Meet our Artists

Featured Artists

Celebrate the Arts with us for Fourth Friday

Join us for Sisters 4th Friday Art Walk as we welcome our featured artist and their new collection for an evening of conversation and community.

Photo of Dan Rickards smiling at the camera, with a lake, forest, and distant mountain peak in the background

Featured Artist

Dan Rickards

Painter

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been both an artist and an athlete. At times those identities felt unrelated, but looking back I see they have always informed one another. The discipline to keep showing up, to begin again, to trust the process when the finish line isn’t visible, has shaped this body of work as much as any brushstroke.

For more than three decades, Dan Rickards has pursued a simple but enduring goal: to create paintings that move people. Since becoming a full-time artist in 1991, his work has evolved from celebrating the beauty of the natural world to exploring the quiet beauty and complexity of the human spirit. Throughout that journey, one thing has remained constant—a desire to create artwork that tells a story and leaves a lasting emotional impression.

Dan first established his reputation through highly detailed landscapes, wildlife, and sporting art. His paintings earned the respect of collectors and conservation organizations alike, leading to recognition from the Mule Deer Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, where he was honored as a featured artist. His commitment to craftsmanship and authenticity has been the foundation of his career from the very beginning.

Photo of Sarah B Hansen turned towards the camera while smiling, while holding a paintbrush in her right hand. An easel with a painting is in the background.

Featured Artist

Sarah B. Hansen

Award-Winning Artist | Instructor | Signature Member, Northwest Watercolor Society

Sarah B. Hansen is an award-winning contemporary painter whose work explores the relationship between land, spirit, and the human experience. Working in acrylic, watercolor, and mixed media, she creates expressive landscapes and wildflowers that move beyond description to evoke the emotional and energetic presence of the place.

Raised on a farm in the mountains of southwestern Colorado, Sarah developed an intimate relationship with the natural world through her father, who taught her to pay attention—to weather, light, silence, and the quiet generosity of the land. Those early experiences became the foundation of a lifelong artistic practice rooted not in recording nature, but in listening to it.

A photo of Taylor Manoles looking down at a board. The sun is coming from the upper-right edge, and she is sitting against a high desert nature background

Featured Artist

Taylor Manoles

Oil painter

Taylor Manoles is an oil painter who lives in Bend, Oregon. Born in Arizona and later raised in Minnesota, she has inhabited many different types of landscapes. Her love of the outdoors and desire to paint drove her to pursue an art education degree at North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota. After teaching middle school art for one year, Manoles decided to pursue her own artwork full time. Her landscape paintings, rich in color and texture, explore themes of faith and the human experience. They are an invitation into the present moment, a gentle refuge for the longing spirit. She enjoys showing her work locally, across the Pacific Northwest, and through online platforms. Her work has appeared in various publications including Artists & Illustrators and on the cover of Southwest Art Magazine. In 2023, her piece titled Painted Hills won the Curator’s Choice Award at the High Desert Museum’s show, Art in the West.

Featured Artist

Molly Newbern

Ceramicist

Molly Newbern is an Oregon-based ceramicist who focuses on creating heirloom-quality vessels that bring nature’s serene beauty into the home.  Her constant goal is to create work that is as soothing as it is functional.

She studied ceramics at Appalachian State University, where she was able to focus on glaze chemistry in order to create her distinct color palette.  While her glaze’s palette and textures are inspired by nature, many of her forms are influenced by her travels.  She draws elegant, elongated shapes from her time living in Turkey, an appreciation for large serving ware came from eating meals around giant shared dishes in Jordan, and after several trips to Japan, she found her work leaning towards quieter, more grounded forms finished with just the right touch of gold luster.

Most recently, you will see the influence of China in her cloud-lined bowls and in the vintage waterslide decals she fires on.  While participating in The Migrating Birds show at the Taoxichuan Arts Center in Jingdezhen, China, Molly exhibited a piece inspired by the ridge lines of Central Oregon that is now a part of their permanent collection.  She hopes her work will continue to meld her love of Central Oregon’s landscapes and the ceramic techniques she learns abroad.

A man in a blue apron, Garth Williams, is smiling at the camera while leaning over a table with a painting laying on it. In the background are paintings hung on portable gallery walls, including one of a bear and others depicting outdoor scenery.

Featured Artist

Garth Williams

Painter

I live in Burley, a small town in southern Idaho. I enjoy the close community there, and the beautiful state of Idaho provides me with the opportunity to fly fish and enjoy nature. I enjoy fishing so much in part because I can enjoy the outdoors and wonder which landscapes I might paint next.

I am so thankful to have the opportunity to spend my mornings in the art studio painting things that make me happy and cheerful. This is why I paint, and I hope each viewer feels the same way.

When I paint, I apply multiple hues and intense color in a single stroke of the palette knife, creating variety and interest throughout the painting. Working with a palette knife allows me to pick up a lot of paint—full of chords of color—and create a bright painting full of harmonious color.

I’ve spent many years studying impressionistic art under Robert Moore’s direction. I’ve never lost my desire to be an impressionistic oil painter. Developing my own unique concept of realism has been the most important step in making paintings that allow the viewer to determine which shapes are woven together into distinct images.

There’s no better feeling in the world than receiving a call from a gallery informing me that someone has chosen my work to be in their home or business to help brighten their day.

I hope you enjoy studying my works of God’s creations—without a doubt, the greatest artist of all.

Dave Mensing smiling into the camera. He's wearing glasses, a dark jacket, and set against a soft gray background.

Featured Artist

David Mensing

Painter

David Mensing grew up in Iowa and moved to The West as a young man. He lives in Newberg, Oregon with his wife and their three children.

Mensing’s architectural background contributes to his compelling designs. He has also worked professionally as a Camp Director and a certified white-water rafting guide. At one time he was a talented pole vaulter.

David Mensing’s paintings are featured in collections and exhibitions across the nation and around the globe. Each painting is a statement – every aspect of the presentation is important. He is careful to select titles that reflect the character and spiritual basis of each painting.

David graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and has studied extensively with Robert Moore. Numerous periodicals have highlighted Mensing’s work with cover images and feature articles. Recent national awards include Southwest Art Icons of the West: ‘Award of Excellence’; and ‘Best of Show’; at Art and Soul.

Shop the Gallery

Shop the gallery and bring a beautiful piece home with you.