S
Robert Sakson
Robert Sakson studied at Trenton Jr. College in Trenton N.J., before launching his career as an art director and illustrator. Even while managing the demands of his career, Sakson established himself as a fine artist and earned signature memberships in the American Watercolor Society as a Dolphin Fellow, Garden State, New Jersey and Philadelphia Watercolor Societies, Allied Artists of America and the Pastel Society of America. He is listed in Who's Who in American Art and has been in several publications on watercolor. His paintings are included in several corporate and private collections. Currently he teaches master watercolor classes at Perkins Center for the Arts in Moorestown, N.J. The artist maintains a studio in Trenton.
Charles Phillip Schaefer
A self taught, plein art artist, Mr. Schaefer has exhibited his work worldwide. In a career spanning over fifty years, he has won numerous awards and recognition at home and abroad. His work has appeared in publications and books on art. A charter member and judge for Landscape Artists International, the artist is a signature member of Plein Air Artists of Florida and several other prominent art associations and plein air art groups. More information at: www.SchaeferArtStudio.com.
Arthur Seiden
Art Seiden was born in Brooklyn. He graduated with a bachelor's from Queens College and studied for eight years at The Art Students League of New York. Upon entering the illustration field, he did corporate and advertising work for some of the largest companies in America including Hearst Publications, Hoffmann-LaRoche and General Motors. However, he was best known for children's book illustrations. Additionally, he was both author and artist of some 20 children's books. His memberships included the American Watercolor Society and the Society of Illustrators in New York.
(Compiled from Internet sources.)
Bob Selby
Bob Selby enjoyed a 20-year career as a staff illustrator at The Providence Journal. During that time, he was the recipient of numerous awards including a Fulbright Grant to research the history of caricature in Spain. Following this, he embarked on a career as a freelance illustrator, painter and sculptor. He has taught at the University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth, the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence and currently teaches full time at Champlain College in Burlington, Vt. His art career has garnered awards and recognition from The Associated Press, the Society of Illustrators in New York and the Society of Newspaper Design. In 2013, the artist got underway aboard the Cutter Healy to document its crew's activities and missions.
Robert Semler
Robert Semler studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, where he majored in figure and portrait art. The majority of his career was spent in the publishing and illustration fields. In 1992, he decided to devote more of his time to fine art, specializing then in maritime and portrait art. He was an adjunct professor of art at Gloucester County College in Sewell, N.J., and a certified instructor with the Portrait Institute. He was a long-time signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists and served as its president for five years. He was also a member of the Society of Illustrators in New York and the Portrait Society of America. His work is held in many public and private collections. In 2008, the Coast Guard sent him on artistic deployment to the National Strike Force in Charleston, W. Va., to view training exercises.
Mara Sfara
Connecticut-based artist Mara Sfara obtained a master's in fine arts from New York University and also pursued private instruction for 17 years. The artist's body of work includes both painting and sculpture. She has exhibited at museums and galleries in the U.S. and overseas and has work in many private and public collections. Her memberships include the Salmagundi Club, the National Arts Club and the National Sculpture Society—all New York City-based.
More information at: www.marafinearts.com
Craig Slaff
Craig Slaff obtained a degree in fine arts from Hartwick College of Oneonta, N.Y. His works have been shown in many museums including the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa, the
National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Fla., and the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. He is an artist fellow of the American Society of Aviation Artists and served as a trustee. The artist's works are held in collections in the U.S. and abroad and they have received numerous honors and awards.
Dino Sistilli
New Jersey-born Dino Sistilli began painting at a young age. He studied art at the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts), the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Fleisher Memorial Art School of Philadelphia. His artwork is held in many private and public collections and he is a recipient of numerous awards and recognitions. His artwork appeared in American Artist magazine and The Artists' Magazine. He has exhibited his work throughout the United States and in Europe. Sistilli is a member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club and the Salmagundi Club in New York, where he won the fellow member award from the American Artists Professional League of New York.
Douglas Smith
Santa Fe-based artist Douglas Smith received a bachelor's of fine arst from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence and went on to study at Yale University, completing the Joseph Albers Program. For 25 years, he was creative director for Avon Products, Inc. A member of the U.S. Air Force Art Program, the artist served as the Air Force Art Program committee chairman at the Society of Illustrators in New York. His works are held in the permanent collections of Air Force bases and in museums across the country, including the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and in private collections. The winner of numerous awards, the artist has exhibited in many galleries and museums including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. In 2009, the Coast Guard deployed the artist to Port Angeles, Wash., to view multilateral training exercises involving the Coast Guards of the U.S., Japan, Canada and Russia.
J. C. “Jim” Smith
J.C. “Jim” Smith, a resident of McMinnville, Ore., received a degree in architecture from the University of Oregon. He then served for a decade with the U.S. Coast Guard, including a post as a criminal investigator. For the next 33 years, he worked in state and federal law enforcement. At the same time, he ventured into art, working in pen and ink and later, watercolor, acrylics and graphite. Self-taught and also benefitting from guidance from professional artist friends, he has been in numerous shows and his work has received many awards. It has been featured in magazine and newspaper articles. Since retiring, he has been working full time as an artist, employing diverse mediums and has also found time to teach. Smith is a member of numerous art associations and watercolor societies including the American Watercolor Society, Realistic Watercolor Society, World Watercolor Society, Literature and Arts World Society, Alaska Aviators Art Society and the All About Art and Artist Society.
