Jon Miller

Acrylics

Jon’s an unpretentious midwestern guy, who grew up drawing the local landscape. “I drew a lot of barns”, he recalls. Life provided him a couple of vocational twists and turns, but when he returned to his art, two decades later, both his soul and his palette had evolved to accommodate a much more expansive range of artistic thought. Colorful acrylics of coastal scenes, kept company with photorealistic paintings that often carried a subtle, or not so subtle, philosophical message.
While external objects, scenes, and people inspire Jon, his finished product always bore a definitive stamp of his personal artistic perspective. Strong personal feelings and novel thoughts brought everyday subjects “out of the box”, and into Jon’s artistic light. Often he challenged viewers to look at familiar elements of communal life in a very different way. Jon was rewarded not only by the satisfaction of provocation, but also by many art show prizes awarded by judges.
While many artists tread water in artistic careers, Jon has solidified his artistic reputation by swimming both with the tide of common perspective, and strongly against it.
His newest work, inspired by his recent move back to the Midwest, is a fascinating journey inside an artist who will no doubt continue to evolve.

Louise Amundson 

“I first became interested in art at a very early age. My report card in Kindergarten listed my interests as ‘modeling clay and stringing beads’. During her high school years, the ceramics class rekindled her love of clay.

I create some popular and ordinary things like cups, bowls, and teapots, but my favorite things to make are very unusual and unique one-of-a-kind items. That is why I love working in clay; I can squeeze, shape and mold all sorts of things, from the ordinary to the extraordinary; from cups and bowls to sculptures. This is the only art medium in which I have been interested.

It has always been just a mere dream of mine
to create with clay, and now is a great time
to be creative!

My work is displayed at Heartland Art Gallery and occasionally at some art and craft festivals”.

Marge Burkholder

“I have been painting and drawing most of my life. I am an accomplished artist in several media. Watercolor is one of my favorites.

I enjoy teaching and have taught all ages. Currently, I facilitate watercolor painting at several assisted living, nursing homes and
retirement communities.

Most residents in these facilities have never painted before but are surprised at their first attempt and their success as watercolorists. I find this
to be very rewarding!

I also teach workshops for the more serious artists. These include drawing with graphite, charcoal, pen and ink and watercolor painting.”

Cindy Carter grew up in Culver. From a young age, she was exposed to many art
and craft mediums by her mother and grandmothers. Over the years she has done floral arranging, dabbled in painting, macramé, embroidery and cross-stitching.

In early 2018, faced with an empty nest after the last of her three children moved out, she started classes in clay making.
She was immediately drawn into the hand building and wheel throwing processes.
The search for a used wheel and kiln of her own and other supplies began shortly after starting the classes. She has enjoyed setting up a home studio and learning all she can about pottery making. She is anxious to keep learning and honing her skills. She has given many of her pieces to family, friends and some charities.

This is her first time displaying in a gallery, but she has sold some of her work at the Culver Farmer’s Market. She enjoys creating in her home studio in the evenings and on weekends when not at work. She looks
forward to sharing her love of making things with her grandchildren. Cindy lives in Culver with her husband Bruce, Lab Ellie and cat Boo.

Erica Coffing

Oils

As an artist my work has always been primarily concerned with humanity, specifically, through the portrait. I have inexplicably been captivated with the human portrait for over thirty years. History has shown that despite the trends toward new and fresh forms of expression, portraiture will always hold a high place of value. We, as a species are obsessed with looking at ourselves. My work is somewhat naturalistic but does not strive for pure realism. I prefer to often work in pure, raw color, similar to the Fauvists. I am not interested in achieving a perfect likeness, nor am I interested in tedious detail, but in communicating a subtle emotional power through the gaze of the subject. I use bold brushwork and mark-making to create vibrant and energetic forms. In my work I strive to connect a foundation of draftsmanship with a looser, more playful abstraction. Much of my work flows from a place of searching, seeking out the qualities within all of us which make us congruent, those traits that reveal our true spirit. I am an idealist and a strong believer that people can be transformed by that which they put into their minds, as a result my art seeks to always be optimistic, more joyful than painful, more defiant than fearful.

Vickie Cook

Vickie is a retired art teacher and potter.
She can often be found volunteering in the Heartland Artists Gallery as a docent and
helping with the pottery program.

Vickie is a former art teacher with the
Plymouth Schools. She received her B.A. in
art education from Purdue and her M.A.
in Fine Arts from Notre Dame, and retired
in 2012 after teaching for 38 years.

