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Melissa Inez Walker
Melissa is the owner and director of Distinction Gallery. She is a life long entrepreneur and avid art lover and who lwas taught business from a very early age by her Dad. Sitting still is not in her vocabulary. Having come from the world's best parents she was destined to work tirelessly and in turn constantly give back.
She founded the gallery with her late husband, Sam Pulvers, in 2004.
The pair purchased and renovated the space constantly until Sam's quick and untimely death from cancer in 2018.
Walker has continued to honor her late husband as well as engage her passion and love of work including adding 4 additional studios, a much needed second bathroom, and the complex's latest addition, Last Spot Art Bar, in Sam Pulvers memory. The wine and beer spot creates one more reason for guests to spend time in the 7,000 sq ft arts complex.
Megan Misako Darrough
Megan Misako Darrough is an artist and designer who works on social media and marketing for Distinction Gallery, helping other artists get exposure in the community and beyond.
Her passions include writing graphic novels, painting, drawing, and scaring people.
During Halloween season she works as a haunted house scare actor and does SFX makeup for monsters and zombies at her family's company: Dead Time Dreams Haunted Attractions.
She holds a BFA in Illustration from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco.
She loves green tea ice cream and dressing up like zombies.
Be sure to experience Megan's hilarious posts on Last Spot's IG as well as her art first hand in our windows and in Distinction's uber cool new, Micro Gallery - all artworks 10 x 10 of smaller. You will fall in love with her characters and find them very hard to resist.
August Williams
August is our go-to tech consultant. He can literally make anything tech related you can possibly dream up turn into reality. He has pioneered many of our high tech projects including the puzzles in ArtHatch Escape Rooms, Last Spot Art Bar (come see his cool ceiling that lights up to match our art videos!) and dozens more projects. His latest creations have been NFT projects for both the gallery and in house artists!
Additionally, he is an artist, printer, and dabbler in all electronics.
Jessica Dickerson
Jessica is Distinction Gallery's lead graphic designer. She creates all of our ads, postcards, vinyl, websites, and related print and digital marketing materials.
She is meticulous, creative, and organized. She is a huge asset to the gallery and we are grateful that she has stayed with us for so many years.
Jessica is a local artist - she loves anime - as well as an avid biker, camper, and illustrator.
.If you are looking to hire a phenomenal free lance designer Jessica is available for outside jobs.
Stephen Davis
Stephen Davis is Distinction Gallery's extrodinary event photographer who captures all of Distinction's important events, including monthly receptions and all night Art-A-Thons! You can find him wandering the building with lots of gear and perfect timing as he subtly captures the night's events and his subjects demeanor.
Additionally he shows his fine art fine art photography around town and beyond including at The Photographer's Collective Eye and EThe Escondido Arts Partnership.
Stephen is known for his innate ability to capture artists doing what they love. His street photography as well as his portraits connect us to his subjects innocence.
Victor Roman
Victor Roman's passion for expressing himself through art motivates him to sketch and paint whenever he can. Sometimes, you can find him sketching people on the train or in a casino but on most days, you will find him painting in his studio until the early hours of the morning. Painting in the night after work, shows dedication and after 3 years of study at Palomar College, Victor's talent has grown exponentially. Victor's work is collected from patrons from around the world. Victor is the go-to guy for anything extra awesome including hanging and re-arranging art, touching up frames as needed, and creating extra special gems and surprises throughout the building.
Mia Savage
Mia Savage is a painter and art history enthusiast. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she studied ink painting before moving to Massachusetts to study art. After working in New York, she moved to Los Angeles for an artist residency and has lived in California ever since, persuing oil and watercolor. Mia teaches painting and art history to students of all ages.
Martita M. Foss
Alumni artist, Martita M. Foss is back, working as a grant writer, focused on ArtHatch's teen program. Martita took time out to work on her BA in studio art and completed her master?s in arts administration during the covid lockdown. Her art studio is a stone throw from Distinction and ArtHatch (across the street on Grand). She is thrilled to be back in the building working on grants that will serve the needs and mission of ArtHatch.