New Mexico Art League
                  Art School ∙ Gallery 


 
 
 
 

 

Faculty

 
Lea Anderson

Lea, a San Diego native, has discovered much during her adventures in the dramatic, colorful and wild desert environment. She creates living philosophical worlds that echo the formal variations seen in natural systems. These themes are explored through individual works, full-scale, ambitious mixed media installations, group projects, and solo exhibitions using a wide variety of both digital and traditional media. She has exhibited throughout the US as well as inter-nationally in Bangkok, Thailand. She holds an MFA from the University of New Mexico. Anderson is currently a full time Professor of Studio Art at Central New Mexico Community College. A recipient of numerous awards, for her artwork, she was also awarded "Albuquerque Local Treasure" in 2010. In 2013, Anderson was guest curator for the exhibition Flatlanders and Surface Dwellers at 516 ARTS in Albuquerque.


Ruth Andrews-Vreeland

Ruth began drawing at an early age and painting in oils at the age of ten, at her childhood home in Fresno, California. She has won numerous fine art and design awards throughout her life and was highly influenced by the west coast artists of Carmel, CA as a teen, taking instruction from some of them in oils and watercolor. An art major in college, Ruth had a lengthy successful career as a graphic designer in her adopted state of New Mexico where she has lived for 38 years. She has painted since childhood, concentrating on oils for many years, but almost completely transitioning over to watercolor, finding it to be an exciting, fast medium in which to work. She is now a frequent top-award winner and Signature Member of the NM Watercolor Society and a Signature Member of the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies. Her work can be found in collections throughout the United States.


Pamela Barcita

Pamela Barcita is a watercolor artistan illustratorand art teacher who recently moved back to New Mexico after many years living overseas and in other states most recently,  Virginia.  Currently she teaches online as an instructor for the Visual Arts Center of Tidewater Community College located in NorfolkVAShe has been teaching in the classroom and online for TCC since 1986. Pamela is the illustrator of over 25 children’s booksSome of her most popular books are in series: Ruby Lee the Bumble BeeCharles the Lion Dogand Boots The CatPamela earned a Master’s Degree in Studio Art with an emphasis in Illustration from Marywood University in ScrantonPA in 1998. She is a member of The New Mexico Watercolor Society and the New Mexico Art LeagueIn Virginia she was formerly a member of the Southside Artists AssociationChesapeake Bay Watercolorists and the Virginia Watercolor SocietyPamela’s watercolor paintings won several awards from the Southside Artists Association art shows in 2018-19, ranging from People’s ChoiceThirdSecond and First PlaceFor the Chesapeake Bay Watercolorists she was awarded a Second Place in the 2019 Spring Show and won Best in Show and People’s Choice awards in the 2019 Fall show.Pamelaoriginally from New Mexicoand her husbandJoséreturned to beautiful New Mexico in the Fall of 2022. They now reside in Edgewood on a three-acre woodland populated with many wild creaturesfrom which she draws inspirationfor her artwork.


Carolyn Berry

Carolyn Berry has been passionate about teaching art for over 25 years. As a public school teacher, she has been named Outstanding Kansas Educator of the Year and has taught workshops for the Kansas City Art Institute Continuing Education, the Nelson Atkins Museum, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts and various other art centers around the country. Working primarily with collage, photography and encaustic wax, her encaustic mixed-media work can be seen in the recent North Light Book publications, Incite3 and Incite 4. She maintains a studio and exhibits in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area. Carolyn's work can be found in collections throughout the United States.


Janet Bothne

Janet Bothne’s artwork focuses on the malleable physicality of paint as a conduit to expression and emotion. “It allows us to hold energy and light captive, and offer an insight into our imagination—I never tire of the possibilities it presents,” she explains.Born near Boston, Bothne studied art at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst as well as UCLA in California. She’s exhibited in numerous venues  including the Los Angeles County Museum Of Art and The Santa Monica Art Museum. Her works are held in private, corporate and public collections throughout the U.S. and abroad.She relocated to New Mexico in 2013 and now works from her studio in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque.You can view her work and see a full bio at janetbothne.com.




Michelle Chrisman

Michelle Chrisman has been making her living as a full-time oil painter and instructor for over 20 years.  She is a plein aire painter of the New Mexico landscape, a contemporary figure painter and a still-life painter.  Michelle’s work is represented in Santa Fe by The Signature Gallery, in Taos by Wilder Nightingale Fine Art, and Weems Gallery in Albuquerque.  Michelle is a contemporary colorist/expressionist painter grounded in the principals of Impressionism - how light works in the natural world.   She has been teaching Plein Air Painting Workshops for 16 years at Ghost Ranch as well as Contemporary Figure and Still-Life Painting in Albuquerque and is excited about oil painting that is emotionally expressive. Michelle graduated from Fashion Institute of Technology in Figure Illustration, The School of Visual Arts in Graphic Design with a BFA, and completed intensive art studies at the New York and Denver Art Student Leagues and Scottsdale Artists School.  Instructors who have had the greatest influence on Michelle and her work are Kevin MacPherson, Kim English and Peggi Kroll-Roberts.  She has long been a Signature Member of PAPNM.  www.MichelleChrisman.com

Maria Cole

Maria is a graduate of Rutgers University and also completed studies at the Art Students League of New York City. During her student years she was fortunate to enjoy the guidance of master pastelist Albert Handell, and renowned drawing and anatomy instructor Micael Burban. Since moving to New Mexico in 1999, she has concentrated on drawing and painting the beauty of the local landscape as well as its people. www.maria-cole.com.