Ken Smith
Ken Smith is an assistant professor of graphic design at Radford University in Radford, Va. He is an experienced painter, designer, and art director, whose work has appeared in Print Regional Design Annual, the annuals of the New York Art Director's Club, Society of Illustrators and Society of Publication Designers, Graphics, Communication Arts, and Print magazine. Smith's publication and museum work includes depictions of the French and Indian War, the Civil War, World War II, and the world of Victorian actresses. The artist was formerly design director and vice president at Whittle Communications, and was the co-founder and creative director of Media South in Knoxville, Tenn. He holds a bachelor's of fine arts from the University of Tennessee (Knoxville campus), a master's degree from Syracuse University and a master's of fine arts from the University of Hartford in Connecticut. In 2008, the Coast Guard deployed the artist to Kings Bay, Ga., to view Maritime Safety and Security Team exercises. Three years later, the service sent him to Sector Detroit to observe contingency planning exercises.
More information at: www.kensmithhistoricalart.com
Tyson Snow
Tyson Snow, born in 1977, graduated at the top of his class from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. He began exhibiting his work in 2004. The artist's earlier work consisted primarily of complex drawings. Due to a compelling desire to create in different media, Snow subsequently began sculpting in clay, casting in bronze and painting in oils. His work has been accepted into several museums and juried art exhibitions where he has been the recipient of first place ribbons, merit awards and purchase awards for his sculpture, paintings and drawings. He has also been selected as a semi-finalist and winner of several public works bronze monuments commissions. Snow was a finalist for the "Cover Art Competition" in the American Artist Magazine (drawing issue). He was also featured in the American Art Collector Magazine a number of times, as well as other publications and newspapers. His works are held in public and private collections around the world. More information at: www.tysonsnow.com/.
Hodges Soileau
Hodges Soileau enjoyed a 25-year career designing books and book jackets for most of the major publishing houses in New York City. He is a signature member of the Oil Painters of America and the American Society of Marine Artists and a member of the Portrait Society of America and the U.S. Air Force Art Program, among others. His work has been exhibited extensively and has received numerous honors including best-in-show and awards of excellence. It is held in both private and public collections. Soileau was a member of the Coast Guard/Society of Illustrators Program and as such was commissioned by the Coast Guard to do a work in celebration of its bicentennial. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette, La.
More information at: www.hodgessoileau.com
Phyllis Solcyk
Phyllis Solcyk was formally trained at Los Angeles's Chouinard Art Institute on a scholarship. She began her career at Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif., where she worked on several major animated films plus early TV programs. She then went back to school and studied aerospace technology and spent the next 12 years working for Lockheed's missiles and space programs. She also attended numerous watercolor workshops in northern California. She was published in
100 Artists of the West Coast II and had watercolor illustrations published for children's books in "The Tadpole Series." She has paintings in public and private collections in Europe and in the United States, as well as the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress, both in Washington, D.C. The artist is a member and past president of the National Watercolor Society and a member of the California Art Club, Watercolor West, Women Painters West, the American Society of Marine Artists and the International Society of Marine Painters.
Jim Stagner
Jim Stagner is a Johnson City, Tenn., artist who works in watercolor and oil, and specializes in marine art subjects. He is a member of the Watuaga Valley Art League and its Roving Gallery. He is also a member of the American Society of Marine Artists and the International Society of Marine Painters and is a U.S. National Park Service artist. His work has been displayed locally at the Johnson City Municipal Building, SunTrust Banks and the Unicoi Heritage Museum and in national locations including the Pentagon and Cape Lookout National Seashore in N.C., as
well as in private collections across the U.S. More information at: www.artistjimstagner.com
Joan Steinmeyer
New York City-born Joan Steinmeyer has worked as an artist and teacher for more than 40 years. She studied art at Westfield University in Westfield, Mass., the city that has been her home since 1968. Recipient of numerous national awards, the artist works in many media including watercolor and oil. She has been teaching watercolor painting at the Springfield Museum in Springfield, Mass., since 1989 and firmly believes that the study of art is a life-long endeavor. She belongs to the Academic Art Association of Springfield, Mass., the North Shore Art Association of Gloucester, Mass., and the Gold Coast Watercolor Society of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Ken Stetz
New Jersey born Ken Stetz has had a lifelong interest in art. After graduating from the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship and working aboard a U.S. flag container ship, he pursued a career in art. He studied pictorial illustration receiving a degree at the Spectrum Institute for the Advertising Arts, and oil painting in the studio of noted American artist Frank E. Zuccarelli. After a highly accomplished career in graphic design and illustration, the artist turned his attention to fine art, drawing and painting marine subjects from the New Jersey Shore and other coastal areas. His paintings have won awards in juried shows including best painting in watercolor. His work was also chosen for publication in a noted book on art. The artist is a member of the American Society of Marine Artists and exhibited his work in one of its national exhibitions. He is also an art instructor and conducts demonstrations and workshops.
