Capitola Plein Air 2025
And the Winners are.......
On Sunday, November 9, 2025 the 10th annual Capitola Plein Air held its culminating Exhibition and Sale. After a week of painting outdoors, the selected artists gathered one final time to display and sell the pieces they had created throughout the week, vying for the $1000 grand prize sponsored by local hotelier Dan Aspromonte. Complete with music from local band, Cement Ship, all-ages art activities hosted by Art Factory Studios and event sponsor Palace Art & Office Supply, coffee and eats from food truck El Cafecto, a raffle for members of the public who collected the artists’ “trading cards” while finding them painting throughout the week, and an installation of the nine past first place winners to mark the festival’s tenth year, the Exhibition was a resounding success.
Three judges with impressive accolades, Ryan Reynolds - Santa Clara University Art & Art History chair, Sheryl Knight – Signature Member of 5 national art organizations, and Samantha McNally – past president of the California Watercolor Association, determined these winners: 1st Place – Carol Tarzier Evening Fog, 2nd Place – Lisa Zylstra New Brighton Haze, 3rd Place – Cathy Xu 4 o’clock Magic, Honorable Mention – Larisa Anaya Spring Leaves Here, Honorable Mention – Mila Kirillova Under the Trestle, Honorable Mention – Meisha Grichuhin Rising Mist.
This year's exhibition will be judged by
Samantha McNallySamantha McNally is an award-winning, professional watercolor artist, whose works are collected and appreciated across the country. Known for her realism and delicacy in capturing floral and nature-inspired subjects, Samantha also teaches watercolor to students online, is past President of the California Watercolor Association (CWA) and currently on the CWA 56th International Exhibition Committee. She is an artist member of the Benicia Plein Air Gallery, Main Street Arts Gallery in Martinez and Valley Art Gallery in Walnut Creek. Samantha studied art at Ramapo College and Ridgewood School of Art in NJ, and the School of Visual Arts in NYC. She further honed her eye for creating finely detailed work during her 15-year career as an embroidery designer in the NYC garment district. Samantha has been a judge for the Pleasanton Art League Plein Air Paint Out, the Trilogy Art Show in Rio Vista, the John Muir Medical Center show for California Watercolor Association, the "Smaller Works" CWA exhibit at Main Street Arts Gallery, and for an exhibit at the Rossmore Art Association. |
Ryan ReynoldsRyan M Reynolds earned an MFA from UC Berkeley where he received the Eisner Prize for the highest achievement in creative arts. He has taught drawing and painting at UC Davis, UC Berkeley, and the Community College of San Francisco. He is currently a Professor of Studio Art, and Chair of the Art and Art History Department at Santa Clara University. For many years Reynolds painted en plein air along-side mentor Terry St. John, one of the pillars of the Bay Area Painting Tradition. He has exhibited his work nationally and internationally in art museums and galleries, including solo exhibitions in Europe and NYC. He is currently represented by galleries Andra Norris, Sue Greenwood, and b. Sakata Garo. |
Sheryl KnightSheryl Knight is an award-winning plein air artist painting primarily in oil, but also in gouache. She has earned the coveted status of Signature Member in five national art organizations and is an Artist Member of California Art Club. She is known for her expressive style and vibrant yet tranquil color palette. Sheryl’s captivating oil paintings have earned accolades from prestigious fine art organizations, juried exhibitions, and major publications across the country. Having a passion for the landscape and just being outdoors has made Sheryl an artist who loves painting in the plein air tradition. Sheryl has had the honor of judging for national art organizations such as National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society and Women Artists of the West along with jurying artists for an art Gallery in Santa Barbara County, CA |
Meet our 2025 artists!
