Holbein North America
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Jacob Aguiar
Jacob has been an artist his entire life. Remembering as a kid, Jacob would stay up until midnight drawing. However, it wasn’t until 2011 that his love of art and nature found each other when he took a leave of absence from Naturopathic Medical School to spend time with family and pursue art. So began his journey of capturing the beauty of the natural world with pastels.
Traveling and studying with several incredible pastel artists throughout the American West that year, he began entering and being accepted into several national shows, including IAPS, the Pastel Society of the West Coast, the Northwest Pastel Society, the Pastel Painters of Maine, and the Pastel Painter Society of Cape Cod.
Currently, Jacob works as a naturopathic doctor in Scarborough, Maine, but much of his free time is devoted to art. Teaching regular pastel classes in Westbrook, ME, as well as plein air and studio workshops around the country and internationally, Jacob is a signature juried member of the Pastel Society of America and a professional artist member of the Copley Society in Boston, Massachusetts.
David Becker
David, TWSA (Transparent Watercolor Society of America), is a fine artist, illustrator, and art instructor. He is the author of Watercolor Composition Made Easy, and How to Sketch with Watercolor is David’s second book.
Becker has had two different articles published in International Artist and one in Watercolor Magic.
His paintings have also been published in several books and magazines, including “People in Watercolor” (Rockport Publishers), “How To Make a Painting” by Irving Shapiro (Watson & Guptill), “Splash 3” (North Light), and American Artist Magazine.
Becker began teaching watercolor part-time while still a student at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. He teaches classes and workshops all around Chicago and the suburbs and around the country.
A native of Chicago, outside of Becker’s life in the fine art world, he is also a freelance illustrator and has worked for DRAFTFCB for 24 years. Before that, he worked as an illustrator at J. Walter Thompson for six years.
Annelein Beukenkamp
Stephanie Birdsall
Stephanie is the recipient of over 35 awards, including the Degas Pastel Society Exceptional Merit Award and Best In Show at the Bridgeport Museum of Arts and Sciences. She was included in the top 100 “Arts for the Parks” miniatures exhibition and is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America. In 2005, Stephanie was featured on the PBS series “Expressions of the Arts”. Her formal training was at The City and Guilds of London Art School. She later studied with Albert Handell, David Leffell, Richard Schmid, and Ramon Kelly. Stephanie takes great pride in seeing her students achieve excellence and surpass their expectations in her workshops.
Dru Blair
Dru grew up in Columbia, SC, and received his Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from Furman University. He later found employment in Myrtle Beach, SC, as an airbrush artist painting shirts. He earned a Master of Fine Arts and began his career in commercial illustration.
He won the National Airbrush Excellence Award, which ushered in a wave of commercial opportunities. In the following year, he produced his first aviation painting titled “Power”, which became the first of three Air Force Magazine covers and remains the number one selling aviation print in existence.
More recently, he founded the Blair School of Art in Raleigh, NC, and the Blair School of Realism in Blair, SC. He continues to sell his commissions and teach painting workshops at his school and around the world, and is widely recognized as the world’s top realist painter.
Philip Boelter
California, USA
Philip is an artist and designer not tied to any single set of materials, software, or subject. He sets out to make things that would be beautiful not only to him but also to everyone. Nature, flora, and landscapes are what capture his eye the most, and for that reason, he is always looking at his surroundings to influence his art. He not only creates but also loves to inspire.
From an early age, he has been drawn to flora, creating floral pieces and landscapes ever since. Whether created in gouache, pastels, oils, watercolor, or ink, flora can be created with so many different types of materials to express different emotions. Like many artists influenced by the location they grew up in, Santa Clara, Southern California, there were always prickly pears, cereus, and other desert plants in the neighborhoods and in the beautiful surrounding mountains.
His company, Boelter Design Co., was founded in 2015 and has grown to include graphic design work, lettering, illustration, painting, and explorations of new artistic mediums. Falling in love with watercoloring and, most recently, gouache, Philip strives to add new pieces often, which keeps him seeking new and exciting ways to create art.
Robert Burridge
Robert is a painter in all media, a national juror, a college and international workshop instructor, and the Honorary President of the International Society of Acrylic Painters. A Signature Member of both the Philadelphia Watercolor Society and the ISAP, his honors include the prestigious Crest Medal for Achievement in the Arts and Franklin Mint awards. His work is featured in many books and magazines, on Starbucks Coffee mugs, Pearl Vodka bottles, and on eight commercial tapestries. Robert’s popular work is represented in the permanent collections of international embassies, corporate galleries, and art colleges, as well as in the television and entertainment industry. His work is also featured in museums and galleries across the US, including Palm Desert, Austin, Cambria, Key West, and New Orleans. Robert’s studio is on California’s central coast in the San Luis Obispo wine country.
