OR IG I N A L
A RT WOR K
C ATA LO GU E
2 02 0
—
ArtLifting champions artists who are homeless or have disabilities through the celebration and sale of their artwork.
About ArtLifting ArtLifting champions artists who are homeless or have disabilities through the sale of their artwork. ArtLifting is about creating opportunity, empowerment, and validation. We offer our artists the chance to secure their own income through the sale of original artworks, prints, and products. By showcasing and selling artwork, our artists gain self-confidence that permeates all aspects of their lives.
As a social enterprise and benefit corporation, we are using business for good. Every artist earns 55% from the sale of their work; 1% from each sale goes to a fund that provides art supplies to therapy groups nationwide, and ArtLifting uses the remaining 44% to further our mission. We realize that in order to make sustainable change, we need to run a financially sustainable business.
4
ArtLifting Artists’ Locations
5
Left top: ArtLifting artist Charles Blackwell (San Francisco, CA) Left middle: ArtLifting artist Seong Chon (Los Angeles, CA) Left bottom: ArtLifting artist Aron Washington (Chicago, IL) Right top: ArtLifting artist Anthony Taylor (Providence, RI) Right middle: ArtLifting artist Lindsay Abromaitis- Smith (New Jersey) Right bottom: ArtLifting artist Nick Morse and Co-founder Spencer Powers
6
Representing Diverse Perspectives ArtLifting artists are individuals impacted by homelessness or disability. Each artist has a unique artistic style, process, viewpoint, and lived experience. ArtLifting artwork not only creates engaging and differentiated spaces; it also creates an access point for connection, expands conversations about diversity and inclusion, and makes a positive impact on the community.
Artwork: Mojo Fixed by Shana Stern
7
Original Artwork This catalogue features a selection of our newest and most powerful works of original art, created by a diverse group of artists across the country. • Our collection features a wide breadth of mediums, including oil and acrylic painting, collage, papercut, and alcohol ink. • We have over 700 original artworks in our collection, with a wide variety of styles, from modern and conceptual to realism and portraiture. • Artworks range in size from 20” to 100”. • Artists have shown at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, San Francisco’s DeYoung Museum, Art Basel Miami, and contemporary galleries in major U.S. cities. The following pages feature a small representation of our artwork collection. All original artworks and prints can be viewed and purchased at artlifting.com
8
Artist Spotlight Shana Stern Artist Shana Stern began creating
brushes or tools - instead using
diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
the paint dance across the canvas.
art to express herself after she was
Shana transformed her love of music, dance, and storytelling
into a lyrical painting style that is marked by kinetic energy,
movement, and unusual textures.
Each of Shana’s paintings is
inspired by a single song which she listens to on repeat until
her fingers and knuckles to make “Attempting to control the
uncontrollable, and to make
something beautiful out of the
chaos which ensues when I paint with my hands, is my way of
fighting back against the daily
uncontrollable issues I have with
my health,” Shana explains. “When
it’s complete. Shana lives with
I am sitting on the floor, bent over
music triggers the experience
creating unusual and unexpected
Shana visualizes this on the
get tremendous joy from creating
of movement and emotion in
move. “
Chromesthesia, meaning that
of moving colors in her mind.
canvas, creating a visceral fluidity each piece. “Always having been
strongly moved and controlled by
music, I see entire choreographed,
costumed and lit dances when a song attaches itself in my head.
I then listen to nothing but that one song for weeks, from the
mixing of the paints until the final
application of varnish.,“ Shana shares.
a painting, covered in paint and
textures and otherworldly effects, I
paintings which seem to shift and
Shana Stern has been featured in group and solo shows at
Friedman’s Gallery in Austin, TX and Celgene Pharmaceuticals in Summit, NJ, and is part of a
public collection at the American
Academy of Physical Medicine
and Rehabilitation in Rosemont,
IL. Shana has sold original artwork to clients such as Bain Capital and
Shana’s process is unique and
Independence Blue Cross, and has
materials that give her paintings
for Princeton University. Shana
inventive, and uses unconventional
a dynamic quality, shifting in
completed Public Art Commissions
has been featured by the Multiple
response to light. Unable to feel
Sclerosis Society Association, and
to her M.S., Shana developed
Year in 2017.
anything in her right hand due
her own style of painting without
was selected as their Artist of the
10
“I felt isolated, defeated and purposeless. But the creative urge became overwhelming. One day, I sat on the floor, balanced the canvas on my toes, and created my own, unique way of painting — using my fingers and knuckles — on top of the canvas, but also from underneath. A technique no one else does.”
