Joey grew up in Ft Wayne, Indiana and pursued her early love of drawing as a Fine Art major at Miami University of Ohio. Her journey in the world of art took a detour when she moved to Colorado and followed a career path in oil and gas exploration spanning 25 years in Denver and then in Tulsa, OK. Joey’s artistic outlet during those years was photography. “Composing a good photograph is much like composing a good painting; both must read well and tell an interesting story.” After retiring, she eagerly returned to art and was pleased to see that old talents could be renewed. She has immersed herself in painting and enjoys both pastel and oil as mediums for her realistic style

Only beginning my art journey 10 years ago, it was born out of a desire to capture the beauty before me, especially with the immersive experience of plein air painting.

More important than my academic training, I feel fortunate to have learned so much from some of the best artists and teachers in the country including Lorenzo Chavez, Kim Lordier, Jill Carver, Skip Whitcomb, Eric Merrell and Matt Smith. Through these teachers I have discovered a true connection to the beauty of the landscape through plein air painting, or simply, painting outside, the thrill of capturing the light and consuming the beauty before me. To me, handling the pure pigment of pastels is fascinating and beautiful, offering the ability for delicate glazing creating a vibration of color not possible with other mediums.”

Brenda Morgan works from her studio in Dardanelle, Arkansas.

She has always gravitated toward the western genre and artists such as James Bama and Carl Brenders inspired her to paint realism. Having a love of equine subjects, adding cowboys, cowgirls and Indigenous Americans seemed a natural progression.

Vicki Pedersen has a life-long passion for art.  She feels so fortunate that she is living the dream -- painting what she loves.  She focuses mostly on painting the American West -- cowboys and cowgirls, Native Americans, and the beautiful landscapes of deserts, mountains, and everything in between.  She works primarily in oils but also loves to work in graphite and charcoal.  Traveling throughout the west enables her to paint from life and take the photos she uses as reference for her paintings. The West offers an endless source of inspiration for her work. Its people and landscapes are what make western art both timeless and compelling.