Meet The Artists
Kathleen Armstrong ~ Jewelry Artist
Pinetop Gallery Owner
I’ve been a life long jewelry lover, starting when I was gifted a diamond ring, as a young child. I immediately fell in love with the sparkle of the diamonds.
In my mid-twenties, I started designing gold and diamond jewelry for myself, family and friends. Back then, I had to hand sketch designs on paper, as nothing was computerized. Nowadays it’s much easier, and I enjoy the dynamic process of designing and creating beautiful diamond 💎 and gemstone jewelry. I can work with anyone’s budget to create a custom piece that you will treasure.
It was in 2005, when I made the decision to design and create my own line of jewelry, which I still offer today. Because of my love for the sparkly, I use only 14Kt gold/fill, Sterling silver, and gem quality ~ Stones, Pearls and Crystals. This handmade line, by yours truly, is great for yourself, or gift-giving to family and friends. I also do custom designs if you want a specific stone or color in your piece. Example ~ I’ve done special designs with birthstones for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, and other special occasions. Many of my creations can be seen at JewelsByKathleen.com for those who cannot make it into the Gallery.
My intention, as always, is to create one-of-a-kind pieces that make women smile and feel special. My inspiration comes from the stones themselves, and the beautiful color combinations that they create. I can design anything within this realm that your heart ♥️ may desire.
I was in several galleries over the years, and even had my own storefront.
In 2024, I took the leap of faith, to open PINETOP GALLERY. I have several other accomplished artists that I will be representing at the gallery.
I will be opening the doors, in November 2024, after an extensive remodel. I will be open year round, as I am a full time resident in Pinetop. I am extremely excited to be available for all your jewelry and artistic aspirations, here in the White Mountains of Arizona.
Shalece Fiack ~ Painter
Growing up as the daughter of a professional artist, Shalece Fiack was constantly involved in some kind of art project. When she was young, she loved setting up an easel beside her father’s and creating her own oil paintings. She began experimenting with pastels when she was fourteen years old, and her parents encouraged her to enter her first juried show. She entered and was accepted, and the positive reception at the show sparked a lifelong love for creating and sharing art.
As a young adult, Shalece lived in Italy for over a year, learning Italian and completely immersing herself in the culture. She developed a deep love for the people she met and the way art was interwoven into every aspect of their lives. When she returned to the United States, she spent time selling art and wedding dresses. She loved interacting with clients and connecting them with products that fit their needs and desires.
Throughout her life, Shalece has continued to love art and is always involved in something creative. In October 2015, with encouragement from her father, Shalece began a challenge to create 100 paintings in 100 days, sharing her journey over social media. Backed by the support of family and friends, Shalece successfully completed her goal in January 2016, which culminated a short time later with her first one-woman show in Bangor, Maine (where she and her family lived until November of 2017). Her work is now in collections throughout the U.S.
Shalece continues to paint soft, colorful acrylic pieces in her home studio in Arizona where she lives with her husband and three daughters, who bring her daily joy and inspiration.
Natalia Kolisnykova ~ Custom Doll Designer
My name is Natalia. We live in Ukraine 🇺🇦, in the city of Kharkov. I am a retired architect and have always been involved in handicrafts.
At the time it was my hobby, and my greatest desire was to create dolls.
Then, after I retired, it became not only my hobby, but my main source of income.
Most importantly, when I create a doll, my imagination works, my hands work, and I become totally inspired.
I also love 💗 creating specialty dolls for the holidays. 🤶🎅🎄.
John Horejs ~ Painter
For people with complicated and busy lives, having peaceful interior spaces is crucial. Collectors across the United States, including former Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne, Microsoft’s Paul Allen, and Las Vegas developer Steve Wynn, have found a touch of elegant and peaceful simplicity in John Horejs’ warm, rich oil paintings.
Horejs has been a full-time artist since 1986. His work has been included in exhibitions at the Springville, Utah, Museum of Art, the Boise Art Museum, and the Museum at the College of Southern Idaho. His work is also included in the permanent collections of the University of Montana Museum of Art and Idaho State University, as well as the permanent collection of the State of Idaho in the reception area of the Governor’s Office. He has also been featured in American Art Collector Magazine and in numerous one-man and group exhibitions in galleries across the country.
One of the key elements of Horejs’ work is its peaceful simplicity. “I paint exclusively in oils, using two brushes and seven colors plus white,” he says. “My paintings are done on hand-made custom contemporary box canvases with no frames, which have become a trademark.” Horejs draws the inspiration for his paintings from the breathtaking landscapes of the Western United States. Most of his work is done in-studio using his own photographs of lush landscapes, gardens, clouds, and deserts. Along with his regular studio work, he also loves the challenge of creating commissioned pieces for private and corporate collectors.
When he is not painting, Horejs enjoys hiking and photography. He and his wife Elaine have been married since 1973, and they love spending time with their nine children and spouses, and their 21 grandchildren.
In a world that seems increasingly complex and unsettled, Horejs strives through his paintings “to bring peace, grace, elegance, and beauty into the lives and interiors of my collectors.”
Jacey Fiack ~ Paintings & Tote Bags
Jacey Fiack loves words. All throughout her middle school and high school years, she turned to books and her own writing as an escape from the world of tests, essays, and outrageous math equations. School had never been one of her favorite places, so she often did something creative to help with the boredom. She doodled during classes, brought a book with her everywhere she went, and found time to write stories once she’d quickly finished her assignments.
