Our Instructors

 “I want to provide you the space and knowledge that will help reach your artistic aspiration. A place that encourages creativity and uniqueness, guide you in building your art portfolio, and helps you grow as an artist where you can follow your dreams.”  Iris Heffes graduated from H I T (The Center of Technology Education, Holon) with a major in Industrial Design and teaching diploma. She also studied two years of ceramic art at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. As an artist Iris mostly paints abstract and Sculpt figurative.   

 Since graduating Chapman University in 2012 with a B.A. in Art, Mari Takeyama works as a freelance Concept and Production Artist in the film and gaming industries. She has contributed to a variety of independent films, commercials, music videos, and prototype footage for major motion picture studios. Currently designing for local fantasy board games and video game hardware, Mari also has experience commercializing her own line of personal artwork as well as classical fine art commissions. She specializes in drawing and sketching techniques, and has been teaching at Studio H for the past 4 years. 

Nino Narimanidze received her MFA in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia. After resuming her studies at Moscow State University of Ivan Fedorov-Department of book graphics, she worked on book illustration and was an artistic editor for many publishing houses, and prepared illustrations for many Georgian and foreign authors. Nino worked as a Professor at the Academy of Art, Cairo, Egypt where she taught academic drawing, painting, sculpture, fig­ure, sketching, human anatomy, landscapes, portraits and perspective basics. In 2012, Nino moved to the USA, she was granted an Extraordinary Ability Alien status for her accomplishments. 

Arianne Coleto graduated from California Polytechnic University, Pomona with a BFA in Visual Communication Design. She enjoys creating work that focuses on thoughtful, universal design and leaves an emotional impact on those who encounter them. Inspired by designers who create warm and heartfelt designs, she aims to design positively transformative works.

Teagan Travalino is a digital illustrator from the Big Island of Hawai’i. Teagan graduated with a BFA in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design.  She’s inspired by fairytales, nature and anything cute! Specializing in children’s book illustration her work is whimsical and colorful.  Her hope is to inspire others and tell a story through her art.

Em Hernandez graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a Bachelors in Art Education. She works as a Scenic Artist at Knott’s Berry Farm and is also a freelance illustrator. Em loves to work across different mediums but her favorites are drawing, digital art, and clay sculpture. She’s inspired by folk stories and would describe her art style as whimsical and dramatic. Her philosophy is that art making should be playful, and the process is just as important as the result.

Andrew Cortez graduated with a BFA from Laguna College of Art and Design majoring in Drawing and Painting and minoring in Animation. He has been teaching art since 2017 as well as designing Portrait and Plein Air workshops. His fine art work has been featured in multiple exhibitions and competitions across the US, and he draws and paints commission portraits. He loves teaching and hopes to inspire his students to try out many different art forms.

Cameron Derby is an artist and photographer originally from Akron, OH.  She graduated from Columbia College Chicago where she got her Bachelor’s in Photography. Her passion and focus is portraiture, whether it be people, pets or characters.  Her interest in people, culture and color are what motivate most of her work. She also enjoys combining her fine art and photography. Cameron’s been teaching Drawing and Sketching at Studio H since 2017.  Through teaching, she loves helping students discover themselves as artists.