Paul McCormack – New York

Paul W. McCormack was born in Rahway, New Jersey in 1962. He received his formal art training at DuCret School of the Arts where he later became a faculty member. Sharing his knowledge on the fine art of portraiture, he has also been on the faculties of the New Jersey Center for the Visual Arts, the Somerset Art Association, and the Newark Museum.  Paul has also conducted workshop intensives at notable institutions, including the Andreeva Portrait Academy, the Bay Area Classical Arts Atelier, and the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art. Paul is currently teaching classes and workshops in his  private studio located in the Hudson Valley region of New York State.  

Patricia Watwood – New York City

Patricia Watwood was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, the youngest of seven children. At 17 she left St. Louis to pursue a degree in Scenic Design at Trinity University in San Antonio Texas. During college, she began design work in regional theatres in Texas, Missouri, Washington, Colorado and Germany. After graduating Magna Cum Laude, Watwood settled in Seattle, Washington. There she began studying at The Academy of Realist Art, which marked the beginning of her studies in traditional painting, and a new direction in her career.

Thomas & Noha Valenti  - New York

Thomas Valenti is President (since 2007) of Allied Artists of America which dates back to 1914 and is among the most prestigious art organizations in the nation with members throughout America, known all over the world. Valenti is also (1 of 4) Founding Members of the America China Oil Painting Artists League (ACOPAL) which was created as a means to broaden the horizons and interchange of Realistic Painting between American and Chinese artists. Having title on the Executive Board as Advisor, Valenti developed the outline for the Constitution and By Laws for the organization. Thomas Valenti is also an Honorary Member of The Salmagundi Club in New York City and The American Artists Professional League also based in New York City. Valenti is listed in “Who's Who in American Art” and “Who's Who in America”.

A formal gathering was held in the home of Tom and Noha Valenti on Saturday, January 30, 2010. The purpose of this occasion was arranged to introduce a handful of American artists to the visiting Chinese realistic artists. Nearly 30 people attended the meeting and a photographer was on hand to document the event. In the meeting, many distinguished artists Max Ginsburg, Yuqi Wang, Gary Godbee, Guo Runwen, Paul W. McCormack, Leng Jun, Jeremy Lipking, Christopher Pugliese, Pang Maokun, Michael Ruple, Thomas Valenti and Nanette Fluhr elaborated their philosophies, opinions and prospects regarding oil painting.  Many questions and curiosities were exchanged and the amicable atmosphere between the artists from both sides made it clear that great things were on the horizon. Toward the latter part of the meeting, Valenti and Ling outlined the main concepts behind the ACOPAL and the advantages that such an organization would provide for all who participated. The establishment of a new society of art and artists had come to fruition and was ready to form a system of operations.

Katie O’ Hagan - NY

Katie O’Hagan was born and raised in Scotland and moved to the States in 1993. Her work has shown in many galleries and group shows nationally, including The National Arts Club, The Salmagundi Club, The Richeson Gallery and the Butler Institute of American Art. She has also received awards from the Salmagundi Club, Allied Artists of America, and The Portrait Society of America. In 2011 she was awarded first place in the Oil Painters of America online competition and her work was selected for the Artist’s Magazine 2012 calendar. She is also a 2012 semi-finalist in the Smithsonian Outwin Boochever Portrait Contest, run by the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. She currently lives in Beacon, New York with her two daughters. Email - katyaohagan@gmail.com

Max Ginsburg – NY

I have lived and worked in New York all my life. As a New Yorker, I feel a personal and deep connection to this rich, energetic and beautiful city with its amazingly diverse population. My objective is to paint about the people of New York, realistically and with compassion.

Daniel Sprick – NY

Here are the homely commonplaces of after-school snacks and the canned raw material of
home cooking. Here are remnants of dinner out, those little trapezoidal cardboard boxes
that entomb Chinese leftovers. They are the same kind of boxes in which dime stores
once sold doomed goldfish to hopeful children. Here is the detritus of the studio, jars of
gessso and flyspecked still lifes. Here are spent wine bottles, beer bottles, a Ukrainian Easter egg, the used up milk cartons that in reality bear a plaintive entreaty: Have you seen me? Empty, empty, yet full of meaning. Revealed by a tarnished-silver light are loveingly neglected, straggly indoor plants and slightly dusty fruit. Gorgeous flowers sip from impossibly delicate vessels and sometimes hover, imperishable, in midair.

