Debra Akin Before I developed a “feeling vocabulary,” I was always able to express myself through making art. I started out in graphic design and I loved the process of organizing images and print. Space planning led me into interior design, where I developed a passion for fabric, texture, color, and overall good design. But I still felt that I wasn’t being completely authentic until I came to realize that my creativity and spirituality are intertwined. Pursuing a fine art degree, exploring new techniques, puts the world in a different perspective. I’m inspired by nature and its perfect design. Muhammad Alhawagri www.alhawagri.com I’m a self-taught photographer and visual artist. My mother gave me my first camera at the age of 9 and a second at the age of 22. She was a passionate art teacher, who inspired me to fly into the endless sky of creation. From the earliest years of my life, I began a journey to discover my soul through my art. I write with ink made of light and images that may appear only for an instant. My photographs are only a mere proof that those stories and poems once existed. Randall Allen www.rsaphoto.com A retired Navy Submariner and entrepreneur, I love photography and I also draw and paint on occasion (although my passion is really photography). My philosophy is that there are great photo opportunities almost everywhere. I’ve enjoyed photography for over 35 years, and today in the digital realm, the artistic and creative possibilities are almost endless and there is always something new to learn. My favorite quote is from Ansel Adams: “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” Bob Allen www.foundryartcentre.org/artists/ BobAllen.aspx I retired from teaching in 2003, and in 2004 became one of the original artists working and exhibiting at the Foundry Art Centre in downtown St. Charles. After fifty years, I still find the process of making, glazing, and firing pottery very exciting and rewarding. My major goal is to make a personal statement in clay. This is a difficult task, and my work has been influenced by many generations of potters. I have spent much time developing glazes, decorating slips, and decorating techniques that are uniquely my own. Michael Anderson www.michaelandersonstudio.com MichaeI Anderson was born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and has been an artist, illustrator & designer for over 35 years. Prior to establishing Michael Anderson Studio in 1983, he was employed as a display designer and a graphic artist. Collaboration with designers, architects and planners to develop their ideas for interior environments and urban design concepts in sketches, drawings and digital illustrations is a specialty. Robert Backowski A lifetime of work in engineering and as a draftsman of heating and ventilating systems, along with my interest in fantasy, sci-fi space movies led me to create Skyship of Our Federation. For many years I constructed objects of art from copper sheet stock. Then came my retirement (I am now eighty one) and copper prices
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became dear. I then took objects found in flea markets and resale shops, along with some from antique shops. Close observation will reveal parts of the media used. In 2008, I donated to Collectors Choice a work using this media. Marianne Baer www.mariannebaer.com Whether I am deeply carving the raised surface of my intensely colored pieces or incising the flat area of my functional ware, my focus is on texture, detail, and pattern. My work is the contemporary expression of my interpretation of ancient textiles, pottery, and patterns from around the world. Each piece is made by my hand only, in my studio in St. Louis MO. Lila Bahl Owner of Lila Bahl Photography in St. Louis. Laura Bailey www.laurasbailey.com Laura Bailey is an award-winning illustrator, painter, and photographer. With photography, she most enjoys the act of searching. With camera in hand, she lets the subject matter reveal itself based on the time of day and location. “It is often a surprise to me what will then occupy my next fifty shots,” Bailey says. Jody Balzer Earth Panel is next in a series titled Earth Elements that I began in 2005. This is a series of mixed media collage pieces exploring texture and subtle color variation as found in topographical landscape, primarily in rock outcroppings. Natural dyes of coffee and tea on fabric and paper are used to bring the experience of beholding the world of natural and manmade formations into the interior environment. All of nature is multi-dimensional and has a sculptural aspect that changes over time. The reversibility and vertical/horizontal display option of Earth Panel honors those qualities. Linda Bangert As a printmaker, I use numerous methods of printmaking to achieve colors, opacities, textures, and details needed to complete my two-dimensional image. The possibilities are endless. Every session at the press brings about new results and there is always something to continue on with. I use the landscape most often, partly because of its ever-changing information (colors, structure) and my enjoyment of being outdoors. This print is a combination of monoprint, linoleum cut, and intaglio. This line of trees is along the Missouri river in Nebo, Illinois. Marylou Barrow www.maryloubarrow.com Memphis born, Marylou has had a lifelong interest in the creation of art. Her creativity, color sense, and flair for design are evident in her mostly impressionistic style, which ranges from traditional to contemporary. Much of her inspiration stems from her love of nature, especially flowers. Marylou is a member of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild and the St. Peters Oak Leaf Artists’ Guild. She has received numerous awards both locally and nationally. Her paintings hang in private and corporate collections. Items available for purchase are original watercolor paintings, framed watercolor prints, and greeting cards.
