Gary Allen Barker, B.A.

University of Indianapolis. Mr. Barker has taught at the University of Indianapolis, and was visiting artist to such universities as California Institute of the Arts, Ithaca College in New York, Indiana State University, and Ball State University.  Since 1983, he has been the Senior Cartoonist for the "Garfield" comic strip.  He has also worked as Creative Director for IE Worldwide and as Designer/Illustrator for RM Enterprises, Hong Kong. He has been a Comic Book Artist for such publishers as Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse, and has been a Designer/Layout Artist for Film Roman Studios, Paramount Studios and Warner Brothers International. www.garybarker.com 

Don Brandes, B.F.A., M.F.A.

University of Missouri; Syracuse University. Former illustrator for Hallmark Cards. Taught at Kansas City Art Institute. M.F.A. Thesis Adviser for Academy of Art College, San Francisco. Numerous clients including Northwest Airlines. www.donbrandes.com

Nick Burch, B.F.A. 

Ringling College of Art and Design. Professional experience: Owner, Digital Three Studios and Digital Three Gallery, Sarasota, FL; Co-Founder/President, 48 Hour Guerilla Film Competition, LLC, Sarasota, FL; Consultant/Developer, 10Vox Entertainment, Sarasota, FL. Nick is a 2002 graduate of Ringling’s Computer Animation Program. www.digitalthree.com

Matteo Caloiaro, B.F.A.

Ringling College of Art and Design. Matteo is a successful painter and illustrator. His work is part of numerous private collections, and he is represented by M Gallery of Fine Arts in Sarasota, FL, and Kiley Court Gallery in Provincetown, MA. www.caloiaro.com 

Thomas Casmer, B.A., B.F.A.

Hamline University, Saint Paul, MN; College of Visual Arts, Saint Paul, MN [Illustration and Design]. Former Chair and Associate Professor of Illustration and Fine Arts at College of Visual Arts. Previously taught illustration, drawing, and communication design courses at Brown College. Professional experience includes more than 25 years as an Illustrator, Designer, Art Director and Fine Artist.

Robin Cody, B.F.A., M.F.A.

University of Massachusetts; Queens College, City University of New York. Represented in galleries in Florida and Maine, and in numerous regional and national exhibitions, and private collections. www.robincody.com 

Cheryl D. Cooper, B.F.A.

Ringling College of Art and Design. Exhibitions: Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, American Illustration. Clients include American Express, National Geographic, Delta, Visa, TIME, CBS, NBC, BellSouth, IBM, General Tire, Viking Henry Holt, numerous books and periodicals.

Fiore Custode, B.F.A.

Ringling College of Art and Design. Studied at Pratt Institute. Major exhibitions: Florida Artists Invitational, Valencia Community College. Collections: Ohio University, Valencia Community College. Member: Board of Directors of Sarasota Art Association.

Regan Todd Dunnick, B.F.A.

Ringling College of Art and Design. Nationally and internationally exhibited illustrator. Graphis, Adweek's All Creative team, American Illustrators traveling exhibitions. A number of his works are in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress. Clients include: Atlantic Monthly, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Business Week, Newsweek, Better Homes and Gardens, Sports Illustrated and numerous other publications as well as companies such as General Electric, Dai Nippon-Japan, Pepsi, and Levi-Strauss. regandunnick.com 

Patrick Fiore, B.F.A., M.F.A.

Syracuse University; School of Visual Arts. Studied at the University of South Florida. Numerous national clients. Major exhibitions: Visual Arts Museum, Syracuse University, Society of Publication Designers. Published in Communication Arts Illustration Annual, Step-by-Step, and Print Magazine. Member of the Society of Illustrators.

Larry Forgard

To view this bio, scroll down through the CORE Studio Faculty page. 

Mike Hodges, B.F.A., M.F.A.

Auburn University; Syracuse University. Clients: New Yorker, Chicago Tribune, Esquire, Wall Street Journal Reports, Sports Illustrated, i, MasterCard, ABC Television, UPS, IBM, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Federal Express, Delta Airlines and Absolut. Numerous national awards and exhibitions. Member: Society of Illustrators; Dallas Society of Illustrators; Illustrators' Club of Washington/ Maryland/Virginia.

Carl E. Johnson, B.F.A., M.F.A.

