In the Order of the Auction (randomly assigned)
Joni Franks
Piece: “2023 Mae Fae” 14" x 20"
Contact: jonifranksauthor@yahoo.com, 970-946-6080, www.jonifranks.com. FB/IG @corkytails1
Bio: Joni Franks is an international award-winning author, artist and poet. She has been named the 2024 Will Rogers Medallion Award Illustrator of the Year. Her books have earned bestseller status and have won over fifty literary honors for her writing and artwork, including the prestigious Moms Choice Award, the International Readers Favorite Award, the American Fiction Award, and the CIPA EVVY Award. Known for her compelling narratives that challenge societal norms, Franks pens books about resilience, inspiration, overcoming adversity, equality, and conservation. Spending time on her Colorado ranch with her Welsh corgi’s: Sagebrush, Gyzmo and Willow, offers her the inspiration to create impactful books and art that are changing the world one heart at a time.
Joe Horvath
Piece: “2019 Amarante”
Contact: 720-412-4347 jmhorvath22@gmail.com
Bio: I am an animal, landscape, and portrait painter using mostly oil paints at present.
Jeanne Horvath
Piece: “Fox and Kit” 2022 8"X10" Watercolor
Contact: 719-850-3483, mandala.day@gmail.com
Bio: I hold a deeply felt need to express my ideas and viewpoints in a non-verbal, tangible way. For me, the best aspects about creating art are the vast variety of materials and supports, complete freedom of self-expression, and a visual mechanism to present the energy and integrity of my subjects.
Michael Liebhaber
Piece: “Velhagen Clock 30"X24"
Contact: 971-203-9293, Michael@MJLiebhaber.com, MJLiebhaber.com, IG @MichaelLiebhaber
Bio: When he was 8 years old, Michael walked into the Arizona Desert, alone. He never came back. Everything was new and unexpected. Those experiences influenced his outlook on life and art. They taught him to look beyond the surface. Michael has been oil painting since he was 12 years old. His current paintings deliberately defy expectation and convention to express a vision that lies beyond appearances. The paintings bring together elements of reality, myth, wonder, and psychological tension to create places that can be imagined or felt but not seen. Since the desert,
Michael earned an MFA in Painting and a PhD in Psychology and has traveled and lived abroad. He has exhibited his work in Colorado, California, Oregon, Arizona, New York, and Germany.
Matthew Capell
Piece: “Pub Noir” 19X13 picture / 21X27 framed
Contact: m1000tc@gmail.com, realpretendstudio.com
Bio: Matthew is a local Alamosa artist primarily working in drawing and printmaking media. He also got a fine art degree in printmaking from Adams State University in 2010. He still lives in Alamosa where he creates artwork with inspiration from the micro and macro landscape of the San Luis Valley.
Samantha Wisener
Piece: “Sunrise over the Rio Grande, 2025” 36"X48" Oil
Contact: LaArtistaSamantha@outlook.com, 719-937-3556, www.laartistasamantha.square.site , IG@laartistasamantha
Bio: San is a professional artist, and loves to paint the people and places she knows and has been to. She paints outside and in her studio. San is also a middle school art teacher and loves to guide and teach her students art skilles as well.
Ruth Archuleta
Piece: “Our Lady of Guadalupe” 2026 15"X19"
Contact: 719-580-5994 a4unmee79@hotmail.com
Bio: After retiring from a 38 year career in nursing, Ruth decided to pursue new interests. F the past 3 years painting has been a relaxing and challenging outlet. She has used watercolor, acrylic, and oils and enjoys Plein Air painting around the Valley with other artists.
Suzette Sosa Valle
Piece: “Saltillo, MX” 2026 16X22
Contact: suzetteasv@gmail.com
Bio: An architectural designer by day, artist by night, Suzette Sosa Valle is enhancing her skills with oil pastels, drawing architectural elements from around the world. This is her first time scanning and printing her work to share.
Danielle Trodick
Piece: “When Strength Softens” 12"X24"
Contact: 719-588-2035 goodnightdani@gmail.com, Visit her Website
Bio: My name is Danielle Trodick and I am a Colorado-based artist living in the San Luis Valley, where my love for painting first took root. Inspired by the surrounding landscapes and wildlife, I create my work both en plein air and in the studio, connecting deeply with each subject. Influenced by Southwest art, I’m drawn to strong shapes, rich traditions, and vibrant color.
Through my paintings, I seek to capture not only the physical presence of animals and landscapes,, but their spirit, energy, and essence. Each piece reflects a sense of place while inviting viewers to feel a connection - whether it’s the quite strength of wildlife or the warmth and movement found within the land itself.
I paint through movement and intuition, beginning with loose, expressive strokes and layering color and texture to let unexpected hues and shape and form personality. My process is driven by contrast - soft, flowing backgrounds against bold, textured figures - using color to convey feeling and bring my subjects to life. Above all, I want every painting to feel alive, full of energy, atmosphere, and emotional connection.
Jenni Sheffield
Piece: “Day at the Dunes” 20X30
Contact: jennirsheffield@gmail.com, jenniart.com
Bio: Jenni Sheffield is a local artist here in the San Luis Valley. She has a Bsachelors Degree in Fine Arts and enjoys doing landscapes, portraits, still-life, and illustration. Jenni is the mother of 5 kids and consideres them her greatest creations.
Sam Smart
Piece: “Rusty Bloom” 16"X20"
Contact: 719-580-7725 smarttblues2750@yahoo.com
Bio: Local to the San Luis Valley, Sam Smartt enjoys capturing beautiful sights in nature and agriculture. Her love of the outdoors is what started her on this photography adventure and she loves sharing these spectacular views with the world.
