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Acknowledgments & Thanks
Welcome
to Cape Ann Plein Air 2024!
Our Plein Air competition is a unique opportunity for 35 internationally recognized Master Painters to paint for a week on Cape Ann, vying for over $20,000 in awards. Our area has long been a destination for artists. This event is an opportunity for all of Greater Cape Ann—not only our artists, but our business and community partners as well—to come together to raise awareness of our important art heritage. Most importantly, we celebrate these amazing artists from all over the world as they paint in camaraderie and competition for prestigious prizes and awards. And all the paintings created during the week will be for sale beginning at the Collectors’ Preview Party on October11 in the beautiful North Shore Arts Association space in historic East Gloucester.
We have tremendous support from the following sponsors, whose generosity and commitment to the arts helped make this year a reality: Curator ($5K+) Applied Materials, Bazel General Contracting, New England Biolabs, Beauport Hospitality; Apprentice ($1K+), Bank Gloucester, Leslie Ray Insurance and Cape Ann Savings Bank. Our artist awards totaling more than $20K are made possible by the very generous donations from local businesses and our many patrons of the arts. Prize award money goes directly to the artists and is a critical part of the competition.
An important aspect of attracting competing and juried artists who travel from all over the United States is the tremendous support from Cape Ann residents who open their homes to the artists for the week, creating lifelong friendships and ensuring that our artists feel welcomed and comfortable. Many thanks!
Because of the strong collaboration between the arts, businesses including restaurants and shops, cultural groups and galleries and residents, all of Cape Ann deserves credit for making Cape Ann Plein Air Week 2024 possible. Thank you for your enthusiasm and participation on every level.
Plein air painting is alive and well in Greater Cape Ann and can be witnessed as you browse through the many art galleries in all five communities. We applaud the patrons of the arts! It’s because of you that the legacy lives on. Never stop investing in art!
Please visit CapeAnnPleinAir.org for news about the week, including a full calendar of events throughout the week.
Susan Gould Coviello, Executive Director Michael Storella, CAPA President 2024
Cape Ann Plein Air 2024 Partners
Cape Ann Art Haven
Cape Ann Museum
Rocky Neck Art Colony
North Shore Arts Association
Rockport Art Association and Museum
Essex Historical Society and Shipbuilding Museum
Cape Ann Cultural Districts
Sharksmouth Estate
Ipswich Art Association
Manchester Historical Society
Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce
Essex County Greenbelt, Allyn Cox Reservation
Trustees of Reservations, Crane Estate
Discover Gloucester
The Communities of Greater Cape Ann
CURATOR LEVEL ($5K+)
New England Biolabs
Bruce J. Anderson Foundation
Applied Materials
Event Sponsors
Bazel General Contracting
Beauport Hospitality
Charles Fine Arts
MUSE LEVEL ($2.5K+)
Massachusetts Cultural Council
APPRENTICE LEVEL ($1K+)
M&T Bank
Cape Ann Savings Bank
Leslie Ray Insurance
Painting Awards Sponsors
ARTIST CHOICE/GREG
LaROCK MEMORIAL (BEST BODY OF WORK)
BankGloucester ($1,000)
BEST ABSTRACT
Pat and Glenn Alto ($1,000)
QUINTESSENTIAL ROCKPORT
Karen Berger ($1,000)
$500 PRIZE EACH UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
BEST MARINE ACTIVITY
Leslie Lobell and Eric Timsak ($750)
BEST NOCTURNE
Leslie Lobell and Eric Timsak ($750)
DAVID CURTIS MEMORIAL
Judy Curtis
Michael Storella, President
Pat Alto, Vice President
Sarah WillwerthDyer, Treasurer
BEST AMERICANA
Beauport Hospitality
ART AND ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
Bazel General Contracting
OUTSIDE THE BOX: LE NOUVEAU VENU
Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce
BEST SEASCAPE
Kelly Automotive
PEOPLE AT WORK AND PLAY
Susan and Roger Levine
STREETSCAPES
Manchester Essex Rotary
Board of Directors
Beth Buckingham, Clerk
Sara Harper
Susan Levine
Erika Brown
Ken Riehl
Kathy Morris
Olga Hayes
Marcia Hubbard
Amy Allen
Mark and Suzanne Lynch
Karen Berger
Pat and Glenn Alto
Billy Burgoyne
Richard Ross
Traci Thayne Corbett
Bookkeeper: Marcia Hubbard
Housing Hosts
Tony Sapienza, Blue Shutters Inn
Susan and Roger Levine
Susan Coviello
Annalise and Pat Morss
Kristin Bedell
Ken and Holly Riehl
Carol and David Delaney
Nina and Steve Goodick
Ted Bidwell
Diane Lindquist
Terry Byrnes
Media Specialist: Memory Layne Creative
Executive Director: Susan GouldCoviello
Michele O’Neil
Susan Hall
Chris Roenker, Seafarers Inn
Mike and Sarah Dyer
Laura Dow, The Vista
Kimberley Voltero, Emerson Inn
New England Biolabs is happy to support Cape Ann Plein Air and congratulates all the 2024 CAPA artists.
Cape Ann Plein Air 2024 Schedule
Exclusive Welcome The Artists Party
Mon. Oct 7 | 6 - 8 pm | Beauport Hotel, Gloucester
Daily Plein Air Painting Demos
Artists sharing knowledge of painting outdoors
Nightly Palate to Palettes
An artist, a restaurant, a great time
Collectors’ Preview Party:
Celebrating the Freshest Art on Cape Ann
Fri, Oct 11 | 6 - 9 pm | North Shore Arts Association
Quick Draw
Sat, Oct 12 | 9am - 2pm
First Parish Church Community Hall | Manchester-by-the-Sea
Tiny Gems: Small Painting Sunday
Sun, Oct 13 | 10am | North Shore Arts Association
Gallery Artist Talks
Judge’s remarks, artists conversations
Sun, Oct 13 | 10am & 12pm | North Shore Arts Association
Schedule subject to change.
For updates & additional details as they become available, please visit CAPEANNPLEINAIR.COM
@capeannpleinair
North Shore Arts Association
The North Shore Arts Association is a part of Gloucester’s longstanding history as a destination for a variety of well-known early American painters including Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, Fitz Henry Lane and Frederick Mulhaupt. Many of North Shore Arts founders were integral members in the Gloucester arts community in the late 19th and early 20th century, promoting Cape Ann as a haven for artists from all over the globe.
