Jill is a self-taught painter with a love for the architecture and style of New England. Though now a studio painter, she has also worked extensively with photography. The viewer can see that influence as she captures light and character in intimate portraits of rural and coastal New England. Jill is deliberately working with contrast and color to create pieces which engage the viewer and invite quiet nostalgia. Her work preserves moments of captured time, and the time she spends on her paintings is a meditation on each moment.

Trained as a draftsman, John Previti is an artist in pursuit of the process as much as the product.  His water fowl carvings combine the elegant simplicity of the New England folk tradition with the authentic detail of a true student of nature and grace homes from Georgia to Vermont. John is able to combine his life long respect for and love of woodworking with the Old World principles of observation and design.  He has spent years collecting and studying regional folk carvings and is now capturing their spirit in his own reproduction.

Harry graduated from the renowned Ringling School of Art and went on to tour the country as an architectural renderer and creative designer. Despite his success in the commercial realm, Harry was increasingly drawn to the freedom and energy of creating art for real people. In his working studio Harry now engages with his patrons as deeply as he engages with each canvas. He is able to infuse each painting with the same color and energy he sees in the world. For this reason, Harry’s work brightens homes, exhibits, and collections across the country and provides us with windows into vibrant coastal details and landscapes.  

Laura is a self taught painter residing in Kennebunkport, Maine. She originally studied ceramics at the University of Denver and University of Southern Maine. A concentration in porcelain translucency allowed her time to explore how light interacts with the natural world, and this study of light and texture is evident throughout her paintings.

Laura creates ocean inspired abstract art primarily using liquid mediums like alcohol ink, epoxy resin, and fluid acrylic pouring. Her aim is to capture the mercurial nature of the elements using the spontaneity of free-flowing materials.

Ann is an award winning artist living in upstate New York's Adirondack Mountains.  Born in Louisivlle, KY, Ann began traveling and living throughout the United States at the age of 18.   After completing a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Central Oklahoma, she and her family moved to Denver, CO where Ann began to focus on her painting and fell in love with the western landscape.   Even though she lives in a beautiful part of the country, where plein air painting is a challenge almost any time of year, Ann also spends time painting on the coast of Maine and throughout the Southwest.   

Ann's approach to the landscape is to simplify as much as possible in order to create the strongest paintings.  "I want my viewers to know how I felt about a place when I painted it.  I'm not trying to copy what I see nor am I interested in lots of detail.  I want to suggest a subject with the buildup of paint and exciting brushstrokes."

Museum Exhibitions

Rockwell Museum, Perspectives of the American Experience, American Women Artists, Corning, NY 2018

Artists for the New Century, Invitational, Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT 2017

Tucson Desert Art Museum, Tucson, AZ 2017 American Women Artists, Under A Vast Sky

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, OKC, OK 2014, Small Works Great Wonders

Booth Museum of Western Art, Cartersville, GA 2014 American Women Artists, Prevailing Winds

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ 2013  American Women Artists, Visions of the West

Frederick Remington Museum, Ogdensburg, NY 2013

Events and Awards (selected)

Oil Painters of America, 27th Annual National Exhibition, Steamboat Art Museum, Steamboat Springs, CO

Oil Painters of America, 26th Annual National Exhibition, Eisele Gallery, Cincinnati, Oh 2017

American Impressionist Society, 17th Annual National Exhibition, Howard/Mandville Gallery, Kirkland, WA 2016

Oil Painters of America, 25th Annual National Exhibition, Southwest Gallery, Dallas 2016

Outstanding Landscape, American Women Artists National Members & Juried Show, Bennington, VT 2016

Award of Excellence, Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional, Eisele Gallery, Cincinnati, OH 2016

Award of Merit, OPS Southwest Salon, Southwest Gallery, Dallas given by Marc Hanson, Juror, 2016

Silver Medal, Master Signature, American Women Artists National Exhibition, Bonner-David Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ 2015

Award of Excellence given by Quang Ho, Paso Robles Signature Invitational 2014

Award of Merit, OPS Southwest Salon, Southwest Gallery, Dallas given by Marc Hanson 2016

Award of Merit, OPS Southwest Salon, Southwest Gallery, Dallas given by Phil Starke, 2015

