Meet the artists of the June Victoria Downtown Artwalk:
We are proud to be a part of the Downtown Victoria Art Walk! Please be sure to stop by all the supporting Businesses who have graceously allowed all these amazing artists to display their art.
Claire Santellana
President @ Victoria Art League and Art Walk Co-Organizer
and Owner of Art to Finish Studio
Claire Santellana, owner of Art to Finish Studio LLC, has been teaching art for over ten years. She uses a variety of techniques to help all types of students learn art and bring their creativity to the next level. Claire has taught reading, writing, SPED, and art in the public school setting throughout her teaching career.
“I can’t wait to help the students experience a variety of art mediums while learning about art history! My goal is to help students foster their creativity and find their passion in the arts. Art has so many benefits including building resiliency, fine motor skills, creative thinking, and more!”
Claire has always been passionate about visual arts and has been involved in the arts since early childhood. Her personal favorite mediums to work in are pencil and watercolor although she does enjoy dabbling in all mediums. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Communications and seven years in the insurance industry, she decided to become a teacher. Claire founded Art to Finish Studio LLC in 2018, and has enjoyed working directly with Cottonwood Center for the Arts, Pikes Peak Library District, and other organizations throughout Colorado Springs.
After moving to Port Lavaca, TX last year, she served on the Victoria Art League board as Co Vice President and was responsible for the Fall and Spring Art shows. She is excited to be the newly elected president of Victoria Art League and can’t wait to follow VAL’s mission to serve the community of Victoria, TX!
Richie Vios
Richie Vios Watercolor
Born and raised in Cebu City, Philippines, Richie N. Vios hails from an artistic family Studying architecture, in 1995 he graduated with a bachelor’s architecture degree and faculty member, teaching architectural design and presentation. In 2004 they decided to leave the Philippines in hopes of a better future in America,For the next five years, he worked closely as an architectural designer at a local architectural firm in Clearwater,Florida until his family decided to move to again in Baltimore,Maryland.Seeking to introduce more western architectural concepts in Southeast Asia, Richie returned to the Philippines by himself to share, develop, and construct many of the things he had learned from America. During the next five years there, in his spare time he refined and honed down a unique mastery of watercolor painting evident in all of his art to this day. In the summer of 2017 his family would move back down to the south Texas and after being away from them so long he made sure to be there for them in Victoria, Texas. that’s where he knew he could passionately chase the American dream again not as an Architect but a watercolor impressionist and Pleinair artist.Currently a resident artist in Victoria Art league and conduct watercolor classes and workshops from Galveston, Houston, Victoria, Rockport and Corpus Christi mostly south of Texas.
Artist Statement
I believe that the mark of a good artist is to be able to capture the different facets of life in his painting,the mode, ambiance, etc. In a sense, not just illustrating or recording what he sees but expressing what he feels. As a plain-air artist (outdoor painting), watercolor was the perfect medium of choice: handy, quick to dry, yet delivers a truly magnificent work of art. Trust me, if you paint with no fear and a smile on your face, you can paint a masterpiece every time!
