I was born and raised in Midland, Texas. I came to Austin to attend UT, after short detours through San Antonio and London, England. I started out as an art major, but graduated with a degree in Fashion Design from UT. Since then, I have worked as costume designer, a bridal gown designer, a visual merchandiser, and an artist while continuing to take art classes in drawing, painting, and pottery. In my spare time I enjoying painting, collage, encaustics and now, 3D modeling and rendering. I am a hard-core ‘casual’ gamer, with a love of vintage clothing and a passion for science fiction.

Erin has worked for Painting with a Twist since 2009 when the North Austin studio opened. She now manages the North Austin and Round Rock studios. Erin has her BFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of North Texas. In her personal work she paints large scale oil paintings and works as a part time scenic artist for Zach Theatre. She also enjoys cooking, gardening and being a mother.

Ryan Runcie, a 22 year old student, studying Communication Design at the University of Texas State, San Marcos, Texas. I always bring a creative aspect to everything I touch. I strive for an open honesty in my work that instantly resonates my deepest thoughts onto others. It is my passion for understanding that constantly pushes me into exploring new concepts and expanding my limits.

Gil Pena is an artist/writer/filmmaker who has worked professionally for various comic book and computer game companies, including Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, EA, Virgin, and Origin Systems. Gil is currently working as a freelance video editor and motion graphics designer.

James Talon is the Art Director and Producer for the social MMO Furcadia. He has a degree in Linguistics and has earned many awards for his drawings and paintings over the years, though his favorite achievement of those was winning the gold seal in Texas State VASE in 9th grade by submitting a huge photo print of a tiny Chihuahua attacking the camera. James learned to love different cultures after living in Bydgoszcz, Poland for a year, but he doesn't recommend eating the duck blood soup. He's also participated in a cowboy mounted shooting (horseback riding with pistols) competition among other things and taught kids how to face off cows on horseback. For gardening as much as he loves it, he has the opposite of a green thumb, but he can't decide if that means he has a black thumb or not because in art theory the opposite would be a red thumb. His handle on instagram is james.talon.art if you want to see some of his artwork!