Dave Cook

Dave Cook, an artist and retired architect, explores the beauty of the natural and built world through vivid, colorful shape-dominated paintings.  His approach to water media painting is varied and explorative; he paints landscapes often with references to buildings and structures as a natural outgrowth of his architectural background.  His landscape paintings are expressive, typically capturing recognizable subjects but interpreting them in a unique way. He paints both through realistic and abstract interpretations, using watercolors and acrylics on paper, often with various textures and strokes.  He enjoys the freedom of expression and design in water media as a serious art form. He often paints plein air.He is a signature member of the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies WFWS and New Mexico Watercolor Society NMWS.  He is a past president of the NMWS, and project manager for WFWS 47 in Albuquerque.He has received awards in the exhibitions of both watercolor societies, the Visual Arts Council Fine Arts Show, and the AIA Architect as an Artist show.  He has been accepted in the NM Arts and Crafts Fairs, and has been juried into the Expo NM Fine Arts Shows and Master Works exhibitions.

Ming Franz

Ming specializes in Chinese brush painting, western watercolor and splashed ink painting, which combines watercolor techniques and Chinese brush. ‘Viewing Ming’s splash color painting is the visual equivalent of finding oneself in the middle of an ancient Chinese poem or fairy tale with a modern twist.  Ming received her basic art training in Taiwan and has continued her art in the U.S. She teaches workshops regularly at the New Mexico Art League. She also teaches annually at Artist's Expo in Houston, TX, Silicon Valley Asian Art Center, CA and many other art organizations in the United States. Ming is the author of Splash Ink with Watercolor and has had her work published in North Light Magazine, Artist's Magazine, Studio Visit Magazine, Kennedy Publishing Magazine, Albuquerque Journal, Asian World Journal and many other publications. She is a Signature Member of the NM Watercolor Society, the Rio Grande Art Association, Sumi-e Society of America, Chinese American Art Development Foundation and the American Society Assn of Chinese Art. Ming Franz is widely recognized for her “splash” painting which combines primary watercolor and Chinese Ink, she has received Grand Prize in the International Artist Magazine. Ming is a faculty member of the New Mexico Art League. Signature Member of the New Mexico Watercolor Society, Golden Paints Company and Silver Brushes Certified Artist and Educator, 2018 Albuquerque local treasure.Franz was born in Taiwan where she discovered her talent at an early age. She has traveled and studied art for decades and has become a sought-after instructor. She now resides in New Mexico. 

J. Waid Griffin

Waid has painted the mountains and deserts of the southwest for over thirty years. He is a Signature Member of Oil Painters of America and NM Plein Air Painters. He holds a BFA in painting and has studied with Michael Lynch, Mark Daily, Kevin MacPherson and others. He also holds a Master of Music in Theory and Composition. In addition to his painting and teaching adult classes and workshops, Waid teaches music and art to middle and high school students in the Albuquerque area. Waid has won numerous awards for his paintings, including the "Outstanding Achievement Award," 2008 MasterWorks of New Mexico Exhibition and most recently, Second Prize in painting at the 2020 Phippen Museum Show. His work is represented in galleries in New Mexico and can be found in public and private collections throughout the United States. 

Toby Hall

M. Tobias Hall (b. 1981) lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Tobias has an MFA in Painting from the New York Academy of Art (Class of 2017), and received his BA magna cum laude in Fine Arts (with a focus on Animation) from Arizona State University.He has taught drawing and painting as a visiting instructor and assistant instructor at Studio Escalier (Paris & Argenton Chateau, France), at the Ryder Studio School (Santa Fe, NM), and online with Studio Incamminati and the Teaching Studios of Art. www.mtobiashall.com




Claire Hurrey

As a young woman, I found those images compelling, because I could relate to the sense that there was something more, something seen and yet not readily visible. At the time, it was almost oppressive because I didn’t have any way to articulate this sense, even though I felt the weight of it. Consequently, I committed myself to learning the technical skills that would allow me to unlock those ideas and articulate the visual truths that lurk beyond the visible spectrum. My journey as an artist led me through an academic education earning Bachelors in Sociology and Fine Art, a Masters in Drawing, and a Masters of Fine Art in Painting, but what I truly learned is that art requires a fine balance between talent, intuition, and technical skill. Any success that I’ve achieved with this body of work is due to professional artists Margo Selski and Kathryn Stats who invited me into their studios and shared both their love of the visual and their technical understanding of drawing and color and oil. The lessons I learned from them are innumerable, and without those lessons learned, these paintings could not have been created. www.cehurrey.com.


Stacy Innerst

Stacy Innerst is a painter, children’s book artist, illustrator and educator. His books have received a host of starred reviews and have been honored with the 2020 Sydney Taylor Book Award (for The Book Rescuer), the New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award (Ruth Bader Ginsburg), the SCBWI Golden Kite for Picture Book Illustration (The Music in George’s Head) as well as several Gold Medals from the Parents’ Choice Awards. His first book for children, M is for Music (HMH) by Kathleen Krull was named an SLJ Best Book of 2003 and Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea (HMH) with author Tony Johnston was named a best book of 2011 by Publishers Weekly.  Ruth Bader Ginsberg, written by Jonah Winter (Abrams) was named an ALA Notable Book and was included on the ILA Teachers Choice Reading List. Since 2003 his illustrations have regularly been selected for the Original Art show at the Society of Illustrators. His upcoming releases include Lincoln Clears a Path by Peggy Thomas, Boyds Mills & Kane, 2021: Jack Knight’s Brave Flight by Jill Esbaum, Boyds Mills & Kane, 2021 and The Sweetest Scoop: Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Dreams by Lisa Robinson, Abrams, 2021.Originally from Los Angeles, Stacy was raised in New Mexico and now makes his home and studio in Pittsburgh.


