Meet 2023 Spring Obsession Artist Karen (Kara) Lemens

 

Karen (Kara) Lemens

O-048 Strawberries-and-Cream by Kara Lemens-$550-oil 9x12

Kara paints life and light in a realistically impressionistic style in oils. She enjoys capturing a variety of subjects—whatever the light makes beautiful or interesting. She tries to convey the impression the subject made on her, using the language of oil paint. She finds that painting from life and all prima (while the paint is wet) best enables her to express that impression.

O-049 Spring-Blush-by Kara-Lemens-$500-oil 8x10

Kara loves painting on location (en plein air) with her border collie, Frisco. She paints primarily in the Texas Hill Country and the mountains of Colorado, but is always up for a plein air adventure wherever life takes her! She also enjoys creating still lifes in her studio, combining the natural beauties of flowers and fruits with objects of timeless beauty, such as family antiques. She wants to capture the conversation between the objects and her feeling of connection to them.

O-050 Carnation-Complements-by Kara Lemens-$475-oil 8x8.

Kara has been juried into many shows in Texas, Colorado, and California. She also has studied with numerous prominent artists and is especially fortunate to have been mentored by Kathleen Dunphy since 2018.

O-051 Beauty-and-the-Brass-by Kara Lemens-$700-oil 12x16

Kara is grateful that her art enables her to share beauty and her experience of the world with others!

T-010 Spring Cheer by Kara Lemens oil 14x11 $675

T-011 A Golden Trio by Kara Lemens oil 12x9 $550

You can find Kara’s art at karenlemensfineart.com and follow her outdoor and indoor art adventures on Instagram @karalemensfineart.

Meet 2023 Spring Obsession Artist Linda Lawrence

 Linda Lawrence

O-063 -Mosquito Lake-by Linda Lawrence 12-x 16-  Oil $375

Always artistic by nature, Linda was constantly drawing as a child, and enjoyed art classes throughout her school years in Soquel and Fresno, California. As an adult, her love of design was explored and expressed through photography, homemade cards, sketches and interior decorating.

O-064 Boards Crossing- by Linda Lawrence 16-x 12-  Oil $375

Linda and her husband, Ron moved to Murphys in 1992, for its inherent natural beauty and small-town lifestyle. As her children grew more independent, Linda was thrilled to begin taking classes through Columbia Junior College around 2000, and first studied with Hermione Rios.

O-065 Wailea Shore-by Linda Lawrence 12-x 9- Oil $275

Linda paints primarily in water-based oils, which she finds to be user-friendly and a bit healthier overall. Through the years, she has developed a playful, colorful style, and had enjoyed and appreciated the influence of instructors Diana Boyd, Susie Hoffman, Sunny Sorenson, Eva Walker, and Judy Cain through Town Hall Arts in Copperopolis. She has also taken workshops from Murphys renowned plein air artist Kathleen Dunphy, and Colley Whisson of Australia at Coastal Maine Art Workshops in Rockport, Maine.

O-066 Icelandic Popptes-by Linda Lawrence 10-x 8- Oil $225

Linda often shows her work at the Calaveras County Arts Council and was accepted to present a painting in their 2017 show, AnimalScapes. She was also invited to show at the Studio 11 Gallery in Oakland, California in 2018, and had her first show at Hovey Winery in early 2020.

Linda is thoroughly enjoying the evolving process of becoming an artist, and the self-expression, freedom, and mindfulness it provides. She considers her fellow artists soulmates and true inspirational treasures. 

Meet 2023 Spring Obsession Artist Tabitha Kremesec

 

T-001 Lovely visions by Tabitha Kremesec 18x24 oil $465

Tabitha Kremesec's preferred mediums are both oils and watercolors. Tabitha loves to create a variety of art such as animals, landscapes and portraits. Animals, landscapes and portraits are her passion.

T-002 Reflections of yesterday by Tabitha Kremesec 18x24 oil $465

Painting is therapeutic in dealing with several disabilities and encouraging that she can overcome limitations. 

O-003 Golden Fields by Tabitha Kremesec 30x40 oil $1840

Tabitha has a unique perspective and loves to focus on capturing the realism of a scene and she loves to paint impressionism art as well. She is very creative and experimental with both mediums together. 

O-004 Up the lazy river by Tabitha Kremesec 40x30 oil $1840

Meet 2023 Spring Obsession Artist Lucinda Johnson

 

Lucinda Johnson                        https://lucindajohnson.com

Lucinda is an award-winning, California-native artist (born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area). Art has always been at the center of Lucinda’s life. “As a child I enjoyed drawing from nature to become familiar with graceful lines, form and space. I am also very conscious of composition, shapes, lighting, and values from my photography education” she says. Through self-taught studies and workshops with professional artists in a wide array of mediums, art has always been a way for me to share California’s unique personality and vistas. Lucinda began experimenting with oils in 2020 and shared “I approach an oil painting with a similar thought process to painting with soft pastels.” When painting a landscape on canvas she first primes the canvas with warm undertones. Additional layers are next added dark-to-light. Using a palette knife she first mixes the correct values on the palette, and then proceeds to paint/blend colors on the canvas (wet-on-wet) or layer/glaze with brushes.

