Category: Monthly Meeting - INTERMOUNTAIN SOCIETY OF ARTISTS

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!

May 2025 Meeting

5/13/2025

Candace Rideout will be presenting on May 13th !

Candace Rideout is an established Utah artist with forty years of experience. Her oil paintings are included in several private collections in the U.S. and Europe. Rideout graduated from the University of Utah with a double major in education and drawing & painting and was selected as the outstanding water colorist in her graduating class. After receiving a first place award at the Utah State Fair, she began teaching art in secondary education. Rideout then became a commercial artist for the Utah State Board of Education, creating illustrations for educational TV and art for their printed materials.

In 1968, Rideout started her own advertising agency with clients such as Brown Eyed Susan, College of Eastern Utah, the State of Utah, BMW dealership, Great Garb, Four and Twenty Sailors, and ZCMI. She won numerous national awards for commercial art and illustrated several children's books.

Rideout served as the Chairperson for the Holladay Arts Council for two years. She continues to try to involve the community in art related events. Maintaining a studio allows her to devote concentrated blocks of time to oil painting and teaching. She is currently a member of Laguna Plein Air, California Art Club, and Midway Art Association.

Rideout has been recognized with top awards at art fairs throughout the region, most recently 1st place in the Professional Division at the Utah State Fair, an invited artist at the Maynard Dixon Country, and a finalist in the Southwest Magazine Artistic Excellence Art Competition. She has been a finalist in the Plein Air Salon Art Competition and is currently a member of Oil Painters of America. Rideout's paintings are currently shown in Relics Framemakers & Gallery and at her Millcreek studio.

February 2025 Meeting

2/10/2025

Rose Torres will be presenting on February 11th !

"Art and Science have always been part of my life. Botanical art is an intersection between those two worlds.
I grew up drawing, playing in fields, and growing flowers. Being out in nature has been my safe place when life is hard. In high school I took as many art classes as my schedule would allow. I was even the Sterling Scholar in art. I took a few art classes in college, but ultimately did not major in it. I stopped painting altogether when my children were small. My medium was Oil, and too many paintings were destroyed by curious little fingers.
Several years ago, I purchased a house with a large, overgrown garden. I began researching the plants and how to take care of them. It was a big task. To make the job easier, I enrolled in the Master Gardener program offered by Utah State Extension, our local land grant university. This was my first real taste of botany, and I was hooked.
Fast forward a few years. I know the plants in my garden well, many of them are native to Utah. I started photographing them, arranging them, giving them as gifts to friends. One day I stumbled upon a painting of an artichoke by Elaine Searle. I was so inspired by this elegant painting; I began to teach myself watercolor so I could create botanical art too. Watercolor fit into my life much better than oil (fast drying time, no solvents, easy to stop at a moment’s notice), and I finally had a separate space to work in.
I enrolled in the only accessible botanical art program I could find: The Distance Learning Diploma course by the Society of Botanical Artists, an old school, snail mail, assignments in a binder, handwritten notes course. I graduated from the Society of Botanical Artists Diploma Course with Distinction (the highest level of diploma they award) in 2023. That same year, I was invited to be a Fellow Member of the Society of Botanical artists, an elite, worldwide group of artists. One of my paintings, White Springbeauty, was included in the Plantae 2024 catalog.
I am a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists and have a painting in their traveling exhibition Curious Allies, which is currently on display at the New York Botanical Gardens, and will travel to Tucson, Minneapolis, and Denver.
I am also a member of the Rocky Mountain Society of Botanical Artists. I am on the communications committee and put together a quarterly newsletter. My Red Elderberry painting is on display in a traveling exhibition put on by the RMSBA in Montana.
I now have six children, seven chickens, a half-acre garden in the Salt Lake Valley, and forty acres of mountain property in central Utah. My kids are all in school now, so finding time for my art is a bit easier than it used to be. I find myself drawn to the native plants, bees, and butterflies of Utah and hope to use my art to educate others about the amazing plants that call Utah home, as well as aid in their conservation."

January 2025 Meeting

1/13/2025

Bryan Mark Taylor will be presenting on January 14th !

A painter, lecturer, entrepreneur, and world traveler, Bryan Mark Taylor is a renaissance man. As a painter, Bryan has won top awards in national and international shows, including three top awards in the 2022 ARC International Salon and a gold medal at the California Art Club’s annual exhibition in 2009. Bryan’s work is often featured in art and design magazines, including Plein Air, American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur, and Imagine FX. In addition, you can find his artwork in private corporate and museum collections, including in the US, Europe, China, India, South America, and New Zealand.
Bryan is a sought-after teacher and lecturer who has taught courses at the Academy of Art University, Pixar Sentient Academy, and the /Scottsdale Artists School. In Addition, Bryan has been a featured speaker at the Plein Air, CTNX, Fantastic Arts, Dragonsteel, and VisionX conferences.
As a product designer and entrepreneur, Bryan developed a premier outdoor painting system, the STRADA Easel, used by plein air artists worldwide. In addition, he cofounded Sentient Academy and Vision X global art conference, which has inspired and taught artists from K-12, university, and professional levels.
Bryan finds inspiration as he travels around the globe, carefully observing and capturing cities, cultures, and nature’s everyday miracles. He was born in Portland, Oregon.
He received his BA from BYU in 2001 and an MFA from the Academy of Art University in 2005. He currently lives with his wife and children in Utah, USA.