Artists
Each artist brings a distinct eye and hand to the landscape, from loose impressionistic strokes to carefully rendered detail, but they share a commitment to painting from life and letting the place speak through the work. Learn more about them below.
Gary Baughman
Gary Baughman returns for his sixth appearance at the Cashiers Plein Air Festival in 2026, having first participated in 2010. He is delighted to paint again in Cashiers, a place where he has developed lasting friendships and a loyal community of collectors.
Working in both oil and pastel, Baughman’s paintings have been featured in numerous local, regional, and national exhibitions, earning many awards over the years. Notably, he received First Place at The Village Green Plein Air Festival in 2014 for his painting Lunker Lake. A respected instructor in the Atlanta and Hilton Head areas, he is also a Past President and Master Pastelist of the Southeastern Pastel Society.
Greg Barnes
American artist Greg Barnes began painting full time in 2002 after the events of September 11 inspired him to pursue the passion he had long held since earning a Fine Arts degree from Wake Forest University. Initially drawn to soft pastels through portraiture, Barnes soon discovered that plein air landscape painting brought him his greatest joy.
He studied with nationally recognized artists Albert Handell and Scott Christensen, helping launch a successful career as both painter and instructor. Barnes now balances teaching workshops with participating in plein air events across the country. His work has received numerous awards and is collected widely in the United States and internationally. His paintings were also featured in PleinAir Magazine and The Pastel Journal in 2019 and 2020.
Katie Dobson-Cundiff
Katie Dobson-Cundiff is an acclaimed impressionist known for her boldly painted, colorful landscapes that capture the light and atmosphere of a place, often created alla prima or en plein air. Widely recognized as one of the Southeast’s leading impressionist painters, she has received numerous honors in nationally juried exhibitions, including two Silver Medals at the 2023 Oil Painters of America National and Eastern Regional Exhibitions.
Dobson-Cundiff is a Signature Member of Oil Painters of America, the American Impressionist Society, and American Women Artists, and has served as President of the Plein Air Painters of the Southeast. A former faculty member at Ringling College of Art and Design, she now travels extensively to paint and teach workshops from her Sarasota, Florida studio.
Stephanie Amato
Stephanie was born and raised on Long Island, New York, and studied illustration at Parsons School of Design, later continuing her education at the Art Students League and the New York Academy of Art. She later earned a degree in graphic design in New Jersey and founded her own firm, SMA Designs.
An accomplished painter, Stephanie has exhibited in both local and national exhibitions, earning widespread recognition. She is a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society and the Pastel Society of New Jersey, and a member of Oil Painters of America and the historic Salmagundi Club. Her work has been featured in PleinAir Magazine, Southwest Art, American Artist, and American Art Collector, and is represented by galleries along the East Coast.
Catherine Hillis
Catherine Hillis began her artistic career studying theatre and working as an actor and costume designer before turning her focus to watercolor painting. For decades she has participated in national watermedia competitions and plein air events, earning hundreds of awards and numerous signature memberships in prestigious arts organizations.
Her work explores landscapes, still lifes, and figurative subjects, often presented from a distinctive perspective that invites viewers to see familiar scenes in unexpected ways—sometimes with subtle humor, sometimes with quiet beauty. An avid traveler, Hillis paints both en plein air and in the studio, continually inspired by new places and everyday moments. She lives in Lake of the Woods, Virginia, and her work is represented by Anderson Fine Art Gallery and R.H. Ballard Gallery.
Jeremy Sams
Jeremy Sams is an award-winning representational artist based in Archdale, North Carolina. Raised exploring the woods and waterways of the Uwharrie Mountains, he developed a deep connection to nature that continues to shape his work today. Largely self-taught, Sams began his professional career at age nineteen, creating commissioned portraits and murals for his local community.
Working primarily in acrylics, his paintings focus on landscapes inspired by the light, atmosphere, and natural beauty of North Carolina. Since discovering plein air painting in 2011, Sams has found profound inspiration outdoors. His work has been featured in PleinAir Magazine and Modern Impressionism, and he is a member of the Plein Air Painters of the Southeast and North Carolina Plein Air Painters.
