Sandie Bacon is a versatile, classically trained artist . She has an MFA from Maryland Institute Graduate School of Painting, and is the Chicago land representative/teaching artists for Golden Artist Colors. Her work is shown nationally, and she has received many commissions for large-scale public art (including one the murals in the Lake Bluff train station), and is a member of the Dandelion Gallery in Waukegan.
Beverly Behrens paints layered watercolors of subjects near and far—from herown garden to Van Gogh’s St. Remy de Provence. In recent years her focus has expanded to include botanical composition and classes at the Regenstein School of the Chicago Botanic Garden. She finds inspiration from the Middlefork Savanna near her home, Volo Bog, and Reed Turner Nature Center, in Lake County. A participant in juried shows and art fairs in the Northshore area, she also has a line of note cards, tiles and paperweights from prints of her original paintings. She has been a long-time active member of the Glenview Art League, and has served in past years as a board member, treasurer and co-chair of the Summer Art Fair.
Wendy Chaney is a lifelong art lover and collector who found her passion in painting en plein air and is an unashamed lover of the Midwest landscape. Much of her inspiration comes from the beauty of the Great Lakes, the constantly changing light and color of the water and sky, as well as the poignancy of the disappearing rural landscapes. She has exhibited her pastel paintings at Edgewood Orchard Galleries in Fish Creek, WI, Seed Gallery in Traverse City, MI and Center Gallery in Glen Arbor, MI, and has been accepted into a number of national juried shows. Currently, her studio is located in downtown Lake Forest, IL where she has seriously been pursuing portraiture using pastel painting techniques.
Meredith Kopelman received a BFA, cum laude, from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois in 2008 with a focus on Studio Art. She has earned a Postgraduate Certificate from Northwestern University in June 2013 with a double concentration in Advertising and Marketing Management. Her painting style focuses on the creation of imaginative and expressive water based oils creating a unique style she calls Experientialism, which is a reaction to expressionism and impressionism. She is an active member of the The Greenleaf Art Center, Chicago Artists Society, Art Institute (Young Associates & Society for Contemporary Art), Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art (North Side & North Shore Affliates), Deer Path Art League, SBAC and Chicago Chamber of Commerce.
Michael Latala expresses the natural beauty he sees in the world around him through his deft handling of materials such as oil paint, pastels and charcoal. His landscapes, still life, figurative and portrait work offer a fresh and seemingly effortless symphony of color. After receiving a Associate of Arts degree in Advertising/Design from the American Academy of Art, Michael has had a successful career as a storyboard illustrator working on staff at Draft FCB and Ogilvy & Mather, two of Chicago’s largest advertising agencies. Pursuing his love of painting, he’s studied with Scott Burdick, Dan Gerhartz, Romel De La Torre and Richard Schmid.
Lezlie Lenz likes to create paintings that make people smile. Her whimsical mixed media landscapes of flying ladies and angels create the illusion of movement and sound. She uses non-traditional watercolors to paint her landscapes that have become the home for her angels. Lezlie received her Bachelor’s Degree in graphic design and painting and has worked as a graphic designer/illustrator for the past 20 years. Her award-winning art is exhibited at galleries and shown in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Doris Monti is a Chicago painter, printmaker and a Deer Path Art Leagueinstructor with a verity of classes. In the Exploring Printmaking class, students study three methods of printmaking; etching, drypoint, and monotype. This class is custom designed by the student’s skill level and interests. In the Mixed Media & Collage Techniques class, students will compile odds and ends of materials, adhere them to paper with an acrylic medium, and create a unique display of composition. Please contact us for more information on these classes for our upcoming fall session.
Carole Pearlman M.Ed., M.A., has a master’s degree in Educational Therapy and in Developmental Psychology from National-Louis University. She has over 20 years experience in the field of education working in hospital, school and private settings. In addition to being a certified teacher, she is a professional artist with a B.F.A. in painting. Her mixed media paintings have been represented in galleries in Illinois and Wisconsin. Pearlman founded The Joy of Creativity® art enrichment program in 200l, supporting creative exploration in the arts for both children and adults. Her programs are widely recognized for their innovative, informative and engaging curriculum. Through her research and teaching Pearlman believes that facilitating and supporting creativity in children provides a foundation for their future success.
David Roth is a Fine Art /Commercial Photographer. He graduated from the American Academy of Art in Chicago and the Leica School of Photography in New Jersey. He studied with Howard Bond of Michigan, Arthur Lazaar, Illinois and Daniel Anderson of Wisconsin. He has been teaching for over 42 years and currently teaching, lecturing and privately tutoring in both digital and traditional fine art photography. He has also been a lecturer and instructor for Leica Camera, Nikon Camera and Canon Camera, and has taught numerous workshops and seminars.
Beth Shadur is an artist who has exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions in the United States and abroad, including at the Art Institute of Chicago; the Drawing Center in New York City; the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY; the Butler Institute of Art in Youngstown, Ohio; and at the Colorado Springs Art Museum, Colorado Springs, CO. She has created over 150 large public murals as public, private and community art projects in both the United States and Great Britain. She is an Artist-in-Education for the Illinois Arts Council in Chicago, IL.
Sonia Peñaranda-Taggart is an oil painting and mix media artist specializing in Abstract-Figurative art. She has a Master in Museum Studies and un undergraduate in architecture. She has taught art to children, teens and adults for over 15 years. Sonia’s distinctive use of color and shape give her works a unique quality. She uses the representation of feelings and emotions, alluding to the intimate intricacy of our daily relationships. She has studied oil, acrylics, fabric, wood and porcelain techniques throughout her career; however, her area of expertise is in creating oil paintings on canvas. Sonia has participated in numerous art exhibitions and competitions in the United States and Colombia. Her paintings are found in private and corporate collections, both nationally and internationally. She studied oil painting at the Art Institute League of New York, NY.
Doris Volpe was educated at Lake Forest College and later studied with Hubert Ropp, Abbott Pattison and Ed Paschke. Her work has been published in “Chicago Art Scene” by Ivy Sandell and Dorie is a member of “Who’s Who of American Women 2001”. She has exhibited in more than 40 galleries and shows from Chicago to New York to London. Her work is enjoyed in private collections throughout the U.S. and South America. Among her one-person exhibitions is a retrospective show at the Chicago Cultural Center.
Skip Wiese, an illustrator for H&R Studio in Chicago until 1980, has received more than 50 art awards. He runs his own studio and gallery in Waukegan in addition to teaching workshops in pastels, watercolors and monotype printing. In 1991, Skip attained signature membership to the Midwest Pastel Society, awarded to an artist for achieving three years of juried competition. His artwork is widely displayed in galleries and has been purchased for private and corporate collections worldwide.
