2025 Artists

Pietro Accardi is native to the northwestern Italian city of Turin where his father Gaetano Accardi operated "Tipografia Accardi," In 1950s Italy, it was a state of the art printing press. From a young age he assisted his father in the the bustling press. He later immersed himself in the more ancient traditions of paper marbling, restoration and bookbinding.Pietro went on to establish "La Legatoria del Sole," his own bookbindery in Turin for 12 years. He worked for Turin's Municipal Archives, main public library, and University libraries restoring and binding books. He also ran his own paper marbling and decorative box making business within the bindery. In 2006, he met Vanessa, an exchange student who "imported" him to America. He was well received as an instructor at the San Francisco Center for the Book. He currently resides in Gardnerville, Nevada with his wife and devoted assistant Vanessa and their numerous felines.

https://www.accardibookarts.com/

Ann Allen - Ceramics, Studio 8 - will not be present during tour

Ann’s travels to India and Asia introduced her to the beauty and peace of Mandala Artdesigns. She began painting Mandala art and found it very relaxing and meditative.Ann believes it’s all about finding peace in the symmetry of the design.The circulardesign symbolizes the idea that life is never ending and everything is connected.Anncreates Mandala art designs on ceramic, canvas and wood as functional artwork.Ann hopes you will enjoy her Mandala designs as much as she enjoys painting them.

Leah Andrews - Oils Landscape Realism - Studio 10

Leah’s paintings are akin to listening to a storyteller weave tales that transport listeners to distant lands. Each brushstroke serves as a narrative thread, inviting the viewer onto a journey. Much like a skilled storyteller captures attention with vivid descriptions, her paintings evoke scenes that beckon the mind to wander and explore. Viewers of her paintings find themselves drawn into the atmospheric landscapes and intimate scenes depicted on canvas, guided through a journey of emotions and memories.

“In my work, I strive to evoke not just visual beauty, but a sense of narrative depth. Each painting is a chapter waiting to be explored, inviting the viewer to become an active participant in the story. Whether it's a serene countryside bathed in the glow of twilight or the magnificent power of a raging river, my aim is to capture moments that resonate with human experience.

Just as a storyteller's tale lingers in the mind long after it's been told, I hope that my paintings leave a lasting impression—a visual narrative where each viewer can find their own story to inhabit and cherish.”

Leah is a native to the art loving Pacific Northwest where she gets her experience and inspiration. Now she is inspired by parks and hiking with her husband. She has had her work exhibited locally in Nevada and California.

www.ShopLeahAndrews.com

Pam Brekas - Jewelry: Titanium mesh, bullet, coin, glace & some mixed media art - Studio 4

Art in its many forms offer enjoyment, creativity, diversion, and an outlet for the expressive voice inside. Pam might say it this way, “Let the fun begin!”

Since retiring from teaching high school art in California, Pam Brekas has thrown herself into art. She built a studio into her house in Gardnerville, NV where she creatively attacks life and art. Her abstract style is quite different, has won over 250, and aided her to get both a Sierra Arts Foundation 2007 Fellowship and two Nevada Arts Council jackpot grants. She shows her work in local galleries and shows, and has had numerous solo shows including the Northern Nevada Museum, Metro Gallery and Sierra Arts Foundation in Reno. She teaches abstract acrylic workshops at in her studio. She works unconventionally with kitchen spatulas, linoleum rollers, glazes, fluid acrylics and colored pencils creating her unique art pieces. She designs and makes domino necklaces distributed through Artists in Cellophane machines across the United States. Her one-of-a-kind bullet jewelry is unusual and the titanium earrings are lightweight and comfortable to wear.