Jill McGannon
Jill McGannon earned her BFA and MFA from the University of Georgia in 1985 and 1988 and has worked as a full-time artist ever since. An accomplished plein air painter, she has earned seven first-place awards at plein air events since 2021, including First Place at Blowing Rock Plein Air in 2024, and was an invited artist at Olmsted Plein Air in Atlanta from 2021–2024.
McGannon is a Signature Member of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS), American Women Artists (AWA), and Oil Painters of America (OPA), and serves on the NOAPS Board of Directors as Director of Publicity. Her work has received multiple PleinAir Salon awards and was featured in International Artist Magazine’s Best Landscapes in 2023.
John Guernsey
Originally from Southern California, John Guernsey relocated to Georgia in 1993 and began his full-time art career in 2006. After developing his drawing skills through college coursework and workshop study, he focused primarily on landscapes and cityscapes in oil, while also working in acrylic and gouache. Much of Guernsey’s work is painted en plein air, and his studio paintings reflect the same impressionistic style inspired by direct observation.
Guernsey maintains an active schedule of workshops and regularly participates in nationally recognized plein air festivals. His honors include Best of Show at Olmsted Plein Air (2019), Best of Show at Cashiers Plein Air (2022), and Best Body of Work at Plein Air Smokies (2024 and 2025).
Madeline Dukes, a South Carolina native and Charleston-area resident, studied studio art and political science at Winthrop University. Her work has been selected for numerous juried exhibitions and solo shows across the Carolinas, including venues such as Brookgreen Gardens, the Spartanburg Museum of Art, Sumter Museum of Art, and the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Juried Art Exhibition.
Dukes’ paintings have also been featured in Fine Art Connoisseur, Atlanta Style & Design, Charleston Style & Design, and Skirt! Magazine. Her work is held in both private and corporate collections throughout the United States, reflecting her growing recognition within the Southeastern art community.
Madeline Dukes
Mary L. Hoffman
Mary L. Hoffman is a plein air painter whose work captures the evolving experience of a day spent painting outdoors. Rather than depicting a single moment, her paintings reflect the cumulative effects of shifting light, weather, and atmosphere observed throughout the painting process.
Hoffman is particularly known for her lush, expressive brushwork, using bold shapes of light and shadow to suggest form and atmosphere without excessive detail. Inspired by the changing natural world, she seeks to reveal the beauty in everyday scenes and invite viewers to pause and appreciate the often-overlooked moments that surround us.
Michelle Held
With more than three decades of experience as a professional artist, Michelle creates work rooted in a deep reverence for nature and storytelling. Over the past decade, she has traveled widely on the plein air circuit, capturing the fleeting light and atmosphere of landscapes through both wildlife and plein air painting.
An award-winning artist, Michelle is also a passionate educator who leads workshops across the United States as well as in Ireland, Spain, and Italy. Her work reflects a strong connection to place—from misty morning sunrises to the quiet glow before dusk. Through her paintings and teaching, Michelle invites viewers and fellow artists alike to experience the landscape not only as it appears, but as it is deeply felt.
Millie Gosch
Millie Gosch is an accomplished oil painter whose work is widely collected and displayed in both corporate and private collections. Her paintings are featured in the corporate offices of Synovus Bank, Bank of America, St. Francis Hospital, WellStar Health Systems, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, among others. She is a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society, reflecting her respected standing within the contemporary impressionist movement.
Inspired by a lifelong appreciation for nature, Gosch often paints Lowcountry and pastoral landscapes, influenced by her upbringing in a small Georgia town. She is the owner of City Muse Gallery in College Park, Georgia, which serves as both her working studio and gallery space.
Morgan Samuel Price
Morgan Samuel Price has enjoyed a lifelong career in the fine arts, painting and traveling extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. She began her professional path in commercial advertising and illustration before opening her first studio in 1972 at the age of 25. Since then, Price has built a distinguished career as both a painter and educator.
Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, earning numerous awards and election to multiple professional art societies. Price’s paintings have been published more than 40 times in books and periodicals, and for over four decades she has shared her expertise and passion for painting through workshops and teaching.
