PaintAmerica Featured Artists: Doug Bloodworth and Timothy Tepe

Florida artist Doug Bloodworth's art is heavily influenced by his rural upbringing, Sunday funnies, Saturday morning cartoons, B.B. guns, cowboys and Indians, dinosaurs and a little warping at a young age from Mad Magazine.  His work bounces back and forth from Western to Pop art. His painting from the PaintAmerica Top100 is titled "Road Trip" ($7,500) and is a 36'x48" oil painting. The components shown in the painting are pieces and memories from a painting trip out west ... the mints were from a Walgreens in Vegas...the matches were from lunch at the Big Texan in Amarillo. He stopped and saw his dad in Texas, who found this map from some of his travels in the Airforce, showing most of the old route 66 still in use.

Ohio artist Tim Tepe has worked as a commercial artist since 1975, a graduate of the Art Academy of Cincinnati, and a BFA from Edgecliff College. The design skills he honed through many years as a commercial artist show through in his fine art work. Tim's work, "The Street Musician" ($1,200) was chosen by jurors for the 2009 PaintAmerica Top100. It is a 23"x18" pastel. Tim's work has received numerous awards and recognition including selection as part of a permanent exhibit in the Smithsonian Museum. His works are part of collections of the Ohio State House in Columbus and Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, as well as many private collections.

For more information on any of these paintings, please contact PaintAmerica Association at 816.806.3340

Tuesday Featured Artists: R. Geoffrey Blackburn and Cecy Turner

R. Geoffrey Blackburn of Salt Lake City has made his second appearance in a PaintAmerica show with his Mini Top50 oil painting "Spires of Zion" ($6,750). Blackburn has always been fascinated by the incredible diversity and often unearthly beauty of western landscapes.  He often paints Moab, Canyonlands and Arches (in Utah). He spent more than a decade prospecting, staking mine claims, and exploring in Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming and Idaho. "I try to paint a scene the way you remember it as opposed to the way it really is. I want the viewer to be able to go into the scene and explore the various space to feel like he or she is actually there. I tend to paint "thin"– that is to say I use very little paint, layering thin transparent colors on top of each other to achieve the effect I am seeking.  This approach lets the viewer look into the paint."

A native of Dallas, Cecy Turner is also appearing for the second time in a PaintAmerica show. Her Top100 piece, "Morning Haze on Trail Ridge" ($1,600) is a 15"x30" oil painting of Rocky Mountain National Park. Cecy has been a popular lecturer, teacher, juror and demonstrator since 1976. Versatile in both watercolor and oils, she has designed cards and calendars for numerous national greeting card companies. She is a Signature Member of the National Watercolor Society, Southwestern Watercolor Society, Women Artists of the West, Outdoor Painters Society, Plein Air Artists Colorado, and Associated Creative Artists.  Cecy's work has appeared in American Artist Magazine, Watercolor Magic Magazine, North Light Magazine, Southwest Art Magazine, Art of the West and the book, The Best of Flower Painting. During the past several years she has numerous national and regional awards of Excellence. She has been designated as a "Fellow" in the Salmagundi Club.  She was chosen by Southwest Art Magazine as an "Artist to Watch" in their July, 2006, issue.

To purchase these, or other works, go to www.paintamerica.org or contact us at 816.806.3340

Today's Featured Artists: Sandy Bennett and Kathryn Mapes-Turner

Sandy Bennett resides in El Dorado, Arkansas. Her artwork has been juried into several national competitions and has earned a number of awards. Her work hangs in many private and corporate settings. This 12" x11" watercolor, "Afternoon Delight" ($550) demonstrates her primary love of watercolor.  It was juried into the 2009 PaintAmerica Mini Top50. She also enjoys a plein air oil painting group. She loves the travel and outdoor painting, and experimenting with different techniques and mediums. She is a Signature member of the Texas Watercolor Society, Mid-Southern Watercolorists, Arkansas Pastel Society and Outdoor Painters Society.

