Art and Color 365 | Winter/Spring 2024

Celebrating Art in Every Aspect of Life

Winter/Spring 2024

EXHIBITIONS OF OUR ANIMALS AND OPEN COMPETITIONS

JILL SOUKUP

Expressive paintings that capture the beauty of horses and Western ranch life

DAVID GROENJES

Amazing Sculptures Made from Scrap Metal

JULIA BANGERT'S BOOK ILLUMINATION An Ancient Art Form Meets Contemporary Art

THE DEMANDING ART OF SCRATCHBOARD Frances McMahon and John Suh Art Competition Winners

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ART AND COLOR 365

FROM THE EDITOR

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his edition marks the completion of our first year of publishing.

Our mission has always been to celebrate art in every aspect of life and to provide a platform for artists to reach a broader audience.

We have enjoyed hosting twelve art competitions and receiving thousands of entries from artists around the globe.

Their diverse styles, media, and techniques have enriched our publication, providing our readers with an impressive spectrum of artistic expression.

We’ve also had the opportunity to feature dozens of artists and artisans whose unique work — from inspiring paintings, drawings, and sketchbooks

to botanical art, fiber arts, handmade jewelry, and sculpture — has added depth and dimension to our magazine.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each of the artists who have contributed to our publication. Their work has been an integral part of our magazine.

As we move forward, we remain committed to celebrating art and artists and look forward to continuing to bring you interesting and insightful content.

Thank you so much for your support and for making our first year such a success!

Enjoy,

Virginia Bayes, Editor

Sign up for our newsletter for free content and monthly features to bring an artistic viewpoint to every aspect of your life. www.artandcolor365.com

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A contemporary, painterly approach depicting Western ranch life

14 Julia Bangert Book Illumination An ancient art still thrives

60 David Groenjes Amazing sculptures made from scrap metal

90 Not So Flatware Cassandra Mae Harris's jewelry made from vintage flatware

20 Magic of the Night: Nocturnes Mark Stopforth Wilhelm Neusser Sim Sim William R. Davis Malgorzata Maj Andy Eccleshall Victor Butko Sharon Schock Stephanie Rew Tatiana Roulin Meghan Weeks Clarence A. Porter

ART COMPETITIONS

6 Jill Soukup

COLLECTIONS

44 ARTISTS & ARTISANS

CONTENTS

Vol. II. No. 1

24 Animals

Competition Exhibition

44 Frances McMahon 1st Place

48 Garry Fleming 2nd Place

52 Sarah Lake 3rd Place

66 Open Competition

Exhibition

80 John Suh 1st Place

54 Scratchboard

84 Robyn Asquini

Sonja Jones Kaetlyn Able Conor Smith Chris Ball Diana Höhlig

2nd Place

88 Hugh Greer 3rd Place

ON THE COVER: The Invitation, oil, by John Suh. See our feature story about Suh's work on page 80.

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B O O K I L L U M I N AT I O N

Julia Bangert The art of book illumination, which dates back to the Roman Empire, is still alive and well today. Derived from the Latin word illuminare, to "light up," the term illumination refers to the decoration of ancient manuscripts and books with gold or silver and bold colors, intended to bring light to the pages. German artist, Julia Bangert, is a contemporary expert in the field.

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ith a fine brush and steady hand, book illumination artist, Julia Bangert, patiently applies medieval techniques to create colorful and intricate designs accentuated with gold. Her art adorns reproductions of pages from historical manuscripts. She also creates original, personalized initials in the same style for her many followers worldwide.

Bangert grew up in Mainz, Germany and attended Johannes Gutenberg University studying book studies, art history, and German studies. She completed her PhD in the book trade in the early modern period. She says, "I was particularly fascinated by the transitional phase between manuscripts and printed books, when new technology allowed mass production of text, but the initials and decorations on the pages were still

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hand-painted."

Art and Color 365 recently had the opportunity to talk to Julia about her work.

Art and Color 365: What part did art play in your childhood?

I loved drawing and painting from an early age, mostly portraits and animals. My Julia Bangert father is an illustrator and as a child I watched him work. Eventually, I began to imitate him and started to create my own drawings.

My love of books is something I got from my mother. She had numerous books about art and medieval illuminations filled with beautiful pictures I was fascinated by. So art has always been with me.

Facing page: An illuminated page from the book of Genesis All images © Julia Bangert, shared with permission

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NOCTURNES

The Magic of the Night As in music, nocturnes in art evoke the mood of evening. James McNeill Whistler recognized this and was the first to apply the musical term to his paintings depicting the beauty of the night. Artists have been painting nocturnes for centuries, representing some of the art world's most famous works — Rembrandt's The Night Watch, Whistler's Nocturne in Blue and Gold, The Falling Rocket, Hopper's Nighthawks, and perhaps the most beloved nocturne of all — Van Gogh's The Starry Night. Here are examples of beautiful night scenes on Instagram.

