Category: Monthly Meeting - INTERMOUNTAIN SOCIETY OF ARTISTS

April 2026 Meeting

4/13/2026

Cortney Lunt will be presenting on April 14th

ISA Monthly Meeting:Simple Joys & Life Observation with Cortney Lunt
The Intermountain Society of Artists is thrilled to welcome Cortney Lunt for our meeting, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Cortney Lunt will present “Drawing Basics”
Come learn about the importance of a good drawing foundation and some tips for achieving it. Guests, students, and first timers welcome!
About the presenter:
Cortney Lunt loves a variety of subjects, but her overall theme is the simple joys in life. After building a foundation with watercolors, she now paints in oils. In her efforts to grow and improve as an artist she’s taken many workshops and believes the best thing for her has been the habit of regularly painting from life observation. She has found that the more she learns, the more she realizes she doesn’t know, and she loves it all. She loves sharing the joy that art brings her with others.
Cortney Lunt holds an Art degree from Southern Utah University and has studied under renowned artists such as Joshua Clare and Albin Veselka. Her work has earned national recognition, including an Award of Excellence from the Oil Painters of America (OPA) and numerous accolades from the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS).
Her paintings have been featured in prestigious exhibitions across the country, from the Springville Museum of Art to the International Art Competition for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When she isn't in her studio or participating in plein air events like the Spring City Paint Out, her work can be found at Brushworks Gallery in Salt Lake City and Frameworks in Orem.

March 2026 Meeting

3/10/2026

David Dean will be presenting on March 10th!

Dear ISA members,
Please join us for our monthly meeting this Tuesday, March 10, featuring the accomplished Utah-based artist David Dean.
David will be sharing his expertise in classical oil painting, demonstrating how he combines traditional academic techniques with a vibrant impressionist feel. Whether he is capturing the rural beauty of the Wasatch Front or the subtle spirit of a still life, David’s work is a masterclass in light and form. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from his decades of experience and disciplined artistic practice when he does a still-life demo for us!

About the Artist
DAVID GRANT DEAN
Professional Artist David Dean is a Utah-based artist best known for his classical approach to oil painting and combines traditional academic techniques while achieving an impressionist feel.

David lives and works along the Wasatch Front, a region that strongly influences his landscape work that portrays the natural beauty of rural settings in Utah as well as neighboring states. In addition to landscapes, he paints portraits and still life seeking to bring about a unique spirit in each of his works of art.

Before dedicating himself fully to fine art, Dean served in the United States Navy as a flight deck director. He later pursued formal art studies after earlier training in architecture and sculpture in Palm Spring. Over time he worked in multiple media -including sculpture, watercolor and charcoal before focusing primarily on oil painting.

Teaching has been an important part of David’s career. He has worked as a high school art instructor, taught workshops for adults, and shared traditional painting methods with a deep understanding of value, hue and chroma and perspective. His artistic development was influenced in part by his great-uncle Avard Fairbanks, a noted American sculptor whose dedication to craftsmanship helped shaped Dean’s commitment to disciplined artistic practice. David, having studied and painted with masterful artists for over 35 years continues to be a lifelong journey of learning.

Throughout his career, David Dean has exhibited widely in galleries, art shows and plein-air events throughout the country, having mostly concentrated in the Intermountain West, earning numerous awards and recognition for his work. His countless years of service as a member of art associations and professional art groups, along with his successful painting career reflects a lifelong commitment to the arts.

February 2026 meeting

2/10/2026

Tom Howard will be presenting on February 10th!

Join us for our monthly meeting tonight, Tuesday, February 10, 2026, featuring artist Tom Howard.
Tom will share his personal artistic journey, specifically focusing on his transition and evolution towards abstraction. He will be providing a live demonstration, giving us a firsthand look at the methods, techniques, and philosophies he uses to bring beauty to his canvases.
About the Artist
   I was born in Nevada and raised in Northern Utah. The place I now call home is the Salt Lake Valley. My wife and I are the parents of 5 children. I've persued art in one form or another for the past 31 years, working as a paste-up artist, graphic designer, illustrator, and cartographer. I began painting full-time in 1995 after graduate school. Nowadays, between adjunct teaching at Salt Lake Community College and BYU-Idaho, as well as painting in the studio, I make enough of a living to keep the wolf from the door, sort of.
     Minerva Tiechert (pronounced Teigert) once said, "I believe that there are only two reasons for paintings in the first place. Either a thing must be very beautiful, or it must tell an important story." My paintings and drawings are about bringing beauty found in the natural world to the view of others. We can find that unique beauty if we only learn to not just 'look' but to 'see.' Even the most mundane and gray spot on earth has its moment of glory. My desire is to capture in paint as many of these moments as I can.
     My family has supported me throughout my journey as an artist, through the good times and bad. For me art is not just a profession, it is an important part of the way I live my life.

