Spring 2018 "Best Of International Arts"

YEAR 2018 SPRING ISSUE www.arttourinternational.com

“Best Of International Arts"

Cover Story

Barbara Tyler Ahlfield

“A New Sense Of Style”

John Nieman “Private Lives”

On Our Back Cover

URSULA SCHREGEL “A Dash Of Color”

“

Helen Kagan

e Power Of Healing Arts”

“Kintsugi The Line Of Destiny”

Winner ”Best Documentary” & “Best First Time Director” Two Awards, And Counting!

“In Search Of Meaning” Acrylic On Canvas, 48"x36"

by Helen Kagan On exhibit now at the ArtTour International Booth #149 Art Expo New York

Artists from over forty countries together in New York to promote WORLD PEACE!

in collaboration with:

Broadway Housing Communities Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling presents:

"ATIM Top 60 Masters Create 4 Peace" Curated by International Art Personality, Artists, Writer, Activist, Editor-in-Chief of ArtTour International Magazine: Viviana Puello

SATURDAY

APRIL

28th 6:30 PM Rio Gallery Space 898 St Nicholas Ave New York, NY 10032

“Art is a powerful tool. Sharing your energy through artistic expression allows you to connect, move and inspire people around the world. I strongly believe in art as a vehicle to inspire lives to a renewed collective consciousness.” - Viviana Puello “Red Gypsy Fire” by Edgar Francisko

• ARGENTINA • AUSTRALIA • AUSTRIA • BELGIUM • BULGARIA • CANADA • CHILE • CHINA • COLOMBIA • DOMINICAN REPUBLIC • ECUADOR • • EGYPT • FRANCE • GEORGIA • GERMANY • INDIA • IRAQ • IRELAND • ISRAEL • ITALY • JAPAN • KENYA • MALDIVES • MONACO • • NORWAY • PORTUGAL • PUERTO RICO • ROMANIA • RUSSIA • SWEDEN • SWITZERLAND • UKRAINE • UNITED KINGDOM •

BestOfInternationalArts

®

Best Of International Arts

ArtTour International Exhibition

BOOTH #149 1 800 807 1167 info@arttourinternational @arttourinternational @arttourmagazine @AtimWebTv

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“Moonlight Daiquiri” Oil On Canvas, 60"x48"

by Barbara Tyler Ahlfield TM

TM

WEB T.V.

INTERVIEWS

A message from our Editor-in-Chief Dear Co-creators!

Welcome to Spring 2018, a brand new issue celebrating the diversity of artistic expression in a visually compelling package, brimming with vivid images as well as fantastic multimedia articles. I hope you enjoy our inspiring content.

This has been a very challenging issue to work on! Take the time to flip through the fantastic pages of this magazine and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Our team, collaborators, writers, and artists put forward their best effort to create this issue in the midst of what I would call the most "dynamic" time of the year. We are preparing for our ATIM Masters Award Ceremony to recognize the artists that we bring to you in this issue and preparing our next publication "ATIM Top 60 Masters."

Coordinating all of this has been exciting but is no easy endeavor. My adrenaline rush has not stopped since the beginning of the year when we started working on this project, and only keeps rising as we approach the big date of April 27th for the ATIM Masters Award Ceremony. It is so exciting to present and honor artists with well-deserved recognition in the event that we all look forward to at this time of the year.

This issue brings to you the artists featured in the "Best Of International Arts" exhibition, being showcased at our booth #149 at Art Expo New York.

It also includes an exceptional article by our Managing Editor, Yadira Roman, on the top emerging artists to keep your eyes on – it's an incredible selection of the top 10 emerging painters and top five emerging photographers.

In this issue's cover story, “A New Sense Of Style,” we bring you an article full of mesmerizing images featuring the work of master artist and fashion illustrator Barbara Tyler Ahlfield who creates dramatic, evocative, and emotionally layered portraits that are whimsical and profound, elegant and

Here during our most recent broadcast. Don't forget to tune in to MNN Spectrum 1993 every Thursday at 5:30 PM and watch the ArtTour International T.V. Show. If you are not in New York, you can still watch via live stream at MNN.org For more information visit WWW.ATIM.TV

refined. Flip through our cover story and enjoy!

On April 27th, our team will gather in New York from all corners of the world with over 60 master artists who will travel to our grand celebration, the ATIM Masters Awards, celebrated this year at the New York Museum Of Art and Design. Stay tuned to ATIMTV.com for more news; the ceremony will be broadcast live on the ATIM Facebook page and Livestream.

For digital readers, the Spring 2018 online issue is available on iTunes, Kindle, and Magzter, we go beyond the canvas and share with you the place where inspiration is born. Join us each time as we take you on a voyage through the beautiful world of art.

Stay inspired!

Viviana Puello Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Publications Inc. www.arttourinternational.com

ÂŽ

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“Vapor" by Barbara Tyler Ahlfield

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Index

2018 Spring “BEST OF INTERNATIONAL ARTS”

Meet our Cover Artist!

Back Cover

Page 16

Page 8

Barbara Tyler Ahlfield “A New Sense Of Style” Written by Viviana Puello

Ursula Schregel “A Dash Of Color” Written by Viviana Puello

Page 40 Page 22

Page 28

Page 129

“Kintsugi - The Line Of Destiny”

Interior Cover Helen Kagan “The Power Of Healing Arts”

John Nieman

Artist Of The Year

“Private Lives”

Katrin Alvarez

Winner “Best Documentary” & “Best First Time Director”

Written by Viviana Puello

Written by Viviana Puello

Written by Viviana Puello

Written by Thomas Lioutas

Collector’s Guide To Our Top Painters, Photographers and Awarded Artists!

Mixed Media Artist Of The Year • Sónia Domingues P-94 Top 10 Artists • Alan Cariddi • Brigid McGivern • Carol Carpenter • Cheryl Hrudka • Howard Harris • Ken Wada • Neil Kerman • Ralph Garafola • Siegfried Lehmann • Susie Gordon

P-97 P-100 P-103 P-106 P-109 P-112 P-118 P-115 P-122 P-125

Top 5 Fine Art Photographers • Barbara Moore P-143 • Olga Loschinina P-134 • Sam Barrow P-137 • Shifra Levyathan P-140 • Suzanne Duncan P-144

BEST OF INTERNATIONAL ARTS • Alison Barrows Young • Andy Elton • BB McIntyre • Beatrice Dauge • Carl Kunz • Cecilia Flaten • Celeste Friesen • Cornelia Steckhan • Grady Zeeman • Jani Jan J. • Jason Bryant • Jeong-Ah Zhang • Judith Gale • Karin Monschauer • Lawrence R. Armstrong • Lynette Melnyk • Lynn LeTourneau • Maeva Fouche • Marian S. Adcock • Maritza Bernal • Oleg Lobykin • Patricia Gagic

P-64 P-70 P-32 P-34 P-60 P-63 P-38 P-55 P-39 P-76 P-37 P-48 P-88 P-66 P-80 P-74 P-46 P-47 P-56 P-49 P-50 P-68

• Raya Grinberg • Ren Jianhui • Rosemary Buczek • Sol Hill • Stefan Jellheden • Subodh Maheshwari • Susan Talbot Hoffmann • Sveta Long • Tinatin Vachnadze • Wei Yan • Yu-Whuan Wang

P-57 P-36 P-50 P-82 P-54 P-59 P-62 P-86 P-90 P-79 P-58

The Myth Of The Day Job Written by Viviana Puello

Page 146

Barbara Tyler Ahlfield

“Fashion is definitely a great influence… I love drama, dramatic posing, and lighting.”

— Barbara Tyler Ahlfield

“A New Sense Of Style”

by Viviana Puello

A

merican master artist Barbara Tyler Ahlfield creates dramatic, evoca-tive and emotionally layered portraits that are whimsical and profound, elegant and refined, technically accurate yet spontaneous. Working in a variety of media, she prefers the use of graphite pencil combined with India ink line, colored pencil, watercolor, gouache, and oils. Ahlfield applies highly saturated, vibrant tones of pigment in delicate textured layers with masterful use of light, shape, tone, color, texture, and form. She carefully orchestrates portraits capturing the psychology of her subjects through harmonious compositions that emanate intimacy, delicacy, and strength.

Ahlfield paints exciting, fleeting moments with tenderness and grace. Her scenes convey a world of fashion, beauty, and glamour. She has combined her love for fabrics, style, and painting, in a natural progression which has lead the artist to develop a series of works that explore the various textures of lace, silk, velvet and other fabrics. Her paintings capture the tactile qualities of velvet, the rich luster of satin, the feel of taffeta, the nostalgic, crispy texture of vintage lace and floral patterns taking the viewer on an indulging journey of romantic fantasy.

“Pink Prowl” Oil On Canvas, 60"x48"

Painting thinly, sparingly and applying glazes, the artist gets the appropriate values, colors and soften edges, finding power in the accuracy of her portraiture. Beyond her technical performance, Ahlfield captures her perception of existence depicting the human figure in its full beauty and Cont. Next Page splendor.

"I consider myself a blend of classical, realistic ďŹ gurative with modern, fashioninspired quasi-impressionist.â€?

“Tiger Stripes” Oil On Canvas, 60"x48"

With a strong foundation in art training, Ahlfield studied at Ohio State University, Columbus College of Art & Design, and the Schuler School of Fine Arts. She moved from a thriving career as a fashion illustrator to success as a fine artist. Her roster of clients has included very recognized firms like Coty, Carlisle, Dillards, Foleys, Garfinkels, Hutzlers, Joskes, Lord&Taylor, Marshall Fields, Marshalls, Nordstrom, and J. Wanamakers. Today, Barbara Tyler Ahlfield is highly collected and exhibits her work in galleries, international art shows, permanent collections and is well recognized for painting commissioned masterpieces of people and their pets.

As lead fashion illustrator for Lord & Taylor, she saw her double-page illustrations in the Sunday edition of the New York Times. “I have been honing my skills in ‘romancing’ the human face and form for many years …my expertise is in capturing my subjects at their beautiful/handsome best, while still being instantly recognizable with their essence intact.”

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“Cotton Candy” Oil On Canvas, 60"x48"

“Svora Borzoi Babs” Oil On Canvas, 60"x48"

Her experience with Fashion Illustration has influenced her work as a painter, becoming the thematic and technical foundation of her contemporary work. The concept of beauty and glamour is quintessential in her paintings being the root of her inspiration. Her hints of realism play with a dreamscape as she invites her audience to swim in the layers of her chosen backgrounds. Such elements are evident in many of her works, “Cotton Candy” and “Dreams After Dark” depict women who have the physical stature of fashion models portrayed in 12 | SPRING 2018

dynamic poses focusing on the sense of movement, promoting the fluidity in the shapes and the drawings.

This quality of her work can be seen as a direct link with her past as a fashion illustrator, showcasing the way that her history influences her creative process.

Despite the overall realistic depiction of the composition, Ahlfield introduces a contrastingly abstract feature in her work by using patterns instead of a precise background. Thus, instead of a room where the model exists, the viewer confronts an enigmatic surrounding which is surreal and even www.arttourinternational.com

“Moonlight Daiquiri” Oil On Canvas, 60"x48"

“Jewel” Oil On Canvas, 60"x36"

oneiric, underlining the importance of imagination in the human experience.

Ahlfield brings in the human companions in some of her works, giving her audience a shift in perspective.

Some significant paintings of this chapter are “Borzoi Strut” and “Stroll At Dusk,” where the artist portrays the grace of her models and their elegant companions, offering strength in duality. A visually compelling characteristic of the human-dog pair is the intensity of the leash in the composition; it is usually painted in bold colors that elevate it to a significant element of the painting. She leaves this interpretation open to the public and thus inviting a closer introspection. These dogs are exhibited as the matching mirror of their masters. Barbara is a passionate animal rights advocate who supports welfare causes by donating her services as an animal portrait artist to raise funds for animal rescue groups. She is a proud sponsor and board member of the non-profit charity Pet Philanthropy Circle.

During her extensive career, Barbara Tyler Ahlfield has received several honors including the NORMA award Cont. Next Page

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FRONT COVER: “Vapor” Oil On Canvas, 60"x48"

“I saw a photo of a ballerina dancing in a chiffon gown that reminded me of smoke. I’ve always been fascinated by smoke and the way it trails off into vapor and disappears into the atmosphere. This was the inspiration behind Vapor. One of my favorite things as a little girl was watching my father blow smoke rings from his pipe. I wondered about their creation and where did they go? I guess it’s an analogy of life and existence."

SPRING 2018 | 13

“Marestelle” Oil On Canvas, 36"x24"

“Forsythia And Tulle” Oil On Canvas, 60x48"

“Dreams After Dark” Oil On Canvas, 60"x48"

for lingerie advertising and cosmetic advertising, the Seklemian award for reflective color advertising, the Federated Dept. Store advertising award (Lazarus Division-three consecutive years) and she is a member of the Society of Illustrators. She was named one of the top 50 new international artists by Art Business News magazine in 2014. In 2018 Ahlfield was chosen as one Top 60 Masters by ArtTour International Magazine and will be presented with the ATIM Masters Award at the Museum Of Art And Design in New York this coming April 27th in recognition for her successful career as a visual artist and contribution to the arts.

The awe-inspiring work that Ahlfield has created presents to the public a fresh, yet robust view on contemporary figurative art. It is a blend of traditional techniques that focus on accuracy while introducing the glamorous charm of fashion and making use of some subtle abstract elements that unify the final visual result. It can be seen as a testament to the conceptual background that exists behind applied arts and can be unleashed by an artist who is ready to go one step beyond conventional illustration.

For sales and more information visit:

www.barbaratylerahlfield.com

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“Rorie In Pearls” Oil On Canvas, 48"x36"

SPRING 2018 | 15

URSULA SCHREGEL “A Dash Of Color”

by Viviana Puello

G

erman artist Ursula Schregel’s vibrant abstract paintings transform her surrounding natural world into masterful expressions of color, movement, and texture. Working in predominantly acrylic on canvas and mixed media, Schregel adds layer upon layer of paint onto the canvas with an articulate palette and engaging brushwork creating a whimsical captivating effect in her viewer.

Vibrant and alluring, contrasting juxtapositions of texture and forms emanate a vast array of emotions, thus inviting the viewer into the ever-evolving world Schregel creates with her works.

Ursula Schregel began her journey as an artist in late 2014. The stroke of art has always been deeply rooted in Schregel, having held back her urge to be in ownership of her artistic gifts, she pursued a different journey while admiring her mother's impactful works.

Her mother had been her source of inspiration as a painter, and being the catalysts for Schregel to begin her journey in 2014 after her passing.

“Das Boot ist leer 2015" Acrylic On Canvas, 47"x39"

“I grew up with art and art has always been my passion. But the fact that my mother also Cont. Next Page

16 | SPRING 2018

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“Black DOllar TRUMPet day 2017" Mixed Media On Canvas, 39"x47"

“Ohne Titel 2016" Acrylic Sur Canvas, 39"x47"

“Zum Greifen nahe 2016" Acrylic On Canvas, 39"x47"

painted blocked me completely because I admired her work so much” Her education background entails Theory of Drama, Art History and she also graduated as an Interior Designer. She chose a path in broadcasting for quite some time, channeling her creativity elsewhere.

Seven years after mourning her mother, the bubble burst, and Schregel accessed her desire to paint.

Stepping into a class and studying under a masterclass student of Gerhard Richter, someone towards who she held great admiration. Schregel's medium of choice is acrylic. However, she tries different mixing techniques on canvas. She does ablation and over-painting, and the aftermath is eyecatching. The working model collage is a useful technique, a dozen coats of paint underneath marvel into a sense of freedom that she cherishes in her painting practice.

“Poésie Verte 2016" Acrylic On Canvas, 39"x47"

Her painting tools are brushes, palette knives and very often her fingers. She focuses mainly on utilizing bold colors, dynamic drawing and rich, gestural compositions that shape her ideas and emotions on the canvas.

In her work “Federleicht” (Light as a feather), 2017 18 | SPRING 2018

Schregel utilizes a chromatic palette to create a strong visual impression on the viewer. The warmer tones are dominant in the composition forming a passionate atmosphere, enhancing the dynamic nature of the painting as it avoids a more conventional placement that would nullify its rhythm. www.arttourinternational.com

“Federleicht 2017" Acrylic On Canvas, 47"x39"

In her abstract and informal compositions, chance and intuition become the impulse g e n e r a t o r. S o m e t i m e s s h e i s re a c t i n g unconsciously like a seismograph to what happens around her and at daily events. Not every picture has a title. She often prefers to give free rein to the viewer and her associations.

Sometimes titles are created instantly, and sometimes with a time interval when the picture suddenly opens to her again.

In paintings such as “Das Boot ist leer,” vivid layers of cadmium reds and yellows swept across thick layers of blue and green are both conflicting and harmonizing.

“It’s like going through a common process. So finally ‘Das Boot ist leer (The Boat Is Empty), 2015’ referred at me to the peak of refugee-crisis in Germany 2015.”

In “Kalt-Front 2017,” bright shades of navy, cobalt blue, and raw amber are applied over thin layers of white and gray. It is as if the colors were performing a gloomy yet soothing symphony showcasing Schregel’s powerful compositional skills. “The title ‘Kalt-Front’ (Cold-Front) emphasizes the transmitted political sense: cold hardened fronts in a world which becomes more

“Blue Desert 2016" Acrylic On Canvas, 47"x39"

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SPRING 2018 | 19

“Kalt-Front 2017" Mixed Media On Canvas, 39"x47"

and more uncontrollable.” This painting was selected in 2017 to be exhibited at the prestigious Salon d’Automne, created in 1903 in Paris, home of exhibitions from the most important artistic movements for over 100 years.

“Kalt-Front” in comparison with “Federleicht” shows a complete absence of warm tones, with blue, black and white prevailing and creating an atmosphere which corresponds to the theme and title of the piece. This painting has a broader use of dripping techniques instead of others that exhibit more linear and geometric forms.

Another direction of her abstract painting can be seen in “Black DOllar TRUMPet Day,” which has some dominant white splashes of color on a multilayered dark background. The painting can be interpreted in the context of the presidential elections of Donald Trump.

BACK COVER: “La Victoire du Coq 2017" Acrylic On Canvas, 47"x39" On exhibit now at the ArtTour International Booth #149 Art Expo New York

20 | SPRING 2018

“First I started as usual with strong colors. And suddenly I recognized that the painting became darker and darker. I finished the painting in January 2017 as often without any title. Some days later after the result of the presidential elections in the USA- the painting reopened to me, and suddenly I saw a tipped dollar symbol which looks at the same time like a trumpet played by a loudmouth who spread awful sounds.” www.arttourinternational.com

“Le Coq se bat avec Marine 2017" Acrylic On Canvas, 39"x47"

“Black DOllar TRUMPet Day” is based on a grand variety of materials. The first layer was as usual acrylic, but she also used a lot of other different materials, for example, bitumen and lacquer. Here she focuses on a free drawing element with a more structured foundation, thus creating a sharpvisual contrast.