Cynthia Inson 

I paint using either watercolors or water mixable oils, often outside in Nature, to express the silence and peace the I experience and see in the grand vistas of the Southwest High Desert. I use my paints and compositions to capture the incredible light, atmosphere, and distance that surrounds us. I want the person looking at my paintings to feel wonder and the sense of silent serenity of those natural grand vistas. I also paint florals, mostly roses, sunflowers, and blooming cacti in the same impressionistic style. These are always painted from life. And the studio and I benefit from their beauty and wonderful aromas. I have been inspired for many years by the paintings of the early California Plein Air painters. In particular, I continue to study and find inspiration in the works of Marion Kavanaugh Watchtel, Sam Hyde Harris, William Wendt, and Guy Rose. Born in 1948, I live just outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico with fellow artist and husband JK Inson, our dear pup Lucy Rocket and a very special cat, Lupine. Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts and Art History-Wichita State University. Masters of Anthropology and Archeology-Wichita State University Memberships: Oil Painters of America, Plein Air Painters of New Mexico Plein Air Artists of Colorado, Plein Air Painters of New Mexico, California Art Club. Gallery Representation: Nedra Matteucci Galleries, Santa Fe, New Mexico.


Cody Kamrowski

Cody grew up in Albuquerque and graduated from UNM in 2019. Since then, he has been a full-time artist and part-time art instructor. His work contains elements of illustration, naturalism, and design. Cody is passionate about portrait drawing, figure drawing, and oil painting. Much of his work resides in private collections. www.codykamrowski.com/

Vasili Katakis


Vasili was born in 1952 in Chicago, Illinois and has drawn and painted his entire life. “As a first generation Greek American, my appreciation for classical form and design has distinguished my work in the art community. Representational art, with a romantic twist, is how I can best describe my approach. I draw my inspiration from nature and I paint what I feel. My goal is to reveal the interior mysteries of the world, thereby engaging viewers. "Pastel is his medium of choice, with techniques derived from a lifetime of working in various disciplines. His formal exposure to art came in 1964 when invited as an honoree by the Chicago Youth Organization at Ox Bow & the School of the Art Institute of Chicago...that single experience changed his life forever. Vasili also studied at the American Academy of Art under Irving Shapiro and Bill Parks. He has taught illustration art at Chicago’s Columbia College. He currently teaches art classes and workshops at the New MexicoArt League and critiques at UNM’s School of Architecture. Vasili is Signature member in both, the Pastel Society of New Mexico and the Pastel Society of America. He continues to lecture and conduct public demonstrations where he advances the art of pastel painting. 


Maria Lilly 

Maria Lilly studied at Pratt Institute, Montclaire State University and the NJ Art Students League. Her work has exhibited in New York and New Mexico and can be found in collections throughout the United States. She works from her studio where she creates relief prints on a press that her husband built for her  “I am a graphic fine artist/printmaker, art restorer, and framer living and creating in New Mexico. Many of my prints reflect New Mexico scenery. I love doing landscapes and things of nature. Birds, plant life, animals, weather and humans inspire me. My prints start with a drawing. The drawings are taken from my sketchbook, imagination, memory, or my own photography. Many times, all three are involved. After drawing the image on the block, the light areas are carved out. The relief surface is covered with ink and put through a cylinder press or printed by hand with a spoon or doorknob. The printed paper is carefully removed and put aside to dry.” 


Nancy Catherwood Magnusson

Nancy Magnusson a.k.a. “NC” worked as a ceramic ar9st and teacher in Massachusetts for the bulk of her career, making unique one of a kind pottery, both hand built and thrown on the wheel. Discovering the subtle beauty of wood fired ash and soda pottery, most of her work reflects the serendipitous effects of fire on functional ware. She built a two chamber anagama and soda kiln next to her barn studio. Her firings became a community event, attracting potter friends and friendly observers to the multiple day event. Her career as a studio potter included teacher and mentor to kids and adults, studio manager, workshop organizer, and ceramic arts project manager. Relocating to Albuquerque 6 years ago, she has reinvented herself as an abstract painter, showing from time to time in local venues.


John Meister

As a child comfortably playing on the banks of a creek in Austin, Texas, my parents uprooted us several times a year to drive across the desert of New Mexico, returning us to their own childhood homes and memories. Threading through mesas, thunderheads, and virga, I imagine from the vantage point in the back seat of our Ford LTD station wagon, that my brother and I resembled young Jim Morrisons traveling across the desert floor, kindling memories that would eventually spark moody rock-n-roll hits. We were truly ‘riders on the storm’, soaking up the visual cues that we experienced.My wife and I have now dwelt in this enchanted land for over thirty years while raising our family. Moving beyond my formal art training and twenty-three years of commercial work, painting now occupies me full-time frequently drawing me out of my studio and into nature. This gives me the opportunity to observe my subject on its own terms, witnessing its strength and endurance. The light, the air, and the soils all play their part, creating a unique rhythm of texture and color that defines this special place. New Mexico is a state that some would say has few resources. But what we have here is extraordinarily unique. Our arts highlight this. I am devoted to helping others see and experience the beauty of our state, and hope that my own art efforts support this goal. The term ‘magical realism’ had to be created for New Mexico. Living here, I appreciate the aesthetic of life in all its forms and gravitate toward intimate views of nature and the structure of things. Life must do a little something extra to thrive here, and sometimes it displays great beauty in the process. I strive to capture that. 


