Shirley’s love of art started at Immaculate Heart College with Corita Kent. After completing her PhD at UCLA, she served as a professor and academic administrator at San Diego State University and Loyola Marymount. As a neophyte artist in Laguna Beach, she took classes from Roger Armstrong and Michael Hallinan.

Her volunteer work has included years as a member of the Festival of Arts board and as Chair of the lCAD board of directors where, with Jonathan Burke, she spearheaded the development of the MFA program. For 20 years as President of The Artists Fund, she worked with founder Anne England to secure its future as a non-profit corporation dedicated to assisting artists at times of financial need and to supporting their growth as professional artists. She currently serves as Chair of The Artists Fund board.

Wendy Wirth is Vice President of The Artists Fund at the Festival of Arts, and is an art member of both the California Art Club and Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, and is Orange County Co-Chair for the California Art Club.

Originally from Montreal, Canada, Wendy spent her childhood falling in love with California’s golden hillsides, sweeping vistas and majestic shorelines. Honoring the tradition of the early outdoor painters, she strives to convey the atmosphere, depth, and drama of the modern painted landscape. Known for capturing the stunning coastal Laguna scenery, Wirth translates everyday beauty into paintings that impart a sense of mood, place and time. Exploring a tonal approach in both acrylic and oil, Wirth finds unique compositions and appealing viewpoints that intrigue the viewer. Recognized for her award-winning small works, her paintings can be found in collections all over the nation.

Ellen Mahoney is a licensed real estate agent as well as a licensed addiction counselor. She currently owns and operates a couple of small mobile home parks. Previously she worked in several corporate positions (mostly in sales) and she also ran her own boutique. Ellen’s personal art collection includes works by The Artists Fund founder Anne England and several other local artists.

She spent most of her adult life volunteering which is most dear to her heart. She was a PTA President and Treasurer, and was a Volunteer Coordinator for well over 100 volunteers at Top of the World school when they had a nationally-recognized program. She was also Treasurer and then President of a local chapter of a fundraising arm of the Orange County Performing Arts during the time of the original formation and construction process, and also Treasurer and President of the local chapters of the American Paralysis Association, the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation and Childrens’ Hospital of Orange County (CHOC).

Ellen also spent several years writing the local news reports for Laguna Beach American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), and was head scorekeeper for Laguna Beach Little League and Co-Business Manager of the Laguna Beach High School Football program.

Ellen adores her grandchildren, and enjoys playing golf and listening to local singers and bands.

Geraldine Cropser serves as the Secretary on the Board of Directors for The Artists Fund at the Festival of Arts. She recently retired from a fulfilling career in education as a teacher of the deaf, a sixth grade teacher, and as a speech and language pathologist, and brings 39 years of organizational, planning and goal-development, and communication skills, from her career in education, to The Artists Fund; as well as, a life-long passion for photography, and international travel, including a solo trip around the world.

Geraldine honed her photography skills through her travel experience and participating in photography workshops with accomplished outdoor photographers. In fact, she met her husband at a photo workshop in Death Valley, literally, on a sand dune at dawn, and they have shared their love of the outdoors and photography together for over 30 years.

Since her retirement, Geraldine and her husband became immersed in the local art community at the Festival of Arts, where she recognized The Artists Fund as a worthy cause and became close friends with Anne England, the Founder, who invited her to join the Board. Geraldine is proud to be able to help continue Anne’s legacy of “Artists Helping Artists”, and to contribute her life experiences and education skills, as a teacher and photographer, to The Artists Fund Board.

Christopher Lee Brazelton is an artist/designer and owner of Funky Teaze Ltd. and Gallery of Wearable Art in Cambria, CA. A native Californian, CB was born in Los Angeles, and grew up in Orange County at a time when it was filled with orange groves instead of suburban housing. Currently living between Cambria and Laguna Beach, Christopher is deeply inspired by these two beautiful coastal locations. In the 70s, Christopher taught himself the art of airbrushing and stencil making. He took his newfound skills to Maui, painting murals, surfboards, clothing and just about anything else he could get his hands on. In the early 80s, he and his family moved to New York and founded a fashion company focused on wearable art. His clothing was found in major department stores, catalog houses and boutiques.

