FEATURED ARTISTS

Join us for an extraordinary celebration of art at the California Plein Air Festival, presented by the City of Palm Desert. This year, we are thrilled to feature 17 nationally recognized landscape artists from around the globe, each bringing their distinctive style to the desert. Known for their breathtaking depictions of diverse environments — from tranquil seascapes to towering mountains and vast deserts — these Featured Artists represent one of the largest gatherings of landscape art talent in the United States. Their interpretations of landscape promise to inspire and captivate. While they will be showcasing their works at the Artists Center in Palm Desert, we invite you to click on their names to the left to read their stories and explore their fantastic creations.

Geoff Allen

After graduating from Claremont Graduate University with a MFA in 1990, Geoff worked as a scenic painter in Hollywood, taught drawing, and ran art galleries. In those days, he made sculptural reliefs of poured plaster, fiberglass, and syringes filled with acrylic paint. Eventually, Geoff’s move to a town near San Diego and his appreciation of life and the beauty of nature led him to painting en plein air on paper in watercolor. In recent years, Geoff has won numerous awards and was featured in an article and on the cover of Plein Air Magazine in July 2024. geoffallenart.com

John Budicin

Born in Rovigno, D’Istra, Italy, John moved to California at the age of 11. After several years as a commercial artist and freelance illustrator, he took the opportunity to pursue his dream of becoming a plein-air artist when his employer moved out of state. John loves to paint directly from nature and does so almost every day. Many of his paintings depict the landscape near his home in San Bernardino, California. He has taught workshops in the United States and Italy and written several articles for art publications. John’s work has been seen in numerous solo and group exhibitions, and he has won many awards. johnbudicin.com

Siam Caglayan

Saim Caglayan was born in Istanbul, Türkiye, and came to the United States to study architecture but switched to sculpture. He received a bachelor of arts from California State University, Long Beach, and taught at California Community Colleges for more than 20 years. His love of landscape painting led Saim to found the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association in 1996; it is now a nationally recognized organization. In 2001, Saim and his wife, Maggie, moved to Kaua’i, Hawaii, where they have immersed themselves in island life and art. Saim’s work has been seen in many exhibitions and commissioned for many public and private collections. saimcaglayan.com

Steven Hill

Steven won a city-wide art contest when he was only a fourth grader in Boise, Idaho. He says art helped him to survive high school, college, and the Army, where he became an illustrator. He received his MFA in painting from Washington State University, help set up and taught at a private art school in the San Juan Islands of Washington State, and started his successful graphic design business. Since the late 1990s, Steven has been painting full time, and he enjoys painting en plein air. He has won numerous prestigious awards. His work is in several museum, private, and corporate collections, including Zion National Park, where his painting hangs alongside those of Thomas Moran and other notable artists of the past century. windsweptstudios.com

Peggy Immel

Peggy Immel was born in Phoenix, Arizona, lived in Boston for over 30 years, and ultimately ended up settling in Taos, New Mexico with her husband Steve. She studied architecture at Arizona State University and took classes at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the DeCordova Museum School, MA, and the Silvermine Arts Center, CT. She is a Master Signature Member of the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico, and a Signature member of the Plein Air Artists Colorado, and American Women Artists. Her work has been seen in numerous national exhibitions and has won many awards. She is represented by Sorrel Sky Gallery in Santa Fe, NM and Durango, CO, and Wilder Nightingale Fine Art in Taos. www.peggyimmel.com

Rose Irelan

From an early age, Rose’s talent for sketching and drawing set her upon a lifelong journey in art, including a successful career as an illustrator and graphic designer, and  over 20 years as a full-time painter and instructor. Rose earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Illustration with a minor in Fine Art from the Columbus College of Art and Design. After a 20-year career as a graphic designer and illustrator, she rediscovered painting. Living on San Diego’s coast, she has a diverse variety of subjects to paint from the ocean to the desert, and the mountains. Rose’s work has won awards of excellence. She shares her expertise through workshops and mentorships. roseirelan.com

