Rachel Segner
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My small acrylic paintings are bright and colorful, depicting fruits and vegetables. I paint on small canvas panels, mainly 6x6 or 6x12 rectangles.
My lampshades are made from patterned paper, handmade paper, or fun fabrics. I sell the shade separately or with the lamp. These lamps are little accent lamps that add a lit interest on tables and desks. They measure 15-21" in height. |
Jennifer Mally
www.haveaheartcreations.com www.etsy.com/shop/jennifermally www.facebook.com/JenniferMallyArt
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My art is about finding that happy place. You don't have to think too hard. You don't have to divine grand meanings in my paint strokes. All you need to do is smile. It is what it is. Simple, colorful, thoughtful, maybe even fun - one fleeting moment that I can give to you that will, perhaps, make you feel just a tiny bit good.
I take an idea and bring it down to its most basic form - it's most simple expression. And then I throw back in unexpected detail and quirky interpretation. Nature is my greatest inspiration, but symbols and pattern are also predominant in my work. I have a love of rhythm and repetition, which probably comes from my study of poetry - as well as a love of creating depth and dimension with color. My technique may look random, but it is far from it. I use acrylic paints on watercolor paper, canvas and sometimes wood and other found stuff to bring my ideas to life. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Minneapolis, I made Des Moines my home after getting my BA from Iowa State University. I studied art (graphic design, fiber art & independent study), journalism (advertising) and English (poetry). I founded my own stationery and paper goods line, Have A Heart Creations, in 1997 and continue to make and sell greeting cards as well as my original art and some licensing adventures. |
Shawn Palek
www.shawnpalek.com
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I had received an airbrush for a present at age 19 and was continually asking the manager of the Art Store, in Ames, how to use it. She recommended that I take the airbrush classes at the local community college (DMACC). Since I was already in the Criminal Justice program, I added the airbrush class as one of my electives. I enjoyed learning what you could do with the airbrush and at the end of the next semester, after completing the Airbrush II Class, I decided to leave the Criminal Justice program and enter into the Commercial Art program. I graduated in 1993 with an AA in Commercial Art. The previous summer I had started my first business with a classmate called Zombie Air Designs. We mostly painted on T-shirts and clothing. In 1994 we closed the business and moved onto other adventures.
In 1995, I started working at a shopping mall airbrushing t-shirts and from there I learned to paint on canvases, leathers, murals, and motorcycles. A couple of years after working at the mall, I started teaching the Airbrush classes for the same community college (DMACC) I graduated from and we opened a new location downtown Des Moines and branched into tattooing. In 2000, after doing all the painting for the shop, managing it, and trying my hand at tattooing, I left to stay at home with my daughter and do freelance work. In 2004 an opportunity arose to start a custom paint business with an acquaintance. During this time I perfected the art of painting on motorcycles, vehicles, and helmets. I have accumulated over 50 ribbons at the Iowa State Fair in the Creative Arts competition (so much so that they changed the rules for entering because of me). I also took Best of Show in 2005 in the Fine Arts competition at the State Fair. In 2008 I had my first bike on the cover of a magazine, American Iron Customs. I have also received numerous trophies for my paint work on motorcycles. Currently I teach for DMACC, belong to the art group Art-A-Holics, put on my own themed art shows in the Des Moines area and have a home based studio where I do freelance work. |
Misty Palek
www.mistypalek.com
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Misty has been a self-taught watercolor artist for the past 4 years, and really enjoys creating one-of-a-kind vibrant paintings.
Misty discovered her love of watercolors by trying various mediums before settling on watercolors as her norm. Her paintings are a breath of fresh air with a punch of vibrant color. She has succeeded at representing still life as well as having a hint of abstract to represent a fun integral background. In recent works she has developed a series of new paintings that take little animals and place them in interesting landscapes, for example a wiener dog in a peach row house. She also is currently writing a children's book based on the series she's currently working on, called The FrVeges series. |
Deb Baughman
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I live in southern Iowa close to the Missouri border, in a rural community. I retired from teaching art, and now paint full time, using oils and watercolors. I have a painterly realistic style in which I try to convey my enjoyment of the process. Recent works use vintage family photos as references, as well as the midwest landscape.
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Terry Dooley
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I have taken lessons in drawing and painting both in my youth and locally within the last 15 years in Iowa. I enjoy painting with watercolors and creating images which define a location.
