NANCY BALMERT
art acquisitor Winter/Spring 2018
The Magazine For The Discerning Collector
Volume 16, Number 1
“Dahlia Rote Funken” Oil on Canvas, 30” x 30”
AMSTERDAM WHITNEY GALLERY
PUBLISHED BY
LUCIA DENISOVA
Volume 16, Number 1
art acquisitor
Published by
Winter/Spring 2018
Amsterdam Whitney Gallery
art acquisitor The Magazine for the Discerning Collector
INDEX OF ARTISTS
art acquisitor magazine is published and produced exclusively by AMSTERDAM WHITNEY GALLERY Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved. Executive Offices: 531 West 25th Street Ground Floor- Chelsea, New York, NY 10001 Tel: 212. 255. 9050 Fax: 212. 255. 9020 Email: AmsterdamWhitney@aol.com www.AmsterdamWhitneyGallery.com Facebook.com/Amsterdam.Whitney AmsterdamWhitney.tumblr.com Pinterest.com/AmsterdamWhitny Twitter @AmsterdamWhitny Instagram @AmsterdamWhitney
Ruthie Tucker Editor-in-Chief Promotion Director H.E. Ambassador Dr. Alton Louis Amsterdam III Publisher Editorial/Graphic Design Coordinator Tory Byrnes
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APP.....................................................20 ARMSTRONG, LAWRENCE.............21 BALMERT, NANCY..4-7, & FRONT COVER BERGER, EILEEN...............................22 BIRKHAUG, AASE.......................16-17 CATANIA, PHILIP...............................30 CHIUSANO, PENELOPE....................30 CONN, RIC..........................................26 CRONEMEYER, CORA................18-19 DAVIA..............................................23 DENISOVA, LUCIA....................2, 14-15 DESJARDINS, YOLANTA.................26 FRANKLIN, ANNA.............................28 GORES, ANN......................................28 GLEIZER, MICHAEL....................10-11 HOLLAND, DIANE............................28 HOOKE, ROBERT...............................27 KLEMENDZ, GUNILLA....................30 KENTZ, PAUL.....................................30 KRATZ, AI-WEN WU.........................24 KYROS, ADRIENNE..........................31 LEGIEN-VAYA, JUTTA......................25 MASIC, IVANA...................................29 MUIR, BARBARA............................31 PETERS, JOHN......8-9, & BACK COVER PETERSON, JOHN.........................................27
AMSTERDAM WHITNEY GALLERY 212 . 255 . 9050 amsterdamwhitney@aol.com
Cover NANCY BALMERT “Free Float” Oil on Canvas, 43” x 27.5”
“Dahlia Rote Funken” Oil on Canvas, 30” x 30” 2
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RUDDY, SALLY................................31 SARVAZYAN, ARMEN..............12-13 SZUTOR, RIBANA...........................29 UYEHARA, PAUL............................31 YEO, WENDY...................................29
NANCY BALMERT
Inspired by the notion that “There is so much beauty in the world,” Ms. Balmert spiritually employs each painting to be a lyrical emblematic narrative of life’s blossoming transformations which take place through contemplation. An ethereal visual metaphor for the wonders of nature, her floral kingdom cajoles her audience to rejoice in the splendors of the universe. With color as the imprimatur and impetus in her paintings, Ms. Balmert captivates viewers as her artistic dexterity shines throughout her compositions with brushstrokes that are patient, smooth, and vibrantly malleable. Establishing strong color relationships of saturated flower petals against tranquil green leaves, her compositions reflect detailed portraits of the ethereal beauty of flora. Harmoniously employing the full spectrum of the color palette, Ms. Balmert’s insatiable curiosity for colors allows her paintings to sensitively reveal a remarkably adept portrayal of the floral realm. Often shown with dramatic lighting, each flower emerges to become dynamic, expressive, and electrifyingly lifelike.
