Tom Francesconi

Stage Performer, 20" x 13"

Tom Francesconi's paintings are a visual statement of his love for life. In his words, "As an artist, I have chosen to express myself through the language of paint, and stirred emotions are the essential beginnings of that language. Painting puts me in touch not only with the world around me, but also with the world inside of me. It is my hope that my paintings will echo that emotional response and the viewer will share in my spirited statements."

Longing, 21" x 14"

Pearl Necklace, 11" x 15"

Tom studied art at Eastern Illinois University and later focused on watercolor, studying with Irving Shapiro at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. After working more than 12 years as a commercial artist, he returned to fine art and devoted himself to his painting. His work has been published in eight books, including the just-released Splash 11. He has written articles for the magazines Watercolor and Watercolor Magic (now Watercolor Artist); an earlier article for Watercolor -- "Lively Painting, Purposeful Color" -- was reprinted in a special edition of Watercolor Highlights in the spring of 2008.

Tom's work has been exhibited in many national exhibitions -- the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, Transparent Watercolor Society of America, and Watercolor West, as well as other prestigious shows. He has signature status in five watercolor societies, including the National Watercolor Society, the Transparent Watercolor Society of America (Master Status), and the Northwest Watercolor Society. His work has garnered numerous awards, most recently the Lakes Region Watercolor Guild Award at the 2010 TWSA Exhibition and the Henry Fukuhara Award at the 2009 Watercolor West Exhibition.

The Tryst, 11" x 15"

Tom teaches weekly classes in Chicago and conducts workshops throughout the country. He has juried both regional and national exhibitions and lectured at museum and college venues, and he served as president of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America from 2001-2003, initiating its transformation from Midwest Watercolor Society to TWSA. He is represented by the White Street Gallery in Frankfort, IL, and his work is included in many private and corporate collections.

Aged, Yet Adorned, 13" x 20"

Please jump over to Tom's website to see more of his work.

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Cindy Agan

Sisters, 15" x 24"

"My art career started with a box of crayons and a coloring book at the age of three and I have been honing my skills ever since!"

With the exception of a beginner's course, Cindy Agan is self-taught in watercolor, and being detail-oriented, she prefers a realistic approach to her subjects. Her work is influenced by interests that bring her joy -- people, animals, flower gardening, antiques, wine tastings, and architectural details -- and her paintings depicting children have been described as "evocative of Norman Rockwell." She favors a predominantly warm palette, applying numerous glazes of highly concentrated paint to achieve the intense and vibrant color characteristic of her work.

When I Grow Up, 15" x 24"

Cindy is the author of Painting Watercolors That Sparkle with Life (North Light Books) and a companion DVD, an excerpt of which has been included in 10 Top Painting Tips -- a DVD featuring artists from around the world. Her work has appeared in Splash: The Best of Watercolor -- books 6, 7, 9, and 10 -- and will be included in Splash 12 (release date, 2011). Her paintings have also been featured in A Celebration of Light: Painting the Textures of Light in Watercolor, Drawing and Painting People: The Essential Guide, and in two books in the Painters Quick Reference Series -- Birds & Butterflies, and Cats & Dogs.

A Moment in Time, 20" x 16"

Garden Angel, 23" x 15"

Her work hangs in numerous private and corporate collections in the U.S. and U.K. In addition, she has been juried into national and international shows and has won many awards. She is a signature member of the Louisiana Watercolor Society and recently won the President's Award at their 2010 Exhibition. Cindy is also a popular workshop instructor who teaches throughout the U.S. and Canada. She will be teaching at Art in the Mountains in Bend, Oregon this July.

Napa Merlot, 26" x 18"

Please go to Cindy's website to see more of her work and get more information about her art activities.

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Paula Fiebich

Venetian Gold, 23" x 30"

"I am visually creating in my head all the time. My art, my creativity has been with me since I arrived on the planet. It has taken many different forms along the way to evolve to its present day expressions."

Paula Fiebich has been making art for many years, but within the last five years, it has evolved to a greater level of awareness. She finds inspiration for her paintings in many different areas -- from a simple swirl of pattern in hand-blown glass to a classic masterpiece in a museum, from a bike ride on a local path to a stroll through the streets of Venice. She is particularly fond of the art and design of France and Italy and much of her work reflects things that have inspired her during travel in those two countries. Her eye observes the patterns in fabric, papers, and the abstract qualities in objects, and her love of color and detail shows prominently in her work.

Pierrot, 24" x 18"

Afterglow, 23" x 30"

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Paula has become a nationally and internationally recognized watercolor artist since winning the Gold Medal at the American Watercolor Society show in 2007. Although watercolor has always been her medium of choice in the fine arts, she has also worked in the commercial art world as a staff artist in the toy and craft industry and in the automotive industry, working in the design studios for General Motors. She recently returned to school to specialize in digital media and communication arts.

Hotel de Paris, 30" x 23"

In addition to her success in the American Watercolor Society exhibit, Paula's work has been accepted into National Watercolor Society and Transparent Watercolor Society of America exhibits. She has been published in Watercolor Artist magazine, and will be featured this year in Splash 11 (North Light Books) and in International Artist magazine.

Sentinels, 40" x 26"

Please visit Paula's blog to learn more about her work.

