About the Artists

Robert Brown

I have a BA from Appalachian State and a master's from Wake Forest University. I studied figure drawing from life for nine years before attending the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine arts in Philadelphia to study landscape painting in 2002. Since 2004 I've participated in 16 solo or small group shows in North and South Carolina and I'm currently represented by Blowing Rock Gallery, Providence Gallery in Charlotte, and Vision Gallery in Atlantic Beach, NC.

My current painting is focused on plein air landscape and urban scenes but I continue to produce small, intimate figurative studies and still life. Contact: visiongallery@twogalleries.net

Daniel Dennis

Daniel Dennis is the owner of Prime Cut Studio and Dennis Productions in Nashville, TN, where he produces, records, mixes, masters and designs independent artists’ music and merchandise.

“Growing up, I kind of always knew I’d be involved with both music and design. My family was very supportive of my music endeavors, and coming from a background of printers, graphic design and visual art was a natural creative progression for me.

In high school, I recorded and designed my first album called “Random Thoughts Vol. 1,” and it was at that point I knew exactly what I wanted to do for a living: create a one-stop shop for music artists, where I would do everything from playing, recording, designing and printing the final product.

I graduated in 2004 from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Music Production, and in 2006, I opened Prime Cut Studio. It always amazes me how much music and design are tied together. I’ll listen to an album that I’m designing, and the sound and mood of the music always inspires me to take the design to that wonderful place where all the creative elements come together in just the right way.”

www.PrimeCutStudio.com

Elizabeth Foster

I was born into a family of painters, musicians, flower arrangers, bird lovers, and creative thinkers.  Whenever I was bored as a child, someone would always say, "Go make something!" The result of such an upbringing is a painter/songwriter who is never bored! 

Originally from Columbia, SC, I now reside in Nashville, TN working as an artist.  I studied Studio Art and Art History at the University of Virginia, drawing at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture,  and continued on to study Art and Teaching at the University of South Carolina.

Most recently, I have been concentrating heavily on bird imagery.  Birds have had a long history of symbolic representation.  They have been portrayed as carriers of hope and burden, emblems of victory and despair, as well as promise and spirit.  Birds are very versatile subjects and messengers for my expression.  Because of their wide range of colors, textures, and patterns they are as individualistic as people.  My paintings are combinations of bird-filled collages and dreamy, rural landscapes inspired by my two southern homes, Tennessee and South Carolina. 

www.elizabethfoster.net

Rich Gallego

Born in 1962, Rich Gallego was raised in Los Angeles. Though he grew up in the city, he knew from the time of his first camping trip at age ten that the open spaces of the mountains and deserts would lure him back again and again. And so they did. As an adult, a part-time job reconditioning sculptures sparked an interest in drawing, then painting. Before long, what started as a creative diversion had evolved into a passion. Rich began taking classes at Pasadena’s ArtCenter College of Design in 1998, drawing and painting with instructor Mark Strickland. Next, desiring to combine his love of the outdoors with his passion for painting, he sought out California Art Club Signature Member, Karl Dempwolf and took weekly plein aire classes with him for the next year.

In addition to continuous study of the art of painting, Rich has participated in numerous local and national plein aire painting competitions and shows, winning several awards for his interpretations of the landscape. Rich also teaches weekly workshops at various locations around Southern California and a week-long plein aire painting workshop for the Taos Art School each summer. In addition to the artists noted above, he lists Clyde Aspevig, Matt Smith, Scott Christensen, and Donald Hildreth as some of the artists who have influenced him most.

Rich lives in Palmdale, CA with his wife and two children.

www.gallegoart.com

Carla Gauthier

Carla’s work combines her love of architectural detail and attention to qualities of light that transform commonplace scenes. The result is a body of works that read like snapshots….people going about their daily life, oblivious to us looking on, and their story is allowed to unfold.

Born and educated in Canada, Carla Gauthier has lived and worked in the U.S. and Europe, and now resides in Houston, Texas where she continues to paint and teach. While earning her BA in Fine Art and Art History, and her Bachelor of Education, she continued to paint in watercolors and oils. An education in traditional drawing and printmaking provided her with a solid base in image making.

Carla is a signature member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour and the Watercolor Art Society – Houston. She has shown with these and other organizations in their regional, national and international shows, and has paintings in collections throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. Her works are available at Upper Bay Frame and Gallery in Nassau Bay, TX and Carteret Contemporary Art in Morehead City, NC.

www.carlagauthier.com

Susan C. Johnson

Horses have always held a special place in my heart and so they have become my primary painting interest. I paint in a realistic style using my own photographic references to ensure that the structure of these animals is correct. My goal is to capture their indomitable spirit and grace and to tell their stories with canvas and paint. I am particularly inspired to paint horses because for me, they personify both the ability and courage to sometimes overcome incredible odds in order to survive, and their fortitude has left an indelible hoof print on my heart.

I was born in Middletown, Connecticut and received my degree in Art Education from Southern Connecticut State College in New Haven, Connecticut.

I am a member of the Melrose Bay Art Gallery, Melrose, Florida. I have exhibited in area art shows and festivals and have won both awards of merit and excellence. I am a member of the Gainesville Fine Arts Association, Plein Air Florida and the Artist Alliance of North Florida. Contact: www.melrosebayartgallery.com

Catherine C. Martin

Catherine C. Martin paints, displays her work, and teaches painting at the The Red Canvas in Apex, North Carolina. The Red Canvas opened in August 2001, fulfilling a lifelong dream for her that began at an early age. Catherine is an impressionist painter and uses intense color. In viewing her work, you will see that her brush strokes are bold and her choice of color explosive.

