Susanne Clark

Prickly Heat, 14" x 14"

Being a painter has transformed the way Susanne Clark views and interprets her surroundings -- nothing looks the same as it did 5 or 10 years ago. In her experience, the artist’s eye is an adaptive one, always changing its way of seeing and portraying the world, and she is moved to paint when light, shadow and color come together in a dynamic way that captures her imagination. She finds working with transparent watercolor is like solving a series of puzzles -- how to get a certain texture, what pigments to mix for an unusual color, whether to add water -- a process she enjoys.

Pure Honey, 12" x 10"

P is for Pumpkin, 18" x 12"

Although she is self-taught, Susanne has taken workshops with Tom Francesconi, Karen Knutson, and Donna Jill Witty, expanding her skills in diverse ways through their workshops. She paints primarily from photos, but believes that good draftsmanship is of utmost importance, so she regularly practices sketching from life. Recent work with pastels has also been rewarding, but the sublime interaction of brush, paper, water, and pigment always draws her back to watercolor.

Don't Forget the Onions, 6" x 6"

Susanne began painting in the late 1990s and has been juried into national exhibitions with the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, the Northwest Watercolor Society, the Wyoming Watercolor Society, the Richeson 75, and the Maryland Federation of Art, as well as numerous exhibitions in the Chicago area. She is a signature member of the Illinois Watercolor Society, the Northwest Watercolor Society, and the Wyoming Watercolor Society. She is represented by the Old Courthouse Arts Center in Woodstock, IL.

Snooze, 11" x 15"

Go to Susanne's gallery page on the Illinois Watercolor Society website to see more of her work.

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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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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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Carol Carter

Mixed Messages, each panel 30" x 22"

Carol Carter has been painting for 30 years -- exploring figures, places, and narratives. Her favorite narratives revolve around situations that face all of us -- including motherhood, passages of time, sisterhood, aging, connectedness, and other aspects of the human condition. Growing up in Florida, her strongest visual impression was of water as a center for human activity and, in much of her work, water provides the setting for anonymous figures. While evocative and sensual watercolors of swimmers are a signature theme, she is equally at home with dramatic botanical images as well as portraits. Her use of vibrant saturated color adds to the mysterious, seductive, intense and inviting images she paints.

Florida Corkscrew Nature Preserve, 40" x 60"

Swamp Blessed Morning, 22" x 30"

Carol received her MFA from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. She maintains a studio in St. Louis and teaches at the university level as well as conducting workshops throughout the country. She was awarded an MAA-NEA Fellowship in Painting and Works on Paper in 1994 and was voted Best St. Louis Artist by The Riverfront Times in 2000. In 2002 her work was chosen for the cover of New American Painting magazine and in 2003, the U.S. Embassy sponsored a solo exhibition of her work at the Teatro del Centro de Arte in Guayaquil, Ecuador. She was a visiting artist in Oslo and Stavanger, Norway in 1999, 2001, and 2003. The Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, GA held a retrospective of her work in 2006, and she also had an exhibition in Guayaquil, Ecuador in July 2008 and a retrospective at East Central College in Fulton, MO in 2009. Different Strokes, published in 2008 by Quarto in London, England, featured her work both in the book and on the book cover. Her work is represented in many public and private art collections.

Men Are So High Maintenance, 40" x 60"

Renewal, 40" x 30"

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

Genie Even

Camellia, 11" x 20"

For Genie Even, the greatest excitement about a painting comes with the initial concept, and the greatest pleasure comes when all the components in the process meld to form the painting she visualized. She is drawn to dramatic light patterns, strong values, and exciting color. After sketching from her photo compositions, she begins a careful process of underpainting, developing values, and adjusting the color using transparent watercolor pigments. Although most of her work is realistic, her subject matter varies from floral closeups and unusual plants to figurative works and still lifes. Her work blends a high level of detail with arresting compositions and clear, brilliant color.