Jeanne Carbonetti
Jeanne has been an artist and teacher for more than 30 years. Specializing in developing the power of the creative process, she is the author of The Tao of Watercolor, The Zen of Creative Painting, The Yoga of Drawing, Making Pearls: Living the Creative Life, and The Art of Creativity: How Imagination Becomes Inspiration. She has also produced a video titled “The Tao of Watercolor.” Jeanne runs Crow Hill Gallery of Fine Art and The Eden Center for Creative Power, both in Chester, Vermont. By invitation, she exhibited at the Fifth Annual International Biennial of Contemporary Art in Florence, Italy, in 2005. Her paintings are in private and corporate collections throughout the U.S., across Europe, and in Australia.
Echo Chernik
Echo is an internationally award-winning illustrator and instructor in advertising, packaging, cover art, posters, and product design. Her illustrations have appeared everywhere from the Bellagio Hotel & Casino and BBC America to Miller Brewing Company and Celestial Seasonings. She also has a significant fine art career, bringing her exotic visions of art nouveau and future fantasy to the public. CBS News has also interviewed Echo, and she is also frequently featured in international art magazines.
Ric Dentinger
New Mexico, USA
Ric has been painting and illustrating professionally for over 30 years, all while successfully balancing a career as an art director and managing his own graphic design shop.
Born in La Rochelle, France, Dentinger was raised in a military family that lived in several locations in Europe and the United States, finally settling in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
He has taught many workshops throughout the United States as well as online group classes. From 2009 to 2020, Ric was also on the faculty of the Southwest School of Art in San Antonio, TX.
Dentinger paints in a representational style, choosing subject matter from his environment and travels. He favors evocative subjects, such as dilapidated buildings, intriguing portraits, moody landscapes, and animals with strong personalities.
Whether working in watercolor or oils, he strives for a confident and strong work of art. He intensifies colors and value contrasts to create work that is fresh, beautiful, and full of light.that is fresh, beautiful and full of light.
Camilla d’Errico
Camilla is an urban contemporary painter, illustrator, character creator, and comic artist residing in Vancouver, BC. With roots in comics, Camilla’s beautiful work appears on toys, clothing, accessories, and more. She has been published by Random House, Tokyopop, Boom! Studios, Image Comics, IDW, and, while publishing her literature-inspired series, Tanpopo. Camilla has distinguished herself as one of the breakthrough artists in Pop Surrealism’s New Figurative movement through her ability to seamlessly weave manga and western styles with surrealist elements, all wrapped in an extensive emotional palette. She has a unique style that bridges cultural and geographical boundaries, while remaining totally relevant to today’s varied audience. Ever the prolific artist, Camilla lives the double life of a comic artist/creator and a New Brow painter, while expanding her horizons to include fashion, merchandise, and customized collectible art toys.
Betsy Dillard-Stroud
Betsy is a signature member, Dolphin Fellow and Life Member of the American Watercolor Society in New York and a signature member of the National Watercolor Society in California, the Rocky Mountain Watermedia Honor Society in Colorado, The Western Federation of Watercolor Society, a Royal Scorpion, life Member of the Arizona Watercolor Society, and a former president of the Southwestern Watercolor Society headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
An internationally acclaimed and award-winning artist, Stroud is also a former art historian who holds her Bachelor of Arts in Art from Radford University and her Master of Arts in Art History from the University of Virginia.
Her paintings are in hundreds of collections all over the United States and are featured in international collections in Japan, England, Canada, Australia, and the Bahamas.
Sean Dye
Sean is an award-winning artist who holds a Master of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute. He teaches painting at the University of Vermont and conducts popular workshops throughout North America. His work has appeared in The Artist Magazine, Pastel Artist International, International Artist, and The Pastel Journal. He is a member of the Pastel Society of America, founder of the Vermont Pastel Society, and has judged several important exhibitions. His works hang in many private and corporate collections as well as commercial galleries. He has authored two books: Painting with Water Soluble Oils (North Light, 2001) and The Mixed-Media Sourcebook (Watson-Guptill, 2005). Sean’s work also appears in Painting the Elements: Weather Effects in Oil, Acrylic and Watercolor (North Light). He has also released several DVDs, including “Palette Knife Painting” (2005) and “Sean Dye’s Easy Steps to Oil Painting” (2009).
Heather Edwards
Heather’s paintings are the product of decades of observation of people, environments, animals, and textiles. Although she was not able to obtain a formal education in art, all her studies of the natural world, in addition to the works of great artists, including the Renaissance masters, the Pre-Raphaelites of the late 19th century, and modern masters, have influenced her work in a way she couldn’t imagine receiving in a classroom.
Major themes in her work include religious symbolism, fantasy realism, equine and wildlife imagery, and bold reworkings of Disney characters. Her painting process is constantly changing as she applies new techniques. Still, it most often consists of using a multitude of paint layers and glazes, as many as 20 or so in some cases, to achieve the depth and detail that dominate her work.
Shared and collected around the world, Heather Theurer’s paintings are painted amidst a bustling family with five children in Las Vegas, Nevada. Regardless of the challenges, her art has attracted the attention of USA Today and the LA Times, garnered contracts with Disney Fine Art and Fantasy Con, and received recognition and awards from respected organizations such as Art Renewal Center, Artist’s Magazine, and Spectrum, among others.