Catherine studied art beginning at a young age with private instruction, and continued at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, East Carolina University, Meredith College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and studied with Charles Sovek and Marcia Burtt. She has also taught art with the New Hanover County and Wake County NC Public School systems, Cape Fear Academy in Wilmington, NC and continuing education classes at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh.

Catherine began drawing when she could hold a pencil and painted her first oil at age ten. Over the years, she has changed her medium to acrylics which better suits her style. She paints with a loose, rapid style that truly captures her feelings at the moment the paint strikes her canvas. Her Catherine C. Martin paintings are spontaneous and flooded with bright colors. She is an honest painter who sees the world in her own way but has been greatly influenced by Vincent Van Gogh, the Fauves,and Alfred Chadborne. Plein aire painting is her first love and travels to France, Spain, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Morocco and the U.S. have been her inspiration.

www.catherinecmartin.com

Wendy Bull Oakley

I was born in Winston-Salem, NC in the very last week in the decade of the 1960s. I am the daughter of painter, and come from a large family that consists mostly of musicians, but also writers, and comedians. I have been artistic from a very young age and have taken many art courses including drawing, watercolor, etching, and color theory. In college I studied Sociology for three years before changing my major to Interior Design.

I am inspired by many fine artists, but also designers such as Mies van der Rohe, George Nelson, the Eames Brothers, and Le Corbusier. My paintings are most usually abstract, but vary in medium. I also enjoy creating recycled art by using pieces discarded by others. I have a motto: “There are at least two uses for everything.”

I am a now freelance Interior Designer and artist in Greensboro, NC. I am married and the mother of one young son. Contact: Wendyoakley28@gmail.com

Lori Putnam

Lori Putnam is fortunate to be part of an elite group of world-class artists. Her love of learning and dedication to hard work are at the core of her success. As a member of many respected, professional organizations, including the prestigious Salmagundi Club New York City, she has exhibited in galleries worldwide, and is included in the permanent collection at The Academy Art Museum in Easton, Maryland.

Lori’s most recognized paintings are in oil, although she enjoys working other mediums as well. Her award-winning works, produced both in the studio and en plein air, are a demonstration of intelligent design, confident brushwork, and masterful color. Her subject matter can be anything. “Seemingly ordinary moments and objects become meaningful when you express their beauty.” Lori says every work is like a “time capsule,” stating, “It’s about interpreting a moment, painting from life, capturing the light’s effects, and translating all of that to the canvas for others to experience.”

www.loriputnam.com

Bob Richey

Bob Richey was born in Philadelphia in 1949 and graduated from Penn State University in 1971, earning a B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering. Bob then spent a 25 year engineering career working for the United States Navy. During this period Bob also worked seriously on his childhood passion for creating works of art in his spare time. Bob realized his dream of becoming a full time professional artist in 1996.

Bob's passion for creating art led him first to watercolor before he finally settled on soft pastels as his primary medium. Bob truly enjoys drawing and painting with soft pastels. He usually concentrates on relatively small format landscapes, completed in a single sitting. Bob likes to compare his drawings to a short story, communicating a simple theme, a subtle mood. Working in a modest scale allows the artist to explore many compositions and capture the essence of the moment on paper.  Bob's pastels put a strong emphasis on both composition and color.

 Bob's work has won dozens of awards at both the regional and national level.  Since 1996, well over 2000 of the artist’s pastels have been purchased by collectors.

www.bobricheypastels.com

Libby Smart

Libby Smart was born in Greensboro N.C. and moved to Charlotte after finishing school in 1985. She started her own decorative painting business in 1993 and continued it for twelve successful years before switching to fine art. She began her studies with local artist Andy Braitman and studied under him for six years. She also has taken workshops from several renowned artists around the country. Her unique style of painting can be recognized by her use of brushwork and colorful palette. She has been featured in Charlotte Home Design and Today’s Charlotte Women magazine. She is represented by several galleries in the southeast.

www.libbysmart.com

Joanne Tarlin

Joanne Tarlin is a creative, empathetic and spiritual artist. She transforms the metaphysical into colorful expressionistic and abstract oil paintings.

Joanne began painting as a child in a loving home in Framingham, Massachusetts. In high school, she painted sets, created costumes for school plays and enrolled in many painting classes. She also volunteered for the Special Olympics where she assisted a classmate, Cathy, wheelchair bound by cerebral palsy, get in and out of the swimming pool. Upon graduation, her father who had a great interest in world religions, gave her a copy of The Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda. These creative, humanitarian and spiritual experiences significantly influenced the artist-in-the-making.

After a successful career in graphic communications as a creative director for her own and others’ marketing companies across the United States, Joanne left the corporate world to spend time with her children and create meaningful and high quality art. For a decade now, she has been painting professionally and attributes her success to: her training at The Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design, a division of The New School for Social Research, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree; her experiences with people who daily face tough social and or medical challenges; as well as her inquisitiveness about life, guided by her Jewish education and ongoing studies in philosophy and eastern religions.

Joanne’s studio is in Boston’s SoWA Artists’ district. She is a member of the 120 year old National Association of Women Artists, as well as the SoWA Artists’ Guild. Her works are in corporate and personal collections across the country as well as internationally.

www.joannesgallery.com

Hilary Williams

Hilary Williams is an artist living and working in San Francisco. She creates fine art screen prints and mixed media paintings. Hilary takes inspiration from the urban and natural landscapes. Through collages of photography, drawing, painting, patterning she creates layers of images and meaning forming surreal environments that conjure thoughts on the past, present, and future. She received her BA in Printmaking from California College of the Arts in 2002 and currently shows her work from many galleries in the greater Bay Area, and west coast as well as alternative venues, and art fairs. She also teaches printing classes from Arc Studio's and Gallery in San Francisco.

www.hilaryatthecircus.com