Currently, the North Shore Arts Association is made up of over 800 Artist and Associate Members who are recognized through our exceptional exhibitions, demonstrations, workshops and lectures. We have been serving the local community and beyond for over 100 years with the mission to make the arts accessible and relevant.
NSAA is proud to partner with Cape Ann Plein Air during the year, co-hosting paint outs for local artists and young aspiring artists and looks forward to hosting the CAPA 2024 Collectors’ Preview Party in out historic location on the water in East Gloucester.
Sharksmouth Estate
Sharksmouth was built in 1868 on 38 acres fronting Dana’s Beach, formerly owned by Jacob Kitfield of Kettle Cove. The house was built for a prominent Boston family, General Greeley Stevenson Curtis, and his wife, Harriot Appleton Curtis. The Curtis Family had been introduced to the dramatic Manchester coastline by friend Richard Henry Dana, the town’s first summer resident whose home was nearby.
Architects for Sharksmouth were Ware and Von Brunt. The exterior is made of Rockport granite, the pink course is from Quincy, and the interior carved stairway was salvaged from the John Hancock House in Boston. They named their property Sharksmouth because of the distinctive rock formation at the edge of their waterfront property.
Shortly after construction, the Curtis Family added a stable, barns, cottage and caretaker’s house, where Edward Payson Hooper resided for his 52 years of service. Orchards and gardens enhanced the property. In 1883, a third story was added to accommodate the growing family of five daughters and five sons.
Daughter Elinor married the well-known painter Charles Hopkinson in 1903, and they built a house next door to Sharksmouth. Two other daughters, Harriot and Margaret, were pioneers in women’s golf, each winning a National Championship, and established the Curtis Cup Golf Tournament between the top amateur women golfers of the United States and Great Britain.
Many famous guests have visited the estate, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Singer Sergeant and the English astronomer Sir Robert Ball. A trust preserves Sharksmouth to keep it for all the family’s descendants.
Motif
No. 1
To the untrained eye, Motif No. 1 looks like a simple fishing shack. That’s what it once was, after all. Built in the mid-1840s, it housed fishermen’s supplies and daily catches for years. When the U.S. Naval Fleet docked in Rockport, locals used the shack as a place for meeting and watching ship launches. It became an artist’s studio in the 1930s, before finally serving as a city-owned monument to the area’s veterans.
As Rockport gained notoriety as an artists’ haven, painters flocked to the town to capture the true-blue New England scenes. One such painter, Lester Hornby, loved the area and taught painting classes in the summer. He would send his students out to paint whatever scenes caught their eyes, and he noticed a trend in the work he got back. His students seemed to favor the little red building over anything else on Rockport’s seaside landscape. It was the quintessential icon of a New England fishing town, right down to the ever-so-slightly weathered paint. It was becoming a “motif”—a French term for a theme within a work of art that often repeats itself. Legend has it that upon being presented with yet another rendition of the shack, Hornby exclaimed “What? Motif No. 1 again!” and it’s been called it that ever since.
In the years since, Motif No. 1 has earned a celebrity status seemingly disproportionate with its lack of grandeur. A float modeled after it won first place in the American Legion parade held during the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. It makes a guest appearance in the movie Finding Nemo. It has its own festival, celebrating Rockport’s arts and supporting local schools. It has been featured on a postage stamp, cigarette ad and bourbon bottle. When it was destroyed by the blizzard of 1978, the town of Rockport recognized its significance and built a near-exact replica. It’s still a favorite of artists from all over the world.
Cape Ann Art Haven
Cape Ann Art Haven has been serving our community since 2008. Our goal at CAAH is to provide equitable access to the valuable resource of art education. In doing so, we invite students into a community that supports them as artists and individuals. Cape Ann Plein Air funding ensures Cape Ann Art Haven will be able to deliver on our mission to bring art education to all our youth.
Classes
• We provide after school and vacation programming for elementary and middle schoolers, as well as year-round evening classes for teens and adults.
• Our curriculum is process led, encouraging experimentation, play and individual expression while teaching fine art skills.
• Our teachers are artists who create alongside the students, inspiring and supporting them.
Community
• Fifty percent of our classes are delivered free to those in need.
• Our Mobile Art programs brings art classes out into the community. We collaborate with other nonprofits to bring art to people where they are, removing the barriers of cost and logistics.
• Art Haven is a member of the North Shore Risk Prevention network, which provides a range of positive growthoriented experiences for local teens.
Cape Ann Plein Air
• Plein air painting is about artists interpreting their surroundings. Similarly, Art Haven inspires young artists to express their interpretation of their world.
• We are thrilled to be collaborating with Cape Ann Plein Air and look forward to building bridges with events throughout the year for all generations of artists.
Photograph by Dave Fernandes | Harbor’s Edge Photography
Adam & Sara Today! Adam, Mark, Amy & Shira 1985
Painting by Erica Hillier, Gloucester High School
EVENTS JUDGE PROFILE
Lori Putnam
Modern Impressionism stretches the boundaries with artists painting in styles ranging from near realism to almost abstraction. Putnam’s work is closer to the latter.
Recognized for her expressive brushwork, contemporary compositions, and intelligent use of color, Nashville Tennessee native Lori Putnam paints small to medium-sized works en plein air and creates large paintings in her studio. Having painted and taught in more than 30 different countries (including Ukraine, New Zealand, Guatemala, much of Europe and the UK), she believes that works created from life help her maintain freshness in her studio paintings as well.
Lori Putnam grew up in the Tennessee countryside. With no neighbors for miles, she credits her love of the outdoors and creative spirit to those many hours spent by herself as a young child. Her high school art classes became one of the first places she recognized an aptitude for drawing and the desire to paint. However, it was many years and career choices later that Putnam considered a life as a fine artist. But first came graphic design.
Lori’s early works were more tightly rendered and tonal in style. Painting mainly still life, she studied drawing and the techniques of the old masters with bold contrasts, glazing and little to no apparent brushwork. Those early teachers and mentors taught her foundational principles and skills. But
somewhere deep down, she felt a different artist stirring. By 2005, she was burned out with graphic design. The desire to paint was no longer something she could ignore, and she left her business to have time to dedicate to learning to paint.
Studying with Scott L. Christensen in May of that year was one of her most important choices. Along with Quang Ho and Kevin Macpherson, these artists’ friendships and their emotional support continue to provide a significant source of encouragement.
