Ava Ghayoumi

avaghayoumi.com

"To me painting is a kind of visual poetry like a song frozen in time. With each stroke I try to recreate the feelings and emotions that connect us all together through this human experience."

Janet Rogers

watercolorsbyrogers.com

Janet Rogers has been a working professional artist for overt 40 years, and has achieved Signature Status in The American Watercolor Society, The Transparent Watercolor Society, The Florida Watercolor Society, South Carolina Watercolor Society and others. She has garnered many awards over the years for her sensitive paintings of people which are spontaneous, direct, and expressive. Janet shares easily with others her passion and joy for the fluid and unexpected nature of watercolor. Workshops and demonstrations are part of her busy schedule - featuring impressions of people and flowers - across the United States, Canada, and in Europe. Four instructional and inspiring DVDs - “Expressive Watercolor Florals”, “Expressive Watercolor Portraits”, “Watercolor Rhythms with Figures”, and “Expressing the Bouquet in Watercolor” are also available. Janet also has been featured in watercolor painting videos on You Tube., as well as a delightful new Interview on YouTube.

"I love the qualities of watercolor – its fluid nature. To me, the interaction of artist with the medium is like a dance – full of motion, feeling and expression. I love to watch the painting develop and to discover new color and composition. As a teacher, I would like to enable students to find their connections with watercolor in new and expressive ways."

JL Schwartz

jlschwartzart.com

JL Schwartz is an internationally awarded artist whose works have appeared in a number of publications including Artists Magazine. Her love of art began in preschool when her mother signed her up for classes at the Tampa Museum of Art. Although she has had other careers, that love of art has never faded and she continues to develop her artwork via formal training and experimentation. Her work is comprised of different layers and techniques in order to develop art that stimulates thought and feeling and people want to continually explore.

Karen Knutson

karenknutson.com

Karen Knutson is known for her ability to teach good design and help students loosen up. She thoroughly loves teaching watercolor, collage, and acrylic workshops nationwide. Her workshops are filled with techniques to make painting fun and easy. She believes that painting should be fun, but also teaches a strong sense of composition. Karen has earned signature membership in the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, Transparent Watercolor Society of America, San Diego Watercolor Society, Northwest Watercolor Society, Missouri Watercolor Society, Red River Watercolor Society, Minnesota Watercolor Society, Montana Watercolor Society, Northern Plains Watercolor Society, and Northstar Watercolor Society. She has won many awards, both locally and nationally. Her paintings are featured in Splash 6, Watercolor, Fun and Free, and Searching for the Artist Within , Watercolor- The Spirit of Spontaneity, Watercolor without Boundaries, The Artistic Touch 4, Watercolor, Making your Mark, and the magazine, Watercolor Magic (Aug.’04). She was featured in Watercolor Artist magazine as “Ones to Watch” in the December 2016 issue. Karen has 2 videos, produced by Creative Catalyst, that were recently released. Her website is www.karenknutson.com and www.karenknutson.blogspot.com is her blog.

Kris Parin

krisparins.com

Delight in nature was instilled in Kris in her childhood, spent at the edge of a lake in northern Wisconsin. That same small lake now provides the view and inspiration from the windows of her summer studio. She spends winters painting in Sarasota. Kris Parins' award-winning paintings and articles have been featured in Watercolor Artist, International Artist, and American Artist Watercolor magazines, as well as several editions of Splash, the Best of Watercolor. Her work is regularly included in international competitions including Birds in Art and the invitational FabrianoinAcquarello. After earning an art degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison she studied graphic design. As an art director and account executive, she enjoyed creating watercolor illustrations for her clients' product graphics. Since 1999, Kris has devoted her creative energy toward fine art. Watercolor’s transparency and vibrancy, combined with an element of surprise, continue to keep her interested in this challenging medium. Frequent travels provide fresh input and continue to inform her way of interpreting the world around her.

Robin Lee Makowski

rlmartist.com

Chicago native, Robin Lee Makowski, was ten years old before she realized not everyone saw the world the way she did. What appeared to be daydreaming to some people was actually an intense study of line and tone, light and shadow, by a young, budding artist. She could draw well by the time she was four, but it was not until into her teens that she became passionate about the natural gifts inherited from her father and her maternal grandfather, both artists. Robin focuses on nature for her subjects in her award-winning work, but is inspired by anything “with the right light and lots of color.” Working exclusively from her own original concepts, she captures nuance and personality in all of her work. The viewer realizes that the subject is something the artist knows well and loves, by the handling of the media, the composition, detail, and the play of light and color in the image. Robin’s subjects range from her first love, fauna, to the collection of native plants in her own garden, to her creative still life set-ups, to figure studies and portraiture. Her current series, Happy Hour, is a “spirited celebration of our cocktail culture.” Illustration and writing have been means of creative expression for this artist, as well. Not only has Robin illustrated more than thirty published children’s books, but she also authored half of them. Her illustrations have appeared in publications such as National Geographic Magazine, The Cousteau Society’s Dolphin Log, Surfer, and New Yorker Magazines. She has worked as the illustrator for the Wild Dolphin Project in Jupiter, Florida, and has original artwork on permanent display in San Pedro, CA, at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s whale exhibit. Robin was a volunteer at the Aquarium for sixteen years before moving to Florida, working with the Whale Watch program there in conjunction with the LA School System, and even teaching the Whale Watch class at UCLA for twelve years. Robin holds signature status with the National Watercolor Society (NWS), Florida Watercolor Society (FWS), the New Mexico Watercolor Society (NMWS), and the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies (WFWS).

