How do you find inspiration?
Barbara Hack: As an artist, I have always held a deep passion for the figure, which is central to my work. My paintings serve as an ongoing exploration of people and their emotions, allowing me to connect with the essence of each individual I portray. I seek out a diverse array of figures, each representing a unique mood and context that resonates with my own experiences.
In every painting or drawing, I strive to capture an ephemeral moment—those fleeting expressions and gestures that tell a story. This relationship between myself and the figure is vital; it’s a dialogue that transcends the canvas, revealing the complexities of human connection. Through my art, I aim to make these moments last in time, inviting viewers to pause and reflect on the shared human experience.

What is the best thing about being an artist?
Barbara Hack: The best part of being an artist is the constant presence of inspiration all around you. It’s in the smallest details—the way light filters through trees or the the expressions on people’s faces. . Inspiration doesn’t have to be sought; it’s always there, waiting to be noticed. It’s in the quiet moments, in the unexpected, and in the mundane. As an artist, you’re always open to the world around you, finding beauty in the everyday, and turning it into something unique.

Inspiration and art are inseparable.

To see more of Barbara’s work, visit:
Website

Wrapped in You, 2022
by Narelle Zeller
22.4 × 22.4 in
Oil on linen

Narelle Zeller is an Australian representational portrait and figurative oil painter. Her refined oil paintings explore the beauty of the human condition and our environment, drawing inspiration from the people around her and her own personal life experiences. She aims to capture an honest and authentic representation of her subject and stir the viewer to question and connect to the personal and individual story behind each painting. Her paintings are found in the permanent collection of the Art Renewal Center as well as private collections. She recently exhibited in Figurativas at the European Museum of Modern Art.

To see more of Narelle’s work, visit:
website

Bonnie Zahn Griffith: Bonnie Griffith’s “Simply Aglow” captivates with its warm, harmonious tones and impressionistic style. Inspired by the beauty of the western landscape, Griffith renders her vision in oils and pastels, inviting viewers to step into the scene and craft their own story. Her work showcases the timeless allure of nature through her mastery of light and texture. Griffith works both en plein air and in studio and has work represented in several galleries across the west

To see more of Bonnie’s work, visit:
website

How did you develop your unique style?
Poppy Balser: It was when I began with watercolours that I started to make progress with my paintings. I started painting outside shortly after that. Having to work quickly at a pace to keep up with the changing light of the sun helped me develop what has become my way of painting. I was not consciously seeking a “style” I was simply painting things I like to look at: water, boats, the seashore of the Bay of Fundy. Over years and lots of practice I found what worked for me to make pictures that I like to look at. I have been blessed that viewers like what they see too.

What is the most interesting thing you have painted and why?
Poppy Balser: I did a number of paintings of herring weirs. These are fishing structures that once dotted the shores of the Bay of Fundy, made of tall poles strung with netting. As the tide rises and falls, the nets strung from pole to pole are a fascinating visual subject. Weirs have almost entirely disappeared now so I paint them to document an important part of the local history of where I am from.

To see more of Poppy’s work, visit:
Website 

What is the best thing about being an artist?
Cynthia Inson: The best thing about being an artist is the journey of learning, analysis, decision making and discovery that I so enjoy as I create. All these things truly fuel and run my engine.

Painting is much like writing to me. Instead of words I am using paint, color, brushstroke, lines, form to develop the story and create an impression of mood, light, distance, and three-dimensionality on a two-dimensional surface and space.

My goal, as an artist, is to captivate the viewer, to convince them to feel that sense of awe and joy that I felt seeing the sky that I painted or the mountains, roses, water, whatever. The goal is to stop them in their tracks and for them to respond and enjoy the impression the painting evokes.

The added challenge, for me as an artist, is also to create paintings that continue to draw the viewer in, to visually wander, to see parts or the whole of the painting differently over time. This worthy challenge also continues to fuel my growth as an artist.

Cynthia is represented by the Nedra Matteucci Galleries, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 505-982-4631

To see more of Cynthia’s work, visit:
Website 

How did you develop your unique style?
JuliAnne Jonker: My journey began at a traditional Atelier school, where I honed my skills in classical techniques. I later discovered encaustic and cold wax painting, influenced by my background in photography and mentorship from several abstract painters. My current style is a fusion of both abstract and traditional elements. This blend not only reflects my artistic evolution but also my passion for exploring the interplay between abstraction and realism.

What is the most interesting thing you have painted/sculpted and why?
JuliAnne Jonker: I find profound inspiration in creating portraits of artists I admire. Two standout pieces include an encaustic wax painting of Jimi Hendrix and a bronze sculpture of Alphonse Mucha. Each portrait deepens my connection with the subject and the artistic community. Creating these works felt like tapping into a universal creative thread, making the experience particularly enriching and meaningful for me.

To see more of JuliAnne’s work, visit:
Website 

Chelsie Nicole Contemporary is an art gallery and atelier in the Historic River District in Ozark, Missouri. Showcasing award-winning representational art from across the globe, the gallery is devoted to promoting and advancing contemporary figurative works.

We value the living artists working to create these new masterpieces and strive to advance the future of figurative work by connecting contemporary artists with collectors and offering skill-based studio education rooted in excellence and tradition. The atelier provides ongoing classes and hosts a wide array of workshops taught by modern masters.