“Bent over canvas, covered in paint, I feel no pain or worries. I still get to tell stories — using paint, I still dance — using my fingers.”
11
SHANA STERN
SHANA STERN
Natural
The Sound of Silence
Mixed Media on Canvas
Mixed Media on Canvas
36” x 36”
36” x 36”
$14,000
$12,000
SHANA STERN
SHANA STERN
Shiver + Shake
Tiny Dancer
Mixed Media on Canvas
Mixed Media on Aluminum Panel
36” x 48”
21” x 27”
$15,000
$4,250
12
SHANA STERN
Vor I Vaglaskogi Mixed Media on Canvas
60” X 48” $20,000
“Using just my fingers and knuckles to create it, I used inks, pigments and medium on reflective mylar so that the undertones shift between silvers, blues, golds and pinks depending upon the light hitting it and the angle you are looking at the piece from. ‘Vor I Vaglaskogi’ truly captures how I get to dance through painting.” -SHANA STERN 13
MIA BROWN
MIA BROWN
MIA BROWN
Tropical Storm
Linda
Acrylic on Canvas
Acrylic on Canvas
30” x 40”
30” x 40”
$8,000
$8,000
MIA BROWN
Rodeo Acrylic on Canvas 20” x 16” $2,000
14
“I am an artist who happens to have a disability.�
Artist Mia Brown lives with cerebral palsy, and creates paintings using a paintbrush attached to her helmet.
15
RONNIE
RONNIE
Resilience
Along the Path
Acrylic on Canvas
Acrylic on Canvas
36” x 36”
36” x 48”
$7,750
$16,500
“Even when things look bleak, there is a glimmer of hope. I know from my experience going through my own challenges, it was the glimmer of hope that kept me moving forward.” -RONNIE RONNIE
A Glimmer of Hope Acrylic on Canvas 36” x 48” $12,000
16
RONNIE
“I think my art came about as a blessing in disguise.” Ronnie has persisted through AIDS, Cancer, and depression, and has found powerful physical and emotional healing in art. After trying an art class for people with chronic illness, Ronnie shares, “My life changed forever...This is when I realized this was what I was put on this earth to do.” Ronnie’s artwork is dynamic, textural, and emotionally rich. “I want a person to be emotionally connected in his or her own way.” Ronnie shares. Before pursuing art, Ronnie was an accountant. He recalls standing in corporate lobbies in awe of large abstract pieces. Little did he know he would one day create pieces of similar scale, caliber, and beauty. This image has stuck with Ronnie as he creates vivid color scapes that now adorn many office walls, enlivening their spaces, producing the same awe-worthy effect he was struck by.
17
CHARLIE FRENCH
Squares 1 Acrylic on Canvas 48” x 60” $10,000 CHARLIE FRENCH
Squares 2 Acrylic on Canvas 48” x 60” $10,000
18
Artist Charlie French works in his art studio daily, creating paintings that are filled with exploration and energy.
“Yes, I have Down syndrome, but first I want you to see me: Charlie French. Then I want you to see my ART!� -CHARLIE FRENCH
19
CHERYL KINDERKNECHT “My creativity gives me a sense of meaningful self-expression despite the challenges that life has brought.”
Cheryl Kinderknecht lives with Retinosis Pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that severely limits her vision and changes her perception of color and shape. A lifelong artist, Cheryl has never let her limitations prevent her from creating, and appreciates the new perspective and intuitive freedom that her vision gives her artistic process. When asked about her creative process, Cheryl elaborates, “My actual vision is a secondary process used in my artwork…I rely more on my ‘mind’s eye’ with its panoramic visual memories and emotional context to drive my work. I like to believe that my limited, fragmented and flickering vision brings an unexpected perspective and intuitive freedom to my creative process.”
