Mary Purdy Gmuender is an award-winning artist known for wild animal portraiture, mountain landscapes and florals. Living in the beautiful Carson Valley of Nevada with her husband and two sons for almost 30 years, Mary enjoys exploring the Sierra, scouting new painting subjects and locations. “Growing up as both an Air Force brat and a member of the Caddo Indian Nation of Oklahoma, I found my joy in discovering beauty in new places and trying to capture them in drawings.

As much as I wanted to follow my art dreams, survival and practicality took over and I moved to Colorado to work in the ski industry. Working outdoors every day for 10  years brought an appreciation of the beauty in high places. The shadows of the trees on snow, the line of the mountain ridges, and the high altitude cornflower blue skies were always inspirational, even as I worked on towers as a ski lift mechanic or supervising personnel.” 

Since 2012, Mary has honed her oil painting skills and knowledge studying under many well-known artists, taking classes and workshops, both locally and throughout the country. She loves to paint the wild and free places and faces of the natural world. Lake Tahoe, Hope Valley, Carson Valley, Northern Nevada and Yosemite have become common subjects and provides endless creative influence.  Inspired by color and reflected light, her landscapes and wildlife are interpreted in an impressionist style using a bold palette and loose brushstrokes.

“The cadmium greens of Spring, the unbelievable cerulean blue of Tahoe and the Indian yellows of quaking aspens are all found in northern Nevada.  Nature gives us the perfect palette.  I love to challenge myself to see the colors of nature and interpret them on canvas, with lively shadows and reflected light.  With the quality of our high altitude air, there is no better place to spend time outdoors and see the abundant reflected light bounce off nature’s elements: rock, sage, water, trees and the wildlife of these places. It’s pure magic. Hopefully, my art will bring awareness and encourage the stewardship needed to protect these wild places and faces.”  

“I enjoy painting en Plein air, as it gives me a fresh perspective at the true colors nature provides and trains my eye to see the nuances. However, misadventures do occur painting outside, like the time I left my wet painting on a log and a squirrel ran across it, leaving his own natural interpretation. I’ve had my whole easel fly away in a gust of wind, and Tahoe sand blown across a wet painting, leaving a texture I couldn’t erase. You just have to laugh! It’s been a true blessing in my life to explore this creative passion and share my art with customers and other artists.”

Her paintings have won awards in juried art shows and have hung in several galleries including the halls of the Nevada Legislature, Nevada Art Association Gallery in Brewery Arts Center, Friends of Nevada Wilderness during Artown, Hope Valley Café, Cottonwood Creek Gifts, Studio Meraki, Eureka Restoration Enterprise, East Fork Gallery and Art Gallery@Prism.

Contact Mary at: mg@MaryPurdyGmuender.com
website: marypurdygmuender.com

I’m a father, husband, cyclist, coach, adjunct professor, photographer and videographer. My photography journey started in 2009. I purchased a point-and-shoot camera and quickly became enthralled in everything photography. I buried myself in books, forums and any photography education I could find. I purchased gear as I could and grasped onto every bit of knowledge that came my way. I shot stock, landscape, wedding and portrait photography for the next 6 years. I traveled Nevada frequently and took photos of everything from railroads to mountainous landscapes. From 2015 to 2018 I took a leave of absence and stopped shooting photos due to an overwhelming amount of school, work and cycling. In 2017 I became a professional land surveyor and graduated with my bachelor’s degree in land surveying and geomatics. This allowed me to ease back into videography and photography. When I came back to photography I realized that I was sick of shooting the same-old stock cookie-cutter image. My goal today is to break free from cookie-cutter images. My goal is to create art that breaks from the norms. I love to see the emotion on a person’s face when they see my work. That is what drives me to create. 
Shane Trotter
www.ShaneTrotter.com
(775) 720-2248
shane@shanetrotter.net

Bio
We are all tourists on this planet and interconnected with living things,” says Stillwell about her art, indicating that it’s the journey and connections we make along the way that shapes us.

Stillwell currently has a collection of cityscapes available for show that bespeak of ‘Bridging Soulful Intersections’.  While a down-to-earth Southwestern Horsewoman, Stillwell’s paintings tell the story of an etherial world, one found in her dreams.  Her mixed media oil paintings are a Romantic narrative that lean towards abstract expressionism with a mystical and spiritual element.  They are about everyone’s journey to self discovery.

Galleries
Nevada Artists Association Art Gallery, Carson City, Nevada
Art Gallery at Prism, Minden, Nevada
Artsy Fartsy, Carson City, Nevada
Awards and Recognition
Best of Show Nevada Artists Association Spring Show 2019
Media Coverage

http://voyagephoenix.com/interview/meet-margaret-stillwell/

This northern California native makes rugged, rural Nevada her home. Her love for photography has evolved over the years. Through the lens a single moment is captured: the untouched land whispers about its forgotten past as simply as it encourages us to protect it for the future. ART found amidst the adventure.  A snapshot from a 16-hour branding. A transparent rose petal. A herd of wild horses. A cougar’s pose. Photography that represents my home. My heart.      Most recent accomplishments include selection for the 2019-2020 Nevada Arts Council’s new Nevada Basin to Range Exchange Project, inclusion in Sacramento’s Crocker Art Museum’s 2019 Big Names Small Art exhibit, inclusion in Portland’s Black Box Gallery’s March 2019 Photography show, a 2018 Nevada Magazine FOCUS presentation,  a 2018 NAA GALLERY featured artist, and a 2018 Reno is Artown’s Made in Nevada Marketplace participant.      The Pacific Crest Trail Association chose two photographs as contest winners in 2018. During the Historic Fort Churchill State Park photo contest a photo of the fort cemetery won in 2018 and a photo of Buckland Station won in 2019.  The Nevada Magazine has published 5 photos during the last 2 years; the current logo and poster includes one of her bison images. The Community Living Magazine is currently publishing her photographs (and stories) on a local, hometown level.      Retired, after 25 years with Humboldt County School District, Cindy continues to give back to her community by volunteering 15-20 hours each week. She also enjoys spending time with friends and family, scouting for new photo opps, and creating new textile and art projects in her studio.     Cindy’s art*photo scarves are created on soft cotton, silky chiffon, or sweet pea gauze. Original designs will be on sale in the NAA Gallery this summer 2019!!     Check out her website and blogs at cinderellastudioonephotography.com. Facebook and Instagram is Cin Whitaker. She can be reached at cindywhitaker1@gmail.com.  

Northernnevadaphotography.com    willbarber.nnp@gmail.com   775-229-5724

Will Barber was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and educated at Arizona State University then Michigan State University where he earned a Ph.D. in fish and aquatic ecology.  He conducted research on shrimp and fish in Australia, moved to Alaska to teach and conduct research before retiring in Nevada. In his photographs color is his primary focus followed by the interplay of different physical and biological elements in a photograph.  This is the reason why many of his Nevada photographs are colorful (taken either in early morning or late afternoon) and complicated. He is currently completing a book with Dr. Richard Schweikert on Nevada’s geology along its major highways as told through photography.