Visual Language Vol 4 No 3 March 2015

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Visual Language

Mary Jane Q Cross maryjaneqcross.com

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Features: Robert Duncan . Mary Jane Q Cross . David Francis . Barbara Rudolph . Sabine Barbar

March 2015 Volume 4 No. 3

contemporary fine art

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visual language contemporary fine art

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March 2015 Vol 4 No 3 ŠGraphicsOneDesign1998-2014

Classical and Realistic Fine Art

New Hampshire artist Mary Jane Q Cross is emotionally and spiritually present in all of her paintings. Painting with her fingers became necessary after developing a tremor that made brushwork difficult. Good coping skills and an eye that sees beauty and truth in most everything she sees has given her work a broad scope of interests that develop not only into paintings but poems as well. We hope you take away a vision of paintings remembered and poems repeated.

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VL Cover Artist

Mary Jane Q Cross

Victoria Pendragon

“Storm Tree�

victoriapendragon.artspan.com

content

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Cover Artist Mary Jane Q Cross 3 Realism

Painter’s Keys - Sara Genn 11

Robert Duncan 32 Robert Duncan was born in Salt Lake City in 1952 and grew up in a large family of ten children. He spent the summers helping his grandparents on their 10,000 acre cattle ranch in Wyoming.

Mary Jane Q Cross 50 New Hampshire artist Mary Jane Q Cross is emotionally and spiritually present in all of her paintings. Painting with her fingers became necessary after developing a tremor that made brushwork difficult.

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David Francis 64

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

It sounds cliché’, but it seems like I have always loved to draw.

Once of my earliest memories is waiting for my father to finish the Sunday newspaper, so that I could sit down and start copying the funnies.

Barbara Rudolph 94 When did you realize you loved art and wanted to be an artist?

I have loved art for as long as I can remember.

Even when I was a little girl I loved to draw. I didn’t make the full time jump into becoming an artist until I was in my mid 20’s.

content Sabine Barber 114

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I was born and raised in South Africa. Growing up on a beautiful farm in Mpumalanga, most of my childhood was spent outside in the sun, running barefoot through the dirt, climbing in trees and daydreaming in the garden. I also spent countless hours doodling, using any scraps of paper I could find, filling the pages with princesses, mermaids, unicorns, playing out my fantasies using pencil or ballpoint pen. In my early teens, I began taking private lessons in oil and pastel painting, which opened up a wonderful world to me. I found a new, colourful, way to express myself. Art was a part of my life, a part of my day-to-day. It helped me escape; it made me happy!

Index Directory of Artists and Galleries 134 In alphabetical order, you can easily find all featured artists and advertising artists, along with featured galleries in our index directory.

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“Phalaenopsis� Pastel

Richard Levine Pastel Painter Landscape and Figurative

www.richardlevine.net

Davis & CO Fine Art

email: artisanrichard@gmail.com

dandcgallery.com

Mark Yearwood

Fire and Rain 48’’x36’’ Mixed Media on Canvas

MarkYearwood.com Select Prints available at Nuvango.com/markyearwood

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visual language magazine Contemporary Fine Art

Visual Language Magazine Staff Editorial Editor -in-Chief Laurie Pace Contributing Editor Lisa Neison-Smith Consulting Editor Nancy Medina Feature Contributor Sara Genn Painter’s Keys Feature Writer Dave Justus Feature Editor Art Reviews Hall Groat II Feature Contributer Barry Scharf VL Sponsor ARTSPAN Eric Sparre Advertising Contact: VisualLanguageMagazine@gmail.com Marketing and Development Executive Director Business/Management Stacey Hendren All Artwork is Copyrighted by the Individual Artists.

Visual Language Magazine Vol 4 No 3

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The limitations game January 23, 2015 “I am good at only two things,” said Claude Monet, “and those are gardening and painting.” The son of a grocer, Monet knew he wanted to be an artist at age five. At forty-three he relocated to Giverny to build his garden. The cataracts Monet developed as he aged limited his colour vision at the warm end of the spectrum. In 1923 he underwent surgery to remove the cloudy lens of his right eye, leaving him aphakic -- a condition that allows a person to see normally blocked ultraviolet wavelengths. With his new eye Monet mixed electrifying, revelatory blues.

I’m not recommending the removal of eye parts, but it’s worth exploring a limitation in search of its hidden edge. I remember plopping into an alpine meadow once while Dad set up a video camera nearby. He sat in his homemade easel and slipped into a familiar zone. I was noodling a few tuber-shaped glaciers onto the side of a battleship mountain in too many strokes. In the cabin that evening we reviewed the tape.

