ATIM TOP 60 MASTERS OF CONTEMPORARY ART 2016

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Curated by Viviana Puello.

Published by ArtTour International Publications Artwork on the cover: “Genesis - Let There Be Light 07”, (Detail) Acrylic On Paper By Michael Lam

2016

Curated by Viviana Puello Published by ArtTour International Publications Inc.

®

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Meet some of the master artists published throughout the years in the pages of the ATIM’s Top 60 Masters Of Contemporary Art!

SUBMISSIONS OPEN If you are an artist interested in participating and would like more information visit us at WWW.ATIMTOP60MASTERS.COM

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2016 Curated by: Viviana Puello Graphic Designed by: Alan Grimandi

Front Cover Image: “"Genesis - Let There Be Light 07” Acrylic on Paper by Michael Lam

Back Cover “Kinkajou” Fine Art Photography by Durga Garcia

Published by ArtTour International Publications Inc. 45 Rockefeller Plaza Suite 2000 - New York, NY 10111 www.arttourinternational.com © Copyright 2016 ArtTour International Magazine. All copyrights are reserved by the authors. The copyrights of all published artwork are retained by the artists.

Reproduction of any published material without the written permission of the magazine’s publisher is prohibited by law. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher. First published in USA 2015

by ArtTour International Publications.

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 5

ArtTour International Magazine presents:

The ATIM Masters Award 2016

“And just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly”

FLYING ABOVE Original Sculpture by Viviana Puello Clay, Enamel & 24 K Gold

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CONTRIBUTORS Editor.in-Chief and Curator Viviana Puello Editor in Chief.

Tel: (800) 807-1167 Ext 107 vp@arttourinternational.com Graphic Director Alan Grimandi Tel: (800) 807-1167 Ext 109 alan.grimandi@arttourinternational.com

On the news!

Contributing Writers & Editors Yadira M. Roman Mark. Goodwin Samuel Moore Kaitlin May Chris Salinas Artist Services Department Director: Anne Felix info@arttourinternational.com Tel 1 (800) 807-1167 Ext 108 Executive Assistant: Jendahl Martin jendahl.martin@arttourinternational.com

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The copyrights of all published artwork are retained by the artists. Reproduction of any published material without the written permission of the magazine's publisher is prohibited by law.

Published by ArtTour International Publications Inc. 45 Rockefeller Plaza Suite 2000 New York, NY 101111 (800) 807-1167 WWW.ARTTOURINTERNATIONAL.COM

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ARTISTS BY NAME 62 A.C. Lindner

30 Gültekin Bilge

63 Aldo Basili

72 Hélène DeSerres

68 Alex Slingenberg

76 Ian Smith

58 Alexandru Darida

78 Jani Jan J.

100 Mirko

69 Amro Ashry

104 Jim Fitzpatrick

123 Päivyt Niemeläinen

75 AnnaPaola Gorozpe

142 Josef Karl

102 Paulo Teixeira Lopes

140 Antoine Emmanuel

105 Julia Chu

126 Phyllis Terrel

74 Astrid Jacobs

110 Jun Jamosmos

144 Rita Vitaloni

80 Bette Ridgeway

111 Karly Et Anne V

127 Roy Carretta

81 Bianca D'Angelo

82 Katherine Du Tremble

130 Ruby Purple

60 Björn Malm

22 Katrin Alvarez

54 Senj Thai

86 Carolynn Barnhart

84 Kay Griffith

131 Sharon T. Ross

66 Chantal Larriviere

114 Krasi Dimtch

46 Sheefali Asija

87 Cynthia Araf

118 Lauro Pedraza

106 Sónia Domingues

92 Danguole Šerstinskaja

115 Lawrence R. Armstrong 112 Soo Hong

140 David Chinh Truong

42 Leroi C. Johnson

108 Star Trauth

141 David Whitfield

88 Lisa Levasseur

144 Stephen Tobin

64 Dennis Cound

26 Lucy Mattos

134 Sujeong Nam

38 Dminc

50 Lunzen Thai

116 Susan N. McCollough

141 Donna Bonin

90 Lydia Panart

120 Susan Sparks

93 Doron Gal-Adoni

143 Lyn Olsen

124 Suzanne Duncan

70 Dorothy Slikker

143 Lynne Bernay-Roman

135 Sveta Long

98 Durga Garcia

94 Manuella Muerner Marioni 34 Edgar Francisko Jimenez 96 Mark James Ford 99 Ela Mierzecka 14 Michael Lam 142 Erzsebet Nagy SAAR 119 Michelle Larsen 18 Eugen Fass And Michael Geudner 122 Minja Nikolcin

2016

128 Svetlana Kanyo 138 Svetlana Leuchuk 132 Tony Svensson 139 Zhihong Wei 136 Zoe Summer

Index

8 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

CONTRIBUTORS:

ARTTOUR VIVIANA PUELLO INTERNATIONAL Editor in Chief of ArtTourInternational Magazine www.arttourinternational.com ArtTour International Magazine is very proud to announce that the 2014 Founder/Director of theCONTRIBUTORS: Vivid Arts Network w.vividartsnetwork.net issue of ATIM’s Top 60 Master of Contemporary Arts has been awarded Email: vp@arttourinternational.com Phone (800) 807-1167 Ext 107 MAGAZINE the 2014 Medal of Honor by the National Academy of Fine Arts in Brazil AWARDED THE 2014 MEDAL OF HONOR BY THE

CURATOR & PUBLISHER NATIONAL ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS IN BRAZIL

CURATOR & PUBLISHER

VIVIANA and the accomplishment of our Editor in Chief, Viviana Puello with thePUELLO GRAPHIC DIRECTOR Editor in Chief ArtTourInternational Magazine www.arttourinternational.com title of honorary member of ofthe same institution.

The awarding ALAN GRIMANDI Founder/Director of the Vivid Arts Network w.vividartsnetwork.net institution, Director the and National Fine ArtTV, the Association (NAFA), most co-founder of ATIM Web online broadcasting channel forthe ArtTourInternational Email: vp@arttourinternational.com (800) 807-1167 107 authoritative organization for graphic the arts in Brazil a non- Phone profit institution Magazine, and video and director of ArtTouris International Magazine.

With over 15Ext years of experience in the graphic and art industries as an organizer of international dedicated to promoting fine design arts industry through the various activities it GRAPHIC DIRECTOR and events, Grimandi brings to his work not just the excellent technique and organizes. exhibitions The association, in recognizing Puello’s outstanding GRIMANDI performance of a professional graphic and video producer but also a deep ALAN understanding contributionof the to theand arts, is celebrating her by awarding her for itsArtTourInternational Grand Director co-founder of ATIM TV, the online broadcasting channelinterviews, art world, with expertise on Web the broadcast of art events, celebrity artists and Medal of Honor as well as the prestigious title of Honorary Member, Magazine, video andAs graphic director of ArtTour International Magazine.

With over 15 years video shootingand of artworks. the video and graphic director of ArtTour International Magazine, ofkeeps experience inof thethe graphic design industry and artprofessional industries Mr. asstate-of-the-art an organizer ofproductions international which wereAlan bestowed by the Association’s President Edilson E. on top latest technology to create and events, to not quality justPuello thewith excellent technique and Barbosa. He exhibitions stated that the Grimandi award was tohisrecognize her and brings broadcasts ofwork the best the“for help of his team. performance of a professional graphic and video producer but also a deep understanding relevant contribution to fine arts and culture” through her work with of the art world, with expertise on the broadcast of art events, celebrity interviews, artists and Email: girmandi@arttourinternational.com (800) 807-1167 ArtTour International ATIM Web TV andof ArtTour the| Phone Vivid Arts video shootingMagazine, of artworks. As the video and graphic director International Magazine, Network.

Alan keeps on top of the latest technology to create professional state-of-the-art productions

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ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

ArtTour International Magazine is proud to present a highly anticipated and groundbreaking publication, a testament to our dedication and involvement with some of the most talented and inspiring artists operating in the world today: the ATIM’S Top 60 Masters of Contemporary Art!

FOREWORD

Featuring 60 incredible artists, this publication offers readers inspiration from the best of the best in the contemporary art world.

Curated by the internationally acclaimed art personality Viviana Puello, editor in chief of ArtTour International Magazine, the publication spotlights top talent from a broad range of artistic forms. Over the years, many internationally renowned artists have been showcased in the pages of this state-of-the-art publication, including Fernando Botero, Lorenzo Quinn, Hesham Abrishami, Fabian Perez, Vladimir Volegov, Kurt Wenner, Dale Chihuly, Rafael Espitia, Belarmino Miranda Montoya, and Edilson Barbosa, among many others.

In 2014, the ATIM’s Top 60 Masters of Contemporary Art was awarded the Medal of Honor by the National Academy of Fine Arts in Brazil, and Puello received the title of Member Ad Honorem from the same prestigious organization.

This award-winning publication has reached over 1.3 million readers, and there have been over 600,000 views of the video production that accompanies the multimedia platform and digital publications, with those numbers expected to double by the end of 2016.

With this, our fourth edition, we thank and celebrate the figures making an impact in today’s international art world. This special edition book is brimming with the creations of some of the world’s most awe-inspiring artists – an eclectic mixture that is sure to be enjoyed by everyone! Enjoy this magnificent selection of art!

Yadira M. Roman Managing Editor ArtTour International Publications

®

www.arttourinternational.com

“. . . something amazing happens when the creator gives himself over completely and surrenders to love – the painter becoming one with the canvas, the sculptor fusing with the stone. Art happens when the artist lets the masterpiece reveal itself. Then there is the fusion of the two, with no one leading – just two becoming one, just love and art in a vast universe. That is how master artists work and how masterpieces are created, more often than not; the masterpiece outlives the master and remains as a testament to the miracle that once took place, when creation brought to life a creator and when the creator produced what the world considers a precious gift.”

Viviana Puello “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived . . . ” 1 Co.2:9

Viviana C. Puello

ABOUT THE CURATOR

Colombo-American internationally-acclaimed artist, curator, writer and activist, Viviana Puello is an arts advocate, highly recognized for her active role promoting the arts globally. She has most recently receive the title of Honorary Member and the Medal of Honor by the National Academy of Fine Arts in Brazil, for her relevant contribution to fine arts and culture internationally with her work for ArtTour International Magazine and the Vivid Arts Network. All conferred by the president of the association, Mr. Edilson E. Barbosa.

With over 30 years of experience in the industry, Puello is also the founder of the Vivid Arts Network, an international art organization that serves as a platform for professional and emerging artists looking to receive international exposure. With Vivid Arts Network, Puello’s efforts as an activist for the cause of abolishing human trafficking are directed towards helping ECPAT International - an association that helps heal victims and creates programs for the prevention of this crippling social issue (www.ecpat.com).

In December 2014, Puello was presented with a plaque and honored with the title “Artists Visionary” by the artists of the Vivid Arts Network. This was a warm thank you for Puello from this large group of artists whose careers have been touched by her work and dedication.

In 2011, Puello founded ArtTourInternational Magazine; with the help of her creative team, the first issue of the magazine was published in December 2011 and distributed to fifteen hundred readers. Today, ArtTour International Magazine has over 2 million readers and is present in over 120 countries.

Puello splits her time between Italy and New York, the city in which she gained experience while working for a notable TV Station. After founding ArtTour International Magazine and seeing its great success, Viviana founded the ATIM web TV Channel where she uses her past experience in journalism and communications to expose contemporary artists through the live broadcasting of events and the “Art 2 heart” interviews she does while traveling with her team.

Viviana Puello started her career as an artist in her native Colombia at a very early age. She emigrated to the US at the age of 14. Her works were initially inspired by Colombian artists whom she looked up to like Fernando Botero and Alejandro Obregon. Puello is collected internationally and has premiered in film, television, and theatre. Puello enjoys painting, writing, traveling and, in her spare time, working in her farm in Italy where she can enjoy quiet respites in between her trips.

®

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Discover more about our ATIM Top 60 Masters!

Join me at Art 2 Heart and enjoy our video interviews to all of these amazing artists!

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ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 13

PREFACE “And just when the caterpillar though the world was over, she became a butterfly” Have you ever been there? At the verge of transformation? Well, this publication is about that -- about people who have learned how to fly, individuals who dared to take the first jump against all odds because there was a force inside that drove them, that told them never to give up, and they were capable of that, of transforming from caterpillar to a butterfly.

This book is a compilation of hearts, souls, messages, and inspiration from some of the best artists operating in the world today. There is, within every creative mind, a force stronger than all senses. Like Ruben Dario once said, “There is a force stronger than all the armies in the world and that is an idea whose time has come," and that, my dear friend, is what drives us to create.

This year my inspiration has led me to “Flying Above." When we embarked on this new project for 2016, my soul was craving for new pastures and higher levels of consciousness. “Flying Above” was my energy field, my place of reflection, my point of creation, and where I stand now in life.

I surrendered; I found the pure joy, the bliss, of just being, one with my spirit, in tune with the universe. People come and go, circumstances are constantly changing, the world around me is in constant movement and evolution, but I stay here, flying above. From here, I can only see beauty and perfection. Everything is in the right place, everything happens at the right time, and everyone is perfect.

With that spirit, I led the production of this issue, and we worked hand in hand with over sixty artists. Open ears, open hearts, we decided together the artworks, aesthetics, concepts, ideas, designing one by one the pages of this publication. It has been one of our most fulfilling collaborations. It was a beautiful journey of discovery and getting to know the hearts of each one of the artists presented here today, and they are all magnificent.

Live fully, and never forget to fly!

Viviana C. Puello Editor in Chief ArtTour International Publications

®

www.arttourinternational.com

14 ATIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

MICHAEL LAM

Lovers of abstract art and single stroke painting are familiar with the creative genius of Michael Lam. Lam has been acclaimed as a master of this technique in which an entire painting is created with a single brush stroke. He has devoted many years of his life to the development of a good understanding of the properties of paper, ink, and brush, and the application of pressure and speed. As his works have evolved and become more complex, he continues to master this technique, inspiring viewers as he illuminates the emotional elements of his subjects.

Lam showcases his work on a variety of media, which include ink on paper, and oil on canvas. It is inevitable to swoon over the skilled artistry presented by this artist, whose culturally welcoming work has been showcased internationally as he shares his roots and reflective moments with those around him.

The genius bug bit at an early age, and Lam's initial spark for art began when he was very young. His skill has evolved over time, with consistently impressive work and a raw, fresh burst of creativity. Lam's work elevates the human spirit through simple yet powerful images and compositions that evoke feelings of peaceful harmony, spiritual simplicity, and freedom.

His impressive works are not without the accolades befitting of an icon; they have been nominated and Cont. Next Page

"God Lady", Ink on Paper, 24" x 18"

ATIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 15

"Genesis - Let There Be Light 08", Acrylic Ink on Paper, 45" x 45"

16 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

awarded at many artistic events. Local and international collectors find his work to be of immense value. His work is permanently displayed in New York Public Library and are included in collections at Columbia University, Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Art, Las Vegas, Tenement Museum, New York, and the Tenri Cultural Institute of New York. His work is also found in private collections in England, USA, China, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Italy.

With a keen eye for culture, relation, and texture, and an overall mindful awareness of his artistry, Lam uses movement and contrast in his pieces in a sultry manner: strong strokes, yet openly flowing. His brush contributes to his emotions playing along and creating everlasting waves of color, history, and form. Softly textured backgrounds, creamy pastels, and vibrant hues within each subject make up his masterful work. His calligraphy embraces royal, warm colors, reflecting the serene essence of his abstract paintings. Moreover, he is an artist with a wide range of interests and skills. Each painting is infused with both motion and emotion as he explores the nature of the individual and of life. Rather

"Statue of Lady", Acrylic Ink on Paper, 45" x 60"

than being a realistic representation of what he sees, his works are an emotional self-expression in which the brush strokes correspond with the complexity of the physical world, allowing the spontaneity of the ink to flow with the nature of the universe.

A common theme in Lam’s work is the interplay of light and dark, through which he explores concepts of opposites such as good and evil and balancing the yin and the yang. Though Lam’s paintings generally tend to be monochromatic, he creates texture with varying concentrations of ink. The result is a fluid image that guides viewers through his story.

Lam’s art has often been referred to as representing a “New York Line” due to his strong line technique. To appreciate his work, one must transcend the superficial manifestation of his excellent technical skills to understand the spiritual freedom of his art, which focuses on the spontaneous nature of the universe. Two important messages in his work is that everything in the world has a natural state and that one should strive to

ATIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 17

"Genesis - Let There Be Light 07", Acrylic Ink on Paper, 45" x 45"

attain a state of complete spontaneity in order to become what nature intended.

Lam is not only known for the marvels he creates, but also for his big heart and giving nature. His success is not without generosity and giving back to the community. Lam feels deeply connected to our youth and often works with child-related charities. He has used his work to support the AEIOU Foundation and UNICEF. Michael Lam has also used his work to support environmental campaigns and most recently was presented in Church Center for the United Nations.

He has also supported charity events for the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami .

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

www.michaellamny.com

18 ATIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

EUGEN FASS AND MICHAEL GEUDNER

"Tiger", Acrylic On Canvas, 63" x 51"

The artists Michael Geudner and Eugene Fass have developed a deep friendship since 2003. Their shared passion lead them to start a business partnership. With their mutual thorough training in painting, their art is a joint effort that brings their different worlds together and portrays their mastery of oneness. They specialize in large, almost hyperrealistic paintings that feature subjects in action. Geudner and Fass blend their painting abilities with their experience in marketing, graphic design, and interior design. The incredible trademark of Fass and Geudner is the gift that comes with mastering journey and talent. Their pieces are timeless, relating to all viewers who set their hearts on them and making their presence known in all settings.

Geudner and Fass are open to different themes but, in their portfolio, they have created distinct impact with their painted portrayals of ballerinas. Their attention to detail is impeccable, as shown in a series of paintings that feature legendary artists and musicians such as Keith Richards and John Lee Hooker. They are also known for their breathtaking depictions of wildlife.

Their oversize canvases bring you face to face with enlarged images of lions, rhinos, zebras, gorillas, and other majestic animals. Each piece carries a life of its own, communicating unity, strength, nature, and passion. The heart and depth in these works immerse the viewers in a journey out of the ordinary into the mystery and wonders of the animal world.

"Behind The Scenes 3", Acrylic On Canvas, 43" x 79"118” x 55”

20 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

“Elephant”, Acrylic On Canvas, 83” x 63”

“5 White Horses”, Acrylic On Canvas, 118” x 55”

ATIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 21

Fass and Geudner are driven to share their artistry with the world and have exhibited worldwide showcasing their rare, majestic paintings. Their work emphasizes the foreground in all its detailed glory while the background stays bare and neutral. They prefer working with subtle colors: black, white, gray, and brown. The result is mind-blowing, all thanks to their intricate details. Making use of irregular lines gives the impression that the focal point is in the middle of an action. Their human subjects are seen in unnatural or unlikely poses, portraying a unique form of realism.

Such grand pieces have made their way into museums, homes, offices, and exhibitions as breathtaking, aweinspiring, majestic, and at times ethereal representations of life. Vivid sketches, subtle lines, and fierce emotion enthrall their viewers.

Existential pieces symbolize the greatness of life and emotion, honoring Geudner and Fass as true masters of contemporary art.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

"Smoking Woman", Acrylic On Canvas, 47" x 98"

www.fass-geudner.com

22 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

KATRIN ALVAREZ

"Bis Da+ƒ Der Tod Euch Scheidet (Till Death Do Us Part)", (2015), Oil On Canvas, 33” x 25”

“My pictures are reports from deep inside. They usually come into being when some reality meteorite crashes into my own universe. But there’s also an enormous space in here where I stow things away.

It’s full of visions, stories, daydreams, nightmares.

Katrin Alvarez is a high-profile artist known for her compelling paintings that represent the complexity of human situations. Alvarez started as a journalist, going in-depth into the writing profession, but along the way she taught herself the art of painting, influenced and inspired by Michelangelo and Brueghel.

Alvarez developed a deep relationship with nature and animals starting at a young age -- an experience that has influenced her works of art. She discovered her talent when she found that she could create a colorful and imaginative world of her own by drawing and painting. Her mother was a natural artist who worked as an art teacher and architect.

Alvarez's works are the perfect blend of expressionism and surrealism. Her paintings are troubling and provoking yet soothing, intimate and sensitive yet bizarre, upsetting yet blissful. The compelling and transcendent imagery in her art have their own forms of teaching, evoking an array of emotions in the viewer.

Her masterful use of color and light and skilled knowledge of the human figure allows for perfectly balanced compositions that expand the perceptions of her audience, creating room for each individual to form varied self-interpretations of the art.

Alvarez produces pieces of unique technical approaches, depending on the subject matter. Her work

"Leichte Beute (Easy Prey)", (2007), Oil On Canvas, 28” x 28” x 2”

They’re waiting to be revealed, to be made visual. Like shadowy fishes swimming past the back of my eyes. Sometimes I manage to catch one.

I’m a junky: my addiction is to color and shape.“ is based on emotions and entirely influenced by her personal judgments and opinions. Her work is surreal in the sense that she distorts reality, enhancing it with her own personal observations and focusing on what is hidden in human reaction.

Her most acknowledged paintings include the “Borderline”, “Different Worlds”, and “Trauma”. Her pieces are illustrations of inner emotion. Alvarez feels inspired by her own reality, which she allows to crash land and connect with her imagination. She says her mind is full of stories, dreams, desires, and fears that trigger her works of art to keep progressing. Addicted to colors and shapes, she puts them to use with the

human face -- distorting common views with her own perspective.

The viewer finds in her narrative the love and compassion that only one who can truly understand is able to offer and present to the world in the form of masterpieces created and delivered from a divine source of inspiration, transcending the barriers of human limitations that the ego imposes on each one of us, and reaching out to the highest and innermost places of one's being. A sense of oneness is evident in Alvarez's works, which leave a lot open to interpretation, evoking emotions and creating for the viewer a unique and unforgettable experience.

