The Deer Blind
15 x 22 in.
Watercolour on paper, 2020
Plein air
Available from the artist; contact [email protected] or 902-247-1910

Poppy Balser tells her story of painting this scene on location.

“This field is at the top of the hill on land that has been in my husband’s family for years. Walking through it on a winter afternoon, I noticed how the rows of grass poking through the snow made an appealing arc back into the distance, taking our eyes to the deer blind nestled under trees. The contrast of the warm grass against the cool, shadowed snow grabbed my eye. The straight lines of the building made a good counterpoint to the softer natural textures of the trees. This looked like a good scene to paint.

“It was too cold to paint that day, so I went out the very next day when we had fresh snow and temperatures that allowed watercolour painting outdoors. I spent the morning sketching, getting a feel for the colours and light. I was working up to be ready when it was again late afternoon and the sunlight fell across the field at just the right angle.”

Watch how the day went in a short video by clicking here.

Sign up and read Poppy’s weekly art updates telling the “behind the easel” stories of her latest paintings.

About Poppy Balser

Poppy Balser is a Canadian painter who relishes painting outside in all seasons. Her work reflects that strong inclination to painting directly from life: bold brushwork, convincingly natural colours and a sense of life breathed into each piece. The most common comment from viewers is that her work transports them into that place at that time.

She has won multiple awards for her work in both watercolors and oil. More detailed information about Poppy’s career can be found on her website.

Gallery Representation

Amicus Gallery, Chester, NS, Canada
Camden Falls Gallery, Camden, Maine, USA
Harvest Gallery, Wolfville, NS, Canada
The Flight of Fancy, Bear River, NS, Canada

For more behind the scenes about Poppy, follow her on Instagram: @poppybalser.

Autumn Leaves
36 x 72 in.
Oil on canvas
$8,750 unframed

Available through the artist

As a scholarship student at the Art Center College of Design at Pasadena, California, I was trained in fine arts, design, painting, and photography. As a photographer, when I take photos, I want them to stand alone as art, but also, I have in mind the colors and composition should I choose to use the image as a reference for a photo. Autumn Leaves taken in Orange County, California where I live, is a stellar example. I love the colors of the leaves turning, and the light dancing through the leaves. When I create a painting like this, I think of Jackson Pollack and his drip paintings. With Autumn Leaves, I poured washes to tinted gamsol mixed with a little medium. Continuing to work the darks and lights, and the overall rhythm of the scene. Then drip the stems with various values of color. And finally, adding marks/motion of light and color. The piece shown is a 3ft x 6ft commission for a collector.

Most of my work is through commissions. I typically include both a photography session along with the production of the paintings. However, there is a portfolio of work for sale.

Please visit my website at griffsfineart.com. Or contact me at [email protected].

Spannochia Gate
24 x 36 in.
Pastel on pastel board
$2,700 unframed
Available from the artist

“Spannochia Gate was inspired a 2-week painting trip to an old feudal farm in Tuscany. I loved every minute there, immersed in the golden light of Italy, the home of my ancestors. The buildings were built in the 900s and all the wonderful food we ate was raised and cooked on site. This adventure was a dream come true and will be forever etched in my mind!

“Whether painting landscapes, interiors or figures, my primary focus is always the light and how it affects the subject I’m trying to capture. Working in pastel and oil I approach my paintings as a sculptor would, carving out nuances of highlight and shadow.

“An avid plein air artist, I’m inspired by the American landscape and that of my beloved Italy. I find my greatest joy painting on location, taking in the atmosphere, temperature, sounds and smells, as well as the view. I participate in national plein air festivals, traveling throughout the country to capture the uniqueness of each venue. During the cold Michigan winters, I work in my studio creating larger pieces…but always, always chasing the light.”

Jill Stefani Wagner’s artwork has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout the country and is included in many corporate and private collections. Her paintings have been juried into prestigious national and international oil and pastel exhibits, and have been honored with multiple awards.

One of Jill’s paintings graced the cover of PleinAir Magazine, and her work is often featured in their pages. Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine has frequently highlighted her paintings as has Pastel Journal and the French magazine, Practique des Arts. Wagner has been invited Pastel Faculty at PleinAir Magazine’s Plein Air Convention for four years and enjoys teaching workshops and mentoring other artists.

Wagner is a designated Master Pastelist in the Pastel Society of America and Master Circle in the International Association of Pastel Societies, and belongs to American Impressionist Society, Oil Painters of America, Great Lakes Pastel Society and Degas Pastel Society.