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Aiwen Chen |
Aiwen Chen is a Chinese-American oil painter and art educator based in the South Bay Area, California. Her works are inspired by water, light, and everyday moments and have been exhibited at the de Young Museum, Coastal Arts League Gallery, and Blue Line Art Gallery, among others. She has also competed in plein air events, including Capitola Plein Air. |
Andrea Kosmo |
Andrea Kosmo is a landscape and still life painter working primarily in oils, based in northern California. Her work explores the shifting relationships between light, environment, and memory. Drawing inspiration from direct observation and plein air techniques, her paintings reflect a personal engagement with natural environments and how we experience them over time. Her compositions often highlight subtle color shifts, weather patterns, and atmospheric light. Andrea often paints on location, using sketches, memory, and photographs to inform her studio practice. Influenced by California Impressionism, her work blends spontaneity with intentionexploring how we see color. She earned her B.F.A. from Syracuse University on a full scholarship, studying painting under Michael Sickler and illustration under Murray Tinkelman. Andrea continues to paint outdoors year-round and is currently developing a series based on northern California light in rural landscapes. | |
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Barry Ebner |
Barry Ebner is a painter, fine art bookmaker and printmaker. He uses Plein Air painting to refresh his color sense and to breathe in the fresh air of the California Coast. He first came to plain air painting while living in San Luis Obispo in the 90's at the suggestion of painter Libby Tolley. He took a long break before getting back to the practice in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. He has recently been exhibited in Chile, Switzerland and Wisconsin along with the Bay Area. Internationally he has taught printmaking workshops in Chile, Cuba, and is currently setting one up in Mexico. He has taught art at various institutions in the Bay Area and privately at The Studio of Nothing Else, his home studio. He lives in Berkeley collaborating with his wife on books with her poetry. |
Bill Kennan |
Bill has maintained an interest in creative and artistic pursuits his whole life. As a young person he enjoyed drawing and creating things out of wood such as functional objects like furniture and decorative objects, he may even have been one of the first kids to decorate a homemade skateboard. Bill began college with a direction in psychology but gave in to his passion and switched to Fine Arts where he was exposed to almost anything from painting, lithography, sculpture and other disciplines. After obtaining his BA in Fine Art at San Jose State University he moved to Santa Cruz and continued painting and developing his understanding of color in the Plein Air methods. To support his life in Santa Cruz he maintains a gallery and custom picture framing business where he displays his paintings in Santa Cruz, Ca. | |
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Carol Tarzier |
Carol Tarzier is a Bay Area painter and sculptor. Her sculpture career began in 1993, a few years after arriving in the Bay Area, with figurative and abstract work in bronze. Her awards for sculpture include the John Cavanaugh Memorial Award for Figurative Sculpture, numerous awards from the National Sculpture Society including the Roger T. Williams Prize, Alex J. Ettl Grant, Gold Medal and Maurice B. Hexter Prize, and the Bosque Conservatory Art Council’s Silver Medal. From 1998 though 2002, she focused on commissioned sculptures, with a 7’ bronze memorial to C.L. Dellums, which was unveiled at the C.L. Dellums Amtrak station in Oakland in December of 1999, and a life-size memorial to George Hasslein, Dean of the College of Architecture, at CalPoly State University in San Luis Obispo. Over the last years she revisited an early love, oil painting. She has received numerous awards at plein air events. Her paintings have been represented in national shows including California Art Club’s Gold Medal over the last six years, the Salon International at the Greenhouse Gallery in Texas, the Haggin Museum in Stockton, and in the Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition. “Painting is at once exhilarating, taxing, and energizing.“ She enjoys teaching painting and helping students develop perception of light and color. See www.tarzier.com and facebook.com/caroltarzierfineart for work. Carol teaches for Rossmoor Art Center, and her work is represented by Studio Gallery in San Francisco and by MK Contemporary in Santa Cruz. |
Cathy Xu |