Cont. Next Page

24 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

"Dummer Zufall (Stupid Accident)", (2013), Oil On Canvas + Object, 17” x 21.5”

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 25

There are many symbols in Katrin's work, which motivates her to create stories on canvas.

More recently, she has blended technology with the old because of the influence of the cyber world on our day-to-day lives.

It seems as though Katrin Alvarez's art shows us how to look at the demons that each one of us harbors, so we can transcend any threats and arrive at the realization of self-acceptance and self-love.

Alvarez is an internationally renowned artist whose works have been exhibited all over the world. She has received many awards for her paintings since 1968, including The First Group show in Cologne in 1968, Art Basel in Switzerland in 1978, and Agora Gallery in New York in 2004, among others. In 2007, her piece Exorcism received the Allan Edwards Award - Painting On the Edge. In 2009, she received the Vivid Arts Network Award at the Museum Castello Estense, and a Leonardo Award for Applied Arts in which she was given first prize in 2013. In 1972, she received an award

for her first solo show in Cologne, and in 2012 she came out with yet another celebration in Vienna.

The rare gem that is Alvarez’s art is shown through the paintings she creates with vibrant color, color used to make common objects reveal new and hidden dimensions of the space they occupy in life. She captures the imaginations of people when they observe objects and interweaves these concepts together into one painting, leaving many marveling at her work. This is one of the many reasons for Alvarez’s numerous and loyal following. All who have experienced her work do so with gratitude.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

"Trauma", (2009), Oil On Canvas + Objects, 33.5 x 25.5” x 1.5”

www.katrin-alvarez.de

26 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

LUCY MATTOS “My early childhood was in San Ignacio. I remember playing with soil, with mud, and modeling there. I think that pleasure, that play, nowadays I cannot leave...”

Lucy Mattos is an Argentinian professor of fine arts who takes her artistry to emotional dimensions. From monumental sculptures to artistic jewelry, Mattos’ work takes the viewer to higher, lower, and, more importantly, genuine levels. In art, beauty is a quality of visible matters such as shape, reflectivity, color, proportion, flow, and excellence, all present in Mattos' work. With masterful use of materials such as bronze, silver, wood, white metal, acrylics, stone, alabaster, polyester resin, and natural fibers, Mattos creates sculptures of intense contours, flowing lines, and dynamic forms, depicting the human figure.

Mattos’ ethereal figures evoke an original force and the essence of Mother Nature. She is studious, and deeply educates herself on each approach. The result is high-quality pieces that bring out the internal richness and refinement expressed with concavities, lines, and curves. For the past five decades, she has participated in both national and international exhibitions.

Museums in Brazil, Panama, Mexico, Argentina, Germany, and the United States hold some of her high-profile work.

“Pasión II”

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“Sueño”

Lucy Mattos’ work is truly stimulating to the creative mind, and is an intellectual vortex. She combines numerous concepts, conveying search and experimentation, which are clearly seen in the materials and textures that are at all times centered on the figure from a symbolic perspective. Her art serves as a mediator between audience and creation, forming an environment where the viewer takes an active role through aesthetic perception.

Mattos’ sculptures depict an emotion, gesture, or a raw moment through symbolic messages in a well defined visual language. She focuses on the essence of the human being, especially of the woman.

Her artwork is a branch of philosophy that majors in appreciation, the nature of beauty, and taste. Here, the artwork is intended to connect with and appeal to human emotion.

In her museum, the larger sculptures designed with resin are illuminated from within, giving a fantasyland atmosphere. Her art is embedded with pattern. The intervals are as lively as the created objects. Mattos' art offers nature in a structured pattern, showcasing the disciplined cycle of life.

“Mujer Con Sombrero”

In Mattos' sculptures, creativity, innovation, existence, and imagination have been combined.

Her artwork includes art installations, inevitably Cont. Next Page

“En Vuelo - Aros”

28 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

"A La Hermana De Dalì", Polyester Resin, Neon, Lace

reverting to nature. In her museum, Mattos showcases her artworks and the works of other contemporary artists, and is working to pave the way for emergent artists. Her intention is to contribute to the diffusion of art, in all of its expressions, and simplicity. Her wish is that people viewing her artwork expand their experiences, feel part of it, and enjoy it. A driven woman, painting windows of opportunity for upcoming artists and those who deserve to be seen, she is a grand role model in our artistic community.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

www.museolucymattos.com

30 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

GÜLTEKIN BILGE

“Three Graces”, (2014) Oil / mixed media On Carved Wood, 42” x 74”

“Transformation By Eclipse”, (2015), Oil/Mixed Media On Carved Wood, 69” x 36”

Internationally renowned Turkish Cypriot artist Gultekin Bilge focuses on exploring the social conditions of human beings through his work.

Bilge has overcome great challenges to stand out as an award-winning artist. After being shot in 1974 during the Cyprus War, he lost the use of his right hand and was unable to paint for many years. The injury led the artist through a difficult period of isolation, powerlessness, anger, and pain. The dark emotions he underwent during the time of recovery inspired his later works. He became an art teacher during this period, simultaneously focusing his efforts in developing a modern style of painting that would be appealing and at the same time representative of his Turkish roots.

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“Why Unhappy Not Happy”, (2014), Oil/Mixed Media On Carved Wood, 25.5” x 37.5”

Determined to achieve a greater quality in his work, Bilge destroyed many of his earlier pieces in a search for something pure. In 2005, he began to dedicate himself entirely to painting once again. His works were centered on the Turkish republic of Northern Cyprus. In 2011, he migrated to the UK, and his art entered the markets in Canada, Australia, the

“To Be Or Not To Be”(2014), Oil/Mixed Media On Carved Wood, 29” x 28”

USA, and many European countries. Most of his work is held in private collections in the UK, Cyprus, Germany, and the USA. Gultekin Bilge’s works of art focus on what is hidden in human relationships. He aims to unmask the thoughts of human beings, the thoughts that hide behind every individual in their interactions “Broken Hope”, (2014), Oil/Mixed Media On Carved Wood, 27” x 24”

32 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

“Crowded Feelings”, (2014), Oil On Paper, 22.5” x 17.5”

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“Shiny Thoughts”, (2009), Oil/Mixed Media On Board, 38” x 30.5”

“Endless Revolution”(2015), Oil/Mixed Media/Wood Assemblage, 100” x 52”

with others. He gets inspiration by observing the actions and behaviors of people around him. He also observes politicians and their greed for wealth, nations, and states. He attempts to capture and explain their psychology through art. The uniqueness of his art is in the abstract faces he conceals inside the colors and textures of his paintings. When admiring his work, many may miss these faces in the same way that they may not see hidden emotions and the agendas of people around them. He captures how people usually dwell on the surface and shallow reality without poking around the inside. His desire is for his paintings to reveal why realities are hidden and to help people wake up and see what is actually happening in the world, considering the state it is in.

Bilge researched the “primitive art” of ancient civilizations, which inspired in the artist an appreciation for their symbolic expression. However, his main source of inspiration is the natural world. He has said that: “Everything can be found in nature and all lessons can be learned there.” He has described nature as his mother, father, and teacher.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

www.gultekinbilge.com

34 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

EDGAR FRANCISKO JIMENEZ

“Palenquera”, Acrylic on canvas, 38” x 39”

Edgar Francisko produces cutting-edge compositions of vibrant colors and juxtapositions of texture, line, and form. Francisco’s fragmentation of form is a compelling method that leaves his audience in awe.

Through his paintings of trees, mountains, and humans, he portrays an ingenious artistry. One’s first impression of his work is that it is a reflection of pointillism. However, his style portrays abstract images, frozen in time, with an energetic radiance of color, essence, and being. Through this, movement, as well as immobility, can turn into a new pictorial invention. A subtle liveliness jumps from his pieces, keeping them alive.

A predominant subject in Francisko’s works is the female figure, which he portraits with a perfect balance between aesthetic vision and advanced technical knowledge. His explosive eye-catching works evoke a sense of joyful movement and dynamism.

Based on the first volume of the Colombian Art History book “The resources of imagination, Visual Arts of the Colombian Caribbean Coast”, by Eduardo Marceles, it has been said that the paintings of Francisko have become Barranquilla's carnival vernacular figures. In his remarkable “Dancers”, Acrylic on canvas, 30” x 36”

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“Noche De Salsa”, Acrylic On Canvas, 39” x 39”

artworks the artist includes Marimondas, Toritos, Garabatos, Congos, and the very lively Zoo that invades the metropolis during the carnival season. Through his remarkable watercolor-like techniques, he portrays movement, dance, and culture, emphasizing the Caribbean light, together with its vibrant colors and warm characteristics. It is a culture filled with love, historical appreciation, and class, which are all depicted in his work. Francisko’s pieces are in the permanent collections of the Colombian Consulates in Miami and New York City, the Hong Kong Cultural Center, The Opera House, Cairo, Egypt, the Embassies of Venezuela, and Colombia in Beijing, China, the Bolivariano Museum of Contemporary Art in Santa Martha, and the Fenalco art collection in Bogota.

After finishing his studies in Beijing, Francisko decided to go to Hong Kong. Here, he taught expression using ancient Chinese methods with ink.

During this period, he began an exploration of acrylic on canvas, with dancing as his main subject.

Francisko says he never dreamed of becoming an artist. At the age of six, he started modeling domestic animal figures with clay, solely as a pastime. These were his early toys. Little did he know that he was born with an inherent artistic potential, and all he needed was a little training to become successful in his craft. At the Colombia´s National University he became a trained artist., receiving inspiration from his emotional state. Art became his form of release and expression.

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36 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

“La Dame Aux Papillons”, Acrylic On Canvas, 30” x 35.5”

“Cumbiambera”, Acrylic On Canvas, 36” x 30”

When the mood strikes, Francisko celebrates life by listening to live music from the Colombian northern coast, inspiring him to add dance into his art.

The seductive and rhythmic music matched by the dance experience has given him a kind of artistic environment that allowed him to create remarkable masterpieces. When his spirits are much calmer, he embraces classical music, painting strokes with musical emotion.

This often results in abstract images that convey several messages. He has painted broken spheres and transparent bubbles, touching on topics such as humans’ lack of commitment to the fragile world they live in. He is a worldly, dedicated, and inspiring artist, a man who knows what he stands for, and conveys so in his art.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine “Ballet Couple”, Acrylic On Canvas, 52” x 56”

edgarfrancisko@yahoo.ca

38 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

DMINC

“Forever”, Acrylic, Pastes, Resins, Powders, Micca Stone, Glitters, Fabric Roses, Swarovski Crystals On Canvas,47”x 59”

“If we are willing to move boulders … We can even change the course of rivers” Dminc Italian artist Dminc creates striking mixed media paintings on canvas, with a visual poetry of an unusual balance between delicacy and intensity. A selftaught artist, Dminc has developed a unique style of boundary-breaking freedom and material intricacy.

Unconventional materials like leaking resins, shells, rhinestones, sands, powders, small pieces of glass, mirrors, palettes, Swarovski crystals, bolts, rubber, work tools, electric saws, blades and even pieces of motorcycle engines, are used to create compositions of bold colors, dramatic shifts of texture and patterns of unexpected optical effects.

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“The Expendables”, Acrylic, Pastes, Steel And Rubber Items, Toy Guns, Lights, Dollar Coins, Swarovski Crystals On Canvas, 59” X 118”

Dminc communicates with her audience using her pictorial language with a blend of figurative painting, abstraction and expressionism. Her paintings are richly evocative of the artist’s personal life journey, passions, dreams and experiences. A strong believer in Zen philosophy, Dminc has been able to live beyond all stereotypes, going beyond the ordinary to reach new borders. Her mastery of harmoniously mixing and blending classical elements with postmodern components can prove that the past and future can coexist peacefully and walk hand in hand on the same platform. The result is a heavenly gift of several centuries of the history of artwork, from the past and the future, combined together on canvases by the mold breaker herself, Dminc. Cont. Next Page “Spring Snowing”, Acrylic, Pastes, Resins, Shells, Rhinestones, Pearls, Paillettes, Swarovski Crystals, 57”x 78”

“Orchids Fantasy”, Acrylic, Pastes, Glitters, Powders, Micca Stone, Swarovski Crystals On Canvas, 12”x 35”

40 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

“The Wave”, Resins, Shells, Rhinestones, Swarovski Crystals On Canvas, 57”x 77”

“Visions Of A Dream 6”, Resins, Shells, Rhinestones, Swarovski Crystals On Canvas, 7”x 10”

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“The Long Wave”, Acrylic, Pastes, Resins, Shells, Rhinestones, Swarovski Crystals On Canvas, 39”x 71”

A recipient of numerous artistic awards and honors, Dminc started her career journey as a public painter in her native country of Italy. Her work gained great recognition from art lovers worldwide, who began to take a keen interest. She has traversed several Europeans states, exposing her ingenuity in art for many to see. Her works are in various public and private collections in Italy and abroad. Her paintings are a testimony that beauty and the positive aspects of life still exist in this world, and that they can fulfill the desires of the heart and eyes.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

“Star Wars”, Acrylic, Pastes, Resins, Bolts, Rubber, Powders, Clothing Decoration Items, Mirror, Electric Saw Blades, Swarovski , Crystals On Canvas, 39”x71”

www.dminc.it

42 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

LEROI C. JOHNSON Born in Buffalo, New York, into a family of eight siblings, the successful attorney and award-winning artist Leroi Johnson creates abstract expressionistic paintings that combine impressionism, symbolism, and fauvism. Johnson works with intense colors and a striking variety of textures.

A self-trained artist, Leroi Johnson began painting at a very young age. He received his only formal art training at his high school art classes and later continued painting during his law school years, documenting his life during that period. His works have been shown in numerous international exhibitions in the United States, Africa, South America, and Europe for over a decade.

Working with acrylics and oils, Johnson has pioneered a new art form, which he has labelled electric primitive.

Strong African influences can be seen in the African tribal icons and symbolism in his paintings. His use of space and density creates welcoming pieces, portraying culture through nature. His upbringing, education, career (both in law and art), and his travels to Europe and South America have all been a great influence on his art.

Initially his work was mostly autobiographical and his personal life experiences were intricately woven into his work, as he successfully fused African themes and geometric abstracts. Drawing from his cultural roots, he utilized vibrant fluorescent colors, while blending cubist and modernist influences into his “primitive” themes.

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"Colored People IX", Oil & Acrylic, 42" x 38"

"Colored People III", Oil & Acrylic, 52" x 38"

"Colored People V", Oil & Acrylic, 52" x 38.5"

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"Colored People II", Oil & Acrylic, 52" x 38"

44 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

LeRoi’s use of the term “primitive” is in accord with the way he relates to and identifies with the poor and underprivileged members of society. His use of color is vividly bold, forming energetic animation, enhancing the overall effect of the piece, which is further bolstered by his lively compositions and bold brush strokes. The results are images that appear to dance into your imagination.

As his individual growth continues, his art is evolving masterfully. His style has become less geometric and more representative of his experiences as an African American.

His work has become more anecdotal and less personal and he has incorporated more universal symbols into his work, bringing hope and passion into his pieces.

While his art has evolved, Afro-centric themes are still prevalent in his works. By seamlessly blending abstract forms with “primitive” surrealist imagery, Johnson manages to create colorful and bright images that give insight into his inner world, showing a more representative collection of everyday human experiences. It is probable that LeRoi wants people to explore life from a unique plane – rendering everyday experiences into extraordinary moments. At first "Colored People VIII", Oil & Acrylic, 62" x 36"

"Colored People IV", Oil & Acrylic, 52" x 35,5"

"Colored People VI", Oil & Acrylic, 49" x 37"

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"The Myth Of Golden Hair", Oil & Acrylic, 40" x 52"

"Colored People I", Oil & Acrylic, 52" x 38"

glance, his art may appear individualistic and idiosyncratic in nature, but when one factors the overall universal themes of human experience, i.e. heritage, socio-economic injustice, and the consequent struggles to rise above all odds, it all becomes a clear message from a master artist who has a compelling and transcendent approach.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

"Colored People VII", Oil & Acrylic, 45.5" x 32"

www.electricprimitive.com

46 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

SHEEFALI ASIJA

"Pattern Seeker II - ATLAS", Oil On Canvas, 72" x 48"

by Viviana Puello International artist Sheefali Asija’s expressionistic works feature dramatic oversize imagery—infused with visual dynamism—that acts as freeze-frames that encapsulate the passage of time. Asija’s works evoke a story or fragments of a narrative, drawing the viewer into the canvas and giving direct access to the artist’s innermost thoughts and feelings. Her large size canvases offer an intense visual effect, allowing for great intimacy with the viewers when presented with arresting images that fill their entire visual field.

Asija’s images refer to stories of optimism, determination and hope, leaving open space for the viewer to determine the image's interpretation. Through her work this artist looks to honor the mystery and paradoxes of life.

In her series "Pattern Seekers," Asija employs images of accelerators and particle detectors while reducing the different forms to simple geometric shapes painted on large canvases. The result is one-of-a-kind patterns and shapes similar to the domes on antique cathedrals and churches. These dynamic images of patterns and shapes are thought-provoking and inspiring. This type of dynamism is centered on the viewer and the eye's perception of movement. As the eye reads the image, it comprehends the effect of motion the artist is trying to create.

“My machine meditations appeal to my heart equally as my love of figurative work – telling stories of these magnificent machines is as compelling to me as exploring the lives of the extraordinary people I have met in my travels.“ Enjoy the following interview with award-winning artist Sheefali Asija.

Q. Describe your childhood for us. Were you always artistic, interested in a career as an artist?

"Pattern Seeker III - Compact Muon Solenoid", Oil On Canvas, 72" x 60

A. “As a child it seemed obvious to me that I would spend hours every day drawing with my pencils – copying album covers, sketching people around me, drawing my dogs – I was particularly fond of painting large murals with water colors of lions and tigers on the walls in my bedroom (only to have them painted over every year after the monsoons!)

Thirteen years ago I read the ‘Story of Art’ by E.H Gombrich – a present by a friend – and it was then I understood my creative drive and admitted to my purpose in life. To pursue it with all my heart was imperative and, for me, to do anything else was to live a life of mediocrity and hypocrisy.”

Q. What drives you to paint?

A. “I love stories –I love telling stories through my paintings.

I love collecting stories in my paintings.

Armed with my paints and brushes I deconstruct the story and then over many delightful hours I attempt to bring it all together on my canvas. I find it a thrilling challenge to be able to tell my story in one frozen frame - all that has come to pass and what is yet to unfold.

My paintings are not an attempt to simplify but to glory in the mystery and paradoxes of life – not to give in to dismay caused by multitude of causes and consequences that are inherent in each experience but to revel in complexities of life.

My machine meditations appeal to my heart equally as my love of figurative work – telling stories of these magnificent machines is as compelling to me as exploring the lives of the extraordinary people I have met in my travels.”

Q. How would you describe your creative style?

A. “I would describe my style as primarily expressionist though I have combined expressionist styles with the visual dynamism and dramatic oversized imagery inspired partly by comic books. I have been particularly influenced by manga where the idea behind the picture is of great importance and in which each story is a part of the larger story arc. The subject in my paintings whether a person or a machine appears with a suddenness as if the scene were part of an ongoing narrative.

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“Pattern_Seekers I - Liquid Argon End Cap of ATLAS”, Oil On Canvas, 72" x 36"

I paint large canvases as I believe that the large format of my paintings invite the viewer to enter and explore the meaning and purpose of my subject.”

Q. Could you tell us about the series you are presenting here “Pattern Seekers”, what is the inspiration behind it?

A. “The inspiration behind “Pattern Seekers” is the need to tell the greatest story there is to tell: the story of all of us – the story of each and every one of our ancestors who lived long enough to procreate and pass along what has been the defining characteristic of our species: our curiosity, our ability to seek and find patterns in the world around us.

We were pattern seeking scientist adventurers even before we were hunter gathers or farmers – we saw a shape of tiger in a bush and ran away, we knew if there is thunder and lightning in the sky then rain will fall.

And today we have built ourselves the largest machine we have ever constructed: the Large Hadron Collider at CERN

in Geneva, Switzerland where we smash together sub atomic particles and read the amazing resulting patterns in an attempt to understand the very nature of our existence investigating the very small to understand the very large. If eyes are the windows to our souls then surely the majesty and beauty of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, which is fundamentally an extension of our eyes shows us as human race to have a fantastic soul indeed!!

In this series of paintings, I have used the images of Large Hadron Collider particle detectors and accelerators and reduced the various forms to simple geometric shapes to create patterns and rhythms reminiscent of the ceilings and stained glass windows of cathedrals of the past, the mandalas and meditation wheels of the metaphysical cosmos. Now the sense of awe and wonder is no longer evoked by our layering of a religious mythological narrative over the world but by what we are now discovering about the very nature of our reality.”

"Pattern Seeker IV - Tracker Barrel of Compact Muon Solenoid", Oil On Canvas, 72" x 24"

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Q. What is your creative process like?

A. “The creating of each painting is an emotional journey for me. I have so many ideas, compositions, portraits I want to paint at any given time that selecting what to do next is where the fun starts for me. Once a decision is made, it is very difficult to stop to do anything other than paint – the desire to see the end - to see what I will have created at the end of the journey is like having a greedy monster that demands all of me! I have to keep this monster in check and allow it out on a restricted basis. But when I do – oh what joy!”

Q. Besides this series you are also a figurative painter of quite captivating works, can you share with us how these two styles affect what you create?

A. “Did I mention I love telling stories through my paintings – hahaha.

In our world often characterized by an abundance of cynicism I attempt to produce works that capture stories of optimism, determination and hope. Through my figurative work I attempt to tell stories of ordinary people that have been made extraordinary by courage and determination.

