Art Reveal Magazine no. 42 by Art Reveal Magazine

SZŐKE

GILLES

TARABISCUITÉ

The Nomad

Creative Projects

by Severine Grosjean

NEAL

TAYLOR

TALITA

ZARAGOZA

FEATURED ARTIST: BRANDY SATURLEY 3 THE NOMAD CREATIVE PROJECTS 4 NORMA ALONZO 12 LEONOR ANTHONY 18 PARUL BOUVART 24 DARINA GEORGIEVA 30 MARY H. 36

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YAMI INTERNATIONAL 42 JOE KARLOVEC 48 HUGH KERR 54 MARIO LOPRETE 60 LOPEZ MARCOS 66 TOMMASO PANZERI 72 BRANDY SATURLEY 78 CATHERINE EATON SKINNER 84 TIMKA SZŐKE 90 GILLES TARABISCUITÉ 96 NEAL TAYLOR 102 TALITA ZARAGOZA 108

BRANDY

SATURLEY FEATURED ARTIST Obsessively consuming this World and expressing it vividly on canvas, occasionally with sarcasm and always with passion, through a Canadian filter. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t paint landscapes, portraits or still-life, I am telling stories using iconic figures, landscapes, and compositions. I am an explorer, andÂ I have recently been exploring the collective Canadian consciousness. Brandy Saturley

More at pages: 78-83

On the cover: Let Your Backbone Rise, Brandy Saturley, 2016

The Nomad

Art Reveal Magazine

Creative Projects by Severine Grosjean

After a few years of juggling my work as an independent cultural journalist and my work as press oﬃcer at the French Embassy in Guatemala, I decided to meet new political and cultural strategies, aimed at culture and creativity an engine for urban development and regeneration, innovation, social cohesion, citizens’ well-being and intercultural dialogue. Since five years now, I have been writing for art magazines in Europe and Americas but also texts for exhibitions in South America. It all started in 2017, I flied to Colombia and begin my journey through South America, Europe and now Africa, chosing the destination that are on the verge of a cultural boom where artists, organizations, innovation, business and community merge to grow entire economies and revitalize societies. I visited each place to interview nearly 600 artists, founders, directors, curators and others interested in the subject. Along the journey, I was also invited to two conferences to explain the project (Santos (Brazil) and Budapest (Hungaria). The vision of The Nomad Creative Projects is to promote and offer a platform on which each artist and project can present themselves. The project wants to simulate the debate and create a place to share ideas about the driving role of art in society. This initiative aims to accelerate, catalyze, connect and communicate civil society

initiatives in arts and culture - rethink and build the world as an open, inclusive and democratic space. Because we believe that artistic freedom is an indicator of a healthy and free society, the platform aims to have an international reach by giving an overview of artists and projects around the globe, with different contents expressing cultural identity, promoting new ideas The Nomad Creative Projects project aims to collaborate with other projects and initiatives that address issues related to culture. This project aims to offer a general idea of initiaitves but also to collect ideas for the creation of a structure inspired by the advantages and disadvantages that each one encounters. This project goes out to meet artists, projects, etc in countries in crisis or whose economies and cultural policies are different. The Nomad Creative Projects wishes to share its

expertise and experiences in a variety of contexts in order to develop tools, programs and projects. The Nomad Creative Projetcts’ ultimate desire is to launch an international structure where accessible and ongoing events for the creative community and the general public will be organized on various and committed themes thanks to the support of local partners, generous places and international partners. long term. Everyone is welcome. Everyone is creative. The Nomad Creative Projects aims to promote the international interconnection of art professionals who live and work in environments that can be considered as the main centers of contemporary art and to transfer knowledge to local people and vice versa. The projects has different areas of research. This world trip is a solidarity trip to meet artists and cultural actors. I collect docu-

ments, artists’ stories about their working conditions, the photographs of artists at work but also the backdrop of sometimes difficult scenery ... The temptation is great to look in the rearview mirror and analyze retrospectively the evolutions of artistic and cultural projects in the public space. But greater is the desire to project itself prospectively. What will be the main themes of the arts in public space in the next 10 years? What trends are emerging? Which ones do we want to value and encourage? The project aims to promote and work with cultural and urban art projects, to create opportunities and develop new markets in emerging art cities around the world. Art plays a major role in the culture and identity of cities. These places have made a name for themselves as centers attracting new artists and doing a great job. The Nomad Creative Projects aims

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to be a major player in the inclusion of art and culture as a way to prosper as a global economy. The Nomad Creative Projects has decided to meet the leaders and main actors of the network of Creative Cities of UNESCO because we believe in face-to-face meetings will inspire one of the and inspire change in neighborhoods and cities around the world. Cities are committed to sharing good practices and developing partnerships involving the public sector, the private sector and civil society to strengthen the creation, production, distribution and dissemination of cultural activities,develop centers of creativity and innovation, improve access to and participation in cultural life, especially for the benefit of disadvantaged or vulnerable groups and people fully integrate culture and creativity. The journey continues in September 2018 in Africa, Middle East, Asia and North Africa until September 2019.

Guilherme Peters (Brazil) “All the civil and political revolutions have had a homeland and are shut up there. The French Revolution did not have its own territory; moreover, its effect has been to erase some old map boundaries. “ Alexis de Tocqueville For the young Brazilian performer, Guilherme Peters, the French Revolution, an event marking the beginnings of modern democracy, is one of the main axes of his work mixing politics, history, culture and art. Like a catarsis faced with the social difficulties of Brazil, the performances of Guilherme are powerful, energetic, extreme as in his last performance “Estudo para Festival ao ser supremo” divided into two acts. In the latter, he wears a costume similar to that of Robespierre, a French politician of the eighteenth century. The first act, the artist reads a document on the French Revolution on a skateboarding platform and stops to drink a glass of alcohol to find himself on the verge of unconsciousness as a symbolic death in the face of struggle patriotic. The second act is characterized by a band dressed in sansculottes costume, popular protesters advocating democracy. They play an air of “Charlotte killed a guy” (in reference to Charlotte Corday famous for murdering politician Jean-Paul Marat) as a shout. Guilherme Peters being on a skateboarding platform,

Guilherme Peters VERBO 36 photo: Edouard Fraipont

declares taking back possession of the public space because “go to Caesar what is Caesar”. This work is an allegory to freedom guiding the Brazilian people as Eugène Delacroix did in the nineteenth century. Guilherme Peters protests and provokes the viewer to the weight of history challenging past defeats and victories. In “Auto-Repto com Roosvelt, Lenin e Hittler”, he puts himself in the place of the apprentice, this young, linked to weight these three emblematic characters of the XX century. On oxidized iron plates, the faces of Roosvelt, Lenin and Hittler represent three ideologies that shaped the twentieth century. The portrait of the artist is between them. For Guilherme, youth is a troubled step where the individual is built or deconstructed, like our society. Youth is a stage of resistance. At the Verbo Festival in the Vermelho Gallery, Guilherme Peters in “Escola sem partido” writes on a chart the events of 1964 perpetrated by parliamentarians - deputies and senators - involved in corruption cases in 2016. He wears a gas mask like a muzzle. His breathing is difficult. He fights against the weight of poetic and ideological indoctrination represented by a heap of logs suspended from its opposite and of which it is attached. Every gesture to continue to write, to express oneself, to think is a fight. At that time, censorship was appropriate in the classrooms and freedom of expression was destroyed. In the face of current scandals, Guilherme expresses his fear that these Machiavellian policies will be repeated if the Brazilian youth does not remain attentive. Finally, the contributions of Guilherme Peters help to understand the present and perhaps to trace the contours of a future by reinterrogating and interpreting the past with the knowledge acquired. The actions of this young artist reposition the moments when major changes occurred. This sometimes gives a feeling of “déjà-vu” and at this moment T, a choice is required.

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Guilherme Peters 40 photo:EdouardFraipont

Interface (Ireland) â&#x20AC;&#x153;Asking new questions, new possibilities, looking at old questions from a new angle requires creative imagination and real progress.â&#x20AC;? Albert Einstein Art seeks beauty and speaks to emotion; science seeks truth and speaks to reason. This dichotomy is not correct: artists and scientists really participate in observation and experimentation. Among the benefits of integrating art into science, the main one is creativity. A scientist must use the creativity of developing the question that his research will attempt to solve. The scientist must also be creative in designing the process to answer this question. At the same time, science irrigates the field of art. Sculptures, videos, photographs or drawings, the spectator is immersed in an infinite number of sensations.

Interface 3

In 2016, visual artist and Irish musician Alannah Robins opened the doors of a new artistic-scientific laboratory. Interface. The link of these two spaces / territories, the artistic and the other scientific constitute the interface. In a natural landscape born from the science of dreams, the Connemara National Park, the Interface space allows national and international artists to channel their energy and explore art in contact with scientists.

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This new platform in the Inagh Valley, has led a series of unique projects. The premises were built for a salmon hatchery in the late 1980s. Today, it is an incubation of artists that adds to the incubation of scientists. Each artist can use a shared space of 135 m². In 2008, an Inagh Valley Trust was created, as “Ideas Creation”, comprising a group of interconnected companies whose goal is to provide alternative and responsible solutions to society. For 2 to 6 weeks each artist will be in contact with the scientists. This relationship can inspire them in their artistic practice and make them leave their comfort zone. Science and art come together to improve society through research and creative thinking. The Interface team is not afraid of challenges. They decided to be part of the adventure Galway, European Capital of Culture 2020. Inspired by a game for children based on rapid oral transmission, artists from 19 European countries will be invited to draw their experience. At each stage, the artist will modify the initial drawing. Changes in history and drawing should reflect and reveal cultural differences and similarities. This large-scale project aims to build bridges between communities and serve to highlight areas that host minority languages and communities at risk. This project includes a reformulation and reappropriation of certain founding principles: literality, self-referentiality or the importance and relevance of language.

Interface 1

Varvara & Mar (Estonia) The marriage between art and technology evokes fi xed devices more or less temporary, interactive or not allowing to realize an immersive or innovative staging. To make visible the invisible, the artists and creators of all horizons explore the theme of profound changes transforming our world, and which remains imperceptible. Making visible the invisible is a current resulting from major cycles of change, be it political, legal, financial, economic, social, behavioral or technological. The Varvara (Estonian) & Mar (Spanish) duo modify their

universe in a significant and irreversible way, but we do not yet have the keys to decode the possible impacts. Interactivity is at the heart of their experiences coming to life through the presence of the public. The work of these artists focuses on what Eric Sadin calls “techno-power”. In “Data Shop”, the installation represents a store stand whose idea is that personal data is stored. The goal is to address the subject of the exponentially growing data market. Democracies collect public data which they then communicate to private industry. In addition, they evoke the collusion of the political regime with the techno-industrial

Varvara & Mar

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Varvara & Mar

world. To remedy this, he urges citizens to act and assert counter-powers through their critical abilities and their choice of consumption. Our data is collected, used, sold, stolen and exchanged at all times. Data Shop confronts the public with questions about the value of personal data and the value of a work of art and the relationship between them. It seems vital to the duo to suggest ways to promote new images, new expressions, surprise is always a good way to go. Their technological panoply seems endless. They combine “traditions” to express new concepts as in their work entitled “Wishing Wall”. Varvara & Mar re-imagine how we share our most intimate desires with the world. They present a magical work, full of poetry, for adults and children. In a room, the words spoken turn into butterflies of color, according to the feeling evoked. Visitors are invited to interact with the butterflies and to discover the wishes expressed. Varvara & Mar use and challenge technology to explore new concepts in art. Therefore, research is an integral part of their creative practice. In addition to interactive installations, artists also have work experience in public spaces. In “Binoculars to ... Binoculars from ...” they defy time and space allowing each participant to travel to a different place within milliseconds, while remaining in his original place. Marc Augé said “we can do everything without moving and we move yet” takes shape under the technological art of Varvara & Mar. Indeed, they abolish the barriers. In the end, the duo of Estonian-Spanish artists create, construct, denounce, warn and imagine the possibilities of man. These last ones multiply, not only verbally, but also through the channels of communication. They confront the spectators to a historical transition in the history of humanity where the human dimension is lost. The experience of life offers a wide range of cards as in “WiFipedia”. For many years, hand in hand, through art and technology, Varvara & Mar decline the reality that surrounds us. With a flag, which they could re-invent and adapt in their search “Chameleon”, they explore unknown territories where it is impossible to hide and where transparency in its most absolute form seems so close.

thenomadcreativeprojects.com

Norma Alonzo Santa Fe, USA

My latest body of work examines the way we process what we feel - the metaphysical and the sensory. Through paint I examine our place in the midst of the constant motion of living in these times. After tackling life-changing personal issues, I felt courageous. This allowed me to trust my work - work informed by years of experimentation with the formal elements of line, form, mass and texture; my love of landscape; more than a passing nod to art history; and a trace of my design roots. It has been a year of painting dangerously: a culmination of 25 years of experience. My contemporary abstractions are a complex interplay of tension and energy. Dark marks woven into the paintings corral and embrace the color and light, signifying the push and pull of day-to-day living. My paintings explore the power of self-reflection, equilibrium, and peace. I aim to convey universal redemption.

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Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I am Mexican American. My mother was born in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and my father was born in Pasadena, California. Because I grew up in San Diego, California my days were filled with blue skies, blue ocean, roses, an assortment of vegetables, banana trees, citrus, and avocado trees, plus the imposing cactus all living in my back yard. I don’t believe there was ever a time when flowers weren’t on display from the garden - including gardenias floating in water. I was surrounded by color. I also have a degree in Interior Design. When I was in school I loved the draftsman quality of line work and renderings of interiors. I was always inspired by the mixing of pattern, color and line in my design work. Creating an environment with an eye for color, texture and pattern was an adventure I relished. What is the most challenging part of being an artist? My current challenge being an artist is finding ways to get my art to a bigger audience. I have recently taken on the category of a selling artist. For many years I painted happily in my studio for an audience of one. Now I am enjoying the challenges and success of marketing my work and finding a wider audience. It is an exciting time.

