2025 WSAS Digital Catalog

Art Show and Sale

Oct. 26, 2025

Newport Beach, CA

Brienne Brown

Don Demers

Mike Hernandez

Kathleen Hudson

Paul Kratter

Kim Lordier

Dan Marshall

Lori Putnam

Jason Situ

Michele Usibelli

History of Plein Air on Catalina Island

Plein air painting is the practice of painting in the landscape. The technique was brought to the forefront of popular culture by French Impressionists and derives its name from the French term “en plein air” or “in the open air.” Artists of this era were well-equipped to capture the beauty of nature beyond the studio with portable easels and paint in packaged tubes. As the movement spread, many painters found their way to Catalina Island, creating works that cover decades of the Island’s natural history. Plein air painting reached its peak on Catalina around 1925. By the 1950s, other techniques had become more prominent and the plein air approach fell out of favor.

Plein air painting began to flourish again on the Island in 1986, when local Southern California artist Denise Burns invited friends to Avalon to paint amid the many natural landscapes found on Catalina. In 2011, the Conservancy launched Catalina: The Wild Side. This new program brought nationally renowned plein air artists to Catalina Island to paint in this technique, bringing attention to the thousands of acres of wildlands that the Conservancy stewards, as well as to the communities of Avalon and Two Harbors. The artwork in this exhibition demonstrates Catalina Island’s unique landscapes in natural beauty.

Dear Friends,

The Catalina Island Conservancy is always grateful for the opportunity to connect with those who care deeply about Catalina Island. Catalina: TheWildSideArt Show and Sale invites us to see this extraordinary place through the eyes of artists who honor the Island with each stroke of their paintbrush. For generations, artists have used their work to create deeper connections to the natural world and highlight the places we cannot afford to lose. The pieces in this show invite us to see Catalina not as scenery, but as an irreplaceable Island and one that is fragile, resilient and worth fighting for.

Every painting purchased supports the Conservancy’s mission: to be an exemplary steward of Island resources through a thoughtful balance of conservation, education and recreation. Your participation helps ensure Catalina’s unique species and wildlands endure for future generations.

Thank you for being part of this work.

With appreciation,

Whitney Latorre President and CEO, Catalina Island Conservancy

For the past 15 years, the Catalina Island Conservancy has invited nationally renowned artists to the Island to paint its unique landscapes and inspire through its enchanting stories. The moments in time that are captured are the reflection of early mornings, long days and late nights exploring the over 42,000 acres of land stewarded by the Conservancy and presented as a unique collection at the Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show & Sale.

We hope guests leave inspired by the many interpretations of Catalina’s magical landscapes. We aim to spark curiosity about the Island beyond Avalon, encourage exploration of Conservancy lands and inspire philanthropic support for the Conservancy’s programs. For collectors, we hope they discover artists whose work they want to bring home, knowing their purchase supports the Conservancy’s mission to protect and share Catalina Island.

I look forward to seeing you at this year’s show and celebrating the new works of these ten artists and the mission-critical programs of the Conservancy, while honoring the over 100-year-old tradition of painting en plein air on Catalina Island.

Victoria Seaver Dean Catalina: TheWildSideArt Committee, Chair

How to Use This Digital Catalog

Click each painting to be directed to the purchase page and view an enlarged image of each painting. Once on the purchase page, click the photo image again and zoom into the image in the pop-up window.

Click on this home button to be directed to the main page of the online exhibition.

How to Buy Online

GET READY

• Click to access painting purchase page and sign-in to MY ACCOUNT

• Confirm contact and shipping information

• Add credit card and billing address

BUY PAINTINGS

• Click the painting and then click PURCHASE

Online sales begin at 5:00 PM Pacific on Sunday, October 26, 2025.

DONE BUYING?

• Click and click MY ACCOUNT

• Click on RECEIPTS to view final receipt and e-mail copy

• Review CHECKOUT DIRECTIONS for shipping and sales tax information

All sales are final. Appropriate shipping and sales tax will be added to each purchase. Please email rsvp@catalinaconservancy.org to coordinate details. Paintings purchased online will ship directly from the artist's studio to the purchaser unless other arrangements are made. Shipping of multiple paintings will be combined when possible. A confirmation of shipping information and tracking numbers will be sent to email address on file. Shipping insurance will be added to all shipping, with a required signature for delivery.

