Park hill art club

President - Amy Martin

Amy moved from Ohio to Denver in 1992 to pursue a career as a staff pathologist at the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner. She retired as the Chief Medical Examiner at the end of 2013.

Upon retirement, in addition to acquiring a teaching certificate in hatha yoga, she reconnected with her artistic side taking classes in watercolor, pastel and woodblock print and has dabbled in acrylics and oils. Many of these classes have been through the Park Hill Art Club, in which she has been a member since 2017.

Amy helped with the Spring 2022 show and then led the team for the 2022 Fall show and this past Spring show.

Besides art, Amy is passionate about animals and volunteers at the Denver Animal Shelter as a cat socializer. She also teaches kitten yoga during the Shelter’s annual “Cats on Mats” fundraising. She is an avid gardener and enjoys being in nature and with her own companion animals. Amy especially enjoys painting pet portraits and flowers and prefers portrait work, whether animal, human, plant or flower. She is excited to see the energy in the club as it emerges and re-invents itself post-pandemic.

VP/Communications Coordinator - Mickey La Fave

Mickey La Fave grew up in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan where she was inspired and trained in art by her mentor and noted artist, John Gustafson. She continued with art studies at Central Michigan University.

Mickey has been part of the arts community in Colorado since 2010. She has been a featured artist in Westword Magazine and the Wheat Ridge Neighborhood Gazette. She won numerous awards at juried shows and sold her work at art fairs, galleries and local businesses. Mickey is former president of the Arvada Art Guild and former director of the Arvada Home Studio Tour.

Mickey is currently a member of the Georgetown Fire Art Gallery and the Arts Alive Gallery in Frisco. She is co-director of the annual Wheat Ridge Art League’s Carnation Festival. The visiting public voted her the favorite artist of the Carnation Festival in 2023.

VP/Workshop Coordinator - Sherry Graham

Sherry’s career in the Graphics Arts field (International Paper, Dixon Paper etc.) provides a great fit for the Workshop Coordinator board position. Consulting with art directors, graphic designers and advertising agencies fostered her relationship with creatives and art. A large part of that position was coordinating many different client entities to accomplish project goals and events as well as marketing.

She taught classes on commercial applications and environmental aspects of paper projects, e.g. annual reports, catalogs, books, brochures, posters. Sherry has taken many classes at PHAC including watercolor, acrylic and pencil drawing and enjoyed discovering abstract art as she entered retirement. She has diverse interests in art, music and other cultural experiences. The workshops in watercolor/gouache and pastels have expanded these experiences.

Last fall she agreed to start booking workshops at the Art Gym for PHAC. Originally from Montana she has claimed Denver home for the last 50 years. She has volunteered for KUVO, DAVA, LUN and PHAC any many other organizations throughout the years. She delved into Tai Chi the last 6 years and enjoys yoga, hiking and other physical exercise. The best times are creative times with friends and family.

Cassandra Cooper, aka "Cassi," has worked as a graphic artist for nearly 30 years. She worked at for various Denver area ad agencies early in her career and has spent the past 20+ years independently serving small nonprofits and small businesses. She designs a full range of printed materials as well as digital ads and websites.

In 2019 Cassi returned to school at Metropolitan State University in Denver to pursue her love of art. She completed her BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in painting and ceramics in December of 2023. Her favorite medium is watercolor and has recently experimented with integrating natural materials and cyanotype prints into her paintings. Her work can be viewed at http://www.westmarchstudio.com/ or www.instagram.com/westmarchstudio/.

Lisa Riannson is a dedicated professional with a passion for financial management and strategic analysis. With a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and an Accounting concentration from Colorado State University, Lisa has cultivated a deep understanding of financial principles and their practical applications.

Throughout her career, from roles like Senior Sales Tax Consultant to Employment Tax Manager, she has demonstrated a commitment to accuracy, efficiency, and strategic financial decision-making. As PHAC treasurer, she has ensured transparent and effective financial management to foster the organization’s success.

Lucy retired in 2015 as Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado where she was the Director of the Mountain Plains AIDS Education and Training Center. She is a Vietnam-era veteran of the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps and served as secretary and then president of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. She was the editor of the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care for 12 years. She is currently the secretary of the US Peace Memorial Foundation.

After retirement, Lucy began taking art classes online with the encouragement of her sister. She has worked with acrylics, graphite, ink, collage, clay, and watercolor, which is her current art focus.

Member-at-Large - Ruby Eichenour

Ruby has always enjoyed creative pursuits but didn’t take an art class until 2016. In 2018 she joined Park Hill Art Club to take watercolor classes. During the COVID lockdown, she started doing online classes in mixed media combining watercolor, acrylic, ink, and collage. In 2021, she co-chaired the PHAC venue search committee.

She hosts the regular Monday Open Studio held at the Art Gym and she has worked on the PHAC art show committee the last 2 shows. Besides making art, Ruby likes to hike, garden, dance, read, and cook.

Immediate Past President - Joan Porter

Joan retired in 2014 after a 30-year career as legal secretary, first for Sherman & Howard and then Holland & Hart. Her experience with lawyers taught her, among other things, the ability to put thoughts into words and express them succinctly and grammatically correct, which has helped her with the myriad emails she sends to PHAC members.

Joan didn't discover her artistic skills until taking an OLLI beginning watercolor class for two semesters. Then someone suggested the Park Hill Art Club and the rest is history. In 2017, Joan became Editor on the PHAC board and in 2018 was elected President. After working with former board members and new prospective board members, Joan feels it is finally time to retire (again) and let the newer, fresher minds take charge.

Joan is also an avid animal lover and volunteers as a foster parent for the Dumb Friends League and occasionally provides needed services for folks on A Little Help. She has two cat both of which are nearly 15-years-old, and is about to become a "foster failure" with a kitten she has fallen in love with.