Mark Kerckhoff

Mark Kerckhoff, a sixth-generation Californian, discovered his love of the landscape while growing up and hiking in rural Los Angeles County. The snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains, coastlines and canyons are the subjects of much of his work. He is also drawn to the Coachella Valley and the landscape along the Borrego-Salton Seaway, where he likes to camp and paint “the best arroyos in the low desert for color and design.” His paintings are steeped in tradition, inspired by Hermann Herzog, William Keith, and Thomas Moran. Jean Stern, director emeritus of the Irvine Museum at University of California, Irvine, noted that Mark’s paintings “show his superb ability to draw, his solidity of form and perspective, and most of all his unfailing facility with color. His paintings are always characterized by a unique and convincing sense of outdoor light, and like few other artists…” Mark also teaches plein air classes and gives demonstrations, sharing his knowledge with artists looking to advance their skills. kerckhoffpaintings.com

Elaine Mathews

Elaine Mathews was born in Lakeview, Ohio, in 1941. This same year her family moved to Compton, California. Her formative years were spent drawing and painting the changing light and shadows cast by the sun on the San Gabriel Mountains.She holds a B.A. in studio art from California State University, Long Beach, and a M.A. from Azuza Pacific University. Elaine is also co-chairperson of Calif. Art Club desert chapter. Elaine retired as Chairperson of the Art Department at Savanna High School in Anaheim, California, in order to devote more time to painting. Her favorite subjects are the coast, mountains and deserts of California. Elaine’s award-winning art work is included in the art collections of Nissan Motor Corporation, AVCO Financial and many private ones. elaineartist.com

Kami Mendlik

Kami Mendlik is a nationally and internationally known painter, instructor, and author of “Color Relativity”. Her ability to translate the illusion of light has made her work highly sought after by collectors and patrons. She founded the St. Croix River School of Painting in Stillwater, Minnesota where she teaches the fundamentals of representational painting. Her studio, a converted 100 year-old barn, looks over 16 acres of endless inspiration for a landscape painter.  She is the recipient of many distinguished awards including the Dorothy Driehaus Mellin Fellowship, the Bronze Medal at the 2022 Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition, and was awarded “Distinguished Alumni Recipient” of Stillwater Area High School. kamimendlik.com

Lisa Mozzini-McDill

Lisa Mozzini-McDill graduated from San Diego State University with Honors, Distinction in Art and a BA in Graphic Communications. Lisa is an Artist Member of the California Art Club and a Signature Member of Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. She worked as a graphic artist, illustrator, and portrait artist for over 10 years in San Diego. Today she works in oil, producing “plein air” landscapes, larger studio works, and commissioned portraits. Lisa’s work has received numerous awards and has been juried into Oil Painters of America National and Western Regional shows, Art Renewal Center International Salon, NOAPs International On-LineExhibitions, Greenhouse Gallery Salon International, LPAPA’s Best of Plein Air and Signature Impressionism Shows. She has been published in Orange County’s Best magazine, the artist’s spotlight of The Press-Enterprise, and was also featured as an “Artist to Watch”. lisamozzini-mcdill.com

Aaron Schuerr

Aaron Schuerr studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and an art college in Scotland. At his graduation in Scotland in 1995 he sold out his degree show, and moved to Montana, where he became a full-time professional artist in 2004.  The heart of his work is in the outdoors, absorbing the pattern of light on the landscape. Living in Montana, he has plenty of inspiration for his landscapes. He paints in both pastel and oil, alternating between the mediums seamlessly. He has participated in many plein air events, is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America, the American Impressionist Society, and West Coast Pastel Society.  He has received numerous awards and has been featured in Plein Air Magazine and Southwest Art Magazine. aaronschuerr.com

