Allie Beer - I am focusing on producing pieces that are influenced by impressionist and expressionist styles. I grew up in a small town in Ontario, Canada before moving to Toronto where I completed my studies in fine arts. I graduated from The University of Toronto and Sheridan College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts specializing in Art Studio and Art History. Later I graduated with a Master’s in Science specializing in Education. I have been an elementary school teacher, but I always considered myself an artist. Learn more about me and my art at AllieBeerart.com.
Amanda Del Valle Avaro - I was born on a small farm in Argentina. My father always bought paper and pencils for me. That was how I started drawing and painting. When I was seventeen, I travelled to the United States as an exchange student and lived in Huntington Beach, CA, then returned to Argentina to become a high school teacher. Drawing and painting continued to be a way of expressing myself. Landscape painting was my main subject. I often travelled to small towns to paint on location using acrylics. Now, I have returned to portraiture and I am learning watercolor. I enjoy the art process Yong teaches very much.
Angela Roberts - I live in the Rhondda Valley in South Wales. I started painting in June 2016 after discovering a set of unused paints in a cupboard as we prepared to move house that I had bought for my husband. I joined the EnjoyingArt Community in 2017 to help me through a difficult time of illness and bereavement. I mainly paint in watercolour but I am also beginning to use oils. I enjoy painting anything especially portraits, wildlife and landscapes. I take great pleasure in sharing my paintings with family and friends.
Barbara Grilz - I was born in Munich, Germany, and worked as an aircraft engineer for 27 years before I moved to Iceland. My painting career started 16 years ago. At that time, I fulfilled a wish of mine by attending a painting course with the artist Friedrich Hechelmann. It was the first time when I came into contact with what is referred to as the dry painting technique with watercolors. It is very tedious, but the brilliance of the results is incredible. For the next 7 years I repeated the special painting class and deepened my understanding and appreciation of this technique. Then came a long break from painting until two years ago when I started painting again. When I found Yong in 2020, I refreshed my skills and this time, painting is my daily sunshine.
Bonny Jacobs - My childhood dream was to go to Africa and paint elephant.! Unfortunately, my parents were not keen on that idea, since I was only nine at the time. I don't think they understood how much I loved art and animals even at such a young age, but I continued my passion on my own. I took a few art classes in school but did not feel that I learned much. Later in my life, after following many online art teachers, I finally I gained a feeling of accomplishment after having sold a few of my paintings. I think I will be a “forever sponge” artist – always learning and experimenting. Connect with me on Facebook and see more of my new art.
Brenda Menzel - I live in a small rural Community in Victoria, Australia. I received my education in Melbourne where I trained and worked as a teacher and later returned to do further studies in Mathematics. I have always been an admirer of the fine arts but did not have the opportunity to go down this path until recent years when I have totally fallen in love with watercolour and related media. I am largely self-taught but have had the marvelous experience of working with Yong Chen over the last two years from whom I have learned such a great deal.
Corinne van der Vorst - I live in the Netherlands. Without a little sketchbook and a pen or pencil in my bag, I won’t leave the house. People are my greatest inspiration. I love to sketch them or paint portraits in watercolor. I enjoy the challenge of trying to express a feeling in my paintings. I am proud to be a member of the EnjoyingArt Community and a participant in this exhibition. To see more of my art, please visit my Instagram account corinnevandervorst.
David Layne - I retired at last, and I can now begin to study art techniques in earnest. I live in Thousand Palms, CA. Charcoal has become one of my favorite mediums for drawing people, though Watercolor has always been deeply loved. Both techniques have given me a medium in which to share my visions of COVID19 today. My painting of a paper with toys for sale in exchange for food is from an actual photograph taken in front of a grocery store in Mexico in July. It broke my heart, and I knew I had to share this with the world.
Deepanwita Paul - Born and brought up amidst the rich culture and heritage of Bengal (India), I was inclined toward the visual arts from a very young age. At three years of age, I started drawing and I went on to complete a degree in fine arts (chitra visharad) from Pracheen KalaKendra, Chattisgarh. Most of my inspiration comes from my mother, the rich Bengali culture and the people of Bengal. I love to paint people, their expressions and gestures. I love to tell a story through my paintings. I want to reveal to people what they don’t see even when it is in plain sight. My mother has been my driving force and motivation.
Dian Kaputa - I was born a long, long time ago in a place far, far away called Brooklyn, New York. After working my adult life in stressful and demanding positions, I was happy to retire in a sweet little town in Florida. My closet is filled with colored pencils, pastels, acrylic and watercolor paints. Mostly I enjoy painting portraits in watercolor, and I am so happy to have found Yong Chen.
