Artists

More detailed biographies can be found on puzzle pages. Click here for submission guidelines.

Greg Berger

Greg is the in-house graphic designer at Children’s Fairyland. Imaginative flair, meticulous detail, whimsical spirit, and joyful vibrance are the markers of the work he passionately creates for the beloved family fun destination. His artistic vision and deep love for storytelling play a crucial role in shaping the magic of Fairyland. His work can be seen on our Children's Fairyland puzzle.

Gene Dominique

Gene Dominique lives and practices art in Atlanta, GA. Gene recently relocated from Oakland to Atlanta in May 2023. He earned a degree in photojournalism at San Jose State University and law degree from UC Hastings College. After practicing law for thirty years, he returned to his life-long passion: a full-time art practice centered in photography. His work can be seen on the 50 Rue de Rivoli puzzle, his website, and Instagram. 

Eric Drooker

Eric Drooker's drawings and posters are a familiar sight in the global street art movement, and his paintings appear frequently on covers of the New Yorker. Born and raised in New York City, he began to slap his images on the streets as a teenager. His resume now includes countless editorial illustrations for the Nation, the New York Times, and the Progressive, several graphic novels and the animation for the film Howl. His art is in the permanent collections of many museums including the Whitney Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Library of Congress. Drooker is available for speaking engagements and frequently gives slide lectures at colleges and universities. Eric's work can be found on our Children's Games puzzle or on his website, Instagram, and Facebook.

Fruitful Artist

Fruitful Artist draws inspiration from the repetitive patterns in nature. Her vibrant depictions of food, especially bananas and apples, are infused with unique traits. Her use of thick acrylic paint gives her paintings a sculptural quality. Fruitful Artist has practiced at Creative Growth Art Center since 2015.

Chris Granillo

Chris is an East Bay fine artist and printmaker whose body of work includes murals, paintings on canvas, and relief prints. His work is displayed publicly and in galleries. A desert upbringing inspires Granillo’s bold palettes giving his work contrast, movement, and depth. He interrogates assumptions of dualities. Juxtaposing the built and natural worlds, overlapping the past with the present, and inverting the role of shadows and light invoke reflection on one’s relationship to nature and mythologies. As an artist of Mexican decent, he is inspired by folklore depicting hummingbirds, native plants, and cultural traditions as a means to link modern day imagery to the past. His work is featured on Raven Never More. He can also be found on his website and Instagram.

Larry Hausen

Larry Hausen is an Oakland-born and Alameda-raised illustrator and graphic designer. The Grand Lake Theatre and Alameda Theatre puzzles were both part of his historic theater collections. After graduating from California College of the Arts, Larry opened Hausen Design in an office within the Claremont Hotel In Berkeley. He later took an in-house position with the Golden State Warriors to set up their first Creative Services Department and created the Warriors logo introduced in the late ’90s. Under the company name, RuffHaus Design Studio, Larry now has a focus on award-winning posters for festivals, fairs, and special events throughout California. Other work can be found on his website and Instagram.

Fiorella Ikeue

Fiorella Ikeue is a Peruvian-American illustrator and artist based in southern Japan. With a graduate degree in biology (Kalamazoo College) and master’s certification in science illustration (University of California, Monterey Bay), she specializes in the intersection of science + art. Her work is centered on exciting visuals that engage the viewer with the natural world, scientific ideas, environmental issues and beyond. Prior to moving to Japan, she lived in the Bay Area for over a decade and developed a deep appreciation for the Bay and its incredible biodiversity. Her work is featured on Under the Bay with San Francisco Baykeeper.

Paul Lewin

Paul Lewin is an acclaimed painter, creating small-scale wood pieces to murals. His work has previously been featured on three jigsaw puzzles and four Octavia Butler novel covers. He is Jamaican-born and after spending 17 years in the Bay Area, Paul returned to the Miami area to be closer to family and the community of his youth. He has been nominated for a World Fantasy Award and Hugo Award. Paul's work is featured on three puzzles of our first artist series. The collection can be seen here. Other work can be found on his website and on Instagram.

