Among Barbara’s recent awards are:
People's Choice Award, LPAPA Annual Waterworks Exhibition
2rd Place, Laguna Plein Air Salon, 2022
Best in Show, LPAPA Plein Air Invitational, 2020
Honorable Mention, Watercolor Plein Air Salon, 2022
Honorable Mention, Mendocino Paint Out, 2021
Image showing Gil Dellinger's pastels of choice;
Click on the image below to watch Febuary 2023 Demo!
One sculpture class was all it took for Gil Dellinger to fall in love with art. He describes that experience as the moment his life “caught fire” and he has been pursuing art ever since. A multi-talented artist best known for his seascapes, Gil is equally adept in three mediums, primarily using acrylic for his studio work, but also working in oils or pastels while painting on location. Over the years Gil’s works have been collected into numerous private, corporate, and museum collections and he has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions. He has also been an active proponent of the plein-air movement and has often participated in plein-air competitions and events. Three particular events have been his career highlights: painting as one of 12 artists on the Forbes Trinchera Ranch near Durango, Colorado in 1996; in 1997 painting as one of 25 artists at the Forbes Chateau in Bailerov, France, and in 1999 painting as one of 15 artists rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Being part of the larger artists’ community is important to Gil. He is past president and Signature Member of the Plein Air Painters of America; a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America, The Laguna Plein Air Painters Association and the California Art Club. Teaching is another way that Gil gives back to his fellow artists. He served as Professor of Art at the University of the Pacific, teaching drawing and painting for more than 30 years. While there he received the Distinguished Faculty Award Award for Teaching Excellence and Professional Contribution. He now teaches part-time at the Laguna College of Art and Design and he also teaches painting workshops as well. Gil has recently moved to Laguna Woods and he now focuses his energy on painting the California coast.
The final painting from our February watercolor demonstrator, Barbara Tapp: The Tourists: Nubble Lighthouse, Maine
The final painting from our March watercolor demonstrator, Mary Aslin: Roses
Award-winning watercolorist, Fealing Lin of San Marino, California, was born in Taiwan and began her journey into artistic expression as a protégé of renowned professor Ching-Jung Chen in Taiwan, subsequently pursuing her career in the United States with watercolorist and senior art historian professor Verna Wells.
In 4th grade, Mary complete her first plein-air painting and that memorable experience seeded a lifelong desire to pursue the arts. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington and then began work as a cartographer.
In ensuing years she studied with renowned artists and took courses at such places at the Gage Academy and the Watts Atelier. She began earning many private and public commissions and also worked as Artist in Residence for the Stillwater School District in Stillwater, MN.
Years have passed and now Mary is an Artist Member of the California Art Club, a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America, The Pastel Society of the West Coast and a Master’s Circle Member of the International Association of Pastel Societies. Mary has received considerable recognition for her pastels and has received numerous awards in various exhibitions. She has been recognized in the annual Pastel 100 of the Pastel Journal and has recently exhibited her work in “American Women Pastelists in France” in 2022. She shows her work in the summer at the Festival of Arts, Laguna Beach.
Many of us know Pamme as one of our favorite Emeritus teachers, teaching us watercolor, gouache, oil, acrylic and pottery. During this time she was also head of the Saddleback Emeritus art department. She left us over year ago, but has continued teaching watercolor with gouache classes, internationally in Italy and France, where she has met great success, teaching her impressionistic style to full workshops. In addition, she still conducts workshops and demonstrations in the U.S. Join us as we watch Pamme take an ordinary, everyday scene and turn it into a beautiful piece of art. She is the artist breathing life into common and usual that makes it memorable.
An avid world traveler, Pamme invites us to share her love of art and travel in her blog, travelingartist.blog and pammeturner.com; embark on a delightful journey with an outstanding artist and teacher! Enjoy the work painted during these travels!
Previous Guest Artist Demos
From his early memories, Hugo Rivera loved to paint and draw. After studying civil engineering in Guadalajara, Mexico he relocated to the United States and returned to his passion for fine art. Hugo describes his artwork as a fusion of his abstract world and the traditional methods in art instruction of the human figure; where colors play with the rhythm of the forms and textures, creating interesting compositions. The Hugo Rivera Gallery was opened in 2013 in Laguna Beach.
As an artist, plein air painting allows my art to showcase two of my greatest passions: my enthusiasm for being outdoors and the beauty of watercolor. Plein air painting helps me focus intensely on my work while promoting a sense of mystery and spontaneity.