olivia ouyang
principal & founder & director

www.oo-art.com

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.

Jim hallenbeck
master art director

​http://jimhallenbeckfineart.com/

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 taught art (K - 5th grade and adult classes) part-time at Champion Learning Academy in Morrisville, N.C from October 2017 through June 2019. 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. 

vICKIE SANDERLIN

Vickie Sanderlin is an artist and career art teacher. She comes to us spanning a broad range of teaching experiences from nurturing kindergarteners to high school artists, in
addition to youth museum art camps. Ms. Sanderlin graduated with a BFA, Magna Cum Laude in painting and art education
from East Carolina School of Art and Design and an AM, a Master of Arts from Duke University in Netherlandish Art and the Art Market in Liberal Arts. Believing that the arts help to ennoble and educate a well-rounded, culturally-rich, and
creative mind, she is very excited about sharing her art knowledge and learning experiences with students of all ages and backgrounds. Outside of teaching art, Ms. Sanderlin very much enjoys traveling and visiting friends of the arts, snow skiing, snorkeling, nature, and Hawaii. At home, she loves creating her own art, gardening, yoga, and taking in a movie or two!

Samantha mai
principal assistant

Samantha Mai works primarily in a minimal mode, with a preference for the color black, beige and white. She designed websites, brochures, flyers, coupons, banners, name cards and other promotional products for Champion Education and Afficient Academy. 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 a 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. 

aLYSSA D'AVANZO

https://www.alyssadavanzo.com/

Alyssa is an artist, filmmaker, musician, and foodie. She enjoys storytelling and designing with humor, and she loves to collaborate with others. She is a graduate of the College of Design at NC State University with a Bachelor of Art and Design and a minor in Film Studies. She has dabbled in many areas of artistry – illustration, painting, film, music, etc. - and strives to create strong work in every form of media she pursues. She has been illustrating and painting all her life and her ability to visualize space, use color, and conceptualize has served her well in the creative industry. She is excited to pass along knowledge and techniques that she has developed over the years to her students, while creating a fun and inspiring atmosphere that will propel their motivation and innovation. 

beth palmer

beth-palmer.com

I am a 3D generalist specializing in character animation and modeling. I am also a story artist, illustrator, and photographer. Creative storytelling through all types of media is my greatest passion. Whether in film, animation, or illustration, I incorporate my quirky sense of humor to connect with my audience. 

I graduated in 2020 from the Ringling College of Art and Design, the nation’s top animation school, with a BFA degree in Computer Animation. I was trained by former Disney and Pixar animators in figure drawing, perspective drawing, portrait and digital illustration, 2D animation, storyboarding, 3D modeling, and 3D animation.

I am excited to pass on my training to casual artists and aspiring professional artists alike. My students will learn to use the tools and techniques used by pros within courses customized to suit their unique art journey. 

billy lu

https://www.artstation.com/norne

Raised in the Bay Area, Billy is a freelance concept artist who graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Illustration class of 2018. He also has experience teaching animation, digital art, and traditional art to young adults and high school students. Starting from university Billy focused largely on digital art and has had experience working in the entertainment industry. This includes being involved in the artistic direction for multiple video games and movies through mobile, AR, and PC platforms. His passion comes from fantasy character and environment designs inspired by the natural world.

Christie Zhong

https://christiezhong.com/

I am a Graphic designer from Raleigh, North Carolina. 
Currently pursuing a BFA at the Rhode Island School of Design.
I’m interested in empathetic, human centered design and creating meaningful digital experiences.
Previously at CMMPR, Better World by Design, and The Indy. 
Currently at The Jewish Museum.

Calvin ulrich

Calvin Ulrich attended UNC-Chapel Hill and received a bachelor of arts in Studio Art, with an emphasis in painting and drawing.
He typically try to educated students with at least two different methods of instruction: explaining concepts verbally and showing them what he was talking about visually, but sometimes he tries to switch things up. He believed that It is very important that his students understand the underlying principles behind what they are doing, because that helps them much more long term. 

His expectation is that students slowly build a base of knowledge and technique from which to create art and problem solve in his fun and friendly art class. He hopes to see students progress throughout the year and gain the confidence to solve problems and create more independently than when they began.