Ronald & Lois Sherr - NY

Ms. Dubin has curated exhibitions including Totems to Turquoise: Native North American Jewelry Arts of the Northwest and Southwest  at the American Museum of Natural History; Arrows of the Spirit:  North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment at the Mingei International Museum in San Diego and The Beaded Universe at the Mingei and the American Craft Museum.  She was a Commissioner, Indian Arts and Crafts Board, Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. and sits on the Board of the National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center, Smithsonian Institution.  Ms. Dubin graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in landscape architecture

(Lois Sherr is Dubin Lois Sherr ???)

Michael Klein - NY

Michael Klein is an artist’s agent and freelance consultant and curator for individuals, institutions and arts organizations. He is a highly regarded writer, curator, and program director and has been the executive director of the International Sculpture Center based in New Jersey. Klein has been a regular contributor to Sculpture Magazine in addition to writing reviews and feature articles for Art in America, ARTnews, Artnet and theartsection.com, among others. He also serves as adjunct faculty to Pratt Institute and New York University in New York.

Joshua Larock –  NY

Nanette Fluhr –  NY

Nanette Fluhr has been featured in exhibitions at the Art-trium, the American Artist's Professional League, Inc at the Salmagundi Club in New York City, the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club at the National Arts Club in New York City, the Hudson Valley Art Association, the National League of Pen Women, The Art League of Nassau County, The Lever House, The School of Visual Arts, The Art League of Long Island, The Huntington Arts Council and the Hutchins Gallery at C.W. Post College.

Gregory Mortenson – NY

Gregory Mortenson (b. 1976) is a New York based artist.  He received his BA from Southern Virginia University.  After college, Gregory spent the next two years studying classical painting in an apprenticeship with Patrick Devonas and William Whitaker.

He then moved to New York City to study at the Grand Central Academy of Art under Jacob Collins and the Waterstreet Atelier tradition.  After completing the four year curriculum, Gregory continued two more years of painting at Jocob Collin’s private studio.

Noralen Curi – NY

 “Noralen Curl’s exceptional experience in the art and fine wine industries made her an obvious choice to care for our extensive list of valued clients,” said Andrew Hamilton, senior vice president and general manager of Cirkers Hayes. “As we continue to build upon the storied 150-year history of this firm, she will be an invaluable asset as we maintain our position as the region’s leader in fine art storage and logistics.”

“I’m honored to join a firm that has such a long and successful history of fine art handling in New York,” Curl said. “As Cirkers Hayes continues to expand its services including the storage of valuable wine collections and the hosting of special events, I’m thrilled to be a part of such a dedicated and experienced team.”

He Yuehua- NY

The America China Oil Painting Artists League (ACOPAL) is the brainchild of two Chinese gentlemen, Mr. He Yuehua and Mr. Peng (Stephen) Ling. Though each has taken residence in America , living in the greater New York area, they have also maintained strong ties to their homeland with a special concentration in the popularity and fast growing development of Fine Art in Universities and Academies in China . Having studied the development of art in America from the nation’s birth, they became well aware of the role fine art (particularly works in oil painting) has played in the cultural enrichment of this society. China on the other hand was introduced to oil painting about 100 years ago. In this (relatively) short period, Chinese artists have made significant strides to master the techniques and methods of painting in oils. The last 20 years have seen a great surge take place in the emergence of highly accomplished Chinese artists working in oil, producing some of the finest work known the world over. Universities and (Art) Academies throughout China have focused on teaching the art of classical realism to its students. As a result, China Realism, a major (art) movement has developed and its members hold title of the highest esteem among their countrymen. Their efforts have gained recognition in other parts of the world especially in the United States . During the period that saw the rise of Realism in China , American artists were moving in the same direction. Disenchanted with Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art and the Avante Garde movements prevalent from the mid 20th century and on, artists in America pushed hard to reclaim their standing in the tradition of classical realism.

Stephen Lin – NY (is right)

Winner of the Boston GuitarFest Competition and the East Carolina Guitar Competition, Steve Lin is praised by Classical Guitar Magazine as "a confident player with a powerful sound, quick hands, and a solid musical memory." Kris Palmer is a second prize winner in the National Flute Association's Young Artist Competition, winner of a Special Presentation Award from Artists International in New York City, and first prize winner in the Carmel Chamber Music Society Competition. Il Nuovo Pontivo of Rome, Italy proclaims her to be "excellent...a confirmed concert artist of international stature." Steve has made solo appearances throughout the United States, Italy, the Philippines, and Taiwan, and his albums, Eliot Fisk Series Volumn 1 and Imagen, are available from VGo Recordings. Kris' solo album features her own arrangements of Baroque French works, and she is the author of "Ornamentation According to CPE Bach & JJ Quantz." Steve is professor of guitar at San Jose State University, and Kris is a former member of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra