Regional Representatives
The PSWC greatly appreciates our Regional Reps! These artists have stepped up to help the Society fulfill it’s commitment to promote art and art education in our communities and to have a little fun while doing it! They will be organizing Paint-Outs, Paint-Ins and social events in their geographic areas. If you live in one of these areas, contact them through their websites to find out about upcoming events. Traveling near-by? Here’s a chance to find out about events that will turn your vacation into an art trip! Interested in becoming a regional rep? Please contact us!
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Bonnie Kenaley
Region covered: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
Relocating to Boise 17 years ago from her native east coast, Bonnie Davis Kenaley retired in 2021 as a Boise State University professor, providing her the opportunity to initiate her painting endeavors. Initially, she focused on watercolor as a medium of choice. Yet, after attending a pastel workshop in 2023, she fell in love with pastels, enjoying the instant gratification provided by their brilliant colors and buttery feel. A naturalist, birder, avid cyclist, and tent camper, Bonnie connects with and appreciates the outdoors across the US and Europe, providing her Plein Air and photography opportunities. Bonnie is a member of the Idaho Watercolor Society and the Plein Air Painters of Idaho (PAPI).
Clark Mitchell
Region covered: Sebastopol, Napa, Sonoma
Growing up in the shadow of the Colorado Rockies, Clark very early discovered a love of the natural world. Given a set of fine German pastels by his father when young, he quickly embraced the medium for its ease of handling, brilliance of color and portability. He received a bachelor’s degree in art in the seventies and moved to San Francisco to continue his studies. Through personal exploration as well as study with exceptional teachers, Mitchell has developed the talent to create both tightly rendered landscapes as well as looser suggestions in both pastels and oils. To add a remarkable luster to some of his oils, he’s incorporating copper, gold and aluminum leaf. In order to fully immerse himself in the countryside he loves, Mitchell left San Francisco with his now husband over forty years ago and moved north to beautiful Sonoma County Wine Country. Designated a Master Pastelist by the Pastel Society of America and a Distinguished Pastelist by the Pastel Society of the West Coast, Clark has received numerous awards in local as well as national competitions.
In 2005, he won Best of Show at the Laguna Plein Air Invitational; and in 2011, Best of Show in the Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational. His paintings have been on the cover of American Artist, Southwest Art and the Pastel Journal.
Jean Vineyard Myers
Region covered: Southern California, Ventura County
Jean Myers is a fine artist in Southern California whose interest is in exploring light and color. She has a Bachelor of Fine Art from Colorado State University and holds Signature Membership in the PSWC. Jean’s creativity was nurtured growing up in Missouri with animals and nature in abundance. She spent her summers swimming in lakes and riding hours. Jean paints outdoors when she can and that is an ongoing pursuit that gives her great joy. She believes that there is nothing like standing in nature and observing beauty with great focus for several hours, because it changes one for the better.
Bobbye West-Thompson
Region Covered: California Central Coast, San Luis Obispo County
Bobbye is a fourth-generation Californian and has lived along California’s coast most of her life. Although the Pacific Ocean, sand dunes, valleys and farmland and nearby mountains was inspiring, time to paint was an elusive skill undeveloped until she retired. She took workshops in watercolor, read books, visited museums and joined plein air groups – an education in itself.
Recently, she began using soft pastels as her primary medium and thoroughly enjoys the countless color choices and the tactile feel of these pure pigments. She’s hooked! And…she gets to paint in a natural paradise with unlimited subject matter as well as in her home studio.Her degrees are in English and Education but her “art education” is from books, wonderful master teachers, museums, art enthusiasts and other artists. Using a camera from an early
age provided lessons in composition, light and shadow, color and texture. Now she uses those lessons when painting. Hopefully, you will join Bobbye on future planned art excursions and paint-outs in this gorgeous coastal area she is privileged to call home.
Kim Lordier
Region covered: San Francisco and Peninsula
Painter and California Native, Kim Lordier received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco and University of San Francisco. Flight attendant, competitive horsewoman, and artist, her career path varied until the events of September 2001, when she committed to her life’s work as an artist.
Carol Talley
Region covered: Santa Barbara County
Carol grew up in Santa Barbara, and delights in painting the local landscape. She has been working in pastels for over 25 years, and has studied with many of the great pastellists, including Albert Handell, Kim Lordier, Terri Ford and Debora Stewart. She is currently exploring abstracted landscapes to evoke a sense of both the familiar and mysterious.
Working from a background of a more realistic interpretation of place, Carol is expanding into emphasizing color, texture, and atmosphere to access the depth of emotional response to location. Her greatest joy is to connect with the viewer by creating paintings that express the ineffable and transcendent. She is sharing her knowledge of pastels through teaching classes and aims to help more folks get excited about the pastel medium. As a signature member of PSWC and Regional Representative, Carol wants to coordinate paint outs, paint ins, critiques, and exhibits in the Santa Barbara area.
Lisa Skelly
Region covered: Southern California – Orange County
Lisa Skelly is deeply inspired by the beauty of nature. Through her paintings, she captures the essence of the natural world, with a particular focus on seascapes, landscapes, waves, skies, and clouds. Drawing on her lifelong love of nature, her work reflects her passion for the outdoors and her deep appreciation for the power and beauty of the natural world.
For Lisa, painting is not just a creative outlet, but a way of connecting with the world around her. Her work is a celebration of the natural beauty that surrounds us, and an invitation to slow down and appreciate the wonders of the world. Lisa is a member of multiple other pastel societies, a California Art Club Artist Member, the American Impressionist Society, the American Society of Marine Artists, and a Signature Artist in the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.
Lisa’s work has received top awards, including Best of Show in the 2024 SLO-Poke Western Art Show and Best Plein Air Pastel at the 2023 Plein Air Salon competition, among others. She has participated in many invitational plein air events and exhibitions, and is a popular workshop instructor.
