Scarab Creative Arts Instructors
Dinorah Benavides
Bethany Clague
Kia Cotton
Maggie Courtis
Raquel Ewald
Jeanette Goulart
Jasper Sidhu
Hannah Witter
ABOUT
Hannah
Hannah (Desch) Witter is a ceramic artist living in Fresno, CA. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2014 with a BFA in Ceramics and a minor in Horticulture.
Her current work is to create wheel-thrown ceramic dishware for everyday use. Function, unique qualities of form, and surface texture are important to her. With these aspects in mind, she creates one-of-a-kind and comfortable pieces for the home, most of which are inspired by natural forms and color palettes.
Hannah has taught both kids and adult beginners wheel throwing classes at Clay Mix and is looking forward to teaching at Scarab Creative Arts!
She attends vendor fairs and sells her work at Scarab Creative Arts Gift Shop.
ABOUT
Kia
Kia
ABOUT
Kia
Kia
Owner and instructor of Art Lab 559. Kia is passionate about promoting local artists, art education and creating fun spaces for making art of all kinds. She has 8 years of experience teaching kids and hosting art parties running her own art studio and being an art docent for Clovis Unified School District. Because of her zest for life and her spunky fun loving personality, she especially loves to celebrate life through art by facilitating Art Parties for all ages. She herself loves folk art painting and having fun with felt and is obsessed with bright bold colors. Her love of serving others and years of customer service makes sure everyone is taken care of and having a good time making art! She believes there’s an artist in everyone and supports an encouraging and non judgmental environment.
ABOUT
Maggie
Maggie graduated from CSUF with a BA cum laude in art and began work as an artisan at Scarab Glass Works in 1978. At that time she taught leaded glass and children's art classes at Clovis adult school.
A few years later Maggie continued her education and obtained a multiple subject teaching credential with an emphasis in art education.
Maggie has taught at all levels, from pre-school through adult. She has trained in many artistic mediums, both 2 and 3 dimensional.
From 2008-2012 Maggie worked in the supporting arts for theater doing set design and special effects makeup. In 2013 Maggie began working with clay.
She believes the most important part of art education is to emphasize fostering the creatve spirit of the student as the technical aspects of the media are developed.
ABOUT
Jeanette
Time is of the essence and if you are like me, you want to squeeze the most juice out of every day! My passion is in simplifying the abstract art process so that you can let go of fear. The creative spirit cant thrive with fear alongside. They are opposing forces. Artists need freedom from fear to allow for the creative flow. Nothing thrills me more than to see artists get set free! I am also the founder of Deep Dive Design, an online course for Abstract Artists.
ABOUT
Noelle
Noelle, born in 1977 in Fresno, California, cultivated her artistic vision amid the industrial landscape of downtown Fresno. Drawing from childhood experiences at her father's auto repair shop, she transformed discarded car parts into an imaginative paradise through carpenters chalk drawings. Despite leaving Fresno at eighteen, Noelle carried her imaginative world with her, capturing the nuances of cultural collisions in her work.Currently based at Scarab Creative Arts in Fresno, CA, Noelle's artistic exploration encompasses fluvial imagery, botanical studies in watercolor painting, paper-cut collage practices, and the expressive use of encaustic medium. Through the interplay of wax, water, and diverse human narratives, Noelle weaves a vibrant tapestry of color and form, conveying the beauty and complexities of human nature. With a rich exhibition history, including showcases at Radius Gallery, The Art Cave, The Art League of Santa Cruz County, Pajaro Valley Arts Gallery, and Arte Americas, Noelle holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts and Writing from the California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco. Engage with Noelle's artistry and witness the fusion of texture, pattern, and unusual narrative elements in her captivating works.