Huberto Maestas
Piece:
Contact: 575-779-3792 hubertomaestas@gmail.com
Bio:
Macey Sigaty
Piece: “Oh Little World 2018" 11X14 print
Contact Info: 720-366-0854, sigatree@gmail.com, thesigatree.com, IG@thesigatree
Bio: A Colorado born, interdisciplinary artist, Macey Sigaty uses many different mediums with an aim to appreciate the ordinary manner of miracles, to see beauty in the banal, acknowledge absurdity, and dabble in whimsy. You can often find her at The Church Project in Monte Vista, CO, where she is using her hands to make real things and encouraging others to do the same.
Trina Council
Piece: “A Messenger from the Beyond” 18"X18"
Contact: 719-496-6199 (Text preferred)
Bio: Trina Council is a self-taught watercolor artist who used watercolor as a way to cope with the Covid-19 lockdowns. The Rocky Mountains are therapeutic for her, and her earliest memories of drawing as a child were always mountains. Trina also creates fabric collages, quilted pieces, and monoprint & acrylic collages. She and her family have happily called the San Luis Valley home for nine years, and has Colorado roots going back more than 130 years.
Watercolor and ink on cold press watercolor paper. The painting depicts Mounts Blanca & Lindsey from Hwy 160 between Blanca and Ft. Garland.
Kyle Burnett
Piece: “Storm Breaks Over Mt. Blanca”
Contact: kyle@kyleburnett.photography.com, 719-850-8682, www.kyleburnett.photography.com, FB @kburnettphoto
Bio: Kyle Burnett is an adventurous visual storyteller based in Alamosa, Colorado. He explores the unique connections between art, nature, and human experience. With a passion for both portrait and landscape photography, he photographs fleeting moments that tell genuine stories of life and the natural world.
Inspired by Colorado’s diverse landscapes and the depth of human emotion, he sees every scene as a canvas where nature and feeling meet. His photography explores the beauty of open spaces and the intimate details of human expression. Each image is a journey of discovery, capturing the balance of light and shadow and the many layers of our own inner world.
In his downtown Alamosa studio, he has complete control over the creative environment, allowing his artistic vision to come to life. For him, photography isn’t just a service—it’s an ongoing exploration that invites you to look deeper at the beauty within us, or around us.
Bianca Maestas
Piece: “The Three Graces”
Contact: 720-814-8008 biancamaestas@gmail.com
Bio: A multidisciplinary artist who’s objective is to enrich the quality of everyday life through art.
Amyas Maestas
Piece: “One Hand on the Line”
Contact: amyasjmaestas@gmail.com 719-936-5951
Bio: Sometimes you’ve got to live life with “one hand on the line”. The simplicity of rural life and days full of hard work and joy.
Evelyn Sprouse Rowe
Piece: ““T’ward the Sun” 12 X 36
Contact Info: Sprsro20@gmail.com, FineArtAmerica.com
Bio: The abstract qualities of Evelyn’s art come from intuition and a personal interpretation of beauty. She is a SLV born artist. Her subjects range from portraiture to Valley scenery and Garden florals. She likes using acrylic paint and finds it allows for experimentation with bold results She is recently working in paper collage and mono printing techniques.
Kelly Bellefuil Bernal
Piece: “2024 Zebra”
Contact: kbellefuilbernal@yahoo.com 320-979-7604
Bio: Kelly has a B.S. Degree at Colorado State University, 2000. Kelly has exhibited in over 90 venues in Colorado and the greater Denver area. She is currently on her 17th seasonal rotating art exhibit at the San Luis Valley Coffee Company in San Luis, CO in the Mystic San Luis Valley!
Cindy Cometto
Piece: “2025 Fall Day"
Contact: 970-290-1713, cindycometto@gmail.com, FB/IG @cindycometto
Bio: Cindy Cometto has been living and painting in the San Luis Valley for the past 3 years since retiring to San Luis. She spends the summer painting in plein air along with the SLV painters and in her studio in San Luis.
Mary Ohm
Piece: “Sangre de Cristo Mountains”
Contact: ohmm1961@gmail.com 763-516-4977
Bio: Mary Ohm was born and raised in Minnesota moved to the Valley 6 years ago and started doing art again. She decided burning is her my thing. It’s her therapy, her grounding of sorts. She has done many commission pieces this past year. She will do any picture you can send her. One either a cutting board or live edge wood any size.
David Roepke
Piece: “Along the Rio Grande” 11X14
Contact: 719-588-5639 davidroepke@gmail.com
Bio: The painting depicts a rocky outcropping along the Rio Grande just before the river drops into the gorge. My name is David Roepke and I’ve lived in the San Luis Valley for 48 years. I received a degree in illustration from California State University at Long Beach in 1978. I enjoy photography and painting scenes around the Valley and northern New Mexico.”
Josh Cantu
Piece: Colorado Flag
Contact Info: Reach out to the Chamber to be connected: info@alamosachamber.com
Bio: Josh is a valley native who took on woodworking as an enjoyable hobby approximately 10 years ago. Josh’s grandpa, George Martinez, a retired woodshop teacher, has always been someone Josh has admired and looked up to. Josh approached his grandfather for some advice on how to build a few
picture frames. From there Josh took on this skill as a full-time hobby! Josh finds "building" as the ultimate stress relief. He still makes phone calls to his Grandpa for advice on all his projects.
