Meryl Hamilton
Co-founder & Teacher
Meryl shares her passion of art with students of all ages. She believes anyone can be an artist. Art can be taught by learning techniques and only requires an open mind to learn! Bring your creative and intuitive side to her classes. Orignally from the East coast, Meryl was raised in New Jersey, graduated with an Interior Design degree from Philadelphia University, and a left a career in NYC for love and a lifestyle change in San Diego. She lives with her husband Ryan, kids Cliff and Pearl, and cat Charlie in Lemon Grove. She says, “Owning and operating the studio with my sister-in-law, Eryn, is a dream come true.” She teaches yoga too!
Eryn McCarty
Co-founder & Teacher
Born and raised in Southern California Eryn has been playing with every type of art she could her hands on since she was a little tyke. In college, Eryn took on classes in sculpture, painting, muraling, and beyond. She brings her keen eye for design and composition to all her specialties, whether abstraction, acrylic pour, painting, or a personal favorite, Paint Your Pet.
Meg Walker
Clay Manager & Teacher – Ceramics
Meg is a ceramic, multi-medium-based painter, and site specific installation artist from Breckenridge, Colorado. Whether building a kiln in Texas, collecting clay from the rivers in Pennsylvania, or studying vibrant colors and techniques of painting and mosaics in Morocco, Meg strives to utilize inspiration from the world around her, re-cultivating our relationship with the environment and one another through art. Originally from a small town in Pennsylvania, Meg earned her BFA and BS in Recreational Therapy from Slippery Rock University in Pittsburgh, PA. She studied ceramics, painting, photography, printmaking, drawing, sculpture, and metal smithing. Using these skills, she loves to incorporate her background in art with working with people with disabilities in the outdoors. Her favorite mediums combine her deep love for clay with painting to create textured, expressionist works. Meg is jazzed to share her passions and the continuous learning and fun to be had with all!
Roberta Sutton
Studio Manager & Teacher – Adults & Kids
Roberta loves teaching students of all ages, with a special enthusiasm for helping students find opportunities in the middle of creative challenges so they can have fun and be proud of their work. She teaches painting, candle making, drawing, and encaustic. When she’s not teaching or playing with her family at Life Guard Tower 5, she paints portraits of Ocean Beach landmarks and families. After 16 years in NYC, she is joyous to call OB her forever-home. She earned art history and studio art BAs from Binghamton University and an MA in Organizational Change Management from The New School. Instagram @Roberta.Sutton
Teagan Rene
Teacher – Kids and Adults
Teagan discovered a love of art early, when her illustrator aunt and uncle introduced her to drawing. She’s taught young artists for over 5 years, crafts, arts, and most of all the understanding that there are no mistakes, only opportunities. She loves living in San Diego where she is also a freelance artist.
Zach Todd
Teacher – Kids and Adults
A former art teacher and now a professional artist. Zach studied Art Education at Indiana Wesleyan University and taught elementary and middle school art for 5 years. He moved to LA where he pushed towards full-time art, working on film sets, photo shoots, red-carpet events, graphic design, murals, video editing, and touring band photography. After moving to San Diego in the Summer of 2022 Zach started his pursuit of full-time tattooing and is now a tattoo artist in North Park. With a specialization in Drawing and Painting, Zach loves sharing his wide breadth of knowledge with his students of all ages. He believes creativity and artistry is a muscle that needs to be worked out to grow. If you’re looking for a great time with lots of laughs and lots to learn join one of his courses! If you’d like to see some of Zach’s artwork or you’re interested in tattoos check out his Instagram: @zachtod.
Isra Basurto
At 16, Isra enrolled in a clay class offered by an Anthropologist in Mexico City, expecting to dive into the art of firing ceramics. To his surprise, he spent most of his time grinding wild clay by hand under the sun. Despite not having kilns and the arduous process of that class, his passion for ceramics had only begun. It wasn’t until he relocated to California that he discovered ready-to-use clay and learned the next steps in the process. His undergrad studies focused on ceramics and graphic design, and after earning his BFA, he spent a semester in Spain, studying advanced ceramics. Today, Isra makes use of the primitive techniques he initially learned as well as wheel-throwing and embellishes his work with materials like precious metal lusters. Much of his focus explores the inherent properties of terracotta such as its ability to filter water and aerate plants so they thrive.
Dain Middleton
Community Outreach and Teacher – Kids
A born creator, Dain has been making art with kids since she was 11 and running summer camps for her sister and friends. After earning her BA from Lesley College in Boston, Dain returned to her home town of San Diego where she taught pre-school and elementary school, ran creative businesses, and volunteered with various arts organizations. Dain’s current artistic passions include pottery and cynotypes, where she draws inspiration and materials from nature, especially beautiful San Diego beaches. Dain’s favorite people to make art with are her two kids, ages 5 and 9, and the kids in her classes at the Artist Outpost!
Dave Emery
Dave started teaching pottery in 2016 and he’s been knocking around in the backroom ever since! He has a diverse background that adds dimension to his teaching. He’s been a whitewater guide in Canada, taught within formal and informal education, worked with at-risk youth in the high desert of Utah, and currently works as a data analyst in telecom. He says he’s not an “artist” by education, but approaches pottery as a life-long practice of learning. Bringing a developmental mindset to his classes helps Dave to reach all his students where they are and is skilled at breaking down complexity into small achievable tasks. Dave loves throwing pieces of all shapes and sizes. In his class you may learn to make cups, bowls, vases, pitchers, bottles, tea pots, jars, toroids, double-walled pieces, and hand built shapes, though probably not all in one series! Besides spending time in the studio, Dave enjoys the outdoors with wife Tessa, son River, and dog Juniper. He looks forward to teaching River to climb, paddle, and ski, but for now is very content to explore the intricacies of the front lawn and the beach on hands and knees with his 11 month old.
Dan Allen
Teacher – Ceramics (Adults)
A potter for 25 years, Dan Allen is excited to bring his experience and joy of clay to students of all experience levels. Come and experience the wonders of ceramics.
Emily Aust
Teacher – Ceramics (Adults)
Emily is an interdisciplinary artist who is continually inspired by movement, the environment, and our relationships to the body. She finds connection with form, process, sculpture and the earth when she works with clay. She loves teaching and sharing the beauty of working with ceramics at the Artist Outpost!
Jules Alksne
Teacher – Kids and Adults
This April, Jules just graduated from law school! We are so proud of her! Jules is originally from Northern California, Santa Cruz. She moved down to San Diego to get her Bachelors of Science in Biology from UCSD and Art History minor. She has been drawing and painting since she was little and has an Associates in Visual Arts from Santa Barbara City College. Her favorite mediums are pastel, oil and charcoal. In her free time she enjoys taking figure drawing classes, painting flowers and landscapes in plein-air, jewelry making and surfing. She loves teaching and inspiring kids to find their own unique passions!