Judith was born and lived in Rhode Island during her early childhood. As a teen and adult, she has lived in Italy, Germany, Hawaii, Missouri, Arizona, California and most recently, Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe. Her first interest in painting began when she lived in Italy among the finest art in the world. Judith was inspired to continue her studies in art and received a BFA with Honors from the University of Hawaii and an MFA from the University of Arizona. She has taught at the University of Arizona, Missouri State University and Pima Community College. Judith retired as Director of Education at the Tucson Museum of Art and is now spending most of her time in her studio. She has recently moved to Santa Fe where she will continue her art and looks forward to developing strong business relationships and friendships. Contact Judith about this workshop Gemma Black - An Italic Journey in Tuscany G E M M A is a distinguished Australian calligrapher. For over twenty years her work has encompassed regular commissions from both the public and private sectors throughout the country. Gemma is interested in formal penmanship, research and exploration into text as image and text as calligraphy. In 1986 Gemma was one of three friends who founded the Canberra Calligraphy Society which today is still a strong and wonderful group of friends who share a common passion for letters. Awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship in 1991 to study teaching calligraphy in Europe, Gemma enjoys learning, teaching and producing calligraphic artworks. She was elected as a Guild Member of the Australian Society of Calligraphers in 1993. In 1997 Gemma achieved the status of CLAS Fellow and in 2002 she was elected as a CLAS Honoured Fellow. CLAS is the Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society, United Kingdom. Quite simply Gemma loves letter forms and her creative journey has seen her study with highly skilled calligraphers both nationally and internationally through Roehampton (UK) and Graphos (US). She has also studied watercolour painting, printmaking and bookbinding at the Australian National University. In 1997, Gemma engendered an email network called ALL, the Australasian Lettering Link, to keep up-to-date and relevant information flowing between calligraphy and allied groups, clubs and societies across Australia, New Zealand and throughout the Asia Pacific. Please visit Gemma’s website for more information: www.pcug.org.au/~gblack
Through numerous gallery exhibitions and shows, art lovers around the world have come to admire and enjoy the art works of Victoria Brooks. She captures the essence of sun-drenched images typical of California in a vibrant, impressionistic style. Victoria’s paintings are characterized by intimate moments set in romantic, richly conceived landscapes and seascapes. The result is a hauntingly personal connection with the viewer that resonates at the deepest emotional level. Her special talents are particularly evident in her expressive portraits where she reflects the mood and inner nature of her subjects. After a successful career as an art director in television and motion pictures, she pursued her love of painting, which she has been doing for 20 years. In addition to being a talented studio artist, she is an accomplished plein air painter as well. She has won numerous “Best of Show” awards for herstudio and plein air works. Victoria loves teaching oil and watercolor painting and is a favorite of art clubs for her informative art demonstrations. She teaches plein air painting workshops in California, Italy, France, Ireland and Greece. Victoria is a Signature Member of National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS) and American Impressionist Society (AIS). She also is an Artist Member of the Oil Painters of American (OPA), California Art Club, Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, Plein Air Painters of New Mexico and Plein Air Painters of Hawaii. http://www.vbrooks.com/
Kathy Busillo graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Illustration, from the University of the Arts (Philadelphia College of Art). She was a freelance artist in advertising for several years before moving to central Pennsylvania. After taking time off to start her family, Kathy returned to art a few years ago with Plein Air painting. Kathy has been teaching impressionist painting, basic oil painting and acrylic classes and takes commissions for landscape and portraits. She has won a number of awards and has participated in numerous shows throughout Pennsylvania and with the American Impressionist Society. She is currently represented by The Village Artisans Gallery, Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. Kathy is also represented in the Philadelphia area by The Chestnut Hill Gallery on Germantown Avenue. Kathy is also a newly nominated member of the American Impressionist Society. http://www.kathybusillo.com/
