Visual Language Magazine January 2014 Vol 3 No 1

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VISUAL LANGUAGE contemporary fine art

features

YANNI Elizabeth Chapman Slav Krivoshiev Sallie-Anne Swift Carol Nelson Katharine Cartwright

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January 2014 Volume 3 No. 1

Corey West CoreyWest.artspan.com

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VISUAL LANGUAGE Contemporary Fine Art

VisualLanguageMagazine.com Subscribe Free Today. http://visuallanguagemagazine.com/subscribe.html

January 2014 Vol 3 No 1 ŠGraphicsOneDesign1998-2014 2 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

The Line Drawn The stories in my art are about my life specifically but because I don’t always tell that story in detail it is really about all life. We all have a story and while it is unique, there are elements of it that are familiar to all of us. The images come from bits and pieces of my life and even some of the colors and patterns I use are reminders of the events taking place at the time I create a piece of art.

coreywest.artspan.com

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VL Cover Artist

COREY WEST

Steven DaLuz

“Vortex”; 36” x 36”; oil, metal leaf on panel, © 2013 by Steven DaLuz

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content Cover Artist Corey West

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The Line Drawn The stories in my art are about my life specifically but because I don’t always tell that story in detail it is really about all life. We all have a story and while it is unique, there are elements of it that are familiar to all of us.

Painter’s Keys - Robert Genn 11

CFAI Colors on My Palette 30

Andy Smith

Read the up close and personal interviews from CFAI. co Find out more about the artist, their inspirations and how they approach their work.

VL Artist Features - 34 Rod Seeley, Barbara Haviland, Vanessa Katz, Corey West, Annie O’Brien Gonzales, Linda Bein

ARTSPAN New Works - 50 VL/Artspan Studio Visit with Elizabeth Chapman 54 I’ve always loved art. A strong passion for creating my own art begun and grew during the years that I worked as a high school art teacher. Through the encouragement of others I began to see the artist within me. Intuitively, I knew that I was an artist first and foremost. This required a huge step in faith in order to pursue working independently as an artist and to believe in myself.

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Interview with YANNI 70 The Greek way of living has been within me up until I was eighteen, and I have definitely been Americanized very well. However, I feel I belong to none.

I always say I’m a human being first. .

VL Gallery Visit with Russian Artist Slav Krivoshiev 78 Author of the “Mythological Constructivism” concept – a style in the modern art.

VL Studio Interview with Carol Nelson 92 I wasn’t always an “artist.” I put that word in quotes because, to me, an artist is one who works at his or her craft diligently every day. Besides spending time at the easel, in today’s times, being an artist also involves networking, researching, marketing, and spending a great deal of time on the computer. It is far more involved than sitting at your kitchen table and painting a pretty picture once in a while.

ARTSPAN Spotlight with Katharine Cartwright 112 My parents recognized I was an artist before I entered kindergarten, and provided me with opportunities to learn about color theory and design beginning at age 3. Therefore, I’ve always self-identified as an artist and have never lost my love for creating art.

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VL Studio Visit with Australian Artist Sallie-Anne Swift 128 Sallie-Anne says she has graduated from realism art to produce fine abstract art pieces and believes her formal art training and many years of illustration, painting and working as a graphic designer play in big part in her finished pieces. .

VL Barry Scharf 142 Abstract in Painting, A Personal View Artists spend a lifetime trying to define their style and approach to the canvas. This is not a frivolous venture; the struggle is real and often hard to understand.

VL Photographer Tom Peterson 166 Many of my photographs focus on an abstract view of every day structures and close-up subjects we often pass by, but rarely notice. My objective is to find and photograph the uncommon within the commonplace. .

CFAI.co Art Challenge 176 Best of Show - Barbara Mason , First Place - Kay Smith, Second Place - Kristine Kainer, Third Place - Tatiana Roulin

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Artist of the Day “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” ― Edgar Degas

Sign up today.

Kimberly Conrad “Art and music are to my soul, as food and water are to my body. I believe that they are two of God’s most precious gifts to His children. As the author and giver of creativity, through these gifts, He has given us a portion of Himself. He created the very first canvas, magnificently painted it, and brought it to life” I am a full time artist, dividing my time between painting and teaching in my Colorado studio. Having painted on most every surface imaginable, at this time I work primarily on canvas, board, and paper. Though my style remains quite diverse, I believe I have the heart of an Abstract Expressionist, or even more accurately, an Action Expressionist, as I am most definitely an “action painter”. http://kimberlyconradfineart.com

artistofthedayvl.blogspot.com If you want to be featured as an Artist of the Day, contact Visual Language Magazine.

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Carol Jo Smidt

www.caroljosmidt.com

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carol@caroljosmidt.com

VL

VISUAL LANGUAGE MAGAZINE Contemporary Fine Art

Visual Language Magazine Staff Editorial Editor -in-Chief Laurie Pace Executive Editor Lisa Kreymborg Consulting Editor Nancy Medina Consulting Editor Diane Whitehead Consulting Editor Debbie Lincoln Feature Contributor Robert Genn Painter’s Keys CFAI Contributor Kimberly Conrad Feature Editor Art Reviews Hall Groat II Feature Writer Barry Scharf Feature Writer David Darrow VL Sponsor ARTSPAN Eric Sparre Advertising Contact: VisualLanguageMagazine@gmail.com Marketing and Development Executive Director Business/Management Stacey Hendren

RodSeeleyArt.com

All Artwork is Copyrighted by the Individual Artists.

Visual Language Vol 3 No 1

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LauraReed.artspan.com

Painter’s Keys with Robert Genn Claim your Rival December 3, 2013

Painterskeys.com

Dear Artist, Ferrari driver Niki Lauda was Formula One’s World Champion in 1975, 1977 and 1984. Ron Howard’s 2013 feature film Rush explores the relationship between Niki and his rival, English driver James Hunt. “A wise man can learn more from his enemies than a fool from his friends,” says Niki in the film. He reminds us that rivalry can be a powerful source of innovation. When used for a positive outcome, it’s called a productive rivalry.

Creative folks can use this system.

The management consulting firm McKinsey and Company suggests that companies in search of creative bursts refer to the rivalries that catalyzed artistic innovation during the Italian Renaissance. In a relatively short period of time the Italians invented linear perspective and modern-day portrait painting. They made startling innovations in sfumato and chiaroscuro that continue to influence painting to this day. As well as strides in glassblowing and bronze casting, Italian architects and craftsmen produced the world’s largest masonry dome.

In Renaissance Italy, those who competed for patronage, commissions and prestige produced better work. To today’s artistic sensibility, it might all sound a bit uncomfortable. In modern times we are often encouraged to protect our ego-force and individuality by securing a private world in which to develop our unique artistic voice. Many artists find themselves solo-paddling along a private and unchallenging river.

Painter’s Keys - Robert Genn

Robert Genn’s Studio Book

Could rivalry be a productive system? Here are some thoughts: Study the processes and methods of those who are better at it than you. Even though you’re the resident genius, you can bet your last Lira there’s someone who knows something you don’t, who has honed a skill more than you have. Rival your rival.

Know your space. In 1506, Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine chapel.

Originally, portraits of the Twelve Apostles were proposed. Michelangelo countered with a grander scheme portraying humanity’s need for salvation. Michelangelo stuck to his vision and Julius finally agreed. Your rival may be your boss.

Stretch your goals. Media mogul, conservationist and philanthropist Ted Turner, not exactly an Italian, lived by his father’s words: “Never set goals you can reach in your lifetime.” In other words, think big and think far off. Your real rival is Time.

Sincerely, Sara P.S. “He who falls in love with himself will have no rivals.” (Benjamin Franklin) Esoterica: In Michelangelo’s day, the term closest to rivalry was paragone, which translates as “comparison.”

Not meant to diminish, but rather to push to greater heights, its goal was to generate respect and passionate striving. As a result, those Renaissance guys were up in their studios late at night wearing out their chisels and brushes. In 1515 the young Raphael was commissioned by Pope Leo X to design a few tapestries for the lower walls of the Sistine Chapel. Knowing they would hang directly below Michelangelo’s ceiling, Raphael knocked the bocce ball right out of the court. Raphael’s Sistine tapestries set a standard for all tapestries yet to come.

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Valerie Travers

Captivated by the melody of nature.

Beneath the Surface

Ebb and Flow

Working in Acrylic, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media Landscapes, Seascapes, Abstracts, and Florals

valerietravers.com Left: Feelings of Love

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Barbara Haviland BarbaraHavilandFineArt.com BarbsGarden.blogspot.com

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BAUER Logan Bauer LoganBauer.com

Landscapes, Life Drawings, Still life, Figurative Portraits.