Active in Nevada and California art leagues, Pam supports and encourages the arts wherever possible. She participated in South Lake Tahoe’s CeleBEARtion in 2005, painting a full size fiberglass bear with motorcycle gear, leathers, and patches. Bad Bear lives in the Tahoe Keys. Another painted bear greets visitors at Carson City Harley Davidson dealership. Several of her painted chairs helped the Reno Crisis Call Center raise funds during its Chair-ity auction, and another chair for the Silco Historic Theater in Silver City, NM. She has painted a hub cap for the Landfill Art Project. She completed a Run Salmon Run project for Lake Tahoe.

http://www.pambrekas.com/

Lisa & Jim Daggett - Custom Jewelry - Sterling Silver & Gemstones - Studio 1

Jim and I launched Southwest Designs in 2008. Our goal was to design and create bold, eye-catching, yet approachable designs showcasing Sterling Silver and an extensive array of semi-precious stones. Each piece of our Jewelry would be one-of-a-kind, ensuring our Customers received Jewelry that was uniquely their own.

We are now in our 18th year of business, and Southwest Designs remains a focal point in our lives. In our work, we use the highest quality materials and adhere to meticulous design techniques. We continually push the envelope to create distinctive and original designs that stand the test of time. We create Jewelry that is easy to love, easy to wear. Jewelry that stands out in a crowd.

Over the years, we’ve travelled with our Jewelry to Art Shows across the country, including notable venues in AZ, CA, CT, FL, MA, ME, NV, NM, RI, TX and VA. Shows can be arduous – requiring long days and considerable physical exertion – but are always an adventure! Today we stay closer to home in Genoa, NV, doing local Shows and special events. In addition to Shows we sell our Jewelry from our website at www.southwest-designs.com; at East Fork Gallery in Gardnerville, NV; and at festive April & October Client Open Houses at our home & studio.

Jim is our Silversmith and Lapidarian, with a repertoire that includes Pendants, Rings, Earrings, and Sterling Silver & Mixed Metal Necklaces. In addition to Sterling and Copper, he works with a variety of gemstones including Turquoise, Lapis, Jade, Jasper, Quartz and Agate, and rare finds like Peanut Wood, Pyritized Ammonite, Dinosaur Bone and Sonora Sunset. Each stone brings new possibilities.

I focus on business operations – including our website, Marketing, Sales and Finance – and on Jewelry design, including the creation of Necklaces, Bracelets and Earrings. I integrate Jim's remarkable handcrafted Pendants and Beads into my designs, taking the Jewelry up a notch. It’s an unforeseen collaboration that yields outstanding results.

We have personally designed and handcrafted over 1,400 unique pieces of Jewelry, employing Sterling and Copper and over 140 discrete types of semi-precious stones, corals, horn beads, trade beads, antique ceramics and specialized glass. This amazing diversity of materials – and our passion for the work that we do – assures us that we will be creating Southwest Designs custom Jewelry Art for many more years to come.

Please visit our entire Jewelry Collection at: www.southwest-designs.com

Terri Dickinson - Jewelry, Studio 2

I came by my appreciation of the art around me through my parents and grandparents. We were taught to slow down and look at the wonders around us, from the sun on the leaves to the morning dew on the roses.

My earliest memory of doing art was a pencil drawing of my brothers sleeping when I was 12 years old. In 8th grade, I won an art show with a paper mâché form. In high school I was urged to go into commercial art, graphics.

But real life started then, marriage, children. I kept my finger in my love of art through college classes, winning in small art shows, local fairs, and a few one-man art shows. I even had a business of creating Indian figures, with skin paintings. With that business I sold all over the world to gift shops, Disneyland, and the Grand Canyon.

A few years ago I sought out an artist I had heard about . He lived in Virginia City . I needed to learn to solder. Flames and gas lol scared me. I wanted to be able to put my designs and ideas into precious metals and work with nature’s beauty. Larry … was a free spirit with his art like me. He understood my hunger. I took several sessions, and then stopped to practice what I learned. During that time Larry passed from lung cancer. I was truly heartbroken. Today when am I soldering or working on a piece, I often hear his voice telling me how to do it or why I should do it a certain way. Larry was an awesome influence in my art.

Today I have my own studio set up and can enjoy watching my one-of-a-kind creations make people happy. I still get shivers and I still watch nature all around me, but now I can capture some of that so others can enjoy it too.

HiddenGemsByTerri.com

Kristy Dial - Gourds, Studio 13

Kristy is a professional gourd artist and teacher with 25 years of experience. She is currently the President of the Nevada Gourd Society and is an AGS Certified Judge.