A former chemical engineer, Annie became an artist when she decided to get serious about her career. She went back to school, and earned a BFA in printmaking and an MFA in graphic design. Annie is the author of The Art & Craft of Hand Lettering, a 2004 publication of Lark Books. Annie has taught art from the elementary school to the university level, and has taught workshops throughout North America, visiting thirty-four states and five Canadian provinces as well as Japan since 1983 and she has taught at most of the international calligraphy conferences. Her work can be seen in many of the Calligraphers Engagement Calendars, Modern Scribes and Lettering Artists II, the Speedball Handbook, The Handcrafted Greeting Card and Lettering Design. Annie has had a number of one person shows, including the installation of "The Face of Humanity," at galleries in Tennessee, Montana, Illinois and North Carolina. She divides her time among teaching, graphic design work, and her first love, painting. And yes, indeed, her initials are ABC! http://www.cicaleletteringdesign.com/
Brian Davis - Fantastic Florals in Tuscany "My goal as an artist is to bring to life my vision of what is worth painting. I have always been inspired by the world we live in and, although I have enjoyed painting many different subjects through the years, I have chosen to concentrate much of my artistic energy on floral subjects. And, more specifically, what light does as it hits flowers. I tell my students that making good art is not subject dependent; it is what an artist says about his chosen subject that matters. To my mind, it’s the light, shadow and composition that gives an image most of its visual power and it is that power that I wish to capture. For me, the flower is the stage and the light is the dancer. " Brian Davis
Brian Davis was born in Burbank, California in 1946. His parents were musicians who loved art and creativity and were supportive of my passion for art making. He has enjoyed producing art since he was a kid. In college, Cal State LA, his professors commonly preferred modern art and wanted him to loosen up, become more expressive, less rigid. He liked representational art and finally left college in his senior year frustrated with the poor quality of the art instruction. He then became a successful illustrator. In 1980, Brian left the commercial art profession to become a fine artist. He had a show at the Long Beach Museum followed my other museum shows. Brian published a poster for that show and others which were well received. He am known for his floral oil paintings but he has painted many different subject matters through the years as well. Brian is self taught, having learned very little about painting in school. His style simply reflects his vision of what is worth painting.
Brian Davis is honored to be in the collections of seven museums, including: The Huntington Library, the LA county Museum, and the New York Botanical Garden. He is published by Collectors Editions, in Canoga Park, Ca, and his art work hangs in 61 galleries world wide, including Japan, England, Ireland, South Africa and soon to be Australia
Barbarra J. Dunham - Poetry in Paper in Tuscany! Barbara states, “My earliest art memory is around 3 years of age so I cannot recall a time when art was not an integral part of my consciousness.” Barbara is a self-taught artist living and working in Atlanta, Georgia. She began her art journey at the age of 6 at John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis, Indiana continuing with stops in Germany, Delaware, Colorado, back to Indiana and ultimately to Atlanta. Private lessons and classes kept the creative juices flowing, but it was when she took her first collage class in 1999 that she found her true passion. Since then, she has studied with Nita Leland (Ohio), Mary Todd Beam (Tennessee), Carrie Burns Brown (South Carolina); Mira Lehr (NYC) and Cecil Touchon (Texas) in addition to local Atlanta instructors. She has also served as President of the Atlanta Collage Society for the last four years growing the organization and searching for show venues. Barbara has conducted classes and workshops in Atlanta, GA; Fairhope, AL; Charleston, SC; Columbia, SC; and Austin, TX. Barbara shows her work with the collage society, her own personal show each November in Atlanta and most recently a solo show in Austin, Texas. Barbara states, “I have concentrated on collage for over a decade and my goal is to create with collage elements a visually elegant story that is mysterious and makes the viewer search beneath the surface.”
