Fleming College

Michael Letki

Michael Letki has been making jewellery for over 50 years. After graduating from art school in England, he came to Canada where he and partner Paula Letki operated the jewellery studio Letki Designs for over 20 years. Michael has taught at Sheridan and Mohawk Colleges and was involved in the training of many apprentices through his own studio, many of whom went on to be successful artists/jewellers. He has been teaching at the Haliburton School of Art + Design for over 25 years. Michael has received several awards for his work, notably from the Ontario Arts Council and the International Gold Corporation. He has also held the position of studio advisor for Sheridan College and Harbourfront Craft Studios. Currently, he is pursuing his arts interests in image making and jewellery making.

John Shaw Rimmington

John Shaw Rimmington spent many years specializing in restoring historic stone and brick buildings and eventually extended his focus to using stone in landscaping and building traditional dry stone walls. His expertise has developed from masonry practice and comprehensive research into traditional stonework in Britain, where he has worked with professionals associated with the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain. He is the president of Dry Stone Walling Across Canada, (www.dswa.ca), an organization that offers instructional workshops for homeowners and landscape students on every aspect of dry stone construction. In 2004 he and members of the DSWA built Springdale Bridge, a permanent 6 foot arched stone bridge in downtown Port Hope and in 2005 he collaborated with international dry stone artist Dan Snow to build a permanent stone ruin on the same site. In 2006 he initiated a unique project based on a book by Farley Mowat, where dry stone wallers from all over the world collaborated to build a permanent stone structure in the shape of a pre-Viking dwelling in Canada. He also designed and built the 12 foot high dry stone `Cheese Wedge' at the Niagara Botanical Gardens. In 2012 he designed, organized and oversaw the building of the first double arched dry stone bridge in Canada at a private estate near Montreal, QC. http://thinking-stoneman.blogspot.ca/"

Miranda Britton

Instructor for:

• Jewellery Fabrication II
• Jewellery: Surface Decoration II

Miranda Britton is a jeweller, multi-disciplinary artist and gallery owner based in Muskoka, Ontario. As a jeweller, Miranda creates pieces that explore the multitude of ways that humans converge with the natural world. Using abstracted and simplified representations of organic motifs, her pieces celebrate many facets of the natural world, reminding the wearer of their place within the natural order of things. Together with her father, Miranda opened the Britton Gallery in Bracebridge in late 2019 and the experience has re-invigorated her love of art in its many forms.

Karyn Gingras

Karyn Gingras, when signing up for a night school class in tap dancing, was told that the course was full. But, they added, the millinery course had lots of space. The rest, as they say, is history. Karyn is the owner/designer of Lilliput Hats, three decades old traditional millinery. As all the Lilliput hats are crafted on site in the studio/atelier, the store has become a curious landmark in the city, where visitors can glimpse old-world techniques while their hat is made before their eyes. Lilliput hats are carried across the country at Holt Renfrew and other fine boutiques in Canada and the US. The hats are in the collections of Whoopi Goldberg, Celine Dion, and former Governor General of Canada, Adrienne Clarkson. Karyn's many theatre, television, and film credits include Mama Mia, Music Man, and The Evelyn Dick Story. Most recently, she created the hats worn by Gord Downie on the Tragically Hip's Man Machine Poem tour. She is the recipient of several awards, including the 1999 City of Toronto Accessories Designer of the Year, the One-of-a-Kind Show Best Traditional Craft, and the One-of-a-Kind Show Hall of Fame. She has taught at the International Academy of Design and Ryerson University of Design. www.lilliputhats.com

Ken Hussey

Ken Hussey, Ward World Champion in the Contemporary Antique Decoy category, has been carving duck decoys since 1982. Armed with a Mechanical Engineering diploma and further studies in graphic design, he enjoyed a varied career that culminated in many years as a graphic design instructor. He began carving decoys when, as an avid hunter, he noticed how much better wooden decoys performed than plastic ones. His efforts started with working decoys, progressed to decorative, and evolved into what would become the contemporary antique category of decoys. Ken has firmly established a reputation for excellence and is a sought-after instructor.

