Our Amazing Instructors

Artists  |  Teachers  | Professionals

Our  instructors are artists who are currently practicing.  The have extensive experience showing their work in public galleries, private collections and are happy to share their skills and knowledge with you.  

Lindsay Anderson

Hi Sook Barker

Jo Ann Jordan

Marissa Sweet SCA

Todd Tremeer

Lindsay Anderson began his career as a studio technician at the University of Regina Ceramics Department, Extension Pottery.  During that time he was mentored by a number of notable Canadian potters.  His work was featured in galleries in Western Canada and a number of his pieces were chosen for the permanent Claridge Collection sponsored by the Bronfman family.  Lindsay was the recipient of a Saskatchewan Arts Board purchase award. His work has found residence in numerous corporate and private collections and public institutions.  He is a successful contributor to many juried shows .  Lindsay currently works in hand-built, Raku fired vessels and functional cone 6 porcelain ware.

Hi-Sook Barker of Pickering is an art teacher and full time professional watercolour painter.  She is known for implementing her impressionistic style to both floral and landscape works.   Hi-Sook is an active member of several art associations and is a past president of the Ajax Creative Arts.  She is also an elected member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour (c.s.p.w.c).   She has had numerous exhibits and achieved success in group and juried art shows.  Her original works can be found in private and corporate collections around the world.  Can be reached by email hsbarkerart@yahoo.com

I’ve always been drawn to things that allow me to work with my hands – creating something beautiful yet useful - especially when I am able to create things that can be used by family, friends and others who appreciate and enjoy the beauty of one of a kind items. To that end, I’ve spent my whole life experimenting with different media. from wood to metal, textiles to paper and board .  But I really fell in love when I discovered clay. The creamy feel of the clay in my hands, the hypnotic affect of the potters wheel as it spins, the excitement and anticipation of opening the kiln after a glaze firing, even the chemistry I finally understood when it was time to learn to formulate glazes, all inspire me.   I started working with clay about 10 years ago, sharing my creations with family & friends it wasn’t until about 6 years ago when I started J-Squared Pottery as a means of sharing my love for clay and what I was able to make from it that I got really serious about it all. J-Squared comes from the JJ (short for Jo-Ann Jordan) I have always used to sign my pieces.  Being a very practical person, who loves to cook, the type of work that gives me the most satisfaction is functional work. Bowls, mugs, casseroles and other items that are meant to be used on a daily basis. My work is made of stoneware, a very strong and durable material that can be used for most kitchen tasks. As well as using it as day to day dish ware, most of my pieces can be used to serve food, go in the oven, the microwave and the freezer. But please be careful though, as with most commercial products it can get hot in the microwave and burn you, or break if you take it directly from the freezer or fridge and put it into a hot oven. So please let it warm up first.  To learn more visit http://www.jsquaredpottery.ca

Using vibrant colours and reflective composition, Marissa’s paintings reveal texture-rich canvases filled with complex emotions and calls to the viewer, to reflect on our interconnectivity with our environment.  An award-winning artist, her work has been published with the International Contemporary Artists vol. II collection, Transitions & Surfacing Magazine and local newspapers.  Among other creative endeavors, Marissa is a certified Feng Shui practitioner and integrates the principles of Feng Shui into her artwork.  She has co-produced a lifetime TV show called “BeCre8tv” with Rogers TV Durham in 2011.  With a BA Economics degree and years in various corporate roles, Marissa opened her studio in 2002 and started to facilitate art workshops in Durham Region.   An Elected member and newsletter editor of the Society of Canadian Artists, she is also the Public Relations/Social Media coordinator for the Oshawa Art Association.  www.marissasweet.com
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​Todd Tremeer studied painting and printmaking at the Ontario College of Art and Design and history at the University of Guelph. He has a teaching degree from the University of Brock and his Master’s of Fine Arts through the University of Western Ontario. His ongoing history painting project considers national narratives of war and memory. He has exhibited in public galleries across Canada and in France. His historically themed murals can be seen throughout downtown Bowmanville. He has taught art in the public schools, at various galleries, Sheridan College Institute, Durham College and the University of Western Ontario. To learn more visit:  www.toddtremeer.com