The Arts

Grace Karczewski

Grace Karczewski has been an artist for twenty years, instructing classes on portrait drawing and painting, oil painting, and pen and ink drawing. She demonstrates how to work with all mediums and how to mix vibrant colors to give paintings and drawings a beautiful, realistic look.  She has received awards for her artwork and has sold and displayed her pieces in local art galleries.

Grace is an alumnus of Schoolcraft College and earned a bachelor and master’s degree in fine art from Madonna University. She has taught both undergraduate and graduate programs at Madonna University.

Grace has been a lifelong supporter of the arts and has served for fifteen years on the Livonia Arts Commission, appointed by the mayor of Livonia.  She directs the annual Livonia Fine Arts Exhibition and has served as curator of the Livonia Civic Center Library Fine Arts Gallery, promoting local artists. 

She looks forward to helping Schoolcraft students create their own masterpieces, while learning new techniques and having fun. “Creating art is enjoyable and therapeutic. It is wonderful to see students progress in their art and self-accomplishment.”

Christine Laginess

Christine Laginess is a ceramic artist. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Marygrove College and has taught a variety of ceramic classes over the past 18 years.  

“My love of clay happened the minute I touched it, it was so pliable and did just exactly what I wanted it to do,” shares Laginess. “What I love about this material, is that you can create a beautiful piece of art the first day of class. Yet there is so much to learn and so many different directions to head, sculpture, wheel, hand building, chemistry etc., that it would take a lifetime to learn it all. You can never be bored!”

Christine loves teaching ceramics as much as she loves the material of clay. She has watched so many students become lifetime potters and form lasting friendships, as each one pursues a different aspect of the material. She delights in seeing her students’ excitement as their piece moves through the process and finally emerges out of the glaze kiln.

At the end of each semester the students partake in a fun event called raku. “Raku is a Japanese form of firing a pot,” says Christine. “Students get involved with firing the pieces, which includes smoke and flames and is very exciting. It’s a great way to end the semester.”  

Christine teaches wheel throwing, hand-building, and sculpture classes this spring and summer.  

Dean Rogers – Fine Artist

Dean is a fine artist from Commerce, Michigan. Drawing has been his passion since the age of 6. He earned an Associate Degree in Visual Communication from Ferris State University, and entered his first art competition in 2002 with a piece of graphite art which won an honorable mention. He has been accepted into the International Colored Pencil Exhibition eight times, in which he won five awards. His most recent award was The Savoir Faire Award for exceptional merit for his piece, “1 800 SPL CAST”.

Dean’s work has appeared in numerous colored pencil magazines and books of collected art, such as CP Treasures. His art is a featured chapter in the book, “Draw Portraits in Colored Pencil” by Ann Kullberg. Dean has had solo exhibitions at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, the City Gallery in Farmington, the Norma Gray Gallery in Brighton, and Studio West in Brighton. He has also displayed work in regional Colored Pencil Society exhibitions, the Livonia Fine Art Exhibition, the Michigan Fine Art Competition, the Ella Sharp State Fine Art Competition, and many others. His most recent solo exhibition was at the Livonia Civic Center Library in March of 2022.

Dean now works primarily in colored pencil. His work centers on fantastical characters and themes set into our world. These portraits often take over 150 hours to complete, created entirely by hand on a variety of boards and papers using layering and burnishing. He wants to achieve a level of realism that makes his subjects appear to “come to life” and tell a story of intriguing places his viewers can go. He is greatly inspired by the Victorian era, the fantasy world, and many artists, like Bouguereau, M. C. Escher, Boris Valejo, and Larry Elmore.

Dean is teaching Colored Pencil this spring, and Drawing in the summer.

Ted Simpson

Ted Simpson is a native Michigander, who has spent nearly his entire life in the Detroit Metro area. Studying art at Central Michigan University, He explored art in many forms, leading to a lifelong love of artistic expression. Becoming a Certified Bob Ross Instructor is a culmination of this passion. Ted believes making art accessible to everyone, regardless of skill level can instill this same passion in others. Ted found his life’s calling in teaching and his belief in Bob’s wet-on-wet painting technique allows artists, both experienced and novices, to express themselves and to discover their own love of art.

Since becoming an instructor in 2017, Ted has built a network of venues around Michigan that he teaches on a regular basis, as well as private events and one-on-one classes, and many free demonstrations at local events and through social media. Ted also travels the country as a part of the Bob Ross Inc. instructor team, to both private and public events, teaching and demonstrating Bob’s technique to the next generation. A significant highlight of his journey includes returning to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, the location of his certification training, to teach at the renowned Bob Ross Gallery and Workshop.

Residing in Farmington Hills with his supportive family, Ted cherishes their encouragement as a vital part of his artistic journey. Through his teachings, Ted invites everyone to discover the transformative power of art, fostering a lasting passion for creativity in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Patricia Goodell

Ms. Goodell has been making things from clay for nearly 30 years. She has worked as a Ceramics Studio Technician at Schoolcraft College for 8 years and at Henry Ford College for 20 years. Ms. Goodell has also worked as Gallery Assistant for the past 18 years at Henry Ford College. She teaches a variety of classes for PPL involving hand building, wheel throwing and ceramic surface glazing and design.

Bonnie Nurnberger

Bonnie Nurnberger was born and raised in the northern Shanxi province of China, where she learned knitting and crocheting from her mother and sisters. The skills she acquired were not for hobby, but rather to make winter garments for her family. She has been knitting for 35 years and crocheting for 25.

After coming to the United States in 2000, she discovered her passion for teaching fiber arts. She became a CYC (Craft Yarn Council) certified instructor in 2018 and began teaching classes at Schoolcraft College. Bonnie has worked with many diverse varieties of yarn, from very fine to bulky, and is skilled in yarn dying, yarn spinning, and felting wool. Her designs and patterns have been published on Interweave, a resource publication for crafters. She also facilitates private seminars, classes, and online training.

Knitting and crocheting has always been more than a craft to Bonnie. It’s a way to connect, create, and slow down. Teaching allows her to share that joy with others, whether they’re picking up needles for the first time or refining advanced techniques. Bonnie loves watching students gain confidence in their newfound skills. She hopes to open the amazing world of handmade creations to others.

Besides working and teaching, Bonnie enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, biking, and walking her dog.

Julie Woodard

Julie Woodard has always loved art. Even as a child she enjoyed drawing, painting, and going to art museums. Professionally, Julie graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology. Despite her work in the field of psychology, art always had a place in her heart.

Julie joined the Lakes Region Watercolor Guild in Illinois, where she developed her skills in watercolor. There, she also taught Young Rembrandt’s, a drawing program for children. After moving to Michigan, Julie began teaching at a local community art center. For 15 years she taught many art mediums, including graphite, colored pencil, watercolor, Gelli plate printing, alcohol ink, pastel and acrylics, to name a few. 

Julie also had the opportunity to teach acrylic painting for Michaels for 5 years. Currently she teaches acrylic painting at Schoolcraft College. She feels acrylics are a versatile and forgiving medium for beginners to experienced artists! 

Julie’s work has been displayed in several local galleries. She once had her work displayed at the governor’s home in Lansing. She also does commission work in pet portraits and donates a painting yearly to the Huron Valley Humane Society. Her artwork can be seen on Instagram: artby_juliew.

She loves to share the gift of creating and the joy of painting. She believes all can learn to draw and paint, and that there is room for all levels and styles of artistic expression.