Her award-winning gourds have been shown in juried art shows and galleries throughout the western United States.

About the time I became interested in gourds, my family and I started taking vacations in the southwest. I never realized how much I loved the desert and the Native American Indian Culture until we started visiting a number of petroglyph sites. At last, everything began to fall into place – gourds and petroglyphs, petroglyphs and gourds…a terrific match.

From the beginning, I have believed the gourd should be honored. Just holding a gourd and feeling it’s smooth texture is very calming. There is something peaceful, yet powerful about the everlasting nature of the gourd. It is truly a gift from nature. I was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona and studied graphic arts at the University of Arizona.

geckogourds.com

Bob Fairbank - Sculpture Studio 12

I was raised in rural northern California surrounded by forests, mountains and ranches. I havealways had an interest in history, especially the American west.After retiring from a career in the Operating Engineers, I began sculpting wood and discovered Ihad a passion for western art. I use various kinds of wood, but I prefer the qualities ofMadrone, as each piece is unique. I also work in oil base clay and have done bronzes fromboth clay and wood. My style is realistic yet impressionistic enough so the observer canimagine the detail and create their own story.I am primarily self taught, but have been mentored by Mehl Lawson, Jason Scull, and PaulMoore, all “Cowboy Artists of America”. I have also studied with Jeff Phares, Philippe Farautand Lincoln Fox.For the past 12 years, my wife and I have lived in Gardnerville, Nevada.

Tina Forkner - Watercolor, Studio 13

I began painting in watercolor in 1997. Over the years I have developed my ownpersonal style that can be described as detailed and representational. I like to think ofmyself as a storyteller artist. I am fascinated bysubjects that are old and forgotten,especially objects that continue to display their history, character and charm. This isparticularly evident in my ongoing Bodie series where my goal is to capture thepassage of time as old vehicles become part of thelandscape, weathered buildings thatlean from years of neglect and doors open to the past, filled with untold stories.Additionally, my paintings include landscapes, wildlife, animals and even portraits. Mywatercolor painting of a leaping coyote, "Pounce",was recently accepted into the 2021"Best of Watercolor", Splash 22 annual magazine.Watercolor painting for me is an attempt to capturea moment in time, to render apainting that is as rich in character as it is memorable.

Mary Purdy Gmuender - Oil Landscape, Studio 18

Mary Purdy Gmuender is an award-winning artist known for animal portraiture, mountain landscapes and florals. Living in the beautiful Carson Valley of Nevada with her husband and two sons for over 30 years, Mary enjoys exploring the Sierra and scouting new painting subjects and locations. "Growing up as both an Air Force brat and a member of the Caddo Indian Nation of Oklahoma, as well as working in the ski industry for several decades gave me an appreciation of the beauty everywhere, but especially in high places. “The shadows of the trees on snow, the line of the mountain ridges and the high-altitude cornflower blue skies were always inspirational."

Since 2012, Mary has honed her oil painting skills by studying under many well-known artists, taking classes and workshops, both locally at the Brewery Arts Center and throughout the country. She loves to paint the wild and free places and faces of the natural world. Lake Tahoe, Hope Valley, Carson Valley, Northern Nevada and Yosemite have become common subjects and provide endless creative influence. Inspired by color and reflected light, her landscapes and wildlife are interpreted in an impressionist style using knives, a bold palette and loose brushstrokes.

Website: MaryPurdyGmuender.com

Contact Mary at: mg@MaryPurdyGmuender.com

Painter Mark Harris. Drawing inspiration from different American landscapes stretching across Nevada, the Sierras and northern California Coast, Harris transforms his carefully chosen vistas into abstract, energetic, colorful realms.

marypurdygmuender.com

Mark Harris - Oil Landscape, Studio 14

With the vast cumulus clouds occupying most of the skies, the horizon line obscures and illuminates the scenery below. The focus in Harris’ work is to capture and transfer the energy of specific places from his memory onto the canvas. The carefully chosen colors -which contrast, compliment, and clash with each other all at the same time- give life to Harris’s paintings and create the dynamism that viewers find so compelling and relatable.