Sterling Edwards
Sterling is a contemporary watermedia artist, teacher, author, and art juror originally from Kansas City, Missouri. Following a twenty-year career as a law enforcement officer and a firefighter, he committed in 1993 to pursuing his passion for art and to beginning a second career as a visual artist.
Sterling has been studying art since the age of twelve, and although self-taught, has developed a unique and expressive painting style that has gained international recognition and the respect of his peers, students, and art collectors. Most of Sterling’s paintings are interpretive statements that personify his intuitive, creative sense of design and color, ranging from abstract expressionism to traditional styles.
Having been featured in many books and magazines, in 2007 Sterling was awarded a signature membership in the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour (CSPWC), a signature membership in the Transparent Watercolor Society of America (TWSA) in 2010 and in 2015 awarded the designation of a “Bonafide” Whiskey Painter and bestowed with a lifetime signature membership in the internationally renowned Whiskey Painters of America (WPA), the most unique and exclusive miniature painting society in the world. In 2017, he was awarded signature membership status in the revered National Watercolor Society (NWS). He is the author of the bestselling North Light book, Creating Luminous Watercolor Landscapes: A Four-Step Process, and works from his home studio in Lewisville, North Carolina.
Rebecca Green
Rebecca is a NYT best-selling illustrator of over a dozen books, including Kafka and the Doll, Becoming a Good Creature, and The Glass Town Game. Her debut picture book, How To Make Friends With A Ghost (Tundra, 2017), won the Alcuin Awards for excellence in book design and has since been translated into more than seven languages.
In addition to writing and illustrating, she publishes a monthly blog post and a bulletin on a range of creative topics, including the picture-book process, choosing color palettes, and cultivating art communities. She works primarily in acrylic gouache, but also uses mixed media, colored pencil, ink, and collage.
When she is not making art, Rebecca can be found digging through antique stores, cooking new recipes in the kitchen, or cuddling her dog, Mori. Though she and her husband have lived in Phoenix, Denver, Nashville, and Osaka, they currently reside back in their home state of Michigan.
Erick Grove
Texas, USA
Erick is an artist working primarily in acrylic and oil, but often dabbles in mixed media. His paintings at times employ airbrush and colored pencil techniques. His passion lies in creating comic-style artwork, specifically paintings in that genre. Erick learned painting and comic art through his friend and mentor, David Finch.
Sariah Ha
California, USA
A year before Sariah received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2007 at the University of California, she was fortunate to be represented at the “Bill Low Gallery” in Santa Monica, California, as their youngest artist. Following this event, her career rapidly grew; she was represented in the TARFEST Festival of the Arts in Los Angeles, California, and was chosen as the first artist in a Residency in Joshua Tree, California. She was honored to have exhibited at the “Red Arrow Gallery” in Joshua Tree, California, as their youngest artist. She was featured in The Korea Times and Los Angeles, and had an exclusive article about her as the “Night Painter” in the Hi Desert Star Newspaper. Over the years 2007 – 2010, Sariah created artwork during her residencies in Wisconsin and Nebraska.
For the past 10 years, she has continued to create, using multiple mediums throughout her paintings. She loves to express each artwork differently because she loves exploring each medium through its form, color, fluidity, and all its performances. Her artwork consists of multiple layers and textures.
Becoming a mother has made her realize how much her children have brightened her artwork. Her approach to each medium has changed; her technique has become more intricate, and her process has become a teaching. Through social media, Sariah began to grow her audience by explaining, comparing, and teaching the process of her work. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States.
- www.sariahha.com
- Instagram @sariahart
- Facebook @Sariahart
- youtube
Scott Hattox
California, USA
Scott is a self-trained artist who has spent a lifetime obsessed with comics, anime, and science fiction – the dominating subjects in his portfolio. He spent most of his early career creating paintings for friends and receiving commissions by word of mouth.
In 2014, Scott began showing his material in small galleries and underground art shows, but just a year later, in 2015, he began exhibiting paintings at San Diego Comic-Con International. His penchant for capturing the spirit of Star Wars, Anime, Marvel, and other “nerdy” enterprises made convention settings a perfect fit.
An enthusiastic artist eager to converse about anything from brushstroke technique to the infamous “Han shot first” debate, Scott has shown and painted live at conventions across the country that specialize in science fiction, horror, video gaming, and comic books. Scott is best known for his large-scale paintings of iconic characters – a veritable rarity today, as most artists of similar subject matter have fallen away from classical techniques and produce digitally. He paints in multiple mediums, primarily gouache on watercolor paper and acrylic on canvas. Scott primarily works out of Hollywood and Rancho Mirage, California.
- www.scotthattoxart.com
- Facebook @ scotthattox.art
- Instagram @ scotthattoxartwork
Amber Aki Huang
California, USA
Amber Aki Huang is an industry professional character and toy designer for animated TV shows, films, and games. Aki is also the founder and creator of DeerCat & Friends®, a character-based lifestyle goods brand sold in retail stores nationwide and online. Aki has built a prestigious career and reputation designing characters and toys for big studios such as DreamWorks, Netflix, Warner Brothers, Supercell Games, GUND, SpinMaster Inc., Universal Studios, and more!
