Meet Our Instructors
Patty is a well-known and recognized acrylic and oil artist and teacher. She has taught at Pine Island Art Association since 2011 and at Cape Coral Art League for many years.
Patty is an internationally collected artist and has sold paintings to owners in Germany, London, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Portugal and locations across the United States.
She is adept at working with both beginners and advanced artists.
Deb Zwetsch is a lifelong artist with a diverse career in exhibiting, teaching, and curating. She holds a BA in Art Therapy and advanced her studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where she mastered painting, sculpture, and printmaking. Her excellence earned her a prestigious all-expenses-paid Travel Scholarship to study art across Europe. She was a member and juror in the PA Council on the Arts, and led many corporate and institutional workshops.
Moving to Pine Island in 2006, she has focused her work on "Zwear" scarves, painting and teaching Her recent e exhibition, “We Contain Multitudes,” at the Alliance for the Arts, showcased three years of dedicated work in sculpture, silk art, and fashion.
For over 30yrs, Betty has taught classes at PIAA. Her classes are quiet as she rotates around the classroom, giving each student a mini private lesson, sharing her vast knowledge of colors, structure, and composition to help improve your work. There is no demonstration painting at the beginning of class. Bring to class whatever you are working on, be it watercolor, oil, pastels or acrylics, and Betty will focus on improving your work with her hands on (or off) way of teaching. Her classes fill up quickly so register early to assure your spot.
Lares Torcates is an artist who often employs bold colors and off-putting visuals in a surrealistic manner. They specialize in acrylic and oil painting, often combined with handcrafted sculptural work. Motivated by recollections of their life experiences, Lares fuses aspects of themselves to provide cultural awareness through absurd schemes.
EDUCATION
B.F.A., Painting | Business and Entrepreneurship minor
Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA: May 29th, 2026
Summa Cum Laude
Patrick Dwyer, a resident artist and educator, brings his background as a Marine and technical illustrator to his craft. Working in acrylics, he renders wildlife and figures within their native habitats. His dedicated approach makes him a favorite among the students at Pine Island Art Association.