Michelle Condrat was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1983. She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor Degree in Painting and Drawing and a Minor in Art History in 2007. Michelle enjoys painting the unique landscape of Utah and the Southwest, and spends a lot of her time in Utah’s outdoors, where she gathers inspiration and subject matter for her paintings.
With intense color choices and linear blended strokes, Michelle is able to give motion and movement to her paintings, while capturing the feel of the western landscape, with a fresh and new visual perspective.
Michelle is also an active participant in the art community, teaching workshops and technique demos, while participating in various Plein Air events such as the Zion National Park Plein Air Invitational and the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art.
Michelle Condrat was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1983. She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor Degree in Painting and Drawing and a Minor in Art History in 2007. Michelle enjoys painting the unique landscape of Utah and the Southwest, and spends a lot of her time in Utah’s outdoors, where she gathers inspiration and subject matter for her paintings.
With intense color choices and linear blended strokes, Michelle is able to give motion and movement to her paintings, while capturing the feel of the western landscape, with a fresh and new visual perspective.
Michelle is also an active participant in the art community, teaching workshops and technique demos, while participating in various Plein Air events such as the Zion National Park Plein Air Invitational and the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art.

 

“Painting isn’t just a job or hobby for me. It’s a passion. Maybe even an obsession. I try to paint feelings, moods and experiences rather than ‘things.’ To do this, I need to push beyond the basic mechanics of creating the work. No painting is ever easy to me. Each one challenges me to create that magic that goes beyond just a painting of a thing. That magic doesn’t always happen in every single attempt, but it’s those instances when the painting ‘hits’ that makes it worth going through all the painful ‘misses.’ It’s a thrill and honor for me to share those ‘hits’ with enthusiastic collectors.'” 

 

Barbara’s early career was spent in advertising as an art director, then later in a corporate marketing communications role. In 2002, she was able to turn her focus to a career in fine art, pursuing it full steam ahead, and continues to do so with stubborn determination.

Barbara works in oil and pastel, and strives to capture light-filled landscapes using an impressionist style. She holds Signature Memberships in Oil Painters of America (OPA), American Impressionist Society (AIS) and Pastel Society of America (PSA), and has earned the distinction of Eminent Pastelist in the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS).

Included among her awards are the People’s Choice award in the 2014 AIS Juried Exhibition, 2^nd Place in Plein Air Magazine’s 2014 April/May Plein Air Salon, and a finalist award in Southwest Art magazine’s 2014 Artistic Excellence competition. Her work has been published numerous times in the Pastel Journal and she was featured as an Artist to Watch in the January 2017 issue of Southwest Art. She’s a popular workshop instructor throughout the US, and was among the faculty for the 2017 Plein Air Convention.

After living in Atlanta, Georgia for 23 years, Barbara relocated in May 2015 with her husband and son to Bend, Oregon. Primarily a landscape painter, she’s excited to explore and paint the spectacular scenery of central Oregon and Pacific Northwest.

Michael Albrechtsen is a talented landscape and figure painter. He strives to capture the drama and emotions from the images of his experiences and memories of his travels. He enhances this drama with skillful handling of color and light.

Michael teaches his students to paint what they see in that first six seconds. When one can paint what they see in that brief first look at something they are able to capture the freshness of the view. One decides right away if it’s beautiful. It’s an initial reaction. You’re drawn to the drama of it.

Michael also tries to apply that six second test to his own creations. Michael’s paintings have a vivid, richness that few painters are able to achieve.

I’ve been working in pastel full-time for the last twenty-nine years and have been teaching workshops for the past fifteen. My artistic influences range from Paleolithic art up to Alfred Sisley, Maxfield Parrish, Juan Gris, and Gustav Klimt. I am singularly fortunate enough to travel to and paint in such wonderful places as Telluride, Paris, Rome, and Moab. I go out and look to capture that one unique and spectacular moment of life, whether in the mountains, in an urban setting, I might be slogging through a deluge, snowshoeing in -10°F, or painting plein air in 101°F. In spite of all those obstacles, I get to distill it all down to that essential instance of striking allure and there you have it. I pride myself in painting something that anyone can see themselves if they hang around: no exaggerations, no symbolism, and no implied metaphor.

My body of work is an expression and exploration of my lifelong

fascination with animals. Though my paintings, I seek to give animals a

voice and a personality, while making light of our uniquely human

existence. By imagining what animals might do if put in human

situations, I stage tableaus that shine a spotlight on both their

innocence and raw instinct. This collision between animal and human

sensibilities creates a whimsical, theatrical, and often humorous world

that viewers can relate to on an emotional level.

A graphic designer by trade and an oil painter by design, I am

continually experimenting with different styles of contemporary

realism that balance my artistic sensibilities, technique, and unique

sense of humor. As I evolve, what remains constant is my respect for

the animals that inspire me, and my desire to bring a smile to the face of every viewer.

Steve was born in 1956 in Salt Lake City, Utah and continues to live there in the area with his wife.

At the age of ten, Steve began painting in oils with his grandfather, who was also an artist. Two years later, his grandfather bought him his first paint set.

