STUDIO FACULTY
The Washington Studio School (WSS) faculty consists of practicing artists with diverse backgrounds who are dedicated to teaching visual arts through a perceptual fine arts tradition. They share their knowledge and experience to help students develop skills while respecting individual artistic inclinations.
COURTNEY APPLEQUIST
Courtney Applequist is an interdisciplinary artist based in Potomac, MD, whose work spans painting and drawing, using architecture as a framework to explore movement, time, and the traces they leave behind. She investigates portraiture to examine identity, materiality, and scale, expanding ideas of individual and contextual relationships. Applequist holds a BFA from Baylor University and studied painting at the Washington Studio School. She has exhibited locally and internationally—including SXSW (Austin, TX) and the Delegation of the European Union (Washington, DC)—and is represented by AdahRose Gallery, with her work featured in The Washington Post and recognized with a 2023 GLB Project Seed Grant. As co-founder of the ICEbox Collective, she engages in collaborative public art projects that foster dialogue across cultures, earning accolades such as the AIR Grant from ArtsFairfax and exhibitions at Transformer DC, the Mexican Cultural Institute, and La Casa del Maquio in Mexico.
REEM BASSOUS
Reem Bassous received her BA from The Lebanese American University and her MFA from The George Washington University. She started teaching drawing and painting in 2001 at The George Washington University, taught at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa for 9 years, and at Leeward Community College at the University of Hawaiʻi for 7 years. Bassous continues her journey in education as Artistic Director and Head of Faculty at the Washington Studio School, as of the fall of 2023. Bassous’ regional and national exhibitions include solo shows at the Honolulu Museum of Art, SBCAST Gallery in Santa Barbara, and the Washington Studio School Gallery, in Washington DC. Her work has been reviewed by various publications which include the Washington Post, Art Asia Pacific and Star Advertiser. Bassous’ work is in permanent collections which include the Honolulu Museum of Art and Shangri La Museum for Islamic Art, Culture and Design.
JILL BATEMAN
Jill Bateman is a practicing artist in the Washington, DC, area and has long been an active member of the WSS community. She graduated from the Master Certificate Program at the Washington Studio School and the Corcoran School of Art and Design Program in Painting and Drawing. Jill also studied art at the University of California in Los Angeles and the University of Tennessee, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in French. Her work is held in corporate and private locations throughout the Washington, DC, area. Jill’s work crosses a range of media and is largely figurative. She often works ‘blind’ into her work, finding that if the mind’s need to make something look ‘right’ can be quieted, the hand and eye record the honest truth. Jill seeks to understand and capture the essence of the human form - believing that all else is contained therein.
RACHAEL BOHLANDER
Originally from Detroit, MI, visual artist Rachael Bohlander resides and works in Washington, D.C. Her artwork, process driven and based in abstraction, spans multiple media, including painting, sculpture and works on and with paper. Bohlander received an MFA from the New York Studio School, NYC, following which she was the Artist in Residence at the School’s post-graduate sculpture residency in DUMBO Brooklyn. She has served as faculty at the Washington Studio School, Washington, D.C., since 2021. Bohlander is a recipient of multiple D.C. Arts & Humanities Fellowship Program grants. Her artwork has been included in solo and group shows in D.C. and the surrounding region, as well as New York and Miami. It can be found in private collections throughout the U.S. and Canada and is part of the Washington D.C. Department of General Services public collection. Bohlander has completed murals in Denver, CO and Apex, NC.
POOJA CAMPBELL
Pooja Campbell is a multidisciplinary artist and educator based in Chantilly, VA. Born and raised in India, her work chronicles everyday moments in her children’s lives
through the perspective of an Indian-American mother raising first-generation Americans. Campbell began her art education in Bangalore, India, and later studied textile design in Cape Town, South Africa. She holds an MFA from American University in Washington, DC, and a BFA from Montserrat College of Art in Massachusetts. Campbell’s select exhibitions include Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VA), University of Mary Washington Galleries (VA), New York Academy of Art (NY), Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (VA), Boston International Fine Art Show (MA), and Center for Contemporary Art (NJ). Campbell received the Ruth Meixner-Bird Award and the Wolpoff Award in 2024, as well as the Purchase Award from the University of Mary Washington Galleries in 2025. She is a 2024-25 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Graduate Fellowship Recipient.
