Atelier/Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art (LAAFA)

Rey Bustos graduated as an illustrator with high honors from the Art Center College of Design in 1989. He then went on to illustrate for many companies and magazines as well as having numerous fine art exhibits. Rey Bustos has been teaching since 1990 and is now considered one of the preeminent artistic anatomy teachers in the country, he is also on the teaching staff at Disney Feature Animation.

Rey Bustos teaches Analytical Figure Drawing, Drawing and Composition, 3D Anatomy/Ecorche, 2D Anatomy and a class that he created, Imaginatomy: An Anatomical Approach to Animal and Character Development.

Derek Harrison is a representational painter who works in the classical tradition, creating contemporary figurative and landscape works. Inspired by many 19th century artists, Harrison’s work has become a culmination of classical techniques with the ability to portray contemporary subject matter in a timeless manner.

After his study at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, Derek continued his art education through workshops, seminars and classes with accomplished artists, including Jeremy Lipking, Morgan Weistling and Sean Cheetham.

In addition to works published in Southwest Art, he has had his work published in American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur and several collective art books. He is currently a member of the California Art Club (exhibiting at the annual Gold Medal Exhibition), the OPA (Oil Painters of America) and the Portrait Society of America.

He currently works and resides in his downtown studio located in Santa Barbara, California.

Since 1984, Jon Messer has been illustrating architecture and landscape plans. His watercolors, digital watercolors and sketches give an atmospheric sense of place and create an emotional response in the viewer.

Jon studied fine art and illustration privately and at Otis Parsons and UCLA. In 1984 he began working with Carlos Diniz, the great American architectural illustrator who became his mentor. After eight years of working at Carlos Diniz Associates, Jon opened his own studio and has since worked on many projects nationally and internationally.

Jon also spends time working on his personal fine art paintings of favorite landscapes and city views. His illustrations have appeared in national ad campaigns and Charlesbridge publishing. He teaches traditional perspective to fine art students, animators and concept artists privately, and at professional institutions such as LAAFA.

Kelley Mogilka is a figurative painter hailing from Edmond, Oklahoma. After obtaining her BFA in Studio Art at Oklahoma City University in 2018, she attended Laguna College of Art and Design for her Master of Fine Arts Degree in Painting. At the age of 25, Mogilka was recognized in Southwest Art Magazine’s 21 Under 31, Young Artists to Collect Now, and has won several awards for her paintings at the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. Most notably, Mogilka was the recipient of the Emerging Artist Award at Pence Gallery in Davis, California, where she had her first solo exhibition in early 2023. She currently lives and works in Orange County, California as a full-time painter.

Glenn Vilppu is a world-renowned artist who has taught anatomy, drawing and painting. He has trained professionals at Rhythm and Hues and several additional studios and institutions. Glenn is the author of several books including, The Vilppu Drawing Manual and the Vilppu Sketch Book.

Vanessa Lemen is an award-winning painter based in Carlsbad, CA, with works exhibited and in private collections internationally. Her paintings are layered in subtle allegory, with an explorative process that intertwines realism and abstract to depict humanity, metaphor and story. Her work has been published in two new Illustrated Limited Edition books: The Left Hand Of Darkness by Ursula K LeGuin and A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick, and is published in such art books as Spectrum, Women of Wonder, The Journal and Infected By Art, and has been featured in articles in magazine such American Art Collector, ImagineFX, and Poets And Artists.

Vanessa also writes monthly columns for the Muddy Colors blog, and is an educator who mentors privately, teaches classes online, and instructs at workshops across the US. Her recent work has earned her The Chesley Award and other awards in publications such Infected By Art, a Spectrum Award nomination, as well as Art Renewal Center’s ARC Salon, and participation in the International ARC Salon Exhibition