Gary Shinn

Born in Iowa, raised in Southwest Idaho, I was introduced to transparent watercolor at Boise Junior College (now BSU) where I learned a spontaneous, plein air style of painting from an instructor named Louis A. Peck. His West Coast style came from Rex Brandt and the California School. This planted seed would lay dormant for four years while at the University of Washington studying graphic design, then two years in the army and several subsequent advertising agency jobs. I got my Aquarelle brush wet again in the seventies and harking back to my original classes, I worked to develop my own sensibilities with watercolor. Accepted into the Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters in 1976, I was an active member for eighteen years including a term as president. After an extended hiatus to help run our graphic design business I'm once again painting, photographing and looking at new horizons.

Merridy Campbell Shinn

I always knew what I wanted to do when I grew up and that was to be an artist. I was thrilled to get the opportunity to attend art school at the Burnley School of Professional Art in Seattle and earn my Associate of Art certificate. I was very fortunate to learn from such influential teachers as Jess Cauthorn, William Cumming, Fred Griffin and Dick Brown. My work to this day reflects the impact of these late, great Northwest artists and the lasting impressions they made on me as a young artist. I'm always experimenting and exploring new forms and techniques, whether it's watercolor collage, humorous illustrations, cut paper or stencils.