Catching up with 7 artists we featured years ago
This story was featured in the September 2017 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2017 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
Amanda Fish
Featured in 2012
Amanda Fish, Hydrangea and Lemons, oil, 8 x 10.
How has your artwork changed since you were last featured? I’ve given myself more freedom on how I approach a painting. I’ve learned that once you practice the rules, and you reach a comfort level with your initial limited palette, your individual creative force takes over. I don’t limit my palette as much and enjoy exploring vibrant, transparent color. If I feel the composition or objects lend themselves to a looser, more painterly approach, I go with that.
What have been your greatest accomplishments since then? Having a career as an artist. Staying focused and dedicated can be an accomplishment in itself, since it’s only you. Successes have come in a variety of forms: galleries, teaching, shows and awards. But forging strong, supportive relationships with fellow artists has simply been the best.
What has been the biggest turning point in your career? The year 2012. I was juried to be an exhibiting artist at Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach, I was an Artist to Watch in Southwest Art magazine, and I had my first solo show. Each of those events was significant and very special.
What are your goals for the future? To expand my audience. I used to participate in more national shows, and somehow that fell by the wayside. Artistic growth and development are exciting; they keep me passionate about painting. I want to explore, learn, and challenge myself, especially in still-life composition.
What galleries represent your work? Chemers Gallery, Tustin, CA; Debra Huse Gallery, Balboa Island, CA; and www.amandafishfineart.com.
Caleb Meyer
Featured in 2011
Caleb Meyer, Cotton and Blue, oil, 12 x 24.
How has your artwork changed since you were last featured? I am still inspired by many of the same things, but I have become more skilled at rendering and creating a sense of place.
What have been your greatest accomplishments since then? Six years ago my wife and I decided that I should paint full time, so I resigned from my job teaching high school art. Two weeks later I got a call from Southwest Art saying I was included in the “21 Under 31” editorial. That was a very exciting time, and my greatest accomplishment since then has been providing for my wife and three kids while creating and doing what I love.
What has been the biggest turning point in your career? After one year of painting full time, money was tight. I was going to wait until the spring, and if things weren’t better by then I’d look for another teaching job. But a few months later I had a solo show and sold 10 paintings. The next month I had a show in Great Falls, MT, and sold everything. That gave me confidence in the new direction we were headed.
What are your goals for the future? I would like to do more diptychs and triptychs, but more than anything, I want to keep things in perspective in life; I hope that I am always a husband and a father first.
What galleries represent your work? Dana Gallery, Missoula, MT; Horizon Fine Art, Jackson, WY; Terzian Galleries, Park City, UT; Kneeland Gallery, Ketchum, ID.
Pem Dunn
Featured in 2010
Pem Dunn, Green Willows, oil, 20 x 20.
How has your artwork changed since you were last featured? I think my work is more refined. I am concentrating more on my use of transparent glazing where, for example, I can produce a river that you can actually see down through the surface of the water. I also find that I am a lot more patient, take my time, and don’t hurry to finish.
What have been your greatest accomplishments since then? As an artist, my goal is to share what I see and feel about the subject I am painting, but most of the time I don’t know if I am succeeding. Recently, I received a note from a person who had purchased one of my paintings. The collector said she had been going through a very difficult time in her life, and she wanted to tell me that when she looked at my painting, she felt at peace. This was the best “award” I have ever received.
What has been the biggest turning point in your career? One of the biggest things that helped me improve was teaching regularly at the Center for the Arts Evergreen in Colorado. I think the basics of painting are the very foundation of producing good works. By constantly emphasizing this with students, it keeps me focused on this in my own work.
What are your goals for the future? I always strive to improve my work. One of the things I like most about painting is that there is no final goal to reach and there is always excitement in discovering something new.
What galleries represent your work? Studio 8369, Grand Lake, CO; Settlers West Galleries, Tucson, AZ.
Paula B. Holtzclaw
Featured in 2010
Paula B. Holtzclaw, Underway, oil, 18 x 18.
How has your artwork changed since you were last featured? After continued years of “putting paint to the canvas,” I feel that I’m “seeing” and interpreting my subjects with a more discerning eye. While employing a freer use of color, I find limited-palette painting offers me enjoyment and new challenges.
What have been your greatest accomplishments since then? There are so many outstanding artists out there today, so to be recognized by your peers and mentors is an honor in and of itself. After admiring and working with the many outstanding women in American Women Artists, it was quite an honor to be awarded its Master designation in 2013. Also, in 2015, winning Best of Show at the Women Painters of the Southeast’s juried exhibition was a special moment.
