2021 Featured Artists

Dan Mondloch, photo by Dennis Connolly

KURT BRIAN ANDERSON

MICHIGAN • OIL

Kurt began painting in 1995 and never looked back. An outdoor lover, he naturally gravitated toward Plein Air with the goal to paint the light rather than the objects upon which it lands. Preferring loose, authentic plein air studies to rendered studio pieces. “In the field, my goal is to get the composition, color, and values down. Nonessential details are edited out, forming a stronger statement.” He has participated in numerous competitions and has garnered many awards, most recently, sharing Artists Choice Award 2018 Paint Grand Traverse. He is a member of Oil Painters of America and American Impressionist Society. www.kurtbriananderson.com

SUZIE BAKER

TEXAS • OIL

Suzie Baker's painting "Rose's Sunflowers" was on the cover of the April/May 2020 issue of Plein Air Magazine. She is the current president of Oil Painters of America and holds signature status in that distinguished organization as well as the American Impressionist Society, American Women Artists, and others. In addition to being a still life and portrait artist, Suzie has been painting en plein air since she was a teenager. Additionally, she is sought-after workshop instructor, for her humorous and informative style. www.suziebaker.com

GREG BARNES

NORTH CAROLINA • PASTEL, OIL Greg Barnes received a BFA from Wake Forest University in 1985. He began painting full time following the events of 9/11/2001, after realizing "life is short." He studied with Albert Handell and Scott Christensen early in his professional career. Greg lives in Charlotte, NC and travels the country exhibiting at national art festivals, participating in plein air events, and teaching pastel and oil painting workshops. He is represented by Grove Gallery & Interiors, Miami FL; Karis Gallery, Hilton Head, SC; and Oh Be Joyful, Crested Butte, CO. Greg is also a member of the Plein Air Painters of the Southeast (PAP-SE) www.barnesstudios.com

BETH BATHE

PENNSYLVANIA • OIL Beth Bathe’s representational paintings have been described by art critics as “evoking nostalgia, like that of an old sepia toned photograph, often with just touches of color.” Curiosity about the medium Beth works is often the first question of many viewers. Is it watercolor, is it oil? Beth’s answer: “somewhat both.” She works with Water Mixable Oil Colors in a limited palette, using brushes and unconventional tools. Beth crisscrosses the country, painting en plein air and participates in over ten high-profile juried and invitation competitions a year. Beth was a featured artist in the 2018 February/March issue of PleinAir Magazine. www.bethbathe.com

STEPHEN STAUFFER

Plein Air • Studio • Commissions

ZUFAR BIKBOV

CONNECTICUT • OIL Zufar Bikbov’s passion for oil painting and the dynamic nature of the plein air work has led him to avidly explore the landscape in countries he lived in. Trained in Russian in classic academical traditions, he embraces experimentation in his artwork. Zufar’s painting style exhibits elements of both realism and impressionism.

“My goal is to fill my works with lyricism, which is a story rather than just pure meditation. While painting a question that often arises: What is realism in art in the age of advanced photography? Painting en plein air gives me a chance to answer it.” www.zufar.com

CARLA BOSCH

TEXAS • ACRYLIC Carla’s life of color started 1976 in South Africa. The energy in her work is reflective of Carla’s vibrant personality and her giving nature is evident in her liberal use of colors. She loves painting plein air and is equally at home in her studio where Carla prefers to use photographs as reference points rather than images to paint exact replicas from. She approaches a blank canvas with absolute creative boldness. This bold impressionistic approach allows her to paint from her soul and maybe this is her secret to capturing such powerful emotions in her work. Carla now resides in Texas, USA. www.carlabosch.com

RICHARD BOYER

UTAH • OIL

I am a member of the Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society and a signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists; receiving awards over the years. Twice I have been a Salon finalist in the Art Renewal Centers International Exhibition and had articles published in Southwest Art, Western Art & Architecture, Fine Art Connoisseur, American Artist Magazine (front cover) and International Art Magazine (front cover ). I have been attending many a plein air event, and enjoyed painting the wonderful variety in nature this country has to offer. My medium is oil paint, mainly on board. www.richardboyerart.net

CARL BRETZKE

MINNESOTA • OIL Carl Bretzke is a contemporary realist oil painter who is known for his original compositional choices, realistic light effects and diversity in subject matter ranging from plein-air landscapes to more complex city scenes often after dark. The Washington Post once described his work as “simultaneously intimate and detached...The artist’s unadorned style recalls Edward Hopper and the Ashcan School.” Carl holds an MD degree from The University of Minnesota. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Colorado where he also received a minor in Fine Art. Carl has also studied extensively with nationally acclaimed plein-air artist, Joe Paquet. www.carlbretzke.com

