Laguna Plein Air Painters Association

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Charles Newman

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"Playing in the Sand" by LPAPA Signature Artist Charles NewmanLPAPA Signature Artist Charles Newman
Haddon Township, New Jersey

Charles Newman received his Master’s Degree in Fine Art from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2008, focusing on plein-air painting. Charles resides in Haddon Township, NJ and paints en plein air around his neighborhood, in Philadelphia, and wherever else he goes. He is also an accomplished craftsman at Provenance Companies in Philadelphia, PA, specializing in architectural salvage materials and antiques. He is known for his hand-crafted frames made from salvaged wood, and doing custom home restorations. Charles has received numerous awards from Plein Air Festivals along the east coast, and was featured in the Aug/Sept 2018 issue of Plein Air Magazine and Southwest Art Magazine for the “Five Artists to Watch”. He was also awarded First Place overall for the 2022 Cape Ann Plein Air Festival, 2023 Plein Air Easton, 2023 Plein Air in the Smokies, and the American Impressionist Society’s 8th Annual Small Works Showcase in 2024.

Learn more at CharlesNewmanArts.com.

Joseph McGurl

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2026 Laguna Invitational award winning painting by Joe McGurl
LPAPA Signature Artist Joseph McGurl
Cataumet, MA
JosephMcGurl.com

Joseph McGurl is one of America’s leading landscape painters.  He has been designated a Living Master by the Art Renewal Center, is a signature member of the Plein Air Painters of America, an elected member of the Guild of Boston Artists,  was a Copley Master with the Copley Society of Boston, a past fellow of the American Society of Marine Artist, and has won significant awards for his artwork.   He is represented by some of the finest galleries nationally, and his work hangs in prominent museums and collector’s homes.  Additionally, he has been the subject of numerous book and magazine articles, and he conducts workshops and presents lectures throughout the country.

Invited LPAPA Gallery Artist – The Invitational Legacy: Then & Now – June 2026
8th Annual Laguna Plein Air Invitational “Peoples’ Choice” Best in Show Award – 2006

Joseph Paquet

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Golden Hour, Main Beach by Joe PaquetLPAPA Signature Artist Joseph Paquet
St. Paul, Minnesota
JoePaquet.com

Joseph Paquet was born in 1962 in Patterson New Jersey to hard-working parents of immigrant stock. His father Jim was a railroad man, working as an ironworker, dock builder & mason that also painted and carved wood and stone. His mother Theresa was a homemaker and craftsperson who sewed and knitted.

His childhood was one of being outdoors: wondering, wandering and daydreaming.

“It’s a great irony to now get paid for those things which got me into trouble when I was a kid,” Joe says.

He attended the School of Visual Arts in New York and credits artist-instructors John Foote, David Palladini, James McMullan with inspiring his deep love of drawing.

Paquet’s philosophy is one rooted in deep connection and sensitivity to his subjects.

He says, “Because I work directly from nature, each painting is a chunk of my life – a piece of me and record of my experience on this earth.”

Honorable Mention Award – 2nd Annual Laguna Plein Air Invitational – 2000
Artists’ Choice Award – 3rd Annual Laguna Plein Air Invitational – 2001
Invited Artist – 4th Annual Laguna Plein Air Invitational – 2002
Invited Artist – 6th Annual Laguna Plein Air Invitational – 2004
Fine Art Connoisseur Award – 8th Annual Laguna Plein Air Invitational – 2006
Best in Show “Collectors’ & Artists’ Choice” Award – 9th Annual Laguna Plein Air Invitational – 2007
Southwest Art Magazine “Quick Draw” Award – 10th Annual Laguna Plein Air Invitational – 2008
Invited Artist – 20th Annual Laguna Plein Air Invitational – October 2018
Invited Gallery Artist – The Invitational Legacy: Then & Now – June 2026

Amit Kapoor

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Painting by LPAPA Signature Artist Amit Kapoor

LPAPA Signature Artist Amit Kapoor
New Delhi, India
AmitKapoorWatercolor.com

Mr. Amit Kapoor is a leading master of watercolor medium in India. He has been recognized with top international honors for his paintings and his art graces the walls of many private and corporate collectors. Painting with Watercolors is one of his greatest delights and has now become an addiction for him too. He finds an ultimate bliss while painting and for him art is just like Meditation. His art captures the very soul of his subjects with passion. His exceptional drawing skills and extra ordinary abilities in art makes him proficient in any medium.

Received LPAPA Signature Artist designation in 2025

Lyudmila Tomova Clark

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Plein Air Painting "Evening Ride at Skyview" by LPAPA Signature Artist Lyudmila Tomova ClarkLPAPA Signature Artist Lyudmila Tomova Clark
Cary, North Carolina

Lyudmila Tomova Clark is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning artist known for her luminous impressionist style. Working primarily in oil and watercolor, she specializes in figurative, portrait, and plein-air painting. Her work merges abstraction with realism, capturing atmosphere, emotion, and movement through bold color, expressive mark-making, and a deeply observed sense of light.

Over the past two years alone, her paintings have earned more than 50 awards in national and international exhibitions, including 21 First-Place honors, along with major distinctions such as Grand Prize, Best in Show, and international competition awards. Notable recent achievements include 2nd Place in the Plein Air category at the International ARC Salon, accompanied by the Plein Air Magazine Award, the President’s Award from Oil Painters of America, and top honors at major events including Plein Air Easton, Bluff Strokes, Suffolk Plein Air Festival, Cape Ann Plein Air, Gloucester Plein Air, and Degallery Invitational. She was also a Top 40 Finalist in the PleinAir Salon Competition, one of the most competitive plein-air competitions worldwide.

Tomova Clark’s paintings balance structure and spontaneity, often painted directly from life in the tradition of classical plein-air practice. Whether depicting figures, urban scenes, or natural landscapes, her work emphasizes mood, gesture, and the human experience of place rather than literal description.

Learn more at TomovaFineArt.com.