Maya Eventov born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and grew up around art. She studied at the St. Petersburg State Academy of Industrial and Applied Arts beginning at age six. She graduated in 1987 with a master's degree in Graphic Design and began working as a illustrator for children's books. Eventov's paintings are characterized by a thick application of acrylic paint using a selection of different-sized palette knives. The paint is applied as both blended and pure colors. Smaller knives are used to create depth and detail in her paintings. She then uses a series of varnishes designed to create a wet paint effect. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, Maya immigrated to Canada where she now works and lives with her family. Her work can be found in collections throughout Canada, Great Britain and the United States.

Jeff Koehn is one of the hottest young artists in the United States today. Born in a small Wisconsin town, his first grade teacher was prescient when she told him: “You will be a famous artist some day.” Jeff received his formal art education from the Art Institute of Colorado, where he graduated with honors in December, 1995. While at the Art institute, he received extensive training in pastel, oil and acrylic painting from world renowned artists Doug Dawson, Lynn Kircher and Don Long. In 1995 he was awarded First Place in the national Creative “Geanie” Student Competition. Jeff’s style has evolved from early emphasis on photo-realism with the use of pastels in portraits. His earlier illustrative work has appeared in numerous publications. As he shifted to oil and acrylics, he has become absorbed with the excitement of color and texture, refining his paintings with dry brush techniques that lend both complexity and subtlety to his distinctive style. His influences come from Vermeer’s use of light spilling across his paintings, and also from John Singer Sergeant’s lush portraits.

Born in Kokand Uzbekistan, Irina Koulikov studied fine art at Moscow University. Before turning to painting, she was a student of music, studying at the Leningrad Conservatory and singing in the Rimsky-Korakov Opera Theatre. Her interest in the rhythms and harmony of nature is what first drew her to music. While the translucent light effects of William Turner’s paintings may be traced in Irina’s oeuvre, it is the 19th-century French romantic tradition that emerges as the most prominent influence for the artist. The soft brushstroke, diffuse light, and muted palette all recall Camille Corot’s portraits of the Fontainebleau Forest. Irina uses acrylic paint, applied in opaque layers to create volume. Most essential to her technique is the liberal use of liquid encaustic. In addition to creating a thick and dynamic texture, the wax medium also serves to seemingly age the canvas by softening and yellowing its color. The result is a dream-like quality in her work. Irina lives and works in Toronto. Her work is exhibited throughout North America.

Born in a small town in upstate New York, Jennifer Lister is the oldest of six children.  She grew up in the midst of the densely wooded surroundings of simple country landscape and enjoyed the adventures associated with miles of farmland and the freedom to explore the entire region’s nature.  She was inspired by all that is organic, and fascinated with thriving plant and animal life.  After attending Pratt & Munson Williams Art School, she continued her education at Syracuse University, working under Professor Jerome Whitkin.  After receiving her bachelor’s degree in 2002, Jennifer moved to the West Coast, where she now lives and works.

Born in Chicago, Ill., but transplanted to Arizona as a child, Nancy Ngo received her B.F.A. degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2001.  Nancy's awareness of the play of light and shadow and its effect on color plays an important role in her work today.  The dichotomy of the natural desert landscape of Arizona versus the urban downtown environment of Chicago led her to a certain "no rules" style of painting.  Her paintings have a certain raw, playful, and sometimes unfinished quality in which the work holds a kind of potential energy, excitement and freedom.  Ngo’s work is held in collections throughout the United States.

Starlie Sokol-Hohne was born in 1958 in Santa Monica, California and completed her studies at UCLA in 1980. Inspired by the work of Robert Rauchenberg, Starlie combines images of antiquity with contemporary mixed media printmaking techniques to create the reality of her idealized image. Her compositions include paint, textures of fabric, string, and patterned paper, photography, and more. The unique result is distinctively a Sokol-Hohne. Her work is in private, public and corporate collections throughout the United States.

Michael Schofield has been a professional artist for more than 25 years. He was born in Orlando, Florida in 1947, but grew up in the Oakland area. He started painting and studying the watercolor medium while still in high school. His art teacher recognized a special talent and tutored him privately for two years. He went on to earn a Fine Arts degree in Nashville, Tennessee. During his college summers Schofield studied under the well known watercolorist, John Pike, a contemporary of Robert Wood. Following college, he opened his own art studio where he transitioned into oils and acrylics. He taught and painted for twelve years before returning to California, where he continues to live and work today. Schofield’s work can be found in many private and corporate collections. A sampling includes The Library of Congress, Xerox Corporation, Occidental Petroleum, Bank of America and 20th Century.

Born in 1955, Van Matino takes everyday objects and elements of nature to create striking compositions. He was raised with an appreciation for nature and for simplicity. Graduating in 1977 with a degree in philosophy, Van Matino incorporates his heritage and education in his work. From the artist’s perspective, his paintings strive to depict harmony. His beautifully balanced compositions place light and shadow against a simple, yet rich palette. The combination creates a unified whole…sometimes whimsical, sometimes intense and sometimes serene. His paintings always leave the viewer feeling complete. Van Matino’s heritage and harmony shows through to create exceptional works of art. His work can be found in collections throughout the United States.

Helen Zarin was born in Shirae, Iran in 1970.  She was recognized early as having extraordinary talent and studied under the well known Persian artist, Saber.  She later enrolled in the Art & Culture Society, a national organization for gifted Persian artists.  There she was recognized by the Iranian Society as a “God Gifted Talented Artist.”  Conditions in her native country eventually compelled Helen to turn elsewhere for creative nourishment.  In Helen’s words “Hard work and God given talent are not enough for an artist to progress and blossom; Creative freedom in the right atmosphere is essential.”  She journeyed first to Europe, where she displayed her work in Vienna.  Helen has lived and worked in Baltimore, Maryland since 1993.  Zarin’s work is displayed throughout the United States.