January 2026 Meeting

1/13/2026

Brian Cragun will be presenting on January 13th!

ISA monthly meeting on Tuesday January 13, 2026 will feature Brian Cragun, who will speak on his painting process and “Using Digital Tools in a Traditional Art Process”. Brian paints inspirational themes and landscapes in oils. He will demonstrate how he plans and composes a painting using digital software and AI, and how those tools benefit each stage of the painting from drawing and block in, to detail and final completion. He’ll show examples of using digital to explore fixes and improvements to paintings.

Brian's website is briancragun.com

Update: "If you have an iPad with Procreate, bring it with you to learn some techniques."

Time and place: 7:00pm to 8:30pm. 3301 E Louise Ave, Salt Lake City, UT 84109 .

December 2025 Meeting

12/8/2025

Join Us for a Christmas Card Exchange & Potluck - December 9th

Dear Intermountain Society of Artists Members,
We hope this message finds you well and that you're enjoying the holiday season! We're excited to invite you to a special Christmas card exchange and potluck event on Tuesday, December 9th.
This festive gathering will be a wonderful opportunity to create beautiful, hand-painted Christmas cards and exchange them with fellow artists. We'll spend the afternoon painting together, sharing techniques, and celebrating the season with good food and great company.
Here are the details:
What to Bring:

Any special painting supplies you'd like to use for your Christmas cards (brushes, paints, palettes, etc.)

A potluck dish to share with the group

What We'll Provide:

Blank cards to paint on

Painting Medium Recommendations:
We strongly encourage using watercolor or acrylic paints, as these will dry by the end of our meeting, allowing you to take your completed cards home that day.
We look forward to seeing you there and sharing in this creative holiday celebration!

Rob Chipman will be presenting on November 11th!

11/10/2025

Reduction block prints –
the work of a twisted mind and glutton for punishment

Artist Rob Chipman will share everything he has learned from his trial and error (mostly error)
journey as he has attempted to master the centuries old art of reduction block printmaking.
Get hands-on experience creating a single-layer block print. All materials will be provided.
What you will likely learn by the end of the night is that you never want create art this way! But,
you may well gain some insights that will influence your preferred way of creating art.

Rob Chipman - Artist Bio

As an artist, I am largely a self-taught, late-bloomer. I took some art classes in high school and
graphic design classes at the University of Utah, but at the age of 72, those were a long time
ago. However, my very first woodcut was selected for a high school exhibition. I had never even
heard of the term “reduction block print” until seeing some for the first time in a Carmel gallery in
the 80’s. I fell in love with their look and process of producing them. I studied all I could by
checking out books from the library (keep in mind these were pre-Google days). I experimented
doing a few prints back then, but never had the time to devote to it. After selling my business in
2017, I decided it was time to become a full-time artist and continue to develop my process for
creating this relatively unique art form.
I have produced over 80 original print editions (some taking up to a month to complete) since
embarking on this new career, most of which can be seen on my website at
www.robchipmanart.com or @robchipmanart on Instagram . I’m as busy as an artist as I ever
was as an entrepreneur – and enjoying it more!
With no formal art education and being very late to the game, I am humbled and grateful that my
work has resonated with so many people. In addition to selling over 500 of my original prints –
many editions even selling out – my work has been accepted into and won awards at several
prestigious juried art shows in Utah and beyond. I have also had solo shows at the Finch Lane
Gallery, Bountiful Davis Art Center, Relics Gallery, and was a featured artist in Season 2 of
BYUtv’s “Artful” series. To help more artists get their work seen and sold, I founded Art at The
Park in 2022. From 2019 to 2024, I served as President of ISA.

October 2025 Meeting

10/11/2025

Robin Luker will be presenting on October 14th!

Join Us for an Interactive Night of Color Theory!
Hosted by the Intermountain Society of Artists
Discover color in a whole new light! This engaging workshop will explore color theory concepts in ways you may not have considered before. Through hands-on experimentation with color mixing, you'll learn how to make your artwork more intentional, expressive, and powerful.
Whether you're a seasoned artist or just beginning your creative journey, this evening promises to be both fun and informative.
There will be materials available, but feel free to bring your own.

Robin Luker holds a B.A. in Drawing and Painting from the University of Utah. She serves as the Education Director for the Intermountain Society of Artists and teaches creative aging programs through South Salt Lake Arts. Robin is also an instructor at the Park City Kimball Arts Center and works as a freelance artist.

