Foundations Instructors

Michael King, a Canadian painter, is passionate about plein air  (outdoor) painting, concentrating on capturing the essence of the  landscape with swift, single strokes of colour. His direct experiences in the outdoors serve as a driving force behind the creation of his more  extensive studio works.

Always looking for the nuance of light, shape and colour, he combines  representational elements with an Impressionistic style. His paintings strike a balance between realistic observation and abstract interpretation resulting in a unique and captivating aesthetic.

Having acquired a formal education in Industrial Design from Carleton University in Ottawa, King's professional journey in product design has significantly shaped his perspective on fine art. He prioritizes a thorough understanding of the technical facets of painting, creating muscle memory that allows the educated subconscious to assume control, simplifying the painting process.  

As an avid instructor, his workshops impart painting and design concepts  in a clear and approachable manner. His philosophy is rooted in the  scientific fundamentals of perception and observation, coupled  with time-tested art principles.  

Lalita Hamill is a professional fine artist living in Langley, BC, Canada. She discovered her artistic abilities as a young adult during the final year of her Philosophy degree at the University of Victoria. Subsequent years of drawing led to four years of study at the Vancouver Academy of Art, where she received instruction by classically trained painters.

Lalita specializes in oils and is also skilled at acrylics, watercolours, and drawing media. Lalita is a Signature member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, and an Associate Member of Oil Painters of America.  

With over 30 years teaching experience, including facilitating monthly artist feedback sessions for twelve years, Lalita is a sought-after presenter, instructor, mentor and juror who C. Evans describes as “not only an outstanding artist, she is one of those rare people with the ability to teach.”

Lalita designed and began a contemporary atelier program in 2016, which she currently runs several days per week out of her studio in Walnut Grove, BC. The FCA Foundations Program is based on Lalita’s successful atelier program.

Lalita is an amateur musician and writer, and she has published articles in several art magazines and periodicals, including the FCA’s Art Avenue Magazine.

Light is Dominique Walker's earliest memory and constant curiosity. Capturing the way light defines and shadows connect is her relentless muse. The quiet tread of shadows knitting together. The way light reveals and plays around the edges of form. Moving through the West Coast wilds Dominique is constantly inspired. Whether its trying to capture the cool morning light of alpine meadows, the filtered light of the deep rainforest or the last waves of warmth dancing across the Pacific. It is the place she can be still with reflected wonder.

Dominique currently teaches in the IDEA School of Design at Capilano University. She is the fourth generation of a family of female landscape painters known as the Everard Group, who’s work can be found in private collections worldwide and the national galleries of South Africa.
 

Gaye Adams has been painting professionally and instructing painting for over 30 years. She is passionate about painting the effects of light in a representational fashion, and the challenge of creating the illusion of light and its many presentations in the landscape and elsewhere keeps her returning to the easel. In this last decade, painting en plein air has turned into a consuming passion, as it involves painting an experience, with all the senses involved, as opposed to painting a moment frozen in time by a photograph. 

She is a believer in putting first things first when it comes to teaching students to develop their painting skills, starting with a strong foundation of basics in all aspects of art making in order to give students the tools they will need to fully express themselves as they move forward in their development as painters. Gaye is an award winning painter and shows her work locally, nationally and internationally She teaches in Canada, the United States and abroad.

A passionate landscape painter, Maria Josenhans creates oil paintings both outdoors on location and in her North Vancouver studio. As an artist for four decades, her career has been shaped by long periods of immersion in large format photography, working as an illustrator, training and competing in Highland dance, teaching, and travelling the world by bicycle. Maria holds a BFA (with Honours) from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA, has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, is an Associate member of the Oil Painters of America, and SFCA. Her work is represented through galleries in Victoria, BC and Toronto, ON. 

It wasn’t until 21 jurors voted to award Ciel Ellis the highest level of  distinction within the Federation of Canadian Artists, SFCA, that she  started to truly understand the power of creating something  exceptional. 

Her career was launched into a whole new trajectory when she realized that her paintings changed the way the audience thought about themselves. With well composed and masterfully rendered oil paintings, her pieces awaken the undeniable reality, in the viewer, that they are incredible. 

Her work has been featured in 38 juried exhibitions and is collected around North American and New Zealand. Recently featured in Art Avenue and International Artists magazine, her work has been called an exceptional, modern/traditional take on our centuries  old love of flowers.