Art Staff & Teachers

We love art!

Art Teacher

Mary Wolfe

Beginning & Intermediate Teacher

Surprisingly, Ms. Mary grew up in a non-art family. As an adult, when she started pursuing her art passion, she found real enjoyment in sharing the creative process with others. She finds joy in talking with parents who encourage their children’s creativity. Art is entwined in every aspect of our lives and she enjoys showing children and adults alike how to release their inner creativity.

Mary has been painting for over 40 years with students ranging in age from 4 to 101. She continually attends workshops and experiments with new mediums and techniques to share with her students.

Art Teacher

Aletha Deuel

Teen Advanced Teacher
Continuing Adult Education

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Aletha is at home with the colors of the Southwest, mid-west, and Northwest, having lived in all three. Aletha has received many awards in juried shows and has had numerous one and two-person gallery shows around the Pacific Northwest. Her work is found in both private and corporate collections. She loves to work on location as much as possible. Aletha will always remain a student of Art. Aletha is a dedicated teacher at the Fred Oldfield Western Heritage Center.

Art Class Teacher

Anna Neshyba

Beginning & Intermediate Teacher

Anna Jane Neshyba is a working artist based in Olympia, Washington. She uses both traditional and non-traditional mediums to create unique works that engage with the natural and digital world. She is interested in illustrations that are surreal and dreamlike, but use recognizable iconography to invoke tone and atmosphere. Her favorite medium is plain ol’ pen and paper, but has dabbled in virtual reality (VR), using her computer science background to create virtual installations. Her work has been published in The Mill, Willamette University’s literary and arts journal, and she has collaborated with the Hallie Ford Museum of Art to create VR exhibits. She believes that art is resistance, and that everyone should have the opportunity to create, play, and celebrate imagination.

 

Ballet Dance Classes

Sophie Marie

Dance Teacher

Sophie Marie is a Bennington College Graduate with a Bachelors in Dance Composition and Neuroscience. She has extensively studied Dance History and Anatomy and includes both subjects into all of her dance classes. Sophie is also a professional dancer and choreographer working in Tacoma and Seattle. In the last several years she has even produced several dance films with her company Das Biest Performance Project.

 

Ballet Dance Classes

Gosia Yilmaz

Photography Teacher

Hi, my name is Malgorzata Yilmaz, short name –  Gosia.I’m originally from Poland, where I graduated from Art School as an Art Photographer and where I’ve worked for over 10 years with model agencies and magazines in Warsaw.

Photography has always been my passion. For me it is a way to connect with people who appreciate art and beauty, like I do. Becoming a photographer gave me a new perspective on everyday life. I enjoy connecting people with their past, remind them of people, places, feelings, and stories.

I want to mention that living and working both in Europe and here in United States has broadened my awareness and provided me with experience in working with diverse groups of people, a necessary ingredient in today’s workplace.I specialize in portrait, fashion, family photography. But I’m particularly passionate about portraits.

 

Ballet Dance Classes

Carrie Foster

Drawing Teacher

Carrie Foster, co-owner and designer of Tacoma arts screen printing business, Shroom Brothers, obtained her design degree at Highline Community College. She also attended Cornish College for the Arts, studying oils, film, and intensive figure drawing classes.
Carrie began drawing at a very early age, and it has remained her passion always. It has led her to work in several media, including papier mache, sewing and textile arts, and she has become an adept in handmade paper-making.

Carrie enjoys the different artists’ materials she uses in drawing and design, and her dexterous use of graphite, charcoal, gouache and inks show she is very accomplished, multi-faceted, and dedicated to her
art.

Ballet Dance Classes

Teresa StaalCowley

Calligraphy Teacher

Teresa has degrees from several universties including Evergreen State College and The Art Institute of San Diegeo. She is a Mixed Media and Calligraphy artist.

Ballet Dance Classes

Tracey Marcrum

Art Teacher

Tracey Marcrum has been an Artist in all the genres most of her life.After attending Seattle Art School, she immediately worked as a professional graphic layout artist, cover artist for writers and poets,  and a myriad of other graphic arts projects, including teaching layout methodologies. Her love of art inspired her to teach art at many classrooms from Spokane to North Carolina, Texas, and beyond. She finally returned to her home state, and has expanded her knowledge of working with watercolor, acrylics, mixed-media, and the textile arts. Tracey believes strongly in teaching art to kids, as it expands their appreciation of things around them while honing their confidence, and thinking skills. “Art is life, and life IS Art!” Is her mantra, and she is dedicated to her teaching ,  and her students.

Ballet Dance Classes

Kate McKee Colombini 

Art Teacher : Pioneer Farm Satallite Classes

Kate McKee Colombini started out taking classes from Fred over 14 years ago and has stayed with the FOWHAC ever since. She has worked as a volunteer, teaching artist and board member.  She will now also be teaching at our first satellite location, Pioneer Farm Museum and Indian Village in Eatonville.

Art Teacher

Astrid Vander Hoek

Guest Art Teacher

Miss Astrid was born and raised in Puyallup. Since she was a young girl she had a passion for the arts. Through taking classes since a young age at Fred Oldfield’s, as well as other art studios, has become one of the greatest contributors to her teaching. She loves working with her students to give back and further jump-start their creativity.

Don't Miss Out On Our Summer Art Camps!

Summer Art Camps Puyallup
Summer Art Camp Students
Summer Art Camps, Boys Painting

What Our Art Students Are Saying

“I have been coming to Fred’s for 9 years or thereabouts. My daughter began when she was 6 or 7 and she is now 15 and still enjoying her time creating and learning new techniques. The environment has been encouraging for my daughter as an artist and I have been invited to contribute and be part of things as well. We volunteer during the fair every year and have attended art shows and others events.
Thank you.
Keep up the good work!”

T. McMeekin

“I really enjoy having my kids attend Kids Creative Art class. They are in 1st and 4th grade and it’s so nice that they both can attend on the same day and time. They really have great instructors and teach them so many different things and work with so many different mediums. They use clay, and many different types of paints like watercolors, acrylic and even different types of ink. It is worth every penny and then some! I highly recommend it!”

L. Gonzalez-Terrile

“My two children have been attending the weekly art classes for almost two years now and have loved every second of it. April and Diane are amazing teachers who are patient, kind and thoughtful. They both see your children for who they are and work with their strengths and weaknesses to produce great artwork and more importantly a positive art experience. The once a month Saturday art classes are always a favorite for my 10-year-old daughter. She not only gets to create a beautiful painting that is definitely wall worthy, she has a blast doing it!”

Megan F.