Steve’s education in Art ranges from studies at the University of Utah to travels in Russia, Paris and England. While in Russia, he gained a wealth of knowledge from Russian artists and from frequenting museums and art academies. He continues his education through painting and studying with other artists.

Steve admires the spontaneity and light of the Impressionists and the rich values of the Old Masters. He saw many of these works first hand in Russia and Paris, and has combined the strengths of these two schools to create his own style. Using an extremely limited palette, he acquires amazing color harmony in each painting.

Steve can often be found in a rural area or in someone’s garden painting “en plein aire” with his good friends, fellow artists. He feels that the sounds, smells and atmosphere play an integral role in the true emotion of each painting.

His most recent awards include the “3rd Place Purchase Award” and “3rd Place Cash Award for the Heber City “Paint Out”,and “3rd Place Cash Award” for the Midway City “Paint Out” at the “Wasatch Plein Air Paradise” show in Midway, Utah.

Also, he won 2nd Place in the Holladay Plein Air Show this Summer.

STATEMENT

” My intention is not to copy nature, but to capture a peaceful moment with feeling, mood, and simplicity. Thus allowing the viewer to participate more in their own interpretation of the scene. If I give them all the information in the immense detail of a painting, I have robbed the viewer of their integral part of involvement in my work.”

Gregory Stocks has been a professional exhibiting artist since 1998 and is recognized for his remarkable combination of classical representation and contemporary execution.  His style is stark, with a clean, contemporary feel.  The imagery he creates is intended to represent not so much a specific place as “a place in one’s heart, the internal landscape”.

Born in Lubbock, Texas, Gregory lived in California, Washington and Idaho before arriving in Utah in 1981 to attend Utah State University, where he earned a bachelors degree in art.  Stocks has been included in the publications Southwest Art Magazine and American Art Collector.  In addition to exhibiting at the US Embassy in Brussels, Belgium, in 2005, his work is included in many private and public collections throughout the US and abroad.

My work is an effort to create images that serve as emotional detours from the noise and confusion of the surrounding world. I find the process of painting to be similar to that of writing a song. There is a basic structure or rhythm to the work. The melody comes into play in the form of color, brushwork and the expressive possibilities of process.  ~Gregory Stocks

I do not choose the landscape, it chooses me. I’m drawn to it and
the urge to express myself with paint is overwhelming. Mother
Nature is a terrific designer but sometimes she needs a little help
when it comes to painting her likeness on canvas.
Plein air painting, in particular, is the purest form of artistic
expression because you do not have time to mull things over. You
see what’s in front of you, you mix a color and you put it down with
authority. I will drive for days just to have the opportunity to paint
a particular location like the California Coast, Rocky Mountain
National Park or Big Bend here in Texas. Painting the landscape
allows me to emotionally connect with it and in short two hour
bursts of energy, emotion, inspiration and gusto create something
totally unique.
Every painting I have sold it is because the buyer made an
emotional connection to it. If I have created something that
reminds someone of something special in their life, then I have
reached out and touched their heart with my art. How cool is that?

Bruce Brainard was born and raised in a small farming community

nestled under the Tetons in the upper Snake River Valley of

southeastern Idaho. It was at this time that the emotional and

spiritual sensitivities inherit in the landscape were awakened within

him. Those sensitivities were further cultivated while attending BYU

and receiving both his BFA and MFA under the tutelage of Francis

Magelby and Wulf Barsch. His artistic heroes include Caspar David

Friedrich, George Innis, Mark Rothko, Jan Vermeer and many of the

Old Masters.

Bruce has worked professionally as an artist for over for almost

thirty years and his work is included in many collections throughout

the United States.

Bruce loves to paint and feels that art can have great power. He

believes as George Innis said that art is “a language to express

thought ” and as Picasso said, “The purpose of art is to express the

great emotions.” He has the found the most profound emotions aren’t

necessarily the loud, the sentimental, or even the profane, but rather

the quiet, the authentic , and the sacred. He uses the landscape and

seascape to try and express these emotions.

“…a painter should paint not only what he sees before him,

but also what he sees within himself.”

Caspar David Friedrich

 

“My main purpose as an artist used to be all about mastering the disciplines of painting.  Shapes, values, edges and colors all had to be perfect. It wasn’t so much about the subject matter or the message, it was 100% technical. Don’t get me wrong I am very grateful for all the necessary technical training and all my mentors that have pushed me to strive for excellence and perfection in those areas, but I was missing something crucial in my art. A number of years ago a woman came to talk with me about a painting that she had recently purchased, this painting happened to be a very thoughtful, expressive piece (to be honest one of my first). As she started talking about this painting in her home she started to cry as she was explaining how that piece uplifted her family and the overall feeling in that room.  And then the light bulb went off like it has never before. I knew from that point on that I only wanted to paint images that would speak to and uplift the viewer, pieces that would remind them of the beauties of life, the reasons for living and loving existence. Vibrant colors and brush strokes working together with the disciplines of art to create beauty and emotion you can’t achieve in any other way. Although I still strive for excellence in the technical, the constant questions running through my mind as I paint are now:  What do I want to say? What tools can I use to convey my message?  How can I uplift?  It is all about the feeling, the mood and the WHY of the painting!”