Tim King is a modernist painter with a contemporary twist. He's one of the few people with whom I can have serious, high-level discussions about art. He is starting to gain traction in the Chicago gallery scene and I wish him all the best.Tim King

Christina Gregor is one of the few true conceptual artists I have ever met. She makes installations that are difficult to describe. Ironically, they photograph well and I have been urging her to try her hand at showing her photos.Christina Gregor

Nick Volkert is a talented illustrator and graphic designer with an wicked sense of humor. He's also a colorful painter.Nick Volkert

Michele Bosak is a career-oriented fine artist. She is finishing work on her MFA but has already developed an impressive show record. She also curates shows and has the knack for playing the artist game. I expect her to do quite well in the art world.Michelle Bosak

Deborah Rockman is an accomplished artist. She has also become a leading university educator. Her book, The Art of Teaching Art (2000) is an outstanding guide for artists faced with the daunting task of teaching foundations drawing and design at the university level. Her book impressed me. I contacted her after reading it and met her while working on my MFA. I enjoyed talking with her and appreciated her insight. She is working on a new book, and I expect it will be another outstanding volume.Deborah RockmanThe Art of Teaching Art (2000)

James Koehnline is a man I met online at deviantart.com. He is a prolific artist and lifelong student of Surrealism with a strong interest in counterculture. I like his work and recently redesigned the main pages of his web site.James Koehnline

James Elkins is a leading art historian. I like his writing, though I do not always agree with his ideas. He has written many interesting books about art and painting. He is also an art history professor at the School of the Art Institute.James Elkins

Charles Wyke-Smith is a leading web designer and author of Stylin' with CSS. His book broke the ice in my efforts to learn web design with CSS and XHTML. I've learned a great deal since then, but without his book, I might still be paddling around in a circle. I've exchanged e-mail with him several times. He recently finished the second edition of this book. Charles Wyke-Smith

Andy Rutledge is an ace designer. I followed links to his site and began reading his articles. He has strong and sensible opinions about web design. He argues that there is an undeniable connection between web design and landscape painting, and I agree with him. I e-mailed him to tell him that and received a warm reply. I read more articles and learned a lot. If you're interested in the design aspects of web design, visit his site.Andy Rutledge