Grammy
Melissa Hough is a twenty-nine-year-old Philadelphia-based artist who was raised in the Philadelphia suburbs. In 2016, she received her BFA in Painting from Boston University, where she graduated magna cum laude. Following graduation, Hough stayed in the Boston area until 2021, where she spent part of her time volunteering with and managing a figurative arts studio in her neighborhood. Professionally, she works as a senior project manager at an animation company while pursuing a certification in Art Education from Moore College of Art and Design. Hough is deeply committed to the idea that the creation and/or consumption of art is essential parts of the human experience, and she plans to share this passion of hers with future students.
Melissa Hough is a painter and mixed media artist based in Philadelphia, PA. She explores both her personal history and her relationship with those around her through her studio practice. This extensive base of motivation and inspiration lends itself to a body of work that ranges from earnest to humorous. She aims to capture the breadth of her emotions and experiences, with tone varying widely between pieces. At times she seeks to capture her subject with a seriousness that, in her opinion, only strict realism can convey. In other instances, she experiments with different combinations of materials to bring a sense of play to her process. What remains consistent is her unapologetic vulnerability and honesty, with both herself and her audience. Hough, who considers art to be one of the purest means of communication, strikes down all protective barriers to connect with her audience in her most authentic form.
Grandeur
Alicia is a full-time, professional artist living in Plano, TX. She is a storyteller at heart and interpreting her visual tales, through her paintings, brings her great joy. These inspirations stem from Alicia’s symbolic imagination representing secret realms filled with magnificent depths of femininity and beauty. Alicia’s paintings are captivating, and her compositions are executed with intent and motive.
“My subjects are linked together through precise and distinctive placements. I purposely fill the atmosphere with visual fragrances that linger in the air and connect with viewers as they personally identify with the unfolding narratives.”
Alicia enjoys spending countless hours in her bright studio. It overlooks a wooded creek filled with bird feeders. It’s not uncommon for Alicia to spot a coyote, bobcat, or cardinal from her second-story studio windows. Nature is one of the most significant inspirations to Alicia. When she’s ready to apply her compositions to canvas, a variety of materials are used. For example – acrylic paint, spray paint, and water-soluble crayons make up the first few layers, then rich oil paints are used to complete the final layer before varnishing.
I am convinced that each of us holds treasure hidden in the depths of our hearts. As a professional artist, it is my aim to provide images that help unlock these great treasures. The illumination of beautiful narratives has the power to resonate with the collector. This image reflects the truth, promoting a release of identity and value. As you view my work, take it in. Allow what might lay concealed to be realized.
Gratitude
In my work, I explore the transformative power of abstraction; how color, texture, and form can combine to create something far greater than their individual parts. I grew up in Richmond, Virginia, watching my mother paint. She taught me to paint what you know, and how you see and feel it. I add texture that pops off the canvas and tricks the eyes into feeling the bumpy tree trunk. I use my palette knife to paint just as much as my brushes. Unless I’m working on a commission, I rarely know what the end of my painting is going to look like. Experimentation is the most gratifying part of the painting process. Each painting begins with a variety of underpainting techniques to include alcohol ink, mixed media paper, texture, and sometimes oil pastels. After the underpainting sets, I finish my story with oils for a rich finishing layer of depth. The layers of texture invite viewers to see beyond the flat surface of a landscape or portrait. The gold woven into my paintings is a reminder of the beauty and magic found in unexpected places. My inspiration is driven by the colors of nature and the emotions of gratitude. I’d like to think each piece I create will give some warmth and brightness to whoever stands in front of it.
When we face adversity, whether it be loss, failure, or emotional upheaval, we are forced to confront vulnerabilities and weaknesses. It’s in this confrontation that healing and growth occur. Last year was a difficult year personally for me, as I lost my mother to cancer, and I was diagnosed with lymphoma. Through my treatment, I felt so overwhelmed by a range of emotions that eventually inspired my artwork. My current collection symbolizes the unique process of overcoming emotional trauma and evolving into a more resilient, gracious, and powerful version of oneself. Each piece is a visual and sensory narrative of my personal experience, a reflection of both the struggle and the eventual emergence of strength and clarity, or even a simple moment of gratitude for the earth’s gifts we receive. The works share not the grief and despair, but the rebirth and awakening of a new beginning by including imagery that inspires and connects with the viewers. My hope is to encourage, connect, console, and give hope to others who may need comfort in the notion that we are resilient creatures. Collaboratively, the collection of artwork is bright, expansive, full of vibrant colors, fluid lines, and forms that are whole or mended. Lavish underpaintings of mixed media and layers of emotion reflecting my personal evolution and a universal invitation to the audience to see the potential for resilience and hope in their own lives, no matter how difficult their journey may seem. “The Journey of Resilience” is a message of hope, gratitude, and perseverance to anyone sharing the same difficult path in life.
