Visual Artists

As someone who was exposed to art at an early age and then went on to pursue a Fine Arts degree, I strive to create a work of art out of everything I do. I want to show that art and design exists in everything and everywhere. I enjoy examining the details, various angles, the textures, light, patterns and how they can transform even the most mundane objects. I have worked in a wide variety of media and enjoy exploring them all from drawing, painting, sculpture, carving, photography and film.

I am passionate about creating images that are breathtaking and dynamic. I love being outdoors, exploring and going to extremes to capture those special moments that create amazing images. My passion and drive for perfection always keeps me looking for new ideas, techniques and locations in everything I do. From capturing nature’s beauty, creating conceptual art, casual portraits, special events to corporate work, my goal is to have my work really connect with people. Having founded Allure Art Center, I have enjoyed being able to work with so many fabulous artists and the collaborations that have come to fruition.

The sailboat "Atelier" is home, studio and sometimes gallery for David Aiken. His paintings are vivid impressions of the places and people he finds as he travels the water routes of the United States and the Bahamas. In the summer months, the boat is in the Chesapeake, allowing ample time for sketching and painting in Bay tributaries and waterside towns. Whether working in watercolor or acrylic, David uses direct strokes of color over color to bring a strong element of design to his art.
David was interviewed for a nationally syndicated television program focusing on boating related careers. He was invited to exhibit at the annual show presented by the Bahamas National Trust - only one of two non-Bahamian artsits to be included. He is also the coauthor of seven children's books, and he has illustrated a total of thirteen.

Maria Reardon paints the world around her. Working primarily in Pastels, she loves being outdoors, immersed in nature, observing and experiencing everything going on around her. She's drawn to the unique and ever-changing relationships of form and color. Her passion is plein air, working on location, using the vibrant and diverse colors of the pastel medium, in a painterly fashion, to represent the light and mood of a particular location. Maria is a Virginia native and received her formal education from Virginia Commonwealth University, earning a Bachelor’s of Fine Art in illustration. She has studied with nationally known artists for both landscape and portraiture. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and in private collections. She has received awards during plein air events and gallery shows and has had her work published in the Pastel Journal July/August 2017 issue.

Kim Hall is a nationally recognized painter from Richmond, Virginia. She is an avid plein air painter and travels frequently with her trusty K-9 companion Romeo searching for those inspiring landscapes. When not painting outdoors she can be found in her Richmond or Montross studios painting commissions, quirky still lifes or larger landscapes inspired by her plein air studies. She has been inspired by a wide range of artists from past and present, including just a few; Matisse, Lautrec, Cezanne, Vuillard, Edgar Payne, Emil Gruppe, Diebenkorn, Larry Moore, Lori Putnam, Dawn Whitelaw, Nancy Tankersley and Jill Carver. The Virginia native and lifelong artist holds a degree from George Mason University and continued studies from The Corcoran School of Art. Her evocative and vibrant paintings can be seen in galleries and plein air events throughout the U.S..

"Oil painting has always fascinated me from an early age. The rich colors, the depth of a three-dimensional reality on a two-dimensional canvas, the thick impasto strokes over thin oil washes, the feel of buttery paint at the end of a brush, the rich smell of linseed oil and the exotic fragrances of aromatic varnishes–all add to a full, sensory experience for me as I work. I enjoy capturing the many moods of nature with a loosely-rendered realism, be it a peaceful, relaxing vista, or a fleeting, windswept moment. My goal is to paint what I see, feel and experience in a way that stops viewers in their tracks and inspires in them a deeper appreciation for the beauty and majesty of the wonderful creation around us."

Jennifer Young has been a professional fine artist and instructor for over 20 years. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts, Young considers herself a lifelong student, and has enjoyed periodic study with contemporary masters of landscape, figurative, and plein air painting. Her most valuable education, however, derives from painting from life and from the direct experience of painting ‘en plein air’. When she is not traveling to paint on location, she develops larger paintings in her home studio in Ashland, Virginia. Her work has been collected internationally by both private and corporate collectors, notably author Frances Mayes, Tuscan Sun Wines and Westminster Canterbury Retirement Community. Her work has been exhibited in art galleries, museums and art centers across the United States.

