Faculty

Mary Dudek | BFA

Mary Dudek is a sculptor, painter, ceramicist, jewelry maker, and visual artist working in Metro-Detroit. She holds a BFA from the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art and Design. Her passion for her faith and awe of the human body fuels her work and prompts her to primarily create liturgical art and representational figure sculpture. She has helped teach drawing at the Stamps School of Art and Design pre-college prep program and now teaches at PCCA. In addition to teaching, she works on commissions for the Church and other clients. You can see her work at marydudekart.com.

Kären Elder | BFA

Kären graduated with a degree in Fine Art from Toronto’s OCAD. Kären’s work is focused on landscape with a human element, as well as collage with miniature painting, sculpture and found objects, and is currently exhibiting at Shoreline Arts in Suttons Bay. She has found delight in teaching art to both children and adults for the last 29 years.

Marigrace Francis | BFA

Marigrace graduated with honors from Oakland University holding a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art with a concentration in Painting and Drawing and a minor in Graphic Design. Although primarily an Oil painter, she works in a variety of mediums ranging from ball point pen drawings to mixed media and found object work. She has spent time studying abroad in Italy, and has shown work in the Detroit area. Her work centers around expression by means of the human figure.

Chrissy Jenks | BFA

Chrissy received her BFA in Photography from the College for Creative Studies with high honors. She is well versed in various forms of photography ranging from portraiture, still life, studio work, and alternative processing. She has found her passion for fine art portraiture and is constantly looking for new ways to create romantic, whimsical stories within her photography. She holds a deep love for all things creative and fantasy oriented, and she strives to inspire others to find the beauty in life through photography.

Chrissy spends the bulk of her time as a fine art wedding photographer, whimsical portraiture storyteller, and a photographic instructor. She is elated to be working with others to help them further their skills and cultivate their passion for photography. To view a portfolio of the way she captures the world, visit www.ChrissyJenks.com.

Stephanie Kent | BFA

Stephanie is an illustrator who studied at both Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids and Wayne State University. Focusing on realism, her work showcases the natural and scientific world using 2-D and 3-D media. She uses a variety of mediums including oil, charcoal, ink, mixed media and even graphite dust. She has previously worked with Paint a Miracle, a nonprofit in downtown Rochester, assisting people in developing their own creativity. Visit her website kentillustrations.blogspot.com

Jenna Petrenko | BFA

Jenna Petrenko had studied art all over the world and is a Military Veteran. She earned her BFA in Sculpture and Functional Art at Kendall College of Art and Design. Her work tends to portray her journeys through life and finds inspiration in nature. She enjoys working with clay, metal and wood. Jenna loves to share her knowledge with students of all ages, while helping them find “their voice” through art.

Charles Pompilius | BFA, MFA

Charles Pompilius is a figurative painter based in Detroit. His paintings have been shown in exhibitions throughout the United States including New York, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Scottsdale, and Birmingham, MI. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Central Michigan University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Iowa. In 1984 he attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture on scholarship. Pompilius has taught painting at the university level, and is the recipient of a Pollack-Krasner Award and a Michigan Council for the Arts Creative Artist Grant.

In 2011 he completed the official portrait of Michigan’s Governor Jennifer Granholm, which now hangs in the capitol rotunda in Lansing. In 2013 he painted Allan Gilmour, President Emeritus, Wayne State University, and in 2016 he completed a portrait of Congressman Fred Upton from Michigan’s sixth district. It hangs in the Rayburn Building in Washington, DC.

Pompilius is currently developing a series of paintings inspired by the Great Lakes.

Mary Reo | BFA

Mary holds degrees from Wayne State University and the College for Creative Studies. She worked in advertising for several firms in layout design and illustration. Mary has been an ‘All Media’ instructor for the Flint Institute of Arts and has worked as an automotive technical instructor. She is a qualified judge and juror for gallery and Plein-Air exhibitions.

Brian Rubenacker | BFA

Brian is a full time artist who studied at CCS, Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Design and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. He holds a BS in Graphic Design with a focus on illustration. He specializes in animal portraiture and works in oil, acrylic, watercolor and digital mediums. His work has been exhibited in galleries across the U.S. and hangs in homes and businesses in over 30 countries. His clients include Square Enix, BTCA, the Animal Welfare League of Arizona and CBS Television where you can see his work on the set of Two Broke Girls. He has been published in Books, magazines and numerous pop culture blogs and websites. His work is a top 20 seller on iCanvas.com and can be seen in major department stores such as Khols, TJMaxx and Home Goods. He was an accomplished instructor at Oakland Community College where he taught drawing and design. He loves to share his artistic knowledge and experience and looks forward to fostering a supportive and nurturing learning environment at PCCA. Brian shares a home with his wife Rene and a studio with his two Boston Terriers (the muses) in southeast Michigan.

Kris Schaedig | BFA

Kris received her BFA in drawing and painting from Wayne State University. Her goals in teaching art are to foster personal creativity, as well as to assist students in increasing their skills through the proper use of materials, methods and studio practices. Kris believes that it is important to let the individual discover their artistic voice through creating a caring but challenging environment.

Anatoliy Shapiro | MFA

Anatoliy graduated with honors from Leningrad State Pedagogical University. His work has been exhibited internationally. In the Detroit area, he is best known for his mural work, which includes murals at the Holocaust Memorial Center, Motor City Casino, The Chrysler Museum, Palladium 12 Cinema and Comerica Park.

Amanda Trotto | BFA

Amanda holds a BFA in Studio Art with a specialization in drawing and painting from Oakland University. She enjoys working in a variety of formats, from mixed media collage to pen in ink drawing and digital illustration. Amanda’s fine art explores process-based techniques while remaining decorative and laced with tradition. She also enjoys graphic design, creating custom portraits and typography. In addition to her full-time job, Amanda works as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer. Since art is her passion, Amanda is excited to share her enthusiasm for all things creative with the Paint Creek Community.

Carol Ward | BA

Carol received a Bachelor of Arts in Photography from Columbia College Chicago after realizing a passion for photography in high school. Her career began with a focus on commercial advertising but transitioned in 2003 into opening a wedding photo documentary & portraiture business.

Carol is an active member in several professional organizations and volunteers her time and expertise to Flashes of Hope. She looks forward to inspiring her students’ creativity while providing the necessary technical skills needed to complete their vision.

Alex Wilson | BFA

Alex is a visual arts educator who received a BFA in Art Education at Michigan State University with a concentration in ceramics. She enjoys working in a variety of mediums such as ink, watercolor, and fibers- but her favorite is clay. Her work focuses on the patterns and collections we see and take away from the natural world. She discovered her joy for teaching art while working as the Arts and Crafts director at a summer camp in Northern Idaho, and now enjoys working closely with students in PCCA’s summer camp. As an instructor, she strives to help students who are just discovering their love for art find exciting ways to challenge themselves and grow in their skills.

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