My name is Rhonda Kolander,

I moved to Whitewater in 1996. I started my love for drawing and painting in middle school. I took two portrait drawing classes, two airbrush classes, and an oil painting class in the late 1980 's. I love to do all kinds of crafts and love to be creative. I went to Gateway Technical College. I Graduated with an Associate's Degree in Graphic Communications and have a Digital Photography Certificate. I continuously get better at my painting; I can thank Bob Ross and his special techniques for the end result. I started making mandalas from a digital program.

After they are finished I make jewelry, prints and other fun things with them. Now I have a new Program that I make kaleidoscope art with. I've had my art displayed in the Irving Young Library Gallery, The Sweetspot Gallery, The First Citizens Gallery and The Cultural Art Center. I used to have the position of coordinator at The Sweetspot Gallery but now I am the coordinator of The TeaLuxGallery. I like to help others get the same chance to show their art as I have here in Whitewater In my future I would like to have classes to teach others to draw and paint. I also love to go to painting parties where all the people do the same painting. I hope you enjoy my work.

My name is Enrique Esquipula.

I have been living in Whitewater, Wisconsin for the past 15 years. I may have served you a coffee or two at Jessica's Family Restaurant. I started painting 8 years ago. I liked to draw and paint some when I was a young boy. I really enjoyed it and wanted to learn more, but did not have the opportunity to continue my education in art. I left it behind and forgot all about it. I wanted something to do on my days off so my fiance, who is also an artist, told me to take one of her new canvases and make a painting. I painted our parakeet sitting in a tree. She came home from work and couldn't believe I did it. She had me watch Bob Ross and I learned to paint with oils. I painted my second painting. After that, I learned more techniques and how to use acrylics paints from my fiance and another artist named Darrel Crow. I took watercolor Classes from two local artist here in Whitewater; Karolyn Alexander, and Tim Carson. I find it difficult to put the brush down once I start a painting and will not stop until the one I am working on is finished. I entered two of my paintings into a contest for the Whitewater Arts Alliance member's show in 2010-2011. I won the poster of the year with my painting named "Trees." In the 8 years I've been painting, I sold 72 paintings.