Oak Street Staff
Oak Street Studio's instructors are fun, energetic and full of life! They are dedicated to providing the highest quality of fine arts instruction available to young people. Our curriculum offers a wide variety of comprehensive classes with an art history base, that are designed to fit the ability, experience and interest of any student. Come on in, and join the fun!
BETH WILBUR VAN MIERLO
is the director of Oak Street Studios A Young People's ART Institute as well as an art instructor. She started Oak Street Studio's 10 1/2 years ago and still loves every minute of teaching students the richness of Fine Art! Beth is a local artist as well as a mother of three! She holds a BFA in sculpture and drawing from the University of Southern Maine.
MEGHAN SCRIBNER
has been creating art in many forms for the past 20 years. After moving to Maine in 1991, she received a masters in both art therapy and fine art. She loves working with a variety of materials creating both three-dimensional and two-dimensional forms. She had several shows of large sculptural pieces including a solo show in NYC while teaching at Maine College of Art. Some favorite work includes papermaking and painting with her two children.
When she isn't up to her elbows in paint, paper pulp or three-dimensional materials, Meghan Scribner enjoys gardening, biking and bug hunting with her two kids. She has been a Maine resident and artist for the past 19 years, receiving a masters in fine art at Maine College of Art and a masters in art therapy from Lesley College. Meghan's work was exhibited around the New England area and New York while teaching at Maine College of Art. She spends much of her summers on Cushing Island in Casco Bay taking inspiration from the many adventures and explorations of its nooks and crannies.
Meghan is currently on maternity leave with her baby son who was born this past July.
HENRY WOLYNIEC
has been a visual artist for over 25 years. Among his other artistic credits he is the author and artist of two comic book series.
Education:
New York University, 1983
Columbia University, General Studies Program, 1981-82
Parsons School of Design, B.F.A., 1979
Check out his work at: henrywolyniec.com.
Henry will be teaching the Comics Class on Tuesday and the Drawing Class on Thursday this semester.
MEGAN COOMBS
Megan Coombs graduated from University of Southern Maine in 2008 with a Bachelors of Fine Art in Art Education and a studio concentration in Printmaking. She is currently working at the Middle School of the Kennebunks in the Life Skills program helping students with severe mental and physical disabilities succeed academically and gain independence. In the summer, Megan works for the Waynflete Summer programs as their lead teacher in the Wonder Arts program, an art based camp for ages 3-5.
Megan has taught art in a variety of settings and variety of levels. As an outcome of working with so many ages and in so many different environments, Megan is confident teaching both 2-D and 3-D techniques including water color, wood working, drawing, found art sculpture, and ceramics. A personal passion for texture has lead Megan to working with fabric. Megan's current personal projects include adapting traditional quilting techniques to make one of a kind wall hanging quilts.
Megan will be teaching classes on Monday, Thursday and Friday this semester.
ASHLEY E. SHOUKIMAS
graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Studio Arts degree concentrated in Alternative Photographic Processes. After college she moved to Sanctuary Arts, an independent art school in Eliot, ME. She lived, worked, and studied there, and it was then that she became excited by what a small, independent art school could provide for the community. She moved to Portland in 2008, and recently graduated from the Maine College of Arts Post-Baccaluriate Certification Program in Art Education. She continues to pursue her own studio practice, in the small time between working and walking her three dogs!
Ashley will be teaching classes on Wednesday and Friday this semester.