Recent Pleinair Awards
2021 PleinAir Southwest, Galveston , TX 1st Placer
2021 Shadow on the Teche Pleinair , New Iberia LA -3rdPlacer
2020 Steamboat Art Museum, Colorado Pleinair -1st Placer
2020 Steamboat Art Museum, Colorado Pleinair Historic painting award
2020 Central City Pleinair, Colorado -1st Placer award
2020 Central City Pleinair, Colorado quick draw winner
2020 Lighthouse Gallery Pleinair Festival, FL.-2nd Placer
2020 Lighouse Gallery Pleinair Festival, FL Artist Choice Award.
EnPleinair Texas 2019 Spirit of San Angelo awardee
2nd Placer Outdoor Painters Society Pleinair 2019 in Galveston Texas
Best of Show in 2020 All Member exhibit in Corpus Christi Art Center
Art Center Corpus Christi all members Show 2018-2019 Back to Back 1st placer
Victoria Art League
905 S. Bridge St.
PO Box 5011
Victoria, TX 77901
361-572-0825
Bill Bauer
Vice President & Potter @ Victoria Art League
Bill Bauer has been involved in art for 50+ years. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University in Art Education and taught in the Victoria Public School system as an art teacher for 34 years and has since retired. He taught and created pottery for most of those years. Since retirement he joined the Victoria Art League where he was asked to set up a pottery program there. Now the art league has a pottery room where Bill teaches beginner and follow up classes two or three times a year. He has continued to broaden his horizons to include other mediums. These include oil painting, scratchboard, drawing, acrylic, pastels, and watercolor along with pottery and sculpture. He continues to expand his knowledge by attending workshops in various mediums which have been taught at the Art League. Bill has served as President , Director and now serves as Vice-President. He has been married to his wonderful wife Susan for 49 years and has 3 children and 7 wonderful grandchildren. He broadens his life experiences through lots of travel around the United States and to other countries, most recently to India and China. Bill feels that “art is an expression of life and should be experienced in some way by every person”. Bill’s exhibits his work at the Victoria Art League, 905 South Bridge in the Harold Nichols Gallery which is open 1:00 to 5:00 Thursdays through Saturday.
Kirby Edwards
Hi, my name is Kirby Edwards. I’ve been drawing and painting ever since I could hold a pencil. Through constant practice and guidance from teachers my artwork became more refined and detailed. I’m still forever working on finding my style but lately I’ve really enjoyed trying my hand at surrealism. I get inspired by many things including music and nature. Plants and animals are my favorite thing to create.
You can find my work on Instagram and Facebook!
Facebook: Art of Kirby Edwards
Instagram: art_of_kirby_edwards
Dawn Marshall
Dawn Marshall, who signs her work “Lolli”, is new to watercolor but has been creating in a variety of media all her life. As a former teacher and Surgical First Assistant she incorporated her creative mind into many areas of life. Now that she is a retired mother of three, and a “Lolli” to her grandchildren, Dawn has time to now flourish in new media. Her love for SCUBA, the ocean and all things water has allowed her to seek out watercolor. With the support of her husband of 32 years, she has immersed herself into her creative talents once again. She hopes her work brings joy and wonder to the viewer.
George Schwarz
George, a New Orleans native, spent 25 years in the health care industry. He became serious about photography during graduate school at the University of Iowa. In fact, in 1968 and 1969, he spent so much time photographing and developing pictures that he almost washed his master’s thesis down the darkroom drain.
During 25 soul-crushing years in health care, he was a hobbyist photographer. But in 1996, became a reporter, often shooting for his stories. His interests include travel, aviation, railroads and nature — all of which are reflected in his photographs.
He retired in 2016 and in 2017 moved to Victoria where he lives with his wife, Beth, and his loyal canine companion, Scout.
Gail Dentler
I believe in art that brings you joy and admiration of the natural world….
I’m an artist based in South Central Texas. My visual narrative is inspired by nature, relationships, personal life experiences and discovering connections in this world. I have received a BBA from Sam Houston State Univ. and an MAE from Texas Tech Univ. My work has been shown in juried competitions such as Handweaver’s Guild of America Assoc., “Small Expressions”, Bernina’s “Quilt for a Queen”, in the UK, and “A World of Beauty”, International Quilt Association’s International Quilt Festival. Currently my work is in two private collections: Bernina’s U.K., “Quilt for a Queen” and “Love Ewe”(photography) with Texas Tech University’s private collection, exhibiting at the Hill Country campus. I have been juried by Cara Manes, an assistant curator of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York for the Houston exhibit: Assistance League of Houston “Celebrates Texas Art 2020.”.
Joshua Molina
My name is Joshua Andrew Molina, 34, I’m an Art Major an Senior at UTSA main campus, born and raised in Victoria, TX I moved to San Antonio to pursue my Bachelors degree a few years ago(B.A. in Art). Area’s of study include ceramics, drawing, painting, print making and/with a passion for sculpture. Hope to combine my plumbing background as a Licensed Master Plumber with sculpture to create Water Fountains as functioning works of Art in different cities, venues, and parks.
Aiden Michael Padilla
Aiden Michael Padilla is 18 from Victoria. He is a graduate of West High School 2021.
His immediate goal to enroll in college and study art. His ultimate is to travel abroad and draw, create, explore what he has seen.