Today, Jacey creates her pieces with her mom, Shalece Fiack, in their little studio in Buckeye, Arizona, and is constantly inspired by her Grandfather, John Horejs, who’s been encouraging and insightful. Jacey hopes to share Light through her artwork, and with those who need it the most.
CJ Stevens ~ Wood Artist
I have always had a love of nature and the outdoors. I taught high school biology and anatomy for 18 years. Upon my retirement, it was very organic for me to express my creativity through natural media such as clay and wood. First, I took ceramic classes and have been a ceramic artist for 16 years. Five years ago I was introduced to slab wood and epoxy and I fell in love with the endless creative possibilities.
Working with wood pieces purchased somewhere wasn’t organic enough for me, I wanted to take a piece of wood from a tree to a beautiful piece of art or functional table with inlays of colored epoxy and gemstones.
It all started with a dead Alligator Juniper tree I took down on our property in Heber, Arizona. A friend of mine had a sawmill and offered to slab this big beautiful tree trunk for me, although I wasn’t sure what to do with these huge slabs. He helped me learn how to properly mix and pour the 2 part epoxy. During the next few years, I talked to many experienced woodworkers and watched lots of YouTube videos, I made many mistakes but I had some wonderful successes that kept me in pursuit of this dream I had of making really stunning live edge pieces of wood.
I love watching the evolution from a dirty-looking blasé piece of wood that you wouldn’t really look at twice, to a stunning piece of functional art with rich wood grains that offset the color and burn on the wood. I love to make charcuterie boards and tables that double as a piece of art in someone’s home.
All of the wood slabs that I have (and I have 2 trailers full!) I have either harvested myself from standing or downed trees or I have gotten them from friends and neighbors who have had a tree taken down in their yard and I am the lucky recipient of their unwanted yard trash. I take the tree trunk or limbs to a sawmill and have them slabbed up to the width I want, then plane the pieces down so they are perfectly level. Each piece of wood tells a story which I then shape into the piece of art they will become. In making tables, charcuterie boards or hanging wood pieces, I like to incorporate color in the form of a river or a faux river that I router through the piece, gemstones set into knots in the wood and a Lichtenburg burn which is a fractal burn created by sending 12,000 volts of electricity through the wood to make a unique burned pattern.
I work with lots of different types of wood that I have collected through the years and most of the wood can be found growing in and around Arizona. Alligator Juniper, Mesquite, Acacia, Ironwood, Ash, Walnut, Oak, Western Red Cedar, and Pine are my main sources of wood.
Jane Wunder ~ Pastel Artist
Jane is a versatile artist who started drawing and painting at an early age, and has continued through the years, developing her art style. Jane has taught watercolor painting and pastel drawing techniques throughout the Midwest, in community colleges and private workshops since 1979.
In the last 15 years I have enjoyed the challenge of painting outside with Plein Air events throughout the mountain regions. Jane’s favorite subjects are the Rocky Mountains and the snowy range in Wyoming.
Jane has been extensively creating in soft pastels for the last 20 years. She has published 5 how to books on color pencil drawing and watercolor, pen/ink techniques.
Jane has been represented at galleries in Colorado and Wyoming, and currently at Pinetop Gallery in the White Mountains.
Karyl Smith ~ Painter
I began painting about 25 years ago. I took painting classes from Beth Zink for about 7 years and gained some additional skills and confidence.
I paint in acrylics and mostly enjoy painting florals, birds and the outdoors. I have printed some of my favorite paintings on greeting cards.
I’ve been happily married to my husband Smitty for 57 years. We split our time between Pinetop and Tucson, where I incorporate the desert scenery 🌵 in some of my art.
Sandy Pendleton ~ Glass Artist
There is a magic to light passing through brilliantly colored glass. Add textured surfaces or bubbles and you get more sparkle. Add a reflective surface and you get shimmer and iridescence. Move the glass when it is molten, and you capture the energy of that motion. It is the possibilities of glass as an art medium that stimulates my curiosity and creativity.
Kiln-fired glass is a very different process from blown glass. I begin with large sheets of colored glass that have been specially formulated to withstand the heat of firing in a kiln. I create a design, hand cut the components and begin to build the piece. Once heated in the kiln, the glass is completely transformed. Altering time and temperature over a series of firings allows me to achieve different textures and effects. Over time, my artwork has become more intricate. The details matter to me and I can sit for hours carefully placing small pieces of glass with tweezers until everything is “just right”.
Often, the development of a new piece is a result of experimentation. Discovering a new texture, technique or combination of processes will often suggest the next piece. Resolving the challenges presented by these “adventures in glass” is part of the excitement.
One of my favorite techniques is to manipulate the glass while it is molten hot in the kiln. I have only a few seconds to move the glass. Once the glass is firm again, that moment in time when the glass was flowing is captured forever. The resulting pieces have great motion and depth that speaks to me of the invisible energy flowing all around us.
Themes from the natural world regularly appear. Elements of earth, water, fire, the forest and the desert all make their way into my artwork. Think of the shimmer of moonlight, the soft glow of morning, the brilliant hues of the desert sunset, the mystery of twilight. If I have communicated my love of those moments through my work, I have succeeded.