Kirei Samuel

Kirei Samuel's fascination with glass started purely by accident 25 years ago, when a friend gave her some scrap glass. For many years she travelled the Ontario art and craft show circuit and then, in 2009 she opened her studio/gallery which houses her one-of-a-kind pieces in jewellery, plates, bowls and artwork. In 2019 Kirei designed 550 pendants for the Women's Half Marathon in Wellington, ON. She also designed and built the bases for the pewter sculptures for the Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Toronto's annual theatre, dance and opera. She is happy to continue the Dora Award bases commission in 2023. Kirei has been a member of the PEC Studio Tour for the last 14 years. www.lalalandglassstudio.com

Michael Bainbridge

Michael Bainbridge worked for ten years as a cameraman and director of photography in film and TV before switching full-time to still photography. Since then, his work has been sold privately, exhibited publicly, and featured internationally. He now specializes in art and specimen photography for museums and private collectors. Michael is a frequent guest speaker at major conferences in his field, teaches photography and digital manipulation regularly, and does Photoshop work and pre-press processing for other photographers. www.theoccurrence.ca

Janine Marson

Janine Marson is a graduate of the Design Art Program at Georgian College and received a BFA from the University of Guelph. Her 30-year career has established a strong sense of direction, garnered several exhibitions and awards, and has provided the opportunity to influence hundreds of students with her calm, encouraging spirit. Janine loves to inspire others with art, teaching private art lessons in person and online via ZOOM. A trained, professional picture framer, she has provided her services with a keen eye for colour and design for over 25 years. Her commission work includes painting on a canoe for the Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and painting a paddle for the Algonquin Outfitters Paddle Art Contest. She is one of the muralists for The Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery in Huntsville and has painted six murals to date. Janine received a Woman of Distinction Award for Arts, Culture & Creativity in 2018. www.janinemarsonart.com

Susan Fisher

Susan Fisher earned her BFA in Visual Arts and an Art Education Diploma at Concordia University, majoring in Graphic Design and Sculpture. Her Master's in Cultural Anthropology through Trent University focused on Indigenous Art Expression. Susan taught in Northern Alberta as an elementary teacher in a Metis Colony and then as a French Immersion teacher in Peace River. Since the mid '80's she taught art in various media and is now completely devoted to teaching Encaustic techniques with beeswax with HSAD, privately, and in various commercial galleries. Susan has shown in many galleries in Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta and was chosen to exhibit at the prestigious annual group show in Sagamihara Japan. Her work is currently shown at Meta4 Gallery.

Harriet Boon

Harriet Boon is a spinner, dyer, weaver, and retired shepherd. She earned her Master Spinner certification in 1976 and continues as an instructor in Spinning Certificate programs. Her involvement with fibres and natural dyes spans five decades, during which time her education was enriched through travels in Europe and Asia. Harriet teaches workshops in Canada and the US.

Nicholas Russell

Nicholas Russell holds an Honours Degree in Music and also studied the art of guitar-making with Master Luthier Sergei De Jonge, designing and constructing a concert classical guitar under his tutelage. As a professional guitarist and music educator, Nick's musical style and knowledge spans genres, but his current exploration as a guitarist lies at the intersection of acoustic music, classic and contemporary jazz, and progressive rock. In recent years he has expanded his freelancing to include work as a composer (Dusk Dances Dance Festival, Arts Bournemouth University) and as a studio musician (Metalworks Studios, Escarpment Sound, Deschamps Studio). Numerous studio projects he has worked on have aired on national radio (CBC, Jazz FM, CFRU) and international television. Nick is officially endorsed by Godin Guitars (CAD) and Keeley Electronics (US). His most recent music release, ARCHTOP, was recorded on a 1949 Gibson L-7 Archtop guitar in 2021 and can be heard on all major streaming platforms as well as on his official website www.nicholasrussell.ca