His artistic side began showing when he began creating lego creations from is own imagination within hours. His love art has grown as he got older. He studied art in high school. Very inquisitive and is hungry for why things are the way they are. Watching movies, instead discussing what he liked, he would study characters and the orgin of
Alaina Robbins
Alaina is a 9 year old and from Victoria, TX. She has been drawing since 2015. Her inspiration comes from people and animals. She also loves to paint as well as draw. Her favorite styles to draw are portraits and people. She hopes to have her art displayed in art museums for people to see.
Josh Vega
Over the last 8 years I have given out more art than I can remember. The best part about dropping off art to be found is when I find out who got it and hearing about what it means to them. If I can leave a lasting impact on someone with my art, that is more than enough to keep me creating.
#FREEARTVICTORIA
Karissa Winters
(FRENCH PRESS PUBLISHING)
Karissa Winters grew up in the Edna/Victoria area. Even though she had moved away in her heart she always knew she wanted to come back and be able to give back to the community and grow the arts in the area. Karissa has worn many creative hats some which include becoming a children’s book author/illustrator with multiple books published, songwriter/singer, as well as a movie/tv show content creator. She advocates for Autism & gives back to Autism charities through her creative endeavors. She was inspired to give back by her Autistic daughter Presley who’s 10. Karissa’s passion for illustrating lead her to creating stand alone pieces of art. Her mother was an artist that was a founding member of the Austin art league and started many art programs in the local Victoria area. With the recent passing of Karissa’s mother Kimberly she decided she was going to start showing her art and by doing so she was going to continue her mother’s legacy of giving back to the arts and to the local Victoria community. Karissa will be donating the profits from tonight’s art walk to the local Vine School for Autism.
Jaxon Barnette
(AGE 6)
Jaxon Barnette is 6 years old, from San Antonio, Texas. He currently lives in Victoria and will be attending Nazareth Academy. He will be in 1st grade. He has 2 brothers, John and Aiden. He is a self taught artist who only uses sketch pads and mainly black ball point pens. He began drawing last year during the pandemic when we wre on lock down. He sat with his older brother Aiden, whom is also an artist, and after asking many times for help to draw pictures, he began to draw on his own. Jaxon is obsessed with Godzilla and King Kong. He has sat at our kitchen table for hours at a time with just a pen and sketch pad and has drawn every, single, day. We have bought many sketch books and art supplies, which he began receiving as gifts. He has come so far from just a year ago. His pictures have a 3D effect and look like they will jump off the page. His attention to detail is amazing. He has a collection of Godzilla and King Kong figures that fill his room. He does use the fugures as models for his drawings to make sure all the details are accurate. His favorite is Godzilla 2014 collectible.
Courtnie McCloud
Born and raised in Michigan. I started drawing as earlier as 7. Always had an interest in expressing myself creatively whether it’s decorating, fashion, or painting. I moved to Texas in 2009. I started painting abstract artwork about 2 years ago experimenting with acrylics, watercolors, and mixed media.
Cora Nichole Smith
Cora is a 16 year old high school graduate of the class of 2019. She started sketching since she was able to hold a pencil in her hand. She gradually developed a love and passion for art at a young age then was enrolled in art classes at Victoria Art League. She was taught by the late Ellie Porrier for four years. Since then, she has been self taught. What encouraged her to paint, was how she loved being able to paint out her emotions. Her painting inspirations are oceans, sea creatures, forests, sunsets, flowers, and mostly fantasy creatures such as mermaids, and the fae folk. Most of all, she loves painting people in general. Especially women with long, black hair. She hopes in the future, her paintings can inspire others and touch many hearts. “Each painting I paint has a story within it. A story that is not mine only to tell. When people look at my paintings I want them to ask themselves about what the painting means to them. Where does this painting take you:? What is your story? Cora is currently creating new work and is even putting a good majority of painitngs upo for sale.
Elizabeth Lopez
Elizabeth Lopez Is a Houston-based artist, latinx, first generation Mexican-American, daughter of immigrants, with a dream that and desires for a magical and better life for herself and for the world. She mainly does portraits, but had painted with oils, acrylics, has done sculpture, and pencil drawings. Her dream is to do a mural one day.
Bryan Windover
Bryan spent most of his childhood growing up in the Adirondack mountains. He’s been painting for about 5 years now. He enjoys scenery and wildlife but really enjoys doing caricatures and bringing joy to people’s lives with them. Lived in Victoria for 15 years. He enjoys traveling, fishing, and bringing joy to people’s lives with art.