The Double painting Ursula Schregel was born in Germany. She lives near Cologne in Germany but also for more than twenty years in the north of France, 130 miles away from Paris.

The fact that she is very attached to France has undoubtedly influenced her during the French presidential elections 2017. “I feared that right-wing populist Marine Le Pen could be elected president.”

Unconsciously it has influenced her artistic work.

“Obviously by intuition, I grasped the French natural colors red, white, blue. I didn’t have in my mind to paint a political comment, not at all but I was very moved and affected what was going on in France. After finishing this painting, I suddenly recognized a grotesquely distorted face of a woman fighting with the Gallic rooster, the French heraldic national symbol for freedom, equality, and brotherhood.” She entitled the painting in the horizontal version “Le Coq se bat avec Marine” (The Rooster Fights With Marine). After Emmanuel Macron won the election in the second ballot the painting received a second title: “La Victoire du Coq” (The Victory Of The Rooster). “I turned the picture from www.arttourinternational.com

“Terces 2017" Mixed Media On Canvas, 39"x47"

horizontal to vertical position, and suddenly the picture reopened to me with a second interpretation: the rooster was no longer the looser. He was the dominator who had won the fight against Marine Le Pen.” For sales and more information contact:

ursula.schregel@gmail.com www.ursula-schregel.com SPRING 2018 | 21

Interior Cover Artist

“

Helen Kagan

e Power Of Healing Arts”

by Viviana Puello

“Composition #5 Eclipse" Acrylic On Canvas, 36"x48"

“I believe art heals. I believe in mind-body-spirit connection. My "Healing Arts" is a statement of my beliefs.”

A

holistic therapist and artist, Helen Kagan Ph.D. uses bold, uplifting colors, geometric planes, thick textures, spiritual messages, and balanced energy to create her vibrant abstract compositions. A refugee from Russia, for over 20 years she's been developing her unique concept “Healing Arts” to synergistically blend fine art, expressive arts, and the art of healing. Her distinct style incorporates her life experience to emphasize the healing power of art and her belief that trauma can be healed with beauty, positive energy, and self-expression. Her artworks reveal a skillful, vibrant, bold, and passionate use of color which is not only aesthetic but also therapeutic. The artist suggests that her style induces “a mind-body-spirit connection” that can result in physical, mental and spiritual healing.

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“Are You Coming Tomorrow” Acrylic On Canvas, 30"x24"

“Kaleidoscope Of Life" Acrylic On Canvas, 36"x48"

“All That Jazz" Acrylic On Canvas, 36"x48"

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SPRING 2018 | 23

“Summer In Vermont" Acrylic On Canvas, 48"x36"

“Stairway To Heaven" Acrylic On Canvas, 60"x48"

Working in predominantly acrylic and oil on canvas, Kagan's playful and dynamic artistic style evokes passion, freedom, intrigues the eye and elicits a joyful mood, while guiding a viewer into a healing journey by translating emotions into a visual form. In her own words -"... when a viewer is introduced to my art, healing happens in the experience of interacting with it. Just like in music when we experience harmony or disharmony, “experiencing art” occurs on a deeper, visceral, level allowing deeper healing to take place..."

Helen describes her works as “Symphony of colors” stating that a viewer is not only “looking at” but experiences them multi-dimensionally. Kagan's choice of color schemes, themes, and mediums used to render the work; is in itself an acknowledgment of essence of freedom. Her unique creations saturated with bright color, light, energy, and movement. They www.arttourinternational.com

are intuitive, spontaneous, intense, visceral, explosive, sensitive, energetic, passionate, exuberant, bold, warm, luminous, genuine, vibrant, pure, and happy!

They are a mirror to her soul.

The passion displayed in Kagan's works of art comes from charisma and liveliness she infuses with multiple layers of vibrant colors, joy, happiness, light, and a healing intention. The textures of her works are dense, and the forms are large. Kagan 's mesmerizing and compelling artworks exhibit fluid shifts, are thoughtprovoking and therapeutic. For her - art is a spiritual path, transformational process, a way of being. She believes that now, more than ever, the world needs positive energy and spiritually-based intentions, beliefs, and values. That art is a catalyst for healing individuals and society.

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“Big Bang" Acrylic On Canvas, 36"x48"

“Enchanting Forest" Acrylic On Canvas, 24"x36"

“Tales Of My Life" Acrylic On Canvas, 48"x48"

An ATIM Featured artist, Helen is nominated as one of the 60 International Masters with a "Top 60" award and is a collectible artist to invest in 2018. Her pieces will bring joy, awareness, well -being, and "Joie de Vivre" to collectors all around the globe.

Helen Kagan taps into the powerful connection between human beings and the environment. Her works feed not only the aesthetic appetite but also convey an important message of healing through Art. Her mission is another indication of the powerful ways in which art can uplift the welfare of humanity.

For sales and more information visit:

www.helenkagan.com

INTERIOR FRONT COVER: “In Search Of Meaning" Acrylic On Canvas, 48"x36"

www.arttourinternational.com

SPRING 2018 | 27

John Nieman “Private Lives”

by Viviana Puello

“Curve Balls" Watercolor, 22"x18"

A

ward-winning artist and writer John Nieman is an internationally recognized American author of numerous novels and art books, well known for his unique realist style of painting that utilizes the subject overlaid with words to create an underlying message, a riddle, that the viewer is invited to explore with deep concentration and thought.

Nieman manages to combine visual arts with literature, creating a result which is highly conceptual and balances between these two distinctive media to create a harmonious outcome that intellectually challenges the public.

In his new series, John Nieman moves the realm of curiosity into the lives of people by inviting his viewers into a shifted perspective as he experiments with the scope of intimacy and vulnerability.

Exhibiting the experience of New York as train rides turn into glimpses of a stranger's life. "All the apartments that line the tracks have their windows visible without any blinds." "We already have not much privacy in our lives, and these subjects seem to indicate that people do very little to protect their privacy" he states, as he shifts towards a more social conceptual focus in his artistic expression Cont. Next Page

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“Peeping Tom" Watercolor, 48"x48"

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“I have always enjoyed the confluence of art and words. Consequently, I often combine them in my work. I aim for a critical visual that is arresting, engaging, and perhaps even intriguing. Often, I will paint over a series of words. At other times, I caption the picture with a set of words at the bottom. e words are not intended as a description of the visual—simply a pithy editorial on the content. Lately, I have been experimenting with more significant works, such as huge wanted posters, and even larger windows which give the viewer a chance to witness some private behaviors vicariously. My visuals are relatively realistic with some loose strokes. In all of my work, I strive for work that has an immediate impact and provides a residual mental tickle.

“Malala" Watercolor Monoprint, 40"x30"

I have enjoyed an eclectic, creative background. After spending several decades as the chief creative o cer of several international advertising agencies, I devoted myself to a fulltime pursuit of fine art and fiction writing. In the past 17 years, I have had the good fortune to exhibit work throughout the U.S. and Canada, plus selected shows in ailand, Italy, Tokyo, Paris, London. Belgium, Monte Carlo, Austria, Ireland and several other locales. Along the way, I have had at least ten solo shows. I have also authored 20 books. Several are art based mixed with poetry or short stories. But the compendium also includes mysteries, short stories, children’s books, a few novellas, a memoir, even a cookbook. e father of five, I now live in Hastings-onHudson, New York and in Manhattan.”

— John Nieman.

“Groucho" Watercolor Monoprint, 40"x30"

“You Are Never Too Old" Watercolor, 28"x20"

“Private Lives" Watercolor, 48"x48"

while utilizing his already well-developed creative tools. In essence, it is a work that refers to contemporary society and the privacy, solidarity, social life and all such concepts that are under radical redeďŹ nition. Thus the viewer is confronted with the hidden truths that most desire to keep private, yet openly leave themselves in a vulnerable position to be discovered, and seen for their truth.

Nieman's invitation lures us into reecting how much we wish to hide who we are: and the unconscious choices we make to experience some form of liberation in allowing an unknown world see us for who we are, something he exploits creating a unique vantage point towards art. Carrying his experiences into these pieces, and proposing questions we all carry within.

A courageous artist indeed, once again John Nieman oers a broader spectrum of art and human language, stimulating his audience on an intellectual, and emotional level. Nieman is known for his unique approach and playing with a visual poetic duality, honoring his understanding of the world as both a writer and painter.

For sales and more information visit:

www.johnnieman.com www.arttourinternational.com

SPRING 2018 | 31

BB McIntyre

Assemblage - Found Object Sculpture

B

arbara Baker McIntyre is a classically trained, mixed-media artist with an eye for composition and compulsion for texture in the form of massed objects. Her works are surrealistic assemblages that transform everyday forms into an inventive structure that contain a plethora of decorations and leftovers. Whether it be a group of bottles in place of a woman’s torso, porcelain feet for hair or a group of vintage keys set into an old croquet ball, imagination, irreverence, and whimsy are all immediately evident in McIntyre’s found-object art. B.B. McIntyre earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from UCSB, and for almost 20 years her assemblage work has been shown in juried and invitational shows across the USA as well as Tokyo, Japan, and Berlin, Germany. Her art is award-winning, and she has pieces in both private and public collections.

“I Be Tall (Front)" Assemblage, 20"x6"x9" “2B” Assemblage, 31"x16"x5.5"

32 | SPRING 2018

www.arttourinternational.com

“Don't Wake The Baby" Assemblage, 36"x24"x8"

“More Vino, Yes Please!" Assemblage, 22"x22"x6"

“Zoom" Assemblage, 47"x19"x6"

For sales and more information visit:

www.bbmcintyre.com “Beast Boy" Assemblage, 8"x8"x4"

SPRING 2018 | 33

Beatrice Dauge “Cools Blue”

by Yadira Roman

“Magic Snow" Oil On Canvas, 48"x48"

B

eatrice Dauge is a Swiss artist who resides in Montreal, working and focusing on her abstract works as a painter. Her pieces are characterized by a free, dynamic fluidity. Dauge makes a bold use of color, predominantly in the cooler tones, to which she often adds contrasting warmer tones.

This visual result is evident in many of her works, such as “Being Free,” making two circular patterns the focal 34 | SPRING 2018

point of the painting, creating a strong sense of movement accompanied by dynamic dashes of whites, blues, and greens that complement the composition. Her use of movement triggers a whirlwind of emotional display for her audience. "Yin and Yang'" exhibits an alluring relation between texture, and free lining, there is a sense of structure and improvisation. www.arttourinternational.com

“Happy Place To Be" Oil On Canvas, 36"x36" “Inside You" Oil On Canvas, 30"x30"

“Ying And Yang" Oil On Canvas, 36"x36"

“Serene" Oil On Canvas, 40"x40"

This dominance of cool tones reversed in “Inside You,” where warmer red and orange shades are the most commonly used, with a single rectangular blue shape being in the middle of the composition. She also applies textures and pigments to create relations between color and fluidity. Last year her work was selected by Vitavie Gallery and presented at the Miami Art Basel Art Fair.

Dauge’s color use is inviting, vibrant and spontaneous. It will touch your soul, make you dream and feel emotion.

For sales and more information contact:

“Being Free IV" Oil On Canvas, 36"x 36"

www.arttourinternational.com

daugebeatrice@yahoo.ca instagram.com/beatricedauge www.beatricedauge.com www.artsy.net/vitavie-gallery/artist/beatrice-dauge SPRING 2018 | 35

Ren Jianhui

“Time Traveller Series #1 - Illusions of a Departure" Oil On Canvas, 80"x64"

“Time Traveller Series #3 - Return" Oil On Canvas, 79"x66"

R

en Jianhui is a well-known contemporary Chinese artist, taught by the late-art maestro Wu Guanzhong. To live is to exist genuinely, and not a performance of reality. Man often escape reality by living in cyclical fictions and distorted spiritual worlds. The naked eye sees superficiality, which is unreal. Time-traveller series presents infinite dream-space behind seeming rationality, using inspirations sourced from nature and everyday life to reclaim our authentic inner features.

For sales and more information contact:

renjianhui@yahoo.com www.renjianhui.com 36 | SPRING 2018

“Time Traveller Series #2 - Lovers" Oil On Canvas, 82"x67"

www.arttourinternational.com

Jason Bryant

“An Instant/An Eternity" Oil On Canvas, 36"x30"

“How Did We Get To This!" Oil On Canvas, 30"x24"

“A photo, a fingerprint, a signature, and DNA are all methods we use to identify a person, but they are just a means to match a name or face to an individual, not to describe who they are or to translate their identity.

For as long as I have been using portraiture as the primary focus of my paintings, it is not the identity or recognizable face in which I use to describe my portraits, but more of a blueprint of how I approach portraiture. Many levels go into what makes a person’s picture. It’s a fabric of many layers, intertwined with a person’s favorite foods, music, and movies. I have used all of these concepts in building my portraits.

Stemming from my lifelong love of the cinema, many of the subjects of my paintings are actors and actresses. However, I am not commenting on the celebrity or the star system, but I use the personality as a hook to bring the viewer. My work has never focused on the face to describe or examine a portrait. Instead, by cropping or hiding specific features of the face, I add more mystery to the image, bringing us to question who we are and what’s beneath the surface.

In my recent series of paintings, I have incorporated my love of skateboarding to explore themes of portraiture. With vibrant, visceral iconic skateboard graphics coming from behind or bursting through the elegant black and white images of various actors and actresses, I’ve merged two of the most important parts of my life, skateboarding, and art. I use the traditional format of the portrait, to simultaneously, comment on identity and create works that mean so much more than just the individual painted. With most of my paintings, the figure is the focal point, but when all of the elements of the art come into play, the work explores the identity of others, not the subject painted. There is so much to learn from a person’s portrait, information that goes well beyond the face.” www.arttourinternational.com

“I Got This Man" Oil On Canvas, 40"x30"

For sales and more information contact:

Instagram: jasonbbryant Twitter:@bryantpaintings www.bryantpaintings.com SPRING 2018 | 37

Celeste Friesen

“Sea Shadows" Acrylic On Canvas, 20"x40"

Celeste Friesen, hiking in the Highlands of Cape Breton

“Thundershowers" Mixed Media On Canvas, 30"x40"

“I love to “push paint around,” that is, to experiment and improvise with color, form, technique, and texture.

Most of my work is created intuitively or from memory, without specific reference material or preconceived notions of the final result. However, I must admit to being aware of, and influenced by, the natural world; in particular, the wild scenery which surrounds me here at the northeastern tip of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Each of my paintings becomes an exploration using different approaches, techniques, and materials. These might include ink, paint, collage, sand, stone or whatever I think will best express the effect I am trying to accomplish.

I enjoy painting intuitively, using large palette knives with thick paint... spontaneously swiping the canvas and mixing the colors as I go along. Resulting in stunning colors, shapes, and textures otherwise unachievable, and which present surprises to myself and the viewer! I also love the variety and frequently change techniques, or style of painting as inspiration dictates. It is exciting and challenging for me to create this way, e.g., alternating between large or small works, heavily textured or light and transparent.

When viewing my collection, you will see this range of styles, and expressions rather than a single method.”

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“Spring Ice Break" Acrylic On Canvas, 20"x24"

For sales and more information contact:

ccnikkel@gmail.com www.celeste-friesen.fineartamerica.com www.arttourinternational.com

Grady Zeeman

“I Am In The Presence Of Greatness" Mixed Media, 39"x30"

“I Allow Myself Freedom" Mixed Media, 39"x30"

“I studied and worked as a Fashion Designer in Cape Town before I got married. Through the years I focused more on developing my painting skills. I have taken part in numerous exhibitions in South Africa, USA, UK, Italy, France, Germany, China, and India. Till recently I was also the owner of the Kunstehuijs Art Gallery in Swellendam, South Africa, where I not only exhibited my work but that of other prominent South African artists. I need to create as much as I need to breathe. Therefore, my art is always very personal. My pieces genuinely express my journey, my growth, and my voice. I love working in mixed media and see how far I can push – I feel that the contrasts of thin and thick, smooth and bold, represents my personality the most.”

For sales and more information visit:

www.gradyzart.co.za

www.arttourinternational.com

“I Am Prepared" Mixed Media, 39"x30"

SPRING 2018 | 39

KINTSUGI

THE LINE OF DESTINY

Is it too late to change the future of our planet?

The first production by ArtTour International Films in collaboration with Artists For A Green Planet, "Kintsugi - The Line Of Destiny" written and directed by Alan Grimandi and Viviana Puello, is making history by taking home "Best Documentary" at the New York Film Awards and “Best First Time Director” at the Top Shorts Festival.

by Thomas Lioutas

Photos of the film “Kintsugi - The Line Of Destiny” award winning production by ArtTour International Films. Photo Copyright © 2018 ArtTour International Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.

“Kintsugi - The Line Of Destiny” is a stunning documentary that takes viewers to the most remarkable places on earth. Filmed in Italy and Morocco, the latter being a crucial destination considering the crucial contemporary issue of desertification due to climate change. With no shortage of incredible views, the film features the touching lifestyle of the Berber people who live in the

Sahara desert and the Atlas mountains, who turn to natural resources as their only source of livelihood.

The short film is the first cinematography production of Alan Grimandi and Viviana Puello, the first step of "Create 4 Peace" and "Artists For A Green Planet" towards a broadening of the horizons in bringing Cont. Next Page

Photos of the film “Kintsugi - The Line Of Destiny” award winning production by ArtTour International Films. Photo Copyright © 2018 ArtTour International Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.

awareness through the arts, the promotion of significant social, environmental and cultural themes. The high production values that combine real locations with works of art that blend and create a unique world where concepts and reality collide represent the driving force behind the promotion of environmental issues. This unique style, as well as the importance of the thematic background, led to their first award as "Best Documentary" from New York Film Awards. The film has also been nominated as "Top Short" at the "Top Shorts Film Festival" to be celebrated later this year and has been included as an official selection for the Los Angeles Film Awards., honors which underline the importance and success of this work, and the journey it is taking on.

Narrated by Viviana Puello, with a profound and inspiring message, the viewer will be blown away by stunning images and breathtaking scenery. The heartfelt soundtrack “Believe In Your Dreams” by Miroslav Marsik, “Douduk” by Lousnak as the main themes is as inspiring as the imagery and exquisite location.

Offering alarming but also forward-looking information, the movie is a reminder that any positive change begins in the most intimate place: our heart.

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www.arttourinternational.com

Photos of the film “Kintsugi - The Line Of Destiny” award winning production by ArtTour International Films. Photo Copyright © 2018 ArtTour International Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.

Director Statement “From the Arctic to Africa, the Earth is feeling the effects of climate change.

The environment is deteriorating. The ocean, the earth, and the air are suffering a process of degradation with unpredictable consequences. The exploitation of natural resources has caused deforestation, desertification, o i l d e p l e t i o n , g re e n h o u s e g a s increase, extreme energy, water pollution, the extinction of species, the list goes on.

