Meet the Artists of PIPAF 2024

brought to you by our Principal Sponsors

Christopher Behrs

Mequon, Wisconsin

  • 2023 Grand Champion at the Wisconsin State Fair’s Plein Air at the Fair

  • Received honorable mentions for plein air in 2023 Cedarburg WI and Big Sky, MT, & 2nd place for nocturne in Jefferson, WI.

  • Member of the Pastel Society of America (PSA), the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS), and a signature member and past president of the Wisconsin Pastel Artists

  • Master of Science in Art Education and currently teaches art and theater design at Cedarburg High School in Cedarburg WI. Also teaches adult classes in pastels in Southeastern Wisconsin

Danyele Bélanger

St. Athanase, Québec

  • Académicienne à Académie Internationale des Beaux Arts du Québec

  • Diplôme d'honneur , La Forge prison de Brouage, France

  • Présidente d'honneur a plusieurs symposium de peinture, invité d'honneur symposium du Nord -Ouest du N.B

  • Mention honorable de National Fine Art compétition Toronto


Patricia Bellerose

Amherst, Québec

  • July 2023 ; 1st place Keeseville NY Plein Air

  • August 2023 ; 1st place Morristown NY Plein Air

  • August/September 2023 ; 1 artwork juried in the Arnot Art Museum 77th Regional Exhibition in Elmira NY

  • May 2022 / 1st Place Lake Placid Center for the Art, Gray Area Exhibition, NY


Thomas Bucci

Camden, Maine

  • American Impressionist Society Annual National Exhibition, Silver Brush Award of Excellence 2023

  • Perkins Cove Plein Air (ME), First Place 2023

  • Mountain Maryland Plein Air, Third Place 2023

    North Carolina Plein Air, Merit Award of Excellence 2023

  • Olmsted Plein Air Invitational (Atlanta GA), Best Architectural Award 2023

Brian Buckrell

Courtenay, British Columbia

  • First place 50th Anniversary Plein Air McMichael Gallery, Kleinburg

  • Invited faculty Plein Air Convention Denver

  • Winner Best Acrylic Parrsboro Plein Air 2019

  • Plein Air workshop instructor 10 years, Ontario and British Columbia


Lisa BurgerLentz

Media, Pennsylvania

  • 2022- First Place, Keeseville Community Arts Festival , Keeseville NY

  • 2022-First Place-Quick Draw, Adirondacks Plein Air Festival, Saranac Lake, NY

  • 2023-Best Landscape, Paint the Town Plein Air Festival, Mt. Pleasant,TN

  • 2022-Cerulean Gallery, “Rolling Hills, Open Skies, Calm Waters”, Philadelphia, PA , Invited Artist in a landscape themed and curated art show.


Kate Georgallas

Antigonish, Nova Scotia

  • 2024 solo show scheduled at Visual Voice in Truro including landscape works from across Nova Scotia

  • 2023 Solo show at Down to Earth gallery in Antigonish 2023 including Plein air and Studio work

  • 2023 part of a group of Nova Scotia artists spending a week in Great Village highlighting plein air painting in this unique Nova Scotia village

  • I continue to work as an art instructor at STFX University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia teaching painting, drawing, and printmaking

Christopher Gorey

Ingonish, Nova Scotia

  • Signature member of the CSPWC and SCA

  • Designer of the 1981 and 1987 commemorative Dollars as well as the 2022 circulating Dollar

  • Winner of the 2001 Brodock Award. Adirondack Nat. Exhibition of American Watercolor

  • 2nd Place, Paint the Past, King's Landing, NB 2019


Sara Gray

Falmouth, Maine

  • Honorable Mention - Castine Plein Air Festival - Castine, ME - 2019

  • Honorable Mention - PIPAF in Isolation - 2020

  • Juried into American Impressionist Society Associate Member Online Show - 2022

  • Juried Artist - Maine Audubon's Brush with Nature Plein Air Event and Show/Auction - 2022, 2023

Adam Gunn

Bridgewater, Nova Scotia

  • Received a Arts Nova Scotia Grant for a 6 month plein

  • air painting project in 2023.

  • • Received a Canada Council Grant for a yearlong painting project in 2021.

  • • Winner of the 2018 Nancy Petry Award for an outstanding emerging Canadian

  • artist in the field of painting.

