Watercolor

My love of creating has endured from pencil sketches, stained glass windows, sewing, sculpting the earth with a bulldozer, ceramics, building construction, welding, competitive photography, and painting in watercolor and oils.

Art and Nature have been twin passions for me since I was quite small.Many years have passed, and I'm still fascinated by what Mother Nature has created. Living in the wooded hills of West, Central Michigan, near the Manistee National Forest, gives me an every day opportunity to study and learn from her.

Cindy Agan is a self-taught and internationally published watercolor, portrait artist, author and teacher. She prefers realism in all mediums, which include pastel, watercolor and most recently fluid acrylics. She is the author of the instructional book and art video titled Painting Watercolors that Sparkle with Life. An excerpt of her video has been included in the video titled 10 Top Painting Tips with nine other artists from around the world. Her paintings depicting children have been best described as “in a spirit evocative of Norman Rockwell.”

Patty Schwarz takes inspiration from her garden and love of flowers and their strong vivid colors come through in her transparent watercolors and gicleés, resulting in beautiful abstracts, Italian Villas, landscapes, seascapes, still life, and water scenes.

I prefer working on site or "plein air", from the French phrase "en pleine air" meaning in fresh air. The outdoor experience is sometimes frustrating
because of wind, insects, interruptions from other people, the constantly changing light etc. The rewards outweigh these inconveniences. While you are working all your senses are heightened. You can hear the songs of the birds, hum of insects, music of the trickling stream. You smell the delicious scents of new mown hay, flowers and herbs, pine trees or the salty air of the ocean. You have a constantly moving panorama of clouds, shadow shapes, other people going about their work and you notice minute details of rocks, flora and fauna.

I am a self taught artist who loves to paint, and, if you can learn from loving it, that's what I did. I am now living in Northeast Oklahoma, but I was brought up in Northern Wisconsin. My favorite things to paint are snow scenes and trees. I really like to see a beginner paint one of my designs in their style even though they don't even know they have a style.

Teddy Haas began painting in 1997 in oils and she decided to switch to watercolor about three years ago. Art has been a lifelong love for her, but as a teacher, then a busy mother of 9, and a grandmother of 21, there was never much time to pursue her interest. She is a self-taught artist. She would read anything she could find and did a lot of experimenting before she knew that there were some rules, which made things a little easier. This method has worked very well for her and has allowed her to grow and in turn has taught her a great deal about this exciting medium.

Over the years, my art interests have been diversified. As a child, I always drew people and faces. In the evolution of my art world the work transitioned from those early attempts to landscape, to fantasy, to abstract, then still life and florals and back to an abstracted view. Inspiration comes from dreams, my mind's eye and travel. The quest for challenge keeps my imagination seeking new solutions. Being a professional artist is sometimes frustrating, but it is always eventually satisfying and really is an exciting profession.

Judy Webber was an art teacher and free lance artist for over thirty years. She now paints full time and creates web & educational design specializing in the arts.

Jo has expressed her creativity in many fields throughout her life including the creation of unique handcrafted pottery, artistic and natural floral arrangements, and exquisite quilts. Currently, she teaches T'ai Chi Chih®, Joy through Movement.