The subject at first might appear as a contemplative face but, upon closer examination, the story of the person unfolds by and by.

dignity of choice in one’s twilight years, sunsets, sunrises, unrelenting crashing of waves on shore, life unfolding on a tiny little rock hurtling in the vastness of space and immense distance between things, the clockwork turnings of planets, stars, galaxies, and even universes, the unbelievably ethereal beauty of stellar nurseries, and nebulas made visible to us by Hubble telescope – the list goes on.

Richard P. Feynman was a brilliant experimental physicist, an inspirational teacher, a philosopher, an artist and a bongo player. He has taught and inspired a new generation of scientists and philosophers and maybe even a musician or two – but it is as an artist I have been propelled along by his question – ‘Is no one inspired by our present picture of the Universe? This value of science remains unsung by singers, you are reduced to hearing not a song or poem but an evening lecture about it. This is not yet a scientific age.’

It was not until 6 years ago when I saw the images of the Large Hadron Collider on the internet that I knew how I was finally going to be able to answer his call.”

My machine meditations (pattern seekers series) and my figurative work is equally important to me to keep and continue to develop. In many ways pattern seekers is the greatest story of optimism and hope there is out there and has felt like a natural extension from my figurative work”.

Q. What do you hope the viewer will take away from your paintings?

A. “I hope to have passed on a modicum of optimism about life and the world in which we live and maybe defeated some cynicism in the viewer.”

Q. How do you keep your creative spark?

A. “I travel a lot and I am a voracious consumer of books on science and science fiction written for space junkies and nerds such as myself. Both activities keep me thinking and exploring the world around and world within – leading to greater adventures ahead, I hope.”

"Mother And Child", Oil On Canvas, 72" x 60"

Q. What are you working on right now?

A. “I am working on more paintings within my Pattern Seeker series. I am not done with LHC at CERN and there are so many more particle accelerators, neutrino detectors, radio telescopes around the world to discover and tell their stories.”

Q. What is inspiration for you?

A. “I draw my inspiration from the joy of being alive and the thrill of being able to tell some of my stories. ‘ I don’t know why but the sight of stars makes me dream’ Van Gogh said.

There is a feeling of awe at how things that appear so different and behave so different are all run ‘behind the scenes’ by the same physical laws - laughter of children,

"Apsara Of Angkor", Oil On Canvas, 60" x 42"

www.sheefaliasija.com

50 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

LUNZEN THAI

Artist Lunzen Thai, better known as Master senZen, creates meditative works inspired by spirituality. His magnificent paintings reflect his Oriental heritage, evoking serenity, harmony, and peace. Thai creates lyrical contemporary and modern art of a serene, calming aesthetic. He is one of Malaysia's most highly acclaimed artists and an important figure in the Malaysian art world. His museum, D’Art Palace, is an eco-holistic art center created to promote environmental conservation and green art as a means to spread peace and harmony.

“The Perfection”, Acrylic On Canvas, 60” x 108”

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“The Blessing Heart”, Acrylic On Canvas, 48” x 60”

In his work, Lunzen Thai combines texture, color, and light infused with dramatic shadows and contrasts. He applies dense brushstrokes, drybrushing, hatching, and sgraffito, and sometimes uses his own hands with intuition and spontaneity; the result is dynamic compositions rich with movement and energy where the artist ties together traditions and influences from his Malaysian origins and the West.

Thai was born in Jahore, Malaysia, and first realized his drive, passion, and talent for art when he was only eight years old. He sold his first painting at the young age of 13. He later studied at a variety of institutions, including the Hong Kong Academy of Art, the San Francisco Academy of Art, and Kansas University. It was during this time that he developed the technique and style that he is known for today.

As stated by the artist: "Music is often a catalyst in unlocking my emotions and allowing my imagination a certain freedom.” It is easy to see the influence and inspiration of music on his work.

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“The Mysterious”, Acrylic On Canvas, 30” x 40”

52 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

“The Creator”, Acrylic On Canvas, 36” x 36”

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“The Zen”, Acrylic On Canvas, 36” x 36”

Thai's paintings show off his remarkable talents with a very unique style. With a strong palette of warm and cool colors, flowing curving lines, and rounded shapes, both evocative and meditative, Thai’s paintings are clearly influenced by the nuances of the music that he listens to during his creative process. Upon careful study, it is clear that this talented artist's paintings are a meditation for both the artist and the person viewing the paintings that he creates, leading the viewer on an

introspective journey to the discovery of an internal place of peace, harmony, and divinity.

Thai’s works are in permanent, international, public and private collections. His work is also collected by museums, galleries, and corporations worldwide. He has exhibited in group and solo shows throughout Asia, Europe, Canada, and United States, and has been featured in international publications.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

www.facebook.com/lunzenart/

54 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

ATIM Supporting Children In The Arts

SENJ THAI

The youngest featured artist in the prestigious and eagerly anticipated ATIM’s Top 60 Masters of Contemporary Art publication, three-year-old Malaysian artist SenJ Thai is a gem; an abstract expressionism prodigy who takes the idea of true precocious genius to the next level. The daughter of internationally acclaimed artist Lunzen Thai, who was also a precocious child, having started painting at the very early age of eight, pretty little SenJ is a veritable force of nature. Instinctually and ardently gracing the powerfully expressive art movement with her

“The Magnificent”, 40” x 30” x 3 Pieces Acrylic

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 55

unique SenJArt, Thai's original works are championed for being arresting, dramatic abstracts, brimming with vivid, luxurious colors and movement that gloriously emphasize her personal, free, and spontaneous emotional expression.

The incredibly precocious abstract expressionist artist started painting on canvas before she could walk. Guided and encouraged by her father, master artist Lunzen, who immediately recognized her unique gift, Thai dazzled her family with her first creation, depicting a horse in Picasso's Cubist style on the closet door, followed by a ballerina on the glass window, at the age of one. According to her father, painting soon became an intrinsic part of Thai’s daily activities. Enthusiastically making use of her innate, awe-inspiring creativity and effervescent energy, she expresses the full range of her innermost emotions freely, in a distinctively naturalistic manner: "The Verve of Natural," uniquely her own.

With such extraordinary artistic talent, and ongoing support from her illustrious father, revered by the artistic community in Malaysia and abroad, it wasn't long before the child prodigy embarked on a professional career. At the age of only three, Thai is the proud artist behind more than 100 large-scale, strikingly evocative, and vibrant abstract acrylic paintings. The precocious art genius' instinctive use of bold colors, powerful, and expressive brushstrokes, and intense textures endows her canvases with outstanding visual dynamism, engrossing power, and awe-inspiring monumentality.

Inspired by the harmonious and luxurious green oasis surrounding the family home known as D'Art Palace, Thai's inspiring artworks encompass uplifting, color-rich ,and lively pieces. Celebrating nature's sublime poetry and quintessence of life are works such as "The Jade Coral”, “The Magnificent“, "The Beyond of Dragon”, "The Purple Green Dance”, Cont. Next Page

“The Purple Green Dance” 40” x 60” Acrylic

56 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

“The Beyond of Dragon” 60” x 48” Acrylic

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“Jade Coral”, 48” x 60” Acrylic

and many more. With a profound interest in color, shape, line, and texture as raw ingredients in the process of creation and a deeply felt compulsion to master her craft, Thai dazzles and inspires viewers with her poetic manifesto on canvas. It is a distinctively lyrical, emotionally rich, yet energetic mode of harmonious painterly melody and vivid imagery, delivering the epiphanic sense of meaningfulness and happiness.

True to her compassionate and empathetic nature, abstract expressionist art prodigy SenJ Thai is eager and excited to share her unique artistic vision and tremendous creativity with the world, all for a noble cause. The ArtCharity fundraising exhibitions for Children's Art Museum will be held in various locations

across the globe, including the United States, Australia, Europe, and various countries in Asia. Both art collectors and galleries are welcome to attend these upcoming charitable exhibitions.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

www.facebook.com/ senjartmuseum

58 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

ALEXANDRU DARIDA

"Stem Cell Research", 18" x 16" x 4.5"

"Rhythm", Oil On Canvas, 30" x 24"

Internationally recognized for his activist works, Romanian artist Alexandru Darida studied art in Rome, at the Benedetti Liberal Academy of Art. Due to Romanian government restraints on creative freedom, he felt harassed for pursuing his work, and immigrated to the United States in 1987. He continued his art studies at the American Academy of Art. Darida’s painting technique uses strong contrast between light and darkness. Many of his works feature musical instruments. He creates oil paintings, drawings, and acrylic sculptures embedded with political satire and criticism on controversial issues such as stem cell research.

He believes that his art speaks to people’s hearts, and illustrates man's place in nature and universal energy. His strokes are both delicate and of great density, producing light and dark color effects that enrich his pieces with vitality. He uses classic art techniques to display his thoughts on humanity, social causes, music, and art. The uniqueness of his art comes through with his ability to combine multiple concepts into one grand emotion. This tying together of abstract elements and sculptural form is a representation of man’s reconciliation with his surroundings.

"Flame Of Life", 26" x 19" x 4.5"

ATIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 59

"Opus", 24" x 16.5" x 5.5"

"New Life", 22" x 16" x 4.5"

Darida has exhibited his works internationally, including at The Powerhouse Museum, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Municipal Galleries in Romania, and in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. C o n t i n u o u s l y awa r d e d , h i s achievements include the Sothebyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Legends of our Time Art Show and Au c t i o n b e n e f i t i n g T h e R h e tt Syndrome Research Foundation in 2001; the President's Award from the American Electrology Association in 2012; The Art of Human Rights, benefiting Heartland Alliance in 2010; Benefit night for Cystic Fibrosis Scholarship Foundation in 2009; and Art against AIDS - Heartland Alliance 2008. Darida has successfully created a loyal following.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

"Forever In The Moment", Mixed Media, 36" x 36"

www.alexandrudarida.com

60 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

BJORN MALM “I am an artist and a creator. A gentleman with a mustache and beard. A writer and a thinker. I must create to get out allot of things, all the ideas growing up inside my body and my head. I love to play with colors and shape and words. I enjoy to express myself.”

Swedish artist Bjorn Malm is deeply inspired by the complexity of human existence. He incorporates the human form and emotion in his artistry.

Malm welcomes models to participate in the creation of each piece, directing them to touch the canvas and leave an imprint with paint. In doing so, Malm fulfills his goal of collaborating with real people to bring his design to life, giving the models some control over the finished product instead of retaining all control for himself.

Using spray paint and acrylics as his primary media, Malm has adapted these to his tastes. Depending on what he wishes to create, he mixes various substances with acrylics. These usually include abrasive agents such as sugar, salt, ash, or plastic. Sometimes glue or flour may be incorporated. Spray paints are used to add shadows and depth. Stencils and old pieces of lace, netting, or other fabrics provide additional texture. As always, the human body remains Malm's favorite paintbrush.

"Passenger", 27.5” x 39”

"Up Against Again", (2016), Acrylic And Spray Paint, 47” x 31.5”

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 61

"Drunk On Moon", (2014), Mixed Media, 39” x 39”

“How we used to talk”, Acrylic On Canvas, 35.5” x 35.5”

The Majority of Malm´s works showcase the torso, hands and faces. Attributes like beards, breasts and ears are among the most common human imprints in Malm's designs. Depicted clearly, and showing them as a silent offprint of how they truly are. His works feature colorful splotches contrasted by pattern backgrounds of intricate details.

“Up Against Again” depicts a male human torso, arms, hands and head against the background, a core example of the raw, talented artistry in this man.

Malm embodies both godly and humanlike forms in his paintings. Depictions of men and women seduce the eye, a sultry approach; emotional stimulation becomes inevitable. There is a universal tone in his form of creating backgrounds. An infinite cycle- - truth, beauty, and self as a whole. An awe-inspiring experience, Malm is a highly esteemed artist. His gift to his viewers is connection and honesty. Addressing crucial topics, idealism, and, most effectively, humanity in its true form.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

“Just About Time”, 39” x 39”

"Swallow My Pride", Mixed Media On Canvas, 31.52 x 23.5”

www.bjornmalm.se

62 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

A.C. LINDNER

“Strawberries”, Oil On Board, 8.5’’ x 10.25’’

One of the most gifted, celebrated, and collected American contemporary artists, A.C. Lindner, does not fail to please.

Specializing in oils depicting animals and still lifes, the Texas artist demonstrates an u n r i va l e d a b i l i ty t o capture the very essence of the natural radiant beauty around us. She does so by means of old world painting techniques and handcrafted traditional materials. Lindner makes effective use of her innate sensitivity, a meticulous attention to detail, and a sharp eye for color, tone, and texture. Lindner treats viewers to richly delectable slices of the simple, yet resplendent beauty of subjects taken from her everyday domestic environment, such as deliciously alluring fruit, picture-

“Teapot And Cherries”, Oil On Board 12” x 14”

perfect flowers, humble household objects, and gentle good-natured domestic animals.

Her mastery over the disposition of picture planes, as well as chromatic balance and harmony, display her brilliance as a still life artist. Her original oil paintings on linen and board evocatively depict the delicate beauty of peonies. From a delft vase or overflowing old Parisian porcelain bowls of juicy Bartlett pears and strawberries, to her most recent oil paintings on panel portraying adorably cute bunnies, we get a feel for Linder's serenity. Sensitive and inspiring still lives and pet portraits brimming with sublimely radiant luminescence convey a peaceful mood and joyful disposition.

The compositional structure of her vivid artwork boasts a planned arrangement stemming from the artist's intensity of observation and the contemplation of transient luminous objects and the precious animals surrounding us. The visual experience is enhanced by Lindner's expressive brushstrokes and carefully balanced use of bright bold colors to capture her subjects, in perfect harmony with the spectral tones of the background.

Gracious colorful butterflies are a leitmotif in her artworks, as she employs their symbolism as powerful and deep representations of life to artistically reiterate hope, tranquility, Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

“Ballet Pointe Shoes” - Oil on Board, 11’’ x 17’’

www.aclindner.com

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 63

ALDO BASILI

“San Giorgio e la gondola"”, Fine Art Print On Canvas Analog Photo, 31.5” x 21”

When it comes to Venetian photography, few people can outdo Aldo Basili, in terms of sheer creativity, mastery, and natural expertise. Basili’s photography strikes a chord with an international audience. Widely recognized for his ‘photo-paintings’ – the term used to describe his artistic approach – Basili has a unique characteristic style that has succeeded in winning the hearts of art lovers in galleries and art museums across the world.

To Basili, Venice is not just another historic Italian town. It is a culmination of beauty, art, and elegance combined with a blend of culture and a modern touch.

“Fondamenta delle Terese”, Fine Art Print On Canvas Analog Photo, 22” x 31.5”

This is evident in the Calli and Campielli culture that is popular in his artwork.

Having lived and worked in Turin for most of his adult life, Basili pushes at the emotive and abstract edge of photography, combining a superior suite of technical skills with a creative eye. What may pass as a simple photograph to any other artist is Basili’s masterpiece in terms of revealing the hidden elements of impressionism, abstract form, extreme contrast, surrealism, and cubism.

Basili comments: “Just a simple photo pushed to its limit can unmask its potential to awe mass audiences drawn from all over the world.” In short, he seems to have mastered the art of pictorial transformation through art processing.

Basili explores and brings to light an array of moods, contemporary ideas, and emotions in his masterpieces.

His photographs, which have won an accolade of awards, highlight a complexity of themes – from delicately blurred figures, through harsh electric textures on abstract backgrounds, to ambiguous blackand-white silhouettes. Basil is internationally respected as a master of his art form, and praised for the raw beauty he delivers.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

“Pellegrini”, Fine Art Print on Canvas, Analog Photo 31.5” x 21”

www.aldobasili.it

64 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

DENNIS COUND

"Sedna", Whale Bone, 18”H, 20”W, 14”L

Canadian sculptor Dennis Cound is a nature-inspired artist who specializes in the creation of moose antler, soapstone, skull, and bone carvings. Cound’s craft is based on the abundance of beauty within the Earth planes themselves.

Early childhood travels inspired him, with his first glance of beautiful native art and giant totems on school field trips leaving him with a sense of awe and wonder. His many career ventures led him to a life of exploration in the wild. He was able to hone his gift to convey his wildlife experiences and portray a serene beauty gifted by nature itself.

"Hook, Line, And Sinker", Moose Antler, 16”H, 14”W, 10L

During the creative process, the artist finds a source of inspiration in the stones; in Cound’s words, “the stone does ‘talk to me.' Maybe it’s imagination gone wild or maybe we actually see forms within the rock.”

The messages he can clearly receive allow him to liberate the forms within the rocks by filing, rasping, and chiseling. Each piece is then sanded seven times or until the desired level of smoothness is applied, then heated to a point where tung oil or minwax can be applied. This finish is drawn into the stone and produces sheen as well as protection.

“As a child, I remember standing at the base of giant totems and staring up in awe, or watching my father and Uncle’s paintbrush effortlessly flow across a canvass. I wondered if I could create something so magnificent.

Something that could arouse such emotion. It was at that point, my interests grew. Today, I am involved in many facets of the arts from acting, screenwriting and voice overs to martial arts and drawing. But sculpting is where my true passion lies.”

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 65

"Homestead", Moose Antler, 16”H, 26”W, 12”L

"I like to think of myself as a messenger. A liaison between you and the stone or antler. I have the honor and obligation to free each piece and share it with the world."

A highly skilled artist, Cound is dedicated and committed to the creation of eye-catching sculptures with excellent craftsmanship. His work has gained international recognition and appreciation. With his live inspiration and the concept of being a bridge -- a messenger between the viewer and the stone -- Dennis Cound’s awe-inspiring works deliver a message of appreciation for the beauty and goodness that Mother Earth imparts generously on all its creatures.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine "Spawning Ground", Soap Stone, 7”H, 8”W, 8”L

www.coundcreations.com

66 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

CHANTAL LARRIVIERE

"Telluris", Oil On Canvas, 90" x 130"

“After a tumultuous life, travel, adventures, a taste for unknown lands, a rewarding life experience, a life with intense questioning and new beginnings, I take the time to stop and devote myself to develop my passion.”

Abstract painter and creative writer Chantal Larriviere is a gem in the art community. As an artist, she has managed to communicate various waves of life to her loyal following through visual art and writing. Her creative work is the result of ideas she has been brooding over for years.

She welcomes an abundant flow of inspiration by using her very hands when she paints, leaving the impression of passion in her work. “I paint with my fingers. I enjoy

"Ressac", Oil On Canvas, 70” x 70”

"Medusia", Oil On Canvas, 70” x 90”

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 67

"Osmose", Oil On Canvas, 70” x 90”

the physical contact with the canvas and colors, and it gives me an extraordinary freedom to project myself in the world I create.”

Through the use of color and light, creating simultaneous contrast, Larriviere’s paintings transports us to surreal universes of joy, peace, nostalgia, and fantasy. The artist uses heavy textures of pure primary and secondary colors juxtaposed with smooth and refinely blended grey areas of the canvas to express the

"Excalibur", Oil On Canvas, 60” x 80”

beauty found in every human emotion and the need for disparity in the attainment of balance and harmony.

Larriviere is an adventurous spirit who loves spreading her soul and creativity into unknown lands. Her desire for exciting experiences led her to leave the comfort of her home in France to immerse herself in the depths of the Amazon rainforest, where she lived for four years.

After those years facing the dangers of living in the wild, Larriviere came back stronger, with a clear sense of her passion for art. Her adventures in the Amazon rainforest were narrated in her book “The Femme Flueve” or “The River Woman,” a nickname given to her by the aborigines after her amazing survival along the shores of the Amazon river.

“I narrate here a part of my history, part of my life; four years during which I left everything to go deep in the Amazon forest in search of myself. I met some friends, loves. . .and some shit as well! Above all, I lived particularly intense moments, very true to the point that I keep this part of my life in my memory with a certain nostalgia.”

Chantal Larriviere has scooped up various awards; in 2015, she was named among the top sixty artists in the ArtTour International Magazine of Contemporary Art 2015 issue. A year earlier, in 2014, her two exhibits won in ATIM’s Choice Awards for her excellence in visual arts.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

"Voyage", Oil On Canvas, 60” x 80”

www.chantallarriviere.com

68 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

ALEX SLINGENBERG

“Silent Protector”, Oil On Canvas, 27.5” x 40”

Dutch artist Alex Slingenberg has an intense passion for nature and its magnificent creatures.

With her innate gifts, kindness, and generosity of spirit, coupled with her mastery of a realistic painting style, she has graced the enthralling world of contemporary art. Her exceedingly realistic, fiercely animated wildlife pieces capture the very essence of majestic yet mostly endangered species, such as snow leopards, panda bears, and polar bears.

Slingenberg has created a remarkable body of work that transcends her respect and love for wildlife. Her oil paintings, as well as her paintings on natural materials such as porcelain, leather, and silk, are not only wildly evocative and arresting, but deeply

"Serendipity”, Oil On Canvas, 32” x 24”

meaningful and simply awe inspiring. Amidst the intense background of rich color (sweltering reds in particular) and a dynamic texture, an animal figure emerges vibrating with vividness. Her choice of bold, vibrant hues serving to capture the sublime untamed beauty and wonder in each composition of breathtaking realism.

Utterly fascinated with eyes, which she considers "the windows to the soul and spirit, be it animal or human," Slingenberg generously allows audiences to feast their eyes on captivating portrayals. Her compositions are centered on heart-touching and soul-feeding magical eyes as the focal point and they are her specialty. The artist's lifelong passion for Native American culture and art is reflected in her collection of Western paintings on leather and porcelain tiles, all created under the umbrella of Nighthawk Western Art. Her works are made in a wilderness heaven, and the viewer is powerfully connected to each piece, which raises awareness of imperiled animals and especially the need to strengthen wildlife conservation efforts. Future generations will be able to enjoy the fascinating biodiversity of Mother Earth, through her outstanding insight relating to the preservation of endangered species and the protection of their natural habitats.