  • • Finalist in the RBC Painting Competition in 2011 and 2013.

Oliver Hatton

Middle Ohio, Nova Scotia

  • Best Use of Light award, PIPAF 2022

  • 2nd place 'Points East Plein Air Festival' 2019

  • 2nd place 'A Brush with the Broads' plein-air painting festival, Norfolk, England, 2015

  • Solo exhibition in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, 2017


Louise Hicks

Sackville, New Brunswick

  • PIPAF participant for 3 years, 2nd runner-up in PIPAF

  • 2021

  • * Awarded Grand Prize at Points East Plein Air, PEI, in 2018

  • * Awarded Best Agricultural Painting at 2019 Elora Plein Air

  • * Participated in Ireland's Art In The Open for two years

Kim Jabbour

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

  • 2019 Solo Exhibition '365 Daily Painting Journey

  • 2012 Three person Exhibition 'Don't Leave Us Hanging

  • 2009 Recipient of The Premier's Educational Award

  • Co-Founding member of The Group Of Five PEI


Alexander Koltakov

Huxley, Nova Scotia

  • Painter and sculptor, works with different kinds of media, mostly acrylic and oil paints

  • 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 - Parrsboro International Plein Air Festival, Parrsboro, NS, Canada

  • 2021 People's Choice Award - Parrsboro International Plein Air Art Festival ,NS, Canada

  • 2018 1st place in Fast Painting Competition, Winding River art gallery, NS, Canada


Diane Leifheit

Paul Smiths, New York

  • I spent a one month Artist in Residence through Art Lab of Parrsboro last July 2023

  • My work “Torrent, Rossi Falls” received Third Place in the 26th Artists Guild Juried Exhibit 2024 in Saranac Lake, NY.

  • In the last year my partner and I have built a studio on our property. No more renting a space!

  • In 2014 I created a portrait project where I made 180 one-foot square pastel portraits of faces of Saranac Lake. Face to Face: Drawn to Saranac Lake.

Andy MacLean

Antigonish, Nova Scotia

  • Graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design

  • Recipient of numerous awards and grants including the Nova Scotia Arts Council

  • Instructor of Drawing and Painting at St. Francis Xavier University for over 10 years

  • Included in collections worldwide


Patrick McPhee

Amherst, Québec

  • 2023 Saranac Plein Air Festival
    -Artist Guild Award.

  • 2023 Tupper Lake Plein Air Festival.
    -Best of show.

  • 2023 Keeseville Plein Air Festival
    -Uplifting The Community Award.

  • 2023 Susquehanna Summer Solstice Festival.
    -Best Use of Light - Best river scene Awards.


Maria Nemchuk

North Andover, Massachusetts

  • Best Seascape Award at PIPAF in 2023. PIPAF - juried artist 2023, 2022

  • Pleinly Noted solo show December 2023

  • Hudson Valley Plein Air Festival - juried artist 20

  • Participated in Ogunquit's Perkins Cove Plein Air events 2021, 2022, 2023


Sherry Park

Brampton, Ontario

  • Recently signed on with Sivarulrasa Gallery in Almonte, Ontario

  • 2021 finalist at the Salt Spring National Art Prize

  • Recipient of Mary Pratt award from Society of Canadian Artist

  • Artist in residence at the Chateau Orquevaux, France


Caro Perreault

Sainte-Louise, Québec

  • Membre signataire de la PSEC (www.pastelsec.com)

  • Membre signataire IAF( IAF institutdesartsfiguratifs.com)

  • People's choise Parrsboro international plein air festival 2022

  • Les pastellistes 2023 sélection du jury


Julia Purcell

Clyde River, Prince Edward Island

  • Julia Purcell Art Market-mini gallery Charlottetown Market 2023

  • Recrafted:Hurricane Fiona Up-Close and Personal-juried group show Confederation Centre Art Gallery 2023

  • Edge of Winter, Parrsboro Creative plein air retreat and show 2022, 2023

  • Quick Draw PIPAF 3rd place winner 2021


Michelle Reid

Kingston, Ontario

  • 2022-2024 Member of the Ontario Society of Artists

  • 2022 "I AM HERE", Home Movies and Everyday Masterpieces, AGO, Toronto

  • 2022 First Place, Rideau Artist of the Year, Plein-Air at Heritage House Smiths Falls, Ontario

  • 2024 The Artist Project, Toronto


Bradley Skerry

Shediac, New Brunswick

  • Multi Person Miniature show exhibition 2021 at the acorn studio art gallery in Moncton

  • Finalist of Art Love 2022 speed painting event in Shediac

  • Winner of Art Love 2023 speed painting event in Shediac

  • Solo exhibition (Jan-Feb 2024) at the Shediac Multipurpose center


Simonne Munzi Smith

Hazel Grove, Prince Edward Island

  •  In 2020 I started Plein Air painting with Peace River Painters. It was a big challenge!