Doug Sutherland - Three years ago, my wife and I went to a Christmas Painting Party. It was all about having fun together doing something creative, and I fell in love with my brushes and paints. Illinois has great natural beauty and I was soon outdoors painting from life. I joined Yong Chen and the EnjoyingArt Community and through his online classes, I improved both my drawing and painting. I have been in the jewelry trade for 35 years, and I want to use my art training to both become a better artist and to compliment my jewelry designs business.
Eugenia Stender - I was born in El Salvador and now live in Germany. I am a goldsmith. I have lived in many different countries – the last 20 years being in Indonesia. Since I was very young, I always like to draw, and when we moved to Germany four years ago, I started to paint aquarelle, that is transparent watercolors. Painting has been a great spiritual support for me especially when times are not so good.
Joyce Stewart - When I was in my sixties, I started taking watercolor classes at our local senior center. Since then I have had the opportunity to take seminars with well-known artists such as Tony Couch, Sterling Edwards and Mel Gibson. I’m now 83 and painting has become a big part of my life. When observing and painting the tide going out at sunset, it is like being a part of it, surrounded by all the glory it affords. I am one with nature.
Juanita Harrell - I began watercolor classes in 1998 when a friend invited me to attend a class with her. I had not drawn anything since I was a young child and did not believe I had any artistic ability. I went with my friend because she said it didn’t matter. I began to draw and paint and realized how much I enjoyed it! I have not ventured into any other medium. My paintings are inspired by rare moments I happened to see, for example, a beautiful flower, a sunset, a magnificent tree, etc.
Kandy Plumley - I live in the great state of Florida. For many years, people have been my favorite subject matter. In the past, I was always drawing portraits using charcoal. Since joining the EnjoyingArt Community, I am getting more and more confident with watercolor techniques and Yong’s painting process. Soon, I’m looking forward to changing the faces I capture from black-and-white to beautiful living color.
Kathy Hall - I live in western Massachusetts where I recently retired from serial careers. I was a professional singer for many years and needed a new creative outlet for my life’s next chapter. I love watercolors and have been seeking a looser, freer approach. I was delighted to discover Yong and the Enjoying Art Community. I am inspired by Yong and all of the talented artists he’s brought together. My painting is of my sister, one of the most original and courageous women I’ve ever known.
Kiran Kansara - I am from a city known for its art and culture: Vadodara, India. After I received my bachelor of visual arts (BVA) from the faculty of fine arts at MSU Vadodara, I have been lucky to have followed my passion as a profession. I am a school teacher teaching art to students from 3rd to 12th grade. We have been running an art and design institute for the past 20 years in Vadodara, India. I have participated in many international art workshops with my students. I am interested in exploring all forms of art. I am so happy to be a part of the EnjoyingArt Community.
Lakshmi Nair - I grew up in the southern part of India and moved to the United States after earning my Ph.D. I always loved painting and sketching, but didn’t have opportunities to explore it. Recently, I started working with watercolor through the EnjoyingArt Community courses and I fell in love with it. I am looking forward to doing watercolor portraits which are influenced by impressionism.
Lisa Card - I started painting for the very first time ever in August of this year. My family and I lived the last 15 years in Hong Kong, but when the coronavirus hit, my husband, who was worried about my compromised immune system, moved us to Canada. The transfer meant I was suddenly retired and I found I needed to find something to enrich my mind and spirit. I decided to try to paint. I can’t draw well, and I just beginning to learn to paint, but I‘m hooked. Painting is so lovely, calming and fun to do during these difficult times.
Laura-Love Yates - I began drawing with pencils when I was very young. I would often see advertisements that read, “Draw this. You, too, can become an artist.” The promise of being an artist was the carrot for the rabbit to follow. Fortunately, I had no access to postage stamps, so my childish attempts to enter competitions for instruction were viewed with amusement by my parents, but my sketches were never mailed. I spent years mostly self-taught, drawing and sketching anything that amused me. Presents always included a set of Tempera paints, dime store brushes, and a pad of cheap construction paper. In high school, and later in university, the emphasis was on academics, and I spent my working years in the travel industry in overseas posts. In recent years, joining Yong Chen and the Enjoying Art Community have made it possible for me to further my creative art interest in watercolor.
Lauri Shaw - Growing up on Cape Cod was a wonderful place to meet artists from all over the world. My mother, sister and brother were very talented artists, and my parents’ home was filled with original artwork which they collected. In my retirement, watercolor painting has become a passion. My first drawing and painting lessons were through the local senior center in Cary, North Carolina. But it was when I found Yong Chen and the EnjoyingArt Community that my artwork began to improve. Both Yong’s online classes and the suggestions by my fellow artists have made a major difference in my artistic growth. In future, I wish to teach art where I live.