When she’s not working, Aki likes to draw in her travel journals, travel, play with her pets, and sit at a cozy cafe painting the afternoon away.
Carling Jackson
British Columbia, Canada
Carling is a humanitarian, professional, and award-winning athlete portrait artist who immortalizes moments in sport on canvas. Carling is the most commissioned artist by athletes worldwide. She has created over 190 paintings for athletes across 18 leagues and 22 countries. Carling is also a human rights artist working within the philosophy of “art for social change” to address global injustices. She has worked with World Vision, Sing For Hope, Save the Children, the UN, and the charity War Child.
Carling is the first sports artist in history to paint at a World Cup semi-final and final (For FIFA – Qatar 2022). In addition to recent works for NBA and World Cup soccer athletes, she was commissioned in 2021 to paint a 20ft sports gallery, “Amplifying Underrepresented Athletes in Sports,” for the Wynn Hotel in Vegas.
Linda Kemp
Linda is internationally recognized for her unique, contemporary watercolor and acrylic paintings, featuring her innovative negative painting technique. She is the author of two books: Watercolor Painting Outside the Lines – A Positive Approach to Negative Painting and Simplifying Design and Color for Artists – Positive Results Using Negative Painting Techniques, and is a presenter in numerous instructional art videos and internet forums. She is also a contributing writer and demonstrator in seven other books. Linda’s paintings and articles have been featured in publications such as American Artist, Watercolor Magic, International Artist, Watercolor Artist, Watermedia Focus, and Palette Magazine.
Linda is an elected member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour, the Ontario Society of Artists, and the Society of Canadian Artists. She is also profiled in Canadian Who’s Who and Who’s Who Canadian Women, the Dictionary of International Biography, and the 20th Anniversary Edition of Trivial Pursuit.
Linda’s award-winning paintings are in private, government, and corporate collections around the world, including The Royal Collection at Windsor Castle in the U.K., and the private collection of the Prince of Wales.
Lee Kohse
Lee was born to a family of chupacabra herders in California and, as a child, learned to draw in the dirt while mining dust for spaghetti western films. While serving in the Marine Corps, he began creating art in his off time for underground comics and indie rock magazines.
After being injured during his service, he decided he preferred drawing over getting shot at. Lee works as a freelance artist, providing art for clients such as Lucasfilm, DreamWorks, Fox, Hasbro, and various comic publishers. He has also served as Creative Director of Speed Racer, and is a Cultural Arts Commissioner for the City of Chula Vista, CA. You can find Lee creating art, giving tips about the art industry, and hanging out with friends several times a week on his live art stream.
- www.kohse.com
- twitch @kohseart
- Facebook @leekohseart
- Instagram @leekohse
- twitter @kindergoth
Jesse Lane
Texas, USA
Jesse has been called a pioneer and is known as one of the world’s finest colored-pencil artists, transcending drawing into painting. “I’m always looking for the easily missed moments of everyday life. I work to design and capture an instant of emotion,” Jesse says. “Every image I create has a story. My stories share moments of intimacy, private moments. If you feel the story, I’m satisfied,” taking between 300 to 1,000 hours to create each unique piece.
Jesse discovered colored pencils while struggling in school with the challenges of dyslexia. “Growing up, I often felt alone,” Jesse says. “I desperately wanted to find a place in life where I didn’t feel inferior. For years, I bottled up my feelings. Then I realized they could be a source of inspiration. I began creating images of personal struggle and intimate emotion.”
Jesse’s honors include the world’s top award for colored pencil, the CIPPY Award, from the Colored Pencil Society of America. He also received the “Pioneer of Realism” Award from the International Guild of Realism, as well as honors from the Salmagundi Club, the ARC Salon, and many others. Jesse is represented by RJD Gallery in Romeo, Michigan. His work is included in prominent private collections. He’s exhibited in galleries and museums across the US and in England.
He lives in The Woodlands, Texas, with his artist wife, Kinsey, and their two whippets.
Xiang Li
Xiang Li is an internationally acclaimed artist who specializes in reproducing and restoring ancient Chinese paintings at the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, where she worked as a Master Artist for 37 years. She has earned high praise from top art scholars and even the Last Emperor’s brother, Pu Jie, who said that she is “one of the most extraordinary artists of our time.”
Li was first recognized in 1985 after spending five years creating her first complete collection, which was featured at the Grand View Garden in Beijing for 20 years (1985-2005).
Following this, Li completed a sequel collection which was recognized and signed by the best-known Chinese calligraphers and artists from the 20th Century. In 2014, Li began working on a new collection featuring 120 empresses from Chinese history. Li spent two decades researching the women who have shaped Chinese history.
Li is commissioned year-round to create meticulous style (Gong-Bi) and sketching-thought (Xieyi) paintings for businesses and individuals.
Joseph Lorusso
Joseph was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1966 and received his formal training at the American Academy of Art. He later earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Kansas City Art Institute.
While in school, Lorusso majored in watercolor and considers himself self-taught as an oil painter. He learned to paint by studying the works of master painters, often losing himself in the halls of the Chicago Art Institute during lunch hours, which frequently turned into afternoons of self-study.