ASHLEY COREN
Ashleigh D. Coren is a content strategist, educator, art collector, and curator based in the Washington, D.C. area. She has taught information science and museum studies for a decade at West Virginia University, the University of Maryland, College Park, and George Washington University. Her previous roles include positions at the National Portrait Gallery, the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum, and the Smithsonian Office of Digital Transformation. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Museum Education Roundtable and the advisory council of the Washington Studio School.
LAUREN A. CRAWFORD
L.A. Crawford is a multidisciplinary artist based in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, who employs painting, printmaking, and sculpture in their work. Crawford’s practice reflects an engagement with materiality and form, drawing from their surroundings to challenge and reinterpret our understanding of space and how we construct meaning from it. Crawford received their B.F.A. in painting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2017 and their M.F.A. from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Mount Royal School of Art, in 2019. They were awarded the 77Art fellowship and have participated in the Art Institute of Chicago’s summer residency program in Siena, Italy. Their work has been published in the Museum of Americana catalog, and they have created installations for the Museum of Outdoor Arts in Denver, Colorado.
MICHAEL CROSSETT
Michael Crossett is a Washington, DC based mixed media artist whose vibrant, layered compositions merge photography, historical imagery, and screen printing to explore themes of urban life, cultural transformation, and technology. He earned a BS in Advertising and Marketing from George Mason University in 1997 and studied printmaking, bookmaking, and graphic design at the Corcoran School of Art from 2007 to 2010. Drawing on his extensive career as a creative director and designer, Crossett brings a refined sense of color, composition, and storytelling to his work. His process begins with capturing cityscapes and collecting found iconography, which he transforms through an unorthodox approach to screen printing, hand-pulling hundreds of layers into collage-like arrangements. The result is a body of work that bridges past and present, weaving contemporary design with nostalgic elements to invite viewers to see familiar urban spaces in new and unexpected ways.
WILLIAM FLEISHELL
William Fleishell, born in Washington DC, obtained a certificate in painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts studying under renowned mentors such as Robert Beverly Hale and Will Barnet, Louis Sloan and Arthur DeCosta. He also earned a BA degree in printmaking from GW University before joining the US Treasury Department in 1988 as a picture engraver. Throughout his career, Fleishell has showcased his talents in various mediums, including bronze sculpture installations in Capitol Hill and the Navy Yard. Additionally, he has left his mark in the world of printmaking, teaching workshops for institutions like the Rhode Island School of Design and currently serving as a drawing and painting instructor at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop. Alongside his official engravings for US currency and postage, Fleishell has undertaken numerous private sector commissions for esteemed clients such as the Cooper Hewitt Museum, Oprah Winfrey, and the Bugatti family. Beyond his engraving expertise, Fleishell is also skilled in brick masonry, ceramic sculpture, and traditional window screen painting.
MARY FREEDMAN
Mary Freedman works with various drawing media, focusing on Still Life, Plant Life, and the Figure. She internalizes her subjects to create work that reflects both their essence and her own sentiment. Freedman received a BA in Art History from Pennsylvania State University and a Certificate of Achievement from Washington Studio School, joining the WSS faculty in 2009. She previously worked at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and has volunteered as an art instructor in D.C. for 21 years. Her work has been exhibited in numerous group shows across the DC and Baltimore area, including a solo show at Washington Studio School.
MARIE B. GAUTHIEZ
Marie B Gauthiez is a multi-disciplinary French-American artist who makes work about mapping of the self, reconstruction, preservation and identity. Marie received her MFA in Studio Art from American University in 2024. She has been a WSS faculty member since 2023 where she also received her early drawing and painting training. She has exhibited at Transformer (DC), Tephra ICA (Reston), Stable Arts (DC), Soft Times Gallery (San Francisco), Studio Gallery (DC), Brentwood Arts Exchange (MD), the Anacostia Arts Center (DC), the Katzen Museum (DC), First Street Gallery (NYC), River Arts (SD) and at the Cafritz Arts Foundation(MD). Marie’s work has been included in the Soho House collection at the Ned’s (Washington DC) and in the GDIT collection (Virginia headquarters). She is a 2025 Kinetic artist with Hamiltonian Artists (Washington, DC) and has been awarded a Residency at the Vermont Studio Center (upcoming, March 2026). Marie currently serves as the Certificate Program Coordinator here at the school.