BRIENNE BROWN

PENNSYLVANIA • WATERCOLOR From a young age, Brienne loved art but pursued a career in science. After graduating in Chemistry, she soon found that art was more than a hobby, it was a necessity. As a busy mom, she made time to build an art career. Brienne has earned signature status in several watercolor societies, including NWS, participates in national plein air events, and teaches workshops. Brienne’s passion is watercolor and plein air. She loves using the slightly controlled chaotic nature of watercolor in bringing the everyday to life. Her work has been published in, PleinAir, Southwest Art and Watercolor Artist Magazine. www.briennembrown.com

SHAR COULSON

ILLINOIS • ACRYLIC Shar Coulson's work reflects her love of nature with it's unpredictability and endless variety of organic shapes. Working intuitively, her objective is not to capture the realism of what she sees but to “gather truths” and use them to inform the figuration, gestural line work and organic forms found in her paintings. She was formally trained in classical figurative realism, yet finds her passion runs deepest in abstraction. Her sensibility is also deeply informed by a successful career as a designer and executive creative director. Shar exhibits both nationally and internationally. www.sharcoulson.com

JOSHUA CUNNINGHAM

MINNESOTA • OIL Joshua Cunningham lives and works in St. Paul, Minnesota. Since 2017, he has been represented by Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis. He is a member of the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota, Oil Painters of America, and the American Impressionist Society. “We are here, just for a time. Everything eventually passes. The practice of painting on location deepens this understanding. It isn’t long before I find myself defending my work against mercurial skies and the constant march of the sun. Shadows move and colors change, leaving me to paint from memory.” www.joshuacunningham.com

JAMES FAECKE

WISCONSIN • WATERCOLOR “Watercolor, to me, has inherent magical qualities that beg to express themselves if you will allow it.” After a career as an awardwinning architectural illustrator, Jim began painting plein air in 2012. Educated in both art and architecture he received his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Having grown up on the barren plains of Texas, he claims special appreciation for our lush midwestern landscapes. Jim has won numerous plein air awards including an Artist Choice Award in the Cedarburg Plein Air Event. He is a member of the American Watercolor Society and American Impressionist Society. www.jamesfaecke.com

DEBRA JOY GROESSER

NEBRASKA • OIL

Nebraska artist Debra Joy Groesser is best known for her impressionistic landscapes, particularly her plein air work. "Painting is such a spiritual experience for me. Nothing inspires me more than being out on location, capturing the subtle nuances of color, light and atmosphere that can only be achieved by painting directly from nature." Debra is CEO/President of the American Impressionist Society, Master Signature Member of Plein Air Artists Colorado, Signature Member of AIS, LPAPA and APA and an elected member of Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters and the Salmagundi Club (NYC). www.debrajoygroesser.com

WWW.SUZIEBAKER.COM

STEPHANIE HARTSHORN

COLORADO • OIL

With both a father and grandfather who worked as civil engineers, Stephanie had an almost mandatory detour through an engineering major, then a healthy stint in architecture before following her long held curiosity into painting. Recognized for her strong architectural portraits of Rural America, she was recently a featured artist in both Western Art & Architecture and SantaFean. A fifth generation Coloradan, her subjects fall into diverse camps. First, the West that she grew up around: an iconic landscape of barns, fields and crisscrossing power lines. Second, the West that grew up around Route 66. www.studiohartshorn.com

TIMOTHY HORN

CALIFORNIA • OIL Born and raised in Ohio, Horn graduated from Cooper Union with a focus in graphic design. He then worked as a designer for 14 years -- first in New York, and then in San Francisco -- before taking his first painting class. He was soon completely hooked, and shut down his design business in 2006 to paint full-time. He now lives in northern California and teaches painting workshops around the country and abroad. Horn is represented by Altamira Fine Art, Edgewater Gallery, Gleason Fine Art, and The Gardner Colby Gallery. He has won numerous awards, and has been featured in several magazines, including on the cover of South West Art. www.timhornart.com

QIANG HUANG

TEXAS • OIL

Qiang Huang (pronounced Chong Wong.) was born and raised in Beijing China and now resides in Austin, Texas. Qiang is a Signature member of the Oil Painters of America. His paintings have been selected many time for the OPA National Juried Exhibitions. He has received: “Still Life Honorable Mention Award” at the 20th and 24th OPA National, “Still Life Award of Excellence” at the 22th OPA National. He was the demo artist for the 25th OPA National and 2016 Plein Air Convention. Qiang has participated multiple nationallyrecognized plein air festivals and won multiple awards, including most recently the Artists' Choice Award at En Plein Air Texas 2019 www.qh-art.com

