Professor of Art

Oil and Acrylic Painting

Degrees: B.A., M.A. University of California, Berkeley

During her twenty plus years at Santa Ana College, Estelle Orr has taught life drawing, art appreciation, beginning drawing, watercolor, and 2-dimensional design, covering a wide teaching field. In addition to chairing the department, she has helped to guide the development of the art department in many ways. Most significant was her support of the SAC Art Gallery in the historic Santora Building in downtown Santa Ana. This early involvement became one of the critical turning points in the later growth of the Artists Village. Many of Professor Orr's former students started the Legacy Arts Gallery, a cooperative arts venture.
Her sabbatical studies have explored new media, contemporary arts, and the ways in which students can duplicate the effects of oil by using less toxic acrylic paints. Her personal aesthetic ranges from super realism to abstraction. She is currently using acrylic paint exclusively and finds their versatility offers an exciting range of possibilities for her own work.