Jill Stefani Wagner graduated with a B.F.A. in painting from University of Michigan School of Art. She owned an award-winning advertising firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan, before “seeing the light” and becoming a full-time artist.

Jill’s paintings are represented in the Midwest by:
Tvedten Fine Art in Harbor Springs, Michigan
J. Petter Galleries in Saugatuck Michigan
Castle Gallery in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fuller Art House in Sylvania, Ohio

View more paintings at www.jillwagnerart.com
Contact Jill at [email protected]

Morning Light
20 x 16 in.
Pastel on board, 2020
Available through Great American Paint-In


Ray Hassard grew up in the New York City area and studied at Pratt Institute. He moved to Buffalo, New York, in 1977 where he won several commissions, most notably one to create and install a large wall piece for the subway the city was building. In 1985 he relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he began painting en plein air.

Of Morning Light he says “For many years, I have painted at a nearby farm in Cincinnati. The farm is very large, with several ponds and acres of fruit trees. Ron, the farmer, has always been very welcoming and allowed me to bring artist friends and even classes there to paint. At all times of the year, it is one of the most beautiful places I know, and I consider it one of my “spiritual homes.”

“2020, of course, was rocked in March by the pandemic and lockdown. Right from the start, some artist friends and I decided to get out and paint at least once a week. We began at the farm, knowing it was private property and large enough for distancing ourselves. On our second visit there, I wanted to talk to Ron about future painting plans. I saw him go inside the small building that serves as the produce outlet during the summer, so I followed him in.

“As we talked about the future in the dark, empty store, sunlight suddenly streamed in through the rear door and onto the back wall. Aside from the beauty of the colors and the light itself, it seemed like a good sign, an omen of light in the darkness (literally), and hope. I took a few photos quickly; then the light moved on and disappeared rapidly. I showed the photos to my friends, and one said, “You should paint that!”

“Morning Light was done in my studio from those photos and from the memory of that moment. As the pandemic and lockdown continued, we returned to the farm to paint the fruit trees in bloom and later, summer’s lush bounty. I do believe that getting away from all the gruesome news kept us all on a more even keel through the year. We always felt a peaceful contentment in being painting there.”

Morning Light was accepted into The Great American Paint-In shortly after completion and is available there.

Ray’s primary medium is pastel, but he also works in oil, acrylic, gouache and has played around with casein this year.

Ray is a Signature member of the Cincinnati Art Club, National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS), and the Pastel Society of America. He is a charter member of the Ohio Plein Air Society. In 2019 he was named Eminent Pastellist by the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS).

He has been a finalist in the Art Renewal Center’s annual Salon for the past 5 years.

For the past 10 years he has participated in many plein air competitions around the country and won top awards at San Angelo, Texas; Richmond, Virginia; and New Harmony, Indiana.

He is represented by: Cincinnati Art Galleries in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Oxford Gallery in Rochester, New York.

Please visit www.rayhassard.com where you are invited to sign up for Ray’s newsletter and to see his most recent work as well as archived pieces.

You can also find his art on Facebook and Instagram.

Ray looks forward to competing in Shadows on the Teche in New Iberia, Louisiana, in March and Mountain Maryland in Cumberland, Maryland in June.

Lure of the Skin
48 x 60 in.
oil on canvas
$5,000
Available at the De Young Open Exhibition

My work explores the territory between the conundrum of beauty. As both meaningful and meaningless, my work utilizes the symbols of commodities to exemplify that awkward duality.

My painting process is redolent to understanding myself. By rendering what I see in the mirror and through windows, I record traces and fragments of my journey within, what was and what is.

I am seduced by beautiful consumer products whose properties attract the eye and invite the mind to contemplate objects of desire through aesthetic values of balance, harmony, symmetry, and grace, that raise the consciousness and elevate the soul to recognize something which holds the capacity to move us in a wordless manner. As a painter I reject the banal innocence of pretty items by infusing beauty with foreboding threats in a social and psychological context.

The social aspects of commodity culture have always been an undeniable factor impacting consumers. Now more than ever, with the omni presence of social media, online shopping and the relative democratization of luxury, products are valued beyond their usability and exchangeability, and they become symbols of success, status, identity and power. The “I see it, I like it, I want it, I get it” consumer mentality leads to excessiveness, urgency and immediacy. They are the pseudo-panacea and the mask to hide behind, but when ecstasy of the moment and false security wear off, emptiness, rejection, and abandonment remain, fostering an insatiable desire that is never quenched.