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LoganBauer.com

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AspenSPACES by Lelija Roy

Art on a Whim Gallery Breckenridge and Vail, CO www.artonawhim.com 18 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

lelija.net

James Ratliff Gallery Sedona, AZ www.jamesratliffgallery.com

Linda McCoy www.lindamccoyart.blogspot.com Linda McCoy Studio/Gallery Fine Art Instruction 209 S West Street, Mason, Ohio

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Mark Yearwood

“Tactile Impression” 12’’x12’’ Mixed Media/Panel Available at: Veronique Wantz Gallery 125 N. First Street Minneapolis, MN 55401 612-254-2838 www.veroniquewantz.com

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MarkYearwood.com

Dyan Newton dyannewton.com

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Mirada Fine Art

‘Best Art Gallery’ -5280 Magazine, 2010 & 2012 ‘A Style-Maker’ -Luxe Magazine, 2010 ‘BestAmerican Colorado Gallery’ Art Awards, 2012 & 2013 ‘Art -Denver Lover’s Escape’ Life Magazine 2010 ‘Best of Denver’ -Westword Newspaper, 2010

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5490 Parmalee Gulch Rd. Indian Hills, CO 80454 (only minutes from Denver) www.miradafineart.com 303-697-9006 Featured Artiss: Andrew Baird, Pablo Milan, Lyndmila Agrich, Jeanne Bessette, Svetlana Shalygina, Laurie Justus Pace Bruce Marion, Time Howe, Wynn| 23 VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VLAllen Magazine

miradafineart.com

Carolyn Hancock Pastels expressive figurative art

carolynhancock.com

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“Artistic exposures one frame at a time”

connie dines

Waiting To Cross The River - Working Horse Series

Selected for the National Western Stock Show One of The Featured in the Cattleman’s Club for the 2014 Show, Please see my website for the five images in the show.

artfulexposures.com

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Nancee Jean Busse Painter of the American West

See NJ Busse’s profile in the November issue of Western Art Collector Magazine.

Back to Bosque

www.nanceejean.com njovmc@gmail.com 26 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

www.facebook.com/nanceejeanbusse 970.261.2028

Shirley Anderson Painting Landscapes and Florals in Pastel

Colorful. Sensitive. Bold.

Winding Path

Sunlight and Shadow

Covered Bridge

Lighthouse

Under the Trees

shirleyandersonart.com email: sranderson0930@sbcglobal.net

vlrees.com

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Kay Reinke

“Many of my paintings can be described as being in the genre “abstract realism,” that is, taking a real object or scene and abstracting it. This allows for the viewer to put him or herself in the scene in a way that doesn’t restrict the imagery to a single location or time. I want my paintings to suggest experiences and feelings in a way that sparks viewers’ imaginations, draws them into the paintings and makes them want to stay.”

kayreinkeart.com Left Page: Dancing in the Streets Above: Texas Heat Wave

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CFAI.co Colors On My Palette

Andy Smith

http://andysmithartist.com http://www.cfai.co/#!colors-on-my-palette-interview/cy2z

When did you realize you loved art and wanted to be ‘an artist’?

At a young age I realized I saw things differently than others. I could always draw and was interested in art and illustration. After bouncing around a bit I settled on becoming a working artist in my 20’s.

Who has been the greatest influence from your past to mentor you to this career?

I am from Wyeth country, so I guess I must admit to being fascinated with both N.C. and Andrew. Although Homer is my man! I must also acknowledge my supportive parents.

Who is your mentor today, or another artist you admire and why?

I would not say mentor as much as partner. When I married I claimed I wanted to paint for a living... first she said I needed to get a lot better!

But quickly encouraged me, set up the busines, and arranges my life so I am free to paint. I have been fortunate enough to be a full-time artist for 35 years.

What is your favorite surface to paint on? Describe it if you make it yourself.

Normally I would say Arches however I recently switched to Kilimanjaro 300lb cold press paper.

What brand of paints do you use?

I use Da Vinci watercolors Do you have a favorite color palette?

I have an earthy pallette. Almost every painting has a yellow ochre under wash.

What is your favorite color in your closet?

Not sure, I really don’t dress myself!

How often do you paint? How many hours a week?

Every day, most of the day. I belong to “A Painting A Day” and try to do a miniature four days a week. But I also always have a larger painting on the board.

How would you like to be remembered?

As a Man, I would like to be known for my honesty, integrity and faith. As a husband; faithful, kind and supportive. As a father; encouraging and dependable. As an artist; a good work ethic, always aspiring to excellence. As someone who really understands watercolors.

Read more at http://www.cfai.co/#!colors-on-my-palette-interview/cy2z 30 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

Read more at http://www.cfai.co/#!colors-on-my-palette-interview/cy2z VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 31

Collectors Discover New Art Daily

International Voices - Speaking Through Art

Professional Artists - Join the CFAI Family.

Membership Includes:

• • • • • • • • •

Personal Coaching on individual art marketing strategies.

Heavy Brand Marketing of CFAI.co member Artists.

Promotion of Artist’s work on multiple social media sites.

Promotion of Artist’s events and workshops.

Professional Gallery Page on the CFAI.co Website Over 200 Specialty Art Blogs to choose to post on.

Monthly Art Challenges at discounted rates.

Quarterly Juried Shows at discounted rates.

Eligibility for inclusion in the Annual Collectors Book

www.cfai.co 32 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

Caroline Ratliff Original oil and pastel landscapes of the west

Gulf Spray

Capturing the Essence of Nature CarolineRatliff.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 33

VL Rod Seeley

RodSeeleyArt.com

Vibrant Digital Creativity Rod Seeley is a self taught digital artist that is always pushing his creative boundaries through his unique “Stylized Digital Fractal Art” creations. My passion is utilizing creative shapes and vibrant colors combined with dozens of special techniques to create truly unique artwork. Many of my pieces are enhanced using a customized digital paint (oil) technique and customized filters. My artwork is designed to be done on high gloss metal in a metal shadow frame which adds an additional visual dimension to the artwork.

In 2012 Mr. Seeley started entering juried international exhibitions and has won awards for his work. His artwork has also been included in the Museum of Computer Art and The International Art Guide – “Abstract Art Showcase”. His artwork also appears in Volume VII – “International Contemporary Masters” a Juried art publication.

His artwork also been exhibited at ArtExpo New York 2013, Spectrum New York 2013 and Spectrum Miami 2013.

Each small image is a Fractal Creation and is part of the final piece of larger art next to it.

This is Stylized Digital Fractal Art.

Liquid Look

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Insert for Liquid Look

Insert for Believe

Believe

Insert for Prospective Vision

Prospective Vision

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VL Barbara Haviland BarbsGardenArt.com

Capturing the Blooms of Her Garden Barbara Haviland has been creating art for over 30 years. She is an accomplished artist, painting mostly in oils,in bold rich colors that express her enthusiasm for painting. She is mostly self-taught but has enjoyed many workshops with nationally known artist with more experience. “I make my own worlds with my favorite tool: my brush. It is like reading a book: I can go anywhere,�states Barbara, who feels that painting fills her with joy and passion. Landscapes of the bayous are her subjects of preference,as she duplicates nature that is nearby,along with the wild flowers and animals.

Barbara is a member of Artists of Texas, Oil Painters of America, ALA/Gallery by the Lake, Outdoor Painters Society, Port Arthur Art Association, Lone Star Art Guild and EBSQ Art.

www.Barbsgarden.blogspot.com www.BarbaraHavilandFineArt.com www.BarbsGardenArt.com Iris 24 x 36 Oil

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Blue Bayou 12 x 12 Oil

Magnolia 20 x 16 Oil

Autumns Challenge 12 x 12 Oil

Lilies 12 x 16 Oil

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VL Vanessa Katz vanessakatzart.com

Expression Vanessa Katz was born in England and now resides in sunny California where the sun makes everything appear more colorful and vivid to her.

She attended Putney School of Art in London and continued her education with many classes and courses and has won awards and had solo exhibitions and works as a full time artist.

She originally worked creating still life and representational pieces although she now finds her preference is to work in a very abstract way as it gives her the freedom to express her emotions and she hopes to evoke emotions through her work to her collectors. She is fascinated with shapes, colors, textures, movement and the shape between the shapes, nature (the richness, color and texture of the soil) and trees (the movement, how the light catches and changes) and this is evident in her work.

Now that she lives in the desert in Southern California she is inspired by the contrasts that are created by the bright sun and her 360 degree mountain views. The light, shadows and colors change constantly providing a richness and diversity to stimulate her creative process. She is inspired by everyday observations, feelings and life experiences in general and by the works of such artists as Rothko, Pollack, Van Gogh, Kandinsky and many others.

She works on canvas and paper with many mediums of acrylic, oil, ink and texture building materials and likes to work building up many layers to create richness, depth and texture.