I have been an artist since I can remember. I was born with a love for drawing, a wonder for the natural world, and an eye for magic. My early memories involve sketching in the woods, building fairy houses out of twigs, and drawing pictures for my close friends. Later on in life, however, I took a non-linear path towards artistic development.After my studies in Business Administration and History at UC Berkeley, I traveled extensively for over a decade. I worked in management consulting, technology startups, and international non-profits. I am grateful for the friendships, experiences and perspectives gained throughout my business career. All the while, however, I kept hearing my heart’s desire to make art. I found a creative outlet by working nights and weekends as a freelance illustrator for private and corporate events.In 2020, I discovered the thrill of watercolor painting. Watching pigment dissolve in water was pure magic. But controlling the outcome was far from easy. Like many others, I was seduced by how a medium so effortless could also be so unforgiving. I immersed myself in learning watercolor, starting with the most fundamental compositional, drawing and painting skills, which I reinforced with daily practice and analysis. Somewhere along the way, the desire to be seen grew stronger than the fear of change. I embarked on my art career and began exhibiting my paintings in 2025. | |
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Cindi Underwood |
Cynthia Underwood, was born in Birmingham, Alabama and spent most of her adolescence in Oklahoma and Texas, she now calls Idaho and Colorado her home. She is an avid outdoor enthusiast and travels extensively to paint from coast to coast. When not painting landscapes she has a love of wildlife. As a child she showed artistic talent winning numerous awards in local and regional drawing not returning to doing art until almost 40 years later. She has been published in numerous Art Magazines, along with Gallery Solo Exhibits and Plein Air Invitationals. She has won numerous awards from First place to honorable mentions in National shows. She received Signature and Master status in several National Art Societies including being a cover artist in an International published art book. She paints using one of three mediums Pastel, Oil and Acrylic. |
Daisha Sherman |
Born amongst the majestic canyons of southern Utah and raised in the diverse landscape of California’s bay area, Daisha loves to get lost in the simple beauty of the outdoors. After studying animation and illustration in university, Daisha decided to utilize the skills learned in visual development to pursue her true passion of landscape painting. Although early in her art career, her work has already been exhibited in multiple galleries and cafés, and has found collectors through various art markets and events. She's excited to take on any opportunity that comes her way, and strives to continue learning and exploring through her paints. | |
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Lupe Santos |
Hi my name is Lupe I was born in a small town in Mexico call chantepec jalisco close to the lake chapala sun I remember I love painting I took classes in Guadalajara Jalisco ar the instituto cultural cabañas when I was 16 on 1992 I moved to Santa Cruz and I also took pastel classes at the Santa Cruz Art League then to Cabrillo in Cabrillo college I took watercolor classes I enjoyed doing Plein air I love capturing the landscapes and seascapes scenes. |
Jaladhi Pujara |
Jaladhi Pujara is a watercolor artist and design leader based in Northern California. Born in India, he grew up immersed in a city rich with history, architecture, and human connection, influences that continue to shape his creative vision. With over a decade of experience in User Experience Design, Jaladhi draws parallels between his professional and artistic practices, believing that simplicity and restraint are essential to creating memorable experiences. Since taking up watercolor painting two years ago, Jaladhi has developed an atmospheric and expressive style, emphasizing mood over meticulous realism. His work often reflects the light, texture, and sense of place in his California surroundings, bridging the space between reality and fiction. Jaladhi has exhibited in several juried shows and participated in notable plein air competitions, including the Carmel Art Festival and the Frank Bette Plein Air Paintout. |
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James Stauder |
Jim Stauder is a home repair and remodeling contractor who paints landscapes in his spare time. He works frequently en plein air, but also creates studio pieces based on field studies. |
Joan Hellenthal |
Joan studied on the East Coast in the Abstract Expressionistic style of painting and graduated from Brown University with a BA degree in Fine Art. Subsequently she received a master's degree in Fine Art from San Jose State University. Her work has been included in several galleries in the Bay Area and is in numerous corporate and private collections. Joan has been juried into several shows and is an award winning artist. She participates in Open Studios Santa Cruz every year and teaches pastel classes at the Santa Cruz Art League. | |
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Yoni Matatyaou |
Yoni Matatyaou is primarily a representational artist often working in drawing and painting with traditional media. He is based out of Oakland, Ca where he lives and works. In 2006 Yoni received his Bachelors degree in Printmaking. His current practice often involves figurative and landscape work. |
Kaz Chandler |
