Our Jacksonville, FL - Fruit Cove Painting with a Twist Artists

Laura Van Cleave

I’ve been loving art as far as I can remember and knew I wanted to be an artist someday. I doubled majored in Art and Journalism at Rutgers University. A quick stint at a fine art and commercial graphics company in Philadelphia lead me to my 19 year career at a Fortune 500 company as manager of Creative Services. After years living in and around Philadelphia, PA, my husband was offered a great job opportunity in Jacksonville FL. In FL I began my most important career as a stay at home mom raising my two amazing kids. I kept artsy-busy with free-lance graphics and eventually stumbled into a job at my daughter’s elementary school that needed an art teach to take over an extended maternity leave. I loved teaching art to kids and went back to school to earn my Florida teaching Certificate in art. I worked 5 years job-sharing as an art teacher in our local elementary school. In 2010 I began teaching fine art with adults and senior citizens and still do working in watercolor, pencil, mixed-media and acrylics. Then Painting with a Twist Opened in 2014 and it sounded like the perfect place to enjoy teaching, painting and people! It has become what I call “my most fun job EVER!” My husband and I bought the studio in September of 2016. I hope to continue to make this studio be THE place in Jacksonville for the best FUN ART experience.

Mateo Richards

Matt’s art career began at the age of 14 when he designed his first logo for local boat charter company in his home town of Wakefield, Rhode Island. At age 17, he won the award for best student cartoon in the state by the Providence Journal, and soon after was awarded the Presidential Scholarship to study Illustration and 3D animation at the Savannah College of Art & Design. He has since worked in graphic design, motion graphics, sign design and production, screen printing, graphic recording, mural painting and web/ interactive design. Matt is currently spending his days working as an artist in residence for a non profit organization providing a fine art experience for the patients at a local children's hospital, and enjoys his evenings teaching with the folks at Painting with a Twist

Julie Wall

Artist Julie Wall is originally from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and Point Park College with degrees in Visual Art and Design and Visual Communications. She has also been a home decorator and stylist and loves to be creative in any form. She has been working as a professional artist doing murals and commissioned art work for the last 25 years. The last few years Julie has been enjoying chalk painting furniture, adding unique hand painted touches. Besides art she has a passion for her family and animals and serving the homeless. She also substitute teaches in St. John’s county and loves having the opportunity to positively influence children of all ages. Last but not least, she loves…..Painting with a Twist!!!!

Julie Malone

Hi my name is Julie and I’m am so excited to be working at PWAT! I moved from Ohio to Florida when I was eight years old. Growing up my favorite classes were Art and Music. I have a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising and a Minor in Visual Communications from Florida State University. Go Noles! I have experienced many forms of art: Painting, drawing, batik, weaving and photography. I have lived in Jacksonville since 1985 and raised both my children in St. Johns County. I loved being a band and soccer mom too. I have been a Sales Manager for Major Corporations and family owned businesses. I was also a Jazzercise Franchise Owner/ Instructor and a Receptionist for a Music Studio. I am actively involved with the West Point Parents Club of NE Florida and served as Vice President for Five years. I spend my free time painting, reading at the beach, playing tennis, and hiking in the North Carolina Mountains. Fun facts you don’t know about me? Come paint with me and find out!

Kelsey Zweibohmer

Hi, I'm Kelsey. I grew up in Iowa where nature trails and rolling hills inspired me. Weeping willow trees and picturesque lakes were part of a magical childhood in which I started sketching my surroundings. The scenery may have changed with my move to Florida in 2012, but nature continues to be an ongoing inspiration to me, as is travel. I've been blessed to have traveled to Europe on two occasions, and vacationed all over the United States. I've found that there's beauty at every turn, so I frequently carry sketchpads with me, to capture it at any given moment. Many of my sketches are then translated into paintings. Obviously, my favorite art mediums are painting, sketching and photography. Most recently, I worked for a large photography company and am honored to have edited photos for our nation's servicemen and women. I also recently produced a video encouraging blood donation in our area, which is a cause close to my heart. We all have passions and hobbies that make our hearts sing. The problem is, that many people never try new things, therefore have no idea what they're capable of. I believe that we ALL have artistic abilities within us, it's just a matter of freeing yourself to the possibilities. Painting With a Twist is the perfect way to explore those possibilities, and I'm thrilled to be part of the team making that happen!

Meghann Sikes

Meghann wears the paint as often as she paints with it. She believes in having fun and getting messy, especially when it comes to art. Meghann has been creating ever since she could hold a crayon. Growing up, nearly every page of her notebooks in school had a doodle on them or even a little story spreading over multiple pages, often getting her in trouble with teachers. Although she initially went to school to study Theatrical Design, she soon realized she preferred the visual arts and returned to her first love. Meghann graduated in 2009 with a BFA in studio arts. She now resides in her hometown of Jacksonville, FL and is passionate about her family, her Church, and becoming an accomplished muralist.