Delilah by Vanessa Katz

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Falling Waters by Vanessa Katz

Is It Cloudy or Bright by Vanessa Katz

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VL Corey West

coreywest.artspan.com

The Line Drawn My love for art began at such a young age, I honestly don’t remember. It has just always been part of who I am. I grew up in a family of very skilled wood workers, designers and painters so it was normal to spend a day painting with my grammy or watching my dad build something. As an adult my dad encouraged me to go to school, for anything other than art, as he wanted me to choose a career that “made more money”... I went to school for art anyway. Since art school I have worked very hard to create a style of abstract work that is my own, which was a challenge for me and took several years to get it to a place where the results said what I wanted it to say. I am in love with the drawn line, texture and pattern. I wanted work that when people saw it there was no mistaking who the artist was.

My work is life based, not completely non objective. I grew up in a very traditional, conservative community so just creating abstract work at all was a break from everyone around me. I wanted to leave the viewer room to connect to the work on a level deeper than just recognizing the image and loving it because it was a favorite flower or animal etc. I want the viewer to see the love I have for what I am doing and connect to the work based on the emotion put into the work itself. I love all art and do paint representational work as well, but my heart is in painting my mixed media abstract work.

The stories in my art are about my life specifically but because I don’t always tell that story in detail it is really about all life. We all have a story and while it is unique, there are elements of it that are familiar to all of us. The images come from bits and pieces of my life and even some of the colors and patterns I use are reminders of the events taking place at the time I create a piece of art.

13849 Mono Way Sonora, CA 95370 209-352-7943 coreywest.art@gmail.com Left: Morning has broken: 48x36, Mixed Media Canvas 2013 Right Page Left Top: End of the Tunnel: 40x30, Mixed Media Canvas 2013 Right Page Left Bottom: Dreams: 18x20, Mixed Media Canvas 2013 Right Page Right Side: Visitor: 48x12, Mixed Media Canvas 2013

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VL Annie O’Brien Gonzales annieobriengonzales.com

Vibrant “Annie O’Brien Gonzales’ vibrant stilllife, landscape and abstract paintings have graced the walls of Santa Fe’s Matthews Gallery (http://thematthewsgallery.com) since 2010, and have made their way into private collections across the country. This winter Gonzales received yet another honor with her museum debut—New Acquisitions from TAM’s Permanent Collection at The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho. She teaches workshops at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Ghost Ranch and in her studio on Upper Canyon Road in Santa Fe. For more information: http://www.annieobriengonzales.com”.

Acequia #1

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Tulipmania #5

Alegria #1

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VL Linda Bein

lindabein.blogspot.com

Texas Contemporary Artist - The Art of Nature Although Linda likes to experiment with various media and techniques, transparent water color is her primary media. Her love of the earth and Mother Nature are reflected in her works, even abstracts turn into trees and countryside. Even though Linda is predominately a landscape artist she enjoys painting different subject matter using a wide variety of materials. Recently she has been experimenting with equine subjects. Linda’s belief that we as people are forever changing and growing is carried through her art with different media and subjects. To stay the same would be… to be left behind.

Linda reserves a portion of her day to share her love of art with children and adults at The Bein Gallery’s Kids Art in Southlake Studio. Students experiment with pencil, pastel, acrylic, watercolor, paper mache, clay, carving, and just about any form of art we can touch, feel and work with. www.lindabein.blogspot.com www.kidsartinsouthlake.com

#306 Winter Lights

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#467 Shy Gal

#468 Takin’ a Dip

#143 Silver Forest

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LAU RA R E E D Life Experiences

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Abstract Collage Paintings

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Laurie Justus Pace Ellepace.com

Above: Losing Direction 30 x 40 inches Oil on Canvas available through MiradaFineArt.com Right: Intent 24 x 30 inches Mixed Media on Canvas availalbe RobertKellyHome.com

Mirada Fine Art. Denver MiradaFineArt.com

Rare Gallery. Jackson Hole RareGalleryJacksonHole.com 48 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

Robert Kelly Home. Park Cities RobertKellyHome.com

South Hill Gallery: Lexington SouthHillGallery.com

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artspan

Cynthia J Lee

http://cynthiajlee.com

Rod Wimer

http://providencegallery.net

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Newest Works

Michael L. Pittman http://pittmanfineart.com

Laura Gibbs

http://lauragibbs-studio.com

ALAN SOFFER

#1 Militarized Demilitarized, 32x32, Encaustic

reality of mind and spirit in wax, oil, and acrylic Retrospective @ Villanova U. March 2014 Soffer organized 1st national ENCAUSTIC conference in US Autobiography: I Never Owned a Lawnmower @ lulu.com/spotlight/alansoffer

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TATIANA ROULIN Tatiana Roulin 2 pages

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TATIANA ROULIN Representational Fine Art

Oil and Pastel painter from New England

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VL VL Artspan Studio Visit

Elizabeth Chapman

Texture and Color Equal Time

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Studio Visit

Elizabeth Chapman

ADVENTURE...in one word that would be how I would describe my love for painting abstracts. There is the original inspiration or spark that sets the whole process in motion, with the belief that a wonderful work of art will emerge, yet navigating without a plan. Think going on a vacation without an agenda! The challenge is in responding to each new element that emerges on the canvas, capturing a sense of beauty through the use of color, shape, line, values and texture. Realizing that this is all but a glimpse of the bigger picture.

As a modern abstract expressionistic painter, I work intuitively, quickly making decisions as I am painting with each new mark leading to the next idea. The initial inspiration for a painting can come from many different sources, but once begun, following the creative flow is important to me. My work is always in the process of evolving as I grow as an artist. Many times the hardest part of this growth is in the letting go.

Jewel

Acrylic

12�H x 16�W on Heavy Watercolor Paper

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artspan

Allure

30”H x 40”W x 1.5” Acrylic on Canvas

I’ve always loved art. A strong passion for creating my own art begun and grew during the years that I worked as a high school art teacher. Through the encouragement of others I began to see the artist within me. Intuitively, I knew that I was an artist first and foremost. This required a huge step in faith in order to pursue working independently as an artist and to believe in myself.

A verse from God’s word that was given to me in those first days and is still tacked to my studio board, spoke to my heart in strengthening me for the task. It reads: Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plum line in Zerubbabel’s hand. Zechariah 4:10 I am often lifted up by these words- in that they speak to me about using the talents that have been given to us. Success is in realizing the way that each of us are made and in working to the best of our abilities.

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ChiChi

Studio Visit

Elizabeth Chapman

Mixed media 22” x 30” Heavy Watercolor Paper

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artspan

Inspira

Acrylic

36” x 36” Wrap Canvas

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Baroque

Studio Visit

Elizabeth Chapman

30”H x 40”W x 1.5” Acrylic on Canvas

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artspan

Ultramod

Acrylic 40”H x 60”W x 1.5” Wrap Canvas

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VL

Studio Visit

Wanderlust Acrylic

Emminence

Elizabeth Chapman

36” x 36” x 1.5” Wrap Canvas

Acrylic

30”H x 40” Wrap Canvas

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artspan

Mien

Mixed Media

22� x 30� Heavy Watercolor Paper

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Softwood

Studio Visit

Elizabeth Chapman

Acrylic 48” x 48” x 1.5” wrap canvas

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artspan

I am very thankful for the support I have received from my family, friends, fellow artists and last but certainly not least those who have financially invested in my efforts. For all these people have played a role in supporting the arts. “It brings me much joy just to be the brush in the Master Painter’s hand and to realize that His creations are made to bring great joy to all.� Elizabeth Chapman http://melizabethchapman.artspan.com/ VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 65

REES Vicki Rees

Wrightsville Twilight, 2013, 24 x 24

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Vicki Rees Woman in a Blue Dress Water Media 9 x 7 inches

Connie Chadwell ConnieChadwell.com conniechadwell@hotmail.com

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Amelia Currier www.ameliacurrier.com

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View From Hikshari Trail-Eureka

KATHY O’LEARY FINE ART Contemporary Realist Painter Working in Oils

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VL

Hall Groat II

Yanni: If I Could Tell You Yanni Interview Reprint from 2001 New York Art Guide, copyright©2001 Hall Groat II, Publisher Francine Butler, Interviewer

Francine Butler: After living in the United States for twenty-eight years and becoming an American citizen, would you consider yourself more Greek or more American?

Yanni: That’s a great question. People ask me this quite often. Both civilizations are unique. The Greek way of living has been within me up until I was eighteen, and I have definitely been Americanized very well. However, I feel I belong to none. I always say I’m a human being first. This is a very important point for people to get. We grow-up in different countries—and it tends to determine our religion and the way we think. Only if we travel outside the country, spending considerable amounts of time is when we become open-minded, and look at other ways of living and thinking—then can we then begin to realize how similar we all are.

I heard that you moved to the East Coast recently. What prompted a move like that?

Yanni: I wanted to find a place in the United States that had the type of climate that was very similar to the one in southern Greece where I grew up. This part of south Florida is as close as I can get!

