Judy Luthy (The Enchanted Brush)

Judy Luthy hails from Fresno, California. She has been painting for about eighteen years, getting her start when she was given a Kryolan paint set on barter at a Clown convention in 1990. Six years ago she stepped out on her own doing birthday parties as "The Enchanted Brush Face Painting." She has always been concerned about using FDA compliant paints, and helping the up and coming painters, including mentoring a number of them. She loves doing free-hand painting and really enjoys tribal designs.

Starting out as a cheek artist, it took her several years to switch over to full face designs, but just try to get her to go back! Judy got her break doing large events, and to this day loves them. One of her favorite annual corporate events is painting for the Sierra Vista Mall in Clovis, CA in anticipation of the arrival of Santa.

Judy's favorite season is summer, when all those wonderful "living canvases" make their appearance! If there is skin visible, she has to paint it.

Max Luthy (Orange Floss)

Max is our resident Webmaster, but don’t blame her for the glitches! She has consented to teach how to work with your Webmaster to help those of us who can’t/won’t develop and manage our own websites to work with our own webmaster. We don’t want to drive those computer-types nutty, do we? (Disclaimer: though she didn't write this bio, she approves this message.)

Lisa Smiley (Smiley Orca)

Lisa is one of those people that everyone loves to be around. She is a dear friend and mentor to many, and shares her knowledge and love of face painting freely. Her business is a full-time occupation for not only herself, but for the Smiley Orca Team.

Besides teaching, she is probably best known as the Face Painter both at Cannery Row and the Wharf in Monterey. However, her business also includes Birthday Parties, Corporate Events and Fairs.

Honored with awards since 2004 as well as entries in the Best of the Best since 2008, Lisa holds many international awards for her designs and is one of the "Best of the Best" face painting artists from around the world. She creates new designs, and competes internationally to raise her artistic abilities. She has produced several step by step projects and books on face painting.

The Art of Face and Body Painting is what she loves to excel at as she encourages others to compete and attend the many events produced to elevate this Artform.

She has had her designs published in books and magazines from local Central Coast Parent to international Illusions Magazine, Snazaroo books and numerous other publications across the United States.

We are lucky to have her back teaching once again at Living Canvas.

Valerie Polega

Val has a 24-year Love Affair with Cheek Art that she joyfully shares with us. This is her 3rd year teaching at Living Canvas, and she has been a hit each time. This year she will offer a class for the beginners, her other 2 classes will build on that class, but the experienced face painter will want to sneak into her Scenic Art class!

Andrea Chillemi

This will be Andrea’s third year teaching for us. Two years ago she introduced us to Tribal Art Gone Southwestern! By all accounts it was a rollicking good time. She’ll return with new material, and build on her classes from previous years.

Ellen Dawson

After doing makeup for Lancôme cosmetics, Elizabeth Arden and other cosmetic companies for 3 years, she moved into doing movies, commercials and music videos with over 50 production companies and theatrical productions for the Miami City Ballet, Florida Grand Opera and the Gold Coast Opera for the next 13 years. She has been teaching Theatrical and Character makeup at a performing arts school in Plantation, Florida, designing makeup and teaching students how to do makeup for over 30 theatrical productions for the past 8 years. Ellen has placed as a finalist in the FABIC competitions for the last 5 years, and she has won numerous awards. She has never had any formal training. She is self-taught and she says she is still learning everything she can.

Neeta Sharma (Mehndi Designer)

Neeta is a social worker by profession, but she has always had a very special relationship with doing henna/mehendi. She is a self-taught henna artist practicing this art for the last 15 years. She has always been committed to providing artistic, professional services and making her clients’ experience with henna/mehendi a unique, enjoyable and an unforgettable one.

Neeta is becoming a well-known and respected henna/mehendi instructor. She returns to the 2010 Living Canvas Convention in an expanded capacity—teaching a full complement of 3 classes.

Neeta will be with us for only 1 day, so be sure to catch her if you can! She is a master at henna, and we are delighted to have her back to share her talents with us. Neeta holds her own Henna Conference in the late winter, so be sure to ask her about it so you can join in the fun with her! Her style of teaching mixes demonstration with that ever so valuable hands-on that we each need.

Kristen Scott (Magickal Entertainment and Face Painting)

Kristen will be joining us as a vendor this year, her classes promise to be fun and informative. So, bring your BIC (and, no, we're not talking about the pen kind). Kristen is a working face painter, who also teaches. She has taught previously at FABAIC, and we are happy she will be joining us this year. Unfortunately for us, Living Canvas Convention hits smack dab in the middle of one of Kristen’s annual Ren Faires—so she will be here for only one day. Catch her if you can!