Recruited by Hallmark Cards, Inc., from 1988 to 1999, he served as an artist in their greeting card division. Lorusso has served as instructor of painting and drawing at the Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri and the Scottsdale Artists School in Arizona.
Lorusso’s work has since been shown internationally, and he has won numerous awards and honors. He is considered a leading artist in contemporary figurative realism. He has been featured in American Artist, Southwest Art, U.S. Art, Art & Antiques, The Artist’s Magazine, Art News, American Art Collector, International Artist, and Art Talk.
Randy Martinez
Randy is one of today’s most popular artists in the pop culture genre. His illustrations have been used by most of today’s biggest pop culture properties, including Star Wars, Marvel Comics, and The Lord of the Rings.
Considered the Swiss army knife of Star Wars Illustrators, Randy Martinez has been creating cartoons, caricatures, illustrations, paintings, and 3D art for Lucasfilm LTD since 1999. Martinez’s art first appeared in Star Wars Kids Magazine, and then he quickly moved on to create cartoons and caricatures for Star Wars Insider. In 2007, Martinez was chosen to create the official key art for Star Wars Celebration IV in Europe. Martinez has continued to work in a wide range of illustration styles for Topps Trading Cards, Scholastic Books, the ACME Archives, and many other producers of pop culture collectibles.
In 2012, Randy Martinez was bestowed a great honor when his illustrations were included in the book Star Wars Art: Illustration (Abrams Books). This book celebrates the most influential and important illustrators who have ever created official Star Wars Art since 1977. Every illustration in this book was hand-selected by George Lucas from his personal art collection.
In 2012, Marvel Comics began publishing Randy’s art in its fine art print program. These are limited-edition prints of fine art paintings depicting Marvel’s greatest superheroes.
Martinez is also an accomplished author of two how-to-draw books with Impact Books, Creature Features: Draw Amazing Monsters and Aliens, and Sketch Card Mania, which he co-authored with Denise Vasquez. Both books are available in all major bookstores and on Amazon.
Randy earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design and Illustration from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1998, and previously studied art at California Lutheran University and Ventura Community College.
Monte Moore
Monte has been a professional illustrator for over 20 years, focusing on the comics, gaming, and entertainment industries. His work has been commissioned and licensed by top-tier companies such as Lucasfilm LTD., Disney, the U.S. Marine Corps, Paramount, Topps, Harley-Davidson, and major publishers in the comics industry, including DC Comics, Image Comics, Harris Comics, IDW Publishing, and many others.
Monte’s licensed work for Marvel began in 1998, when he worked on the Marvel Masterpieces card series through the Rittenhouse Archives and continued with other sets, including the recent Dangerous Divas set. Later work in the early 2000’s included Upper Deck projects on the VS. card game and dozens of other card games, as well as work on Magic: The Gathering for Wizards of the Coast.
Monte’s work has been showcased in top industry publications, including several volumes of Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art. In 1998 and 2001, Monte received a great honor when he took home the top awards at the World Fantasy Art Show against many of the world’s top illustrators. Along with having seven art books published internationally, Monte has been the Guest of Honor artist at the top conventions around the world, including San Diego Comic-Con International in 2003, Lucca Comics and Games in Italy in 2006 and 2008, FACTS Con in Belgium in 2014, and New York Comic-Con several times over the years.
Many publications outside the comics industry have also featured Monte’s client artwork in their advertisements, including Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, and Robb Report. Monte keeps his hands in many different projects, including writing 10 screenplays, having two feature films produced, serving as Art Director on other films (see IMDb), co-owning a successful traditional game company with several games on the market, and designing over 80 fantasy-themed sculptures distributed worldwide.
“I’ve been a die-hard user of Holbein Airbrushes since I picked up my first one in 1991, and have created untold amounts of illustrations with these versatile, accurate, durable, illustrator-quality airbrushes. Holbein has always been a color innovator, not a follower, and many companies try to emulate their industry-leading products. From Designer Gouache to Acrylic Inks to Heavy Body Acrylic to Acryla Gouache to DUO water-based oils, my art supply drawer is always full of Holbein products!”
Jamie-Lou Nicol
Ontario, Canada
Jamie-Lou discovered her passion for art at a young age, picking up her first calligraphy pen and learning about stained glass at a neighbor’s studio in Ontario, Canada. The years spent learning the art of glass and attending exhibitions laid the foundations for further studies, culminating in a degree in Art Fundamentals and Advanced Glass Blowing at Sheridan College.
Jamie-Lou’s early career began in Toronto, where she assisted glass sculptor Gregor Herman, immersed herself in the local art scene, and exhibited in numerous galleries and shows. After working as a color consultant for several years, she accepted a position with HK Holbein Inc. Canada in 2015, enabling her to infuse her love of art into her professional career.
Whether traveling across North America, presenting at trade shows, or teaching at workshops and demonstrations, Jamie-Lou loves to showcase the endless possibilities of working with and mixing various mediums. Inspired by the diversity of acrylics and mediums, mixed media, and sculpture, her artwork has been described as colorful, whimsical, textural, and enigmatic.
