Shana Levenson

Shana Levenson is an accomplished representational painter based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her artistic journey began with a BA in Fashion Design from The University of Texas, Austin. After the birth of her children in 2009 and 2010, she pursued and completed an MFA in Fine Art Painting from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Her work primarily focuses on portraiture and the figure, often capturing people who are significant in her life. Levenson aims to tell each person’s story in an authentic and meaningful way, drawing inspiration from her own experiences.

Levenson is known for her hyperrealist style, where she emphasizes delicate and feminine details in her subjects, like body shape, lace, and jewelry. Her background in fashion has notably influenced her latest series of paintings featuring lace. Additionally, she incorporates surrealistic elements in her current work, highlighting the strength and beauty of women.

Beyond her painting career, Levenson is deeply involved in education. She teaches workshops out of her studio, mentors students, and conducts workshops worldwide. These teaching experiences have shaped her patience and approach as an artist, allowing her to tailor her guidance to each artist’s individual journey.

Her has evolved over the years, and she continues to challenge herself with each new piece, striving for growth and improvement. Her commitment to her art and her community, both as an artist and an educator, makes her a notable figure in contemporary realism.

Website: www.shanalevenson.com

David Welch

The inspiration for my painting comes from the rhythms of nature, from the color and light of the natural world. Much of my work explores the extraordinary light and landscape of New Mexico, addressing relationships of earth and sky, as well as the more intimate, tended spaces of farms and gardens.

Among my frequent subjects are the farmers of Corrales and Albuquerque’s North Valley. I am interested in the gardener at work, the figure as a part of the landscape, humankind in harmony with nature. As an ardent naturalist and birder, I have traveled to wild habitats around the world, recording my observations in watercolor studies.

I grew up in Southern California, and studied art at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design. I share a light-filled studio with my wife, landscape artist Cynthia Wister.

Website: www.davidwelchart.com

Alice Webb

I grew up in Fort Worth, Texas near the museum district.  As a child I was fortunate enough to be exposed to all the arts - visual arts, theater, literary arts and music of all genres.  It was at a very early age that I knew I would be an artist and I was blessed with a mother who shared my vision and encouraged me to paint, draw and write poetry. 

While still in junior high I began to show and sell my paintings, prints and drawings at local art fairs. In high school I won a scholarship to study oil painting at the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art.  After graduating from high school I attended the University of Texas before moving to the artist mecca of Taos, New Mexico. In 1990 I moved to Albuquerque to attend the University of New Mexico. 

After earning my MA in Art Education I taught for Albuquerque Public Schools for sixteen years as well as teaching in the Art Ed Department at UNM.  I retired from the public schools in December of 2018. While I now teach for the New Mexico Art League my main focus is working in my studio.

Website: www.alicewebbart.com

Carolyn Berry

I have always been a collector of objects, artifacts, and remnants of materials. These things might stay in my studio for years before I find a "new life" for them.  The beauty and treachery of nature has become increasingly prominent in my work.  Fragile flowers, thorns, pods, bones and even dead creatures are preserved so that I can give them more time in my art universe.

As I walk around the world, I am compelled to pick objects or photograph subjects that catch my attention.  I am drawn to eroded or decaying surfaces, abandoned spaces and natural forms.  Even as a child, I loved going into old buildings and looking at antiques imagining how many other lives lived in that place or touched the objects left behind.  This interest has increased as I study my family genealogy.

Moving towards the end of my life, I look for answers mostly about living and dying from these sources and the ghosts of the past.

Website: www.carolynberryart.com

Julia Lambright: From Abstraction to Impressionism

Wednesday November 6 and Thursday November 7, 2024
10:00 am to 4:30 pm
(half an hour lunch on your own from 12:30 to 1:00 pm)

Level: Beginner to Advanced
Media: Acrylic and Pastels
Maximum Number of Participants is 10 

Registration Fee: $300 for RGAA, members and $335 for non-members

In this two-day workshop, artist and educator Julia Lambright invites you to delve into the exciting world of mixed media. Working wet and dry, merging abstract paint application with soft pastels, our primary focus will be on learning layering and embracing an expressive approach in art making. Whether you’re an experienced artist or a beginner looking to expand your skills, this workshop is designed to inspire and encourage a fresh approach to painting looser. Each participant will receive individual coaching and guidance to express their thoughts and feelings more freely. Landscape and florals are relaxing and beautiful subjects to paint. Working on multiple pieces, participants will learn to see the “Big Picture” and become less detail oriented. After demonstrations and warm-ups, we will layer and layer to embrace the immediacy of pastels, its tactile joy of placing a mark, and the ability to let each piece evolve.

Required Supply List

Comprehensive Supply List

Painter Julia Lambright was born and raised in Russia. She earned a BFA and MFA with Distinction from the University of New Mexico. Working in oil in the past, her prime medium of choice is egg-tempera, knowledge she acquired from masters in Russia and the United States. While searching for a personal spiritual experience, Julia began exploring iconographic canons, formulas, and techniques of 17th century icon painting. Her works document the silent and persistent dialogue between past and present and served as a voice to address memory, vision, and childhood experiences.

 

Through the years, Lambright has allowed her artwork to evolve and shift. Her continuous fascination with materials led to an exploration with soft pastels that offer a new visual perspective. Searching for a more immediate expression and greater experimental capabilities, she challenges the traditional approach with materials with the desire to express sensation that evokes her inner world. In this visual dialogue, Lambright invites the viewer to have their own subjective experience and interpretation. She lives and works in Albuquerque.

Website: www.julialambright.com.