At the center of green innovations are the spirit of individuals who are taking a stand to impact global consciousness, they are the pillars of sustainable development. Artists For A Green Planet is a network of individuals united to make an impact through the arts.

We hope that “Kintsugi - The Line Of Destiny” will inspire you to choose an eco-friendly lifestyle with a high degree of ecological integrity. Join us today in our work for an environmentally, economically, and culturally restored planet.”

-Alan Grimandi & Viviana Puello. www.arttourinternational.com

Photos of the film “Kintsugi - The Line Of Destiny” award winning production by ArtTour International Films. Photo Copyright © 2018 ArtTour International Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.

Written & Directed by: Alan Grimandi Viviana Puello Executive Producer: Alan Grimandi Director Of Photography: Alan Grimandi Production Designer: Alan Grimandi Costume Designers: Viviana Puello Giusi Indelicato Marocco Artisans Music Themes: “Believe In Your Dreams” by Miroslav Marsik “Douduk” by Lousnak “Different Futures” by Goodnews Tunes “Sunset Huess” by Swan Productions Locations: Morocco: Palais Riat Berbere, Marakesh Sahara Desert - Zagora Trips Ouarzazate Studios Italy: Ferrara, Emiglia Romagna Azienda Agricola Grimandi For screenings or more information please email alangrimandi@arttourinternational.com Copyright © 2017 ArtTour International Films. All rights reserved.

44 | SPRING 2018

www.arttourinternational.com

Lynn LeTourneau

“Painting abstractly connects me to a natural, emergent source. A visual language of personal and archetypal images will appear bridging the inner and outer worlds. Applying rhythmic layers of color onto canvas, I discern, make choices and the painting mirrors back to me how to proceed.

These paintings are reflections that mirror our commonality. Real magic occurs when the viewer connects to my art and understands yes, I know how this feels.”

“Be Bop" Acrylic, Oil On Canvas, 48"x48"

“Walk On By Yellow & Blue" Acrylic, Oil On Canvas, 36"x36"

“Urban Waves" Acrylic, Oil, Crayon On Canvas, 36"x36"

For sales and more information visit:

www.lynnletourneau.com 46 | SPRING 2018

www.arttourinternational.com

Maeva Fouche’

“Untitled" Acrylic On Canvas, 40"x40" USD$7,500

M

aeva Fouche was born in Newark New Jersey and raised within a rich Haitian American culture. She graduated from Kean University in Union, NJ with a B.F.A in Interior Design. Maeva is influenced by art deco, music, geometric shapes, Picasso’s cubism period, and Pop Art just to name a few. She uses her skills, experience, her roots and inspirations to create one of a kind artwork.

“When Love Collides" Acrylic On Canvas, 24"x48"

“In my current collection, I was inspired by the energy that I feel when I create. Often time’s people ask about the medium that is used in my work. I find that I rarely discuss a medium that isn’t visible. My intent is to raise my vibrations in such a way that it is transferred on to my work. Not only do I strive for visual stimulation. I also aim to connect on a spiritual level. How do I achieve this? When you understand that colors and shapes can be arranged in a way that it speaks volumes, you can use them to speak for you without the use of words. I use vivid colors to represent the internal and external love that we manifest between others and within ourselves, while the geometric shapes symbolize femininity (downward triangle), masculinity(upward triangle) wholeness of oneself (circles), order, symmetry, and organization (straight lines). It’s like writing a love letter or telling a story but with shapes and color. I enjoy painting from pure artistic feeling.

You will see a common design throughout my work. Black, white, male, female (in the form of triangles), positive and negative, it is the balance between these opposites and the realization that neither can exist without the other. This is represented within the formation of these dimensional surfaces. I often paint depicting the love that is projected outward or internal and how the energy that radiates from this love is bright and bold. This is what you’ll see in my color palette.

Love to me feels this way. I want a “feel good”, experience when viewing my work.”

www.arttourinternational.com

“Intensity" Acrylic On Canvas, 30"x30"

For sales and more information contact:

maevafouche@gmail.com www.maevafouche.com SPRING 2018 | 47

Jeong-Ah Zhang

“Mirage of Consciousness" Acrylic on Canvas, 38"x51,5"

“A Gate Number 9" Acrylic on Canvas, 35,5"x51"

K

orean artist Jeong-Ah Zhang majored in sculpture and paint i n g a t Ew h a Wo m a n ' s University in Seoul, South Korea. Jeong-Ah Zhang's works take its basis in traditional philosophies and the pursuit of unchanging truths to express contemporary expression through 48 | SPRING 2018

“A Layer - Phenomenal World" Acrylic on Canvas, 21,5"x29"

proven materials and practice that reflect the phases of time. The artist finds a kind of order when looking at life, a moment when she realizes the truth, and also paradoxically, integration of all things visible and invisible.

For sales and more information contact:

zenairzhang@gmail.com www.facebook.com/ArtistJeongahZhang www.arttourinternational.com

“Horizons" Oil On Canvas, 48"x36"

“El Abrazo" Oil On Canvas, 30"x24"

Maritza Bernal “As an artist, I like working on themes expressing the beauty that exists, especially in humans. Part of my creative process starts before painting and consists of observing everything about the project I want to develop. I study different concepts, and how they have been represented at different times and through the years by various Masters. I want not only to capture the image of reality with my brushes, but also to remark the details, colors, and expression, especially when dealing with human faces and hands, with all its splendor and movement. I seek to convey feelings that are reinforced by the depth of color. I hope every work of art gives life to all of us, evoking feelings that emerge to see the growth on my canvas. The challenge is to reach that intimate space in each viewer and raise their own and hidden emotions.”

For sales and more information contact:

“La Lectora" Oil On Canvas, 48"x36"

www.arttourinternational.com

maritza.bernal@gmail.com www.maritzabernal.com

SPRING 2018 | 49

Oleg Lobykin

“Sea Foam" Carrara Marble, 7'x3'x11'-6"

“While I’m a classically trained master stone carver, as an artist and sculptor I work in a variety of materials. I express my conceptually driven ideas in novel sculptural form, experimenting with texture, materials, color, or interactive elements. Observing the natural world and mystery of transformation inspires me. I’m fascinated by a harmony of contradictions between chaos and order, light and darkness, good and bad. I explore how they’re interconnected, how they can stay in balance, and how the meaning of thought or beauty can take shape in physical form. I am a creator, an action-oriented man who is excited to make new things. For me, art is as natural and necessary as breathing or eating. It gives my life purpose. My artwork indulges my curiosity about the world and allows me to communicate and engage with others. Art is my contribution to society. Originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, I am now a resident of Silicon Valley. As an international man and product of globalization, I live and work in the shrinking space between traditions of the past and uncertainty of the emerging future.”

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“Firebird" Composite Materials, Fiberglass, 5'x16"x8'

“A Layer - Phenomenal World" Acrylic on Canvas, 21,5"x29"

“Opus" Composite Materials, GFRC, 10'-6"x4'x8'

For sales and more information visit:

www.lobykin.com

www.arttourinternational.com

Rosemary Buczek

“How Do I Love Thee" Gouache On Calf Vellum, 23k Gold, 13.5"x16"

“As an art student, I was introduced to the art of the Illuminated Manuscripts of the Middle Ages and the art of hand lettering. I was captivated by the miniature storytelling within and around a large painted capital letter. I was further enchanted by the use of 23K gold and the decorative elements of tooling the gold.

Learning to work on calf vellum as well as grinding my pigments from pure powder has been very challenging as every color seems to require its recipe. Learning color in its purest form of either mineral, earth or stone continues to be a journey which shall forever fascinate as well as challenge me.

“Gettysburg Address" Gouache On Calf Vellum, 23k Gold, 16"x22"

My career of over 40 years has seen a great variety of texts, hand-lettered and illuminated custom books for individual clients. I enjoy creating exceptional corporate awards for the captains of industry which applaud the accomplishments of talented individuals such as Jasper Johns, Gary Sinise, Leon Panetta, Robert Gates, Madeleine Albright.

Tom Brokaw and many others. Having my work presented to both Popes Benedict and Francis has been an honor as well as “The Gettysburg Address” presented to President Barak Obama.”

For sales and more information visit:

www.gildedquill.com “Forget Not To Show Love" Pen & Ink, Watercolor, 23k Gold, 11"x15"

www.arttourinternational.com

SPRING 2018 | 51

Join us for a FREE celebration of our diverse cultural traditions at the 9th Annual NYC Multicultural Festival.

Organized by New York African Chorus Ensemble in partnership with Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, 30th Precinct, NYPD, 30th Precinct Community Council, Harlem School for the Arts, St. James Presbyterian Church, Community Board 9 and ArtTour International Magazine.

Breathtaking live performances, arts and crafts, food and retail vendors, fashion, activities for children, health, safety, and wellness activities, slides, photo booths, giant video games, including information resources, free giveaways and much more!

SATURDAY May 19, 2018 12 PM - 6PM ST. NICHOLAS AVENUE Between 141st and 145th Streets HARLEM, NY SATURDAY June 2, 2018 11 AM - 7 PM JACKIE ROBINSON PARK BANDSHELL 85 Bradhurst Ave. New York, NY 10030 Cross streets: West 146th Street & Bradhurst Ave. Directions: A,B,C, D, or 1 Train to 145th Street

Get your FREE tickets today!

Celebrate Diversity! Celebrate NYC!

Please contact us at Tel: 347-938-9335 www.multiculturalfestival.nyc

FOLLOW US! @NYCMultiCulFest

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Council Member Mark Levine, Council member Bill Perkins and a grant from the NYC & Company Foundation and West Harlem Development Corporation Additional support is provided by New York Police Department, St. James Presbyterian Church, Harlem School for the Arts, Community Board 9, 30th Precinct, 30th Precinct Community Council, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, and NYC Department of Sanitation.

Official Media Partner ®

Stefan Jellheden

“Hey...Wait A Minute" Photography, 31.5"x23.6"

“Sospoputotnonik" Photography, 31.5"x23.6"

For sales and more information visit:

www.jellhedenimage.com “Suburban Crow" Photography, 31.5"x23.6"

54 | SPRING 2018

www.arttourinternational.com

Cornelia Steckhan

“Evoking Global Transformation”

by Sajamouli

“Between Earth And Heaven" Acrylic, 28"x24"

C

ornelia Steckhan is a German artist who resides in Munich Germany and Imperial Beach California. She is given credit for popularizing Corky Art among her contemporaries, her inclination towards the themes of the universe can be seen in her abstract paintings where she showcases the galaxies and cosmos. Steckan infuses life into extraterrestrials through her works.

Steckhan invests her time profoundly in traveling the nook and corner of the world. She explores less traversed paths to enliven the exotic experience of the locales. Cornelia Steckhan devotes herself to observing the humble nature around her; her paintings send a strong message to preserve the environment. It garners immense attention to sensitive global issues invoking emotion through her steady brush strokes. Her realistic artistry strives towards making our planet more habitable. She captures the audience imagination by her powerful stroke play.

“Horse Race" Acrylic, 28"x24"

Cornelia Steckhan makes a substantial impact through her art to voice her concern over the destruction of natural resources and the ever depleting ozone layer which is the leading cause of global warming.

For sales and more information visit:

www.corkyart.biz www.corky-art.com www.arttourinternational.com

“Butterfly Galaxy" Acrylic, 28"x24"

SPRING 2018 | 55

Marian S. Adcock

“Baby Female Giraffe Skye" Colored Pencil, 11"x14"

“First Steps For Zebra Foal Melee" Colored Pencil, 14"x17"

“Using inspiration from my lifelong passion for nature's beauty, I became interested in becoming an artist later in life. I didn't discover my artistic talent until after a lifelong career as a hospital administrator, then, until I retired from my position as CEO of a significant American Red Cross chapter. I am a registered nurse, have a BS in Nursing and Psychology from Macalester College, St. Paul, MN and an MPH in Epidemiology and Public Health from the University of Minnesota., Minneapolis, MN. A few years after retiring, in 2007 I received formal beginners art training at the Minnesota School of Botanical Art and at workshops sponsored by the society to which I belong, the Great Rivers Chapter of the American Society of Botanical Art. Otherwise, I am a self-taught artist.

Critiques of my artwork by local art professors note that I am a gifted primarily self-taught artist with a keen sense of the skillful use of rich depth of color and scientifically accurate intricate detail of my subjects. My medium is colored pencil, usually on Strathmore Bristol vellum surface. My artwork has been in over 60 juried art exhibitions, four of which were month-long solo shows of both my botanical as well as animal paintings. Several of my pictures have received "Best of Show" awards. Once, my entire collection of artwork on display in a large outdoor individual booth at a local festival received the "Best of Show" award where 120 booths of artwork were on display. My work has been featured in several local newspaper articles as well.”

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“Baby Giraffe Skye & Mother Daisy" Colored Pencil, 14"x17"

For sales and more information contact:

ladlock@msn.com www.mariansart.com www.arttourinternational.com

Raya Grinberg

“The Hall Of Faith" Digital Art, 28"x20"

“I was first exposed to the world of art after experiencing the world of alternative medicine, including different spiritual life, and exploring the world with all different, unusual places around the globe.

I retired and started to path into computers, software, and painting. I named my new world Virtual Fantasy, using creativity and imagination, generating wonderland.

I took a few courses in computers and painting for professionalism and found myself sitting in front of my home computer, creating the new world through my eyes, vision, and imagination taking the observer into new countries.

The exceptional combination of love to nature and our surrounding, with imagination, integrated with charm and beauty are the core structure of my entire art.

“Someone Is Guarding Us" Digital Art, 28"x20"

Altogether, embroidered with ideas, techniques and different software are well shaped, giving the observers the feeling of the fantasy, allowing them to float with their imagination.”

For sales and more information visit:

www.raya-art.com “Walking" Digital Art, 28"x20"

www.arttourinternational.com

SPRING 2018 | 57

Yu-Whuan Wang

N

ew York based artist Yu -W h u a n Wa n g often explores the connections between nature, society, form and philosophy, frequently using ordinary materials distinctive to specific locales, such as with her re-contextualizing of coin wrappers.

Yu-Whuan's work, while bold and direct, includes mystery and a philosophical aspect, in that it packs its philosophical punch in the same way that John Cage spoke of art that “is not about ideas but produces them.”

Her process plays with the attention that goes beyond the frame of the observer/observed, in which moments of meeting open up new languages of perspective.

“ConsciousnessUnconscious, Skin | Time - Melting In The Fullness" Oil Pastels, 2017

“ConsciousnessUnconscious - Property of Oasis” Coin Wrappers, Tape, Straw, Imitation Jewels; Dimensions Vary With Installation, 2017

Yu-Whuan studied with Shimamoto Shozo, a pioneer of Gutai, and in her early studies with Shozo, YuWhuan found herself freed to explore an open spirit of making art, when instead of drawing on a canvas, Shozo proceeded to draw on his h e a d . Yu - W h u a n a l s o studied with the painters, Mr. Shen Zhe Zai and Mr. Zeng Pei Yao, as well as sculptor Ya m a m oto K a k u z i . S h e “Zero | ConsciousnessUnconscious - The Real Inside and Between” Natural Branches, Industrial Tape; Individually studied painting and Wrapped; Dimensions Vary With Installation, 2016 s c u l pt u re a t t h e Kyoto University of Education in Japan, and was a director of design in Taiwan.

Yu-Whuan is a member of the Kyoto Sculptor Association. She has had major public and select private exhibitions, including at the New York Historical Society and Teller Boricua Gallery. She was invited by the Ga-un Sculpture group for a special guest solo exhibit in the Kyoto Art Museum, with solo shows at Ando Tadao Architecture Ayabei City Plaza, and other museums and galleries, along with outdoor exhibitions including The Global Warming Prevention in Kyoto Convention celebration.

“ConsciousnessUnconscious, Skin | Time - Believe" Oil Pastels, 2017

58 | SPRING 2018

For sales and more information contact:

artist@yuwhuan.com www.yuwhuan.com www.arttourinternational.com

Subodh Maheshwari “Love And Peace”

by Crossley

“Meadow” Oil On Canvas 24”x18”

“City” Oil On Canvas 24”x18”

“My paintings give me space to feel and express my visual delight in color, shape and form.”

– Subodh Maheshwari

S

ubodh Maheshwari's vibrant compositions are a celebration of life, love, and creative energy. She uses symbolic elements to create works that are emotionally evocative, personal, spiritual, and profound.

Maheshwari has an uncanny ability to fuse eastern symbolism with the western composition in bright pools of undulating color. Rajasthani art influences are apparent in her pieces, and she manages to put accents of Hindi and Sanskrit symbols in a highly individual way.

Subodh, who was born in Aligarh, North India, studied fine art at Agra University in India, California State University, and finally, earned her Masters at the University of California. It was at Irvine, where she won the Regional Fellowship Award and blossomed as an artist. She has since gone on to participate in prestigious exhibitions, and her works have been featured in renown publications. Most recently, in 2015, she received The Bharat Gaurav for art & culture, a prestigious award in India.

From her body of work, one can tell that Subodh finds her inspiration in nature and life. She manages to take life experiences, society and everything in between and paint them into various forms and hues. Her paintings tell a story that shifts according to the viewer's mind.

When she's not breathing life onto canvas, she teaches art at the local community college and conducts workshops for aspiring artists. Subodh Maheshwari lives and works in California. www.arttourinternational.com

“Hidden Figures ” Oil On Canvas 18”x24”

For sales and more information contact:

SUBODH MAHESHWARI, M.F.A. (951) 735-3043

subodhstudio@yahoo.com www.subodhfineartstudio.com

SPRING 2018 | 59

Carl Kunz

“Dreamy Waves”

by Yadira Roman

“Waiting For Tea & Me (A Homage To Steven Meisel)" Oil On Canvas, 50"x40"

C

arl Kunz is an American artist, focusing mainly on figurative works that convey lyrical, emotional and personal themes.

Virtuosity lies at the core of his process, communicating the desired image with great care and accuracy to structure a clear visual result.

“Standing for Freedom” depicts a personalized America above the skyline of New York, commemorating the great tragedy of 9/11. The scenery has a dramatic tone, underlined by the bold blue and orange coloring of the sky that creates a warm visual contrast. Below lies the city of New York in the dusk, but with an the evident lively tone which becomes a symbol of power and reliance, despite the disaster.