For Calvin's personal art, he seeks to illustrate the connection between symbolism and the natural world. Much of his artwork uses animals as representations of current political events, ideologies, and issues. His goal is to show the ways in which nature and animals are used as tools for political gain and often separated from any ties to the real natural world. 

As far as interesting things about Calvin, he has two dogs, and he grew up in the country of Zimbabwe, and he likes to play soccer.

CaMILO VERGARA

https://juancamilovergaram.wixsite.com/camvergara

Camilo Vergara is a multidisciplinary artist who works primarily with concepts such as social constructs and cultural imaginaries. His work is displayed through photo installations, drawings and videos that use elements of popular culture and memory. Camilo graduated with a BFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an MFA in Artistic Production from the University of Barcelona, Spain. Camilo has taught kids of all levels and he is a firm believer that art and art education are promoters of self-discipline and positive change for individuals and communities.

jAna tarrance

https://sites.google.com/view/janatarr

I was told if you want to make something good you must make it personal and something you would enjoy. This is what inspires my artwork. I enjoy watercolor painting as my main medium. I like the flexibility it brings and the many different techniques you can do with it. From time to time, I will branch out and try another medium. I have worked well with oil paints, oil pastels, acrylics, as well as simple pencil drawings. However, I enjoy
watercolor the most, working in a representational impressionistic, and still-life style. I love to push and
pull color, design, and texture that watercolor has given me the freedom to explore medium to its fullest. I explore surfaces, textures, and tools on small studies to that I am always pushing my boundaries.

When I was little my family moved around a lot. Drawing was one thing I was able to take with me, no matter where I was. As time progressed so did my art abilities. Arkansas Tech where I received my Bachelor of Art Degree. I had taught to different populations for years right after I graduated.

jANE CHEEK

https://www.instagram.com/jane.the.artist/

Jane Cheek is an art educator and a contemporary fine artist.  Cheek’s work is a daily practice of seeking and creating joy, and she takes the same approach to  education. She believes education has the power to open hearts and minds, and she enjoys sharing her passion for art making, history, and theory with others. As a former public school K-8 art teacher, and current fine artist, adult and youth art class instructor, and homeschool teacher, Cheek has over 10  years of teaching and art making  experience.

morganne elkins

morganneelkins.com

Morganne received her B.F.A. with Highest Honors and Distinction from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, where she studied painting and photography. She is a writer and a contemporary fine artist and has exhibited across NYC, Maine, and Scotland. Her work is rooted in intimacy and tenderness, often exploring the dynamics that exist within domestic spaces. While earning her B.F.A., Morganne was able to explore artmaking internationally. In 2018 she taught and lived in Lugano, Switzerland while working as an art teacher at The American School in Switzerland (TASIS), and in 2019 she studied Painting + Printmaking at The Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. Morganne is eager to share her experience working in galleries, studios, and classrooms with young artists of all levels.

megan easterling

https://www.instagram.com/meganelizabetheasterling/

Megan Easterling is a certified teaching artist. Who has worked with elementary after school arts enrichment programs for the past three years.
Her teaching style involves art appreciation,fundamentals  and STEAM. She thinks it is a necessary tool in education to teach how to think like an artist through creative problem solving. 
Megan has a BFA and a teaching artist certification from North Carolina Central University.  She is a multidisciplinary artist who works primarily express her emotions and passions. Her work is displayed through paintings,illustrations and sculptures. 

Her students will gain a solid foundation in basic art techniques and fundamentals. Her expectation is that with their new knowledge they will be able to confidently problem solve through creative thinking and progressively improve their creations. Overall her goal is for her students to have fun while creating and learning

rob werbicki

​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.

RyAN wALKER

Ryan received his Bachelor's in English from James Madison University. He came to Greensboro to get his MFA in Film and Video Production at UNC Greensboro and has lived there ever since. He is an instructor in Media Studies at UNCG. He also does videography and editing for Mechanical Eye Films. This will be his third summer doing summer film camp for Champion. Outside of filmmaking he enjoys running, watching soccer, and drawing comics.