CHERYL KINDERKNECHT
CHERYL KINDERKNECHT
Sentience
Transformations
Mixed Media on Canvas
Mixed Media on Canvas
30” x 40”
30” x 40”
$7,500
$7,500
20
YASMINE ISKANDER
YASMINE ISKANDER
YASMINE ISKANDER
Chatting
Yoga Pose
Acrylic on Canvas
Acrylic on Canvas
36” x 48”
40” x 30”
$12,000
$9,000
Yasmine Iskander is a 21-year-old intuitive abstract artist who creates work that passionate and direct. Yasmine’s paintings capture the vibrancy of life and serve as a fundamental way for her to express her journey as a person with developmental challenges and a complex medical history. Since she began painting in 2015, Yasmine’s work has been exhibited extensively across the country.
“When I paint, I feel it in my heart.” 21
JACOB BROWN Jacob’s process is innovative, experimental, and directly connected to his experience living with cerebral palsy. “Starting with found grounds, I begin drawing and building up the surface with line using oil stick and oil pastels. Drawing is at the core of my artistic process. I primarily use materials found in my father’s workshop and my brother’s art studio. These materials include ink, acrylics, oils, crayon, wood stain, shellac, roofing tar, metal scraps, and metal leaf. The work grows by adding to the surface until I find some sort of harmony that is more than just the sum of my movements,” Jacob shares.
“It seems natural to me to create for the sake of creating. The work I make is a direct reflection of the physical limitations caused by my spastic cerebral palsy. Although my paintings are flat objects, the subject is very much the technical narrative of creating with a handicap.”
22
“The disconnect between my mind and physical abilities gives my drawings a unique calligraphy.” -JACOB BROWN
JACOB BROWN
JACOB BROWN
Hutchman 14
Hutchman 22
Mixed Media on Wood Panel
Mixed Media on Wood Panel
36” x 84”
36” x 66”
$8,000
$6,000
JACOB BROWN
JACOB BROWN
Hutchman 24
Mountain Laurel
Mixed Media on Wood Panel
Mixed Media on Wood
36” x 84”
24” x 48”
$10,000
$7,000
23
YVETTE
New Grove Mixed Media on Canvas 36” x 36” $7,500 YVETTE
Seeking Shangri-La Acrylic on Canvas 60” x 72” $16,000
YVETTE
YVETTE
Untitled 1
Organic
Acrylic on Canvas
Oil on Canvas
30” x 40”
36” x 36”
$10,000
$7,500
24
“Painting reminds me that I am not limited due to my disabilities, but the world is my canvas.”
YVETTE Though veteran artist Yvette has felt a lifelong connection to art, it wasn’t until she retired from the Army that she was able to fully reconnect and explore her creative soul. Yvette paints from her intuition, finding inspiration in many parts of her life, including music, dreams, recent experiences, and most importantly, the support and inspiration she receives from her family. Painting has taught Yvette many important lessons over the years, but the empowerment Yvette has gained through her art is perhaps the most powerful. “I am invincible. I truly can do or create whatever I feel. Abstract is my go to, however, with a little patience and guidance from YouTube tutorials, I can create anything and the only thing that can slow me down is running out of paint.”
25
TIM HENNING
“Making art is the most life affirming thing I do.”
Tim Henning lives with chronic depression creates artwork as a personally directed therapy. He shares: “Depression can be debilitating, it can be isolating and it can steal who you are. I think the majority of the general public has little idea of what ‘Depression’ is about or how drastically it can change your life. Too often I have to turn within myself looking for understanding. So, I started my own little course of Art Therapy. Many of my paintings are either about looking past my depression or looking at it. Painting takes my mind off of my situation and focuses it on something more productive. I think the act of creation is in itself a healing. I hope everyone can find their own creativity and realize benefits in the process.” The experience of natural wonders like forests, hills, rivers, and fresh air have inspired Tim’s artwork and identity. “There was so much to experience and to contemplate, so much that is pure, natural, and beautiful that I wonder what I would be like now without that background.”