Kaz Chandler’s art celebrates light, color, and the fleeting brilliance of the world. Guided by a "carpe diem" philosophy, her brushstrokes capture moments—sunlight breaking through mist, waves curling to shore, clouds dissolving into dusk.With a BA in Fine Art from the University of Nevada, Reno, and an MA in Theatre from Roosevelt University, Kaz has taught for over 40 years, influencing countless students. Her extensive training with leading theatre and visual artists has enriched both her teaching and art practice.Raised by the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, Kaz’s work reflects the places that have shaped her. From the solitude of the Sierra Nevadas to the vibrancy of Costa Rica, and now in Talent, Oregon, she paints the stories of these landscapes. Her California Impressionist roots ground her in luminous color, while her work in oil, watercolor, and pastel opens endless possibilities for expression.Decades in theatre taught her the art of immediacy—the energy of now. Every canvas hums with spontaneity, capturing intimate, unrepeatable moments. Kaz also embraces community, attending plein air festivals and contributing to local arts organizations. She offers free lessons, shares her skills, and volunteers, making a lasting impact on her community. Through her vibrant, dynamic art, Kaz invites viewers to rediscover beauty in the everyday. | |
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Karen Potter |
Karen Potter is a California Native, graduate of UCSC (Teaching Credential K-12 multi and Art single subject) With a graduate Art degree (5th year). She worked for Charter Homeschool families while raising her own family (1 girl, 3 boys). She also participated in "The Outdoor Painter's Project" with Terry St. John as instructor. She has participated in various events (Open Studio, Art League, Juried Landscape Shows, Capitola Plein Air Events). |
Larisa Anaya |
Larisa Anaya is an award-winning watercolor artist based in Georgetown, Texas. Originally from Russia, she blends classical training with an impressionistic style rooted in light, color, and atmosphere. Inspired by travel and painting en plein air, she captures fleeting moments — from old European towns to the wide skies of Texas. Her expressive watercolors have earned national and international recognition, including Second Place at Marble Falls “Paint the Town” (2025) ,and the Buda Plein Air Festival (2023), in Texas, Third Place at the San Miguel international Watercolor Plein Air Festival (2024) in Mexico, and Honorable Mention at Capitola Plein Air (2023), in California Through her work, Larisa invites viewers to pause, reflect, and rediscover the quiet beauty in everyday life. |
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Leah Rose |
Originally from the Santa Cruz mountains and now residing in Soquel, California, I've been immersed in the world of commercial art since 1999. My journey has been shaped by hands-on experimentation and the resources of online universities. In my day job specializing in hand-lettered signage, murals, and commissioned works. My art is a celebration of the natural beauty that surrounds me, particularly the landscapes of California. From the towering redwoods to the golden glow of a coastal sunset, I find endless inspiration in the colors and forms of the outdoors. Working primarily with acrylic and oil paints, I strive to capture the luminous essence of these landscapes, infusing each piece with a vivid palette and a sense of graceful movement. |
Leisa Luis Grill |
Leisa has had an eclectic background in Theatre, Medicine, Fashion, and Fine Arts. She has no formal Art degree, but instead honed her skills with local classes, professional workshops and experience painting both indoors and outdoors from life. Leisa has been creating art since she was a small child and was encouraged by her teachers to pursue painting. She began oil painting at age 10 in a small neighborhood group for children run by a former art teacher. She also learned a lot from paint-by-number kits which helped her sort out color and shape. At an early age, Leisa realized that she had many creative interests and had difficulty deciding on a direction. She loved visual art, but also doing school plays. She made designer dresses for her Barbies and created elaborate stage sets for them. She studied Music Theory while in the Ninth Grade and dreamed of being a surgeon. She fell in love with the theater while in high school and learned to design costumes and sets while performing many roles. This experience later made it possible for Leisa to pay her way through college on a scholarship and graduated in 1983 with a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Northern Colorado. (This was after a brief enrollment at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York. Leisa found New York in the 70's to be exciting and dangerous on many levels. She worked very hard to pursue a career at this prestigious design school, only to be dismayed at how much she found disliked the dream profession as a reality. She soothed her disillusionment somewhat by completing the Theater degree.) |
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Lyudmila Krillova |