Originally from Bourbon, Vickie has lived in Plymouth for 46 years with her husband George, a retired Fire Chief for the City of
Plymouth, and her two sons, Phil and Andy.

Vickie likes to try new things and is always
trying or inventing a new technique and loves working with new glazes. When not throwing pots, Vickie enjoys spending time with her 6 grandkids and loves to travel.

Nate C

Nate Crawford is an artist based out of Plymouth, IN. He specializes in painting utilizing acrylics. He works mostly with abstract ideas.

James Dee Holderread

From a very young age, James Dee Holderread has always been creative. While in school he took art classes but never flourished in the arts. As
he grew older he found many other ways to express his creativity. Such as landscaping, floral arrangements, interior decorating, crocheting, sewing and being a dog groomer. All of these things helped to explore his creative side.

It was in the summer of 2018 a couple of artist friends told him he just needed some direction. He enrolled in painting classes at Heartland Artists Gallery to give him the inspiration he needed.

Rosie Mireles was born in Texas but lived in Chicago for most of her life. She also lived in Miami, Florida where she was a flight attendant for
Eastern Airlines. While working for the airlines she had the opportunity to travel to Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Germany, Egypt, Paris, London, the Americas, and the Caribbean. During her travels, she visited many art museums and some of the
studios of artists including Dali, El Greco, Freida Kalo, and Diego Rivera. Thus began her love of art and art history.

During her time off in Chicago, she went to the University of Illinois where she studied studio arts, the psychology of color, as well as the different styles of painting and photography through the ages. These are the influences in her life. The last eighteen years of her life were spent on the streets of Chicago as a police officer and was again
influenced by the daily comings and goings of the colorful neighborhoods where she worked and lived. Her art is a mixture of emotion and
passionate expressions of life through color and
application. Rosie paints in pastels and also in acrylic. Her earlier paintings are a combination
of acrylic and oil.

Perry Olshein

I am a representational artist that works in oil
exclusively. I am a studio painter that works from photographs. I do a lot of house portraits but no pet portraits. I take pride in the fact that my subject matter varies from urbanscapes to still lifes to
interiors as well as landscapes. I love painting
sunsets and winterscapes. My style is realistic
with a good dose of painterly flair.

Perry’s Philosophy
“To me, life is a banquet, I want to eat it, and I want to paint it. So how do I choose what to paint next?
I can almost taste it!“

Perry started his painting career in 2009 by taking weekly private lessons and an artist was born. His paintings are interpretative in a painterly fashion but are not abstract. He competes in juried shows and has won awards. He also has participated in one and two-man shows, been accepted into Oil Painters of America and in 2019 had a painting juried into
Indiana’s most prestigious art show, the Hoosier Salon.

He draws inspiration from nature, his daily experiences and his travels. His subject matter varies from landscapes to urbanscapes to even an occasional still life. He continually creates new paintings, so please, visit his website often

Jayne Jacobson

Jayne grew up in Wyoming and Montana and then settled in Indiana. She was always interested in drawing and painting, but like so many others, she was not able to devote herself to it during college,
raising children and teaching elementary school. Whenever possible, she would squeeze in an art class at IUSB, Ancilla, South Bend Museum of Art and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.

Many years ago she enrolled in an art experience class at Ancilla College. Eight different media were taught including weaving, calligraphy, wire
sculpture, hooking, and enameling. She had no idea what ‘enameling’ was but thought all the other things sounded interesting. When she took that first glowing piece of glass fused to copper out of the kiln, she was hooked! She has been enameling ever since.

There are many different forms and techniques in enameling which is the fusing of ground glass to metal- either copper, silver or gold. She chooses to create framed wall pieces and jewelry.

Jayne is fascinated by the many properties and forms of glass. She also creates works in stained glass, fused or slumped glass, glass mosaic pieces and dichroic glass jewelry formed in her kiln. Jayne also teaches enameling at Heartland Gallery, MoonTree Studios and in her studio.

Anna Kietzman is a Plymouth native and a self-proclaimed “Creative…with moments of artistry”. Growing up in her mother’s art studio, she was surrounded by art early on and developed a true passion for the arts in all forms, specifically visual arts and dance.

Living in Chicago for 6 years, Anna held various creative jobs, such as teaching children’s dance and also received a Masters in Education from National-Louis University. She went on to teach 4th grade in Crown Point for 7 years, often weaving the arts into her classroom.