In person purchases will be available for pickup in person on Sunday, Oct. 26, between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Newport Harbor Yacht Club.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

ARTIST PARTNER

MEDIA PARTNERS

CURATOR SPONSORS

Blanny Avalon Hagenah Maria Pellegrini Mike and Gloria Sullivan

PATRON SPONSORS

Julia Banning

Lynne Brickner and Jerry Gallard

Catalina Express

Tim and Sheila Collins

Victoria and Dorn Dean

Graham and Celeste Gilles

Geraldine Knatz and John Mulvey

Marie Knowles

Optivest Wealth Management

Maureen and Phil Ramer

Frank Tarquin and Kathy Gann

Steve and Monette Zotovich

Newport Harbor Yacht Club is proud to support the Catalina Island Conservancy

Brienne Brown Pennsylvania

Brienne Brown’s passion is watercolor and plein air. She loves using the slightly controlled chaotic nature of watercolor in bringing the everyday to life. Her work has been published in Splash 17: Inspired Subjects, PleinAir Magazine, Southwest Art Magazine, International Artist Magazine, and Watercolor Artist Magazine. Brown has earned signature status in several art societies, including the National Watercolor Society, Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, and the American Impressionist Society. Every year, she participates in national juried and invitational plein air events across the country. Brienne is a popular instructor and teaches workshops in person and online.

Don Demers Maine

Don Demers is considered to be one of the finest marine and landscape painters in America. The exemplary level of Don’s paintings has placed them in some of the most prestigious public and private collections in the country. A highly sought after instructor, his teaching has taken him around the United States and Europe. His work as an illustrator has been honored four times in the annual exhibition of the Society of Illustrators. Don’s marine paintings have garnered him a record 21 awards at the Mystic International Marine Exhibition including the prestigious Rudolph J. Schaefer Award. He has received awards for his landscape painting from the Joan Irvine Museum in Irvine, the Laguna Plein Air Painting Invitational and from The Guild of Boston Artists. Don is a Fellow of the American Society of Marine Artists, an Elected Member of The Guild of Boston Artists, Salmagundi Club and the California Art Club and a Signature Member of Plein Air Painters of America.

Mike Hernandez

California

Mike Hernandez is a Los Angeles-based plein air painter working in gouache, oil and acrylic. Inspired early by his father and plein air masters like Joaquín Sorolla and Edgar Payne, Mike captures the intersection of natural and industrial landscapes, from the Eastern Sierra to the L.A. River. A graduate of Art Center College of Design, he spent years as a Production Designer and Art Director at DreamWorks Animation. Today, he teaches fine art and entertainment-focused workshops across the country. Mike is a Signature Member of Plein Air Painters of America, and his work is held in private collections worldwide.

Kathleen Hudson

Kathleen Hudson emphasizes dynamic light and atmospherics in her landscape paintings, which are featured in museums and private collections around the world. She serves on the board of Plein Air Painters of America and is an elected Fellow in the American Society of Marine Artists.

After an upbringing that featured extensive travel and lots of art museums, Hudson received her degree from Harvard University, where she studied medieval history and led backpacking trips in the White Mountains. She now lives with her husband and four children in Colorado Springs. Hudson’s work has been featured on the cover of PleinAir Magazine and The Artist’s Magazine, and her awards include Grand Prize in the PleinAir Salon, Best in Show at the Hockaday Museum, Grand Prize at Plein Air Texas, and Artists’ Choice at the Laguna Invitational, the Hockaday Museum, and Forgotten Coast en Plein Air. In 2023, Hudson coordinated Artists for Lahaina, an online art auction featuring 1,000 paintings that raised over half a million dollars for families impacted by wildfires in Maui.

Paul Kratter

From an early age, Paul was always passionate about sports and wildlife. Drawing and painting provided him with a creative outlet to express these interests. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Paul built a career in illustration, creating posters, magazines, programs and various forms of art that celebrated both wildlife and sports. In the early 2000s, he discovered plein air painting and was captivated by the spontaneity it offered. He developed a deep appreciation for being outdoors and found it both rewarding and challenging to paint while the light and weather constantly shifted.

Today, Paul spends many days painting outdoors, and when the weather does not cooperate, returns to his childhood passion by creating studio pieces or wildlife art. He is dedicated to the wonderful career he has built and paints almost every day with enthusiasm. Paul is a Signature Member of both the California Art Club and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association and loves sharing his knowledge with others and finds teaching to be a rewarding experience him (and hopefully his students, as well).

Kim Lordier

California

Kim Lordier’s work has been showcased on the cover of PleinAir Magazine, Art of the West, Southwest Art, and The Pastel Journal, as well as featured in Fine Art Connoisseur, American Artist and The Artist Magazine. Acknowledged by jurors and her peers, Kim has received recognition for her landscapes at major plein air events, international magazine competitions, national pastel society shows and museum exhibitions.