Her mission is to contribute through her art, supporting nature and wildlife across the globe.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

“Want to Play”, Oil On Canvas, 27” x 35”

www.natureartists.com/ alex_slingenberg.asp

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 69

AMRO ASHRY

27-year-old digital artist Amro Ashry lives and works in Kuala Lumpur Selangor, Malaysia. Ashry uses Photoshop to create astonishing, detailed portraits. His final renderings are very close to traditional photos.

His works include “Elizabeth Taylor,” “Pretty Faces,” “Behind These Eyes,” and “Here Without You,” among others. The artist tags his pieces with his favorite poems and quotes.

between light and dark colors. Most of his work is based on romance, social idols, and the representation of the feminine. He creates art that speaks to people’s hearts and exhibit the hidden beauty that is beyond common realities. His mixing of different colors and textures stimulates deep contrast that appeals to the eye and makes his works lively. His portraits are characterized by deep backgrounds of digitally mixed bright and dark colors that contrast sharply, yet resonate seamlessly with the subject.

Amro Ashry’s art enhances reality to an ethereal representation. His paintings rely on the contrast

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

"Behind These Eyes", (2014), Digital Art, Photoshop Portrait Painting, 39” x 31.5”

“Pretty Face - Adriana Lima”, (2013) Digital Art, Photoshop Portrait Painting 8” x 9.5”

"Elizabeth Taylor", (2013) Digital Art, Photoshop Portrait Painting 48” x 48”

“Here Without You”, (2016) Digital Art, Photoshop Portrait Painting 31.5” x 39”

www.artistamroashry.com

70 ATIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

DOROTHY SLIKKER

"Lying In Wait", (2000), Oil On Canvas, 18" X 20"

"It's Cold Out Here", (2008), Oil On Canvas, 20" X 16"

Nevada-based visual artist and teacher Dorothy Slikker has enriched the world of contemporary art with the creation of a vividly evocative realm of beauty. Her work reverently celebrates life in all its forms. Her distinctly uplifting body of work encompasses mostly oil and acrylic paintings on canvas. She uses wood and tile to portray an array of subjects, including landscapes, wildlife, domestic animals, florals, still lifes, and people -- most especially, those close to her heart, who are a continuous source of inspiration for the artist.

A Robert Warren-certified art instructor, Slikker masterfully employs Warren's signature painting method, which involves applying soft orange acrylic paint to the entire canvas using a sponge brush, then creating a study or pattern in black acrylic to map out the perception of depth and set the shadows. In the artist's words, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Doing the black work, and setting your lights and darks make it very easy to create a nice painting." As the artist adds the lights to her compositions, it lets the delicate orange reflect through, giving the colors a warm, distinctive glow that embosoms her canvases in a lyrical embrace. In her paintings, she mixes her own colors to create a distinctively soft chromatic palette that lends a homey warmth and spiritual lift to her works.

Dorothy Slikker adheres to a distinctively realistic aesthetic as she translates her vision into vivid pictorial idylls endowed with serenity, felicity, and joyfulness.

Slikker's masterly ability to transmit the perception of distance and spatial depth through complex color shading "Roper On The Beach", Oil On Canvas, 18" X 20"

ATIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 71

"Bountiful Harvest", (2003), Oil On Canvas, 20" X 16"

"A Mothers Love", (2009), Oil On Canvas, 20" X 16"

and visual perspective bestows upon the viewer the irresistible feeling to step into her landscapes and walk around their sublime scenery.

In her arresting pet and wildlife paintings, the artist's ability comes to life in the eyes of the animals that capture the viewerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention at first glance.

Born in Bakersfield, California, Slikker stays true to her innate generosity of spirit and love for art. She extends her four decades experience and masterly knowledge of landscape and portrait painting techniques to help emerging artists reach their true creative potential, by inspiring them to develop their own artistic visions. Slikker currently teaches at the Creative Painting Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, in addition to offering painting courses and workshops at her Pahrump studio, Slikker's Fine Art Studio.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

"On Guard", Oil On Canvas, 18" X 20"

www.slikkersfineart.com

72 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

HÉLÈNE DESERRES

"Danseur Joyeux", Acrylic On Canvas, 30” X 40"

Hélène DeSerres is an internationally recognized multidisciplinary artist currently living in Canada. She is a painter, photographer, sculptor, and jewelry designer. DesSerres paints in a variety of styles, including abstract, impressionist, and realist, and her work incorporates varied media. She often photographs her subjects, using the photos as reference points for her paintings.

"Soleil Couchant", Mixed Media On Canvas, 20” X 20"

"Eclosion", Acrylic On Canvas, 30” X 40"

"Les Hauts Et Les Bas", Acrylic On Canvas, 20” X 44"

Describing art as her "oxygen," DeSerres cares deeply about the environment and protecting animals.

Natural landscapes, majestic creatures, and bold pigments are prominent features of her work.

Aquatic environments and plants are other natural mainstays of DeSerres' works. Most often, these are illustrated in an impressionistic style. In her new abstract series, DeSeres takes a storytelling approach with each stroke using complex artistry -- carefully orchestrated compositions of bold colors that come to life with a spontaneous twist, splashing elements that ad drama and depth. The result is eye-catching works of simultaneous contrast that invite the viewer to new worlds of imagination.

"La Vache Sacree", Mixed Media On Canvas, 24" X 30"

Hélène DeSerres delivers with tenderness and truth. She is able to introduce striking disparity to muted backgrounds, each decision skillfully made. She playfully uses realistic images as focal points on abstract backgrounds, welcoming waves of creativity. Using the canvas as a part of a new world she creates, DeSerres allows objects to trickle their way off the canvas. Making use of every tool in hand, she brings to life timeless pieces, incorporating the laws of art and making some of her own.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

"La Ligne Bleue", Mixed Media On 400 Lbs Fabriano Paper, 24" X 30"

www.hdeserres.com

74 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

ASTRID JACOBS

"Keep Your Balance” Acrylic On Canvas 32" x 40"

Astrid Jacobs is an award-winning author and illustrator residing in Germany. Apart from her career in fine art, she has a successful life as a writer, illustrator, art director, and publisher.

Jacobs exhibits her artwork globally throughout England, Germany, Spain, France, Scotland, Austria, Italy, Slovakia, and the United States. Her artwork is displayed in numerous private and public collections internationally.

Jacobs undertook several study trips to the USA, Asia, and Europe. By 1998, she had moved back to Munich, Germany, where she acquired a studio, and has been working as a freelance artist to date. Jacobs’s paintings allow you to capture blissful moments of silence, displaying to others a glimpse of what lies hidden beneath the surface. The colors that she uses in her paintings express powerful emotions and the music behind every form of life. For Jacobs, color is music and music is color.

"Mercy (Holy Year 2016)", Acrylic On Canvas, 32" x 32"

In each piece, she conveys movement and joyful moments. Her art emphasizes the idea that there is a parallel between the harmony of musical intervals and the harmony of colors. Her artwork demonstrates that both music and colors stir exceptionally strong feelings. She believes that music sweeps the dust from the soul of human beings and makes them come alive once again. Music and color rejuvenate and inspire the populace.

Ms. Jacobs captivates viewers in her imaginative paintings by unearthing curiosity through representing the world in perpetual flux, as if we are again children continually experiencing life as a novel intermixture between reality and our fantastical imaginations.

She has received numerous awards for many different artworks.

"The Wedding", Acrylic On Canvas, 18" x 18"

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

www.astridjacobs.de

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 75

ANNAPAOLA GOROZPE PEREZPRIA

"The Star, The Feather, And The Rose", Acrylic And Pastel, 16.5” x 23.5”

AnnaPaola Gorozpe is a young artist and star writer born in 1978 in Mexico City. She is also known as Perezpria.

Gorozpe produces pieces that are delightful, and in most cases contain a powerful spiritual message. Her art flares with emotions, and has great relevance for individuals of all ages. This has motivated her to write children’s picture books. Her pieces bring forward the thematic concerns of optimism, love, forgiveness, and gratitude.

Her pieces have a strong and warm connection to innocence and love. Her art ignites the memory of the unfolding of your favorite fairy tales when you were a child. Overall there is a great sense of felicity in her work: an inspiring playground for one's palette, imagination, and the original source of love. She is reminding us all to regain that peace and pure essence.

Gorozpe’s intention is to expand her viewer's awareness of the metaphysical world; to not bring only feelings of joy, but also of dismay, and melancholy. Her paintings refer to situations in contemporary society. They indicate that pleasant pictures dominate the composition. She uses symbols to assert her joie de vivre, using typical characteristics of her native land.

She often plays with the titles of common known fables. This is to show the innocence in imperfections—showing that perfection is but an illusion within itself. Gorozpe is an artist driven by her desire to evoke immeasurable emotion in her viewers. She shows great dedication to her mission.

Her book “The Star, The Feather and The Rose” will be released soon in the US market in a bilingual format both in English and Spanish published by ArtTour International Publications.

"My Joyful", Acrylic On Canvas, 27.5” x 35.5”

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

joyfulfairytale.com

76 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

IAN SMITH

“From Elders … Knowing Ways And Reflection (Ltd. Edition Of 50)”, Bronze Sculpture, 17” x 20” x 11.5”

Canadian Artist Ian Smith’s bronze creations explore lifestyles discovered through his life journey.

Essentially a self-taught artist, Smith’s talent was stirred by taking university-level fine arts media courses. In 1978, his passion for travel and adventure led him to Canada's high arctic.

Transformed by sixteen years lived in the arctic communities of Igloolik, Grise Fiord, Broughton Island, and Iqaluit as teacher, school principal, and education consultant, Smith was inspired to pursue the depiction of lifestyles foreign to so many.

His works narrate the spirit and vitality of Inuit and arctic life.

ordinary aspects and characteristics of Inuit and arctic life with a strong sense for the preservation of tradition and culture. Each work is meticulously rendered, paying careful attention to detail. Within each figure, there is a sense of determination, strength, tenacity, peace, and harmony -- characteristics of a culture that achieved one of the most remarkable human accomplishments: the population of the Arctic.

Facial expressions, traces of the effects of natural elements on the skin of each figure, are masterfully crafted. Scenes of everyday life, children playing, and special moments are captured and immortalized in a

It was his admiration for this culture and desire to share his experience that ignited in him the will to surrender to a passion that had been dormant in his life for years: sculpture. In the artist's words, “To bring alive the essence of another way of life through my art has been a deep-seated flame waiting to pour out, be cast and shared.”

Working in bronze, Smith expresses basic meaning within the figures he depicts, providing a glimpse into the

“On The Edge” (Ltd. Edition Of 50), Bronze Sculpture 26” x 24” x 16”

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 77

"1950's Roughnecks", Bronze Sculpture, 59" x 38" x 41", Ltd. Edition Of 6

unique style, where you find layer after layer of significance. For the artist, “Faces and hands are, to me, the indicators of the life we live -- even when altered, presenting signs of who lives within."

Smith’s dream of sharing his experience with the world opened the door to a life of art and inspiration and the discovery of an innate talent, thus achieving success and recognition through years of d e d i c at i o n , d e t e r m i n at i o n , a n d commitment. New adventures have been portrayed in Ian's most recent pieces depicting classic motorcycling, and the rugged life on the oilfields.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

“Elemental Of An Age” , (ltd. edition of 50), Bronze Sculpture, 22” x 16” x 16”

www.dismithbronze.com

78 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

JANI JAN J.

“Meeting In Karpathos”, (2014), Mixed Media On Canvas, 31.5” x 23.5”

Jani Jan J was born in Salzburg, Austria, and creates his mixed-media paintings in his studio in Enzersdorf bei.

Jan J is a self-taught sculptor and painter, an art therapist graduate, and a multimedia director. His works are carefully orchestrated, thought-provoking compositions, flowing with colors, line, and form. The artist employs patterns and figures to depict nature and spirituality.

A world traveler, Jan J has visited numerous places, including Europe, Africa, Russia ,and China. Among his credits, he is the organizer, founder, and coordinator of Art and Culture in Staatz, an annual event. Most of his activities and exhibitions have been in Austria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Germany, France, Italy, England, Turkey, Finland, and Malta.

In Jan’s travels, he interacts with people and seeks their opinions concerning his artwork. Communication and networking with each other are his key concerns. Jan J says that they are the reasons he is successful. During his joyful trips, he is blessed with the time to interact with people of diverse cultures; the inspiration from these interactions enables him be more innovative. His great pictorial works come in two and three dimensions, and have a wide range of artistry.

“Endless 2”, (2015), Iron - Painting, Mixed Media On Wood, 48.5” x 33.5”

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 79

“Tiptych - A Long Time Ago, (2015), Iron - Painting, Mixed Media On Canvas, 35.5” x 16”

“Tiptych - A Long Time Ago 2, (2015), Iron - Painting, Mixed Media On Canvas, 35.5” x 16”

Among his great renowned pieces are “Meeting In Karpathos,” "A Long Time Ago,” and “Endless 2."

Jan has stated that dealing with colors, shapes, and different materials are metaphoric symbols. Portraying the complexity and diversity that is life and the world around us, color, dialogue of form, and the combination of different materials are the heart of his work. The subtle yet ingenious use of color contrast is in every piece. Vibrant, warm colors and eye-catching hues of blue serenade the viewers' imagination. Each piece of his craft work becomes a pastiche; the essence of nature itself carries its way into his sculpting work.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

www.janijanj.com

80 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

BETTE RIDGEWAY

“Echoes Of A Love”, Acrylic On Canvas, 52” x 66”

“Obsidiana”, Acrylic On Canvas, 48” x 34”

Originally from New York, artist, author, and web, and jewelry designer Bette Ridgeway has captivated the fascinating and ever-changing world of visual arts with her vibrant color-filled striking paintings. In particular, her large-format light-filled poured paintings generously treat audiences to a powerfully radiant clarity of abstraction. Concentrating on creating a pictorial dialog between reality and the transcendent, her visionary kaleidoscopic pieces never cease to dazzle viewers, with their luminescent epiphanic poetics in motion, conjuring up eidetic images in full force.

Constantly seeking to explore new avenues of creativity and break the boundaries of light and color with her unique evolving art, Ridgeway is a trailblazer who masterfully manipulates light using multiple layers of media to create motion, rhythm, and depth in her layering light trademark style. She directly pours gossamer-thin streaks and fluid fields of rich intense color onto shaped canvases, made from Belgian linen, paper, and more recently metal.

The acrylic and wood panels, laboriously and with painstaking detail, demonstrate a true mastery of the controlled paint pouring technique.

Ridgeway initially trained as a watercolorist. Her work identifies with the manipulation of light and paint p o u r i n g . D i a p h a n o u s ve i l s o f translucent and transparent color combinations infuse her works on a variety of surfaces. In addition to her celebrated large-scale luminous poured paintings evoking images of arrested motion, the artist has created disks, which are innovative works on cell cast acrylic. They are layered with handfired resin and boast glass-like qualities one can see and feel. The visionary artist proudly states that she enjoys working with her clients to create sitespecific avant-garde artworks, for both commercial and residential settings.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine “Ballet Du Jardin”, Acrylic On Canvas, 44” x 60”

www.ridgewaystudio.com

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BIANCA D'ANGELO

“My Birthday”, Oil On Canvas, 36” x 48”

“Hydrangeas”, Oil On Canvas, 24” x 20”

To merely glance at any original painting by Canadian artist Bianca D’Angelo is to realize how impressively pervasive the painter’s sensibility and instinctual perception of diversified beauty is. She graces our existence through all her distinctively impressionistic art. A masterstroke of aesthetic refinement, D'Angelo’s powerfully vivid and gratifying body of work evokes sensory momentary impressions of various figural forms and locations by means of looser brush strokes, in a pure French impressionistic style of painting, united in the pursuit of creating a more precise representation of actual light, color, and tone.

The endless care and passion that she lavishes on her vivid canvases achieve a sublime union between content and form.

Richly crystallized in the poetic translation of momentary fleeting impressions, she uses brilliant splashes of bold intense colors to recreate the optical effects of reflected light. Powerfully radiating luminosity through diffused bursts of bright color, D'Angelo's masterly canvases are evocative gripping pictorial sojourns. They enchant the visual sense and offer viewers pure and complete up-closeand-personal experiences, which allows them to immerse fully in the vibrant beauty of a scene or subject.

Focused on the interplay between natural light and color, her paintings employ warm yet intense tones of oranges and reds, juxtaposed against cool tones of blues and stark whites to capture the delicate effects of light perfectly. Her celebrated collections encompass mostly landscapes that depict the sun-drenched uplifting atmosphere of the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, in locations such as Italy, France, Greece, Spain, and Portugal. D'Angelo's latest pieces are themed around boats and harbors, still life, florals, and most recently wine. They all serve up healthy doses of genuine artistic sophistication, coupled with a sense of aesthetic poetic subtlety. Her impressively vivid pictorial works are displayed in private collections across her native country.

“Frigiliana Stairway”, Oil On Canvas, 40” x 30”

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

www.biancadangelo.com

82 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

KATHERINE DU TREMBLE

“Luminosity”, Oil On Canvas, 36" x 48"

Artist Katherine DuTremble from the United States is known for her fine work with media from print making to oils. From her first humble painting at the age of seven, her talent blossomed to the gallery-filling works of today.

DuTremble paints in the color of light, and has proven to master it. Her pieces reflect directly off the canvas, showcasing a stunning play of light and shadow, each intertwining to project an impeccable contrast.

DuTremble is skilled in monotype, which is the process of painting or drawing on a plexiglas sheet, the image is then transferred onto a sheet of paper by pressing the two together, usually using a printing-press.. It is then pulled off the plate, and the result is a rare and marvelous form of art.

DuTremble’s divine landscape pieces are featured here with brilliant sunsets, capturing every hue rooted from nature itself. Hints of gold and deep yellows dance together as her study of light shows itself in each landscape, transforming into masterpieces.

Her skills stretch out to still-life portraits, showing how strategically she plays with tone and texture. This combination allows her to bring forth lifelike images. Known for her grand ability to portray animals in a truly realistic form, DuTremble shows all where her love of art stemmed from. Her very first painting was that of a cat. This love and depicting animals still lives inside

“Discombobulation”, Mixed Media On Canvas, 36" x 36"

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 83

“Halo”, Oil On Canvas, 48" x 48"

“Bruised Sky's Evening”, Oil On Canvas, 36" x 36

her. Among her many collections are warming animal portraits. Her use of light flows into these images, playfully portraying the innocent liveliness of a young animal just as softly as she portrays the life force in her landscapes.

The ever-growing artist has continued to astonish time after time, and we have only more of her gifted pieces to look forward to. A lover of all gifts from Mother Earth, it's no wonder DuTremble has excelled in all that she does.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

“No On Home”, Oil On Linen, 36" x 36"

“Bridge of Color”, Oil On Canvas, 36"x36"

www.katherinedutremble.com

84 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

KAY GRIFFITH

"Abstract U-323", Oil On Canvas, 36" x 48"

"Abstract U-224", Oil On Canvas, 36" x 36"

US artist Kay Griffith is a trained and experienced abstract painter whose work reflects the beauty and majesty of nature. She has studied color theory, color design, detailed oil painting, and technical painting under the mentorship of a variety of talented professional artists. Her work has won numerous prestigious awards, and has been featured in several fine art galleries for its beauty and technical prowess.

More than just the relationship between form, color, and similar elements, Griffith’s dreamlike works reflect an interplay between the artist’s observation of external beauty in relation with her internal sensibility and appreciation of the world, which is so in tune with the flow of the universe.

Griffith's art is traditionally considered to fall within the style of abstract expressionism; her works explore the convergence of color, motion, and mood. She draws her inspiration from a universe she sees through the eyes of beauty and grace: The colors of a sunset, the light of a rising moon and twinkling stars, the fading colors of the night, the Earth and the natural environments she experiences around her.

Kay Griffith's oil paintings are intellectually abstract and infused with a web of emotions. In most of her paintings, it is difficult to ascertain what subjects, animals, people, natural scenes, or lack thereof, are depicted on the canvas, allowing viewers to project their own interpretations of what they are observing.

Griffith has a complex and creative palette applied with the use of wet on wet and impasto techniques, which give a threedimensional impression to her paintings.

The thick layers of color allow for the light to be reflected in new ways depending on atmospheric conditions. Some of her pieces feature only black and white, while others feature splashes of colors, tints, tones, and shades, comprised of a myriad of complementary and contrasting colors.

"Abstract U-307", Oil On Canvas, 48" x 60"

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"Abstract U-301", Oil On Canvas, 48" x 60"Â

Griffith is a truly phenomenal artist, praised for her extensive professional training and the thousands of hours she has devoted to perfecting her craft as an abstract artist. Despite her technical skills, Griffith sets herself apart as a professional artist by producing art that stems not only from her imagination, and the technical knowledge it encompasses, but also from her deep connection to herself on an emotional and vulnerable level. By deriving inspiration from her emotions and seeking magic within the natural world around her, Griffith has developed a type of creative artistic talent which cannot be replicated through any number of hours spent studying the technical side of art. Each of her paintings harnesses the power to spark powerful emotions within those who view them, granting viewers the opportunity to interpret the art in the context of their own life, emotions, and experiences without forcing them to see it from her perspective. A pleasant walk down the fabrics of emotion, Griffith's series is worthy of praise.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

"Abstract U-328", Oil On Canvas, 36" x 48"

griffithfineartgallery.com

86 ATIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

CAROLYNN BARNHART

"First Snow (Diptych)", Acrylic On Canvas, 20" x 48"

"Secrets Untold (Diptych)", Acrylic Mixed Media On Canvas, 16" x 40"

Canadian visual artist Carolynn Barnhart is internationally acclaimed for her picturesque paintings. She bases all of her artwork on nature, which she describes as being a "vibrant vehicleâ&#x20AC;? she uses to convey thoughts, emotions, and universal intellect across her paintings. She is very skillful at picking the "right" colors for her compositions, which allow her to depict impressive yet natural works of art. Her work is relatable and many can identify with it.