Name artists you’d like to be compared to. I have been told my work is Diebenkorn like, or Matisse like in my line and freedom with color. It is certainly a welcome comparison! Just as Diebenkorn was moved and influenced by Matisse,it is not lost on me that I have what can be called an internal calligraphic language similar to Richard Diebenkorn’s. What’s the best art tip you’ve ever received? My mentor Richard Lees told me years ago to always work from my gut or my whole being. If I can remember that I will never lose my way, or at the very least I will be able to find my way back. What are your future plans as an artist? I will continue to hopefully evolve as an artist. If I am not struggling in one way or another with a painting, I know it’s time to move in another direction. Any artist that has worked for many years will find there are times when a comfortable approach finds its way to the canvas. I can not do that. It is an exciting time when I stand in front of a new canvas knowing that it will take me on a journey that will be different each and every time.

normaalonzo.com

Leonor Anthony Miami, USA

At the age of three, barely able to hold a pencil, I started drawing... I never stopped. I have been expressing myself through art my entire life. When I was just five years old, my family left Cuba, commencing a lifetime of migration and hyphenation. This feeling of impermanence and non-identity, at home everywhere but not fully belonging anywhere became my way of life. This dichotomy of melancholy and ease, radical yet classical, underlies all my creations. All my work carries a message - social injustice, spirituality, intellect; my innate and passionate need to express inarticulate feelings. I am an artist because I breathe. I pour myself entirely on the work until there is nothing left of me; yet, when I â&#x20AC;&#x153;returnâ&#x20AC;?, I am reborn. I hope to my last day to have paint on my face and hands, to be able to smell the peculiar smell of the oils and my eyes to see color that surrounds me, inside and out. The impetus of my work is my need to communicate and share a common human experience. I talk, feel, and hopefully touch, through art. My work is my word and my truth. Leonor Anthony is a multidisciplinary artist based in Miami, Florida, with studios in The Hague, Netherlands and Brooklyn, New York. Born in Havana, Cuba, she immigrated to the United States as a young child. She is an accredited scholar, artist, photographer, and published author. In 2013, Anthony was awarded the prestigious title of Artist-in-Residence at the Florida International University Honors College. She is the founder and curator of the FIU Honors College Art Collection and has curated several exhibits focused on social change. Anthony created the NestGen project, a biennial comprised of artistic installations, incorporating a call to a collective conscience regarding our plane and the promotion of reuse, reduce and recycle.

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Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. In trying to narrate my story, I must start with the single, serendipitous event that is the subtext for all my history, as well as the color, energy, and sound of my life ; I was born in Cuba. Because I was a political refugee at such an early age, the plight of immigrants and those without a voice are very important to me and the reason I became an artivist - I use art as a vehicle of activism. Being so confortable with change and instability has allowed me the freedom to experiment with limitless styles and materials, untethered to rules or convention. This freedom of expression born out of circumstance, and the absorption of so many influences along the way has led me in the creation of a hybrid and distinctive artistic language of my own. What is the most challenging part of being an artist? Obviously, for all artists, the biggest challenge is money, and how to promote our careers in order to be able to afford a studio, materials, the cost of exhibits and promotional materials. However, for a woman artist, everything is extremely challenging. The system is set up for our male counterparts, and it is not until we are much older that women artists can become well known, if at all. As it stands now, less than 2% of the work in major museums are made by women, even though we represent 50% of artists. Name artists you’d like to be compared to. I would love to be compared to a modern-day Artemisia Gentileschi, who against all odds thrived and became one of the best Baroque painters of her time, regardless of her sex. Some of my major influences are Robert Rauschenberg and Louise Nevelson, the pioneers and risk-takers. Being compared to any of these amazing artists would be a huge honor. How would you describe the art scene in your area? I live in Miami and the art scene is the air you breathe. Art is everywhere, and the city really embraces and supports its local artists and art in general. I am very fortunate to be a Cuban artist in Miami. Most of my friends are artists from all disciplines. Some of them are still living in Cuba, but we see each other at exhibits world-wide and communicate via Internet often. We are all connected by art. What’s the best art tip you’ve ever received?

The moment I ceased to be afraid of what people might think or how I or my work would be judged, I became free, and my work was never to be the same again. What are your future plans as an artist? My future plans are to continue attending artist residencies worldwide, which allow me not only the opportunity to experiment and learn from other artists of different disciplines, but also the time to work without any outside interference. This September, I will be attending the Chateau d’Orquevaux Artist Residency in France. I was awarded the Denis Diderot Grant, and one of the works created during the residency will become part of the Chateau d’Orquevaux Permanent Collection.

The best advice I have ever received is to be true to myself and to not be afraid to be free.

Immediately following the residency, I’ll go back to Miami to prepare for the biggest art show of the year which is Miami Art Basel Week. I will exhibit my work at Context Art Miami in the first week in December.

It was Nina Simone, the Jazz singer who said it best: “Freedom to me means no fear.”

2019 is half-booked already with two exhibits in New York City: the Armory Show in March and Art New York in May.

leonoranthony.com

Parul Bouvart Beaune, France

As an artist, I seek to forge a dialogue with the spectator via my works, open the spectator to his/her own self. Even though my works are extremely intimate in their subject matter, they become portals of introspection for the spectator. They enable a process of interior expansion, a dive into the self and most importantly it engages and appeals to all human senses like touch, smell, hearing, etc, making my conceptually drawn works purely sensory at times. I question and investigate the credibility of social structures, patriarchy, history, gender and race bias and archaic rituals and beliefs. My choice of medium is video, performance and installation. I employ my body as a tool to enunciate my thoughts and reviews, making the works more like a personal dialogue with the viewer. After completing my bachelor degree in visual art from MSU Vadodara Gujarat India; I went on to pursue my masters in Fine arts from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York. Both my alma maters introduced me to novel ways of approaching and understanding art. I realised that my own explorations, intimate experiences, both good and bad are a giant pool of subject matter that I can draw upon from. Hence my works come across more as personal journals, hiding some and sharing some aspects of my life. Parul Bouvart, born in 1989, graduated (MFA) from Pratt institute, New York. She is originally from New Delhi, India and has received her Bachelors in Visual Arts from Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayaji Rao University, Vadodara, Gujarat. She currently practice and lives in France. She was awarded as first teaching fellow by Franklin Furnace Organisation, New York and merit academic excellence scholarship holder by Pratt Institute, New York. She has been showing internationally including India, United States, Buenos Aires in Argentina and Europe (UK, Venice and France).

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Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I believe a work of art is the physical manifestation of an artist’s life experiences, of memories both good and bad, introspection and self-discoveries. We as an artist are endowed with the greatest gift to mankind – the ability to express our deepest desires and emotions, unabashed, through our art. Thus my Indian heritage and life’s journey so far, my travels and encounters all have been a major influence in the development of my art practice. After completing my bachelor degree in Visual Art from M.S. University in Vadodara, India, I went on to pursue my masters in Fine arts from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York. As a student I preferred to experiment in terms of subject, medium and material in order to develop and find a language of my own. Soon I realized that my background and memories were already a giant pool of subject matter that I could draw upon from. Hence I started focusing on bringing a personal narrative to my works. I started questioning accepted social

patterns, gender and cultural stereotypes that affected me. When I was in New York, my day to day experiences led me to examine my own identity of being an Indian artist practicing on an international platform. The relevance of the subject matter I represented and my personal style of narrative all came into scrutinity. I employ text and (my) body as integral tools to articulate my thoughts. My works present a personal dialogue with the viewer. They are like excerpts from my diary brimming with intimate observations. So far my choice of medium has been video, performance and installation. What is the most challenging part of being an artist? I guess the most challenging part of being an artist is survival, a continuous obligation to keep evolving and the fear of becoming stagnant, in terms of ideas and style. Familiarization and adapting to new places, cultures and markets is another challenging aspect that many artists experience. Personally to me it’s more of a fun adventure than a struggle. But the art market

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does remain a formidable deal. Different markets have different requirements. For example at present I am residing in France where the biggest challenge I’m experiencing is communication. The language does become a complication for me in my attempt to approach galleries and break in to the art market. This wasn’t an issue when I was in New York, but there, there were other concerns. Name artists you’d like to be compared to. Sheila Pepe, who later became my mentor when I was studying in New York, has forever had a major influence in my evolution as an artist. Her strong feminist leanings and her medium of crochet inspired me as a student long before I came to New York. I believe I can trace the compelling feminist undercurrents running through my works and my choice of textile as a medium initially to her. Tracy Emin, who’s often called the “bad girl of British art”, has also had a great impact on me. The highly sensitive and sensuous photographs of Ann Mandelbaum and the radical artist activist nature of Ann Messner’s works (both of whom were my professors at Pratt) are again important sources of inspiration for me. I guess these are the artists I would love the most to be compared to. How would you describe the art scene in your area? At present I am residing at Beaune, a small town couple of hours away from the art capital of Europe - Paris. Everyone knows about the major art institutions Paris hosts, the Louvre, The Centre Pompidou, Palais des Beaux Arts and many more. France has kind of been the Mecca for art over centuries. Though, based on what I have observed so far, Galleries in France focus more on the masters as compared to galleries in cities like New York or London, where contemporary art holds equal ground. What’s the best art tip you’ve ever received? This is a really good question. As a student in Pratt I got the best tip an aspiring artist can get. “Be Simple” was the advise that was given to me by my mentors Ann Messner and Ann Mandelbaum. Their guiding words since then have been my holy grail and have really helped me evolve a better language in art. As a student I had a desire to prove my mettle to the world and that was leading to a convoluted trail of thoughts and visual vocabulary. I was then advised to be true to myself and keep it as real and simple as possible. In fact this turned out to be a very meditative process. I would like to sum up by saying that I feel blessed to have had such supportive mentors at an extremely crucial juncture in my life. What are your future plans as an artist? I see myself having many successful exhibitions in future and making a living from my work. I’m also keenly interested in teaching and was awarded as First Teaching Fellow by Franklin Furnace Organisation, New York. I believe teaching is an unequaled profession as you keep learning along the journey. Never give up, and never be afraid to go out on a limb and take a chance.

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parulbouvart.com

Darina Georgieva

Alicante, Spain / Sofia, Bulgaria After graduating high school of Applied Arts in my home town - Sofia, I moved on to study Fine Arts, first in France and then in Belgium, before ending up doing my MasterÂ´s degree in Spain, where I currently live and create. Gathering diverse impressions and gaining experience from various art schools across Europe, I have developed as an expressive artist, who tends to use strong contrasts and vibrant colours in my paintings and digital illustrations. My work depict a rich and diverse palette of emotions that I have experienced and that everyone else could recognize as their own. By using contrast through colours, I aim to enhance the sense of emotion that each picture portrays.

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The second big challenge is to become a professional and recognizable artist. For me that means to be present in social and traditional media in order to have an audience; to be able to approach the galleries and be accepted so that I could show my works; to create a website and other materials and means to promote myself. All these different art schools across Europe did not prepare me in reality for all that. Even if it is hard and time-consuming work to manage myself into the professional world I really love to paint and I am glad to have the opportunity to work in this area. Name artists you’d like to be compared to. Well, I don’t know if someday I will be as successful or prominent as the artists who I admire, but with my art I tend to be notable with boldness, passion and expressive use of colors. I love colors and I really respond to them. Nowadays, with internet and social I can always follow great artists. I try not to be influenced by then, but inspired. Currently, I am a huge fan of the work of Andrew Salgado, Françoise Nielly, Todd James and other similar artists. As you can image, one of the things that I appreciate most in their work is the use of color. How would you describe the art scene in your area?

Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I was raised in an artistic family, which meant that my interest in art was going to be provoked by my parents. As they both have graduated art school, they have always talked with me about art and have taken me often to visit art galleries and admire expositions. This way, little by little I became more and more into it, discovered my talent and started my art journey in high school, studying Applied Arts in my home town – Sofia. Later on, I switched to study Fine Arts, first in France and then in Belgium, before ending up exploring Digital Art while doing my Masters degree in Spain, where I currently live and create. Gathering diverse impressions and gaining experience from various art schools across Europe, I have developed as an expressive artist, who tends to use strong contrasts and vibrant colours in my paintings and digital illustrations. What is the most challenging part of being an artist? For me there are two main challenges. First of all, it is to be ready to work every day. To have the control, to always find motivation and inspiration, to continue working even if I have a hard time to see the potential in that particular work. But when I do, it is a true celebration of winning the battle of not giving up! And then - here it comes another one!

Here in Spain there are so many opportunities and so much to see – Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia etc. I live in Alicante, which is a coastal town with magnificent beach and see views. It is amazing to live and create here, but as it is a bit of a touristic place for sure it needs more places dedicated for art and most of all for emerging artists like me. What’s the best art tip you’ve ever received? My father always told me to create art as much as I like and can without worrying if it´s very good or not. “The more you create, the better you would get. And as you are getting better, your work would improve and become more and more appreciated and valuable”. Last year, couples of days before he died, I remember one of the last things he told me, was to concentrate on my art career, not to get distracted with what life or society is suggesting me to do. Just find the time to paint and create and you will be happy and successful. What are your future plans as an artist? To be more present in art world - my plans are to establish contacts with different galleries and art fairs across Europe in order to showcase my work broadly and of course to follow my father’s advice.

