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Hometown: Belle Haven, VA

Elizabeth Rhoades (b. 1955) is an American Impressionist landscape painter. Her work is characterized by vibrant color and sensitivity to the natural forms and light in the landscape. Her keen observation and thorough knowledge of the landscape is evident in her award-winning paintings. There is an emotional quality to her work that brings peace and tranquility to the viewer, while at the same time having a distinct vitality through her use of color.  Her preference is in painting nature, undisturbed by human intervention.

Elizabeth began her painting career in 1973 as a watercolorist. At age 17 she took classes at Paier College of Art, and studied under the famed Leo Stoutsenburger. She spent many years painting the Connecticut landscape en plein air with watercolors. In 2001 she switched to pastels, and her work garnered much recognition in national pastel societies across the country.  At the beginning of the Covid pandemic in 2020 she took up oils. A lifetime of plein air painting has provided her with a foundation to accurately depict the elements of the landscape. Elizabeth is a Signature Member of Pastel Society of America, Connecticut Pastel Society, Pastel Society of the West Coast, Pastel Society of New Mexico, Degas Pastel Society, and an Elected Artist in the Rockport Art Association, Lyme Art Association, North Shore Arts Association, Academic Artists, American Artists Professional League, and Audubon Artists. She is a juried Artist Member in the Salmagundi Club in New York, the National Oil and Acrylic Painter’s Society, Oil Painters of America, and the American Impressionist Society.

She was a Featured Artist in the Oct/Nov 2016 edition of PleinAir Magazine, and her work has been published in numerous group articles in Fine Art Connoisseur and PleinAir Magazine. Elizabeth’s work has been juried into well over a hundred highly competitive National Exhibitions and Plein Air Competitions. Of the over fifty awards she has won, Elizabeth’s recent awards include the Alden Bryan Memorial Award for Best Landscape in the American Artist’s Professional League Grand National Exhibition in 2023, the Award of Excellence in NOAPS Best of America Small Painting Exhibit, the Walker Memorial Award for Oil Landscape as well as Best Pastel in Academic Artists, Best in Show at North Shore Art Association, multiple awards from Salmagundi Club, Second Place, Finger Lakes Plein Air Festival, and the Gold Medal of Honor Plus for a Pastel in the American Artists Professional League. Her work is included in corporate and private collections from coast to coast.

Elizabeth was born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut. She taught public school elementary art for 35 years in various Connecticut towns until her retirement in 2014. In 2018 she moved permanently to Virginia’s Eastern Shore, where her love of the water and rural landscape provides her unlimited inspiration.

Hometown: Fairborn, OH

Christine Clayton began drawing and painting waterfowl and other wildlife at the age of 5, and entered her first conservation stamp contest at age 8. In 2012, she accomplished her dream of winning the national Junior Duck Stamp Contest along with state and national awards in Wildlife Forever’s State-Fish Art contest. In 2015, Christine became the youngest artist to win the Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamp Competition, and in 2017, she placed 3rd in the nation’s most prestigious conservation revenue stamp program, the Federal Duck Stamp Contest. She continues to enter conservation stamp contests, create new wildlife pieces, and enjoys a new-found skill for pet portraits.  Christine is looking forward to a promising future in the realm of wildlife art.

A self-taught artist, Christine enjoys a variety of outdoor activities. She is also an avid reader, pianist, photographer, and enjoys gardening and spending time with family and friends. She has been blessed to share her artistic endeavors with her father, Matt, and sister, Sarah, who are also artists, along with her mother, Darlene, who is her biggest supporter. Now married, she loves hiking, fishing and exploring the outdoors with her husband, Ben. She is thankful for her God-given talent and for the heartfelt advice and support she has received from her family, friends and fellow artists over the years, and hopes to share and instill the values she has learned in this journey with others.

Hometown: Boone, NC

Clayton Pennell is a naturalist, conservationist, and contemporary wildlife artist. His high-impact art portrays animals in a new light, focusing on form, design, and motion in what many in the art world consider a form of abstract realism and natural pop art that has deep ties to classic sporting art. He developed this distinctive style during his time as a hunting and fly-fishing guide, where he was able to hone into the detailed design and tones of wildlife. His work inspires the imagination, as his vibrant art invites the viewer to use their memories from the field to construct an interpretation of the animal that is as unique as the painting itself. Clayton’s work has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for conservation and his work has sold to art collectors across the globe. As a true believer in conservation, he has dedicated a portion of all profits of his art sales to go towards conservation efforts. Clayton’s studio resides in the Blue Ridge mountains of western North Carolina.

Hometown: London, Ontario, Canada

As a Wildlife artist I have participated in shows across Canada and the United States
The South Eastern Wildlife Exposition, Charleston, South Carolina
Art of the Animal Kingdom, Bennengton, Vermont
Plantation Wildlife Show, Thomasville, Georgia
Art In The Woods, Jamestown, New York
Buckhorn Fine Art Show, Buckhorn, Ontario
Galleryb, Lexington, Kentucky, Morrision Gallery, Chicago, Illinois

My specialties are my portraits whether it be animals or people plus the painting of water.

To me, a painting has to capture the drama and personality of the subject. I have learned so much about our natural world since I have begun studying wildlife. I have also discovered the abundance of wildlife I hadn’t ever noticed in my own backyard: Deer, Blue and Night Herons, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Red Tailed Hawks, and Owls are just some of the few.

On my parent’s Cape Breton property I have discovered the Bald Eagle, Herons, Deer, hawks and owls, along with King Fishers, Loons, Seals, Osprey, Bob Cats, Coyotes, and Whales.

My current passion is painting animals in water. I love the abstract quality of reflections, shadows and the pulse of the sea.

To some, art may be a hobby, a passion or even a career, for me art is my life. I take pride in every piece I produce and strive to learn and perfect my technique as I continue to explore the natural world around me.

Hometown: Elmore, OH

Although Jean Gidich creates her drawings in traditional ink and graphite, the use of line and form are anything but conventional.

Jean’s love for both art and wildlife began at a young age and he began college as a zoology major. She later changed her concentration to studio art which resulted in a BFA in drawing, painting and printmaking with minors in animal science and art history.

After a year as an independent artist, Jean went back to school and received another degree in Art Education.

She began to teach as a supplement to her young family’s income with plans to return exclusively to her studio in a few years.

Fast forward 30 years and she is still teaching studio art to young adults. Her commitment to creating successful adults through the challenge of hands-on art practice continue. Through the years, Jean continued to produce work and strengthen her skills with daily studio practice and graduate work.

Originally a multimedia painter, 4 years ago a student gave her some pens with the statement, “I can’t wait to see what you will create with just this simple pen.” Not one to refuse a challenge, she picked up that pen layering thousands of marks that came together to form a larger than life Great Grey Owl.

Since that first drawing, Jean hasn’t stopped portraying both animals and people in her unique active line approach. On close inspection, her drawings contain names, and other symbols that hint to her intention for each piece. Her subjects are chosen from all walks of life paired with creatures that help tell her story. All the work she creates is autobiographical and how she views the world around her. She invites you in… one line at a time