Meet The Artists

Debbie Abshear is an artist specializing in Plein Air landscapes and abstracts. Her chosen medium is watercolor but is known to use acrylics and inks in her work. She has exhibited at the National Watercolor Society, Santa Paula Museum of Art, Oceanside Museum of Art, Fallbrook Art Center, California State University of Dominguez Hills, Muckenthaler Cultural Arts Center and at the Watercolor West Exhibition held in the City of Brea. She is currently exhibiting paintings at Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles.

Fei’s artistic expression lies at the intersection of imagination and introspection, harmonizing traditional influences with contemporary expression into a layered “spiritual echo.” Through thoughtful composition and mastery across diverse media, her work invites reflection, merging the familiar and the mysterious into a dynamic, ever-evolving visual dialogue between the seen and the unseen. Her diverse body of work spans various mediums.

Amelia Amell is a Sr. Art Director, Multidisciplinary Visual Artist and a Humanitarian Advocate with masters degrees in both Spiritual Psychology and Multimedia Communication. As an artist witnessing the emergence of the data era (coined Data-ism), she sees the issue of technology becoming more advanced than the policies that shape these movements. Inspired and concerned, she set out to create works of art that ignite awareness as to the implications of these crossroads from both a cultural policy and humanitarian point of view.

I paint with soft pastels, a direct and luminous art medium. My favorite subjects include landscapes and ranch animals, but I also enjoy portraits and still lifes. I am co-founder and president emerita of the Pastel Society of Southern California (pastelsocal.com), as well as founder and director of the Rejoice in Art! Fine Art Fair & Exhibition (www.rejoiceinart.com).

Tom Balderas, the third son of four. painter. writer. musician. photographer. teacher. thinker. creator. listener. observer. human. social. loner. understanding. misunderstanding. giver. taker. wanter. perfectionist. imperfect. mess. husband. father. works towards progress.

I always wanted to be an artist, but took a detour into a career in clinical psychology/neuropsychology. I like highly realistic paintings involving unusual content. I make pastel paintings of tornados, fire, lightning, volcanos/lava, UFOs, rough seas, etc. I like the drama and excitement, and unusual shapes and colors.

Ukrainian born artist Olena Boswell calls Southern California her home. Her international travel allowed her to tap into her inner creativity during the pandemic. Boswell’s artistic creations have garnered multiple People’s Choice Awards. “It is never too late to discover something that you never thought you could do,” said Boswell.

Patrick Boyd (b. 1960, London) is a Wales-based artist working at the intersection of photography, holography and 3D lenticular art. A graduate of Royal College of Art, he has exhibited worldwide and uses miniature set-ups and imagery that blur light, shadow and motion.

I am an acrylic painter, and typically my paintings are a celebration and exploration of nature with a focus on the ocean. My father is very proactive in environmental causes, and taught me about plants and animals, about our delicate ecosystem, and our responsibility to care for our planet. As such, I grew up with a love and respect for nature and the desire to do what I could to share this respect with others. Turtles, dolphins, fish, whales, penguins—I paint them gliding free in the ocean. I like to think that each painting is of a moment of encounter, evoking that moment when you come face-to-face with another creature that shares our world, and you look each other in the eye.

Nicole Carmody is a modern abstract artist from Chicago, now based in the South Bay. Owner of Evil Eye Design Inc. at Crafted Port of LA, she creates bold, expressive works in acrylic, digital, and mixed media. Since 2024, she has exhibited with the Gallery of Hermosa.

I ran two figure drawing groups for decades, always painting or drawing what was right before me. Having never created any conceptual art, I thought AYSWIS would be a great challenge. And it is.

I am a long-time Manhattan Beach resident, lawyer by profession and artist by passion. I am an outdoor and beach enthusiast, inspired by the beauty of my surroundings, the people I am with, and the positive impact of connecting and sharing a good laugh.

Trevor Coopersmith (b. 1994 San Diego, CA) creates painted objects, installations and organically inspired wall-sculptures utilizing found and mixed media that emphasize a deeper emotional connection to nature. Trevor holds a BFA from University of California, Santa Barbara and a MFA from Otis College of Art & Design.

I am an oil painter and I paint in the realism style. My subjects are landscapes, still life and architecture. I am a member of the Palos Verdes Art Center and The Artists; Studio. You may find more examples of my work on my website: robincowlesart.com.