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Leah White
www.leahwhiteillustration.com
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My illustrations & paintings are inspired from my life growing up on the Iowa prairie. I am influenced greatly by nature and most of my work is of botanicals and birds. I graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelors degree in Biological and Pre-Medical Illustration with an emphasis in botany and anatomy. I currently live on my family's century farm in Woodward, Iowa.
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Lisa Cooper
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Acrylics on canvas - usually small (6 x 6) or (10 x 10). May have larger works available too. Pet portraits and farm animals are very popular. Bright colors that appeal to a wide audience, fun inexpensive artwork for people to purchase.
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Leslie Leavenworth
www.leslieleavenworth.com
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Although a nurse by profession, Leslie has studied painting since age six. Since moving here 15 years ago, Leslie has fallen in love with the quiet beauty of the Iowa landscape. You will find her most weekends painting on location with the Saturday sketch group or studying portraits under Mary Muller. Leslie is experimental in her approach, trying a variety of mediums and subject ideas. Her artwork is an eclectic mix of landscapes, portraits, and abstracts reflecting this journey of exploration.
Leslie has participated in juried shows in the metro area, and her awards include first place in oil painting at the Iowa State Fair, first place at the Hoyt Sherman Women's Show and best in show at the Heritage Gallery Des Moines Exhibited Show. She is a signature member of the Iowa Watercolor Society. |
Luke Hubbard
http://www.artbyluka.com/
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Luke grew up in Dallas Center and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa. He currently resides in Ankeny with his wife Jennifer.
The couple owns a new home, one that has a lot of blank wall space. So Luke set about making paintings to fill those walls. Friends and family were taken by the décor. “It just makes me feel good,” said one. Indeed, much of Luke’s work is very emotional. Painting offers him a break from the tediously detailed pen and ink illustrations he’s spent much of his life creating. In brushes and canvas, he can just cut loose and give form to pure energy and aggression. But there is a method to the madness. He logs ideas every day, making sketches and doodles that seem to have a bit of magic in them. Then, with the blank canvas calling him, he begins. When he’s painting, he seeks balance in color, shape, and lines. He’ll work (and rework) some canvases over and over again until he’s sure the feeling is right for the moment. In those bursts, when everything seems to flow, the paints have minds of their own, guiding Luke, instead of the other way around. When the act of creation seems like a direct connection to a deep emotional well, when the brushes seem to be the ones in control, that’s when Luke is happiest in his work. That other people seem to get a kick out of those colors and lines adds immeasurably to his joy. |
Brian Duffy
http://www.brianduffycartoons.com/
Jo Myers-Walker
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After a 25 year career at The Des Moines Register as the last front page cartoonist in the nation, Duffy has entered into the land of the freelancer. His cartoons are nationally syndicated by King Features Syndicate and appear in over 400 newspapers. Duffy has been the cartoonist of record for the Iowa Caucuses since 1984. He also draws for Cityview, produces monthly cartoons for Iowa Momentum Magazine and The Hightower Lowdown, and produces animated cartoons for KCCI. Duffy has received two World Hunger Media Awards, two Best of Gannett awards, the Clarion Award, and was a finalist for the prestigious John Fischetti Award. He has produced two collections of his work: A Decade of Duffy, and More of Duffy. His gallery of watercolor paintings, entitled Ghost Roads, is made up of images captured while riding his mountain bike down Iowa's gravel roads and depicts the swiftly vanishing culture of an Iowa that is being lost to time.
Watercolor and acrylic sculpture Jo Myers-Walker has created a visual choir in watercolor and acrylic sculpture. Her technique aerates swirling energy and animated figures professing an array of everyday experiences. Paying special attention to color, texture, and forms, she sketches out a moment in time. She has been an artist and educator for over 30 years and enjoys helping others realize they are artists, too. Her work can be seen in galleries in the Midwest, especially her birds. Housed in a new barn located on her property, Betsy Peterson Designs is known for its whimsical folk art. The barn houses both a gallery and working studio. Betsy creates figures and painted wooden designs from the heart. Des Moines based artist working with unique materials to create representative and abstract imagery. Paintings are metal leaf, tar, and plaster on board - no paint. The images on display are sized 4’x6’. |