Michael Meyer

Growing up in St. Louis, Michael’s interest in art began at the age of 7 with a strong interest in portraiture from the beginning. He holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Art Education from Southeast Missouri State University. He began his career with various commercial art and art director positions, as well as illustrating for magazines, Hallmark, and advertising agencies. While continuing to paint and grow as an artist he maintained a long career in senior management for various publishing companies in the Chicago area. During this period he focused on improving his portrait skills by studying with renowned portrait artist, Richard Halstead in Chicago. He was also a member The Plein Air Painters of Chicago. After moving to Tijeras New Mexico with his wife, Michael's participation in several juried art shows during the last 10 years have produced 19 awards that include best of show, 1st place, 2nd place, five people’s choice awards, and 12 awards for excellence. He is a member of NM Plein Air Painters, Rio Grande Art Association, NM Art league and paints weekly with a small group of plein air friends. His art objectives are to continuously improve his skills that result in paintings with more impact.


Jeff Otis

Jeff Otis is an oil painter, living in Albuquerque, known primarily for his landscapes.As a young man he spent many years living in Europe where his interest in art was facilitated by the proximity of some of the world’s greatest art museums. Landscape, especially the dramatic vistas of the desert southwest, is his central focus. His style is representational and often accompanied by contrasts of light and shade as well asdynamic color harmonies. He attributes much of his development as a painter to great artists of the past such as Monet, Sargent, Millet, Edgar Payne and Sorolla. Contemporary artists having equally important influence include Wilson Hurley, Michael Lynch, Russell Chatham, Clyde Aspevig, Richard Schmid, Laura Robb, Dan Gerhartz, Wayne Wolfe, Ralph Oberg, John F. Carlson, David Leffel, and Sherrie Mcgraw. His work can be seen at Concetta D. Fine Arts in Albuquerque. He is a signature member of Oil Painters of America. The New Mexico State Permanent Collection has one of his paintings as does the New Mexico Museum of Art and History. In 1996 he won the Excellence Award at the Oil Painters of America Western Regional show and the Fine Art Connoisseur Award for Excellence in the 2009 National exhibit. His paintings are found in individual and corporate collections throughout the United States, Japan and Europe.


Michael Ottersen

Michael Ottersen was born in Massapequa, Long Island in 1956 and spent most of his youth in Norwalk, Connecticut. He attended Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and spent three semesters studying in Rome in Tyler's overseas program. He later moved to New York City where he lived and worked for twelve years in magazine production and design, for publications such as Artforum, Art News, and Metropolis, while maintaining a studio and art career and beginning an exhibition history. In 1992 Michael moved to New Mexico where he worked in book design and illustration while still pursuing a fine art career. Later relocating to Seattle, Washington, Michael began teaching at various schools and colleges in the Pacific Northwest for the next nineteen years which included the Gage Academy of Art, Pratt Fine Art Center, the Northwest College of Art and Design and Kirkland Art Center. Recently returning to New Mexico, he continues to teach classes at The New Mexico Art League. His work is represented in Seattle at Season Gallery.


Coulter Prehm

Coulter Prehm ( b.1984) is an observational painter/draftsman (works from life) residing in Santa Fe, NM. Colt studied art with many of the top, contemporary painters of the day though the bulk of his study took place with Tony Ryder who is a dear friend, teacher and mentor. His work has been displayed at galleries across the US and has been featured in numerous publications in the United States, Europe and Canada. Colt is an engaging instructor and has taught drawing and painting workshops as well as conducted demos at public universities and other institutions.  In addition to painting and teaching, Colt has been widely recognized and published for his work in tattooing. See RenaissanceLifeNow.com for art resources or CoulterPrehm.com for more information and portfolios.


John Reger

John was born in Illinois in 1960, and worked for more than 20 years as an illustrator. John attended classes in Chicago; at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, The Vitruvian Fine Art Studio, and in 2007, enrolled at Studio Escalier; a private art school and international arts colony in Argenton-Chateau, France, where he completed his initial classical training with instructors Timothy Stotz and N. Michelle Tully, and met their instructor Ted Seth Jacobs. While at Studio Escalier, John learned that Anthony Ryder had also been Mr. Jacob’s student, and had a classical drawing and painting atelier in USA.  John subsequently applied for and was accepted at The Ryder Studio School in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2008. John continues to perfect his technique, form, and color, and in 2012, was honored to be chosen as the Teaching Assistant at the Ryder Studio School, and remains on the faculty there. John teaches workshops in Texas, California, and Oklahoma. He lives with his wife in Santa Fe, New Mexico.


