Stephanie Brachmann is a photographer and multimedia artist living in Portland.  She has studied art at the University of Washington and the Oregon College of Art & Craft, and has been doing arts & crafts projects as a hobby since she was a wee lass growing up in the wilds of southwest Washington.  Among her favorite activities are hiking, collaging, creative reuse, freestyle aerobics, and bicycling.

Amy Burgess "I started making jewelry 8 years ago and sell my work online, at Edgefield, Bean and Tree and 100th Monkey's gift shop."

Christine Claringbold is an artist, a teacher, a mom, and a backup singer for Portland's rock & roll spectacle, Dartgun & the Vignettes. She launched Eye Pop Art in 2003, featuring mandala art, home decor items, and accessories made from recycled vinyl records and other repurposed materials. Christine sells her eco-friendly work at "green" boutiques, art walks, craft shows, and online at eyepopart.etsy.com. She is also a blogger and you can read about her adventures at eyepopart.blogspot.com. Always inspired by children's art, Christine volunteered for eight years for the PTA's parent-led art program at Duniway Elementary School, including three years as program chair. She has taught art, ceramics, and literacy for several local SUN Schools, and she has led arts residencies and taught mandala workshops for Portland Parks and Recreation, Portland Public Schools, the Centennial School District, Campfire USA, RACC, Tucker-Maxon Oral School, Art Adventures at OCAC, and the Henry Street School for International Studies in New York City.  See pictures here. Christine has been painting murals since 1997, and the interior of her home, adorned with psychedelic mandalas on walls and ceilings, has been featured on HGTV's "Look What I Did." She has also appeared on an episode of HGTV's "That's Clever!" In addition to teaching classes, making art, spending time with her two awesome kids, and rocking out with the band, Christine also works as the program coordinator for the nonprofit organization Trillium Artisans, helping to provide small-business support to Portland artisans who create with recycled and reclaimed materials. Web: www.eyepopart.com Shop: http://eyepopart.etsy.com Blog: http://eyepopart.blogspot.com Email:  eyepopart@yahoo.com

Michelle Freedman is a textile and apparel designer and has worked for Ralph Lauren, Nike, and Columbia Sportswear. She is the author of two books,  'The Ravioli Kid,' and 'How the West Was Worn.' She holds a BFA in design from Parsons School of Design  Freedman has been sewing since she was five years old and has continued to pursue her craft to the point of having numb fingertips from poking them with needles so many times. She holds a BFA in Fashion Design from Parsons School of Design in NY and worked for 15 years as an apparel designer for companies such as Ralph Lauren and Nike, and had built costumes for theater and dance in NY and Portland.  Freedman has two books published and is working on her third, Craft Fiction! The booklover's guide to DIY projects from the classics.

Michael Guerra holds a Master of Fine Arts in fiction from Arizona State University, and currently teaches writing at Clark Community College in Vancouver WA. He is a recipient of Oregon’s Literary Fellowship and his stories have appeared, or are forthcoming, in magazines such as Mid-American Review, Glimmer Train, and a recent anthology called Next Stop Hollywood: Short Stories Bound for the Screen from St. Martin’s Press.

Christopher Adam Gray received a BFA in painting in 2005 from the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford as well as a Minors degree in sculpture.   It is there that Chris studied the figure under modern Masters Fred Wessel, Stephen Brown, and Lloyd Glasson.  In 2003 Chris traveled to Cortona, Italy to continue his figure studies, and learn the art of stone carving.  The classical influences acquired in Italy are still present in his work today.  In 2006 Chris moved from Massachusetts to Portland, Oregon where he became involved in several commercial projects.  He illustrated “The Unnaturals” graphic novel and independently produced “The Four Horsemen” tee shirt.  It did not take long however for Chris to grow tired of the commercial arts, so in early 2008 he acquired a studio space and returned to his true love, oil painting.  Since that time Chris has developed his own unique figurative painting style, focusing on classically orientated drawing with unorthodox use of paint. In Sept 2009, one of Chris’s paintings was awarded Best in Show at the 100th Monkey Studio’s 3rd Annual Juried Exhibition.   Chris will be teaching painting at the 100th Monkey Studio starting in Feb, 2010.  Chris's work has been shown in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Georgia, Oregon, and Italy.

Katharine Kimball  is an award-winning, bilingual (Spanish/English) freelance photographer who specializes in  photojournalism, editorial and portrait work for a variety of publications. Her work has been published worldwide including by The Los Angeles Times, The Albuquerque Journal, The Riverside Press-Enterprise, The Santa Fe New Mexican, Emerging Business, High Country News, Curve, Bowler’s Digest, and the Associated Press.  Using her unobtrusive style and artistic eye, Katharine specializes in documenting spontaneous storytelling moments and emotions. She worked as a daily newspaper photographer for nine years where she learned the importance of establishing trust and building a rapport with the people who invite her to photograph them.   Katharine earned her Masters degree in photojournalism from the University of Missouri Graduate School of Journalism. Prior to beginning her career as a photojournalist, she was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic and a Spanish teacher.  When she is not looking at life through her lens, she is traveling, hiking, backpacking, eating sushi or training for her first half-marathon. She is based in Portland, OR