Beth Marchant received her BA from Salem College and has been drawing and painting professionally for over 30 years. She is best known for her watercolor house portraits and her oil landscape paintings. Beth has had more than 1000 private commissions from all over the US. and her clients include The University of Richmond and the American Heart Association. She is the illustrator of the featured homes in the Guidebook of Historic Garden Week in Virginia.
Memberships include Oil Painters of America (OPA), Plein Air Painters of the SouthEast (PAP-SE) and Virginia Plein Air Painters. Her work has been accepted by the Eastern Regional Exhibitions of OPA and by the Virginia Watercolor Society.

John grew up in Sullivan County, New York, an area rich in woodlands, lakes, and the Delaware River; a nature’s schoolroom that helped teach him a love of the outdoors and a desire to capture its beauty and life in paintings. As a youth his ability to duplicate nature’s wonders was recognized early on. Influenced by that recognition, his educational pursuits culminated in graduation from New Paltz State College in New York, with an Honors B.F.A. degree in painting. Specializing in watercolors, his paintings have been successfully auctioned through Ducks Unlimited, the Ruffed Grouse Society, the Rocky Mountain Elk Society, and the North American Hunter Retriever Association. He had been a sponsor artist and companion artist in Virginia for many years for Ducks Unlimited. He has won the Virginia State Duck Stamp 3 times. His versatility is shown in paintings depicting landscapes, old farm buildings, hunting and fishing scenes, wildlife, and dog and horse portraits. He enjoys traveling around Virginia exploring new scenic locations for inspiration.

Patti works both from her studio in Virginia and also from the immense “studio” of the outdoors. It’s in nature that she is most at home, capturing color and fleeting light with her watercolor and oil brushes. Her work has been described as loose and color filled, yet having a sense of serenity. Patti is attracted to the places that feel far from the complexity of modern life: old mills and barns, lush gardens, marshland, shorelines and mountain vistas are favorite subjects. Patti is an active member of several art groups: Virginia Plein Air Painters and is a signature member of the Virginia Watercolor Society. Her work is exhibited in galleries, exhibitions and corporate collections. Patti’s formal education began with a BA in Fine Art from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and has continued her art education with nationally known professionals.

Marjorie Perrin paints traditional subject matter with a fresh eye. She captures the timeless beauty of a moment with her colors and textures. Painting from life, she uses the richness of oil paint to convey a mood and sense of place. Her style is influenced by Impressionism and Classical Realism. She shares her enthusiasm for creating art with her students at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts where she has taught studio art since the 1989. She is an active member in the Portrait Society of America, Oil Painters of America, the Virginia Plein Air Painters Association, the Maryland Society of Portrait Painters, and the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association.

Larry is known across the East coast as an exceptional drift wood artist having won many Best of Show awards at Juried Fine Arts Festivals. Born and raised on the Chesapeake Bay, he grew up crabbing and fishing with local water men and have always felt a connection to the bay. Many people have marveled at his works the past several years at the annual Arts in the Middle Juried Fine Arts Festival in Urbanna, now this new partnership gives Larry’s artwork a permanent venue for his incredible works in this region of Virginia. He has been featured in magazine and has been commissioned to produce works for both public and private collectors.

Sharon creates fused and traditional stained glass art. Much of it inspired by the beautiful nature in the area where she lives. Her studio, Stillwaters Glass Studio, is based in Yorktown, Virginia. Her work ranges from functional and non-functional glass art inspired by the beauty of our region. She does all her glass work from start to finish with the exception of some of the coldworking of the glass. Her wonderful husband does most of that.