Lori is now recognized as one of the top living artists today. Her paintings are highly sought after by collectors. They have been featured in numerous past issues of Western Art Collector, American Art Collector Magazine, Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art, Fine Art Connoisseur and Art of the West. In addition, she is a member of many respected organizations, including the Salmagundi Club in New York City, the Oil Painters of America, the Portrait Society of America, the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society, American Women Artists and the California Art Club. Her paintings have received top awards in exhibitions associated with these organizations and dozens of invitational events and exhibitions.
Putnam says, “It is finally clear why I am here on the Earth. Bringing joy and laughter amidst the most horrific circumstances fills my soul.”
Charlie Hunter
Charlie Hunter is a nationally recognized painter of the postpastoral American landscape. His distinctive, low-chroma work, heavily reliant on a mastery of values, edges and composition, utilizes a variety of moderately unorthodox techniques. His work has been featured in numerous art and lifestyle publications, is in multiple collections and museums, and was the recent subject of a one-man show, Semaphore, curated by fellow artist Eric Aho. In 2022, Hunter scored a trifecta of sorts, winning the Grand Prize at Plein Air Easton, First Place at Door County Plein Air and Best Body of Work (Artists’ Choice Award) at Smoky Mountains Plein Air. With painter and designer Larry Moore, Hunter created the En Train Air painting train, and Hunter’s weekly live stream, Reasonably Fine Art Talks, and Substack both maintain
a fervent following. Besides serving as juror for the 2024 Cape Ann Plein Air, Hunter also judged the 2024 Door County Plein Air event. He is currently curating the show Island at the Brattleboro Museum, featuring the work of photographer Susan Mikula. Growing up in rural New England, the son of a small-town printer, Charlie Hunter’s work examines the pressures of modern urban and suburban culture upon small-town and agricultural community. Initially a graphic designer of tour posters for musicians such as the Jerry Garcia Band, Bob Dylan, The Clash, Eurythmics and REM, Hunter became a music manager and event producer before turning to painting full time in the 2000s, Despite these achievements, Hunter’s cats remain surprisingly unimpressed, and merely wish he would provide more of “the gud fud.”
Poppy Balser
acaciaville, Ns
“Ilive in an area with unspoiled natural coastlines and rural countryside. I am surrounded by wild landscapes and have lived for almost all my life within walking distance of the ocean.
“In addition to our local landscapes, I paint the many boats that work the waters of our busy fishing community of Digby, as well as the elegant sailing boats that harbour here, or visit on occaision. I have always loved water—from early canoe trips to walks along the shore and getting my feet stuck in the tidal mud of the Bay of Fundy. Early in my painting journey I started painting boats as a way to paint water. The glistening reflections and sparkle that happens around a working dock are endlessly fascinting. I have grown to love the challenge of painting boats for the joy of depiciting the play of light across hulls, billowing canvas and intricate rigging.
“I go outside to paint as often as I can. Painting outside on location helps me observe and explore my subjects closely. As I paint I can observe changing light and weather conditions closely over the course of hours and this helps me to get to the heart of what I am painting. Looking for a place to paint, I will stop when I find a scene that fills me with some mixture of delight, wonder or curiosity. I paint it to capture the sense of being there to share with others. With my paintings I bring indoors the atmosphere and light of my outdoor natural landscape. I paint things as I perceive them, translating the sense of wonder I feel in front of nature to make fresh and spontaneous paintings which glow with quiet luminous colour. I exhibit some of my plein air pieces. Others come into my studio to serve as references for when I make larger, more deliberate works.”
Beth Brownlee Bathe
laNcaster, pa
Beth Bathe is an artist residing in Lancaster, PA. After a long career as a graphic designer, her partner gave Beth an easel and paints for Christmas, which then sat in the basement for a little over a year. She eventually dusted off the easel and decided to take an oil painting class. After her first session, Beth was hooked and now pursues painting full-time. Primarily painting in oil en plein air since 2013, she participates in competitions from Maine to Washington State, for a total of 10+ competitions a year. Her paintings have won numerous awards and honors, including a recent Second Place Overall (March) and a Best Vehicle (August) in the monthly 2023 Plein Air Salon Competitions and, most recently, second place at Cape Ann Plein Air 2023.
Beth’s painting style is unique, looking somewhat like a watercolor—or is it an oil painting? She uses water mixable oil colors in thin washes with a limited tonalist palette, using unconventional tools such as squeegees and cotton swabs along with her brushes. Her representational paintings have been described by critics as evoking nostalgia, like that of an old sepia-toned photograph, often with just touches of color. She is highly influenced by painter Andrew Wyeth, and her subject matter is often what she refers to as the “vanishing landscape,” including finding beauty in buildings, barns and old towns of a time gone by. She teaches workshops at Short Dog Studio that she shares with her photographer partner and their two cardigan welsh corgis.
Lon Brauer
GraNite city, il
Lon Brauer is an award-winning American artist known for his work in figure and plein air landscape. “There is a performance that takes place between the blank canvas on one end and the finished result on the other. This is where the art makes itself known. One can have a goal in mind, but the excitement comes with not knowing what outcome will present. I see a painting as a living spirit. It speaks with the artist and the viewer alike. Telling stories.”
Lon Brauer has shown his work both nationally and overseas. He holds signature membership with Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society, Outdoor Painters Society and American Society of Marine Artists. He travels extensively with top plein air events each season. When home, he is in studio painting and sculpting. He holds frequent workshops where he teaches drawing and painting through figurative themes. Lon Brauer Studios is in Granite City, IL, where Lon lives with his partner, quillwork artist Djuana Tucker.
Thomas Bucci
“My journey from graphic designer to architect to fulltime artist has been an evolving creative path. A background in design and architecture influences my artistic style, adding depth and structure to the work.
I’ve chosen watercolor for its gestural quality, capriciousness and spontaneity. Watercolor allows me to quickly suggest the main shapes with loose washes. Then a few well-placed marks with a flicker of a brush tip conjure the illusion of detail, without actually painting all those details and leads the eye to recognize familiar objects. So the viewer ‘sees’ things that aren’t really there. It allows them to participate in the painting as they decipher the marks and interpret the scene.
“I have participated and won awards in many plein air competitions, including Plein Air Easton, Olmsted Plein Air Invitational and Cape Ann Plein Air. I am a Signature Member of several watercolor societies, and an Elected Artist Member of the Salmagundi Club of NY. For the last seven years, I have exhibited with a group representing the U.S. at an international watercolor exhibition in Italy. My work has been featured in PleinAir Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur and the Art Renewal Center publications.”