Great Barrington In Autumn
Michelle Vezina Peterlin is an American Artist. She was born in Gardner, Massachusetts. She is the second generation to be born in America on her maternal side. Her artistic ability expressed itself around the age of 5. Her parents had the foresight to enroll her in private art lessons. She spent her youth receiving training from the Fitchburg Art Museum in Massachusetts. She received her bachelor’s degree in painting from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. At UMASS, she was fortunate to study under the known master painters John Grillo and Leonel Gongora.
She spent the first 10 years of her career as an art curator at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Historic New Harmony (Indiana), and the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art. In 1993, she and her husband relocated to Southern Indiana. In 1996, she made the decision to leave the curator field to raise her children with her husband and paint full-time.
She is currently an adjunct painting professor at the University of Evansville. She is an elected member of the Rhode Island Art League. She is a member of the National Acrylic & Oil Painters Society. She is the Art director and board member of the New Harmony Artists’ Guild.
Her most recent work has evolved around being Jewish and a woman in a world of conflict. Many of the models are her daughters, and she records their dreams and aspirations. Her compositions have to do with peace, war, conflict, folklore, and universal symbols for peace, conflict, good, and evil.
Painting is pure emotion. As you work, it pours out from your heart and runs down your fingers and onto the canvas. Every composition, whether abstract or photo-real, is an illustration of the artist’s emotional internal world.
When I paint, I reflect on that are most important and how I feel the world. The painter, Wassily Kandinsky, wrote a book on basic color theory, assigning colors to emotion. I am a bit of a synesthete, and when I hear music, I see colors and photos. Everything in my life has a color assigned to it, which creates a system of memory. In my work, I use symbols and colors that do not require language to understand. I want my art to be impactful and able to be understood by all, regardless of language, age, or culture.
Great Blue Heron Mating Season Jousting
Charles is a graduate of the Baylor University fine arts program. After college, he opened a graphic design studio, beginning his career as a professional artist. His paintings reflect mastery of his craft and versatility in a variety of styles and media.
I create luminary nature and motion—paintings where landscapes, wildflowers, horses, birds, still lifes, and abstract color fields all carry the same living energy. Often working in a realistic, open impressionist, or abstract and expressive style, I use luminous skies, vibrant color, and rhythmic brushwork to capture the feeling of being fully alive in the natural world. Whether it’s a herd of horses thundering through dust, a quiet bayou sanctuary, a vase of flowers, or a canvas of swirling color, my work invites you into moments of calm, joy, and motion all at once. This use of luminary nature and motion turns the landscapes, florals, animals, or abstracts into living energy on the canvas. This gives my work a very recognizable emotional fingerprint: tranquil yet not sleepy, serene but still pulsing with life. Whether I am painting representational, impressionistic, or abstract, my art shares a joyful, life-forward chroma. This mix of structured subject and liberated mark-making is a big part of my art.
Great-Grandmother Hart’s Lilacs
Laurie Waalkes likes to say she arrived at her art career ” through the side door”. It’s true that her background in theater and a long career in public education formed a circuitous path, but her diverse training and experiences have shaped her unique artistic voice. She spent her summers attending painting workshops, never really leaving the creative life behind. From her early days earning awards in theater to her current botanical creations, Laurie’s artistic journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and passion in pursuing a creative calling, and her distinctive style and thematic influences invite viewers to engage with her work on a deeper level.
Laurie’s childhood unfolded at the foot of stunning Pikes Peak. She could hike along mountain streams, ramble through fields filled with yucca, and learn all about the birds and trees. She brought in armloads of lilacs, enamored both with their dense blossoms and their heady fragrance. She played with snake grass and dandelions, making jewelry from their segments and stems. She flipped her grandmother’s hollyhock blooms upside down and sent them off to ballrooms in their colorful gowns. Each of these plants, and many more, would later find their way onto her canvases.
As Laurie ventured into adulthood, her passion for artistic expression deepened. She finished her degree in Theatrical Design, and later, a master’s degree in Creative Arts in the classroom. She was dedicated to developing her elementary students’ expressive powers through art and poetry. One memorable lesson was based on the genius Matisse cutout “les bêtes de la mer,” emphasizing Matisse’s bold color choices that are now a hallmark of her own paintings. Another lesson, an exploration of Jackson Pollock’s work, prompted a supportive principal to remark, “If the custodian hates it, it’s good teaching.”
She retired after 30 years in education, and immediately embarked on an eight-week art mentorship, an intensive that emphasized reflection and gratitude. “I realized what a privilege it was to grow up in the Rocky Mountains, and to raise my own children as fourth-generation Colorado natives.” She found herself in an intense period of flow and quickly developed a complete body of work in a voice of her own. Every brushstroke, every color choice, every composition was effortless, marking a season of creativity and inspiration.
Laurie Waalkes believes that art is a basic human impulse and a universal language. Laurie’s daughter Rose, overcoming a brain malformation, has pursued her own passion and has become an artist in her own right. Similarly, her son Andy is actively pursuing his dreams, showcasing the resilience and determination that runs deep within the Waalkes family.