Colorado State University; University of Wisconsin-Madison. Taught at Ithaca College, Columbus College of Art and Design, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Exhibitions: Butler Institute of Art, "R.S.V.P." at Society of Illustrators. Collections: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Huntington National Bank, Marshall Erdman and Associates. Fellowships: Millay Colony of the Arts, Saltonstall Foundation.

Brooke Olivares, B.F.A.

Ringling College of Art and Design. Olivares is a gallery painter represented by Kiley Court Gallery, Provincetown, MA, and Ghostprint Gallery, Richmond, VA. Works published and clients include CMYK, FORMAT Magazine, RISEN Magazine, North American Literary Review, Ringling PERSPECTIVE, The San Diego Reader, The Cimarron Review, and Recording Magazine.  www.brookeolivares.com

Patrick Parnell, B.F.A.

Ringling College of Art and Design. Professional experience: Freelance artist, Wizards of the Coast, IDW Publishing. A graduate of The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, Patrick has a client list that also includes Aardwolf Publishing, The New York Times/Sarasota Herald-Tribune, No Clubs Productions, and Rittenhouse Archives. www.patrickthomasparnell.com 

Octavio Perez, B.F.A.

Ringling College of Art and Design. Worked at Hallmark Cards, Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri for three years as a greeting card designer and illustrator. Currently works on concept design and execution of editorial illustrations and news graphics for the St. Petersburg Times. Numerous national clients including Hallmark Cards Inc., GEAR Inc., Cabela's, and Humanities Magazine.

George Pratt, B.F.A. 

Pratt Institute. Mr. Pratt has previously taught at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a full-time instructor with the Illustration Academy’s 8-week summer program here at Ringling College. Mr. Pratt founded Pratt Institute’s Sequential Art Program and taught Methods and Media, as well as Sequential Storytelling, at Pratt for seven years. He also taught at the Joe Kubert School in Dover, New Jersey; did per diem teaching for the Master Illustration program with Marshal Arisman for the School of Visual Arts; and was a Visiting Professor at Savannah College of Art and Design. George is a successful painter; his work is in private collections in the United States, Canada, Europe, India, and Japan, and has been exhibited in the Houston Museum of Fine Art and many galleries throughout the world. George was honored to be included in Walt Reed’s book The Illustrator in America 1860-2000. He was also awarded a Gold Medal in the Spectrum Awards of 2002 and has had his work exhibited many times at the Society of Illustrators in New York. He continues to illustrate and design books and book jackets for various publishers, including: Random House, Henry Holt, Inc., Warner Books, Clarion Books, and Columbia Studios.

Caleb Prochnow, B.F.A.

Ringling College of Art and Design. Caleb is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Best of Ringling Juried Student Show, Society of Illustrators, CMYK, Spectrum, Darkhorse Scholarship, and Massive Black Thunderdome. His client list includes Disney, Universal Studios, Nascar, Ron Jon Surf Shop, EA Games, and Mercedes Medical. www.cmp-art.com

Hodges Soileau, B.A.

University of Southwestern Louisiana. Mr. Soileau has had a successful illustration career which lasted twenty-five years. He has worked for most of the major publishing houses in New York. Soileau was a 23-year member of the prestigious Society of Illustrators in New York. During this time he received many citations of merit for work exhibited in annual shows. He has several one man shows, and has participated in numerous group shows. His work hangs in private collections as well as the United Stated Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard permanent collections. The permanent collection of Golf Digest Magazine includes several of his paintings. Hodges is presently represented by galleries in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Texas, North Carolina, and Ohio. www.hodgessoileau.com

Steven Taft, B.F.A., M.F.A. 

University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT [magna cum laude, Painting and Drawing]; Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA [cum laude, Painting]. Before moving to Sarasota, Steven served as Professor at several colleges, including the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, and Brown College in Minnesota, where he taught drawing, figure, painting, graphic design, Computer Video, Web Design, Photoshop, Illustrator, and the History of Art and Design. Steven now teaches Intro to Graphic Design for the Illustration Department, and various drawing, design, computer and photography classes for Ringling College’s CORE Studio Program. Steven has maintained an active exhibition schedule with numerous solo exhibitions, including his most recent alternative photography experiments.

Joseph Thiel, B.S., M.F.A.

Buffalo State College; State University of New York at Buffalo. Work published in Print, New York Times Book Review, Detroit News, Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, and Blue Sky. Clients include United Features Syndicate, Johns Hopkins, etc. Educational member of the Society of Illustrators and the College Art Association. Author of Below the Beltway and Dirty Pictures from Longwind Publishing.  www.jrthiel.com