Meet Our Team
Our tutors come from all walks of life, from professional educators to passionate enthusiasts and hobbyists. Makers, creatives, designers and skilled class facilitators are all part of our learning community.
Meet the class of 2026!
Art Tutors
Yesim Gozukara
Watercolour
"I simply love and aspire to paint bold, dynamic, expressive and contemporary paintings using watercolours. I am particularly drawn to paint the organic design elements of nature.
Exploring pigment qualities has been my most recent passion. Granulating paints have allowed me to create fascinating textures, add depth and dimension to my paintings.
Watercolour, with its inherited challenges, surprises, spontaneity and its versatility, is a magical medium, it keeps inspiring, nurturing and thriving the creativity in my work."
It Hao Pheh
Drawing & Watercolour
“My paintings are a reflection of my appreciation and influence from what I learned and gained from the past 40 years. My works are mainly watercolour and charcoal drawing, even though I graduated in oil in Malaysia and hold a Bachelor Degree in Fine Art, Mixed Medium in UK.
The basis of art in dots, lines and form are always fascinating in my creativity and imagination.”
lisa axiotis
abstract art
Lisa Axiotis is a Melbourne multidisciplinary artist and designer. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Multimedia and a life-long love affair with painting, Lisa’s experience in both worlds has filtered through to her current practice.
With her extensive production experience, Lisa is also an exhibiting fine-artist. Working in a range of media, Lisa’s meticulously detailed work has been exhibited nationally and is housed in private collections across Australia.
Rebecca Jones
Mixed Media & Collage
I’m an artist living and working on Wurundjeri-Woi Wurrung Country in Naarm/Melbourne.
My teaching draws on a strong foundation in drawing from the New York Studio School, alongside my studies in contemporary art at the University of Melbourne.
I value art histories and how they continue to shape contemporary practice, and I enjoy introducing people to contemporary art in a way that feels relaxed, engaging, and accessible. I encourage experimentation, play, and curiosity, creating a supportive studio environment where students can build skills, trust their instincts, and celebrate their own creative voice.
JUNKO AZUKAWA
JAPANESE INK
Junko Azukawa grew up in Toyama, Japan at the base of the central Japanese Alps, a region famous for the natural beauty of its landscape.
She started learning traditional Japanese calligraphy - Shodo - at the age of five and has experienced the vast possibilities that calligraphy and Japanese ink painting provides.
Junko is committed to sharing her Japanese culture in Australia. Together with a lifelong study of traditional calligraphy and ink painting, Junko has found peace and appreciation deep within and loves sharing with her audience the intimate relationship between mother nature and human nature through her brush.
Craig Rawlings
Acrylics, Mixed Media & abstract art
“I have always had an interest in pathways of marks across all surfaces and mediums. Life Drawing has always been a foundation for all my art making. Acrylic being a favourite, for its durability and quick results.
I love mixing mediums, though respect the rules of principles and elements of design, love breaking them just to see what happens. When it comes to helping others see and develop their own Art this is where I sit best. Joy and contentment ensue.”
braus aguilera
oil & acrylic painting
I’m a Chilean artist living and working in Melbourne, Australia. My practice focuses on portraiture and still life, exploring identity, memory and the stories behind people and everyday objects. Working mainly with oils and acrylics, I draw inspiration from cinema, vintage aesthetics, popular culture and visual storytelling.
My work is deeply personal, shaped by my experience as a migrant and by the people and memories that have influenced who I am. My still life practice is particularly connected to my father, a greengrocer with whom I spent many days working around fruit and vegetables. His resilience and dedication, especially during his final years, continue to influence the way I see these ordinary objects.
I enjoy creating honest, playful and human work that invites connection and conversation.
Linda Finch
Pastels
“I’ve spent many years working with fellow creative people in a high paced Design Studio and now am enjoying slowing down and exploring the wonderful medium of pastel. I encourage my students to relax, have a go, and not be intimidated with the blank paper in front of them.
Composition ideas, simplifying values, using fresh vibrant colour, mark making and gaining more confidence and understanding in use of materials, are some of the things we explore in our paintings each week.”
pETA mCDONALD
nature illustration
“Drawing encourages us to pause, observe, and truly look at the world around us. To capture the essence of a natural object, we must first study it closely.
With a background in Biological Science and 20 years of teaching experience, I explore the wonders of the natural world, paying close attention to its details through a scientific lens. I find great joy in sharing what I’ve learned, guiding my students to discover the beauty of nature through coloured pencil illustration.
Whether you are a beginner or looking to refine your technique, I’m excited to support you on your creative journey.”
Dinusha Joseph
abstract art
Dinusha Joseph is an abstract painter based in Melbourne Australia. Her artworks use a variety of mediums to create an atmosphere akin to wandering in an imagined space. Dinusha’s work is a mixture of memory and imagination and her process is to work intuitively in response to earlier layers within a painting. While she paints in abstract form, she is drawn to the organic shapes found in nature, as well as the built environment.
Dinusha uses a mixture of structure and collaboration to generate ideas and creative energy in her classes. Her aim is to inspire enthusiasm and experimentation from her students as well as developing their technical skills.
sARJIT mANKU
crochet & craft
Using nothing but a crochet hook and a ball of yarn, Sarjit Manku teaches her students how to master trendy new skills while exploring patterns, colors, and the satisfaction of personal achievement.