Keeping true to his style of surreal realism, this self-taught artist discovered a love for painting on canvas with acrylics. His early years as a painter were influenced by such artists as Salvador Dali and Mayfield Parrish. His creations take the viewer beyond the landscape painting into a new world, one which evokes a sense of wonder. Christopher has a unique style which transports the viewer intones vision of nature. In one exhibit, called "Oxygen", he explores mysterious vistas of skies, forests, oceans, and sunsets. It is a world of whimsy and wonder--the very place where he finishes his own peace and solitude.

Sharon Jackman's first career in the arts was in modern dance, and she holds a Master’s degree from the University of Illinois in that discipline. As a choreographer, she mastered the process of creating form and design in time and space.

Later, while completing a stint as director of product marketing at a software company, Jackman sought ways to return to her first love, the arts. she began working with clay at the Irvine Fine Arts Center in 1999. In many ways it seemed a natural evolution from the dance. Both art forms are three dimensional, and the physicality of the work has similarities to the dance.

Fascinated both by the earthiness and the endless flexibility of the medium, she found herself carving and altering her pieces after forming on the pottery wheel to create movement and flow. Drawn to the depth and brilliance of crystalline glazes, she soon began working exclusively with smooth white porcelain, the ideal surface for crystalline glazes. She continues to explore the relationship between her forms and their elemental origins.

Jackman has been presenting her work at art festivals and in galleries up and down the west coast for over a decade. She has exhibited at the Festival of Arts Laguna Beach for five years and looks forward to participating in the 2021 exhibition. As a member of the Board of Directors of The Artists Fund, Jackman brings a powerful combination of both the artist’s perspective and the business acumen and technical skills acquired in high-tech marketing.

California artist Susan Hoehn is best known for her vibrant hues reflecting the beauty of the landscapes she paints. From vineyards to seaside vistas Ms. Hoehn captures the essence of the contemporary landscape.

Susan received a B.A. in Art from the University of California at Berkeley where she was schooled in a variety of mediums. As a student in the late 70's she studied painting under Joan Brown. During that period, she worked part time for the University Bear Backers designing brochure covers for athletic events. She also designed the poster for the U.S.A. vs U.S.S.R. International Track Event.

Susan has built a successful art career painting the vineyards of Northern California. Her paintings and limited edition giclees can be found in numerous galleries throughout California and especially in the Napa and Sonoma region. She visits the wine country several times a year exploring new locations to photograph and paint. She is most inspired by summer and fall as the color, light and shadows unite to form that perfect composition.

When Susan started exhibiting at the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, she decided to explore other subject matters as well as her landscape paintings. 11 I enjoy painting things that I love, and going to museums is one of my favorite things to do. Her depiction of museum goers is a juxtaposition between our current culture and the historical masterpieces on view. No matter what the subject, Susan knows she is ultimately successful when someone viewing her painting experiences the same delight from the scene as she did. Susan Hoehn's art is exhibited in many galleries in the western United States and is collected across the U.S., Canada and abroad. She is an artist member of the California Art Club and two of her pieces this year will be exhibited at the 111th CAC Gold Medal Exhibition at the Bowers Museum July 16 to August 21. This is her eighth consecutive year exhibiting at the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach.

Laguna artist Carole Boller’s paintings are energized with a powerful use of form and color. Her design, color, and value bring an experience of natural beauty to her signature large-scale botanicals. Boller's work using form and texture create a perfect blend to express her oil painting skills with the poetic, grace, and sensuality of flowers, challenging the boundaries of dimension and intensity.

Carole Boller is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America, as well as membership in three organizations in Laguna Beach: LPAPA, LOCA, and The Sawdust Festival. Also, the City has honored her with her murals and banner. Her work has been recognized in juried local and national exhibitions. Carole has also participated in solo exhibitions, including the d’art Bains-Douches Galerie, Antibes France as the recipient of an artist residency there. She has collectors nationally and Internationally, including the Embassy of Greece, and holds a master’s degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

“Color is my day-long obsession and joy. It washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

Karen is an experienced business leader with a demonstrated history of working in marketing, sales management and career coaching. With her strong corporate background in medical devices, biotechnology, management, capital equipment, and healthcare, she brings a high-level of professional acumen to the Artists Fund as its Treasurer.

Karen received her BS Biochemistry from Bucknell University and her MS in Business Administration from University of Phoenix. She is also currently Finance Council Chair at St. Catherine’s Church and held past Board positions as President, Secretary and Treasurer at organizations such as the Diagnostic Marketing Association and school boards. She offers her proven leadership, financial, analytical and creative abilities to support the mission of The Artist Fund.

