ARMCHAIR IMPRESSIONISTS EXHIBITION NOVEMBER 1 - 30, 2011

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November 2, 2011 (Rancho San Diego) -- The Armchair Impressionists, including Jeffrey Graham, Rustin Holec, David Lawhead, Karen Marsh, William Marsh, and guest artist Carol Harris, will feature their paintings November 1 - 30 at the Rancho San Diego Library.  Area residents are invited to join them at an artist’s reception, November 6 from 2 – 4 pm in the Community Room.

The library is located at 11555 Via Rancho San Diego in El Cajon.

The Armchair Impressionists are five artists who came together as Grossmont College of Community Learning students under the tutelage of artist Jack Jordan. The group meets to offer support and encouragement as they submit their paintings to the various venues available to artists in and around San Diego County.

Below are brief biographies of this year’s Exhibition participants and samples of their work:

 
Jeffrey Graham is a marine biologist.  He works exclusively with oils on canvas and board. His subjects are portraits, still lifes and both land and seascapes. In addition to his studies, both classroom and private, with Jack Jordan, he has studied with Anita Louise West and Albert Handell. He has also taken classes at the San Diego Museum of Art. He is a member of the East County Art Association and the Foothills Art Association.
 
Rustin Holec began exploring and painting around 1995 in search of a means to express and create, as well as a portal through which to meditate and reflect. His preferred medium is oil, and although his interest initially was in capturing majestic seascapes, his themes have since expanded to include landscapes, portraits, and more.  Native to and resident of San Diego California, Rustin has always enjoyed the mild desert climate and vast diversity found throughout Southern California, and often wanders the local mountains and coastline in search of inspiration.  Rustin's education includes private instruction with Jack Jordan, and he continues to attend classes and independent workshops through which he is able to review styles of other artists and discuss various topics and ideasas he strives to enhance his own artistic approach and signature.   In addition to one of the five artists making up the Armchair Impressionists, he is also a member of Foothills and East County Art Associations.
 
David Lawhead is a wildlife biologist and has worked in many capacities with the California Department of Fish and Game and California State Parks. He enjoys studying and being in the outdoors. Eight years ago, he first picked up a paint brush, and what started out as an experiment has become a passion. While his chosen subject matter is generally landscapes, lately he has been exploring a growing interest in portraiture. One of his paintings received a third place award in the East County Art Association’s Members Show in October 2008. David has had paintings accepted in the San Diego County Fair Art Show, East County Art Association, and the Southwestern Artists Association. He continues private instruction with well-known Southwestern artist Jack Jordon. David is also a member of the Foothills Art Association, and East County Art Association.
 
Karen Marsh began painting seriously after retirement from SD County civil service. Her medium is oil and her subjects eclectic. She prefers painting interesting faces but is presently involved in a series of landscapes. She has had a landscape chosen for the cover of the Grossmont Cuyamaca Extended Studies Catalog. Her paintings have hung in the East County Regional Center in El Cajon, and she has had a one person show at the South County Regional Center. She is a member of the Foothills Art Association and the East County Art Association.
 
 
William Marsh has been painting in oils and acrylics for 14 years.  Previously he concentrated on photography while traveling for the Navy as an engineer and scientist.  He studied with Jack Jordan, both at Grossmont College and in private lessons, concentrating on an impressionist style. Recently he has expanded his interest to abstract art and portraiture through classes at UCSD with Reed Cardwell and The Athenaeum with Ken Goldman. He has exhibited at the Cottage Gallery in Old Town, ArtWalk San Diego, and many venues with the Point Loma Artists association and the Armchair Impressionists.
 
 
Artist’s Statement: For me the production of a piece of art must be enjoyable and must touch me at an emotional level. I believe that the essence of the visual arts is to involve people emotionally first, and then engage them intellectually, if that is the goal. Using the basics of color, form and shading, I try to draw the viewer into the work and impart to them some of the sense of enjoyment or wonder that drew me to the subject.
 
Carol Harris grew up in Kansas; then she and her husband lived in Dallas, Houston, and Cleveland before moving to San Diego.  Learning to paint someday was a dream she had always had, but raising her family took priority. When a friend offered to teach her to paint with watercolor several years ago, she eagerly accepted.  When she arrived in San Diego in 2006, she was delighted to discover watercolor classes offered through San Diego Continuing Education and with Drew Bandish at Grossmont Adult School, where she has continued to learn to paint.  With her three children now in their 20’s, she has been able to devote more time to painting.  Capturing beauty and emotion in watercolor has become a joy in her life.  With California’s beautiful coastline, mountains, and plants and flowers, she seldom finds it difficult to find new subjects to paint.  Carol is a member of the Foothills Art Association.
 

 

 


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