and Academy based in Ridgefield, Connecticut. She holds a master’s degree in fine arts from the Western Connecticut State University. She has over 30 years of experience in the arts, with a focus on graphic arts, advertising, event planning, and education. She is also an artist, capturing mood and emotion in still life and figurative works on canvas.
Not only is Dee Dee passionate about art, but as an art dealer she knows how to foster the creative process and development of an artist, expanding their opportunities to turn their dreams into reality. She has a keen eye in discovering talented emerging and mid-level artists and knows how to evolve their careers towards higher levels of success.
“In addition, through the RPAC Art Center and Academy (Dee Dee’s studio and art education center), we are able to do everything from helping a student prepare his or her portfolio for art school to supplying a creative and nurturing studio space for artists to create and develop their artistic vision.”
Dee Dee plans to expand into different collector markets and to give more artists the representation they need to succeed. “I love art in all forms, and I believe in the artists who I represent. My mission supports their careers.”
MULTI-MEDIA
Maureen Callahan
Maureen is a native of Stamford CT, resides for many years in Ridgefield CT. With over 40 years for making art and professional work experience in Art direction, Art and Sculpure. She has worked on thousands of different Independent Contractor work. 3yrs Art education at School of Visual Arts (SVA) in NYC. Taught many art classes and parties. A few of the countless jobs include Walt Disney designs and sculptral products with Art Direction. Worked on TV commercials in Animation and Claymation. Designed and painted 4 large sculpures for Stamfords DSSD Art Walks, painted several large murals, carved hundreds of pumpkins for the "Great Pumpkin Blaze", as well as created products and art for Art and Craft fairs.
“I love to teach art relating to Nature and their wonderful elements from actual samples, live viewing, photo references, to using natural materials. Lets explore drawing, illustrating, painting, painting on rocks, rubber stamping, printmaking, sculpure, and anything you would like to study. Explore creativity and imagination as you make art to be proud of.”
ILLUSTRATION & PAINTING
Dylan Desmarais
Dylan Desmarais is an illustrator and comic artist who just graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a BFA in Communication Design focusing in Illustration. Dylan was also awarded the Robert Weaver Award for Excellence in the Visual Essay upon his graduation from WashU. Through his comics, Dylan explores themes of religion, family, mythology and loss.
ILLUSTRATION
Meredith Mulhearn
As a child, Meredith Mulhearn recalls spending countless hours curled up in the sun, crayon in hand. Coloring always seemed to soothe her soul. Her early love of art led Mulhearn to Wake Forest University, where she earned her BA in Studio Art with a minor in Art History. She moved to NYC and studied botanical illustration at the New York Botanical Gardens. Here, she pursued her love of nature and embraced it in her creative endeavors. As a fine artist with work in numerous private collections around the country, Mulhearn acknowledges the importance of technique as a fine artist. Yet, she holds fast to her core belief that the creative process is inherently therapeutic. To explore this concept further, Rose pursued and holds a masters degree in Art Therapy from NYU. Rose emphasizes that the process is just as important as the product and, in some instances, even more so.
Rose offers technical classes in Botanical Illustration, Fashion Illustration and Mixed Media, for students of all levels, as well as mindfulness art workshops for those seeking peace and balance.
Dale Griffith
My name is Dale Griffith, I am an illustrator based in Ridgefield Connecticut that practices in traditional and digital painting. My practices involve concept art, landscapes, and promotional artwork for subjects surrounding science fiction, fantasy, and historical settings. I graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2021 with a Bachelor's Degree in Illustration and have passionately pursued my skills to share artwork that can truly engage the imagination of the mind. My goal with my artwork is to translate my imagination and immerse the mind using captivating colors, well thought out and detailed designs, with sprawling settings that intrigue the mind to imagine what lies beyond the canvas. Through my connection with nature growing up in the woods of Connecticut, my nostalgia through movies and media, and my fascination with history, I had pursued a career doing art for as long as I can remember with great passion and imagination.
ILLUSTRATION & PAINTING