Helen Gibb - Ribbon Art Helen Gibb - is an international ribbon expert and teacher specializing in ribbon flowers. She is a regular guest on The Carol Duvall Show (HGTV and DIY), and she has appeared on PBS’s Creative Living, and on network TV news programs in Denver. Helen has authored four books on ribbonwork - The Secrets of Fashioning Ribbon Flowers; Heirloom Ribbonwork; Ribbonwork The Complete Guide, and Elegant Ribbonwork. She has also produced a two-hour instructional DVD - Beginners Guide to Ribbonwork. Helen’s ribbonwork has also been showcased in numerous magazines, including Better Homes and Gardens, Doll Costuming, and Embroidery and Cross Stitch magazine in Australia. http://www.helengibb.com/ For the last ten years, Helen has organized and taught her own ribbonwork retreats in Colorado, and has taken students on a trip to Australia. She also teaches ribbonwork in Canada, and at all the major quilt shows in the USA. Self taught, Helen's ribbonwork journey started in 1996 with the purchase of an antique book on old millinery techniques. In that book were some simplified instructions on how to make a ribbon rose. Since then, Helen has acquired several 1920's books about ribbonwork and some lovely samples of vintage ribbon flowers from the 1920's, many of which are shown on the pages of her books. Visit Helen's web site - www.helengibb.com for books, DVD, ribbonwork supplies and for more information about the supplies needed for this Tuscany ribbon workshop.
Lynn Hosegood has been on a creative journey for over 30 years. Her medium of choice is watercolor which she uses it in a very painterly manner with high value contrast and intense color spots.
After graduating with a studio arts degree in 1985 Lynn worked as a portrait artist and turned her attention to the landscape and architectural subject matter when she returned to her native England for three years. While there she studied miniature painting and was accepted as a member and exhibited with The Hilliard Society, The Society of Limners and she was included in group shows with The Royal Miniature Society and London’s Westminster Gallery and Mall Galleries.
Working from her Williamsburg, Virginia home studio, Lynn now works on children’s book illustrations, paintings for her print series and large watercolors for regional, national and international juried shows and competitions. The large watercolor paintings are resourced from her travels throughout Europe, Singapore, Caribbean and Central America.
Recent awards include Best in Show at Virginia Watercolor Society, 2008 Juried Show; VWS Award of Merit, 2011; Southern Watercolor Society, H.Graham Award, 2012. She has been juried into: The Transparent Watercolor Society of America, 2009, 2010 Kenosha, Wisconsin; Southern Watercolor Society, Columbus, Georgia, 2009, 2011. She has also been juried into North Light Books, Splash 11(2010) and Splash 12(2011). She was also given an award by the Colonial Dames of America for her illustration work for ‘Stonewall Jackson’s Black Sunday School’.
Lynn teaches classes in Watercolor and Principles and Elements of Design in Williamsburg. She critiques and teaches on line classes for Artists Network University, part of F&W Media network.
I am a full time professional artist and, since 1992, instructor in both watercolor and artistic journaling at the Scottsdale Artists' School and at numerous workshops across the country and abroad.
One of the enduring pleasures of travel, I have found, is creating and bringing home a sketchbook/journal of the trip. I still takes loads of pictures, but it’s invariably my journals that - even thirty years later - evoke the sights, sounds, flavors and aromas of Morocco’s souks, Piazza San Marco, The Great Wall of China, Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, and dinners (yes, dinners!) anywhere, as well as of gelato in San Gimignano and fresh fish at Cha Ca La Vong, the oldest restaurant in Vietnam.
I’m a 1954 graduate of the Graphic Arts school at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Institute of Technology, with subsequent studies at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York, and many years of classes and workshops at The Scottsdale Artists’ School.
It was in the 1970’s that I first developed my passion for artistic travel journaling. Together with my wife, Lola, we’ve traveled the world as frequently as we can, and I usually return with a colorful journal of our experiences.
Following a 28 year career in graphic arts, I moved on to my current career as watercolorist. I have also authored six best-selling books for artists. In 1984, Lola and I left New York and moved to the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, where we established theGallery At Mill River, which featured my watercolors as well as works by other regional artists. Here I had the time and incentive to fully develop my watercolor technique. During the late ‘80s, I was also founding American Editor of International Artist Magazine, which I helped to successfully launch. In 1993, after seven winters of traveling to Arizona, we moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where I established my studio and began exibiting my watercolors at a Main Street gallery.