Sing Gutierrez
My name is Sing Gutierrez and I will be a senior at Victoria West High School this coming school year. While in school I am pursuing an Endorsement in Arts & Humanities specifically Fine Arts. I draw all the time and also have done some painting and sculpture works. My favorite medium is ink and especially black and white drawings. I have actively participated in the last four Art League Youth Spring Art shows and have also done window painting with Free Art Victoria and for some other local businesses. My love is drawing and is my degree choice when I enroll in college.
James Santellana
I am 7 years old. I like doing art. One of the portraits here is from when I was 5 and the crazy one is from when I was 4. I like drawing people and mountains because it reminds me of Colorado.
Nanette "Kolu" Berger
I have always enjoyed many aspects of arts and crafts. I dabble in many different mediums. I would say that I am presently enjoying Soft Pastel as it lends nicely to portraiture. I have fun capturing the personality of people and animals and pastels have a soft finish that I like.
I love painting “projects “with and for my granddaughter, Payton, age 5. She stimulates my creatively and I’m always on the look out for things we can do together I have recently retired from 40 years of Nursing at Citizens Medical Center so I’ve been enjoying more time in my studio. Many of my paintings depict my childhood in Liberia, West Africa.
Johnny Coleman
I consider myself as a hobbyist leather worker/artist. I started making usable leather goods in the early 70’s as people would need. This consisted of billfold, belts, wallets and checkbook covers. In the last twenty years I have made more pictorial carvings of flowers and animals. More recently I have been making leather jewelry and other wearable jewelry. My hobby is now more for relaxation and to keep the mind busy.
Robyn Cox
Hi, I’m Robyn, owner of rhythmNresin and I love creating art for your Beautiful, Soul! I have been creating art in one way, shape or form all my life. I believe that one’s space should be an extension of who they are. It sparks joy within me to create something beautiful that makes you FEEL something special, and knowing that energy and beauty is radiating in your home. Art can have such a tremendous effect on our emotional well-being. Painting transcends me into another world. It connects me to my higher self, heals my pain and reminds me of my personal magic! I am really passionate about how art can bring us so much happiness, self-love & inspiration.
My favourite techniques are where I can full explore my creativity around Abstract & Modern Art by using unique materials, unique mediums such as Resin, Alcohol Inks, and other techniques where they can all meet together on one surface to create one-of-a-kind pieces.My purpose leads me to be very intentional with the energy poured into my ever-changing, ever-evolving art. My pieces either move to peace, joy, happiness or catharsis. Most of all my hope is that my art can invoke healing in others the way it does for me.
Candy Hahn
Candy Hahn is a local artist, based in Port Lavaca, Texas, who began creating mosaic artwork in 2009. Candy explains her work, “Mosaics and mixed-media mosaics are my niche, and I also design painted coastal art. I love taking things we see as broken, such as shards of glass and tile along with found or discarded items, and bringing them to life in beautiful new forms. We do the same thing in our lives, and mosaics are the perfect medium for us to visualize the beauty that can come from imperfection.” Candy specializes in using photographs as a model to translate images into custom mosaic projects.
**Candy’s artwork was recently highlighted in a Mosaic Art blog titled, “Composition and Correcting the Model,” by Joe Moormon, artist.
https://blog.mosaicartsupply.com/composition-and-correcting-the-model/
A blog containing photographs of Candy’s work can be found at bothr.net, and her creations are available in her Etsy shop, SmidgenAndShard.
Brea Lara
My name is Brea Lara, a graphic designer, illustrator, and mixed media artist in South Texas.
My art is fueled by my passion to to empower others and ranges from illustrations, graphic and logo design, to mixed media art pieces. I spent over 10 years working in print media as a screen printer and graphic designer with various clients such as the Victoria Texas Independent Film Festival, The Loveletter, KVIC, Holy Fear, and The Pickle Witch.
I currently work at Gypsy Moon, a metaphysical shop in Port Lavaca. There I help brand the shop’s social media presence and sell my crafts and creations. I also run a freelance graphic design business and an Etsy shop under the name Melted Zipper.
I do all of this with a B.A. of Applied Arts & Sciences in Communications.
