Every year American Women Artists invites current Signature Members and Annual Member Show Guest Artists whose work can be seen in museum exhibitions and nationally recognized galleries, publications and collections to become Master Signature members. This year we are excited to announce Board Member Leah Lopez and Guest Artist Camille Przewodek as our newest Master Signature members.
New Master Signature member Camille Przewodek only began exhibiting with American Women Artists in 2015, but was immediately impresed by the work of the other member artists.
After graduating with her BFA in 1972, Przewodek moved from her hometown of Detroit, Michigan to the west coast, specifically San Francisco. There she continued to paint, but she also became a student of History and Politics. Przewodek believes her studies in History led to her work in illustration. Przewodek took a class in visual communications at San Francisco City College that changed her perspective on the power of art to persuade an audience.
“It was incredibly challenging, and I knew there was a way to combine storytelliing with fine art.”
That decision drove her to study at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. Przewodek’s style, which quickly became distinctive for its rich saturated color and luscious oil paint, caught the attention of numerous clients during the decade when she worked as a commercial illustrator.
“I was one of the few illustrators who didn’t look like an illustrator. I painted the way I liked to paint,” she says. “Most illustrators would just go to the site, get their reference and go back home to do a slick illustration. I would go to the sites and stay for hours or days and do several paintings on location, then we decided which best served the project.”
Today Przewodek is most inspired by being out painting on location – painting from life as she calls it.
New Master Signature member Leah Lopez has been a member of the American Women Artists Board of Directors since 2014.
Leah Lopez was born in New Mexico and began studying drawing and painting at the age 18. Eventually, she developed a dexterous handling of her favorite medium and Leah became a well-known emerging artist in the Southwest. Following the loss of her sister, Leah chose to embark on a new adventure by moving her studio to New York City.
“I’ve always been an explorer and a seeker, these experiences serve as inspiration for my paintings,” she says.
Leah’s hard work and the challenge of moving to a place like New York paid off when she opened up the Leah Lopez Atelier at Union Square. As an artist, she is highly respected and her paintings are celebrated. With gallery representation across the states and students flocking to the Atelier to study, she maintains the same hard working schedule to develop her latest body of work. More than ever, Leah’s paintings are passionately inspired by her life and experiences on this riveting, creative journey.