Mark Stopforth, Persephone, mixed media, @markstopforth

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Wilhelm Neusser, Marsh/Orange Sky (#2154), oil, @wilhelmneusser

Sim Sim, Untitled, charcoal, @sssimsim

William R Davis, Hudson River Fireworks, oil, @williamrdavisjr

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2024 Animals Competition

Frances McMahon

1st Place Winner

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ustralian artist, Frances McMahon, creates brilliant realistic paintings of Australian birds in minute detail. "I've been painting birds since I was five years old," she says, "which is when I decided that would be my life's work. Since then, capturing the beauty of our native bird species has been my passionate obsession."

Her medium is watercolor, with small touches of gouache, and it suits her well. "I've always painted with watercolor," she says. "It can be a difficult medium, but it allows me to achieve the extreme level of detail I strive for. It also creates a translucency it's hard to accomplish with other media."

Her elaborate paintings may take weeks to complete, and she endeavors to include all of the important elements in each piece. "My greatest challenge would have to be juggling everything all at once," she says. "Namely, good composition and tonal values, capturing the character of the subject

while maintaining scientific accuracy, and a personal goal, striving to make the next painting better than the last."

"The sheer beauty and perfection of nature is what I aim to capture," she says. "I think nature is the best teacher. By careful observation you can discover the most extraordinary and beautiful patterns that you ordinarily may miss."

McMahon became a professional artist in 2021 and has commissioned works in private collections in Australia, New York, Minnesota, and Ontario. She has been featured in several art publications and has won numerous awards — including from the Holmes Prize for Excellence in Realistic Australian Bird Art, a prestigious Australian art competition, where she was a Finalist in 2021, the Best in Show winner in 2022, and an Award of Excellence winner in 2023.

WEBSITE: www.francesmcmahon.com INSTAGRAM: @frances.mcmahon.birdartist

All images © Frances McMahon, shared with permission.

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Frances McMahon | 2024 Animals Competition, 1st Place Winner Clockwise from left:

1st Place Winning Entry

House Hunting (Eastern Rosellas), watercolor (See full-size image on page 25) A Quiet Moment (Red-Browed Finch), watercolor Pandanus Party (Mannikins), watercolor

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Frances McMahon | 2024 Animals Competition, 1st Place Winner

Sunbathing (Barbary Dove) watercolor

Foraging (Pardalotes), watercolor

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Frances McMahon | 2024 Animals Competition, 1st Place Winner

Tiny Gems (Double-Barred Finches), watercolor

Showing Off (Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos), watercolor

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2024 Animals Competition

Garry Fleming

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2nd Place Winner

arry Fleming is an Australian wildlife artist who grew up in the suburbs of Sydney, not far from the Georges River. "One of my favorite activities was fishing with my grandfather," Fleming says. "He would share stories with me, telling me about his past. That's when I first developed a real appreciation of storytelling and the natural world.

"I've always had an affinity with birds and animals," he says, "and when I realized at an early age that I could draw, observing and drawing the creatures that lived along the riverbank became a prime interest in my life."

For five years as a young adult, he worked as an illustrator, but at the age of 21, the self-taught artist struck out on his own and began writing and illustrating children's books. His love for art and storytelling became the impetus for his budding full-time career.

As he developed his artistic style, he perfected his technique by studying the art of George McLean,

Robert Bateman, and Carl Brenders.

Fleming's wildlife paintings, rendered in photorealism, evoke an emotional response. "I strive to convey a perceivable thought process in my subjects," he says. "What is the animal thinking? Look in its eyes, what do you see? What is its message?"

Fleming is a signature member of the Artists for Conservation Foundation (AFC) and has garnered numerous awards, including two medal of excellence awards from AFC as well as having his work, In Your Hands, chosen for the cover of the 2023 AFC Annual Exhibit Book.

Dedicated to conservation, Fleming says, "I love nature and all its wild places. I find painting to be the self-expression of the beauty that surrounds us every day. I try to capture this beauty as a reminder of moments that were very special to me."

WEBSITE: www.garryfleming.com INSTAGRAM: @garryflemingofficial

All images © Garry Fleming, shared with permission.

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Garry Fleming | 2024 Animals Competition, 2nd Place Winner

Left:

2nd Place Winning Entry

In Your Hands, oil (See full-size image on page 26) Below:

Bengal Repose, oil

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Garry Fleming | 2024 Animals Competition, 2nd Place Winner

Lazy Leopard, oil

Me and Him, oil 50

Garry Fleming | 2024 Animals Competition, 2nd Place Winner

Mr. Gang Gang, oil 51

2024 Animals Competition

Sarah Lake

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3rd Place Winner

arah Lake is deeply passionate about wildlife and conservation. Based in Kent, she creates meticulously detailed artwork of endangered animal species. Her work is extraordinary and so is her medium of choice. She is an awardwinning paper artist, and her tools consist of paper and scalpel.