KATHLEEN B. HUDSON

COLORADO • OIL

Kathleen B. Hudson emphasizes dynamic light and atmospherics in her landscape paintings. Her work has been featured on the cover of PleinAir Magazine and in Southwest Art and Fine Art Connoisseur. Hudson’s awards include Grand Prize in the PleinAir Salon, Best in Show at the Hockaday Museum, Grand Prize at Plein Air Texas, and Artists’ Choice at the Hockaday Museum’s Timeless Legacy Exhibition and at Forgotten Coast en Plein Air. After a nontraditional upbringing that involved travel and lots of art museums, Hudson received her degree at Harvard University, where she studied mountain travel narratives and led backpacking trips. www.kathleenbhudson.com

330-718-0517 www.christopherleeper.com JANE HUNT

COLORADO • OIL

Hunt is a Master Signature Member of PAPNM and WAOW, and a Signature Member of OPA, AIS, LPAPA, AWA, WAOW, and PAAC. Her work has been exhibited at renowned galleries and museums around the world, and has received over two hundred awards including ‘Best of Show’ at Laguna Plein Air and ‘First Place’ at Door County Plein Air. Her paintings also hold the distinction of receiving the most annual Oil Painters of America awards. Now residing in the beautiful mountains of Colorado, the oil painter is represented by galleries in the US as well as her native England. www.janehuntart.com

CHARLIE HUNTER

VERMONT • OIL

Although fundamentally mistrusted by his cats, Charlie Hunter has nevertheless managed to make a living painting crisp-yet-blurry depictions of decaying American infrastructure. The recipient of numerous awards, Hunter hails from the Vermont milltown of Bellows Falls, on the banks of the Connecticut River. Hunter hosts the weekly REASONABLY FINE ART TALK on Facebook and YouTube, and is co-creator of the En Train Air painting trains. His fondness for rail travel may result in a somewhat tardy, yet always enthusiastic arrival at this year’s DCPA, his fifth. www.charliehunter.art

SHELBY KEEFE

WISCONSIN • OIL Milwaukee artist, Shelby Keefe paints in a bold, representational style. After local and regional successes, she became noticed nationally, having been published in Southwest Art and PleinAir Magazines--both being honored as the cover artist. A consistent award winner, Shelby has participated in museum shows, top-tiered plein air competitions and as well as teaching workshops around the country and at PenArt. She is a Signature Member of Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society and American Women Artists. Shelby is represented in Door County by Fine Line Designs. www.studioshelby.com

MAT KENNEDY

ILLINOIS • WATERCOLOR Through the process of drawing and painting I inspect, explore and celebrate physical manifestations of human endeavor. I am fascinated by junctions of materials and by the corrosive relationship between designed objects, patterns of use and the passage of time. My work explores the world that we have built, it’s adaptation and inevitable decay. People are present in my paintings by implication. Generations move on, put up signs and go out of business. Children throw stones and touch door frames which get dirty by the handle. Tools bear scars and grow weary with years of service. My paintings are love songs. www.matbarberkennedy.com

CHRISTOPHER LEEPER

OHIO • OIL

Christopher Leeper is a realist painter working in all mediums. He has illustrated four children’s books and wrote Realism in Watermedia, (North Light). His work has also been featured in many art periodicals. He was the 1st Place winner in the August Plein Air Magazine Salon competition. He has won awards at the En Plein Air Texas, Plein Air Easton, Cape Ann Plein Air, Wayne Plein Air, and the Ohio Plein Air Competition. He is past president of the Ohio Watercolor Society and is a member of the adjunct faculty at Youngstown State University. He teaches numerous workshops each year. www.christopherleeper.com

SPENCER MEAGHER

ILLINOIS • ACRYLIC, OIL Spencer Meagher discovered his love for art as a child. Finding he was able to express himself through drawing and painting, Spencer refined his skills with practice, while attending workshops of influential artists. Spencer paints full time, traveling the country competing, showing, and teaching. A Plein Air and studio artist, Meagher works in watercolor, oil and acrylic out of his studio in Mt. Vernon, IL. As a top award winner in competitions, Meagher has exhibited in many notable galleries. His paintings have been featured in publications such as, PleinAir Magazine and Plein Air Today and numerous online articles. www.spencermeagher.com

ALISON LEIGH MENKE

MARYLAND • OIL Alison Leigh Menke is an expressive impressionist. She loves painting directly from life and focuses on the great outdoors through plein air. Her approach emphasizes the importance of expressing a true sense of light and place while showcasing the rich qualities of oil paint, brushwork, and palette knife. Painting thick and thinking abstracted design, she uses composition, texture, and vibrant color to move a viewer around her aluminum surfaces. Alison has participated in over one hundred shows and has been published in various magazines and online venues. She looks forward to hosting workshops in Maryland and artist retreats in Puerto Rico for “winter” painting in tropical sunshine. www.alisonmenke.com