Susan Roden

Albuquerque multidisciplinary artist Susan E. Roden, attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Houston Art Institute. Her art is exhibited nationally and she is the recipient of awards including Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club’s 1994 Medal of Honor for pastels (NY) and the 1996 Yarka Award from the Salmagundi Club (NY). She attended residencies to Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park (2009) and California’s Desert Dairy Farm (2021, 2022).Roden was featured on the cover of the Pastel Artist International Magazine (2002) with an accompanied article of her technique and cited in the Southwest Art Magazine (2005) as “Collectors Choice for Pastels”. As an artistic collaborator with Albuquerque’s Theatre Aux Dog and Santa Fe playwright, Mark Dunn’s production, Diptych (2019), Roden’s 32 pieces of art represented the Daughter / Artist’s character. She has taught at the University of California San Diego Extension, San Diego Museum of Art and Oasis /Albuquerque. Roden is juried member with the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club (NY), Distinguished Pastelist and Past President of the Pastel Society of New Mexico, member of the Women Entrepreneurs of New Mexico and the New Mexican Chapter of the National Museum ofWomen in the Arts. Her art is internationally collected with representation by Jezebel’s Studio & Gallery, Madrid, NM, Patrician Design, Albuquerque, NM, and Tirage Fine Art Gallery, Carlsbad, CA. Roden’s pastels are also included within notable organizations such as The Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation of San Diego, San Diego Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Museum of California and the Petrified Forest National Park.

Cynthia Rowland

Cynthia graduated with a degree in fine arts from Texas Tech University. She spent a dozen years in New York, where she founded her own graphic design company. In 1993, Cynthia returned to New Mexico to pursue sculpture in the medium of cast bronze. This developed into major public and privately commissioned projects with her partner and husband Mark. By 2005, they had completed over 40 projects, including several large-scale works, such as the award-winning Senator Chavez Memorial at Civic Plaza and Lion's Share at the Albuquerque International Airport.For several years Cynthia's focus has been oil painting---enjoying the tutelage of Wilson Hurley and David Leffel. Influenced by these contemporary and other historical masters,she has developed her own style and metaphor, and has been invited to several competitions and exhibitions, including several gallery venues in Santa Fe, the Albuquerque Museum Miniatures Show and was Featured Artist for the New Mexico Symphony Benefit. 


Mita Saldana

A Chicago native, Mita Saldana received her BA from Columbia College Chicago where she developed her jewelry making skills as a silversmith. After many years of working with the rigid and hard materials of her craft she discovered the softness and give of paper and everything changed. Returning to Columbia College’s brand new Book and Paper department she continued her education in the book arts. Mita moved to New Mexico and opened Against the Grain Center for Bookbinding. For over 23 years she has been repairing and restoring used and rare books, creating small editions, and teaching people how to make books, boxes and the related arts. In the past she has taught regularly at The Hispanic Cultural Center, Santa Fe Community College, The Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque Academy, and private studios and numerous retail locations across the state. Her work has been exhibited in both Illinois and New Mexico and she is one of the founding members of Libros: New Mexico Book Arts Guild. 

Sarah Siltala

Sarah Siltala paints utilizing a classical indirect layering technique in which transparent colors are thinly built upon each other like layers of stained glass.  Influenced by Flemish and Venetian methods, this process produces a myriad of rich gemlike tones and a depth unattainable compared to the more common technique of direct, or alla prima, style painting.  To paint in this manner requires the utmost patience, as each layer must dry completely before the next can be applied.  As her paint layers build over time the play of light and shadow evolve, and the distinct personality of her subject matter begins to emerge.  The result is an artwork with vibrant, luminous color, subtle texture, and a meditative quality.  Sarah's paintings have an old-world elegance, yet the colors and compositions are  quite contemporary.  Her award winning paintings have been included in museum shows, featured in national art publications such as American Artist, American Art Collector, and Southwest Art Magazine.  Her paintings were featured in AMC’s hit show Breaking Bad, and most recently in The Book of the Bird, Birds in Art  by Angus Hyland and Kendra Wilson. 


  Tina Stallard

 Tina Stallard is an artist based in Corrales, NM who works primarily with  watercolors. Her work is inspired by the New Mexico landscape, love of animals,  and bright playful colors. Growing up as a hog farmer's daughter has influenced  her subjects and styles, often allowing expressing Tina’s love of the agricultural  lifestyle. She went on to receive her degree in Graphic Design from UC Berkeley  and worked as a graphic design artist in the Bay Area as well as teaching art  classes at public schools. Currently Tina teaches art privately and at the New  Mexico Art League. She is a signature member of the New Mexico Watercolor  Society and has participated in many local and national exhibits, as well as        curating a few! 

Alice Webb

I arrived in Taos, New Mexico in 1973 at age twenty, after having grown up near the museum district in Fort Worth, Texas. In high school I won a scholarship to study oil painting at the Fort Worth Modern Art Museum. After a short stint at the University of Texas where I studied drawing and design I moved to Taos. During the seventies I designed jewelry, studied tapestry weaving, created fiber sculptures, and continued to hone my drawing skills. By the late seventies I knew I had to return to painting. Although I now have a Bachelors of Fine Art and a Masters of Art Education from the University of New Mexico, it was by studying the Taos founders and painting in the very spots they frequented that I truly learned to paint. Over the past thirty-five years I have exhibited work nationally. My paintings and prints are included in numerous public and private collections. I still  live in Albuquerque, New Mexico where I continue to explore the infinite number of ways to color canvas with excitement.