She specializes in three main techniques, oil on canvas, acrylic on canvas, and mixed media on canvas, and combines concepts and media such as collage, paint, and ink. Some of her latest work examines the impact of globalization on society, and nature in general.

Barnhart has embarked on a journey of consciousness and soul expression. She emphasizes universal awareness and the effect it has on the Earth as a whole. In her work, she portrays how humanity and nature are interconnected. She refers to art, poetry, and other means of human expression as a dialogue that comes from the heart. Visiting countries i n E u ro p e h a s g i ve n h e r a n ew perspective on color use in her paintings, causing them to become more vibrant and complex. Her landscapes are dreamlike, welcoming viewers to blend with the peaceful essence of each piece.

Her place of residence has become another source of inspiration for her artwork. She lives in an old log home with 100 acres of woodland in rural Ontario, Canada. This serene artist delivers, with love, a gift to all of her viewers.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine "Coastal Impressions Monaco Revised", Acrylic On Canvas, 16" x 20"

www. carolynnbarnhartvisualartist.com

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 87

CYNTHIA ARAF

“From The Series Intervals( 2)”, Giclée Hahnemühle Photo, 67” x 45.5”

“Under the title of “Intervals”, this set of images taken in different latitudes at different times allude both to the light as well as to time standing still, the instant in which one´s own nature becomes vulnerable and confronts the viewer.

The landscape appears here as a metaphor of being and being in a place. A spectacle which seems built and retouched and which is nothing more than a game of perception. My eye captures the specific and what is alien before opting for the whole of the scenery, from detail springs up everything completely new.

The fragment becomes the atmosphere and it is then that perception is challenged: air, water, earth intermingle to build scenes both apocalyptic and sublime, others peaceful and beautiful: landscapes which seem artificial but are the result of a calm, attentive, sharp eye on nature. A gaze that listens, feels “From The Series Intervals (1)”, Giclée Hahnemühle Photo, 67” x 45.5” and penetrates, that is why it is capable of showing both the noises of the context as well as the silence that surrounds it.

Technically, the pieces are built from the overexposure of whites which allows, after developing them on screen, the choice of the big format which is part of the essence of the series. The photographs, huge windows which permit the fragments, shadows, textures and tone variations to be revealed.

I seek to create these images considering a constant transformation, that of the landscape and also my own as a photographer who does not search for desolation but for solitude which encourages reflection. It is from that state of introspection that nature reveals the subtle which brings the sublime closer, thus allowing us to find ourselves.

The landscape seduces us and invites us to acknowledge our self and embrace our understanding of it.”

“From The Series Intervals( 4)”, Giclée Hahnemühle Photo, 67” x 45.5”

www.cynthiaaraf.com

88 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

LISA LEVASSEUR

Canadian-born artist Lisa Levasseur has been dedicated to her love for nature and animals. Her works are an expression of her journey in life, from pain and challenges to the joy of surrendering to and reconnecting with her passion for art.

“Take Another Piece”, Palette Art Acrylic

Levasseur enjoys playing with color, often choosing a range to work in – vibrant warm tones, earth tones, or monotone – allowing her palette to explode dynamically across the canvas with simultaneous contrasts. Her brushstrokes are varied, freeform, with areas of solid colors, textures, and intricate layers that create depth and threedimensionality to the works, challenging the traditional dichotomy between painting and sculpture in a unified form of art she has developed and called PaletteArt™.

Lisa started at an early age by drawing horses, demonstrating great talent. At the age of twelve, she left home and grounded herself in California to commit to training with horses. After returning home in 1989, she opened a horse

“NewYork Bash”, Palette Art Acrylic

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 89

training facility in Stony Plain, Alberta, in partnership with her dad. At age 23, due to serious health conditions, Levasseur ended her career as a horse trainer.

“Clownfish”, Palette Art Acrylic, 20” x 16”

Lisa Levasseur started painting in 2010 and found herself immersed in the world of abstract art, having found the technique very liberating.

She soon developed a painting method of her own, PaletteArt™, where she uses recycled paint to form 3D sculpted paintings. Her newfound love for abstract art was invigorating; she was encouraged by friends, family, and art professionals to move forward. After a few months of creating her first series, the majority of the paintings were sold and Levasseur started attracting the attention of industry professionals worldwide.

Some of her most admired pieces include “Clownfish”, “Eye Of The Storm”, “New York Bash”, and “Take Another Piece” among others. Levasseur works with acrylics, she is able to achieve a distinct contrast within dark, transparent washes through her ingenious use of the media.

This award-winning artist doesn't fall short as a businesswoman, having followed her father's wise path. She runs the Rocky Mountains Ranch Resort near Jasper National Park. Levasseur is the interior designer for this establishment. She has gained great reputation through this, and is highly admired for her creative business approaches. At the moment, she has an art studio setup and an art retreat center at Terracana.

Human behavior, global history, events, and nature all have a great impact on her work. Her

“Eye Of The Storm”, Palette Art Acrylic

inspiration is driven by all the forces flowing on the same parallel frequencies. She believes that all human beings are interconnected, joined to nature and universal influences. She uses her art to express her thoughts on life, nature, and social conditions. She aims to use her art to expose hidden realities. Her intention is to help people understand what they may be overlooking, ignoring, or sacrificing in life. She has a deep understanding and connection with nature, through observing the energy she has with horses. This positive message conveys itself in all of her pieces, demanding a satisfied and loyal following.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

“Oil In Water”, Palette Art Acrylic

ljlevasseur.com

90 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

LYDIA PANART

“My work gives shape to our human tendency towards constant movement in our search for meaning.

Walking along this reflective path, I find inspiration in those “huellas” (traces) we all leave behind along our journey.”

“Cambalache”, Acrylic On Canvas, 30” x 30”

Toronto-based visual artist, muralist, architect, and educator Lydia Panart brings us her latest collection of acrylic paintings on canvas, entitled “Huellas” (Spanish for "footprints or traces.") A deeply reflective body of work brimming with representational imagery, “Huellas” is themed around movement, and particularly the traces left behind in the mystical journey of discovering one's true self, as well as finding one's meaning and purpose in life.

These traces are depicted with nuanced detail through successive, densely textured, and chromatically rich layers, encapsulating the depth and subtlety of life experiences.

Panart's flowing, instinctive brushwork and close attention to color and line renders the iconography of the “Huellas” collection. Deeply emotional and powerfully engaging, it invites audiences to immerse in meditation on life's magic and nostalgically recall personal memories that have left a mark on their hearts. Reminiscent of the painterly lyrical abstraction, her canvases are poetic waltzes, evocatively capturing the passage of time, motion, change, and the myriad emotions throughout one's life journey, from melancholy, to hope, to sheer happiness. Of particular resonance in this collection is the striking painting that pays tribute to famous Argentine painter Raul Soldi, best known for portraying theatrical figures with a distinctive melancholic appearance.

“Homage to Raul Soldi and His Duendes”, Acrylic on Canvas, 48” x 48”

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“Sculpting in My Memory Vanishing Huellas”, Acrylic & Mixed Media on Canvas, 62” x 62”

“New Light”, Acrylic On Canvas, 48” x 36”

“I would like to invite the viewer into my work to help evoke personal memories and emotions, and to reflect on life’s richness.”

In the space-themed collection of paintings called “Eclipse”, Panart vibrantly captures recollections and impressions of different spaces that have struck a chord with her during her travels. As an architect, space has always carried special connotations for Panart, but the iconographic appeal of this collection lies in the artist's emotional response to the spaces depicted. Panart's body of work also encompasses the colorful, fiery “Layers” collection, portraying the intricacies of human nature, as well as the Dubai-inspired “Synergy” collection, centered on compositional elements in opposition.

Holding a degree in architecture from the National University of Buenos Aires and a diploma in interior design from MOBI Institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Panart has participated in countless international art symposia, as well as art exhibits across Canada, South A m e r i c a , a n d E u ro p e . S h e wa s presented with the 2005 Mississauga Visual Arts Award. Mentored by the late master artist Kenneth Kemble, one of the most prominent figures of the Art Informel or Tachisme art movement in Argentina, the award-winning artist serves as an educator and mentor to aspiring artists in the Southern Ontario community, proactively offering creative support through art studio workshops and courses. This Canadian artist is commissioned to create murals and other community art projects for public institutions and private corporations.

She offers full-color architectural renderings in various media.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine “The Truth Wakes Me Up” Acrylic & Mixed Media on Canvas 36” x 48”

www.lydiapanart.com

92 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

DANGUOLE ŠERSTINSKAJA Danguole Serstinskaja is a Lithuanian artist who creates masterful visual interpretations of animals. At first glance, these stunning artworks appear to be photographs.

Specializing in drawing with charcoal, but also using pencils, pastels, dry oil brushes and a variety of media, Serstinskaja’s realistic paintings are rendered flawlessly, capturing the beauty of her subjects with intrinsic detail and simplicity—the result of long, meticulous observation.

A p r o f e s s i o n a l d o g b r e e d e r, Serstinskaja has surrounded herself

“Zebra”, Oil On Paper, 12” x 16”

“Ready For The Jungle School”, Oil On Paper, 19.5” x 27.5”

with animals for decades, caring for them and understanding their behavior.

This experience ignited in her a keen i n t e r e s t i n t h e i r a n at o my a n d psychology. She turns to art, as a loving form of expression, to showcase her passion. Using a realistic drawing approach, her work captures the astonishing characteristics of the animals she depicts.

“Friends”, Oil On Paper, 16” x 12”

Being a student of realism, Serstinskaja’s art focuses on conveying the spirit of the animal, as well as its anatomical details.

Capturing each expression demands both insight and attention. She is highly admired for her portraits of dogs, capturing their precious essence and delivering the beauty of their being into an art form.

Serstinskaja incorporates the use of many artistic techniques—yet all of her approaches capture a sense of realism perfectly. This sense brings art back to its roots, displaying emotion in an anatomical, and universal, form; the cynosure of each piece is the dominant presence of the artist. The viewer feels as she does about each subject.

Serstinskaja’s art is a joy to witness, both in person and on screen. This Lithuanian artist’s work is a declaration of man’s connection to animal—an admirable showcase for all to see.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

“Tortoiseshell Cat”, Pastel On Velourr, 14” x 10”

danguole.art@gmail.com

DORON GAL-ADONI

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 93

Doron Gal Adoni, a 46-year-old composer and producer, an infusion of new blood to the Israel art scene.

As an enthusiastic young artist, Adoni has an inner world that he feels should be infused into painting, music, and all forms of art. Adoni’s art is focused on arousing inner emotions and reactions to fulfill the spiritual potential in awakening others, inspiring them to be liberated from beliefs that have held them back.

Doron’s art utilizes the unique method called Satya, developed by the famous Natalie Ben David. This method involves mindful listening, focused on cutting the cords holding each individual back. Adoni believes one can reach heightened awareness by cutting these cords.

Adoni’s harmonious range of color enables one to discover their hidden abilities by observing the paintings from various perspectives. His paintings reveal different dimensions in different lighting. Each piece brings an entirely new side of selfdiscovery,meant to enhance the understanding of life.

Adoni finds inspiration by spending time in the desert, within scattered dunes in the wilderness. His art is a showcase of enlightenment. He hopes to create a certain denouement in the mysteries of life itself.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine Contact artist at www.dorongaladoni.com "5", (2015), Mixed Media On Canvas, 79” x 39”

www.dorongaladoni.com

94 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

MANUELLA MUERNER MARIONI

“Sphinx”, Mirror Sculpture,13” x 11.5” x 6.7”

“Alice”, Mirror Sculpture, 18.5” x 11” x 7.9”

Award-winning Swiss artist Manuella Muerner Marioni has passionately and masterfully created an intensely reflective body of work that brims with tension-laden compositions and powerfully interacts with audiences, extending the promise of a vivid, rich sensory experience that is simultaneously analytic and appreciative. Her critically acclaimed evocative body of work, poised between symbolic, figurative, and abstract, consists of two-dimensional pieces, including neo-expressionist, color-rich acrylic and oil paintings, digital art, and photographs, as well as three-dimensional works of art. Her signature mirror sculpture, bring her unique artistic vision to life through specific perception effects, as viewers open their own analytic gifts to self-analysis and personal interpretation.

Celebrating the creation of contradictions between nature/evanescent moments and imminent universals, while glorifying the harmonious union of man and nature, the visionary artist captures the conceptual and expressive synthesis of human nature. She offers a human image for recognition, while allowing viewers to express their often conflicting desires for the intimation of a vitally imagined meaning and the connoisseurship of an artistic feat.

By strategically playing with dichotomies like human fragility/strength, utopia/reality, and natural/artificial, and emphatically incorporating controversy-centric artistic oxymorons, Marioni pushes the boundaries of compositional principles and elements such as color, form, and light, unleashing a playful, powerfully intimate form of escapism from the rigid order of society – an indulgence in compassion, sympathy, and kindness without deception, and an exercise in discernment without alienation.

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 95

Marioni spent more than seven years collaborating with the Niki de Saint Phalle Foundation, an intense, formative period in her artistic career. The late French feminist artist Niki de Saint Phalle was best known for her world-famous Nana Sculptures and "shooting paintings," and carrying a deep fascination with Antoni Gaudi's Guell Park masterpiece in Barcelona. Marioni's mentor since the 1950s, friend and confidante, passed Gaudi's legacy on to her mentee. Interestingly, though, the mosaic -- the only feature of Gaudi's sculptures not adopted by Saint Phalle herself -- lies at the center of Marioni's art. The ancient mosaic technique, steeped in history and tradition, is evocatively reinvented by the Swiss artist in a captivating, original manner, testifying to the artist's rigorous academic training, which has been continously enriched with multidisciplinary, experimental creative processes.

Marioni's magnificent mirror sculptures, essentially evoking voluptuous Venuses with modernist overtones, are integrated and interactive forms of art. They are centered on perspective and volume, which give prominence to the viewers and their surroundings.

Their imaginative construction reflects the natural rhythm of life, changing as the beholder moves and light subsides. The use of figurative simplifications and “Alice In Wonderworld”, Acrylic On Canvas, 40” x 30” saturated, vivid colors in her neo-expressionist pieces, which reinterpret her three-dimensional creations, mirrors a Fauvism-like painting style that is balanced and savage at the same time. Her seemingly uncontrolled brushwork of slightly representational but deeply abstract chromatic juxtapositions are powerfully charged with controversy. They elicit in viewers strong constructive emotions, and give way to a new level of abstract expressionism.

Born in Thun, Switzerland, i nt e r n at i o n a l l y a c c l a i m e d a r t i st Manuella Muerner Marioni studied fine art and fashion design at the New Art School Zurich. She continued her art studies in Paris, Vienna, Lisboa, Florence, and the U.S. Throughout her remarkable artistic career, she has held countless solo and group exhibitions at various art galleries, cultural centers, and museums across the globe, including a solo exhibit at the International Museum of Contemporary Art Italia Arte in Turin, Italy, and the Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Art in Las Vegas, US. Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

“Why”, Acrylic On Canvas, 7.9” x 7.9”

www.arte-manuella.ch

96 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

MARK JAMES FORD

“Blue Ice”, (2015), True Photograph Mounted On Acrylic, 39” x 59”

Mark James Ford is an internationally recognized digital and film photographer born in Birmingham, England.

Ford’s photography focuses on nature and narrates Earth's beauty, simplicity, and complexity. His main inspiration is rooted in the marvels of land and wildlife. At times, he will represent his pieces to the world in original form. During his playful shifts, he will enhance the images, pushing all boundaries of representation and creating an abstract masterpiece.

Based in Wiesbaden, Ford shoots landscapes, trees, rivers, the ocean, and nature in all its glory, capturing movement, light, and energy in all his subject matter. In his pictures, he removes context, such as coastlines and horizons, to allow focus on the outlines and colors of each piece. He has a strong determination to produce only the finest pieces; therefore, he is keen on picture composition, color, and atmosphere in the art he creates. He emphasizes

“Essence of Winter II”, (2015), True Photograph Mounted On Acrylic, 39” x 59”

“Backflow”, (2015), True Photograph Mounted On Acrylic, 39” x 59”

the importance of light in his work, and the colorful effects that light produces is one of his major themes. He captures nature in its still form, panoramic landscapes that include mountains, rivers, oceans, and cityscapes. Each image portrays the dimensional complexity of ever-growing energy in nature. His deep understanding of nature, structure, form, and light creates both a grounding and floating experience for his viewers.

He shoots the familiar and the unseen alike, from trees in the park to the scales of frozen mountains. Common flowers and rivers create an uncommon vista in your mind when Ford photographs them. His pieces are characterized by extreme close-ups with saturated backgrounds.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

“Stranded”, (2015), True Photograph Mounted On Acrylic, 39” x 59”

www.blauvista.com

98 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

DURGA GARCIA

“Reunion”, Fine Art Photography, 12” x 18”

International award-winning fine art photographer Durga Garcia is recognized for her unique storytelling and surrealist images. The human figure is a key element in Garcia’s works, dramatically captured against theatrical backgrounds suggesting mysterious imaginary places. With particular attention to color, texture, and light, her masterful compositions lead the eye through a narrative outside of this realm and into a timeless universe.

Originally from South Florida, Durga Garcia’s international travels and experience have inspired and transformed her work. She has lived in many countries and throughout America, working as a racehorse trainer, equine veterinary paramedic, yoga teacher, member of the U.S. International Pistol Team, and certified art appraiser.

Garcia's work emphasizes shape, body form, and artistic contrasts. Playful and daring, she engages the most unlikely models in ethereal settings. Her images are imbued with curiosity and fascination. It is impossible not to admire her creative notions of fantasy and reality and her ability to blend them together within each piece.

Durga Garica takes the viewer to new emotions, discoveries, and realms, using nature, fashion, and theatrics to embody her vision. Playing with light to highlight her emotions, she takes a highly imaginative approach to photography. Strong, creative, and effective gestures flow freely through her lens.

Garcia has a unique ability to capture movement: every gesture has a narrative. There is never a dull moment, or an object or element that is not telling a story. Take the time to embrace her messages, and she will communicate her subjects by evoking emotion and reaction.

“Kinkajou”, Fine Art Photography, 36” x 48”

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

durgagarcia.com

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 99

ELA MIERZECKA

"Shades Of Autumn", Oil On Canvas, 60” x 24”

“A better life is guaranteed if one pays attention to the positive aspects of life, and strengthening them.”

This is what Ela Mierzecka-Pain firmly believes, and it is deeply emphasized in her work. Originally from Poland, she settled in Australia, and has been there for over 14 years now. It is in the land down under that she found her real passion. Mierzeck-Pain’s early experience of setting up her own professional photographic studio and entering national competitions has given her a sense of fulfillment that is apparent in her art.

“The Predator” Oil on canvas, 40” x 30”

Mierzecka-Pain’s work is a depiction of the beauty of life. She believes in positive things, and the tremendous impact they can have on a person's life. Most of her pieces consist of splashes of color and scenes of precious moments that are often taken for granted. The beauty of dried leaves in autumn, sea creatures frolicking on the ocean surface, the graceful blooming of flowers, and even a person's reflection on life —these simple subjects are presented by the artist with the intention of uplifting the senses, offering the viewer a blissful view of the world.

Mierzecka-Pain's agenda is not only to create beautiful art pieces for people to buy, but to give people something that will inspire them daily, something that will speak to their hearts. She also encourages other artists, amateur and professional alike, to be inspired to follow their hearts and create pieces that convey their passion. The rich colors will brighten up any space, and her exceptional style of depicting daily events is both mysterious and heartwarming.

Yadira M. Roman Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

"Life Energy", Oil On Canvas, 36” x 15”

www.downunderart.com.au

100 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

MIRKO “ DIVINE DICHOTOMY” “Everything is true ... and his opposite too...”

“Forget for a moment our concepts so deeply marked in our cultures of : “realism” VS “abstract”... and ask ourselves if instead of opposed they would not simply be complementary.”

“The Colors Of The Soul- The Red Soul”: - Acrylic, 27.5” x 35.5”

Spanish artist Mirko creates awe-inspiring figurative works of 21st century icons and regular people in modern-day attire with a sublime sense of humor. Inspired by his fascination with comics and graffiti, Mirko outlines his subjects against solid, primary-color backgrounds, thus bringing his figures to the foreground -- his signature technique, capturing the viewer’s full attention.

“La Dame Au Bain”, Acrylic, 39” x 31.5”

With an extraordinary eye for light, form, and line, Mirko creates masterful compositions, paying great attention to detail. His research revolves around human social physiological behavior and the dynamic characteristics of social intelligence.

Pushing us closer to the understanding of the underpinnings and nuances of behavior in its various forms, Mirko portrays specific cognitive and affective elements in individuals, in contrast with the need of maintaining positive feelings about the self.

Mirko’s love and appreciation for human beings in general is his main source of inspiration. His work dances between pop art and post-modern current, always with a personal twist and the perfect dose of humor.

The root of his artistry began with his love for landscape images, with a number of his etching editions published in Spain. These were very successful, and the venture lasted several years.

However, after some time, he felt the need to develop other forms of imagery, from the abstract, transitioning to the figurative. He continuously experiments with a wide range of subjects and techniques, which he applies to different images, thoroughly enjoying and embracing any creative challenge.

Mirko’s inspiration stems from a wide range of sources, and is usually prompted by the music he listens to. The majority of his ideas come to life

“15M – Indignados – Peace” - Acrylic - 39” x 31.5”

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 101

“The Colors Of The Soul- The Green Soul”: - Acrylic, 27.5” x 35.5”

when he's working on a painting or relaxing at night.