More information at: www.kenstetz.com
Shannon Stirnweis
Shannon Stirnweis studied for five years at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. After graduation, he served two years in the U.S. Army as an illustrator in Germany. Discharged in the late 1950s, he embarked on a career in illustration in New York City, where he eventually did book covers for virtually all the New York paperback publishers and illustrated over 30 children's books. After serving two years as president of the Society of Illustrators in New York City, he turned to fine art painting. His work is in the permanent collections of the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army Historical Museum and in many private and corporate collections. He has participated in numerous exhibitions, including ones at the New York Historical Society in Manhattan and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The artist was a member of the Coast Guard/Society of Illustrators Program and as such was commissioned by the Coast Guard to do a work in celebration of its bicentennial.
Annie Strack
Annie Strack is a classically trained artist who works in many media. Her art has been published in numerous magazines, including Art Calendar, The Artists' Magazine, The Crafts Report, Watercolor Magazine, House & Home, Gulf Coast Arts Review, Louisiana Life and Gallery Insider. She is the author of "The Artist's Guide to Business and Marketing," and has been a contributing editor to Professional Artist Magazine. She is an exhibit curator, art business consultant, art show juror and a workshop instructor. Her work is exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the country and held in numerous collections and museums worldwide.
More information at: www.anniestrackart.com
Charles Strissel
Chicago-born Charles Strissel served in the U.S. Army. He was a staff sergeant in the 87th Infantry Division in World War II under General Patton's Third Army, European Theater. The artist fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded the Bronze Star among other medals. For over four decades, he owned and ran an insurance company. Strissel studied at Chicago's American Academy of Art and Northwestern University. He was a signature member of the International Society of Marine Painters and founder and past president of the Illinois Watercolor Society, Inc. Strissel also was a board member and past teasurer of the Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art in Chicago. He taught at Chicago's Terra Museum of American Art, the
Mather Foundation in Wilmette, Ill., and at several other community colleges and art centers. The artist won many awards for his work and was frequently sought out as a juror. (Compiled from Internet sources.)
Norma Struck
A graduate of the New York City Pratt-Phoenix School of Design, Norma Johansen Struck enjoyed a long career as a professional illustrator and portraitist. Her work has been reproduced in Life magazine and Ladies Home Journaland eight of her mini-portraits hang in the Navy Historical Museum. Other commissioned portraits hang in the Pentagon. Her work has been exhibited extensively in the U.S. as well as overseas and is held in numerous public and private collections. An award-winning artist, she is listed in Who's Who in American Art and Who's Who in America. She is a member of the American Artists' Professional League, a life member of The Art Students League of New York, the Navy Art Program, the Salmagundi Club, and Society of Illustrators in New York, among others.
More information at: struckart.blogspot.com/
Walter Struck
New Jersey-born artist Walter Struck graduated from New York City's Parsons School of Design and went on to obtain a degree from New York University. He continued his education at Columbia University, where he received a master's degree. Upon graduating, he worked as an illustrator before serving in the U.S. Army in Japan and later, in the Korean War. For 34 years, Struck was an art teacher in a New Jersey public school. As an artist, he has exhibited work extensively in galleries in the New York metropolitan area. His art is held in numerous public and private collections.
Don Sturdivant
Don Sturdivant is a 1979 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy. He served aboard cutters and as a helicopter pilot. After receiving a graduate degree in information systems, he embarked on what would become a 20 year career as an information technology specialist. He retired from the Coast Guard in 1996 and soon resumed his lifelong interest in art. He studied art at the College of Charleston and participated in numerous workshops. The artist’s works consist of both representational and abstract paintings and he works in a variety of mediums. He is a member the Mount Pleasant Artists Guild and the Charleston Artists Guild and shows frequently at the Perspective Gallery in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
More information at: https://donsturdivantart.com/
William Sturm
William Sturm taught chemistry in a New Jersey high school for over 30 years but he discovered in the 1970s that his real passion was art. Subsequently, he studied at The Art Students League of New York for several years and also with a private instructor. What followed is a body of work in which Sturm has been able to incorporate his love of history, planes, boats, family and tradition.
Joseph Sweeney
Joseph Sweeney received a bachelor's of fine arts in painting and drawing from the Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts). He holds a master's in art and architecture from Penn State University. A landscape painter living in Ardmore, Pa., he has taught or is currently
teaching classes at several locations in Pennsylvania including the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the University of the Arts, Wayne Art Center, Woodmere Art Museum and Chester Springs Studio. He is the recipient of numerous best-in-show awards and his work is held in public and private collections and museums. Sweeney's work was also chosen by the State Department for its Art in Embassies Program.
More information at: www.joesweeneyart.com
Janet Syling
Janet Syling, a Texas native, opened and owned The Art Factory, a gallery and studio in New Mexico, where she was an instructor in oils. Her work has won prizes and honors nationally and internationally. She was selected to jury many shows and speak and demonstrate at conferences. Her work was published in several magazines.