Henry Coe
parktoN, md
“I’ve spent most of my life doing plein air paintings in oil, primarily landscape. I have a master’s in fine art from Maryland Institute College of Art and have curated and taught at The Academy of Arts and Chesapeake College in Easton, MD. I have done a seven-month artist residency in China (1982–83), spent another five months traveling and painting in Southeast Asia, and did three artist residencies in France, returning there many more times too paint. In the United States, I’ve painted primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region, Maine and Texas, and shown my work in galleries in Maryland, Chicago and Houston.
“I have always been fascinated with light in air traveling through space—how it defines what we see and how we see and how light and shadow describe form. For me, oil paint has been an excellent medium to establish a give and take or dialogue between myself and the subject. It has endless possibilities in how it can be applied and has an immediacy and freshness that I prefer. Which brings me back to plein air: the nature of constantly changing light and shadow, sky and clouds means quick decision-making and keeps the process constantly challenging.”
Valerie Craig
st. davids, pa
Valerie Craig has drawn and painted nearly all her life. Known for her impressionist approach to color and light, Craig is inspired by urban and rural landscapes, and the beauty of ordinary moments. Like many artists, Craig is a lifielong student of art, always seeking, searching and growing in her painting journey.
Craig paints out of doors whenever she can and finds great inspiration in her familiar Pennsylvania landscape. Intrepid and fascinated by atmosphere, Valerie is happiest at her easel in the midst of a snowstorm, thick fog or even a nor’easter. She leads workshops both nationally and internationally and is a respected juror for painting exhibitions.
Valerie graduated from Georgetown University, and worked in psychiatric nursing and health care for many years before pursuing her dream to be a full-time painter. Like many artists, she is a lifelong student, always exploring and seeking out artistic challenges. She is a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society. Special honors also include Best Maritime, 2022 Cape Ann Plein Air; Best Landscape, 2023 PleinAir Magazine, January; Best of Show, 2021 American Impressionist Society Annual Small Works Show; Judge’s Award, 2020 Olmsted Plein Air Invitational; Artists’ Choice Award, 2019 Heart of the River, Gloucester, VA; Artists’ Choice Award, 2019 Olmsted Plein Air Invitational Petit Painting; Best of Show, 2019, LandArt Events; Marjorie Bradley Award, 2018 American Impressionist Society’s National Exhibition; Artists Choice Award, 2017 Ireland’s Art in the Open; Gold Award, 2013 Ireland’s Art in the Open; Best in Show, 2011 Wayne Plein Air Competition; and Artists’ Choice Award, 2010 Plein Air Easton.
Vlad Duchev
baltimore,
Vlad Milan Duchev was born in 1965 in the small town of Pokrov (former Ordzhonikidze) in Ukraine. Growing up, he was impressed by the art of Russian-Ukrainian impressionists. At the age of 8, he entered an art school in the small town of Bila-Tserkov and started his journey as an artist to join the Art Academy of Ukraine. At the age of 14, being under pressure from his musical family, he decided to take a musical path. He studied at the Music College of Zhytomyr, the Music Academy of Kharkiv and the National Conservatory of Ukraine in Kyiv with the principal in classical performance—double bass. But at the same time, he continued studying painting. In 1994, he moved his family to the United States due to the unstable situation in Ukraine. He resides and works in Baltimore, MD.
Morgan Dyer
Gloucester, ma
Morgan is a painter who calls the rugged shores of Rockport, MA home, immersing herself in the raw beauty of the landscape that inspires her largescale, emotionally charged work. Since earning her degree at Montserrat College of Art, Dyer has been on an artistic journey fueled by an intimate dialogue with the natural world. Her canvases are a kaleidoscope of meditations, layering acrylic, ink and natural pigments blended and carved away to capture nature’s beautiful and grotesque moments. Her outdoor series goes beyond the studio by dragging oversized canvases into the wild, wedging them between rocks and letting earth, algae and saltwater pool into the fibers. As she hovers over these earthy installations, Morgan loses herself in the moments unfolding around her, creating vibrant, abstract pieces. morGaNdyer.com
Alex Eisenzopf clyde, Nc
Always drawing, Alex Eisenzopf’s formal art instruction started at a local community college. He found a great teacher and a number of talented students there and he learned a lot. Not aware how good he had it, he transferred to Pratt Institute. Pratt had a great reputation—Debbie Does Dallas was shot in the library—but actual instruction was thin on the ground. There were, however, good students from all over the world and there was NYC.
Eisenzopf had an invisible-to-the-naked-eye bankroll and Pratt quickly burned through it. Then it rummaged under his couch cushions and finally mugged him on a street corner. He transferred to the much better-heeled Vassar College, but that administration wisely chose not to blow their money on the art program. It was, to paraphrase Churchill, an afterthought wrapped in a placeholder inside a footnote. The school did have a first-rate art collection and Art History department, handy for learning composition.
Eisenzopf spent most of the years since college working in commercial art, illustration and product design. “I grew up believing it wasn’t possible to make a living as a fine artist, so I never apologized for being a commercial artist. I like to eat.”
He spent the last few years renewing his drawing and painting skills, attending plein air events and building a body of work. Drawing remains his first love and undergirds his work. “Drawing adds structure and dynamism. But what drives me is art with meaning—saying something about the world around us, or creating something from nothing. It makes art worth doing”. Alex lives with his artist wife Rokhaya Waring in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.
Sara Beth Fair huNtsville, al
Sara has been painting since 2003. Her background in the sciences, with a Ph.D. in optics, along with her love for the study of nature allows a technical as well as artistic understanding of light and color. She has taught students around the country and in Europe and has exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the Southeast. Sara has had the pleasure to participate in many plein air events, including the Forgotten Coast Plein Air Invitational and Art in the Open in Wexford, Ireland. Sara is a member of the Salmagundi Club, and recently received Best Drawing in the Plein Air Salon Monthly Competition. Her artistic training has come from independent studies and plein air painting, along with tutelage from contemporary masters. Early on she spent three years under the mentorship of Murat Kaboulov, a Russian impressionist of the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, and more recently studying with Ned Mueller and Huihan Liu, among others.