Wyoming artist Kathryn Mapes Turner was born as the fourth generation to be raised on the Triangle X Ranch in Grand Teton National Park. She grew up riding the trails of the valley, learning wilderness lore and gaining an eye for the landscape amid some of the most spectacular scenery on earth. She left Wyoming to attend the University of Notre Dame, majoring in Studio Arts. She spent an influential semester in Rome, Italy and then studied at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington D.C. and now has a master's degree from the University of Virginia. Kathryn has been awarded such honors as Wyoming Best Watercolor Artist and was included in SouthwestArt Magazine's "Annual Profile of Young Artists with Promising Careers." Her 8"x10" oil painting, "Jefferson Memorial" ($5,000) was chosen by jurors for inclusion in the 2009 PaintAmerica Mini Top50. It was also the winner of the Airfloat Systems Award. She now travels all over the world to paint. In addition, Turner also co-owns and operates Trio Fine Art Gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Featured Artists: Dix Baines and Ron Ukrainetz

Says Colorado artist Dix Baines: "I am drawn to the things which speak to the senses; the light and atmosphere of landscapes, the impressions of a moment or place, and the spirit or nature of people." Dix's painting from the Top100, "Mouth of Two Rivers" ($4,900) certainly does a good job of capturing the landscape. It's a 16"x38" oil, and his first piece in a PaintAmerica show. Dix paints often on location, and believes that painting directly from the subject when possible is essential to capturing the impression of what he sees. His work has been noted in dozens of national and international shows, and his art has been commissioned for many corporate and private collections.

Montana artist Ron Ukrainetz has now appeared in three PaintAmerica shows over the past few years.. It is a unique clayboard and acrylic technique. Ron engraves the clayboard, then glazes the work with acrylics, a very slow and painstaking process. Ron also works in oil, both en plein air and in the studio. His historic oils of the Lewis and Clark era are rapidly gaining acclaim, and he is in demand for his historic knowledge on that great epic. Ron His piece, "Party Line - Swallows" ($1,500) was juried into the 2009 PaintAmerica Top100 believes painting or sketching on location is one of the best opportunities artists have at their disposal. This also provides each piece to have it's own story told by weather, encounters with wildlife, or people.

These works and others are available at www.paintamerica.org, or by contacting PaintAmerica at 816.806.3340

Featured artists: Del-Bourree Bach and Eva Van Rijn

Inspired by the beauty of nature in calm and peaceful places,  Connecticut artist Del-Bourree Bach, PAA-M finds this essential inspiration in the sea and the life in and around it. He finds beauty, not only in the pristine and the obvious, but also in the rumpled clothes and dirty boots of working fisherman, as well as the peeling paint on their boats. His paintings capture the essence of where he's been and what he's observed. Special care in design and composition are the hallmarks of a Bach painting.  Del-Bourree's paintings have won more than 100 awards in worldwide competitions and he's a member of the American Society of Marine Artists, the Society of Animal Artists, the National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic and the Salmagundi Club in New York City. As a PaintAmerica Master Circle artist, Del's paintings have appeared frequently in PaintAmerica shows. This year, his 20"x30' acrylic "A Day at the Seaport" ($12,000) and a mini, "Summer Glory" ($3,000) were juried into the Top100.

New York artist Eva Van Rijn, PAA, is a Signature Society member of PaintAmerica. Born in Holland she emigrated to the United States with her parents during World War II. She attended the Academia de Belle Arte in Florence, Italy. The family spent summers exploring the western United States, and this became the inspiration for much of her western landscape artwork. Many trips to the Grand Canyon and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison are reflected in her landscapes. She continues to travel to some of the world’s last unspoiled places, where photography and quick Plein Air paintings provide the sources for landscape and wildlife paintings done in the studio.  Eva's 24"x30" oil painting, "Canyonlands Sphynx" ($5,000) was chosen For the Top100 show.

For purchase information, contact PaintAmerica at 816.806.3340.

Featured artists: Lyn Asselta and Laurie Warren

Florida pastel artist Lyn Asselta made her first appearance in the PaintAmerica Top100 this past year. Having had the good fortune to live in places that offered up amazing scenery, from the marshes and inland waterways of Florida to the rock-bound coast of Maine, Lyn's paintings tend to focus on  the coastal landscape.  Never far from the ocean, pastel as a medium, allows Lyn to capture the essence of places that still possess a wild, natural beauty.   In 2009, Lyn had the honor of being an Artist in Residence for the National Park Service at Acadia National Park in Maine. Her winning 14" x 20" painting, "Blue Sky at Bass Harbor" ($850) is an example of the vibrant, expressive, and exuberant pastel work she is known for.

