Visual Arts

The Richmond Arts Centre is proud to offer classes taught by some of the best and brightest instructors from around the Lower Mainland. Below are brief introductions to some of those instructors and their qualifications.

Tony Bowden – Visual Arts
Tony, or Mr. Tony, received his Masters in Art at Case Western University with a concentration in Art Education. He also received a scholarship to the Cleveland Institute of Art where he later joined the faculty. He started working in animation on The Care Bear Movie and later apprenticed for an architecture firm. His curiosity and passion for using art to better the world led him to create and direct Image Eccentric, which dealt with visual multi-media shows as benefits for charities such as ArtCares, a charity organization in which he is the creator and founder of. 

Mr. Tony is a practicing artist who has been published, photographed and exhibited at showcases like Museum of Modern Art in Cleveland. He also teamed with Mark Brown, creator of the popular children’s cartoon series Arthur to do a limited edition print. He is also dedicated to promoting the arts around BC and was featured twice in Over The Edge by the Canadian Federation of Painters. Mr. Tony is also a member of BCTC (British Columbia Teachers College).

Emily Sheppard – Ceramics, Visual Arts
Emily Sheppard is an Interdisciplinary Artist currently working out of Vancouver and transplanted from South Western Ontario. She is thrilled to join the Richmond Arts Centre team as an Instructor and as the Technician for the Centre. Ceramics, Drawing, Painting and Mixed Media are the classes she is offering through the RAC. Sheppard believes that creating a fertile learning environment is essential to fuel the art making process. She  feels that it is important to encourage students to engage in communication about the art they are making. Her main focus with students is developing a core set of skills, based in traditional techniques, that will serve them as they learn to excel and develop their own stylistic independence. Sheppard has been working in the arts with young people for over well over a decade and received a BFA from Emily Carr and a Visual Arts Diploma from North Island College.

Kelly Zhong - Visual Arts 
Kelly Zhong is an interdisciplinary artist who incorporates a range of mediums into her work. In 2018, Kelly graduated summa cum laude from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She recently participated in the "Discovery" exhibition at Seymour Art Gallery in Vancouver, B.C., and in the "39th Annual Paper in Particular" exhibition at the Sidney Larson Gallery in Columbia, Missouri.

Raised in Richmond, Kelly grew up taking ballet and visual arts classes at the Richmond Arts Centre. Now as a visual arts instructor and the Art Truck Coordinator, she sees the Arts Centre as her second home, which fostered her love for the arts ever since she was young. Through her teaching, she hopes to encourage and inspire the next generation of young artists.

Nicola Tibbetts – Visual Arts
Nicola Tibbetts is an artist and art instructor who lives in Vancouver, BC. She works predominantly in painting and drawing. In 2008 Nicola received a BFA from Concordia University in Montreal and an MFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University in 2010. Since 2006, Nicola has exhibited her work nationally and internationally in both solo and group exhibitions and has received grants from the government of British Columbia and private institutions.

As an art educator Nicola is interested in fostering the development of well-rounded artists by promoting a multifaceted approach to art education: strong technical skills, efficient use of materials, a solid grasp of art theory, art history and contemporary art. She endeavours to make her classroom a place of experimentation and spontaneity, critical thinking and inquiry.  

Pauline Tiongson - Visual Arts
Pauline Tiongson is an interdisciplinary artist who received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kwantlen Polytechnic University in 2015, specializing in drawing and painting. She began teaching in 2011 at 4Cats Arts Studio where she found her passion for teaching art to young artists, guiding them as they develop their craft. Pauline has been making her way into the Vancouver art scene; her most recent showcase was in September 2017.