September 2025 Meeting

9/8/2025

Rick Kinateder will be presenting on September 9th!

Born in Prescott, Arizona, Rick Kinateder loved the out of doors, sports and art. Initially wanting to be an architect, he graduated from Brigham Young University in Art and Design and went on to teach design and architectural rendering there for 20 years. His first design student eventually became his wife of 45 years! He organized and has owned the intermountain west’s premier design, architectural rendering and model building business for 47 years in Utah Valley.

Always keeping in touch with the outdoors and his desire to paint full time someday, his love of camping and fishing with his family throughout the west, especially in red rock Utah, Yellowstone and Teton areas, inspired his landscape paintings throughout the years.

Now in semi-retirement, Rick is devoting his artistic talents to fine art. Along with painting, he teaches perspective and watercolor workshops. He has entered and won plein air competitions and awards in this new found discipline at the Rockville Bridge Invitational, and Escalante and Moab plein air events. For several years his artwork has been exhibited in the Springville Museum of Art Spring Salon, Zions Bank Shows, Gallery 35 as well as a one man show and other exhibitions at the Covey Art Center. He is represented by the Worthington Gallery in Springdale, UT.

Rick Kinateder will be demonstrating how to create perspective in our paintings. Please bring sketch pads, pencils/pens/erasers as his demonstration will be hands on!

August 2025 Meeting

8/11/2025

Heather Graham will be presenting on August 12th!

Heather Graham is a Utah-based fine artist whose creative journey began on her great-grandfather’s orchard homestead in Provo. Surrounded by nature and farm life, and inspired by her mother’s reverence for the beauty of God’s creation, Heather developed a deep appreciation for the visual world. She earned a B.F.A. in Illustration from Brigham Young University, where she also worked for BYU Broadcasting designing magazines and promotional materials. After graduation, she pursued advertising and freelance art before undertaking two and a half years of classical training at the Beaux-Arts Academy, studying under esteemed painters, sculptors, and historians. Her education continued through workshops with artists she admired, and later through mentorship with J. Kirk Richards at the J.K.R. Academy, where her artistic vision came into full focus.
Heather’s career blossomed as she took on leadership roles in the art community, becoming the Art Director of Peteetneet Gallery and Museum and President of the Payson Arts Council. Her landscape paintings have earned recognition from the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society and the Institute of Classical Arts and Architecture. Alongside her husband, she co-founded Masterworks Frames, apprenticing under master framer Rett Ashby and running a shop in Orem, Utah. Heather continues to create and share her work, blending classical technique with personal inspiration, and showcases her latest pieces on Instagram at @heathergraham.art.

Artist's statement:
"I am inspired by the gift and miracle of life and the incredible beauty found in nature. Painting is a way for me to study the natural world in an effort to express the loveliness I see. I feel that there is poetry found in the flight of birds, the dancing movements of a river, light streaming through clouds, and shimmering sunlit trees in a field—all are subjects for exploration and joy. I feel that visual art is also like music in many ways and try to compose what I experience with rhythm, staccatos, crescendos, soft passages, and atmosphere. I am truly grateful for this beautiful world that God created."

July 08th, 2025

7/8/2025

Günther Haidenthaller will be presenting on July 8th!

Who I Am
Born in Wels, Austria, I grew up in sight of the Alps, playing among 2000-year-old Roman ruins and leftover WWII bomb craters, spent weekends watching sailplanes and wishing I could fly. My family immigrated to the US when I was 6 years old. A bit of a late bloomer, I learned to ski, rock and ice climb, fly fish, skydive and whitewater kayak as an adult. I’ve been drawing all my life, had lots of art classes in junior high and high school. Did a year at Utah State University, studying illustration and advertising design, then served a 2-year proselyting mission back home in Austria for my church. Upon returning to the U.S., I devoted 27 years to graphic design and art direction, gaining experience in photography, offset and screen printing as well (hey–it paid the bills!). I also spent 25 years as a USSF Soccer Referee, Referee Instructor and Referee Assessor. Upon leaving graphic design in 2005, I worked in soccer administration for 10 years, then left soccer to paint full time.

What I’m About
Being Austrian, I am haunted by the ethereal, dreamlike quality of light in the moisture-laden European atmosphere. I strive to express that longing in my art. It is my passion. Who didn’t love coloring with crayons, traveling to magical realms in our minds when we were kids? I believe the only thing which sets humans apart from the animals is our ability to visualize, imagine, fantasize, and that gift comes from Him who is literally the Father of our spirits, the Supreme Creator Himself. Life is about contrasts–I express the balance and beauty in that with my art. I work primarily in oils, occasionally in oil pastels, watercolor, pencil, pen and ink, and yes–crayons!