About Us
History
2025 Calendar Artists
Rhea Knight
A lifelong resident of rural West Virginia, Rhea has always felt drawn to the wilderness, and this love of wild places is reflected in her artwork. An avid hiker, she gains inspiration for her landscape and wildlife paintings through backcountry travels in her native Appalachia.
Rhea's work has been exhibited in numerous national and international juried shows. She is a signature member of both the National Oil and Acrylic Painters' Society and the National Society of Artists. Galleries showing her paintings include the David L. Dickirson Fine Art Gallery at Tamarack "The Best of West Virginia" in Beckley, WV.
Contact: www.yessy.com/rheaknight
Janet Ripper Chambers
Janet grew up beside the easel of her wildlife artist father, Chuck Ripper, and accompanied him on field trips throughout the country and to the mountains of her West Virginia home. Her love of painting led her to earn the first Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Marshall University. Janet's work ranges from award-winning miniatures to large-scale public art projects. Time spent outdoors inspires her to create paintings of landscapes, birds, and wildflowers.
Janet's passion for art enables her to foster creativity in others. She conducts workshops for both adults and children.
Contact: janetchambersartworks@gmail.com
Mike Lieving
Mike Lieving discovered his love of art at a young age. Completing his first painting around the age of 10, he continued to paint for many years while engaged in a successful banking career. Now retired, he has more time to explore his creative side, producing artwork inspired by the wild and bucolic nature of his home state of West Virginia.
In addition to painting and drawing, Mike enjoys fishing, being out in nature, and spending time with family, which includes his wife and high school sweetheart, Holly, their two children (and spouses), and four awesome granddaughters. He divides his time between New Haven in Mason County and Samp in Webster County, WV.
Dinah McCloud
Dinah McCloud grew up in the southern coalfields of Logan County, West Virginia. Loving the outdoors and nature, she has been drawing animals since childhood. After her children were raised, she began painting seriously and spending time traveling through the wild wonderful hills of West Virginia in search of subjects, sometimes finding them in her own backyard!
Dinah has had numerous paintings of her wildlife subjects published in the West Virginia DNR wildlife calendars through the years. Her artistic endeavors are greatly supported by her loving, minister husband.
Kenny Bostic
Kenny Bostic is a self-taught artist who lives on a small farm in rural Monroe County in Southern West Virginia where he finds inspiration for his favorite subjects, animals and country scenes. He works primarily in acrylics but also creates artwork using watercolors, pastels, pencil, and charcoal.
Kenny enjoys spending time outdoors. He is an avid runner and hiker and owns and rides flatshod Tennessee Walking Horses.
Debbie Kalt Sisson
Debbie Kalt Sisson received a BA in Art Education and her MA+60 from Marshall University. She taught art in South Point, OH and in Spencer and Ripley, WV for a total of 38 years before retiring in 2016. Debbie is a Tamarack artist, a member of Allied Artists and a signature member of West Virginia Watercolor Society. She was invited to represent Jackson County in the Erma Byrd Gallery of WV women artists permanent collection in Charleston.
Debbie works mostly in acrylic but loves to work in watercolor as well. She prefers to paint nature and has found many inspirational images while camping with her husband, be she also leans towards buildings for their perspective and detail challenges.