26
Above:
Below:
TIM HENNING
TIM HENNING
Study in Black & Gold #5
Fibonacci’s Spiral
Acrylic on Canvas
Acrylic on Canvas
48” x 24”
48” x 36”
$3,750
$4,250
27
“Sometimes verbal communication is not enough to express your feelings; art is the best way for me to do so.”
ANELIYA KOSTOVA Aneliya Kostova creates rich, complex artwork full of depth and insight. Her artistic process is experimental, using unconventional materials like grout and construction materials to achieve texture and dimension. Her artwork is emotionally rich and expressive, allowing her to process and share her inner life. Aneliya moved to New York City from Bulgaria as a young adult to chase her dreams. Soon after, she was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression. She utilizes art as a way to heal. “Mental illness is a cage, and art sets me free,” Aneliya shares. Through her artwork, Aneliya expresses her dreams and visions for the future. “I dream of a world with harmony and peace, kindness and compassion. A perfect world where people love and respect each other. My art is a little piece of that dream,” she shares.
28
“I grew up at the Donau river and when in pain I would meditate thinking I was in the water. The healing water holds me, takes over, feels warm, and comforting. This image helps me bring me back to myself. For about a decade I suffered from anxiety and being at the beach was out of the question. With years of therapy, I am very very proud of my little achievements like going to the beach or even being on a train.” ANELIYA KOSTOVA
Rivers of Gold Acrylic and Mixed Media on Unmounted Canvas 50” x 60” $16,000
“Dorado was created right after Rivers of Gold. I used the same materials: adhesive, acrylic and my favorite golden paint. Dorado is painting the ocean, deep but beautiful, having so many colors. Gold is the sun glazing trough it. It is hard to express and describe the feeling. One has to just look and imagine.” ANELIYA KOSTOVA
Dorado Acrylic and Mixed Media on Unmounted Canvas 53” x 62” $15,000
29
ISSA IBRAHIM
“I would not have survived life’s traumas without art.” Issa Ibrahim is an artist, musician, author, advocate, activist and 25 year artist-in-residence at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center’s Living Museum. Growing up in the vibrant, bustling world of Queens and New York City, he notes that his visual style was heavily influenced by the explosion of color and innovative graphic design of the 1960s. Saturday morning television (most notably the work of Chuck Jones) and the daring covers and “splash pages” of superhero driven comic books also had an undeniable imprint on his artistic soul.
SUSAN SPANGENBERG
“My Art is filled with pain and passion... art is what I use to transform my experiences.” As a self-taught artist, Susan Spangenberg is a member of Fountain House Gallery and a former member of The Living Museum and Healing Arts Initiative. Susan believes in the power of transcendence through the Arts. Her themes range from the autobiographical, personal struggles in life to iconic heroes, mental health, women’s rights, animal welfare, race, and incarceration. Susan embraces the struggle of creating as well as the joy of it, always honoring the process more than the presentation. She works in acrylic and mixed media using drawing, collage, painting, photography, film, writing and found objects as self-expression, always expanding her range. 30
ISSA IBRAHIM
ISSA IBRAHIM
Gemini 1
Gemini 2
Acrylic on Unstretched Canvas
Acrylic on Unstretched Canvas
72” x 83”
72” x 83”
$15,000
$14,000
SUSAN SPANGENBERG
SUSAN SPANGENBERG
Blue Wall of Silence
Unbearable
Acrylic and Enamel Body Print on Unframed
Acrylic Body Print on Unframed
Sanitest (Industrial Wallpaper)
Sanitest (Industrial Wallpaper)
48” x 72”
48” x 72”
$7,000
$7,000
31
Artist Spotlight Linda King Linda King is an African American woman who is driven to make art
from within and inspired to create
from the context of her life. “I refer to
myself as an African American woman
dirt in front of the church next door.
