Art at the Castle

Ralph Velasco

Ralph Velasco is Founder and CEO (Chief Experience Officer) of PhotoEnrichment Programs, Inc. d.b.a. PhotoEnrichment Adventures, as well as a travel photography instructor and international guide who has photographed in over 70 countries on 6 continents.

Drawing on over 14 years of experience planning, organizing, administering, scouting and leading more than 100 international trips around the world, and over 100 domestic trips in the United States, Ralph has created Tour Organizer Training, a free webinar and online course series that trains everyday people, step-by-step, how to organize and lead their own tours, whether around the world, or around the corner.

Ralph was a finalist for the prestigious 2016 and 2015 Travel Photographer of the Year awards and was selected to a group of the Top 100 Travel Photographers in the World for 2014 by a site in the U.K., as well as one of the Top 10 Travel Photography Bloggers by USA Today’s 10best.com. And two years in a row he was chosen “Open Photographer of the Year” by the Professional Photographers of Orange County, California.

You can see a variety of Ralph's work at www.photoenrichment.com

Jana Parkin

Jana’s work combines the warmth and energy of Southern California with the deep contrasts of the Utah landscape—wildness and serenity, open spaces and tightly packed forests, red-rock deserts and cool mountain lakes. Her work contains vibrant color, contemplative washes, and exuberant brushstrokes as well as gestural figures. Her inspiration is found both in her travels and in the beauty, light and color of the everyday. Each painting is a celebration of life, energy and creation.

Jana loves imparting her passion for the medium of watercolor with her students. She has taught watermedia courses at Utah Valley University for over 11 years. She teaches private lessons and classes in her Provo home/studio, and in Salt Lake City. She also loves to travel and teach in larger workshop settings.

She exhibits her work frequently and her luminous watercolors have won numerous awards. She has served on the board of the Utah Watercolor Society and is a member of the National Watercolor Society. Her work has been collected from coast to coast.

You can see a collection of Jana's work at www.JanaParkin.com

Chris Brandley

Award winning artist, Chris Brandley specializes in oils, but also has many years experience in acrylics and watercolors. She is known for her vivid use of color, and works in the “Alla Prima” method of painting, which allows her to achieve a spontaneous, fresh result.

Being the daughter of an Air Force pilot, Chris grew up in Europe, Asia, and the United States. The diverse cultural experiences she encountered play an instrumental role in her art. She is especially inspired by the contrast of colorful flowers against ancient architecture. Chris received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art Education from Baylor University, and has taught and worked in the Visual Arts field for 30 years. She has a deep passion to connect with other artists and share what she has learned through the years.

Her work has been featured on television backdrops, documentaries, International magazines and other products. Her most recent feature is of her painting “First Snow”, found on popcorn tins at “Big Lots” stores throughout the Unites States and Canada.

You can see a collection of Chris's work at www.ChrisBrandley.com

Beth Ruggiero York

Beth Ruggiero-York is a landscape and travel photographer. She spends summers on Cape Cod and winters in Arizona, where she teaches photo workshops for Arizona Highways Photoscapes as well as her own workshops in the US, Asia, and Europe.

Beth has led groups for National Geographic, Smithsonian, American Museum of Natural History, and other organizations, so we are very excited to be hosting this special workshop at Marouatte Castle.

You can see a collection of Beth's work at www.BethRuggiero.com

Elaine Lisle

Elaine Lisle is a Philadelphia artist whose work emphasizes the immediacy of the moment. Her work often features architectural focal points, figures and reflections with vibrant color and contrast to emphasize the emotional context of the subject.

Schooled at the University of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, with more than 25 years as a professional painter, Lisle has won regional and national awards, exhibited widely in the mid-atlantic, including New York City, and her richly painted oils are owned by numerous corporations as well as individual collectors around the globe. She is represented by Gross McCleaf Gallery in Philadelphia.

She has participated in numerous plein air competitions and has led several plein air workshops in the U.S. and in France during the last 10 years. Her work has been featured in Fine Art Connoisseur magazine (March/April 2019) as well as American Art Collector and International Artist.

You can see a collection of Elaine's work at www.elainelisle.com

V.... Vaughan

An impressionist oil painter, V.... paints on location all across America. “My favorite subjects are wild places and around the countryside near America's small farms."

V's work focuses on special projects that are heartfelt and comprehensive; treating her subjects to documentary style study. She completed 365 daily small works depicting her family's "Last Year on the Farm"' before they moved from the land in 2008. The paintings were featured at various museums and venues, and received great revues.
In October of 2011, V.... presented a follow-up exhibit entitled "Passing America" in which she explored America's disappearing family farms. Both shows debuted at the Great Plains Art Museum at the University of Nebraska.

V….Vaughan spent many years as a graphic designer/art director/illustrator, working in advertising and winning Addy Awards. Her clients included Samsung, The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and Harcourt Publishing. V....Vaughan Arts grew through RockSports Inc. which still features V’s colorful designs in national catalogs and websites. For over 20 years V.... has been a part-time high school art instructor. She also teaches painting workshops all across America.

Her paintings are part of the permanent collection of the Gadsen Museum of Art, the Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art and the Great Plains Art Museum as well as in countless private collections.