“Would you look at those tight moves?” Dad mused. What I saw were his relaxed, zen-like drags and dobs -- a floating meditation. Over at the edge of the scene my elbow fluttered up and down like a one-armed weaver at a loom. I cringed.

He said, “I could use your dash and vigor -- And you should consider this: Look three times, think twice, paint once.”

The Painter’s Keys - Sara Genn

The Painter’s Keys Robert and Sara Genn

“Argue for your limitations and, sure enough, they’re yours,” wrote Richard Bach. We returned to the meadow the following day and swapped techniques. “Easy does it,” I whispered, loading the brush, letting the mountain offer her strokes and digging into a zone of special care. That evening Dad and I hung the day’s efforts and climbed under the covers of our single beds for a cabin crit. Thrillingly my potatoes had become recognizable patterns of nature. Dad praised the progress and I puffed like a lovebird, but then he motioned toward the paintings on his side of the room.

There dazzled light and speedy poems -- and the magical hand of abstraction.

Sincerely, Sara PS: “The vistas of possibility are only limited by the shortness of life.” (Winston Churchill) Esoterica: Consider this: Limitations are an access point for focus, discipline, resourcefulness and the development of voice. They’re clues to uniqueness and form-style and point of view -- requirements of all works of art to communicate and connect. “In abandoning the vagueness of the sketch,” wrote Eugene Delacroix, “the artist shows more of his personality by revealing the range but also the limitations of his talent.” We fear our limitations will define us, yet they’re the hurdles necessary for refinement and courage. They’re the builders of character, and paintings need character. “The greatest progress in life,” said Yogi Bhajan, “is when you know your limitations, and then you have the courage to drop them.”

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Colorado Homes & Lifestyles BEST

ART GALLERY, 2010 & 2012 - 5280

TOP 24 GALLERIES IN THE USA, 2012, 2013 &

Artwork (l to r): Laurie Justus Pace, ‘The Gathering One’- Original Oil on Canvas, 3

miradafineart.com Svetlana Shalygina, ‘Silhousettes De Versailles’ - Mixed Media on Canvas, 36” x 36”

Bruce Marion, ‘The Adventure Begins’- Original Acrylic on Canvas, 36” x 48”; Allen

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32” x 48”; Larisa Aukon, ‘Continental Divide’ - Original Oil on Panel 24” x 36”; ”; Dominique Samyn, ‘Sage’- Acryilc & Venetian Plaster on Panel, 40” x 32”; n Wynn, ‘Joy Ride’ - Mixed Media Sculpture, 26” x 32” x 9”

f i n e a r t Life in Colors

“Portrait of a Young Woman”, Oil Pastel, 9 x 11”

Connie Chadwell www.conniechadwell.com

Abstract/Realistic Drawing and Pastels

Elaine Vileria

Lilacs in Abstract elainevileria.artspan.com/

Phyllis DeQuevedo “A Work in Progress”

Katie

JP Foucart

mantikstudio.com

Joy Shared

Jonelle T. McCoy

“Swirling Spiraling Snow” 20”x16”x1.5” Gallery Wrap

Cool colors, coarse texture and whimsical spiraling lines all create a stunning visual equine portrait of cold and heavy layered snow. Nostalgia and the mysteries of nature’s frozen precipitation emanate from this painting.

jonellemccoy.com

“The Guardian"

Oil

www.caroljosmidt.com

16" x 20"

carol@caroljosmidt.com

Michal Ashkenasi

michalsart.com

Michal Ashkenasi Abstract Figurative and Minimalistic Paintings and Photography

Rain

michalsart.com

Title: March Morning, Horseshoe Bay, Southampton, Bermuda Size: 30x36�

Medium: Oil on Linen

John Whitton Bria JohnBria.com

Nature’s Glory

Joyce Pihl

Keepers of the Land

Fall Splendor

http://joycebpihl.org/

Joyce Pihl

Autumn 2

http://joycebpihl.org/

Filomena Booth

"Gemstone" 1

12"x12"x1.5.

filomenabooth.com

Energy . Color . Passion

"Gemstone" 2

12"x12"x1.5.

filomenabooth.com filomenabooth.com

Corey Watson

facebook.com/coreywatson.art coreywatson.art@gmail.com phone: 209-352-7943

Aspen S P A C E S

Heart Path 40x30 (c) Lelija Roy

Lelija Roy

aspenspaces.com

aspen.spaces@gmail.com

BAUER Logan Bauer

Logan Bauer spent much of his elementary and secondary school years overseas. He took his first painting class in London, England at the age of 13 years old. Upon his return to Arizona, he continued to take art classes at Phoenix College, and it was not until recently that painting stopped being a part time endeavor or hobby, but it became a full time commitment.

He presently paints out of his studio located in Northern Arizona near Prescott.