After returning to Plymouth, Anna joined Heartland’s Advisory Board in 2016 and has since taken on the role of President in 2017, while also teaching children’s art workshops, as well as classes in paper quilling. She thoroughly enjoys being part of Heartland and is wholly dedicated to helping grow the arts in the Plymouth community.

Outside of the Gallery, Anna spends time with her two boys, Danny (9) and Davey (6), her husband Russ, and their dog, Samwise; she also plays competitive tennis in northern Indiana; is an active member of the local Tri Kappa Chapter, and co-chairs the Marshall County Neighborhood Center’s Dancing with the Stars Fundraiser.

Pat Pregel

“I am a lifelong, self-taught artist and crafter who recently started taking classes and joined Heartland Artists.

In the past, I have worked with wood inlay and Intarsia creating pictures of nature scenes and animals. I also developed stacked vertical wood puzzles of barns, lighthouses, and vertical
waterfalls that were sold at craft shows in the Northern Indiana area.

Over a lifetime of gift making, I’ve dabbled in oil painting, quilting, paper crafting, stained glass, and greeting cards. I’ve always had a
keen interest in trying new mediums and
techniques. Recently I’ve returned to painting and have been working with acrylics. I’ve found acrylics provide a range of versatility not found in oils, including the use with resins.

As often happens, one little experiment
working with resin and acrylic paint has led
to my new obsession. I’ve barely scratched
the surface of what is possible with this medium and plan to continue to experiment and further develop my skills.

June Pullen

“In 1976 I was offered a class in stained glass. It looked interesting and different so I tried it, and found I enjoyed it. I do quite a few window panels and I really like the challenge of making
3-D pieces.

Stained glass requires my concentration; the stress is sufficiently different from my day-to-day tension to require a “shift of gears” to accomplish my goals. I’m “mechanically” inclined, so the technical problems are challenging when I work in 3D.

Most of my art is for family and friends and by the commission. I have displayed some at Heartland Artists Gallery in Plymouth. I enjoy the beauty in all
its forms, but I would probably classify my main
interests as being crafts; for example, in addition to stained glass I also do beading, embroidery,
crocheting and knitting.

I think stained glass is a medium that can be used to express one’s artistic taste and talent if you weren’t blessed with creative fingers. Glass colors are “pre-chosen” for you, combining is your choice. Construction of 3-dimensional items requires
innovation and experimentation … a little
engineering “know-how” also helps!

Christa Risher

Observation in nature is my flow.

I get happily lost in its process: unearthing the layers, utilizing all of my senses, focusing on transitions, and memorizing the light. I absorb the broad strokes of the horizon, but am truly fascinated by the minutiae. I look for striking patterns in unexpected places. Living harmoniously with the natural world—and with child-like wonderment—is everything to me.

The art it inspires is my joy and my self-discovery.

I thrive on unlocking local palettes, seeing things in fresh new ways and capturing these vibrant notions between brush and paper. By creating art and sharing it, I reveal a piece of myself, and that feels significant and beautiful. 

The workings of watercolors themselves hold so much wonder. I use mostly genuine earth pigments and find them magical and natural. I love their unpredictability which keeps me playing, learning and seeking. My art will always be a work in progress.   

Everyday my connections to the outdoors grow deeper, whether I’m on my paths through the woods, my long swims, or my country road commute, which slices through fields framed by distant forest stands. My seasonal bird visitors, frequent interactions with wildlife, and passion for gardening constantly unveil new lessons. Pilgrimages to the coasts of Maine and Florida instill awe in me each time—but so does my life on a small kettle lake with its sounds, aromas, reflections and ever-changing light.

I have known from the beginning that I would live a life focused on the visual arts. From those first clouds I eagerly studied as a little girl, to the extra hours and electives with my fabulous art teacher who inspired me throughout high school—all the way to my clear directives in art school and my graphic arts career—I have always recognized what motivates me and makes me feel whole.  

I earned a BFA at the Ball State University School of Art with a major in Graphic Design and I am the Art Director at Vanadco Signs. I serve on the Board of Directors at Heartland Artists Gallery and feel driven to help inspire creativity and a love for the arts in our community.

Bridget Scutchfield

“Bridget is an active Heartland Artist Member. You can often find her in the Gallery as a docent, as she is a frequent volunteer. If she isn’t in the Gallery, her beautiful work is.

