Jonathan Frank

From the Beginning, 21" x 25"

Jonathan Frank spent his earliest years playing in the canyonlands of western Colorado, and out of that experience, he developed a life-long passion for western lands and the desert. His subject matter is clearly a direct outgrowth of that, but his distinctive style was the result of an early experiment for a high-school art class.

Ephemeral Pool, 19" x 29"

As Jonathan tells it, "The practice of outlining my paintings began as a spontaneous, extra-curricular experiment on a high school art class assignment. Born of sheer teenage boredom, I was compelled to take a ballpoint pen to a rather bad watercolor abstract and just outline the whole thing. I found that the process of doing this was completely relaxing, and simultaneously exciting, and the result was visually striking. It made my bad painting 'kinda cool.' I was so impressed with the look of this that I adopted the concept into my general artistic thinking from that day forth. Nearly twenty years would pass before I started painting seriously, but when I did, this was my starting place. This was my style and I never questioned it.

"The outline has since become much more stylized and refined, as well as poignant. I now use a Rapidograph pen with India ink for precision and permanency. The outline also helps to give the whole piece a clean, unified appearance, as well as to emphasize the sheer strength of my subjects. This all results in what I call High-Definition Watercolor."

Convergence of Memories, 21" x 29"

Owachomo, 14" x 21"

Jonathan has received well-deserved recognition for his unique works, consistently winning awards in national exhibitions as well as in various magazine competitions. His paintings are published in Splash 7 and 10 (North Light Books), and he was featured on the cover and in a full-length article in Watercolor Artist magazine in June, 2009. He is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society, the Colorado Watercolor Society, the Western Colorado Watercolor Society, and the Texas Watercolor Society. His works are in both public and private collections.

Genesis Inviolate, 21" x 29"

Coming of Age, 25" x 25"

To see more of his art and learn more about his artistic accomplishments, please visit Jonathan's website.

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Lisa Faulkner Wright

Vermillion Sunset, 18" x 24"

Speaking of her choice of subject matter, Lisa Faulkner Wright comments, "Having grown up near the shores of Lake Tahoe, I am inspired by the vast pine forests, high mountain lakes, granite peaks and sandstone canyons of our western states. But I am equally inspired by the smaller details of nature. From the stunning vistas to the roadside wildflowers, I have been instilled with a reverence for the land, with its powerful geologic forces and the striking beauty of its flora and fauna."

Lisa primarily paints landscapes in a contemporary realist style, applying the concepts of pictorial geometry to create illusionary worlds that invite her viewers to step into the scenes psychologically. Painting both on location and in her studio, she has chosen watercolor for its luminosity and for its wide range of properties from transparent to opaque. She capitalizes on the special effects of granulating pigments, often flowing several washes down the paper to build up sedimenta-
tion and reticulation patterns which she then incorporates into rock features in the painting. Watercolors are usually applied in a traditional manner with traditional sable/blend brushes, but she also trims synthetic fan brushes to desired shapes and then uses them to apply thick paint to capture the details of grasses, trees, and stratified rock. She finds the Primatek paints from Daniel Smith especially well-suited to depicting the features of the desert southwest and the Colorado Plateau.

Flood of Color, 17" x 12"

Although academically trained in printmaking and ceramic sculpture -- she holds an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison -- Lisa came to a turning point in her career when she studied with Jack Beal and Sondra Freckelton during summer programs at their home studio. She has taught university classes in printmaking, papermaking, and painting and also maintained a successful studio and gallery displaying ceramic sculpture, porcelain pottery, and watercolors for many years. She has also exhibited widely, winning awards in regional and national shows, and her work is included in the collection of the Elvehjem Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, among others. Her work has been featured in Watercolor magazine and is included in Daily Life in Still Life, published by American Artist magazine. She now teaches painting and drawing at her private studio.

Blossoms of the Cholla, 17" x 12"

Yellow Blossoms and Raindrops, 12" x 17"

Trail to the Sandstone Bluffs, 18" x 24"

Please visit Lisa's blog to see more of her work.