Visit our website to view our upcoming exhibition schedule and available collections of timeless art, or to enroll in our upcoming classes or workshops.

Second Chances is dedicated to those daring enough to set down the past, make a new covenant, and look towards the future.

Anxious Contemplation explores how we navigate life’s decisions and changes. Anxiousness can often accompany our thoughts when we face decisions… whether moving towards the light of new possibilities or confronting the shadows of the past.

Emma Kalff
Perennial Adolescent, 2024
Oil on panel
45 × 48 in | 114.3 × 121.9 cm

Kalff’s figures are often set against expansive, twilight-toned landscapes. Her paintings explore the liminal beauty of dusk, where light softens and reality takes on a surreal edge. She uses soft, moody tones to create a sense of stillness, inviting viewers to pause and reflect on the impermanence of time and memory.

In 2022, Kalff was featured in Southwest Art magazine’s “21 Under 31: Young Artists to Collect Now”. Her work has also been shown in American Art Collector magazine, Aesthetica magazine, and Studio Visit magazine. In 2023 she was listed as an “Artist to Watch” by Plein Air Magazine. Kalff’s paintings are in private and public collections, and have been shown at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art.

Kalff studied at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. She is currently based in Colorado, U.S.A.

Carole Belliveau: I paint plein air, studio landscapes and figures. Currently I am working on a collection featuring the children of Santa Fe, NM celebrating their Spanish Heritage during Fiesta. This collection along with landscapes of New Mexico will be offered in a solo show at Underwood Gallery, 225 Canyon Road, Santa Fe from September 6-27, 2025. Contact Raquel Underwood at 505-795-2295 for landscapes and figures.

To see more of Carole’s work, visit:
Website
Underwood Gallery, Santa NM 

At Realism Live recently, Eric Rhoads and Peter Trippi awarded artist Dawn Whitelaw with the Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award. Enjoy the following presentation that honors her journey:

Early Influences and Education

Dawn Whitelaw was born in 1945 to a mother who painted and wrote poetry, and a father who was a surgeon with a strong artistic side. Even her younger brothers are creative to this day.

While painting didn’t come into Dawn’s life until later, she was a ‘maker’ from very early on. Eventually, her father offered to pay for her college education in the arts, but with the agreement that Dawn would also pursue training as a teacher, which she says was “out-of-the-box thinking for a girl in the 60’s.”

She went on to earn a BA at Nashville’s Christian-focused Lipscomb University, LU, in 1967. There, she met Clay Whitelaw, with whom she later married and had their daughter, Benja.

And despite the fact that she swore she’d never teach, it turned out to be something she truly has a passion for to this day.

First Steps Into the Art World

Dawn augmented her LU training by taking printmaking and sculpture classes at George Peabody College, which is now part of Vanderbilt University. Having trained primarily in graphic design, she duly landed a job creating pen-and-ink illustrations for the Yellow Pages.

Next came employment in a small advertising firm, then a stint as interim art director for a Nashville magazine. In 1987 she decided to “up her own game” by attending workshops all over the country. She was an enthusiastic and quick learner. On the side, Dawn taught as an adjunct at LU through 1999.

Mentorship and Artistic Growth

In the following years, Dawn took workshops with Raymond Everett Kinstler, whom today she describes as her mentor. She says, “I can’t even tell you how he shaped my path as a painter. I asked him, ‘How can I be a better portrait painter?’ And he replied, ‘Get out and paint the landscape.’ And that led me down another wonderful path.”

A visit to Dawn’s studio will reveal that she paints not only landscapes and portraits but also interiors, architectural paintings, still life, and even abstracts and experimental works.

Today most of the paintings she sells via galleries are landscapes — some created entirely en plein air. Dawn is unapologetically devoted to a late-19th-century aesthetic that highlights the way light and colors capture our eye.

Connecting with Portrait Subjects

When it comes to portraiture, Dawn says that along with sketchpads, paints, and brushes, one needs to bring sensitivity. Kinstler taught her the importance of aspects such as the way subjects tend to hold their head or posture, or what topic makes their eyes light up. Whenever possible, Dawn travels to meet her sitters, sketching them on site, taking reference photographs, talking with them about their interests, and seeing the clothes and backgrounds they prefer.

She brings the same attentiveness to detail to her landscapes. She says, “You might see a pretty scene, but what was it that made you want to paint it? The more you can connect personally and emotionally with the subject, the more it carries over to the canvas.”

Continuous Learning and Inspiration

Although Dawn continues teaching, she still attends workshops offered by others and is inspired by her peers and students alike. She says, “I learn more than just what the teacher is teaching, but also how students react to different approaches. This experience fine-tunes my own teaching.”

Dawn’s approach reminds us that learning never ends — there is always more growth ahead, no matter how talented one already is.

Dawn Whitelaw is a member of the Plein Air Painters of the Southeast, the Chestnut Group, Portrait Society of America, Oil Painters of America, and the Artist’s Fellowship. She has been featured as faculty for Plein Air South and the Plein Air Convention and Expo. In 2016, the American Impressionist Society elected her to Master status and she has a painting in the permanent collection of the Rahr-West Art Museum.

From Fine Art Connoisseur

It is our pleasure to present Dawn Whitelaw with the Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award.

See more from the artist at www.dawnwhitelaw.com.

View more artist and collector profiles here at FineArtConnoisseur.com.