PaintAmerica Top100 Show at the Coutts Museum of Art

The Coutts Museum of Art in El Dorado, Kansas is hosting the 2011 PaintAmerica Top100 and Mini50 exhibit from June 14 through August 13, 2011. The exhibit is helping the museum celebrate the conclusion of a major renovation project to all three floors of the museum. The project added an elevator and stairways to all levels, a new roof, and renovated exhibit spaces on all levels.

The exhibit features the Grand Prize winning painting "Cow Creek at West Fork" by Paul Zegers of Roseburg, OR, and the Mini Grand Prize Winner, Wekiva Springs Sunrise by Florida artist Elaine Hahn.

The Coutts Museum of Art is located in downtown El Dorado, KS, about 20 miles northeast of Wichita, KS.  Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9am to 5pm and Saturday, noon to 4pm.  An artists' reception will be held Saturday, July 9th from 6pm to 9pm. Contact the museum with any questions, 316.321.1212.

Today's Featured Artists: Bonnie Casey and Johne Richardson

Bonnie Casey has established herself as a painter of Southwest landscapes since moving to Arizona in 1984. She paints as she feels it, fluid and rhythmical. Her subjects vary from cowboys to cacti to arroyos.  Her canvasses are filled with light and color and yet her works are straightforward depictions.

Bonnie has won more than 100 awards in juried competitions since moving to the Prescott, Arizona area. She has won four Grambacher medals, two of them, Gold. Bonnie placed two paintings in the 2009 PaintAmerica show. "Canyon DeChelley Magic" (20"x30" $2,150) is an oil that finished in the Top100. "Irma" (10"x14", $800) was a portrait that finished in the Mini Top50. Bonnie's paintings can be found in private and corporate collections in the United States and overseas.

Johne Richardson has been a constant fixture in PaintAmerica shows from the beginning, earning Master Circle status in 2009. He was the 2008 PaintAmerica Top100 Grand Prize Winner with his painting, "Shadow Upon the Land".  He had two paintings in the 2009 PaintAmerica Top100. "Wash Day" (21"x28", $3,000) and "Nary Such a Thing as a Fair Sea" (18.5"x28", $3,000).  Both of these paintings are the fantastic watercolors Johne is known for.  Johne has been painting in watercolors for more than 25 years. Jurors regularly score Johne's work among the highest of all entries in PaintAmerica shows.

Contact PaintAmerica Association for purchase information on these and other PaintAmerica paintings, 816.806.3340.

Ukrainetz Donates Painting to PaintAmerica Collection

We were surprised recently with an amazing donation of a beautiful painting by Montana artist Ron Ukrainetz. The painting is an 18 x 36 clayboard and acrylic entitled "Loons and Lilies, and was included in the 2009 Paint the Parks show, along with another Ukrainetz piece entitled "Drink at Dawn." Says Ron, "I talked it over with my business manager (wife, Echo) and we decided this was something we really wanted to do to express our thanks and appreciation for all PaintAmerica has done for artists.  PaintAmerica has given my work much more exposure, and that's really helped my career and the careers of other artists as well."

We can't adequately express our thanks to Ron and Echo - this is a wonderful donation and a significant addition to the PaintAmerica collection.

New Signature Society Members Added!

PaintAmerica Association recently added nine new Signature Society Members. The PaintAmerica Signature Society(PAA) and Masters Circle (PAA-M) have been created to honor those artists whose work has been recognized for continued excellence in PaintAmerica’s National Competitions. Artists attaining this designation have supported PaintAmerica and its mission, and national juror panels have deemed their work to be worthy of this important distinction. We are featuring 3 more of these Signature Artists today.

Robert L. Hunt, PAA.  Pennsylvania artist Robert L. Hunt is a realist painter working in oil on canva. With a strong sense of color and use of light in his original paintings, he creates striking fine art that features landscapes of the American west, vintage railroading, period pieces of the American Civil War, French and Indian War, and aviation art as well as other subjects. Fine detail, masterful use of light and composition, and historical accuracy are hallmarks of his work. This piece, "Laguna Beach" ($3,200) is a 27x20 oil from the 2009 PaintAmerica Top100 show. Robert was the Johnstown Flood Memorial Purchase Award Winner in the 2007 Paint the Parks show, and his work has been included in several PaintAmerica competitions.

Susiehyer, PAA.  Colorado artist Susiehyer is a full-time, professional oil artist who paints landscape, figure, still life, interiors and more. She works both in the studio and en plein air creating everything from quick field studies to large finished paintings. Living in Evergreen, Colorado, Susiehyer often paints the Colorado landscape. She also likes to challenge herself to take on new subjects and environments. Each year she visits several new locations around the US and has traveled to Europe and the south Pacific to paint and study. This piece, "Mountain View Geraniums" ($975) is a 16x12 oil from the 2009 Paint the Parks show.