O-076 Mendocino Mist-by Lucinda Johnson oil 4x8 $175

O-077 Autumn Brillance--by Lucinda Johnson oil 4x8 $175

O-078 High-Sierras-Autumn-Glow by Lucinda Johnson pastel 12x16 $1200

Meet 2023 Spring Obsession Artist Aaron Johnson

 

Aaron Johnson : Artist

 

O-072 Airstream-Dream by Aaron Johnson wc 8x10 $2300

Artist Statement I create art because I am devoted to the feeling of meticulously transforming a surface into something new. From a No.2 pencil on a grade-school desktop, to color on canvas, prepared board and fine papers, It has always been intriguing for me to watch an image emerge from nothing. When I am working on a painting or drawing, pushing and pulling layers of colors and sharping details, I am acutely focused and truly in my element.

O-073 Angus-Young-Tantrums-by Aaron Johnson wc 16x23 $4200

Biography

Aaron Johnson lives and works in Orangevale, California. He creates his artwork in various mediums including oil, acrylic, graphite, and pastel as well as digital media. Aaron studied art at Sacramento City College and California College of the Arts in San Francisco, earning an AA and BFA respectively. His subject matter is predominantly vintage popular culture including classic automobiles. Aaron’s artwork is privately collected, commissioned and has been exhibited in select galleries like Christopher Hill Art Gallery in St Helena, Edward Montgomery Fine Art in Carmel By The Sea, Fire and Rain Art Gallery in Folsom, Wonderland SF in San Francisco, Musichead in Hollywood California and more. Please feel free to contact Aaron to discuss his artwork or any possible commission opportunities be they commercial or private.

Meet 2023 Spring Obsession Artist Annie Hughes

 

O-054 Home is her Hen House by Annie Hughes acrylic 21x26 $600

Meet 2023 Spring Obsession Artist Tara Holeman

 

T-023 Misty Morning Daffodils by Tara Holeman acrylic 12x12 $150

    My name is Tara Holeman. My two passions in life are being a mother to my beautiful son, Sylas, and sharing my love for the arts!  I attended Fresno State and earned a BA in Fine Arts, with an emphasis in drawing and painting. While going to school I was fortunate to work as a commercial artist for Trader Joe’s. Studying the arts while being employed as an artist was a dream come true and an invaluable experience!  

Upon completing my undergraduate program I decided to go into art education, which I am proud to say I have been doing now for the past 16 years! I have taught all levels in K-12, however I am currently working as a high school art teacher in Fresno. It is the BEST job! 

     I love creating art in all media! Some favorites include pastel, watercolor, ink, Prismacolor pencil, just to name a few. I enjoy experimenting and exploring new styles and techniques. My students constantly inspire me to take creative risks!  Recently, I have really enjoyed working in a more loose and expressive style. Being a new mom has made time and energy a precious commodity, so it has in many ways forced me to loosen up and create in the short times that I have. Nap time is now my coveted creation time! 

 

     This painting called, Misty Morning Daffodils, is an important work in the return to my artistry and reigniting my passion for painting. My motherhood role has taught me many valuable lessons, one I have found to be especially important is to be authentic to yourself and remember to do what brings you joy!!

So, I decided that for this piece I would not plan or agonize over the intended outcome, but rather to simply paint and express the soothing serenity of one of life’s simple joys. Delicate spring daffodils in the misty morning light. A symbol of stillness and peace in an ever chaotic world. 

 

Meet 2023 Spring Obsession Artist Holly Heath

O-088 Impossible Bloom by Holly Heath acrylic 10x8 $150

 Holly Heath is a local artist living in Murphys. She is thrilled to have multiple pieces in this years showcase. “Impossible Bloom” was inspired by the day-blooming gazanias in her garden and the impossible beauty of the night sky. Never the twain shall meet. “Mountain Misery” is a spraypainted piece with a moss border, meant to capture the feeling of a day in the woods. 

 As a child Holly always loved to draw. She took classes in watercolors for several years from Martha Wallace. Since then she has been primarily self-taught with the occasional class and input from her artistic brother Jesse. Holly decided to branch out into acrylics in her 20’s.Not long after, her aunt was kind enough to give her a massive set of paints and brushes for Christmas which inspired her to further develop herself as a painter. 

O-089 Mountain Misery  by Holly Heath acrylic 17x17 $150

 

She enjoys exploring different subjects and challenging herself to make each piece unique and beautiful. Lately she has been working do develop her style and expression with acrylic paints. She also enjoys making collaborative pieces with her new husband Jeremiah Heath, several of which are featured in this years’ showcase. 

 Besides painting Holly loves to garden and spend time outdoors. She finds joy in bringing beauty and abundance from the earth. She also has a passion for the performance arts. A juggler, she has performed across the globe from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland to the local Black Bart Playhouse. Holly may also be seen in the local theater community, most recently with Murphys Creek Theatre. She also loves to play and listen to music, exploring a wide variety of styles and genres.