How do you explain that you are one of the very few artists in the world that has such universal appeal?

Yanni: It is very difficult to explain. I can only speculate. I try to tell the truth with music. I do not contrive music. Since it is instrumental music for the most part I am asked to describe an emotion with notes, rhythms, melodies and sound. I only talk about emotions that I know of, and the only ones you know are the ones that you have experienced. I think because of that I connect with a fairly large audience around the world because the emotions are similar from culture to culture. Our ways of life may be different but the emotions are similar in human beings. So if your art is based on emotion you should be able to communicate pretty well. That is the theory and it seems to be working.

What have you discovered as you’ve traveled the world?

Yanni: It teaches you to be more open-minded and less judgmental. It also may point things out that you don’t like about yourself—or about your culture where things could have been done better because you saw something that you enjoy more or that you think is more correct. It aids a lot in personal growth.

What inspires you to create music? Yanni: Life. I live life and I am moved by life. There is a reason to speak and the way I speak is by using notes instead of words. The reason why I traveled so much for the past couple of years was that I was having an opportunity to live. I have been working so intensely for the past decade or so that I neglected my needs or my well being for what ever was necessary to be done. There is an incredible amount of traveling from country to country and it was a lot of work to put together these concerts. So I needed to just learn and grow. Once your experiences in life increase – the music is there. There is no such thing as a writer’s block. I think that is an illusion. I think you stagnate. If you stagnate as a human being your art stagnates with you. If you progress your art will progress with you. I feel that who you are determines what you will create. What your depth of understanding about life is, what your experiences are will determine that subject matter you will address and how you will address it.

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What are your unfulfilled professional goals?

Yanni: Right now it seems like it is a very simple goal but it is extremely difficult for like myself. I want to be happy. That’s all I want. Ever since I was a kid I had these dreams of creating music that would be heard all over the world which seemed impossible at the time. I have accomplished these goals and I have experienced these kinds of dreams and I have surpassed even my own expectations. So I want to continue living and be happy in my life and grow. I think my art will continue being alive as long as I am.

Are you happy right now?

Yanni: Yes, very! But it took a while. It is very difficult to communicate with the public and my friends. My life has been in such high gear for such a long period of time that ultimately you become brainwashed. When you work sixteen-hour days-when you don’t care when your birthday is or if it is Christmas. You’re going on high adrenaline with incredible pressure—and you’re just trying to maintain your sanity—so you don’t burn out—you just try to survive this. Then all of a sudden one day-you do the last concert and the next day you wake up and you say, “Okay, you are free. What would you like to do today?” There’s an emptiness that sets in. And it seems like not a lot of things can please you. That is a very scary place to be at. I’ve been there. I’ve experienced it and that is why I tend to understand why certain famous people tend to go into drugs and alcohol. It is a hiding place for them. The problem is, no drugs or alcohol could ever fill that. The only way you can do it is by going in it, feeling it and finding your way out. I found my way out by going back home to Greece, clandestinely mind you—nobody knew that I came into the country. I went straight to my mom and dad’s house brainwashed. When you the place where I grew up and I stayed there—living a very mundane, boring life—at least it seemed boring at the beginning. I did not leave until it was not boring anymore. When I woke up one morning and I loved the sunrise again, thinking how gorgeous the ocean was wanting to go in—finding beauty and enjoying the simplicity of life, then I thought “you are healed, you are allowed to go out again”. So I’m very happy right now. It is a good time in my life.

HallGroat.com

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Hall Groat II

Yanni: If I Could Tell You Yanni Interview

You have mentioned that you are able to hear the music you create in your mind. Mozart was like that and a few visual artists have had this gift also like Picasso who was able to paint images from his imagination. Do you think there is a connection between you and these types of artists?

Yanni: I think there is a connection between them and all artists. I think that the creative process is the same for everyone of us. It’s a place—a mindset. Athletes sometimes experience this area—they call it the zone. It is a mindset or a place that when I’m in it—all music is available to me. I just don’t hear one song, I can hear as many songs as I chose to turn my attention on. So my problem in the studio is when I get into that space, it is choosing which piece I want to bring down to reality. My mind just flies. I have so much fun imagining these pieces that are playing in my mind. It is a miraculous, magical place. It happens to you. It is the same place where you go when you write. When you are looking at a white piece of paper with nothing on it. How horrible is it when you try to logically figure out what you want to write, and how difficult it is and the words don’t come. But then there are these miraculous moments in time where you just know what you want to write—it just flows. It is a very similar place.

Do you think more people could be more creative if they tried to tap into that zone?

Yanni: Absolutely! I think that is the key, but no one in school or college has attempted to describe that place or tried to teach people how to get there. Everyone can. This is not a specific talent to me. Everyone is creative. Little kids are creative. But we are never trained. We are not taught, and we do not spend enough time looking for it.

The way I discovered it was by writing music. Doing it the painful way of writing music one note at a time starting as a youngster. That process trained me to focus. At the beginning maybe I had those moments of inspiration that lasted for five seconds and then they were gone. Then I could be sitting in front of my keyboards for a week with nothing. Now I can do it for hours at a time because I have been doing it for years and years. So I know exactly what I need to do, and one of the things I do is block the input. For example, I don’t watch television, I don’t listen to the radio, I don’t answer the phone. The day to day living is so stressful and quick now. I can’t imagine myself getting up at seven in the morning, going to work in a factory until five, then coming home and being creative. At that time you have been bombarded so intensely by the outside world that all you want to do is hide.

If you are in the Arts—painting, writing, music—it is exactly the same process. All you need to do is just block the input. You will hear yourself talking in a little while you just have to be patient. And Westerners are not really trained on “how to do nothing”. We are not trained on how to be alone, how to be in a room with no music, no TV and no one to talk to. It tends to drive us crazy. But in silence is where you find music.

Since you create such beautiful music my personal guess is that you appreciate all types of beauty in the Arts.

Who is your favorite visual artist?

Yanni: There are a lot of them. I saw an extraordinary exhibit of Pablo Picasso in Cologne, Germany. When I was a kid a I liked Dali believe it or not. People find it strange. I like beauty. My favorite painter of all time is Michelangelo. He is my favorite sculptor also, other than the ancient Greeks— the people who built the Parthenon.

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Let’s talk a little about your new album If I Could Tell You. It is your first studio album in seven years after your two-year sabbatical. How is this one different from the ones you have done before?

Yanni: The past couple of albums were concert albums. I felt that they made really good concerts but the albums may have been a little too dramatic. The difference between a concert and someone listening to an album at home is that in a concert you sit down and the lights go out, and you can’t talk to anybody for two and a half hours. When I’m doing a concert I have to take this into account. So I have to make it dramatic and exciting to maintain your interest for two and a half-hours, which is an incredibly long amount of time. This past one I didn’t have this problem so I feel it is a little more even tempered. I think it is more cohesive as an album and I’m hoping it will be more pleasurable to listen to. I personally like it a lot. I think it is one of the best albums I have ever done and I feel it has a place in people’s hearts and in people’s life’s. I think there is going to come a time during the day or the night where this album will be appropriate to hear. When I went into the studio to begin doing this new album, I went in not really knowing if I was going to have any new music. I had promised myself if I felt that the music that I wrote was similar or too close to whatever I had done in the past couple of albums that I wouldn’t release it. I was taken out a couple of years until I had something new to say. Much to my surprise it was one of the most effortless albums to create. It just came out. I guess I was ready. You once said “ That you know when an album will be useful in people’s life’s since you know what the emotional content is.”

What is the emotional content of your latest album?

Yanni: There are a lot of different emotions that I deal with there. My problem is I traditionally do not try to explain my songs. It is one of the reasons that I choose instrumental music. To back track right now trying to describe and explain what each song means emotionally with words is next to impossible for me. I feel the accuracy of the emotion is in the piece when you hear it. If I have done my job correctly you will feel it.

In listening to it there seems to be a variety of cultures that have influenced you. Is that true?

Yanni: Absolutely. I think in this album you will hear influences from Asia, the Middle East, South America and from Africa.

Wishing Well-that’s from Africa, right?

Yanni: Absolutely. You were in New York City when your album debuted on October 3rd.

Why did you choose New York City?

Yanni: I think that that is the most important city in the U.S. I love the people up there. I have always come to New York when I do a tour and I love the audiences. I have a lot of fans in New York City. I have to come there.

What’s next for you in your immediate plans?

Yanni: Right now I will promote the album for a little while. We are discussing plans for a world tour at the beginning of next year. But I am not sure exactly when, or if we are going to start out in the U.S. or in Europe.

Is the highlight of your career performing at the Acropolis?

Yanni: I have to say yes—not because other audiences or other places were not just as exquisite as the Acropolis.

The Acropolis is significant for me because it was a Greek boy coming home to show his friends and family what he has been doing in his life. That makes it the most special place for me.