Dick Wimberly 

Dick is a plein air artist. Wimberly says While working on a painting I receive communication about the moods and seasons of nature from the world around me. Art is about giving and receiving, its about sharing the beauty that I see in my heart and mind with others.” He has been painting outdoors for over 40 years, and has taught in Albuquerque Public Schools, classes at the NM Art League, and Eastern New Mexico University. He has studied with Wilson Hurley, Clyde Aspevig and Michael Lynch. Dick has taught workshops around the US, taking great pleasure in watching his students discovering and growing into their own thoughts and abilities.As well as winning awards in various competitions,  he is the only artist to win three times the Jeff Potter award for best landscape by a New Mexico artist at the PAPNM National Juried Members Show. Dick has sold through various galleries in New York, Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico and has had many one man shows over  the years. Dick Wimberly served as the President of the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico and is a member of the Oil Painters of America and of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. Dick lives with his wife in Cedar Crest, New Mexico,  enjoying traveling and painting on location in national parks, across the US, and abroad. 


Visiting Faculty


Carolyn Anderson

Carolyn Anderson has developed her own singular style, learning from other artists who inspired and supported her, but experimenting with the boundaries of traditional techniques.  Artist William Reese called her work “poetry – a poetic painting grows as time goes on.” Over the years, she has received numerous awards for her paintings, including twice winning the C.M. Russell Museum Auction Best of Show. She has also received several Master Awards of Excellence at the American Impressionist Society show, several Northwest Rendezvous Merit Awards and the NWR President’s Choice Award. She has participated in major national shows for over thirty years, including the Prix de West, C.M. Russell Museum Show, and the Coors Western Art Exhibit. A respected workshop instructor, Anderson teaches several classes a year. She has taught for the Fechin School, Scottsdale Artists’ School, Frye Museum, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and Walt Disney Imagineering. While doing work for Walt Disney Imagineering in California, she was contracted to research and write about visual language. She has continued her research in that area of art and science and uses this information in her writing and workshop instruction.


Louis Escobedo

In 1985, Louis Escobedo shifted his professional focus, moving from illustration to fine art. In 1990, Louis and his wife, Yolanda, moved to Denver, Colorado. During his fine art career, Louis exhibited in many galleries across the United States, including California, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Illinois, Virginia, and Maryland. In 1994, Louis was awarded his first Gold Medal from the National Oil Painters of America (OPA) and received his second one with a $25,000 award in 2014. He is one of only two artists receiving this prestigious award twice from this 27-year-old organization. In 2019 Louis received the Master Signature status in Oil Painters of America based on his mastery of oil painting and accomplishments in the world of representational art. Louis and Yolanda currently reside in Santa Fe, New Mexico.


Joan Fullerton


Joan Fullerton grew up on the vast, slow-paced plains of Eastern Wyoming. While raising 3 children, she studied watercolor with Edgar Whitney, Frank Webb, Charles Reid and many other nationally known watercolorists. In 1985 she returned to college and achieved BFA and MFA degrees in painting from the University of Wyoming. She was a college art instructor at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming from 1990 to 2003. In 2003 she made the leap of faith to relocate and paint full-time in Taos, NM. During her 8 years in Taos, Fullerton made her mark and established her reputation as a well-known and respected artist and teacher. A recent move to south Denver, she is now hosting workshops internationally. Joan Fullerton’s work has been in galleries, juried shows and museums since the early 70’s and she has shown internationally in Italy and Japan. Her work is published in Open Studios Press 2010, and Visual Journeys, Art of the 21st Century. 


Bill Gallen

Growing up along the shores of Lake Michigan and wandering the woods and fields of his native Wisconsin gave Bill Gallen an early appreciation for the wonders of the natural world. Gallen graduated from the University of Wisconsin having studied German and History andspent a year abroad at the University of Freiburg in Germany. Plans to pursue an academic career gave way when he moved to Colorado with his brother, following the call of a boyhood interest in the Rocky Mountains. Nurturing a lifelong interest in art, Gallen studied painting and drawing in his free time. A fortuitous encounter with the landscape painter David Ballew lead him to a lineage of teachers that remain lifelong mentors, principally Michael J. Lynch and Ned Jacob. Gallen currently resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico.


Marjorie Leggitt

Marjorie Leggitt is an award-winning science illustrator based in Boulder, Colorado. Specializing in illustration for professional botanical journals, reference publications and museum exhibits, she also creates art for commercial clients. A self-taught artist, Marjorie began her career dissecting and illustrating Australian land snails at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History but soon returned to her passion - drawing plants. While illustrating the first of several botanical field guides, she was contracted by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to develop visual reconstructions of ancient plant life for the Prehistoric Journey permanent exhibit. Today, Marjorie is a lead artist for the Flora of North America and Flora of Oklahoma. Marjorie has taught botanical illustration courses through the Denver Botanic Gardens School of Botanical Art and Illustration since 1990.


Doug Dawson

Doug Dawson was born in Oak Park, Ill. He attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. He has taught art for Colorado Institute of Art, Colorado Christian University, and The Art Students League of Denver. Doug Dawson has exhibited with and/or received numerous awards from a number of different art organizations, including but not limited to: The Pastel Society of America, American Watercolor Society, Knickerbocker Artists, The National Academy of Western Art, Southeastern Pastel Society, Pastel Society of West Coast, Audubon Artists, Kansas Pastel Society, Allied Artists, the Pastel Society of the Southwest, the Pastel Society of New Mexico, the Pastel Society of Oregon, the Pastel Society of Colorado, and the International Association of Pastel Societies. To honor his achievements, he was given the title of Master Pastelist by the Pastel Society of America (NY, NY) in 1985 and awarded the title of Master Circle by the International Association of Pastel Societies in 2005 (California). 