Sandi Hanlon-Breuer

sandihanlon-breuer.com

Sandi Hanlon-Breuer is inspired by the natural world and places discovered through travel. Both compel her to try to capture with watercolor the wonder and inspiration of a moment in time. Rather than attempting a literal portrayal, she paints the energy and emotion that first drew her to the subject. She believes transparent watercolor displays a special luminosity that is unique among painting mediums

Sandi Hanlon-Breuer spent her childhood enjoying the beaches on the “Treasure Coast” of Florida and her summers exploring the beautiful countryside of southern Virginia, beginning a life long love of water and nature. After completing a Bachelor of Art in Art at the University of South Florida, she continued her enjoyment of the ocean by working on board the cruise ships of the Oslo, Norway based Royal Viking Cruise Lines for the better part of ten years. Lay-overs in port cities provided the opportunity to visit art museums around the world. The art in museums such as the Uffizi, Musee D’Orsay, Metropolitan Museum of Art and The National Gallery of Victoria continued to stimulate her interest in art. Her fascination for the workings of nature and her curiosity about the bodies of water led her to graduate work at the University of Florida and a career in limnology (fresh water science). Her watercolor paintings continue to reflect her love of the natural world. Most of her artwork is representational and emphasizes both dynamic color and the interplay of light and shadow. She also often stresses patterns and movement in her composition and design. She believes that transparent watercolor displays a special luminosity that cannot be duplicated by other mediums. Sandi Hanlon-Breuer works primarily in transparent watercolor. She has been a full time professional artist for seven years. Her watercolors are included in private collections in the United States, Canada and Europe. She has been recognized with awards in state, national and international exhibitions. She has signature status in American Watercolor Society (AWS), Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, Florida Watercolor Society (FWS) and Watercolor West (WW). Recent venues for her work include juried group exhibitions at The Crary Art Gallery in Warren, Pennsylvania; The Mennello Museum of American Art, Orlando, Florida; The City of Brea Art Gallery, Brea, California; The Wichita Center for the Arts, Wichita, Kansas; The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, Tarpon Springs, Florida, The Cornell Museum of Art and American Culture, Delray Beach, Florida; The A. E. Backus Museum, Fort Pierce, Florida; The Salmagundi Club, New York, NY; The Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen, China; Fallbrook Art Center/Signature American Watermedia Exhibition, Fallbrook, California and The National Watercolor Society Gallery, San Pedro, California.

Steve Rogers

watercolorsbyrogers.com

Steve Rogers is a signature member of the Florida Watercolors Society, American Watercolor Society, and National Watercolor Society. His work has been featured in American Artist Watercolor Magazine, Watercolor Artist, The Art of Watercolor, International Artist, and numerous other books and publications. His paintings have won hundreds of awards in juried competitions, which earned him many Best in Show and First Place recognitions.

"My purpose, as a REPRESENTATIONAL ARTIST is to portray the beauty of light and color in God's world as I experience it within my heart."

Sue Downes Allen

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Sue Downes Allen’s work is founded in traditional watercolor, but in recent years she has explored the boundaries of all water media and its alluring spontaneity. The result of this experimental approach is often abstract and uniquely original. Sue received her BFA at University of Utah in 1980 and has been painting and teaching the nature of water media ever since. She is a consistent award winner and was proud to be awarded signature status in the National Watercolor Society in 2011. In 2013, Sue had a painting included in the American Watercolor Society 146th International Exhibition. She achieved signature status in Southern Watercolor Society this year. She was featured in Watercolor Magic Magazine, December 2005. Sue Downes Allen is a signature member and past President of Florida Watercolor Society, a member and past President of Brandon League of Fine Arts and she served as a professional advisor to the Hillsborough County Florida Art For Public Places committee. She has lived and exhibited her work in Europe and many states including Alaska and now lives and works in Lithia, Florida, near Tampa.

Susan Hanssen

susanhanssen.com

"My work is generally figurative. The paintings are narrative, often using a metaphor that creates a "story" with several explanations. The images are sometimes haunting, unexpected and whimsical. Frequently, I hear my paintings described as quirky; a comment I interpret as a successful painting."