LoganBauer.com

Landscapes, Life Drawings, Still Life, Figurative Portraits

LoganBauer.com

Robert Duncan Painting the Joys in Life

Playing with Molly © Robert Duncan

A Welcome Fire © Robert Duncan

http://www.robertduncanstudios.com/

December in the Country ©

Chicken Wranglers © Robert Duncan

Robert Duncan

An Evening in Paris © Robert Duncan

The Goat Girl © Robert Duncan

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Robert Duncan

Painting the joys in life.

Robert Duncan was born in Salt Lake City in 1952 and grew up in a large family of ten children. He spent the summers helping his grandparents on their 10,000 acre cattle ranch in Wyoming. The Green River ran through their land from its source high in the Rocky Mountains. It was surrounded by beautiful open country and he fell in love with the rural lifestyle. He drew constantly from the age of five, and when he was eleven, his grandmother gave him his first set of paints and paid for three oil painting lessons. He studied art at the University of Utah and had worked as a commercial artist before his full-time dedication to the fine art of the American West.

and half years with the Cowboy Artists, Robert decided to resign in order to put less emphasis on western art and devote more time to painting his family, friends and the beautiful countryside of Midway and the Heber Valley, UT. Duncan has shown his original paintings for over 30 years with Trailside Galleries in Scottsdale, Arizona and Jackson, Wyoming. He has been invited to numerous shows around the country including the Masters of the American West Exhibition at the Autry National Center, The Great American Artists Show in Cincinnati, and numerous others. Robert’s print and posters were carried for many years by New York Graphic Society in New York City.

Robert has traveled extensively throughout his career to visit museums and study the great artists he admires. His travels have included journeys to Russia, Scandanavia, many trips to Europe, and frequent trips to the East Coast and Canada. Robert was elected into the Cowboy Artists of America at 29 years of age and won two silver medals in their annual exhibition at the Phoenix Art Museum.

The Cowboy Artists of America is the most respected organization in Western American Art. After five

Wanting more control over his own work Robert created his publishing company Robert Duncan Studios, that now publishes and distributes all of his Limited Edition Prints, Posters, Art Cards, and Calendars. His work is carried in galleries, frame shops and gift stores across the US, Canada, Europe and New Zealand. Robert and his wife Linda have six children. They, along with a lively assortment of animals, live in the small town of Midway in northern Utah.

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Wishes in the Meadow Š Robert Duncan

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Robert Duncan

Good Times © Robert Duncan

Evening at Port Clyde © Robert Duncan

http://www.robertduncanstudios.com/

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Time for Milking Š Robert Duncan

Pumpkins for Sale Š Robert Duncan

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Robert Duncan

Way Up North © Robert Duncan

Winter’s Arrival © Robert Duncan

http://www.robertduncanstudios.com/

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Celebration Š Robert Duncan

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Robert Duncan

Follow Me Not Š Robert Duncan

http://www.robertduncanstudios.com/

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Celebration Š Robert Duncan

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discover art . inspire collectors

Arturo Samaniego

DAVIS&CO f i n e a r t g a l l e r y dandcgallery.com

engage discussion . celebrate life

dandcgallery.com

Kyle Wood

Home is where the art is. dandcgallery.com

COONTS

Bob Coonts

Prancer

www.bobcoonts.com

Sugar

“Prancer II”, 36”x60”, Acryllic on Canvas

Tetons

www.bobcoonts.com

LauriePace.com

The Good People The Spirit of the Paint Viewing a Laurie Justus Pace painting is a rich experience that drips with color and emotion. Her passionate works are alive with movement, boldly created with a wide brush and a palette knife.

She loves working with oils, dramatically carving out the paint and transferring her energy to the canvas and ultimately on to the viewer.

Laurie Justus Pace

LauriePace.com The Good People Beach Walk 32 x 48 Oil on Canvas The La Jolla Gallery http://www.ellepace.com/paintings-for-sale/ TheLaJollaGallery.com

Eric Bodtker

Les Alpilles and Olive Trees in Saint Remy de Provence

ericbodtker.com

Sanda Manuila sandamanuila.artspan.com

Carpe Diem

VL Mary Jane Q Cross “Now We See Through a Mirror Darkly”

http://www.maryjaneqcross.com/

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Mary Jane Q Cross

Born in 1951, Mary Jane Q. Cross’s life was a life full of questions and a yearning for order. This was the underpinning of Cross’s future career as a Classical Realism painter whose large body of work is marked by logic, cohesion, and an aura of storytelling that is poetic and consoling.