“Le Vent" Infrared Photograph On Canvas, 50"x40"

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The fine lines in his work create depth in momentum and emotion within each www.arttourinternational.com

“On The Ebb Of Unconciousness In The Tidal Pool Of Tranquility" Oil On Muslin, 66"x82"

“The Daydream" Oil On Canvas, 30"x24"

“Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass Whipped Cream & Other Delights (From My Iconic Album Cover Series)" Oil On Canvas, 48"x48"

image. Dreamlike settings depict the abstraction of cultural events in its many effects on society. “The Day Dream” is a detailed figurative piece having an accurate drawing and a realistic chromatic palette, earthy colors creating an alluring mood. This composition exhibits a style that focuses on the creation of a contemporary realism that draws inspiration from emotional themes and can be linked to the vast cultural heritage of western art. www.arttourinternational.com

“Standing For Freedom" Oil On Canvas, 60"x48"

For sales and more information visit:

www.carlkunz.com SPRING 2018 | 61

Susan Talbot Ho mann

LEFT: “2323 Magazine Street" Hand Colored Embossed Intaglio, 24"x18" RIGHT: “Louisiana Purchase Apartments" Hand Colored Embossed Intaglio, 24"x18"

S

usan Talbot Hoffmann began her artistic career in 1989, following recuperation from an epidural hematoma that necessitated four years of speech, occupational and physical therapy consequent to the removal of a brain tumor. Loving the Art therapy, she received during her recovery, she currently works in her private studio and sponsors a website www.SusanTalbotHoffmann.com which features her life and artwork in a video. She completed a BA in Art majoring in Printmaking in 1999. Since then, she has received numerous honors nationally and internationally for her etchings and watercolors of Louisiana swamps flora and fauna, Cajun cuisine and the nearby New Orleans Garden District. Her aim as an artist is to lift the human spirit.

Standing as a testimony to the American dream is the beauty of New Orleans’s Garden District. During the period of the economic wealth of the self-made man as owner, they stood as monuments to American ingenuity. They are a unique expression of European cultural influences, Italian, English, Swiss, Greek classicism and mainly French and Spanish architectural styles. Stylistically, these images are captured by photoetching on copper plates. Etchings are hand-pulled on paper, and the resulting intaglio image is printed using archival inks on 100% rag paper. Digital capturing and enlargement were performed. It is then manually embossed (watermarked) with lace collagraphs in complementary patterns evocative of the scroll-like and floral forms in the ironwork balconies of that area.

These watermarks constitute my method of expressing that these prints are my very own. These homes are hand-colored with archival watercolors. The preservation of these grand homes to this day is a continual renascence. The fact that man can create such unparalleled beauty in this world, preserved to our day with love, teaches us that man survives with hope.

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“Nevermore Mansion" Hand Colored Embossed Intaglio, 24"x18"

For sales and more information visit:

www.susantalbothoffmann.com

www.arttourinternational.com

“

Cecilia Flaten

e Painter of the Magic Lights”

“Trip To The Valhalla" Oil Over Canvas, 24"x31"

I

n her game of colors, Cecilia Flaten searches for creating a dialog between light and shadow.

Strong tonalities fall from the skies, which does not let us figure out if they are images from internal sight, from memories or dreams, and they radiate an abstract peace similar to silence. Her work is a meditation on natural elements. Flaten mixes the fluent atmosphere of the sky with a soft appearance of the horizon. This mixture attracts the landscapes towards less defined and more abstract images. Her work captures the interaction of the light over the scene, reaching an atmospheric perspective.

Her painting proves a lot of time dedicated to the contemplation of the environment. The traces are careful and discreet. In her artwork, the artist shows how the landscape may look beautiful in its deformity. It is as if one could breathe in the mild air and feel the clouds coming down. Cecilia Flaten's works are inspired by the Scandinavian Mythology, in the Midnight Sun, in the Northern Dawns, in the lands of the Arctic and of Patagonia. The works recall on us perhaps intellectuals, perhaps real landscapes, which, in an epic game, let us see the magic and the strength of her Norwegian roots, always present in the spirit and the mind of Cecilia Flaten. Obtaining in Europe as well as in the United States, the name of "The Painter of the Magic Lights."

“Creation" Oil Over Canvas, 28"x39"

For sales and more information visit:

www.flaten.cl

www.arttourinternational.com

“Patagonia Magic Lights" Oil Over Canvas, 28"x39"

SPRING 2018 | 63

ALISON BARROWS YOUNG

“The Fragility Of Gender" Oil On Canvas, 20"x36"

A

l i s o n B a r r o w s -Yo u n g i s a n American born, Canadian raised painter whose works capture the essence and soul of nature. Her brush's trademark fluidity combined with her expert use of both color and shadow achieves a sort of melancholy aura when combined with the piece's illustration of human fragility and mortality.

“In The Company Of Ravens" Oil on Canvas, 36"x72"

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“I view my work as a viable and immediate form of communication for both my life’s inspirations and struggles. Whatever confronts me; be it inspirational or challenging inspires my subject matter, although my emotionally expressive style remains consistent. The beauty and intriguing qualities of nature surrounding Northern Idaho is singularly inspirational and worthy of expression in and of itself.

Though, as with many others, my attention has shifted of late, toward the contemporary struggles of our society. I feel c o m p e l l e d to p ro d u c e w o r k s t h a t

“Child Bride" Oil On Canvas, 36"x48"

www.arttourinternational.com

“Dancing With The Train" Oil On Canvas, 36"x48"

conceive what I view as our suffering human condition.

W h e n c o m p a re d t o t h e surrounding nature of this north-western region, our species takes on a stark and complex character, which holds within it both the potential magnificence of who we are, as well as the alarming conflict we currently face amongst ourselves, our society, and with the ecosystem upon which we are dependent. I believe this subject of conscious and subconscious strife has “Come With Me Little Darling" Oil On Canvas, 48"x36" become highly relevant to our times in such a way that it can’t be set aside. My paintings, although stark in their honesty and portrayal of some of the most troubling aspects of our human condition are an effort to create commonality with current concerns.”

For sales and more information visit:

“Change In The Wind" Oil On Canvas, 16"×20"

www.arttourinternational.com

www.alisonbarrowsyoung.com SPRING 2018 | 65

Karin Monschauer “Digital Art, Left and Right”

by Ekiteker

“Kreisel" Digital Art, 35.43"x35.43"

“Mini Diapositive" Digital Art, 19.68"x35.43"

“I have a High School diploma section mathematics.

Since my early years of high school, my passion for math and figurative compositions has led me to develop my art with the technique of embroidery. At first, I embroidered my jumpers with designs of my creation. Then, at the end of my schooling, I started producing geometric figures and experimented with the half cross-stitch technique, playing with vibrant color tones. Since 2010, I have been creating paintings with art and design computer programs. The knowledge of these software packages has allowed the creation of canvases with colors and shapes that were not possible with the half cross-stitch technique.

The ability to use digital art tools enabled me to develop my art more and more."

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“Byzanz" Digital Art, 47.24"x47.24"

K

arin Monschauer unique style showcases polychromatic geometric compositions on various surfaces. Initially, she used the half cross stitch technique which limited her to the nature and number of shapes and colors she could incorporate in a single canvas. However, with the use of digital art in her recent works, there is a vibrancy achieved since a myriad of angles, repetitions and colors are incorporated at the same time. www.arttourinternational.com

“Crociata" Digital Art, 40.47"x40.47"

Monschauer uses everyday shapes and phenomena to create art that resonates with many people’s experiences.

Genuinely elevating herself as an artist, as someone who embodies what it is to be a left and right brain thinker, she uses her experience in Mathematics to apply different mediums and techniques. One aspect of style that Monschauer has exhibited in her latest works with the use of tiled patterns in repetitive form.

For sales and more information visit:

www.karinmonschauer.ch

“Afrika" Digital Art, 35.43"x39.37"

SPRING 2018 | 67

Patricia Gagic “

e Journey”

by Thomas Lioutas

“Trail Of Tears II" Acrylic, 34"x34"

"Art is the essence of life. In every action, we are creating with or without the canvas or chosen tools. Each moment of life is art.

Af te r s p e n d i n g m a ny y e a r s questioning, examining and experiencing my process, I am continually amazed at a depth of evolution which takes place. The balance between being in the moment and finding the truth or sage is the necessary impetus to reveal the wisdom within. Whether I am painting, writing or photographing I believe our intentions reveal knowledge as a direct current to the conception of creation. I am grateful to shine the light on and honor my mentor Dragan Dragic.

When he took me under his wing in 1999, I began to follow a new path filled with an examination in a contemplative form all of my surroundings.

The plethora of ideas churn as I reach deep into the texture and palette. Art is immortal and when the floodgates of spirituality and neuroplasticity are opened the visions are delicate and rewarding. The truth about the abstract artwork is in the idea, the form, and elegance of its nature. With each moment being a new one, the concept of imagination bridges a kind of 68 | SPRING 2018

“Rainbow Valley" Acrylic, 48"x36"

parallel dance into DNA. Time and space require a certain level of patience when you include them in the dimensions of art. There is a shadow contained inside each stroke. One rarely sees it, but in the forever changing unstable grid, we operate within, the shadow reveals much more than what the eye perceives. The destiny of art, unveiling something beyond sound, beyond thinking. It is a revelation into the beauty of the www.arttourinternational.com

“Vision Quest" Acrylic, 60"x60"

“Cumberland Valley" Acrylic, 48"x48"

ever-changing world we are witnessing. Art creates a mirror for others to find beauty within no matter what form it takes.

Perception plays another key in the underlying value of abstract or contemporary art. If the viewer has an expectation and wishes to judge based on their values, checks, and balances, it might not allow the essence of the work to be understood. Thus the delicate task of the artist is to engage the viewer and offer a point of view which confirms a membership or relationship with the body of work. I hope to share in the voyage with each canvas as it is my journey alone. For those who walk alongside with me, I can only wish they will see the beauty within themselves.” — Patricia Gagic.

Canadian artist Patricia Karen Gagic is a painter who delves deep into the world of abstract art, creating pieces that incorporate many different styles of painting into one cohesive visual result.

“Impermanence II" Acrylic, 36"x36"

Gagic's ability to enhance her storytelling through a visual journey is exhibited in her style; evident in her recent series of works, titled “Trail Of Tears,” taking her audience into an internal and external exhibition of the human life, and its many processes. These works share many common characteristics and promote a similar conceptual background which underlines the emotional state of the creator. The chromatic patterns utilized are mostly in the tones of gray, creating a calm, balanced environment which serves as the foundation on which she adds the central points of interest. These are dashes of color, blurred indistinguishable silhouettes and vague references to objects or landscapes. Despite her works being predominantly abstract, there is an innate narrative quality which invites the viewer to a research-like journey on the canvas, exploring the exhibited fields of color.

For sales and more information visit:

www.patriciakarengagic.com www.inspiredtoberewired.com www.arttourinternational.com

“Trail Of Tears III" Acrylic, 34"x34"

SPRING 2018 | 69

Andy Elton

by Thomas Lioutas

“Stop Killing" Marble, 48"x10"x8"

A

ndy Elton is a British artist who has been working since the 1970s, creating a comprehensive and exciting artistic profile. His primary creative field is sculpture, while he has also produced numerous paintings and drawings, a body of work which has been exhibited in many group and solo exhibitions throughout the years.

“After Chemo" Marble, 59"x22"x13"

“After Chemo" Detail 1

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The primary focus of Elton's wo r k i s t h e h u m a n fo r m , merging figurative and abstract influences to create a personal style which is intuitive and emotional, while also retaining the perfect approach of an artist with a rich academic background. He is a sculptor who works both with metal and stone, utilizing the expressive qualities of both materials to shape his ideas and create forms that exploit the dynamic offered by each element. This ease of use in differing materials characterizes his artistic portfolio, as it enhances its overall richness and forms www.arttourinternational.com

“After Chemo" Detail 2

“Tumbled Pile" Bronze, 5"x5"x5"

the backbone of his creative process.

Elton's masterful technique is visible in many of his artworks, like in “After Chemo” where he carves a sizeable female figure on the marble. It is a profoundly emotional artwork, influenced by a tragic event of his life; the loss of his former wife to cancer. The sculpture showcases elegant tranquility which becomes the primal characteristic of the artwork. The pain and grief evident on the marble represent a wound of the past that mends and gives its place to the future.

Technically, it retains a fresh simplicity which Cont. Next Page

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“Flying Nude" Bronze, 10" High

“Nudes" Bronze, 8" High

brings forward the emotional state of the creator instead of over-analyzing a composition. In essence, it is a combination of a thoughtful, calculated and intuitive process that yields a balanced visual result.

Elton has a vibrant series of artworks dedicated to bronze sculptures. It is a material which offers a higher fluidity in the final visual result, as it is mostly cast instead of being curved and cut, a process which can quickly offer great artistic detail. This is significantly evident in his artwork “Flying Nude,” which is an artwork that has a very liberated approach of figure-drawing.

Essentially, Andy Elton aims to grasp the essence of a nude body, its dynamic existence and the symbolic freedom of flying, thus creating a shape that seems to move towards the sky instead of lying heavy on the ground. The contorted shape of the “body.” grants an even more significant dynamic to the composition, which despite being made out of metal seems exceptionally light.

His love of bronze can also be seen in many of his “Etched Bowls” artworks that are bordering with design 72 | SPRING 2018

“Cut Out Nude" Bronze, 6" High

“Broken" Steel, 26"x32"x24"

objects, but always retaining the artistic touch of a sculptor. These bowls are also made of cast bronze, but they have etched drawing on them that create unique and precious patterns that elaborately decorate their surfaces. It is an artwork heavily i n s p i re d by a nt i q u i t y, something quite natural as sculpture is one of the most ancient forms of art, an artistic process which is still practiced by artists like Andy Elton.

For sales and more information visit:

www.andyeltonsculptor.com “Etched Bowl" Bronze, 8" DIA

www.arttourinternational.com

SPRING 2018 | 73

“All My Dreams," Acrylic On Canvas, 40"x30"

“My artwork is a continuation of my personal growth. More confidence and more trust in myself to take more leaps and be bold. Maybe it was in me all along and suppressed, but I now have an edgy aspect in my art that is flowing out onto canvases in expressive movements when I dance and listen to music.”

L

ynette Melnyk creates soulful paintings that touch people’s emotions. As a contemporary artist, Lynette’s abstract expressionist style is created from her interpretation of nature, dance and music. Her curvaceous strokes and fluid movements are representative of an elegant strength found in nature, so similar to the winding and personal journey of our own lives. It is serendipitous, spiritual, enriching, and brings joy.

Lynette is rapidly building a strong following of collectors in Canada, the US, Europe, and the UK. Born and raised in western Canada, Lynette has been involved in creative endeavors 74 | SPRING 2018

“Overture" Acrylic On Canvas, 24"x36"

“Language Disguises Thought" Acrylic On Canvas, 36"x24"

“Interlude" Acrylic On Canvas, 30"x40"

throughout her life, with formal education in interior design, visual communication design, photography and painting. She owned and operated a successful design, marketing and corporate communications company for over 20 years and continues to evolve the creative communication process through her art.

www.arttourinternational.com

“You Fascinate Me" Acrylic On Canvas, 20"x20"

“To Be With You" Acrylic On Canvas, 36"x48"

For sales and more information visit:

www.lynettemelnyk.com

SPRING 2018 | 75

“Ramse’s Walk To The Nile" Mixed Media On Canvas, 24"x31"

Jani Jan J. Vibrance In Fluidity

By Yadira Roman

E

xperimenting with a wide variety of materials and forms, Austrian artist Jani Jan J. works both as a sculptor and a painter, utilizing the strengths of both media to shape his spectrum as an artist. His work is one that makes use of dynamic biomorphic shapes and many times playful textures, becoming a vessel for meaningful expression.

Pushing boundaries and exploring endless possibilities in two and three-dimensional works, Jani Jan J. creates compelling compositions with the use of a diversity of materials, stone, iron, glass, paper, and objects found in his surroundings. Jan J. is an art therapist, self-taught sculptor, and painter, and multimedia director who draws inspiration from his daily life and experiences gained through her world travels. He collects resources and ideas from Cont. Next Page

76 | SPRING 2018

“Sun Mirror" Olive Tree Wood, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, 20"x8"x7"

varied cultures to use express his point of views and message to humanity.

Upon first glance, viewers are bewildered by the variations in color, texture and the fusion of materials that dominate his thought provoking compositions.

Utilizing a variety of media on both wood board and canvas, Jan J. presents the viewer with compositional elements featuring shapes that merge and coexist capturing the spirit of the human form.

Jan J. uses contrasting elements with an exceptional level of playfulness making his works very engaging without losing their vibrant character. A closer look at the paintings “Ramses walk to the Nile” and “Ramses Dog” shows that he incorporates regular and amorphous forms. These shapes are balanced within the piece thus his work portrays a steady rhythm which enables the viewer to explore their more profound thoughts. The choice of color and forms in his work carry symbols that appeal to various cultures reflecting familiar tones used in the flags of many countries in the world. With textural contrasts, skillful use of color and form, and a great sense of line and proportion, Jani Jan J creates a world that is intricate and alluring.

“Message 11" Stones On Wood On Canvas, Iron Painting-Mixed Media, 10"x12"

“Message 9" Stones On Wood On Canvas, Iron Painting-Mixed Media, 10"x12"

“Message 10" Stones On Wood On Canvas, Iron Painting-Mixed Media, 10"x12"

For sales and more information visit:

www.janijanj.com

Wei Yan

“Spirituality" Mixed Media, 30"x40"

“My art is influenced by a combination of both Eastern a n d We s t e r n c u l t u re . M y paintings mainly focus on the splash; the mixed paint technique gives. The dash expresses my meaning of life, and my style of art gives me a s e n s e o f f re e d o m a s t h e splashes of the ink and paint go in unexpected ways. Linking my style of painting to my subconscious, a kind of present flow of beauty. Using the mixed mediums to capture the eternal moment of natural beauty, in my opinion, it represents the original state of the universe and the beginning of the world in its fantastical and unique form. I go beyond my way to uncover the symbolism of each figure of beauty I paint, in an attempt to give a narrative of either life, tradition, modernity, culture or value.”

www.arttourinternational.com

“Ethereal #2" Mixed Media, 30"x 40"

“Ethereal" Mixed Media, 24"x36"

For sales and more information contact:

yuran527@yahoo.com www.yanwei.ca SPRING 2018 | 79

Lawrence R. Armstrong “Layered Vision”

“Caddis" Layered Metal/Acrylic, 30"x67"x3"

“My work, both in Art and Architecture, is an ongoing exploration of the concept of Layers. I have always been aware of and fascinated by Layers in the Natural and Built Environment. Layers in Space and Time. Layers in Intellect, in Emotion.

Synthesis and Interpenetration of Form, of Solid and Void, of Chaos and Order, Simplicity and Complexity."

L

awrence R. Armstrong has a unique, diverse design background, and embodies a renaissance approach to life. He is not only a talented artist but an accomplished architect, designer, and CEO of the award-winning international a rc h i te c t u re fi r m , Wa re Ma l co m b .

Armstrong is well known for his strategic, visionary approach to design and business. His focus on creativity and innovation influence all of his artistic endeavors.