Martin Geiger
Martin Geiger was born in January 1997 in Charlottesville, VA. He received an undergraduate certificate at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia and has been living in Staunton, VA since graduation. As the son of two oil painters, oil paint was always the artist’s preferred medium, although drawing has become an indispensable companion as well.
To Geiger, the world itself seems almost like an immense playground of a kind. Everything in his surroundings feels and looks intensely interesting at all times. It seems always to be right on the cusp of revealing itself, somewhat like a piece of music leading up to a crescendo. It’s clear that there is something very important just beneath the surface for the artist and making art is his best attempt at excavating these ever-present patterns and showing them to the world. This nonstop sense of being called by reality means that the subject of his works vary widely from figure compositions to complex architecture to landscape, but the work itself generally gravitates towards light, space and design. These formal adjectives seem to most closely correlate with what Geiger wishes to communicate about the playground of life.
Jill Glassman
Jill lives with her outstanding husband and nitwit dog on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She loathes pretentious artspeak and will tell you that she only sets out to paint pretty pictures that hopefully people like to hang on their walls to look at (and that maybe match their couch). She began painting plein air in 2017 because her sister-in-law shamed her into it. Serendipitously, it turned out to be a turning point in her career as it forced her to put away her teeny-tiny brushes and just go for it.
Jill has competed in a number of plein air events, including Plein Air Easton, Paint Annapolis, North Carolina Plein Air Festival and Mountain Maryland Plein Air. She has also exhibited in juried shows with the American Impressionist Society, the International Association of Pastel Societies and the Pastel Society of America.
Her most recent awards include the Senatorial Award in 2023 Paint Berlin, Second Place in the Maryland Pastel Society 2022 National Exhibition, the Judges Award 2021 Plein Air Easton, Ardis Diaz Best Use of Light 2021 Paint Annapolis, First Place Quick Draw 2021 New Bern Plein Air, Fourth Place 2021 Left Coast Pastel Society International Show, Honorable Mention 2021 Arizona Pastel Society International Show, Best Hospitality Painting 2020 Artists Paint OC, First Place 2019 Plein Air Easton Quick Draw (non-competition artist), The Gino Manelli Award (First Place) 2019 Paint It! Ellicott City, Honorable Mention 2019 Artist Paint OC and Honorable Mention Quick Draw 2019 Artist Paint OC.
She is an active member of numerous art and plein air organizations, including the Plein Air Painters of the Chesapeake Bay, the Ocean City Center for the Arts, the Pastel Society of America, the American Impressionist Society, juried member of the Working Artists Forum and a signature member of the Maryland Pastel Society.
Sam Allerton Green provideNce,
ri
“Igrew up in Providence, RI, and studied painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. I have been an Artist in Residence at numerous residencies around the country. I paint often, both inside and outside. Much of my work is done en plein air, on site, in a single session. This forces me to focus on capturing what it feels like to be there, rather than simply replicating what I see. I spend so much of my time trying to swindle the natural world into showing me what is most important. Some days I’m convinced that observing this earth in the snow, rain, late at night or early in the morning will reveal something new to me, that if I park my easel in blazing sun just steps away from a shady grove, I will see something else, something more, and I’ll be ready to record it, brush in hand, like I am some paparazzi for mother earth.”
Stephen J. Griffin eastoN, md
Stephen J. Griffin is a professional artist who has painted fished and lived on the North Shore for the past 30 years.
“When I was a young boy, I worked in a boat yard and on my lunch breaks I would draw the boat that surrounded me. I pursued my art career starting out in art academies. I had the opportunity to leave school and apprentice with top portrait artists in the United States and the world.
“In Gloucester, I met Robert C. Gruppe’ from the famous Gruppe’ family of artists. We painted and fished every day, a simple life of family, fishing and art!”
Stephen’s light-filled canvasses command viewers’ and collectors’ attention alike as his work hangs in corporate, government, private and public collections throughout the United States, Europe and the Caribbean. In 2023, Stephen won the coveted Grand Prize at Cape Ann Plein Air with his winning submission, Schooners In Gloucester Harbor.
Marita Hines
“My first art mentor introduced me to plein air painting. That cold winter morning as I stood in a farmer’s field, I remember wondering why anyone would risk frostbite when they could paint in a cozy, warm studio,” Marita Hines once wondered. But more than 30 years later, all she remembers was what a thrilling experience it was to witness the beauty firsthand and not the poor substitute of a photo reference. When she got the opportunity to retire from her desk job more than 10 years ago to pursue her painting passion full-time, she discovered just how wonderful it can be.
The unexpected benefit to painting outdoors and in competitive and friendly events is the network of artists and new friends you make. About five years ago, Marita cofounded a group called Marietta Art Alive, one of six artists committed to bringing more art to the scenic, historic river towns of southcentral Pennsylvania. One of their first projects, River Towns Plein Air, is now in its fourth year. The group has gone on to host juried art shows and art workshops to bring more people to appreciate their beautiful, historic small towns.
And somehow, she finds time to paint! Ms. Hines won the July 2022 Plein Air Salon for Best Plein Air Watercolor painting and had a painting selected for the prestigious Art of the State Juried Show at the Pennsylvania State Museum in 2023. In addition to competitions, Marita likes to exhibit her work in outdoor art shows and has been accepted into some nationally known shows for 2024. maritahiNes.com
Neal Hughes
Neal is a Fellow of the American Society of Marine Artists, a signature member of Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society and the National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society, a member of the Salmagundi Club and the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association.His work is part of the permanent collection of the New Britain Museum of American Art and he has been accepted into numerous juried exhibitions, including the national exhibitions of the American Impressionist Society, Oil Painters of America, American Society of Marine Artists and the Portrait Society of America.
Recent awards include Gold Medal—Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional Exhibition; Award of Excellence—American Impressionist Society National Juried Exhibition; Best of Show—Olmsted Plein Air Invitational; First Place—Modern Impressionist Magazine Salon; Alden Bryan Memorial Landscape Painting Award of Excellence—Oil Painters of America National; Best of Show and Artists Choice Awards—Cape Ann Plein Air; Best of Show and Artists Choice Awards—Paint Grand Traverse competition; Best of Show—National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society 2021 Fall International Online Exhibition; Artists Choice and Life of the Waterman Awards—Plein Air Easton competition; Award of Excellence—Oil Painters of America 2021 Salon Show; Best of Show—Richeson75 Landscape, Seascape & Architecture 2020 competition; and Best Associate Award of Excellence—Oil Painters of America National Exhibition.