Laurie Sequana Stolmaker - I have been creating beauty my whole life in one way or another. Over the years I have used my artistic eye to create functional pottery and delightful goddess sculptures, to make and teach collage creation and more. I use paintings to convey my love of the world. I especially enjoy capturing the people, pets and wild beings of the world while engaging in creativity and discovery. Visit my shop at Fine Art America.
Leslie Jernigan - My grandma, at eleven-years-old, walked beside a wagon train from Tennessee to Texas. My grandparents picked cotton, tended cattle, grew vegetables, and shook hands with big, welcoming smiles. No one was a stranger. Dad started as an aircraft carrier naval pilot and later commanded two satellite communication military bases. Mom loved and taught Ikebana flower arranging. We lived in Japan 1968-1971 and Greece 1976-1979. I studied in Rome, Italy, and I love art, music, culture, and beauty in people and the world.
Mann Khine - I was born in a small town in Myanmar. Drawing was my passion as a young kid. As I grew older, I gradually stopped doing art. In 2018 I started painting again and realized that I needed to learn it properly. So, I browsed on YouTube and found Yong Chen. I joined the EnjoyingArt Community and have been learning painting interactively with this master teacher. I want to be able to express my feelings and ideas through my art.
Melinda Graham - I was born in Pasadena, California and spent most of my childhood in the Los Angeles area. I’ve lived in Texas, Illinois, Chang Mai, Thailand and now Draper, Utah. Art was my first passion in life but got lost when other things took priority. I rediscovered my love of art a few years ago when I picked up crayons and colored with my kids. I spend most days drawing or painting so that I can expand moments into detailed memories. My art is inspired by people, places and everyday things.
Melissa Lim - I am an art hobbyist from Malaysia. When I was younger, I hated art classes because I was not permitted to paint the things I wanted to paint. I didn’t think I had "talent", but I enjoyed looking at other people's works. In 2020, under the virus lockdown, I gave myself another chance to learn drawing and painting from Yong Chen. Turns out, it wasn't a lack of talent that made my work restricted and unemotional, but it was because I tried to control the outcome of what I wanted to paint. Now I express my daily musings through art in a light-hearted mood. The same lesson applies to our daily lives – we need to learn to let go – then make adjustments as life unfolds.
Miriam Attias - I live in the Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota. I am an audiologist and I work for a hearing aid manufacturer. I have enjoyed drawing and painting since I was a child. I discovered watercolor 41 years ago and fell in love with it. I took classes and participated in workshops but I never got anywhere and eventually I stopped painting. Then, I discovered Yong’s videos on YouTube, and I am finally making progress. I am dedicating a lot of time to learning watercolor now. When I first saw this picture of my eldest daughter some 10 years ago, I knew I wanted to make a watercolor of it someday.
Patti Taylor - I am a third generation native of Tulsa Oklahoma where I spent most of my life. While raising my children, I painted with five other women. None of us had a background in art, but we had fun together. It stopped when I became a business woman. I retired in 2016, moved to Mexico, and got to work on my bucket list. Learning watercolor was my number one. I found Yong Chen and then I began to learn in earnest. My painting for this exhibit portrays the separation of younger family members from their grandparents and the isolation of the elderly because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Peter Siuyu Chu - I had retired recently. In my leisure time I love to do pencil drawing, watercolor or oil painting. I still remember the basic techniques that I learned from an art program in Hong Kong which I took many years ago. But now I am just a beginner again. I hope to learn more drawing technique from Yong Chen and the EnjoyingArt Community. My dream is to have my own painting exhibition in the future.
Rosanne Horowitz - I live in Baltimore, Maryland, and I have always loved the transparency of watercolors. I have been drawing and painting for as long as I remember, and now that I am retired, I have more time to devote to it. I happily discovered Yong’s YouTube watercolor videos this past year, and I joined the EnjoyingArt Community recently. I am so glad to be learning in our live classes every Friday.
Sevin Kutaydin - I live in Istanbul, Turkey. I have a degree in French language and literature. I fell in love with painting and drawing many years ago. I think it is because I have always been intrigued by people's facial expressions. I have been working in watercolor since 2014, but I haven’t had any formal training. I never took art lessons before joining the EnjoyingArt Community. So, Yong Chen is my first art teacher. I feel lucky to have found him and to have also found a community to share my artwork with. I love to paint whenever I have time, especially portraits.
