Bio

Celeste Woodes Koper grew up outside of Boston Massachusetts spending most of her summers on Cape Cod.

A cross country summer long trip with her facility at the age of 12 changed her view of the world. During that trip she experienced the beauty of nature and all its diversity. Her love of nature, its beauty and moodiness is apparent in her colorful evocative paintings. Paintings depicting the American landscape.

Ms. Koper is mostly a self taught painter. She has taken occasional workshops at the Cape Cod School of the Art and Scottsdale Artists School. Her paintings are in private and corporate collections around the world including France, England, Germany and China.

Ms. Koper’s paintings have been incorporated into television and movie set designs. Along with her many other accomplishments, Ms. Koper taught art at the Gatehouse Academy in Wickenburg, Arizona during the winter season.

She own and operates her own Fine Art Gallery for the past 20 summer seasons in Wellfleet Massachusetts on Cape Code.

Ms. Koper presently decides her time between Wellfleet on Cape Cod and Wickenburg, Arizona.

Bio
Angus Ross is a local resident here in Wickenburg, having moved here in 2021 from Newport RI. Prior to that he was a career naval officer (25 years) in the British Royal Navy, before coming to America and the US Naval War College as a faculty member in 1996.
He became a naturalized citizen in 2013 and continued to teach at the College until his retirement from full time work in 2021. Today, he continues to teach for the College on-line, in a part-time arrangement from his home.
Now that his family are grown and he has a little more time, he has recently re-kindled his love for painting and drawing, something that had to be put aside during a busy career.
He was last active (in sketching) in the 1980s, when he took to sketching sights seen around the world during his 25-year naval service.
Watercolors are essentially a new challenge for him, and he is thoroughly enjoying the experience. The unforgiving nature of the media, the very “natural” look of the pigments and the wonderfully “fluid” way in which contrast and color are applied, are a source of endless fascination to him.
He is currently trying all sorts of subjects, although wildlife, marine scenes and landscapes will probably end up being his favorites

Bio
My paintings are mostly with oils, but also do watercolors and acrylics. I started oil painting at the age of 16, painting wildlife on paper plates with an oil paint set that a neighbor had given me.
 
Someday I’ll paint that!  Now it’s time. I am inspired by a lifetime of artistic memories, experiences and want to paint the picture.   Retired after 40 years of being advertising art director and graphic designer, I then began to seriously paint.  
 
One of my favorite things to paint is photos of history. Finding old black-and-white photos and paint them in my colors.  Photos that I have taken from the western history places that I’ve discovered.
 
 In high school, I was mostly interested in the art classes and and the drama classes.  My formal art education began after high school at the Central Academy of Commercial Art in Cincinnati, Ohio, plus 40 years of advertising art direction and marketing.
 
I like coming back to Wickenburg each winter for the art club, it’s helpful members and being able to paint outside in the AZ desert.
 
Some of my work is exhibited at the Platte Canyon Artist Guild’s Fall Fine Art Show in Bailey, Colorado, also at Wickenburg Art Club’s Fine Art Show and in their gallery.

Bio
Deborah Nielsen works in the watercolor and acrylic mediums. She began her adventures with watercolor and advanced very quickly. This inspired her to begin experimenting in acrylics, which became her second love. Deborah credits her success and love of these mediums to the local art instructors her in the valley, who helped her develop her God given talent.

Growing up point eh upper Midwest, first on a dairy farm as a little girl and then becoming a ranchers wife, inspired Deborah’s love and appreciation of animals and the beauty of the country atmosphere. Deborah, along with her husband Larry, is now semi-retired and living oil Wittmann, AZ. She is pursuing her dream of capturing the beauty around her and her love of animals. Deborah teaches both watercolor and acrylic classes on Arizona and for a few months in the summer she returns to Nebraska and helps work the ranch and teaches color classes at a local shop.

Deborah is juried onto the Art Club in Wickenburg, AZ and has competed on the Artisan Fair Art show during Gold Rush Days for the past few years where each year she has won honors in both mediums. In 2018 she was also juried into the Glendale Fine Art show with two of her paintings, “Blue Agave” and “Platinum Vintage”, and in 2019 with her painting “Bird of Paradise”, and in 2021 the painting “Tatonka”. The West of Center Art show in the Desert Caballeros Western Museum, in Wickenburg, AZ, also accepted two of Deborah’s paintings, “Chinks” and “Platinum Vintage”, for showing and sale.

Bio
Art has always been a part of my life. Forever learning and experimenting. I had never received any formal training until I met Pat Lambrett Hould, an abstract artist. I found my way to the human figure and portrait. I like subjects with attitude, confidence, and playfulness. 

My art is mixed media and collage:

My art usually starts with a color palette, shapes, or an idea.  I prep the canvas and add gold, silver, and copper leaf, papers, or a combination of all. Using the leaf as a reflective light source under acrylic glares that create constant changing images. My work is a process of building multiple layers of leafing, collage papers and acrylic glares. Anything goes!

I try to be creative on the edge of abstract. My goal is to be the best artist I can be, with quality in my work. 

Bio

Sharon Hernly is a gifted tradition artist whose childhood within the enchanting landscapes of rural New Mexico profoundly influences her creative vision.  Infused with the vibrant spirit and color palette of Southwestern culture, history, and landscapes, her oil painting transcend art – they are a heartfelt journey that celebrate the region’s rich past and dynamic present.

A lifelong love of art has guided Sharon’s path. To refine her skills and achieve her goal of becoming a master painter, she sought mentorship from renowned master artist and teacher Stefan Baumann. She continues to deepen her artistic expression through workshops and online classes, constantly striving for artistic growth.

Cherished by collectors and art enthusiasts alike, Sharon’s work graces private collections across the United States and Europe.

Now residing in Arizona, she draws endless inspiration from its breathtaking vistas and cultural richness. Through her creations, Sharon invites viewers to share in her artistic journey—one defined by passion, perseverance, and an enduring connection to the Southwest.