Watercolor
Our artists' watercolor paintings will captivate you. Mountain Living Studio features the extraordinary work of many exceptional artists, including Mary Jago Cohagen, Deborah King, John Mendoza and Sara Melzer. Mary Jago Cohagen's watercolor work exemplifies quality, precision, and timelessness. Deborah King uses watercolor to paint colorful and inviting masterpieces, while Sara employs the use of india ink to create colorful and magnificent landscapes that leave you in awe.
Sara Melzer
Inspired by her love of the mountains and the powder that called her there, artist Sara Melzer began developing her most recent series, Ski Bum Art, in 2006. A dual degree holder in studio arts and philosophy from the University of Colorado, Melzer created the expressive technique of india ink on photo paper to express the vibrancy of mountain life. “Mine is not a common medium,” says the artist of her work. “It allows me to achieve some effects that just can’t be recreated with traditional art forms and never ceases to fascinate.” Having always enjoyed drawing faces, Melzer initially developed Ski Bum Art as a portrait series. However she was soon encouraged to additionally apply her methods to the mountains themselves. The vibrant yet liquid ink yields a style unique from the traditional landscape and has been very well received.
Jim Brock
A statement from the artist: "My work is accomplished for its meditative possibilities. It is reflective of my interest in contemplative art that explores nature´s dualities, serendipitous qualities, and inherent spiritual mystery. There are three things that my work is teaching me - what to paint and what not to paint, when to start and when to stop, and when to have at it alone and when to ask for help - all dual, serendipitous, and spiritual."
John Mendoza
The work of John Mendoza is a diary of the man and his views of life. His watercolors bespeak of romance, nostalgia and natural beauty. Many of his paintings display dual characteristics. They are gentle yet passionate, simple yet detailed, bold yet subtle and concrete yet abstract.
As he works, the painting magically communicates with him, almost dictating what should be put on paper.
His ability to think freely, confidently and intuitively allows him to create a Mendoza world, bursting with avalanches of color, which build wildly romantic and emotional feelings, creating a universal and esthetic appeal. Vertical and horizontal thrusts that dominate his work sweep downward from the basic motif in a wash that is essential to the paintings as a whole. This is the signature that is unmistakably the work of John L. Mendoza.
The artist is a member of the National Watercolor Society, Artist-In-Residence at the University of Southern Colorado and a veteran of numerous one-man shows, major competitions and awards. His juried shows include the American Watercolor Society, the National Arts Club, Watercolor USA, Rocky Mountain National Water Media, National Academy of Design and the New Mexico Museum of Fine Art. 
Mary Jago Cohagen
Mary was born in England to parents who encouraged her creative nature. Her mother had a serious case of wanderlust, and traveled the world extensively. Her father was a commercial flower grower. Beginning very early in her life, Mary learned from her parents to engage passionately in life, embrace the arts, and appreciate the beauty of nature. Mary came to the United States in 1973 and made Colorado her home. She currently resides in Manitou Springs. The Colorado mountains have been a constant source of inspiration for her paintings, which feature the natural beauty and light that is unique to the high country. Mary’s paintings have a luminous quality that draws the viewer into the scene encouraging them to “stay awhile and breathe the mountain air.” When Mary is not painting, she can be found surrounded by tropical beauty in her flower shop, “Island Orchids.” Artistic endeavors have always been an important part of Mary’s life and, over the years, she has studied in oils, pastels, acrylics and watercolor. During the past decade Mary has concentrated on watercolor. She has traveled to Spain, England, Hawaii and Mexico to participate in En Plien Air painting. She has also participated in workshops with such renowned instructors as John Salminen, Steven Quiller, Frank Webb and Thomas Owen. 
Deborah King
Deborah King is an artist working in watercolors and mixed media. She moved to Colorado Springs from Canada in 1995 to marry her wonderful husband. They have a son and 2 cats. Always having a deep desire to be creative and trying many mediums, Deborah found her love of watercolors in a class at Bemis School of Art taught by Lorraine Danzo, followed up by many of her workshops. Deborah has also taken a class at Cottonwood taught by Thomas J. Owen and an intro to Batik taught by Martha Kisling. As a member of the Colorado Springs Art Guild, Deborah has shown her work in juried shows for the past 4 years. Painting brings her great joy and even more when she shares it.
Pam Hostetler
Pam Hostetler is a well-known local watercolor artist living in Franktown, Colorado. She has been drawing and painting since childhood. She has been working in watercolor exclusively for the last 15 years. “Mixing water and paint to achieve the best emotional response is exciting to me.” Pam is a self-taught artist, but credits many workshop teachers for her knowledge. Workshop teachers such as Buffalo Kaplinski, Carl Dalio, Skip Lawrence, Christopher Schenk, Alex Powers, Fran Larsen, Katherine Liu, and Raleigh Kinney have had a great influence. She also studied with Judy Patti in Littleton for 5 years. Pam markets her work at many local art fairs including Castle Rock’s Art Fest, Colorado Art Festival in Denver, Art in the Park in Parker, Beaver Creek Art Festival, and Breckenridge Art Festival. She is represented by The Mountain Living Studio in Colorado Springs and Del Corazon in Elizabeth. Pam is the founding president of the Parker Artist Guild, a signature member of the Colorado Watercolor Society and Southern Colorado Watercolor Society, and member of Heritage Fine Arts Guild, and the Colorado Artist Guild.