I am a mixed-media artist. I create vibrant, multi-layered collages featuring plants and flowers in their natural habitats. Inspired by the plants of my childhood and the landscapes of the Rocky Mountains and Southwest, I hand-draw and paint each subject before carefully cutting them out and adhering them to a background of vintage ephemera such as playing cards, musical notation, and newspaper clippings.
What sets my work apart is the attention to detail and the hidden elements that invite viewers to take a closer look. Birds, music notes, and uplifting quotes can be found lurking beneath the surface, adding an extra layer of depth and intrigue to each piece. The inclusion of simple graphic designs like bold dots and stripes alongside the organic shapes of the plants creates a dynamic contrast that is both visually striking and thought-provoking.
My technique has evolved over time, moving from abstract compositions to more narrative-driven pieces that tell a story of my connection to nature and the places I have visited. Each piece is curated to reflect a sense of place, with the background elements contributing to the overall mood and atmosphere of the work.
One of my greatest challenges is the technical aspect of my art, as I sometimes spend hours cutting out intricate details with an XActo knife. However, this focused attention to detail is also what makes my work meditative and rewarding. I know that I have succeeded in a piece when the colors and subject harmonize seamlessly, and the background elements enhance the overall composition.
Looking to the future, I hope to create larger works and expand my state flower series to include all 50 states. I envision my art as a reflection of nature and our role as stewards of the environment. Overall, my art is a celebration of nature, nostalgia, and the simple joys of the outdoors. With each piece, I invite viewers to pause, reflect, and appreciate the beauty that can be found all around us.
Green
Hannah is a self-taught collage artist based in the Pacific Northwest. Her collages are 100% hand-cut and made with magazines, construction, and book paper. The majority of her materials are recycled or donated.
Vivid in color with intricate details and texture, each collage takes between 400 — 500 hours to make.
Hannah began collaging in 2018. Her works are made on wood panels, sealed, and finished with UV protection.
Vivid, layered, and rich, Hannah Meadows’ collages exude joy, opening up a world of color that invites the viewer to fully submit to the saturated worlds applies to wood panels.
Green Actor Rebel
Mary Ruth Barnes graduated with a Bachelor from North Carolina State with high honors and a Masters from Montana State. After college, Barnes taught high school and college English, Art, and Computer Science for 14 years. Barnes won numerous awards for her art at SEASAM, Artist of the Arbuckle, and Pontotoc State fair competitions from 2011-2020. She was also honored as a Chickasaw Artist in the July 2015 issue of Distinctly Oklahoma magazine. Her watercolors are on display at the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center, the new Artesian Hotel, the Davis, OK Welcome Center, and the Capital offices of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma City. She was selected as Chickasaw Dynamic Woman of the year for 2015. Her story about her inspiration to paint and draw was featured in a book by Allison Fields, Chickasaw Artisans. Barnes was selected in 2017 for the registry of Native American Artist located at the Heard Museum in Scottsdale, AZ. While traveling and vacationing in South Texas with her art, Barnes was interviewed and featured in the RV Wheel Life Magazine for 2017. In 2017 Barnes retired from a career as Director of Planned Giving for the American Cancer Society, where she raised over 35 million for cancer research. Her artwork “Fight of Hope” is currently featured in the Cancer Journal of Native American Research and additionally is on display in the surgery waiting room of the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center. In 2019 Barnes won the Women in the Arts Recognition award from the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She recently was inducted 2022 into the Chickasaw Nation Hall of Fame. Barnes recently published her book Little Bird with the Chickasaw Press about her great-great-Grandmother’s journey in Indian Territory. It is currently available on Chickasawpress.com and on Amazon.com.
Art has been a heritage I learned from my Chickasaw grandfather, who was a Chickasaw storyteller. He would often paint beautiful pictures in my mind as he taught me about love and caring, enkindling nature as the basis for love. My art is my passage into my history and my culture. I paint to revive the stories he told me and give a continuation of my culture to my children and my grandchildren. With each story he told me, I try to retell it in my images of the horse, the buffalo, the white dog, the eagle, and the turtle. It is a time for me to bring honor to all the Chickasaw people by creating art that is more than something just seen; art is color depicted from my heart and visually displayed on canvas to honor our forefathers! It is my legacy and my continuum to being the best Native American I can be.
Green Eyes
Barry Cole was born and educated in Brooklyn, NY. In grade school, his teachers encouraged him to pursue art since his artistic ability was beginning to show in art class. At that time he discovered his musical ability, and it paid much better than painting. He never stopped painting but became a professional musician for the next 53 years. He can be seen on UTUBE by searching for Barry Cole Band or Barry Cole and the Sounds of Music.
I am an aging artist who is only now doing his best work. I finally found a style that I can call my own which is easily recognizable. I have been painting for more than 50 years and every painting is a learning experience. My paintings can be seen online, and at local art shows.