Meet Artist Marilyn Wear, Ironstone Spring Obsession Accepted Artist

Marilyn Wear    NWS, WW, CWA

O-138  "Amid the Manzanita" by Marilyn Wear  watercolor  11x16  $850

Biography

Marilyn was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design.  She worked as an advertising artist/illustration until 2003, then left her last job in commercial art to pursue her dream of becoming a full time fine artist. Her work won immediate recognition, winning awards in juried shows around the country.  In 2005 she was selected as a signature member of the National Watercolor Society. She has since earned signature memberships in Watercolor West and California Watercolor Association.

O-139  "Bridalveil Fall"  by Marilyn Wear  wc  16.5x11  $950

Although she also paints with oil and acrylics, her favorite medium is transparent watercolor, where she uses a technique of layering many glazes of watercolor to create richness and depth, while retaining a glowing vibrancy.  She finds some of her best subject matter close to home in her garden and in the Sierra Nevada mountains, particularly the dramatic landscapes of Yosemite National Park. She has a special interest in painting birds, and most recently the flora and fauna of one of her favorite places in the world, Hawaii. her style is realistic with an emphasis on capturing the light, color and mood of her chose subject.

She is currently represented by First Street Gallery in Turlock, CA

http://www.firststreetgalleries.com and Cedar Street Gallery in Honolulu Hawaii http://www.cedarstreetgalleries.com

Meet Artist Martha Wallace, Ironstone Spring Obsession Accepted Artist

O-106  "Pink Peonie"  by Martha Wallace  wc  18x21  $425

Martha Wallace

marthawallaceart@att.net

My journey with watercolors is an ongoing adventure and after 30 years I still get excited whenever I start a new painting.  The possibilities of this medium are endless as long as you are willing to experiment, which means failure along with success.  As I tell my students, "It's not the destination, it's the journey".

My paintings are about my surroundings and life experiences. I sometimes work in a series of paintings and take my subject to the limit, going in as many directions as possible, adjusting mostly in my mind the composition, color, shape, texture, sunlight and shadow.  If I work from a limited sketch, I check for technical correctness, then it's "playtime". Continuing series include birds, nests, shells, leaves, window boxes, fruits and vegetables, flowers, plants and pottery from the Southwest.

O-105  "Trio of Lemons"  by Martha Wallace  wc  19x23  $525

I divide my time painting for myself and the galleries, teaching private classes to children and adults in my Murphys studio, and traveling to public schools to teach in the Arts in Education program. My paintings can be found at Tea Antiques and Art on main in Murphys, CA.  "Everyday I get to do something I love."

Meet Artist Marti Walker, Ironstone Spring Obsession Accepted Artist

MARTI WALKER

www.MartiWalkerFineArt.com

O-041  "Delta River Bend"  by Marti Walker  pastel  16x20  $800

After living and studying abroad prior to her high school years, Marti Walker spent many years on the East Coast of the United States (Virginia & Boston). She attended University of Colorado where she majored in Languages & Anthropology. She flew for TWA and Pan Am Airlines for seven years after college. In 1978, she settled in Sacramento, California.
Initially, her pursuit of art was an antidote to the rigors of corporate life. Her passion for painting landscapes grew as she devoted her recreational time to exploring and painting the surrounding wetlands, rivers, and mountains, and traveling throughout the world. Studying with carefully selected artists over the years, she has learned her craft from such notables as Gregory Kondos, Lady Jill Mueller, Ning Hou, Susan Sarback, Gary Pruner, Zoltan Svabo and Calvin Liang, among others.
"My art combines my passions for painting and travel. I paint to record the sensation of a moment in time, to create in the viewer a palpable feeling of being transported into the scene. Using vivid colors and contrast to push beyond the image, I attempt to evoke the vibrancy and immediacy that comes from being in that place and time.  Each scene is carefully chosen to evoke a silent rhythm designed to transport one to a place of quiet meditation, to capture the serenity that being in nature gives me. I want the viewer to have the reverential sense of being along in the scene and at peace with themselves."  

O-043  "Yellow Boat"  by Marti Walker  pastel  9x12  $325

"Marti Walker is a listener. Her close observation of nature advances her capacity of doing paintings of great interest." - Gregory Kondos

Selected Exhibitions
2012 Ironstone Vineyards Spring Obsession Award of Merit
2011 East Sacramento Clunie Celebrations - East Sacramento, CA COUNCILMAN'S AWARD
2011 International Paint Out - John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA - 3RD. PLACE AWARD
2011,2010,2009,2008,2007,2006,2005 - California Landscape Exhibition - John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA - 1 of 10 Demonstration Artists
2011 Winters Plein Air Festival - Briggs & Co. Winters, CA - 2ND PLACE AWARD
2010,2009,2008 S12 Gallery, Sacramento, CA. On going shows from January - December
2010 Winters Plein Air Festival - Briggs & Co. Winters, CA
2009 Winters Plein Air Festival - Briggs & Co. Winters, CA 3RD PLACE QUICK DRAW AWARD
2008 Paint the Town - Briggs & Co. Winters CA. 1ST PLACE PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
2007 California Wanderings - John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis CA. - SOLO SHOW
2007 Cigar Box Show - John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA - Group Show
1995 League of Carmichael Artists Open Show - MERIT AWARD - Carmichael, CA.