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www.behance.net/georgievadarina

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Mary H.

Shanghai, China / Sweden

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Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I’m Swedish born and bred with Chinese and Vietnamese background. In some ways East and West influence me as well as happy and sad impressions from my present and past life. I’ve worked within the realm of fashion and luxury as marketer, entrepreneur and designer. Being a former bags and shoes creator in Shanghai, my limited edition designs were available to international clients and highlighted in fashion week to celebrity film. Those years brought me cherished experiences and lessons, but in the journey of creative self-improvement I decided to continue with photography as artistic medium. Somehow photography allows me more creative spontaneity, freedom and manageable stress than in fashion retail. Although photography has been with me since young age and companion during my work in fashion, I’ve expanded my outlook to capture the details and relationship we have with our beautiful world instead - its colors, textures and patterns. I take inspiration from travels, nature and everyday lifestyle in cities. I’m drawn to beauty, natural light, motion and features that are often ignored. Life and people inspire me. If not simply sitting quietly contemplating, through travelling to different countries I get motivated as I see and hear new things. The observations and interactions in unfamiliar places move me. When it feels special or exciting, I want to freeze those moments, emotions and keep the story alive with timeless quality. What is the most challenging part of being an artist? Dare being you. No matter what people expect or say. Buckle in, as emotionally you’ll be challenged to find peace between the levels and layers of your true power and ego that destroy ideas through selfdoubt, leaving you stagnant. Sometimes the toughest critic and worst enemy are ourselves, looking for excuses and indulging in dissatisfaction. Breathe. Patience. Daydream. Practice. You got to keep doing, improving and believing. Find ways to recharge your batteries then evolve your work and consistently produce. Isolate from pressure and let your heart guide you freely. That being said, alone time is necessary but not to forget to bring your inside out. By connecting with the world, meet likeminded, make your work noticed and accessible for others to relish. Professional artistic pursuits are demanding because you need to make money from

your artwork so you can keep creating more of what you love. It is also competitive. But compete with yourself, feel proud, share creativity and seek inner validation - authenticity matters profoundly. Name artists you’d like to be compared to. I think all artists want to stand out and liked for whom they really are. My wish is to have total freedom in voicing my own individuality, have fun in the process and be able to pass on those lighthearted vibes and creative stories to uplift others. There are many talents out there from painters to architects and filmmakers to musicians, which I respect. To pinpoint names is hard as artistic definition and transformation are uniquely distinctive than the direct face value we see. Personally, I favor colors and shapes that offer a sense of simplicity with charm and playfulness. I enjoy abstract expressionists such as Mark Rothko and Wassily Kandinsky. I’m also fond of cubism that blends viewpoints and defy us to explore new realities, angles and flow of space. The mystery of surrealism intrigues me, with its humor and secret illusions, especially René Magritte. Even though Annie Leibovitz doesn’t consider herself a very technical photographer, I think she gracefully portraits the eloquent intimacy. I also appreciate Elliot Erwitt’s instinctive approach to city streets in black and white. How would you describe the art scene in your area? I’ve lived in five countries and so far travelled to 41+. My mindset is global and I try to travel often to tickle my senses. While being based in Shanghai I could absorb a vibrant contemporary art scene. I was particularly curious about the emerging and thought-provoking Chinese artists pushing their boundaries. Today art districts, galleries and fairs have become a world-class playground for collectors and admirers. When I’m not working elsewhere I’m in Helsingborg, a beautiful seaside town in Sweden. The art backdrop embodies a much smaller size but still offers spotlight on mural paintings and cultural center with modern exhibitions. The outburst of green urban projects and art installations has cheerfully enlightened public spaces and beach walks. Alternatively, embrace Copenhagen about an hour train ride away, which calls for another entertaining venue and characteristics of the Scandinavian arts and design spectrum.

What’s the best art tip you’ve ever received? Over the years, I’ve experimented, listened and gathered feedback. They are not specifically art advice but related to boost confidence, detox the mind and get the creative juices flowing. Well, lots of things are easier said than done. But in moments of struggle and trials, try to dive back in, harness the good energy and reshuﬄe your thoughts. “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are” Anaïs Nin. So what made you start creating in the first place? You probably had something to tell right and knew it was worthy enough to share - reconnect with that vision and let it roll you forward. Photography has encouraged me to adjust focus and see the world from different angles and interesting perspectives and as a result show how other people can too. Just being you is priceless and already the best gift to the world, infuse your artistic magic and pass it on. You cannot avoid judgment; people either like your creations or they don’t. “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time” Thomas Merton. Since art is an expression of your personal emotions, not everyone will resonate with your visual language. Honor your value. Your heart and soul have an opinion, so stay honest to those feelings and moods. To me, photography is both art and science, and not the search of one answer but the enabling of options. With the right timing I believe all puzzle pieces will fall into place and your work will give meaning to the right audience and to the people just like you. What are your future plans as an artist? Continue to create, learn and inspire. I’ve always been curious about the world. To experience new cultures and landscapes are important in expanding my photographic series and portfolio. I want to keep strengthening my visual aesthetic and when travelling I can stay fresh, nurtured and fine-tune. Step by step I would like to gain recognition for my work, being a tool to connect people worldwide, invite conversations and ultimately sprinkle meaningful difference. Whether my photography is framed in someone’s home, on more shows, art gallery walls, printed in a book or to support for good cause - there are endless possibilities how things could go. Along the route, stay healthy and feeling good about the things I do and hopefully the rest will come. I imagine being positively surprised.

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Yami International France

Yami International is an Abtsract Paint & Photographer. Former Shorty Awards Finalist in Artist she aims to make abstract art approchable to everyone. She works on an abstract book serie, featuring her art (paintings & photographs), Issue N°1 is already out & Issue N°2 is on its way! She’s working hard to be the most well-known female abstract painter & photographer of her generation and she’s building her own reputation as an artist without the help of galleries owners or curators.

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Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I’m 24. I’m French. I’m an abstract painter and photographer. I also study gynecology and obstetrics in France. My dad is a physics and math teacher and my mom is a fashion designer. I have a big family. I have four siblings. I’m the oldest. I grew up in a dichotomy environment where science and art form a whole. My dad comes from a very scientific background. He taught my siblings and I to be super cartesian. Science was the first love of my life (physics to be more precise) and my dad would always encourage us to have a logical mindset by teaching us, inter alia, how to play chess or by challenging us to solve mathematical problems. (for the record I major in further mathematics in high school) My mom, on the other hand, worked in the art field; in the fashion business exactly. She was the one who enlightened us to be the most creative kids ever. She is the one who gave me the love of literature. I remember after school she would bring us directly to the library and we would spend hours there until the library closed. During my spare time, I would either read, write stories, make art or create gadgets as I wanted to become a spy when I was a kid. So that’s no surprise that I found that science and art are pretty similar. To me, they both promote creativeness and that’s why I found myself in both. I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember. I’ve been painting and photographing since I was a kid. Actually, I was my family photographer. They acknowledged I was the best at taking pictures in my family. That’s why I’m not in most of my family pictures as I was the one photographing, and that would sometime make me upset. I think my parents somehow influenced the relationship I have with art. In fact, I do really believe that my parents guided me to art by the way they raised me. With them, there were no limitations, no boundaries, stereotypes didn’t not exist. They made me feel completely limitless. My parents would never set any forms of limitations. There was only one rule: Always do as you please and never harm /hurt people nor yourself. My parents always taught me to only rely on myself and God, and to never be influenced by anything or anyone. They made sure that the freedom to be genu-

inely myself will stay with me not only during my teenage years but also during my adulthood. I remember My dad would always tell me when I was afraid to lose a friend for some reasons or to make a bad first impression, “Yami if people like you it’s great, if they don’t it’s even better, you don’t need to be loved by jerks”. Having an education that molded me to be as carefree as possible led me to fall in love with art. Carefreeness is a form of freedom and I believe Art is Freedom itself. Art cannot exist if there’s any type of limitations or censorships. My art is like me; genuine. My work reflects independence, carefreeness and my photographs, minimalism. What is the most challenging part of being an artist? The most challenging part of being an artist is to be 100% genuine and the most authentic version of yourself. I believe true artists don’t make art to please people or to create something beautiful. Artists create to deliver a message or to share their perceptions of the world. And in order to do that, you must be true to yourself. You must embody the veritable genuine version of yourself. When I create art, my goal is to pour my

emotions and soul into my paintings in the most authentic ways. I want to share my emotions with people. I want to share how I perceive the world around me. I aim to be as honest and genuine as possible when I make art and it really doesn’t matter if people like my art or not, because I never seek approval, appreciation or any sort of validation. I just want to check if I am truly the most authentic version of myself. I want to be truly genuine not only with my art but in life in general. My goal is to make sure my feelings are rightly represented by the textures, the colors and the shapes my subconscious mind wants to use. So, I only use colors, technics I feel I should use and not because I think they might make my work look good afterwards. I don’t seek beauty. I seek the Truth. Name artists you’d like to be compared to. I’d like to be compared to Jackson Pollock and Andreas Gursky. I’m an abstract painter like Pollock and we almost have the same style when it comes to painting. But it is noticeable that my work is more colorful and have this touch of optimism than Pollock masterpieces don’t necessarily have. Talking about photography,

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Gursky and I don’t have the same photographing style because mine is way more abstract, but I wish I could be as popular as him as a photographer. As weird as it might sound, I create abstract art but my favorite art movement is Romanticism and my favorite artist of all time is Caspar David Fredrich. How would you describe the art scene in your area? I live in France, and I feel the art scene is a mixture of Contemporary Art and Neo-Renaissance, Baroque and Romanesque Art. You have that insight by looking at the architecture of our building for instance. In France most of the buildings in the center of cities were built in the middle age so if you wander there you’ll get to see different types of architecture; Renaissance, Baroque, Romanesque, Gothic…My favorite is Baroque. And, of course, in the middle of those vestige of History we have built modern and contemporary buildings. What’s the best art tip you’ve ever received? Actually, I’ve never received an art tip from anybody because I don’t know any artists around me. Most of my friends and family work in sciences or are entrepreneurs. But the best tips I’ve ever received come from listening my heart and my instinct. I’ve come to realize that in art as in life I should always do whatever I want, no matter what people will think about me or my actions. I should always do what I feel is right to me, and I should never let myself be influenced by anyone or anything because people’s opinions and decisions don’t represent who I am. Listening to others is betraying who I really am. So, to make sure that my art really reflects who I am and how

I feel, I always make sure that I’m totally alone when I make art. In fact, I lock myself in a room to be completely alone and not to be interrupted. When there’s nobody around there’s no judgement, nobody can comment or make me change my mind. Solitude makes us discover who we really are. We become truly ourselves without having any shame or any second thought. Art taught me the absolute definition of freedom and as I said, I consider Art as Freedom itself. What are your future plans as an artist? I have several plans. Short term plans, mid-term plans and long-term plans. My short-term plans are to create more art and to share it through an art book series. Thus, people who are not familiar with art can finally taste it and discover it. I believe books are the best medium to share a message. The first issue of my art book series is already out, the number 2 is on its ways!! I do really want to make art as mainstreamed as music or cinema. This is my mid-term goal. Nowadays people especially millennials are not connected to art anymore; at least not as much as the past generations. I think this is a shame as art is eye-opening. Art allows us to be more open-minded and we really need open-mindedness in our world today. Art helps us discover who we really are, by inter alia sparkling emotions in our hearts that sometimes we never felt before. Regarding my long-term plans, I’m working to become as popular as Picasso. I want to be the most well-known abstract artist of my generation. I aim to be the female combination of Andreas Gursky and Jackson Pollock if that makes sense.

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Joe Karlovec

Cuyahoga Falls, USA

There’s something hermetic about art galleries that I find fascinating. Often times, they are carefully insulated from the ebbs & flows of daily activities. Because of this, art spaces are sacred zones where a world of possibility is at play. Within this context, I’m interested in the consciousness of the materials I use and finding meaning in their innate imperfections. White walls, white paintings, and white sculptures, with soft glowing lights engage the ‘white cube’ of the gallery as an equal consideration in the work. The reduced color palette provides an almost sterile environment where upon closer examination colors, patterns, and materiality emerge serendipitously. Surface, substrate, and context frame the psyche of each object, developed through carefully constructed systems of visual abstraction. Each painting holds tension between dense physical surfaces and smooth graphic imagery to provide meaning in the work. Spatial volumes and pictorial intensities both develop and dissolve the visual field. Sculptural forms emerge by impulsive action and impromptu manipulation of things like wood, fabric, foam, plastic, tape, paper, latex, caulking, joint compound, and even old clothing. The more history an object has, through cuts, tears, stains, distress, use, and overuse, the more compelling I find it to be. Peculiar forms of irregular, discarded materials, collected and accumulated, presented in such a way as to reveal the humanness of their own existence, illuminate the precarious nature of the objects themselves. Joe Karlovec is an interdisciplinary artist with a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and an MFA from Kent State University. His work has been exhibited in galleries from San Francisco, CA to Toronto, ON, Canada. He has won several exhibition awards throughout Ohio including Springfield Museum of Art, and has been featured in publications such as Studio Visit Magazine (Boston, MA), CreativPaper Magazine (Manchester, England, UK), and International Drawing Annual (Cincinnati, OH). In May 2018, his work will be exhibited at the Czong Institute of Contemporary Art (CICA Museum) in South Korea.