DAN MONDLOCH

MINNESOTA • OIL, WATERCOLOR Dan is an award winning third-generation painter. His first interest in painting was in the 9th grade; while driving with his dad he mentioned he’d like to try painting. The next morning he woke to the kitchen table covered with everything he could ever possibly need to paint a picture. He’s been featured in Plein Air Today and Southwest Art Magazine. Recent honors include the Architecture Award at Laguna Invitational and Best of show at Grand Marais Plein Air. He lives in Cold Spring, MN with his wife Mallory, sons Jack and Drew, and plein air painting canine bud - Ruby. www.danmondloch.com

KATHIE ODOM

TENNESSEE • OIL Kathie has had a lifelong desire to create. Great encouragement from family, friends, fellow artists and collectors has kept her motivated over the years. She grew up around family in the building trade, has always wanted to be outdoors and was blessed with a high school art teacher that helped uncover Kathie’s love for beauty. "I call myself a 'Nostalgic Impressionist' as a way of identifying the subjects and style of painting that interest me most. I am really passionate about plein air painting and allow myself to get lost in the wonderful process of it all!" www.kathieodom.com

D. K. (DEKE) PALECEK

WISCONSIN • OIL Deke won Best of Show in Door County in 2019, along with numerous awards through out the US including Wayne, PA; Annapolis, MD; Sonoma, CA and En Plein Air Texas. After retiring from a career on Wall Street and in startup companies in San Francisco and Seattle, Deke now enjoys pursuing her two passions, painting and brain science. “What intrigues me most is the symbolism woven in the human brain that allows one simple stroke to suggest an intricate object or a complicated scene. I will never tire of the thrill of that phenomenon.” Deke has a BS in Math from UW Madison and an MBA from UC Berkeley. www.dkpalecek.com

CRAIG REYNOLDS

ALAMBAMA • OIL The evolution of my art career began early on. My dad was a huge influence on me as well as masters Sargent, Payne, the Wyeth’s and mentor Roger Dale Brown. I became a full time professional artist after retirement in 2005. I have always been intrigued by great old barns, farm scenes, landscapes, old barnacle laden working boats, harbors and the history told by well worn scars and patina. I strive for my paintings to tell a story without much written description. www.craigreynoldsstudio.com

BRIAN SINDLER

ILLINOIS • ACRYLIC Brian Sindler is an award winning plein air artist whose works embody the feeling evoked by the landscapes he paints as opposed to literal interpretations meant to replicate everything encountered by his eye. This is in direct contradication to his formal education at the School of Representational Art, a French style academy devoted to the proliferation of realism. "People often say, just paint shapes. I would ask, are you so concerned with painting shapes that you forgot why you painted in the first place?" Simply stated, he is a painter of mood. www.briansindler.com

STEVE STAUFFER

UTAH • OIL

Steve is primarily a painter of the landscape of the West, His work has been shown in solo and national invitational events. Steve's love of painting and teaching from life, en plein air, allows him to visit and place himself next to the subjects that act as muse and drives both his work and his soul. He often brings these plein air works back into studio to create larger versions, allowing him to revisit these places and experiences time and time again. Steve is the winner of many awards at plein air events and his works hang in public and private collections around the country. He is a member of Oil Painters of American, American Impressionist Society, and Plein Air Painters of Utah. www.stevestauffer.com

KIM VANDERHOEK

CALIFORNIA • OIL Kim enjoys the challenges plein air painting poses. It has taught her to have a plan for each painting, to paint with commitment and to fearlessly experiment. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration from the California College of the Arts. Recently she was featured in PleinAir Magazine and won Best of Show in the BoldBrush competition, two Best Oil awards in the Plein Air Salon, 3rd Place in the Oil Painters of America Summer Showcase and was also an ARC Salon Finalist. www.kimvanderhoek.com

TARA WILL

MARYLAND • PASTEL Tara studied Art and Philosophy at Mount Saint Mary’s University, earning her BA in 2006. She is currently a pastellist, working both in her home studio and en plein air. Her plein air work has sent her (and her work) around the world, exhibiting in China, the UK, and Canada. She paints in nationally juried plein air events across the country including Sonoma California, Cape Ann MA, Maryland, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Tara likes working quickly and deliberately, using bold color and strong markmaking. She received masters circle status with the International Association of Pastel Societies in 2017. www.tarawill.com

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