Oyster Art Gallery

This artist has always loved and experimented with art. Having graduated from University of Oregon with an Art History degree, Oyster Art Gallery went full-time with her art business after losing a job during COVID. Oyster Art Gallery was created to help deal with her stress and anxiety about the future and to bring more sparkle to the world in a scary time. Oyster Art Gallery's image can be found on our Spring Day on Lombard Street. See more work on Instagram and their webpage.

Jeni Paltiel

Jeni Paltiel, working as Lellobird, is an Oakland-based illustrator inspired by books, music, plants and the interface between urban environments and nature, from city birds to sidewalk weeds. Her work combines meticulous research and a whimsical style. Jeni's work can be found on our ABC Flowers Puzzle or Instagram. More products with her designs can be found via links on her website.

Christine Reite

Susana Sanchez-Young

Susana is an East Bay-based visual journalist, art director, designer, illustrator, dancer, wife, avid thrifter and mother of two. She is the founder of The Designing Chica and an art director at the Los Angeles Times. Her bilingual artwork plays on references from pop culture and her childhood. It can be found emblazoned on everything from coloring books, paint kits, stickers and wall art. Catch her dancing at the annual San Francisco Carnaval or teaching her parrot new words. Susana's illustration can be seen on our Treat Yo' Shelf puzzle. See more work on Susana's website and follow her at @thedesigningchica on Instagram and Threads.

Ellen Shershow Photography

Ellen Shershow opened her business in 2009 after leaving the non-profit world. In addition to taking remarkable dog photographs, she is dedicated to service, donating her time to photograph for many animal rescues and to serve on the board as either a member or President of several Bay Area arts organizations. In 2023, she was voted Best Portrait Photographer via Oakland Magazine. Ellen's work can be found on her website, Instagram, Facebook, and on her namesake puzzle, Ellen Shershow Photography.

T.L. Simons

T.L. Simons is a graphic artist and game designer based in Philadelphia. He designs games for Outlandish Games.  His illustrations have appeared in numerous books, magazines and other publications. T.L. previously lived in the East Bay, was a collective member at Inkworks Press in Berkeley, and later became an Oakland designer. Simon's work can be found on our Long Lost Oakland Puzzle or on his website or Instagram.

DeAnna Tibbs

DeAnna is a 3rd generation Bay Area photographer and co-founder of Oakland Puzzle Company. She enjoys many types of photography including Still Life and Landscape. See her work on Proud! and Tribune Tower.  She also shot the photographs for It's Your Move and Boxcar Flower Farm Bouquets.

Les Toil

Brian Clarke, known professionally as Les Toil, is a commercial artist/illustrator from Berkeley, CA. In his youth, he absorbed illustrated editorials and advertising of his parents’ era, as well as paperback book covers, movie posters and magazine illustrations of his own youth. This resulted in a strong pop culture influence in his own drawing and painting. His art has been featured in major motion pictures, TV programs, graphic novels, popular novels, video games, and music videos. Also, two of his oil paintings were recently exhibited in the San Francisco De Young Museum. His work can be found on his website, Instagram, and our puzzles Lula Mae at North Beach and California Trail at Oakland Zoo.

Vera Tour 

Scenes that are woven of paint, love and imagination – this is the world of Vera Tour’s art. From Kazakhstan to Moscow, all the way to San Francisco Bay Area, is only a part of the path taken that brings her experiences into a manifestation of dance of the colors. 

Vera's art can be found on our puzzle, The Secret Garden, as well as on her website and Instagram.

 

Hilary Williams 

Hilary has focused on printmaking and painting since she began her studies at California College of the Arts. She now works from her studio just north of San Francisco in Sonoma County. Collages of photography, drawing, painting, and patterning to create layers of images and meaning in her depictions of urban and natural landscapes of California distinguish her work. Hilary's work is regularly displayed in galleries on the West Coast and featured in private collections worldwide. You will find Hilary's work featured on Golden Beams in Redwoods. You can see and purchase her work at hilaryatthecircus.com.