Our Leaders
Maria Martin
President
Since moving to Lawrence, KS in 1984 Maria became active in the art community. While working at the KU Museum of Anthropology 1984-2000 she began coordinating the Lawrence Indian Arts Show and continued that through 2003 when the Indian Arts Show scaled down to only the Haskell Indian Arts Market an ongoing national market for Native North American Indians artisans. In 2002 Maria was recipient of the Phoenix Award in Arts Education for her work with the Lawrence Indian Arts Show. In 1998 through 2007, she opened and operated Southwest and More, a gallery specialty shop specializing in American Indian art, jewelry as well as Mexican imports.
In 2013, Maria returned to painting. As an abstract artist, she studied art in Philadelphia and then at The University of Kansas in Lawrence and continues to take art studio classes and technique workshops. She works from her studio, Creative Mass Studio and Gallery, in Downtown Lawrence, Kansas. Maria is semi-retired, works part-time at Ditto Resale Boutique, enjoys traveling, and enjoys country living with her husband Don, two cats and two Longhorn steers.
Linda Baranski
Vice President
Linda has been a member of the Lawrence Art Guild since 1998. She has served the Art Guild as an executive Board member as secretary, treasurer, vice-president and president.
In 2002 Linda co-founded the Library Friends of Art at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library to support the library’s Sabatini Gallery. For many years she has been an Artist-in-Residence at the Red Barn Studio in Lindsborg, Kansas.
Linda received Lawrence’s Phoenix Award as Arts Administrator in 2009. She served as president of the Lawrence Art Guild for four years and as Gallery Director of the Lawrence Art Guild’s 1109 Gallery in Downtown Lawrence. In 2015 she was re-elected as President of the Lawrence Art Guild, serving two years until her election as Treasurer in 2017.
She is a mosaic artist, painter and printmaker living in Northeast Kansas. She creates mosaics using Italian vitreous glass tile, smalti, stained glass and found objects. Her paintings, monoprints and mosaics range from Realism to Abstract Expressionism and use oil, acrylic, watercolor and mixed media. After studying mosaic restoration in Ravenna, Italy, the direction of her mosaic work took on an iconic quality.
Janet Lynn Zuk
Second Vice President
Janet Lynn has been a member of the Lawrence Art Guild since 2019 and signed up to be a member of the board in her very first meeting! In addition to her responsibilities with the guild, Janet Lynn is involved in volunteering for several organizations including the Lawrence Community Orchestra, P.E.O, O’Connell Children’s Shelter, and Boys and Girls Club. The Second Vice President role is to assume full duties as Vice President in May 2024 and prepare to seek the nomination for the President position for May 2025 to May 2027.
She graduated with her degree in Art from Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado and has worked as a full-time artist while working as a banker for nearly twenty years.
Janet Lynn’s experience being raised in a small town in Kansas has influenced her style of painting especially in her landscapes, often times portraying the expanses of the prairie in the most vibrant colors she can find. Her desire as an artist has always been to bring joy and to make people smile, oftentimes bringing a little whimsy to her work through painting things that people love like reading. Diversity and inclusion is also an important theme to her and she tries to create works that reflect the world around her.
Kathleen Hayward
Treasurer
I have been involved with the arts in some manner for the past 40 years. I joined the Art Guild in 1994 as a way to gain new inspirations and ideas. I volunteered at 1109 Gallery and served as their treasurer. I currently serve as the Treasurer of the Executive Board.
I worked as an industrial and then criminal photography for 20 plus years. After retirement and while still involved in photography, I pursued a second love, wind chimes. I have always loved the sounds of chimes in the breeze and decided to use my knowledge of free-flowing space and color to create new objects out of found materials.
Today my photographer's eye takes me through antique stores, and garage and estate sales. My wind chimes and mobiles are constructed from those found treasures including silver plated tea services, driftwood, silverware, vintage toys and other found objects. Embellishments include the finest beads and bedazzled jewels. And each one of these whimsical art pieces comes with their own special story.
Gil Ortiz
Secretary
Growing up in small towns in the mountains of Colorado was a big influence on my creative mind. The people I grew up with, my family, travel experiences, and places I have lived are all expressed throughout my work.
I went to art school in Denver, CO and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Visual Communications. I moved to Lawrence 27 years ago for my art career (KU and Overland Park, KS) and have been here ever since. I have over 35 years of experience in the art field. I’m an abstract painter, freelance graphic designer and love to have art showings in the surrounding areas. You will always find me working on a painting or any type of art project.
I’m active in the Lawrence Art Guild and serve as Secretary. I have met some wonderful people through the guild, and I can say without hesitation that I encourage people to support their local artists.
My parents and my spouse have always supported me, along with my family and friends. I am very thankful for everyone’s encouragement. If you’re looking for a freelance artist, or if you have any questions about my art, please feel free to email me (iartdgo@gmail.com). There is a gallery of paintings on my website - www.iartdgo.com along with contact information.
