Our Staff
Meet the talented team behind our programs! Our dedicated teaching staff is passionate about fostering creativity and guiding students on their artistic journeys. From seasoned artists to skilled support staff, each member plays a crucial role in creating a vibrant, supportive environment where imagination can thrive.
Randi Bolton
Operations & Events Manager
Randi has dedicated many years volunteering for local schools, programs, and organizations. She also has a background in meeting and event planning as well as office administration. She enjoys combining these skills to assist the studio in as many ways as possible.
Sheri Marcus
Director of Education
Sheri has been creating and crafting since childhood. She has always loved learning new skills and exploring every medium available. She is enthusiastic and passionate about helping others discover their own creativity and find true enjoyment in their creations.
Analisa Jernigan
Director of Marketing & Technology
Analisa combines her love of the arts with her technical expertise to keep the background systems of the Joyful Art Studio working seamlessly. She believes deeply in the mission of the studio to share art with the local community and loves the role she plays in making it accessible to all through technology.
Shalana Richardson
Teaching Artist
Shalana developed a love of art and creating at an early age. Throughout her life she has experimented with a variety of mediums, being drawn to painting, drawing, and sculpting.
She enjoys helping others with their creative process, especially children. She enjoys seeing their excitement and wonder in experiencing different mediums, and their joy and pride in what they have created.
Casey Dubach
Teaching Artist
Casey grew up in Vacaville and has always enjoyed working with kids, especially teenagers. She has worked with teens in various ways throughout her life from teen programs to her favorite role, as a Dorm Parent at Wasatch Academy. She has introduced art journaling as a way to process ideas, events and experiences in a creative manner with the people in her life and now her community. She promotes a safe and fun environment for others to explore different ways of creating and likes to emphasize the process over the result.
SarahVucurevich
Teaching Artist
Sarah is a mother, dog-lover, and art educator in Vacaville who firmly believes that every individual possesses creative power that can manifest in diverse and extraordinary ways, enriching both themselves and their community. She is committed to intertwining her passion for recyclable and natural materials with her desire to inspire students to embrace their individuality and uniqueness. Sarah's mission is to cultivate artistic journeys within Vacaville and beyond, motivating students of all ages to create, explore, share, and inspire.
Chris Belew
Teaching Artist
Chris is thrilled to be joining the Joyful team! She is an artist who loves learning new things. Her background in teaching and animal training has taught her the value of patience, curiosity, and finding fun in the process. She has dabbled in everything from stained glass, mosaic, ceramics, photography, and crocheting, to all kinds of crafts, but painting – especially watercolor – has her heart. She is all about making art stress-free and approachable, because art should be enjoyed by everyone!
Ashton Ross
Teaching Artist
Ashton is a contemporary artist with a passion for sharing her joy of nature and creativity.
She specializes in bold, bright, and cheerful art inspired by everyday life. An Air Force Veteran, she now paints full time and loves helping others explore their own unique artistic voice. Ashton teaches with warmth, humor, and heart and loves to foster a love for the arts of all kinds.
When she is not teaching, she is creating in her home studio with her three studio cats – Ted, Roy, and Jaime.
Nela Carney
Teaching Artist
Nela is a contemporary artist who specializes in oil painting. Her personal works of art showcase diverse human cultures through vibrant colors, intricate patterns, and expressive brushstrokes. She enjoys teaching a multitude of art media to all ages. She believes there is an artist in everyone. During her free time, she enjoys painting in her
art studio located on her horse ranch. When she is not painting, she enjoys working in her garden and feeding snacks to her pet horse, pigs, and dogs.
Zoey Gill
Teaching Artist
Zoey Gill is a contemporary portrait artist who works primarily in acrylics and enjoys exploring other mediums. She holds degrees in Studio Art, Art History, and Art Education. Her experience as a paraeducator with Vacaville Unified School District shaped her commitment to inclusive teaching. At Joyful Art Center, she’s excited to share her love of art while helping students connect, create, and feel welcome.
Jessica Tejeda
Teaching Artist
Jessica is passionate about sewing, creativity, and sharing the joy of making with others. She is a quilter & machine embroiderer who loves learning new techniques and turning ideas into something useful and beautiful. Jessica especially enjoys teaching young students and helping them discover the creativity, confidence, and sense of accomplishment that comes from making something with their own hands. She believes sewing is a skill that can be both practical and fun, and she loves creating a welcoming space where students can learn, explore, and enjoy the process.
Quinn Stevens
Studio Staff & Teaching Assistant
Quinn has spent most of her life creating art in all forms and loves sharing and participating in artistic spaces. Drawing and painting, specifically, have been very important to her, and she believe the value of art is impossible to overstate. Quinn enjoys encouraging people of all ages in their own artistic adventures and looks forward to sharing art with anyone she can.
Natalie Bolton
Studio Staff & Teaching Assistant
Natalie enjoys helping kids realize their potential as artists and finds so much joy working as an assistant for the studio. She believes that creating is one of the best and most cathartic ways to relieve stress, no matter your age, ability, or talent.
Noel Downey
Studio Assistant
Noel is a Studio Assistant at Joyful Art Studio and has been working with us since January of 2023. She is a life-long learner who thirsts for knowledge. She loves reading and learning foreign languages in her spare time. She enjoys her studio tasks, helping people, and greeting all who walk through the door! She is friendly, eager to learn, and complimentary of all of our staff. Noel is looking forward to many more prosperous years at the studio!