However, it is calligraphy that has captured Jamie-Lou’s heart. She enjoys creating all forms of calligraphic art, from commissions to wedding stationery, and recently featured one of her pieces by invitation at the 2019 international exhibition, “32 points – 32 voices: A compass of Peace” in Toronto, Canada, a collaboration with Sri Lankan poet Menaca Calyaneratne, using her poems to create a calligraphic 22” x 13’ scroll.
When she isn’t making words dance beautifully on a page, Jamie-Lou can be found daydreaming about traveling and puttering about on her homestead in rural Eastern Ontario, Canada, surrounded by her beloved dachshund, cats, and tortoises.
Joe Oakes
California, USA
Joe was born in Chicago, Illinois. Having grown up in the city’s surrounding suburbs, his love of mountains and other natural scenes grew mostly from his own imagination. Throughout his life, Joe has always been fascinated by the natural world and how to represent it through drawing and painting.
This interest was cultivated throughout his school years and further developed upon receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts. Joe then went right to work as a graphic designer and soon after began painting small landscapes. He prefers studio painting because it allows him to focus on vibrant, colorful yet calming pieces that invite the viewer to place themselves within the scene.
Each painting is an emotional response to color, real or imagined, but always felt. He chooses to express those feelings through bold, vibrant violet highlights and shadows. His work is about the joy color can bring to our lives and aims to promote awareness of nature, especially its infinite use of color.
Joe is also an art instructor, teaching painting classes and workshops in a variety of media. He enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for art with others and helping students succeed in their own artistic endeavors.
His work has been displayed in both group and solo exhibitions as well as regionally and nationally. Additionally, he has received numerous awards for his work. He lives and works in Southern California, where he is surrounded by the beautiful mountains and natural beauty he loves to paint.
Jean Pederson
Jean is an internationally recognized artist for her mixed media and watercolor paintings. She is an international juror and a popular workshop instructor.
Jean is a contributing editor for The Artist’s Magazine and has written many articles, two books, and four videos. Recently, Jean has completed her second book, Mixed Media Painting Workshop, following the success of Expressive Portraits: Creative Methods for Painting People, published by North Light. She has also been involved in many other publications, including Splash 8, 9, 10, and 14, Sketchbook Confidential, Watercolor Artist, International Artist, Magazin’Art, and is profiled in Canada’s Who’s Who.
Jean is a signature member of many organizations, including the American Watercolor Society, the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour, the Federation of Canadian Artists, and a master signature member of the California Watercolor Association. Jean has been honoured with numerous national and international awards, including the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013. She has work placed in several collections, including the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle in England.
Jean Pederson has exhibited her work internationally in England, Sweden, New York (United Nations), San Francisco, Mexico, China, and across Canada.
Lynn Pratt
Lynn started her career as an architect and switched to watercolor painting after taking it up as a hobby and falling completely in love with it. She is now a full-time professional artist and a signature member in the American Watercolor Society, Vermont Watercolor Society, and the North East Watercolor Society.
Lynn paints in a photorealistic style, which she adopted from her background in architecture and love for detail, and she has carried that perfectionist nature into her paintings.
She is an international and national award-winning artist, demonstrator, juror, and watercolor instructor. She showcases her work in solo shows, international exhibitions, and galleries. She has been featured on television and in many magazines and books, and she has a deep passion for teaching watercolor. She travels all over to teach and has classes for every age and ability.
Rob Prior
Rob has been called one of his generation’s preeminent content generators. He’s worked with some of the biggest names in movies, comics, and the arts.
Rob is a fixture on the convention circuit and conducts live painting events, painting for audiences numbering more than 250,000 each year.
Drawing on his numerous skills as an illustrator, screenwriter, storyboard artist, and more, Rob’s career spans over thirty years of gaming, comics, film, and television. Recognized by his peers as one of the top creators of intellectual property, Rob is known for crafting incredibly detailed worlds, characters, and stories in both his pop and fine art.
Rob’s art has traveled far and wide, and his works have been exhibited in museums and galleries across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. His live painting sessions are a mesmerizing combination of art, entertainment, and excitement.
When Rob is not in the studio or on the road painting, he is a sought-after director and producer of films and music videos. He makes his home in Southern California with his wife and family.
Maria Raczynska
California, USA
Maria is a professional watercolor artist and online instructor. Her career as a watercolor artist began in 2016 when she created her YouTube channel. At first, it was just a hobby posting occasional watercolor tutorials, but once the audience grew, she decided to get serious about becoming an instructor, and now has over 6500 students worldwide.
While Maria never had intentions to become an artist like her mother (oil artist), after her YouTube channel took off she’s been using her mother’s advice and quotes in many of her teachings: “It’s not a painting that’s brilliant it’s just a moment when you were brilliant and you can always recreate it”; “There’s no true white in nature”.
Maria has been a featured artist in Watercolor Magazine, ArtAscent, and Voyage LA Magazine.
Based in Los Angeles, she draws her inspiration from the ocean and nearby mountain trails.