The pieces began to come together
in school when I produced a drawing that a teacher offered me a dollar to
make bigger. I didn’t care about that.
because I want to own the ancestral
Drawing was my playmate. Years later
that impact my work,” Linda states.
homelessness—I rediscovered my love
by African American culture, her
the sustenance to embrace my gift.”
and existing cultural influences
Linda’s artwork is heavily influenced experiences, and music, such as
jazz, Celtic, classical, hip-hop and
rhythm and blues. She creates both
abstract and figurative art seeking
at the age of 59—during a period of
of drawing and painting and found
Linda began making art through an art program offered at McAuley House,
a meal site and program that offers
to evoke qualities of movement,
hospitality, social services, and other
with exploring and recreating the
who are homeless. She enjoyed
gesture, and dance. She is fascinated intricacies present in facial expression.
enrichment programs for people using found objects and creative
materials supplied by the weekly
Linda has overcome many obstacles
Tuesday workshop to create original
sense of inner strength and resilience
encouragement of the staff, as well as
experiences she writes:
every one of us to grow.”
“The brunt of violence and alcoholism
Linda has since gained housing
pregnancy caused my parents to
and is overjoyed to finally have an
split up between relatives. As the
continues to develop her artistic
believed children belonged outside or
of her artwork in her home studio,
play by myself. While she worked long
McAuley house is an important part
white families, I drew pictures in the
support circle.
in her years, and she has cultivated a
that is reflected in her artwork. Of her
and the deficiencies of teenage
divorce. My brothers and sister were only child of a middle aged aunt who playing in the basement, I learned to
hours doing laundry for middle class
works of art. Linda explains that “the
the art supplies and art shows, helped
through the Housing First program
art studio of her own where she
practice. Though Linda creates much regularly attending art groups at
of her community, artistic growth, and
32
“I am committed to art as my passion and vocation. This life, this journey, has had a throughline. Through the many calamitous twists and turns of my heroic odyssey, drawing, painting, and writing poetry, have strengthened me when I have encountered challenges that cut my inner world to ribbons.”
“Ar t h a s g ive n m e a ref uge, even w h en I h ad n o p la c e t o c a ll h ome. Through c re a ti n g a r t , I h ave f ound a h ome w i t h in mys e lf t h a t c a n never b e t a ken a w ay.�
33
LINDA KING
Spring Mojo Acrylic on Canvas 24” x 30” $3,500
LINDA KING
Leap of Faith Acrylic on Canvas 24” x 30” $2,500
34
LINDA KING
Architectural Musings Acrylic on Canvas 30” x 40” $6,500
LINDA KING
Red, White, and Blue Acrylic on Canvas 40” x 30” $6,250
“For me, this painting is very much of the moment. Young people of all colors, genders ages marching out of the pain of injustice to move us toward a more perfect union.”
35
MARC Marc is a prolific artist who creates paintings filled with texture and dimensionality. After twenty years in the corporate business world, Marc experienced the abrupt onset of MS. With the need to find a structural replacement of the challenges he sought from his day to day work, Marc’s doctor recommended finding a creative outlet. With so many questions about the future and as his speech progressively labored, Marc turned to art— relying on the growing layers, texture and color of his paintings to express his personal process. By engaging actively in his artistic practice, Marc is moving beyond challenges every day.
“Art gives me the direction that I’ve lost.”
MARC
Bulletproof Oil on Canvas 54” x 36” $12,000 for triptych
36
SCOTT BENNER Scott Benner experiences cluster headaches and bouts of confusion as a result of Horner’s syndrome, which he developed in 2012. After a series of events left him without a home and without a job, Scott found solace in his art and saw that others were also touched by his work. Scott’s portfolio encompasses over 40 years of practice, patience, and perseverance. His preferred mode of creation utilizes fine line pen and ink, a medium he enjoys for the contrast and the sharp, crisp lines.
SCOTT BENNER
Untitled 45 Ink on Paper 18” x 24”
“When I first became involved with ArtLifting, it gave me hope that there was a way out of my situation.”