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Hall Groat II

Yanni: If I Could Tell You Yanni Interview What are your unfulfilled personal goals?

Yanni: As soon as I find them I will let you know! Right now, I look for simplicity. I just want to be happy. I don’t have any grandiose goals anymore. I think with all the things I have gone through in my life and whatever small influence that I have from all the work I have done is that I would like to use it to do good in society in some way.

I want to be a contributing member of society. I feel that I have a responsibility to my fans and the people who enjoy my work. The reason why I am here is because I have millions of people who support me as an artist. That is why I am able to keep doing what I do. I have a responsibility to all these people to act appropriately and to use this recognition that they have given me correctly. I am open to goals in other words. They will appear. There are plenty of places to apply your energy and to do good and you can’t talk to anybody for two and a half hours.

When I’m doing a concert I have to take this into account. So I have to make it dramatic and exciting to maintain your interest for two and a half-hours, which is an incredibly long amount of time. This past one I didn’t have this problem so I feel it is a little more even tempered. I think it is more cohesive as an album and I’m hoping it will be more pleasurable to listen to. I personally like it a lot. I think it is one of the best albums I have ever done and I feel it has a place in people’s hearts and in people’s life’s. I think there is going to come a time during the day or the night where this album will be appropriate to hear. When I went into the studio to begin doing this new album, I went in not really knowing if I was going to have any new music. I had promised myself if I felt that the music that I wrote was similar or too close to whatever I had done in the past couple of albums that I wouldn’t release it. I was taken out a couple of years until I had something new to say. Much to my surprise it was one of the most effortless albums to create. It just came out. I guess I was ready. You once said “ That you know when an album will be useful in people’s life’s since you know what the emotional content is.”

What is the emotional content of your latest album?

Yanni: There are a lot of different emotions that I deal with there. My problem is I traditionally do not try to explain my songs. It is one of the reasons that I choose instrumental music. To back track right now trying to describe and explain what each song means emotionally with words is next to impossible for me. I feel the accuracy of the emotion is in the piece when you hear it. If I have done my job correctly you will feel it.

In listening to it there seems to be a variety of cultures that have influenced you. Is that true?

Yanni: Absolutely. I think in this album you will hear influences from Asia, the Middle East, South America and from Africa.

Wishing Well-that’s from Africa, right?

Yanni: Absolutely. You were in New York City when your album debuted on October 3rd.

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Why did you choose New York City?

Yanni: I think that that is the most important city in the U.S. I love the people up there. I have always come to New York when I do a tour and I love the audiences. I have a lot of fans in New York City. I have to come there.

What’s next for you in your immediate plans?

Yanni: Right now I will promote the album for a little while. We are discussing plans for a world tour at the beginning of next year. But I am not sure exactly when, or if we are going to start out in the U.S. or in Europe.

Is the highlight of your career performing at the Acropolis?

Yanni: I have to say yes—not because other audiences or other places were not just as exquisite as the Acropolis.

The Acropolis is significant for me because it was a Greek boy coming home to show his friends and family what he has been doing in his life. That makes it the most special place for me.

What are your unfulfilled personal goals?

Yanni: As soon as I find them I will let you know! Right now, I look for simplicity. I just want to be happy. I don’t have any grandiose goals anymore. I think with all the things I have gone through in my life and whatever small influence that I have from all the work I have done is that I would like to use it to do good in society in some way.

I want to be a contributing member of society. I feel that I have a responsibility to my fans and the people who enjoy my work. The reason why I am here is because I have millions of people who support me as an artist. That is why I am able to keep doing what I do. I have a responsibility to all these people to act appropriately and to use this recognition that they have given me correctly. I am open to goals in other words. They will appear. There are plenty of places to apply your energy and to do good.

What kinds of things do you enjoy in your leisure time when you are not composing?

Yanni: Anything that has to do with the ocean is okay with me. I windsurf,scuba dive, fish and swim as often as I can.

You seem to speak to the world through your music. Is there any particular type of message that you are trying to give them?

Yanni: There are many messages. The message comes from my traveling and experiencing different cultures.

If we can’t love each other, or if we find it impossible or very difficult to do so, at least we should learn how to tolerate one another. Not be so judgmental, not so eager to jump on people just because they are a little different from us, or they act slightly different, or they speak slightly different, or they eat different foods, or they behave different from us. Those differences are not that pronounced. They seem large because we tend to look at each other through a microscope, which amplifies our differences.

How do you want to be remembered in the world?

Yanni: I don’t have this kind of ego. It is not that important now—at least not in this stage of my life. If I am remembered as a good man who was able to alter people’s moods for the better—if my music made them happier—that is as far as I think about those things. If after I am gone, there are a couple of guys who still enjoy it, that would be nice..

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Running Free

The Last Day of Summer

Olehoffstad.com

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On the Range

Ephemera

Filomena Booth filomenabooth.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 77

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Slav Krivoshiev

http://slavkk.in.gallerix.ru/

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“The Mythological Constructivism – this is each one of us”

Slav Krivoshiev

Member of : ARTIST TRADE UNION OF RUSSIA WORLD ART FOUNDATION- USA. INTERNACIONAL SOCIETY OF ARTIST (ISA)

Master of Culturology & Art Management Teacher of Fine Arts.

Freelance Artist.

Author of the “Mythological Constructivism” concept – a style in the modern art.

“The 21st century world is marked with active globalization processes in which a very important part is taken by the intercultural contacts. Through the language of the visual arts we build and share thought constructions, laying in our cultural archetype and defined by the instruments of the modern civilization. Realizing it or not, we are taking part and creating the myth of the global person. Each act of art is a part of the whole, part of the common story for us, the humanity, in the globalization era. This is why the sign of the new age is the Mythological constructivism which is made by us – doesn’t matter if we want it or not.”

S. Krivoshiev

http://slavkk.in.gallerix.ru/ 80 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

Above: Scorched Prayer Right: For People and Fish

http://slavkk.in.gallerix.ru/

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Slav Krivoshiev

Descent from the Cross

http://slavkk.in.gallerix.ru/ 82 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

“Do not punish us, but preserve us.�

http://slavkk.in.gallerix.ru/ VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 83

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Slav Krivoshiev

Atonement- Cycle Tiny Picturesque Forms

Slav Krivoshiev Bulgaria; 8000 Burgas Ivan Vazov street 29B +359888020804 mail : slav_kk@abv.bg http://slavkk.in.gallerix.ru/ http://slavkk.in.gallerix.ru/ 84 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

“Crucifix”- Acrylic, Oil on Wood

http://slavkk.in.gallerix.ru/ VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 85

Sylvia Horn

Stormy Sea

Tense Fish

Sea Life Jelly Fish

sylviakathryn.artspan.com

Sharmon Davidson Contemporary Mixed Media

The Separation of Heron and Crow Monotype with Mixed Media, 9 x 11.5 inches

SharmonDavidson.com

Spirit Of Overcoming VI Snowman Series 22x15 Watercolor

Spirit Of Overcoming VII - Snowman Series-22 x 13 Watercolor

Spirit Of Overcoming II - Snowman Series-22 x 15 Watercolor

Left: Escape Velosity 2013

Expressive Interpretations : ‘The Spirit Of Overcoming’

Spirit of Overcoming

Lesley Humphrey So many ordinary horses labelled ‘the wrong type’ or ‘poorly bred’ are seldom given the chance to even compete with “the big guys”, yet when they do, sometimes.. miracles happen....Such was the case with the great horse 'Snowman'.

Introducing a new series "Snowman : The Spirit Of Overcoming" by internationally acclaimed sporting artist, Lesley Humphrey

Visit www:lesleyhumphrey.net humphrey_art@yahoo.com Enquiries : Lauren Humphrey (713) 598-1853

Jana Kappeler

Breaking Through 24 x 24

Contemporary Abstract Art in Mixed Mediand janakappelerstudio.com janakappelerstudio@live.com

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Shirley Quaid Studio

‘Outa Commission’ 14 x 11 Oil on Canvas

Capturing Moments in Life ShirleyQuaid.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 91

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CAROL NELSON VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 93

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Carol Nelson Colorado Fine Artist

CarolNelsonFineArt.com

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Contemporary Original Oil and Acrylic Paintings

CarolNelsonFineArt.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 95

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Carol Nelson

Denver, CO

I wasn’t always an “artist.” I put that word in quotes because, to me, an artist is one who works at his or her craft diligently every day. Besides spending time at the easel, in today’s times, being an artist also involves networking, researching, marketing, and spending a great deal of time on the computer.

It is far more involved than sitting at your kitchen table and painting a pretty picture once in a while.

Going way back in my art career, I can see the embryonic form of the artist I have become. I’ve always been attracted to vibrant color, and my earliest memory of anything artistic is that extra-large box of Crayola crayons I treasured. When I colored a page, I put on LOTS of color, pushing the crayon deeply into the paper for a saturated color.

