Hilma Af Klint | A Pioneer of Abstraction

Hilma af Klint (1862-1944) was a Swedish artist and mystic whose paintings are considered among the first abstract works known in Western art history.

A considerable body of her work predates the first purely abstract compositions by Kandinsky, Malevich and Mondrian.

She belonged to a group called "The Five", comprising a circle of women inspired by Theosophy, who shared a belief in the importance of trying to contact the so-called "High Masters" - often by way of séances.

Her paintings, which sometimes resemble diagrams, were a visual representation of complex spiritual ideas.

Celeste Bergin | Impressionist painter

Celeste Bergin grew up in Elgin, Illinois.

As a young girl she was attracted to the landscape and expressive faces, filling her notebooks with sketches of the gentle rolling plains of the Midwest and with portraits of the people she knew.

After graduating from high school she attended the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago.

Unfortunately, some unexpected events interrupted her art education.

She moved to Florida and worked for 7 years in an un-related field.

María Berrío, 1982 | Magic Realism painter

Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Brooklyn-based Maria Berrio is a contemporary artist primarily known for her prismatic, large-scale paper collages.

The artist completed her BFA at the Parsons School of Design in 2004, after which she received her MFA at the New York School of Visual Arts in 2007.

Berrio’s work sees her filter memories of her childhood spent on a farm in Colombia, and her subsequent experience with migration, through the lens of her studio practice.

Martin Leighton, 1951 | Figurative painter

Born in Montrose Scotland, Martin has lived in Weymouth in the beautiful county of Dorset from the age of 2 years.

Martin is a self-taught artist specialising in oils on canvas and he has been painting professionally since 2003 when he opened his own gallery and working studio close to Weymouth harbour side, situated on the first floor of a beautifully converted Grade II listed building.

However the gallery closed in October 2016 to enable Martin to concentrate on new works for various exhibitions and commissions.

Carolyn Anderson | Impressionist painter

American painter Carolyn Anderson, a nationally recognized artist, is an accomplished pastelist and oil painter.

Born and raised in the Chicago area, Anderson attended school at Illinois State University.

She joined the Vista program (Volunteers in Service to America) in the early 70's and was assigned to work on an Indian reservation in Montana, she eventually returned to Montana and now lives in Havre, a small community in north central Montana near the Canadian border.