Lake's painstaking process can take more than 300 hours for a single artwork. "Every piece starts out with a photograph I have usually taken myself," she says. "I then separate it into the number of layers I want to work with. The more layers, the more detail there will be in the final artwork. Then I hand cut each layer using a scalpel and combine them. Every photo is used just once so each piece of art is unique."

Lake's goal is that her pieces are indistinguishable at a distance from any other work using more traditional media, and only when they look at it up close the viewer will discover it is created from individual layers of paper.

Lake started experimenting with paper art as a hobby more than ten years ago, and as her work became known, she received widespread recognition. In 2023, she won the Wings Category in the prestigious David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation Wildlife Artist of the Year, in 2022 she was a finalist.

She also won the Explorers Against Extinction Sketch for Survival Wildlife 100 Artist of the Year in 2021, and was a finalist in 2023.

Lake supports numerous wildlife organizations, donating funds from the sale of her work.

"What I love about my work," she says, "is that I'm able to help so many conservation organizations raise funds and public awareness. "I have worked with some amazing charities and look forward to being involved with others in the future."

WEBSITE: www.sarahlakepaperart.co.uk INSTAGRAM: @sarah_lake_paperart

All art images © Sarah Lake, shared with permission.

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Sarah Lake | 2024 Animals Competition, 3rd Place Winner

Clockwise from top left:

3rd Place Winning Entry

Masai, paper (See full-size image on page 27) Gaysha, paper Abou, paper

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D R AW I N G

Karole Nicholson, Eternal Indigo, mixed media.

Sonja Jones, Spring Thaw, scratchboard.

Scratchboard A demanding and unforgiving medium, scratchboard consists of a wooden panel painted with a white layer of clay and topped with a layer of black ink. The artist uses sharp tools to scratch off the dark layer to reveal the white clay underneath, creating detailed images with bold contrasts.

This talented group of featured scratchboard artists exhibit the skill, patience, and creativity needed to render these remarkable pieces in their individual styles — from meticulous realism, to the colorful and whimsical, to beautiful wildlife in natural habitats.

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Sonja Jones Scratchboard artist, Sonja Jones, finds all the inspiration she needs for her work in the natural habitat surrounding her Arizona home. While she enjoys rendering wildlife from all over the world, most of Jones' subjects have been discovered as she hikes the nearby trails. "Nature and wildlife are my muses," she says, "and I find almost as much pleasure being outdoors searching for inspiration as I do in creating my artwork."

Jones started painting with watercolors in 2015, but her focus has since shifted to scratchboard, to which she often incorporates color. "I appreciate the beauty and simplicity of black and white scratchboard art," she says, "but with my previous art background, I like to add color in some pieces using inks and/or watercolor paints."

Scratchboard artists can attest to the challenging nature of the medium.

"The most difficult thing for me to learn was to lighten up my strokes," Jones remembers. "It's important to preserve the white tones created from the thin layer of clay under the black ink, so you need to resist scratching too deeply. A lighter touch and simply increasing your cross hatching will achieve wonderful values and contrast."

Referring to the creative process, Jones says, "Whether you think you have talent or not, everyone should try to create. When you start to think as an artist thinks, you begin to view the whole world differently. You open yourself up to beauty in even the most common and mundane things.

"I find forming connections with animals and nature is restorative," she adds, "and bringing a little of this comfort into people's lives with my art makes me happy."

See more of Jones' award-winning art at www.sjonesbyobartwork.com and @sjonesbyobartwork.

Sonja Jones, Monarch, scratchboard.

Sonja Jones, California Quail, scratchboard.

All images © Sonja Jones, shared with permission.

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2024 Open Competition

John Suh

1st Place Winner

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ohn Suh's beautifully rendered portraits and still lifes are reminiscent of European classic art and American Impressionism, a tribute to the old masters of the 18th century and the 19th century impressionists.

Based in Seoul, South Korea, Suh grew up in an artistic family and loved art as a child. "It was the illustrations in American magazines like Reader's Digest that made me want to be an illustrator," he says, "so I could be like my favorite American artists."

As a young man, Suh moved to the United States to study portrait painting attending Hastings College in Nebraska and the National Academy of Fine Arts in Manhattan, as well as the Art Students League of New York under the guidance of renowned artist David Leffel.

"Professor Leffel taught me the important basics of classical oil painting including chiaroscuro and visual concepts which gave me a firm foundation in traditional European portrait painting," Suh says.

"You can see the influence of his teaching in my still lifes.