Max Romey
Alaska, USA
Max is an Alaskan artist who found his voice in watercolors. His work as a running videographer takes him all over the globe, but his true passion is found on Alaskan trails and in the communities they bring together.
As a dyslexic, visual storytelling has always been a huge part of Max’s life. Whether it was watercolors as a kid, photography, or film, he has always been intrigued by how visual content can connect broad audiences without a single written word. This drive ignited his passion for filmmaking, which he has pursued for the past nine years.
Max is passionate about telling the stories of communities and the issues that affect them, including climate change and environmental activism, mental health and wellness, and the importance of involving youth in the conversation.
Brian Rood
Brian is a professional illustrator who has worked throughout the entertainment industry. Specifically, he is best known for his extensive work on the Star Wars franchise, where he has spent the better part of the last 12 years working primarily in a galaxy far, far away… His work for the Star Wars franchise can be found in everything from fine art reproductions to illustrated storybooks published by Lucasfilm and Disney. He has spent the last several years creating over 600 new illustrations for current and upcoming projects for Lucasfilm/Disney publishing and licensing. Brian’s artwork has been commissioned and used by dozens of Star Wars merchandise licensors.
Outside of the galaxy far, far away, Brian’s work can be found throughout the entertainment industry on properties ranging from classic television programs to major theatrical releases. When he’s not in his studio creating artwork based on Star Wars, he travels the world to attend various gallery exhibits and conventions.
Brian says, ”Working with Lucasfilm and Disney is a dream come true. There are so many creative avenues you can take with a property like Star Wars; the ideas for new paintings and works of art are nearly endless. ” When he’s not busy creating new artwork for the entertainment industry and the Star Wars galaxy, he spends time with his wife and two children in Southern Michigan.
Brian has been utilizing both the Holbein Acrylic and Holbein Watercolor lines for the better part of two decades. “I’ve tried every brand and every type of paint out there, and always come back to the Holbein line of paints…. The colors, the quality control, and the friendly nature to have the paints interact with each other when I’m creating mixed media pieces are all some of the reasons why Holbein products are a permanent fixture in my studio.”
Alex Ross
Nelson Alexander “Alex” is an American comic book writer/artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries Marvels, on which he collaborated with writer Kurt Busiek for Marvel Comics. He has since worked on a variety of projects for both Marvel and DC Comics, including the 1996 miniseries Kingdom Come, which Ross co-wrote. Since then, he has created covers and character designs for Busiek’s Astro City series and for various Dynamite Entertainment projects.
His feature film work includes concept and narrative art for Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, as well as DVD packaging art for the M. Night Shyamalan film entitled Unbreakable. He has done covers for TV Guide, promotional artwork for the Academy Awards, posters, and packaging design for video games, and his renditions of superheroes have been merchandised as action figures.
Ross’s style has been said to exhibit a “Norman-Rockwell-meets-George-Pérez vibe” and has been praised for its realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters. His rendering style, attention to detail, and the perceived tendency of his characters to be depicted staring off into the distance in cover images have been satirized in Mad magazine.
Because of the time it takes Ross to produce his art, he primarily serves as a plotter and/or cover artist. Comics Buyer’s Guide Senior Editor Maggie Thompson once commented on that publication’s retirement of the Favorite Painter award from their CBG Fan Awards was due to Ross’ domination of that category, by stating in 2010, “Ross may simply be the field’s Favorite Painter, period.”
Iris Scott
Iris is leading a revolution worldwide in oil painting – and she’s doing it by refusing to use brushes. Armed with surgical gloves instead of paint brushes, Iris swipes paint straight from Holbein tubes onto her fingertips and then finger paints across the canvas. “It’s new technology,” exclaims Iris, “yet it’s the oldest technology of all!”
Iris’s work is widely acclaimed, with features in Forbes, Barron’s, Western Art and Architecture Magazine, USAToday, CBS New York, among many others. Her originals are sold in four galleries across the United States, and orders for her prints ship every day to the far reaches of the planet.
Her style resonates with a universal need to connect with art that is joyful, colorful, and aesthetically pleasing. Iris Scott believes beauty has gone underrated in recent decades and that the pendulum is finally beginning to swing in a new direction.
Scott is currently based in Brooklyn, but her hometown of Maple Valley, where she was born, sits just outside of Seattle, Washington. A child of the trees, Iris’s artsy hippie parents raised her to love what you do and to commit to your passion 100%.
Kathryn Stedham
Kathyrn’s life-changing move out West in 2005 brought her face-to-face with a true calling: painting the infinite spaces of the American Southwest. Little did she realize at the time that this would combine two personal rudiments: painting and contemplation.
Forever fascinated by stories about the West and Westward Expansion, she would happily board a time machine, if there were such a thing, to experience this important period in American history and our connection to the land firsthand. With a feeling of urgency to portray this space, rooting out the mystic snippets of a quickly vanishing landscape, Kathryn seeks to capture its raw and often awkward elegance in the rapidly changing light, vast distances, rugged escarpments, colorful mesas, and hidden arroyos.
