Lancaster, PA
August 2-5, 2023
Looking to learn from the best?
You’re in the right place. Meet the 2023 Art Fest Lancaster instructors!
Interested in becoming an instructor? Click HERE to join our list.
Debra Keirce
Broadlands, VA
Originally from Detroit, Debra Keirce is an accomplished woman artist in contemporary realism. In her Northern Virginia studios, she paints in oils up to four feet tall, with a specialty in true miniature pieces as small as your palm. Debra has earned several honors in acclaimed art circles. She is proud to be a US coast guard artist, and winner of the 2022 George Gray award. She is the recipient of a rare artist residency at sea with crew on the U.S. National Security Cutter Stone. She is also a juried member of several societies, including Copley Society of Art (as well as their juried portrait registry,) Salmagundi Club, International Guild of Realism, Women Artists of the West, and American Artists Professional League. Recent awards include first place in the Gateway to the Rockies small works show, first place in the Miniature Painters Sculptors Gravers Society in Maryland. Debra won 2nd Place in the Bryn Du Mansion Art Show in Ohio. She was awarded a purchase prize and her art is on a wine label at Tongue River Winery in Montana.
Catch up with Debra here:
Kathy Calhoun
Henrico, VA
Kathy Calhoun has degrees in visual and studio arts with teacher licensure, and has also studied the figure under Roberto Osti as well as color theory and composition with Susan Abbott. She currently lives and paints in Richmond, Virginia, and teaches art education and studio classes around the state at venues such as the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; the Art League, in Alexandria; the Nimrod Hall Summer Program, in Arlington; and Longwood University, in Farmville. Kathy’s teaching philosophy puts emphasis on making complex concepts easily understandable. She has created a low-stress, mini-version of the classical atelier approach to introduce the foundational design and compositional techniques needed for painting realism.
Catch up with Kathy here:
Lisa Regopoulos
Fitchburg, MA
When realism meets impressionism in pastel, that’s where the excitement begins for Massachusetts artist Lisa Regopoulos. First impressions of a scene, in real time, and the beauty of these moments are what she wants to capture in her art. That’s why plein air painting excites her most. Lisa has studied with some of the best artists working today in pastel, watercolor and oil. She has been working pastel for 20 years and began teaching classes nearly a decade ago, first offering small private lessons in her home, then weekly classes at the local arts center, and now workshops and demonstrations all over New England, as well as the occasional workshop in Italy and France. She is also a IAPS Master Circle Pastelist and has an article featured in the upcoming summer issue of Pastel Journal.
Catch up with Lisa here:
Nancie King Mertz
Rockford, IL
Nancie King Mertz has been painting in oil and pastel for most of her life. The artist has been named an Eminent Pastelist by the International Association of Pastel Societies, and is a Master Pastelist with the Pastel Society of America & Chicago Pastel Painters. In 2022, she was the Guest of Honor of Art Du Pastel En France with a workshop and show in Giverny. Nancie has taught workshops and offered demonstrations at venues across the U.S., and in Italy, France and Croatia. Her award-winning work has been featured in in a number of publications, including Pastel Journal and Southwest Art, and has been part of museum exhibitions in the U.S., China and Europe. After owning a gallery for 19 years in Chicago’s Lincoln Park/Lakeview neighborhood, Nancie and her husband opened a Learning Center and Gallery in their home, in Rockford, Ill., offering students an immersive pastel experience.
Catch up with Nancie here:
Ryan Fox
Raleigh, NC
Ryan Fox is a Signature member of the American Watercolor Society and a member of multiple state and regional art societies. He has won awards for his work in juried shows with The American Watercolor Society (AWS), the Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors, Missouri Watercolor Society, Georgia Watercolor Society (GWS) and Watercolor Society of North Carolina. His work has been featured in various art publications, including Watercolor Artist, and Art of Watercolour, and have been published in the Splash books series.
Catch up with Ryan here:
Scott Maier
Loveland, CO
Scott Maier is an artist and content director for artistsnetwork.com, where he has streamed live over 150 times for Drawing Together. He’s also the author of the instructional art book, See, Think, Draw: An Easy Guide for Realistic Drawing and Beyond.