Merchandise is the thread woven into the fabric of not only social, economic, and class distinctions, but also sexism and psycho-socialism. My work questions conventional beauty in the context of femininity, sexuality and the male gaze, provoking conversations around topics of the femme fatale, feminist identity and male supremacy. Torn between the allure of beauty and its inherent danger, I address this dilemma as a condition that always accompanies me.

“Lure of the Skin” and “Weapon” are at De Young Open Exhibition at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

A first-generation immigrant from China, I came to the States to study Computer Science, worked as a software engineer for years, and raised a family. I started my MFA program at San Francisco Art Institute in 2019; I will be graduating MFA program from California College of Art in 2021.

See more of my work at www.sianasmith.com.

Ferris Wheel
24 x 18 in.
Oil on panel
$3,600
Available through the artist

This is a painting of a bustling street in Barcelona at night, looking towards a distant, brightly lit Ferris wheel on the old wharf by the Mediterranean Sea. One of the things I loved about Barcelona was the nights were as alive as most cities are by day. The inhabitants stay up into the wee hours of the morning just like me, and sleep until noon. And as an offshoot of this city of ‘night owls’ the street lights are bright, colorful and stylish, lighting the teeming masses of pedestrians that cram the narrow cobblestone streets. I was drawn to the brightly lit amusement park icon which perfectly captured the essence of Barcelona, and I had to paint it.
This painting received the ‘Cityscape Award of Excellence’ for the OPA 2020 Virtual Salon Show.

European scenes appeal to me in part due to my being born and raised in Montreal, Canada, with its distinctly European flavor permeating its architecture and the multitude of old stone churches which pepper its streets. Don’t misunderstand me though, I’m definitely a North American patriot, having proudly served in both the Canadian and United States army reserves from 1985 through 1994. After that I was employed as a full-time animation artist and worked on projects for various animation studios including Disney and Nickelodeon. Then in 2000, I devoted myself to painting full-time and actively participating in art events and community building programs. I conduct an ongoing, uninstructed figure drawing workshop three times a week out of my spacious studio I refer to as my ‘sanctuary’ located in the heart of Los Feliz. Additionally, I teach plein air painting workshops in various locations throughout the United States and abroad.

My inspirations consist of notable artists such as John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn, Nicolai Fechin and Cecilia Beaux. I primarily paint in oils and occasionally watercolors and gouache. I have an affinity for painting ‘en plein air’ and also enjoy creating studio works using my outdoor sketches as inspiration. Painting is somewhat of a spiritual experience for me. Although challenging at times, the end result evokes within me a sense of elation, nostalgia and harmony.

Upcoming Workshops:
5-Day Plein Air Painting in Ojai, California | April 2020
En Plein Air in Cinque Terre, Italy | May 2022

View more of Jennifer’s work at: jennifermcchristian.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jennifermcchristian
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jennifer.a.mcchristian

Last Light
By Martin Blundell
24 x 48 in.
Oil on canvas
$5,500

Martin Blundell’s recent paintings have been dominated by western desert and alpine landscapes. His paintings are developed with bold color, impasto brush work and pallet knife application of paint to create unique textural images. His personal interaction with the environment informs his approach to painting. He relies heavily on intuition to guide the outcome of his work. Blundell strives to make paintings that are aesthetic, beautiful visual experiences that continue to engage viewers over time. He resides in Bountiful, Utah.

You can find Martin and his work, along with 100 other artists, at the Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale, Arizona, January 16 – March 28, 2021. Contact 480-443-7695 or [email protected].

See more of Martin’s works at www.celebrateart.com/meet-the-artists/martin-blundell.

The Goldfinch
By Leslie Duke
24 x 40 in.
Oil on panel
$4,800

Leslie Duke has a deep love for color and texture, as well as an enthusiasm for finding the intrinsic beauty in everyday subjects. With each painting she strives to instill a profound sense of mood through use of color and space. Leslie is particularly inspired by the masterful beauty of works by Sargent and Zorn; the evocative color fields of Rothko; and the intriguing compositions of illustrator Lisbeth Zwerger. She is a graduate of BYU and currently resides in Springville,Utah.

Leslie’s work is on currently on display, along with 100 other artists, at the Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale, Arizona, through March 29, 2020. Contact us at 480-443-7695 or [email protected].

View more of Leslie’s work at www.celebrateart.com/meet-the-artists/leslie-duke