In high school, my favorite subject was art. I loved everything we did in class, and it was a straight-A subject for me. As a college freshman, it was natural for me to declare an art major. However, sometime during that freshman year – maybe during a biology class or chemistry 101 – it dawned on me that perhaps I should think about how I would support myself when I graduated. My right and left brains were in a battle for dominance. The left brain won, and I graduated with a scientific degree and a profession (medical technology) that would prove to be both satisfying and supportive.

So my artistic side was buried for several years. Actually, I “dabbled” a bit with artsy endeavors.

When my children were small, I had a stained glass business out of my basement. I made custom stained glass windows for homeowners. Although stained glass is one of the most beautiful mediums there is, it is also very expensive to produce. When I figured out I was making less than $1/hour, I decided it was time to find a different outlet for my creative tendencies.

The momentous day that propelled me into a serious art career came in 1998, when I happened to be looking through the art book section at a Hobby Lobby store. I picked up a copy of Maxine Masterfield’s, Painting the Spirit of Nature, and was instantly smitten with the images inside. Looking at the beautiful poured ink abstract compositions, I KNEW I could do this. I bought all the stuff and went home to start creating.

Thus started a new passion. I soon became aware of how much I didn’t know. They say you don’t know what you don’t know, but at least I knew I had just scratched the surface of something huge and wonderful.

Fast forward 15 years to where I am now. I’ve taken many workshops in various painting media – from watercolor to oils and acrylics – and slowly my true love has emerged. Although I can certainly appreciate the beauty of rich oils and the flowing transparency of watercolor, it’s that “texture thing” with acrylics and all the acrylic mediums that pulls me back time and time again.

My studio, as you can see from the photo, is always in a state of chaos. When your medium is mixed media, you have to save everything that might somehow end up in a painting. I’m not above dumpster diving and picking up ephemera and junk off the streets.

CarolNelsonFineArt.com

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Canyon Colors

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Carol Nelson

Denver, CO

I love experimenting with new paints, materials and techniques. Since I work in acrylic, the vast number of mediums available gives me unlimited options in how I create. Many of the techniques I’ve developed or practiced in my own work are of interest to other mixed media artists. I love traveling around the country giving mixed media workshops – I meet the nicest artists! I love their enthusiasm and delight at the things I present to them.

Last October, I completed a week of training with Golden Artist Colors. Golden chose 18 artists from around the country for advanced study in their Golden Art Educator Program. Since I already was using Golden Fluid Acrylics in my work, the additional training with Golden’s many pastes, gels, and grits, was like a huge flood of information that I’m beginning to incorporate into my painting process.

Life as traveling artist is sometimes hectic – like when my plane is delayed by a blizzard – but the rewards of meeting and working with other artists makes it all worth it.

CarolNelsonFineArt.com

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VL Carol Nelson

CarolNelsonFineArt.com

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Denver, CO

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Kimberly Conrad

Contemporary Artist “Pouring Color Into Your Life”

The Arrival IV 24x30x1.5 Acrylic on Canvas

Commissions Welcome

Rolling In V 24x30x1.5 Acrylic on Canvas

KimberlyConradFineArt.com

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maralynwilson.com Darryl and His Little Friend Size- 32”x 20” x10” Materials- fired clay, wax, found objects Price- $1200.00

Fired clay with an encaustic finish and encaustic embellishments.

104 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

Pretty Pricilla Size- 8”x 9”x 14” Materials- fired clay, wax, wire, found objects Price- $850.00

vlrees.com Maralyn Wilson maralynwilson.com

sallieswiftart.com

ChiefSize - 45”x12”x8” www.cfai.co/sallieanneswift Materials- fired clay, wax, wire, found objects Price- $1200.00 VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 105

McCoy’s Gaited Horse Artworks Your equine art connection!

Jonelle T. McCoy jonelle-t-mccoy.artistwebsites.com

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!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eric!Bodtker! !

KauaiKauai!Red!Dirt!Road Red Dirt Road http://artistoftheda.blogspot yvl.com

!

www.ericbodtker.com!

Eric Bodtker ericbodtker.com

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RAZZA

Mixed Media razzadesign.com

Power Tie, Mixed Media on Canvas with Oil, Enamel and Acrylic Paint Skin, 48” x 36”

Tie One On, Mixed Media on Vinyl Screen on Canvas with Oil, Enamel, and Acrylic Paint Skin, 36” x 60”

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LIZ JONES

UNIQUE ABSTRACT PAINTINGS

Golschmann Conducts Pictures

pastel 29" x 19"

lizjonesartist.com emjartist@yahoo.com

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Cold Day on the Marsh 9x12 oil

Barbara Van Rooyan barbaravanrooyanabstractart.com 110 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

B.D. Busey Adventures in Art

www.bdbusey.com

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ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight

artspan

Katharine Cartwright

www.kacartwright.com 112 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

Blood Money 24 x 30 Oil on Canvas

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ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight

artspan

Katharine Cartwright

When did you realize you loved art and wanted to be an artist? My parents recognized I was an artist before I entered kindergarten, and provided me with opportunities to learn about color theory and design beginning at age 3. Therefore, I’ve always self-identified as an artist and have never lost my love for creating art. Because I think in pictures rather than in words, drawing and painting come naturally to me and are the way I prefer to communicate with myself and others.

Who has been your mentor, or greatest influence to date? Susan Webb Tregay, a superb artist and instructor has been the greatest influence on my work. She taught me the importance of concept in creating art. Without that, artistry does not occur because it is the intended concept that makes art “art.”

Who is another living artist you admire and why? The artists that I admire most are those whose work is authentic – the ones who bravely express themselves with honesty and integrity without the motivation of popularity and sales. Thankfully, there are many that fall into this category.

What is your favorite surface to create work on or to work with? Primarily, I use Arches watercolor paper, cold press 140 pound because it can take a lot of “abuse” and stand up to it very well.

What are your favorite materials to use? Although I was trained in oils, I now prefer watercolors above any other medium. My favorite brand is Daniel Smith.

Do you have a favorite color palette? No. For me, it’s more important to assemble a palette for each painting based upon the mood, values, and temperatures that I need to employ to best express my concept. That always changes from painting to painting.

How often do you work on your artwork? How many hours a week? When I’m not traveling, I walk to my studio at 4:30 AM and work from between 4 to 10 hours in a single day. I try to do this seven days a week unless I have appointments and other matters that interfere.

However, I’m always able to work in the studio between 4:30 and 8:30 AM. I like the discipline, but I’m also eager to get into the studio and work. I love to paint!

What is the one thing you would like to be remembered for? The things I would like to be remembered for is what I’ve deemed to be important: my dedication to family and community; integrity as an artist and a human being; creating art that is both meaningful and unique, that contributed to the global dialogue in the visual arts, and, effective teaching.

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Ampere’s Law

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artspan

ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight

Katharine Cartwright

Brewster’s Law

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There are many culprits that can crush creativity, such as distractions, self-doubt and fear of failure. What tends to stand in the way of your creativity? How do you overcome these obstacles? As you noted, distractions, self-doubt and fear of failure are the usual culprits for most artists and were for me as well. Learning to ignore all that and trust my own intuition and imagination took a long time, but I finally got there. I learned to listen only to my inner voice. That liberated me use my own voice to create work that’s original rather than imitative or derivative.

What are your inspirations for your work? Because my work relies upon my imagination and not physical references, I suppose my greatest inspiration is my internal vision of the world. That internal vision is influenced by my psychology (which filters and interprets my surroundings) and my life experiences.

What is your favorite way to get your creative juices flowing? Wake up and walk to my studio.

The juices are flowing by the time I open the studio door. It’s Pavlovian.

Which work of yours is your favorite? Always, the one I’m presently working on. I must be in love with and cherish the piece I’m creating in order to complete it. So, it becomes the most precious at the time.

Law of Reciprocal Actions

www.kacartwright.com

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ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight

artspan Katharine Cartwright

Complementarity

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Entropy

Wiedemann-Franz Law

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artspan

ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight

Katharine Cartwright

The Law of Universal Gravitation

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Getting to know you Q&A What is your favorite color in your closet? If you looked at my closet you’d see a full palette of colors without one that is dominant. I love all colors and tend to wear the one that best reflects my mood at the moment.

What book are you reading this week? I love to read women’s travel and homesteading accounts. Right now, I’m reading a number of books on Maine and Alaskan women homesteaders.

Do you have a favorite television show? Not really, but I do manage to follow “Project Runway.” I like the challenges and creative solutions by the designers.

What is your favorite food? Pie (any fruit flavor).

What color sheets are on your bed right now? Aneegoine What are you most proud of in your life? My son.