“Gardenia August Beauty” Oil on Canvas, 24” x 18”
Capturing the transitory moments of the organic world, like flowers in bloom, and fastens them to eternity for our delectation, Ms. Balmert embraces the unique personality and identity of each flower. Striving to introduce a different way of looking at nature, her compositions tell a story about the wonders of nature, reflecting the slower rhythms of life and the moments frozen in time. Focusing intently on the distinguished details of each flower, Ms. Balmert often chooses a pivotal point of action, such as a bursting flower bud, or the moment a ray of light bursts through a petal. Transcribing her intricately detailed floral portraits on monumental over-sized canvases, Ms. Balmert’s master works seek to appreciate the ethereal nuances of our environment. In the moments immortalized on her canvases, Ms. Balmert freezes the lush beauty of nature with an unapologetic indulgence for the visual senses.
“Orange Magenta Hibiscus” Oil on Canvas, 38” x 38”
laude Monet declared, “I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.” Following this credo, Texan based artist Nancy Balmert’s atmospheric floral oil paintings conjure up the beauty of the world through chromatic blossoms and effusions of luminous light. Intimately translating the glory and jubilance of each flower, Nancy Balmert’s brilliant techniques seize and translate ephemeral moments of bloom. Capturing bright hues of light and color with remarkable forcefulness, Ms. Balmert honors the natural elegance of her floral subjects with attentive realism, whilst nevertheless expressing a unique sense of modernistic individualism. 4
“Purple White Iris” Oil on Canvas, 42” x 36”
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“ There is s o mu c h b e a u t y i n
t h e
wor l d ” -N a nc y B a l m ert
“Camellia” Oil on Canvas, 36” x 36”
“Lustrous Iris” Oil on Canvas, 44” x 34”
“Southern Magnolia” Oil on Canvas, 30” x 30”
“Multi Hibiscus” Oil on Canvas, 38” x 38”
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Sophisticated in execution and stunning in effect, the incandescent floral oeuvre of Ms. Nancy Balmert result in modern masterpieces that celebrate the divine beauty of nature, while encouraging the viewer to connect with the world. Also painting in Seattle Washington as well as in Texas, Nancy Balmert has also cultivated a strong reputation in the international art world. Ms. Balmert’s artwork is treasured in prestigious public and private collections. Ms. Balmert is also an author, having published “Moments of Truth: A Tour of the Other Side”, under her pen name, Nancy Jaye. ■
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JOHN PETERS xemplifying the credo of Hans Hofmann who declared “Life and Nature are constant stimulus for the creative mind,” John Peters skillfully harvests the creative powers of nature with a unique artistic energy as he translates nature’s rhythms and motifs into visceral magic realism odes to the terrestrial realm. Acting as an “Ambassador to Nature,” John Peters’ artistic mission is to connect his viewers to the spiritual and emotional perspective of the natural world. Painting with both spontaneity and sweeping palettes of color, his expressionist canvases viscerally capture his influx of joy and amazement with the visual, natural world resonating with unwavering energy and emotion.
Communicative of inner thoughts, John Peters’ bold and imaginative magic realism canvases intermingle recognizable flora and fauna in a heightened context as he paints his highly specialized interpretation of nature. Exploring the kaleidoscopic blend of nature’s rich colors, his explosive palette bursts as he creates highly textured narrative images that are both majestic and visceral. Disseminating light, beauty, and space, John Peter’s use of defined outline and attention to perspective are interludes which offset his commanding use of shape and color that create compositions that are both fantastical and disarmingly faithful to their real-life subjects. Harmonizing insights on medium and artistic technique with his own life and artistic experiences, John Peters presents the classical botanical genre infused with personal symbolism. His lilies, roses, hillsides, and other blooms have become a magical extension of his quest to perfect the joys of nature. “Springtime Gold” Gold and Metal Leaf, Oil on Canvas, 24” x 24” “Bouquet of Rubies” Metal Leaf, Oil on Canvas, 24” x 20”
Incorporating contemporary twists to landscape and floralscape paintings, John Peters creates unique, anthropomorphic oil on canvas compositions which bring to life the flora and fauna kingdom. Dominated by juxtapositions of heavy, saturated colors, his dreamlike flowers and landscapes have unexpected applications of delicate gold and metal leaf. Combining the light of the Impressionists, the brilliant color of the Fauves, and the energy of the Abstract Expressionists to create shapes out of quick, assertive paint-filled strokes, John Peters’ otherworldly oeuvre is compiled of joyous translations of emotion into color.