I continue to conduct classes and workshops, mostly on travel journaling, at The Scottsdale Artists’ School, at Hudson River Valley Art Workshops in upstate New York, and elsewhere. I have also guided overseas workshop groups to Tuscany and Venice and, most recently, to Vietnam.
Some of my watercolors and journal pages may be seen at my own website, (www.LewisBLehrman.com), as well as at The Haunted Studio (www.HauntedStudio.com), the offbeat website at which since 1999, I market my own haunted and Halloween themed watercolors and prints. Through The Haunted Studio, I have completed over ninety commissioned "spooky" house paintings, prized by lovers of the supernatural in America and abroad.
Carolyn E. Lewis - Plein Air Cortona A commendable quality of Lewis' work is the feeling one experiences of actually being in the scene while viewing her strongly designed landscapes. Lewis continues, "...but most of all, I enjoy the process of creating art and communicating the atmosphere and drama of my subject." The art of Carolyn Lewis is inspired by nature, wildlife, and people. It is sensitive without being overly sentimental. Her commissioned portraits of individuals and animals, and her powerful landscapes, are steadily gaining acclaim in national art circles. In September 2005, Carolyn's first book entitled Land and Light Workshop, Painting Mood and Atmosphere in Oils was released by North Light Books, and an accompanying video/DVD entitled Painting Mood and Atmosphere in Oils was released by Teaching Art, Ltd. Her work is also published in The Ultimate Guide to Painting from Photographs, edited by James Markle and Layne Vanover, North Light Books, October 2005. In addition, Carolyn is published as one of 6 artists featured in Artist's Photo Reference - Landscapes by Gary Greene, 2001 and Artist’s Digital Photo Reference, edited by Erin Nevius, also published by North Light Books, 2006. Recently, she has written articles published in Paint Magazine for the Society for All Artists, UK. She has also had her work featured in The Artist's Magazine. http://www.lewisstudio.com/ Signature membership status: Oil Painters of America
Suzanne Lieurance is the author of over 20 books and the founder and director of theNational Writing for Children Center. She is also an instructor for the Institute of Children's Literature and the host of Book Bites for Kids, a talk show about children's books, LIVE every weekday afternoon on blogtalkradio.com. As The Working Writer's Coach, Lieurance helps people who like to write become "working" freelance writers who earn a living from what they like to do best - write. Lieurance's newest book for adults, The Life of Your Dreams - Building Your Life and Career Around the Things You Love Most, will be available in March 2008. Her newest children's book, The Locket: Surviving the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, a historical novel, is due for release in May 2008. http://www.suzannelieurance.com/
Patrick Mahoney - Treasures of Tuscany & Tuscan Cooking, Food & Wine Patrick Mahoney (Miami University BA'80, MA'82) lives in Cortona where he continues a twenty-eight year career in the field of Arts & Entertainment producing events, workshops and tours and providing opportunities to share the Italy experience with travelers, artists and people who share his interests for foods, wine, art, culture. Patrick's passion is to conceive and realize various ways in which the human spirit can express and demonstrate its capacity to create. His ability to fearlessly think, conceive, and work "out of the box" has earned him the attention of artists & musicians, colleges & universities, and public & private organizations, business and industry. Patrick brings integrity and a unique vision to Toscana Americana and he is committed to realizing the opportunity for participants to create in an atmosphere of peace, joy, respect and mutual support. As a "slow traveler" and a supporter of "slow food" Mr. Mahoney rides trains, walks, lingers over lunch, dinner or a cup of espresso, stops to smell the roses and savors the sensory feast wherever he is!