As a Worcester Art Museum School art student in the 1970’s, Cross was a ‘closet Realist’ as she endured the era’s dominant mantle of Expressionism. Reading of formal artists with her shared realism vision – DaVinci, Sargent, Bouguereau, Godward, Mary Cassatt -- was a point of encouragement at this time. Studying such painters, among other Masters of earlier centuries, inspired Cross in her personal quest to acquire the skills of Classical painting.

After 40-plus years of this visual journey, Cross continues to produce a body of work that presents a sense of needed and appreciated refreshment in the midst of modernity’s fast pace. Cross’s resonant theme is of respectfully uncovering the many complex layers of women. Appealing to both women and men alike, her work presents women’s beauty as a deep comfort and a restful joy, when idealistically and, perhaps, Biblically examined. In a contemporary culture that perceives the sexuality of women in an increasingly objectified manner, Cross’s work offers a breath of hope. Her work presents a delicate beauty that she believes young women, in particular, are actually striving for – a beauty that, in the artist’s opinion, reflects an image of women as God intended them to be: Creation’s crowning jewels.

“If you do not have life, you cannot give life,” states Cross. “If my work has anything, it has an authentic response to life. My paintings are stories. They depict the quiet rest that comes to a soul only after it has determined to deal with circumstances head-on, with grace and tact instead of grumbling and complaining. My paintings reflect and inspire a determination to focus on beauty, even in the midst of ashes. This is something I have had to live.”

For the past 21 years, a serious right-sided tremor has limited Cross’s ability to hold a brush. Thus, Cross paints with her fingers; whatever minimal brush strokes the artist employs are guided by a prosthetic device. A documentary titled Q. Cross: The Painter behind the Portraits, on youtube, details her journey back to painting in the after-years of the tremor’s on-set. The artist has also compiled a book, Poems of a Painter, Paintings of a Prayer, in which she speaks of how she has come to deal with this physical challenge that she cannot change and yet has witnessed a greater dream come out of what were initially tragic circumstance.

The simultaneous heartache and joy that Cross experiences daily is seen in her paintings – and it is heard in the poems that she writes as an accompaniment to each of her works. The combined presentation of painted image and printed word has enriched the meaning of her work.

The public is a telling barometer of the penetrating resonance of the artist’s work. Cross’s paintings are regularly displayed by the Art Renewal Center Salon Exhibitions (where Cross is an ARC Associate Living Master), click for ARC Masters Gallery the International Guild of Realism (where she was awarded Best of Show in 2013), the American Society of Traditional Artists, the Salmagundi Club, and the Allied Artists of America.

RIght: Blood Moon Arising

http://www.maryjaneqcross.com/

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Mary Jane Q Cross

Imperishable Comfort

http://www.maryjaneqcross.com/

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Grace Wrapped in this Life of Many Colors

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Mary Jane Q Cross

Simply Speak No Evil

http://www.maryjaneqcross.com/

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Noah’s Daughter in Law in the Dovecote

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Mary Jane Q Cross

As many as 30,000 people a year also view Cross’s work at outdoor venues. Viewers who cannot afford the originals are still enthusiastically pleased to own limited edition prints. Collectors who can afford these multi-faceted jewels get to live with a palpable part of Cross’s personal vision, crafted with her personal touch.

Mary Jane Q. Cross, www.maryjaneqcross.com, builds a body of memorable work in a studio, built by her husband and hugged by New England’s quiet countryside, as she threads the fabric that mirrors her own life into her work. Her quest is a worthy one.

http://www.maryjaneqcross.com/

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The Return of the Dove to the Ark

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Barbara Haviland

Wildflowers

Barb’s Garden Art https://barbara-haviland-art.squarespace.com/ www.BarbaraHavilandFineArt.com

Key Lime Tart - 12 x 12

Vicki Rees Visit my website. vlrees.com

TippingPaintGallery.com

LINCOLN Debbie Lincoln

NowOrNever-debbie.blogspot.com/

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http://www.defrancispastels.com/

David Francis Master Pastelist http://www.defrancispastels.com/

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David Francis, Master Pastelist Pastel Society of America

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

It sounds cliché’, but it seems like I have always loved to draw. Once of my earliest memories is waiting for my father to finish the Sunday newspaper, so that I could sit down and start copying the funnies.

Who has been your mentor, or greatest influence to date?

I was fortunate that when I started creating art (in my 30’s, kind of a late start) I met three people that were very influential in my early art career. The first person was Joan Reid who taught an adult educations art class, she introduced me to Ron Peer, a local portrait and landscape artist. He was always very patient with my early attempts, and managed to find something good in them while giving me constructive criticism. The third is Trudi Smith. She is a signature member with the Pastel Society of American and she pushed me to apply for membership with the group, even to the point of selecting the piece that I submitted for jurying. I was thrilled and surprised when I received signature status on that first application.

