Artists

Craig was born in Somers Point, New Jersey in 1939. During World War II, the family moved to Philadelphia so that his father, a machinist by trade, could work in a defense plant to support the family while assisting in the war effort. Along with his younger brother and sister Craig was raised in Philadelphia and lived there until he joined the US Air Force in 1957 after high school. His four-year enlistment was spent serving in Texas, New York and Iceland. While serving most of his time in New York, Craig took advantage of an opportunity to attend Mitchell College of LIU for evening sessions and did so until he shipped out to Iceland in 1960. His tour of duty in Iceland placed him at a remote radar site at the edge of the Artic Circle, overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean and the treacherous Denmark Straits. In his spare time, he studied photography there with a fellow serviceman and gained an appreciation for the varied expressions of violent weather and the beautiful earth tones that dominate the scenery of that rugged island. These memories would one day enable him to feature these dramatic values in his paintings.

In the mid 1970’s Craig decided he wanted to try his hand at painting. He began with oil pastels and within a year switched to acrylics with the expectation that this path would eventually lead him to watercolors for which he harbored a yearning to try. After a few months the urge to paint with watercolors became irresistible and he promptly became addicted after his initial attempt. Consequently, Craig focused on this medium for about 30 years and considers it essential to produce the results he desires for his paintings of historic homes, churches and Bucks County landscapes. Being self-taught, Craig’s distinct style incorporates bold color and contrast in his watercolors and acrylics which evoke a sense of energy and drama while offering the viewer a feeling of familiarity. His love of gardening is evident in the whimsical landscaping found in many of his works. In addition to producing commissioned house portraits he expects to continue producing works of Bucks County scenes and historically significant structures from his home studio in Newtown Borough.

Craig and his wife, Belva, reside in Newtown, Bucks County, PA. They have four children, ten grandchildren and two great grandchildren. When time permits, they like to kayak, bike, walk and dabble in birding & photography. Craig's wife, Belva, passed away in February of this year.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Fred Swan is completely self-taught as an artist. His meticulous attention to detail gives his paintings an immediately recognizable style. His paintings are filled with nostalgia and warmth. The extreme realism and beauty of his creations cause others to look to the future and remark, "Now that is the kind of peaceful setting I want when I retire."

Fred’s paintings are found in many private and corporate collections including those of Johnson and Johnson and the estate of Malcolm Forbes. He has been a Yankee Magazine feature artist, is a past winner of The Saturday Evening Post Cover Contest, and has been featured in many national publications.

Due to the length of time necessary to complete a painting (500 hrs. on average) he is often unable to fulfill the demand for his original acrylics. Each image is richly rural, a way of life experienced by few, but fondly remembered by many. These qualities have earned Swan a lofty reputation as one of our nation’s finest landscape artists.

Dan Campanelli, in all facets of everyday live, subscribe completely to the traditional American aesthetic expressed his paintings, that he’s so able to convey and reaffirm the simple, luminous beauty of their subjects.

For nearly a quarter century, from his little stone house near Finesville, a few miles south of Phillipsburg near the Musconetcong River, Dan produced a succession of work which has come to be admired across America and around the world.

Much of the subject matter for his work lay literally within a stone's throw of his home; and all within an hour's drive. This is where he came to be near the subjects he loves to paint. In his hands, plainness transforms to crystal clarity, and austerity becomes majesty, evoking a powerful response from an expansive audience.

Powerful indeed. The chord he struck elevated their sales past one million sometime over the last decade. A Campanelli image is something you're likely to recognize, though the name may be one you're learning for the first time.

Even though Dan has passed; his legacy has remained a constant with his wife Marty and she continually keeps his work front and center within the art community.

When Kevin Daniel explored an interest in painting as a young man, he had no thought that his interest would develop into an award-winning career and passion as an artist. Studying the works of classic artists like Rembrandt, Renoir and Monet, he became amazed by their attention to detail, panoramic scenery and use of colors. Kevin’s initial concentration in wildlife art depicted realism and nature’s beauty with the subjects in his portraits.