Anne Stine is best known for her encaustic mixed media paintings that reflect an intimate, human connection with the natural world. She adds a contemporary twist to landscape painting by combining oils with encaustic beeswax medium, then fuses each layer using heat onto a wood panel. Visually, her paintings are lively and instantly recognizable, capturing the aesthetics of serene environments through her brilliant use of color and texture. “I want people to see nature through the eyes of a child, full of awe and wonder, to help recapture the often forgotten connection to Mother Earth.” After a career in arts marketing, Anne followed her long-time passion for painting, and now her work hangs in public and private collections all over the world, including the permanent collection of the Museum of Encaustic Art in New Mexico.

Coakley Brown’s passion for art emerged in early childhood. Later, as a science teacher and parent, she nurtured observation skills as a means of understanding and appreciating the natural world, while pursuing art as a hobby. Eventually, as her children grew older, the call to paint grew louder. After attending college art classes to refine her skills, she began painting full time.
Coakley delights in using expressive brushstrokes in celebration of light and color. Inspired by nature and stories of its relationship to humanity, she strives to produce work that is authentic, but not photographic in detail. There is a balance, she believes, where authenticity is achieved in the choice of details captured or omitted. The search for that balance, arriving at it, and searching again, is paramount to her artistic journey.

"All of my landscapes are grounded in a real place and time; the creeks, rivers, bays, the lakes, and oceans. To these settings I add my experience as a life-long, dedicated artist and observer of nature to a multitude of available ingredients: top grade oils, cold wax, sand, gold leaf, marble dust, graphite, dry pigments. I always hope my paintings are just abstract enough to take the viewer deeper without losing the essence of Place. The process in creating my paintings consists of simple compositions but multiple layers of color to give the work depth. I usually include a horizon and large areas of color balanced with texture and loosely defined detail. I have had many people comment that they see something different each time they look at a painting. I love how abstract art engages viewers and encourages them to spend time looking at the work."

"Glass lives a life in flux between fluidity and form. My work explores these dichotomies and pushes to put glass at the brink of make or break moments. I make installations that confront this balance between order and chaos and attempt to give structure to this unstructured material. My process is experimental, momentary and outcome not always known.
I draw inspiration from texture, form and collaboration. In the traditional essence of glass, glass is smooth, but when combined in multiples or varied materials it becomes something more. One little disc, wrinkle or strand has a memory, and in my work, I exploit those memories and highlight the beauty in the imperfection and draw attention to the form. The act of sculpting and blowing glass is not spontaneous and is often planned down to a T. I thrive in the moments of uncertainty as I have collaborated with other glass artists, asking her to partake in the excursion. In many pieces it was a dialogue and our language was glass; As if we were playing chess we would each take a turn and respond to the last persons move by placing another. Its through this play that I was able to find release, freedom and therapy."

Joan Dreicer is an award winning fine artist painting in oils and pastels with a strong interest in landscapes and portraiture. Her life experiences bring compassion and emotion to her artwork. Over the past few years, she has studied with several internationally known artists, including Liz Haywood-Sullivan, Richard McKinley and Alain Picard. In addition, she has participated in solo and selected group exhibits throughout the United States. Her work is owned and displayed in many private collections..

"I am an oil painter and native of Virginia. After a career of teaching art to children K-12, I now paint plein air and in my home studio. My work is recognized by its vivid colors and graphic qualities. I graduated from VCU with a degree in painting/printmaking BFA, the University of MD with an art teaching degree, and then again from VCU with a Masters Degree in Interdisciplinary studies (mixed media/art/teaching)."

Allison’s work is infused with a love of the Virginia Tidewater and the Eastern Shore where sandy beaches of the Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay, the creeks, rivers, forests, marshes, and mudflats were the playground of her youth, and are now her peace and the restoration of her life today. “My art reflects my feeling that even when you are given challenges in life, there is always beauty and joy surrounding you in the colors of the sky, the reflections on the water, and the shadows cast at first and last light. My hope is to faithfully bring the awe of that moment to my paintings. If you have a challenge or something taken away, there is always a gift or talent to replace it.”

