Meet the Teacher
About the Facilitators Lori Beringer & Mark Rittorno
Lori Beringer is an award-winning artist and one of the principal founders of the Plymouth Arts Center. She has been teaching Open Studio and Plein Air classes at the PAC since 2015. She is known for her bold brushwork whether it is a quaint building or portraits that capture the emotion of the moment. Although mostly a self-taught artist, Beringer credits workshops with fine instruction along with studio experience with Dan Gerhartz. Lori paints plein air throughout the year, primarily in Wisconsin, but her travels have taken her throughout the U.S., to Mexico, and to France. Recently Beringer was honored to be a part of the Faces of Wisconsin Exhibition at the Cedarburg Art Museum, WI and was juried into 20th Annual National American Impressionists Exhibition New York, New York. She received Portraiture Honorable Mention in the 22nd Juried National Oil Painters of America Exhibition in addition to numerous other awards over the years.
Born in Chicago. IL, Mark Rittorno spent his childhood exploring the woods, lakes and farmlands of McHenry, Illinois, a couple miles from the Wisconsin border. Mark has practiced and studied oil painting throughout the years, while living in locations from New York, NY to Irvine, CA To Orlando, FL. In July 2005, after 23 years in the hospitality business, Mark took a break to study painting and relocated from Lake Tahoe to Fort Collins, CO with his wife Donna. During the next six years Mark worked full-time as an artist. In 2011, Mark went back to his career in Resort Management. He resigned his position in early 2017 to pursue painting and relocated to Wisconsin. Mark is an Honorary Member of the Plein Air Painters of America (PAPA) and serves as Executive Director of PAPA, organizing shows, workshops and general group direction.