Who is another living artist you admire and why?

I have several artists that I admire today and follow their work on social media sites. Anthony Waichulis for his tromp l’oeil still lifes, Robert C. Jackson for his incredible still life set-ups and the interplay of his subjects, Teresa Fishcher for the incredible still life paintings of old toys, my favorite subject matter. I also follow the work of Patricia Tribastone, a fellow pastel artist with incredible skills. All of these artist, along with being accomplished painters, have the ability to inject a sense of humor and fun into their work, along with telling a story.

What is your favorite surface to create work on or to work with? Describe it if you make it yourself.

My favorite surface to work on is Pastelbord, made by Ampersand. It is a Masonite board with a surface of gesso and marble dust. This surface holds a lot of pastel and holds up well to blending, and multiple layering techniques. I love the fact that it comes in standard sizes from 5x7 to 24x36 and that when a pastel is finished, you can frame it immediately, using spacers between the artwork and the glass.

What are your favorite materials to use?

I have been a pastel artist for the last 30 some years. As most pastellists, I am not brand loyal. I look for color, hardness/softness, and availability. So, currently on my work table are Rembrants, Giraults, Unisons, Terry Ludwigs, and Derwent and Conte pastel pencils.

Do you have a favorite color palette?

I really don’t have a favorite palette. It really depends on the subject matter and it changes from painting to painting. I do tend to favor a lot of the earth tones for backgrounds and whatever my still lifes are sitting on.

How often do you work on your artwork? How many hours a week?

I try to work a little bit every day. Some days it might only be an hour, other days (and these are my favorites) it might be 7 or 8 hours in the studio.

http://www.defrancispastels.com/

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Out of the Bag

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David Francis, Master Pastelist Pastel Society of America

Mouse Trap

http://www.defrancispastels.com/

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Clements Book Shelf

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David Francis, Master Pastelist Pastel Society of America

Buck Rogers

http://www.defrancispastels.com/

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Mickey Mouse

TIny Tim

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David Francis, Master Pastelist Pastel Society of America

What is the one thing you would like to be remembered for?

I would like to be remembered as an artist that gave to younger beginning artists the same support and encouragement that I received when I was starting out.

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?

I find that the biggest obstacle for me is myself. Having a studio in my home is too easy to be distracted by things going on in the house. I have dealt with self-doubt and the fear of failing thing, too.

How do you overcome these obstacles?

For the around the house stuff, I have tried to set a schedule that from when I get up, (usually around 6:00 am) until noon is set aside for my studio time. My wife has gotten pretty good at accepting this. For the self-doubt and fear of failure, I’ve made a conscious decision to just keep submitting my work to shows and when the rejections come in, I glance at them and toss them out.

What are your inspirations for your work?

The inspirations for my work are all around me. As I have been focusing on old toys and games, I go to a lot of garage sales looking for those little nuggets that get my interest going, but other people see it as something to get rid of.

What is your favorite way to get your creative juices flowing?

I love to look at the new work by artists that I follow, I love going to shows and openings, and in general just looking at art gels gets me going.

Which work of yours is your favorite?

The trite answer would be “the next one”, but I actually have a couple. One is called “In the Bag”, which I’ve entered in several shows, but has never been accepted, and another is my newest one, called “To The Rescue”.

http://www.defrancispastels.com/

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Space Race

Getting to know you Q&A What is your favorite color in your closet? N/A What book are you reading this week? Game of Thones (second time) Do you have a favorite television show? Several, CSI, Criminal Minds, Big Bang Theory, Walking Dead, Sixty Minutes What is your favorite food? All of them, but true favorite Honey Glazed Ham What color sheets are on your bed right now? N/A What are you most proud of in your life? My wife of 44 years, Linda, our three kids, Lori, Dave, and Dan, and our six grandkids, Paige, Jared, Mina, Alexander, Asher, and Emma Who would you love to interview? James Gurney, Anthony Waichulis Do you have a passion or hobby other than painting? What is it?

Music, I used to play and perform; now I just love listening.

Who would you love to paint? Michelle Obama, any of my artist friends If you were an animal what would you be and why? N/A If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take three things, what would they be? N/A Share something with us that few people know about you.

That sometimes I dance in my studio when I’m working.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Sedona, AZ. Beautiful part of the county and incredible colors.