Naseeha Aleem

Hi! I moved from New York to Florida at age 8. I have been creating art since my childhood as a favorite hobby and outlet. Throughout my journey, I have visited museums and been inspired by art galleries. Being an artist has enabled me to express my intuitions, thoughts, and desires. Teaching art classes is exhilarating for me, on and off the stage; I very much enjoy all aspects of art, especially helping others find and build their passion for it. I started working at Painting with a Twist as an assistant artist in September of 2017. I now teach on stage for both children’s and adult classes. Other hobbies of mine include competitive weightlifting and lacrosse. I hope to further my passions for both art and law in Manhattan, where I plan to attend Columbia School of Law!

Nicholas Bradley

Hi, I’m Nicholas. Art has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. In the 5th grade, though, I found an instructional book about sketching portraits in art class one day, and from there, my journey really began. I’ve been sketching faces for years and have recently ventured out into other mediums, one being acrylic painting. I’m currently a junior at Bishop Kenny High School, and I hope to attend SCAD University to pursue my passion in life.

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Stephanie Maxey

Blessed with an artistic talent, I've always enjoyed drawing and painting since before Kindergarten. My Grandmother was an accomplished seamstress and I'd like to think my talent came from her. I grew up in Mayberry USA just south of Atlanta. At the University of Georgia I planned to study/teach art but was enticed with their Interior Design Department. After graduating, I was fortunate to turn a hobby into a profession. I began my career at an Architectural Firm in Memphis, TN working on Hospital Design, then to a Fortune 500 Company in their Facilities Department. I worked with an Interior Design firm, after relocating to Jacksonville, in all realms of Commercial Interior Design including Corporate Offices, Lawyers Offices, Schools, etc. After working with a Contractor on High End Residential projects I began my own Consulting Business 25 years ago Designing Jewelry Stores nationally. I have designed over 100 stores and had many repeat clients over the years including Underwoods Jewelers in Jacksonville and Brombergs Jewelers in Birmingham. Two of my stores in Oklahoma and Virginia were voted #2 & #3 in the national, yearly "Big Cool Stores" category for InStore Magazine. Working for myself and out of my home in St. John's Co. allowed me to be there for my now 24 yr old daughter after school which was so SPECIAL. There were/are many late nights assembling detailed construction and millwork drawings, lighting and electrical plans, lighting specifications, finish selection, specification and procurement. Many of my clients are out of state and I needed PEOPLE, FUN and LAUGHTER as a distraction from my technical isolation! "PWAT", Painting With a Twist was a perfect fit and I have enjoyed working with the talented artists and meeting the very talented patrons!

Summer Teague

Hi! I've been creating since I could put a pen on paper. I've painted with acrylics a few years now and I am still so new to my journey in the Arts, but I love teaching and exploring everyone's unique abilities to learn! These days I spend my time traveling, Live painting and trying to advocate for our planet and the beings we share it with!

Taylor Cervenka

Hey there! I’m Taylor, and I love art, writing, reading, and if I told you everything I’m interested in, you’d give up reading my bio. I moved to Jacksonville from Deltona, but this isn’t my first move. I was born in Washington State and my first move with my family was to live in Puerto Rico. From there we moved to two locations in New York State. By the time I was 10, we moved to Florida. I began my art training in high school art classes and from gathering a great deal of information from online video tutorials. All through my journey I’ve loved all forms of art and continue learning about various crafts, too! When living in Deltona, I obtained an Associates Art degree from Daytona State College. I also began working at the Painting with a Twist in Orange City, FL. There I began as an assistant floor artist and eventually as an instructor. Now I’m here at PWAT Fruit Cove soaking up all the wonderful art wisdom of the other artists working here. My favorite forms of art are animation, illustration, and comics. In my free time, I write and illustrate my own stories to hopefully publish someday. In the meantime, I am a student at UNF studying American Sign Language Interpreting and having fun painting with all of our PWAT customers!

Zenna Baisevas

With a passion for creativity, Zenna has been drawn to the world of art since she was first able to pick up a crayon. Sketching her way through school, she obtained degrees in business and psychology but something was still missing...After several years she ended up leaving the office world behind so she could turn her love for creativity into a career. She worked for 3 years with Mad Science of Jacksonville where she provided a fun interactive learning experience for kids and their parents honing her live, on stage skills and creating slime, rockets and dry ice. Her love of art helped create her online store and landed her a job as an instructor at Painting with a Twist helping others find their inner Bob Ross!