Larry is a painter with a message. He has committed his life to documenting the natural world. In his words: "Today, our beautiful planet is taking a beating through overdevelopment and abuse. I try to capture the grandeur of nature. To create reminders of peace and beauty. It's my way of making a statement against destruction." Larry was born in 1957 and raised in Cocoa Beach, Florida. When his family first began to recognize his talent, he was a tender nine. First drawing, then painting, then surfing. At age 14, Larry had already combined his passion for nature and surfing with his gift. He began airbrushing surfboards, vans and wall murals. Since then, Larry's success has been rapid. The mass of awards listed below gives clear witness to his position among the country's leading artists. Larry has been awarded the highest national and international honors. To date, over 30 pieces of art have been accepted into the Society of Illustrators in New York and Los Angeles. Recently, he was awarded the Society's most prestigious honor, a gold award. Without pretension, Larry attributes his success to passion, hard work and problem solving; a technique he learned as an illustrator. Since 1993, Larry has taught illustrating, drawing, creative thinking and oil and pastel workshops. In front of the classroom, he is known as an instructor, role model and mentor. Time and time again, Larry has helped promote young artists to heights they never dreamed of reaching so soon. Perhaps this ability to nurture came from the support of his family. Growing up surrounded by talent, Larry's mother, grandmother, brother and stepmother were all artists. Larry remembers clearly the day he discovered plein air painting. From that moment, he knew exactly what he wanted to do: Combine his experience, his passion for nature and his life-long goal of becoming a better painter. "It's all about the learning journey." Larry Moore.
Martha, a resident of Boise Idaho, has had her own calligraphy business under the name of Martha’s Pen since 1974.Aside from teaching art at Albuquerque High School and operating as a freelance calligrapher (Martha’s Pen), she has taught art with a concentration on calligraphy at all levels from elementary through graduate studies as well as private students.She has had the honor and opportunity to study with some of the finest calligraphers in the world herself. Martha’s work has been exhibited and featured at many venues in the Northwest and New York State including Mt. Angel Abbey, the Boise Airport, the Idaho State Capitol, The Boise City Hall, First Security Bank (now Wells Fargo), Saint Alphonsus Medical Center, Boise, Generational Art, Gilbertsville, New York and soon to have another one-woman show at the Flying M coffee house in Boise.Her work is featured among the products promoted by Savor New York, a Cooperstown, New York based company as well as ART Resource, an online art company. Professional memberships in the Idaho Inkpots Calligraphy Guild, The Valley Calligraphy Guild in Eugene, Oregon, The Portland Society for Calligraphy of Portland, Oregon and the Society of Scribes, New York have been a valuable assets to Martha over the years. Martha does mostly original commission work, and having a fondness for the game of baseball, she has made that a favorite subject for her work, although she works on almost any subject incorporating art with her calligraphy.Her favorite media are ink, of course, and watercolor, gouache, acrylic and collage, using only the best paper and materials to insure permanence of her work as much as possible. http://www.marthaspen.com/
The seeds for plein air painting were planted in Robert Simone while growing up in Cleveland, Ohio.“My father spent his summers boating and fishing on Lake Erie and his winters painting watercolors in the basement.He fueled my passion for the outdoors and taught me to draw. He wasn't a professional, he just loved it.My earliest artistic memory, about age five, is painting a still life of stuffed animals using Dad’s watercolors.With his help I wrote the title, Dogs on Piano, right across the bottom.Looking back, I couldn’t have been more fortunate.” Robert is somewhat of a renaissance man who has had a variety of occupations.He has a degree in Structural Engineering, a captain’s license, ran spear fishing charters in the Gulf of Mexico, worked as a dive master and owned a successful landscape company.He eventually followed his dream of becoming an artist.“Shortly after we married in 1998, Penny realized I was a frustrated artist.I took her to museums and festivals critiquing everything.Finally she signed me up for classes.The instruction wasn’t great but it got me started.I read books, watched videos and took workshops.I’ve been fortunate enough to receive instruction from Anthony Ryder, Scott Christensen, Clayton Beck and Christopher Still.” As a painter, Robert portrays the peaceful beauty of a Florida landscape which is being steadily absorbed by urban sprawl.As an instructor, he is an excellent communicator with a keen sense of humor.His classes emphasize using a limited palette and solid fundamentals.Inspired by the old adage: Teach a person a fish and they will fish for a lifetime… Robert believes that if students are taught certain fundamentals they will paint for a lifetime.“Too many artists become perpetual students, never realizing their potential because they aren’t taught to see and paint the critical information.” Visit Robert J. Simone online.