$5.500
37
“Making art has saved my sanity and my life, as it helps me recover my truest self.”
ALICIA STERLING BEACH
Garden of Dreams Acrylic on Unmounted Canvas 61.5” x 48” $16,000
ALICIA STERLING BEACH
Ode to Aaron Copeland Acrylic on Unmounted Canvas 53” x 52” $14,000
38
ALICIA STERLING BEACH Alicia Sterling Beach hopes to be an advocate for people living with homelessness and disabilities, some of which may appear “hidden.” She says, “ironically, I live with a disability that is degenerative, and I always have to stay active to avoid pain setting in. I appear highly functional, and my appearances in no way reflect the realities of my everyday quality of life. I’ve had to ignore the pain a lot, but sometimes it catches up with me.” Alicia has always used art as a way to enhance meaning and beauty in her world. She uses materials such as watercolor, colored pencils, and soft pastels which offer her a wide-ranging color palette to bring forth the delicacy of light. She intends to create harmony and balance while releasing her creativity.
ALICIA STERLING BEACH
Sacred Geometry Diamonds Soft Pastel on Paper
39” x 29” $7,000
39
CHRISTINA CONSTANTINE Christina Constantine is an artist who has worked with many media over 50 years as a form of meditation and fun. Since 2003, Christina has worked as an artist in residence at The Living Museum in New York. Exploring different materials, she has used makeup, oil and acrylic paint, watercolor, tempera, foil, berries, fabric, beads, sequins, ribbon, yarn. She describes her transitions between media as linear, derived from integrating a new technique or material into her practice.
“The joyful process of creating artwork has been a healing practice in anxious times, a surrender to peace in challenging times.”
CHRISTINA CONSTANTINE
CHRISTINA CONSTANTINE
Daphne on the Run Sees Narcissus Talking Jive
Trapeze
Oil on Unmounted Canvas
Acrylic on Unmounted Canvas
90” x 96”
50” x 36”
$16,000
$9,500
40
EVE HENNESSA
EVE HENNESSA
Quantum Laptop Mixed Media on Paper
“When I discovered art it was a refuge.”
24” x 18” $3,000
Severe chronic PTSD impacted Eve’s childhood development. As a result, the right brain hemisphere of perception and flow dominate so that she is able to always tap into expansive creativity. Lack of planning and control is embodied in how Eve harnesses the dynamic swirling nature of color and paint. She loves that it’s hard to control, “you have to work with it and follow where it wants to go.” Painting can be a form of color healing meditation as well as a way to communicate complex ideas. Eve will easily spend a day immersed in colors or the complexities of lines. 41
BARBARA BARNETT
“Painting gives meaning to my existence.”
US Army Veteran Barbara Barnett paints her way through life’s journey. Unbound to a defining style, she resolves to explore abstract compositions in her rhythmic collection. She says her art represents the “acceptance of the journey and the sharp turns in the river of life. We all have our own journeys. It’s not necessarily reflective of my own, but the underlying things that are in our heads and minds.” Though there are autobiographical elements, her pieces ask us to reflect on our position in the present. Originally, art provided Barbara with a refuge from the demands of PTSD/MST after serving in the Medical Corp in Germany during the Vietnam War. Her focus on “abstract architectural” art began from dreams of becoming an architect. She instead earned her PhD in Psychology after her dispatch from the Army, but her draw to architecture always guided her creativity.
42
Above: BARBARA BARNETT
Journey 1 Acrylic on Canvas 48” x 48” $6,000
Middle: BARBARA BARNETT
Journey 2 Acrylic on Canvas 48” x 48” $6,000
Below: BARBARA BARNETT
Journey 3 Acrylic on Canvas 48” x 48” $6,000
43
BILL FLOWERS Creating artwork has always helped Bill feel a sense of belonging. Bill lives with disabilities and dyslexia and started making art as a child. He remembers making friends through it and always felt like he was good at it. Now, Bill says he paints because it is a gift, a talent, and because it feels like a natural process. He explains that art helps him feel nothing, and that he can get lost through art. “Time goes away. Everything goes away and I get in the zone.”