Due to popular demand and confidence in his artistic talents, Kevin concentrated his work on waterfowl, earning him national awards as well as becoming a two-time Minnesota Duck Stamp winner. Kevin continues to be challenged by the variety and complexities of wildlife he finds fascinating to capture with the paintbrush as well as the camera. Kevin’s upbringing in the Minnesota outdoors continues to inspire him.

Collectors and galleries have embraced Kevin Daniel’s artwork. His versatility as an artist has earned him national acclaim. In 1982 Kevin Daniel was honored by the USO and donated two of his paintings to the Bob Hope museum in Washington, DC.

You can find original artwork as well other items at Kevin's website: https://www.kevindanielart.com/

On a small farm in Pennsylvania, Terri lives with her husband in a restored farmhouse. She draws her inspiration from the farm animals and various perennial gardens throughout the property. Her familiarity with her subjects is apparent in her detailed paintings. Terri has 25 years of graphic design experience which has a strong influence in her sign work. She enjoys painting on vintage wood panels, shutters, and cupboard doors. On weekend excursions to antique shops and flea markets, Terri picks up one of a kind pieces to paint on. She paints with acrylics which make her original works suitable for indoor and outdoor use.

You can read more about Terri on her website: http://terripalmersigns.com/

Terry Kirkland Cook is a fine artist, a professional photographer and an all-around deep thinking energetically creative individual. She delights in the creative process and is humbly thankful for the many gifts God has entrusted her with. She was a licensed Interior Designer for 32 years with a name sake firm and while very sought after and successful she always yearned for the true passions of once again pursuing her original focus in the Fine Arts.

She completely changed that focus and direction a few years ago and relocated to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. It is here that this constant calling to the arts could be rekindled. In this new place she could be still and in the stillness see and hear our Creator's magnificence with new eyes, ears and heart. It was as if she was able to quietly absorb this stunning beauty for the first time. Here, surrounded by and inspired by horses and their inspirational majesty, she could renew and awaken all her creative energies. She and her family are able to shepherd a gentle breed of magical horses that have inspired every breath she takes toward her artistic passions. These horses have brought her to a new beginning point. A refocusing on what really is important and so often overlooked. A re-evaluating of priorities of the heart and the soul.

Here every day is viewed with a new importance and every ray of sunlight, every breeze and every season is embraced, studied and celebrated
with humble gratitude. She and her family raise and nurture many creatures and have so enjoyed the simple and natural lifestyle they have in the beautiful countryside. " We are so blessed! I thank the Lord for the gifts of these animals, this place and what each have brought forth in me. I am eternally thankful, exuberantly creative and deeply inspired because of Him..."

"I am a self-taught / outsider artist. My work is in galleries throughout New England, Cape Cod, Atlanta, San Francisco, and also in the American Folk Art Museum in New York City.

I reside in southwestern New Hampshire with my Jack Russell Terrier, Otis Campbell, named after the character on the Andy Griffith Show.

My work is both thought provoking and humorous. It has taken Folk Art to a new level. I was selected by "Early American Life" magazine as the 2010 Best & Listed in The Directory of Traditional American Crafts.

My sculptural pieces are created entirely from recycled wood and metal. My painted furniture uses vintage pieces which gives them their primitive appearance. Each piece is unique and one-of-a-kind.

My work is in private collections throughout the United States and Europe."

You can read more about Tim on his website: https://www.tcampbellart.com/

Acknowledged globally as a master artist of visual storytelling, Tom Mielko is best known for his finely honed ability to communicate with the viewer in a personal, intimate way. His passion for living and love for his craft radiate from every brushstroke of his work.

Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Tom was gifted with a natural talent for art. He drew his first sketches at the age of six and encouraged by his parents, went on to study at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School and the prestigious Art Institute of Boston, where he eventually taught. Even at a young age, Tom had a unique eye for bringing out subtlety as he captured a moment or the poetry in a play of light.

Committed to making painting his full time livelihood, Mielko forged ahead with his own gallery in 1970. Through his friend and patron Anthony Athanas, Tom established the Sextant Gallery within Athanas’s renowned restaurant in Boston Harbor.

During visits with his former teacher and mentor, Phil Hicken on Nantucket Island, Tom enjoyed painting the serene beaches, grassy dunes, rose drenched gardens, and cranberry bogs. He soon felt the need to seek a refuge from the urban life of Boston and retreat permanently to the unspoiled island.

Once settled on Nantucket, Mielko went to work for The Chelko Gallery where he and owner, Paul Chelko, became fast friends and business partners. One year later the gallery’s name was changed to The Chelko-Mielko Gallery. When Chelko made a move to Atlanta to pursue abstract art, Tom stayed on in Nantucket. He established The Mielko Gallery, in a unique, Nantucket shanty, where fishermen once stored their nets. Mielko’s highly successful gallery continued for 35 years and became a historic Nantucket landmark, the oldest gallery on South Wharf.

Mielko’s quintessential Nantucket beach scenes established his signature style, very quickly winning the artist awards and collectors from every part of the world. His more prominent collectors include publisher and art collector, Malcolm Forbes; Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton; actress Jane Seymour, singer songwriter, Donna Summer and former General Electric CEO, Jack Welch. His work has been included in the collections of the Smithsonian and the Santa Barbara Historical Museums.

In 1979, lured by the year round warmth of southern California, Tom began spending his winters in the picturesque town of Santa Barbara. Like Nantucket, Santa Barbara is an internationally renowned artist community and romantic destination. Mielko loved the juxtaposition of the two coasts and began to develop a new dimension to his work, illustrating both reality and imagination. His image, Dianna’s Fantasy, expresses this most distinctively. With this work, Mielko formed a composition of two entirely different locations, California’s San Luis Obispo and Nantucket’s Jetty Beach. This bicoastal lifestyle added a dynamic perspective and uniquely seasoned dimension to his style.

It was in Santa Barbara that Mielko fell in love with and married the true love of his life, Eileen Ingram. She was to become his greatest muse and inspired him onto new creative heights. Eileen became his model, business partner, and gallery co-owner and with her inspiration Tom established his signature style, Romantic Realism.

In 2004, Eileen wrote a loving tribute to her husband, Tom Mielko, An Artist’s Journey, still a best seller today. The book beautifully chronicles Tom’s classic paintings in full color, along with his remembrances about each work.

In 2007, Tom and Eileen decided to make Santa Barbara their full time residence and build their dream home. In his studio overlooking the Pacific, Tom’s work now captures views of the western coastline, historic California landmarks and private estates. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and he and his work have been the subject of featured magazine and newspaper articles. Tom continues to receive private and commercial commissions to which he brings a unique perspective. Both Eileen and Tom are very involved in their community, supporting local non-profits. Some of the many organizations they are involved with on the West Coast are the historic Lobero Theater, Lotusland, Girls Incorporated, Heal the Ocean and City Hearts of Los Angeles. On the East Coast, the list includes, Nantucket Boys & Girls Club, Nantucket Cottage Hospital and the AIDS Research Foundation.

In 2016 Tom partnered with poet Erin Graffy to produce his second book, Animalia a collection of animal portraits and poetry. The book was received with critical acclaim, wining two prestigious awards.

Tom is a member of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society and The California Arts Club. He is a former trustee of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum and has served on the board of The Santa Barbara Arts Fund.

From the Atlantic to the Pacific, Tom Mielko brings the glorious images of the sea to life in his original paintings, serigraphs, digital archive productions and graphics. The magic of nature and romance which he captures in his paintings set him apart as a one of a kind….
An American Romantic Painter.