Our Artistic Team

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  For ten years, Melissa has been the inspiration for artists of all ages who come to study art at Engage. Melissa graduated from Tyler School of Art, Temple University, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking. Since she was 6 years old, she has been drawing & painting, always knowing she wanted to be an artist when she grew up. Then, Melissa got a job teaching at a studio during college and fell in love! She has been teaching for more than 14 years. Her major bodies of work are paintings and drawings inspired by the figure and anatomy, occasionally mixed with some florals and Noveau-style curves.  She also loves to experiment and work in a variety of styles and mediums and aims to bring that same exploration to class projects in the studio. Her artwork can be found in the front sunroom in the gallery shop, as well as scattered about the gallery! See Ms. Melissa's art, available for purchase!

Rae has been working at Engage since its humble beginnings in Skippack as a small converted garage! Rae graduated a semester early with Magna Cum Laude honors from Kutztown University with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and a minor in Music. She is also part of The International Honor Society in Psychology. When not doing behind-the-scenes paperwork, she enjoys jumping in and helping the students create. Rae particularly loves creating meticulously painted ceramic pieces as well as watercolor works. In the future, she would love to combine her degree and love of art to become an art therapist or music therapist. 

Mrs. K  graduated from Potsdam State with a Degree in Art, focusing on pottery. She has previously worked as a special education teacher. After retiring from teaching, she began working at Engage. For the past three years, Mrs.K has used her extraordinary skills and 30+ years of experience to teach kids and adults pottery, focusing primarily on wheel-throwing. In her free time she enjoys kayaking, reading, and creating pottery pieces which are available in our shop for purchase! Her work is also available to view on her Instagram @ks_pottery_twl.

Brenna is a self-taught digital artist with a love for teaching. From the moment she could hold a pencil, she was drawing; the rest is history. For the last 3 years, she's taught and assisted classes at Engage such as Drawing & Painting, Art Jumble, and even designed and integrated our Anime & Manga class. Her main goal for each class is for students to have a fun, happy space that brings out their true selves and true passions, regardless of skill or age. She has an Associates in Fine Arts, which influences the techniques, tools, and mediums used in her lessons. When not at Engage, she enjoys gaming, writing, and illustrating. See Ms. Brenna's art available for purchase!

 Katharine Krieg has been a professional artist and instructor for over 30 years. Her works are done primarily in oil paint but she is also accomplished in the mediums of watercolor and charcoal and has been recognized in all three mediums.

She earned a Bachelor of Art Education and studied further at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. Katharine is an invited instructor for workshops in the studio and plein air. She was awarded a National Medal for Art Educator from Scholastic Art Awards and taught at a high school for the arts. Her list of publications includes books and national magazines. Katharine paints and maintains a home studio in Montgomery County, PA., and held a summer studio on the artist colony Monhegan Island, ME for over 10 years. She travels frequently to paint the Pennsylvania landscape as well as the mountains and coastline throughout New England.She is honored to have presented solo shows in galleries and to have been accepted into national as well as regional open juried shows and invitational shows such as the Allied Artist of America International Juried Exhibition, Hudson Valley Art Association National Exhibition, Pennsylvania Watercolor Society International Juried Exhibition, and Rockport

Art Association & Museum National Juried Exhibition. She has achieved signature

membership in the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society and is a Juried Artist Member of the

Rockport Art Association & Museum and Hudson Valley Art Association. Her work can be found in collections throughout the United States and beyond. Katharine’s

work is available through gallery representation and her studio.

 Diomira graduated Summa Cum Laude from Montgomery County Community College with an Associates Degree in Fine Arts. Some of her favorite artists include Alphonse Mucha, John William Waterhouse, and Frida Kahlo. She enjoys working with traditional mediums such as oils and acrylics as well as digital illustration. In addition to the visual arts, she likes writing music and participating in local theatre productions. In her free time she loves playing Dungeons & Dragons and spending time with her cats. 

 Suzan has been creating since she was a young child, and is so thankful to have grown up in a super creatively empowering environment. She studied at Moore College of Art and Design, earning a BFA in Graphic Design with a minor in Ceramics. Following a 20 year career as a corporate Art Director, she started her own design and fine arts studio, in addition to holding various teaching roles. Suzan works with multiple mediums such as clay, oil, fiber, and watercolor. She actively participates in art gallery shows and sells her unique small batch pottery at events in the tri-state area (and here in our shop!). Suzan teaches Handbuilding Ceramics and Creative Journaling workshops here at Engage, as well as assisting with the studio. She believes in the power and benefits of fostering creative exploration and experimentation in both children and adults, and is currently working towards a Creative Wellness Coaching certification. See Suzan's art, available for purchase!

 Chloe graduated from Berks Career and Technology Center studying early childhood education. After graduation, she started to educate herself on different forms of art such as crafting jewelry, painting, and embroidery. To enhance her artistic abilities she started to take ceramic classes at Engage Art Studio. After taking several classes, she started to work up a portfolio and applied to work at Engage Art Studio. In her free time, she loves to play video games and spend time with her friends and family. Her and her friends enjoy shooting pool and attending different trivia nights throughout the week. She also has a precious cat named Pearl that she rescued, and a dog named Foster. 

Happily Married to her husband, Ron, as well as mother and grandmother, Gabe has been in sales for 36 years.  She went to Penn State for Interior Design. She loves flowers and plants and has a 20+ year history in the nursery business. She spent creative time for 3 years creating custom wedding toppers. Gabe loves to paint and create custom artwork. She is the creative interior design expert at Engage Artisan Gallery and her arrangements always create delight for coworkers and clients! Gabe also has artworks on display in our downstairs gallery!

Aisling graduated from Moravian University with a Studio Art Degree focused on portraiture. There she was Vice President of the International Honorary Art Society, Kappa Pi, and received a SOAR grant from Moravian for her project focusing on Social Class within American Portraiture. Since childhood she has loved to experiment with a plethora of art mediums and styles. Aside from drawing animal portraits (which are available in our shop), drawing pet portraits, and updating her house, Aisling loves to relax with her family, 2 cats, and be in nature.

Baelfire was found on our property as a newborn kitten in April of 2023 and has now decided that we are his fur-ever home! In his free time, Bael enjoys exterminating, learning new art techniques, and taking catnaps. Though he looks quite stern in the photo above, he is an absolute snuggle bug. Baelfire is an outdoor cat and has appropriate shelter for the colder months. He is and will continue to be up-to-date on all vaccines/shots. You are more than welcome to give him a few pets if he's feeling snuggly. Please do not chase and wash your hands after petting.