Skillfully emphasizing the harmony and beauty of the world, award-winning artist John Peters works and resides in Michigan, as well as New Hampshire. Extensively exhibiting in the Northeast as well as Europe and the United States, this gifted artist’s paintings are treasured in prestigious collections worldwide. Amsterdam Whitney Gallery is proud to shine the spotlight on this Contemporary Rising Star.
“Golden Day” Gold and Metal Leaf, Oil on Canvas, 20” x 24”
“Golden Tulips” Gold Leaf, Oil on Canvas, 24” x 24”
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MICHAEL GLEIZER
Reminiscent of Monet’s dreamy boardwalk tableaux, Mr. Gleizer’s recent series seamlessly offers a glimpse into another world that is deeply sentimental with keen sensitivity towards his subjects and the natural surroundings. Underscoring the unique personalities of each individual within his engaging boardwalk scenes, Mr. Gleizer renders each component with unwavering detail and a deep love for his subjects. Channeling his creativity, Mr. Gleizer’s stylized figures are intricately integrated into their environments, interacting with one another as well as the ocean vistas and sailboats in the horizons. Familiar and transcendental, his arresting visceral compositions combine reality with fantasy as they transport viewers back to simpler and gentler moments. Detailing humanity’s everlasting fascination and attraction to the power and mystique of the natural realm, Mr. Gleizer’s poignant scenarios luminously present the timeless love story of man and nature.
“Bouquet” Mixed Media, 31” x 78.5”
laude Monet theorized, “Paint what you really see, not what you think you ought to see; not the object isolated as in a test tube, but the object enveloped in sunlight and atmosphere, with the blue dome of Heaven reflected in the shadow..” Contemporary artist Michael Gleizer’s highly atmospheric mixed media panoramas are inspired both by the world around him as well as the nostalgia of the past. With a masterful understanding of compositional relationships, Michael Gleizer integrates a sunlit color palette filled with emblematic, richly detailed metaphorical imagery, fantastical scenarios, and precision of technique. Projecting the complexity and beauty of the human experience, Mr. Gleizer’s lyrical boardwalk and landscape dioramas bridge the divide between the past and the present, as he eschews the trappings of our technological culture and introduces us to a quieter and gentler era. Imaginative in scope, his external world of celestial seashore dreams, cerulean oceans and Tuscan vistas are designed to transport us to a unique, other-worldly zone with vintageinspired scenes which capture the nostalgia of the past and the joie de vivre of the moment.
“Ocean” Detail Oil on Canvas, 30” x 24”
Dreamlike and timeless, a dance of visual enchantment is created by his masterful palette consisting of soft, gentle colors which radiate an aura of peace and serenity, while whispering thoughts of a gentler era. Drawing us away from the chaos of our technological age, Michael Gleizer’s atmospheric tableaux of narrative images help create a signature style that extends across his body of work. Both recognizable and carefully altered, his abstraction flattens the scenes into a single picture-plane, disregarding linear perspective so viewers are able to fully enjoy the main events exploding throughout the foreground. Blending beautiful gradients of blue in his maritime vistas and the nuanced greens of his rolling Tuscan hills, Mr. Gleizer’s gradual diffusion of color harmoniously connects each horizon to his skylines.