Mike Barrett Kolasinski, PAA.  Illinois artist Mike Barrett Kolasinski is a nationally recognized pastelist. He is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America, and one of the board founding Distinguished Members of the Chicago Pastel Painters. Having studied Illustration and Design at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, Mike is largely self-taught, but in a relatively short period, his work has won numerous awards, including the Gold Medal Award at the 2008 Bosque 23rd Annual Art Classic; the Silver Medal Award at the 2009 Bosque 24th Annual Art Classic; placing in the 2008, 2009, and 2010 Paint the Parks 100 Competition; placing in the 2003 Second 100 of the Arts for the Parks Competition; placing in the Top 100 of the 2007, 2008, and 2009 PaintAmerica Competitions; taking First Place in the Pastel Category of the American Artist’s 70th Anniversary Competition; being named a Finalist in the Landscape Category of The Artists’ Magazine Annual Art Competition in 1999 and 2010.  This piece, "Burning Sensation" ($1,200) is a 12x24 pastel from the 2009 PaintAmerica Top100 show.

Preview

2010 Paint the Parks Grand Prize Winners Announced!

The 2010 Paint the Park judging is complete. After a long week of final judging through several hundred submissions, our winners are ready to be announced. The $10,000 Grand Prize Purchase Award in the full-size competition goes to Will Maller of Los Altos, California for his oil painting of Yosemite National Park entitled "Gold Country Sundown". The $5,000 Grand Prize Mini50 Purchase Award goes to Dan Stouffer of Bosque Farms, New Mexico for his watercolor painting of White Sands National Monument entitled "Rolling Dunes" For a complete list of all winners, including the Second100 and the SecondMini50, click here. We will post the images of the Jurors awards and Regional Awards shortly.

We want to extend our tremendous appreciation to jurors Karen Vance and Yeqiang Wang who worked long and hard to score every entry in the final judging. They worked several days and late into the night to finish scoring. They took great care to be fair, thoughtful and thorough with every piece. They were professional, and consistent throughout the long process.

As always, some very high quality work just didn't make it into the final show. The amazing talent and work submitted is unbelievable, and we wish there were enough spots in the final grouping to include those that were so close to being in the final 100 or second 100. Thanks to all of the artists who submitted this year!

Nine New Signature Society Members Added!

PaintAmerica Association added nine new Signature Society Members earlier this year. The PaintAmerica Signature Society(PAA) and Masters Circle (PAA-M) have been created to honor those artists whose work has been recognized for continued excellence in PaintAmerica’s National Competitions. Artists attaining this designation have supported PaintAmerica and its mission, and national juror panels have deemed their work to be worthy of this important distinction. We will feature 3 of these Signature Artists each day for the next 3 days.

Lana Carter, PAA. California artist Lana Carter has appeared frequently in PaintAmerica exhibitions over the past few years. This piece, "MetLife Tower" (acrylic, $1,000) was juried into the 2008 PaintAmerica Mini Top50. New York city architecture is a frequent subject of Carter's paintings.

Judith Corning, PAA. Since 1999, her work has been exhibited each year in National Park exhibitions, first with Arts for the Parks, and now with Paint the Parks. She spends most of her time in the studio doing oil painting of landscapes inspired by beautiful places she has spent time in. This piece, "Kehoe Cliffs Looking South, Sunset" (18"x32" oil, $2,025) was juried into the 2008 Paint the Parks show.

Mel Grunau, PAA.  Mel's palette is infused with subdued colors. He paints realistic as well as abstract images. When portraying realistic images, he works to convey not only the image itself but also the subtleties of light, sound and smell surrounding the image. The colors he chooses are often soft shades of gray, blue and green. This piece, "Rock Ledges", (31.75" x 13" oil, $1,995) was the Region I Winner of the 2009 Paint the Parks100 show.

These works and others by these Signature artists are available at www.paintamerica.org, or by calling us at 816.806.3340.

Today's Featured Artists: Lana Carter, PAA and Ron Sanders, PAA

California artist Lana Carter has appeared frequently in PaintAmerica exhibitions over the past few years. This piece, "Late Winter, New York" (acrylic, $900) was juried into the 2009 PaintAmerica Mini Top50. Lana has recently been named a PaintAmerica Signature Society artist. New York city architecture is a frequent subject of Carter's paintings.

Florida artist Ron Sanders is a Signature Member of the Paint America Association and an Associate Member of the Oil Painters of America. "Fishing Off the Rocks (24" x 30" oil, $2,800) was juried into the 2009 PaintAmerica Top100.  His work is found in private and public collections throughout the United States, including the Indiana State Museum Collection. He is author of the book "Color Mixing/Color Matching: How to mix clean bright colors and beautiful neutrals." Experienced in oil, watercolor, and acrylic, Ron has also worked as a commercial illustrator represented by agents in New York and Chicago. 

Both of these paintings are available for purchase through PaintAmerica Association, 816.806.3340.
 