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David Poxon

Heavy Metal, 12" x 17"

David Poxon explains a recurring theme in his work in these words, "I find inspiration in quiet corners of our world, which for a few brief moments have taken on a deeper significance to me. The commonplace or the overlooked become my subject materials as nature slowly reclaims that which man has abandoned or cast aside, creating a fragile beauty which is ever changing." Drawing inspiration from light, atmosphere, and subtle ambient effects, he finds a renewed connection between object and environment. He paints in pure watercolor, using a painstaking multi-glaze technique with up to 17 layers of transparent paint, each delicately modulating the colors beneath, and he preserves the natural paper for the whites in his paintings.

Bolts, 12" x 17"

Pots, 12" x 12"

David originally trained in Brighton, England but then followed a successful music industry career before returning to his first love -- art -- some years ago. He has won numerous awards and has a growing international reputation for his mastery of pure watercolor. His work has been exhibited at the Mall Galleries, Bankside Gallery - London, the Royal Birmingham Society, The Royal Cambrian Academy, the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and many regional public and private galleries in the UK and USA. In 2008, he won the Still Life prize at the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour, and he was elected a member of the Royal Institute in 2010. He is one of 20 international watercolor artists invited to exhibit at the Shanghai Biennial in 2010 and will have a solo exhibition in the same venue following the biennial. He has contributed many articles to the art magazine press and is the author of two best-selling books on drawing techniques which were released worldwide in 2008. His work is increasingly collected both at home and overseas.

Shed, 12" x 17"

Big Barn Door, 12" x 17"

Please visit David's website to learn more about him and to see more of his work.

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Mike Bailey

MOMA's Vertigo, 22" x 30"

Watercolor began as a kitchen table hobby for Mike Bailey in 1988, but soon consumed his every thought. Although he had been attracted to art all his life, his college degree was in engineering and he spent many years in the high-tech world before starting to paint at age 46. Primarily self-taught, he is driven and deeply passionate about painting. As he puts it, "I paint because I have to. I teach because I want to spread the joy I have derived from being a painter."

Always reaching to attain new levels of growth, he is continually experimenting and testing his limits and his visions. In Mike's words, "I think desire is ninety percent of talent. You are only as good as the amount of painting experience you accumulate. A lot of experience in anything leads to wisdom about that thing." Accordingly, he paints almost daily. Whether it is abstract studio work or casual plein air outings, he finds it difficult to point to a favorite subject or style, but his goal is to make "not seen before" work.

Blowhard II, 22" x 30"

Considered a very gifted teacher in the field of art, he teaches workshops -- intense, hilarious, and full of motivation and support -- throughout the U.S. and Europe. His course "Watercolor Beyond the Obvious" is a rigorous exploration of design and a discovery of personal artistic breakthroughs. Altogether, he spends about 15-20 weeks a year teaching groups ranging from beginners to advanced painters.

Slip Strip Abstract, 15" x 22"

A Cheap Trick, 22" x 30"

Mike has won awards in exhibits around the country and has been featured in Watercolor, The Palette, and Watercolor Artist magazines as well as several books on watercolor. His work is in both corporate and private collections throughout the U.S., Europe, and Australia. He is a Signature Member of the National Watercolor Society and is just beginning a two-year term as President of that organization (2010 and 2011).

White Blankets, 22" x 30"

Please visit Mike's blog and then hop over to his website for a look at his extensive body of work.

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Guy Magallanes

Two Bees in a Rose, 21" x 14"

Influenced by his Grandmother, Guy Magallanes paints images of landscapes and flowers -- subjects that we all pass daily -- but with heightened exaggeration for drama's sake as a result of his Grandfather's influence. He expresses how he sees each one -- full of life with a unique story to be shared -- as "images I get lost in and that take my breath away."

Guy counts the support and influence of his extended family as a catalyst in his development as an artist. He explains, "I grew up in the best creative environment a child could have. One of the best gifts I ever received was an entire roll of butcher paper at the age of five from my Aunt Celita. I made tons of drawings and some huge drawings, and the supply of paper seemed endless. She always had a painting she was working on in her kitchen, and to me that place was magical. And my grandparents had a huge influence on my character and how I see the world. My Grandmother showed me the gift of consistency -- to look for the surprises and regularity of each season -- and my Grandfather gave me the gift of innovation and wonderment. An avid storyteller, he made his adventures even more colorful each time they were retold."

Echeveria, 12" x 8"

Painting had always been a part of Guy's life as a hobby -- something to fill a creative need or a way to give a special gift to someone -- but after September 11, 2001, he realized that he wanted to change how he lived his life. Being laid off from a job he loved in 2002 gave him the opportunity to explore his passion for watercolor. He began taking classes, joined art groups and watercolor societies, and entered competitions. Elizabeth Kincaid became a mentor and friend after Guy took a workshop with her, and when he juried into the Redwood City Art Center, he met Joyce Faulknor and began a collaboration that has expanded into an exciting new venture -- Art2Art.

Alba Rosa, 8" x 12"

Building on the experience he gained giving painting demos for art societies, Guy moved into teaching when Joyce began working on her book for North Light Books and asked him to take over her classes. He now has a full teaching schedule of both weekly classes and regional and national workshops. His work was featured in both Splash 9 and Splash 10 (North Light Books), and he is one of 15 contributors to the book Watercolor Secrets (North Light Books, 2009). In 2007, Guy and Joyce won the West Coast Regional WAVE (Western Access Video Excellence) award for the first episode of their instructional watercolor show Art2Art. They have since taped 14 episodes which will premiere on May 8, 2010 on the PBS station KCSM-TV, located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Koi Study, 12" x 15"

Passage, 18" x 37"

Please jump over to Guy's blog to find out more about his work and link from there to his website.

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