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Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. Uncertainty exists in all things, even in our own bodies and physical limitations. This realization was hard for me to ignore after I shattered my collarbone in a bike accident about five years ago. The recovery process was slow. For months I had to change my studio practice in order to make anything at all. I started drawing with my opposite hand and things became more fluid and gestural. Ultimately, this helped instill in me a deep focus on the consciousness of my materials I use, and finding ways to pull meaning out of their innate imperfections. Technique and process can only carry a work so far, but imperfections are inherently more compelling. I’ve come to realize that these extemporaneous methodologies for making present a more vulnerable experience for looking, and at times, a few lucid moments too. What is the most challenging part of being an artist? I’ve always wondered what it takes for an artist to develop a warehouse-sized studio with hired help to produce their work. I’m sure every story is different, but for every artist who has reached this level of economic stability and creative output, there are thousands who are working disinterested day jobs with not enough time or resources to make their work. Maintaining an active and ambitious studio practice is not easy, especially when so many things in life are pulling you away from that. Name artists you’d like to be compared to. Cordy Ryman is one of my favorite artists working today. In grad school at Kent State, our painting department visited his studio in New York. I was particularly interested in the way he spoke about the lifecycle of material objects, reclaiming and reusing materials from his old work to create new work that embraces the history of his own creation. When the work is removed from the gallery it loses it’s magic, and becomes usable raw material for a new project. My work has a similar conceptual framework. Inherent histories of preconceived art objects establish a visual language that is fluid and adaptable. Remnants of one provide groundwork for another. The more history an object has, the more compelling I find it to be. In working this way, the end result reveals empathy for the humanness of it’s own existence, illuminating the precarious nature of their objects themselves. How would you describe the art scene in your area? Palm Beach, FL is a city I just moved to, so I haven’t had a chance to really explore the art scene here enough to answer this in any meaningful way. I look forward to finding out though! I’m originally from Ohio, which is a great place to gain exposure as a young artist. It has many mid-sized cities with affordable living/studio spaces for emerging artists. Our mid-sized market provides an easier path to get to the center of the art world here, to gain notoriety and support from a tight knit community, which has definitely helped propel artists into the next level of their careers with opportunities in larger city around the country. Cleveland in particular has an exciting art scene. There has been a cultural renaissance here of late with many warehouse

studios, upstart galleries, and cultural institutions. In fact, this summer was the inaugural ‘Front International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art’, an exhibition that spans galleries, museums, and public spaces in cities all throughout northeast Ohio. It has not only helped create international exposure for Cleveland, but also provided exhibition opportunities for emerging artist in the region. What’s the best art tip you’ve ever received? Whether you’re in the studio, or in the gallery, to be lost means to be present. Whatever it is in that moment that holds your attention, is critical. You might not be able to immediately put it into words, but that sense of unknown or unknowable insight for the work is essential. You won’t always know what everyone’s artwork is about, but you do need to feel something directly from the work, that leads you to believe that the artwork has a purpose, that it is in fact about something. Every lost moment spent searching for that purpose is the essence of understanding art. What are your future plans as an artist? I am an artist, and also an art professional. I make artwork, but also work in art museums. This way when I carve out studio time during the workweek, I am not searching for motivation, because I am finding inspiration regularly within the industry I work. I’m also curious to see how my artwork might change or be influenced by living in a new region, climate, and culture. My primary focus at the moment is to find studio space to produce new paintings for several galleries I’ve been working with recently. I’ve made commitments for a few upcoming shows in the first quarter of 2019 that are top priority. What happens after that is to be determined, but I think I might focus on painting for a while.

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www.joekarlovec.com

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Hugh Kerr

Hobart, Australia

Hugh Kerr is a British born artist who lives in Hobart, Australia and works mainly with oil paint, pen and ink. His influences are drawn from a lifetime of varied experience, travelling widely and working as a geologist and environmental scientist in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. Of particular interest to him are politics, the mechanics of human society and our collective impact on the environment which he explores using allegories formed form subconscious imagery. His work is cerebral, politically aware and surreal. He has held a number of solo exhibitions in Tasmania since 2014 and has been involved in group shows in Australia and the UK.

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Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I was born in the north of England, but travelled a lot in my childhood with parents who worked overseas. As an adult I have also travelled widely through my own work and personal exploration. I didn’t start with the aim of becoming an artist. Although I enjoyed art at school I didn’t thrive artistically there and the focus of my studies led me into geology and environmental science. My professional life has therefore given me an analytical way of looking at the world, and an interest in science, nature, and particularly the environmental, social and political implications of human activity. I am mainly self-taught and, realising it was something for which I had a passion, I have spent the last 15 years evolving my own artistic style. This evolution took place in parallel with my environmental consultancy career and the development of my own political world view. With little in the way of spare time outside work and painting I did not network extensively in the art world and, combined with not having been to art school, this has made me something of an outsider, though not a resentful one. In 2010 I moved from London to Hobart, Tasmania in Australia. As well being a pivotal point in my life it has also been a key point in my artistic development. Here I have had access to professional tuition which has greatly developed my understanding of painting and drawing techniques, and I have also found a conducive atmosphere and the space to create a decent sized studio.

support a family. Much valuable time is therefore spent at the day job. I try my hardest to strike a balance and was extremely fortunate to be able recently to take 12 month sabbatical to focus on my art. This was one of the most rewarding periods of my life. In the past getting exposure has been a challenge. I knew there was an audience for my work as it appealed to some people, but competing for opportunities to exhibit was a struggle, particularly without the contacts or much time (or enthusiasm) for self-promotion. Two things helped this in particular. Firstly, the advent of the internet and social media has been a godsend as a means to share work with those who are interested. Secondly the realisation that self-funded shows were a valid (and commission free!) means of exhibiting and selling work has increased my audience and opened up lots of opportunities.

have gone about their work. Discovering Instagram has been opened my eyes to a myriad of astonishingly clever, inspiring artists. My art remains very introverted though and the influences I do have are subconscious ones. How would you describe the art scene in your area? Tasmania has an interesting arts scene. Historically it has been a centre for craft and landscape painting and, being an island, has been somewhat isolated from more contemporary art trends. However in recent decades, a strong art school and grass roots organisations has seen it diversify. The establishment of David Walsh’s extraordinary gallery ‘MONA’, around the time that I moved here, has revolutionised the art scene in Tasmania, attracting visitors from interstate and internationally. There are a number of excellent public arts centres including the fantastic Salamanca Arts Centre where I was privileged to hold my own recent solo show ‘Further notes of discord’ in May 2018. What’s the best art tip you’ve ever received?

What is the most challenging part of being an artist? For me none of the challenge of being an artist lies in the art itself. It’s true that technical improvement generally comes with hard work and practice and that putting together a show is demanding, but that’s not a problem when you love what you are doing. I used to say that I found talking about my work diﬃcult, but having a few exhibitions and exposure on social media has allowed me to interact with people about my work more, and these days I don’t mind discussing my work at length. What is always the challenge is the balance of time and money. It’s a tedious equation but sadly one the controls my artistic life. I sell more work these days, but sadly not for enough money to reliably

Name artists you’d like to be compared to. My favourites are a mix of 20th century artists from different eras and schools, in particular Giorgio Di Chirico, Otto Dix, Jeff rey Smart and Francis Bacon, though my life time favourite is probably the dark surrealism of Hieronymus Bosch. I still feel I am finding the essence of my own art, so it’s diﬃcult to know to whom I would want to be compared. I used to almost consciously keep a closed mind to other influences, because I felt that my work would be inauthentic if it didn’t come wholly from me. In recent years however, I have opened up a bit and am much more interested in how other artists

The best advice I’ve had has been to focus on my own inspiration and not try to second guess what an audience wants to see. In particular not to try and produce work that I think will sell. The times when I have been most conscious of the marketability of my work have been when it has most noticeably failed. Conversely, my best work has come when I was totally focused on expressing a particular point or overcoming a particular technical challenge. Work that I started out thinking was ‘ just for me’ because ‘no-one’s going to buy that in a million years’ has been really popular whereas ideas where I thought ‘oh they’ll love that!’ has tended to fall flat. What are your future plans as an artist? My aim is get to a point where I can focus on my creative projects for the majority of my time and I look forward to many future series’ of work where I can develop conceptually and technically. I have an exhibition of work on paper at Penny Contemporary gallery in Hobart in December 2018. After that, I am currently developing the ideas for a new series of paintings which I hope to work on in 2019. I would like to exhibit more widely in Australia or internationally if the opportunity arose, perhaps in the UK.

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Mario Loprete Catanzaro, Italy

My work focuses on research and documentation of the world of hip hop. This philosophy of life now is no longer relegated to just u.s.a. boundaries, but rather it can be found at any latitude. I use as a support of my new works the concrete, as I find it is the link between my project and hip hop. concrete as the Internet has cleared all geographical boundaries, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a material created by the ancient Romans, but today itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s modernity and contemporarity indicator.

Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you Paraphrasing a literary work by Luigi Pirandello, we are One, Nobody and One Hundred Thousand. In my life i have been called in many ways, but for everyone I would like to be simply: Mario. I have done many things and a thousand jobs, but art has always accompanied me in my daily life. As a child, even before I could read, I spent hours and hours with the Marvel and Topolino comics. With imagination I created extemporaneous dialogues between characters. On the wings of fantasy, I copied the comics on any paper support I had available and then stored them in a yellow folder closed with an elastic band. For everyone I was the little Mario, but when I placed the contents of the yellow folder neatly on the floor, I became: Mario, the artist. Artistically, I formed myself as a self-taught, studing the history of art and the great masters of art apsetically, without exsternal contaminations. I went to a art shop of a calabrian Master for six years, from which i learned a lot. Until 2002 , I strayed into Calabria in order to paint from the real, with the main objective of speeding up my hand and acquire the tecnique, fighting against time that changes lights and colors. Then I got aware that I missed something inside, I felt a void-like sensation. So at the age of 34 I decided to attend to The Academy of Fine Arts of Catanzaro, aware that if I wanted to give more thickness to my work i needed to confront my-

self with other artists, to share experiences and to search new goals. On February 2007 ,I finished the studies and I ended up enriched and very motivated. I think that formation is necessary for every profession, in art it is even more important. Ten people that study to become surgeons, when they finish their studies they will be better in their profession in mesure of how close they get to the achivements of the best of them. In art it’s different, you need to know and to know that you don’t know. An artist needs to be unique and to be as such he has to know the history of art and who preceded him. The will of doing it’s incredible. I get up in the morning and I want to paint. At night I go to sleep and I feel satisfied because I think that another day has passed, a day dedicated to the research of the strength in my work. I never wished to be a painter of the fashion of the moment. I strain myself to linger on the pictorial quality of contents. My art is always dedicated to who can recognize it. To who can see a message. To who sees my message. Art is bought for passion, for the pleasure, to invest. I like to think that who buys my works, also buys a temporal door and who wants to enter it, will be conducted in my world, in my way of doing art. It is not the man that chooses to be an artist, but it’s the art that possesses the person. When I find myself on the road, my brain automatically traces the prospective of what I see. I mix the colors on a virtual tablet, searching for the right shades. As soon as the painting takes form in me, the landscape already has already changed and I start yet again. This is what makes a man an artist. I travel a lot. The proximity to the international airport makes travels way easier. Every time I take a house in rent ,for a period of time at least of two weeks, in the european cities that could inspire my work and consolidate some work relationships with gallerists and collectors that i began on the internet The italian art system it’s doped of false auctions that make prices of unworthy arstists rise up and breaking the wings and the dreams of who lives art on his own skin in the most total economic discomfort. In front of this reality, the artists have only two possibilities: they can adjust to what the market and the artistic operators ask for, perverting their own way to make art, or they commit to find a work that will make them economically emancipated, but free to continue to take foward their personal art project. To travel . Travelling to enrich oneself culturally, absorbing the peculiarities of each nation is important for an artist who aspires to become an international artist. The sounds, the smells, the music, the architectures of the cities that you visit, get

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inside you and turn into tactile memory to be transferred to your work. The urban style is different based on the latitude in which we are at that time. I like being able to think of myself as a tea bag, which contains a mixture of different plants gathered around the world. Adding other experiences to those present, the result of my work changes, it’s enriched and becomes more cosmopolitan. At a certain point in my artistic career, despite having had some important acknowledgments, I felt that my work needed the Force. Travelling, visiting many cities and their suburbs, I understood the thing that unites Catanzaro, Berlin, London, Los Angeles or Vancouver: reinforced concrete. Cement is part of our everyday life at any latitude. At one point I had an electrocution: why not use reinforced concrete as a support for my work? It was that quid that was missing. The link between what I had done so far with what I had in mind. Concrete is a material created thousands of years ago by the Romans, but at the same time it is the contemporary material that most symbolizes Western industrialization and modernity. At every latitude it is used as a base for graﬃti writers to explode their creativity. Similarly, in using cement as a support for my paintings, it favors my desire to bring the city, the urban style, the modernity in the houses, in the galleries and in the museums ... and I think I succeeded For my concrete sculptures, I use preferably my personal clothes. The choice always falls in the garment that is able to tell my story,

those able to remember the most important occasions of my life that I shared with them. Like a photo album, I can only watch. Through artistic processes, in which I use plaster, resins and cement, I transform them into sculptures to hang. Emotions, memories, time are embedded inside, leaving the burden of their discovery to the curiosity of the user. The viewer observes and judges the work he views. The most attentive ones pose questions and the task of the artist is to give them answers. The concrete sculptures were born from my need to give continuity to my pictorial work. The clothes that a man wears are distinctive elements of modern man. The major brands of clothing have erased the geographical and anthropological borders. The only distinctive element that has remained is the presence of man inside the dress. Memories, DNA, remain within our clothes. By cementing the clothes, I transform the person who looks at the works into a sort of post-modern archaeologist who, studying urban archeology, finds the semantic and semiotic connotations of the person who wore them. Painting it’s the first love for me, the most important love of my life, pure and heavenly. Creating a portrait by looking at the subject a concept that I want to communicate is the basis of my painting. the sculpture is my lover, my “artistic betrayal” to painting. That voluptuous and sensual lover, that gives me different emotions, that touches prohibited ropes .... Alternating painting and sculpture, always communicating the same message, makes me a complete artist… What is the most challenging part of being an artist? I love to think that one of my paintings is a space-time window that connects me with who owns it. If we stop for a moment to think about the objects that compose and furnish our houses, if we give them a soul, what would be the result? My works hanging on the walls of collectors, live the familiar intimacy of the users, without filters, without reflectors. I like to be able to think that through my work I am a silent witness to their everyday life. The artist should never describe. my goal is to give the user the right key to reading my work. How I came to produce my art. Of its evolution. Art must communicate emotions and emotions are personal. I “photograph” my historical period and this is the commitment that an artist must have. Otherwise you risk being anachronistic using an obscure artistic language and even worse incomprehensible if you use a futuristic artistic language not usable by the mass. Art is and must be for all and not for a small circle of brains that conceptually see what in the artist’s mind was not in the least contemplated. My biggest wish is that in the future anyone, through the window of a bus, walking down the street, going to school, see a painted concrete wall or a B-Boy and ideally associate them with my work… this is the most challenging part of being an artist : the universal recognition of one’s work Name artists you’d like to be compared to. I would like to be compared to Mario Loprete, only to Mario Loprete. An artist must necessarily study the great masters, he must learn the techniques and make them his own. But then he must have the courage to experiment with new ones and adapt them to his