When such a spark arrives, he creates a small thumbnail sketch to ensure he'll never forget it. At a later date, he finishes his sketches, allowing him to visualize it as a painting and use it for props and models. He believes that the mood and feeling within the painting are as important as the composition itself. From palette, to painting. After having a clear idea of an image, he'll develop hues that will influence the portrayal of his emotions.

When working with oils, he begins by creating the basic background color that's predominant within the image. After the basic image is created, he'll start working with the colors of the subject, as well as the background, until he's pleased with the feeling and general mood of the image. Mirko considers light to be a fundamental element of his works and prefers to use only three colors: black, white, and red. Sometimes, depending on the subject, he may add a touch of cool color to give a lift to his canvas.

“La Dame Au Bain”, Acrylic, 39” x 31.5”

In the artist's words: “I love human beings. My work is based on Love, and I talk simply but surely about this.

There are so many subjects and things that I find appalling that I decided, through my work, to join forces with those who would erase the world’s suffering with a smile."

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

“Penelope Cruz”, Acrylic, 39” x 39”

“Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas !”- (Together) . - Acrylic - 39” x 118”

www.mirkopainter.com

102 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

PAULO TEIXEIRA LOPES three-dimensional sculpture and painting onto his canvas; the result is arresting compositions, surreal depictions of life force. His work is never limited to a canvas.

Paulo Teixeira Lopes is one of the most promising contemporary master artists of his native Portugal.

Teixeira Lopes creates abstract expressionistic work that delves into existential concepts. He showcases evocative themes that might be interpreted as abstract at first glance, but upon deeper observation, his paintings trigger one's logic and creativity to coexist in each experience. There is an unparalleled essence to his work, one that captures the attention of his audience by provoking all senses.

With masterful use of line, shape, color, and light, Teixeira Lopes creates structures that communicate emotionally to the viewers, conveying a deep appreciation of growth and evolution. Breaking boundaries and creating a style of his own, he combines

“Help”, Mixed Media

The meaning of life itself is a question that travels through each piece. This is something he has managed to do meticulously with the use of contrasting hues, tints, and shades. Using a rose to symbolize love, he carries common motifs to deliver his messages with ease.

A rose is known as a representation of love among the people of the Western world. This is one of the iconic assets among a complex series. It conveys a story, about the sensitive topic of love conditions that most humans would prefer not to talk about. In doing so, Teixeira Lopes renders his work to people who can relate and experience through his imagination.

The color, energy, and life in his paintings are vibrant, easily transporting the viewer into a certain mood. In many cases, they seem to be infused with Teixeira Lopes himself. Teixeira Lopes often incorporates raised textures in combination with colorful parts of nature, l i ke t h e c h a o t i c b l u e - a n d - g r e e n - t o n e d " My Garden" (2009) and the red-and-green-accented, more serene "Mother Garden" (2011).

“Utopie” is a very engaging painting. The title frames the work, a bouquet of roses that occupies the center. Purple brushstrokes nearly blend into the vibrant greens and

“Utopie”, Mixed Media, 20” x 23”

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“Amarmus”, Mixed Media 63” x 39” In Porto Art Gallery, O’Porto, Portugal | www.portoartgallery.wix.com/portoartgallery

blues, while other brilliant brush strokes of color dash behind it. The world seems to be in motion, blurring with the speed of it all.

“Amarmus," on the other hand, jolts the senses. It radiates brilliant cadmium red and crimsons that remind the viewer of the grandiosity of Mother Nature, while red curved lines lick over the entire scene like crimson tongues of fire. The painting is organic and surreal and makes you wonder what life force would actually look

like. It's a rush of color and composition that perfectly demonstrates how Paulo Teixeira Lopes’s paintings at times seem to harness raw emotions and trap them onto the canvas.

"Egoiste" (2012) features a single pink thistle flower against a lush green background, and it is riveting even in its simplicity. Teixeira Lopes takes ordinary things and transforms them, and they practically breathe with emotion. In what seem like companion pieces, "Yin" and "Yang" (2013) seem like twin mirrors of the same lush garden.

His professional experience involves working with the Ministry of Education, serving as a secondary school professor in visual arts. He worked as the creative designer as well as creative director for the newspaper O’Porto. He was one of the members who managed the Artists Cooperative of Gaia in 1988 and 1989. Teixeira Lopes currently works as a teacher at INED and has a master's degree in arts and media from the Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade do Porto.

Teixeira Lopes’ artistic work has addressed topics such as social and cultural changes among his native people of Portugal. Here is an artist whose main intention is to connect with the people around him, to ignite a feeling of togetherness, within all emotions and realities.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine Contact info: http://pauloteixeiralopes.wix.com/pauloteixeira-lopes

“Bhinneka Tunggai Ika - Unity In Diversity”, Mixed Media Indonesia Government.

www.pauloteixeiralopes.wordpress.com

104 ATIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

JIM FITZPATRICK

"Filipina Model Kaye Anne Toribio In A Mystical Forest", Drawing - Colored Pencils, Pastels And Charcoal On Arches Watercolor Paper, Size As Requested

"Elderly Chimp Studying Her Hand", Photograph - Color Photography Converted To Black And White, Size As Requested

A self-taught master of portraiture, South San Francisco-based artist and photographer Jim Fitzpatrick is a phenomenally prolific, and natural born, close-up portrait draftsman. He has reinforced the striking vitality, individuality, and distinctiveness of the genre with great panache. His emotionally intense works, consisting of portraits in charcoal, colored pencil, and pastel as well as all types of photography, are both expressive and realistic.

Created in a down-to-earth, prosaic style, Fitzpatrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works depict ordinary people of all ages, races, and ethnicities as well as animals from magnificent wildlife to humble house pets, and picturesque locations around the world, Fitzpatrick brings his audience a wide array of visual relations. His innate gift, masterly technical skills, and conspicuous sensibility, coupled with meticulous attention to the smallest details and the value of shadows and highlights, imbue his artworks with vivid, gripping likenesses. Using mixed media (colored pencils, pastel, and charcoal), drawings on Arches watercolor paper, often combined with color photography, he masterfully combines images into an astounding likeness, instantly recognizable when the subjects are world-famous people.

Fitzpatrick's art boasts an absorbing level of emotional straightforwardness. From his charcoal portrait drawings on Strathmore paper, to his highly realistic, vivid photographs there is no emotion, form, or subject he cannot bring to life through his art. The works convey a sense of an intimate rendezvous with the subject, with its attendant deep emotions. In these pieces he depicts detailed facial features, rendering every pore and imperfection, and intimately correlates them with the subject's specific emotional states through contour, line, and reflected light. Revering drawing in particular for its immediacy of realistic expression, Fitzpatrick has produced some of the most riveting and culturally resonant examples of drawing in contemporary art.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine "Natural Beauty With Red Hair", Drawing - Colored Pencils, Pastels And Charcoal On Arches Watercolor Paper, Size As Requested

jimfitzpatrick.artistwebsites.com

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JULIA CHU Julia Chu was born and raised in China, but she traveled the world after settling in the United States. Her paintings work as her travelogue, focusing on the natural elements of places she visited. The theme she usually engages in is Nature -- its flora and fauna, precious to the ecological life system on Earth. Her painted images reflect a desire for all natural elements to freely inhabit a space that exists in suspended animation. This is how she represents her wild horses -- all wild beauties forever in search of a place in nature that is their true home.

Working mainly with watercolors, Chu experiments on rice paper with Chinese pigments. Her work is sometimes described as mixed media, where feathers, collage, and bold colors adorn the painted image,

"Cruising Under Stormy Conditions", Watercolor on Rice Paper, 17" x 14"

helping to complete its essence. Her painting method is more traditional, and her color choice usually centers around the sweet and serene, evoking a sense of calmness and peace. By studying nature closely, she becomes involved in its power and grace -- this is portrayed in her work. With her bold brush strokes, she presents the power of Nature, while softer colors reflect elegance. By being so closely involved, she becomes more aware of the dangers that threaten to overthrow the natural balance. Through her paintings, she stresses how the effects of global warming are becoming more ominous than ever.

Her paintings reflect a bold style which is unique in its appearance and message. Chu trained in Chinese calligraphy, an art form that teaches about the beauty of subtlety and patience; all her paintings, therefore, never fail to evoke the dichotomy between finesse and boldness -- a balance that is critical to maintaining the natural order of the world.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

"Global Warming, Many Years Without Melting Glaciers Are Rapidly Melting", Watercolor on Rice Paper, 35" x 27", Collage

www.juliachupainting.com

106 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

SÓNIA DOMINGUES

“The Girl That Cry - Between The Torment And Hopefulness”, Mixed Media On Canvas, 39” x 39”

Sonia 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.

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.

“I Love creating Dreams, for i Believe…

"Art can Give Sound* to the Silence Movement* to Stillness, Life* to the Inanimate, Emblazon* all the Virtue* - Sonny*”

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“Amália - with three Symbols of Portugal”, Mixed Media On Canvas, 39” x 39”

Throughout her artistic training and career, Domingues has experimented with a variety of techniques and media in order 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 great recognition.

Domingues took the time to expose herself to training in different techniques, using a variety of media. A highly skilled artist, she produces works that range

“Vanessa Paradis - I Have a Butterfly inside me”, Mixed Media On Canvas, 39” x 39”

from classical to contemporary, from figurative to abstract, from surrealism to art nouveau. She creates vibrant, color-filled compositions on a diversity of surfaces. Her works with oil and acrylics, are produced on screens, canvases, stained glass and plastic. The artist enjoys experimenting with artistic styles. Some of her pieces are classified as contemporary, while many of her other works are within the realm of surrealism, geometric abstraction, or classicism.

Domingues has trained extensively in how to create and recognize different styles, without focusing too much on which category her own art fits into. The artist’s main concern is producing high quality work of great durability that is pleasing to her own eye and to the eye of her viewers. Domingues strives to beautify the life and home of those who eventually come to own the works she creates. Her expertise in a broad variety of art styles and media allows her to accomplish that lofty goal for a wide range of individuals, with varying tastes and visions.

One of the most unique elements of Sonia Domingues' art is its versatility. She produces magnificent stunning works onto furniture, skylights, windows, mirrors, doors, stairways, wall panels, pools, and more. Her art can appear beautiful in any setting. She works with a variety of subjects, and takes on countless forms from stained-glass masterpieces to classic canvas works. Her work is easily recognizable as hers -- she pours her essence into each creation.

“The Mare That Was Dressed Fado”, Mixed Media On Canvas, 39” x 39”

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

www.soniadomingues.pt

108 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

STAR TRAUTH

“Sunrise Sunset”, Fiber, 42” x 2.5”

“The Destiny Of The Wild Figtree”, Fiber, 32” x 2”

"My eye is attracted to the unique. I'm driven to create pieces that cause the viewer to pause and be drawn to touch, as I did at my Grandma Bessie's knitting basket.

My passion is creating fiber architectural tapestries, I call totems, a word I found fitting as my pieces are representative manifestations of my ideas."

Star Trauth is a veritable storyteller through her unique fiber art, which fills all sense to the brim, weaving evocative handmade pieces of architecture that deeply reflect her lifelong passion for the immanent tactile nature of fiber as well as the myriad textures and colors of textiles. Trauth’s one-of-a-kind artworks, which she fondly calls "totems," play out vibrantly inspirational narratives. Nostalgic elements, eidetic imagery, powerful chromatics, and tactile sensations are inextricably intertwined, and more

importantly, actively engage the audience, expressly creating a meaningful, intimate conversation.

The ever-changing, sensory world of contemporary fiber art is often preoccupied with technique and materiality; but it is imperative to emphasize that the greatest works in fiber, like any other medium, have visionary concepts and themes at their core, shaping and infusing the artworks' story, chromatic palette, as well as ideological and cultural import. Putting a

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 109

contemporary spin on traditional materials and techniques used in fiber art, award-winning fiber artist Trauth creates her striking vibrant totems using traditional materials and techniques, with a modern twist uniquely her own. They are brilliantly interwoven with unconventional materials such as bark, paper, insect parts, metals, and more. Starting with her signature cylindrical canvas, Trauth painstakingly crafts a dazzling tapestry incorporating fiber and other materials she finds fascinating, all relevant to the story conveyed and delighting our senses with a visually, tactilely, and emotionally rich world. She combines a balanced approach to composition with a sophisticated sensitivity to the abundance of textures and the dynamics of color.

Trauth's handmade totems are constantly inspired by her culturally eclectic and creatively effervescent hometown of Miami, Florida. They also draw their chromatic narrative details from her early experiences with the countercultures of London and New York, the directness of street art, and the tribal aspects of Native American, Mexican, African, and Eskimo cultures, coupled with the influences of Scandinavian and Japanese craft culture later in her career.

“Imsari”, Fiber, 65” x 5”

For the artist herself, her own fiber works nostalgically recall her childhood. From dramatic, intense color combinations providing intrigue and excitement, to more subtle color schemes inviting serenity, Trauth's original, distinctively sensorial fiber artworks are showstoppers that elicit in the viewer an irresistible tactile response.

One of the most collected American fiber artists, Trauths fervently honors commissions from both public and private clients across the globe, including the United States, France, and Brazil. With an honors degree in fine art from the College of Mount Saint Joseph and an associate degree in interior design from Antonelli College, she has held several solo exhibitions and participated in numerous juried exhibitions in Florida, Arizona, Georgia, and New York throughout her artistic career. In her artistry, Trauth is blessed with the support of her husband; their jovial, creative daughter is often her muse.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

“Beacon Hil”, Fiber, 48” x 2”

www.wethree.net

110 ATIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

JUN JAMOSMOS As a Filipino artist residing in Canada, Jun Jamosmos loves to express his spiritual conviction and faith in his work. Jamosmos is evidently a versatile artist. He uses oil, watercolor, and acrylic to depict elements that have life within them. He has three main approaches in his art: spirituality, nature, and the grandiosity of humanity. Most of the paintings he creates to address spirituality feature Jesus Chris and depictions of his suffering. His pieces are intimate, alluring, and emotionally demanding of one's connection to each subject. With soft strokes and a strong playful contrast in color, Jamosmos is a gentle storyteller, and he skillfully incorporates every stroke and color choice into each tale. His messages are left open for interpretation, as we observe the beauty within ourselves, and others, through his art.

"The White Hat", (2015), Oil On Canvas, 24" X 30"

"Man and Ink", (2014), Oil On Canvas, 24" X 30"

The prevalent theme in most of his pieces are women, children, and a high vibration of color. Jamosmos honors nature through these pieces, incorporating natural settings with vibrant beings, as is the case with The Yellow Bird. This piece portrays a woman with the strength of a yellow bird's presence on her shoulder. He shares that he has created long-lasting bonds, with the individuals in his pieces. Asserting himself into the world of art, he is determined to share his gift and heal others through art. Each stroke in his painting dances with intention, demanding the emotions of its viewer. With a keen eye for color and form, it is no surprise that he has been blessed with the opportunity to share his work internationally.

Jamosmos has made a name for himself, proving he is determined to live by his mission.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

"Bella Luna", (2012) Oil On Canvas 24" X 30"

www.junjamosmos.com

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 111

KARLY ET ANNE V

What happens when a love for quantum physics is depicted artistically? It may sound like a clash of worlds, but the art of Karly and Anne V is a clear demonstration of the oneness and interconnectedness of creation. When Karly, a cognitive psychology expert, and Anne V, a knowledgeable art historian and trained cabinetmaker, came together to collaborate on art pieces, the results were ethereal.

Their artwork strongly emphasizes their approach, which is based on three main ideas: cube games, vortex walls, and raised chassis. The cube game is an art piece consisting of various canvas-covered frames of different depths. These are usually depicted as wormholes, or black holes, an indication of their passion for quantum physics and the cosmological form. Vortex walls represent their ideas on politics, showing traces of history, social demands, and urban attributes such as buildings. As for the raised chassis, it is a representation of the restoration of the human habitat.

Karly applies her strong interest in color salience, the subject of her doctorate thesis. Anne V applies her admirable skills in cabinetry by incorporating her knowledge in embossed frame construction. Upon closer review, you will see the strong textures and crevices, the otherworldly shapes and geometric forms, and the love for physics and the cosmos. Their pieces will take viewers away from reality. It makes people stare, dream, and imagine. In every section of their pieces, you will find an interesting mix of colors, shapes, textures, and forms. It may seem like you never run out of something to look at. It is with this great collaboration of science and art, hat Karly, and Anne V are able to capture, and retain, the attention of art enthusiasts.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

"Travelling", Canvas On Wood Frame Spray Paint, 94.5” x 33.5” x 33.5”

"Androgyne Totem", Canvas On Wood Frame Spray Paint,

"Androgyne Word", Canvas On Wood Frame Spray Paint And Acrylic,

"Apotheosis", Canvas On Wood Frame Spray Paint,79”x 39” x 34.5”

karly-annev.artisteo.com

112 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

SOO HONG

“Women Models”, 2014, Charcoal, Acrylic Paint On Canvas, 23.5” x 31.5”

South Korean artist Soo Hong is a young contemporary artist who believes art is a cathartic way of healing and communicating emotions.

Her compositions are recognized for their abstract, dreamlike qualities, and collage approach. Often featuring human forms, Hong's artistic process always begins with photos she has taken; she uses these as building blocks for her creations. Her work celebrates cultural diversity and pays homage to the many different Eastern and Western countries in which she has lived. Typically, she begins a piece using charcoal, followed by the use of acrylics, which she layers for striking contrasts and bold hues. Rather than using a single subject, her paintings often integrate several different subjects that she feels are connected.

Some of Hong's most notable paintings appear to feature the same two individuals. It is in these creations that she illustrates her mastery of using varied media to signify meaning and provoke a mood. Her piece "Women Models" depicts women in the foreground posing like models.

The figures are black and white, drawn only in charcoal. They are surrounded by vividly-colored abstract shapes in hues of red, pink, green, and blue. "Young Man" shows two individuals in charcoal, this time with one face sadly peering out at the viewer, and the other depicted smaller, standing on the shoulders of the first. Here, they are encased in a background of blue and yellow.

“Having lived in many different places and experienced diverse cultures, I am very aware of the importance of visual connections and of communicating through art. I start with charcoal, which gives a unique texture that I love, and then paint in colors that reflect the energy that I feel existing between the figures. The result is dreamlike, yet rooted in reality.”

It is so easy in adult life to become desensitized to your own emotions, distanced from what you feel. It is my hope that my art helps viewers to reconnect to this fundamental part of themselves.”

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“Women”, 2012, Charcoal, Acrylic Paint On Linen, 59” x 39”

“Young Man”, 2012, Acrylic & Charcoal On Linen, 19.5” x 15.5”

Women are commonly depicted in Hong's work, both individually and in groups with men. Most of her figures are drawn entirely in charcoal, with a vivid colors in the foreground. Behind them is usually a backdrop of varying shades of blue, dotted with white and orange or solid blocks of color. Some of the figures are wearing old-fashioned hats; these individuals appear in many of Hong's other pieces.

Alongside her admiration for humanity, Hong frequently illustrates gardens and flowers. Her painting "Garden 1" shows two large flowers, both in charcoal, with colored centers and green grass. Their root systems are again depicted in charcoal. There is an ingenious approach to her use of contrasting objects, colors, and depth. With much for her viewers to observe, one won’t walk away from Hong's pieces quickly -- her eye-catching works capture the viewer's attention at first glance.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

“Garden One”, 2013, Acrylic & Charcoal On Linen, 59” x 39”

soo-hong.com

114 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

KRASI DIMTCH

"The Past Is Allergic To Dreams", Acrylic Print, 20" X 16"

"Nature Is A Text Waiting To Be Deciphered", Acrylic Print, 20" X 16"

Krasi Dimtch (Krasimira Dimtchevska) is Canada-based painter, poet and self-taught mathematician born in Bulgaria who creates digital and conceptual art inspired by language and the role it plays during the thought-creation process. She holds a master's degree from the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts.

Dimtch holds a patent for methods for language generation and is the co-author of a unique software system which forms English sentences and converts them into different visual patterns.

The ideas for the software and its contents were though up by Krasi during a period of introspections in search of answers about the meaning of life in the structures of English Language - a language she barely understood back then.

Her artworks, mostly filled with unnatural shapes and multicolored forms, are encrypted visual representations of texts "waiting to be deciphered". Her poems and wordscapes are made up from sequences of synonyms that highlight the possible sentences that could be delivered through them.

"I manually "construct" digital images made from hundreds of digital structures encoding different English sentences. The structures are created by custom software based on patented methods for language generation and representation. Since the software enables the generation of indefinite number of non-identical abstract representations of one and the same sentence in my colorful world one word is worth thousand images."

"Also, I create wordscapes that visually expose fragments of the complex structure of interrelated English words and the sentences embedded in them. My wordscapes visualize actual attributes of English language and provide real examples of how to extract ideas from its interconnected system of nouns, adjectives and verbs. The displayed by my wordscapes sequences of synonyms and the sentences embedded in them are not exclusive property of the makers of dominant cultural narratives. They are common property of humankind and belong to everyone."

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

"After Life Comes After Life", C-Print, 36" X 24"

www.krasidimtch.ca

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 115

LAWRENCE R. ARMSTRONG Lawrence R. Armstrong is an architect, painter, and sculptor who has created a niche for himself as an expert in the fine arts. His pieces represent an ongoing exploration of the concept of layers -- specifically, how they interact and intersect with each other to depict meaning.

Armstrong’s inspiration is provoked by sensory influences.

The artist states that, at times, he may have an unannounced initial thought, derived from written text, music, mood, the environment, events, or a combination of the aforementioned elements. His concepts gestate for some days (or even weeks on end), until the ideal media becomes clear.

This is first brought to life in a sketch. Armstrong acknowledges his fascination with layers in the natural as well as built environment. He intends to toy with this concept for better art pieces; all we have to do is wait and see what he unveils.

