2025 RSF ART GUILD ARTIST DEMOS
The Rancho Santa Fe Art Guild is excited to announce this year’s roster of exceptionally talented artists. Each will delight you with techniques learned along the way that helped them perfect their craft and become successful painters. We hope you will join in several of the planned sessions. Registration information and form is at the bottom of this page.
GEOFF ALLEN
March 17, 2025, 10:30-1:30
https://www.geoffallenart.com
Allen’s painting “Color for Nothing” was recently on the cover of Plein Air Magazine (June/July 2024 issue). Geoff finds that watercolor is both the medium and metaphor for “going with the flow.” This is what inspires Geoff. He loves the process of inserting himself into an environment with the goal of capturing its elusive essence in a quick fresh watercolor style. The mystery of not knowing the expressive outcome and allowing for discovery along the way makes plein air painting Geoff’s preferred art making process.
KEIKO TANABE
April 21, 2025, 10:30-1:30
https://www.ktanabefineart.com
Keiko Tanabe, AWS, NWS, AIS, LPAPA, was born in Kyoto, Japan, and now resides in San Diego, California. Keiko comes from an art-loving family and won many children’s art awards. Although not formally trained in art, she pursued a B.A. in intercultural communication and an M.A. in international education. She worked in international relations before starting her professional art career in 2005.Largely self-taught, Keiko began exhibiting her art publicly in 2005. That same year, a workshop with Alvaro Castagnet sparked her interest in plein-air painting. Since 2011, she has taught hundreds of workshops and demonstrations worldwide and has served as a juror for numerous art exhibitions.Keiko’s work has been featured in major art publications and acquired by collectors globally. She has also published several books and DVDs. She is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, the American Impressionist Society, and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.
MARGARET LARLHAM
May 19, 2025, 10:30-1:30
margaretlarlham.com
Drawn especially to the landscapes of the American Southwest, Margaret Larlham paints regularly in the chaparral and deserts near her home in San Diego or on her travels through USA, England, Tanzania and her homeland, South Africa.
She is a multi-disciplinary artist and has enjoyed a productive career as a Professor of Theatre and Dance, firstly at the University of Natal, Durban, South Africa, and later at San Diego State University, whilst constantly practicing as an outdoor painter.
This past year she was honored to achieve Eminent Pastel Artist status in the International Association of Pastel Societies. She was also fortunate to receive the Gold Award at the IAPS Master Circle Exhibition 2022, Best of Show Award in Grand Canyon Celebration of Art 2022, and both First Place and Artists Choice Awards in Borrego Springs Invitational Plein Air 2023 Festival.
Represented by Santa Ysabel Art Gallery in Current Solo Exhibition: Alonging Song
JIM WODARK
June 16, 2025, 10:30-1:30
Jimwodark.com
Jim Wodark, an award-winning plein air artist, was born and raised in Colorado, where his artistic parents encouraged his creativity. He earned a marketing degree while taking art classes and eventually chose art as his career.?Jim began as a cartoonist before moving to Southern California, where he discovered his love for plein air painting, initially using watercolors and acrylics. He transitioned to oils after the birth of his first child. Jim is driven by the desire to capture the beauty of the outdoors and share it through his art.?For the last 24 years, Jim has dedicated himself to painting, constantly seeking to create a masterpiece with each piece. He is a member of the Oil Painters of America, a “Signature Member” of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, and an “Artist Member” of the California Art Club.
JEFF SEWELL
September 15, 10:30-1:30
Jeff is an award-winning American artist focusing on California Impressionism. He is a SoCal native and grew up with a deep attachment to the ocean lifestyle of surfing and painting the beach. He is well known for his landscapes of California as well as Colorado, Utah and Arizona. He predominately paints plein air but also develops paintings in the studio. His demonstration for the RSFAG will be an ocean scene using water-based oils.
Jeff is a distinguished Signature Member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (LAPAPA). He serves on the LAPAPA Board of Directors as the Director of Education and Mentorship, helping to pass on the history and importance of California Impressionism with a program called “The Plein Air Project”. Jeff is an Esteemed Artist Member of the California Art club and most recently became a recognized Signature Member of the American Society of Marine Artists.
He has won many important awards over the years including most recently a second-place honor at the Borrego Springs 19th annual Plein Air Painting invitational in March 2025 and Best-in Show and Collectors Choice in the 2022 24th annual Laguna Plein Air Painting Invitational.
Jeff’s formal education was at USC and Irvine Valley College; however, his greatest influence is from the works of past and living master Impressionists such as Edgar Payne, William Wendt, Joaquin Sorrola and Maynard Dixon Jeff Horn, Glen Dean Michael Situ and Michael Obermyer.
JILL MAYTORENA
October 20, 10:30-1:30
“Working with classical portraiture and non-traditional materials, my purpose is to create vibrant, complex, and unexpected art that enchants the eye of the viewer and draws them in for a closer look.”
Jill Maytorena’s portraits reveal figures who emerge through a glow of pastels and vibrant patterns. She has a unique style of capturing beauty through textural representations and forms. Sewing patterns, patterned fabrics and papers, charcoals, and soft pastels blend in collaged layers to illuminate the topography of her figurative art. While the portrayal of the figures is achieved by meticulous drawing techniques, the deconstruction (and reconstruction) of the background is achieved by a juxtaposition of different media. In a state of unlimited possibilities, she surrounds herself with visual chatter as she sifts through piles of fabric, paper, and found appliqués. The creative process is deliberately chaotic in the beginning yet geared towards the achievement of a sense of harmony, as well as the creation of a visually engaging imagery.
After completing a BFA from Laguna College of Art & Design, Jill’s creative path moved from graphic designer to art instructor. While active in her studio, she longed to immerse herself in her art practice full time. Returning to LCAD to pursue her MFA in Drawing solidified her commitment to her artistic journey. She has not looked back. Jill has won many awards for her drawings, has participated in numerous group exhibitions, and a solo show in Texas. Her works are in public and private collections, including the Hilbert Museum of California Art.