What has been the biggest turning point in your career? Although I have always had a fear of public speaking, I had to face that fear several years ago when I agreed to judge a major art show. Since then I’ve been called upon to judge or jury several shows each year, therefore becoming more comfortable with the microphone. I enjoy viewing art from a different prospective and being on the other side of the canvas.
What are your goals for the future? To delve into some figurative work, give more back to the art community—specifically to young artists—and run a half marathon!
What galleries represent your work? Anderson Fine Art Gallery, St. Simons Island, GA; Cheryl Newby Gallery, Pawleys Island, SC; Highlands Art Gallery, Lambertville, NJ; Providence Gallery, Charlotte, NC; Williamsburg Art Gallery, Williamsburg, VA.
Kerry Schroeder
Featured in 2011
Kerry Schroeder, Wavelength, acrylic, 12 x 12.
How has your artwork changed since you were last featured? Previously my work featured large representational botanical forms, set against abstract environments. Now, the background has come forward, and the nature forms are part of that environment. More often, the forms I make imply the feeling of nature, whether that is the natural world around us or our human nature. I also now create space and a sense of mystery, so that the viewer has room to come in, explore, and interpret for themselves.
My work also emphasizes dualities—juxtapositions of light and dark, raw and refined, form and formlessness, the seen and unseen. I’m painting much more intuitively, and there is much more risk and freedom.
What have been your greatest accomplishments since then? Finding my way to painting more authentically is a big accomplishment for me. The work I am making now carries much more truth for me in its process and meaning. And in turn, more people are connecting with it.
What has been the biggest turning point in your career? This past June I moved into a studio space with about 40 other artists. Up until this time my studio had been at home. The move to this studio space has had a profound effect on my work and my commitment to my art.
What are your goals for the future? I will pay close attention and keep following where the art leads. I also want to connect with more collectors and expand my gallery representation.
What galleries represent your work? Costello Childs Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ.
Steven Lee Adams
Featured in 2011
Steven Lee Adams, Autumn Grazing, oil, 28 x 40.
How has your artwork changed since you were last featured? I think it’s difficult for an artist to assess changes in their work. It happens so incrementally that it’s almost imperceptible. I’ve always just painted what creates a sense of wonder in me. I’ve been labeled “Peter Pan” by one of my galleries. Peter doesn’t change much.
What have been your greatest accomplishments since then? After 25 years, I still paint for a living—nothing greater than that in my book. Oh, you mean accolades? My grandson thinks I’m great.
What has been the biggest turning point in your career? I’m currently in it. I’ve recently purchased an amazing building in the burgeoning artists’ community of Helper, UT. Built by J.C. Penney in 1927 as its second store, it’s 8,000 square feet of historical charm set in a rough-and-tumble mining and railroad town that once boasted 17 bars and a multitude of brothels. With room for an expansive new gallery space, studio/living quarters, and frame shop, it’s been quite an adventure.
What are your goals for the future? I really don’t have goals. I’m happy with what is, and I rise to what I find interesting as it appears. The future seems to take good care of itself without me chasing after goals and mucking it up.
What galleries represent your work? Adams Fine Arts, Helper, UT; Illume Gallery of Fine Art, St. George, UT; Kneeland Gallery, Ketchum, ID; Mary Williams Fine Arts, Boulder, CO; Mockingbird Gallery, Bend, OR.
Andrea Kemp
Featured in 2011
Andrea Kemp, Palio delle Contrade, oil, 32 x 32.
How has your artwork changed since you were last featured? The pace of my work has changed the most. It is partly due to life and family, but mostly because I strive for quality over quantity. My intention is to focus on creating interesting and thought-provoking work that can hopefully connect to a broader audience.
What have been your greatest accomplishments since then? I would have to say receiving Best of Show from Southwest Art in the Windows to the Divine show this past fall was a welcome surprise. The exhibition showcased a group of extremely talented artists, so my work being recognized among all of the talent was an honor. During the spring of 2016, my family and I spent about a month outside the medieval city of Siena, where I hosted a workshop. My hope had always been to teach in Italy, so bringing this dream to fruition was a wonderful experience.
What has been the biggest turning point in your career? I find the process of painting and my career to be a slow progression over the years. Putting together my first solo show in 2012 and my second in 2015 was huge for me. The process of creating a large body of work helps an artist formulate a solid vision of their work. Doing this helps me understand what I am working toward and, I believe, gives the audience something cohesive.
What are your goals for the future? Right now I am preparing for a special group show coming up in the spring of 2018. I think it is going to be an outstanding show.
What galleries represent your work? Saks Galleries, Denver, CO.
This story was featured in the September 2017 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2017 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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