About Us

Introducing Our Wonderful Workshop Tutors!

Pine Street Creative Arts Centre has a diverse panel of professional artists
with substantial experience in specific art practices, as well as backgrounds
in teaching and working with different communities.

Rebecca Baird

Senior Printmaking Tutor & Studio Technician

BVA (Printmaking & Painting), Dip Business

Rebecca pursued her teacher training in Rudolf Steiner education
based on the philosophy of Anthroposophy. This is a holistic
approach, which focuses on the development of ages and
stages of the child and the importance of creativity in
education. Whilst studying, she worked at Warringah print
making studio as a teacher of non-toxic and traditional
printmaking techniques.

As a tutor of printmaking and painting, Rebecca encourages
her students to explore their talents as artists using an
experimental approach to produce their own work. She has
exhibited in group and solo shows and completed
commissioned works for both corporate and private institutions.

Anthony Brink

Senior Ceramics Tutor & Studio Technician

BVA (Honours), Grad Dip (Teaching)

Anthony's professional experience includes: Mould-
maker at KC Day in Sydney; Assistant to sculptor
and multimedia artist Frederic Chepeaux; Apprentice
to ceramic artist Gwyn Hanssen Pigott; and a
production thrower in Errol Barnes’ Lyrebird Ridge
Pottery. Since the late 1980's he has worked independently as a studio based potter, andwas
artist-in-residence at the Queensland Potters
Association in Brisbane. He coordinated community
adult education programs, began exhibiting in and
around Brisbane and generated a national market for
his work.

Anthony currently runs the Fireant Ceramic Art and Design studio in Mt Victoria, Blue Mountains and has worked as a part time teacher in ceramics since 2005. His sustained creative practice informs his teaching, currently with COS at Pine Street Creative Arts Centre.

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Vanessa Owens

Ceramics & Mixed Media Tutor

BFA (Ceramics), Dip (Fine Arts), Cert (Studio Ceramics)

Vanessa Owens has been working as a community and
practising artist for over 8 years. Fields of expertise include
tutoring adults, children and community outreach programs.

With a strong interest in site-specific art works, Vanessa has
also taken part in many community art events including the
Art Traffic Signal Box Project, Love your Lane, and Harmony
day exhibitions.

As a Ceramist she continues her practice and has participated
in various exhibitions within Sydney and abroad. She is
experienced in both hand building and wheel throwing
ceramics. Primarily working in porcelain, Vanessa enjoys using
historical and traditional material in a contemporary context.

Jane Caveney

Painting & Drawing Tutor

BVA, MA (Visual Arts)

"What defines reality as we understand it is the physical
presenceof an object, its height, its breadth, and width. The
object also is defined by where it isn’t. In other words it’s the
space around reality, which grants to reality its validity. When
one looks at a tree one sees the branches and leaves. So as
one concentrates on the sky around the tree, it is the place
where the tree is not that allows one to define precisely where
the tree is." Jane Caveney

Jane has been an exhibiting artist for 15 years in Sydney
and NSW. She has created and run youth workshops, art classes
and community educational projects, using art, environmental sustainability and recycling as the major themes. For many
years Jane has enjoyed working with the Mascon festival from
running workshops to designing posters.

Isabel Watts

Printmaking & Drawing Tutor

BVA, (Printmaking), MA (Art Therapy)

Isabel is a practicing artist and registered Art Therapist
who thoroughly enjoys the art making process and all
the mess, beauty and unexpected surprises it contains.
She is interested in supporting people to find their own
unique creative voice and strongly believes art is a
powerfulway to communicate life stories and connect
with others.

Isabel has worked in adult mental health in both acute
and community settings for the last 5 years, facilitating
art workshops, working on community art projects and
curating exhibitions. She also has experience teaching
adults and youth, and running art programs in conjunction
with aged care and disabilty support organisations.

Chris Tamm

Digital Photography & Mixed Media Tutor

BA with Hons

Chris Tamm is an award winning photographer and
youth publisher with 20 years experience in political
and street art campagns. Chris has done work for organisations such as Amnesty, Greenpeace, Unions
and YWCA as well as comic studios working with
titles such as Batman and Lost in Space.

He has managed multiple festivals and curated
hundreds of art events. Chris is a firm believer that
art is an activity not a thing and enjoys coaching
people from all walks of life to make their own art.

Cassandra Hard Lawrie

Sculpture & Mixed Media Tutor

MVA (Sculpture), BVA (Honours)

Cassandra Hard Lawrie is a Curator, Sculptor and Installation
artist who has exhibited at the Tin Sheds, UWS Gallery, SCA Galleries, Penrith Regional Gallery, Government House and Laperouse Museum. She has been a finalist in the Willoughby Sculpture Prize 09 and UWS Sculpture Award 08. Cassandra recently graduated with a Master of Visual of Arts (Sculpture)
from the University of Sydney. She is the current curator or Sculpture in the Vineyards, Mosman Festival of Sculpture 2011
and Hidden 2011/2012 at Rookwood Cemetery.

Teaching across the disciplines of sculpture, art history/theory
and experimental drawing, Cassandra has worked in a variety
of settings such as TAFE, private tutoring, community workshops and has run an art access practice specialising in teaching art to people with disability, particularly people with autism.

Evan Wills

Ceramics Tutor

BVA (Ceramicss), Grad Dip (Visual Arts)

Evan worked as assistant to Japanese/Australian ceramacist,
Mitsuo Shoji, for five years and taught ceramics at Strathfield
Regional Community College for ten years.

Evan has exhibited functional, sculptural and installation
based ceramics as well as drawing, digital art and furniture
in over 30 exhibitions in the last 15 years. He is keenly
interestedin creative expression through form and function
and helping people learn to create and express themselves
through ceramics.

