Biographies - Visual Artists

Grant Alcon

Photography has always been a part of Grant Alcon’s life, and birds have been an influence in his photography because his career goal is to become an airline pilot. He has lived in multiple countries and states, and has experienced many different cultures.

Rhonda Bates

Rhonda Bates has a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art. She graduated in 1981 and maintained a studio in downtown Washington DC for two years. She decided she needed to be closer to nature so she moved to the countryside near Ocean City Maryland. She continued to paint landscapes for 10 years and in the meantime learned how to make pottery. She moved to the OuterBanks and started her business Red Drum Pottery on Ocracoke. After a couple of bad hurricanes she moved to Hatteras Island where she and her husband own and operate Red Drum Pottery together. Red Drum has been in business for 29 years. She decided to take a jewelry course at COA and is now completing her fourth semester. She continues to make pottery and paint paintings and is now adding jewelry making to her creative interests.

Danielle Beaty

Danielle Beaty is the owner of TurtleBay Jewelry and a recent winner for the Made in NC Awards presented by Our State magazine. With a focus on sustainability and environmental awareness, her collections touch on various coastal regions throughout the globe, incorporating the cultural influences of those areas.

Jessica Canning

Jessica Canning is currently a Sophomore at College of The Albemarle. She has always loved art and being creative. Art is more of a release for her than a task. Art helps her express her true self.

Kitty Dough

Kitty Dough graduated from the Art Institute of Atlanta, earned a certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration from the North Carolina Botanical Gardens and is a student in the Professional Jewelry Crafts Program, College of The Albemarle. She is a member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators and the Colored Pencil Society of America.

Andrea (Andie) Finn

Andie Finn is based in South Mills, NC, where she specializes in painting, drawing and digital art. She is a dedicated learner and aspires to become an illustrator. Raised by storytellers, Andie is inspired by folklore and urban legends - always looking to add an element of whimsy darkness to her work.

Julia Gabitova

Julia Gabitova is a Russian student. From the age of seven to seventeen, she attended Art and Design School and aspired to be a designer. Julia took advantage of the opportunity to study Visual Arts at COA.

Elizabeth Kays

Having obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting and Printmaking from VCU, Elizabeth Kays pursued work in architectural renderings, and later, painted finishes and murals. On the Outer Banks, she is known for watercolor paintings and has pursued other creative expressions in metal at COA.

Francesca Beatrice Marie

Francesca Beatrice Marie is a photographer and filmmaker. She graduated from COA in 2018. She continued her education at Mount Holyoke College, where she graduated in 2022 with a degree in Film, Media, Theater. She is currently working as a freelance photographer, videographer and video editor on the Outer Banks.

Darla Masiello

Darla Masiello is a dual-enrolled student in COA’s Visual Arts Program. She is a visual artist that enjoys markmaking in its many forms, such as graphite, colored pencils, gouache, oil pastels, and acrylic. She plans to continue to create and expand her artistic abilities.

Sharon McKennon

Sharon McKennon is a dual enrolled student at the College of The Albemarle. She is working to obtain her Associates in Fine Arts in Visual Art.

Carolyn Mize

Carolyn Mize is a student in the Professional Jewelry program. After a long career in the corporate world, Carolyn is pursuing a second career in the creative world. Her creativity has always been an asset in finding solutions to complex business problems. Now, she hopes to utilize that talent to create beautiful wearables. She has a particular interest in creating shawl pins to compliment lovely knitted garments and using sea glass in its natural form.

Susan Molloy

Susan Molloy is taking classes in the Professional Crafts Jewelry program at the College of The Albemarle. A long time resident of Virginia, Susan and her husband moved to Kill Devil Hills in 2019. Always interested in design and jewelry, she started taking classes in 2021.

Brianna Orosco

Brianna Orosco is from Moyock, North Carolina and has been a student at COA since 2021. She has been drawing since childhood and hasn’t stopped ever since she drew her first character. She seeks to invoke conversation and emotion with her art and to someday work as a character concept artist.

Winter Simmons

Winter Simmons is a dual enrolled student pursuing an Associates degree in Fine Arts in the Visual Arts.

Hannah Simpson

Hannah Simpson is an English major with an interest in art and Creative Fiction. She is a writer, artist, hobbyist, and theme park enthusiast. She is the eldest of four children and works part-time as a ride operator.

Micah Stewart

Micah Stewart is a student at College of The Albemarle working towards his Associates degree. He enjoys painting as well as many other mediums.

Abigail Turner

Abigail Turner is a self-taught artist from Chesapeake, Virginia. She attends J. P. Knapp Early College High School and is taking courses at the College of The Albemarle in Currituck, North Carolina. She will graduate in 2024 with her high school diploma and an Associate’s Degree in Fine Arts.

Dawn Van Ness

Dawn Van Ness, a self taught artist, resides on Roanoke Island. She grew up in her mom’s suburban house on a marshy waterway and camping on her father’s country homestead. She feels most at home along the coastal waterways, believes nature is restorative and nurturing, and that developmental pollution is adversarial.

Gretchen Wooten

Gretchen Wooten is a dual enrolled senior in COA’s Visual Arts program. She has enjoyed her time spent testing the waters in various mediums, and hopes to continue doing so throughout her life.

Ellen Wells

Ellen Wells is a 2021 graduate of the Professional Arts Program at the College of The Albemarle. She has been serving as the Lab Assistant for the 2022-2023 curriculum and continuing education classes under instructor Danielle Beatty. Ellen enjoys all aspects of metalwork and is especially fond of enameling and forming.