Award-winning artist Mark Harris received his BA in Fine Art at the University of South Florida / Florida Center for the Arts with his life experience in the Publishing Industry has reinforced a keen eye for aesthetic composition. His work has been appreciated in many private collections throughout the United States.

Carol Kennedy - Handpainting on Tiles & Porcelain, Studio 8

At nine years old, I set up a small art studio in our garage, knowing I wanted to be an artist. I took art classes all through high school and in college. At University of CA at Irvine, I majored in Spanish and bilingual education; as a teaching assistant there, I illustrated a first draft of a Spanish textbook; as a middle school and high school teacher, I used art to illustrate concepts.

After moving to Gardnerville, I met professional artist and neighbor, the late Joyce Pike, who is an Oil Painters of America Master signature member. She graciously mentored me in oils and China painting, improving the art skills that I had received prior.

I am a member of the International Porcelain Painters and Teachers Association and am a consigner at the East Fork Art Gallery in Gardnerville, where I give classes in china painting.

I received an honorable mention in the oil category at the Fall 2021 CVAA annual scholarship art show.

Cyndy Kelso - Painting - Studio 11

My name is Cyndy Kelso. Art had been a part of my life as long as I can remember. Anything to do with horses, wildlife, and the western landscape has been my passion to paint.

I frequently travel across the west, taking photos for references to paint from in my studio.

I work in Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache, and pencil. Often times going up to the mountains or into the desert to paint plein air, and/or sketch a scene for a future painting.

Recently I began painting on ceramic pieces. This has been another fun outlet in my creativity.

I have won state and county art shows in California and locally in Nevada. I like to teach others who want to learn new skills or those who have never painted before. It is a joy to watch someone get excited about art as much as I am.

Website: cyndykelsoart.com

Roger Kinneman - Pastels, Oils & Sculpture - Studio 16

Roger Kinnaman has been a working artist for fifty years. His work as a painter includes an 8 x 21’ architectural scale acrylic and works in oil, pastel, charcoal, clay and stone. He graduated with a master’s degree from Indiana University and taught at the college level for a number of years. His paintings and drawings have been exhibited in over 120 one man and group exhibitions including participation in a more than a dozen exhibits in five museums. He is in the permanent collection of the Carter Center Presidential Library, Renown Medical Center, Barton Hospital, Carson Tahoe Medical Center The Indiana University Fine Arts Museum, The Perry Foundation, Harrah’s, US Bank and Embassy Suites Hotels as well as a number of private collections. Roger has received grants from the Sierra Arts Foundation, The Nevada Arts Council and The National Endowment for the Arts.

https://rlkpastels.com/

PK Klein - Handmade sterling silver and beaded jewelry, original watercolor, acrylic and mixed media paintings and prints, Studio 2

PK Klein/PKSWAY LLC - Artist (in multiple media – watercolor, acrylic, monotype and copperplate prints, silversmithing, beaded jewelry), retired corporate/international lawyer, lifelong resident of the Chicago area until relocating to Minden, NV in 2019, traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, southeast Asia, South America during legal career, lived and worked in London, UK for 3 years. I have been involved in the arts (drawing, oil painting, watercolor, printmaking, silversmithing and ceramics) as long as I can remember (from childhood), but began watercolor painting in earnest about 25 years ago. While still employed as a practicing attorney, I took multiple art classes and workshops whenever possible in painting, silversmithing, printmaking, was active in my local arts organization in Highland Park, IL, exhibited at various art fairs and sold one-of-a-kind paintings and jewelry. Since moving to northern Nevada, I have been very active in our vibrant local arts community and have participated in numerous shows exhibiting and selling my unique paintings, prints and jewelry creations.

https://pksway.com/

Lee Lewis - Watercolor & Silk - Studio 7

I have surrounded myself with artwork since moving to Carson Valley 37 years ago. First as a fine art framer and then as an artist. Beginning with acrylic then branching out to watercolor and silk painting. I’m now adding hand painted glassware, candles, jewelry and whatever new catches my interest. I see creativity and beauty everywhere and look forward to my next challenge… lee

https://www.facebook.com/heartstringslee/

Margie Leslie - Watercolor or Scratchboard - Studio 4

Margie grew up in Northern Idaho and moved to San Fransisco in 1972 and Minden in 2002.