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And So It Goes 22 x 28

Roseanne Snyder roseannesnyder.blogspot.com

“Dennis”

Suzy Pal Powell suzypal.blogspot.com Bluecanvas.com/suzypal

Dyan Newton Colors of Life

Hill Country Living

DyanNewton.com http://one-painting-a-day.blogspot.com Contact: dyansart1@yahoo.com

vanessa katz

Coco #14 www.VanessaKatzArt.com

Nancy Medina Painting Under the Tuscan Sun A Painting Dream Getaway During the Peak of Poppy Bloom Season June 6-13, 2015 Tuscany, Italy

www.nancymedina.com

“Celebrating the stories and legends of Texas and the Great Southwest through original art, prints and books.�

601 E Hwy. 82 - Nocona, Texas 76255 . 940-825-7226 www.TexasTrailArtGallery.com . Facebook: Texas Trails Art Gallery Tuesday through Saturday 10 to 6 . Sunday 1 to 5 . Closed Mondays.

Judy Mackey

“Patience” Oil on Canvas

“Patience 2” Oil on Canvas

“Patience 3” Oil on Canvas

“Patience 5” Oil on Canvas

www.JudyMackey.com

Judy Mackey

“No Worries” Oil on Canvas

www.JudyMackey.com

Roberta McGowan

visualwestphotography.com

Visual West Photography

VisualWestPhotography.com

“Leader”

www.paradicranch.com

Jacquie McMullen Pastel Artist

Stories in Landscape www.paradicranch.com

LADY L

Colors Make Me Happy

Small Blessings 24 x 30 inches Acrylic on Canvas

ellepace.com/lady-l-artist ladylart.blogspot.com

She began painting at age 2 on small pieces and by age 3 moved up to full size canvas. Lady L is the granddaughter of Texas Artist Laurie Pace.

ZoradArt.com

Red Earth Red

Mary Jo Zorad

Lyrical #122A Red

contemporary fine art ZoradArt.com

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Lisa McKinney

Had I Known

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Lisa-McKinney.com lisamckinneyartprints.com

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Interview Barbara Rudolph

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Barbara Rudolph

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

I have loved art for as long as I can remember. Even when I was a little girl I loved to draw. I didn’t make the full time jump into becoming an artist until I was in my mid 20’s.

Who has been your mentor, or greatest influence to date?

I had a couple of college professors that were very encouraging to me. They were also very honest about communicating the difficulties I would face when pursuing art as a full time career which made me work even harder. My late father was always encouraging of my artistic ventures. He was also “accidentally” the reason I made a major change in my painting theme. It was unfortunately not until after his passing that I pursued painting “birds in art” full time and gained success at it.

Who is another living artist you admire and why?

I don’t have a specific mentor today but I know of a few well known wildlife artists that I like to follow that paint in a realistic style. I also have a few friends that are phenomenal artists that I can occasionally ask to critique my work. Here are a few artists that I truly admire but have never met: Carl Brenders, Nancy Howe, James Offeman, Grace Kim and Julia Hargreaves. They all do outstanding work. There are many others too.

What is your favorite surface to create work on or to work with? Describe it if you make it yourself.

When I paint on canvas I prefer to have it custom stretched. The canvas quality is better and tighter. I sand it lightly to remove most of the texture if I can. I then almost always do 2-3 coats of black gesso.

I let it dry a few days and then do an oil ground. I stock pile the primed and ready to go canvas in my studio so that when the ideas are flowing...I can begin to paint on them right away. I also sometimes use Ampersand panels, however I still find I have to prime them first. The reason is because they tend to absorb the paint up way to quickly if you don’t. They do not work well on large scale paintings because they warp. I do like to use them for 11x14” size and under. They are a time saver because I don’t have to sand them. I purchase the “smooth” surfaces, which usually have to be ordered online. The local art stores usually only carry the medium tooth surface, which would be great for people who paint with thick paint.

What are your favorite materials to use?

My absolute favorite paints are the “Lukas 1862 Finest Artists Oil Paints” from Germany. They are rich and buttery.

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Molly 24 x 18

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Barbara Rudolph

Tell Me a Story 30 x 24

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Do you have a favorite color palette?

I tend to like a lot of variations of brown and other natural colors.

How often do you work on your artwork? How many hours a week?

I try to paint every day. Some days are spent on planning and getting ready to paint the still life by taking photographs etc. I never count the hours, but I spend a lot of time in the studio.

What is the one thing you would like to be remembered for?

I would like to be remembered in some way….maybe for leaving behind some exceptional works in the future. Hopefully remembered as someone who is friendly, kind, funny and can also leave behind paintings that can bring joy to others.

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?

Stress!

How do you overcome these obstacles?

Taking a break and getting outside to photograph.

What are your inspirations for your work?

Nature, wildlife and also seeing other really great artists works can be very inspiring to me What is your favorite way to get your creative juices flowing?

Photographing birds and wildlife works for me. Also just about anything can inspire me if I am paying attention to light and color on an object.

Which work of yours is your favorite?