Art is a retired pastor and has been sculpting in wood for over thirty-five years. As a former Zoologist and photographer, God has opened his eyes to the beauty and uniqueness of each creation. Teaching people about this art is his passion. Memberships include the National Wood Carvers Association and Ducks Unlimited. Every piece of his art is special and reflects his understanding, privilege, and joy of creating.

Wearable One-of-a-Kind Lampwork Glass Pendants Created by Tom Heath are a unique statement piece. Tom has been a glass artisan for over 25 years. He has always been artistic and very fascinated with the art of glass blowing. His creations are made with clear and color borosilicate glass …no molds are used in making his glass pieces. He works out of his studio which was built at our home here in Virginia Beach. Living in a resort city is perfect for his ocean life pendants. These handmade glass pendants are for necklaces. Pendants are available in beach themed, holiday, and abstract glass.

Douglas Orr Zeigler was born in Dixon, Illinois and attended The University of Chicago and The Art Institute of Chicago (BFA). At The Art Institute, he studied drawing, painting and design with several European emigre faculty who taught the traditional, rigorous disciplines of drawing and composition. In this environment he developed an approach to his individual vision which is grounded in representation and natural structure, but also taps expressive, spontaneous impulses—and yields to immediate gestures of color, line, form and texture. Zeigler works outdoors, “plein-air”, as well as in his studio in Manakin Sabot in eastern Goochland County. The visual artist has a responsibility to be faithful to his will to create. In my work, I attempt to go to those places where my visual ideas take form by means of paint on canvas, or pigmented water on paper. Nature is my starting point, but the subconscious guides my response to what I “know” or “see” before me. If others share for a moment what I experience through these challenges, then my work is successful!

Guy began drawing and painting at a very early age, and exhibited in his first art show at age 13. Growing up in the rural county of Gloucester, Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay, he found his passion in the natural wonders of the world around him. Hunting, fishing and crabbing were just a way of life for the young man who was a self-described "river rat". With an academic approach to his observations, he began to draw and paint the world to which he was so connected. An osprey with a fish in his talons. A blue heron taking flight. A Canvasback duck preening on the water. Today, his work still grounded in the influence of those early years, Guy prefers to work in oils and his subjects are best described as Landscapes, Wildlife and Sporting scenes. He is a seven-time winner of the Virginia Duck Stamp. He has won duck stamp competitions in 12 other states as well. Guy is a signature member of the Outdoor Painters Society and works mainly on commissions and large originals for private and corporate clients.

Jeanne is a silkscreen printmaker. "I love the process of silk screening. It is a very time consuming tedious process, but it suits me. I like the graphic solid look that screen printing creates. I always loved the look of the pop art in the 60’s and 70’s. While at St. Mary’s college in the 70’s I took various printmaking classes and really liked the process. Most of my images are of the Chesapeake Bay and its environs. It is hard not to be affected by the beauty I see all around me."
Jeanne is a 1977 graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland with a degree in Fine art. Upon graduation, she worked as a graphic artist and draftsman. In 1988 she decided to pursue a career as a full time artist.

Michael Mills was a university faculty member teaching organizational behavior and change when he began exploring glassblowing. Since 2008, his passion for glass grew while taking classes at Anoka Ramsey Community College (MN). In retirement, Mills is focusing his creative efforts on glass. In vessels and sculptures, he applies traditional glassblowing techniques in novel patterns and forms, emphasizing the optical effects, visual flow and joy that glass communicates. His sculptures echo his teaching career by exploring themes of structure, change, generation, and evolution through color, form, and patterns in glass.

Anne Montgomery Murphy’s artistic journey began several years ago and has continued to grow and mature. Her primary medium has always been acrylics but her approach and style has continually changed and evolved. Abstract themes have been her focus and her exploration of texture and color over the years has resulted in a unique and absorbing style.