Working mainly in watercolors, colored pencil, graphite and scratch art. she also paints in oils and acrylics. When creating her pieces, she likes to artistically express what she sees around her, from banancas to boats to gorillas to frogs to family pets. She has been commissioned to paing both human and pet partraits.

Deb Lockett - Photography - Studio 10

My name is Deb Lockett and I currently live in Smith Valley. My Nevada adventure and residency began living in Genoa, Nevada in 1972. I had graduated from College on the East coast in 1969 with Fine Arts as my major. Prior to living in Nevada, I had spent a few years just travelling the US from coast to coast, covering the northern, middle and southern states. I ended up falling in love with Tahoe, Carson Valley and Smith Valley areas and knew I was here to stay.

I have been doing commissioned paintings for many years of people’s dogs, horses, mules and several private airplanes, etc.

I developed an interest in Photography and it soon became a passion. It didn’t hurt that I live in a valley where others come to do their amazing photography. Eagles, owls, geese, cows, rivers, old barns and buildings are all here in my backyard, so to speak. Thank you for taking time to reading my Bio.

Deb Lockett: (775)790-0139 reeanddeb671@gmail.com

Alanna McDaniel - Mixed Media Paintings, Knit Hats - Studio 5

Alanna McDaniel is a retired art teacher from Southern California. She taught art at Santa Clara Catholic High School, and was the art teacher for then chain of parochial Pinecrest Schools. She has lived in Northern California for the past decade; she now resides in Minden, Nevada, enjoying teaching art lessons from her home art studio. She earned her degree in Art History and Studio Art, and certification in Early Childhood Education from California State University Northridge.

Alanna began a love of art early, receiving a big surprise first prize for a Girl Scout collage art project. Art prospects broadened while working in the art department of Hughes Aircraft Company, and the media department of Paramount Pictures while raising her two sons and many dogs. She went back to school to teach art to young students.

While enjoying the full spectrum of subject matter and mixed media with students, she paints commissioned portraits with acrylics, mixed media, and oil. She enjoyed creating a great collaborative mural which can be seen in front of the garden at Gardnerville Elementary. She hopes to do this again for the community.

Since doing illustrations for culinary magazines, including Edible Reno Tahoe, she has grown a love of painting still life. Fruits and vegetables are a great thing to promote, great for young students to observe, and therapeutic to capture.

Student work from her classes with her own work can be viewed on her Facebook site ArtForLifeArtStudios.

Anne Mitchell - Mixed Media - Studio 10

Creative art is an important part of my existence. For more than 70 years it has defined me, and infused me with energy and enthusiasm to push me forward to engage with the next challenge it presents. Rarely do I plan a picture. I let the picture dictate where I should go. It has rewarded me with the pleasure of making hopefully interesting art.

Although raised in the Bay Area, most of my life has been in Nevada in Carson City, Yerington and Gardnerville area with my family. I was involved, teaching art to children at the Carson City Art Alliance long before it became Brewery Arts. I worked as a teacher's assistant in the Carson City School district with special needs children and taught art to them for 27 years and also taught art at the Community Center in Carson.

During this time, I have developed as an intuitive self taught painter of many media including watercolor, acrylic, oil, pastel, ink, charcoal, graphite and others. Works include traditional style, abstract and non objective techniques often using mixed media in my pieces. I've had the privilege of exploring subject matter including landscapes, still life, life study, portraiture, florals and just shapes and textures on a page. Painting on computer is a recent addition and also exploring printmaking on gelli plate with collage. Quilted Fabric pictures also have married my art and experience with sewing.

Although I studied with a teacher and artist from New York who opened many doors to explore, I also have learned much by studying other painters and styles and continue to do so today.

There have been art shows along the way and a few ribbons and publications but my main focus is to have enjoyment in the exploration of making art.