Mike Tauber is a professional artist, working in paint, ceramic tile, and cement relief. He earned his bachelor’s degree in art at San Diego State University, and worked as an architectural illustrator in post-graduate years. He’s completed mural commissions in Baja California, Queensland Australia, Rio de Janeiro Brazil, and throughout the western United States.

Tauber’s tile works exhibit advanced illustration, but also an exclusive painterly appearance, through his signature use of blended glazes. His award winning Golden State landscapes convey a distant perspective, rich surface texture, and luminous light source as seen in early California schools of painting. A series of classic cars, evoking a mid-twentieth century “Tour California” theme, was added to the landscapes series in 2020.

Tauber’s national awards include Third Place, People’s Choice, and several Honorable Mentions from the juried show at the Museum of Yosemite National Park (2012-15). His work was also selected for the California Ceramic and Glass Biennial at the City of Brea (2015), and awarded Honorable Mention at the Orange County Juried Show presented by City of Laguna Beach (2016). His awards and nominations by the Laguna Beach Arts Alliance include Best in Collaboration (2009, 2019), Artist of the Year (2011), Best in Leadership (2019), and he was named Artist of the Year in 2018.

Tauber has exhibited and presented at Laguna Art Museum, Fullerton Museum Center, Palm Springs Art Museum, and Yosemite Museum. His work is in the Festival of Arts Permanent Collection, and public art collections of City of Laguna Beach, Fullerton, Tustin, and others. Works are also in collections of Kaiser Permanente, K. Hovnanian Homes, PIMCO Foundation, Whole Foods Markets and many more. He is based in Laguna Beach, and works throughout Southern California and beyond.

Cynthia Ayers, a local business owner, is broker/founder of Laguna Coast Real Estate, and has been in the business of finding clients their perfect home for over 26 years. From distinctive estates in Beverly Hills and luxury resort-style coastal villas to charming cottage homes in Laguna Beach, Cynthia is a leader in premier residential sales and marketing. With an in-depth knowledge of the local market, Cynthia is sincerely dedicated to helping buyers and sellers accomplish their goals. Approachable and hands-on, she has a talent for zeroing in on her clients’ needs while personally overseeing every phase of a transaction. Her warm, focused and engaging demeanor creates instant connections, while her integrity and strong work ethic sustains lasting partnerships. She brings her marketing skills and her close ties to the Laguna Beach community to the board of directors of The Artists Fund.

Hugo Rivera is a international known Mexican contemporary, figurative artist. He was born into an extremely creative family full of singers, musicians, craftsmen and painters. In his youth, his father who was a topographer engineer who supported Hugo's love of art by buying him crayons, colored pencils and drawing paper. While studying civil engineering in Guadalajara, Mexico and not having too much time and space to paint, he would paint on the walls of his bedroom. That’s where he painted his first big mural which was the cover of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. Since then he has a passion to paint on big surfaces. After graduation, he relocated to the United States and returned to his passion for fine art.

In 1994, Hugo began working as a muralist. By 2000, he opened a painting studio in Huntington Beach, but it wasn’t until 2007 that he decided to focus more time on his painting career. In 2012, Hugo Rivera opened his own gallery ”Hugo Rivera Gallery” in the city of Laguna Beach (550 south coast Hwy int #3, Laguna Beach CA 92651). Hugo Rivera’s work is part of a permanent collection at Museum Vladimir Cora in Nayarit, Mexico. He has also exhibited at local and nationally prestigious outdoor juried fairs including the Indian Wells Art Festival, the San Diego’s Fine Art Festival, Beverly Hills Art Festival, Malibu Art Festival and La Jolla Festival of Arts, Sawdust Art Festival. His work can be found in private and corporate collections worldwide.

Elizabeth McGhee is a native of Southern California, from a family of artists from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Scotland, as well as the local Laguna Beach art scene. She is a Festival of Arts exhibitor and has shown her work throughout the United States, and is internationally collected.

A classical oil painter trained in the realist tradition, she graduated from Laguna College of Art and Design in 2009 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting. She studied privately with master oil painter Lance Richlin and has also studied with Marc Trujillo, Sergio Sanchez, John Brosio, and Jason Dowd.