Amy Bautz www.behance.net/AmyBautz
Pat Brokaw www.patbrokaw.com
Amy Bautz teaches computer art at Saint Louis University and is an artist working in traditional and new media. Since early 2009 she has been working regularly as a computer artist on an animation team. Bautz regularly exhibits her work nationally and internationally, including solo exhibits in Berlin, Germany and Athens, Georgia.
I work exclusively with reduction prints. I want to present images that make people think “that is where I would like to be.” I find that often in the most common subjects there is beauty that tends to escape the casual eye. My works are exclusively small editions and all prints are pressed by hand. My process layers color and space with each subsequent step building toward the final product. Often the image only resolves itself on the final step, and that is what I love about this type of art: the beauty that is only reluctantly revealed.
Cynthia Berg Cynthia Berg is a native of Missouri who has resided in St. Louis most of her life. She was an art major at Colorado Women’s College and began painting professionally in 1985. Since then she has exhibited in major national and regional juried shows as well as solo and group exhibitions. Her work has been carried in galleries in Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Colorado and California. Her paintings are included in both private and corporate collections across the United States. Lynne Beseau www.muralsgonemad.com Lynne currently lives in Lake Saint Louis, Missouri. She earned her MFA from Lindenwood University in 2003 and received her BFA and Teaching Certification from Washington University in 1983. Lynne taught art in the Hazelwood School District for 25 years and retired from Hazelwood Central High School in 2009. Lynne now works full time as a professional artist. Lynne’s approach reflects her intrigue with exploring surface textures, the reflection of light and color, and her preference for polychromatic color schemes. She has developed an innovative style that blends precise realism with abstract expressionism. Diana Saffo Bono www.dianasaffobono.com Diana Saffo Bono is a self-taught artist; the daughter of a Sicilian immigrant and first generation Sicilian mother. Growing up in an Italian community, life revolved around family, church, good food, and a passion for living. Simple pleasures. Diana’s work has gallery representation in the Midwest and hangs in homes and businesses throughout the United States. She is best known for her brush work and her love and use of color. The medium she works in varies depending on her intent for a particular piece. Linda Boyer My paintings reflect a variety of subjects and designs and are done primarily in watercolor and acrylic. Member of St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Associate Degree in Graphic Art from St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley, course work in Fine Art at William Jewell College, classes at St. Louis Art Museum Allison Norfleet Bruenger www.alnbcollections.com Allison L. Norfleet Bruenger studied art throughout her childhood. After receiving a BFA in Retail Advertising with a Fashion Illustration emphasis from Columbus College of Art and Design, she participated in art exhibitions across the country. During this time, Allison honed her skills in jewelry design, ceramics, and mixed media. After moving to St. Louis in 2002, she attended Maryville University in St. Louis, receiving a BFA in Metalsmithing and Jewelry. She is a member of Best of the Missouri Hands, the Society of Midwest Metalsmiths, and the Greater St. Louis Art Association.
Shirley Buzzell Shirley Buzzell was raised in Colorado. At a young age, her family encouraged drawing. As years passed, several opportunities to study under others provided classroom situations where she expanded her choices of media and technique. A favorite subject matter was landscapes of prairie and mountain scenes. Shirley has had many opportunities to practice artistic endeavors in charcoal, pastels, ink, watercolors, acrylic paints, and oil paints. Commissioned requests have provided her with different subject matter. These pieces of art raised the bar of expectations. Currently, Shirley is accepting commissions for charcoal portraits and acrylic paintings of memorial items. Rita Chu Rita Chu works at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage as a risk management professional. She is an avid photographer and recently returned from a landscape photo tour to the Valley of Fire in Nevada. During a 2011 trip to Venice, she captured Quiet Time, a moment of thought for a couple sitting on a stone bench along the Grande Canal. Rita is passionate about photography and enjoys discovering new places and experiencing the spiritual beauty of nature. Jennifer Churchill www.myslart.org/profile/JenniferChurchill Painting and creating are necessary to remind myself how rich it is to experience being alive. I am a self-taught artist who finds beauty in even the most mundane environments. Art has been an intricate part of my rural upbringing. My hurried modern lifestyle is not accommodating to the constant flow of emotion in my daily life. Thoughts and feelings build up inside of me until I can let them out through creativity. I prefer to work with oils on canvas. When my work is going well I feel a sense of peace and fulfillment. Steve Clayton I consider myself a multi-media artist at this point of my life. Having spent years immersed in drawing, watercolor, and printmaking techniques and applying them to my creations has led me now to exploring photography, oil, acrylic, mixing multiple media and something I call fusion art. The word fusion best expresses my process when I’m mixing photos with acrylics or mixing line drawings with photos I’ve taken, collages, and printmaking. I never know where a simple drawing is going to take me. I draw inspiration from my contemporaries and historical artists as well as from family and friends.