PACC Studio Artists
1 | SHERRY KLECHKA
Sherry Klechka grew up on a farm in small-town Oklahoma, where her mother and grandmother—both artists and art teachers—nurtured her love of art. Now based in Oklahoma City, she is the artist liaison at the Paseo Arts Association, a space fostering creativity and community. Pottery is her first passion, with additional work in oils and encaustic. She trained extensively under master potter Collin Rosebrook and studied encaustic with Ellen Koment in New Mexico. Currently, she is studying abstract realism under renowned artist Dennis Parker. Sherry creates to bring joy and to inspire others to connect through art.
2 | LESLIE PACE
Leslie Pace grew up in Purcell, Oklahoma, and now resides in Oklahoma City with her husband of 28 years. She is the proud mother of two incredibly talented daughters.
Her artistic journey began in 2000 while creating projects for her children. What started as a creative outlet soon blossomed into a passion for mixed media art, where she explores alcohol inks, texture, acrylics, and paper arts.
A lifelong scrapbooker, Leslie has evolved her craft into junk journaling and art journaling, blending storytelling with visual expression. She is deeply passionate about teaching and inspiring others, sharing her love of mixed media and encouraging creativity in every form.
3 | TERRY CLARK
“Out here there’s the sky.”
My landscapes of the Southwest and Great Plains explore the brilliant light and colors in our dramatic skies. Fie me, they demand vibrant watercolors, acrylics and oils to capture the influence of their beauty and spirit.
I believe our skies are alive—source of light and life--fluid in an arid land. I hope my paintings capture those stories for you.
Growing up in New Mexico, I’ve lived most of my life in Oklahoma. I’m a resident artist at In Your Eye Gallery in the Paseo Arts District, maintain a studio in the Paseo Arts and Creative Center, and at my home in OKC. Having sold paintings in Santa Fe, Texas and Oklahoma, I also teach watercolor classes, professional writing and accept commissions. As a retired journalism professor at UCO, experience in photography and journalism influences my work.
4 | VIKKI MCGUIRE
Vikki is a self taught artist, but has continued to expand her knowledge and skills at various places such as the Firehouse Art Gallery in Norman, OK. While she says her favorite media is acrylic, she also works in oil and pastel as individual subjects dictate.
Vikki has shown her work in Hot Springs, AR and in banks and DM Wealth Management in Norman, OK. She has been the featured guest artist at 50 Penn Place Art Gallery and has been a resident artist in the Paseo Arts District’s Contemporary Art Gallery since 2015. She has won multiple awards in juried art exhibits and has show at Chisholm Trails Arts Council, Stillwater Art Guild and Graceful Art Gallery in Alva, OK.
Vikki lives in the woods of NE Norman where she paints in peaceful solitude. She always strives to expand and evolve in her artwork. Color inspires and rejuvenates her and the bright colors of acrylic give her lots of room to experiment and expand in that endeavor. Her work is so very personal and unique that it attracts all genre of art patrons. She calls her style “Big, Bold and Tight.”
5 | AMY JO GARNER
Fiber artist Amy Jo Garner transforms secondhand and repurposed textiles, believing every scrap of fabric holds a second life waiting to be discovered. By utilizing unwanted materials, she honors the history of the textiles while inviting viewers to contemplate contemporary themes through a tactile lens. Rooted in quilting, slow stitching, and embroidery, Amy has developed her own style which she calls positive maximalism, the technique of filling space with color, texture, words, and symbols that evoke wonder and creative energy. In addition to making art, Amy enjoys teaching fiber art techniques and creating custom projects for her clients. She is an advocate for the transformative power of the arts and sustainable craftsmanship.
6 | ARIEL CONTRERAS
Ariel Contreras is a self-taught artist who has been drawing since early childhood. Born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and raised in Oklahoma City, Ariel creates intensely personal and surreal artwork that blends dreamlike symbolism with psychedelic imagery.
The work explores the boundary between the psychological and mysterious aspects of the mind and the unconscious. A range of influences are used from various sources including surrealist and visionary art, music, films, mythology, religion, and dreams in order to illustrate and translate personal experiences of identity, transformation, mortality, and the unconscious.
7 | DEBBIE FLYNN
Debbie Flynn was raised in Oklahoma, and has a bachelor's degree in agriculture with a concentration in animal science and a nursing degree. She has been a nurse for over 18 years, but has always drawn and loved animals. As a young child, Debbie cared for injured animals and took in strays. She used graphite or pen and ink at a young age, but started her painting endeavor with oils in 2007. Her artistic style is contemporary realism using soft to bold colors to capture an expression or behavior of the animals she paints. Debbie has created art pieces for animal conservation events, like Endangered Species Day and World Giraffe Day. Her discovery of the natural world creates an image to be expressed through art.
Debbie loves to travel to observe animal behaviors and expressions. She has created art pieces for animal conservation events, like Endangered Species Day and World Giraffe Day. Her discovery of the natural world creates an image to be expressed through art. Creative expression and a passion for animals produces a lifetime of happiness for her.
8 | BOBBY BARNETT
Bobby Barnett was born and raised in Oklahoma City. He graduated Capitol Hill High School in 1964, and has had backgrounds in federal firefighting and landscape designing. Starting in 2009, he began doing small landscape oil paintings and has shown in various juried showcases. He began working on abstract paintings in 2017.
Barnett has been inspired by art and architecture since his middle school years. His biggest artistic inspirations are Native American Artist Chebon Dacon, San Francisco artist Nicki Backus and Californian Artist Travis Hall
Barnett enjoys all kinds of art and the people associated with art. He is self taught and has no formal training. Art has in fact become a bigger part of his life now; an outlet for his senior years.
9 | STEPHEN SHIRLEY
Stephen C Shirley is a fine artist, who grew up in Elk City on the vast plains of Western Oklahoma. He has a deep, passionate love of nature and was fortunate enough to spend the last 20 plus years traveling the world and absorbing all of its natural treasures while serving as a Naval Officer. Although he started his full time art career late in life, he has a zest for learning, exploring and experimentation! As a self taught artist, he has studied and created a vast array of art all throughout the course of his life. He hopes you linger, ponder and feel the appealing beauty the world has to offer when you pause every now and then to literally smell the roses. Stephen currently resides in Edmond, Oklahoma, with his loving family.