Armstrong's work has been shown in Madrid, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Mira, Vienna, Toronto, New York, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and California. He has received numerous individual awards for personal art and design, including: The Sandro Botticelli Prize in Florence, Italy, Artavita 9th & 10th Contests, ATIM Masters Award, ATIM Choice Award, AIA Honor Award, OC Design Community Art Exhibition, Terminal Tower Design Competition Award, Shaker Square Circle within a Square Design Competition, and Cleveland Award.

“Gestalt 3.0" Layered Metal, 47"x50"x6"

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www.arttourinternational.com

“Stalk" Layered Metal/Acrylic, 33"x53"x5"

For sales and more information contact:

lraart@waremalcomb.com www.lraart.com

Sol Hill

“Blurry Vision”

by Thomas Lioutas

“The Spectral Aspect Of This Work Is Very Intriguing" Metagraph, 48"x72"

S

ol Hill is a contemporary artist, who voices his opinion on political and social justice through the exploration of various disciplines including mixed media, installations, and digital artifacts captured by exploiting digital photography’s sensitivity to energies other than light.

Photography is not a static tool in his hand, but rather a part of the dynamic process which frequently creates multi conceptual works.

The aesthetic of his work is dominated by a process he developed “Metagraphs” by using digital noise to create abstract harmonious compositions. It is a characteristic which fractures the absolute reality which is most commonly associated with the medium, instead offering an ambiguous view which Cont. Next Page

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www.arttourinternational.com

“Signs Of The Times" Metagraph, 72"x96"

“Token Feminine No. 0937" Metagraph, 60"x40"

“A Lifetime Of Waiting For This Moment" Metagraph, 72"x48"

“Untitled NY Figure, Metagraph, 72"x48"

initiates a constructive dialog with the public. The viewer has a prominent role in the artistic process, as there is the journey of decoding the image and understanding the composition through subtle and indistinguishable figures that create more abstract patterns. Colors play a prominent role in this process, as instead of being the absolute and they are treated in a way similar to this of lyrical abstraction, flowing freely in the composition and rarely offering complete borders. Thus, many original scenes that were simple and precise in reality become wildly different and evoke another, a more subconscious way of depiction, despite the commonly attributed accuracy that characterizes the art of photography.

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Some of Sol Hill's compositions focus on the subject of Feminism and are titled “Token Feminine.” It is a series o f w i l d l y b l u r re d p h o t o g r a p h s t h a t d e p i c t mannequins, a staple symbol of the contemporary culture of mass-consumption in a fashion which creates hordes similar people following an “ideal” beauty image. It is a world which is haunting and critical at the same time, as it ponders on the way that commercialism has harmed individualism and indirectly controls the public. Another chapter of his work which also evokes many underlying emotions is “Urban Noise,” Hill’s personal view of the quite common urban photography topic. The technical characteristic of noise in the photographs plays a www.arttourinternational.com

“On The Subject Of The Female Form" Metagraph, 24"x36"

“Fake" Cheetos Fake Gold, 20"x30"

“Total Loser" Cheetos Fake Gold, 20"x30"

prominent role; it serves as a conceptual element which underlines the chaotic level of urban life, as the frantic rhythm of urban life blurs the visions and thoughts of the inhabitants in a way similar to the blurring of noise in digital photography.

Hill's series “The Best Art Ever!” is a guerrilla activist art project by Sol Hill, aimed at resisting the orange agenda. The project is a fundraiser for organizations on the front line doing the hard work of the resistance.

100% of the “sales” price of the originals are to be taxdeductible donations made to 501c3 organizations such as the ACLU, The Union of Concerned Scientists, Planned Parenthood, The National Endowment of the Arts, etc. The art uses art to voice his opinion and raise millions for the resistance. Sol Hill's project “The Best Art Ever!” has been awarded as the 2017 ArtSlant Prize Showcase Winner in the mixed-media category.

For sales and more information contact:

sol@solhill.com www.solhill.com

“The Best Art! Guaranteed!" Cheetos Fake Gold, 59"x59"

Sveta Long “Art Deco”

by Thomas Lioutas

“Works of Faberge and Erte have always been a fascination of mine. I wanted to try to see if I could create something like the masters. For years, I have imagined my artwork painted on a variety of garments. Finally, this idea came to life. I now have shoes, dresses, scarves, shirts, and jackets, and I love it! Now, the clothing is my canvas” - Sveta Long.

A

native of Russia, now based in North Carolina, USA, awardwinning artist Sveta Long, has a unique style given the name of "Faberge Art Deco." Her work is a colorful nod to the Faberge eggs and Art Deco era.

“Scarfs, Scarfs, Scarfs" Scarfs, Acrylic

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A walk into the innovative window of her work is a precious gift to all.

Long's artistic techniques are a unique craft; she takes us into an imaginative world of play and craftsmanship drawing intricate lines, flowers, faces, and mermaids that catch the light to shimmer on vases, plates, fabrics, and eggs. Long incorporates the use of kitchen appliances such as plates, cups, utensils, and a variety of objects to depict her abstract world. She has a love for all things that shimmer and brings her fresh new style to numerous subjects. What once was a form that was traditionally kept to elaborate and ornately painted eggs has expanded to multiple items. She recreates well known and highly desired Russian crafts, using designs that at some point were solely made for royalty. Her exploration of this concept started at home, as she recreated and developed household items. Sveta Long's work is exhibited in selected international public and private collections and museums. www.arttourinternational.com

“Stepping Into Gold" Shoes

“Golden Girl" Denim Jacket, Acrylic

For sales and more information visit:

www.artbysveta.com www.arttourinternational.com

SPRING 2018 | 87

Judith Gale

“Conserving Our World”

by Viviana Puello

“Argus II" Mixed Media On Canvas, 44"x58" 2017

J

udith Gale's paintings celebrate the variety and intricacy of organic forms capturing the magnificence of marine life with vibrant colors and dramatic compositions of abstract patterns.

Gale's work offers to the public a multifaceted experience that fluctuates between photography and painting using both forms of art for the depiction of nature, portraying the elegance of our environment and the vibrant patterns that emerge from it.

With her innate sensitivity to nature’s nuances, Gale makes skillful use of color, light, space, and movement to present a tribute to the magnificence of the natural world and bring awareness to the vulnerability of seashells. In these precarious times where climate change and environmental degradation present a high threat to our oceans, her innovative works invite the viewer to enjoy a new appreciation for the essential role of this sea creature in marine life.

“Blue Crush" Mixed Media On Canvas, 25.5"x32.5" 2017

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In a series of paintings entitled “Hidden Wonders,” Gale has chosen to step out and use her voice as an artist for this very www.arttourinternational.com

“Conus" Mixed Media On Canvas, 32"x59" 2017

“Conus III" Mixed Media On Canvas, 42"x59" 2017

cause. Works such as “Argus” and “Conus” implement natural patterns and distort them intensely to convey an entirely different atmosphere which proposes an altogether unique aesthetic to the public. Her aesthetic focuses on vivid, dominant colors that create simultaneous contrast showcasing areas of high visual intensity, and portray the emerging energy behind the harmony of nature.

Judith Gale studied Fine Art at the School of Visual Arts in New York, New York. Her works have been exhibited most recently at the Museum of Estense Castle in Ferrara, Italy and The VETS Gallery in Rhode Island.

“Argus III" Mixed Media On Canvas, 53.5"x53.5" 2017

Gale is co-founder and Vice President of the Molluscan Science Foundation; a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of marine environments and the conservation of coral reefs.

For sales and more information contact:

info@judithgalemont.com

www.judithgale.com

Gale has produced mesmerizing photographs of seashells that have appeared in various publications.

“The Most Beautiful Shell: Spondylus Americanus” includes photos by Gale that capture the singular beauty of this unique seashell. www.arttourinternational.com

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TINATIN V. GALLERY A New Fine Art Gallery Opening this Spring in Atlanta Georgia!

Featuring contemporary art from selected European, American, as well as local artists working in a variety of media including but not limited to fine art, sculpture, high-end revelry, etc.

“Inside My Mind” by Tinatin Vachnadze - Oil & Mixed Media On Canvas, 24"x30"

O

wned by international award winning artist Tinatin Vachnadze an experienced artist and Fashion designer with a successful history in the fine art industry. Original from Tbilisi, Georgia, Tinatin received a Master's degree focused in Art/Fashion from the Academy of Fine Arts in Tbilisi before relocating with her family to Atlanta, Georgia.

tors, art has always been the window through which I interpret and understand the world. I try to put on canvas the depths and endlessness of the mind. My formal education collaborates with my interest in spirituality to influence the stylization and color selection prominent in my work. It is my main desire to provide maximum aesthetic pleasure to my audience and to touch the soul with human emotions familiar to all."

"Having grown up in a family of crea90 | SPRING 2018

www.arttourinternational.com

“Just Passin Through” by Mercedes Murat - 24k Gold And Silver On Glass, 16"x12"

“Euphoria" by Tinatin Vachnadze - Oil & Mixed Media On Canvas, 48"x30"

“First Love" by Tinatin Vachnadze - Oil & Mixed Media On Canvas, 24"x36"

“Memoria” by Mercedes Murat - 24k,18k,12k Gold, Moon Gold And Silver On Glass 20"x16"

For more information, please contact:

tinatinvgallery@gmail.com Tel: 404-247-4234 Belle Isle Square 4969 Roswell Rd, unit# 110 Sandy Springs,GA 30342

www.tinatinvgallery.com

ARTEXPO NEW YORK CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE IN ART World’s largest international fine art marketplace returns to Pier 94, April 19—22, 2018 Artexpo New York XL presents [MAGNIFY] as the Anniversary theme that takes a look at over four decades of the artistic canvas through a retrospective lens.

Images courtesy of Redwood Media Group. Copyright © 2017

Pier 94 711 12th Avenue (55th Street and West Side Highway) New York, NY 10019-5399 AENY Facebook: www.facebook.com/artexponewyork AENY on Twitter: www.twitter.com/artexponewyork AENY on Instagram: www.instagram.com/artexponewyork

www.artexponewyork.com

L A T I G I D Y H P A R G O T O H P S Collector’s guide G ARTIST

T O P

to top emerging talent worldwide

by Yadira Roman

I

f there’s one thing we loved about 2017, it’s all of the incredible artists and their art that rocked our worlds and our eyes! Right now, new talent keeps emerging, and there are some names ready to skyrocket in the art world. So, whose works will we be seeing in top collections this year?

Dive in and update your must-have list to these artists—they're about to drop some serious, influential art in 2018. Once they become the next big thing, you can tell your friends that ArtTour International Magazine told you about them first!

We've made your time of great value by separating them into categories for a quick find into painting and photography's hot names this year, flip through the next pages and discover who is in our Top Five Fine Art Photographers and Top Ten Painters lists plus get to know our Master Artist Of The Year and our Mixed-Media Artist Of The Year!

O H P S T S I T R A G N I T N I A P ARTISTS

Sónia Domingues

“Mixed Media Artist Of

by Yadira Roman

e Year”

“Collection - Living Eye Of Life - Nr. ll - All Eyes, Have Eyes Inside" Circular Sculpture Work, 39" Dia.

S

ónia Domingues, also known as Sonny, is a Portuguese multimedia artist, designer and glass artist who has developed a whimsical and eclectic style since beginning her artistic journey at the age of fourteen. Her magnificent stained glass works and mixed media paintings have earned her the spot as ArtTour International Magazine’s “Mixed Media Artist Of The Year”.

Domingues has a keen sensibility for color and creates mosaic-like compositions that summon euphoric rhythms. With bold use of color, simultaneous contrast, and unusual juxtapositions of texture, line, and form, Domingues produces compelling paintings that depict a dynamic, ever-evolving universe where the human figure takes center stage. She focuses on the figurative aspects of the painting, working in a realistic style that focuses on the natural beauty of humans and animals alike.

Throughout her artistic training and career, 94 | SPRING 2018

Domingues has experimented with a variety of techniques and media to develop a style that uniquely reflects her personality and the message she wishes to convey to the viewer. Her art is displayed throughout several countries across the globe and has earned her countless awards and high recognition.

What experience as an artist has this past year made an impact on how you work?

“Knowing that the collections I have accomplished obtained approval and were recognized. The feeling that Art Appreciators, namely Curators, Public Entities and New Investors, increasingly identify my work, by its characteristics, it is very encouraging, uplifting and boosts me for new artistic and commercial goals. On the other hand, this approval is translated into international recognition, in which of the more than 40 awards received, 16 took place this past year, it makes me feel an immense desire, to bring to reality more artistic dreams, more compositions diversified under the most www.arttourinternational.com

different supports/surfaces.”

Tell me about how your inspiration has evolved?

“Inspiration does not choose the time or place, but, inspiring ourselves can become the best we can do for ourselves, for when we feel inspired, our thinking Levite...dreaming is the mildest form to become free from a restless environment. The creative process induces the materialization of the dream, and when it comes to life on the screen, as an artist, it makes me feel alive. Thus, over time, I enjoy increasingly situating my thoughts in the depth of being and creating themes with compositions that hold a deeper meaning.

Where the period of emptiness makes sense, and complexity has an explanation!”

Why do you do what you do?

“Flight in the Butterfly of your Cliff - Nr. VI” Mixed Media on Canvas, 43"x43" Artistic Story “Jag... do you feel the Power?

The Power of the Tree of life in your jaws? The Coraline Love will be your Food and this will be moderate the Strength of your Bite, and how do you live Lonely, you will expand your Love to Nature.”

“I believe it has to do with the nature of my being. Sometimes we do not even realize how much we show ourselves in the works we perform like artists. I value a meticulous execution, with refinement ...and without understanding, it relates with the way I appreciate the creations of God... so in my creations, I wish to convey this creative refinement, in detail, by the brightness or even its absence, to make the final composition shine.”

You have attained great success in your career, how does it feel to have your work celebrated in various places around the world?

“Marilyn, me? I'm a Flower, a White Orchid” Mixed Media on Canvas, 39"x39" Artistic Story “On this artwork, I desire to represent the beauty of Marilyn Monroe.

Its most pure and innocent side with one of the most beautiful specimens of White Orchids.

For in ancient Greece, if a young woman beautifies her hair with orchids, meant was looking for your ideal match.

Something that seems to be in line with the wishes of Marilyn, that felt desired but not always beloved. And in her way of girl-woman.

She might as well say: “Marilyn, me? I am a Flower ... a White Orchid" - by Sonny

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“Oh, thank you “success” it is a word much proliferated and seemingly linked to happiness. But this reminds me of a poem, which I quote from the Portuguese Philosopher, Poet, and Ensaist, Agostinho da Silva, which says: “In the sadness of Triumphs and the Joy of Sorrows, you're nothing by what you say, your value is what you are.” Therefore, any recognition is received in a smooth register, without ecstasy, is something felt in my heart, in the family. Although it became public, of my initiative, in dialogues with friends or unknown people, unless they ask me, I do not proclaim it to anyone, and receiving recognition for doing something well done, increases in me the responsibility to construct/build the best version of myself.

Both as a person and as an artist, for I will not have value for what I say, but for what I will am as a human being. So, I feel immense gratitude for all the moments that nourish the feeling to choose my art to be awarded. So every time that I go to the stage, I feel thrilled, and I thank God, the first and biggest artist of Eternity until Eternity, I thank God for granting me the Cont. Next Page

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“Collection - Best of Coco Rocha – Nr. II of VII” Circular Sculpture Work, Suspended Effect, 39" dia Artistic History “This Art Collection - “Best of Coco Rocha" Portrays some of her Best Productions of the Canadian Supermodel only converted into Art performed in “Black & White,” plus a derivation of Sweet Greys, like Vibrant Colors' Forever ...”

“Having as 1st Motto “Black & White are the New Colors" I set up the artistic thought to Pop Art Minimalist but with Detail, a game between light and shadow, a fusion of Art with Architecture giving place to the 2nd “Your Fashion - My Architecture" " - by Sonny

“Collection - Everything But A Chandelier...What Is Your Light - Nr. I - Chandelier He Is Here, Finding The Best Way To Survive" Mixed Media On Canvas, 47"x39"

privilege to perform my professional activity with all my soul and being appreciated by art lovers. Then my thanks go to all the wonderful beings that make up my life, which touches me different notes of love and complement me so that I can continue to create artistic musicality”.

You started at a young age, knowing what you wanted by your early teenage years, what words of advice would you give young artists?

“If one took into account advice from me, well, I would say that with great dedication, versatility, and entrepreneurship, it is possible to realize our dreams. Along our way, it will always be necessary to exercise the resilience and a hand full of wisdom. In such times, I ask in prayer whom have performed us wonderfully, our Creator, who knows everything about us and if we pray with much faith, I believe that he will indicate the best way forward.”

What’s next for you Sonny?

“The set of all events and recognition, also, to activate my ability to self-motivation, also led to the creation of such an intense agenda that motivates me double. Aiming the projection of significant focus in Central Europe, USA, and Asia. Besides the new artistic and business goals for dominant markets. So, alongside the development of the existing collections, I'm working on new group, and I will be happy to share with Art Tour's team.”

For sales and more information visit:

www.soniadomingues.com

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Palacio Chiado Collection - Nr. V - "An Extravagant Escape from the Banal” Mixed Media on Canvas, 63"x43" The Facts - The history of this exquisite Palace remains and resumes in 2016 as an escape from the daily routine, in an “extravagant escape to banal". In the renovated Chiado Palace, the centenary rooms now offer high-quality alternatives and other entertainment options for the day-to-day life of the Lisbon capital, and of those who visit it. Assuming itself as a reference space in the cosmopolitan city, it unites history and modernity in a timeless way.

Artistic History by Sonny - The Butler, about to bid farewell... rises to the Palace Dome, where he adjusts, rolls and serves us symbolically, 3 of the many Charms of the Palace, from the Winged Lion, the Stained Glass, not forgetting the Portuguese Sidewalk - the pavement in 5 Star shape.

www.arttourinternational.com

Alan Cariddi

“Shaping

Painting Top 10

e World”

by Yadira Roman

“Genesis" Acrylic on Canvas, 39"x39"

A

lan Cariddi’s work presents worldviews spontaneously, introducing his audience into a new perspective through his relationship with space, shape, and color. Cariddi embraces the use of mathematical techniques to reach his visual results. However, his expression is involved and influential www.arttourinternational.com

upon the bases of duality in the human interpretation. In this manner, one will not lack elements of the Fibonacci sequence such as the Golden ratio and Sacred Geometry in his pieces.

These creations come out as skillfully measured and arranged to present eclectic ideas.

Cariddi uses the Golden ratio to come up with Cont. Next Page

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“Origins" Acrylic on Canvas, 39"x39"

aesthetic spirals and curves that give his works an irresistible charm. In “Genesis,” he incor-porates eccentric circles that form two spirals from the center outwards. The spirals also reflect elements of Sacred Geometry by having seven circles on each side. Further, the power of the piece arises in the replication of the spirals to form a reflection, and in his way, a portal. In “Miami Feeling” Cariddi uses pattern wo r k a n d v i b r a n t c o l o r s t o c re a t e a harmonious compilation of shape.