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artistic abilities. every artist aspires to the immortality of his work, emulating or copying that of others inexorably disfigures all his art. I work since I remember to deserve the name on a road, and I want to think that if one day I’ll have it because only for my stubbornness and fury in my artistic project ... How would you describe the art scene in your area? I live in Catanzaro, a small calabrian city in the south of Italy. It’s a beautiful place to live in. If geographycally it is a great place, it can’t be said the same from a cultural point of view. We are in the land that the ancient Greeks called “Magna Grecia”, rich of culture and history, but with a bad political administration of a sterile and incompetent rulling class that never wanted to take advantage of its huge potentialities. To say the truth, in the last years, something has moved, because some foward-looking entrepreneurs have comprehended the importance of the valorization of what history has given to us. In my city there are great artists, some of them recived the right aknowledgment, some will have it in the future, but almost all of them plod, they inevitably suffer from

the total absence of sells. That’s because Catanzaro it’s greedy with its sons. The collectors from Catanzaro buy a lot of contemporary art. They attend to art shows and nationa galleries, but the the artists that get supported by their shopping are not from Calabria. The collectors from Catanzaro have an awful conception of the local artists and prefer to invest elsewhere, this is unfortunatly the tragic photo in which i always lived in and immediatly urged me from the start to show my work somewhere else, where it gets judged for merit or demerit and not because it’s made from a “local artist”. What’s the best art tip you’ve ever received? I had so many tips from artist friends. the most important of all gave me one of my academy professors. it was a dark period, as I could not find the right strength in my works. He approached me and told me: do not be approximate in the execution, you must treat your work as Da Vinci and Michelangelo treated their works. only then can you expect respect and esteem from those who will observe your work…. turned on the light in my dark room and allowed me to see with different eyes everything I had done up to that moment. I was more determined and demanding ... and I still am

What are your future plans as an artist? My future exhibitions are : In september 2018 -Solo show in Atelier Carlo Tozzi in Amsterdam, curated by Carlo Tozzi. In April 2019 Solo show in Complesso Monumentale San Giovanni in Catanzaro with the collaboration of Ivan Cardamone. In September 2019 Solo Show in Reggia di Caserta, curated by Vincenzo Mazzarella. My personal plan is to continue to barter my art with travel. Spending money on buying travel is more or less within everyone’s reach. But to trade my works with collectors who give me in exchange the sensory experience of a trip is exceptional.When I paint the jobs that are destined for these projects I am happy. I work with the knowledge that I do not receive money in return, but the experience of visiting a new city and sharing this experience with my family. It is wonderful. If I could say something to everyone lectors of artrevealmagazine, I would say: Thanks to all the people who believed in me and who allowed me to have my own image on the cover of FORBES magazine on September 2068, which celebrates the 100 birthdays of the richest and most influential artist of the world

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Lopez Marcos Dublin, Ireland

I come to you all with my artwork to share my deep concern about how the whole world that we know is changing very quickly so deeply than the living things that usually inhabited it are not longer exist and others are about to disappear as well. Although this is just my personal warning to the rest of people, I want to shout them at the top of my lungs, THIS PLANET, OUR PLANET IS IN DANGER AND US AS A SPECIE WILL NOT SURVIVE WITHOUT IT.

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Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. According to my parents, when living in Switzerland, at the tender age of three, they caught me decorating their bedroom walls with a lot of drawings. It really was a spectacular beginning as an artist and also my first large scale work. Unfortunately, our landlord did not agree and my parents had to paint over all of my drawings, maybe I was too ambitiousâ&#x20AC;Ś or not. Since then, I have not stopped developing my talent as a multi-disciplinary artist. I feel really lucky for having that very special talent to be an ARTIST. Just a few people around the world got that gift and it would be a waste of talent to not take advantage of that. I have never taken any formal training in art because I have never needed it. My background as an artist was a result of studding multitude of books about art and practicing different art techniques for long time. That drove me to develop my skills as an artist. I have always thought that along with my innate talent, having lived in different countries and continents has given me the opportunity to experience very distinct cultures which have highly influenced my ability as an artist. I have been living and working around the world for long time, always in pursuit of knowing new worlds, to understand both, our planet and its inhabitants. My last stop was in the green Ireland where I settled in my home and my studio. It is a beautiful country, full of ancient traditions and legends. This is a multi-cultural country where tradition and modernity come together, sometimes as contraries and others as friends. What is the most challenging part of being an artist? Art is not an ordinary work at all, art is a passion that affects every single time in my whole life time. I have so many ideas in my mind that I would need two lifes in order to turn them into artworks. Honestly, my challenge is about my daily time limits. I have never enough time to create all pieces of art I would wish. As a practicioner artist I have to struggle to balance my time between family and art practice. I find working in my artwork as a real trance experience, beyond my own reality. It keeps me on my toes at every moment during the creation process, drives my mind into a torrential view of new images to create an outstanding artwork. At the same time, I need to have my feet on the ground to enjoy

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with my loved ones, far away from my art practice. Life itself is my inspiration, that is the reason why I travel throughout the globe looking for new ideas. It allows me to experience firsthand different people, traditions and cultures. Without doubt, this is the most important source of knowledge I work with. Once back in my studio, it is time to put in order all of that great deal of information I got from my last journey. Then, after some long hard working days, bit by bit, every experience I have lived, is turning into an artwork until the whole series is wrapped up. Name artists youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to be compared to. Without sounding boasful, I would like to be compared to some great contemporary masters. I do not state that just because their fame or economic situation, I would like to live time enough to reach their mastery of art practice. Having said that, just to name a few of those great masters, there would be the German living artist Gerhard Richter. He amazed me for his talent to evolve from socialist realism to abstraction. The other one would be the thought-provoking German living artist Anselm Kiefer. He showed me how to push the art boundaries and create an artwork beyond the single canvas. Finally, sadly passed-away, the great Spanish artist Antoni TĂĄpies. I learned from him that as an artist you should feel free to experiment

with so many materials as you want to carry out your artwork. How would you describe the art scene in your area? I have been so lucky to live and work throughout the world, from Europe to South Asia and from Oceania to America. It has been an exciting time to feel the differences between people and traditions. As an international artist, I found very passionate artists and art lovers throughout the globe. Some places are really isolated from the rest of the world, specially from the first world. Because of that, artist there find it quite diďŹ&#x192;cult to do their practice and earn a living with it. On the other hand, I met artist from rich countries where they have to compete with thousands of other fellow artists, in order to reach a great status in the quite selective contemporary art market. Wherever I have lived and worked as an artist, I found that art is one of the most hard practices and just a few artists are able to have success. In my experience, you have to gain skills, not just as an artist itself, but as an entrepreneur as well. The time when artists were working alone, in their isolated atelliers, is over. Today our world is a global world, actually a global market. We artists should be aware of that, to take advantage of this global art gallery. Not just to earn a living as an artist but to enjoy a happy life as a human being, and shape these experiences through art.

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What’s the best art tip you’ve ever received? “If you want to become a great master, you have to create a lot of works, as much as you can. Even when you are tired of doing it, do not stop creating.” I am not a great master yet, but every day I am closer to achieving it. What are your future plans as an artist? As a contemporary multi-disciplinary artist, I am very inquisitive about experimenting with new materials and mediums. That is the way to turn radical ideas into outstanding new creations. It was when living and traveling throughout South Asia, the ancient ceramic tradition developed there, really grabbed my attention. Time later, when living in Mexico, I was lucky of meeting Professor Alberto Diaz de Cossio, one of the most important Master Ceramicist in Latin America. Along with him, in his experimental ceramic workshop, I learned every single ceramic technique from handbuilding to chemistry, all necessary to make clays and glazes. Every piece of knowlege I learned there put myseft in the doorway to the endless ceramic world. It was hard work of experimentation, with different mediums and techniques in order to reach in each and every piece a WORK OF ART. Since then, I have created a big deal of pieces, and I have not stopped to experiment with new clays and glazes in order to drive my work forward with new creative ways. My last ceramic work entitled “ Unconventional ware “ it is a series based on porcelain, actually bone china. After nearly one year researching about different kinds of porcelain, I found the perfect ceramic material to work with and fitted for the main series concept. Each piece of ceramic is a profound reflection of what I saw, listened, smelled and felt when sailing the Far Eastern seas. I found myself walking over some of the most beautiful unspoilt beaches in Indonesia; breathtaking places full of rich colors, powerful fragrances and fascinating shapes. I sailed the rivers, lagoons and seas where every single living thing is an art work of the marine life. This new series of ceramic is not a conventional ceramic work, because the astonishing marine life I experienced drove my mind to push porcelain work boundaries beyond. It was hard work that began with a thoughtful research about porcelain and glaze chemistry to achieve the proper materials to make every ceramic piece. Finally, artist’s mind and hands got together to achieve in each and every ceramic piece a WORK OF ART. After creating this first porcelain series, I am working on my upcoming challenge to create a large-scale porcelain mural series, it really is a big challenge that takes up my hole mind!

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Tommaso Panzeri

Genova, Italy

STIMMUNG / MOOD works on paper | 2016 I reject the negative which is normally associated with the black color. I think that, more than white, it represents a space where gesture frees itself from any restraint or inhibition and fills, or empties depending on the circumstances, the distance between the real world and the one of the art piece: it is the transit between the darkness of oblivion and life. For this reason, it cannot be conceived other than a positive force after the silence of the soul. What is more, silence is a necessary step to reach a different level of experience, to enter an infinite conceptual space. Black is perceived as a bad omen, it is connected with mourning. wrongdoing, secret, to the feeling of a dark side, to censorship, to radical and insurmountable contrast. It is an absorbing whole, a transition without echoes. In fairness it is not different from the other colors, rather it is the only one that allows one to work with its various tints, without falling into pastel tones. A tint is more direct than a tone, it is stronger than the same color, it allows for more incisiveness, more clarity and at the same time lets one discover new perspectives. To be conscious of following a path that does not have a beginning or an end. To accept accidents as precious elements and fundamental elements of the making of a project that knows no limits. It is about compositions entirely based on the use of primary elements: there are audacious depths in a monochrome sheet of paper, apertures on fantastic thin geographies in which one has to let be lead from the paper itself, guided by a new network of points of reference, to be able to feel the extension and sense its vastness: sign, tint, the physicality of color are the scaffolding on which the creative process that, settling, takes the work to its completion. Removing color after having laid it is some sort of reverse printing with a similar intent and result. Working on pigment with the aim of letting speak the color that is left anchored to the paper or that detaches from it. The result is that of identifying the new dimension turn real into the track of texture and the casual gesture of a man in the act of making. My painting wants to eliminate any color references, blast the palette in favor of a single color, tantalizing and catalyst, black, which appears in a series of different colors only in relation to the amount of pigment that remains on the bottom surface at the pressure that it raises or leaves it, the only concrete action. The rest develops on the plane of ideas, exists only in thought; In this is a conceptual art, a score of light-not light, full-not full, timeless. Its uniqueness and the coexistence of two elaboration models: one almost sculptural, take off color, almost print, repetition as much as possible of the same composition and formal theme. It’s a purely tragic, overwhelming painting that does not offer a scam. It is the fist of a space full of the deep void, the prologue of a terrible solution. It’s a dark pause in silence.

completeness: every moment is completed only at the next instant. From here comes the feeling of nostalgia (Russian: ностальгия) of a near past, a place of certainty. So the nostalgia of a color that was there and that it is no longer, of a vacuum that has been filled, of the freedom of a concept lost in its concrete becoming. In this feeling of lack, a state of mind grows, which, if it was to limit the distance from the past, would be the prologue at the end. If, however, through distance and past, leads to the awareness of the present, dilate the space of the work; allows it to exist in a suspended time that we are asked to access to allow it to radiate the power that connects us to it, to make us find new references that will replace those that have always guided us. A power that emanates, even if it is not harvested. So that contempt of the arts, just as the appreciation, is the symbol of its valence, which works on men like it or not, accepted positively or negatively.