Kerry Dunn

Born in 1976, Kerry Dunn began drawing at the early age of five when sitting on his fathers' lap he watched his Dad doodle a sketch. In 1999 he graduated from Ringling School of Art and Design with a major in illustration. Dunn later moved to New York City to attend the famed Art Students League of NY in search of a teacher. During his time there he met Nelson Shanks, an internationally renowned portrait painter. Later that year he was invited by Mr. Shanks to move to Philadelphia to be a part of the new painting school that Shanks was opening. Studio Incamminati, a school of traditional drawing and painting methods. Mr. Dunn now lives and works in Philadelphia and teaches at Studio Incamminati as part of the core faculty and travels the county teaching his own workshops. Many of Mr. Dunn's current works are available at Haynes Gallery.

Sterling Edwards

Sterling began teaching his style of painting in 1993. His workshops are attended by hundreds of people annually in the U.S. and Canada. In 2001 he was featured artist in Watercolor Magic Magazine. In 2007 he was awarded signature member status in the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolor and designed a signature set of brushes and a watecolor palette that are marketed internationally. In 2010 he was awarded signature membership status in the esteemed Transparent Watercolor Society of America. He is the author of the North Light book, "Creating Luminous Watercolor Landscapes: A Four Step Process," and is a contributing artist in numerous other publications. His paintings are in private collections throughout the world. 


Frank Eber

Frank grew up in Europe and was mentored by Italian master painter Renato Casaro in 1994 and 95. In the ’80s and ’90s Frank worked as a professional illustrator for video cover sleeves and as a portrait artist by commission. He strives to create timeless art in both oil and watermedia and works in a direct, loose style influenced by the Old World Masters. His love of travel has given him prime opportunities to paint: he lived for three years in the south of France, and has painted on location in many countries around the world. He is also an accomplished Portrait painter. Frank is an award-winning watercolor artist and Signature member of the American Watercolor Society (AWS), the National Watercolor Society (NWS) and the Transparent Watercolor Society of America (TWSA). He is a juried Artist member of the prestigious California Art Club.


Dawn Emerson

Dawn is an inspiring and generous teacher who is passionate about encouraging each person to find their own unique way of using the pastel medium to express themselves. She creates a culture of sharing and joyful exploration in each workshop that encourages each person to take risks, to constructively self-critique their work, and to identify meaningful themes to pursue in their art. Dawn is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America, a respected art judge and juror, author of Pastel Innovations, and has made 6 instructional videos. Her work is known for its powerful energy and expressive way of combining realism with abstraction.

Douglas Fryer

Douglas Fryer (American, b.1963) is regarded for his richly textured, subtly abstracted landscapes, still lifes and figures.  He believes that “Art is in the process and result of organizing elements for the purpose of stimulating the senses, emotions and thoughts of both the creator and the viewer of the work. Works of art are evidence of the artist’s effort to experience and comprehend the world and to observe particular nuances in visual, conceptual and spiritual information.” Using a variety of tools, techniques and media, he creates poetic works that inspire contemplation and reflection.  Douglas Fryer was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was raised in the northern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois as well as in California. He received a BFA (1988) and MFA (1995) from Brigham Young University, principally studying with Bruce Hixon Smith. Interested in work that explores the interplay between the physical and metaphysical, Fryer has been influenced by artists such as Soren Emil Carlsen, John Twachtman, George Inness, Edgar Degas, Fred Cuming, V. Douglas Snow, among many others. Fryer has taught at BYU, University of Hartford, Fashion Institute of Technology, and Snow College. His work is held in numerous private and public collections. He is represented by Meyer Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Altamira Gallery in Scottsdale Arizona and Jackson Hole, Wyoming,  and Illume Gallery of Fine Art, St. George, Utah.  Fryer currently lives with his family in Spring City, Utah.


Albert Handell

Albert Handell was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1937. He began formal studies of drawing and anatomy at sixteen. In 1954, he enrolled at the Art Students League of New York City to study drawing and anatomy with the late Louis Priscilla and the late Robert Ward Johnson, and later studied with Frank Mason. From 1961 to 1965, Albert lived and traveled in Europe. In Paris, he painted independently in his own studio, working from the model at L'Ecole de la Grande Chaumiere and at the Louvre, copying old masters. Since 1961, he has had over thirty one-man shows and has received over seventy prizes and awards. He now exhibits with the Ventana Fine Art Gallery in Santa Fe, where since 1987, he has had annual one-man shows. He lives and paints in Santa Fe, and teaches nationally and internationally. www.alberthandell.com 

Tom Jones

Tom is a resident of Central Florida and has been commissioned by government agencies, corporations, environmental groups, clubs, and private collectors. In answer to popular demand, he typically produces his watercolor landscapes in a series of three or five paintings around a specific theme. His art can be found internationally in many private and corporate collections, including commissioned paintings displayed in the Florida State Capital Building, Walt Disney World Corporation, Marriott Corporation, Omni Corporation, and museums. Tom's work has been featured in many books and on magazine covers as well as posters and brochures.


Jan Denton

Jan Denton is an award-winning botanical watercolor painter. She has received a number of commissions for her work, and is an active member of the American Society of Botanical Artists. Jan has a BA in Fine Arts from California State University, and a Certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration from the Corcoran College of Art + Design and the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C. In 2006 she co-produced “Botanical Treasures of Lewis & Clark,” an exhibit of original works displayed at the Corcoran Gallery. Shortly after moving to Santa Fe from DC in 2007, Jan began teaching classes on “Painting in the Style of O’Keeffe” for the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Her many private collectors include Jamie and Phyllis Wyeth. Her work can be viewed online at www.jandenton.com. 