Monica Marie Kaul a.k.a. “The Craft Junkie.”   Monica is passionate about Arts and Crafts and thrilled to share her expertise and skills with others.  She believes, “Arts and Crafts are an excellent way to reduce stress, provide relaxation, learn new skills, build self confidence, and gain a sense of satisfaction through the completion of projects."  She’s part of a line of creative people and making things just comes naturally for her.   Professionally educated in the field of Graphic Design, Monica worked for years with award-winning Design Firms and reputable companies such as Nordstrom, Microsoft, Ninetendo, Eddie Bauer and O'brien International. Her work has been an integral part of strategic marketing campaigns and highly visible advertising and graphics.   More recently, Monica stepped away from the fast-paced life of advertising and design to enjoy being Mother of two, Community Volunteer, Arts Educator, Etsy Seller and Crafter.  She has taught students of all ages and invites you to “play” with her in an upcoming class!   Favorite things (in no particular order). Chocolate chip cookies, sunshine, car seats with warmers, documentaries, Jazz and Blues music, road trips, decorating, the color red, collecting beach glass, movies, Tulips, non-fiction books, Italian food, snorkeling, polite people, coffee, new tools, haircuts, new magazine subscriptions and when her dog greets her at the door.   Monica is the author of a weekly crafting blog— sharing tips, templates, and useful information about the wonderful world of crafts. Visit her at: www.thecraftjunkieblog.com

Elissa Lieberman is a new artist to the Portland community. She has taught a variety of courses in many colleges including University of San Diego, San Diego State University, Southwestern College, Mesa College, and the Delaware College of Art and Design. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her work is allegorical and figurative in nature with an expressionist influence. She is dedicated to art education and has gained many followers due to her encouraging and personable teaching style. She knows everybody can learn to draw and paint and she is committed to making lessons easy to understand and fun to do.

Christy Lutz has been crocheting for 6 years and has recently begun designing her own crochet projects and items.  In addition to crochet, she is working on her first quilt as a member of a local quilt club, writes music for and plays in an electronic band, works for the American Postal Workers Union and Veneer Magazine, and is learning to speak German.  Christy thinks that learning because you want to (and not because you have to) is one of the best experiences ever, and she loves that Portland has so many opportunities to do so.

Stephanie Meredith is oil and acrylic painter living in the Portland area for the last two years.  Before that she studied art at the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico, where she was influenced by the intense colors and light, which is reflected in her work.  Besides painting she is experienced in drawing materials, clay, sculpture and photography. Besides art she spends her time outdoors, with her dogs or reading. If you would like to see her work go to stephaniemeredith.net

Alexandra Neilson is a Portland transplant who arrived most recently from Korea and Taiwan, where she taught herself to crochet from a Chinese crochet magazine.  She's been knitting for about ten years now and crocheting for five.  A self declared nerd, Alex hopes to finish crocheting the entire major cast of the original Star Wars movies by the end of 2010.

Rachel O'Rourke is an art therapist, artist and social activist.  A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Rachel has practiced art therapy for the past ten years with at-risk youth, gun violence survivors, medically ill children and survivors of torture and war.  For the past 8 years, Rachel has developed trainings for non-profits, teachers, social workers, family therapists and social activists on how to integrate the visual arts into their professional work. Training themes include: Conflict Resolution, Medical Art Therapy and Social Action Art Therapy. For the past two years, Rachel has taught courses in Medical Art Therapy and Conflict Resolution and Art at Portland State University and Marylhurst University. 

Ben Popp received his MFA in Film, Video and New Media from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2007 before re-locating to Portland OR.  He has shown in experimental film festivals around the world and recently taught a workshop on mattemaking in Albuquerque, NM for the Experiments in Cinema Vol. 4.2 film festival.  Ben works with 16mm film, exploring venues and   processes to help keep the media alive and well for a new generation of filmmakers.   

LeBrie Rich is the proprietress of PenFelt, a line of hand-felted wearables that can be found in craft galleries throughout the country. LeBrie's felted rings, currently available (next to the elevators) at the Whitney Museum of American Art are perhaps the least expensive rings for sale in New York City. LeBrie has passion for local food, backgammon, and her new gocco printer. She is also an installation artist and is the owner of both a Japanese photo booth and an ice cream bicycle.

Susan Schenk I discovered that collage is a wonderful way to wake up the sleeping artist within. Anyone who can rip paper can make a collage. The challenge is to see that collages are unique individual expressions, just like the artist.  I enjoy making something attractive from discards, appropriating images and putting them together in intriguing ways. My goal as an artist is to let my work bring joy to the viewer.  Like any artist, I am especially thrilled when my work calls to a viewer to come closer and spend some time engaged in the piece. While my pictorial collages are best viewed from a distance, a close up inspection can reveal a very different piece of art. I see collage as a metaphor for life, and I enjoy teaching others to express themselves with this easy to learn and ecologically appropriate medium.