Meet Artist Myra Steward, Ironstone Spring Obsession Accepted Artist

Myra Steward
Artist's statement

"Every painting tells a story and captures a single moment of thought in time"

O-096  "Jungle Zip Line" by Myra Steward  wc  13x19  $400

Art is an essential part of my everyday life.  I try to incorporate it into every aspect. I had dreamed of painting since I was a little girl. After reading the book, The Artist's Way, I finally gave myself permission to try painting.  It's a passion with me now. Even if I'm not painting, I'm planning the next painting in my mind or sketching.

I have studied with several teachers including: Cassidy Aikman, Jim Estey, Phillis Eyman, Beverly Fields and Anne Bradley.  I've also attended workshops with Father William Breault and David Lobenberg. I belong to two paint groups that meet every week.

The mediums and subject matter I use are varied. I sometimes work in watercolor, but also  enjoy working with collage and mixed media. Recently I've begun experimenting with watercolor on canvas. I love the affect because it creates a much looser style, which has carried over to my painting on paper.

I enjoy painting a variety of subject matters, but especially like to paint exotic birds and animals. I always paint with a limited palette of just one blue, one yellow and one red, keeping me challenged to create as many shades of color as possible.

Meet Artist Sharron St. John - Hill, Ironstone's Spring Obsession Accepted Artist

Artist Statement

Sharron St. John-Hill

O-182  "Grapes" by Sharron St. John-Hill  watercolor  11x15  $325

Sharron has been painting since the age of 12, when her father first introduced her to oils.  Since that young age she has continued to use various mediums and studied various techniques and applications used in the art field.  Her experience includes botanical porcelain painting, ceramics, tole and decorative painting, and watercolors, plus faux and mural painting.  Her faux painting and mural experience was acquired while working for a business in Orange County.  She has completed floral design school and enjoys doing flower arrangements for parties and weddings. Since moving to the foothill area six years ago, she has learned mosaics and likes to relax by creating unique pine needle baskets. She has worked in various homes in the area creating murals which are usually floral designs.

O-183  "Sunflowers"  by Sharron St. John-Hill   acrylics  16x20  $385

Sharron and her brother, David Yelick often paint together in their art studio and enjoy doing all types of arts and crafts.

Meet Artist Henrietta Sparkman, Ironstone Spring Obsession Accepted Artist

O-135  "Cathedral" by Henrietta Sparkman  acrylic  18x36  $625

Henrietta Sparkman

Artist Statement

    Visual Poetry is the direction I work, in painting landscapes, catching the essence of the scene without many details, is the goal and to leave the viewer their own metaphoric interpretation. Painting en plein aire gives the composition a unique vibrance and life.  Working on location gives the viewer the sense of the moment, of place and conditions.

    Capturing scenes that change over time allows the observer and opportunity for that which changes and is not always constant and reminds us to be stewards of our land and nature that is often taken for granted.

    Figurative work with a live model has a different tempo in composting the human landscape.  To relay the sculpture of the human form and capture the personality and the elements together in a soulful expression requires one's own personal introspection and understanding of the human circumstance.

    Abstract work has given license to turn reality inside out and create introspective improvisations. To seize the essence of matter and separate fundamentals from irrelevance is what I have created in the painting and the monotype series.

    As an artist my work covers a range of media from ceramic sculpture, printmaking, watercolour, cast bronze sculpture, painting and mixed media. I enjoy working in different mediums as well as subject matter and find that one method of communicating transposes into another a visual message that becomes richer with time.  My art explores a personal timbre and through my eyes, may you discover your own perception and meaning.

www.sparkmanstudios.com

Meet Artist Michaela Smail, Ironstone Spring Obsession Accepted Artist

Michaela Smail

SOLD  "Sheer Moonlight" by Michaela Smail  scratch board  5.5x8.5  $125

Hello, my name is Michaela Smail and I am a junior at Bret Harte High School.  I have been taking art classes since I was very young and it has always been my passion.  I'm greatly looking forward to pursuing my passion by going to art school in fall of '14. 

O-195  "Greatness" by Michaela Smail  scratch board  9x11  $400

This spring break I will be journeying to Costa Rica with fellow students from my high school on a biological research trip in order to study the Leatherback Sea Turtle.  The trip is very expensive so in order to earn the money to go I have been entering my art in multiple art shows and trying to sell it.

O-193  "Ruby Red"  by Michaela Smail  acrylic  9x12  $150

I absolutely love all varieties of arts and I hope that you are able to see my passion through my artwork!

Meet Artist Pam Purselle, Ironstone's Spring Obsession Accepted Artist

Artist: Pam Purselle

SOLD   "Rusty Wheels"  by Pam Purselle  wc  15x22  $300

Pam Purselle lives in the Gold Country of California with her husband David.  The rolling hills and historic small towns of the area have been an inspiration in her art work.

Always drawing and doodling as a child, she first started painting in oils as a teenager.

Her love affair with watercolors began when she was lucky enough to study with Dorner Schuler. His use of color and water to create lovely foothill landscapes was eye-opening.

Pam continued watercolor instruction with Martha Wallace, as well known teacher and artist in Murphys.

In 2007, she began studying with Jill Figler, a nationally recognized watercolorist.

Pam's passion for all art mediums has benefited her many students over her years as an elementary teacher.

Now retired, she is immersing herself in her art and enjoying networking with other artists.

O-028  Going to the Movies by Pam Purselle  wc 11x15  $275