Steve Puttrich
Steve Puttrich is an award-winning fine artist and instructor known for capturing the mood and beauty of the landscape through expressive compositions. After a 35-year career as an artist and designer with Parsons Corporation, he transitioned to full-time painting and teaching. Working in both oil and watercolor, Puttrich creates vibrant scenes that combine strong design, rich color, and a compelling sense of place.
He is also the inventor of the Fairview Finder™, a compositional tool designed to help artists simplify complex scenes. Alongside his wife, artist Bobbie Puttrich, he leads workshops, classes, and painting retreats across the United States and internationally, inspiring artists of all levels.
Cory Wright
Cory Wright grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, and earned her BFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design after studying abroad in Rome through the school’s European Honors Program. She spent more than two decades as a professional muralist specializing in trompe l’oeil while also working as an art instructor and studio painter.
During a workshop in Italy in 2011, Wright discovered her passion for painting en plein air with oils and soon began participating in—and winning awards at—plein air events across the Southeast. Now a full-time painter, her work is held in numerous private collections internationally. Wright paints primarily outdoors, inspired by shifting light along the coast of Anna Maria Island, Florida, East Tennessee, and Italy, where she also leads annual workshops.
Donna R. Biggee
Donna R. Biggee works in oils and pastels, capturing the landscapes, people, and everyday moments that shape her life and travels. A passionate plein air painter, she seeks to convey the energy of a scene experienced firsthand—the sounds, light, and atmosphere that exist only in a fleeting moment.
Biggee holds the distinguished title of Master Pastelist with the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) and is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and the Southeastern Pastel Society. She is also an Associate Member of the Oil Painters of America and the American Impressionist Society. Her work has earned numerous accolades, including First Place at the 2025 Olmsted Plein Air Paint Quick, Second Place at the American Impressionist Society Wet Wall Exhibit, and Best of the Georgia Coast at Georgia Colors.
Kyle Stuckey
Kyle Stuckey is an American realist painter whose passion for art began in high school and quickly grew into a lifelong pursuit. Inspired by masters such as John Singer Sargent and John William Waterhouse, he developed his skills through workshops with contemporary masters and as a member of the Putney Painters, studying alongside accomplished artists. Over the past decade, Stuckey has refined a distinctive style of impressionistic realism, painting a wide range of subjects including people, landscapes, and everyday scenes.
Originally from New Hampshire, Stuckey has traveled extensively, painting throughout Asia, Europe, Central America, and the American West. He currently lives and works in Charleston, South Carolina.
Lizzie Hunter
Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Lizzie Hunter discovered her passion for art during her first high school art class—an experience that ultimately shaped both her artistic path and career. Inspired by a supportive mentor and teacher, Hunter developed a deep appreciation for both creating art and sharing it with others.
Now in her 19th year as a high school art educator, she balances teaching with her own artistic practice, finding that each enriches the other. Hunter is passionate about nurturing young artists while continuing to grow creatively herself. She lives in Miami with her husband, Jason, and their son, Logan, where she continues to paint and inspire the next generation of artists.
Patricia Sweet
Nationally acclaimed artist Patricia Sweet is known for her evocative landscapes that capture the romantic beauty of the natural world. Emphasizing dynamic light, atmosphere, and subtle tonal relationships, her paintings convey quiet moments when landscape and emotion converge. Working both en plein air and in the studio, Sweet has spent more than two decades traveling to paint and observe the shifting effects of light across diverse environments.
Her work has been featured in distinguished national exhibitions and plein air competitions, and she is a dedicated instructor who enjoys sharing her knowledge with artists of all levels. Through restrained color and thoughtful composition, Sweet’s paintings evoke a sense of depth, stillness, and timelessness.
Wendy M. Fleck
North Carolina native Wendy M. Fleck is delighted to return to paint at the Cashiers Plein Air Festival. A passionate landscape artist, Fleck draws inspiration from the diverse beauty of the American landscape. In preparation for the festival, she and her photographer husband have embarked on an extended journey across the United States in a converted Sprinter van, traveling through the South, numerous national parks, and the Pacific Northwest to capture scenes that will inform her work.
Fleck is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America, and her work has been featured in PleinAir Magazine. Her paintings are represented by Mountain Mist Gallery in Cashiers and Ambleside Gallery in Greensboro, North Carolina.