Don Crocker: local resident 45 years, 85 years old, took up Plein Air painting on retirement from a legal and crisis management career in 2000. Inspired by wilderness and Ca. exceptional varied beauty as captured by the early Ca. Impressionists/Expressionists. Am Artist Member California Art Club, Signature Member American Impressionist Society. My entry is a new medium: acid on copper framed in USGS topographic map.

Norma Cuevas White. I am primarily an oil painter and enjoy experimenting with different media at times. My goal is to paint expressively and capture the beauty of my surroundings.

Dan Dempster has achieved CA status in the Copley Society of Art, Boston “…a mark of excellent technique, hard work ethic, and superb artistry." He has shown in SoHo NYC, London and in eight Bermuda National Gallery Biennials, among others. Raised in Bermuda, living in California, his contemplative drawing, painting, sculpture and writing express deep familiarity with the coastal environment.

Lifelong California Artist. EDUCATION: U.C.L.A.-BFA, Art Center, Lukits Academy. CAREER: L.A. Union Entertainment Artist, Art Director Leo Burnett Agency. Custom Mural/Art Business. ART AFFILIATIONS: California Art Club, Pastel Society So. Calif., Destination Art. SHOW HONORS: C.A.C Gold Medal, Pasadena Historical, Natural History, Hilbert, Carnegie, and Muzeo Museums.

Bernard Fallon B.A. grew up in Liverpool, England, and has spent a lifetime in the visual arts as a painter, teacher and photographer. Fallon’s strong landscape and still life painting derives from the thoroughly grounded traditions of fine art, and the direct observations of Nature.

I was born in West Los Angeles and lived near Fox Studios, surrounded by the talents of both my parents: one a successful screenwriter and the other an accomplished dancer. Most of my early art training was self directed.

The title inspired me to research what kind of life might live on the Moon, if any. Turns out that there is a form of anaerobic life known as Tardigrada. They are microscopic, 8-legged animals, who survive extreme environments, due in part to a unique protein that protects their DNA from radiation. In the most dire of circumstances, triggered by a dry environment, they morph into a state of dormancy by squeezing all the water out of their bodies and rolling up into a ball until conditions improve. An unmanned spacecraft that crashed brought them to the Moon from Earth. Their actual appearance inspired this fantasy. Edgar is just waking from hibernation and he is alone. The newborn are magenta, turning to blue as they mature. If they survive many conflicts, and attain the highest form of knowledge, they may become purple, and therefore, revered. In my painting, he is in the middle of his transformation. Currently searching for others like him, he is having no luck. Edgar has far to go.

Deborah E. Giese. Art Training by Master Artists: Sabastian Capella, Jeff Watts Attelier, Joe Garcia, Marileigh Schulte, Dan Scott. Member: PVAC-The Artists' Studio, Rancho Santa Fe Art Guild, California Art Club. Work Shown at: Various galleries, exhibitions, community venues, Artsy. Oil painting instructor Palos Verdes Art Center and private instructor.

I am primarily an oil painter, but I also love watercolors and have recently started using pastels. My goal is to paint expressively and capture the beauty we have all around us. The Eastern Sierras and the Pacific coastline are especially inspiring!
I have a studio in the Loft building in San Pedro.

I am an artist inspired by the beauty of the Southwest, shaped by my upbringing on the Navajo Reservation and the US/Mexico border. With over 15 years teaching art and a master’s from the Florence Academy of Art, my work blends tradition, learning, and creative exploration.

Errol Gordon has studied at the Scottsdale Artist’s School in Scottsdale, Arizona, and he has taken numerous local, national, and international art courses in oil painting, pastels, and sculpture.
Errol is an ardent plein air painter, however, sculpting is his passion. He has studied sculpture with nationally known sculptors such as George Carlson, John Coleman, and Mehl Lawson. He has also studied with Italian trained sculptors Bruno and Paul Luchesi.
Errol’s sculpture MOSEYIN’ won 1st Prize at the 2010 California State Bar Convention Art Exhibit in Monterey, California. In addition, his two (2) sculptures, EDDIE and MANCIPATION, were accepted into the prestigious January 2012 “Best and Brightest” show in Scottsdale, Arizona. Errol is also a resident artist at “The Artist’s Gallery in Palos Verdes, California, and the Seaside Galley in Pismo Beach, California.

James is a self taught artist who has found his unique artistic voice through dedicated practice and experiment in various forms of painting and printmaking.
James currently maintains a studio and gallery in San Pedro, California. In addition to oil painting, he works in resin and fine art limited edition printmaking.

