Island Oates
Island Oates Island Oates took art classes in school and started creating more during the pandemic, when she felt more isolated. She found that making art was relaxing and helped her get through tough days. An emerging artist who loves to paint and draw, Island enjoys exploring her creativity and is excited to keep growing in the studio. Outside of art, she’s into poetry, open mics, and karaoke
Sebastian Nkongolo
Sebastian Nkongolo Sebastian Nkongolo immigrated to Maryland from the Congo in 2005. A self-taught artist, Sebastian started creating art in 2016; it kept him busy while he was in the hospital. He joined VisAbility Art Lab in 2019. His rich use of color is striking in his paintings and drawings. When not drawing, Sebastian likes to watch movies and basketball.
Alexander Moy
Alexander Moy Alexander Moy can’t remember a time when he wasn’t an artist. In 2022 he joined VisAbility Art Lab, where he draws characters from movies, shows, and the world around him. He enjoys using pencils, markers, and watercolor pencils in the studio. At home, he works with digital art and is in the process of writing and illustrating a book. Aside from art, Alexander enjoys spending time with family and works in his family’s accounting business.
Tyler Mountford
Tyler Mountford Tyler Mountford joined VisAbility Art Lab in 2017. He loves to create and is particularly fond of drawing with markers and colored pencils. Much of his art is organized into patterns with words, shapes, and bright colors. Outside of VisAbility, Tyler enjoys participating in a music therapy class and studying library books that illustrate cathedrals or other ornate architecture. He lives in Gaithersburg with his immediate family and is especially fond of visiting his maternal grandparents.
Amit (Sonny) Mittral
Amit (Sonny) Mittral In 2023, Amit Mittral started volunteering with VisArts’ Galleries department, where another volunteer encouraged him to check out Visibility Art Lab. Amit, who goes by Sonny, is an emerging artist who loves drawing and painting. He worked on logos before moving on to anime-inspired characters. Now, he’s exploring and capturing scenes and places from around the world in his art
Faith McLuckie
Faith McLuckie Faith McLuckie was born and raised in Washington, DC and joined Visibility Art Lab in 2018. She enjoys exploring with various materials, including painting, drawing, ceramics, and mixed media. Aside from art, Faith is active with Special Olympics, where she participates in cheerleading, tennis, and golf. She led a Polar Plunge team in 2020. Faith volunteers at Comfort Cases and works at the front desk at Main Street. One of her paintings was selected for display in the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development building.
Kaly McKibben
Kaly McKibben Kaly McKibben is a 39-year-old artist with autism, originally from Massachusetts. She studied at Ringling College of Art and Design for three years and is especially drawn to acrylic paints, colored pencils, and mixed media. She doesn’t stick to one style and enjoys exploring new techniques and materials. Kaly has always loved animals—especially cats—and was once a devoted Disney fan. The work of classic Disney artists, from the 1930s to the 2010s, had a strong influence on her as a young artist. Today, much of her inspiration comes from the Bible and her connection to the Holy Spirit. Her spirituality continues to shape both her life and her art.
Julia Meryl
Julia Meryl Julia Meryl was born in Fairfax, Virginia and has been interested in art her whole life. She uses original, unorthodox techniques to create her collages and likes to personalize Guardian Angel portraits for people. Julia’s work is based on instinct, intuition, and color theory, which is why it’s so abstract yet visually pleasing. “My art represents the connection between spiritual, physical, and emotional worlds. It brings together colors and textures designed specifically to evoke an emotional connection to each piece and make you think about things in a different and abstract way.”
Shaun McDonald
Shaun McDonald Shaun McDonald has always loved making movies and art. As a kid, he liked drawing dragons and other mystical creatures. Shaun had been working independently until he joined VisAbility Art Lab in 2018. He enjoys working digitally on images and movies. In the studio, he paints, draws with colored pencils, and builds figures with wire. Shaun works in a school cafeteria and spends much of his free time playing guitar and bass guitar. He’s been in a band and is cutting solo CDs.
Jared Max
Jared Max Jared Max joined Visibility Art Lab in 2018; he’s always enjoyed creating art. In high school, he created stop motion animations that were used for Tsunami preparation in Japan; he also designed the t-shirt and mural logo for his school store. He studied at Howard County Community College and earned his BA in visual arts with a concentration in animation from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. At VisAbility, Jared creates art with colored ink, pencils, and colored pencils. In his home studio, he enjoys creating digital art.