“Toscana Landscape #1” Mixed Media, 18” x 22”
“Boardwalk” Oil on Canvas, Triptych, 80” x 240”
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ARMEN SARVAZYAN enry Moore declared: “A sculptor is a person who is interested in the shape of things, a poet in words, a musician by sounds.” Influenced by this credo, Dr. Armen Sarvazyan synthesizes his own harmonic sculptural language while communicating a symphonic visual lexicon of aesthetic forms, spaces, and textures, resulting in an exciting three-dimensional essence. Internationally acclaimed as an artist, scientist, professor, engineer and inventor, Dr. Sarvazyan is recognized as a “Renaissance Man,” whose distinguished oeuvre reflects an important twenty first century artistic voice. With a poetic synthesis of elegant curves and shapes, Dr. Sarvazyan’s organic sculptures resonate with an opus of smooth, glowing surface, as he seeks to understand the beauty of nature through a variety of media including wood, concrete, graphics, outdoor installations, photography and mixed media. Masterfully carving figures out of wood, marble, and stone, Dr. Sarvazyan orchestrates each solid material into vibrant sculptures with unwavering proportion.
“Absinthe Lover (After Picasso)” Painted Wood, 20” x 16” x 11”
Because of this cadence of form, his dynamic sculptures provocatively bridge the gap between the natural and refined. Unexpected and imaginative in spirit, his multidisciplinary figurative sculptures are eternal, intellectual masterpieces heralding a fresh sculptural perspective as they chime with emotion and feeling through posture and gestural expression. Providing a visual counterpoint to the subtlety and delicate features of his figurative sculptures, Dr. Sarvazyan judiciously balances his compositions with the robust strength of the solidified, contoured form. These fascinating paradoxes emphasize the duality of human existence while highlighting enduring artistic breadth. Infused with keen sensitivity, Dr. Sarvazyan aims to explore a
“African Beauty” Marble, 9” x 9”
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“John Lennon” Wood, 29” x 17”
“The Beauty of Wood Grain” Wood, 28” x 12” x 11”
crescendo of visceral feelings such as pleasure and pain, happiness and sadness, man and woman, life and death. The universality of emotion is heightened as he fashions sculptures that exploit face-like amorphisms that are universally recognizable, but distinctly unique. His sculptures are pushed to the brink of surreal form to represent the complexity of the human psyche while simultaneously probing the relationship between man and nature.
Inspired by artistic influences such as Picasso and Dali, Dr. Sarvazyan translates the ideas and principles of these visionaries into newfound, chimerical creations as he sculpts his figures to reflect surrealism, African art, as well as the likeness of John Lennon. Deeply considering how human aspects intertwine with those of animals, plants, the stars, and the elements, Dr. Sarvazyan’s free-flowing sculptures provide an inward look to humanity’s values, cultures, and icons. Intermingling these combinations of different mediums and artistic traditions to create diverse image variations, Armen Sarvazyan’s artistic vision focuses primarily on the boundary between what is internal and external, posing a perceptual visual riddle. Thus, the play with unexpected elements acquires an altogether visual vitality through perfect medleys of material and figurative bodies. Dr. Sarvazyan was born in Armenia and now resides in New Jersey. Author of over 100 patents and 200 publications and recipient of numerous awards for his research work, he is currently Chief Scientist of ARTANN Laboratories of Rutgers University and the International Professor Emeritus of Physics Faculty of the Moscow State University, Russia, Globally acclaimed with many of his art works featured in private collections throughout the world, Dr. Sarvazyan’s compositions reflect a symphonic visual vocabulary representing a complete modern vision and understanding of art history. 13
LUCIA DENISOVA eonardo da Vinci wondered, “Who would believe that so small a space could contain the images of a whole universe?” Contemporary Russian Master Lucia Denisova explores the depths of the human emotive experience in beautiful, minimalist non-objective compositions. Free of boundaries, her elegant and energetic tableaux speaks in whispers to reveal unspoken truths emanating from the private corners of the inner world. Creating enthralling compositions of freedom and form, focused solely within her bold and enigmatic aesthetic senses, Ms. Denisova’s oeuvre magnetically draws viewers inward, inviting contemplation into their mysterious vision and meaning. Revealing the invisible within the visible and the tangible within the tangible, she translates the untranslatable resulting in a dynamic visual form. Beautiful and energetic, her masterful work epitomizes an unusual dichotomy between colorful, sharply controlled, angular shapes and the rhythmic audacity of her powerful brushstrokes.