Jeff Sewell

Jeff grew up in Southern California, and is known for his landscapes and seascapes painted primarily in plein air, which is a passion of his. As Director of Education and Mentorship for Laguna Plein Air Painters (LPAPA), Jeff passed on the importance of Impressionism to hundreds of young students each year. Jeff studied art at USC and Irvine Valley College. He is most influenced by the work of artists like Edgar Payne, William Wendt, and Joaquin Sorrolla. He has won numerous awards, including Best of Show in the prestigious 2022 Laguna Plein Air Invitational, and first place in the Borrego Springs Plein Air Invitational. His painting, “Catalina Twilight”, hangs in the permanent collection of IMCA of UCI (formerly the Irvine Museum). He is a Signature Member of LPAPA and an Artist Member of the California Art Club.  jeffsewellart.com

Thomas Smith

Tom Smith is entirely self-taught, and has been painting his entire life. He is particularly drawn to painting dramatic landscapes, especially the Sierra. He believes a painting should be “large enough to do justice to the immensity of the Sierras” and rarely works smaller than 18 x 24. He wants the viewer to feel as though they can walk into his paintings. During the 90’s and the early 2000’s, Tom painted along the sidewalks and beachside in LaJolla, CA, selling about 200 pastel seascapes to tourists and locals. Since retiring from his profession as a classroom teacher, Tom has been a full-time painter. sierrapastels.squarespace.com

Otto Sturcke

Otto was born in 1971, and is primarily self-taught. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps in hopes of obtaining financial aid for college. after returning from Desert Storm, he enrolled in art workshops and eventually became an illustrator. He works in pastel and is greatly influenced by the Dutch Masters. Otto’s work has been widely recognized with countless awards including 2024 Best of Show PSSC Members’Exhibition, Gold Category, 2024 PSWC MOOS Show, Signature/Distinguished Category, Best of Show 2023 ART Tehachapi. Otto has attained Master Circle Status with the International Association of Pastel Societies, and Master Pastelist title and Gold Medal by the Pastel Society of America. In 2020 he was invited to exhibit in the Zhuhai International Exhibition in China. His works are included in the American Latino Collective at the Smithsonian Museum. sturckestudio.com

Durre Waseem

Durre grew up in Pakistan in a family that loved to draw and color. She took art classes in college and ended up earning a Masters degree from Punjab University where she taught for seven years. She also taught for three more years at a women’s college before moving to the United States, where she has been an Adjunct Instructor at the Art Institute of California-Inland Empire. In recent years, Durre has become nationally known through her participation in numerous plein air events all across the country. She has received many awards for her work which is full of energy and flows between abstract and representational with ease. She is known for plein air paintings in which she depicts scenes of figures in urban settings. She is a 2024 California Art Club Gold Medal Winner of the Plein Air Magazine Award of Excellence. durrewaseem.com

Toni Williams

Toni Williams has been a professional artist and muralist for over 20 years. She is a member of the Rancho Santa Fe Art Guild, the San Diego Art Guild, and is a Signature member of the American Impressionist Society. A native of New York, Toni moved to San Diego in 1972 to attend UCSD and earn a Bachelors degree in visual arts. Toni’s work is influenced by the early California landscape painters Maurice Braun, Charles Fries, and Frank Bischoff. Toni is known for her application of “juicy” paint and capturing the colors of the California landscape. She also enjoys painting seascapes. Toni has participated as one of the 13 invited artists in the Borrego Springs Invitational for multiple years in addition to many other plein air events. toniwilliamsart.com

Jim Wodark

Jim Wodark, originally from Colorado, is an award winning painter. He came from a family that encouraged creativity, and that led him to take an art class each semester in college. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Northern Colorado. He began his career as a cartoonist, later moving to California where he began painting with oils. Jim is now a full time artist concentrating on both plein air and studio work. He has won multiple awards and is an Artist Member of the California Art Club and a Signature Member of Laguna Plein Air Painters. His instructional video, “Composition for Painters” answers the question, “What makes a good painting good!” jimwodark.com