I was born and raised in Ukraine. After arriving in California around the year 2000 I swapped my Masters degree in Sociology and Anthropology for an art education and worked as an animator in film and videogame industries for over 10 years. Oil painting initially was this fun skill learned in-between animation projects. As time went by, I spent more and more time painting, and eventually decided to pursue a painting career full-time. I am now a full-time painter. I live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area. My passion is figurative work and cityscapes, specifically San Francisco Bay Area and its people. I show my work at local galleries in San Francisco and Santa Cruz. In addition to my studio work, I regularly paint en plein air in San Francisco and participate in plein air events in SF, Marin, and Alameda. |
Marie Massey |
Award-winning artist, Marie Massey, has been painting professionally since 2000 and teaching the "Painting in Layers" method to adults working in oil and acrylic since 2012. Marie is a Master Artist Mentor with Mastrius.com where she does online demonstrations and critiques. She is an avid plein air painter and does 5 to 7 plein air painting events annually, having been juried into plein air painting competitions 60 plus times including the Carmel Art Festival, the Frank Bette Plein Air, the Capitola Plein Air, the Los Gatos Plein Air, the Estes Valley Plein Air, the North Tahoe Arts Plein Air, The Telluride Plein Air, and the Colibri Gallery Morgan Hill Plein Air. In September of 2014, Marie founded the Central Coast Plein Air Painters, a group of 800 plus artists living and working on California's Central Coast. Marie coordinates periodic plein air paint outs and produces juried exhibitions for the CCPAP, working in cooperation with various local Arts organizations, businesses and galleries including First Friday Santa Cruz, the Arts Council for Monterey County and more. Marie's paintings have been juried into more than 130 National and Regional shows where they have won many awards including Best of Show, People's Choice,1st, 2nd and 3rd place as well as many Honorable Mentions, merchant and purchase awards. Marie's work sells well and is in private, corporate and government collections. Marie is grateful to be represented by select galleries across the USA including The SFWA Gallery in San Francisco, CA, Reflections Elegante Gallery in Monterey, CA, 480 Lighthouse Gallery in Pacific Grove, CA Art of Santa Cruz in Capitola, Ca, ACEP Gallery in Estes Park, CO, and Wild Coast Gallery
Plein Air Artists of Colorado |
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Mary Briley |
I’m a native Californian who loves Plein air painting. I often Plein air paint at Montana de Oro state park.I also enjoy taking Plein air workshops. I’m happiest near the ocean, I think this community would be fun to paint. |
Meisha Grichuhin |
Meisha Grichuhin was born in San Jose, California in 1987, studying painting at the Academy of Art University and graduating with the honor of Valedictorian. She describes her style as “impressionistic realism,” and strives to capture the light and essence of a subject while retaining the artist’s viewpoint and evidence of the artist’s hand. She loves painting “en plein air” especially, using all five senses to absorb the landscape. This immersion allows her to truly study her subject and bask in the radiance of nature. She lives with her husband and their four cats in Southern California where the temperate climate allows for year round outdoor painting. |
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Natalia Aandewiel |
Natalia Aandewiel is a Ukrainian-born American artist known for her expressive live paintings and plein air works that capture the sensory experience of a moment in time. Trained in classical fine arts at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in Kyiv, with additional studies at the Florence Classical Art Academy and The Animation Workshop in Denmark, Natalia blends academic technique with intuitive, emotion-driven expression. After fleeing the war in Ukraine, Natalia resettled in Santa Cruz, California, where she became a U.S. citizen and a vibrant part of the local arts community. Her work often explores the relationship between music, movement, and visual form, influenced by her personal experience of synesthesia—a condition that allows her to “see” sound and emotion as color and shape. She paints live at events ranging from jazz concerts to weddings, and regularly participates in art festivals including Open Studios Santa Cruz, Capitola Plein Air, and the Los Gatos and Scotts Valley Art & Wine Festivals. Her recent exhibitions include shows at MK Contemporary in Santa Cruz, American Art Gallery in Carmel, and 480 Lighthouse Gallery in Pacific Grove. Natalia has been featured in publications such as Lookout Santa Cruz, Carmel Pine Cone, and the California Art Club Podcast. Now a proud American citizen, Natalia continues to create art that serves as a bridge between cultures, a tribute to resilience, and a celebration of beauty found in everyday life. |
Paul Fortis |
I have lived and painted in Santa Cruz for 48 years. I paint in soft pastels and oil paints. I paint both en "Plein air" and in my studio. I love painting both landscapes and architectural scenes. My work is vibrant and bold with lots of color throughout. | |
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Robin Deshayes |
