Michelle Akimenko
Michelle Akimenko is an award winning artist and art educator who resides in Titusville, Florida. Michelle grew up in Titusville and enjoyed taking classes at the Titusville Art League as a child and has come full circle as an instructor at the North Brevard Art League as well as the art teacher at Sculptor Charter School. As a young artist, she won many awards but is most proud of winning a Scholastic Gold Key Award and the Congressional Art Award, where her artwork was displayed at the state capitol for a year during her senior year in high school. Upon graduating, she was awarded art scholarships at Savannah College of Art and Design, Brevard Community College and Palatka School of the Arts. Michelle decided to attend the University of Central Florida and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Art. She has also studied at the Ringling College of Art and Design attending teacher workshops. As an educator, many of her students have won prestigious awards including best of shows and first place awards in national competitions. Michelle enjoys sharing her love of art with her students. She encourages her students to think creatively and create beautiful pieces, which is evident in their work. Michelle’s artwork has been displayed in many juried art exhibitions throughout Florida. Her artwork has been displayed at The King Center in Melbourne FL, Eau Gallery in Melbourne, FL, UCF Art Gallery in Orlando FL, The Orlando Museum of Art in Orlando FL, and Brevard Art Museum, now known as Foosaner Art Museum in Melbourne FL. She was one of eight artists who was chosen to have her artwork displayed on traffic boxes in Titusville for the “Art Outside the Box” competition. Michelle works with many mediums but her favorites are graphite, colored pencils, and pen and ink.
Kathie Benson
I have been involved in artistic endeavors since past remembering. I recall my mother showing me pictures of horses I had drawn at age 3. I grew up in Monmouth County, New Jersey, a few miles from the ocean. As a "Woodsy", I could often be found exploring in tidewater swamps when not drawing and painting. Artistic inspiration comes from patterns of light, landscapes, native plants, and animals, as well as people. I love my Central Florida home with its landscapes -- the marshes, the hammocks, the scrub, groves of trees, patterns of water, and the different way light strikes the life bursting here. My work has been shown at numerous open and juried shows and has received awards. I was honored to have a one-person show at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. I have a one person show scheduled for this September at the Fifth Avenue Gallery in Eau Gallie as reward for winning First Place at that gallery's 100% Florida show earlier this year. I paint watercolors using a variety of techniques, and find delight in experimenting with anything that starts out soluble in water or can permanently adhere to watercolor paper. Bits of the natural world may find themselves incorporated. My style ranges from representational to impressionistic. I am presently a member of The Gallery of Art and Events in Merritt Island, Brevard Watercolor Society, The North Brevard Art Association and the Florida Watercolor Society. Education:BA Drew UniversityM Ed East Stroudsburg UniversityMS East Stroudsburg University I am also a Florida Master Gardener and Advanced Florida Master Gardener and Land Steward.
Gloria Brubaker
"I define art as a language of life's vibrance: a transformation of human emotion into imagery. An invitation for the viewer to pause and reflect, and to share an experience."Gloria's passion is painting with watercolor -- dealing with the challenge the medium presents, and the requirement to work with the medium, not to control it. Her art addresses a wide range of subjects, from Florida flora and fauna to urban cityscapes and their diverse populations. These works can be viewed on her website: www.gloriabrubaker.com.Gloria is an active member of the North Brevard Art League, the Brevard Watercolor Society, the Florida Watercolor Society, and the Eastern Upper Peninsula Arts Council.
Laurie Griffin
Laurie Griffin grew up in Florida and worked for NASA for 35 years in various aspects of command and control system operations and development. For relaxation, she started studying tole painting in the early 90's and took workshops with great decorative painters but didn’t have time to do much painting in-between. In the 2011 she took a watercolor workshop and was hooked. She has taken additional workshops with many talented artists and takes local watercolor classes. Laurie has also studied clay sculpture at the Foosaner Art Museum and enjoys figure sculpting. Artist Statement"My artwork, generally watercolor, captures moments, whimsical images and a slightly humorous viewpoint of life. I usually start with a photograph for inspiration and try to capture the memory, the feeling and the story.I love communicating a feeling with art. If I can paint something that resonates with the viewer and gives them a moment of joy then that’s a successful painting. I spent most of life in a very analytical career, working with computers for NASA, so I love being able to spend time working on quiet expressions of emotion." Online: https://missbpaintedporch.com
Doris Kucik
Doris began her painting career 25 years ago, studying at Harper College, The Studio of Long Grove, and Main Street Art Centre in suburban Chicago. In addition, she has attended workshops and demonstrations presented by Frankie Johnson, Susan Ploughe, Dawn Emerson, Tom Trausch, and others. She is a native of the Chicago area and a retired healthcare professional. Nowadays she spends part of the year in Florida and part up north. She exhibits frequently in Illinois and Florida galleries and art shows. Her paintings have won numerous awards and can be found in private collections throughout the country.Doris can be contacted at dmamon@msn.com.