BILL FLOWERS
BILL FLOWERS
As Advertised
The Art of Language
Acrylic on Canvas
Acrylic on Canvas
22” x 28”
24” x 30”
$6,000
$7,000
44
DUBBLEX
Look Beyond Acrylic & Spray Paint on Canvas 30” x 24” $4,200
DUBBLEX Dubblex typically begins a work of art with unformed ideas and words. He creates his own lettering style, combines them with symbols, then brings them together to make a statement. Dubblex suffers from Schizoaffective disorder. “Growing up, I heard a lot of voices in my head and saw things not there. I did poorly at school and was not social. I have spent my life going through ups and downs.” Despite his struggles, Dubblex says art and music are what bring him the most joy and give meaning to his life, helping him through hard times.
“Art defines me. I don’t feel like I chose art, but more that art chose me as a vehicle of expression. I feel most free and alive when I’m creating artistic ideas and concepts. It’s what gives value to my life. Art has been the thing that’s kept me alive when I’ve been very depressed.” 45
KENNETH WILLIAMS
Riverside Heights Development 1 Paint Marker and Mixed Media on Paper 30” x 15” $2,000
KENNETH WILLIAMS
Riverside Heights Development 2 Paint Marker and Mixed Media on Paper 30” x 40” $2,000
KENNETH WILLIAMS
The Nighttime Bronzeville Sky Paint Marker on Canvas Board 24” x 12” $1,500
“When I create, I draw what could be, not what is. If I see a vacant lot with boarded up buildings, I visualize it and draw it as a new neighborhood. I like the concept of urban redevelopment.”
Artist Kenneth Williams is an agent of positivity and paints stories of Chicago’s neighborhoods.
47
CHRIS VAN LOAN Chris Van Loan usually begins a piece by pouring paint directly onto the canvas. He then lets inspiration move him as words, stories, and places subconsciously fill his mind. After filling the canvas with color, he reaches for tools brushes, scrapers, palette knives, spatulas, and basically any object that he finds to construct his pieces. Although abstract, many of his works allude to specific places in time. Creating art has become a meditative process and he finds that regardless of how tough or challenging his day has been, mentally or physically, he can almost always paint.
“Through being an artist, I’ve learned to believe in myself.”
CHRIS VAN LOAN
CHRIS VAN LOAN
Time Will Tell
Simplicity
Mixed Media on Canvas
Mixed Media on Canvas
30” x 40”
48” x 36”
$6,000
$6,000
48
VITO BONANNO Vito Bonanno is a bold artist who transforms his internal existence into powerful artistic expression. Vito was diagnosed with PDD/Autism at an early age. Because he was language delayed, his parents and teachers developed strategies that tapped into his high visual acuity. He began taking art classes in 2006 and through tireless work, he has grown into an established and prolific artist and has had artwork exhibited in galleries, art shows and museums across the country.
“If you could take a look inside everything I am, mind, body and soul, you would see the images and feel the emotions that I put onto the canvas.”
VITO BONANNO
Channels 1 & 2 Mixed Media on Canvas 60” x 40” $9,000 for diptych
49
BILLY MEGARGEL William “Billy” Megargel lives with autism and uses the power of his artistic expression to communicate, rather than words. Passionate and laser-focused, Billy turns the ordinary into the extraordinary with an arsenal of tools ranging from artists brushes, ball tip whisks, paint rollers, bamboo salad utensils, and bubble wrap. His expressive, modern paintings command attention with their physical and emotional power. Billy rakes, flicks, rolls and throws paint onto canvases, resulting in works that are striking combustions of color, texture, and physical virtuosity. A rubber spatula, an XO Easy Grip turkey baster and a dish rag: all ordinary kitchen tools, but in Billy’s hands they are his ply and trade as he creates a lively and intricate network of colors. For years, Billy has endured acute episodic pain. For some individuals on the autism spectrum, the social world is complex and physically grueling. Suffering is a part of Billy’s life. But Billy’s pain does not define who he is or will become. Anyone who knows Billy and witnesses his passion for colors and music is moved by his expression of beauty in the midst of intractable obstacles. Billy relishes all of life’s sensations. It is his gift to humanity.