Robin Deshayes is a plein air painter following the path of generations west coast impressionist painters, back to the cowboy artists like Edward Borein and Maynard Dixon and the High Sierra paintings of Edgar Payne. She was imprinted by these images as a kid, along with the covers of Sunset magazine on the coffee table. A lifelong artist, she paints in oil, mostly plein air oil. Her first oil painting was done at age 12 with oils inherited from my great aunt. Robin has studied with some of the West’s well known impressionist painters, including Anton Nowles, Derek Penix, Debra Huse, Randy Sexton, Phil Starke and Karl Dempwolf, as well as east coast master Kathie Odom. Her goal is to create a body of work that expresses and shares her deep affection for the beauty of the region, hoping to give a modern look to the evolving landscape while cherishing both new and old. |
Rose Peng |
Growing up, Rose was the quiet kid who preferred doodling and playing video games over socializing. Encouraged by her parents, she took traditional art classes where she developed strong drawing and observation fundamentals as well as a lifelong passion for the craft. Although she dreamt of attending art college, she was instead steered into an engineering school where she co-founded the school's art club. After graduating, she pursued a career in UX design, where she could blend her creative eye with her technical skills. After a decade in tech, burnout caused her to step off of that path and seek to discover what her true calling could be. Nowadays she finds herself between two worlds: one that is more rooted in technology and innovation, and one that is more grounded in traditional painting. Within this space, she continues to explore and experiment to work closer toward a path she can call her own. |
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Ruth Bates |
Ruth Bates is a passionate painter whose work celebrates the vibrant beauty of the world around us. Specializing in en plein air painting, Ruth finds inspiration in the immediacy and authenticity of working directly from nature. Her subjects span landscapes, seascapes, still lifes, and portraits, each rendered with a deep appreciation for the true colors that the natural world provides. Ruth has studied under a number of accomplished local artists, including Barbara Bailey-Porter, Maggie Renner Hellman, Paul Roehl, and in France with renowned American expat painter Jill Steenhuis. Working in both acrylic and oil, she skillfully blends classical technique with her own contemporary sense of color and light. |
Stacey Nussbaum |
Stacey Nussbaum paints vibrant, textured California landscapes in Pastel and Oils. She received “Best Pastel” award at the 2025 Carmel Plein Air Art Festival, and received an honorable mention at the 2024 Capitola Plein Air Festival. She shows her work at Viewpoints Gallery in Los Altos CA and 480 Lighthouse Gallery in Pacific Grove CA. | |
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Sterling Hoffman |
From an early age, I have looked at the world, wide eyed while marveling at the nuances of color and form. From staring at the translucent light in the breaking waves to distant atmospheric colors of the mountains, I have always taken note of my surroundings. My love of images inspired me to draw and paint, especially after visiting art museums and galleries. I knew early on that I would become a painter after visiting Carmel-by-the-Sea with my family. My dreams of showing in a Carmel gallery began as soon as I discovered a display of small water color studies of polo players by LeRoy Neiman. The gallery price was $4000! “Holy Cow, I could do that,” I thought to myself and the dream never faded. Today my paintings are displayed and sold at Carmel Fine Art Gallery located at 6th and Dolores St. I’ve also been competing in the Carmel Arts Festival for over 15 years as well. |
Tamara Keiper |
Painting from life is essential for Tamara Keiper. For over 40 years she has painted in oils, pastels, acrylics, watercolors and gouache. Being flexible in multiple disciplines enables her to choose which medium suits the subject best. Keiper excelled in art at a very young age. She was already selling work by age 15 and received national recognition in winning first place in the competitive Scholastic Arts Awards. Instead of pursuing an illustration degree, she opted to study under some world renown artists such as Daniel Green, Robert Wade, Bob Gerbracht and numerous others, while staying home to raise her family. With this education and a two-year study in architecture she did architectural renderings for a firm in Tehachapi and specialized in commercial and residential trompe l’oeil murals. She enjoyed the freedom of airbrushing murals after working so tightly in renderings. As her family grew, she ventured out of her studio for landscape painting. Presently she enjoys participating in invitational plein air events, painting in her studio and taking commissions. Keiper’s a founding member of Valley Sun Catchers, prior board member of Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters Association and is active in the previous two as well as California Art Club and Central Coast Art Association. Keiper is represented at Reflections Elegant Gallery in Monterey, CA and Ceres Gallery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Her most current work is regularly posted on Facebook and Instagram at KeiperFineArt. For purchasing a painting or hiring custom work, contact her at keiperfineart10@gmail.com. |
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Teresa J Sharp |