Tree Study, 20" x 14"

Genie is a native Californian who graduated as an art major from Scripps College; the well-known watercolorist Millard Sheets was both her professor and advisor. When she returned to full time art in the early 1990s, she studied with many talented watercolorists, including Cheng Khee Chee, Lian Quan Zhen, Karen Frey and Jane Hofstetter, among others. She is a signature member of Watercolor West, the California Watercolor Association and the Texas Watercolor Society. Her work has won many awards, including Best of Show at the Palm Springs Desert Museum, and one of her paintings is in the permanent collection of the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara, CA.

Pre-teen Cool, 20" x 14"

Since moving to Knoxville, Tennessee in 2005, Genie has won awards in exhibits at regional art centers in Oak Ridge and Fountain City as well as at the Tennessee Art Association and the Art and Cultural Alliance. She continues to exhibit in national shows, including the Transparent Watercolor Society of America and the Watercolor Societies of Missouri, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Texas. She is a member of the Tennessee Watercolor Society and the Art Market Gallery in Knoxville.

Croton, 28" x 20"

Fuji Reflections II, 14" x 20"

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

Jeannie Vodden

Tiny Dragon Just Simmering, 22" x 15"

Jeannie Vodden's interest in the complex textures and patterns found in both natural and man-made objects is the starting point for most of her paintings. She adds natural light, an occasional figure, sometimes a dash of fantasy, and pulls it all together with a limited palette. Her preference for the complex play of form and light is balanced by her preference for a very simple palette -- starting with only three colors and seldom using more than six or eight -- and glazing many transparent layers to achieve great richness and depth of color. Although she doesn't paint full-fledged fantasy art, she enjoys adding touches of fantasy to her portraits to convey an interaction with the magic of life. In Jeannie's words, "My desire is to bring to my work the imagination and curiosity which is so often found in children and to combine that sense of wonder with an experienced artist's hand."

Remnants, 22" x 30"

Nestled, 11" x 15"

Jeannie lives in the Sierra foothills of northern California. She spends her time painting and teaching in her cottage studio, maintaining her garden, and browsing antique and thrift stores for subjects for her work. She returned to school in 1993 to study art at American River College in Sacramento. She studied with Sacramento artist Gary Pruner, whom she credits for not only for his marvelous teaching and passion for painting, but also for his generous support and encouragement as she became a full-time painter and teacher. Jeannie has been conducting watercolor workshops throughout California as well as other states for 15 years and also teaches regular classes at The School of Light and Color in Fair Oaks, CA and at University Art in Sacramento, CA. She has shown her work extensively in the California Gold Country and in the Central Valley -- including Stockton, Lodi, and Sacramento -- and has been accepted into two of the prestigious Crocker Kingsley shows at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. Jeannie has won numerous awards for her work, and the State of California has purchased two of her paintings.

Mystic Companions, 30" x 22"

Handling the Muse, 15" x 22"

Please visit Jeannie's website to see more of her work.

Sue Johnston

Rocks Rock!, 30" x 22"

From cats facing off through a shop window to punks in Trafalgar Square to a basket of rocks, Sue Johnston's work conveys a delight in her subject and a fascination with light and color. Each painting grows out of her involvement with a subject -- often encountered during her travels -- cats in San Miguel, train trips through the West, travels to London. She loves to portray the humor of the human condition and the sense of self that people convey. Although she does produce paintings in bright primary colors, she frequently works with a palette ranging from deep oranges and blues to rich browns, softening them as the mood of the painting dictates. Her use of deep darks adds an air of mystery to her scenes.

Nelson's View, 26" x 22"

San Miguel Gatos, 30" x 22"

Sue began her career as a watercolorist after 25 years as an elementary teacher in the Oakland public schools. Following a lifelong dream to become proficient in the medium, she began by taking classes at Merritt College and has continued her development with workshops and classes from renowned artists in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout the country. She joined the California Watercolor Association in 1998 and served on various committees; she was vice president in charge of the annual national exhibition in 2003 and then led the group as president from 2004-2008. Her work has been included in two shows at the Triton Museum in Santa Clara, California -- winning second place in the exhibition in 2007 -- and in national exhibits presented by the San Diego Watercolor Society, Arizona Aqueous, Watercolor West, the Northwest Watercolor Society, and the California Watercolor Association. Sue is a signature member of CWA. She is represented by Gallery Concord in Concord, California.