I like to think that whatever painting is on my easel at the moment is my favorite because that helps me stay inspired to finish it. It does’t always work that way, but if I can get off to a great start and stay “inspired”, then I enjoy the process so much more. One of my past favorites was called “Tell Me A Story” with a little bird on an old antique typewriter.

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Barbara Rudolph

To Kill a Mockingbird 18 x 24

Right Page: The Music Lesson 48 x 24

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Barbara Rudolph

Bluebird Watching 14 x 11 Rigt Page: All That Jazz 24 x 18

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Steadfast 30” x 48” x 1.5” Canvas

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Barbara Rudolph

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Getting to know you Q&A What is your favorite color in your closet?

That would be a toss up between red and fuchsia What book are you reading this week?

Orphan Train Do you have a favorite television show?

The Good Wife, Chicago Fire What is your favorite food?

Italian What color sheets are on your bed right now?

Ivory What are you most proud of in your life?

Making a living as an artist, and my daughter Who would you love to interview?

One of the artists that I mentioned earlier in the interview would be nice.

Do you have a passion or hobby other than painting? What is it?

Photography Who would you love to paint?

I would like to try to paint some figurative works in the future If you were an animal what would you be and why?

A bird. I would like to fly If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take three things, what would they be?

A pocket knife, the bible and my reading glasses Share something with us that few people know about you.

I spend way too much time alone If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Paris, France

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Palette Knife Painters

Paletteknifepainters.blogspot.com

Paletteknifepainters.org

Kimberly Conrad “Pouring Color Into Your Life”

Moving Metals Cerulean B-6 18” x 18”

KimberlyConradFineArt.com

Moving Metals

Moving Metals Cerulean B-5 18 “ x 18�

KimberlyConradFineArt.com

DAILY PAINTERS ABSTRACT GALLERY DailyPaintersAbstract.blogspot.com

Carol A. McIntyre “Floating Winds, “ 28x21, Oil on Canvas

DailyPaintersAbstract.blogspot.com

DAILY PAINTERS ABSTRACT GALLERY

DianeWhitehead.com

Diane Whitehead “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.�

DianeWhitehead.com

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Sabine Barber

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Sabine Barber

I was born and raised in South Africa. Growing up on a beautiful farm in Mpumalanga, most of my childhood was spent outside in the sun, running barefoot through the dirt, climbing in trees and daydreaming in the garden. I also spent countless hours doodling, using any scraps of paper I could find, filling the pages with princesses, mermaids, unicorns, playing out my fantasies using pencil or ballpoint pen. In my early teens, I began taking private lessons in oil and pastel painting, which opened up a wonderful world to me. I found a new, colourful, way to express myself. Art was a part of my life, a part of my day-to-day. It helped me escape, it made me happy!

Then, as they say, life got in the way and before I knew it, I grew up, finished school and went to college. Afterwards, I found myself at a crossroad. Young, brave, and eager to experience the “real world” out there, I followed my family to Germany (I soon learnt it may as well have been the moon!).

There, I ended up in some day job and earned money – the way the “real world” dictates. I rarely picked up a paintbrush anymore. It just didn’t “fit” into my serious grown-up world. And besides, it had only ever been a fruitless hobby anyway, so what was the point, right? I didn’t leave myself much time to miss Africa, since I had convinced myself that I made the right decision emigrating - that life was better here than in my crime-ridden home country. I would just have to get used to it here and learn to deal with the homesickness and whatever other feelings of restlessness I had. So I soldiered on and kept myself busy. Eventually, I married my wonderful husband (also a South African) and in the years that followed, we became the proud parents of two beautiful children. I thought that finally I would have all I would ever need to feel “complete” again.

After our son was born, I lost my day job, which I didn’t really mind, because being a mother was my new full-time job anyway, and I was happy to stay at home for him and, later, our daughter. When both my children were old enough to go to Kindergarten, I suddenly found myself alone for a few hours in the mornings.

It was during that time that I started feeling more restless, bored, and really, really homesick! I needed an outlet, something to do. In an epiphanic moment, I put on some African music, dug out my old pastels and over the course of a few days painted a portrait of an African woman, carrying her child on her back. I remember looking at it for ages afterwards and thinking how much I MISSED this. And how much better I felt! And then I did another painting a few days later – another African portrait.

Then another one…. I didn’t know what I was going to do with the paintings afterwards or where this was going, but I just couldn’t help myself. I dug out old photos, contacted friends in South Africa for some “holiday shots” from safaris, the Kruger National (wildlife) Park, or for just any photos capturing life in Africa. I poured over these references – some purely for inspiration and to reminisce. After completing a few portraits, I decided to try my hand at wildlife, for variety. At first, I worked primarily with pastels (because it is so much quicker to tidy up and store away before the kids returned home from Kindergarten). Then, as my confidence grew I braved the “big, white, scary canvas” to attempt an oil painting for the first time in years. It was exhilarating! Of course, oils take forever to dry, so I opted for the water-based variety. My children, in the meantime, were well-trained at keeping their inquisitive little fingers away from the easel and “mommy’s paintings”, while they dry.