“Fluerdilis 1.3” 05.2014, Linen, Acrylic, Wood 30” x 40”

Armstrong makes art with the intention to portray a multidimensional complexity in all that surrounds us -layers of symbolism within our conscious reality and that which goes unseen. Subtle yet effective strokes brush through each layer; existential pieces leave space

for open interpretation. Often, the first layers in each piece offer a sense of density, a suggestive infinite space -- the continuum of life and the universe itself.

A world traveler who brings his art everywhere his feet land, and a design- and business-savvy man, Lawrence R. Armstrong lives in San Clemente and works in Irvine, California. He is an accomplished designer, architect, and CEO of a successful international architectural firm. This great visionary has paved his way in his career, earning his place as a master of the arts.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

“Eclipse”, Layered Canvas, Acrylic, Wood 20” x 58” x 7”

“Gestalt”, Layered Metal, Acrylic, Metal, 47”H x 50”w x 6”D, 30 Lbs

www.lraart.com

116 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

SUSAN N. MCCOLLOUGH

“Journey” 2015, Oil On Canvas, 60” x 48”

Susan N. McCollough paintings are vibrant, colorfilled expressions of energy flowing with strong emotions. McCollough works in oil, acrylic or mixed media on large-scale canvases, creating masterful compositions by orchestrating color and allowing her palette to explode across the canvas with simultaneous contrasts.

accomplished artists, including Professor Gary Sussman at the Art Students League of New York, Vytlacil Campus, for sculpture and Sonia De Franceschi at the Accademia D’Arte in Florence. She has produced more than 600 paintings, many of which were commissioned, and has exhibited in more than 15 solo and 20 group exhibitions on 4 continents.

McCollough keeps her palette to two or three saturated tones, contrasted with areas of solid, deep black and primary colors in the background. She explores color, line, texture, and patterns with a masterful ability, and creates juxtapositions for maximum impact. Her abstract works may be interpreted as depictions of human figures, cityscapes, or imaginary objects that create a very engaging narrative.

McCollough has served on the Arts Committee of the United States Sports Academy for over 10 years and is now artist emeritus and serves on the Board of Trustees. She is also a member of the Women’s Art World organization. McCollough owns a gallery in Gulf Shores, Alabama, where she also has a studio where she creates most of her works.

Originally from the Bronx, New York, Susan N. McCollough lived in Dothan, Alabama from the age of six until she graduated from high school. She received a bachelor of science degree in speech and art from the University of Alabama and continued study with

During her creative process, the artist envisions her paintings and designs; once she is convinced of which direction to go, she is ready to place the first brush stroke and let her creativity flow.

Freedom of expression and spontaneity are some of the highlights of McCollough’s works. She goes beyond

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 117

“The Guardian” 2015, Oil On Canvas, 45” x 63”

“Of Heaven And Earth” 2016, Oil On Linen, 48” x 96”

boundaries, infusing her works with uncommon visual energy, creating art of aesthetic appeal and profound emotion while evoking a strong narrative.

McCollough has shown her works internationally and received numerous awards. She is highly collected and has been since the early stages of her career. She has sold almost every painting she has created throughout the years, a large part of it created by commission. Her new creations are rapidly acquired and highly anticipated.

The artist has a passionate devotion to her work and creates from a point of genuine, pure inspiration.

As per the artist words, “I paint from the excitement of the blank canvas. I paint with freedom of inner feelings, movement, connection of space, combination of colors, playing with negative space until it all speaks to me. My ideas come from so many things that just fill my head all the time. It comes from our travels, the faces I see, the architecture, the people we meet, sometimes and mostly just the feeling I get just waiting to start a new canvas."

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine “Melting Into Springs”, Oil On Canvas, 48” x 60”

www.susannmccolloughart.com

118 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

LAURO PEDRAZA

“La Canícula / The Dog Days Of Summer”, Oil On Canvas, 18” x 14”

Lauro Pedraza is a Mexican traditional and digital painter. Born in 1966 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México, he developed a passion for art - drawing and painting - from an early age. Until now, he had been successful in avoiding the limelight; he considers himself an always learning and low-profile artist.

Pedraza has been producing art since 1977. His formal art training took place in Monterrey, Nuevo León, at recognized art institutions such as Escuela Municipal de Arte de Monterrey, Escuela de Artes Visuales UANL, Instituto de Cultura de Nuevo León ICNL, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey MARCO where he took several workshops and learned drawing and painting techniques with well known artists. Lauro Pedraza graduated from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey ITESM and hold a Bachelor of Science in Electronic Systems Engineering. He also studied the history of contemporary art with recognized Mexican art critic Xavier Moyssén Lechuga.

Pedraza uses various media, including oil, acrylic, pastel, charcoal, pencil, encaustic and tempera.

Dynamic brushstrokes of vibrant colors and movement produce unique expressive and emotional figurative and abstract masterpieces that spark the imagination of the viewer.

Most recently, within his constant visual experimentation and innovation line, he has incorporated digital production into his artwork, using some digital tools. Besides being an internationally recognized artist exhibiting his art works in United States, Italy, Spain, Scotland, France and other countries, he also has a parallel and successful career in Information Technology industry working for Alfa, Sanyo Manufacturing, HP and Oracle, over the past +27 years.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

www.lauropedrazart.com

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 119

MICHELLE LARSEN

"Mother Nature", Oil On Canvas, Mixed Media, 40" x 30"

"Madness", Oil On Canvas With Mixed Media, 24" x 36"

Michelle Larsen is a mixed-media artist based in Idaho whose artwork is primarily oil on canvas. She is known for incorporating tissue paper into her designs, which adds movement and theatrics to her pieces. Larsen uses tissue as a device for adding a three-dimensional element to her work, gently lifting her subject matter out of the painting and into the viewer's space.

For her inspiration, Larsen draws on natural settings including mountains, gardens, and the land that surrounds her. Animals are frequently featured as subjects in her creations.

Of these, larger animals such as moose and buffalo are her most favored subjects.

In addition to natural surroundings, portraits and Western-style images are popular subjects in Larsen's oeuvre.

Among her most fascinating portraits are “Mother Nature” and “The Color Of Night”. And “The Western Way” among her notable Western works. With colorful scarves, wide-brimmed hats, and kindly facial expressions, Larsen's work emanates warmth and the viewer forms a strong connection with the people portrayed. Though most of her portraits feature older individuals, she has done some endearing pieces of women and children. All gazing out directly at the viewer with large eyes and thoughtful expressions. Her portrait “A Storm is Brewing” captures a child looking pensive and slightly fearful at the thought of an approaching storm, while “Pixie” features a blue-haired girl with a somewhat somber, sad look.

Away from her primary subject matter, Larsen has completed paintings of ordinary objects with her choice of color palette and swirled brushstrokes elevating them to new heights. A unique piece titled “Books” features a seemingly ordinary stack of five books in shades of warm and cool hues. The dramatic brushstrokes and use of tissue paper adds a textural intensity that makes this piece truly memorable.

Larsen is capable of adding complexity to that which doesn't appear complex. She is an artist who brings life into all that she creates, a well-crafted woman and one who continues to deliver her gift to a loyal following.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine "Color Of Night", Oil On Canvas With Mixed Media, 16" x 24"

www.poetrypainting.com

120 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

SUSAN SPARKS

“Under the Sea”, Acrylic On Board (Framed), 25 1/4" x 17 1/4"

Susan Sparks is a Canadian multimedia artist and jewelry designer whose work celebrates life, love, energy, and spirituality. Sparks' impressionist, dreamlike paintings have a soft and out-of-focus quality with a keen eye for color and composition. She explores the textures of the natural world to interpret environments of new realms beyond the material world. Heavy brushstrokes and layers of rich tones, shades, and tints create imagery of new realities that inspire the viewer to higher levels of consciousness. She draws inspiration from the everflowing energy that surrounds us and the divine connection that permeates all living beings.

“Seascape (Yellow)”, Acrylic On Gallery Canvas (1" - Unframed), 30" x 30"

A spiritual and intuitive painter, Sparks presents to us transcendent works of art that lead us on an introspective journey to a universe beyond our physical senses, into the divine, innermost center of our beings.

The artist states, “My paintings are the tangible manifestation of the spiritual energy I feel around me."

Using color and movement as a way to unravel the universal laws that affect human beings and influence one's life journey, Sparks plays with heavy textures and light to create shifts and variations in her paintings; the final image is usually affected by the changes in the color of light throughout the day due to atmospheric conditions. Her works are also multi-directional -- the

“Rush”, Acrylic On Board (Unframed), 24" x 18"

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 121

“Seascape 2” Acrylic On Board (Framed), 25 1/4" x 19 1/4"

“Society Painting”, Acrylic On Gallery Canvas (1" - Unframed), 30" x 30"

imagery changes according to the position of the viewer, thus bringing exciting and unexpected new interpretations, each image radiating a strong physical presence.

Sparks’ inspiration comes from her appreciation of the natural elements of sea, sky, mountains and fields; in particular her near obsession with our primal connection to water.

Sparks’ work is based on emotion while influenced and driven by spiritualism. The beauty of her artwork is that it can be observed, perceived and interpreted in varied ways, as if the imagery is perpetually evolving, you are faced with new challenges and confronted with new emotions upon profound observation of the work. Her pieces are a reflection of her own personal observations and interpretation of the energy around her, resulting in a depiction of the interconnectedness of all that exists. In addition to being an accomplished artist, Sparks also excels as a jewelry designer, creating stunning, delicate, and feminine necklaces.

Sparks' work is recognized throughout the American and Canadian art market. She has exhibited extensively. Her art focuses on what is hidden from human observation. She aims to display her thoughts on humanity, shape, music, and art. Her ability to blend more than one concept into a basis of many emotions is inspired by her earliest stylistic influences.

She captures the imaginations of those who observe her work; they are left stimulated, mesmerized, and mind-boggled by her mastery.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

“Seascape 1”, Acrylic On Gallery Canvas (1" - Unframed), 30" x 60"

www.sasart.ca

122 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

MINJA NIKOLCIN

"The Blue Violine", (2014), Oil On Canvas, 31.5” x 31.5”

"Happy Acordeonist", (2010), Oil On Canvas, 75” x 37.5”

Independent Serbian artist Minja Nikolcin has a particular approach to what inspires his art. Nikolcin makes a connection between that which is visible to the human mind and the unknown. Keeping his focus on internal and external issues, views, and self-reflection, he balances that which is irrational with the rational. Focusing on the human figure with a strong use of lines and forms, his colorful, energy-filled canvases serves as explorations that convey a wide range of emotions.

Primarily a colorist, Nikolcin’s chromatic scale abstentions, serves the general function of the image. In dreams and images he creates scenes such as a fictional theater stages. Nikolcin has managed to integrate a vast palette of personality into each of his paintings. His emotional vibrations and images reflect the indicators of light. Painting is his passion, that which drives his spirit more than other sources.

Over the past ten years, he has been deeply engaged as a free artist. However, he is part of the Frankurter-Kunstverein in Germany, where he founded the well known Art Colony of Fruska Gora.

His paintings are as grand physically as they are emotionally, based on the material and experience of the artist himself.

The highly acclaimed artist continues to feed his fans with the richness of his work.

Nikolcin shares his soul with each piece.

His followers are just as involved with every one of his brush strokes; sharing an intimate experience, one within each other.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine "Gens Una Sumus", (2014), Oil On Canvas, 47” x 35.5”

"Woman With Harp", (2010), Oil On Canvas, 63” x 39”

www.saatchiart.com/ minjanikolcin7artpeintre

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 123

PÄIVYT NIEMELÄINEN

"Ecce Homo", (2015), Oil On Canvas, 39” x 39”

"Imported Democracy", (2015), Oil On Canvas, 39” x 39”

There's no refuting the fact that it takes a great deal of mastery, innate talent, and a combination of grit and creativity to perfect different levels and facets of fine arts. Yet, Päivyt Niemeläinen has succeeded in rising to the top of the game through hard work, years of dedication, and sheer talent.

Born in Finland, Niemeläinen’s interest in fine arts was piqued when she was in high school. She later decided to pursue her passion further and graduated as a textile artist. Following, she graduated from Helsinki University for her Bachelor of Arts, followed with a master's degree in arts. During her studies Niemeläinen came up with unique and special methods of expressing her natural creativity, such as relief painting and painting with pure pigments along with blood water. Speaking of which, the idea for the latter was borrowed from the prehistoric way that our ancestors painted pictures on cave walls.

Her brilliant and spectacular work has been displayed in exhibitions across Germany, Finland, France, and Japan since the turn of the millennium. Notable exhibition organizers such as those of the Triennale Internationale d'Art Contemporain de Paris and the International Contemporary Masters Exhibition, based in Nevada, have frequently invited her to display her creations at their elite annual functions.

Artistically, Niemeläinen's work focuses and revolves around beautifully created impressions of colors, nature, and light. She borrows her craft from natural gardens.

She states they always find a way of reflecting brilliance, despite the season, month, or time of day. She conveys this art through an array of oil paintings. These pieces feature various self-styled themes, such as "Red Moon," "Secret Garden," and "Carmen My Love."

Perfecting such a style is, without a doubt, a taxing and uphill task. However, Niemeläinen has it all well under her buckle.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine "Because There Was No Room For Them In The Inn", (2016), Oil On Canvas, 19.5” x 15”

paivytniemelainen.fi

124 ATIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

SUZANNE DUNCAN

Artist Suzanne Duncan, a native of Australia, has had the privilege of traveling and walking this Earth. Having experienced the essence of each land, she has captured the beauty of many places in her stunning photographs. Duncan is an innate artist who launched her career after just two lessons in fashion photography, leading to a career of substance, and success. Duncan's art has a particular style, showcasing the feminine self in each image. Drawn by the sultry aspect of the female figure, romantic, and sensual themes are predominant in most of her photographs. Her artwork has been shown in magazines such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Elle. She has also been featured on the cover of ArtTour International Magazine's Fall 2015 issue and the back cover of the 2013 issue of ATIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Top 60 Masters Of Contemporary Art. The majority of her pictures display sensual women in delicate poses, making use of advanced photographic techniques. Creativity is evident; her use of props is done in an ingenious manner, adding a touch of mystique to the beauty of her artistry. Fashion is one of Duncan's passions -- this is conveyed in the exotic clothing, hairstyles, as well as make up, that appear in her photographs.

Her most highly acclaimed piece, "Timeless Beauty," opened windows and opportunities for exposure; Duncan was recognized internationally. The spontaneity found in her art has opened gates of evolution and growth for the artist. The growth of her art, both internally and externally, has had an immense effect on her life.

ATIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 125

Top model agencies such as Ford Models NYC work with Suzanne by providing her with female models to be showcased in her art. The inspiration for her art lies in the power and seduction that the female figure can transmit to her audience. Both men and women are attracted to her photographs, given the brilliancy with which she portrays fashion and form. As she states, her mission is to capture the viewer with the image, and have them create a whole story around it in their mind. This storytelling, and the timelessness of each piece, is what has allowed her photographs to be included in reputable art shows around the world.

Duncan portrays her images as naturally as possible, to highlight the beauty of women in their natural state, while decorating them gently with pieces of fashion that compliment both the subject and the lens.

Emotions are a major facet of her photographs, blossoming within each take. White and black shading is used in combination with vibrant colors to create painting-like photographs and long-lasting memories for her viewers. A lover of the natural, she prefers to use natural light. Duncan feels artificial light will not allow her artwork to stay true to what she is trying to express.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine Credits: Model -Â Madigan Armstrong Makeup - Alex Polverino Hair - Liam James Moore Dress - Corston Couture

www.suzanneduncan.net

126 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

PHYLLIS TERRELL

"Intrigue”, Watercolor, 22” x 30”

"Lace And Flowers”, Watercolor, 22” x 30”

As an American artist, Phyllis Terrell has engaged extensively and almost exclusively in floral and landscape watercolors. Having been surrounded by ethereal mountains in north Georgia, she has become highly appreciative of flora, and nature in general, both in natural and artificial settings.

Terrell is particular about her use of color. She is adroit in providing gradient shades when it is appropriate, and her passion for flowers is evident in all of her pieces. She carries the concepts of peace and purity into each creation. Terrell brings to life soft, subtle images, reflecting the simplicity of nature's beauty and reminding us that adjustments need not be made with such awe-inspiring creations on our own land.

Phyllis Terrell expresses the fluidity of each flower, demanding that one recognize that such divine beings are not static. They are alive, and that is precisely how her watercolors are projected. Each one of her strokes convey liveliness, radiating a type of luminescence that seems to come from the flowers themselves. Many of the pieces are portrayed in either glass or as floral arrangements in baskets, reminiscent of the Bodegón paintings made during the Baroque period in Spain, but with a fresher touch. Terrell’s intention is to lift the vibration of her viewers, with a glance at the warm beauty that is Mother Nature. She strays far from any dark themes, always bringing light through her work.

Internationally acclaimed, credited, and awarded, her tender gift is spread to every corner of land. Phyllis Terrell delivers a sweetness of life that will bring warmth to many hearts.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine "Basket of Flowers", Watercolor, 30” x 22”

www.phyllisterrell.com

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ROY CARRETTA

"Ancestral Lands", Acrylic, 30” x 48”

A keen observer and devoted researcher of the spellbinding natural world around us, Italian-born Canadian artist Roy Carretta is one to leave you speechless. He has passionately dedicated his life to celebrating, through his art, the magical spectacle of nature and the spirit of Mother Earth, with all its life forms guided by the Supreme Intelligence.

The power of Carretta’s unique artistic vision, a tribute to a God faithed philosophy of life, focuses on capturing nature’s supreme harmonic symphony. His pieces inspire and dazzle audiences with their purity of realism, depth of knowledge in the subject matter, and incredibly nuanced details.

The self-taught artist is preoccupied with the translation of his deeply felt insights into perfectly harmonious portrayals of his chosen subjects. His subjects parallel nature's harmonic balance and rhythm resonating in all of us.

Color, texture, movement, light, and energy are synergistic elements in Carretta's paintings, working in unison to create a superb pictorial symphony of synergized patterns, symbiotic composition, and sheer wonder. His one-of-akind, gloriously realistic interpretations of the animal kingdom awaken a greater appreciation for nature and wildlife art, and ultimately for our precious planet and its fascinating creatures.

Carretta's award-winning acrylic painting "Lady Allure" is a shining example of his painterly virtuosity and true mastery of the ability to capture his subjects at a magic moment in time. The synergized, repetitive patterns in nature are precisely yet graciously depicted in "Lady Allure." He emphasizes the wave-like primary feathers of the mute swan that fluidly reflect the wavy water ahead of it, urging us to embrace nature's sublime harmonic, rhythm, saintly spirit, and allpervading energy. It urges us to move synergistically with it in time, so that we can feel complete, while allowing its divine grace, serenity, and angelic love to caress our souls.

"Lady Allure", Acrylic, 20” x 32”

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

www.natureartists.com/ roy_carretta.asp

128 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

SVETLANA KANYO

“Fall in Drops”, 2015 Oil On Canvas,18” x 24”

“I believe that human experience and emotions are most naturally and profoundly expressed through art. A work of art can capture all of the beauty and pain of life, and hold onto it” Svetlana Kanyo is an artist known for her timeless pieces -- creations that are appealing to the eye and soothing to the soul. Her artistic focus is depicting the beauty of nature in its various glorious forms. Her work is known for the tenderness and healing effect it conveys. The use of subtle colors bring forth a touch of natural beauty, from Mother Nature itself.

Apart from the painting still lifes, views, and glimpses of nature, Kanyo believes that women are among the most beautiful creations. Her work reflects her thoughts on the feminine spirit, making the female form the focal point in her pieces. Kanyo has explored different aspects of a women’s beauty – from her most sensuous curves to her nurturing energy. Her work reflects upon the innocence of women, their serene calmness, and their touching stillness when lost in thought.

Kanyo’s paintings are a great amalgamation of the inner strength and external beauty that the universe has endowed in each person. She highlights human emotions in her work. She believes that through art, one can “Orange and a Half”, 2015 Oil On Canvas,18” x 24”

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“Lemons”, 2015 Oil On Canvas,18” x 24”

“Art brings faith, and faith is what we all are searching. Through art, people find their own inner peace and envision or become aware of a better place for themselves in this world.” capture the beauty of life and the pain it gives us. Her artwork draws viewers in, welcoming them to share a deep connection with each piece. Such opulent images, gentle strokes, and creamy color schemes bring us into her world: a window into a valley, observing a goddess, and taking strolls through nature. Each piece is an invitation to a warm shift of color. Her use of color radiates energetically, creating waves of positivity and invoking the connection some may have lost with nature. A fun play with contrast, and subtle connections between cool hues.

The combination of elements, from the sky with those of water, creates the base of Kanyos breathtaking paintings. She uses her imagination and the reality of p l a c e s t o c re at e m e a d ows a n d mountains. Kanyo’s work is not farfetched from reality. It is real, yet so mystical. It captures moments in life and travel that one tries to keep alive in memory for years and years. True to her beliefs, her paintings capture those moments that one wishes to hold onto forever. A gem in the art community, Kanyo is here to stay.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

“Tender Drops”, 2015 Oil On Canvas,18” x 24”

www.kanyoart.com

130 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

RUBY PURPLE

"Family", Mixed Media, 47” x 23.5”

Ruby Purple is an internationally recognized Australian artist who creates provocative abstract expressionistic paintings of vibrant colors, textures, and movement. Her work is confrontational, yet eye-catching and appealing. She is focused also on the elemental and the impact our humanity has on our planet. She acknowledges our planet has limits and portrays this through layering her work. Her intention to allow the unseen to appear just slightly. This is as a reminder and a questioning ‘how much further we can go before our own survival is threatened?‘ Ruby Purple studied design in Australia and took private art lessons from 2009 to 2012.

She then volunteered for the Pine Rivers Art Gallery and gained experience in the industry. Ruby Purple explores art in its different forms and is influenced by what she feels, sees, and experiences.