She is an avid painter, often capturing natural subjects, like horses and
flowers with oil paints. Recently she has been creating ornaments from
caning reed. The reed comes from the rattan palm which is imported from
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and China. She weaves and twists
the reed to make beautiful heart
ornaments.

When Bridget isn’t creating, she spends time with her husband, Ralph, also a woodworking artist and tends to her rabbits.

Gloria Seitz has loved making art since she was a young child. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College in Art Education.

She has been teaching art in many different
settings including Heartland School of Art in
Plymouth, Sylvan Way Christian Schools in
Bremerton, WA, Good Shepherd Montessori, Bethel College, Arborwood and Juday Creek
Retirement Facilities in South Bend.

She offers the opportunity for everyone, kids, through adults to challenge their artistic side and opens her classes up to both; parents with their children and/or grandchildren with their
grandparents.

Gloria’s favorite setting for teaching classes has been through her business, New Creations Art Classes, for the last eighteen years. Gloria enjoys working in watercolor, acrylic, pencil, and photography. She is also an accomplished muralist and illustrator.

Mary Szymczak

I grew up in Michigan City/Long Beach and loved the beach and Lake Michigan. I have been married for over 50 years and have two daughters and five grandchildren.

I started stained glass art in 1977. I had two young children and was looking for a creative hobby. I tried several things but it didn’t fill the gap. A friend and later, the mentor talked me into trying stained glass, and I was hooked. I did not feel creative until
I found stained glass. I love the sparkle, the feel, texture, and the challenge!

I have completed large and small projects, repairs and restorations. I have created special pieces for special people and places.:

Holy Family Church, South Bend
Holy Cross Village, Notre Dame
Chapel at Shupert Home
Meditation Room at Andrea House
Franciscan Friary Chapek, Mishawaka
Restoration on the Chapin Mansion, Niles
Houlihan’s Restaurant

I work on all media of stained glass, copper foil, lead, and zinc. Copper foil is my choice, I like the gentle lines and versatility of it.

3D projects are my favorite. No two are alike and can be viewed from any direction, giving you not one piece of art but three or more just by turning it.

I retired from a ‘normal job’ several years ago and have been able to devote more time to do the job
I love ‘Stained Glass by Mary’. I strive to create
individual, unique pieces of art that will become family treasures. I hope I can create something you will love and treasure.

John Thomas

Who is John E. Thomas, Photo-realist Painter and Airbrush Artist of Indiana?

John E. Thomas, born in 1951, began drawing in high school. Encouraged by his teacher, he continued his artistic training at Indiana University where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree. He furthered his training by attending Notre Dame University where he earned a Master of Arts Degree in painting.

Inspired by the smooth look of the airbrush, he mastered the tool and is known for his large paintings on canvas. The photo-realistic images have won him many awards throughout the years. Included in this list are:

Critics Choice Award – Blueberry Festival
1st Place Professional – Blueberry Festival
Indiana State Fair – Most Popular Award 1978, 1979, 1980
Indiana State Fair – Best of Show
Indiana State Fair – Champion Open Class
Heartland Artist Regional – Young Peoples Choice 1997, 1998, 1999
Heartland Artist Regional – Popular Choice 1997 – 1990
Starke County Fine Arts Commission – First Place 1994
South Bend Michiana Regional Competition – Best of Show, 1st in Painting 1978
Mid States Show Evansville – Best of Show 1974 in the permanent collection

Art Work in permanent collections of:
Indianapolis Museum of Art
Evansville Museum of Art & Science
Bristol Myer Squibb Corporate

He has taught high school art for 43 years while continuing to pursue his own art career. Many of his students have gone on to become professionals in the field of art. His art department, at John Glenn High School, has won 25 national achievement awards from the Scholastic Art Awards in New York.

He continues to paint using a variety of mediums such as oils, watercolor, and acrylics. He paints a mixture of subjects; however, figures and portraits continue to be his favorite.

Kathy Zentz

Kathy has had a love of art since early childhood. And ended up with a career in teaching art. She has also been a seamstress all her life, another art form.

She is a retired art teacher of 38 years.
As the only teacher for grades seven through twelfth grade, she had extensive experience in almost all mediums. She
believes in forever learning.

She has and is always challenging herself.
Textile or fabric is her favorite media and is in her comfort zone. She uses photo ideas from her world travels and enjoys
translating those images into mixed media pieces. Nature is usually a theme in her work and represents her love of color and design. She is intense with every
detail and it shows in all her creative
projects.