I work in various mediums, separately or mixed. In both painting and photography I like to play with layers and imbue the works with mystery. Instead of using my camera to document the world, I use it to document the world of my imagination, or in this case, Bondo's imagination.

Carol Hungerford is a Southern California native. While always visual and interested in aesthetics, she pursued theatre before finding her path in drawing and painting. She specializes in portraiture and figure painting and is director of Los Angeles Harbor Arts where she has her studio.

Kimie Joe is a multidisciplinary artist working in oil, ceramics, and mixed media. Her work explores memory and transformation. As founder of Gallery of Hermosa and the Hermosa Art Lab, she fosters connection through art and community. Contact via websites: galleryofhermosa.com or kimiejoeart.com

Eileen Oda Leaf is a Los Angeles artist who works in 2 & 3-D oil on canvas. The later, coined, “exsculpainting” uses expressionistic color, hand cut canvas and molds to create three dimensional food art and landscapes. She’s the recipient of a California Arts Council grant.

I am a Biologist, Banker, Artist who focused on printmaking for 20 years. I no longer have access to a press, thus I turn to Photography. Affiliations: LA Printmaking Society, PVAC: AOG.

From the moment I scumbled a pastel stick across the page, I've been hooked on the immediancy and vibrancy of soft pastels! As the Founding President of the Pastel Society of Southern California and of Destination: Art I enjoy encouraging others on their artistic journeys.

This self-portrait explores the unseen forces that shape us. Inspired by the cosmos, each planet represents a facet of self: creativity, emotion, love, logic, intuition, radiating in harmony. It mirrors my fascination with energy, color, and consciousness, where invisible frequencies become visible through light and flow.

Larry’s life has been shaped by a dual passion for art and exploration. His family’s deep connection to the outdoors, paired with a constant movement from place to place, fueled his independent spirit and desire to break boundaries, both in life and art.

Louisa McHugh is a professional watercolor artist and educator. Louisa McHugh studied fine art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and graduated from Columbia College with a degree in Cinematography in 2005. After a short stint in the film industry, Louisa decided to return to her roots as a painter. She first began exhibiting her work with Galleria Mijares in downtown Los Angeles and soon was gaining recognition with International Awards from various watercolor societies. Louisa is a Signature Member of the National Watercolor Society and her works have been displayed in collections both public and private around the world.

Los Angeles–born artist Jasser Membreno invites viewers into surreal realms where imagination and memory intertwine. Through painting, drawing, and mixed media, he explores transformation, identity, and unseen connections between time and self—revealing vivid dreamscapes that challenge perception and ask: Are you seeing what I’m seeing?

Stephen Mirich was born in 1954 in San Pedro, California and began competing and exhibiting in art events regularly by the age of fifteen. In college, he briefly studied architecture, but then focused on a career in fine art. He studied under the noted artist, Theodore N. Lukits (1897-1992) at the Lukits Academy of Fine Arts, Los Angeles. He also studied privately with Julian Ritter (1909-2000). Mirich gained national recognition with his marine and historic maritime paintings. In 1995, he started to focus on landscape painting en plein air.
Mirich is a founding member of the Portuguese Bend Artists Colony and a lifetime member and past President of the San Pedro Art Association. He is a Signature Member of the California Art Club, and was its Vice President from 1997-2003 and currently serves on its Advisory Board.

Margaret Ann Missman has had a passion for art her entire life. Her family remembers being impressed with her precocious drawings she would do as early as 1 year old. She received her BA in Fine Art at Long Beach State. Missman continues her education by studying American Impressionism and Illustration. She also receives guidance from artist Stephen Mirich.

Her favorite subjects are people and portraiture, and the unique basking light of Southern California, the bright light and the colorful shadows.

Margaret Mohr is a former commercial artist who, after college began her career inking Hanna-Barbera comics. She went on to design children's bedding, toys and clothing. Now turning to fine art, she delights in painting to express her spiritual convictions.

At a young age I was enrolled in the esteemed De Young Museum of Art in San Francisco. There I studied drawing techniques. I took lessons with Leona Cooper, watercolorist in St Louis. In Community College I was introduced to Life Drawing and printmaking.

Nguyen's paintings have been exhibited at Art Fairs in LOS ANGELES, SANTA MONICA, SAN DIEGO, PALM SPRINGS, SAN FRANCISCO, HOUSTON, NEW YORK, MIAMI. Honors include the Juror's Choice Awards at the San Diego Art
Institute Biennial International Award Exhibition 2013 and 2015.

