Get to Know the Dedicated Instructors and Staff at Kitsap Art Center
Cassy Farrell
Owner
My passion for art has led me on amazing adventures all over the world, teaching students of all ages not only painting and drawing skills, but how to find enjoyment in all media.
I earned my BFA in Illustration from Montserrat College of Art in Boston, MA. While I enjoy all media and am constantly exploring new techniques, I would call myself an Impressionist, with my passion being the human form. I love studying human anatomy and figuring drawing, finding inspiration in the works of Odilon Redon, whose use of color and imagination I find inspirational.
Being a military family, I was fortunate enough to spend several years in Naples, Italy where I developed and curated an art program for elementary and middle school students from several countries. It was here I found my passion for teaching and upon our retirement in Kitsap County I connected with Kitsap Art and the rest is history!
Mary Kunish
Owner
Mary is a lifelong Kitsap County resident who has become a valued member of the Kitsap Art Center office team.
She holds a B.S in Environmental Engineering from Montana Tech of the University of Montana and spent several years working as a Naval Architect at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
She has always had a strong passion for art, taking classes in all types of media while actively pursing her love of volunteer work.
Mary spent seven years on the Board of Trustees at Silverwood School and is an enthusiastic supporter of her teenage daughter’s percussion and athletic talents. She loves supporting institutions that provide unique learning opportunities to the community.
Donna Letterese
Instructor
Donna Letterese is a cartoonist, botanical illustrator, and educator. Originally from New York, Donna also earned her B.A. there, graduating from Sarah Lawrence College. During a six-month program studying abroad at Goldsmith's College, University of London, a professor opened her up to the world of alternative comics and illustration. She has been reading, looking at, and creating them herself, ever since.
She moved to the West Coast after finishing undergrad. Donna has taught cartooning at art centers, afterschool programs, and libraries in Los Angeles beginning in 2010, while also working on freelance art, articles, and commissioned art pieces. She has had comics published in a few anthologies, and shown work in group and juried exhibitions, as well as zine fairs and comic cons, throughout California, in Portland, OR, New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, and upcoming in Bainbridge Island, WA. Her bi-lingual handmade “card-toons” have been carried in Long Beach's Museum of Latin American Art, and she belongs to SCBWI, the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators, the Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California, and the Pacific Northwest Botanical Artists Guild.
She completed her MFA in Illustration at California State University at Fullerton in January 2022, after having done the first half of her degree in person, and the other half remotely from Washington as of March 2020. 2020 was also when she transitioned to teaching workshops on Zoom. Exploring the forests and beaches of Kitsap County and Washington State affected her art a great deal, giving her comfort when more isolation was being practiced. She is now really excited to be getting to meet people and become involved in the wonderful artistic community here.
Donna is really happy about getting to continue teaching virtually, as well as again in person. During her free time, she loves sketching, exploring, and going to places like museums, gardens, coffee shops, zoos, and aquariums. She loves animals (koalas especially), and is also a huge fan of telling “punny” jokes.
Lynda Murray
Instructor
Miss Lynda was born and raised in Silverdale and has been drawing since the age of 6. Her passion for video games launched her into a career as a 3D artist at
Indie Gaming Studios for 10 years before taking a break to start a family. As a new teacher to Kitsap Art, she’s passionate to bring the experience of art classes to the younger generation that she found so formative as a child.
Sam Shaw
Instructor
Sam has been involved in art her whole life and continues to view it as an expressive outlet. Sam enjoys learning new ways to create art through various media, but her favorite to work with thus far is acrylic paint. Although it is often challenging, she takes pleasure in the growth that comes with capturing a still-life in an artwork. When trying new methods, her go-to subject is cats! Sam attended Kitsap Art herself from a very young age, and now takes pride in seeing creativity and originality blossom in those she teaches.
Morgan Young
Instructor
Miss Young regularly teaches art classes for Level 1 & Level 3 students at Kitsap Art. She has worked at Central Kitsap High School for the past two years and previously taught art in her home state of Oklahoma to junior high and high school students. She loves exploring various media and especially loves depicting flowers.
Kristy Gumpert
Office Manager
Kristy joined the Kitsap Art Center team in 2017 as an office assistant, bringing with her a background in print journalism and small art studio management. With a BA in Communication Studies from Sonoma State University, she spent the beginning of her career as a newspaper reporter and page designer for a variety of publications in Northern California. She moved to the Kitsap Peninsula in 2005 for her husband Robert’s naval career.
She was introduced to Kitsap Art Center by her son’s preschool teacher, who suggested art lessons to develop his fine motor skills.
Kristy is an avid crocheter, pattern designer and mosaic enthusiast. She can often be found working on several projects at once.