Attended Atlanta Ballet School at four years of age. Accepted in the Joffrey School of Dance Scholarship program in New York City at the age of twelve. She performed professionally with the Atlanta Ballet Company in Atlanta, Georgia. Dana was accepted as one of twelve professional dance instructors to attend The Paris Opera Ballet workshop for dance instructors at New York University in the summer of 1997. Dana has taught ballet and modern dance at ESO since 1989. She choreographs and is Dance Director for two ESO student productions per year. In addition, Dana is Dance Director of the ESO Repertory Dance Company.

Born in Holden, West Virginia, Stefan Dulcie started playing the piano when he was three years old. When the family moved to Cleveland, Ohio a few years later, his musical training began in earnest. Recognizing Stefan's talent and ability, his teacher encouraged him further his musical education at the Juilliard School in New York. Stefan was an honors student there. This was followed by earning a Masters Degree from the University of Nevada in Reno.

On two study trips to Europe, Stefan performed in England, Germany, and Italy. Dulcie has lived on the Eastern Shore for seventeen years. He is music director and organist at Christ Episcopal Church and Hungars Episcopal Church. He teaches piano, organ, cello, and beginner's violin at ESO.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Elizabeth Hunt developed an
appreciation for art during her formative years. Her parents, Bill and
Betty Hunt, each sought to cultivate their young daughter's talents.
Elizabeth's mother provided paints and brush, while her father, a
collector of odds and ends, contributed endless supply of interesting
materials to incorporate into her works.

Love for the arts led Elizabeth to Georgia State University, where she
pursued a degree in art. Her coursework at Georgia State provided a
strong foundation in sculpture, which can be seen in her ceramics today.

In her early 20s, Elizabeth was introduced to Peg Morar, an artist
specializing in hand-painted furniture and ceramics. Under Peg's
guidance, Elizabeth experimented with hand-painting furniture. Peg
then introduced Elizabeth to the potters wheel. "I felt my life had
come back full circle from the days of digging in the mud as a little
girl." She had found her craft.

After only one year working as a potter, she was awarded second place
at the Inmann Park Festival in Atlanta. Her work continues to evolve,
and she is developing a new line of ceramics made entirely from
Eastern Shore marsh mud.

Thelma Peterson

Thelma is currently teaching
a Advanced Watercolor
class at ESO.

Painting professionally for over twenty years, Thelma's work can be
found in various galleries nationwide as well as private and corporate
collections. Her work has been selected and reproduced as limited
edition prints by such environmental and conservation groups as The
Nature Conservancy, The Conservation Fund, The Chesapeake Bay
Foundation and Ducks Unlimited.

Thelma's work reflects the landscapes, wildlife, seascapes and people
of the Eastern Shore, and often highlights the history and culture of
this rich area. She has painted and produced an eight print series
featuring the abandoned life-saving and coast guard stations located
on Virginia's Barrier Islands. It is this series for which she is
best known.

Thelma has been teaching painting and drawing classes for many years
through local art organizations and the Eastern Shore Community
College. She is a member of the Eastern Shore Art League, the Wine and
Watercolor Society, the Chesapeake Bay Watercolor Society and the
Virginia Watercolor Society. She operates Seaside Gallery in Bay
Creeks Marina Village, Cape Charles, Virginia.

Currently David is teaching a Creative Writing Workshop at ESO. Along
with reading and critiquing, the Workshop will provide guidance on
self-editing, workshop guidelines, getting an agent, and publishing.
Also, once we see your work, you will receive a personalized reading
list tailored to improve your writing.

Originally, Dutch artist Carole Peirson viewed art as essentially a
commercial occupation. Her degree in Design & Communication in 1996 at
the Ichthus Polytechnic in Rotterdam, started her off as a graphic
artist. However, her greatest pleasure and fulfillment came from
creating impressions of things that fascinated and inspired her
personally, non-commercial artworks that captivate the viewer.

Art had at first been primarily the nuts and bolts of a fast-paced job
at an advertising agency in her native Holland. Then, in the summer of
2000, she moved to the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The initial
culture-shock of moving from the crowded Dutch city to rural America
changed not only her life, but her view of life itself. When she saw
the beauty of nature around her, she knew she could never go back.

You can see examples of Carole's work by visiting her website at
www.artworkbycarole.com

Maclay recently transplanted to the shore from New York City, she
brings to the classroom an impressive performance history in stand-up
comedy and the theatre arts. A self-motivated comedian with excellent
organization and communication skills, she brings over three years of
stand-up comedy experience in the New York City comedy club scene.
In addition, Ms. Maclay created and produced a successful long running
comedy show called The Comedy Social in New York City.

