As a representational painter Mitch believes that painting is a celebration of life and the beauty that surrounds us. He is devoted to the traditions of the late 19th century artists who looked to the figure and nature for inspiration regarding light, color, and design. Seeking out this inspiration, Mitch works directly from life to capture the qualities and nuances of natural light and color harmony. He has a strong conviction that great artistic communication depends on good draftsmanship, design and vision. His artistic desire is to “portray a positive visual statement and hope the viewer will experience what I see and in some sense be inspired, uplifted, or moved by my painting, whether it is of a small intimate setting or a grandiose subject.” Mitch resides in the desert southwest in Mesa, Arizona with his wife Emily and children Siena and Spencer. He is a Signature member of the Oil Painters of America as well as a member of the American Impressionist Society and the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters.

“Color has emotional weight and is related to the shape of space. Drawing or painting, for me, means to look at the thing and transmit its vitality to the canvas.” Aimee Erickson is a representational oil painter. Born in Paris (1967) and raised in Sunnyvale, California, she started oil painting at age eight. After earning a BFA in Visual Communication Design/Illustration, she developed a warm, inviting pictorial voice grounded in traditional realism, informed by the principles of design, and inspired by nature and human experience. She has also studied with a number of prominent painters. Her approach to painting tends to be very direct and experimental, without a set routine, and leans toward the abstract; she uses brushes mostly, palette knives frequently, and sometimes a bigger scraper or straightedge. Aimee teaches painting, drawing, and color theory at venues nationwide and overseas. She has a particular interest in what enables or inhibits artistic progress. How do we learn to see what we cannot yet see? How does expectation influence our ability to perceive? One of the winningest painters in the plein air world, Aimee took home Best of Show and Artists' Choice at Plein Air Easton in 2019; she has also won Best of Show at Laguna, Olmsted, Carmel, Sonoma, and Pacific Northwest Plein Air. She was a finalist at the Portrait Society of America, is a signature member with multiple awards from Oil Painters of America, and won Best of Show at an American Women Artists national show. In 1997 she painted the official gubernatorial portrait of Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts. She has travelled to China and Russia to paint and is an inaugural member of En Train Air. Aimee lives in Portland, Oregon, and carries a sketchbook.

A self taught artist, Dave Santillanes began painting shortly after graduating from Colorado State University with a degree in Graphic Design. But he points to his first plein air excursions as the true beginning of his development as a painter where direct observation allowed for a more precise rendering of color, light and atmosphere. And although studying the physical aspects of nature is important, it isn’t the only reason Dave paints outdoors. He says, “the sensory experience of being there is equally important. There’s no better way to get to really know a place than to sit for a couple of hours and contemplate it while painting. This intense observation brings a spiritual intimacy with the scene that can’t be achieved in mere passing and allows me to “speak” with complete sincerity in each painting.” Dave’s passion for painting has led to a number of recent awards including First Place in the Signature Division of the 2019 OPA Fall Showcase, 3rd Place Overall at the 8th Annual Plein Air Salon Finals, First Place in the Landscape Category at the 12th annual International ARC Salon, and the Landscape Award of Excellence at the 25th National Oil Painters of America Show. He’s also won numerous awards for his plein air work and has been featured in both Plein Air and Southwest Art Magazine.