Kim holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. She is also a Signature Member of the California Art Club, the Pastel Society of America and Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, as well as a Distinguished Pastelist of the Pastel Society of the West Coast and a Master Circle Member of the International Association of Pastel Societies. A coveted workshop instructor, Kim leads workshops across the country.

Dan Marshall

Dan Marshall is a nationally renowned watercolor artist, demonstrator and instructor located in Denver. He is an avid plein air painter, producing the majority of his work on location. He has been featured in and written articles for Watercolor Artist, Southwestern Art, PleinAir Magazine and OutdoorPainter.com and has received multiple awards from juried shows and invitational events. He has previously served as a juror for the National Watercolor Society, the Colorado Watercolor Society and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. Dan’s work is greatly influenced by living in the American West. Inspired by the fading scenes of rustic farms and working ranches, framed in by the beautiful landscapes Colorado and New Mexico have to offer. Growing up on the East Coast and having previously lived in California, his work retains a strong connection to coastal and nautical life. Regardless of the subject, his unique view of the Americana aesthetic can always be found.

Dan is a Signature Member of the American Watercolor Society, American Impressionist Society, Laguna Plein Air Painters Association and a Member of the California Art Club and the Salmagundi Club.

Lori Putnam Tennessee

Lori Putnam is a celebrated oil painter with a distinct and captivating style. Collectors appreciate that her work is fresh and engaging. Using a variety of thin and thick paint, Putnam paints only what she wants the viewer to see, nothing less—nothing more.

She has traveled to paint, research, lecture and teach in over 30 countries. Exposure to other lives and geographic locations has been her greatest teacher.

She is a Signature Member of the California Art Club and a Master Signature Member of the Oil Painters of America. When not painting en plein air, she works from sketches in her Tennessee studio, where she paints larger-scale works.

Jason Situ California

W. Jason Situ was born in Guang Dong, China. He began painting in high school during China’s “Cultural Revolution” and completed his art education at the Guangzhou Fine Arts Institute, one of China’s most prestigious and competitive art academies. In 1989, Jason immigrated to the United States with his family. He was fascinated by the beautiful California landscape and soon decided to become a plein air painter. He has been a full-time artist since 1997 and has shown his work across the United States. He is a prolific, dedicated painter, receiving numerous awards in prestigious juried art competitions, and strives to keep contributing his best to the beauty of the art world, painting what brings him joy as an artist.

Jason is a Signature Member of the California Art Club and an Honorary Member of the Tucson Plein Air Painters Society. He has also been featured in several fine art publications including Art of the West, Southwest Art and American Artist.

Michele Usibelli Washington

As a former architect, Michele brings a unique perspective to her art, where design principles meet the untamed beauty of the West. Her work is defined by bold colors and dynamic shapes that capture the everyday moments often overlooked, transforming them into striking compositions.

Michele’s award-winning artwork has been shown in both group and solo gallery exhibitions as well as regional, national and international juried exhibitions and Museum Auctions, and has received numerous awards, including the Silver Medal Award at the prestigious Salmagundi Club and the UCI Institute and Museum of California Art Award. She is honored to have her work in the permanent collection at the University of Alaska Fairbanks/ Museum of the North and most recently, her painting "First Light, Pioneer Mill Smokestack", was acquired by the State of Hawaii for their permanent collection. Michele has followed her passion to teach, conducting ongoing workshops and art demonstrations throughout the US and internationally. She is an Artist Member of the California Art Club, and Signature Member of Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society, American Women Artists and Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.

Your Membership Makes Our Mission Possible

A Catalina Island Conservancy membership is a rewarding way to support cutting-edge science and conservation for one of the most unique islands on earth.

The Catalina Island Conservancy facilitates access to the Island’s wildlands for a range of thrilling outdoor activities.

Our mission is to be an exemplary steward of Island resources through a balance of conservation, education and recreation.

Join us in our mission! catalinaconservancy.org

@catalinaconservancy @catalinaconservancy

Is Catalina in Your Legacy?

Imagine protecting Catalina Island’s wild beauty—not just for today, but for generations to come.

The Ironwood Society invites you to create a lasting legacy that safeguards the Island’s rare species, wildlands, and access for all.

More than a giving program, the Ironwood Society is a powerful commitment – an act of stewardship that mirrors the Catalina ironwood tree itself: enduring, regenerative and deeply rooted in the Island’s future.

@catalinaislandconservancy