The conventional nature of the mathematical concepts has made Cariddi ’s works to be appreciated in many regions including the “Spatial Kinetics" Ink on Paper, 41"x29"

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“Miami Feeling" Acrylic on Canvas, 36"x26"

USA, France, Italy, and China. He was awarded a medal by the French National Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Letters in the summer of 2017; he participated in the 2017 International Florence Biennale. Another feather on his hat is an Award from the Andrea Mantegna International Prize in Mantova, Italy. In February, Cariddi had a solo exhibition at the Town Hall of the 7th arrondissement of Paris.

Currently, the artist’s works are in galleries in Rome and Madrid. Cariddi uses some of the proceeds from his paintings to give back to society through charity work. A share of the sale from his work goes to various organizations in France such as the Breast Cancer Research, Esthetique et Cancer and a charity auction aimed at raising funds for research on Leukemia and other blood diseases.

He is an artist who embraces the complexities of the human life and uses his knowledge and talent to give back through empowerment, generosity, and the ever escape of diving into his art.

For sales and more information visit:

www.alancariddi.com www.arttourinternational.com

“Blue Horizon" Acrylic on Canvas, 47"x47"

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Painting Top 10

Brigid McGivern

by Yadira Roman

“The Walk" Acrylic On Canvas, 50"x66"

A

n international, New York City-based artist, Brigid McGivern creates abstractions that blend color and powerful form to produce a potent visual narrative. She infuses her works with a spirit of harmony and balance, with a distinctive and hypnotic edge.

Utilizing images based on her photographs, McGivern begins each piece by first drawing something organic and then proceeds to explore mood and response in her mixed media paintings. Her compositions capture movement, texture, and energy, as well as the emotionally evocative power of color.

Tell us about your relationship with color.

I love using colors – most of my paintings have an explosion of color. But it is how the colors work with each other, the dance they do together, that makes the piece complete.

There are no ugly colors to me. Only colors that are misplaced. Kind of like people. You have to give the color a chance to succeed.

What has been a consistent form of inspiration for you?

All the different journeys we take in life have guided my inspiration. I find people’s lives fascinating. There is nothing 100 | SPRING 2018

“Childhood Cracks" Acrylic & Pastel On Panel, 24"x36"

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“Yellow Night" Acrylic On Canvas, 40"x56"

more attractive to me than wisdom.

I am the youngest of four and have always been drawn to people older than me. People with pasts and stories. Hearing how they have h a n d le d t r i a l s a n d t r i u m p h s stimulates my imagination. If you pay attention, emotions that you may never know you had can surface. How you manage those feelings is like a ride, though you don’t always feel you are the driver.

That’s where the explosions come – the motions and the colors.

Tell us about your journey as an artist.

I always drew as a child but was very secretive about it. I didn’t have artists or actors or people like that in my family, though my grandmother took up painting late in her life. Most people in my family were more academic than I was. I took design classes in high school, and then I got the courage to major in “Paths That Cross" Acrylic On Canvas, 24"x24"

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Studio Art with a focus in graphic design at Xavier University. I struggled artistically finding my voice until my senior year, but I knew this was what I wanted to do. After college I focused primarily on graphic design and was employed in that area at several places. That helped grow my design work. I then studied at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago in their postbaccalaureate program. Soon after that, I moved to NYC and, around 2012, finding myself between jobs, I began painting just how I wanted to. That changed everything. I was able to use all the knowledge I had gained at school and work and got it on the canvas the way I wanted. The fear of not being good enough, or what people might think, was lifted. It was as simple as that. Sometimes I like to think my grandmother lifted it from me after she passed away.

What is your message as an artist?

I would tell people that the best gift ever b e s t ow e d u p o n u s a s h u m a n s i s o u r imagination. I believe everyone has one, and it’s the artist’s job to use theirs to inspire others, to both encourage people and to take them out of their heads, even if it’s only for a brief moment.

And, finally, if you can channel your creativity, you will always be productive.

“Crooked" Acrylic On Canvas, 28"x28"

What’s next?

Making art and working hard to grow my practice. I am taking on commissions and would love more. I am trying to reach the private market through online sales. My next show, scheduled for this May, will have more mixed media.

For sales and more information contact:

brigidmcgivern@gmail.com www.brigidmcgivern.com www.brigidmcgivern.org

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“Jungle" Acrylic On Canvas, 48"x30"

Carol Carpenter

Painting Top 10

by Yadira Roman

“Amalfi" Acrylic On Canvas, 36"x36" 2017

Do you ever get lost in the many worlds of your work?

“Yes. My painting is a continuous transformation – an intuitive stream of consciousness. When I begin a painting, I am absorbed, excited and at peace. Time elapses with no awareness. Always, to my surprise, images and ideas appear that require decisions about design, composition, color, and alterations. My goal is to progress from pure abstraction to a semi-representational finish. I begin by choosing a color palette; drawing random lines on the surface then pouring and spraying paint until an image appears. This www.arttourinternational.com

part is fun and gratifying. Then the hard work begins figuring out what I have just created; what story does it tell; what changes are necessary to create an integrated whole; naming the project. It is an emotional roller coaster with feelings of excitement, frustration, stress, and satisfaction.”

What has been a consistent form of inspiration?

“I am inspired by the ever-changing elements and beauty in nature. I enjoy abstracting and re-inventing familiar forms to create new images that strike a balance between imagination and reality. Color is my tool of passion to transmit energy, meaning, and emotion in my art.”

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“Yellow Trumpet" Acrylic On Canvas, 28"x22" 2016

“Untitled 18" Acrylic On Canvas, 48"x36" 2017

Tell us about your journey as an artist.

“Born in Baltimore, Maryland (USA) in 1948, I am a native of the Washington, D.C. area. Growing up I loved theater and dance and fantasized about a career on stage. My parents, however, thought academics critical to success and did not support the arts as a profession. Out of frustration and boredom, at the age of 15, I taught myself to paint never imagining a career in art.

A graduate of Antioch University with a dual major in Psychology and Art, I spent my early adult years working as a research associate in psychiatric settings at the National Institute of Mental Health; the Albert Einstein College of Medicine; and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. I also, married, raised a family, created a catering business, and taught painting at Howard Community College for 30 years. Throughout this journey, I continued to paint for pleasure occasionally exhibiting with local art groups including the Baltimore Watercolor Society and the Rehoboth Art League. In 2014 I retired from my formal job to make art my final priority.

In the past five years, I have exhibited my work in museums and galleries in the United States, Europe, and Asia. In 2016-17 I have had the good fortune to be selected for collective exhibitions in the following venues: Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art; Barcelona Museum of Modern Art; MAMAG Art Museum, Vienna; Carousel du Louvre, Paris; Uffici Contemporary Museum, Florence; Ateneo de Madrid; and OXO Tower Gallery; London. I am currently represented and involved with Agora Gallery, NYC; PAKS Gallery, Vienna; Art Fusion Galleries, Miami; 104 | SPRING 2018

“Twister" Acrylic On Canvas, 40"x30" 2018

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“Morning Glory" Acrylic on Canvas, 36"x36" 2016

“Somewhere" Acrylic On Canvas, 24"x24" 2018

“Spring Floral" Acrylic On Paper, 20"x18" 2016

Studio Abba Gallery, Florence; Effectto Arte Gallery, Palermo; and Monteoliveto Gallery, Nice/Naples. I have participated in International Art Fairs including Art Expo New York, Spectrum Miami, Art3F Paris, Art Expo Rome.

Also, my award-winning paintings have been featured in art magazines, books, and online galleries.”

What is your message as an artist?

“Creating works of art is a compelling life force. It encompasses passion, spontaneity, intellect, and selfdiscovery. My art is not politically sensitive or culturally eyeopening. It is simply meant to appeal to the senses and heighten the human experience. Creativity is a rite of passage, and all should have the opportunity to embrace their vision.” www.arttourinternational.com

“Magic Mountain" Acrylic On Canvas, 36"x36" 2017

What’s Next?

“I hope more of the same. Turning 70, I feel like my journey has just begun. I dream that my art transcends time and my legacy will carry forward, always hoping for discovery and recognition in my lifetime.”

For sales and more information contact:

carpenterfinearts@yahoo.com www.carpenterfineart.com

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Painting Top 10

Cheryl Hrudka

by Yadira Roman

“Liking The Unusual" Dye Sublimation, 24"x30"

S

tepping into the world of technology and artistry, Cheryl Hrudka integrates advanced human discovery with a rooted artistic desire, creating layered questions for her audience.

What is the interpretation of color in the concept of your works?

“Color has two primary usages, one is spatial and the other emotive. I use a lot of red in my works. Spatially, red is an aggressive processional color. (It jumps.) It demands the same immediate recognition as a fire engine. Emotively, I want my pieces to be as inviting as possible, as in the pieces ‘The Red Butterfly’ or ‘Backlit’. I also like to use a lot of earth tones, browns and yellows, as complimentary colors. This is product of living in the desert for 20 years. The piece I called ‘The Red Square’ is mostly black with a small red square in it.

This piece was created to show that there can be warmth and comfort in the midst of darkness. Color can either enhance a room or detract from it. It can enhance a person’s thought process or make that same thought process stressful.”

“Rough Seas, Stormy Night" Dye Sublimation, 30"x24"

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www.arttourinternational.com

What is the inspiration you would like to leave for your audience?

“I have always been interested in Abstracts.

These forms allow the viewer to question, and decide for themselves, my artistic intention. In other words, my images now pose more questions than answers. My primary subject matter lies in the eyes of the beholder. I try to be as challenging as possible. Each viewer brings his or her own psychological insight to the subsequent interpretation. The viewer's conclusions are never threatened, but are respected and allowed to prosper. These images are at once geometric and bio morphic. In their mutability, they mimic our dreams. They mimic our lives.”

Tell us about your journey as an artist.

“Backlit" Dye Sublimation, 30"x24"

“I was in the medical field for fifteen years. In that time, I realized that the environment was so sterile and stressful for both patients and staff. I started doing photography in my spare time...a self-taught photographer with a good mentor. Eventually, I left and took up photography full time with the intent to create photographs that would allow a person to relate and calm themselves in stressful environments. There came a period when I had to stay home. Bored because I could not do much, I started playing with my computer.

I began to take my photographs and manipulating them to become the abstracts I loved. Since then, my technique has evolved and I now create images from scratch using a 185MB blank slate. I start with an idea, and draw it on my Wacom tablet. Colors come in and I go from there. I look at my very first attempts back in 2010 and get a good laugh at how naive my images were. I have grown throughout the years. My visions have become more mature, more focused. Some images are meant to be therapeutic, some political, some for my own sanity living in a world of chaos, violence and uncertainty. I know that whatever happens to me right now, I will always have the computer as an outlet for my artistic expressions.”

How has this year been for your artistic career?

“Tower Of Silliness" Dye Sublimation, 30"x24"

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“Actually, this has been a good year. We, and I am speaking for both myself and my business partner, are represented by three galleries and have been showing at the major art fairs. This is not a business for the faint of heart. As in every aspect of business, there is a tremendous amount of competition. But we continue to enter contests, continue to put ourselves out there and work hard.”

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“The Red Butterfly" Dye Sublimation, 24"x30"

What's next?

“Hard question to answer because I am not a predictor of the future. I try to take each day as it comes, curve balls and all. I am 68 years old and I hope that I can continue to create beautiful pieces of art that people will enjoy for a long period of time. I enjoy what I do, and the way that I am growing as an artist. I think that many people see digital art as totally computer generated. But it is not. It is definitely not the type of thing to where you just press a key, and voila, there is your image. I could never paint... I cannot even drawn a straight line with a ruler.

But I have found inspiration with the computer, the available software and my Wacom tablet that has let me express myself in ways I have never dreamed… That is really special and it surprises me every day.”

For sales and more information visit:

www.recentdevelopments.net www.analteredview.com “The Red Square" Dye Sublimation, 30"x24"

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www.arttourinternational.com

Howard Harris

Painting Top 10

by Yadira Roman

“Floored at the Louvre” Digital Print On Aluminum With Acrylic Overlay, 36”x30”

I

mpacting his audience with light and movement Howard Harris plays with reality and sense of interpretation, we had the opportunity of hearing out his broad views on fine art and their role in our world.

What is your message for the world in your work?

“Visual reality is an ever-shifting, highly individualized experience. In any given moment, what we see reflects both our inner state and a synthesis of outer qualities—light, color, movement, space. My exploration in dimensional photographic art represents an a t t e m p t t o re c re a t e t h e p e rc e p t u a l experience, with its dynamic nature and hidden complexities. In my patented process, I use detailed constructions. A single, often abstracted image is layered over itself on clear acrylic surfaces and superimposed on Cont. Next Page

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SPRING 2018 | 109

a subtle grid. The resulting visual phenomenon infuses the image with a sense of dimensionality and fluidity affected by such changes as the angle of viewing and light. However perceptual mechanics are only part of the equation. Equally essential are universal principles of design that produce qualities we perceive as beauty.

This is my aim: to skillfully combine technology and aesthetics in a way that expands the viewer’s visual experience.”

When did this work become a sincere desire for you to share?

“I spent more than 35 years combining design and technology in the field of direct marketing. Along the way I added further study in economics, computer sciences, marketing, and graphic arts financial management, and earned many design/professional awards. My creative energy during this period was in the service of other individuals and companies, but after retiring, I turned my attention to my fine art. This took the form of photography, my lifelong passion. My iconoclastic streak had caused me to consistently forge new directions in the design and business world and I have brought the same unconventional approach to the photographic image. I always reminded myself and my designers, design is that what you do for others. Fine art is that what you do for yourself. It was time to create for myself. Sharing it with others was a natural path to validate my thoughts.”

“DaVincis Pets” Digital Print On Aluminum With Acrylic Overlay, 36”x30”

What has impacted your work this year?

“The biggest impact on my current work was a car trip beginning in Paris and spending almost a month touring Southern France. I travelled the same roads as many of the great artists, seeing the same landscapes, and contemplating the aesthetics and emotions of the view. As a photographer I attained a deeper understanding of what the painter Bridget Riley once said, Focusing isn't just an optical activity, it is also a mental one. Visiting Musee Picasso in Antibes I was impressed by a quote from Picasso who said, There is no abstract art. You must always start with something.

Afterward you can remove all traces of reality. My interpretation of these two statements have echoed through my thoughts with each image I have created.”

“Monaco Afloat” Digital Print On Aluminum With Acrylic Overlay, 36”x30”

What concepts are you currently eager to share?

“Josef Albers once said that abstraction is real, probably more real than nature. I believe that the Photographic Art should go beyond a static twodimensional representation of nature. A photo should capture more than one moment in time, one view and one experience. Adding additional dimensions to a two-dimensional image should be the goal of the artist.

As an artist one should master technology. But mastering technology or technique only makes one a technician. The artist must transcend beyond the technical. It’s the goal of the artist to add the intangible dimensions of personal expression, emotion, movement and the opportunity for the image to interact with its ever-changing environment.”

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“Mindscape 6” Digital Print On Aluminum With Acrylic Overlay, 30”x36”

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“King Fisher” Digital Print On Aluminum With Acrylic Overlay, 30”x36”

What’s next for you?

“I will continue my quest to create dimensional photographic images with a deeper understanding of what Arshile G o r k y o n c e s a i d a b o u t a b s t ra c tions, Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot see physically with his eyes.... Abstract art enables the artist to perceive beyond the tangible, to extract the infinite out of the finite. It is the emancipation of the mind. It is an exploration into unknown areas. I will continue my quest into the unknown with the belief that whatever I strive to create will be aesthetically pleasing, and forever changing.”

For sales and more information visit:

www.hharrisphoto.com

“Bright Idea” Digital Print On Aluminum With Acrylic Overlay, 30”x36”

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Painting Top 10

Ken Wada

by Yadira Roman

“Where Is The Soul Of The Trees? No.82" India Ink On Paper, 28.5"×31", 2015

A

man with a path that has rooted wisdom and humility in his work, Ken Wada opens his curious gates and share them with his audience. His wanderlust never fading, here we have the opportunity to present his views.

What are you unveiling your audience in your works?

“First, what I wanted to reveal for my audience in the series; “Where is the Soul of the Trees?” is that there is a soul in the trees. Secondly, I managed to capture the soul and incorporate it into my paintings. I worked hard day after day for the purpose. After all, the series continued to No. 87. I do not know if my attempt was successful, but if my audience watches my works and feels something in my ones, it is the greatest pleasure for me. Artists always do something with full power, but we do not know about the result. It may be that there is a life 112 | SPRING 2018

“Zoumitu Wonderland No.1" Acrylic On Paper, 29"×31", 2018

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“Where Is The Soul Of The Trees? No.79" India Ink On Paper, 28.5"×31", 2015

of an artist in itself to do something with full power.”

What drew you to calligraphy as a young boy?

“While watching my teacherʼs example, I was just writing ‘kanji’ (a Chinese character) hard. While continuing to draw ‘kanji’ with India ink on Japanese calligraphy paper, I think that I had an unusual interest in capturing the shaping elements of characters and the spatial elements of styles. I believe that this exercise that started at the age of six has become connected and helpful to my art. Just like Steve Jobsʼ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address.”

“Cf. from Biography on my homepage: ‘WADA started to study Japanese calligraphy under an excellent calligrapher Shibano at the age of 6. Despite being a mischievous boy, young WADA somehow never missed a calligraphy lesson. He attended passionately for seven years until he moves to Tokyo. Lessons were held on Sundays in Shibanoʼs annex that resembled a temple school, private elementary school in the Edo period. Simple desks were placed on tatami mats, and students sat straight and wrote single-mindedly from 8am for about four hours. Shibano www.arttourinternational.com

“Untitled Number 14, 2016" Oil On Canvas, 32"×39.5", 2016

never mentioned grades to trigger studentsʼ motivation; instead, he just made students repeatedly write and hand in their works to be marked with red ink. Over time, WADA discovered joy in the act of concentrating on writing. It was an unforgettable moment for him when Shibano Cont. Next Page

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“Where is The Soul Of The Trees? No.47" India Ink On Paper, 28.5"×31", 2014

wrote “tokon,” fighting spirit, on a piece of paper and gave it to him during the last lesson before he moved to Tokyo. He thinks that the origin of his creative activity lies in those seven years.”

What role do you feel your works play in our culture?

“Since I lived in France for seven years, and besides that, three months in Spain, and a month in Mexico, I sometimes feel that my works are a mixture of Oriental and Western culture. If there is such a mixture of cultures that is not bound by nationality, race, religion, sex, age, etc. in my works, I think that it is the role of my actions.”

What keeps you inspired?