The choice of a medium such as paper is essential to allow the whole piece to find again the humility and honesty of a scratch quickly left to elaborate later The journey proceeds in different times and ways, and at the same time unique, as reflecting the unrepeatable characteristic of human experience. Every moment is unicum, does not rest, does not return, is definitive. Every moment stands out for its intrinsic

Striking contrasts; the one between the calm and primitive harmony of the composition and the revolutionary howl shouted from the barricades all over Europe. Then the one with the incumbent theme of serial the repetition of content and banal gesture which breaks into the making of the art at the time and that will impress a fundamental turn in the way we perceive and live an artistic journey.

Emotion, either irritation or pleasure, is the tangible evidence of the work of an art piece. Various interpretations blossom at this point on the opportunity of a scope for art, or about its independence from a specific meaning; to want an art that ”signifies” meets the prerogative need of the viewer that does not concede to the conceptual limbo where any characteristic note becomes its opposite or presents countless alternatives. Color follows the paper and lets itself be guided through the labyrinth of its texture; black makes for a more incisive path. Dark shadows exalt the roughness of the background and force us to a low flight that enters the thin space settled between fields layered or removed. The experience of a work of art is all in the reader’s willingness to let go of the discovery of a new dimension of perception, to cross the thresholds that we see but that we do not dare to cross. Art, any kind of art is the liberation from subjection to the banality of our everyday life; banality no longer understood as negative quality but as an essential part of our moods. Stimmung (K. Stockhausen, 1968) “Stimmung” (intonation) is a composition for amplified voice characterized by a mathematical strictness as far as the musical elements are concerned and total freedom in the choice of the spoken content. Namely, while S. fixes rigorously tone, harmonics, and rhythm of the 51 moments, singers are free to use words of their choice. Similarly to Feldman way that, while he indicates the tonalities to be utilized through graphic symbols rather than musical scores, lets the player the choice of the length of the notes, for as long as he can hold it. In this way, every performance becomes a unique event, unrepeatable.

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Tell us a bit about your background and how that influences you. I don’t have a particular background, I am just an ordinary guy. I never had any specific training in the arts. One thing I know is that I was never forced to adopt any specific “expression mode”¸ since my early days I have been very free to let my inner self to come out, even though I can’t say I am the great communicator and was never good at conveying my own feelings and ideas. Not having followed any school helped me in developing a genuine interest in the arts, not biased by oﬃcial teachings. Free to sail at random between countless references and left free to fall off the cliffs of the ‘acceptable’ world into the realm of the indefinite chance, my act kept mutating and still is. What is the most challenging part of being an artist. To keep adjusting and questioning your own. I guess one should be to question his own work until the exhaustion of every possible alternative, which is impossible as after any gesture there is the next one that opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Name artists you would like to be compared to. I don’t particularly fancy being compared with other artists. There have been various famous and non-famous artists each one a master in his own rights. I do like to confront with someone else work only if can share where we are going to on if I am able to see how to develop further. I suppose the real challenge is to constantly be on the edge between being comfortable and uncomfortable, to always be a bit out of your depths. How would you describe the art scene in your area. I am not really in touch with the local so-called ‘art scene’ I tried a couple of times to get close and connect to the stage but all I could see was abundant monies and the

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complete lack of the capacity to articulate a thought, if not to show off one’s knowledge and wealth. Having said I think it is fair to pay some tribute to those willing to bet on someone’s work and support the living artists. What is best art tip you ever had. I met a painter once, a great artist whose work I never get tired to be in contact with. We only met on four different occasions over a six years period of time. He never gave me any piece of advice; which is by far the best advice I ever expected to receive. Trying to give someone an advice means judging first and I am not here to judge anyone: I don’t have the capacity nor I have the willingness to judge anyone and his own work. I only ‘relate’ with others, and welcome those willing to relate with me, with whom I am connecting with. This no judging, this is a team working to see the light of the best of the possible works. (paraphrasing Dr. Pangloss in Candide, Voltaire). What are your future plans as an artist. For the very same reason I don’t judge, I don’t have any plans for my future. Honestly, I really hate planning for the future in advance. Which, in a way, is dangerous as it leaves me open to very low lows in terms of connection with real life. But the fact is, I don’t wish to set any limits or boundaries or fix any targets to reach: I believe art is a nomadic experience that knows no planning or barriers or anything that can lock it into stereotypes and very suitable labels.

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Brandy Saturley Victoria, Canada

Known as the painter of ‘Canadianisms’, the Symbolic paintings of Canadian artist Brandy Saturley bear more affinity to the American Precisionists and Magic Realism than to photo realism. Saturley’s approach to painting is figurative and relies on the use of bold colour, symbolism, and a re-organizing of the elements of the landscape; creating a unique expression about our relationship to the land and culture of the time. A prolific Canadian painter and photographer, Saturley has built her art career through exploring relationships both in and outside of the traditional Art Business. Saturley’s work has been featured in numerous publications, websites and blogs including; CBC Arts, Forbes, Our Canada, More Our Canada, Emboss Magazine, Galleries West Magazine, Visual Overture Magazine, Art Avenue Magazine, Victoria Times-Colonist, Okotoks Western Wheel , Sherwood Park News, Canmore Leader News, Monday Magazine, A-Channel News, CHEK 6 TV Island 30, CityTV Vancouver, Sportsnet, and in many Canadian blogs including AllHabs Magazine, Canadian Art Junkie, Puckstruck, Dennis-Kane.com, Independent Sports News, Curry’s Canada, Life As Human, and a Portrait of the Visual Arts in Canada. Saturley’s self-published works and portfolio are on file with ARTEXTE in Montreal, Canada.

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What is the most challenging part of being an artist? Being an artist is easy, building a professional career is the challenge and thanks to my eclectic background in and outside of the Art Business, I came into this career better prepared than most artists I have met over my years in the industry. It’s a contradictory business, in that you must be structured in your business and with your production schedule, but you must also remain fluid and be able to react to the needs of your clients and the industry, at a moment’s notice. You must also have time to freely create, and develop new work, which is often very un-structured. I am constantly working, whether I am in or out of the studio and this can be challenging to express to people outside my industry. It’s not a 9-5 job or business, yet I keep a structured studio schedule where I do my core work from 9-5. You must absolutely LOVE every facet of the business to be successful in this career, it’s not only about making art. Name artists you’d like to be compared to.

Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I grew up on the western-most point in Canada (Victoria BC), on Vancouver Island. I was raised with a great respect for nature and the wilderness and enjoyed many adventurous hikes and time on the ocean, from a very young age. My background in the Arts is broad and includes the Motion Picture Arts – Cinema; as well as Fashion Design, Graphic Arts, Illustration, Photography, Scriptwriting, Art History and contemporary painting. My grandmother painted, and my mother is an artist and through their influence I began making art daily at a very young age. Art is in my blood. My time in the Film Industry and my love of cinema has influenced my way of working in the studio as many of my paintings and series of paintings carry a narrative confluence. My approach to painting is figurative and relies on the use of bold colour, symbolism, and a re-organizing of the elements of the landscape; creating a unique expression about our relationship to the land and culture of the time. I am the, ‘Voice of Canadian Pop Art’ (Whitehot Magazine NYC). My work has been featured in Forbes, Readers Digest Our Canada, on Billboard’s in Times Square in New York City and at Art Fairs such as Scope Miami. I am a Professional Artist, meaning it is my full-time business and career and has been for over 12 years now. My preferred medium is traditional painting on canvas, my photography primarily supports my work as a painter providing my own reference material from my extensive travels. My background also includes; publishing industry, interior design, web design, and Internet.

I wouldn’t like to be compared to any artist but myself, though there are artists that have inspired my work and informed my learning over the years including; Georgia O’Keeffe, Alex Colville, Lawren Harris, Prudence Heward, Grant Wood and Edward Hopper. How would you describe the art scene in your area? The art scene on Vancouver Island is eclectic. In private galleries you will see a lot of landscape paintings, abstracts and Indigenous art. In the Artist-Run Galleries and the independent scene you will see a variety of contemporary work including surrealism, figurative and narrative-based works. There are also two major juried shows that happen each year; the Sidney Fine Arts Show and the Sooke Fine Arts show, running more than 40 years combined, these shows offer the widest variety of what is available on Vancouver Island. The Arts community on Vancouver Island is a tight-knit community and offers something for everyone. What’s the best art tip you’ve ever received? My best advice to young artists: Stay the path, be patient and get a good accountant or learn bookkeeping. Best advice I received: If you want to make money paint landscapes, if you want to make art, stay the path. Staying the path is more diﬃcult, but hard work always pays dividends. What are your future plans as an artist? Continue making great art, unique paintings that tell stories and hang in museum collections. Continue selling original art, further expanding beyond the Canadian market. Exploring new partnerships in art licensing. Finding a dealer who I can partner with to take my art global.

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Catherine Eaton Skinner Santa Fe, USA

Skinner’s work has a depth of layers that matches her need to allow a work be beautiful, as well as spiritual. She moves from the simplicity of tantric forms to the complications of grids and multiplicity. Birds move amongst her trees that stretch tall, marking the energy between sky and earth. The five elements – earth, fire, water, air and space - come into play in the actual physicality of her media: beeswax, resin, and oil; stones and metals; lead sheeting, precious metals; cast glass and bronze; textiles and natural dyes; collected old book pages and handmade Himalayan papers. Skinner’s series give expression to her journeys through many cultures over the years. From ancient time forward, people have journeyed to sacred places; Skinner writes, “We live in a world where it may be difficult to feel a part of the whole, but we continue trying to find ways to connect to place and to each other. By leaving offerings of our own, we connect not only with those who have come before us, but also to those pilgrims yet to come.” Catherine Eaton Skinner grew up in the Pacific Northwest surrounded by the fresh and salt waters, majestic mountains, and old growth forests. She received her BA in Biology from Stanford University while simultaneously studying painting with Bay Area Figurative painters Nathan Oliveira and Frank Lobdell. Working 20 years as a biological illustrator, Skinner specialized in the ecological integration of marine invertebrates and algae of the Pacific Coast. She presently divides her time between her studios in Seattle and Santa Fe, working as a multidisciplinary artist: painting, encaustic, photography, printmaking and sculpture.

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Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. I grew up in the Northwest of the United States with fresh water lakes and the Puget Sound between multiple mountain ranges. Our parents surrounded us with Northwest Art and encouraged our creativity. As a young child, I picked up my first crayon and continually drew. My sister and I were close in age and we both became artists. My career as a professional artist began at Stanford University, illustrating for the Biology Department, while getting my bachelor’s degree. The San Francisco Bay Area Figurative Movement was in full force at that time; this was influential when I took art classes in-between my pre-med schedule. In my drawing class with Frank Lobdell we used sumiink, bamboo pen and brush. I still use this medium, investigating calligraphy and loving large loose brushes. I also acquired a love of mark-making with graphite on Mylar. Painting class was oil on canvas with Nathan Oliveira. Acrylic paints were newly available on the market, but not allowed in class. After graduation, marriage, and a year as a VISTA volunteer in Atlanta, Georgia, I moved to San Juan Island, Washington. We built our home, grew our own food for three children and had various farm animals. I learned to spin my sheep’s wool and use natural dyes for coloring; I then wove textiles and knit. My illustration concentrated on marine invertebrates and algae for field guides, books, graphics and research papers. I began to exhibit my watercolor and ink nature drawings on and off island. At that time, I was fitting in weekend art workshops. In my mid-thirties, after an amicable divorce, I remarried. We built and operated a farm and garden store called Haymakers Mercantile for five years. When we moved to Seattle in 1990, I returned to oil painting on canvas - exploring color and texture, the simplicity and complications of abstraction after the years of using precise ink drawing. I continued showing with Waterworks Gallery on San Juan Island, as well as exhibiting at Woodside-Braseth Gallery in Seattle. Both my husband and I became involved in Seattle’s theater, museum and arts organizations. Two residencies at the Santa Fe Art Institute, the first reconnecting with Nathan Oliveira and a later residency with Anne Truitt, led to my love of Santa Fe. My cast glass and bronze work developed out of the Pilchuck Glass School residencies and Pratt Fine Art classes. I learned monotype printmaking from a valued friend and instructor Ron Pokrasso in Santa Fe. For many years, I have been a full-time, multidisciplinary artist, usually working conceptually in series. My different media cross-pollinate: beeswax, resin and oil; stones and wood; lead sheeting, wire and precious metals; textiles and natural dyes; found objects; old book pages and collected papers; and cast glass and bronze. Self-taught in the encaustic process, I have been working in the medium for over 20 years. The transparent layers are built up, erased, scraped, fused and layered, balancing the elements of the work “under fire.” What develops is a seeming fragility and presence of the components within a durable, lasting medium. Fortunately, I have been able to travel extensively: Bhutan, India, Japan, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Southern Hemisphere, Africa and many European countries. My travel, photography skills, book-making and journaling all complement my portfolio of images and connections to various cultures and times. The constant thread in my work is the elemental archetypes of the physical and cosmic world: water, ether, earth, fire, wind and woods. The animal world is expressed in my paintings of animal eyes that have been reproduced in my book Unleashed, published by the Woodland Park Zoo and University of Washington Press. I am attracted to places of worship and natural sites where people have gathered in pilgrimage or simply to seek a deeper relationship to locations of metaphysical power. What offerings do they bring and leave behind to indicate their

