Born in Evanston, Illinois, Mel Edmondson was taught at an early age by her artist-mother, who studied art at the Art Institute of Chicago. Edmondson traveled extensively and lived in Europe and the Hawaiian Islands where landscape painting was her focus. 

In addition to earning a Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1987, Mel studied art at the Leo Marchutz School of Art in Aix-en-Provence, France. Edmondson also has a degree in French language and Art Education and taught High School Art in Idaho Falls for fourteen years.

Mel aims to simplify her compositions using minimal color and brush strokes. Although wildlife is a predominant theme in her work, she explores other subjects in the outdoors. She currently works and lives in Middle Tennessee.

Bernadette Regnier

Bernadette Regnier is an Idaho Falls Artist who specializes in lino-cut printmaking, drawing, and painting, but also experiments with pottery, weaving, mosaics, and murals. She is president of the Snake River Plein Air Painters, a member of the Idaho Watercolor Society, and a resident artist at the Willard Arts Center.

Bernadette’s love of art started early in life. She grew up in Longmont, Colo., where her family has a feedlot and raised cattle. She spent her time drawing and painting the plants, animals, buildings, and vehicles around her home. She worked in agronomy for more than thirty years, advising farmers in the best way to grow canola and sugar beet. This work brought her to Idaho, and a few years ago she decided to become a full-time artist. Bernadette’s work focuses on plants and animals and she hopes to capture the spirit of her subjects in her art.

Sponsored by
Michael Saunders and Monika Buerger, Lorena Murdock