Today's Featured Artist: Sharon K. Schaefer

Nevada artist Sharon K. Schaefer has a varied background ranging from painter and photographer, to wildlife biologist and river guide. As a full-time artist, she combines two loves - nature and art.
Her excellence as a wildlife painter has been recognized by both the international Society of Animal Artists and Artists for Conservation. Her wildlife paintings are sought after by collectors and displayed in museums across the country. She placed an amazing four paintings in the 2009 PaintAmerica Top100, as well as a painting in the Mini50. These included: "Eyes of Warning: Red Tail Hawk in Ponderosa Pine"(19x24 gouache, $5,500); "On the Front Porch" (11x22 gouache, $2,900); "Golden Moment" (21x30 gouache, $6,500); "Raven's Cry" (10x19 acrylic, $2,280). Her mini award winner was "Spring Promise: Gambel's Quail and Beavertail Cactus" (8x8.5 gouache, $850).

Using her skills as both an artist and biologist, she has developed natural-resource-related educational exhibits and images for many organizations including the U.S. National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.  Her sense of adventure and unflagging curiosity about the natural world has led her to every continent and to the very ends of the earth, where she has worked extensively as an artist, photographer, and videographer in the Arctic, Antarctic, and the Sub-Antarctic Island.

Purchase any of the above paintings through PaintAmerica Association by calling 816.806.3340.

Featured Artists: Phil Starke and Beverly Carrick

Known for his strong use of light and color, Phil Starke has gained attention among galleries, museums, and invitational exhibitions.    Now being collected on an international level, Phil continually strives for the excellence his collectors have become accustomed to.  His formal studies covered seven years, attending the Art Institute of Chicago and the American Academy of Art, in Chicago, where he received his degree in 1981.  Traveling several times a year to paint has allowed Phil to grow and mature as an artist.  From early on his interest took him to many parts of the West and Southwest, where he soon grew to love the culture and the landscape.  "The goal is to paint so the viewer can appreciate the beauty of the scene and "see" it through the artist's eyes," says Starke.  "If I've done my job right, anyone looking at my work will be able to feel the emotion and mood of the moment and will want to spend some time with the piece -- taking in all the things I had to say." His first appearance in a PaintAmerica show is this wonderful oil painting, "Sycamores and Snow" (20" x 24", $4,500).


Beverly Carrick is an artist with a unique sense of color and light. Whether a desert landscape, or a vibrant seascape, Carrick's eye for color, and wonderful mastery of light and reflection, touch your senses and emotions. A native Californian, Carrick was well on her way to becoming an outstanding ballerina when she lost her leg to bone cancer at the early age of twelve. She turned to art as therapy, and soon discovered her talent for oil painting. Her fame as a painter of Southern California seascapes characterized by rolling waves, frosted surf, distant hills, and rugged rocks, soon spread. Today her work encompasses a wide range of vistas and themes. A founding Signature member of the American Academy of Women Artists, her work can be seen in established galleries throughout the West and Southwest and in many celebrity collections. This painting, "Dreamy Shore" (16" x 20", $2,400) was juried into the 2009 PaintAmerica Top100.

These and all  other paintings by many of the most notable artists in the country are available for viewing and purchase at www.paintamerica.org  PaintAmerica is a non-profit organization to support the visual arts and artists.

Featured Artists: Mark Stewart and Pat Devane Burns

People often see the style of master watercolor artists like Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth in Mark Stewart's original watercolor paintings of landscape, portrait, and still life subjects. The unique character and stunning subjects of Mark's watercolor paintings have caught the eye of collectors since 1980. This painting, "Wilderness Ridge" (14" x 21", $3,500) was juried into the 2009 PaintAmerica Top100.  Mark has had many One Man Exhibitions and is currently represented by MorrisWhitesideTrailside Gallery in Jackson, Wyoming, and Riverbend Fine Art in Marble Falls, Texas, Whistle Pik Gallery in Fredericksburg, Texas, and Morton Street Gallery in Richmond, Texas. He has been featured in Southwest Art, American Artist, and Art Talk Magazine. Along with commercial exhibitions, Mark's paintings have been shown at the Museum of the Art of the American West, the University Center Galleries at Texas A&M, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Tucson Museum of Art, Albuquerque Museum of Art and the Autry Museum of Western Heritage.  Galleries of Hilton Head, S.C.;

Pat Devane Burns recent paintings are influenced by what she calls ‘slice of life’ venues. She says "Perhaps it simply took a lot of living to really notice the nuances of living. Not grandiose, not glorified… simple, honest. Not dark, not negative… sometimes tongue-in-cheek, always upward. And juxtapositions... organic shapes against strong geometrics, saturated color against muted neutrals, bright light against strong shadows. There is beauty in the everyday. Our ability to see it and share it forms a human connection that is, at once, timely and ageless."This work, titled "Tethered" (20" x 20" acrylic, $1,200) captures the nuances of a construction site.  Pat attended Governors' Honors at Wesleyan College, entered Berry College on a full-tuition art scholarship and has studied since then under Art Werger, Scott Duce and Marlin Adams. Currently her work can be seen in Georgia at Art on the Avenue and Macon Arts in Macon, Glynn Art Gallery on St. Simons Island and Monroe County Arts in Forsyth. She is also represented in Scottsdale, AZ at Xanadu Gallery.

Both of these paintings may purchased through PaintAmerica at 816.806.3340.