TRISHA GUPTA
Trisha Gupta is an artist, educator, and master printer specializing in Indian woodblock printing and contemporary printmaking. She holds a BFA from Washington University in St. Louis, an MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and has trained with master printer Kathy Caraccio while working at leading New York printshops. Rooted in both cultural preservation and contemporary innovation, she founded Indie Fabric, a teaching studio dedicated to Indian block printing, sustainability, and heritage craft education, and has taught at the Smithsonian Associates, GWU Textile Museum, Pyramid Atlantic, and Washington Studio School. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, reflecting her interest in cross-cultural craft dialogue and the global lineage of printmaking.
JORGE VARA HERNANDEZ
Jorge Vara Hernandez is a painter and printmaker based in Maryland. His practice is at play with the inconsistency of the exterior and interior, the yesses and noes, painting or sculpture, savagery or elegance, immigrant or citizen, fight or flight. Where both the history of art and that of his Mexican-American background exists as a symbol and as an experience that interacts, influences, and contends with one another to create something new. Vara Hernandez holds an M.F.A. from the LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and a B.A. in Film and Media Studies from the University of Maryland-College Park. He is a recipient of the Hoffberger Foundation Fellowship, and was awarded a Graduate Merit Scholarship from the Maryland Institute College of Art. In 2023 he received an Individual Artist Grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, and participated in the Key-Holder Printmaking Residency at the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Hyattsville, MD.
SARAH JAMISON
Sarah Jamison is a Washington, DC-based fine artist whose work blends art history, culture, and digital media with autobiographical elements. She employs diverse materials, including airbrush, colored pencil, acryla gouache, ink, and acrylic, to explore themes like expectations versus realities and the pursuit of meaning, often using public domain images and personal tokens as symbolic narratives. A 2010 BFA graduate of the Corcoran College of Art + Design, Sarah has had solo exhibitions at prominent venues like IA&A at Hillyer and Latela Curatorial in Washington, DC, as well as A Hurd Gallery in Albuquerque, NM. Her work has also appeared in group exhibitions worldwide and been featured in publications like Smithsonian Folklife.
HEATHER KERLEY
Heather Kerley is a Maryland-based mixed media and fiber artist whose practice spans watercolor, collage, embroidery, and other craft traditions. Originally from the Midwest, she studied at the Columbus College of Art and Design before earning a BA and MA focused on gender studies and postcolonial literature. Her work explores themes of entanglement, kinship with the more-than-human world, and the historical healing role of fiber arts. Kerley has taught widely, exhibited both regionally and internationally, and received a 2023 creativity grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, with her most recent solo show held at the Adkins Arboretum in 2025.
JOREN A. LINDHOLM
Joren A. Lindholm is an artist and educator known for his work in perceptual abstraction, often blending places and things in kaleidoscopic compositions. He studied under Lynette Lombard and Mercedes Matter, developing strong skills in perceptual drawing and spatial organization. Lindholm earned an MFA from American University in 2004 and has received several scholarships, including the Milton Avery and Beverly Creighton scholarships. He currently lives in Washington, DC, and exhibits in New York City with the Painting in New York Collective.
LINDSAY MUELLER
Lindsay Mueller is a sculptural painter based in Arlington, VA, whose work reimagines outdoor spaces, exploring sites of decay, interconnection, and ambiguity while examining personal and communal themes projected onto landscape. She constructs her pieces using plaster, paper clay, acrylics, oils, and mixed media, drawing on the American tendency to romanticize nature. Mueller grew up in Bucks County, PA, and holds BA degrees in Painting and Psychology from Boston University, as well as an MFA in Visual Arts from American University. Her work has been exhibited across the East Coast at venues including the American University Museum, MoCA Arlington (VA), Adah Rose Gallery (MD), and Chautauqua Institution (NY). She has received the 2023 Bethesda Painting Young Artist Award, was a 2025 Sondheim Art Prize semifinalist, and has been featured in Create Magazine while serving as a Four Pillars Artist in Residence at Mount Gretna School of Art (PA).