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presence? Our cultural memory lies within the physicality of place and its historical meanings. We live in a world where it may be diﬃcult to feel a part of the whole and ultimately we try to bond with each other through our time spent in these locations. Investigating these patterns and sacred spaces has become my connection with different cultures. In the deep woods of Bhutan, burgundy threads are placed upon a branch at the confluence of pathways. Torn from the hem of a monk’s robe on the pilgrimage to the mountain temple, these threads have been tied as an offering to guardians of the earth. Prayer flags are wrapped in the trees and up wooden poles, twisted and tattered from the fierce winds on a Himalayan pass, sending prayers continually into the sky. In Japan, a stone, paper fortune, or beautifully prepared bundle of rice is left as an offering. An ancient Jewish synagogue in Tunisia has thousands of prayers written on paper and placed in metal grills high on the inner sanctuary wall. As witnessed on the chain link fences surrounding the World Trade Center in New York City, the heartbreak of notes, ribbons and photos are placed to mark the loss and horrors of our current American culture. After traveling to Bhutan 15 years ago, my work began a deep investigation of the symbolic number 108, rich in arithmetical power and numerological symbolism associated with Eastern religion and philosophy. The use of repetition and primal, tantric forms emphasizes pattern as a mantra. My book entitled 108 was published by Radius Books of Santa Fe and printed in Verona, Italy; it explores the progression of my exploration of the symbolism over 14 years, as seen mainly in my series Marking Sacred, Marking Code and Marking Space. What is the most challenging part of being an artist? The mission is to “do the work.” Staying focused requires being present in the studio. Each piece represents a private pilgrimage, a personal truth. When the dialog between myself and the work is complete, it must be released, the power within the work becoming the magnet for others. Feedback is necessary, but sometimes distracting. Anne Truitt described vulnerability as the guardian of integrity. Name artists you admire? I admire Morris Graves, Montien Boonma and Wolfgang Laib for their relationships with nature, simplicity and their expression following Eastern philosophies; Gerhard Richter for his ability to keep breaking code, not staying with what is expected; Picasso for working in any medium that his art demanded; Anne Truitt for her steadfast career and writing amidst family demands and the art world’s criticism; Nathan Oliveira for his love of paint, texture and understanding of the space created within the four sides of the canvas; and Cy Twombly for his love of line and asemic writing. How would you describe the art scene in your area? Seattle is a growing economy with an increasing international art market, great museums and galleries. I have worked and exhibited in the Northwest for many years and have collectors who have followed my explorations and acquired multiple works. It is sometimes a challenge in Seattle, as anywhere, to get the younger population interested in attending gallery exhibitions since they are drawn to social media. Santa Fe, where I live part of the year,

has a thriving art scene with a broad spectrum from ethnographic work to contemporary art. My studio here is relatively quiet, which is more conducive to writing and developing new concepts. What’s the best art tip you’ve ever received? Just do the work. Your memories are important to incubate as your own. Hold on deeply to your ideas until they are resolved and brought forth into some physical form. What are your future plans as an artist? I would like to work on a museum exhibition that curates my published book 108 and collaborate with Radius Books on another book - a synthesis of my poetry, new work and photography. Maintaining balance is required as I aspire to be the Jungian archetype of a wise old woman in a world out of my control. a certain time of day when the wind holds its breath when the grass lies still bathed in red light blue shadow burrowing below dark roots of memory over quiet hills through leaden skies on the whispering wings of black birds the wind exhales the grass begins to stir waiting curious changed I come home

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Timka SzĂľke Budapest, Hungary

I had always of various surrealistic ideas, tales, legends, mythologies. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m always open to new things, experimenting, I like to acquire new knowledge that I can combine in my works. When I studied lead glass design, it helped a lot in knowing this profession for the birth of a variety of new ideas. I made several stained glasses style pictures, because the beauty of this art industry was very impressed. I find it stunning as these solid, fragile, thin materials form a particular scene or figure, and the light thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s filtered through it makes it magical. My versatility unfold in illustration, lead glass design and photography. My artworks are inspired by the antique art trends, most notably Renaissance, Expressionism, Baroque, Symbolism and Art Noveaou in addition the comics. I like to combine old styles with new trends. My characters carry a natural, special beauty. I love to display the facial mimicry that I spice with natural charm in my works. Because the grimace is special in every face, which tells playfulness, shyness and honesty about their owners, therefore I like to use my some pictures. I work in pop surrealistic style. The classic, natural beauty characterizes the characters of my artworks.

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Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. Since I’ve always been in my mind I have always been fascinated by art. I inherited this from my parents because my mother was a jewel designer, my father, though he was a jurist, as long as he had time for him to draw all the time and make sculptures. He was a versatile man, but he was able to express himself with art really. My mom is also a brilliant personality, with

ideas and talents. She always helped me a lot in my career, always encouraged me and to this day my best friend. Maybe I was 3-4 years old when my mom first brought me to a museum. As I recall, I always looked at the more beautiful artwork with great admiration; paintings, sculptures, small sculptures. Practically every week we went to the National Gallery, then to the Museum of Fine Arts, the Palace of Art and the National Museum. I enjoyed it better than anything else.

As a kid, it was an experience I had been walking for a few hours in a giant alive storybook. At home, besides the story books, I was also a big fan of art albums with my brother, who is also an artist. I loved books and storybooks to look at illustrations and gave an insight into that story. I loved it and it’s still so far. Greatly influenced this my early drawing worship. I was constantly drawing. I drawing everything full of different fairy-tale figures. Although I liked too reading as a child, I was interested in science and history, but still the works of fine art were most impressive to me. Ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman art, Renaissance, Baroque, Expressionism and Art Nouveau. The 19th century Hungarian artists were my friends. Budapest, where I was born the collection of classical art. They are both architecturally and artistically fascinating cities. Extremely complex and captivating, there are always interesting discoveries. Not only the museums but also the statues of the city itself have amazed me in the world of my life. So this all played a part in making my passion become my “vocation.” What is the most challenging part of being an artist? This is a long process. It is indispensable for determination, endurance, patience and passion to do this. Art is an ever-evolving thing, we can never think that “this is the perfect, nothing can ever be better”. Because there is always something to learn, there is always where to develop. If you are really interested in any form of art to deal with it all your life, you really have to invest all your energy to realize your ideas. Firstly, there is some basis for building with many exercises and knowledge in addition to talent. It is a “profession” that is not a standard work. We deal with this thing in our leisure time, practically our job is our hobbies. I think this is very important to have a specific idea of the issues to be elaborated. So let’s have the whole visual plan in our heads so that it’s easy to make. Without idea and inspiration, it is almost impossible to create anything. Unfortunately, it is not all whether there is some support behind the man, some help that can enable us to deal with it. Whether it is mental help, for example, some encouragement, to be faithful to our ideas. For me, one of the great challenges at time

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is to fight with myself, because there are times when people are doubtful, there is often disorientation and dissatisfaction. “Will this be so good? Does this make sense?” These are obstacles to the other problems with which it is not easy to cope, but unfortunately is inevitable. Typically human qualities, but if we move on and be sure we can really overcome any obstacles. Context of art is continuous self-discernment. It is a long, diﬃcult, barrier to the road to recognition. Of course, this word is relative to recognition. For me, it is a recognition that I am satisfied with myself. I am quite a maximalist, so I always strictly criticize my own work and always encourage myself. But, of course, the best thing to do when my pictures are affecting people or just having fun in them, they like them. I love falling in one picture of me, I love the tiny details, the elements that make the scene alive. Name artists you’d like to be compared to. I love the work of many artists. I like figurative art depiction, works of real artists in the realist style. Among Hungarian painters Mihály Munkácsy, Miklós Barabás, Soma Petrich Orlay, Károly Lotz, Pál Szinyei Merse, Bertalan Székely, Viktor Madarász and Gyula Benczúr were among my favorites. Their pictures were completely captured by my childhood. Dynamic, dramatic and idyllic gestures are broadcast simultaneously with their light sophistication with the style of the era. It is simply never enough to discover the wonderful works of these artists. In terms of art history, Renaissance, Baroque, Expressionism, Symbolism, Art Nouveau, Pop-Art and Pop-Surrealism are the closest to me. This latter style is typical of my works - pop surreal. From contemporary artists, Takashi Murakami, Yuko Shimizu, Audrey Kawasaki, Enki Bilal, Tanino Liberatore and Nicola Verlato are most impressive. However, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli were always the greatest masters for me. But I can not say that I would like to compare at a single artist or even more artists. Of course, the style and the work of the artists I’ve listed have had a great impact on me. They gave me great impetus to begin with, I continue to develop and honestly adore them, but I strive to create and continue my own style. I just want to see my own world from every sin-

gle work. I think this is the most important thing for every artist. How would you describe the art scene in your area? In Budapest, the art world is quite flamboyant. Numerous exhibitions can be seen nationwide. We not only admire the works of the best-known classical artists in the Museums and Galleries, but also more contemporary exhibitions. Those

who starve at the culture I can recommend it to Budapest, because everyone can find a program of interest. The city in this respect (too) is an extremely versatile place. But not only Budapest, but also many other Hungarian cities play an important role in the artistic (cultural) aspect. Such as Pécs, Debrecen, Szentendre, Hollókő, Kecskemét, Tihany - just to name a few. And then I have not talked about folklore, which is very important. Folk art,

folk culture is the cradle of hungarian arts from applied arts to music. I am pleased to note that the emphasis is on presenting, highlighting and supporting the folk art of hungarians living in the country and across the border. Although Hungary is a small country, the hungarian people can boast a lot of outstanding talents from this point of view as well. However, in the truth, the hungarian audience is a much greater preference the antiques market than its contemporary artists market. From this point of view, the situation of hungarian artists is not simple, because unfortunately there is not a buyer audience within the country that is in abroad yes. Newer trends are less understood than classics. Of course, in some ways, it may even be understandable, as we are not a country with a large population and mixed-minded population like the United States or, for example, England where people are more receptive to innovations. Obviously, our historical background also plays a role. The demands here are others - and here I am thinking that it is less typical for a Hungarian art collector would do his vote on pop surrealism art, instead of it, if he can buy an art deco, realist or impressionist artwork. What’s the best art tip you’ve ever received? There were several of them. With one of these advice, one of my favorite teacher taught me that (when I was still a high school student), with a single tool - what was the graphite for me - how dramatic the depth of the image can be expressed, how much shade can it make. With a single “color” (if this is just black), how rich a shade can be created without using different hardness pencils. Furthermore, I also learned that nothing has the same texture in the drawing, because the shades are not the same on a graphic. The other good advice, which was more sentimental than technical, was in my college age the other counsel was given to me by my wise teacher when I felt that the waves had clashed over my head. He said that failure is the most important element of learning, a “power” that, which in the meantime consciously strengthens me, builds personality and develops me in a surprisingly positive way. This was a very helpful advice for me, and I would continue to give it to everyone on the basis of the experience. What are your future plans as an artist? The more working, to continue what I have done so far. Realizing countless ideas of my mind, to experiment with the materials, feel free to start new things. To do exhibitions and to further develop myself. Of course, I did not say much new stuff. I am designed to create several own comics and story books written and illustrated with my own story, and to produce different series of pictures. There are really many plans / perspectives in progress, it just have to start it.

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Gilles Tarabiscuité Montreal, Canada

Art historian by training (specializing in the history of collections in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, more precisely, on cabinets of curiosities), Gilles Tarabiscuité has worked for several years in the world of contemporary art (International Center of Contemporary Art of Montreal, Galerie du Centre in Saint-Lambert). His photographs have won several awards (Tokyo International Foto Awards 2017, Monochrome Awards 2017, PHOTO Magazine Competition 2017, etc.). Tarabiscuité lives and works in Montreal. He teaches multimedia and photography at Cégep Marie-Victorin in the graphic design department.

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Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you. Art historian by training (specializing in the history of collections in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, more precisely, on cabinets of curiosities), I have worked for several years in the world of contemporary art and this background has had and still have influence on my work. In short, I am largely influenced by the history of art. I am interested in the process of production and manufacture of the photographic image. My projects consist of photographic series representing the different stages of making an image-fiction. My work lies at the crossroads of several major trends in the history of photography: I practice the factual recording of the real (documentary photography approaching Straight Photography and the Neue Sachlichkeit), which I then integrate into a composite image (image-fiction). The results remain anchored in reality while constituting imitations of pure photography. In short, I divert so-called objective photographic elements toward a “tarabiscoté,” creating visually plausible results that capture the real in order to recreate an image that can be perceived as a “trace of what has been.” What is the most challenging part of being an artist? The most challenging part of being an artist is, in my opinion, accumulating what I call “Art Miles”. By that, I mean accumulating exhibitions, artist’ residencies and so on. You can do the most crea-

tive and original work in the world, if you do not have many Art Miles, the contemporary art system does not value your work. If you did not study in a well-known art school or do not have connections in the milieu, you have to do a lot of commercial canvassing to be able to break through. In her book “L’art contemporain” (« Que sais-je ? » n° 2671), Anne Cauquelin writes the following : It is the exhibition process that gives the meaning: “ Here is the world of the contemporary art “. The network displays its own message, so the public consumes the network and the network consumes itself. It is a process of self-consumption, and autoexhibition. I find her book relevant to understand the contemporary art world. Name artists you’d like to be compared to. I don’t think I deserve to be compared to any artists, especially the well-knowns. Regarding photography, I appreciate the work of Jeff Wall, Thomas Demand, Andreas Gursky, Philip-Lorca di Corcia, Sandy Scoglund, Joel Sternfeld, Ursula Sprecher & Andi Cortellini, Paolo Ventura, Julie Blackmon, Alex Prager, Joel Peter Witkin… All of them share a common characteristic: photography for them is an elaborate stage production. And for all of them, photography remains confined to the frame. While I really admire what they do, this latter aspect is what haunts me: how to break the frame of the photography picture, how to get

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out of the frame? Whithout falling completely into strictly formal abstraction or pure plastician photography, this is what I’m trying to explore with my work while keeping some aspects of the realistic photography. How would you describe the art scene in your area? To avoid commonplaces about the art scene in Montreal I prefer to cite a 2010 study by the Observatoire de la culture et des communications du Québec (OCCQ) about the visual art scene in Montreal. Here are the mainlines : In 2010, there are approximately 3,632 professional visual arts artists in Quebec, 60% of whom are women and 40% are men. The age distribution indicates that under-35s make up only 12% of the total number of visual artists. A substantial proportion of visual arts artists in Quebec (45%) works on the Island of Montreal. Interestingly, painting is still the most profitable discipline for merchants, accounting for 69% of the total amount of sales.