Known for her relaxed yet professional approach, Sarjit inspires her students with creative ways to transform their yarn projects into something both beautiful and practical. Passionate about handmade crafts, she generously donates most of her creations to friends and various charities.
The Clay Room
lish barraud
I completed my Fine Arts degree in 2017 and although painting is still a passion, I love teaching ceramics - the working with functional forms and the surprise of firing and finishes.
Some of my inspiration comes from the natural world and the organic crossover it has with pottery and glazing. I have worked in bronze casting, from fabrication to facilitation, and am experienced in mould making and sculptural forms.
jennifer pattinson
Jennifer is an emerging ceramicist and tutor inspired by the natural world and human-animal encounters in the urban landscape. She works primarily on the wheel, incorporating hand building and slip casting techniques.
Jennifer has a keen interest in the material properties of clay and glaze and is drawn to porcelain for its delicacy and translucency.
She began her journey in ceramics at school and continued her education at RMIT University, completing her Bachelor of Fine Art (Ceramics) in 2022.
steven mcclure
“After my BA Fine Art at RMIT, I made homewares and started teaching ceramics at Centre for Adult Education in 2005.
My classes are unstructured and focus on what individual students want to do. While my strengths are in Handbuilding, Sculpture and Decoration I am able to provide foundation skills in wheel work too.
I love students to bring ideas for projects. Equally I can make suggestions to best suit individual ability.”
ADELE MACER
“I’m a self-taught ceramicist and qualified teacher residing and creating on the lands of the Wurundjeri people.
My work is an invitation into the world of functional, beautiful, and thoughtful design through handmade ceramics. Employing wheel throwing, hand-building, and slip casting processes, I craft pieces that are both simple in design and practical in use.”
Language Tutors
hiro Mikami
Japanese
“I believe that learning a language should be fun and interesting, and like a journey should be enjoyed along the way with others, talking, laughing, and having fun learning together.”
Hiro was born and raised in Odawara on the coast of Kanagawa, an area with rich history, good food, and near the natural beauty of Hakone and Mt. Fuji.
The international visitors intrigued her and drove her love of travel and languages from an early age. Hiro is a trained language teacher, an anime enthusiast, a foodie and a coffee lover.
marion doerig
French
Marion is a native French speaker, born in Paris, and emigrated to Australia with her family in 2011.
She has extensive experience in teaching French, which she gained from being a French Tutor at Geelong Grammar School in 2020-2021, and running her own registered private French tutoring business since 2024. She equally has an undergraduate degree from the University of Melbourne in French Studies.
Marion's teaching style is warm and engaging, focusing on all areas of language learning. She has an in-depth understanding of French grammar and enjoys planning and creating activities for her students. She loves to incorporate elements of French culture in her classes also.
Vanessa Rocher
French
“I find there is much more to French than learning vocab and crazy grammar rules. For me, it's also about trying to convey a love for the language, the culture.
My artistic background definitely influences my choice of topics but I believe it is important to give a historical or political context, to provide an understanding of what it is like to be French today.”
Wellness Instructors
Flip Shelton
Yoga
Flip has been a student of Yoga for over 20 years and loves that wherever she has lived in the world and whatever job she has had, whatever relationship status she’s been in (and out of!), Yoga has been the one constant. She believes that Yoga adapts to the student, not the other way around. Flip also loves cross fit and cooking.
Flip has completed a 350 Hour Yoga Teacher training; 80 Hour Meditation teacher Training, 50-hour Yin Anatomy Course as well as a short course in Mindful Breath and Movement for Children and Youth and a Nutritional Psychiatry Workshop.
Libby chapman
mat pilates
“After practicing both Mat and Reformer Pilates for several years I decided that I wanted to spread the word and great vibes about these amazing movements. The difference it has made to both my body and mind has been so enlightening, I am stronger and leaner and happier and calm.
Pilates has allowed me to exercise within my means yet challenges me to think outside the square.”
A quote from Joseph Pilates - “Change happens through movement and movement heals.”
Anna Yeow
Qigong / Tai Chi
“I started taking up Tai Chi and Qi Gong seriously in 1995 and wanted to share with others the health benefits of Tai Chi, so I started teaching at community centres, retirement villages and aged care homes.
Tai Chi and Qi Gong practices have not only given me good mental and physical health but it has also been very rewarding to see my students improve their overall health and wellbeing.”
Grace Petit
Chair YOGA
Grace is a Yoga Alliance certified Yoga Teacher & Kids Yoga Teacher (RYT 200, RCYT 95). In addition to over 20 years of yoga practice, she has 500+ hours of professional Yoga Teacher Training, including 140 hours specialising in Chair Yoga & Accessible/ Adaptive Yoga for seniors. Grace brings a wealth of experience & a compassionate approach to her classes, making yoga truly accessible to all.
Grace has a rich multicultural heritage and speaks Cantonese, English, French and Mandarin, allowing her to connect with students from diverse backgrounds. Her unique value proposition lies in the fact that she tailors her classes to the experience and physical shape of her students to maximise the restorative benefits of chair yoga.
Interested in teaching at CCC?
Do you have a skill to share, in art, craft, movement, language or wellbeing?
We’re always keen to connect with experienced facilitators for term programs, casual cover and community workshops.