Each day brings a new opportunity to give myself to the process.

Michelle Mulligan - Pottery - Studio 17

“After being a painter all my life I wanted to re-explore making pottery that I loved many years ago. I love the endless possibilities of form, decoration, use and the feel of uniqueness of being hand made. I try to imagine the user’s appreciation in their hands with each piece. Pottery helps us keep in mind our history, permanence and a satisfying use of the earths resources.”

MichelleMulligan.com

Instagram - MMulligan311

Michelle Mulligan Pottery

Liza Obukhovskaya - Ceramic, felted paintings & ornaments - Studio 4

Award winning artist Liza Obukhovskaya will share her techniques in felting and demonstrate how to achieve bold, beautiful colors with wool to create fine art pieces!

Born and raised in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, Liza studied art in college and became fascinated by wool. She discovered felt making and the versatility of wool. She has developed and honed her techniques over 25 years to become a leader in this medium.

Liza moved to Carson City seven years ago and has already earned a reputation as an outstanding felting artist. She has received numerous awards at judged shows at Nevada Artists Association, East Fork Gallery, and Carson Valley Art Association. Her subject matter includes animal portraits, landscapes, and florals.

Constance Peters - Photography, Silk scarfs - Studio 8

As a child, I loved drawing and painting. I shared my love of art with my students when I taught third, fourth, and fifth graders in a regular classroom setting and even more so in the ten years when I taught art as a single subject, all in southern California. As a teacher, I created a lot of art projects that related to a variety of subjects that my students were studying. Meanwhile, I also worked on my own paintings at home.

During this time, I also developed a passion for photography and sharing what I had seen with others as I did more traveling in and out of the U.S., including 3 African photo safaris, visits to China, Peru, and many other countries. Besides our amazing wildlife and landscapes in northern NV, I especially love Yellowstone, even in winter.

When I retired from teaching, I joined a local art association that also had a photography group. I worked more on improving my paintings and continuing to learn techniques from some very talented artists. It was then that I really began sharing my art and photos with the rest of the world. I had won the honor of being the association’s “Photographer of the Year” several years. I’ve won numerous awards for my photos and paintings in numerous galleries and art events. One of my stagecoach photos was used for the posters for the Gilman Springs Wild West Festival & Art Show.

While I was still teaching, I had taken a several of workshops on Silk Painting. Using watercolor techniques with silk dyes was right up my alley. I had so much fun doing this that I started selling my scarves and giving workshops on silk painting. I find it’s a good way to loosen up when I paint these. Many are abstract designs.

About 6 years ago, I took a couple of Calligraphy classes. I really enjoyed learning both Gothic and Celtic calligraphy styles. I’ve written a number of Irish blessings in Celtic form. I use Gothic calligraphy, including Illuminated Letters, to write other sayings, poetry, and signs/cards for holidays. It’s a good thing to work on in our wintry weather.

My husband and I moved to Gardnerville in 2016. I’d been visiting and photographing the area since my brother and his family had moved here about forty years ago. Now that we are here full time, I am enjoying being a member of Nevada Artists Association, Carson Valley Art Association, and Carson Valley Photo Club. I currently show my work at shows sponsored by these groups.

I remind myself when I’m doing any kind of art (including photos) that it’s “experimental.” I have fun with it and learn from it. I like to try new things. I hope my art helps people appreciate the beauty of the world around them.

I plan on showing a variety of photos, paintings, silk scarves and calligraphy at the Carson Valley Studio Tour.

https://www.facebook.com/ConstancePetersPhotography

Teri Sweeney - Oil & Watercolor, Studio 15

An attraction to the textures of landscape influences the majority of the paintings that Teri produces. Living in Carson Valley, a short distance from Lake Tahoe, she has the opportunity to find a variety of subject matter within a few minutes drive from her home. Mountain waterfalls, grassy meadows, and of course, the local ranches are all easily accessible year round. With frequent visits to family in Wickenburg and Williams Arizona, desert scenes are also common subjects for her art. Realistically, but artistically, portraying each element of the landscape; be it the geometric surface of a rock, the stately shape of a saguaro cactus, rippling water or the curve of a stalk of grass; is Teri's goal when painting. Of course, local livestock and cowboys/cowgirls pursuing their daily tasks sometimes wander into her landscapes and quite frequently become the main subject of her art.

