Realist Art Club Exhibition 2025

Carole Allison - Member

www.tinfoilgallery.com - Instagram: @tinfoilgallery

I am fulfilling my childhood art dreams by drawing realist portraits. I find achieving real likeness a challenge & enjoy the a-ha moments when a nose becomes a nose and an eye becomes an eye. I have circled back to this passion after my first act in life. Following the years of working in cubicle-land jobs and volunteering as a military spouse I am drawn to capturing ordinary people.

John Cramer - Member

Brushstrokes tell a story, a story between the paint on the canvas, the artist, and the viewer. John Cramer has been a lover of art most of his adult life. “Art reveals a story about the beauty of the world and my soul” says John. As an introvert, John uses his art as a way to express himself and find his “voice” to communicate feeling without the need for words. John finds his inspiration in the beauty of everyday moments in still life to the realism of expression of emotion in individuals through portraiture.

“If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.” ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Vickie Damm - Founding Member

Instagram: @vickiedamm.art

I began painting only a few years ago, right before my retirement. Wanting a hobby, I decided to renew my interest in oil painting. Little did I know that this hobby would become my heartfelt passion. During COVID, I started painting in earnest. I found a local on-line art community that encouraged me to explore and expand my love of art—The Realist Art Club.

Being a realist painter, I strive to paint the beauty I find in my subjects. I especially love painting portraits and flowers. Most of my work is in oil, but I enjoy making art in graphite and pastel as well.

Julia Dell Otterness - Founding Member

Website: JuliaDellArt.com - Instagram: @JuliaDellArt - Facebook: JuliaDellArt

Julia is an artist living in Kansas City. She was born in California but raised in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Although she was surrounded by Scientists her family always encouraged her in her talent and passion for art. Julia graduated from the Colorado Institute of Art with a degree in Advertising Design but has moved in a variety of creative expressions over the years in many different locations. She has traveled extensively working with live productions in dance, media, video and more. She is now focused on painting and drawing high quality artwork in mainly oil paint, charcoal and pastels.

Stephen Junceau "Junco" - Founding Member

www.JuncoArt.com - @junco_art - Instagram - @junco_art - Tik Tok

Stephen Junceau, "Junco" is a versatile and dynamic artist known for his ability to merge traditional techniques with contemporary visual storytelling. With a background in fine arts from the Art Students League of New York and The School of Visual Arts, he brings a strong foundation in craft to his diverse body of work. His portfolio spans digital illustration, video game visual effects, intricate commissioned portraits, captivating murals, and even live pumpkin carving performances. A lifelong fan of sci-fi and fantasy, he particularly enjoys creating art that brings imaginative worlds and characters to life. 

Staci Korpal - Member

Instagram: Staci_Korpal Facebook: S Korpal Studio

Staci Korpal is a Kansas City based artist focused in oil, watercolor, and the journey of life savoring the simple things through the tactile and organic nature of painting.

The Pillars of Creation was a personal technical challenge to myself to take the mesmerizing and otherworldly Hubble space telescope photo of the Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula and translate that to a canvas. The gaseous formations have heft and volume, but are ephemeral in their translucence. The intensity of the image took me out of my comfort zone of a natural organic palette into high chroma, synthetic pigments; but yet retaining an organic quality. Most of my painting is done alla prima, conversely this image required me to build in layers glazing and scumbling to capture the luminescence.

Jim Lawrence - Studio Member

jimlawrenceart.com/ - Instagram: @jlawkc - facebook.com/jimlawrencekc

Jim was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri. He picked up a paintbrush for the first time in September 2017 after his daughter won an oil-paint set at a local art store. Much like listening to a great piece of music, the experience of putting oil paint on canvas has been transcendent for Jim. He now directs most of his creative energy into large-scale oil portraiture. He studies painting at the Lacey Lewis School of Realist Art, in Leawood, Kansas.

After graduating from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Jim moved to New York City where he worked in advertising and later at Atlantic Records. He received his law degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, in New York City, and is currently a partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, LLP, in Kansas City, Missouri. He is married and has two awesome kids.

Bre Pierce - Studio Member

I have enjoyed creating art since childhood but discovered oil painting to be my passion in my early 20's. I find most of my inspiration through fantasy and video games.

"Shadow & Light" (pictured left) was my favorite and one of my most challenging pieces I have done so far. I love using chroma and really enjoyed creating the drastic light and shadows and loved playing with the colors.

Amanda Puckett - Member

Instagram: @amandapart311

I’m really drawn to romantic portraits—the kind where you can feel the story behind them. Who they were, what they struggled with, where they came from, what they dreamt of—it all adds so much depth and makes the painting come to life.

I love big, dramatic pieces that make a statement on a wall so my process starts with the frame; I hunt for them in thrift stores, antique shops, and resale places, looking for something that already has character. The frame feels just as important as the painting itself—they support each other and help complete the story. I glue a canvas right on top of whatever print is already in the frame and allow the frame to dictate which painting belongs in it.
I like to finish the painting inside its frame because I enjoy seeing them come to life together.

I live in Oklahoma with my husband and daughter. I started painting 4-5 months ago and really enjoy it.

Julia Taylor - Member

I have been taking classes at the School of Realist Art on and off for several years whenever I could fit one in. I have always enjoyed drawing, but in the last few years have fallen in love with painting. In 2024, my work consisted of still life and locations that have personal meaning, but I am looking forward to focusing more on portraiture in the current year.

Gene Tyner - Founding Member

Instagram: @genetyner1919

Gene Tyner has been painting full time, since 2015, when he was able to retire early from his career as an engineer in the aerospace industry. He works across different media, always seeking to keep good drawing as his foundation. He considers himself "old school," simply trying to highlight little bits of the beauty that surrounds us.