“I usually work in my studio in the forest with an altitude of 1100m.And I have always been inspired by rural beauty, unusually thick woods and the trees that surround my studio. Nature is more important than anything for my artworks. And I receive a substantial inspiration from animals as much, especially from the kittens in the forest and the little birds as like Saint Francis loved. I went to Assisi in Italy last year, and also where I received a lot of inspiration from the sacred 114 | SPRING 2018

place and shrine. Then I always give Buddhist sutra every morning (365 days), I think that I am inspired from the recitation as well.”

What is next for you?

“After finishing the production of the series; “Where is the Soul of the Trees?”, I devoted myself to the production of the next series; “After an artist died, the ten blue poems left in the forest” last year. In this series, I attempted an interesting mixture of T. S. Eliot and W. B. Yeatsʼ poetry and my Oriental identity. I think that a mixing of the two which is impossible at all is always stimulating for artists. And this year I began to make my new series; “ZOUMITU WONDERLAND”. It is difficult to explain “ZOUMITU”. “ZOUMITU” is like a prototype of primitive Buddhism of ancient times in Buddhist language.

Because I live in the forest, “ZOUMITU” exists abundantly around me, that is, there are many ones in the forest. So it is my next work to incorporate them into paintings.”

For sales and more information contact:

cafeducoin@aria.ocn.ne.jp www.kenwada2.com www.arttourinternational.com

Ralph Garafola

“From

Painting Top 10

en, To Now”

by Ekiter Hert

“Sunset Stroll" Oil On Canvas, 20"x24"

FF

romrom a draftsman a draftsman in in New New YorkYork to antoillustrator, an illustrator, with the with application the application of know-of ledge knowledge has madehas Ralph made Garafola Ralph a successful Garafola illustrator a successful and fine illusart painter. trator and He began fine artbypainter. drawingHe a white began pianoby that drawing had twinavases white on apiano brown that paper had twin bag when vases he on a wasbrown only five paper years. bag After when leaving he was the army, only five Garafola years.commenced After leaving the army, Garafola commena commercial illustration studio that he operated for ced a commercial illustration 50 years. Under Frank J. Reilly at The Art Students League studio that in NYC he operated for over seven for 50years, years.heUnder studied Frank fine J. art Reilly andatperfected The Art Students his skills League in illustration, in NYC drawing, for over abstract seven years, andhe painting. studied His fine dedication art and perfected allowed hishim skills the in illustration, position of the drawing, class monitor abstract (assistant) and painting. while still His dedication in school. “Reilly allowed was ahim greatthe mentor position and father of thefigure class monitor to me, and (assistant) I have as while much respect still in school. for him now “Reilly as was I did a great when mentor I was his and student father in figure the to 1950s me, and I1960s. have as I owe much respect him my sincere for him gratitude,” now as I did Garafola when I was said.his student the Cont. Nextin Page 1950s and 1960s. I owe him my sincere gratitude,” Garafola said.

“Waterloo Village" Oil On Canvas, 30"x40" “Waterloo Village" Oil On Canvas, 30"x40"

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SPRING 2018 | 115

“Moose In Yosemite" Oil On Canvas, 24"x36"

“Painting On The Left Bank" Oil On Canvas, 48"x36"

116 | SPRING 2018

“James With Dog Duke" Oil On Canvas, 36"x30"

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“Racing To Windward" Oil On Canvas, 16"x26"

Garafola’s painting style is contemporary realism using different media which include oils, watercolors and is highly skilled in brush handling.

He likes Plein Air painting because you paint nature as it is. All his paintings are portraits.

Whether the subject is a person, landscape, seascape or still life, his approach is to portray the subject in its natural environment. It puts the viewer inside the painting. All of his paintings tell a story. His inspiration comes from something beautiful, interesting or a moment in time.

Recently he painted Henry Morrison Flagler in his library at his Whitehall home in Palm Beach. He holds in his hand the first East Coast Florida Railway million dollar bond certificate. Garafola retired from commercial illustration and returned to painting. In his early seventies began teaching and writing books to pass along his knowledge and skills to younger generations. He expresses his passion for teaching the true essence of painting, identifying that there is a lack of knowledge in art instruction today. His book Frank J. Reilly—The Elements of Painting reveals Reilly’s theory of what one needs to know about painting, which fills that void.

For Garafola, retirement is not an option. He says, “As long as I can see and hold a brush, I will keep painting.”

For sales and more information visit:

“Henry Flagler With East Coast Railway Million Stock" Oil On Canvas, 54"x40"

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www.ralphgarafola.com SPRING 2018 | 117

Painting Top 10

Neil Kerman

by Yadira Roman

N

eil Kerman is a force for color behind the scenes, inviting his audience to leap into his world of technical mastery. A man who is passionate about unity and connection in our world, I found myself diving into many dimensions when viewing his work.

Neil tells us about this “At times, if one observes my paintings wearing 3D glasses, they come to life 3 Dimensionally. What I like to capture with my paintings is for the viewers to see images that take them to unknown places such as the deep sea, behind rocks, deep into a forest, far into space or wherever their imagination takes them.”

What is your experience of yourself when you are creating?

“I experience a great sense of joy and passion when I paint. It is indeed exhilarating for me to watch the many colors merge and blend to form exciting and vibrant paintings and to know that others who view my paintings will feel a similar sense of emotions and will appreciate, as I do, the colors of life that the world offers. Initially, I began painting as a therapeutic modality to help nursing home residents and being a Certified Activities Consultant; I know the positive impact art therapy has on people with disabilities and illnesses.”

What message has inspired you this year for your work?

“The positive energy I feel when people unite with one another. Our country has been experiencing horrific disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and fires. Seeing us all come together, to support the victims of these tragedies, whether through volunteering or financial aid, has honestly been inspiring and enlightening for me.”

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“Pisang" Acrylic On Canvas Mix Media, 30"x40"

“Chance" Acrylic On Canvas Mix Media, 30"x30"

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“Luna" Acrylic On Canvas Mix Media, 30"x30"

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“ART STX Collection" Acrylic On Canvas Mix Media, 6"x78"

“Phoebe’s Fire" Acrylic On Canvas Mix Media, 30"x40"

“Blue Docks" Acrylic On Canvas Mix Media, 48"x72"

“Heaven" Acrylic On Canvas Mix Media, 30"x40"

What is your process when creating?

“I enjoy a fresh new white canvas. I like to go outside and absorb the weather and my surroundings. I write an encouraging message in pencil on my canvas, and my thoughts at the time draw me to the colors I use and the designs I create. The best way to describe it is, In the moment.”

What words of wisdom would you like to share with your audience?

“Go for it. No matter what you want to be, or what you want to do, it’s never too late.Don’t Be afraid to start regardless of age or circumstance.”

What is next for you?

“Each day is a new day. Each day I look forward to painting and creating new designs and continuing to display my artwork at galleries around the world, and meeting new artists to share creative ideas with.”

“Passages" Acrylic On Canvas Mix Media, 36"x48"

For sales and more information contact:

info@itsakerman.com

(212) 365-6615 | 1-855-4-Kerman (537626)

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SPRING 2018 | 121

Painting Top 10

Siegfried Lehmann

by Yadira Roman

“Faces" Oil On Canvas, 59"x39.4"

S

iegfried Lehmann enlightens us as he opens a window of communication between his work and our community. Using social developments as a root of inspiration we dive into the inspiration himself.

Why do you do what you do?

“Since my childhood I feel that me and my art are inseparable from each other. At the age of five, the adults around me noticed my specific skills to model and to draw. This deep inner connection to art and creativity has accompanied me my whole life and marked me. It was and is a way for me to get to know myself better and to express my philosophy of life. My works are always very colorful, show the unusual and individual and at the same time they have to do with the game of life. For me, this also means thinking positively and seeing the beautiful and good things in life. To be artistically active means to me to play with colors and color harmonies, to keep on developing my imagination, to integrate innovative ideas, in mere words: to live up my creative potency.”

What has inspired your work this past year?

“The past year I was inspired by modern technology.

Computers, pixels, keyboards, the many knobs and buttons, that you have everywhere, arranged me to put 122 | SPRING 2018

all this into a visual language. Especially the knobs and buttons have inspired me to work in three dimensions and to insert elements of varied materials into my paintings. This has made my works change from a somewhat symbolic representation towards the abstract and graphics up to a three-dimensional image.

In these new paintings I have expressed my emotions through the interaction of shapes and colors. Here are on the one side the intense bright colors in a rhythmic and graphic arrangement and on the other hand the three-dimensional elements that repeatedly break through this rhythm. This is how a combination of shapes and colors comes into play, includes the viewer and leads to an interaction and communication.” www.arttourinternational.com

who surround you. As well I deal with the significant global issues such as nature conservation, globalization, and digitization. All this flows into the work. At the same time, I always try to show the positive aspects and to convey, that everything has two sides and that there is still an alternative way that ultimately leads to the positive and successful. Thus, artistic work is a constant and continual engagement with the environment that inspires creativity, and so creates new things out of itself.”

Your works have a powerful message, what words of wisdom would you give to artists questioning whether or not to do the same?

“Well Connected" Acrylic On Wood With 3D Elements, 31.5"x39.4"

“To express his thoughts, his emotions and opinions artistically is always something very personal.

Everybody must decide it for himself, whether he wants to go this way or not. In my view, it is important to develop your creativity and to become aware of it first, before you make your decision. You must feel your way being creative. As a creative person, you interpret nature in your way. To develop this individual way is a process, that you must go through and that you must become aware of. This development process takes time, and it is important to take this time. If you decide in favor of it, it is important to believe in yourself and not to give up, until you have reached your goal. I adopt the motto: "Criticism only makes me stronger.

That gives me power in demanding situations.”

Whats next for your career?

“Of course, it is about to continue the creative process, to be inspired, to develop innovative ideas and to incorporate them into the work and thus create new, unprecedented works. On the other hand, I want to introduce my artworks to a broad audience and to make them known, to make contact between the artist and the art lover. I would like to continue the path that has begun, and I am looking for new opportunities all the time.

My next upcoming exhibitions are: Languages of Art, Galleria 360, Florence, Italy, Group exhibition May 31th till June 25th, 2018 and Mark Rothko Art Centre, Daugavpils, Latvia (the birthplace of Mark Rothko) a group exhibition where I will show a cross-section of my artworks April 20th until June 24th, 2018.

“Modern Communication" Acrylic On Wood With 3D Elements, 33"x42"

How has your environment been of influence to your message as an artist?

“Me as creative person inspires really everything, what is happening around me. That can be the trivial things you can perceive in passing, just as the nature of the people www.arttourinternational.com

A new artistic work is a young living being that ripens step by step and develops its own best character.

Some are wild, unruly and bubbling over with energy, loving pop, and rock music and spraying their tremendous joy of life; others are very organized and structured, love classics and have within their clearness and order nearly a meditative character.

But there also are kinds of living beings who strive for much individuality, who hate to be in uniform and who want to express their own best nature with much intensity. All this is reflected on the surface of the artwork. While coming into being ripeness the development of the artwork goes on. The artwork Cont. Next Page

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“Forms No. 4" Acrylic On Canvas, 47"x31.5"

“Valery" Acrylic On Wood With 3D Elements, 27.6"x39.4"

“Butterfly And Sun" Oil On Canvas, 59"x39.4"

keeps communicating with his creator, absorbing characteristics, thoughts, and emotions and continues to show him new sides and facets of itself. Step by step it is growing up to a matured and independent personality. Now it is ready to leave his creator and to look for new contacts.

At this moment the art lover enters the game. He becomes an observing partner, who creates a new relationship and communicates in his unique way with the artwork. In this way, a new continuous process of change and movement starts. The observer gets more and more involved in the artistic work, maybe he discovers hidden parts of himself and feels more and more his presence and reality throughout the work. He starts to notice that he participates in the process of perception of movements and colors."

For sales and more information contact:

info@sl-creartion.de www.sl-creartion.de

“Street Scenery" Acrylic On Wood With 3D Elements, 27.6"x39.4"

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Susie Gordon

Painting Top 10

by Yadira Roman

“Strength Of Horses" Watercolor/Ink/Graphite On Arches, 16"X20"

R

ien Poortvliet (A truly inspiring artist) has quoted..."To show what the Good Lord has made."

This has been a path for Susie Gordon, one that centers on her Christian faith, her family and the animals she uses in her art. Her studies include; the acclaimed Columbus College of Art and Design (working in Fine Art Painting and Lost Wax Bronze) and the Beartooth School of Art (with Carl Brenders). Susie is a signature member of Artists For Conservation, Associate member of The Society of Animal Artists and Oil Painters of America.

Susie Gordon’s work has been offered to the public at art exhibitions such as the InternationalWild Cat 2001 Competition in California. Her Tiger painting "Behold" won the Sierra Endangered Cat Haven Award of excellence. She has won numerous Best of Show awards and has exhibited at the American Academy of Equine Art's Fall Juried Show in Kentucky and the Artists For Conservation live exhibition in Vancouver, BC. Susie has exhibited and sold her original artworks from 2004 through 2015 at the Southeastern Wildlife Expo in Charleston, SC. Her work was accepted in 2017 at Legacy Gallery, Bozeman, MT as a guest artist.

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“Pronghorn" Oil On Panel, 8"X10"

Tell us about your mission as an artist.

"I am a contemporary representational painter, working primarily in oils. Drawing from nature, I am made aware of the many orchestrations of shapes, light and shadow, expression of personality, color contrast, and especially a mood or atmosphere. I love animals and also familiar places such as our little grove behind the barn and things that speak to me about times past and quiet simple moments. I live close to the Ohio Amish farming community and find myself getting lost there on purpose to "remain" in this quaint environment. Sometimes, it is in these quiet, unadorned places that make the most worthy subjects; sometimes the quietest things cry out to be called worthy. I aim to show, through my work, those moments.”

“Distant Howls" Graphite On Moleskine, 12"X16"

What experiences have inspired you?

"Growing up on a farm and living my life with horses has always been my foundation for portraying them accurately. Correct anatomy is best studied from life.

Raising, training and just being around your subject is everything. Riding my Friesian thought the woods in the quiet foggy evening has brought much inspiration to me.

Photographing and painting horses at auctions bound for slaughter have raised awareness to help save many from this cruel fate. This has inspired me to have courage where I thought I had none. In my early years, my high school art teacher encouraged me to draw, and after studying at the Columbus College of Art and Design, I spent time with Belgian artist, Carl Brenders at the Beartooth Mountains in Montana which was a platform like no other. Over a decade of exhibiting at the Southeastern Wildlife Expo in Charleston, SC helped me to grow, opened up a whole new world, including

“Friesian 2" Oil On Lead Ground Birch Panel, 14"x11"

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“Crystal Gaze" Oil On Lead Ground Birch Panel, 9"X12"

“Roac: The Old Raven of Ravenhill" Oil On Canvas, 24"X30"

illustrating children’s books. I am stepping up to higher pastures every day, seeking broader horizons, studying masterworks from past and present artists and just "getting to it." Practice is everything."

What are you currently working on?

“As I live and breathe art every day, my biggest battle is what to paint or draw next. I enjoy Plein Air painting, especially in historical places reflecting our nation's past. I have always been captivated by the “West” so will be completing many works using this genre. My children and I are involved in civil war reenacting which helps enrich authenticity in my works. Mostly, I am preparing works for art shows and galleries. I am illustrating a new children’s book coming soon called “The Far Turn.”

What’s next for you?

“SusieGordonFineArt.com is my FASO website. Please check this site often for new works and sign up for my newsletter, Instagram, and Facebook page. Susie will be attending the Stampede Western Invitational Art Exhibit and Sale in Greeley, Colorado June 22nd-July 4th, 2018.

Every day I find new blessings to behold. Life is never without strife but having faith will always get you through. I am thankful to be able to be an artist and pursue the passion that is within me."

For sales and more information visit:

“Hangin' Out" Oil On Lead Ground Birch Panel, 16"X20"

128 | SPRING 2018

www.susiegordonfineart.com www.arttourinternational.com

Artist Of The Year

Katrin Alvar

THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

by Thomas Lioutas

“Karma" Oil On Canvas, Objects, 57"x49"x3"

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e are honored to announce Katrin Alvarez ArtTour International's Artist Of The Year 2018. An award which crowns the many successes of her career as an artist, and activist using her art to take a stand against child abuse. Another s i g n i fi c a nt a c h i eve m e nt w h i c h complements the journey of this master artist.

A raw voice in contemporary art, A l v a re z ' s u c c e s s ro o t s t o h e r methodical approach to painting, creating her surreal, oneiric and many times dystopic artworks that promote www.arttourinternational.com

many conceptual themes. These themes focus mostly on social topics ranging from the overexposure to technology to the exertion of power unto others and especially the denouncement of child abuse, a common danger that has risen as one of the most critical problems of our era.

Katrin Alvarez impacts her audience through an influential choice of expression. She holds a career that spans for decades, having exhibited her work in many solo and group Cont. Next Page

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“Rage" Oil On Canvas, Object, 14"x14"x1"

shows. Her paintings have a unique profile, being intensely surrealistic and evoking dreams, thoughts, and ideas while being highly realistic in their depiction.

These qualities of her work are evident since her earlier paintings, “I survived my childhood.” It is essentially a dream-like composition, one which is both clear and obscure, just like the memories of childhood. This thematic context continues in her work, as it can also be seen in her most recent pieces.

In “Daddy loves me” the viewer confronts the image of a child which seems to hang from a thread controlled by an oversized hand, just like a marionette. It is an ironical piece, which acts as a reference to the way that parents can at the same time love and control their children, resulting in a traumatic experience. The 130 | SPRING 2018

experience is not only depicted as something dictated by relations, as Alvarez has elevated it to a central t h e m e of h e r wo r k . I n m a ny of h e r p i e ce s , technological objects correlate with human figures, becoming a sign for the dominance of science and technology in our lives. Thus, the notion of dominance can be seen as an emergent pattern in her journey, a p a t te r n w h i c h b r i d g e s d i ffe r i n g c o n c e pt u a l background into a more cohesive body of work. This notion of technological dominance signifies the way that people become the faceless slaves of technology by painting figures that either lack facial characteristics, like in “Rage” and “Horus” or having generic human characteristics, exhibited in “Karma.”

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“Daddy Loves Me" Oil On Canvas, 12"x14"x2"

“ e ability to make thoughts and feelings visible that means the highest value in my life. But especially during the last years, listening to the news from all around the world, to all these sounds of disrespect, aggressiveness against humans and nature and it's exploitation, makes me feel weak and senseless. I am still looking for my responsibility as an artist: An aesthetical ivory tower cant is enough.”

