Born in Washington state but raised in Montana, Marcia can't remember a time when she wasn't sketching even as a child. Some of her fondest memories were trips to rural Montana or to her grandmother's cabin on the lake. "I often found myself drawn to the  majesty of the early morning and late evening light always surrounding the snowcapped mountains," Ballowe reflects.

 Marcia Ballowe’s creativity flourished with the encouragement of her husband, and family, as she attended multiple workshops with notable national artists: Irving Shapiro, Scott Christensen, John MacDonald, Marc Hanson, Matt Smith, to mention a few. But she felt the biggest impact on her work came through plein air painting where she learned to capture the fleeting light and mood of a place in her art.  Photographs never held the values and hues she could see outdoors. 

Barbara Archer-Baldwin, PSA, MC-IAPS, APAA, PSWC

A Master Medallion holder in the International Association of Pastel Societies, Barbara Archer-Baldwin and her husband John Baldwin relocated to Tucson in February, 2024 after living in Florida for over 25 years. She is an academically schooled professional artist with training at Rhode Island School of Design, Philadelphia University of the Arts, and Temple University's Tyler School of Fine Arts. She has been represented by the Four Corners Gallery in the Tucson Desert Art Museum since May 2024. Her work has been juried into three shows at the Phippen Museum, Prescott, AZ, since her relocation to Arizona. Painting the southwest has really expanded her muse.

I grew up in the heart of the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  The “UP” is surrounded by big water and gorgeous shorelines of the Great Lakes, forested lands, inland lakes and rivers.  It was only natural that I developed a love and fascination of the outdoors from a very young age.  I have wonderful memories of exploring the woods near my home, building forts, and letting my imagination run wild.  When I wasn’t running rampant through the woods, I was drawing.  Being creative was a joy I discovered early on and I loved being able to get my ideas out of my head and share them through drawing. 

Arriving in Mission Viejo California, Naomi developed her artistic skills by studying color theory and practicing drawing and painting techniques. Naomi’s art subjects focus on: Western themes, Equine, Still Life, and the Natural Scapes of land and sea. All of which contribute to the transfer of her artistic visions to the canvas and onwards to the keen eye of the art viewer.

Risa Waldt, a native Tucsonan, I grew up in the desert. While horseback riding along the Rillito river, I soaked up a vision of the desert that pursued me until I began painting to express it. In 1973 I began a love affair with light, using watercolor. I love to paint the Grand Canyon, wildlife, and historical features of Arizona.

Carol Amos was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in the Midwest. Her grandfather was an artist and gold leaf frame maker and her grandmothers were both artists who introduced her to painting in oils.  She has enjoyed a lifelong passion for creating art and incorporating art into daily life while raising her family and pursuing careers in chemistry and commercial real estate.  She currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri, and Scottsdale, Arizona, and enjoys being a full time artist and grandmother. Her oil paintings depict the landscape, plants and animals of the Southwest and the Midwest, and are exhibited and collected throughout the United States.

Debbie Hughbanks is a professional artist specializing in wildlife, equine & domestic animal paintings, as well as figurative and western themed pieces. Painting most often in pastel or acrylic she still finds time to explore other avenues including scratchboard and mixed media work. Hughbanks is an artist that is passionate about the creation of art and finds her inspiration all around her studio located in northeastern Washington State.  Fascinated by animals, nature and interesting people she meets along the way there is never a shortage of subject matter to spark her creative flame. The connection she feels for the subjects she paints, as well as the passion and joy she experiences in the actual creation of the work, is evident in each unique completed piece of art.

Priya was born in India and currently lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has lived and studied in the United States, Asia and Europe and holds multiple degrees in Dentistry and Orthodontics from renowned American and international Universities. Priya has studied with many carefully selected internationally and nationally acclaimed artists including Shane Wolf and Daud Akhriev. Her quest for knowledge, love of reading and extensive travels through Europe, North America, Central America and Asia since a young age provide a well-grounded foundation from which her artworks are inspired and created.

Ran was born in Taiwan. At a young age Ran showed an interest in the arts, so her parents sent her to study drawing, watercolor, and Chinese brush painting. As Ran grew into a young adult, she moved to the United States and eventually settled in Northern California. After putting her art on hold to build a career for herself and her family in the corporate world, Ran found the opportunity to return to her previous passion of painting and pursued becoming a fine artist.

I was born and raised in New Jersey. Even though I was brought up in a small New Jersey town, I have always been a lover of all art forms of the west. As a child, and the daughter of an artist, I could always be found creating art throughout my childhood. I felt destined to become an artist, and it has been my privilege to work in the arts during my lifetime.

Rhonda is a charcoal artist whose wild heart is rooted in the sweeping solitude of Nevada’s Great Basin. Born and raised in Elko, she’s shaped by rugged terrain, long drives, and the fierce independence of desert life. Her art draws deeply from the region’s raw beauty and the visceral grace of horses, a connection sparked in childhood when pencils first met hoofbeats.

She's the Annie Oakley to his Buffalo Bill!
Carla and her husband live totally off the grid on their cattle ranch in Wyoming. A seasoned cowgirl, Carla transitions easily from horse trainer to renowned western artist. There is music in her soul, family in her heart and her next big adventure on her mind. She prefers to see the world from the back of her treasured Arabian, Spook. 

For as long as I can remember, I have been in love with the West. The inhabitants—both human and animal—have intrigued and delighted me as much as the vastness and wonder of the scenery.  I am continually drawn by some deep connection I have yet to understand. Cathy Barnes

Ally Morgan’s work is inspired by her reverence for the natural world and humanity’s complex relationship with it. With an emphasis on the female perspective, she explores the intersection of humanity, animality and spirituality.

    Sherrie Nielsen is a figurative artist creating oil paintings and drawings of fauna, flora, cosmos and humanity, working in California.  Her favorite mediums are oil, charcoal and colored pencil.  Her art works have been juried into international and regional shows, received recognition and awards; and have been published as illustration in a major university academic journal and book cover design.

Terri Wagner is an award-winning artist living on a small farm in Kiefer, Oklahoma. At four years old she was drawing horses, seeing the world through an artist's eye. Her love of horses, animals and the outdoors inspires her to paint, responding to the amazing world around her. "I like to paint realism, but strive to keep it loose with bold brushstrokes and vibrant colors."

Many say that Kelly Sooter’s paintings are peaceful - depicting calm in the midst of a storm, or show where wild mountains or wilderness meets with the more tamed prairie or farmland.  When viewing her landscapes, she hopes you begin to recall landscapes from your past that have been buried deep down for too many years – still waiting to come to the surface.

“I am a contemporary Texas artist.  My professional career began with decorative painting and murals in residential homes.  After many years of climbing ladders and scaffolding, I eventually transitioned to an easel and canvas. “

Every artist will tell you that they have loved to draw from the time they could hold a crayon. I’m no different. Every artist will tell you that they have loved to draw from the time they could hold a crayon. I’m no different. 

I remember when my cousin, a couple of years my junior, won an art award in his elementary school. It was then that I decided a real artist was some sort of phenom. Not something I was born to. It didn’t stop me from drawing, but it did make me think a career in art was not something in my future. …

Debbie Pounders, a self taught artist from Tennessee, transforms her visions into immersive works of art that captivate viewers and collectors with their realism and innovation. Each piece begins with her unique process of mentally capturing the subject through her photography and painting in her mind before she even approaches the canvas.