Right Page: Catch of the Day

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Sabine Barber

Three years have passed since that “epiphanic moment”, and I haven‘t stopped painting! The more I painted and the more encouragement I got from friends and family, the more I WANTED to continue.

Now, it fills a void in my life that I cannot explain and I don’t want to give it up anymore. I hadn’t dared to think of having a life as an artist, but for the first time I wondered if this could be more than “just a hobby”. I found a small, local gallery in Germany that hung up my art and offered me a small platform to get myself „out there“. I was also invited to display some of my work at various businesses around our area.

While the feedback has always been good, the sales have much catching up to do (although this might be more a question of location and target audience). Nevertheless, to me it was a big step to “expose myself”, artistically. And it is only the beginning.

I have recently started branching out to new themes that inspire me to paint. My children inspire me.

The beautiful landscapes and season changes in Europe inspire me. People in history inspire me. While I don’t think I will ever stop painting “Africa” entirely, I must admit I get a particular rush from painting portraits. There’s something about painting a face that is so calming and gratifying to me: The beginning stages and outline of a face, a body, a look. Then comes the “ugly phase” where the whole painting looks a mess and I am almost tempted to throw the damn thing in the bin. But then there’s that redeeming moment where it actually starts to LOOK like someone again and I power through, slowly reaching the final stages of completion.

At present, I live in England. (Yes, we moved again recently!). While I still don’t know where or how to best approach this new art venture, I feel like I am in a better location “artwise”. I hope to someday have my own studio, my own solo exhibition and one day make art my “day job”. While I may still be at the beginning of such a dream, I can say that with each “Africa” painting, the feeling of homesickness is becoming less and less and with every brush stroke, I feel my sense of self coming back.

Burning Sky

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Sabine Barber

Frangipani Plumeria

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San Girl

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Sabine Barber

Ibhubesi

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Prismatica

Lalibela Boy

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Alejandro Castanon

www.vinodipinte.com Vino Dipinte Art Gallery

602 Orient St

San Angelo, TX 76903

alejandrocastanon.com

KRISTINE KAINER

www.kristinekainer.com www.kristinekainer.blogspot.com

Texas Art

www.kristinekainer.com www.kristinekainer.blogspot.com

Artists of Texas

artistsoftexas.org

NO WHERE BUT TEXAS

artistsoftexas.blogspot.com dailypaintersoftexas.blogspot.com

Felicia Marshall

“Dressed Up”

“Alone”

Left page: “Sunshine on Hope”

FeliciaMarshall.blogspot.com

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Index of Features and Advertisers Alejandro Castanon 124-125 Artists of Texas 128-129 Barbara Haviland 60 Barbara Rudolph 94-105 Bob Coonts 44-45 Carol Jo Smidt 19 Connie Chadwell 14 Corey Watson 28 Daily Painters Abstract Gallery 110-111 Daily Painters Gallery 132-133 David Francis 64-73 Davis and CO Gallery 42-43 Debbie Lincoln 62-63 Diane Whitehead 112-113 Dyan Newton 76 Elaine Vileria 15 Eric Bodtker 48 Felicia Marshall 130-131 Filomena Booth 26-27 Index Features and Advertisers 134 Jacquie McMullen 86-87 John Whitton Bria 22-23 Jonelle T McCoy 18 Joyce Pihl 24-25 Judy Mackey 62-63 Kimberly Conrad 108-109

Kristine Kainer 126-127 Lady L 88-89 Laurie Pace 46-47 Lelija Roy 19 Lisa McKinney 92-93 Logan Bauer 30-31 Mark Yearwood 9 Mary Jane Q Cross 3, 50-59 Mary Jo Zorad 90-91 Michal Ashkenasi 20-21 Mirada Fine Art Gallery 12-13 Nancy Medina 78-79 Natahlie Kelly 135 Painters Keys Sara Genn 11 Palette Knife Painters 106-107 Phyllis De Quevedo 16-17 Richard Levine 8 Robert Duncan 32041 Roberta McGowen 84-85 Roseanne Snyder 74 Sabine Barber 114-123 Sanda Manuila 49 Suzy Pal Powell 75 Texas Trails Art Gallery 80-81 Vanessa Katz 77 Vicki Rees 61 Victoria Pendragon 4

Nathalie Kelley

“Christmas Candy” 8 x 10

“Blowing Off Steam”

nathaliekelleyart.com

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