Who would you love to interview?An “undiscovered” artist who is naturally gifted and struggling to keep her integrity while attempting to rise through the ranks. Someone who’s truly undaunted by the art scene and perseveres would, in my opinion, be worth knowing about.

Do you have a passion or hobby other than painting? What is it? Yes. I love to sail and kayak.

Who would you love to portray in mixed media? I don’t know. I guess I don’t think that way.

If you were an animal what would you be and why? A well-loved and cared-for Labrador retriever would be my choice because they have a wonderful temperament and are very loyal.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take three things, what would they be? A machete, striking steel, and a very long rope.

Share something with us that few people know about you. Although I don’t come across this way, I’m actually very shy.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Since I’ve already made that choice, it’s easy: Midcoast Maine, where I live right now. It’s a slice of heaven.

The Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics

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Daily Painters Contemporary Art

dailypaintersabstract.blogspot.com

Inks by Lou Jordan

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Carol Nelson

Abstract Gallery Abstracts

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Ferris Wheel

Beach Thoughts Left Page: East View

M Allison

mallisonartist.com

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Clara Johnson Abstract Contemporary Art

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Studio Visit Sallie-Anne Swift

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VL Studio Visit Sallie-Anne Swift From a layman’s view abstract art often looks like the artist has just thrown paint onto a canvas to produce undefined images, but there is more to this type of art than most people realize.

Sallie-Anne says she has graduated from realism art to produce fine abstract art pieces and believes her formal art training and many years of illustration, painting and working as a graphic designer play in big part in her finished pieces.

As a realism artist for more than 30 years Sallie-Anne says she felt nervous about attempting an abstract painting, “it went against everything I had ever been taught” she says. It wasn’t until the artist moved from Australia to the USA in 2008, that she decided to be brave and try an abstract painting. Initially she struggled with the freedom of her brush, her strokes had always been very confined and controlled and she was constantly reminding herself to “leave it alone”, as she puts it. She found working on larger canvases and using the biggest, widest brushes she could find, gave her no choice but to “free-up” and it wasn’t long before she was producing finished pieces that she felt happy with. “Doing realism was a little stressful, I was worried about every stroke, now I have this new found freedom with my brush, paint and canvas and it is exhilarating, I’ve never looked back or enjoyed my art as much as I do now!” she says.

Swift, describes herself as an artist who is “pushing boundaries”. “My head is constantly swimming with ideas for something that is visually appealing yet still tells a story about our environment. Her latest work clearly shows she has perfected a technique that works perfectly. She uses stretched canvas or cradled panels, finished off with acrylic panels that are painted in reverse to the image that appears on the canvas, a unique idea that gives her finished pieces even more depth and interest by creating a 2D effect. She says she had this idea over 3 years ago but was so busy working that it was impossible to find the time to put it all together. Since retiring earlier this year, she is able to paint full time and concentrate on her painting. She has clear ideas in her head and is not just throwing paint onto a canvas, her aim is to produce well structured pieces yet she remains determine not to let this override her artistic awareness. Her choice of colors, texture and bold strokes have a purpose and are precise in their application, which she feels, stems from her many years of experience as a graphic designer and artist.

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Title: Disturbance Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media Size: 20” x 20”

Swift wants her abstracts to be interesting, something that initially appeals to the eye, yet conveys a message, an emotion or reaction, even perhaps a question. “I love nothing better than to see people closely studying my work, to witness their curiosity, or to see them wanting to interact by touching it.” It’s true her paintings do draw you in, they make you take a second look and you really do want to touch them. She is constantly asked, “How did you do that?” and she replies, “With many years of practice. As an artist, you never stop learning. I have been painting for a very long time, but every time I work on a new piece, I learn something new.” sallieswiftart.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 131

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Studio Visit Sallie-Anne Swift

Title: Aerial Ocean Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media Size: 20” x 20”

sallieswiftart.com

Title: Dancing Waves Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media Size: 20” x 20”

Right Page: Title: Drawing Breat Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media Size: 36” x 48”

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Banana Bread Two

sallieswiftart.com

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VL Studio Visit Sallie-Anne Swift

Title: Hugging The Shore Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media Size: 20” x 20” ”

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Title: Hugging The Shore Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media Size: 20” x 20”

Title: The Current Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media Size: 20” x 20”

Swift says she was inspired by her artistic family at a young age, sitting mesmerized, as she watched her mother (also an artist), paint for hours on end. Her uncle, a jazz musician was also a painter, and her grandmother a milliner and a master at her craft. Her German ancestry dated back to Wagner, the famous pianist. Swift also has a musical background and played piano for many years.

“My art has evolved from one of traditional painting to one that fuses together artistic skill, technology, illustration and graphic design skills. It’s thrilling to see the final results. My aim is to creatively use my 2 talents, (art and design) and become a better artist, creating unique pieces” she said.

No matter how skilled you are, there are still many people out there who think they can slap some paint on a canvas, call it an abstract and sell it for a pretty penny. Swift believes this is something that greatly compromises the quality of an artist’s work and is an injustice to skilled artists.

The international award winning artist, and judge, accepts commission work and enjoys the challenge of creating pieces for each new environment, incorporating colors and textures that will compliment interiors and exteriors and enhance their intended design. Her commissioned work is hanging in LA and Texas corporate offices, prestigious Californian beachside homes as well as Palm Desert, Scottsdale, New Jersey, Ohio, Taiwan, and Australia.

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Carol Nelson Workshop “Experiments in Mixed Media�

February 8th and 9th Denver, Colorado Join Carol Nelson at a two day workshop at Kimberly Conrad Fine Art Studio Gallery. Space is limited to only six artists. You will learn about the mediums and materials Carol uses in her work, including several Golden Mediums, Tyvek, Golden high Flow Acrylics, economical substitutes for expensive art products, methods of presentation for a finished piece, methods of attachment, glues and pastes, epoxy resin application, combusted foil, marbleized paper and more. Carol will discuss color theory and composition in abstract work, the importance of having an internet presence for your work and she will share examples of her own work to illustrate different approaches with mixed media.

Contact Kimberly Conrad to reserve your space. kkconrad2@aol.com

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CFAI.co Monthly Art Challenge December Art Challenge “Festive�

Enter today for your chance to win $100 cash and many other fantastic prizes!

Open to all 2D visual artists worldwide.

Open for entry until December 27th. http://www.cfai.co/#!art-challenge/chic

http://www.cfai.co

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CFAI.co “Still Life�

Winter Juried Show 2013

Tracy Wall

$500 in total cash prizes Plus much more!

Open to 2D visual artists worldwide www.cfai.co/#!juried-shows/c19ne

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Touhing the Earth 40.5” x 84” Mixed Media made with Textured Marble Dust Plasterr

Day Dream 72” x 72” x 3” Mixed Media made with Textured Marble Dust Plaster

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STEPHANIE PAIGE

Fire Within 48 x 48� Mixed Media made with Textured Marble Dust Plaster

La Jolla . SantaFe . San Diego . Denver . Scottsdale . Napa Valley . Walnut Creek . Malibu

StephaniePaigeStudio.com Solo Show Embracing Mother Earth February 6th 2014

Calvin Charles Gallery 4201 North Marshall Way Scottsdale, AZ, 85251 RSVP 480.421.1818 VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 141

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Barry Scharf

Painting Prisoners of Progress

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Barry Scharf

Abstract Painting, A Personal View

The trouble with abstract art is that it is easily misunderstood. Artist’s who create abstractly run the risk of often being dismissed as amateur or worse as frauds. The assumption is that they cannot draw realistically so they make abstract marks. Although this may be true of a few it is not the rule for many a serious painter. This way of thinking about the artist could not be further from the truth.

Artists spend a lifetime trying to define their style and approach to the canvas. This is not a frivolous venture; the struggle is real and often hard to understand. Why an artist paints, the way an artist paints and what images are chosen to define what is important is at the heart of every true painter.

It is a mind, body and spiritual journey.

There are many reasons and approaches to the creation of abstract art. First and foremost is that abstraction is often a part of reality simply taken out of context. Could this be a close up or inset of a larger something not fully defined? In this way isn’t abstraction a form of realism? Like in the way the floral center close-up paintings of Georgia O’Keefe find the abstract in the real.

Another way to consider abstract painting is to see and feel the emotion that it expresses through color, shape, line, brush action and motion. These are thought provoking powerful tools of the psyche and are often akin to someone passionately singing or playing an instrument. Do the words matter when the beat is strong and the rhythm driving? More often then not one is carried off on a wave of sound and feeling and less on meaning.

Over what is now a lifetime at the easel, like mixing oil and water, I have struggled with bring the abstract and the real together in a cohesive marriage. I am forever in the pursuit of connecting the two worlds at some point of synthesis that allows the viewer to move freely from that, which is known in the mind to that which is felt in the spirit. I often struggle with how much defining characteristics are need to clarify the concept and at what point the emotional strokes will define the mood of the statement.