Adele Sciortino, ODACA -- The Art of Creative Costuming Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Adele Sciortino, ODACA now resides in Canada. Her artistic abilities, is a direct result of a strong heritage of creativity. Her endeavors to bring fabric from its most simple form to a delicate creation of distinction are a constant driving force.Each distinctive figurative sculpture has their own unique quality, made with the utmost care and imaginative focus. Her scope widens as she continues to build her creative process with a mystical chairs series all the way to wearable art in the form of cuff bracelets.She has been involved with the figurative sculpture making for the last 10 years. Her works have been featured in Soft Dolls and Animals, Contemporary Doll Collector, United (as featured Artist), Doll Crafter & Costuming as well as Art Doll Quarterly. Her latest endeavor has been through Patti Maderis Culea in her third and latest book; Creative Cloth Doll Couture, which one of her figurative sculptures is featured. Her fine art sculptures have received numerous awards through the Canadian Doll Artist Association and commended by Canada’s leading Doll Masters.
Laurel Skye has been creating mosaics for the last two decades and teaches mosaics internationally and throughout the United States. Laurel has recently authored the book Mosaic Renaissance, the first book to focus on patterning with millefiori in mosaics, was featured on HGTV’s “Offbeat America,” and has a dvd documenting her work, through M&M Productions: “Laurel Skye: The Art and Soul of an Artist.” Laurel is a member of SAMA (The Society of American Mosaic Artists) and has taught numerous workshops through this organization, as well as at the Institute of Mosaic Art in Oakland, Ca., MosaikaShop in Montreal, and at Humboldt State University in Northern California. Laurel has also been featured in other mosaic books such as Mosaic Art and Style, by JoAnn Locktov. Laurel Skye lives in Arcata, California. You can visit Laurel at her website: http://www.laurelskye.com/Laurel_Skye_Designs/PORTRAITURE.html.
Debbie Stoller has been knitting since she was six years old but only developed a passion for it as an adult. In 2000 she started a Stitch n Bitch group in NYC and the idea soon took off across the country. Now there are hundreds of Stitch n Bitch groups all across America--everywhere from large cities to small towns, and worldwide. In 2003 she published "Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook," an instructional guide with funky patterns that became a New York Times Bestseller. It was followed by "Stitch 'n Bitch Nation," another New York Times Bestseller that collected 50 of the most interesting, original patterns being designed by young knitters across the country, as well as an in-depth directions on how to make any knitting pattern your own. Both books have been lauded for their clear, concise, and humorous instructions. Next year will see the release of "Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker." Over the years, Debbie has taught scores of people to knit at weekly Stitch n Bitch sessions, and thousands have learned through her books. http://www.knithappens.com/
Debra Van Tuinen - Encaustic in Tuscany As a painter, printmaker, teacher and art advocate, Debra Van Tuinen’s career has spanned 30 years, and her fresh vision and innovative use of materials has been recognized by private, corporate and public collections throughout the United States and Europe. She was invited to the Florence Bienalle in 2004. Van Tuinen studied at the Byam Shaw Arts Academy in London and working with internationally known artists in Japan, to enhance her technical skills and provide the depth of experience with which to develop her work. Her devotion to her art won her the attention of glass artist Dale Chihuly, who asked Van Tuinen to teach him printmaking for a collaborative effort with the Seattle Opera. ”My art is my life - all that I experience and see becomes part of my work. How I respond physically, spiritually and intellectually to my environment is the essence (the spirit) of my work.” -Debra Van Tuinen Working in encaustic medium Van Tuinen translates the landscape around her into vibrant mpressions of color, texture and memory. Van Tuinen is especially aware of the constant subtle changes in a landscape, of sky and clouds and reflection. Her intuitive response to those experiences, evoke thoughts and emotions in the viewer, recalling their own memories from the past, of places that have inspired them. Seeking nature’s inspiring vistas has drawn Van Tuinen to inland and coastal Washington, Monet’s gardens at Giverney, the islands of Fiji and Banff, Canada.
“I am committed to the community of art and the need for art within the community. One’s community - like oneself - needs to express itself.”