I enjoy exploring different mediums and techniques: drawing, painting, collage, and printmaking, are some of the techniques I have studied and use in my abstract work.
My early paintings were watercolors done in a fresh, loose style and I try to keep that feeling in all my paintings.
I use photos for inspiration but most of my paintings are memory paintings.

Thomas H. Redfield Jr. is the great grandson of the famous American Impressionist Edward Redfield and this early bond set in motion his life-long appreciation for art. While a significant body of his work is Plein Air denoting work done outside taking into account varying light and shadows, he also has a “tour de artifice” that spans many genres. His work has been exhibited at the California Art Club Gold Medal show and is in many permanent collections including at Terranea Resort and private collections.

Painting and art have always been apart of my life. Although I pursued a career in educational administration art was always apart of what I was doing. I am an abstract painter. I focus on color and texture, usually in a large format. When I describe my work, I quote artist Frank Stella. "What you see is what you see."

Nancy Sewell grew up in LA loving textiles, design, and art. “My inspiration for my watercolor paintings comes from the vibrant colors and forms I see around me. Using the transparency of watercolor to layer colors, one over the other, allowing light and dark to create contrast.“

Steve was at Wesleyan University in 1981, graduating with honors in studio art. He has been making art, in one form or another since that time. For about 20 years or so, he worked as a decorative painter, making many murals and faux finish items. He is now back to making his personal art, following a horrific car accident that almost killed him in 2016.

All my life I have had opportunities to use my talents in many ways, portraits, murals, faux finishing stage props, costume design, computer graphics, casino and restaurant design and building. I also exhibit in galleries and outdoor events. I have many different styles and use many different mediums. Art is all creation and I enjoy so many aspects of it. Follow Val on Facebook

Hannah Smoot is a Korean-American painter whose work explores the shifting relationship between space and object through surreal images. She creates scenes where boundaries feel unstable and open to change, evoking a sense of suspended reality where identity and form are always in the process of becoming something new.

I’m a free thinker, determined to go my own way with my own style.
But, I had a revelation about painting when I joined the class of Sergei Bongart, and his students Sunny Apinchapong, and Joe Mendez.
I love painting soothing landscapes, but my portraits are so different they repel my clients.
Read all about it in my new book.
Contact me for more information about my book at: CanneryRowStudios.com
Phone me at: 310.291.5316

Bronwyn M. Towle is an intuitive artist who paints contemporary abstract figures using saturated colors. www.bronwyntowle.com

From the time I was little my mother considered me the artist in the family, which was great as she never cared about my grades; and, when we lived there, she even hired the Time and Life magazines editor in Paris to give me private art lessons.

I got my BFA from Cornell University and then went to Harvard to become a painting conservator until eleven years ago, when I started painting again after Mother and my first husband died, just two months apart. What great therapy! I have been happier and happier ever since thanks to my creativity and painting.

Watercolors take less time than oils so I can paint the whole series when I get inspired, such as of children in their Junkanoo costumes in the Bahamas, farm stands in the Hamptons, life in the Out Islands in the Bahamas, landscapes of Palos Verdes and the Villa Narcissa in Portuguese Bend.

Virginia Vilchis is a multidisciplinary artist whose work integrates mixed media, paint, and texture to explore the intersections of emotion, environment, and human perception. Her distinctive compositions merge organic and abstract forms, revealing a deep connection to both natural and psychological landscapes.

Anything with watercolor! I love to paint local scenes and nature. I normally create in traditional watercolor, stained paper collage, and watercolor batik, a process done with wax and watercolor or a mixture thereof. Member of The Artists Studio, Palos Verdes Art Center, So Bay Watercolor Society, San Pedro Art Assoc and National Watercolor Society.

When I received my prompt immediately I interpreted it as all the little secrets people hide, secrets they keep to themselves which ultimately shape their decisions and their life path.

I paint with Oils both in Realism & Palette Knife. My subjects are animals & people with a focus on their eyes. African wildlife & wildcats throughout the world are my favorite subjects to study & capture on canvas.

I am an oil painter exploring the experience of being fully alive. My paintings seek to create the feelings of life, nature and human connections. My goal as a painter is to discover and reveal what is true for me.

I love to paint, abstract, contemporary works of art. Art is my passion. I paint draw create and develop almost every day. I feel very fortunate to have my work in several states South American countries and in various countries in Europe.