Anne grew up in Hampton, Virginia and after high school she received her bachelors degree from Virginia Tech and graduate degrees from the University of Montana and The George Washington University. Anne’s educational pursuits led her into a long career in school counseling and administration. While working and raising her family, she started exploring her creative side and within a few years she began to develop her painting style and technique.

Recently, Anne left the world of education to pursue her creative passions. Her body of work continues to grow and her style and approach to abstract painting keeps evolving.

Daniel Michael was born in Virginia, and raised in Michigan, in 1983 received a B.F.A. in Graphic Design in a joint program between Aquinas College and Kendall School of Design. After having worked as a graphic designer and illustrator for advertising agencies, he began painting full-time in 2008. Daniel lives in Hanover County, Virginia, with his wife and two children.
Daniel prefers pastel as a medium because of its directness, just pigment and sanded paper, but also because of the inherent ability of pastel to reflect light, and its versatility of application and manipulation. His goal is to create paintings filled with light, atmosphere and texture.

My forms are simple and quiet so that I can use surfaces as a canvas for both stylized nods to nature and happy doodles. I love to make table lamps and to go through my paper collection to find just the right colorway and texture for each lampshade. Sometimes, I will find a paper I love and that paper will inform the piece. I am in awe of the beauty and singularity of plants and flowers and inspired by an array of images from botanical illustrations to garden photographs to Georgia O’Keefe macro paintings and the fantastical paintings of Henri Rousseau. I make no attempt to concoct a social statement or to stretch the boundaries of what we think of as art; art isn't required to search for the meaning of the cosmos. My work is intended purely for the amusement of the visual sense, not necessarily for the intellect. Beauty gives our souls a little refreshment so we can get on with the more mundane tasks of life.

Mel Neale is a prolific artist who works in a variety of media. A graduate of Mary Washington College, she taught art for 11 years in the public schools in Richmond. After leaving teaching, she continued to paint while raising two daughters and home-schooling them aboard their 47-foot motor-sailer; and for the next 25 years her boat was her studio. Making art all my life, I have done and redone pastels, oils, graphite, watercolor, acrylics, illustration and photography. Recently I have returned to my first love, pastels, especially the luscious soft ones. Many consider pastel to be the purest form of making art because there is nothing between the pure pigment applied directly to the support (paper or board) by hand: no brush, no pen, no medium, no binders. With soft pastels, I can combine my love for drawing with the richness of pure pigment producing a painterly effect like no other medium. I especially enjoy painting people, landscape, and the slightly quirky or symbolic. I also enjoy working from live models to practice my drawing and observation skills.

Russell began his ceramic work at Mountain Empire College in Big Stone Gap, VA and earned his BFA from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. A potter for over 30 years, Russell has experience in all aspects of designing, creating and firing ceramic art. His Porcelain Pottery is inspired by the Fish, Fossils and Marine Flora of the Chesapeake Bay and has received numerous awards. From fine, sculptural art pieces to beautiful functional pieces and decor, his work is something to be admired and collected

Betsy Kellum, contemporary and classical realist, works in both oil and pastel with a concentration on still life and animals. Her still lifes are set-up in her studio and painted from life from an assortment of things collected over many years and often inspired by a theme or story. Most of her animal paintings require road trips to sketch and gather photographic references. Beautiful Monterey, VA is one of her favorites places to go spend time... especially in the spring when the farm babies are arriving. "I love that I'm comfortable with both oil and pastel work. Changing from one to the other keeps my work fresh, and working with a variety of subject matter keeps me motivated and excited for each new project," states Betsy.
Betsy graduated from William & Mary with an BA in Education. She studied art at The Art League School, Old town Alexandria, VA.

