Stephen Zhang is an accomplished watermedia artist and design professor known for a fluid, expressive, and empathetic style. Born in China and a graduate of the Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, he earned his MFA from the University of North Texas, where he currently serves as an Associate Professor of Communication Design. His work has earned international acclaim through awards and features in exhibitions by the American Watercolor Society, Transparent Watercolor Society of America, Signature American Watermedia International Exhibition, Watercolor USA, American Illustration, and the Chinese National Art Exhibition. His paintings are frequently highlighted in publications such as Watercolor Artist, American Art Collector, My Modern Met, Creative Quarterly, and International Artist.

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Ruth Armitage is an abstract painter rooted in Portland’s bedroom community of West Linn, Oregon. Educated as an English teacher, she draws inspiration from the intimate and expansive realms of human experience. Armitage usually begins with a title, which crystalizes her idea. She favors titles that express the the duality between tranquility and tension. Expressive color and line help weave a narrative that can be obvious or mysterious. Ruth writes, “I crave variety in my process, so very few things are constant. One thing that does remain constant is working from a specific idea. I work in a series and keep notes on different facets of that idea. Those notes often become the title of the painting. Ruth's award-winning work has earned her signature membership in the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, Rocky Mountain National Watermedia, San Diego Watercolor Society, Watercolor West, California Watercolor Association, Northwest Watercolor Society, and the Watercolor Society of Oregon. She was the recipient of the American Watercolor Society’s Bronze Medal of Honor in April, 2023. The Watercolor Society of Oregon has awarded her its Outstanding Service Award. Her leadership brought Oregon into the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies and she spearheaded Oregon’s first exhibition at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in 2017. You may have seen Ruth’s work profiled on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “Oregon Art Beat.” Her work has been featured in numerous national and international publications, including The Spring 2024 issue of Watercolor Magazine, Acrylic Artist Magazine, Watercolor Magic, Breathe Magazine and The Palette Magazine. Ruth was honored to serve as a juror for the 2023 National Watercolor Society’s Open Exhibition and has experience judging as part of a panel as well as independently. She enjoys sharing her process by teaching small workshops domestically and abroad, and watching lightbulbs come on in her student’s eyes. Website: RuthArmitage.com Instagram: @ArtistRuthArmitage

Ruth has not provided a supply list at this time.

Matthew Bird is an American painter. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he graduated with honors from the Pratt Institute of Art in Brooklyn, New York, in 2000. He is a Signature Member of numerous organizations, including the American Watercolor Society and National Watercolor Society where he served as vice president. His award-winning watercolor paintings have been exhibited in juried shows across the United States, as well as in Canada, China, England, Greece, Hong Kong, and Italy. His work is in permanent museum collections as well as numerous private collections. Matthew has been featured in Fine Art Connoisseur magazine as one of “Today's Masters”, American Art Collector, International Artist Magazine, Watercolor Magazine, The Artist's Magazine, The Art Of Watercolour magazine, and the Splash-Best of Watercolor book series. A sought after teacher, Matthew has also been a contributing writer to numerous publications, including Realism Today, Fine Art Today, Artists on Art, and American Watercolor Weekly. Matthew lives with his wife and children outside Baltimore, where he maintains his studio.

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Andy Evansen’s love and aptitude for art goes back to early childhood, and he decided to make a career using the gifts he was given. He began his professional career as a medical illustrator, but that industry soon became reliant on computer graphics, and he realized he missed working with pencils, brushes and paper. Once he began painting, watercolor was an easy choice as his preferred medium, and he found himself attempting to capture the landscape with an economy of brushstroke evident in the work of the British watercolor artists he admired. In addition, he was impressed with the way those artists seemed to capture everyday scenes in such a way that revealed a hidden beauty, subjects that many would simply pass by. A lifelong resident of the American Midwest, this appealed to him a great deal. While he strives for accuracy and a sense of place in his landscapes, he prefers his work to be considered ‘representational’ instead of ‘realistic’… capturing his emotional response to a scene as well as the time and season. He has been featured in many publications and is a sought-after workshop instructor who paints and teaches internationally. He achieved Dolphin Fellow status in the American Watercolor Society in 2025, and he is also a signature member of the National Watercolor Society, the Transparent Watercolor Society, the San Diego Watercolor Society and the Northwest Watercolor Society. In 2022 he was selected as the only international member of England’s Pure Watercolour Society. His paintings have won numerous awards, including the Bronze and High Winds Medals from the American Watercolor Society in New York. He has juried several important exhibitions, including serving as juror of selection for both the American Watercolor Society and the TWSA Exhibitions in 2022; the California Watercolor Association in 2021, the New Jersey Watercolor Society in 2020 and the New England Watercolor Society, Philadelphia Watercolor Society and Red River Watercolor Society National Exhibitions in 2017. You can view his work at www.EvansenArtStudio.com.

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Although I concentrated on drawing and printmaking in university, I have worked in watercolor as a mature artist and sought out workshops, books, videos to advance my skills, and have been lucky to have learned from some of the very best in this media. F&W Publications Splash 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 20 books, the Splash 21 and Splash 23 Publication. These books have been jurying contemporary watercolors, using the artist’s words, colors and techniques to inspire other painters. Teaching art has also been a big part of my career as an artist and am happiest teaching adults in a more personal, individual way, concentrating on watercolors. Over the years, I have worked from photographs in studio and enjoyed painting “plein air” – painting landscapes and cityscapes outdoors, reacting to the ever-changing light and weather conditions. These two methods feed each other – the studio paintings teach me detailed technical skills, while the outdoor work forces faster, more reactionary techniques. My paintings benefit from each of these. I move from one subject to another, but the common denominator in all my work is the sense of light. Early morning, through the fog, backlighting, candlelight - it all captures my eye, and inspires every time!

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Iain Stewart is a Scots born watercolor artist and a signature member of the American and National Watercolor Societies among other state and international entities. He has also recently been inducted into the Whiskey Painters of America. 

His work has received numerous awards in international competition and hangs in many corporate and private collections.

Iain is a sought after watercolor instructor and juror with works published in numerous books and periodicals. In 2021 his first book on painting; En Plein Air- Light and Color, was published. In 2025 his 6th Instructional Video. Painting Venice was published. In 2025 he will serve as juror of selection for both the AWS and NWS-chair.

Iain maintains a studio in Opelika, Alabama, and in addition to gallery work, is an Architectural Illustrator with an international clientele and has taught watercolor and design drawing at Auburn University where he received his degree in Architecture.  

Iain is an International Brand Ambassador for:

Escoda Brushes

Daniel Smith Watercolors

Stillman & Birn Sketchbooks

Iain has not submitted a supply list at this time.