Trained as an Academic Realist, Kathryn began her career as a figurative painter. Still, her interest evolved, through a period of pure abstraction, into the gestural Alla Prima painting style she uses today. This approach combines representational landscape forms with an expressionistic modernist sensibility.
An exhibiting artist for over 35 years, her work has been featured in public and private collections throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, and Canada. In addition to her studio practice, she travels internationally, rides horses, and teaches oil painting workshops. Kathryn currently lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Janice Sung
Janice is an illustrator/designer based in Toronto, Canada. She graduated from Sheridan College’s animation program in 2016 and now works as an independent artist, creating pieces that inspire her and her viewers. Her interest in human anatomy and nature documentaries has inspired her to paint ethereal young women, often accompanied by animals and foliage. She specializes in both traditional and digital mediums and likes to continually experiment with different styles and methods as she grows as an artist. She finds most of her inspiration from the Renaissance era, scenic cinematography, and her everyday surroundings. She’s had the privilege of collaborating with companies such as Apple, Netflix, National Geographic, Armani Exchange, and others.
Jerry Vanderstelt
Jerry currently has an active license with Warner Bros. Studio to create a Fine Art line for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit titles. All of Jerry’s artwork is based upon hand-painted, traditionally rendered paintings, utilizing Holbein Acrylic Ink applied with both an airbrush and a flat brush. His natural tendency is to create artwork in a photo-realistic style, and for this reason, Jerry is often asked whether or not his artwork is digital.
Jerry has been in the commercial art business for the last 15 years and has created numerous Sci-fi and Fantasy book jacket designs as well as several commercial artworks for clients such as Hasbro Toys, Capital One Bank, Royal Mail Group, Ace, Pocket, Roc, and Scholastic books. He has also collaborated with Sideshow Collectibles on the creation of the 1/4-scale sculpt of The Dark Lord Sauron. You will find many of Jerry’s artworks gracing the covers of several Topps Star Wars collectible card hobby boxes.
Jerry currently works with Disney and Lucasfilm Licensing/Publishing for various projects for the Star Wars and Indiana Jones titles.
Karen Vernon
Karen is a very active painter. She has been painting in watercolor, oil, pastel, and acrylics since her childhood. She has worked in watercolor for over 50 years, and her skill in this medium is demonstrated in each of her paintings, which are a visual enchantment of color and light. She is constantly seeking to interpret life around her and to depict it in vibrant, often oversized images.
As a professional artist with a worldwide market, she has achieved notable recognition. Karen was invited to show her work in a three-year traveling museum exhibition entitled “Sea to Shining Sea.” She was one of 47 artists selected to participate in this major project honoring our country. Her paintings hang in museum collections in Europe and the United States, as well as in private and corporate collections, including the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia, Delta Airlines, the Château de Vuilliens, the National PGA Headquarters, the Moody Gardens Resort Hotel, and the Walt Disney Corporation.
She has been elected to the Birmingham Watercolour Society in Birmingham, U.K., is in Who’s Who in American Art, Strathmore’s Who’s Who, and holds a signature membership in the Texas Watercolor Society and the Watercolor Art Society in Houston.Karen Vernon is the founder of ACT, Artist Changing Tomorrow, a fundraiser dedicated to maintaining and sustaining art education.
Hannah Webb
California, USA
Known better as The Obanoth, Hannah’s work focuses on technique in application and dynamic color stories, usually with an emphasis on organic subjects such as animals or body parts.
Her paintings are layers of independent shapes, stacked to imply light, texture, and form. With a balance of both careful color shifts and loud punches of contrasting hues, the result is harmonious and vibrates with life. Acrylic paint is her preferred medium, and she chooses to create work on wooden surfaces, as the smoothness best lends itself to the clean and precise marks that evolve into her visual geometry. Hannah’s paintings are designed to exist carefully between the mechanical and the fluid, the representational and the abstract, and ultimately tell an old story in a new voice.
The subjects she chooses to paint give her the opportunity to find unique ways to present things that are more or less familiar. She likes exploring visual concepts of wetness, softness, and hardness without being too caught up in realism– using somewhat relatable subject matter. Though originally from Ohio, Hannah currently lives and creates in Highland Park, CA.
Jon Young
Jon was born and raised in Swanton, Vermont. He studied illustration at Massachusetts College of Art & Design and oil painting at Johnson State College. Since 2000, he has been the product and technical advisor for HK Holbein Artist Materials in Williston, Vermont. In 2008, Jon was one of three North American artists featured at Holbein Japan’s launch of their water-soluble oil paint line “DUO.” Two of his landscape paintings were published in Sean Dye’s The Mixed Media Sourcebook (Watson Guptill, 2004).
Jon’s painting, Red Autumn Dawn, was awarded first place for Arts Alive’s Festival of Fine Arts juried show in 2010. He has exhibited in Burlington, Saint Albans, and Seattle. His mediums range from watercolor, ink, oil, and acrylic. Jon’s art is known for its bright colors and wide range of subject matter. He lives in Saint Albans, Vermont, with his wife, Arleigh, and their daughter Violet.