A native Californian, Teresa J. Sharp grew up in Shafter, a small town in the San Joaquin Valley. Surrounded by farmland and wildflowers, she developed an early appreciation for natural beauty—one that continues to influence her artistic work. Though she studied drawing and oil painting at Bakersfield College and Fresno State, Teresa spent many years focused on homemaking and raising her children, carrying a growing mental gallery of images shaped by her life in various parts of California and a brief time in Texas. In 2019, she participated in her first Sierra Art Trails, exhibiting at the historic Gertrude Schoolhouse. That same year, her charcoal still life Still Dark in the Light won Best in Show at the Gold Rush Art Show in Mariposa. She has continued to exhibit annually in Sierra Art Trails, opening her Oakhurst home studio and gallery to the public. In 2025, Teresa joined Marin Open Studios at the Marin Art & Garden Center, where her plein air landscapes and floral works were warmly received. Teresa’s preferred mediums are watercolor and acrylic, and she often returns to favorite subjects like koi and geisha, inspired by her time in Japan, as well as luminous florals and Sierra landscapes. In recent years, she has challenged herself to grow through plein air workshops, including the Plein Air Convention & Expo in Reno/Tahoe, where she painted alongside over 1,000 artists. Above all, Teresa’s work reflects a love of creation, a spirit of observation, and a passion for painting life as she sees it—in real time, and in the open air. |
Tiina Seppalainen |
Tiina is a self-taught landscape artist whose work is deeply rooted in her cultural heritage and experiences, shaping its themes and stories. She primarily paints scenes near where she lives or visits, imbuing each piece with a strong sense of place and a narrative about our interaction with the environment. Tiina splits her time between the Central coast of California and the Big Island of Hawaii. The magnificence of the ocean and the natural beauty found in these areas are enduring sources of her inspiration. Tiina has studied painting with several contemporary artists, including Lorraine Watry, Steve Puttrich, and Susan Lynn, and participates in art mentorship programs offered by Mastrius. California art organizations have juried Tiina’s paintings into many shows and plein air events, including the 94th Statewide California Landscape Exhibition. She volunteers with art centers in Santa Cruz County and beyond. Tiina is a member of local art organizations, including the Santa Cruz Art League, Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center and the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Association. |
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Vanessa Stafford |
I began painting using watercolors, and very carefully developed in that media. Usually I would draw something using thin, fragile ink lines. I explored creatures with animal heads, and wings. I developed my own sort of personal symbolism, with references of classical Greek myths. I drew on themes of personal relationships as I pondered them. I was very idealistic at this time. I craved new media and explored acrylics on canvas. I recoiled in horror at the bright, fake, colors that emerged! It took a while to develop the same nuances I’d learned to lure from watercolors. I started painting outside, in the great outdoors, dazzled by “high adventure” as I battled the elements of weather. I bid for mural jobs on traffic signal cabinets. I've painted more than twelve cabinets for Santa Cruz. My recent venture is sculpting with epoxy clay and plexiglass, and fiberglass. I enjoy fabricating sculptures with lights that shine from the inside of the sculpture through transparent areas. I designed a Pegasus with LED lights that shine from the inside out, through transparent plexiglass. |
Wei-Ting Chuang |
Wei-Ting Chuang is an artist specializing in traditional East Asian brush painting and calligraphy. Her artistic journey is deeply rooted in the philosophy expressed by Tang Dynasty artist Zhang Zao: "The artist, inspired by nature's wonders, creatively transforms them through their imagination into a unique masterpiece, capturing the essence of the human spirit." This belief resonates in Wei-Ting’s work, as she draws inspiration from everyday life, transforming passing moments into expressive brushwork and thoughtful compositions. Since moving to California in 2017, her art has been profoundly influenced by the state's stunning landscapes and diverse culture. Plein air painting plays a vital role in her creative process, allowing her to capture nature’s transient beauty with authenticity. She carefully selects mediums such as ink, watercolor, or mixed media to best express the mood and essence of each scene, offering viewers a sense of peace in today’s fast-paced world. Her work has been exhibited in solo shows in both Taiwan and the U.S., and she has received numerous awards. With a Master of Fine Arts from National Taiwan Normal University, Wei-Ting has taught East Asian brush painting, watercolor, sketching, design, and calligraphy for over 20 years. She continues to share her passion for art through both online and in-person classes in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Pleasanton, Livermore, San Ramon, and Berkeley.Teaching is as rewarding to her as creating art, as her students continually inspire her and demonstrate the endless possibilities in artistic expression. |
