Portfolio | Golden State Artists

Meet 8 talented painters who call California home

This story was featured in the November 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art November 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

JOHN C. MOFFITT

What inspires you to paint? A desire to communicate that sense of wonder I felt as a teenager pondering Max Ernst’s EUROPE AFTER THE RAIN and Magritte’s THE HUMAN CONDITION at a Surrealism exhibit.
How would you describe your style? In my personal artwork, objects are rendered in an unapologetic realism, although subject matter may be arranged magically or surrealistically. But during my years creating artwork for the entertainment industry, I learned to paint in the styles of many of the old and modern masters.
How did you first get interested in art? As a child, I found I could mold in plasticine clay and draw accurate images depicting prehistoric life and mythology.
Where did you study art? Although I’m primarily self-taught, during my career as a professional artist, I’ve had the privilege of working with master engravers, illustrators, muralists, and scenic artists. All have had a profound effect on my approach to creating art.
What is your creative process like? I’ll do a series of exploratory thumbnail pencil sketches. Once the basic composition is resolved, I’ll do a color sketch. For reference, I’ll work from both life and photos.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? I’ve had work in exhibitions with Oil Painters of America, the International Guild of Real-ism, and the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society, winning some awards here and there. Most notably, though, my peers at the Art Directors Guild presented me with a Lifetime Achievement Award for my work in the entertainment industry as both an artist and an executive.
What galleries represent your work? Gallery 800, North Hollywood, CA; Bash Fine Art, Las Vegas, NV; and www.jcmoffittartwork.com.

AMY RATTNER

What inspires you to paint? I try to capture the spirit, personality, and cultural significance of my subjects. I am always interested to see how color, value, and line converge to tell a story about my subjects.
How would you describe your style? A combination of realism, whimsy, and graphic art with a strong emphasis on color, line, and symbolic patterns.
How did you first get interested in art? I grew up drawing and painting with my sister, who is a gifted artist. My parents fostered my love of art by filling our home with collections from their favorite places, especially Santa Fe and Japan.
Where did you study art? I worked for Stanford University as a graphic designer, then started my own graphic and web design company. About 15 years ago, I began taking art classes at the Pacific Art League. I discovered my artistic voice at an intensive watermedia seminar with Skip Lawrence, Katherine Chang Liu, Fran Larsen, and Christopher Schink.
What other artists have influenced your work? John Nieto’s work has had the biggest influence on me. I’ve always been enchanted by his bold colors, expressive lines, and incredible sense of design, and by the interplay of positive and negative space in his work.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? Creating collections for two solo exhibitions and being featured in Palette Magazine.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? Spending time with my family and dogs.
What galleries represent your work? www.ugallery.com and www.amyrattnerart.com.

DEIRDRE SHIBANO

What inspires you to paint? I am constantly inspired by so many things, whether it is a dragonfly, a homeless person, a beautiful and vibrant young woman, or the light that falls on a tree branch.
How would you describe your style? After many years of exploring different genres of art, I have returned to realism.
How did you first get interested in art? I remember that, even as a child, I wanted to be an artist. My sweetest memory in school was finger painting. By age 10, I was copying the drawings of Michelangelo from a book my father had. Then, as I grew older, I fell in love with the Impressionists and, of course, Picasso.
Where did you study art? I originally studied at the Art Students League in New York City. Today I continue to study and try to expand my knowledge and skills.
What is your creative process like? For portrait work, I start with an underpainting in burnt umber. Only after I’m satisfied with the underpainting will I add my colors. Although my work is considered alla prima, I tend to add at least two layers of color to create more depth in the flesh tones, and then a third layer of highlights and edge work to soften or bring out contrast.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? I was named California Artist of the Year in 2018 by Exploring TOSCA magazine.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? I’ve been teaching workshops and classes around California and Oregon, and it has been a great experience.
What galleries represent your work? www.deirdreshibano.com.

CATHRYNE TRACHOK

What inspires you to paint? My inspiration comes from my surroundings. I live in a beautiful place.
How would you describe your style? I suppose I am a realist. I enjoy painting what I see, but I also love to play with textures, juxtaposing abstraction next to realism.
How did you get interested in art? My mother was an artist. She would take me with her on all her art adventures. I knew from the age of 7 that I wanted to be an artist.
Where did you study art? I was an art major at the University of Nevada in Reno, got my degree, then headed to the Art Center College of Design to study illustration. After years of doing commercial art, I moved into fine art and took workshops with David Leffel, Sherrie McGraw, and Peggi Kroll Roberts.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? I was chosen to do a mural in the children’s section of the Napa County Library. It was a 6-by-18-foot mural featuring children’s books as a forest with the characters coming out of the books. A year ago, they redecorated the children’s section based on the mural. Other highlights include winning Best of Show at the American Women Artists national exhibition in 2015, being included in Oil Painters of America shows, being included in the Strokes of Genius books for three years running, and being accepted into the California Art Club.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? I love hanging out with my family, hiking, swimming, reading, and keeping all our animals happy.
What galleries represent your work? Mary Williams Fine Arts, Boulder, CO, and www.catrachokstudios.com.