Qiang Huang

Qiang Huang was born and raised in Beijing, China and now lives in Austin, Texas.  He has studied art with master artists like David Leffel and Sherrie McGraw. He is a Signature Member of the Oil Painters of America. Qiang’s still life work was featured in Southwest Art magazine in March, 2011.  American Artist Magazine featured his art and teaching in the 2009 summer issue of the “Workshop” Magazine and  his art was featured again in the April 2014 Artist Magazine
  Cathrine Edlinger-Kunze

   Cathrine was born and raised in Germany. In 1994 she moved to the United States.    She has been teaching art to children and adults for over 16 years in schools as         well as her private studios. Besides teaching, Cathrine devotes most of her time         to figure drawing and painting, which has become her passion, and is reflected in       her distinct emotional and personal artwork. Cathrine now lives and works in               Carlsbad, CA. Since her first show in 1985, her artwork has been widely exhibited in  Germany, Italy and the U.S. She   has international collectors from Germany,      Namibia, Canada, United States and Japan. If you would like to know more about  Cathrine, her work and upcoming shows, pleasevisit her website at www.edlinger-  kunze.com.



Natalie Italiano

Natalie, a founding member of Studio Incamminati and a graduate, received Best Portrait award in the Philadelphia Sketch Club's annual Small Works exhibition for the third consecutive year. Her still life paintings received several Honorable mentions in the Portrait Society of America's Members Only competition. She was also awarded a Certificate of Excellence from the Portrait Society in 2009. Her recent project, "Portraits of Promise: One Hundred Alla Prima Portraits of American Teenagers," was exhibited at Gloucester County College. Her work has appeared in numerous exhibitions and she currently exhibits at The Rutledge Street Gallery, Camden, South Carolina. Natalie holds a teaching certificate from the Moore College of Art.

Rob Liberace

Rob is one of America's premier artists and teachers, known for his inspiring and information packed teaching style. Rob works in a variety of mediums including oil, pencil, chalk, pen and ink, watercolor and clay. He has received the Portrait Society of America's Grand Prize Award in their International Portrait Competition. He teaches at the Art League of Virginia and holds workshops and demonstrations throughout the U.S. and abroad. Visit www.robertliberace.com for more information about upcoming workshops, demos, classes and additional dvd titles including The Portrait in Three Color Chalk; Red Chalk Anatomy: The Torso; Anatomy: The Hand and Arm; The Painted Figure in Grisaille and the Alla Prima Portrait.www.robertliberace.com


Lynn McLain

Lynn McLain received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Architecture from Texas Tech University. He has been painting and teaching watercolor professionally since 1978. He continues to paint and sell his art, as well as, teach workshops in New Mexico and other parts of the country. In his teaching, Lynn strives to impart skills to each student so that they might better understand his painting process and techniques and become more confident in their own use of the watercolor medium. He is a Signature Member/Dolphin Fellow in the American Watercolor Society, and a Signature Member of the National Watercolor Society. He is also the founding member of the Wet Brush Critique Group in Albuquerque, NM. His work has received numerous awards, and has been exhibited nationally as well as internationally. His work has also been published in several books and magazines.

Teresa Oaxaca

Teresa Oaxaca is an American born artist based currently in Washington D.C. She is a full time painter whose works can be seen in collections and galleries throughout the US and internationally. Her talent has been recognized and rewarded by museums and institutions such as the American Museum of the Cowboy, The former Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Art Renewal Center, The Elisabeth Greenshields Foundation, the Posey Foundation, and The Portrait Society of America and the Museu Europeu D’Art Modern in Barcelona. Her training includes a four-year diploma at the Angel Academy of Art (Florence Italy, Graduate studies at the Florence Academy, an Apprenticeship with Odd Nerdrum in Norway, and studies at the Art League of Alexandria VA where she trained with Robert Liberace, Paul Lucchesi, and took many other courses. Currently she teaches workshops around the United States and in Europe.

Susan Rubin

Susan Rubin is a botanical artist with a contemporary point of view. She explores the botanical realm with an eye for scientific accuracy and a storytelling aesthetic. Bridging the space between traditional botanical illustration and modern materials, Susan draws connections between people and plants in colored pencil and mixed media. Growing up in Colorado, Susan formalized her study of art and art history at Colorado College, the University of Exeter in the UK, and the University of Colorado. An instructor in the School of Botanical Art and Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens since 1998, she also teaches workshops in the US and abroad, as well as online. Her work is held in the collections of the State Museum of New York and the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation as well as many private collections.

Jordan Wolfson

Jordan Wolfson received his MFA from Yale University School of Art. Jordan has exhibited extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad and has received numerous awards including the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, the Ingram Merrill Foundation Grant and a Purchase Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was a fellow of the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts and the Ballinglen Art Foundation in Ireland. Jordan is represented by DFN Gallery in New York City, Michele Mosko Fine Art in Denver, and Rothschild Fine Arts in Tel Aviv. Along with his career as a professional artist, Jordan finds great inspiration from his work as a teacher. He currently teaches privately in Boulder, Colorado, and the Art Students League in Denver. 

Gallery Hours: 10 am to 4 pm Tuesday - Saturday  505-293-5034

3409 Juan Tabo Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87111     Map It  

Mailing address: P.O. Box 16554, Albuquerque, NM 87191                              

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