Gareth Jones
hamptoN falls, Nh
Gareth Jones is a (UK expat) New Hampshire-based painter working in oil, gouache and casein. He began learning to paint in 2018 and paints landscapes mainly, but also enjoys the occasional still life or portrait. In the early morning (if the weather is co-operating and before starting work at his day job), he can often be found painting plein-air around the New England streets.
Tim Kelly baltimore,
Tim Kelly, a lifelong Baltimore area resident, earned his B.A. from Maryland Institute, College of Art in 1992. A freelance illustration career followed for the next 10 years. Then a career shift took Tim into tractor trailer driving, something he still does. About 15 years ago, his artistic interests were revived by plein air painting. He has been an avid practitioner ever since, participates in several plein air events each year and has won a number of awards. Recent first place awards include Olmsted in 2020, the 15th Art Renewal Center Salon (plein air category) and Easton in 2021. Tim’s paintings tend to center on observational fidelity, with urban and water scenes being frequent subjects. He is a member of the Portrait Society of America, the Mid Atlantic Plein Air Painter’s Association and has artwork in Crystal Moll Gallery in Baltimore, MD.
Christine Lashley
From glittering pristine waterways to the glass reflections in cities, Christine Lashley is fascinated how transparency and light can abstract a scene and transport the viewer to a new environment. Her paintings are an ephemeral moment captured within a frame—a synthesis of the ambiance she paints in person and the limitless creativity within her imagination.
Christine has been involved in the arts all her life, with early years sketching outdoors and watching her mother and grandmother create sculpture. She spent several years in the high fashion world of Europe, and then worked in graphic design and creating murals. With a B.F.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and prior study at the Sorbonne and Parsons in Paris, Christine continued her art education with workshops from prominent artists.
Christine began painting professionally with watercolors but moved to oils in 2009. Her awards include Best of Show at Plein Air Telluride, Bath County and Plein Air Texas. Other awards include the Bold Brush Award, ARC salon, Plein Air Salon Top 5 Annual Finalist and numerous Oil Painters of America (OPA) awards. Publications include the cover of PleinAir Magazine. She has taught workshops and classes for over 25 years.
Farley Lewis
Farley’s work reflects the passion of one who maintains his childlike wonder at this big, beautiful world. His determination to continually improve and his faith that the Ultimate Artist loves to partner with him at his craft—these have helped him grow from obscurity to national recognition over the past seven years. Though he has painted since childhood, in 2018 Farley recklessly quit his day job to paint full-time. But he’s really glad he did—and by his growing popularity as a contemporary landscape painter, a lot of other people are, too.
Since his plunge into the art world, he has won his share of awards, including 10 Best of Shows, and has been written up by PleinAir Magazine and others, but what he really enjoys is capturing in paint those glimpses of glory he sees in nature while trying to live an authentic life and love people better.
“I enjoy capturing the interaction of mankind and nature, the hard edges of buildings, bridges and roads against the organic shapes of nature. Like the early Impressionists, I set out not to paint the objects in front of me, but the light illuminating them. I believe beauty is timeless and powerful, and when I capture in paint the beauty I see in nature, I’m able to invite others into the experience. I love that! This inspires me in my pursuit of excellence as an artist.”
David Lussier
“Iam a painter in the purist sense of the word and my vision for my subject is truthful and from the heart. There is a dialogue that takes place between myself and my subject matter as I apply paint to canvas. I believe that by painting a thing as simply as possible, you can get to the spirit of it, and then subject and artist reveal themselves to each other. When I feel satisfied, I put the brushes down and hope that the viewer will feel satisfied too.”
David Lussier is an award-winning contemporary impressionist and nationally recognized plein air painter and workshop instructor. He is a painter in the purist sense of the word. In his poetic and intimate oil landscapes, he strives to capture the essence and sense of place of his subject matter. His use of bold, broad brushwork brings the surfaces to life and begs the viewer to return for a second look. As a commercially trained illustrator, he quickly realized that his passion was in the fine arts and he changed careers. His work has received more than 75 prizes and is in numerous private and corporate collections throughout the United States and abroad. His paintings have been featured in many art journals and he is a professional member of some of the finest art associations and groups in the country. David is also an official U.S. Open artist for the United States Golf Association. Four of his paintings hang in the permanent collection of the USGA Museum in Far Hills, New Jersey, and most recently his two paintings of the iconic and famous number two course at Pinehurst Resort were installed at the USGA’s new campus at Golf House in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Susan Lynn
Susan Lynn’s paintings have been described by others as poetic, lyrical, luminous and serene. Primarily a landscape painter, Susan is moved by the evening light hitting a stand of grasses, the movement of water, the shadows crossing a winding road, but most of all the mysteries of light and atmosphere. The early part of her career was spent working as an architectural illustrator, a practice that honed her understanding of perspective, light and color. It was, as it turned out, a fantastic training ground for a realist landscape painter. Active in today’s plein air movement, her work has now been featured over 20 times in national art publications, including PleinAir Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur and International Artist Magazine
Accomplished in both watercolor and oil, she has earned signature membership status in the American Society of Marine Artists, American Women Artists, National Watercolor Society, Outdoor Painters Society and is an elected Artist Member of the historic Salmagundi Club. Her extensive list of awards include the Elta Joyce Murphey Grand Prize at En Plein Air Texas; the American Women Artists’s Award for Distinguished Achievement in Landscape Painting; and the “Best Beaches” Award at Cape Ann Plein Air for three years running.
In 2018, Susan moved from her native Midwest to Rockport, Massachusetts, having fallen in love with both the beauty of Cape Ann and with fellow Rockport artist John Caggiano. In 2019, she opened her own gallery, the Susan Lynn Gallery & Studio on Main Street in Rockport, and currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Rockport Art Association & Museum.
Jeffrey Marshall
Gloucester, ma
Jeffrey Marshall is a Gloucester, Massachusetts based artist who currently documents the endangered fishing industry of the city by painting and drawing from observation along the working waterfront. His New Orleans Drawing Project, a 10-year initiative to document the post-Katrina recovery of New Orleans, was featured in The New York Times, Art New England and Artscope Magazine. This work was exhibited at Endicott College, the College of the Holy Cross and the Aspen Museum of Art, among other national venues. His series of drawings made along the Morse-Sibley Wharf in Gloucester, Gone…Fishing, was exhibited at the Cape Ann Museum and the Jane Deering Gallery. This exhibition was featured in Art New England, and was chosen as a critic’s pick by The Boston Globe.