GRACE SCHLESIER

What inspires you to paint? Usually it’s the light, or the movement in the ocean, but it’s all about the excitement I feel when I’m looking at the beauty in our natural world. I ask myself how to get that excitement onto my canvas while also creating a pleasing composition. It’s that challenge that keeps me inspired.
How would you describe your style? I guess you could say I’m an impressionist, because it’s all about my impression, my emotional feeling of where I am, what I feel, and what I see. I believe it’s the artist’s job to tell the story of spiritual beauty with brush and paint on canvas.
How did you first get interested in art? For as long as I can remember I loved drawing. When I was a child, my parents worked in a restaurant, and to keep me occupied, my mother gave me pencils and paper.
Where did you study art? Every chance I had to take an art class, I did. I read everything I could get my hands on to learn how “big time” artists painted. Later I was able to take workshops at the Scottsdale Artists School and at the Art Students League with David Leffel.
What is your creative process like? Most every painting begins at a place where I find inspiration. I spend time immersing myself in a location, often just observing and sometimes taking digital pictures.
What galleries represent your work? Village Frame and Gallery, Montecito, CA; Concetta D. Gallery, Albuquerque, NM; Seaside Gallery, Pismo Beach, CA.

DOREEN IRWIN

What inspires you to paint? I like to paint pictures that tell a story—a simple scene that relates to almost every viewer. I also love contrasts of light and dark.
How would you describe your style? I like to work in a very realistic style.
How did you first get interested in art? When I was a child, I was constantly drawing. It was easy for me, and I started to sell, trade, and barter drawings and paintings at a young age. When I was 17, I was hired by a furniture store in Portland, OR, to draw and paint ink-wash ads for The Oregonian.
Where did you study art? I intended to study art in college, but it was very difficult to do while I was pursuing a degree in music education. How-ever, I did take art classes whenever possible. I am mostly self-taught.
What is your creative process like? I usually paint from simple snapshots taken by me or by an acquaintance with his or her permission.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? I have had 22 solo shows in the Sacramento area, have created many commissioned pieces, have been juried into many prestigious art shows, and have won several awards.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? I am very involved with music as a choral director, and I teach private piano and voice lessons. Also, I own and manage Shandoni Ranch. We board, train, raise, and sell horses and put on horse shows.
What galleries represent your work? www.doreenirwin.com.

CAMILLE LAPOINTE-LYONS

What inspires you to paint? Color and light. I am drawn to how colors change shapes and details by the temperature of the sky. From bright morning light to cool foggy days to evening glow, the colors are amazing.
How would you describe your style? Representational. It changes depending on the medium that best enhances the specific subject. Each medium has its own voice.
How did you first get interested in art? I always drew as a child. When I was about 10 years old, I first saw THE BROKEN PITCHER by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, and I realized that I had a lot to learn to someday understand how this master painter produced his work.
Where did you study art? I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the California College of the Arts. I continued by earning teaching credentials from Cal State University, Hayward. Later I pursued post-graduate studies at the Academy of Art University, San Jose State University, Dominican University, and the University of Valencia in Spain.
What is your creative process like? I do gesture drawings and value studies, and I take a lot of reference photos to capture the light’s effects.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? Winning an award in a national competition conducted by the California Watercolor Association. Showing watercolor paintings at the juried Sausalito Fall Festival. Being the consultant for Savoir-Faire and Sennelier art materials.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? I give drawing and painting workshops as well as lectures and demonstrations.
What galleries represent your work? www.camillelapointelyons.com.

DOTTIE STANLEY

What inspires you to paint? I love to paint people in a situation that conveys an important message to the viewer. When painting landscapes or florals, I use dramatic lights and darks or bright colors to convey the essence of the image.
How would you describe your style? Representational, realistic, and following the teachings of the Art Students League of New York.
How did you first get interested in art? I loved drawing faces in grammar school. I remember getting disciplined by the nuns in my Catholic school for drawing in class. When I was 17, I visited a private art group painting from a model, and I got hooked by what I saw and the smell of oil paints. From then on, it was a no-brainer that I would be an artist.
Where did you study art? Santa Rosa Community College, the San Francisco Art Institute, the Art Students League of New York, the Ridgewood Art Institute, and in various workshops with Everett Raymond Kinstler, Wolf Kahn, Mary Beth McKenzie, David Leffel, and more.
What is your creative process like? I usually paint from a model. In painting florals, still lifes, and landscapes, I look for a particularly striking scene that I can capture and convey on canvas in a more beautiful way.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? My most memorable time was when an antiquities refurbisher and architect purchased 13 of my paintings to place in his very large palazzo in Italy. I visited his home and saw my paintings hanging next to famous 15th-century paintings.
What galleries represent your work? La Jolla Community Center, La Jolla, CA, and www.dottiestanley.com.

This story was featured in the November 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art November 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

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