Susan Baran

Printmaking Tutor

BVA (Printmaking)

Susan studied at the National Art School majoring in printmaking
and did Post Graduate studies at City Art Institute (now COFA)
and then further studied at Sydney College of the Arts. She is
a member of Sydney Printmakers, Warringah Printmakers and
Primrose Paper Arts. She exhibits her work regularly in Australia
and overseas with both printmaking and artist books.

Jessica McGowan

Silver Jewellery Tutor

BA (Design/Art Education)

Jes is a practicing art maker, puppeteer and community worker.
She has trained at College of Fine Arts (UNSW bachelor of Design
& Art Education) and overseas in Both Indonesia (ISI, diploma of
traditional shadow puppetry) and the USA (Bread and Puppet, Apprenticeship of Puppetry).

Jess is focused on accessible community arts and facilitating any
person interested in creative persuits to develop their skillbase
and confidence.

Robert Ives

Printmaking Tutor

BVA (Printmaking)

Robert Ives majored in printmaking at the National Art
School, he has been teaching printmaking since 1992
at other art centres. He has experience in many art forms
which allows him to draw on a broad skills base.

He says " Art is my love, Teaching is my joy."

Cita Diadone

Ceramics Tutor

BA Education (Visual Arts)

Cita has worked as a Visual Arts Educator for more
than twenty years teaching in a variety of Sydney
schools at both secondary and primary levels. As an
art educator Cita teaches across a number of disciplines
including drawing, collage, printmaking, sculpture,
painting and art appreciation.

As a tutor of Ceramics at Pine St, Cita encourages her
students to nurture their potential and to express their
creative dreams in the magical material of clay.

Craig Bunker

Digital & Mixed Media Tutor

BA (Drawing, Painting, Digital)

Craig is the uncanny Bunkwaa. A beloved Street Artist,
desirable alien and light-bearer of laughter. His iconic
style of art is ubiquitous in the inner west scapes of Sydney
& Adelaide. For Bunkwaa, placing his art in different
environments is about reacting and responding to what is
around us, making the familiar unfamiliar. Plus, the extra
elbow room is fantastic for an artist who creates a copious
amount of art. As for the unearthly characters and creatures
he creates, they are believed to be entities that live hidden in
the folds of this dimension; feeding off the energy that flows
from human emotions and desires.

Alida Cappelletta

Silver Jewellery Tutor

BVA (Jewellery), BFA (Jewellery, Painting)

Alida Cappelletta graduated from Sydney College of the
Arts majoring in Jewellery and Metal and also studied at
RMIT in Gold and Silversmithing. She also has a painting background after completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts
Degree at Curtin University in Perth. Alida is currently a
resident and Studio Manager at Gaffa Gallery Studios in
Sydney.

Alida's work is primarily influenced by forms within her
natural environment. Her personal collection of found objects bares natures hidden and effortless beauty. Botanical forms with rich surface texture and geometric patterns filter through her current body of work.

WART

Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, Mixed Media

Tangents moments………mark makers; stories; compulsion to
change the dynamic…

sounds emerge as paint…

paint changes shape then still

People experiencing extraordinary realities …peers..

Timing …time….. relationships…. minds in motion….talking…
untamed belly

Movement passed.. looking.making thinking..think.

Scraping pushing meaning….time timing….
when is it your daytime…timing…time

Lets keep the fridge full !

Express…feel ….

Thoughts create …go deep and larf !

Aggie

Drawing, Painting & Time Based Art Tutor

MA (Painting/Drawing), Master of Social Development

Aggie is committed to social inclusion and equal access to education.
She works from a strengths-based approach to support participants
in building confidence to express and develop their individual styles
and personal interests.

Aggie's teaching philosophy draws on the ‘process’ of making art as
the foundation of genuine creative expression.

Rhonda Balzan Bastow

Painting Tutor

BA (Visual Arts), BA Education (Adults)

Rhonda has worked as a teacher/trainer for many years
with many different groups in the community, always
maintaining her art practice, however modest at times.
Working through her community volunteering, Rhonda
has used her artistic ability and the medium of creative
expression to create performances and work with
Maltese Australian community groups in theatre and dance.

Kati Watson

Ceramics Tutor

MBBS (Honours)

Kati learnt to pot at her local community centre and from friends
who are practicing studio potters. Her passion has always been
to make wheel-thrown, functional pots although she loves and
is fascinated by all areas of ceramics. Kati has been making pots
from her own studio for the past 6 years. Kati loves teaching
pottery and finds the shared learning experience inspiring.

Kath Ellis

Jewellery & Mixed Media Tutor

BFA (Jewellery/Silver Smithing)

Kath Ellis is a Sydney based artist. She has worked making
large structures and running educational workshops for
many festivals and events. Kath currently works with Sydney
Council doing outreach as a community and cultural liaison officer.
She has much experience teaching and facilitating art projects
with many different groups. Kath also works as a freelance
sculptor and is currently working with Erth making large puppets
and props.

Rachel Dickson

Digital Photography & Mixed Media Tutor

BVA (Photography)

Rachel is a Sydney College of the Arts Graduate and
an exhibiting artist who has a passion for all areas of
the arts. For the past 7 years Rachel has been involved
in organizing and coordinating numerous arts and
music events both in Australia and internationally.
It is this experience combined with her love for teaching
which lead her to start a small business called Strawberry Fortress, which runs Children’s art classes and birthday
parties.

Rachel believes it is important to feel inspired and to
inspire others through her art practice, teaching art is
a fantastic way to achieve this principle!

Tanya Delzotto

Digital Photography & Mixed Media Tutor

BVA, Dip (Graphic Design), Cert lV Leisure

Profile to come

Chris Retallack

Sculpture & Mixed Media Tutor

BVA (Painting), BA (Education)

Profile to come