JULIANA NETSCHERT
Juliana Netschert earned an MFA in painting from American University in 1987 after studying at the New York Studio School and Indiana University. Prior to this, she received a Master's in Teaching from Wesleyan University and taught art in Baltimore and North Carolina, where she developed a high school art program focused on Appalachian craft traditions. Since returning to the Washington area in 1985, she has concentrated on painting woodlands, showcasing her work in various solo and two-person exhibitions. In addition to her artistic practice, she worked at the Marsha Mateyka Gallery for 30 years and has been teaching at the Washington Studio School since 1989.
CHINEDU FELIX OSUCHUKWU
Chinedu Felix Osuchukwu, born to Nigerian immigrant parents, grew up between Washington, DC, and Nigeria, deeply influencing his art that explores his Igbo-Washingtonian identity. He earned his BFA from Corcoran College of Art and Design and an MFA from Maryland Institute College of the Arts. His work has been featured in Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine and acquired by the Studio Museum of Harlem. Osuchukwu, also a dedicated teacher, was appointed commissioner of the DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities in 2017 and currently lives in Washington, DC with his family.
MELVIN NESBITT
Melvin Nesbitt Jr. is a Baltimore-based artist known for his expressive painted paper collages that explore childhood, memory, race, and community, often centering children in scenes of everyday American life. Drawing from his upbringing in a low-income South Carolina neighborhood, he layers painted surfaces and collage to reflect the complexities of race, poverty, joy, and identity in Black communities. A two-time DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Fellow and DC Art Bank grantee, his work is held in public collections across Washington, DC and has been featured in publications including The Washington Post.
MIKE O'BRIEN
Mike O'Brien is an artist, designer, and curator inspired by folk, lowbrow and outsider art living and working in D.C. His practice began in the 2010’s illustrating and screenprinting posters for punk bands and producing art shows at his warehouse space Hole in the Sky. His latest works are a series of watercolor, gouache and acrylic paintings on contour-cut wood panels which explore symbols, compositions and lines inspired equally by the cartoons of his childhood and the American traditional tattoos of his adulthood. Alongside his art, Mike curates exhibitions at his gallery Thundershark at 52 O Street Studios.
PAUL PIETSCH
With an MFA in painting from American University and 10 years of experience teaching studio art at the Washington Studio School, Montgomery College and Prince George's Community College, Paul thrives on facilitating opportunities for creative engagement and helping people locate and develop their innate creativity. Paul has run figure model sessions at Hillyer Art Space and the Washington Drawing Center. He also has served on the boards of directors of several local arts nonprofits. In the studio classroom Paul encourages exploration, synthesis and trust. In his painting, he works perceptually, valuing visual discovery and adaptivity over distilled meaning. Awe over argument.
CAROL RUBIN
Carol Rubin received her BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, BA, and studied at the Corcoran School of Art, Washington, DC. She obtained the Washington Studio School, Certificate of Achievement, and was a Resident artist at the Vermont Studio Center. Carol exhibits at the Studio Gallery, Washington, DC and has exhibited in juried shows nationally. Awards received includes work for ArtnDeed. Her work is held in private collections internationally. Rubin works in oil using vivid colors, strong compositions and aggressive brushwork.
TAYLOR SIZEMORE
Taylor Sizemore is a DMV-based artist and arts educator whose background spans both Grundy, Virginia and Okinawa, Japan. She holds an MFA from American University and a BFA from Longwood University, working primarily in autobiographical and cultural still life painting across canvas, handmade frames, and works on paper. Her practice explores themes of desire, humor, fear, femininity, identity, memory, and Americana, with exhibitions including presentations at Stable (DC), The Valdosta National (GA), Goodwin House (VA), and the American University Museum. Sizemore has collaborated with institutions such as the National Gallery of Art, Emory University, and Soho House, and her work is held in private and public collections in the US, Berlin, and Japan.
