Meet our August/September Artists
Seven artists will join us for the months of June and July at the Gallery sponsored by the Midway Art Association, located in
Midway, UT. The Gallery is housed in the Town Hall, space 120B. As part of the Association’s mission, we provide members—whether established artists or newcomers—with
opportunities to share their work with the community. The Gallery welcomes visitors on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m., and on the second Friday of each month, we remain open until 8 p.m. Appointments are available by calling 801-234-0912.
Open House Event: An open house will be held on Saturday, August 8 from 12 to 5 p.m. This event provides a chance to view the art and connect with some of the featured artists. Light refreshments will be served.
Meli Calkins
Meli loves interpreting the beauty of nature along the California Central Coast and Utah which gives her the inspiration to compose paintings where a person feels they could walk right into and be part of the painting. She also has a special love for the grace and power exhibited by the world of horses.
Pamela Flynn
Pamela was born in a small town in Pennsylvania. She started painting murals at the age of 10 when her mother consented to let her paint on the walls of her bedroom. Pamela has painted murals for the Heber City Police Department Justice Building, Midway
City Town Hall, Rocky Mountain Middle School, Heber Valley Railroad, Wasatch High School, Soldier Hollow Charter School, along with many other businesses and private homes in Wasatch and Summit counties. Animals are her favorite subject, and she paints pet portraits regularly. She also loves portraiture and landscapes. Working with Linda Curley’s team on temple murals has been an incredible blessing. Pamela has 4 children and 7 grandchildren. She currently resides in the beautiful mountains above Midway, Utah with John, her eternal companion. For more information, check out
Ruby Jensen
Painting mainly in oil, Ruby also enjoys watercolor and silk painting. Taking inspiration from the beauty around her, she creates works from nature. Ruby considers it a blessing to have the time and resources to pursue her joy of painting. Grateful to live in the Heber Valley, with its majestic mountains, barns, historic homes, and animals, she has much beauty to draw from. Painting the landscape of rural Utah is her passion, keeping the history of the area alive on canvas. You can find out more at:
Janet Johnson
Heber City Artist Janet says, “I first found my love for art at a very early age where I grew up playing and exploring in the outdoors. I used art as the way to record what I would find in nature that fascinated me, from sea stars to mountains.” She has worked as a professional artist for over 30 years and created artwork for National Parks and Forests where her work illustrates the natural history of grasslands, wildlife, and historical events. She says, “My work is at such places as the Hoover Dam, Arapahoe and Roosevelt National Forest, the National Park traveling exhibit and a host of sites across the country.” Her work ranges from still lifes to plein air landscapes. She paints outside often and travels coast to coast to paint a wide array of scenes. She says, “I find painting on site allows me to better
understand color and light relationships. On site I can soak in the sensory details of the setting, creating a deep connection with that
space. It pushes and challenges me to grow as an artist. One of my favorite benefits of painting on-site is meeting people and
sharing conversation. I will often finish a piece in my studio or use an on-site painting to develop a larger piece. I primarily work in
oil, occasionally with gouache and watercolor.
I am inspired by the beauty in nature and in the ordinary yet extraordinary little things in everyday life. I hope my work puts a smile on your face, and makes you want to get outdoors and enjoy our beautiful world.” Check out:
https://JanetJohnsonArtist.com
www.instagram.com/janet_johnson_artist
Emily Thomas
Emily says, “I am constantly stunned by the beauty that surrounds us whether that is a landscape, a child's face at play, or the light bouncing off the water at sunset. My goal is to capture that feeling and express it the only way I know how, by drawing or painting it. Each time I stare at the blank canvas, my mind whirls with activity and the restless energy of creation. The joy for me is in the artistic journey.... the problem solving and losing myself in the process, not always in the finished product.” Emily grew up in a home that valued creativity. Her father helped start the St. George Art Festival and oversaw all the art programs for the city of St. George. This provided her the opportunity to take many art classes from community artists including
cartooning, drawing, painting and ceramic classes. After moving to American Fork her senior year, Emily continued taking art
classes and was lucky enough to have Mary Ann Judd Johnson as her high school art teacher. Mary Ann encouraged her as she
developed artistically and helped her get an art scholarship to Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. She attended Snow College for a year and had two more amazing teachers in Osral Allred and Carl Purcell. She eventually transferred to the University of Utah
and graduated with a degree in graphic design. A few years later she went back and earned her Art/English Education degree from
Utah Valley University and began teaching English, Creative Writing and Art. She has taught for the past 14 years and teaches
only art now. Although she enjoys her students and teaching, she also loves creating her own art. Over the past four or five years,
she has fallen in love with watercolors. She loves the vibrancy and fluidity of watercolor and how each painting is a new adventure. She is a member of the Utah Watercolor Association and Oil Painters of Utah and travels and paints as often as she can. Check out emilythomasfineart.com.
Kevin Wallace
Kevin is a self-taught painter from Timber Lakes, Utah. Kevin always had an affinity for art in all forms and tried many mediums
throughout adolescence but first picked up oil painting during his college years as a fun hobby. Kevin primarily paints landscapes and loves exploring in search of new inspiration. His style is heavily influenced by the work of some of his favorite painters such as Edgar Payne, Maynard Dixon, Peter Wileman, and
Catherine Stats. In addition to painting, Kevin loves sports and outdoor activities and is the head coach for Wasatch High School’s boys’ lacrosse team.
Barbara Ward
A self-taught oil painter specializing in plein air landscapes, she frequently paints on location alongside local artists to capture the
natural surroundings. Currently, her work is on exhibit in two galleries, and she is available for custom art commissions. She says, “In addition to my art practice, I manage a five-acre hay-producing farm in Payson, Utah, where I reside with my husband, our two dogs, and four horses.”
For more information go to Bwardfineart.com or Instagram Bkward0416