Her works depict her absolute impression and interpretation of her subjects. She is motivated by her own works while giving the viewer the pleasure of having an alternative to simply understanding various aspects of society. Her art can be easily interpreted to form a narrative, and she uses them to convey a concept, looking to stimulate emotion and discussion with the audience.

"Believe", Ink & Charcoal, 51” x 37”

Ruby Purple is admired by both public and private art collectors, public institutions, commercial art galleries, and other artists. She promotes her works through networking, social media, and exhibitions to capture the attention of art directors, curators, art writers, and art collectors.

She has created Ruby Purple Creations, dedicated to providing aspiring artists with a variety of services designed to expand and enhance their fine arts awareness and ability. Services focus on abstract painting and the art-making process as a whole. It is dedicated to addressing each artist in a very personal and highly nurturing manner, allowing people to evolve into art collectors and creators with experienced eyes. She is a motivated, principled, driven professional who is allowing her work to be seen. She recently expanded her artistic skills to wearable art by launching a line of superior chiffon scarves and is working with a designer to showcase a garment line.

"Tranquillity", Acrylic, 14” x 18”

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

www.rubypurplecreations.com

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SHARON T. ROSS

"Tiger", Pen + Ink On Paper, 12” x 16.5”

"Tigers", Pen + Ink On Paper, 16” x 17”

Sharon T. Ross has pursued a successful and extensive career as a nurse in the United Kingdom, and followed her passion for art, garnering worldwide recognition thanks to her masterful abstract expressionist works. Ross attended Wirral Metropolitan College, graduating with a BA in fine arts in 2011. Ross' style is predominantly literal, and abstract. Ross works draw a lot from Zentangle, using oil, pen, ink, and acrylics as her media. Her work is known to be seen differently each time it is viewed, depending on the viewer's prevailing emotional state.

In her new series, she explores animal symbolism and its influence on personal development. Her works are realistic yet symbolic depictions animals, both soothing and provoking through the atmospheric nature of the subject. For the artist, animal symbolism can be of great help in our quest for selfdiscovery, and each creature emerges in our consciousness to guide us in our journey.

With her work, Ross presents to us a choice of interpretation. On one hand, for animal lovers who admire these creatures, her work is a magnificent proponent of their natural effortless beauty; on the other hand, the symbolic meaning of the works presents an enriching source of inspiration. In “Eagle Owl” and “Flying Owl," beyond the traditional meaning as the announcer of death ascribed to these creatures, the spirit of the owl teaches us awareness of new beginnings and life transitions, death to a moment, a journey, our past. “Tiger” is a pictorial representation of the courage and strength that this animal spirit comes to teach us.

With diligent work and drive, Ross has been able to make a name for herself in modern-day art society and risen as a professional artist. Her work has representation in numerous galleries in Europe and USA. Ross is a mindful artist, grounded and grasping for the spiritual aspect that resonates with both the artists and the subject. This tends to project an emotive feeling and calming influence through the aura of the subject.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine "Flying Owl", Pen + Ink On Paper, 12” x 16.5”

www.sharonross.co.uk

132 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

Tony Svensson photographs the natural world, focusing on plant life in its natural environment. The photographs are a study in fine detail, urging the viewer to notice what often goes unnoticed. Svensson is a passionate advocate for nature, and hopes that his work will encourage people to slow down, appreciate the beauty that surrounds them, and be inspired to preserve it.

Svensson's photographs feature gems such as a water droplet perched precariously on the tip of a leaf, the swirl of pattern in the petal of a flower, and the vivid palette of color and texture that nature bestows upon us. Calling

“Flower Fly”, Fine Art Photography

“Misty”, Fine Art Photography

nature the world's largest art gallery, the photographer aims to bring people closer to the beauty that is all around them but is often neglected.

“Whirl”, Fine Art Photography

Svensson's work captures the natural world in all its glory, sparking the beholder's imagination and giving them a deeper appreciation of the magnificence of our world. The artist's aim is not simply to photograph an object, but to create something that is striking, captivating, fascinating, and revealing. Svensson's images of leaves, flowers, and insects are bathed in diffused warm colors. Photographs taken following rain capture the play of color, light, and pearls of moisture in stunning detail.

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 133

“Nyx”, Fine Art Photography

Svensson's captivation with nature and his passion for illustrating its beauty are evident in every photograph. His ability to record the finest detail and highlight areas of shadow and light allow us to visualize what the human eye cannot perceive.

Nature's most intimate details are laid bare through the lens of Svensson's camera, and his body of images are a profound influence on our understanding of the form and surface of nature and the anatomy of the plant world. The artist's vision is a reflection of human interaction with the natural environment.

Thanks to a new collaboration with a large manufacturing company in New York, Tony Svensson’s full portfolio of work is now available in print in a variety of materials and sizes. International shipping is also available.

Svensson's art is a magical journey through the microscopic world of vibrant colors, exquisite patterns, and extraordinary detail that is simply breathtaking. The smallest subject is photographed in a manner that makes it appear enormous. These macro photographs make an object larger than life, highlighting its delicacy and individual characteristics. The artist's magnification beyond normal perception is a peek into t h e wo r l d t h at re m a i n s o t h e rw i s e undiscovered. The challenge is always to showcase the detailed aspects of nature that reveal its very simplicity. Svensson's close-up photos are a rare glimpse into the wonders of the natural world, and his unprecedented detail transports the viewer into another world.

“Rest”, Fine Art Photography

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

Tony Svensson - Swedish Photographer

“Zornian”, Fine Art Photography

www.artura.se

134 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

SUJEONG NAM

“Panic” Ink On Paper 32” x 43”

Artist Sujeong Nam was born with weak eyesight. This forced her to view objects in a different light. When viewing an object, she could not see the image as a whole -- only the lines that form around each object.

Nam’s work shows numerous delicate lines that are drawn layer by layer until they form an image. She draws things the way she sees them in nature. She states that lines harmonize in order to form nature, and the universe as whole.

She begins her work with dry pigments, then colors her paper, and begins the actual drawing. In the case of flowers, the lines are drawn gradually. Petals, stamens, veins, and pistils appear. Her work is a description of the uncountable lines that make up our world -- that which the average eye cannot see.

In one of her writings, she notes: “I got into the habit of observing objects and scenes with care, appreciating the details to be seen, due to my shortsighted eyesight from a young age. Sometimes things can look quite different when one observes them closely. I found that when I looked at natural objects, such as flowers, grass, leaves, and trees, I began to see them as shapes based on lines. I combined these to produce a sense of harmony. I attempted to uncover the meaning of those lines through art, and express their power and beauty in a way that others could also share. I love to present this vision of something familiar, that brings out an aspect invisible to most people, through the language of my own artistic process."

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

“Stare At Me” 2016,Ink and color powder 36.5” x 35.5”

sj1969@daum.net

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 135

SVETA LONG

"Lily of the Valley Cream And Sugar Set"

"Lily of the Valley Vase"

Sveta Long's artistic techniques are a unique craft in themselves. Long takes us into an imaginative world of play and craftsmanship. She draws intricate drawn lines, flowers, faces, and mermaids that catch the light to shimmer on vases, plates, fabrics, and eggs.

She incorporates the use of kitchen appliances such as plates, cups, utensils, and a variety of objects to depict her abstract world.

Sveta draws her inspiration from the works of Faberge, Erte, Moser, and Mukha, and the Art Deco movement.

Her passion lies in decorating objects to add an artistic touch.

She leads a very adventurous life, always trying to learn something new that will challenge her wits and skills.

Allowing herself to venture into life in St. Petersburg, she embraced a new environment and a culture “Women in Red” different from that of Sweden, her native land. She holds a deep love for the people of her coastal community. Long cleverly displays her skills and talent by painting dashing flowers and shapes onto objects. This approach has gained her high regard, a and fan base among her fellow coastal dwellers in a Russian town.

Her playful learning methods led her to take her curiosity up a notch. She began to recreate well known and highly desired Russian crafts, using designs that at some point were solely made for royalty. Her venture with this concept began in her home, as she recreated and designed her household items .

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

“Black Magic Vase”

artbysveta.com

136 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

ZOE SUMMER Zoe Summer is a compelling artist who has graced the field of fine art and given it a new dimension. She is a multi-talented artist who is also an author and public speaker, a literary genius creating new windows for her creativity. Her work has lifted the spirits of her substantial following.

Summer is the founder of "The Luxury Art Movement." In her words, "luxury" takes on a renewed, more profound meaning. For her, it is Fine Art that you luxuriate in, and whilst you immerse yourself, you experience Spiritual Transcendence. Art expressions included in this current are paintings, music, photography, traditional and digital writing, film, surfing, yoga, dance, witticism, and theater.

With a strong conviction for the need to pursue spiritual “Butterfly Alights With Transformation, As Is The Gardener, So Is The Garden”, Acrylic, 11” x 14”

exploration for the enrichment of well-being, Zoe Summer fills her work with inspirational words and guidelines for positive outcomes, reassuring her audience to seek only their own approval.

Summer’s inspirational work has become a vital tool for many who experience insecurities. Her artistry as a whole has opened the opportunity for many to look within themselves. Her paintings scream of freedom and love, a vibrant message reaching all who are open to it.

Summer's art is soothing, nurturing, and comforting, a breath of fresh air at a time when art needs an uplifting and empowering visionary.

Her paintings infuse the viewer with a renewed lease of life. She has done a series of paintings

“My intention is to bring spiritual and emotional benefits to the viewers through certain painterly techniques: symbolism, the use of light reflection, unique color choices, and powerful words, along with the textures and the shape and size of each canvas. I want to shift a viewer from the logical 'rational' mode of thought into their intuition and heart's wisdom: the Truth.”

“Infinite Gifts Diptych”, Acrylic, 30” x 20”

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 137

“My desire is for my art to be a positive light for others. I want to help bring a viewer an uplifting feeling of joy, so that they can know their limitlessness and join me in a shared celebration of life, which I feel is enlightenment.”

“Salute to New York City Listen to Your Inner Compass”, Acrylic, 16” x 16”

dubbed the “Wings” on unique and astonishing canvases. These paintings address important topics such as love and spirituality. She has used deliberate imperfection, a technique that involves sophisticated abstract shapes and jewelshaped paints to create elusive motion and give it depth. Her paintings empower and uplift the viewer's spirits to new levels of imagination. They are captivating, as they are nourishing to the soul, ushering in a new inner feeling of peace and tranquility in her fans.

Viviana Puello - Editor-in-Chief ArtTour International Magazine

“Synchronicity”, Acrylic, 20” x 16”

www.zoesummer.com

138 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

SVETLANA LEUCHUK

"My World", (2015), Watercolour, Coffee, Paper, 39” x 27.5”

“I'm working with a variety of products and services, such as brand identity, visual style, advertising and illustration. My artistic services also include a depiction of ideas and conversations out by hand, with images and words, in real-time at conferences or any meetings. In my work I use my artistic skills, digital techniques and traditional drawing media such as watercolour, acrylic, ink, permanent markers and more.

My paintings reflect life - a walk in the old town, a trip to France or anywhere, sailing, wonderful cakes baked by a friend... Each painting tells its own story – real or imaginary but always sincere - and full of enjoyment of life, special feelings and with the wish to give a positive energy to people. All this is a reflection of my soul but paintings gives art lovers the opportunity to find yourself, to become the narrator of the own story.”

"Feminity", (2010-2015), Watercolour, Ink, 15.5” x 23.5”

"Tango", (2016), Acrylic On Canvas, 15.5” x 15.5”

"Vin de Paris", (2016), Acrylic, Red Wine On Canvas, 19.5” x 27.5”

www.lanagraphic.com

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 139

ZHIHONG WEI Zhihong Wei is a talented expressionist artist, gifted in figurative and abstract paintings, with a similarly luminescent emotional effect. He has practiced the grandness of art from a young age. In 1984, he started his studies at the Academy of Arts and Design in China’s capital, Beijing.

Wei’s symbolic works are characterized by a robust chiaroscuro, made from unique, analogous, and matching colors. Wei analyzes every inch of the body, rendering each blemish and mark. Thick brushstrokes give life to the surface of his works. The animated coloring brings an air of exuberance and intensity to the subjects. The extremely charged brushwork and movement are evocative of Chaim Soutine.

His enchanting figures create a sensory experience that evokes a profound emotional participation. The power and strength that radiate from these paintings need an engaging and active response which viewers cannot ignore. The mystic beauty of his abstract artwork is simply awe-inspiring. Wei’s figurative paintings are created through geometrical fragmentation of the composition, revealing and hiding painting’s subjects at the same time. The strong colors he uses i n d i c at e t h e e x tra o rd i n a ry c o m m u n i c at i ve i m p e t u s a n d passion that he cultivates and transfers onto his works.

Compelling, unblended colors e xc i t e t h e v i ewe r w i t h a n intuitively primordial reaction, enthralling his attention until the significance and true form of the artwork is discovered.

"The Fragment Of Life One", (2014), Oil Painting, 51” x 38”

The color red is a constant on Zhihong’s palette. Its use is e x t e n s i ve , a n d r e m a r k a b l y evocative, particularly in his almost monochromatic artworks that stir our physical life force and awaken our emotions, inspiring us to take an active role in the contact between viewer and artist.

Expressionism addresses the subject of human desire and impulse. Neo-expressionism is extremely personal, and implemented with zealous fervor.

Wei is a deserving inheritor of both of these essential movements in art history.

Yadira M. Roman - Managing Editor ArtTour International Magazine

"The Fragment Of Life Two", (2014), Oil Painting, 51” x 38”

weizhihong.com

140 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

ANTOINE EMMANUEL Antoine Emmanuel is a multifaceted artist. Gen Xer, draws inspiration on Classic and Pop Art, as well as emerging cultures of Street, and Electro. His work harmonizes between a mastered technology, a humanist conceptual development, and rich, and sophisticated aesthetics. Emmanuel roams around our world with his eyes wide open. In an age of hyper-connection, blasted with images, he has built bridges towards thought, and reflection. He invites his audience to enter into his subject’s universe, and return illuminated with richer understandings.

"Tribute To Maurice Bejart", Digital Photomontage Printed On Canvas, Accented With Varnished, 59” x 86.5”

"Incroyables", Digital Photomontage Printed On Canvas, Accented With Varnished, 59” x 98.5”

antoine-sur-le-web.info

DAVID CHINH TRUONG

"New Way Of Your Life", (2009), Oil On Canvas, 60" x 40"

David Chinh, grew up in a family with a strong passion for the arts. He lists one of his greatest inspirations as Vincent Van Gogh. He studied at Quang Ninh Cultural Arts School, and at the tender age of 18, he escaped to Hong Kong. After living in a refugee camp for 8 years, the Hong Kong government forced David back to Vietnam, where he was detained in prison due to his unwavering love for freedom of the arts. His passion has lead him through a very successful career.

David Chinh has exhibited his work in collective and solo exhibitions worldwide.

"Pari", Oil On Canvas, 30" x 40"

www.davidchinh.com

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 141

DAVID WHITFIELD “Art is a visual attempt to come to terms with the world, to make sense of it, an aesthetic philosophy. An exploration and a journey of materials, aesthetic principles and the subject matter of the work itself. To give a title or burden it with a meaning shrivels the work, to devoid not only it, but that of the viewer, any chance of a more m e a n i n g f u l interpretation beyond that of s mere title or single blinkered once and forever 'meaning'”

"None", Acrylic On Canvas, 40" X 30"

"None", Acrylic On Canvas, 40" X 30"

davidwwhitfield.com

DONNA BONIN International, Award winning artist Donna Bonin’s work is inspired by many life-long passions. She has been “Artist-in-the Park” at both Sandbanks and Presqu’ile Provincial Parks and has shown her work in numerous international exhibits. Bonin loves to paint in Algonquin as well as in the tranquility of her garden. Travel has inspired many paintings from Europe to the High Arctic. Years of experience with boats and horses allows for accurate rendering of these within a composition. Horse and pet portraits are a specialty.

"Delta Dawn", Watercolour, 36" X 29" "Tree Tones", Watercolour, 22" X 29"

www.donnabonin.ca

142 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

ERZSEBET NAGY SAAR As an artist, Erzsebet Nagy SAAR, stands in a row of women whose themes are de-rived from their own personalities, experiences, from self-observation, and their own accentuated view of events. Her methods of self-inspection, and self-reflection are, in a contemporary sense, traditional in nature. In addition to the microcosm of the details, depicted she needs the grand gesture of painting itself, of spontaneity, and concealment.

"Ruth", (2015), Decollage On Canvas, 55” x 39” "Animals Are Better People", (2016), Decollage On Canvas, 47” x 47”

www.saar-art.com

JOSEF KARL

"Beauty Conservation", (2011), Installation of 26 hermetic Glass Cylinders with Photographies In 3D, Vintage Camera And Original ID-Cards as a modern Vanitas Symbol, 19.2” x 3.9” x 3.9” (Smallest Sculpture) To 51” x 7” x 7” (Tallest Sculpture)

"iDNA-MARCK-1964, Switzerland", (2015), Photographies, Passport and Hair for DNA of the artist mounted In photo-lenses, 21.4” x 21.4” x 1.7” Unique artwork.

Beuys worked with fact and felt, Uecker with nails, Piene with Fire . . .

Josef Karl works with IDs in order to emphasize the uniqueness and authenticity of every human being. With his unique artworks he rebels against the mass production of art editions and the over-floating of the XXI century art market aiming to restore the high value of art. Josef Karl’s formula: Art =unique = human being These theses and the integration of original passports, ID cards, fingerprints and other proofs of identity make art forgery-proof. Every human being who finds his/her way to a museum in the form of a passport artwork becomes unforgettable and thus immortal.

The catalyst for this theory was the tragic death of his one-year-son who was killed by a nanny in 2008.

1974 born in Vohenstrauss - Germany 2001 MA in Design/Art/Photography 2001 Project “Slums von Calcutta” 2009 Project “ABCnervosa” 2010 Project “Female IDs” 2012 Project “Beauty Conservation” 2014 Project “hiDe” 2016 Project “IDNA”

www.josefkarl.de

ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art 143

LYN OLSEN “Softly playing music, and a blank canvas catapults me into a world beneath the clear aqua blue ocean, down into the fascinating world of The Great Barrier Reef, on the east coast of Australia. The vibrant colors of the corals, fish

and the marine life underwater inspire me to create my own contemporary imaginary reef, using acrylics, inks, and textures and many techniques I have developed over the years. I am so lucky to have the Great Barrier Reef on my doorstep. My art is my passion and is a constant source of sensual and intellectual pleasure.”

"Soft And Hard Corals", Acrylic On Canvas, 22" X 30" X 1.5"

"Nautilus", Acrylic On Canvas, 24"x 36"x 1.5"

www.lynolsen.com

LYNNE BERNAY-ROMAN “My roots are in oil painting. Along the way I added photography, became a psychotherapist, evolved into a photo-therapist ,and now am deep into my recent discovery, digital painting . A discovery that has allowed me to combine the mediums that I love, photography, and painting.

Much of the time when I begin a painting I don’t have a completed idea. Color speaks the loudest for me and I let it take the lead until some sense of design emerges, then the relationship between the elements begins to form. It’s then, that the story in me takes over. I'm an explorer and love to travel: in the world, in my inner scapes, and through my art. As in my life, so in my art, things appear a wee bit strange, vibrant, magical ,and divine ; with lots of rough prickly edges to add rich texture.”

"Ancient Sunrise", Digital Painting, 27” X 18”

"Lone Journey", Digital Painting, 30” X 20”

www.LynneBernayRoman.com

144 ATIM’S TOP 60 Masters of Contemporary Art

RITA VITALONI Rita Vitaloni is an eclectic, nonconformist artists who creates mastersful works in oil, acrylic, ceramic and photography with a keen eye for composition and a very skilled used of colors, line and form. Her works reflect feelings and emotions that explore sensuality and beauty.

After surviving family tragedy’s of evictions, instability and the death of her mother, Vitaloni reinvented herself and devoted her life to her passion for art.

"“Segno Ed Anima”, (2016),", 35.5” X 24”

Rita Vitaloni was born ina 1962 in Savona, Italy.

She graduated in 1981 at the Technical Institute Paul Boselli in Savona and continued her studies obtaining a degree in Art at the Art School "Arturo Martini" in Savona in 1993. She also studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cuneo. In 2004 and obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma in Painting and in 2006 she obtained a Diploma for second level of specialization in Graphics with great honors. Her works are now part of a unique project: THE COLOR OF evicted.

"“Sensualita”, (2016), 35.5” X 35.5”

www.ritavitaloni.it

STEPHEN TOBIN Photographer Stephen Tobin, has had solo exhibitions in New York City at Agora Gallery, and in Edinburg, Scotland at White Space Gallery. His works have been featured in ArtisSpectrum Magazine, and International Masters of Photography Volumes 2 & 3. Most recently, Stephen was awarded the Public Choice Award at the Whitley Pier Art Festival, and the International Michelangelo Prize in Rome. Stephen currently resides in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.

"Hole In The Wall", (2014), Digital Photography On Metal, 12" X 12"

"Honour", (2014), Digital Photography On Metal, 12" X 16"

www.wanderingphotgrapher.ca

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ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS OF CONTEMPORARY ART 2016

Designed and Published by ArtTour International Publications Inc. 45 Rockefeller Plaza Suite 2000 - New York, NY 10111

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Curated by: VIVIANA PUELLO Graphic Director: ALAN GRIMANDI

Published and Distributed by: ArtTour International Publications Inc. 45 Rockefeller Plaza Suite 2000 New York, NY 10111 Printed in Italy

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© Copyright 2016. ArtTour International Publications. All copyrights are reserved by the authors. The copyrights of all published artwork are retained by the artists. Reproduction of any published material without the written permission of the magazine’s publisher is prohibited by law.

Artwork on back cover: “Kinkajou”, Fine Art Photography By Durga Garcia