ARMCHAIR IMPRESSIONISTS EXHIBITION NOV. 1-30: RECEPTION NOV. 15

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By Tammy Lawhead, events coordinator, Armchair Impressionists

 

November 7, 2009 (El Cajon) -- Renown Western artist, illustrator, and art instructor Jack Jordon and watercolorist Carol Harris are special guest artists at this year’s Armchair Impressionists Exhibition. Paintings by armchair Impressionists Jeffrey Graham, Rustin Holec, David Lawhead, Karen Marsh, and William Marsh will be featured November 1 -30 at the Rancho San Diego Library, 11555 Via Rancho San Diego in El Cajon.  The public is invited to join the artists at a reception November 15th from 2 – 4 pm in the Community Room.

 

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

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

 

Guest Artist Jack Jordan began his formal art training at the age of twelve when his father enrolled him in the government “Works Projects Administration” (W.P.A.) in Des Moines, Iowa. He was taken under the wing of Paul Parker, a fine artist and teacher. While he was the only child in the class, Jack quickly found a home among the other painters, lithographers and sculptors. Jordan later worked as staff artist for the Register and Tribune in Des Moines, Iowa, and eventually as art director and picture editor for the Evening Tribune in San Diego.

 

Jack studied at the Coronado School of Art in Coronado, the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, and the Institute of the Arts in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. His works have been featured in national magazine such as Southwest Art and Arts West. Jordan was also chosen for inclusion in the book “Contemporary Western Artists,” and the 1981-1982 edition “Artists of Renown”. Jack Jordon also wrote and illustrated “How To Paint the Old West” published by Walter Foster. Jordan has shown in many galleries in both the United States and Mexico. In 2005 the artist held a one-man show for the Heritage of the Americas Museum in El Cajon, where thirty-seven of his paintings were displayed. Currently you can also view Jack Jordan’s paintings at O’Dunn Fine Art, www.ODunnFineArt.com.

 

Jordan continues to teach private art classes in Landscape, Seascape and Portrait in El Cajon. The Artist is a member of the East County Art Association in El Cajon, The San Diego Museum of Art and The San Diego Museum of Art Artist’s Guild.

Guest Artist Carol Harris began painting when a dear friend offered to teach her to paint with watercolor a number of years ago. Since then, she relocated to San Diego and was delighted to discover painting classes offered through Grossmont Adult School and San Diego Continuing Education, where she has continued to learn to paint. With her three children now grown, she has been able to devote a little 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.

 

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 painting seriously and exhibiting his art around the turn of the millennium. 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. His career of over 20 years with Adventure 16, a southern California outdoor and travel outfitter, has afforded him opportunities to travel and visit places of unlimited beauty and inspiration, as well as reinforce his appreciation for and protection of the natural wonders surrounding us. His education includes private instruction with Jack Jordan, and through workshops and programs offered by such institutions as the Art Institute and the San Diego Museum of Art, he continues to develop and refine his individual style and imagery. In addition to being 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. Five years ago, he first picked up a paint brush, and what started out as an experiment has become a passion. His chosen subject matter is generally landscapes with some portraiture. One of his paintings received a third place award in the East County Art Association’s Members Show in October 2008. Last summer David had a desert scape accepted in the 2008 San Diego County Fair Art Show. He 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 ten years. Previously, he concentrated on photography as he traveled for the Navy as an engineer and scientist. While studying with Jack Jordan privately, he concentrated on an impressionist style. Recently, his interest has expanded into abstract art and portraiture through classes at UCSD and The Athenaeum with Reed Cardwell and Ken Goldman. He has exhibited at the Cottage Gallery in Old Town, ArtWalk San Diego, and many venues with the Point Loma Artists Association, of which he is a past president.
 


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