Shannon Bishop Davis - I am a wife to a wonderful supportive husband and a mother to five amazing children. For the last 16 years my focus has been on raising my family. I love my life and will always consider my family relationships my greatest accomplishment. Over the last year I have had a deep desire to develop myself as an artist and share it with others. Finding local art classes that fit my busy schedule was an obstacle for me until I stumbled onto professor Yong Chen’s website, EnjoyingArt. I joined his art community in January of 2020 and knew that I had found what I was looking for. My long-term goal is teaching my own art classes and spreading the joy of art!
Shannon Weed - Born with medical issues and mostly raised in upstate New York, I became profoundly aware of the difference in how my body/mind works as compared to others. In a basic art class, I was encouraged to be creative, no matter what. My partner said, "Each mark is your own. So, own it". And own it I do. I break the rules and throw paint. I mix powders and liquids. I spray stuff all over everything. I believe EVERY SINGLE PIECE you create is a unique masterpiece. Claim your marks.
Steve Webb - For me, painting is emotional, challenging, occasionally frustrating, and deeply satisfying. Whatever feelings I have during the creative process should somehow be represented in my work or I'm not doing it right! My studio is in gorgeous central New Mexico where my wife and I retired. Now I have time to really focus on developing myself as an artist, and I am benefiting greatly from the EnjoyingArt Community, where having fun is our mantra.
Susan Cunniff - I am an artist and vocalist living in coastal Maine. Recently retired, I enjoy creating portraits and am also attracted to animals, florals and cityscapes. As a child I enjoyed drawing and calligraphy but never took art seriously, abandoning it altogether once I started working for living. I started drawing again using graphite in 2013. Eventually I discovered pastels and now enjoy working with soft pastel, pastel pencil and am branching out into watercolor. In both areas of expression, I do my best to subtly portray emotions, as this is what draws me both to the songs I sing and the subjects I wish to paint. When I’m not making art or music, I am working on my family genealogy, another newfound passion of mine. How did I ever work for a living? https://www.instagram.com/siouxcq322
Susan Goke - I live in the Louisville, Kentucky area. I have some schooling in a variety of arts and mediums. After raising a family, I am ready to get back to the dream. I'm focusing on watercolors and acrylics. I have had a lot of interest by friends and acquaintances for portraits. So, that’s where most of my focus is at this time. I am not trying to fit a mold. I just want to create and see what emerges.
Susan Machler - I have been drawing and painting since May of 2019. I have always wanted to be an artist, but I assumed I had no "talent". Not to be intimidated, I decided to just call myself an artist and act accordingly. I have come a long way as an artist over the past year. As an attorney, I read and write for my livelihood. Art is my way to disconnect from the world of words for a little time and instead, to tap into my creative side. I also make quilts.
Suzanne Crolley - I am a native of Lexington, Kentucky. I have enjoyed a long and successful career as a commercial artist; spending many wonderful years in Tulsa Oklahoma, then the Missouri Ozarks, and the beautiful mountains of the Blue Ridge. Today I live with my husband, our two dogs, three cats, and Beaker the Bird in our home in Florida. I am the author and illustrator of the “Pockets” books. The “Pockets” books are drawn from my real-life, everyday experiences with my animals and their friends. Learn more about my "Pockets" books on Amazon.
Teresa Whyman - I am also known as Tesartmania. I was born in Tasmania and have experienced the fondest memories in this “Island of beauty”. To step into my world should be a cautious thought, luckily, I have not acquired the profession of words nor the space here to indulge my reader. But, laws govern the way we live, these laws protect me and honor the grace that lives within me. If you are keen to learn more about me, visit my website at Tesartmania.com.
Terri Huang - I was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan and moved to the States for school in the 80’s; I raised two kids and spent most of my time living in the Chicago area. After I retired from a long career in the fast-paced IT industry, I explored hobbies in Art and fell in love with watercolor and sketching. I have been learning watercolor for the past two years and now live in Orange County, California.
Tracy Downing McDermott - I always loved to draw and paint and dreamed of becoming a “real” artist but, like many others, my parents pushed me to study business. The love for art never died. So, I chose jobs working around creative people in technology, design and marketing. Once I retired, I took community college classes to study art history, drawing, and painting, and today, I am having the best time becoming “real” at last. I currently live in Minnesota.
Vicki Littell - I am an Australian watercolor artist living in Florida. I have been professionally creating art since 2016. My featured work is influenced by my relationship to volunteers that serve those that are affected by food insecurity and more recently the social restrictions of COVID19. I mix realism with impressionism and focus on the mood of the subject to tell a story. While watercolors are my favorite medium, I enjoy sketching in graphite and charcoal. View my artwork at vicki-littell.pixels.com.