Bio

Mona Neuhaus

Statement/Biography

A traditional landscape painter at heart, I paint primarily in the mediums of soft pastel and transparent watercolor. The subject matter of my work focuses on the rural California countryside and the vast American West. Much of my inspiration comes from California's Central Coast, as well as our great American treasures - The National Parks.

Wide open spaces, beautiful vistas, rugged mountains, rolling hills, pastoral landscapes and even an occasional rose - they all captivate and inspire me. Our natural landscape appears to be disappearing on an almost daily basis and so it is my desire to paint not only a glimpse of nature in its beauty, but to also preserve a moment in history.

I am at my happiest when outdoors in nature, observing and exploring the environment. These experiences are core to my paintings. In these settings I observe and study light, color, design and even sound. Through these observations I paint, draw, take notes and memorize scenes of interest. All of this research is utilized as a completed work en plein air or for later use as a trigger for my memory for future paintings. My subject matter includes arrays of serene western landscapes with vibrant sunrises, sunsets and dramatic plays of light.

Mona Neuhaus is a native of Southern California and has been painting professionally for 24 years. She received her formal training at Ventura Community College under Master Pastelist and nationally recognized watercolorist, William McEnroe, as well as Hiroko Yoshimoto, Mary Michel, Bernard Dietz, and Richard Phelps. Her work is in the Ventura County Museum of History & Art's "Bank of A. Levy Corporate Collection", the Carnegie Art Museum's "Jackson Wheeler Collection", the Municipal Art Collection for the City of Oxnard (Mayor's Office) and in many other corporate and private collections throughout the United States. Her exhibits have included myriad shows hosted by the Ojai Art Center, the Buenaventura Gallery of Ventura, California, Studio 83, Ventura Art Walk, the Ventura County National Bank, the "Hiroko Yoshimoto - Mentor to Many" show at the Studio Channel Islands Art Center at California State University - Channel Islands, The Law Offices of Thomas E. Neuhaus, and the Pacific Oaks Federal Credit Union in Camarillo, California in May 2006.

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