Instructor Bio's
Alicia Jones
School Director, Instructor
Born and Raised in Juno Beach, Florida; Alicia Jones has always loved the arts. She has won many art competitions and awards throughout her years and education, but her creativity was truly awakened, in her 20’s, when she met local artist Lynne Barletta. After studying and interning with Lynne for several years, a fire was lit, and she helped open an art school with Lynne called Visionary School of Arts in 2010. She started as the lead teacher and trained the staff and students to teach Visionary's signature style. Her students have won many local and national awards including the MARTIES Visual Artists of the Year, National Audubon Contest, 5th Arts Olympiad National Arts Contest Winner, and Internationl Art Basel Miami Endangered Species Arts Contest, Loggerhead Marine Life Turtle Fest Competition, Congressional Art Competitions, and many more. Alicia has her B.A. from FAU with plans to pursue her M.A. in Education and Fine Arts. Alicia believes that a Renaissance is coming and that the next generation of artists will be raised up and launched in their full identity that will be the change that our world is craving. This next generation will be mountain movers within the arts and Alicia feels humbled that she will be a part of this movement by raising up and launching, not only artists, but leaders.
Amber Moran
Administrator & Instructor
Amber M. Moran is a watercolor and ink artist residing on Florida’s Treasure Coast, home to some of the most beautiful natural areas in the state. With a remarkable career spanning over a decade, Amber has firmly established herself as a visionary in the art world.
Throughout her journey, Amber's distinctive artistic style, characterized by its innovative blend of watercolor and ink, has captivated audiences far and wide. Her creative approach, often described as 'thinking outside the box,' manifests in vibrant compositions that offer a vivid window into the coastal lifestyle. Drawing inspiration from her beautiful surroundings—be it the tranquil beaches, meandering canals, or charming fishing villages—Amber's creations transport viewers to a realm where they can immerse themselves in the mesmerizing beauty of the coastal environment.
Amber has earned a multitude of awards and notable achievements. From being selected as the featured artist and placing 1st place in the mixed media category for prestigious events like the ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival and the Stuart ArtsFest Fine Art Show, to being published in the Marlin International Magazine. She partnered with Bealls Florida and created a 3-year clothing and home goods line called the Art & Sol Brand. Amber was named the 2015 Billfish Foundation artist of the year. Her work has been featured posters and sportfishing tournament apparel and her artwork hangs proudly on walls all over the United States and internationally.
Amber holds an M.S. degree in Education, specializing in K-12 education. She earned her B.A. in Studio Arts and Sciences with a concentration in Fine Arts Printmaking and an A.A.S. degree in Computer Art and Design in New York State. Amber currently holds her Florida Exceptional Student Education certificate.
Alexandra Trejo
Instructor
Alexandra has been one of our past scholarship students. She has won awards since age 11 when she became a student of VSOA, including the sponsorship from Women Supporting the Arts Scholarship Award for 3 years. She completed VSOA internship courses and has been directing camps and weekly classes as an instructor for over three years. Alexandra is now one of our top instructors here and is one of our prolific artists and has donated her art and talent to many causes and charities including her mural work downtown Stuart on the ATT Building in 2018 to benefit Catch the Wave of Hope for trafficked victims, and most recently, her collaborative piece with fellow Visionary Chris Carnes that was auctioned for the Martin County Police Benevolent Fund at our Heroes Art Show.
Alexandra has explored numerous subject matter through her artwork. She is known for her compelling portraits and landscapes. Alex wishes to convey uniqueness through each painting as she expresses, "I want each person who views my artwork to experience the individual beauty of each piece, whether it be the bustling streets of NYC or the tranquility of a farm out in Florida".
Alexandra is currently completing her Bachelors in Elementary Education. Alex has received numerous scholarships that came to her from awards, academic achievement, leadership and community give-back through auctioning her original art and raising thousands of dollars for First Responders, Molly's House, The Stuart Air Show, and our own scholarship program alongside her many community service hours.
Alex has plans to pursue her MA in Education.
Abby Rosado
Instructor
Abby was born in New Jersey, but moved to Florida with her family when she was very young. Her mother sparked her love for art when she was a child by always letting her express her creativity. She grew up painting and drawing on everything from paper to canvases, even bathroom walls. Her love of art really blossomed in high school and led her to pursue Fine Art at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, FL,where she received her degree. Abby is one of our newest instructors here at VSOA and she says teaching art is such an exciting experience. Graphite portraits and acrylic paintings are her specialty. Primarily, she pulls inspiration from the beautiful world we live in, as its beauty points to the evidence of our Creator.
Alice Laputka
Instructor
Alice Laputka is a nationally recognized pastel and water media artist. Her paintings have been accepted into hundreds of national and international juried competitions, have won numerous awards and have been included in several books and magazines. She is a member of the Master Circle of the International Association of Pastel Societies and signature member of the Pastel Society of America and the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club (both in NYC), and the Philadelphia Water Color Society. She teaches a course for teens and adults called Color, Composition and Creativity and is in the process of writing a book about the art lessons she has created. Her paintings are a deeper exploration of the elements she teaches in her classes.
Laputka received her BFA in Advertising Design from the Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts) and after turning to fine art, studied with several nationally known artists. She has also furthered her education in the arts through travel, museum visits, extensive reading and interaction with other artists. She has worked with oils, watercolor, pastels, acrylics, various types of printmaking, drawing and artists’ books. Her background in design has strongly influenced her work. She was taught that the best representational work has a good underlying abstract compositional structure, and that mantra is the basis for her work and teaching and is one reason why she does both abstract and representational work.
Past Instructors
Mike Nolan
Instructor
Mike Nolan has been teaching for Visionary School of Arts since 2014. His degree is from the Art Institute of Ft Lauderdale. He has been a professional artist and teacher for most of his life and has loved painting since he was a child. Mike is well known locally and nationally for his amazing underwater paintings, reptiles, animal portraits and murals. Mike currently teaches Workshops for Visionary.
Chris Carnes
Instructor
Chris has demonstrated an unusual talent for the arts at a very young age. His hunger and
focus for the arts has caused tremendous growth very quickly. He went from being a student, to
student teaching and donating his time to VSOA summer camps that work with children ages 5 to
15. Most currently, he teaches the Power of Arts Curriculum for endangered kids at numerous
Boys and Girls Clubs in Martin County as part of Visionary School of Art’s outreach programs.
He has shown tremendous character as he builds up others around him, all while showing commitment and determination in his own art.
Chris has won many awards and has been the featured artist for many events such as the Martin
County Open Studio Tour, as well as the cover of Stuart Magazine. He has demonstrated a love
and heart for his community by donating his art for auctions that has raised thousands of dollars for scholarship programs. He has contributed his talent and countless hours to one of the biggest mural projects in Martin County that raised awareness in our community about human trafficking through the non-profit, Catch the Wave of Hope.
Linda Cesario
Instructor
Creating various forms of art and crafts started at a very young age for me, I can recall hours of drawing, gluing, painting, and designing all sorts of things! This love of creativity carried throughout my life and has played a significant role in who I am and what I do today.
Art was my favorite class in high school, so naturally I chose to attend Art School after graduating. I attended Hussain School of Art in Philadelphia, PA and so began my journey of fine art education. I also started teaching private art classes at the age of 18 while attending school and working. After my schooling, I always remained teaching, painting and exhibiting my work. For years I primarily worked with watercolor, but as of the last few years I find myself working with oils and enjoying the medium just as much.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, my business was negatively impacted and so I took the opportunity to start fresh by moving to Florida as a permanent resident. Now, I am teaching at several art schools and galleries in the area.