● Our Teachers |
Discover a world of creativity and skill development with our comprehensive art programs at Champion Art, catering to ages from Grade K to Grade 12, as well as adults who are still interested in learning arts.
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Olivia Ouyang
Principal & Founder & Director Olivia Ouyang is the co-founder of Champion Art Studio and Champion Learning Academy, alongside her husband Jeff Lee. She was born in China and graduated from the Fine Art Academy of Sichuan, and currently is a member of OPA (Oil Painters of America). In 1993, Olivia came to the USA and got her MFA degree at The University of Art and Design, California. Shortly after arriving to this country, she discovered computer art and worked as 3D computer artist in the game industry for several years. After she had her first child, she decided that despite enjoying her work as a computer artist, she preferred exploring and teaching fine art. In 2002, she founded her first art studio in California where she began teaching art, and experimented with a variety of medias such as oils, acrylics and watercolors. In 2006, her family moved to North Carolina, where Olivia began seeking the outdoors to capture its beauty through art, inspired by the beautiful landscapes here. Now, she shares her passion for art with her students, and shows her love for art through her own personal paintings. Personal Website: www.oo-art.com Rob Werbicki
Art Director I studied studio painting and drawing first at Western Carolina University (BFA ‘07), and later pursued graduate studies at Boston University, receiving an MFA in 2013. I have also been lucky enough to attend several summer programs where I was introduced to painting landscapes. Some common threads that run through my work include working from observation, a sense of ordering things into a design, and looking to art of the past for inspiration. I wish to pass on the idea that making art is a journey each person can take, to make things they value, and to gain tools for understanding and organizing ideas. Jim Hallenbeck
Master Art Director (Resigned) Growing up in Catskill, NY, Jim was constantly drawing. This led him to being the art editor of his high school yearbook, majoring in Fine Arts at SUNY Plattsburgh, and obtaining a BS in Art Education from Florida International University of Miami in December 1979. His dream of being an art instructor then artist, however, was put on a 35 year hold! Jim was hired by IBM in September 1979 in Boca Raton, FL and transferred to Raleigh, NC in 1999. He retired from IBM as a Vice President in September 2014 and worked at Lenovo through January 2015. Through the years during his IBM career he continued to paint as time allowed. Now retired, Jim is pursuing his life long dream of being an artist. The paintings include primarily landscapes, city scenes, and local Raleigh landmarks. Jim has taken workshops from nationally recognized artists such as Nicole Kennedy, Dan Beck, Dawn Whitelaw, Derek Penix, and Albert Handell (6 with Albert) who is Jim's mentor, teacher, and friend). Jim is a creative member of 311 Gallery in Raleigh, NC. and a contributing artists of the Mattie King Davis Gallery in Beaufort, N.C. In this short period Jim has been juried in 31 local and national exhibitions winning 7 awards. Of note, Jim has been juried in to the 2018 American Impressionists Society's national exhibition, the 105th Allied Artists of America exhibition in 2019, the National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society's 2018 Spring online International Exhibition, and the NOAPS 2019 Fall online International Exhibition. Personal Website: https://jimhallenbeckfineart.com/ Samantha Mai
Principal Assistant Samantha Mai works primarily in a minimal mode. She designed websites, brochures, flyers, coupons, banners, name cards and other promotional products for Champion Education. No matter how many paintings, clays, prints and jewelry she have completed, every piece is still an experiment to her. She likes to explore art in an unconventional way that unique to her. As an educator, she helps students to interpret art pieces by highly engaging activities with clear aims and purposes, satisfies their curiosity and guides them through the making of art. Currently she is a practicing artist of Mokuhanga, the traditional Japanese Woodblock Printmaking and Mineral Pigment Painting. Justin Roxo
Art Teacher Justin Roxo has been an Art and Digital Media teacher for the past seven years. Alongside his teaching at Champion Education, he currently teaches Adobe programs in Durham School of the Arts. He earned his BFA in Film & Television from Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) and later received his MFA in Studio Art from Stony Brook University. Prior to teaching he worked on several local TV shows, movies and commercials in New York. His work also includes animations, paintings, and prints that have shown in several states and countries around the world. Tricia
Art Teacher Heema
Art Teacher |