Award of Merit, OPS Southwest Salon, Southwest Gallery, Dallas given by Jill Carver, 2014

Award, Randy Higbee 6" Squared, Costa Mesa, CA 2013

Honorable Mention, Light on the Land, Davis & Blevins Gallery, Saint Jo, TX 2013

Honorable Mention, Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters, Teton National Park 2013

First Place, Masters Division, Central Adirondack Art Show, Old Forge, NY

First Place, Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Adirondack Juried Show

Second Place, Finger Lakes Plein Air Festival, Canandaigua, NY 2013 

Honorable Mention, Oil Painters of America Spring & Summer Online Showcase, 2013

Second Place, Outdoor Painters Society Online Show

Oil Painters of America Salon Show, Petosky, MI 2013

Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional, Annapolis, MD 2016, 2013

Randy Higbee 6x6 Gallery Show, Costa Mesa, CA 2013, 2012

American Women Artists, K. Newby Gallery, Tubec, AZ 2012

American Women Artists, R S Hanna Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX 2013

Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters National Paint Out and Show, Wild Spirit Gallery,  Pagosa Springs CO 2011

Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters National Paint Out and Show, Grand Teton National Park 2016,2015,2014,2013, 2012

American Impressionist Society, 12th, 13th & 14th National Exhibits 2016, 2015,2013, 2012, 2011

Outdoor Painters Society, Dallas, TX 2016,2015,2014,2013, 2012

Sedona Plein Air Festival, Sedona, AZ 2011, 2010

Grand Canyon Plein Air on the Rim, Grand Canyon, AZ 2010

Affiliations 

Master Signature Member, American Women Artists and Past President

Signature Member, Oil Painters of America

Signature Member, Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters

Signature Member, American Impressionist Society

Signature Member, Outdoor Painters Society

American Society of Marine Artists

Suzanne M. Payne is an award winning artist residing in Kennebunkport, Maine. She attended Boston University's School for the Arts (SFA) where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Painting. She belongs to the Pastel Society of Maine (PSOM), (Signature Membership status) and The Pastel Society of America (PSA), (Associate Member status). She also participates in several prestigious art shows throughout the year which are juried and judged by well known artists.

Suzanne is highly inspired by nature and loves painting the local Maine landscape with both oils and pastels. She creates her original paintings either plein air or in the comfort of her home studio.

"Creating a painting requires so much more than the mechanics of working a brush on paper...talents given or developed, to go beyond the simple illustrating of a subject or an idea. You have to draw from all available resources, one's emotions, dreams, environmental influences, bringing all parts to fruition in a concrete form without losing the passion that compelled you to create in the first place.
Most often the settings of my paintings are purely fictional, props to set the desired mood, yet highly reflective of the people, places and experiences that have most influenced my work. Each painting creates a new challenge, new discoveries in my mediums, rekindling a spirit within that makes art more than a rewarding, satisfying profession...it makes art a way of life."

"Dry brush is the technique I use in most of my watercolor paintings. I lightly draw my composition on either 140 lb. or 300 lb. cold press Arches paper and begin painting thin layers, creating the desired balance of lights and darks.  I often feel that I'm drawing with the brush rather than painting.  Using less water allows me greater control of the medium making it easier to reach the level of detail I like".

Stacy Barter's oil paintings depict her intense fascination with light and atmosphere. "I am constantly striving to capture depth and dimension in my oil paintings. Working from life, whether it's from flowers or a model is exhilarating and ever changing. This is my passion, life dedication, and contribution.”

TJR is a painter currently residing in Yarmouth, Maine. She was educated at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. TJR is deeply motivated by nature. And, in her own words, “For me painting is integral to how I access, process and communicate thoughts and emotions. My creative process is rooted in a natural state of curiosity that compels me to explore nature and this human life using color, marks & symbols to reflect whatever may be moving through me in the moment.”

Photographer Jim Westphalen has an affinity for America. The vanishing structures of the rural landscape have long been his muse, as have been our country’s majestic coastlines, open prairies, and all things that speak to the character of our beautiful nation. A professional photographer for over 30 years, his work is inspired by such painters as Andrew Wyeth, Edward Hopper, and A. Hale Johnson, as is clearly seen in the painterly light, composition, subtlety of tone, and remarkable detail of his photographs. Jim creates his dynamic images, often in large scale, using a vintage 4x5 view camera that has been adapted for digital capture. Largely self taught, Westphalen’s photographs have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the country. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, in 1996 he moved to Vermont to be closer to the rural landscape that he loves. He lives in Shelburne with his wife Kendra, where he also runs his studio.