50
billy megargel
Panoply of Purples Acrylic on Canvas 48” x 48” $7,500
billy megargel
Inspired by Alice Aycock Acrylic on Canvas 36” x 72” $9,000
billy megargel
billy megargel
Juniper in Twilight Dusk
A Positive Force in Today’s World
Acrylic on Canvas
Acrylic on Canvas
48” x 48”
20” x 40”
$7,500
$5,000
51
ALLEN CHAMBERLAND
Despite physical disabilities that limit his financial opportunities, Allen wholly devotes himself to making intricate and beautiful papercut works. Each piece is made with a single sheet of black paper. Allen’s artwork takes incredible patience and vision. He loves selling through ArtLifting because it allows him to to share his vision.
“It makes me feel good when people enjoy what I do.”
ALLEN CHAMBERLAND
ALLEN CHAMBERLAND
Washington DC 1888
Manhattan NY 1840
Papercut
Papercut
22” x 18”
17.5” x 19.6”
$4,000
$3,750
52
JIM WATERS
Navy veteran Jim Waters creates art at Outside the Lines, a Boston-area arts studio for individuals with developmental and physical disabilities. Jim finds peace while creating art. He says, “Painting puts me in a good place. It gets me out of reality and into a zone where I don’t have to think about anything else.”
jim waters
Village on a Fjord Acrylic on Board 50.5” x 39.5” $6,000
53
ADDITIONAL FEATURED ARTWORK
saundra fleming
Cognitive Spirit Walking Oil on Masonite 18” x 24” $2,800
naomi rosen
naomi rosen
Bustling
Solved
Acrylic on Canvas
Acrylic on Canvas
24” x 36”
24” x 36”
$8,000
$8,000
54
anthony taylor
Piscean Dream Acrylic on Canvas 36” x 48” $6,000
vito bonanno
Silo Mixed Media on Canvas 56” x 52” $9,500
55
Above:
Below:
Bonnie salser
Marc
Planning Map
Hidden 1
Lifeline
Mixed Media on Canvas
Mixed Media on Canvas
Mixed Media on Canvas
48” x 48”
51” x 41.5”
72” x 60”
$8,000
$6,000
$23,000
56
Barbara barnett
Above:
Below:
chris marinez
Tim strouss
Burst of Energy
Reinvention
A Sharp Contrast 1
Oil on Canvas
Mixed Media on Canvas
Mixed Media on Canvas
48” x 60”
51” x 61.5”
72” x 48”
$14,000
$13,000
$12,000
luisa pulido
57
Kirk wittman
charles blackwell
Abstract 2
The 19th Afro Cuban Dancer
Acrylic on Canvas
Ink on Paper
30” x 40”
18” x 22”
$2,500
$2,000
yvette
andrew weatherly
Leave the Light On, Communities Will Recover
Puzzler
Mixed Media on Canvas
Acrylic on Canvas
36” x 36”
30” x 40”
$7,500
$7,000
58
susan spangenberg
Bermuda Triangles Mixed Media on Unstretched Canvas 35” x 36” $4,500
Douglas Pendleton
juan bonilla
Inner Vision
Green
Acrylic on Canvas
Acrylic on Canvas
48” x 36”
40” x 30”
$7,000
$5,500
59
Above: Jefuri
Primitive Encaustic Fiber Collage 36” x 15.75” $5,500
Left: Gonzo
Ode to Kandinsky Watercolor on Paper 26” x 40” $5,750
60
elizabeth gauss
Firebird Mixed Media on Paper Mounted to Canvas 30” x 40” $7,500
clifton hayes
Ladies in Motion Acrylic on Paper 30” x 22” $3,000
61
A big thank you to our photographer, Ali Campbell.
Please join us. email us at:
i n f o @ a r t l i ft i n g . c o m
@artlifting linkedin.com/company/artlifting facebook.com/artlifting
W W W.ART LI F T I NG.COM