Teri's art has been accepted into such National Western shows as Cowgirl Up! in Wickenburg, Arizona; the Western Masters Show and Sale and the C.M. Russell Art Auction in Great Falls, Montana; the San Dimas Festival of the Arts in San Dimas, California; and the Settlers West American Miniature Show in Tucson, Arizona. Her work has been shown in galleries in South Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Lakes, California; Tucson, Arizona; and Kauai, Hawaii.

Teri and her husband, Bill, continue to flourish in the rural community of Gardnerville, Nevada where Teri conducts three painting classes a week while continuing to perfect her interpretation of the world around her. "I want the viewers of my art to not only see my paintings, but to feel what I felt when I first saw a subject and said "Hey, there's my next painting!".

https://www.terisweeneyart.com/

Irene Taylor - Watercolor, Batik and Ceramic Garden Art, Studio 14

I have called myself an artist even as a child, influenced by creative parents who surrounded us with the arts and the process of art including frequent visits to the Cleveland Museum of Art and local galleries and art events. I have a fine arts degree from San Jose State University and have also trained at the Cleveland Institute of Arts, Cooper School of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, and Ohio University, Athens, Ohio. In recent years living in California and now Nevada, I have studied under several local artists and attended formal classes at University of Santa Cruz extension and West Valley College in Saratoga CA.

I am a member of the Nevada Art Association, East Fork Gallery and Latimer Watercolor Club and have shown my work in several shows in association with the above mentioned clubs.

I have taught adults and children and enjoy watching them awaken the joy of “seeing with their fingers” using contour and blind contour drawing exercises and giving them confidence that they can paint with watercolor successfully. Currently, I teach in my home studio, one on one, by appointment.

For over 40 years, my professional career was as a graphic designer. I worked for advertising agencies, marketing/pr firms, corporate creative departments and colleges. I also ran my own graphic design business for many years.

My passion in producing art is not to emulate what I see, but to put into color and feeling what I experience. I love the process of paint to paper, wax and dyes in batik and clay between my fingers. I am also available for commissions. My studio is in my home and I am available by appointment.

https://www.facebook.com/WaterColoristIrene

Mark Tompkins - Watercolor, Studio 14

Mark Tompkins attended night classes at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, where he studied life drawing and illustration. After working as a graphic artist for a number or years, Tompkins moved to Northern Nevada where he worked as a picture framer at a local art store and frame shop. There he began teaching painting classes at the community college, and also through the Parks and Recreation Department. He also teaches private lessons out of his studio. Tompkins inspiration and painting style was influenced by the early renaissance artists as well as artists like Andrew Wyeth and Maxfield Parrish. Tompkins prefers to paint with oils, watercolors, and acrylics. He enjoys painting landscape, wildlife, and portraits. Tompkins has won numerous awards in group competitions and continues to paint his favorite Sierra Landscapes.

https://marktompkinsart.com/

Melanie Walters - Watercolor, Studio 6

I have spent the last twenty years studing watercolor through various means: local classes and workshope, reading and re-reading books by famous artists (Robert Wade, Tony Couch, Ron Ranson and Cathy Johnson are some of my favorites.) I also had an exceptional mentor, Bill McBride in Northern California shere I spent most of my summers. I have lived in AZ, CA and NV and painted a lot of desert, rural CA and NV, Lake Tahoe and Sierra Nevada. scenery. I like to paint landscapes, anials, vintage cars and trucks, birds and old architechture. I love doing commissioned work on any subject.

My husband of 55 years, Bill Walters, makes all my frames from old growth redwood, fir and old fence wood, He also puts together the final product, add hangers, dust covers, and wall pads.

We both retired from our 30+ year careers in California. He in law enforcement and I a Nurse Practitioner. We absolutely love Minden and the surrounding area and hope to enjoy this for many years to come.

https://melaniewalters.net/

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