Laguna Plein Air Painters Association

member login

Linda Glover Gooch

by

LPAPA Artist Member Linda Glover Gooch

LPAPA Signature Artist Linda Glover Gooch
Mesa, Arizona

A Westerner her whole life, Linda Glover Gooch grew up in the warmth of the Southwest.  Spending time as a child playing in the orchard groves, washes and arroyos of Southern California, Linda developed a love of the desert and canyons.  While she is the first professional painter in her family, both of her parents and her grandmother were amateur artists.  Painting since her early teens, Linda embraces the vast canyons that stretch across the West.

Multiple trips and many hours on location bring new inspiration as each day reveals different light and weather conditions. Working on location rejuvenates Linda as she admires the beauty of the land and acknowledges God as the divine creator of all.  The grandeur and ever-changing moods of the Southwest are a constant source of study and an important part of her continued growth as an artist.

Learn more at GoochStudio.com

Nancie King Mertz

by

LPAPA Artist Member Nancie King Mertz

LPAPA Signature Artist Nancie King Mertz
Rockford, Illinois
NancieKingMertz.com

Nancie has spent her lifetime painting in oil & pastel. She was awarded the Master Circle by Int’l Assoc. of Pastel Societies, Eminent Pastelist in 2018, and is a Master Signature member of Pastel Society of America, Degas Pastel Society & Chicago Pastel Painters.  She has been a member of The Palette & Chisel of Fine Arts since 1988 and Plein air Painters since 2003–both based in Chicago.

Nancie juries, demos & teaches numerous workshops across the US, Italy, France & Croatia.  She is on the faculty for the Plein Air Convention, Plein Air South, and the IAPS Convention. IAPS awarded her the Prix de Pastel in 2018. She was the lead juror for the 2019 IAPS Masters’ Show, and juried the 2022 PSA Enduring Brilliance Exhibition.

Her work has been featured in Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art, American Artist, French & Chinese magazines, as well as the cover and several articles in Pastel Journal.  She has traveled to over 20 countries to paint.

Nancie was a 3 year Instructor of Art at Eastern IL University where she received her MA in Painting two years after completing her BFA in Painting at the University of IL.  She currently serves on their Graduate Advisory Board and received their Distinguished Alum Award as well as their Distinguished Graduate Alum Award.

Received LPAPA Signature Artist designation in 2025

Harsh Agrawal

by

"The Moody Ben" by LPAPA Signature Artist Harsh Agrawal

LPAPA Signature Artist Member Harsh Agrawal
London, England

Harsh Agrawal is a plein-air landscape artist based in London, originally from a village called Rairangpur in India. Growing up in a conservative family, Harsh overcame numerous challenges to achieve success as an artist in the entertainment industry. His credits include “Coco”, “Toy Story”, “Avengers: End Game”, “Star Wars” and other Oscar-winning films. Despite his success, Harsh’s passion for traditional painting led him to switch careers.

Learn more at Harsh2Art.com.

Karl Dempwolf (1939-2026)

by

Laguna Plein Air Painter Karl Dempwolf

LPAPA Signature Artist Karl Dempwolf
Sherman Oaks, California
Dempwolf.com

Karl Dempwolf is a California Plein Air artist, known for his landscape paintings. He was born in Delmenhorst, Germany, and spent the war years in beautiful Bavaria, surrounded by sparkling lakes, dramatic hills, misty forests, and the majestic Alps, where he developed his love for nature. While a teen, his scientist father was recruited to serve in the U.S. aerospace industry, and the family immigrated. Karl received training at Art Center School of Design. Karl’s early career as a filmmaker led to the production of “Story of a Craftsman”, a documentary about the handmade Calliccio Trumpet, which won the Golden Eagle Award and Best of Show at the Belleview International Film Festival in Washington. 

In time, painting became Dempwolf’s passion. Inspired by early California artists such as William Wendt, Guy Rose, Charles Reiffel, and Edgar Payne, Karl strove to create paintings which provide the viewer with a spiritual lift as they contemplate the miracles of nature. In 2017, Karl was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Eric Rhoads, publisher of Plein Air Magazine, at the Plein Air Convention in San Diego, California.

It is with great sadness that we learned that Karl Dempwolf passed February 27, 2026. Please learn more about Karl’s artistic legacy through this tribute: OutdoorPainter.com.

Albert Handell

by

Laguna Plein Air Signature Artist Albert HandellLPAPA Signature Artist Albert Handell
Santa Fe, New Mexico
AlbertHandellStudio.com

Albert Handell was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1937. At an early age, a favorite activity of his was drawing with chalks on the city streets. He Began formal studies of drawing and anatomy at the age of sixteen. In 1954, he enrolled at the Art Students League of New York City to study drawing and anatomy with the late Louis Priscilla and the late Robert Ward Johnson, and later studied painting for two years with Frank Mason. From 1961 to 1965, Albert lived and traveled in Europe. In Paris, he painted independently in his own studio, working from the model at L’Ecole de la Grande Chaumiere and at theLouvre, copying the old masters.