Monica Noriega

Monica Noriega started here creative career in graphic design working for various sign shops in AZ and in CA doing logo design, vehicle wraps, and signs. Kids murals, and holiday window painting are other creative outlets she has been involved with throughout the years. With her love for kids and art, it only seemed natural to combine the two into face painting for a weekend/partime means of earning extra money. In less than 2 1/2 years she has taken home three 1st place awards for face painting in international competitions such as FABAIC 2009, FPBA 2010 and most recently FABAIC 2011. She is now a full time face painter and body artist in San Diego, CA and loving it!

Amy Enright Medina(Enchanted Brushstrokes)

I am an award winning face and body painter with 10 years experience in face and body painting, children's entertainment as well as nearly 25 years experience as an artist. I have had the honor of being featured artist in the International Face and Body Painting Magazine and had the privileged of being an instructor for the International Face and Body painting convention. I was also invited on the show "The Doctors" as a guest artist to do a pregnant belly painting. I specialize in face painting, and body painting from simple to outrageous and pregnant belly painting for and party or event. I worked 9 years as "Oopsie Daisy" the clown. I have retired the clown character and now prefer to let my artwork be the focus and entertainment! I serve most Southern California areas.

Valerie Daft

Valerie Daft, perhaps better known as Valerie Lampkin, has moved to sunny California! A Fine Arts painter who started out as a face painter and will remain one for the pleasure it brings. Whilst in Scotland she was heavily involved with the Snaz list and the movement that really cranked face painting up to an art form. The joy in creating something wild and transient remains. Valerie is looking forward to meeting you all, inspiring and being inspired.

Dutch Bihary(Colorific Kids)

Dutch Bihary is a comic-book illustrator turned face painter overnight. His wife volunteered him to fill in at a local u-pick pumpkin patch in October of 2004 and that’s all it took. He was hooked. Dutch enjoys applying his illustrative style to the face and body painting medium. Dutch teaches classes in face and body painting, as well as special effects make up, for the greater Puget Sound area out of his office in Lynnwood, Washington. Dutch's unique personal style led him to coin a learning technique he refers to as "blobology". With his wife, Dutch currently owns and operates Contours Face and Body Art, Colorific Kids, and has published Contours magazine for the face and body artist, showcasing all things pertaining to temporary body art.

Gary Cole (Snazaroo)

Gary Cole has taught more how to face paint than any other as he travels around North America teaching face painting. He owns and operates SNAZAROO (a face paint product company) and Party Faces Inc. (a Dallas based face painting service) for over 14 years. He has taught classes at locations all over including the Phoenix Zoo, Disneyland, Sea World, Lego Land, the Shedd Aquarium, the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii and much more. He also holds the Guinness Book of World Records for painting the most full faces in an hour (217). His focus is on fast full faces that are real world for painting at a birthday party or festival. His casual approach to teaching makes it a learning experience for any level and you are challenged to find a face painting question he can not answer.

Jodi Carr

Jodi Carr has been entertaining with her art at trade shows, corporate parties and company picnics for over 20 years.
A native of California, she studied at San Francisco Art Institute and San Jose State University where she earned a degree in Graphic design with an Illustration Concentration.
Jodi also studied forensic art at Scottsdale Artists School in Scottsdale, Arizona and fashion illustration at Academy of Art College in San Francisco, California.
Jodi loves doing silk painting and portraits in her spare time. She does volunteer work when possible and has volunteered frequently for The Palo Alto Veteran's Administration and Muscular Dystrophy Association, among others. She is also an avid dog lover.

Elena(Diamond FX)

Diamond FX will be back again vending and sharing with you their awesome products

Rebecca T(Arty Brush Strokes)

Often referred to as “The Queen of Split Cakes”, Rebecca has developed a technique for face and body painting—where, with each paint stroke the artist makes, the design is blended, highlighted, and shadowed! Rebecca is known for her multi-loaded brush strokes, making what appear to be complex designs, simple to execute. Rebecca created Arty Brush Cakes in 2008, creating a world wide craze that has changed the face and body painting world forever.

Rebecca’s technique is perfect for speeding up your line. Most of her face designs take 2-5 minutes to complete. You will enjoy her whimsical style, enthusiasm, passion for the arts and love of teaching. Rebecca truly strives to see each student succeed.