Thomas Kinkade Studios Event at Festival of the Arts

DIRK WUNDERLICH

Dirk’s interest in drawing Disney characters came at an early age. He was eight years old when Disneyland opened in 1955. Dirk became inspired by the art and sent Walt Disney Studios what he thought were fabulous drawings of their characters.

In the early 80’s, Dirk began to design advertising layouts and catalogs for Disney’s non-theatrical film rental division. That opportunity would lead to work on the launch of The Disney Channel. There Dirk created an image of Mickey from ‘Fantasia’ that showed Mickey pointing up to the channel’s logo. This artwork would soon be used on posters, ads and brochures.

After freelancing for some time, Dirk met Thomas Kinkade who saw real talent and took him under his wing. Through several years of working under Thom’s direction, perfecting his techniques and styles, Dirk became a Thomas Kinkade Studios Legacy Artist.

One of Dirk’s most memorable moments with Thom was accompanying him and his wife at Disney World for its Thirty-Fifth Anniversary to unveil” A New Day at the Cinderella Castle”. As the three made their way down Main Street in a vintage car, they were greeted by hundreds of Disney collectors.

Monte Moore

Monte Moore has been a professional illustrator for nearly 30  years for dozens of top-tier companies and properties having worked on book covers, video games, movie posters, card games and comic books. Along with having 8 books published exclusively featuring his commercial artwork in the pop-culture industries Monte has won the World Fantasy Art show twice for Best Black and White work and has been a guest of honor artist at conventions and art shows around the world including Italy, Scotland, Belgium and Germany and 2001 Guest of Honor at the San Diego Comic-Con International.  

Monte’s list of clients that he has created licensed artwork for include: DC Comics, Marvel Entertainment, Image Comics, IDW, Wizards of the Coast,  Jose Cuervo, Lucasfilm Ltd., Hard Rock Cafe, The U.S. Marine Corps, Coors, Harley-Davidson, The Boy Scouts of America and many others.  Recent projects for Monte have included cover art for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #100 and Transformers vs. The Terminator #1 and recently People’s Choice Award Winner in 2019 Western Art Rodeo Association World Finals. 

Jenna McMullins

Jenna McMullins began her art career in 2017 after graduating with a degree in Design and Illustration. She has designed work for small businesses all across the US, and just recently began making officially licensed prints for Lucasfilm in 2021. Her passion for Star Wars and Disney has driven her to grow as an artist, and has continued to inspire her work. Jenna was introduced to Thomas Kinkade’s work in college, and that became her new inspiration, and her dream company to create for. One of her favorite uses of her artistic abilities is to raise money for charities through the sales of her prints. 

Joseph Yakovetic

Joseph Yakovetic began his long association with Disney by creating illustrations for the original Vacationland Magazine under the guiding hand of Charles Boyer. Joe’s Disney illustration treasures include over 50 books, paper dolls, and coloring books.

Both artist and performer, Joe travels around the world doing live Sketch Artist shows. As a designer for the “Say ‘Hello’ to Honda’s ASIMO” show at the Disneyland® Resort, Joe created the futuristic set and exciting theatre.

Trained in painting by Bill Yelland, former restorer of the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art, Joe creates Disney fine art and sculptures. By using hidden images and shadows, Joe brings elements of favorite Disney classic films to life. He has been dubbed “Painter of Shadows” by Disney fans.

Allison Ataman

Allison Ataman grew up on the east coast of Florida, by the beaches not far from the Magical Walt Disney World. As a child, Allison spent her days scribbling with crayons until these images began to come to life. She comes from a hard working family that always taught her the value of hard work and respect. Allison received her undergraduate degree in Business Sales/Marketing, and then later pursued her MBA in Information Technology Management from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Allison’s family and friends play a significant role in her life, and she couldn’t have gotten to this point without their support. In her free time you can catch her spending time with family, traveling, sketching or sculpting.

Allison always aspired to fulfill her dream of being an artist, and is proud to be a member of the Thomas Kinkade family. She is excited to see her lifelong dream brought to fruition, and see how her relationship and art can grow in the future.”

Taylor Summerlin

Taylor Summerlin is an Orange County native who lives and breathes art, writing, animation, and storytelling. After graduating from Cal State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art/Animation, she went back to Fullerton College to obtain the Illustration Certificate and became the first recipient of the Storyboarding Certificate. Her background became more impressive when she was hired at Titmouse, Inc. to be one of the Assistant Animatic Editors on AMC Plus’ first animated series, PANTHEON. Now as one of the sketch artists for Art Brand and Thomas Kinkade Studios, Taylor continues to expand her horizon. She may not know what’s coming next for her, but she firmly believes that more great things are headed her way.