MILENA SPASIC
Milena Spasic is a Serbian-American painter with a BFA from The Corcoran College of Art and Design and an MFA from The Academy of Art College San Francisco. Her figurative work is deeply influenced by the turbulent history of Yugoslavia, focusing on the impact of war on personal and national identity. She has exhibited in solo and group shows at various prestigious venues, including The Beverly Studio School Gallery and the Embassy of Yugoslavia. Additionally, Spasic is involved in the study of artist's materials and serves as the Certificate Program Coordinator at Washington Studio School, while also being a member of ASTM International's Subcommittee on Artists' Paints.
SAMANTHA STOVER
Samantha Stover is a Bethesda, Maryland–based artist with a BA in Literature and Art History from McGill University and an MFA, cum laude, from New York Academy of Art. She trained in historical drawing techniques and figure drawing from life, supplementing her education by studying masterworks across Europe and working as a painting copyist in New York and Washington, DC. Drawing on her background in theatrical costume design, her work explores the performative and expressive capacities of the human form. Through figuration, she captures fleeting emotions, observations, and memories, blending traditional techniques with a focus on creative expression.
MARTIN WALL
Martin Wall received his BFA from Montclair State University with a concentration in drawing and painting. He was awarded a full-fellowship artist residency at Vermont Studio Center following his studies. During his time at VSC, he further explored traditional approaches to drawing the figure and to plein-air painting in oils. He began a career in teaching in 2001 in Washington area schools. Currently, Martin teaches drawing and painting courses at WSS and private remote or in-person lessons to children and adults.
JO WEISS
Jo Weiss received her MFA from American University and has taught at Georgetown University, American University and Maryland College of Art and Design. She has served as Head of Faculty at the Washington Studio School twice, from 1990-92 and from 1999-2010. Weiss's most recent exhibitions include a show at the Katzen Museum (2018) and Minėmå Gallery (2013). Weiss serves on the Board of Trustees for the Vermont Studio Center and is Chair of the Advisory Board at the Washington Studio School.
TREVOR YOUNG
Trevor Young, educated at the University of the Arts, is represented by Addison/Ripley Fine Art (Washington, DC), David Klein Gallery (Birmingham, MI), and George Billis Gallery (New York, NY). His work has been shown nationally and internationally, including the Armory Show (NY), Art Miami (FL), and La Biennale di Venezia (Luciano Benetton Collection). Featured in publications such as The Washington Post, Artsy, and OpenLab Magazine, his work has also appeared on Showtime’s "Billions" and the cover of Neil LaBute’s book "How to Fight Loneliness". Young’s pieces are held in private and public collections, including the Washington DC Convention Center, and he has recently presented solo exhibitions with Addison/Ripley and George Billis Gallery.
VISITING ARTISTS
ALINA LIAO
Alina Liao is the founder of Zenit, a radical wellness company dedicated to making wellness accessible to all. Through Zenit, she designs and creates hand-crafted journals that help people embrace journaling as a proactive tool for self-care, healing, and growth. Her work combines artistry and intention, offering spaces for reflection that empower individuals to nurture their mental and emotional well-being.
JILL PHILLIPS
Jill Phillips received her undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis and pursued graduate-level painting studies at The George Washington University. She was Artistic Director and Head of Faculty at Washington Studio School from 2010 to 2023, where she taught for twenty years. In addition to teaching at WSS, she has instructed at the Denver Art Museum and DC Public Schools. Her artwork, influenced by memory and textile, has been exhibited in solo shows and various galleries. She is a member of the Jackson Art Center Studios.
MICHAEL HARADA
Michael Harada, born and raised on Oahu, Hawai‘i, is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and digital media. He earned a BFA and MFA in printmaking from University of Hawai‘i, taught art for over 20 years at Leeward Community College, and has designed masks, puppets, props, and sets for Honolulu theatre companies. His work has been exhibited widely since the mid-1970s and is included in collections such as The Contemporary Museum and the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts in Hawai‘i.
SUSAN YANERO
Susan Yanero studied at L’École des Arts Décoratif et du Bâtiment, Carnegie Mellon University, and earned her MFA from American University, where she has taught for over 30 years and was a founding member of Washington Studio School. Her work, exhibited at venues including the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center and Apex Gallery, translates intense feelings of love, awe, and anxiety into visually powerful forms. She is drawn to the physicality of paint, creating pieces with strength and presence that reflect her expressive, emotionally resonant style.