- Katrin Alvarez

“I Survived My Childhood" Colored Pencil On Board, 25"x33"

“Horus" Oil On Canvas, Object, 42"x50"

132 | SPRING 2018

The lack of a distinct, characteristic face in Alvarez' work is a direct criticism of the lack of personal characters which is developed by over-exposure to technological objects. While this focus on technology can be considered as one of the pivotal elements of her work, Alvarez refers to human existence and consciousness. Pieces such as “Premonition” and “Genesis” can be portrayed as works that bridge her aesthetic with these notions and introduce the viewer to a much more complex journey. The first is an enigmatic composition which combines human figures, faces, floral shapes, and animals, resulting in a visual complexity that resembles a nexus of thoughts. Her audience is welcomed to explore this rich, surreal world to reach a personal understanding about the significance of every feature. “Genesis” showcases a mental connection between two people. The two heads are bridged by a person and a oneiric antelope-like animal, forming a surreally d i ffe re nt c h a i n t h at c a n s i g n i f y m a ny underlying ideas. It is the shared trait of being human, the experience of being alive and many other significant notions that can be decoded in this striking image. The entirety of www.arttourinternational.com

“Genesis" Oil On Canvas, 50"x50"

her works can be considered as a unique journey of an artist who combines technical excellence with conceptual depth. The dream-like sequences, the faceless figures, the technological artifacts and the biomorphic shapes merge into a single underlying theme, the idea of being a conscious human.

For her significant contribution to the world of arts, Katrin Alvarez will receive her "Artist Of The Year" award

by ArtTour International during the ATIM Masters Award Ceremony hosted by the magazine in the Museum of Art and Design of New York, on the 27th of April, 2018.

For sales and more information contact:

info@katrin-alvarez.de www.katrin-alvarez.de

“Fear Has A Lot Of Faces" Pencil On Board, 22"x31"

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Fine Art Photography Top 5

Olga Loschinina

by Yadira Roman

“Sea Stacks" Acrylic Print With Slimline Case, 35”x24”

O

lga Loschinina connects her photography between human life and the natural world. Through her love for travel and photography, she has been able to capture and create realistic views in the natural splendor for her audience. Her exhibited works offer her viewers a spectrum of our world from extreme climates of the Antarctic ice fields to the African deserts, ocean, and mountains. Through her lens, she captures delicate colors in elusive atmospheres, in mist or images in pigmented rays of the sunrise and sunset. We got a chance to step into a mone t with her, “Olga at Work" Acrylic Print With Slimline Case, 35”x24”

What is your interpretation of life through your lens?

Traveling around the world, gaining impressions at the moment and memories in the future.

What role does travel play in your career?

It’s a costly hobby.

Tell us about your journey as a photographer?

Observe, enjoy, fix and share.

What would you like to share with your audience about your experience in still moments with your camera?

“Merry Dancers" Acrylic Print with Slimline Case, 35”x24”

Beauty of world and funny moments.

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"In White" Acrylic Print with Slimline Case, 35”x24”

“Sea Dog" Acrylic Print with Slimline Case, 35”x24”

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SPRING 2018 | 135

“Stokksnes - Vestrahorn Mountain" Acrylic Print With Slimline Case, 35”x24”

“Glacier - Ice Cave" Acrylic Print With Slimline Case, 35”x24”

For sales and more information visit:

www.olgafinearts.com

Sam Barrow

Fine Art Photography Top 5

by Yadira Roman

“Dawn Monolith" Digital Photograph On Hahnemühl Paper, 20"x20"

S

am Barrow welcomes his audience into the vast scope of his photography. Exhibiting our world through a vulnerable, and skilled lens.

Why do you do what you do?

“As someone who shares most of the traits of a highly sensitive person (HSP) or someone with autism spectrum disorder, photography started as a coping mechanism in a world that for me had always been too loud, too bright, too fast and too tight. However, image making took on a life of its own and now feels like I’m being led by an inner part of myself towards a purpose beyond what I can currently comprehend. I believe doing what you genuinely love, doing what takes you into that magical place of ‘no time’ is the best way to heal, nurture and expand the spirit in ways that Cont. Next Page

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“Wharariki Beach Sunset" Digital Photograph On Hahnemühl Paper, 47"x17"

it slows down the daily mind with all its unnecessary chaos and gently invites you to participate in a little private adventure of your choosing. To try, and summarize the process, it’s about seeing the composition of a scene in a way that highlights the dominant and most beautiful parts of the architecture in the land and sky rather than attempting to document all the details that a digital camera collects.I think having a compelling vision in your mind, being able to convert that concept into a feeling, and then allowing your intuition to guide you to specific locations at certain times is most of the battle won. In this way, I feel the image will always remain authentic and unique to me.In a nutshell, I imagine myself as a painter or sketch artist from start to finish, not a photographer. Most of my inspiration comes from putting myself in the shoes of other painters.”

How have your previous studies supported you as a photographer?

“Higher Conversations" Digital Photograph On Hahnemühl Paper, 17"x24"

mutually benefit the receiver as well as the giver. I love what I do and never run out of fuel when dreaming up new projects and so I’m perpetually encouraged to keep going. In short, I do what I do because it makes me feel good!”

I've noticed there’s a sense of expansion in your work, tell us about your process in creating this effect?

“For me, this sense of expansion that one might see in my work is undoubtedly one of the most important elements I want people to feel. It’s central to everything I do. I hope 138 | SPRING 2018

“I am entirely self-taught in the art of photography, and I believe we’re our greatest teachers. However, my background studying geology, landscape architecture and music have supported and enriched my artistic process considerably.All of these subjects strengthen one's ability to use the five senses in exciting ways.

Geology encourages you to see patterns and relationships in the landscape, opens you to natural mysteries inherent within the earth and beyond, and also improves your ability to work productively under pressure in the outdoor environment, which I often need to do.Landscape architecture was especially useful for introducing me to the history of art and architecture and how different personalities have shaped the course of artistic expression, especially about the landscape and its relationship to people and architecture.In studying jazz composition and performance, I realized just how structured the inner workings of jazz pieces are, even though it’s mostly an improvised art form, or at least seen that way by the listener. This seemingly strange dichotomy is a constant reminder to me of how to best go about the creative process: 1. First have a plan with a robust and calculated intention, and 2. Open the heart, remain like a child and let go! If I fail, it’s usually because either step one or step two wasn’t given the attention it deserved.” www.arttourinternational.com

“Burkes Pass" Digital Photograph on Canvas 47" x 21"

What message are you sharing with your audience through your work?

“Remembering for the whole” is how I often describe my work. This is not something I consciously designed; it’s just how I’ve felt my whole life.It’s how I came in.I have always inherently known that valuable things cannot be extracted from any person, thing or place outside of yourself, only gently coerced from deep within you where they sit and wait ever so patiently for you to just remember and nurture their magnificence. My message is therefore not communicated by documenting or commenting directly on the world as we see it, but instead invites spacious and unhurried contemplation about the more profound truths that lie waiting for us, usually within a plain site.I feel my message has a longterm goal with a charted course of its own – one that I think will gradually be made known as the levels of remembering in myself and everyone else reach such a place as to be able to absorb the information. However, it will forever be centered around the stilling of the mind to encourage self-empowerment because this inevitably leads to a more compassionate, integrated world free from deception, manipulation, and constriction. You could say it’s all about harmony and ultimately – serenity.”

“Delaware Bay Tui" Digital Photograph On Hahnemühl Paper, 30"x20"

What’s next for you?

“One ongoing project involves the development of a new creative portrait series, which allows me to present my message more overtly.These images are an extension of the feeling and mood of my landscape work but are a collaborative effort. This work is always pushing me to the edge of my comfort zone and is when my most surprising and pleasing results come.A lot of my inspiration and guidance come from my dreams and visions, and I’m excited at the prospect of bravely interweaving this work more directly into my finished images. I also love to write and hope to be able to incorporate words into my work soon. Both of these things keep me in a state that feels like a healthy vulnerability.The creation of original things in this world www.arttourinternational.com

“Winter At Lake Alexandrina" Digital Photograph On Hahnemühl Paper, 24"x16"

and showing them in public can be a terrifying thing.

Feelings of self-doubt and loneliness and dealing with constant distractions and criticisms can make it seem impossible. I would dearly love to find a unique way of assisting those who feel left behind and without a voice.”

For sales and more information visit:

www.sambarrow.co.nz SPRING 2018 | 139

Fine Art Photography Top 5

Shifra Levyathan

by Yadira Roman

“Birds" Photography, 17"x12"

LEFT: “Sunset" Photography, 19"x16" RIGHT: “City In A Glass" Photography, 20"x16"

T

aking healing as an impacting experience, Shifra Levyathan has played a role as an influential voice in her community. Intrigued by urban life and the people surrounding her she works as a compass for the human experience.

140 | SPRING 2018

As a member of your audience, what do you experience when you look at your work?

“This is a tough question. I am never satisfied with my work. I may like it at the time, but often when the work is done l come back and change it. I always hope that my next action will be "The one.” www.arttourinternational.com

“The One Who Went Away" Photography, 17"x12"

So far it did not happen, but l am optimistic.”

Why do you do what you do?

“This is another tough question. All my life l have been drawing, painting and photographing. At a certain point in my life, I took ten years off and went back to the University. I studied Art history, and after I finished my MA degree, I decided not to continue with my Ph.D. and returned to art. I tried for a while to go back to drawing and painting, but l felt I lost touch, so l took on photography. It started being an essential part of my life when l bought a digital camera and the great software that comes with it.

However, what changed my photography entirely was when in 2010 l could not walk for a while. This meant no more walking for hours with the camera. I knew l had to work with the photographs I had on my computer. This was when my feelings, my imagination, my emotions and the life around me, in general, dictated my work.”

Who is your source of inspiration in life?

“Life. Life around me in general, what life brings to me, to my friends, to my country effects my emotional world.”

“Captured" Photography, 20"x17"

Cont. Next Page

www.arttourinternational.com

SPRING 2018 | 141

“Ghosts Of War" Photography, 23.5"x18"

What is the message that you wish to leave to your audience?

“I would like the viewer to feel what l felt when l created my work, be it loneliness, sadness, pain, and happiness, and also to understand what I am trying to show - my reaction to life around me.”

What are you currently working on?

“Now I am working on a series I call "People in a Jar." l started working on it just for fun, and then l suddenly felt that there is a reason for this work. No matter how happy you are with your life, your family, and friends, there are always moments that you are entirely alone and even lonely. This is the beginning, but of course, l don't know where it will take me.”

142 | SPRING 2018

“Love" Photography, 33"x25"

For sales and more information contact:

shifraxl@gmail.com www.shifralev.com

www.arttourinternational.com

Barbara Moore

Fine Art Photography Top 5

“Bold Beautiful Color”

“Purple Mountain Majesty" Fine Art Photography, Various Sizes 20"x24"-30"x40"

B

arbara Moore is a selftaught 76 yr. old professional photographer who lives in theBlue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Barbara did not take photography seriously until age40 & began a career at a Sears Photography Studio, where her talent was working with kids and families f e a t u r e d i n a Wa s h i n g t o n P o s t newspaper article. She eventually opened her studio in Herndon, Va., and for 17 years specialized in highkey film portraiture. Intending to retire, Barbara closed her studio in 2003, but because the digital age provided her with too many creative photo opportunities to ignore, she began a career as a fine art p h o to g r a p h e r. M o o re's ve r s a t i l e shooting style ranges from cerebral landscapes to wild and colorful abstracts and everything in between.

The variety of her work has earned her acclaim. Over the past years, Moore has been in numerous regional and MidAtlantic shows, from NYC to Miami. She is currently associated withArt Tour International, Artblend, and BLINK/Art Design Associates. Moreover, she has featured in three art books and several art magazines.

www.arttourinternational.com

“Wherever your eyes can go, there’s a picture.”

—Barbara Moore

“Pacific Treasures" Fine Art Photography, Various Sizes 20"x24"-50"x60"

For sales and more information contact:

barb@barbmoorefineartphotography.com www.barbmoorefineartphotography.com SPRING 2018 | 143

Fine Art Photography Top 5

Art 2 Heart with Suzanne Duncan

by Yadira Roman

S

uzanne Duncan has been an active and creative photographer for the last ten years, managing to forge a diverse artistic profile that explores in depth the essence of fine art photography. Her body of work is one of keen interest, as she manages to handle masterfully and carefully a multitude of elements that combine into artworks that are aesthetically brilliant as well as conceptually intriguing. Thus it is an artist that is worthy of the acclaim that has gained throughout the years.

What role does fashion play in your work?

Fashion plays a huge part in my work; it has from the very first day I started photography. I was always inspired by fashion photographers and how they create incredible masterpieces, so it inspired me to do the same with my work!

What are you inspired by at this time in your life?

I love this question! I am inspired by many things right now! Traveling, colors, textures, movements, strength, happiness, power for good, different people, different cultures, anything that is unique. I think learning to be comfortable with being unique/ one of a kind and realizing how special that indeed is!

What are you currently working on, and how can our readers find you?

I am now working on many things! Obviously, I can’t say everything, but I am working on bring my art to everyone in new ways and to keep innovating the art scene! So, stayed tuned!!!

You can follow me on Instagram @Suziedee or my website www.suzanneduncan.net Enjoy Everyone!

TM

INTERVIEWS

“Emerge" Photography, 60"x48"

The Myth Of The Day Job

To quit or not to quit, that is the question!

I

t’s fair to say that quitting the day job has become, for lack of a better word, fancy. Everywhere you look articles and videos are advocating for artists to leave their day job and follow their passion. As noble as that may be, it’s a crusade not being led by facts but rather by concepts and idealism. Seemingly these crusaders forget that not all professions can be approached the same. And artistic careers are among those.

More often than not, artists take time for self-discovery before they have the career of their dreams. Many renowned artists had to endure working day jobs while they were starting their artistic careers which eventually took off. Below are some of the reasons why, as an artist, you need a good strategy before quitting your day job.

The Myth of Not Following Your Dreams Most people underestimate what it takes to make it as an artist, and unfortunately, these same people are the first to advise on the same. Keeping the day job is, in fact, central to the realization of your dreams. Art being a creative process needs inspiration and a day job can be an excellent source of inspiration which is key to creating original work. Being in the Art industry means 146 | SPRING 2018

by Viviana Puello

playing the long game and aiming for consistent demand for your art and the income that comes with it.

And that takes time and resources which get me to my next point.

The Day Job Brings Much Needed Additional Income When starting off, it’s tough for artists to make enough money to support all their needs and at the same time spare some for the demands of the job. Also, it takes off the pressure of selling your art which keeps you in control of your creativity. If an artist is overwhelmed by financial responsibilities, it’s the art that suffers. At such a point, the artist is inclined to do art that presumably sells other than listening to their inspiration which is unsustainable. If you believe in your work and you have the determination to make it as an artist, it may take time, but eventually, you will reap the fruits of your hard labor.

Financial Security When determining whether your day job is holding you back from your artistic calling, it would be wise to factor in your family and financial position and make sure that you will be able to support yourself from the www.arttourinternational.com

income derived from your art. The transition from being part-time to a full-time artist should be a calculated move rather than an unexpected one. Even for young artists who don’t have a family or dependents, the day job can provide a robust financial foundation which not only helps them launch their art careers but one which they can stand on for the rest of their lives. Keeping the day job is not just strategically smart but also dignifying to the artist as it helps meet their day to day demands and also makes for a smooth transition when the time comes because financial planning is career planning.

Dedication A day job may provide you with the freedom to pursue only the things that move you closer to your dreams.

Quitting your day job may create a financial crisis, and you might end up saying yes to things that make you money while pulling you further off your artistic career.

It is understandable why an artist may think quitting the day job will free up more time for art. But with discipline and determination artists can organize their time to create and develop their creativity, you can find and make the time to develop and to fulfill your obligations and responsibilities.

It is proven that artists on a day job can enjoy more creative time dedicated to their art than their counterparts who quit to focus on art in the beginning stages of their career. Artists who leave their day job at the very early stages of their careers spend most of their time hopping between galleries and exhibitions looking for slots than they spend being creative feeling under pressure to sell and guarantee an income. Keeping a day job will allow you to focus on self-discovery and develop your portfolio while looking for a market for your well-developed art on the side. Your day job will also provide you with income to invest in your artistic career, travel to exhibitions, participate in national and international art fairs, advertise your work and create a good name for yourself. A day job that you can control will give you the time to plan your strategy, make connections, and lay the groundwork while still earning an income.

The Concept Of Supply And Demand Now, this is one thing that art has in common with other industries. When you are relatively new in the industry, it’s rather ambitious to think that your work will be flying off the walls. Therefore, it would be unreasonable to be creating art for 24 hours of the day.

Also, there is the seasonality to factor into the equation. Even assuming your art is flying off the walls of art galleries and exhibitions, a dip in sales is naturally expected at certain times of the year. This is where the day job comes in. It gives you something to do and get paid while you are at the infancy stage of your artistic career.

Don’t Be Hard on Yourself As human beings, we tend to compare and contrast.

And consequently judging ourselves harshly. www.arttourinternational.com

Sometimes, seeing other artists doing better with their sales may give you doubts on whether you were meant for the Art industry. It should help to know that our paths are very different and even some successful artists, stayed for a long time before they found their breakthrough. The key to riding out the rough waves is consistency and dedication to your artwork. Keep growing your portfolio, and when an opportunity presents itself, you will be in a position to run with it.

The secret to making it as an artist who works a day job is to create knowing that the day job exists to support your art, not the vice versa.

Make it a goal to dedicate your time to follow the career of your dreams, remember this is a stepping stone. Below I share with you a few points that might help you.

Organize your time and activities around your passion and career of your dreams: Network with other artists, visit gallery events, attend art fairs, get to know the industry. Make wise decisions when spending time on social media. If you have a social media account, make it a marketing tool for your art.

Save money and be creative with your resources.

There are a lot of sites you can use to create free websites and mailing accounts. Buy art supply from wholesalers, participate with artist co-ops, and don't waste any resource.

Show your art as often as possible, exhibit your works at local art fairs and exhibitions. Participate in national shows and look for local sponsors that might help you with travel expenses.

Publish your works and look for special advertising rates on art magazines. A lot of art publications have seasonal rates and offer discounted programs for artists. At ATIM we have special rates provided to artists throughout the year, and you can get advertising space for a fraction of the price. (For more information contact our Ad department at info@arttourinternational.com) Take care of yourself. Practice a discipline that will help you keep focus, relax and boost your creativity like Yoga. Eat healthy so that your body is full of energy and get enough rest so that you never get burnt out.

Enjoy every moment; we are here for the experience, enjoy the people you meet, the moments you share and keep a happy and healthy heart and mind. Enjoy the 'now' and remember that it is all about the journey, don't miss out a minute of being present to your life worrying about the future.

You can create art at any time, anywhere. Be creative, live your dream now.

Stay inspired! ps. If you have any questions or inquiries feel free to email me at vp@arttourinternational.com SPRING 2018 | 147

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John Nieman “Private Lives” On exhibit now at the ArtTour International Booth #149 Art Expo New York

“La Victoire du Coq 2017" Acrylic On Canvas, 47"x39"

by URSULA SCHREGEL On exhibit now at the ArtTour International Booth #149 Art Expo New York