I have enjoyed doing creative things ever since childhood and have been painting seriously for over 20 years. I have worked in many different mediums, but found that pastel is my passion, although I occasionally work in oils as well. My work is realistic and my subject matter is primarily animals and still life. I enjoy the challenge of creating the illusion of three dimensions on a two dimensional surface. It is my goal with all of my pet portraits to create a likeness that speaks to the hearts of the owners and shows the character and personality of the animal.
My work is exhibited in local galleries and work has been juried into the Degas Pastel Society Show, the Pastel Society of North Florida Show, and the Fredericksburg Center for the Cultural Arts.
In January of 2012, I became a Juried Associate Member of the Pastel Society of America. I am a Signature Member of the Central Pennsylvania Pastel Society.

Donna Doyle was born in Washington, DC in 1947, when Washington was still a small city. She spent many hours visiting
the Museum of Natural History and many art museums. It was there and in the creeks and fields
around her little farm on the edge of DC that she found the love of nature and art and especially horses.
Having grown up on a small horse farm on the edge of Washington D.C., horses have always
been her passion. She enjoyed riding from an early age and especially the excitement of competing in horse
shows. The back of a horse was her favorite place to be. So, horses are often her subject along with other animals, people, and landscapes. Each painting
is an attempt to portray the beauty of the horse and the deep connections between humans and the
horses who share their lives.

A former horse trainer/instructor, Debby now uses her intuitive sense for animals to portray their individual personalities through her artwork and photography. Lover of detail, her favorite mediums are photography, pencil and colored pencil. Debby’s equine, canine and wildlife work is in private collections worldwide and has won numerous awards in National and International Juried exhibits. Her work has been featured in “Horses in Art” magazine, exhibited at the AKC Museum in St. Louis and the "International Museum of the Horse" in Kentucky. Her work was chosen for the books “Strokes of Genius: The Best of Drawing”, “Art Journey Animals, A collection of Inspiring Masterworks”, Best of Virginia Artists” and is featured in the book “Best of America, Photography”. Her photographs are published in books, magazines and calendars. When not traveling to horse events, wildlife locations, and farms for equine portraits, she works from her home studio in Manakin-Sabot, Va.

With her style of painting; American Realism, her subject matter may vary, but she always strives to capture the essence of the subject; whether it be that inexplicable magic in the soul of a horse, or the ambient glow of the California condor. That “intangible something” fascinates her. Mary Cornish will tell you her art and creative spirit has always been a determining factor in her approach to life. She was raised in the Puget sound area of Washington state, and received her early training through Grace Wagner and Classical painter William Tartaglia. She received the National Scholastic Gold Key Art Award in Painting during her Senior year in High School, culminating with an exhibit at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, Washington.
She has won numerous awards for her artwork and has had solo exhibits throughout the United States. Her paintings have appeared in shows across the United States such as the American Academy of Equine Art, Women Artists of the West and Woodson Art Museum’s famed Birds in Art.

Dana lives and paints in the countryside near Casanova, Virginia. She always had a love for animals especially dogs. As an adult she started foxhunting and immediately fell in love with the hounds. She captures the essence and soul of each hound or animal that she paints. Dana also has a great fondness for birds and African wildlife that are finding their way to more and more of her artwork.
Dana paints not only large format paintings but her miniatures are highly sought after by collectors. She has won numerous awards with her miniatures and belongs to several Miniature Societies.
Her work has been published on the cover of the Chronicle of the Horse, The Piedmont Virginian magazine and the Masters of the Foxhound Centennial book. She has paintings in the permanent collection at the AKC Museum of the Dog in St Louis, Missouri and a Purchase to Permanent Collection with the Miniature Art Society of Florida.

A native Virginian, Sharon has continually found the means of self-expression through her artwork. She strives to communicate to others the beauty and joy she derives from her surroundings, and what she envisions. The process of creating a work of art, from conception to completion, is the fuel upon which she thrives. "Art is the way in which I interpret my surroundings, the things that I hold dear, and my perception of beauty. Sharing these perceptions with the world is what I aspire to do. Orchestrating the harmony of color and composition, within a picture plane, inspires and challenges me. The passion to create my best art always lies in front of me. It is that passion that keeps me learning and growing. Art brings harmony to my soul. It is spiritual."