Railroad Crossing, 30" x 22"

Reno Rails, 30" x 22"

Please go to Sue's website to see more of her work.

Sandy Maudlin

Past Images, 24" x 36"
watercolor with wax batik and sumi ink on rice paper

Like many artists, Sandy Maudlin enjoys the process of painting at least as much as the final result. She loves to explore the varied possibilities of what paint can do and how she can use it to express what she feels. Working in everything from transparent watercolor to oils, she is hard-pressed to identify either a favorite medium or subject, preferring to push forward to discover the next surprise. As a watercolorist, Sandy is equally adept with transparent watercolor and fluid acrylics, applying them to either traditional watercolor paper or Yupo synthetic paper, and presenting her subjects in styles ranging from traditional realism to experimental and abstract. She brings a willingness to experiment and a fondness for novel techniques to her painting, with exciting results. Sandy firmly believes that an artist's style is within and will be expressed no matter what, and her fervent hope is that people will be engaged by her paintings and feel an emotional response to them.

Golden Venice, 19" x 24"
fluid acrylics on Arches watercolor paper

Sandy earned a bachelor's degree in art from Indiana University and has furthered her education with workshops taught by many well-known artists such as John Salminen, Carla O'Conner, Jean Grastorf, and George James, among others. She is a signature member of both the Watercolor Society of Indiana and the Ohio Watercolor Society and has won numerous Best of Show awards in many annual juried shows. Her paintings are included in public and private collections throughout the U.S. and Europe. Finding it very fulfilling to encourage and watch as others grow creatively, she also teaches weekly classes in her home studio near Cincinnati, Ohio and gives workshops both nationally and internationally.

Junior's Advice, 26" x 20"
transparent watercolor on Yupo

Interlude, 26" x 18"
transparent watercolor on Yupo


Party, 40" x 26"
transparent watercolor on Yupo

Go to Sandy's blog to find out more about her work.

Pablo Villicaña Lara

Morning Offering, 18" x 24"

Although he was raised in both Mexican and American cultures, most of Pablo Villicaña Lara's paintings reflect his Mexican Native heritage. Depicting handmade objects such as pottery, baskets, blankets, and musical instruments in combination with flowers and other cultural objects, he creates paintings that speak of the heart of his people and the culture they are trying to preserve. With bold color and dramatic lighting, his paintings evoke a sense of ancient history and tradition, much like the stories passed down orally from generation to generation.

Artesenias Mexicanas, 18" x 24"

Speaking of his attraction to watercolor, Pablo observes, "I love everything about watercolor -- it's inherent luminous qualities, the vibrant colors, the beautiful granulating flowing textures -- though it took me several years to summon the courage to face the challenges I had heard about and it proved to be true for a few years before I discovered that there's absolutely nothing you cannot do with watercolors from the most expressionistic style to the most real and even hyper-realism. I think I fall somewhere in between: I love creating images that look real and have a presence, a sense of light, but also have hints of flowing washes and spatters."

Story Teller, 19" x 30"

Pablo was born in a small village thirty miles south of the California/Mexico border. He came to the U.S. when he was five to receive medical attention for the polio he had contracted at age two. Although he had always intended to return to Mexico, he was so far along in school by the time the medical treatments were completed that he decided to stay and finish school. He has an MFA in drawing from the California College of the Arts (formerly the California College of Arts and Crafts) and has won numerous awards for work exhibited in watercolor shows throughout the U.S. Most recently, he was invited to become a member of the International Guild of Realism and was the only watercolorist accepted into their annual exhibitions for the past two years.

Yellow Hammer, 16" x 12"

Mi Rebozo, 20" x 14"

Go to Pablo's blog to see more of his work.