Plein Air Artist Profile – Tonya Zenin

Tonya Zenin

www.TonyaZenin.com

Tonya’s artistic training began in Khabarovsk in Russia and she has been drawing and painting ever since. By age 10, she was selected for the Children’s Art School and studied with local instructors and artists. Tonya pursued her interest in art at College of Fine Arts where she gained fundamental knowledge in composition and form. She also studied draftsmanship and paint application, and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Arts in 1996.

She moved to Northern California to pursue a career in web and graphic design yet continued her artistic interest, devoting more time to oil painting. She worked with the BACPAC group, and pursued advanced plein air studies with Brigitte Curt while taking workshops and master classes with renowned artists Brian Blood and Ovanes Berberian.

Plein Air Artist Profile – Lu Yu

Lu Yu

 Lu Yu was born in Guangdong, China where he attended Beijing Cinema College of China. Yu became a special designer for Zjujing Film Studio, and at the same time he studied cartoons and animation at the Academy of Guangdong Province and the film Art Academy of China. In 1996 he became a member of the professional photographers of America (PPA). Yu won the PPA’s Art Tech Artists Of The Year Awards 2000, 2002, and 2003. Yu has twelve works in the PPA’s loan collection. He has a Masters Degree in Art.

Plein Air Artist Profile – John White

John White

www.johnwhitestudios.com

Born and raised in Whittier, CA, John took classes in drawing and painting throughout his childhood and then moved on to study at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena majoring in graphic design. After college, John went to work for design and advertising firms in Los Angeles. He later opened his own creative agency that won numerous awards as well as inclusion in the Permanent Collection of the Library of Congress. Today he enjoys painting, both in studio and en plein air, as well as heading up and teaching the advertising program at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. He has studied with the likes of Kevin MacPherson, Ken Auster, Randall Sexton and Michael Obermeyer.

Plein Air Artist Profile – Marti Walker

Marti Walker

www.martiwalkerfineart.com

After living and studying abroad prior to her high school years, Marti spent many years on the East Coast, Virginia and Boston. She attended the University of Colorado where she majored in Languages & Anthropology. She flew for TWA and Pan Am Airlines for seven years after college. In 1978, she settled in Sacramento, Calif.

Initially, her pursuit of art was an antidote to the rigors of corporate life. Her passion for painting landscapes grew as she devoted her recreational time to exploring and painting the surrounding wetlands, rivers and mountains, and traveling throughout the world. Studying with carefully selected artists over the years, Marti has learned her craft from such notables as Gregory Kondos, Lady Jill Mueller, Ning Hou, Susan Sarback, Gary Pruner, Zoltan Svabo and Calvin Liang, among others.

 

Plein Air Artist Profiles – Dan Tellup

Dan Tellep

In 1996, Dan ended a business career and began to explore creative pursuits. He’d dabbled with watercolors over the years, but work left little time to paint. Freshly retired, watercolor painting quickly became a major focus for free time. Through various channels of learning his enthusiasm for the medium steadily deepened.

Dan especially enjoys en plein air painting locally, in the Carmel-Monterey area, a coast away in Manhattan, NY and during travels abroad. He strives for transparency and spontaneity with watercolors and feels ever the student. The Salmagundi Club in Manhattan displayed his paintings during quarterly shows and auctions. His work has been accepted in competitive national exhibits.

Plein Air Artist Profile – Linda Sutton

Linda Sutton

www.lindasutton.com

A native Californian, Linda was brought up to see color optically so transparent watercolor is the medium of choice to paint light filled environments. Linda often paints to benefit preservation issues, which come second nature to her due to her initial background as a plein air painter. Her classic drawing skills and vision have been expanded from her experiences painting the environment and teaching.

Signature memberships include National Watercolor Society, California Watercolor Association (master), and her credits include group and prestigious shows at Bennington Museum Vermont, Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum New Jersey, The Oakland Museum California, and a solo exhibition at Lindsay Wildlife Museum California, and The Philip & Muriel Berman Museum of Art.

 

Plein Air Artist Profile – David Stonesifer

David Stonesifer

www.DavidStonesiferart.com

As a fifth generation Californian, David has always been attuned to the beauty of his native landscape.  Known as an astute colorist, painting en plein air is his passion. David graduated with honors from San Jose State University’s art department. He continues to study under many Bay area masters. His paintings can be viewed currently at the Los Gatos Museum’s Gallery.

His works have also been shown at the Triton Museum, Los Gatos Museum of Art, Filoli and numerous plein air events. David is an Arts Commissioner for the Town of Los Gatos, a Los Gatos Art Association member and a previous Council of 100 member of San Jose Museum of Art.

Plein Air Artist Profile – W Jason Situ

W Jason Situ

www.jasonsitufineart.com

Situ was born in Guangdong, China. He completed his art education at Guangzhou Fine Art Institute and taught art in high school for ten plus years before immigrating to America in 1989.

Since 1997 Situ has been a full time artist active in many of the fine art events throughout the U. S., and has won numerous awards including Best in Show – American National Award of Excellence at OPA Tenth Annual National Juried Exhibition in 2001. He is a signature member of CAC, LPAPA, OPA RMPAP and honorary member of Tucson Plein Air Painters Society. He has been featured in fine arts magazines including the new issue of Art Of The West magazine (March/April, 2013, P.36 – 41).

 

Plein Air Artist Profile – Julia Munger Seelos

Julia Munger Seelos

www.juliaseelosgallery.com

Plein air painting is Julia’s solace. She always loved being outdoors, not under a roof. Julia worked for years in retail design doing everything from designing logo tee shirts to surf shops. She feels lucky now to devote herself full time to painting and teaching. She travels throughout California, painting oceans and forests, rural scenes of farms and picturesque homes and Missions. I’ve painted from the depths of the Grand Canyon, plein air events in Laguna Beach, Sedona, Canyon de Chelly, in the Estes Park, and as far away as Easton, Maryland.

Julia attempts to quickly capture the color and beauty of nature in her works. The natural world provides a wonderful variety of subjects. “Painting en plein air has become my addiction and passion,” she says.

Plein Air Artist Profile – David Savellano

David Savellano  

www.davidsavellano.com

David Savellano is an artist who works primarily en plein air.  “I enjoy working outdoors because it’s unpredictable and lends itself to a kind of spontaneity you just can’t get in a studio,” he says. Painting outdoors requires adaptability and speed. Participating in many local and regional plein air events, David has produced award-winning paintings while promoting the art form about which he’s so impassioned.

David lives in the Bay Area and is a native Californian, which is reflected in the sun-dappled streets and waterfront imagery that dominate his work. Although largely self taught as a watercolor painter, he credits his 30 years as an architect with having given him the drawing skills that have elevated his artwork.