"Later, as Suh studied the works of artists John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn, and Joakin Sorolla, he developed a realistic, elegant, yet bold painting style. "I was impressed by the way these artists combined classical art with the beautiful colors of Impressionism."

Suh's portraits have been in high demand since the 1980s with his art exhibited widely and included in corporate and private collections worldwide.

He taught at the Art Institute of Colorado for several years and always advised his students to be serious about their art. "Constantly draw whatever you see and whatever you imagine in order to develop hand-eye coordination," he would tell them.

"This will be a useful artistic tool your whole life."

WEBSITE: www.johnsuhgallery.com INSTAGRAM: @john_suh_1

All images © John Suh, shared with permission.

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John Suh | 2024 Open Competition, 1st Place Winner

1st Place Winning Entry: The Invitation, oil Still Life with Citrus and Grapes, oil

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John Suh | 2024 Open Competition, 1st Place Winner Self Portrait with Cat, oil

Outdoor Café, oil 82

Luxembourg Garden with Statue, oil

John Suh | 2024 Open Competition, 1st Place Winner Still Life with Hallabong (Orange), oil

Luxembourg Garden, oil 83

2024 Open Competition

Robyn Asquini

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2nd Place Winner

oronto artist, Robyn Asquini has always found art to be therapeutic. From a young age she explored various art forms, from drawing and painting to creating clay and papier-mâché sculptures and making jewelry. "I was a shy child," she says, "so working around other creatives was a way of fitting in and making friends."

After attending design school, Asquini embarked on a career as a commercial artist, specializing in graphic design and illustration. However, her passion for painting remained undiminished, eventually leading her to focus solely on her painting career.

"My work is inspired by anything beautiful, interesting, or moving," she says. "Historical and contemporary images of advertising, photographs, movies, paintings, and apparel informs my overall approach. I'm also inspired by the people around me — my friends, family, and fellow artists and I strive to capture their physical likeness and expression through my art."

"I've always been fascinated with diverse art

forms, particularly geometric patterns and abstract compositions,' she says, "yet I never lost my interest in realism.

"While studying at the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto, I began experimenting with different brush strokes, fusing realism with abstraction. This led to my series of abstract wave paintings, characterized by the juxtaposition of giant brushstrokes and smooth rendering of the figure."

In addition to the Academy of Realist Art, Asquini's art education includes Parsons the New School of Design in New York, and Sheridan College in Toronto.

She participates in shows and exhibitions, has won numerous awards, and works full-time as a painter and art instructor.

She says, "For me, painting has always been a meditative practice that allows me to process and make sense of the world."

WEBSITE: www.robynasquini.com INSTAGRAM: @robynasquini

All art images © Robyn Asquini, shared with permission.

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Robyn Asquini | 2024 Open Competition, 2nd Place Winner

2nd Place Winning Entry: Cascade, oil

Folly, oil 85

Robyn Asquini | 2024 Open Competition, 2nd Place Winner

These Boots Were Made for Walking, oil

Apothecary, oil 86

Robyn Asquini | 2024 Open Competition, 2nd Place Winner

Broadview, oil

Summer Dreamscape, oil

Portrait of Smruti, oil 87

2024 Open Competition

Hugh Greer

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3rd Place Winner

inding inspiration for his landscape paintings, award-winning artist Hugh Greer surveys the natural beauty around him. "When I'm choosing what to paint," he says, "what draws my attention is the way the light dances off a subject, light against dark, color, and the perfect composition."

"There is usually no deep meaning influencing my art. I just want people to look at my paintings and enjoy what they see. When someone sees my work and says, 'I know where that is!' it makes me happy."

Greer's love for art goes back to his childhood.

"Part of the reason I was drawn to art was my dyslexia. Regular classes were difficult, but I was okay in art, so art became my path to acceptance."

Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Greer had a 40-year career in architectural illustration. While attending University of Kansas, he supplemented his income with architectural renderings and by embellishing certificates with Old English lettering.

"Throughout my career as an architectural delineator I painted in my spare time," he says, "I began making real progress with my art, and when I became involved with several galleries, I chose to leave my job and make the transition to full-time artist."

Asked if he had any advice for aspiring artists, Greer replied, "Art is fun but not necessarily easy. Is art your hobby or do you want to make a living with your art? If you want to earn a living with it, find your market, and spend hours and hours perfecting your craft.

"It's also a good idea for the public to become familiar with your name and art. One way to do this is to volunteer your artistic talent and, perhaps, even donate your art to worthy causes.

"Success usually will not happen overnight. You have to work, work, work!"

WEBSITE: www.hughgreer.com

All art images © Hugh Greer, shared with permission.

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Hugh Greer | 2024 Open Competition, 3rd Place Winner

3rd Place Winning Entry Barn Swallows, acrylic

Angel's Gate, acrylic

Waiting for Breakfast, acrylic 89