Category Artist Profiles

When Dean Mitchell decided to leave his basement studio in the Kansas City suburbs and move back to Florida where he grew up, he was looking for a place with more natural light—and also seeking a better balance between his work and personal life. “I actually wanted a personal life,” he says with a laugh.

In the Spring 2009 issue of Drawing magazine, we featured an article on Fred Hatt, an artist whose dynamic and powerful drawings can be classified as performances almost as much as objects. Here, we present additional artwork from the artist.Marilynby Fred Hatt, 2008, aquarelle crayonon paper, 29 1/2 x 19 3/4.

The renowned artist shares random thoughts, journals, correspondence, conversation excerpts and some photos, which he submitted to the Nancy Hoffman Gallery in New York City for the catalog to his solo exhibition, which will run there in November and December 2009. Read more about the exhibition in the artist biography at the end of this article.

“We didn’t begin the renovation of our home 18 years ago with the singular intention of creating another studio,” says artist Wende Caporale. Her husband, artist Daniel Greene, had bought the 10- 1/2-acre property in New Salem, New York, before she met him mainly because it had a large barn, which he intended to use as his studio, as well as a 1920s carriage house, which needed renovation.

When her studio became too cluttered to work in, this became collage and mixed-media artist Anne Bagby’s cleanup plan: Use or discard all used-up or mostly empty containers.Don’t stockpile anything that is easily obtainable.Give away or discard anything I haven’t used in the last year—not to mention the last 10 years.

Pigeons in St. Mark’s Square by Edie Harper (screenprint, 16.25×16.25)Edie Harper, the wife of the late Charley Harper and an accomplished artist in her own right, passed away this Saturday at the age of 87, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. She is survived by her son, Brett Harper, who is also an artist.

The word “collage” describes a two-dimensional work of art or the process of creating that work of art that incorporates found or altered elements, usually fragmentary, adhered to a substrate. The increasingly popular technique of collage speaks to the hectic pace and fragmented vision of our time. Joan Hall, Laura Breitman, Kitty Killian and Pat Street, whose works are featured in “Piecing It Together” by Jonathan Talbot, work with fragments — found papers and fabrics.

Vaison La Romaine, Provence (pastel, 23 1/5 x 23 3/5)Accomplished pastelist Moira Huntly was recently featured in “Colour 2011,” this year’s annual exhibition of the Pastel Society UK. Vaison La Romaine was one of her works selected for the show. To read more about the exhibition, get your copy of the August 2011 issue of The Pastel Journal.

The June 2011 issue of The Pastel Journal features the work of Clark Mitchell, who has developed a deep connection with the coastal Northern California landscape. Here are a few of his dazzling pastel scenes.Clark Mitchell ( of Cotati, Calif., is a workshop instructor who has won many pastel society awards and plein air invitationals.

Sachin Naik believes in keeping it simple. “I think it’s best to rely on the artist’s skill and technique with simple brush, paper and paint whenever possible,” says Naik, a featured artist in the August 2011 issue of Watercolor Artist. He refines his talent by painting the surroundings of his hometown Pune, India en plein air.

Stillness and LightLea Colie Wight conveys a contemplative mood with a palette whose blues and turquoises evoke her home by the sea.By Rosemary Barrett SeidnerWith a color sensibility that warms the traditionally cool colors that constitute her palette, Lea Colie Wight sets out to capture the simplicity and intimacy of the everyday, whether as a still life, an interior scene or a figure study.

There are 250 active painters, both professional and amateur, in the Door County, Wisconsin area, and there are 90 galleries within 90 miles. As the Door County barns fall victim to obsolescence, it’s the creative community that’s preserving these emblems of Wisconsin’s agricultural heritage by transforming them into wonderful galleries, art studios and performance spaces with acoustics worthy of symphony halls.

David Jamieson is our March 2012 Artist of Month. His oil painting, Golf Pencils, was a finalist in the floral/still life category of Magazine’s 28th Annual Art Competition. Keep reading this artist profile to learn how he came to art later in life and how he’s motivated to paint.Working from Life, Most of the TimeI work primarily from life, but I’m not dogmatically opposed to using photo references.

Chris Myers’ portfolio demonstrates a breadth of interests and watercolor techniques. View a gallery of his watercolor landscapes below, and read more about the artist in the December 2012 issue of Watercolor Artist.Read more about Chris Myers in the December 2012 issue of Watercolor Artist.MORE RESOURCES FOR WATERCOLOR ARTISTS • Subscribe to Watercolor Artist magazine• Watch watercolor art workshops on demand at ArtistsNetwork.

Like many painters, Christine Ivers and Gigi Horr Liverant are enthralled by sunlight and the way it plays out in a pastel landscape, but they’re equally excited by the unique qualities of the world at night. Ivers and Liverant’s work, featured in the December 2012 issue of Pastel Journal, is characterized by sparkling tonal contrasts, rich hues and abundant texture to best depict the contrasts of the light of day and the dark of night.

Enjoy this gallery of award-winning paintings from the 5th annual Watermedia Showcase international art contest, the watercolor competition from Watercolor Artist published in the April 2014 issue of the magazine.1st PlaceJoseph Alleman // Logan, Utah PlaceXi Guo // Savannah, Georgiahttp://xiguophotos.

Judi Betts was paying attention when she watched Millard Sheets demonstrate one of his watercolor techniques on how to section off the surface and invent color chords—color relationships—to make an underpainting that provided texture, shape and value. This visual collage, topped with complementary midtones, added mystery and established rhythm, making the painting itself richer.

If you were strolling along a river or canal in France on a lovely evening, you may have passed a landscape artist who was painting water–still, peaceful water. Ian Potts, who painted en plein air, found that watercolor best suited his needs, rather than oil. His work is featured in Watercolor Artist (August 2014), in an article by Ken Gofton.

“Freedom lies in being bold,” said American poet Robert Frost. Yet the artists we selected as this year’s Ones to Watch prove that just as boldness comes from letting go, so it can result from restraint. Indeed, these individuals exemplify audacity in their work, whether it’s by exaggerating or simplifying.

Enjoy this gallery of our 6th Annual Watermedia Showcase winners, the finest watercolor painting you’ll see all year. Read more about the artists and their watercolor techniques in the April 2015 issue of Watercolor Artist, available now in print or as an instant download at northlightshop.com, and on newsstands February 17.