In my spare time I work in my garden with my husband and tend to my cat children and feral colony. We actively protect and socialize the colonies in our neighborhood and provideveterinary care to them as well. I love Halloween, the dark and macabre, unicorns, and sci-fi.
David Medina
Hi I’m David Medina, I’m 26 have a beautiful daughter and another girl on the way. I live in victoria TX. I started working with art when I was about 11 years old, I mainly practices with just pencil sketches and drawing dragons around that age. As time went by I explored the art world and noticed there were different types of art, I started to explore oil pastel work, at first it wasn’t pretty but after a few months I started to learn how it worked and made some decent artwork with it, then I moved to charcoal and portraits, that was pretty simple since I already knew the basics with regular pencil drawing. The hardest thing for me to get a grasp on was painting, I just recently learned how to do it and learn the blending, I’m still a novice to it but I hope to be able to grasp it fully to devolve beautiful artwork that you see in museums. THAT is my main goal to have my artwork in a museum, and hopefully be good enough to have art as my full time job. Ive never won any awards, never been in a art show, I just mainly did art as a side gig for extra cash. All in all that’s pretty much it about me I hope to catch y’all’s eyes in my work, and inspire anyone to practice and become something great in life by doing what you love doing.
Carole Meyers
Carole, a native of Oklahoma also lived in El Paso, St. Louis, and San Antonio during her lifetime. She was a signature member of the American Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society and was also active in the San Antonio Watercolor Group and Texas Watercolor Society (Purple Sage Brush Life Member). A recipient of more than 300 awards, including the High Winds Medal Award in the 122nd Annual Exhibition of AWS, her work is included in “The Best of Watercolor”, “Creative Watercolor, Step by Step”, “The Creative Artist”, “Abstracts in Watercolor”, “Texas Watercolor Society: Fifty Years of Excellence”, and “Watercolor Magic”, to name a few. She served as a juror and critic for exhibitions and taught numerous art workshops in Rockport, San Antonio, Laredo, Fort Worth, Kerrville and throughout the U.S. as well as in Mexico, Spain and France. Known for experimental watercolor and collage techniques, her style is abstract, using watercolor, mixed-media collage, and acrylic on paper as well as acrylic and collage on canvas. Southwestern landscapes and Mexico were major sources of inspiration: she travelled extensively, sketchbook or camera always close at hand. Carole Myers (1934-2017) is represented by her daughter, Lisa Myers-Haynes
Claudia Quintero
Claudia Quintero is a Texas based artist specializing in oil painting and pen and ink illustration. Her subject matter tends to rest somewhere between the abstract and the figurative. She enjoys exploring the lines between dream states and the in between – giving importance to the immaterial qualities of experience. At the other end of the spectrum, she has nurtured a life-long love affair with bones, specimens, and biological data in general involving animals(sometimes humans, but mostly animals!) and incorporates this into much of her art.
Website: cquinteroart.com Instagram: @blindcarrots Email: quinterocl @crystalelliott09yahoo-com
Nathan Rodrigues
Nathan Rodriguez is a local artist in Victoria, Texas who specializes in ink but dabbles in a variety of mediums. With his hometown being Victoria he has participated in several art shows and student art shows with the Victoria Art League, Victoria College, and Victoria West High School. Nathan has always had a passion for art, the history, and the culture around it. He plans to get his Masters in Fine Arts in the future of his art career
Joshua Santellana Sr.
President @ Victoria Art League and Art Walk Co-Organizer
Joshua Santellana Sr. is a father of four and artist. He enjoys doing art to express the way he feels. He is also an animator and is currently developing his cartoon called Swack & Hairy. For commissions, animation classes, or for more information, send Joshua an e-mail.
Eli Vega
medium: marker, pencil, colored pencil, paint pen.
My art is monstrous! I like to draw monsters, robots and food. My creations come from my mind and my crazy dreams. Every time I give someone one of my creations it makes me happy! When I grow up I want to be an artist.
Joshua Santellana Jr.
My name is Joshua Santellana, Jr. Lots of people call me JJ. My mom inspires me to do art and art makes me happy. Especially when mom does art with me. I like to design characters and draw mandalas the most. I hope to be a well known artist one day.
bemyherojj@gmail.com
Facebook: be my hero jj