  • I joined the North Port Art Center and took classes in acrylics and oil. I also entered shows and have 3 first placements!

  • Workshops by Heather Areanas and Matt Ryder have continued to help my art evolve.

  • Taking part in the Forgotten Coast Plein Air, Florida, helped me advance so much in plein air painting.


Gail Sutherland

Bedford, Nova Scotia

  • Gail's paintings and artistic process were showcased in "The Art of Watercolour," an esteemed international magazine based in France.

  • Her work was selected for the "Fabriano In Acquarello" Watercolour symposium in Fabriano, Italy. (2017, 2018 & 2020)

  • She was prominently featured in "From Land and Sea," a publication highlighting contemporary landscape artists from Nova Scotia, by Dee Appleby.

  • Gail became an elected member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour in 2011.


Adam Tragakis

Antigonish, Nova Scotia

  • Best Seascape Award from PIPAF 2022

  • Second Place in the Quick Draw PIPAF 2018

  • Artist's Magazine Finalist 2014

  • nstructor of Drawing and Anatomy at ST. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS


Sharon Wadsworth-Smith

Italy Cross, Nova Scotia

  • In 2014 awarded the Reed Cooper bursary for mid-career artists.

  • Received first place in 2018 at the McMichael Plein Air painting competition.

  • Chosen for a commission project in 2021 for 32 original paintings for the Muir Hotel in Halifax.

  • Was a selected participant in the 2022 PIPAF Plein Air Festival in Parrsboro.


Anne Wedler

Bedford, Nova Scotia

  • Graduated from Fine Arts - Studio Art Major - York University

  • Have been juried into PIPAF 2021, 2022, 2023

  • Footsteps East 6,000 km tenting and plein air painting trek from NS to northern Lake Superior and project exhibition at the Teichert Gallery, Halifax. 2022-23

  • Attended Florida’s Plein Air South 2023 and competed in the Forgotten Coast Quick Draw events in 2022 and 2023. Honourable mention in both.


Edward Wedler

Bedford, Nova Scotia

  • Footsteps East, a 6,000 km plein air trek from NS to Lake Superior and exhibition 2022-23

  • Parrsboro International Plein Air Festival 2023, “Best Use of Light” judged by Kathie Odom

  • King’s County Brush with Nature 2022, “Long Brush Award” judged by Holly Carr

  • Peace River Painters 2022 Winter Show, “Excellence in Architecture” North PortGallery

  • Member of six plein air groups -- three in Nova Scotia and three in Florida (founding two)

  • Shortlisted in the McMichael Canadian Art Gallery Plein Air 2020 Competition.

Jeff Williams

Stillwater, Oklahoma

  • Jeff's grandparents immigrated to the USA from Newfoundland, eventually settling in New Jersey where Jeff was raised

  • A retired professor of architecture, won numerous architectural design competitions; worked in the architectural profession for over 40 years and taught architectural design at Oklahoma State University School for 31 years before retiring in 2017 to pursue two of his passions, watercolor painting and travel.

  • Jeff has been painting on the plein air circuit since 2019, being juried into 45 major plein air events and winning numerous awards along the way, including Plein Air Easton where his painting “Another Beautiful Day in Oxford" won Third Place; in addition, Best Nocturne awards at both Cape Ann Plein Air and Shadows on the Teche Plein Air, multiple Mini-Pearl Awards at En Plein Air Texas, Best Small Painting at Cape Ann Plein Air, and other various awards at Paint Annapolis, Shadows on the Teche Plein Air and others.

  • Jeff's watercolor “Rockin’ Bass Rocks” was recognized as the outstanding watercolor in the international Boldbrush Competition in January 2020.