I am not as interested in making a pretty image but rather in evoking an emotional or heart felt response. If I can define both concepts and weave them into a synergistic composition I can often achieve what I am looking for. If the result is beautiful all the better.

A good example of this is the painting “Painting Prisoners of Progress,” seen below. Here we see a group of prison striped African Antelope springing through an environment of abstraction and as they try to find a path to safety they pass through a field of unnatural elements and so lost, they begin to fade into extinction

https://barrywscharf.squarespace.com/ http://scharf62.blogspot.com/ www.linkedin.com/pub/barry-scharf-mfa/4/b29/3a0/

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This painting symbolizes the encroachment of humanity on the wild lands that are becoming lost to us all. Observe the action of brushwork and movement of color.

See the dripping shapes and the dark structural forms encroaching?

Painting Prisoners of Progress

Abstract Dremp’t T’was Realism

In another painting “Abstract Dremp’t T’was Realism” (above) I am looking to personify the term “Abstract” to think of it as having human traits. It is longing to be real but can only dream of being so. A passionate plea for connection as seen through a series of implied and wind blown falling leaves as they fall seeming lost through the undefined forms of the abstract space something has happened. One leaf has made the transition and landed in a river of realism! Eureka! Joy fills the dream with spirals and the visual poem is complete. The warm tones of the sun reflect across the water the rocks mirror themselves in the surface and the leaf casts it’s shadow. To the right a stone head rises as if to get a better look. The soft reality plays off against the bold lights and darks of the abstraction. https://barrywscharf.squarespace.com/ VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 145

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Barry Scharf

As a painter in my studio I often listen to all kinds of music. For me, it is a part of the creative environment and often infiltrates the mood and direction a painting will take. To this point I have discussed a blending of two forms of painting an you may be thinking that I am not playing fair, that these are not true abstractions in the purist sense of the word. I have to admit that I am not following any rules here. So I offer another painting below, for your consideration. “Abstraction 24� is not based on any real images instead it is a visual structure based on music. Here the forms move in a dance of shape shifting and color contrast. There is a lot of brush action and contrast from white to black. There is an underlying score of Hebrew text that infers a chant and the verity of elements plays like an orchestra of instruments in a harmonic symphony of elements. The artist is the composer and conductor while the viewer is the audience.

Abstract 24

Yellows play against blue, red compliments green and there is a balance of white and black all the while line dances from thick to thin as we move across strong vertical divisions. https://barrywscharf.squarespace.com/ http://scharf62.blogspot.com/ www.linkedin.com/pub/barry-scharf-mfa/4/b29/3a0/

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Abstract 66

Another pure abstract is “Abstract 66� it is not concerned with defining any reality even though one may be implied. This work was designed to create the illusion of a red form not attached to the green surface but rather floating out in front of it. Below we feel the pressure of the dark blue thick strokes as they struggle to brake free from the pressures compressing them. We feel the squeezing of the shapes and the tightness of the forms set in contrast to the freedom of the small red shape ready to float away. I am often in awe of the paint when I am finished with a work such as this. It seems to have been effortlessly created, no marks out of place, nothing extra needed, the result of a lifetime of standing at the easel. It is the reason I keep coming back for more.

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Roseanne Snyder

Texas Contemporary Artist roseannesnyder.blogspot.com www.xanadugallery.com/2013/Artists/ArtistPage.php?ArtistID=983

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Lloyd Voges

WAA

Texas Cactus Floral #7 24 x 36

Colored in Drought Oil on Canvas 30 x 40

It’s Still a Little Shade Oil on Canvas 24 x 30

Paulson Gallery & Frames 112 N. Ave D Clifton, Texas 254-675-3144

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Lisa McKinney

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Lisa-McKinney.com Lisa-McKinney.artistwebsites.com www.lmckinneygraphics.blogspot.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 151

Lary Lemons

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DianeWhitehead.com

“Animals are my muse. The scratch of the paw, pounce of a hoof, gesture of the head, alert ear, quiet stride, powerful shape, ancient wisdom. All come to play with the shapes I see as I paint. “ 154 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

Diane Whitehead

DianeWhitehead.com

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DORON Melissa Doron

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ART Contemporary

artistdoron.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 157

wenmohsranch.com 158 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

Dena Wenmohs Dynamic Color and Composition

The Bunkhouse, Art Classes and Gallery wenmohsranch.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 159

HERTEL hertel.artspan.com “Thin Ice”

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hertel.artspan.com

Daniel (de)Cournoyer 619 C么te St. Jean, St. Roch de Richelieu, Qc.Canada, J0L 2M0, Phone: 438-871-2356 VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 161

Poppies

Mary Jo Zorad ZoradArt.com

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High Fashion

Felicia Marshall signature member AOT

feliciamarshall.blogspot.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 163

Kay Wyne

Karen Balon

Jill Saur

Palette Knife Artists

Kimberly Conrad

Tom Brown

www.paletteknifepainters.blogspot.com

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Natasa Vretenar

Filomena Booth

Karen Tarlton

Judith Babcock

www.paletteknifepainters.blogspot.com

Lori McNamara

Carol Schiff

Laurie Pace

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VL Photographer Spotlight Tom Peterson http://www.tpeterson45.com/

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artspan

Wall 2 http://www.tpeterson45.com/ VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 167

VL Photographer Spotlight Tom Peterson

I took early retirement from The Hartford Financial Group in September of 2003. That year, I devoted myself to learn and develop as a Documentary and Fine Arts photographer. I was originally influenced by the life and photography of Eugene Atget, the French photographer whose work concentrated on “Old” Paris during the early 20th Century. Since 2005, I have dedicated myself to photographing the disappearing sections of Connecticut cities and, more recently, New York’s 5th Avenue.

I generally find places that are in a state of change and often return to them. The more I return, the more I see. That familiarity provides me with opportunities to create unique sets of images and themes.

Many of my photographs focus on an abstract view of every day structures and close-up subjects we often pass by, but rarely notice. My objective is to find and photograph the uncommon within the commonplace.

The photographs included in my portfolio, “Around Here”, are part of an ongoing series taken while walking along side streets, back alleys, and vacant buildings in Connecticut’s urban centers. These particular photographs were taken in once vibrant, industrial neighborhoods that have been left in a state of urban decay.

I have imagined myself an archeologist finding small pieces of abstract art that have gone unnoticed. Each subject was selected for its vibrant color, shape and texture. I share any success with my partners, “Time” and “Weather”.

“Around Here” is one of six portfolios that are currently on my Artspan website. www.tpeterson45.com.

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artspan http://www.tpeterson45.com/

Yellow

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VL Photographer Spotlight Tom Peterson

Abandoned http://www.tpeterson45.com/ 170 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

artspan http://www.tpeterson45.com/

Blue

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VL Photographer Spotlight Tom Peterson

Molten http://www.tpeterson45.com/ 172 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

artspan http://www.tpeterson45.com/

Weathered Landscape

Untitled 4 VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 173

VL Photographer Spotlight Tom Peterson

Condemned

Jazz Note

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artspan

Variations with Red

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CFAI.co Art Challenge

CFAI.co November Art Challenge “What’s on the Menu?”

Best of Show - Barbara Mason http://www.cfai.co/#!challenge-winners/cb0j

Best of Show Sweet Station Barbara Mason

http://www.dragonflystudiocreations.com

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First Place Some Like it Hot Kay Smith

http://www.kaysmith.artspan.com

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CFAI.co Art Challenge

Second Place Oyster on the Half Shell Kristine Kainer http://www.kristinekainer.com

http://www.cfai.co/#!challenge-winners/cb0j

CFAI.co December Art Challenge - “Festive� - $100 Cash Prize!

Open to all 2D visual artists!

Enter now -

http://www.cfai.co/#!art-challenge/chic

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Painting by Tom Brown

Third Place Teapot and Citruses Tatiana Roulin http://www.3dmirror.com

http://www.cfai.co/#!challenge-winners/cb0j

Submit your portfolio to join

Contemporary Fine Art International http://www.cfai.co/#!join-us/cgs0

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WINTER THEMES “Can’t See the River for the Trees” 24” x 18” “Spring Thaw” 16”x20”

RebeccaZook.com www.facebook.com/RebeccaZookFineArtPaintings rebeccazook.blogspot.com

“Jack in January Snow” 11” x 16.5”

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Janet Weaver Portrait of Tim “The Man Called Weasel� size: 24 x 36 inches

JanetWeaver.com email: jweaver642@embarqmail.com

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artists of texas

artistsoftexas.org 184 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

NO WHERE BUT TEXAS

artistsoftexas.blogspot.com dailypaintersoftexas.blogspot.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 185

Debbie Grayson Lincoln Texas Contemporary Western Illustrator NoworNever-Debbie.blogspot.com DebbieLincoln.com

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http://davethepaintingguy.com/podcast/

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