Jeffrey is full-time faculty of visual art at North Shore Community College in Lynn, MA. Previously, he was Associate Professor of Art Foundation at Mount Ida College. He has a B.F.A. from Cornell University and an M.F.A. in painting and printmaking from the Massachusetts College of Art. His teaching experience started with Teach for America in New Orleans, where he lived for seven years before moving to Massachusetts for graduate school.
Dylan McKnight
Born in Vermont in1979, Dylan McKnight is a New England-based watercolor painter whose impressionistic paintings pay tribute to the region’s unique landscape and people. A B.F.A. graduate from the Lyme Academy of Fine Art, McKnight’s early career spanned drawing, oil painting, printmaking and sculpture. After a hiatus to focus on family and a separate career, he returned to art with a fresh perspective, now favoring watercolor for its spontaneity and the way it allows colors to interact on paper, revealing the unique properties of the medium.
McKnight’s recent accolades include several awards for both his studio and plein air work. His works have been exhibited widely, with notable mentions at the International Watermedia Exhibition, The Guild of Boston Artists, the New England Watercolor Society and the Green Mountain Watercolor Exhibition, among others. In 2024, he took on the role of Board Member and Coordinator for the “Brushes with Nature,” the New England Watercolor Society’s plein air painting series.
Residing and working in Boston, MA, McKnight’s art is held in high regard, finding places in private collections worldwide, reflecting his journey and the nuanced exploration of life through his vibrant watercolor scenes.
Vanessa Michalak
Vanessa Michalak grew up in Maine before relocating to Boston and later to Gloucester, MA. Though her artistic inclinations were evident from an early age, studying fine art was discouraged and she studied nursing instead. She earned her B.S.N. from the University of Maine, Orono in 2004. But her artistic spirit could not be stifled. She earned her M.F.A. from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts with a concentration in painting in 2013. She was awarded the Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship in Painting in 2014 and her work was included in New American Paintings #110. She has participated in numerous artist residencies, including PLAYA, Summer Lake, Oregon and Anderson Ranch in Snowmass, CO. Her work has been exhibited nationally and she has been included in national juried exhibitions at First Street Gallery, New York, NY and at the Portland Art Gallery, Portland, Maine. Locally, she introduced the Dogtown Art Show, an outdoor pop-up exhibition displaying plein air works on site. She was also the creator of the Nurse Project, a series of portrait paintings and writings sharing the experiences of nurses during the pandemic. Her studio is located on Madfish Wharf in Gloucester, MA—Michalak Fine Art. She is the co-owner of M/N Contemporary Art in downtown Gloucester.
Charles Newman
haddoN towNship, Nj
Charles Newman received his master’s degree in fine art from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2008, focusing on plein air painting. Charles currently resides in Haddon Township, NJ and does en plein air painting around his neighborhood, in Philadelphia and wherever else he goes. He is also an accomplished craftsman and currently works at Provenance in Philadelphia, PA, specializing in architectural salvage materials and antiques. He is known for his hand-crafted frames made from salvaged wood, and doing custom home restorations. Charles has received numerous awards from plein air festivals along the East Coast, and was featured in the August/September 2018 issue of PleinAir Magazine, and Southwest Art Magazine for the “Five Artists to Watch.” He was also awarded First Place overall for the 2022 Cape Ann Plein Air Festival, 2023 Plein Air Easton, 2023 Plein Air in the Smokies and the Oil Painters of America’s 2022 Eastern Regional Exhibition.
Crista Pisano
Nyack, Ny
Born and raised in northern New Jersey, Crista began painting in oils in 1989 under the instruction of John Phillip Osborne at the Ridgewood Art Institute in Ridgewood, NJ. She graduated from the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts in 2000, receiving a bachelor’s degree in fine arts painting, and in 2003, received a master’s degree in fine arts painting from the New York Academy Graduate School of Figurative Art. Crista paints landscapes mostly en plein air as well as in her studio in Nyack, NY, and is known for painting on a small scale. Influenced by the Hudson River School, she also loves the Macchiaioli, a group of Italian painters active in Tuscany in the second half of the 19th century. Some of her favorite artists are George Inness, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Martin Johnson Heade and Edward Lear.
Aside from participating in various plein air events throughout the year, she exhibits throughout New England and New York. She has received numerous awards and honors, including Best in Show at the Adirondack Plein Air Festival in both 2012 and 2014. Crista also won Honorable Mention at Plein Air Easton in 2015 and 2016 as well as Best Nocturne 2019. She won three awards in 2019 at Plein Air Annapolis, including second place overall and the Stobart Foundation Award at The Mystic Seaport International Marine exhibition in 2019. PleinAir Magazine had included Crista as one of its featured artists in its December/January 2016 issue. Crista currently lives and works in the Hudson River town of Nyack, NY. She is a member of Oil Painters of America and is represented by the Trippe Gallery in Easton, MD; the Sylvan Gallery in Wiscassett, ME; and the Box Heart Gallery in Pittsburgh, PA.
Julie Riker
“I
always loved creating things as a child, and a wonderful art teacher encouraged me to study painting. After graduating from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, I took a position with an architectural restoration firm working on the state capitol in Harrisburg, PA. Six years later, I started my own decorative painting business and have been taking on specialty painting projects for 35 years. For the last 15 years, I have been interested in plein air painting as a way to spend time outside in between large projects and have been fortunate to travel to many beautiful areas with my paints. For me, painting is less about expressing myself to others and more about learning what nature can express to me. I love studying the natural world in all seasons, the way light affects color, and the beauty that is often overlooked.”
Kari Ganoung Ruiz
iNterlakeN, Ny
Being raised at the edge of the Finger Lakes National Forest in Central New York State set the stage for Kari’s deep connection to the natural landscape. She’s been a faux finisher, muralist and owned a picture framing studio and boutique gallery with her stereo photographer husband Diego. Somewhere in there, Kari began to focus on painting en plein air, feeling the need to learn about light and shadow directly from the natural world. Based in Interlaken NY, the couple now travel the country painting and photographing their adventure. Whether having a stare down with a wolf in Yellowstone, rolling down the palm tree- and sea grape-lined A1A in Florida or sleeping through a tornado in Missouri, it’s always an adventure! Recent awards include Best in Show—Shadows on the Teche Plein Air Festival (Louisiana) 2023, Best in Show—Paint Grand Traverse Plein Air Festival (Michigan) 2023, Grand Prize—Lighthouse Art Center Plein Air (Florida) 2024.