West Virginia artist Laurie Warren's artwork has been exhibited in national and international shows. She is a signature member of several Watercolor Societies. In 2008, Laurie was chosen as one of the top 100 artists in the Paint the Parks100 Competition. She has studied under various nationally-known artists, and each year she travels to workshops in different states to pick up local influences to include in her work. Continual learning has been an important part of developing her special style. Laurie and her husband also raise American Paint Horses. In the 2009 PaintAmerica Top100, jurors chose Laurie's 22"x30" watercolor painting "Welcome to Helena" ($3,000) to be in this national traveling show.

Both of these wonderful paintings are available from PaintAmerica Association, 816.806.3340.

Featured Artists: Jerry Antolik and Barbara Waterman-Peters

In the early 70's Jerry Antolik moved to Colorado and eventually to Wyoming to experience all the West had to offer. His paintings convey his love of the west, blending his illustration background, his experiences as a sheepherder, the camaraderie of ranch life, and the excitement of exploring the vast wilderness of the magnificent Rocky Mountains. Antolik’s paintings have been accepted into juried shows throughout the United States winning many prestigious awards, including the PaintAmerica Top100. "Fishing Buddies" ($2,100), a 14"x18" oil was juried into the Top100. It depicts native wildlife along a river in the Grand Tetons.

Kansas artist and writer Barbara Waterman-Peters received her BFA from Washburn University, her MFA from Kansas State University, and has taught at both institutions.  Her award-winning work has been shown internationally, is in museum, corporate, and private collections, and is represented by multiple galleries. Waterman-Peters is a founding member of the Collective Art Gallery in Topeka, an artists’ cooperative, active for more than 20 years.  "The High Road" ($350) is a beautifully painted 8"x12" oil painting, juried into the Mini Top50. The forked roads pictured are a metaphor for "choices."

Both of these pieces may purchased through PaintAmerica by contacting us at 816.806.3340.

JaNeil Anderson and Don Weller works from the 2009 PaintAmerica Top100

New Mexico artist JaNeil Anderson had a Top100 and a Mini Top50 piece in the 2009 PaintAmerica Top100. One of the top Western figurative artists, JaNeil's paintings typically depict Native Americans, cowboys and their families in portraits that are both intimate and telling. JaNeil's work shows the American frontier in small segments, with personal emphasis. Shown here are "Quality Time" ($2,900) a 20" x 20" oil; and her mini painting, "Crawdads" ($1,200) a 9" x 12" oil.

After decades as an illustrator of magazine covers and posters for a wide variety of national clients, Don Weller is now well-known for painting what he knows - cowboys, horses, cows, ranch life and western scenes. From his studio in Oakley, Utah, Don has become a premiere western watercolor artist. He had two paintings juried into the Mini Top50.  "Checkers" ($1,150) is an 8"x13" watercolor of a cowboy on a paint horse. "All Around the Watertank" ($1,500) is a 12" x 14.5" watercolor.

Contact PaintAmerica at 816.806.3340 to purchase, or for more information.

Paint the Parks Exhibition at Indiana Welcome Center

This past week, we delivered the 2009 Paint the Parks exhibition to the Indiana Welcome Center, outside Chicago in Hammond, Indiana. This is the second year the show has been at Hammond, which is very near the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The 6500 sq. ft. W.F. Wellman Exhibit Hall is a wonderful,  contemporary exhibit space, with architecture fashioned after the rolling waves of Lake Michigan. The exhibit includes the full-size paintings from the 2009 Paint the Parks exhibition of works depicting our National Parks. It opens March 17th and runs through April.  The Indiana Welcome Center is located at 7770 Corinne Drive in Hammond, Indiana, near the interchange of I-80 and Kennedy Ave.  PaintAmerica thanks Katie Holderby and the staff of the Indiana Welcome Center for hosting this year's show.