About the prints - Jim offers each of his images in various sizes, all of which come in small limited editions. He typically presents his work much like a painting. His archival pigment prints are made on 100% acid free rag papers and then coated with an optically clear varnish, doing away with the need for glass. The print is then mounted and framed in a canvas float frame. Westphalen also offers his prints unframed if the collector should prefer a different framing style.

The Vanish Film: Written, Directed and Produced by Jim Westphalen four years in the making, Vanish - Disappearing Icons of a Rural America is a feature length documentary film that pays tribute to America’s heritage and the rapidly vanishing structures and culture of our nation’s rural landscape.

A remarkable story of past and present, the film chronicles the “visual preservation” adventures of Westphalen as he travels across the country seeking out and creating stunning imagery of America’s disappearing rural structures. Equal parts art, history, and seat of the pants storm chasing, road-trip with Westphalen as he races against time and the unrelenting elements to capture the extraordinary beauty of aging barns, one room schoolhouses, grain elevators, prairie churches, and all the classic structures that our country’s rural heritage was built upon. Though many of these evocative relics will eventually surrender to the elements, Vanish captures firsthand the passionate people who strive and struggle to save these gems, revealing stories of dreams, loss, and hope.

For more about the film and to view the trailer, click here: https://jimwestphalenfineart.com/Vanish_film/1

Born in 1957, Antonia grew up in a creative household and was encouraged by her mother, a painter, and her father, a photographer, to pursue painting; she started taking lessons from local artists in her home state of Connecticut at the age of ten. She continued her studies after high school at Eastern Connecticut State University and Silvermine Guild Art Center in New Canaan, Connecticut.

To quote Antonia:

“Water is a never ending source of inspiration for me. Each day, one painting after another, I seek an ever deepening understanding of its essence. The more I observe, the more it seems there is to discover. The surface designs, deep waters and shore breaks offer an infinite array of beautiful complexity. Ever changing and omnipresent, the ocean is such a universal part of our existence. There is a certain feeling of connectedness when sitting by its shores. The endless rhythm, power and mystery of the sea course through our very veins. Choosing to explore water and its visual language through my paintings has been an enlightening  and uplifting gift that I enjoy sharing. Thank you for taking the journey with me.

Pat DeSantis comes from a background in graphic arts. He has been a professional fine artist in Kennebunkport for over twenty-five years.

Charles Gatewood is an American visual artist who was born in 1942. Charles has had several gallery and museum exhibitions, including at the Mitchell Algus Gallery. Several works by the artist have been sold at auction including "New York" sold at InnAuction 'Modern Contemporary Art & Photography' in 2016. There have been many articles about Charles Gatewood, including 'Rainin Foundation presenting Symposium on Public Art' written by Charles Desmarais for San Francisco Chronicle in 2016.

Mark H. Brown was born in 1974.  His love for art was evident as a young child, spending many hours in his bedroom drawing cars, animals and things of his imagination.  Through the years, he studied the paintings of the masters through books and visits to museums and held a continual fascination for the realism of the dutch masters.  While enjoying a wide spectrum of styles and subject matter, Mark found that his temperament and passion took him in the direction of classical realism.  In the pursuit of that goal, he furthered his studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, in Philadelphia, PA.  After his studies were complete, he and his wife, Elizabeth, moved to Carlisle, PA where they now reside with their three children, Luke, Eliana and Aliya.  

Mark has been enjoying painting full time as an artist since 2000, while he and his family travel throughout the US exhibiting in outdoor art shows, gallery shows and group shows.  Mark has received numerous awards at outdoor shows;  including three best in shows, several 1st Place in oils and numerous other awards.  He has also been selected as a finalist in the Artists Magazine Annual Contest during two different years.  He was pleased to be included in the 2009 Oil Painters of America National Competition with his painting of "The Chocolate Pot."  Mark's painting "Bananas" was included in the 2011 National Oil Painters of America Competition, being selected as one of 168 paintings chosen from 2100 applications.