HOOSIER ART SALON

Brown was born in North Kingstown, RI, and raised in Nashville, TN, where she currently resides. Her work centers on intimate scenes inspired by local surroundings as well as travel in the US and abroad. “My artwork starts in reality and evolves through my imagination. As an impressionist, I believe in a painting process that enables me to tap into my creativity rather than trying to copy and perfect. My goal is to invite you, the viewer, to connect to the painting such that you personalize the experience and use your own  imagination to complete the story.”

Currently, Brown’s work can be seen at art galleries across America including Provincetown, MA; Charleston, SC; Bluffton, SC; and Leipers Fork, TN.

Brown is a Master Member of The American Impressionist Society and Signature Member of The Oil Painters of America. She is the Past President of the Plein Air Painters of the Southeast (PAP-SE) and remains active in the group. She is also an active member of The Chestnut Group, a nonprofit group of artists dedicated to preserving endangered ecosystems, historic locales and aesthetically and environmentally significant places.

Acuna is an educator and professional artist focusing on observational painting through a studio and plein air practice. He holds a BFA from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (2015) and an MFA from Michigan State University (2020). Hector’s paintings have received national recognition with 30 awards from 22 juried and invitational plein air events since 2021.

His work is held in public and private collections and has been exhibited in numerous small and group exhibitions. Acuna was named One of Three Artists to Watch in 2022, awarded the inaugural M. Stephen Doherty Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award from Plein Air Magazine in 2023 and was one of 75 invited faculty artists at the 2024 Plein Air Convention & Expo in Cherokee, NC. His unique approach and expertise has made him a sought-after juror for exhibitions and a well-respected instructor during his university art classes, workshops and 1-on-1 mentorship. He holds a deep appreciation for the history, materials and craft of painting. His process begins and ends with handmade supports and frames constructed in his wood shop.

Acuna’s work is represented at Kim Storage Gallery in Milwaukee, WI; Pink Llama Gallery in Cedarburg, WI; and Burnt Sienna Gallery in Galena, IL. He lives in Grafton, WI, with his wife Megan and their dog Lenny.