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Wendy Brayton |
Brilliant white, it shimmered under the summer sun and breathed with a life of its own. It touched the sky and stretched as far as an eye can see, winding itself across the hills like a huge serpent. It was not silent, It bellowed with the wind. Wendy Brayton was five years when Christo's Running Fence appeared across her yard. The memories of Christo's Fence has inspired her artistic journey. It allowed her to dream of limitless possibilities. It taught her that art was not a sole product of inspiration but also included determination, hard work and collaboration. Wendy was the second generation to be raised in Sonoma County. She did not recognize its unique beauty until moving away to New York. She returned home and enrolled in school to earn a degree in sculpture from Sonoma State University. After graduation, Wendy discovered plein air painting and fell in love, spending three to four days a week rediscovering the county she grew up in. She returned to school and earned her masters in painting from Academy of Art in San Francisco. Now she spends her time teaching, painting and participating in plein air events. |
LIsa Zylstra |
Artist Lisa Zylstra grew up along the Southern California coast, where she cultivated a deep appreciation for the ocean and coastal foothills. Her passion for hiking and backpacking in the Sierra Nevada eventually inspired Lisa and her husband to relocate to the Sierra foothills near Yosemite National Park in 2020. Lisa is a passionate oil painter dedicated to capturing California’s diverse landscapes. Her work beautifully reflects the state’s natural beauty and has earned numerous awards in exhibitions, plein air festivals, and paint-outs. She has furthered her artistic journey under the guidance of master artists such as Kathleen Dunphy, Matt Smith, Tom Brown, and Faith Rumm. An active member of Yosemite Sierra Artists and the California Art Club, Lisa also co-chairs the YSA plein air group, fostering a community of outdoor painters. Lisa’s paintings are showcased in several galleries, including the Yosemite Gateway Art Center in Oakhurst, CA, the Sierra Artists Gallery in Mariposa, CA, the YSA Gallery, and the Casto Oaks Winery and Gallery in Mariposa, CA. |
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Christina Lim |
Christina Lim is an emerging Bay Area artist. After earning a BFA in Graphic Design from California College of the Arts, she spent 25 years in design and leadership before pivoting in 2020 to become Chief of Staff at a start up. That was a move that helped her regain a work-life balance, allowing her the space for her rekindled passion for painting. Since 2021, Christina has been exhibiting and selling her miniature work in acrylic and water color, and in 2024, she began to expand her work to larger canvases and entered into the professional scene. With a few recent awards in her name, Christin's latest collection of work centers around the theme of light as a symbol of hope and encouragement, capturing the serene beauty of redwoods, nature and the landscape of Hawaii. |
Nutan Singh |
Born and raised in India, Nutan Singh is a visual artist now based in the vibrant Bay Area of California. An engineer by profession and a plein air painter at heart, she finds joy in capturing the world around her through spontaneous, intuitive brushwork. Nutan’s artistic journey is deeply inspired by nature, everyday life, and the constantly shifting environments she encounters. Her work celebrates fleeting moments—whether it’s the quiet rhythm of the countryside, the energy of city streets, or the serenity of coastal landscapes. Each painting is a tribute to atmosphere, light, and movement, reflecting her emotional connection to the world. Drawing from her travels, cultural roots, and California’s diverse landscapes, Nutan infuses her art with a sense of vitality and authenticity.Her dedication to plein air painting reflects her belief that creating art outdoors allows for an honest, immediate response to the subject, infusing her work with a sense of vitality and authenticity. | |
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Shanna Kuempel |
I am a landscape painter currently living in Capitola while I rebuild my family home lost to fire in Bonny Doon. I was able to pay for my bachelors degree in art through fighting forest fires for the State of California in my teens and twenties. I enjoyed a 30 year long career as a municipal. firefighter while creating my art along the way. My draw to Plein air painting was a return to my love of the landscape and the great outdoors. my Plein air journey post retirement has taken me to New Zealand. Greece and France since retiring in 2024 |
Victoria Galitzine |
Victoria has worked as a professional artist since 2019, shown her work in exhibits across the Central Coast, and is collected internationally. She has won numerous awards and is represented in the MPAF Gallery in Monterey. Victoria grew up in rural England and her love of landscapes comes from her childhood exploration of the British countryside. She currently lives in Aptos with her husband, son, and various critters. |