Linda Krupp
For the past 20 plus years, I have been developing my painting skills, as well as developing my own personal style. The majority of my work is done in oils; most of my depictions are landscapes.Memories of my childhood growing up in North Carolina are the basis for many of my paintings. I recall places and items that are fading from our world, and I try to capture them for posterity, like worn out buildings, old tobacco barns, and cotton fields. Residing in Florida since 1974, I also recognize the beautiful surroundings as well, including many tropical subjects in my works.I paint from my heart; people who view my work can feel the peaceful connection I have with my subject. They, too, are drawn into my works by that feeling of calm.Over the last five years, I have had the opportunity to work with some outstanding artists in Asheville and Black Mountain, NC. From each one, I have learned new and different techniques and have gathered inspiration and encouragement. As a result, I have taught oil painting for the North Brevard Art League and in my personal studio in Windover Farms.I am represented at the Downtown Art Gallery in Titusville and at the Arrowhead Gallery & Studios in Old Fort, NC. I am a member of the Arrowhead Artists and Artisans League, the Central Brevard Art Association, and Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League, and the North Brevard Art League, where I served as president for two years. For part of the year, I live in Titusville with husband, Michael; calico cat, Samantha; and toy poodle, Pepper. The other part of the year we can be found in Asheville, NC.I can be contacted at 321-626-2008 or through email at Ljean1302@gmail.com.Check out my website at Lindakrupp.com.
Jolynn Linder
My husband, Dan, gave me a Kodak digital camera for my birthday about fifteen years ago. I liked to go out to Playalinda Beach for the sunrises and this gave me a way to capture the beauty of the beach. Now, most weekends will find me out taking pictures with my sidekick, Nipper, a mix Jack Russell Terrier. While I am tramping along the pathways and canals of Blackpoint Wildlife Drive and the Bio Lab Road photographing birds and nature, she naps in the cab of by pickup. I am a straight shooter, nothing fancy and use a Canon Power Shot SX 60 to photograph whatever catches my eye. Using my photographs I design cards, calendars, and newsletters. I have been a member of the North Brevard Art League for the past five years. In addition I have taken pictures for the Downtown Titusville Merchants Association for Friday Night Live, had photos published in the Indian River Lagoon Calendar, and have won first and second place in local art shows. Another unique thing my husband and I do is show and demonstrate antique phonograph players. We are just volunteers and enjoy sharing the history of these machines at local venues.
Renee Stewart
I have been making art as long as I can remember. I am visually oriented and drawn to line and color. After earning degrees in art from UCF (Go Knights!) and UGA (Go Dawgs!) I managed to work as an artist in some capacity as often as possible, including graphic design, screen printing, indoor galleries and outdoor shows, and teaching youth and adults. These days I have the freedom to create what I love. I work primarily in acrylic, watercolor, and mixed media, including my spirit dolls which have proven to be inspirational and therapeutic for myself and others. I can be reached at ressart1988@gmail.com.
Dawna Thorstad
"I must have gypsy blood."
Dawna was raised in Titusville, FL. She played in the river, surfed at Playalinda Beach, met my husband and then traveled around the world, eventually returning to Titusville.
In my early 20’s she moved to Costa Rica, then to St. Croix and then to Guanaja, Honduras to manage a dive resort. After that sheand her husband went to work for WindStar Cruises teaching scuba diving all over the world. They spent several years in the South Pacific where, even today, Dawna is still heavily influenced by the Polynesian culture and the underwater world.
Dawna's paintings, lean more towards impressionism, have a special relationship to an experience in her life. She loves color and is not afraid to use bold color combinations in her work. Dawna works in watercolors, alcohol ink, acrylics and collage. She paints on canvas, paper, Yupo and wood panels.
Sometimes it takes weeks to get all of the pieces together and achieve the image she wants. Dawna starts out with an idea but often the paint leads her in a different direction. Whatever happens, she is always learning and loving the adventure!
Please check out more of her work on her website:
Jeff Thamert
Jeff Thamert is an award winning Fine Art Photographer based out of Florida. Jeff's main focus is on the deep South with it's majestic oaks, cypress swamps, and pristine beaches. Jeff participates in many fine art festivals throughout the country where he has received many awards and recognition for his large landscape photographs. Jeff and his wife Heidi own The Downtown Art Gallery in Titusville, Florida, where he has a permanent collection of his work on display and available for purchase.www.thedowntownartgallery.com
Helen Wheatley
NBAL President 2024-2025
"I'm so excited to finally be able to do what has always been in my blood ... to create art. Even as a child, I loved to draw, paint, and assemble. I'd work on any surface and use any materials I could find. As an art student, I learned to work with and control my mediums to recreate and, occasionally, improve the images of the things that surrounded me. Eventually I began to relax and allow things to happen and worked with those unplanned effects. Now, as a full time artist, I’ve discovered my passion is to work freely, without any plan for what the finished piece will be. In my latest series of acrylic paintings, I flow, scrape, and fling paint and use various materials to create beautiful, lively bursts of color with unique textures and patterns. I work intuitively, acting and reacting, constantly responding to what I’ve just done. I add, enhance, subdue or correct until the work is complete. In this way, I find my moods and interests as well as my love of color are naturally reflected in my work. Each piece is truly unique and viewers will find they can arrive at their own interpretation of the images. Please visit her Facebook page