ESO is pleased to offer a six week class for budding young comedians
taught by Michelle Maclay for 8 to 12 year olds. Students will create
their own stand-up set, learn and play improv games. At the end of
the six week session each participant will perform their individual
set and part of an improv group in a class show for friends and parents.

Local Artist Diana M. Davis will teach Watercolor Workshop for
Children taught beginning in January 2008. Our focus will be on
watercolor textures each student will finish 3 or more paintings.
Call for more details.

Davis will also teach a Watercolor Workshop for Adults beginning in
January as well. Our focus will be on traditional watercolor as well
as using different techniques such as pouring and palette knife
techniques to encourage the student to develop their own style.

Jessica Ott who holds a Bachelor of the Arts (Theatre Arts) joined ESO
this fall with a variety of classes. She is teaching Silk Painting,
Beginning Knitting, Embroidery, and Theatrical Makeup.

Guiseppe (José) Dovis, a native of Italy, lives on Virginia's Eastern
Shore where he designs wonderful pottery in addition to teaching Tai
Chi for ESO.

Pooh Johnston intermediate and advanced guitar lessons.

Josh Lafosa teaches beginning drums.

Amy is an alumna of Old Dominion University in the United States
Commonwealth of Virginia. She has been writing and acting for the last
16 years; in Seattle on the West coast, and Virginia, Massachusetts &
New York on the East coast.

At Old Dominion University in Virginia, Amy was introduced to a myriad
of guest artists and actor training. She was most moved by Anne
Bogart's Viewpoint Training and Suzuki Training, both of which inform
her work today.

From Norfolk Virginia, she moved to Seattle where she wrote and
performed four solo shows at On the Boards and other local venues. In
2000 she was chosen from hundreds of applicants to perform in
Seattle?s Northwest New Works Festival, with her show Fantavision
(which later became Box of Noise)

In Seattle she also worked closely with the University of Washington?s
theatre department, developing new works and reviving old plays using
silent narrative, circus training, and the West coast's gentler
approach to Suzuki training. Also there, she met and worked with the
fearless Yuri Belov of the Moscow Circus on a host of original
vignettes as well as Chekov's The Wedding.

Dan Bowen is a studio potter working at Weirwood Station Quilts and
Pottery with Kitty McCarthy. This is former a general store and post office built beside the Rail Road Station. His studio is in a barn built by the railroad in 1910. It was used to store coal and supplies for the trains and the general store. Dan works in porcelain fired to 2200 degrees in a computer-controlled kiln. The computer controls the heat on the way up and slowing the cooling for crystal growth and the clarity in colors. He is comfortable with classical wheel thrown forms to bold hand built that are clay structures and complex assemblies.

Dan's goal is to stretching the limits of porcelain, as we know it. The microcrystaline and opalescent glazes that Dan formulates create a full spectrum of colors contrasted by calcium matte glaze background. By overlapping these two glazes a full range of colors and crystals are created. The details in carvings create surfaces for the glazes to break and flow. This controlled cooling adds to the crystal development.

Dan is retired from companies specializing in industrial and furniture design, museum exhibit construction, and product development in the Washington area.
He returned to art school to remind himself why he started those companies. Being exposed to pottery again was enough to inspire him to buy a wheel, kiln and a 1000 pounds of clay. Fortunately no one told him how difficult working with porcelain could be. Ten years later he is known for his technical understanding of clay, glaze calculation, kilns and firing. He's been called a clay engineer. His functional ware is food safe and durable for the dishwasher and microwave. It's durable enough to be heirloom you pass on.

He is a juried member of The Artisans Guild of the Eastern Shore of Virginia and the Artisans Center of Virginia.

Christopher Albert teaches beginning and intermediate/advanced vocal lessons. Christopher Albert is a member of the Eastern Shore Madrigals as well as the Choir Director at Nandua Middle School. Alberts holds a bachelor of Music degree in Music Education with vocal emphasis from Houghton College.

David Naar, was born in upper Westchester County New York took a deep
interest in photgraphy at age 11. His father a local newspaper editor
was helpful in furthering his career by getting him a job as a
darkroom technician and staff photographer with the newspaper.
Enlisted in the arm in 1948 he received further training in Carlisle
Barracks, PA as a news and public information photographer. In 1972
Naar bought out and spent the next seven years operation that
business. Beginning in the 1980's Naar began teaching adult education
courses throughout the country and continues to this day. His
commercial work has been published in many trade magazines and he has
won numerous prizes in art shows throughout Westchester County, N.Y..