Featured Artists

Featured Artists - Page 1

Click below the thumbnail to see several of the artist's works

Armand Merizon
Armand's work	Armand is the dean of painters in the southwest area of Michigan. His influence as teacher and exhibitor over the past 45 years is incalculable. Collectors and fans come in the gallery regularly to see what his latest work is like.	In 1966, one of Armand's seascapes was selected by Mrs. George Romney, wife of Governor Romney, as the first painting by a Michigan artist to be hung in the state Capitor in Lansing. Armand's list of national exhibitions and awards is way too long to be covered here.
Cathy Pilling Marashi
Cathy's work	Cathy spent her formative years in Europe where she received a BFA from the Schiller International University of Paris and an Assoc. of Arts from Franklin College in Lugano, Switzerland. She then spent a dozen more years working and studying in Paris, Tunisia and Russia.	Cathy's work is in collections in New York, Colorado, California, Iowa, Michigan and Paris. She works in mixed media painting and in sculpture, producing tall wooden totems, small, boxed sculptures of found objects, along with her oils and oil pastels.
Janet Teunis
Janet's work	Janet is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Art, summa cum laude. She is the Visual and Performing Arts Progam manager for the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids, MI. Her work has been selected for many exhibitions in western Michigan.	Janet has served as juror for the Holland Friends of the Arts Awards Show, the Grand Valley Artist Guild Spring At Show and for the Art in the Garden Exhibition for Michigan Artists 55 and older.
James Karsina
James' work	James was Professor of Art at Aquinas College from 1970 until 1996, when he retired to paint full time. Born in Winona, Minn., a small river town on the Mississippi,his early experiences on the river and LakeWinona figure in his paintings of landscapes, fish and other animals and plants.	James' works have been shown widely in local, regional and national exhibits and have received top honors at all levels. In recent years he has concentrated more on the dynamic relationships of the larger aspects of nature - clouds, sky, earth, water - using more brilliant color.
John Neering
John's work	John's metal sculptures are wonderfully detailed and textured. They can be displayed either indoors or out because he covers them with epoxy. They range from 3 to 5 feet high.	A graduate in fine arts from Michigan State University, John worked for 45 years as a color lithographer. He has been a studio potter, a seriographer, and now a full time metal sculptor. He also produces his own line of metal furniture.
Lynn Strough
Lynn's work	"There are no hidden messages in my paintings. The world is so full of ugliness, and that sometimes overpowers beauty. Through my work I share inner and outer worlds - my view of beauty."	A former award-winning graphic artist and children's book author/illustrator, Lynn has turned to oil painting, where she combines her passion for travel and art to create beautiful European and Michigan landscapes.
Eric Nykamp
Eric's work	Eric says, "I consider the spiritual content of a piece of artwork is equally as critical as its technical execution. I strive to create images of silence, depicting moments of introspection or visual depictions of spiritual metaphor. I draw my inspiration from the artwork of the various tribal traditions of Africa, as well as the art of China.	Eric graduated in 1996 with a BFA from Calvin College in Grand Rapids. He has won prizes in exhibits at the college and in the Celebration Religious Arts Festival at the First United Methodist Church.
E. Lynne O'Rourke
Lynne's work	Very often people come into the gallery to see "that artist who uses little pieces of paper." Lynne's torn paper collages are the most talked about work we have each year. The incredible detail can't be seen in these images. You have to come to the gallery to appreciate her work.	Before Lynne became a full time artist, she taught art in the public schools and for 18 years taught private art classes for children. She is a graduate of Grand Rapids Community College and Western Michigan University, majoring in art. She has exhibited throughout west Michigan and has won awards wherever she has shown her work.
Brenda Mattson
Brenda's work	Brenda Mattson, from Belmont, was born and raised in Grand Rapids. She has worked as a commercial artist for businesses, magazines, and freelance. She was educated at Grand Rapids Junior College and Aquinas College, her teachers being Larry Blovits and Armand Merizon.	Brenda is a pastel artist and a sculptor of small, terra cotta and clay figures for the table or shelf. Her pastels are brilliantly colored and realistically detailed.
Gerald Moore
Gerald's work	Gerald Moore holds a bachelor's and master's degree from Central Michigan University, and, from 1962-1985, headed the art dept. at Saginaw High School. For many years he divided his time between Nevada and Michigan and now draws on the outdoor beauty of both places for his work.	Gerald's acrylics and watercolors show incredibly fine detail in plant life and landscape. He has won top awards for his work and was a finalist among 8,000 entries in "The Artist Magazine's" 1996 Annual Competition.