Marla Wilson traces her love of nature to her childhood in Mountain Park, Alberta. A well-educated artist, Marla began taking art classes at the age of six. Marla continued her formal art education with sculpture & advanced drawing classes at the University of Alberta. Marla paints with dedication and commitment to authenticity. She loves her subject and has diligently studied animal anatomy, plant life and landscape. She has worked in various media, but has found that acrylics and oils best suit her subject and technique. The results are much sought after by public galleries and private collectors. Marla Wilson's work has received worldwide recognition. Her work is found in private & corporate collections in Japan, Peru, Bahrain, England, Wales, Chile, the United States and Canada. Her image "Western Prairie" was awarded "Jurors' Choice for Best New Artist" at the 2003 Calgary Stampede Western Art Auction. While wildlife has traditionally comprised a large portion of Marla's works, she has recently been creating several paintings of Western Canada landscapes. These dynamic images are proving to be very popular amongst collectors of both originals and limited edition works.

Watercolour artist and art educator, Murray MacDonald, was born June 18, 1898, in Nova Scotia. MacDonald started sketching at the age of six. At this time, he focused primarily on delineating the sinking of the Titanic. On his 18th birthday, MacDonald enlisted in the army and was posted in Siberia. While on tour, he sketched frequently; unfortunately, he left his sketchbook in Siberia. After returning home, MacDonald taught at several rural schools. He eventually moved to Edmonton, where his career as an art educator flourished. He taught Applied Design at a technical high school, instructed at a division of the University of Alberta, and eventually became the Supervisor of Art for the Edmonton School Board. MacDonald also took time to instruct at The Banff School of Fine Arts (today The Banff Centre). It is here that MacDonald met A.Y. Jackson. MacDonald also taught classes at the University of Washington, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, and at the Edmonton Art Gallery. In 1960, MacDonald retired; however, he was quickly asked to become a visiting professor in Art Education for the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta. MacDonald worked primarily in the realm of watercolour painting; however, he occasionally experimented with oil and acrylic as well. His subject matter was primarily landscapes; however, his painting style ranged from abstract to realism. For his exceptional contributions to art education, he received the Government Achievement Award for Excellence in 1979, and a honourary degree from the University of Alberta.

Thelma Manarey was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. As a young girl, Manarey received tutelage from Florence Mortimer, a well-known painter and teacher located in Edmonton. From 1939-1943, Manarey studied at the Institute of Technology and Art (today the Alberta College of Art & Design). At the Institute, Manarey had the opportunity to study with the famous landscape painter, H.G. Glyde. Although Manarey is generally known for her small etchings, she explored many different types of mediums and artistic styles. Manarey tried her hand at: impressionism, realism, cubism, and abstract impressionism. In the late 40’s, she learned the art of the serigraph. Later, during the 1950’s and 1960’s, she studied etching with Harry Savage as well as stone lithography in Toronto, Ontario.

Manarey, like so many other notable Albertan artists, was a great admirer of the Alberta Landscape and the natural and man-made icons of the province. These objects, such as trees and elevators, often became the subject matter of her etchings and paintings. In 1973, Manarey received the Performing and Creative Arts Award from the City of Edmonton. Additionally, the Alberta Society of Artists honoured Manarey with the gift of a Lifetime Membership. Today, Manarey’s works reside primarily at the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Nickle Arts Museum in Calgary, and the University of Calgary.

Rose was born on April 14, 1916, on a homestead north of St. Paul, Alberta. As an artist, she was known professionally as Rose Leonard, portraying floral arrangements, scenery and wildlife with exceptional realism in all media. For her work, she had many awards and prizes from venues across Canada. She was most pleased with two local recognitions: One was a "Performing and Creative Arts Award" from the City of Edmonton; the other was a Y.W.C.A. "Tribute to Women Award".

Jack Weldon Humphrey was born in Saint John, New Brunswick on January 12th, 1901. From 1920 to 1923, Humphrey studied at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts under Philip Hale (1865-1931), learning to draw the figure with charcoal. He was subsequently enrolled from 1924 to 1929 at the National Academy of Design in New York, where he studied painting under Charles Hawthorne (1872-1930) for two years. In the late 1920s Humphrey spent his summers in Provincetown, Massachusetts and at the Cape Cod School of Art, where he continued to study with Hawthorne. Travelling abroad for nine months in 1930, Humphrey studied painting at Hans Hofmann's (1880-1966) school in Munich from March to May. The Depression forced him to remain in Saint John upon his return, except for a trip in 1933 to Vancouver and in 1938 to Mexico. Humphrey painted still lifes, portraits, landscapes, and figures in oil and watercolour. He was affiliated with many artist groups, including the Canadian Group of Painters (founding member, 1937); the Eastern Group in Montreal, 1938 (later, the Contemporary Arts Society); the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour (Director, 1944; Vice-President, 1945); and the Canadian Society of Graphic Art (Regional Representative, 1946; Eastern Vice-President, 1951; Regional Representative, 1956, 1959). In March 1945, Humphrey was appointed to the art staff of Queen's University Summer School, in Kingston, Ontario, to teach painting. Humphrey has also been honoured with numerous awards including a Doctor of Laws by the University of New Brunswick in 1951; a Canadian Government-Royal Society Overseas Fellowship to paint in France for a year in 1952; and a Canada Council Senior Arts Fellowship in 1960. In 1966-1967, a retrospective exhibition of his work was organized by the National Gallery of Canada that toured through Canada. Humphrey died of a heart attack on March 23rd, 1967, in Saint John, New Brunswick. After his death, Jack Humphrey's wife, Jean, was very active in the promotion and sale of his work.