Then come the sculptures, which generate 14% of the sum of the sales and, then, the works on paper, that is 12%. In general, the study notice a weak tradition of marketing and commercializing, insecure jobs, administrative knowledge deficits, and a diﬃcult transition from graduation to the start of a career. Finally, last fact worthy of mention : only 5% of artists have a net creative income of $ 20,000 (canadian dollars) or more. In short, visual art in Montreal is certainly no gold mine. What’s the best art tip you’ve ever received? These ones, from Moritz Neumüller (a Barcelona-based curator, educator and writer in the field of Photography and New Media. He has worked for institutions such as MoMA New York, La Fábrica Madrid and PhotoIreland Festival) : 1. Some projects do not translate well into an online image gallery. If your project has a conceptual twist, or is quite dependent on contextual explanations, this could be

the reason that it was not considered. 2. Your statement was not straight to the point or poignant. If you think this could be your case, please have a look at tutorials, workshop and courses that help to write good artist / project statements. 3. Art is not a competition. Try to question yourself if what you are doing is really strong enough, in terms of imagery and content. What are your future plans as an artist? I’m passionate about photography and visual art. I just wish I could do this fulltime. I also have the project of opening an artist-run centre in my backyard for showing works of emerging artists. I own in Montreal what we call a ‘hangar’ in a ‘ruelle’ (alley) which is not used at all. I plan to convert it into a non-profit gallery. The little building has two storeys and is covered with climbing plants (ivy). The openings would take place directly in the ‘ruelle’, I think it would be very convivial. I will make an announcement in your magazine the day we’re ready to launch it...

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tarabiscuite.com

Neal Taylor

Evansville, USA

Follow the Spirit of an American Artist in the saga of life some walk some run some fly some just stand still whatever you do don’t stand still because that is the equivalent of failure in life the true winners are the losers that keep on trying Dr. Benjamin Jackson Taylor Dr. of Economics / Oklahoma University deceased Born November 15th in Evansville, Indiana, Neal Craig Taylor couldn’t walk until he was 4-years old, but he never stood still a day in his life. His Uncle’s philosophy is Taylor’s mantra. Needing leg braces and corrective shoes until the age of nine caused Taylor grief not only physically, but psychologically too. He knew he was different not only on the outside, but also on the inside. The will and desire to create art came early in his life, as well as other talents such as music and sports. Having to fight to walk, Taylor has grown into the man who will fight to create, in spite of ridicule or naysayers. Taylor is a 21st century artist, capturing in collage form the faces from Pop Culture. His portrait of music legend John Lennon has been used on Graphic Tees for Urban Outfitters, GUESS clothing and Vintage Melody the Classic Brand. He is currently in the process of more graphic tees and puzzles to be produced in the near future. Taylor is represented by Jane Solar, a Florida based Art Licensing Company who represents his artwork globally. A pair of sharp scissors, a glue stick, and a stack of magazines and books comprise Taylor’s art supplies. He meticulously cuts apart articles and advertising print from magazines into minute pieces. These pieces come together on white illustration board to create the images. But why does this artist do what he does sometimes for a solid 24-hours? And what is the day-to-day life of the artist who lives to create his collage art? Whether by hand or on his computer Taylor will work for hours non-stop. He will do a lot of research before making decisions. Decision-making plays a crucial part in Taylor’s art. Before the picture unfolds from Taylor’s steady hands, however, he must first draw the images on the board by hand. “I love to draw with just the line. Some of my sketches turn out so well that I don’t have the heart to cover it up with paper. Something new I have been working with is sketch art and the Feel No Pain design on zippo lighters is an example of this style.” said Taylor. However, after the initial drawing is constructed, the madness takes over, and like Edward Scissorhands, Taylor cuts, snips and clips away creating his palette. Gluing each piece of paper with a glue stick is a decision that builds the foundation for the next piece of paper until finally the work is completed. Before the art is finished, he will then detail the art by adding and hiding words that help tell the story of the art. And that says, Taylor, is the most important part - knowing when to stop. Taylor won’t stop for long though. “Too much time passes, and I have to be working on the next thing,” says Taylor. He won’t stand still.

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much in Seattle so he ended up in sunny Tucson, Arizona for 5 years. Afterwards, Taylor moved back to his hometown of Evansville, Indiana to be close to family and still lives there today. “I learned that it really doesn’t matter where I live, or what art scene is around me as I can create art anywhere and watch the images go around the world.”

My work is inspired through other artist’s lives. I’m inspired by people who have a story to tell,” said Taylor. “My Art heros are Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Francisco Goya, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Herring and Jackson Pollack. I also love to paint like Jackson Pollack. I was painting in his style in college back in the nineties before I even knew who Pollack was. Something about just controlling color with pouring paint and no brush is very satisfying. Working in all kinds of different art mediums is a great way to continue to grow and evolve as a fine artist.” As technology grew so did the artist. His experience as an Art Director/Designer/ Illustrator living in dynamic cities such as San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle and Tucson have developed his skills not only as an artist but a digital designer. He has been utilizing his photoshop design skills in designing puzzles for Ravensburger (Germany) puzzles with 2 available at Barnes & Noble. More puzzle designs are due to be released. Also acquired is several designs for zippo lighters by Brassworks currently sold in the USA. The artist also creates vector art in Illustrator designing logos and manipulating typography. He would call himself “addicted” to collage. The addiction began in high school, under the guidance of Evansville North High School Art teacher and caricature artist, Jon Siau, when Taylor created a portrait of New York Yankees’ first baseman, Don Mattingly, his former neighbor and home town hero. Taylor says he couldn’t wait until art class each day, to cut and paste together the words and images that would eventually create the face of Don Mattingly. Taylor then created a series of art called, “The Dead Superheros” where all the superheros die off, representing Taylor’s feelings of letting his childhood die out, all the fictitious, all the false hopes, gone, to let the reality of life, evolve. Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Hulk, to name some, saw their demise into childhood fantasy to make way for the reality of Taylor’s art to come. After finishing the superhero series, Taylor watched his Mother die from Cancer and was deeply affected by the loss. Overcoming adversity became a part of his makeup when dealing with life problems. His ability to overcome whatever

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life threw at him made him stronger and help grow as an artist. There never was an option to give up as Taylor was married to his work. The ability to overcome and find a way to get ahead in life was the reality the artist grew into. During this time his logo Follow the Spirit / Insane Artist was created and still used today. After the drama settled, Still, Taylor had to pay the bills. “People tend to think artist time and work are free. I feel that not until the artist’s name is branded, and people know your work, will the finances turn from out of the red and into the black.” From the time he graduated from Ball State University, Taylor has worked in art fields; illustrating children’s books, freelancing as a graphic designer, teaching graphic design at a junior college in San Antonio, designing advertising and leading the Art Department as Director for ad agencies, and illustrating advertising for Pepsi Cola, Rolling Rock, and Motorola, to name a few clients. His work was also represented nationally by Those 3 Reps in Dallas, Texas. At the turn of the century, however, Taylor decided to pursue his passion with earnest and without distractions. He left his advertising job in Austin and moved to Los Angeles. He worked with AVELA / Radio Days Licensing agency in San Diego and also as an Art Director in Advertising. Next, spent small amount of time back home in Indiana where he survived a house fire that destroyed a lot of his work, but he was lucky to be alive with police rescuing him before the ceiling collapsed. After the fire tragedy, he moved to Seattle. Rained too

When creating art by hand, Taylor is like a cougar stalking its prey, circling his newest collage, he makes mental notes about his subject, then at the right moment, he pounces into his work. Four hours later, millions of pieces of paper litter the floor of his downtown Art studio. Taylor’s footfalls cause scraps of paper to scatter like fallen autumn leaves. Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison portraits seem to watch their creator as he strides past. Stacks of mutilated magazines, manila folders titled: :skin color,” “hair color,” “blue,” “red” ..., and illustration boards with collages line Taylor’s path to his desk. Surrounding himself with his art, Taylor’s infrequent breaks from his work are inspirational, the art he’s captured in collage chiding him to continue in his creation. When working in Photoshop he lays in bed for hours in the comfort zone not moving, only his fingers on the keyboards controlling his art. He calls his style after his logo Follow the Spirit. Jumping into it and start creating controlling the art as decisions are made. And this is how the days goes every day for Taylor. Focus. Purpose. Creation. Determination. Until the day is done and finally he sleeps. But only a few hours of rest until his day begins again and he goes on creating. Inspiration builds upon inspiration. Etched into his mind and soul, his deceased uncle’s motivational words to never stand still inspire Taylor to work steadily, even in the face of loss, to become the man, the artist, he was born to be. His life started in casts and braces, unable to move or walk. But Taylor didn’t stand still. He has pursued his ambitions with a fighter’s spirit, shedding the casts on his feet that tried to keep him from moving and walking. Then, sloughing off society’s casts and judgements, Taylor ran. One day, Taylor will surely soar on eagle’s wings, his art the force behind his flight. He will keep on trying, counting the losses for gain. The remainder is history in the making.

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Talita Zaragoza

São Paulo, Brazil / Brooklyn, USA

In my work, I explore the relationship between men and the landscape. In a sense, I am trying to connect and dominate nature just like humankind has been doing ever since. However I see my engagement as paying homage and respect to the natural world. The mediums I have been mostly working with are drawing photography and video. While at first, these seem to be very different aesthetically from one another, one of the links between them could be the line and the other the perception of time spent. One can notice an obsession with the line. Making it, drawing it, or accentuating it. Another association is the relationship with time. Drawings that take a lot of time to create, but are inspired by mountains and volcanoes that take billions of years to form. Line after line, I am creating my own personal landscape. When photographing I am also drawing but on the landscape. Sometimes I actually act on it, leaving behind traces in order to create ephemeral interventions. But I also wonder and seek out organic patterns or natural lines that I then highlight for the viewer. Furthermore, I ultimately contemplate and explore the struggle between humans and nature and the perception of time. Talita Zaragoza was born in São Paulo, in 1985. The artist works mainly with drawings and photography, and recently also with installation. Since 2012, she leaves in New York, where was accepted to study at ICP – International Center for Photography on the General Studies course, focused on Fine Arts photography. Prior to that, she received her B.A. in Fine Arts and has a Master in Art History from FAAP – Fundação Alvares Penteado, in São Paulo Brazil. Zaragoza has shown her works in different cities, mainly in São Paulo and New York, like the Gallery Emma Thomas, at The International Center for Photography, SP Arte, MAB FAAP, The Hollows and Interventions 3. She attended two residencies in the United States. Lives and works in Brooklyn.

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Tell us a little about your background and how that influences you.

Long, Sol Lewitt, Andy Goldsworthy, Marcelo Moschetta, Cy Twombly, Julie Mehretu, just to name a few.

I come from a family of artists. My grandfather was a painter and art director in advertising. My father is an intellectual, publisher, and culture writer and my mom is a pop artist. So I grew up going to museums and art shows, vernissages, parties surrounded by artists; surely that led me to have an interest in art from an early age. Born and raised in Brazil, I was constantly immersed in nature. I can see today that this had a huge influence on my art research. Living in NYC now, I am constantly searching for the organic patterns found in nature, the stillness of a landscape or the rhythms of wind, fire, and water.

How would you describe the art scene in your area?

What is the most challenging part of being an artist? I guess it is battling with creativity and personal critique. Second guessing your practice or your research can become a self-boycott. Surely some critical thought and the search for growth are important but one must be careful not to let it block your practice. Having that in mind, I believe that being curious is fundamental. Going to exhibitions (not only art, but in history and science too), listening to music, reading, traveling, all of this combines to enlighten your work. Another important part is the financial one. It is important to find a balance between your practice in your studio and the time spent at a second job. As an emerging artist, this is super relevant to me. Name artists you’d like to be compared to. I would not say compared to, but surely I look up to Maya Lin, Lita Albuquerque, Andreas Eriksson, Giuseppe Penone, Richard

Well, the NYC art scene is effervescent and highly competitive. It is so lush. You have a huge variety – good things and bad things, commercial, independent, consecrated, social, intimate… I think it is the best place to be as an emerging artist. If you want to go to art openings every day you can. If you want to see a different art show every day, you can. That is all amazing, but can also be quite overwhelming. Like most things in life, you must find your own balance. What’s the best art tip you’ve ever received? To stay disciplined. To keep your persistence, studying, researching, curiosity, trying, making errors and trying again. To interrogate the way you look at things, exploring all possible angles and connections. What are your future plans as an artist? To travel more with my work and for my work. I really want to attend more residencies around the world in order to explore different landscapes and cultures. To further explore a relationship with ecological NGOs and organizations that are addressing climate change. I believe that is an important subject these days and can be addressed as an important subject matter. I would love to be financially at peace living only from my artwork production. I like working with other artists, but would be nice to have the whole week dedicated to my practice. And lastly, to create my own garden!

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