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Former Featured Artists


Sonali Bhasin
Sonali Bhasin is a visual artist and art educator whose work is rooted in curiosity, connection, and the simple joy of creating. A self-taught artist with 9+ years of experience, Sonali works across a diverse range of art mediums and traditions, including acrylics, watercolor, texture painting, soft pastels, oil pastels, mandalas, coffee painting, decoupage, Lippan art, Madhubani, Warli, and mixed media. Her work is inspired by color, patterns, textures, nature, and the freed


Susan Payne
Susan Payne grew up in a south Seattle family with a great love of the outdoors (camping, hiking, fishing etc) was drawing and painting from a young age. She majored in Architecture and worked in that career, later cutting back to part time and more painting. As part of architecture school (BA and M.Arch) she learned perspective drawing and design skills, and took night classes in painting, including while she lived in New York City (1983-93). In more recent years she too


Merica Halstrom
Merica Halstrom is an artist, mom, and social worker in Renton, Washington. Although Merica has multigenerational roots in the Pacific Northwest, she was raised in several different countries and cultures throughout her childhood. This multicultural exposure from a young age influenced her decision to go into social work after college. It wasn’t until Merica was in her late 20s that she followed a strong impulse to pursue a second degree in interior design. Instead of emer


Glenna Tsang
I am Glenna Tsang and I have always been an artist. Of course I followed the path of practicality and got my education in teaching so I could travel. I taught for five years in a private school in Bellevue and then when my daughter was five I moved with my family to a coastal town in China near Qingdao. I had two more children there and loved being in a place that challenged ideas of what we need as a family. We lived simply, riding bikes instead of driving cars, and shopped


Arman Karimi
Arman Karimi is a dedicated artist, calligrapher, educator and producer whose journey spans more than three decades of creative practice. Born and raised in Afghanistan, Arman’s devotion to fine arts — particularly painting and calligraphy — has been a lifelong passion. Arman holds a master’s degree in public relations and a Diploma in Fine Arts from Afghanistan Art Gallery. For many years, he taught painting and calligraphy at Kabul University, where he nurtured the next gen


Debjani Datta
My artistic journey has been shaped by a lifetime of travel, cultural immersion, theatre, spirituality, and an enduring fascination with the relationship between humanity and its surroundings. Born into an Air Force family, I grew up across different regions of India and the Middle East, experiences that nurtured an appreciation for diverse cultures, landscapes, and visual traditions. My early involvement with theatre and dance, coupled with formal training in Fine Arts, laid


Jake Heare
Jake grew up in the rural Texas panhandle inspired by the small but inventive art scene in the area. Coming from a science background he has degrees in Marine Biology and Fisheries Science. A later in life turn to art allows him to express the beauty he has seen during his time working in the biological sciences into something everyone can enjoy. He has worked in woodcarving, laser cutting & etching, watercolors, glassblowing, glass fusion, digital painting and any other medi


Connie Porta
Connie is an emerging artist based in Renton, Washington, inspired by the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Since retiring, she has dedicated herself to learning and cultivating a unique artistic style. Capturing the textures and light of the region through the rich depth of oil and watercolor, Connie explores the shapes of landscapes, plants, and the human figure. While she works in watercolor, oil, and colored pencil, oil painting is her greatest passion; it allows her to br


Mark Ryan
The desire to paint and draw began in my early twenties. I found myself trading a mind-numbing career in manual labor for design and art classes at Highline Community College. Early in my creative education, a professor required a daily sketch in a dedicated sketch book, that experience instilled the need to sketch and draw (even when I should have been doing something else). More than thirty years later, a sketchbook remains a daily companion. I have worked as a freelance co


Kenny Ostenberg
Driven by a lifelong passion for all forms of creativity, my work is a continuous exploration of different mediums, styles and artistic disciplines. I work predominantly with acrylics and sometimes watercolors trying to translate visions and observations into tangible form. As a member of the Renton Art Oasis I highly value the opportunity to experiment across boundaries rather than restricting myself to a single technique Balancing a career in marine construction with a ded


Drew Dost
Drew Dost is a multi-media artist whose creative journey began surrounded by the coastal beauty of Monterey, California, continued through her studies at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo where she earned a degree in elementary education, and is now rooted in her home of Seattle, Washington. Surrounded by inspiring landscapes throughout her life, Drew’s work reflects a deep appreciation for nature and the quiet, meaningful moments that shape our every


Karen Drumheller
Karen was born in Spokane, Washington, in 1951, and raised in Richland, Washington, on the beautiful Columbia River. All 4 kids were encouraged in the arts from a young age-taking art classes and summer workshops. Karen headed off to the University of Puget Sound in 1969 as an art major, studying pottery and printmaking. She got her teaching certificate from University of Washington and began working with teenagers painting murals on public schools in Seattle. Throughout her


Maleah Williams
Maleah Williams is a multidisciplinary artist whose work is defined by bold patterns, rich textures, and the harmony she creates from unexpected pairings. Growing up primarily in Washington, with time spent in several other states, she has been creating art in one form or another for as long as she can remember. Her practice spans painting, resin, clay, wire wrapping, and needle felting. She enjoys blending techniques to produce pieces that are layered, tactile, and full of c


Randy Morgan
Randy Morgan is an emerging artist who upon retiring and being an empty nester began to explore what truly brings her joy in life. After exploring various activities, she began to realize that she’d always enjoyed dabbling in arts and crafts and being around art and creative people. Through her classes, she discovered that drawing was a building block for her detailed and colorful style and developed an affinity for the nuances of colored pencil (both realistic and abstract).


Michelle Nagel
Born and raised in Washington, Michelle holds a Master’s in Education and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington. After several years of teaching in public schools, she shifted her focus to arts education and her own creative practice. As a multidisciplinary artist, Michelle draws inspiration from nature, animals, dreams, and the human experience—often blending various media to create works that are playful, thoughtful, and explorative. Her passion for learning,
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