Paul Schulenberg
“When I was 12 years old, I sent away for a “talent test” from the Famous Artist School, the one that advertised in the back of magazines and on match books with an ad that would challenge you to “Draw the Pirate.” When two salesmen came to my house to sell us a correspondence course, my parents and I met with them and then they sent them away. I was devastated! I thought they were there to recruit me into the big leagues and my parents crushed that dream!
“In truth, my family supported my decision to pursue life as an artist, and I eventually wound up going to Boston University to study fine art painting in the late 1970s. BU advocated classical training, contrary to popular art education of the day. I appreciated their more realistic approach.
“For over 30 years, I have lived and worked primarily on Cape Cod, but have enjoyed traveling up the coast to Gloucester and farther up into Maine. My work is heavily influenced by the shoreline, the ocean views and the nooks and crannies of New England small towns. For over 20 years, I have created paintings inspired by the commercial fishermen and women of Massachusetts and Maine, as well as scenes of NYC, and landscapes in the southwest U.S., Mexico and parts of Europe. I have been extremely fortunate to have been able to make my living as a painter and am forever grateful to my family for their support and the teachers who helped along the way. I am represented by Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA and George Billis Gallery in NYC.”
Richard Sneary
Richard has been painting en plein air since 2011, after more than 40 years as an architect, teacher and architectural illustrator. He is a signature member of AWS, NWS, AIS, MOWS, OPS and MVIS. Recent awards include Grand Prize at Lighthouse Plein Air 2022 and Artists Choice in 2024; Second Place at Paint Annapolis 2022 and Estes Valley Plein Air 2022 and 2023; Body of Work at En Plein Air Texas 2021; Best of Show at Stems Plein Air 2020 and 2011; and Second Place Artists Choice at Telluride 2018. Richard was a Faculty Artist at Streamline’s Third Annual Watercolor Live 2023, PACE 2016 and PACE 2024. He has been published many times in various periodicals, including PleinAir Magazine’s February/March 2022 “Playing Within the Lines,” June/July 2020 “Deep in the Heart of West Texas,” June/July 2016 and an August/Sept 2014 Special Feature in Watercolor Magazine. Richard is represented by Art Gallery Prudencia, San Antonio, TX and McBride Galley, Annapolis, MD.
Haidee-Jo Summers
GraNtham liNcolNshire, eNGlaNd
Haidee-Jo is a full-time professional artist from the UK known for painting landscapes and seascapes en plein air. Vice President of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI) and an elected member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA), she exhibits work each year at the Mall Galleries in London in these prestigious society exhibitions. She has authored two books on oil painting, published by Search Press. Vibrant Oils has been reprinted in the Spanish, Italian, French and Chinese languages. Her second book, Plein Air Painting in Oils, was released in spring 2022 in English and Russian language versions. Although oils are very much her preferred medium, in the 1990s Haidee-Jo produced a large body of work for the Encyclopaedia of Watercolour Techniques and is an avid sketcher. She has won many prizes for her work, which features fresh and vibrant brushwork coupled with keen drawing and observational skills.
“My inspiration comes from an emotive response to light, and the subject matter is secondary. Painting en plein air is central to my practice, but I am equally at home working from a model, still life or interior. I am drawn to the ordinary, mundane and intimate rather than the grand vista. Domestic interiors, gardens and allotments provide me with rich and endless material. My approach is one of urgency and economy, and I relish the challenge and struggle of capturing fleeting moments directly from the subject.”
Janet Sutherland
Making a brush stroke that reads as an object or a passage of light. Creating a pleasing design that draws its observer in from across the room.
Finding the memorable in the mundane. These are the kinds of addictive challenges that keep Janet coming back to the canvas.
A graduate of the Cooper Union School of Art, she began her career illustrating books and record jackets for the Crown Publishing Group and Macmillan Publishers in NYC. She moved to New England more than two decade ago, and, inspired by its beauty, began to paint the landscape. She has been juried in as an artist member to the Rockport Art Association & Museum, the North Shore Arts Association and the Oil Painters of America. The recipient of numerous awards, she regularly participates in juried plein air events. Janet is lucky to share her love of painting with her artist husband, Mike Dorsey. They live in Ipswich, Massachusetts.
Janet’s work is represented by the Sidoti Gallery of Fine Art in Rockport and Roux & Cyr International Fine Art Gallery in Portland, Maine.
Durre Waseem coroNa,
“I
grew up in a large family that loved to draw and color, with some taking art as a career. My formal art training started when I took art in college then earned a master’s degree from Punjab University, where I taught painting and art history for the next seven years and later three at a girls college. It was during my teaching years that I explored myself as an artist with better understanding of seeing and omitting. I enjoy the process of painting in several mediums like oil, water and pastels, etc. Like the preferred medium, my choice of subject matter also has a wide range. I guess I’d rather be a Jack-of-all-trades than to be a master.”
Jeff Williams
Jeff Williams is a retired professor of architecture from Oklahoma. While working on his master’s degree, he won numerous national and international architectural design competitions. These awards provided an opportunity to spend extensive time traveling through Europe, allowing him to experience various cultures as well as develop his drawing skills. In 1985, he relocated to Oklahoma to begin his teaching career with a focus on design. His greatest joy came from interacting with students, especially when he could share his love of sketching. For 31 years, he taught design, often leading student groups on summer Europe excursions.
Williams retired from teaching to pursue watercolor painting and travel. Inspired and encouraged by workshop leaders Tony Van Hasselt, Thomas Schaller, Andy Evansen and, most notably, Joseph Zbukvic, he is currently creating paintings both in studio and en plein air, is an invited member of the well-known Rattlesnake Gang painting annually in Big Bend National Park and has rapidly become a regular on the professional plein air circuit, winning numerous awards, including Third Place at Plein Air Easton, multiple awards at En Plein Air Texas, the Nocturne Award at Cape Ann Plein Air, multiple awards at Shadows on the Teche Plein Air events and multiple awards at Paint Annapolis events. His watercolor Rockin’ Bass Rocks was recognized as the outstanding watercolor in the international Boldbrush Competition, and he has been an invited participant multiple times at the Olmsted Plein Air Invitational, the Winter Park Paint Out and Bath County Plein Air.