“Red Caviar” Oil on Canvas, 24” x 24”
“Black Hole and Roses” Oil on Canvas, 43” x 27.5”
“Moon Eclipse” Oil on Canvas, 24” x 16”
Communicating her unique artistic vision which reflects vibrant parallel realities that come alive through her startling use of luscious colors and precise, visceral shapes, Lucia Denisova dexterously builds formal, structured, geometric compositions with nuanced, textured brushstrokes. “This is a pure art which allows me to express my emotions and evoke emotions in others, similar to music,” she explains of her process. “I use the power of color,” she adds. Featuring dazzling colors such as sienna orange, deep turquoise, fiery brown, sun-hued yellows, her magnificent color palette results in illuminating harmonies that imbue her work with an expressive and emotional impact. Tempting the edge of abstraction, Ms. Denisova blends the marvels of her imagination along with the tactile wonders of the three-dimensional world.
Employing minimalist artistic language i n t e g r a t e d w i t h p u r e g e o m e t r y, M s . Denisova explains that “Abstraction provides me with the freedom of interpretation, it does not require unambiguous understanding, but helps to release the mind instead. Abstractionism attracts me also by the fact that in the course of creation of every painting, new horizons of composition and understanding of how the color functions open up for me.” Reflecting an aesthetic expression channeled through precise design elements, her geometrical-based color filled canvases are amplified by an embodied connection between the colors of earth and the weightlessness of space.
Emblematic of the perfect synthesis between color, shape and texture, Lucia Denisova visually articulates the sublime balance between a heightened sense of creativity coupled with an individualistic approach. Living and working in her native Moscow, Ms. Denisova is a graduate of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, and a member of the Faculty of Applied Arts and the Designer Union of Russia. Inviting the spectator to enter her paintings and discover what is inside, Ms. Denisova has catapulted herself into the contemporary art arena, earning a place in many private collections in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, and Russia.
“Rune” Oil on Canvas, 24” x 24”
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AASE BIRKHAUG
Inspired by the psychological effects colors and imagery have on the mind, Ms. Birkhaug skillfully and deliberately combines her color palette and rose compositions to yield a calming effect for her viewers. “I discovered several years ago that roses have a positive effect on me, almost like healing, and the combination of the small and the sight feels like a mediation” she explains of her inspiration. Offering a voluptuous symphony of line and color, Ms. Birkhaug captures the essence of a classical still-life painting and transforms it into a re-imagined and extraordinarily compelling image. Striking in lushness of color, texture, line, and form, the result are rose paintings that are complex and weighty, while simultaneously sensuous. With a balanced sense of composition and keen sensitivity to light, Ms. Birkhaug creates images that capture the spirit of the Dutch masters, but then moves that spirit forward into the contemporary realm through a bold, expressive use of color and a modern take on texture and movement. Rendering forms through thick, energetic brush strokes to detailed lines and dynamic perspectives, Ms. Birkhaug’s paintings reveal a unique and powerful partnership of technique.
“Abstract Autumn Roses” Tempera on Canvas 7” x 9.5”
Emphatically utilizing the richness and the intensity of color, Ms. Birkhaug is adept at depicting the subtleties of of flowers, giving life to an arrangement of vividly hued flowers, as she endows each image with a depth and physical presence that thoroughly engage the viewer. Like O’Keeffe, much of her art is focused on the eternal mysteries hidden within the flower. Masterfully capturing the convergence of gesture, lines, shadows, and texture to create truly emotive works, her paintings are a reflection of the past as it is a portent of the future.
“Wild Rose I” Watercolor and Tempera, 4” x 6”
orwegian artist Aase Birkhaug is inspired by Frida Kahlo who proclaimed: “I paint flowers so that they will not die.” Eternalizing and immortalizing the permanence of the floral kingdom, Ms. Birkhaug pays homage to the aesthetic beauty of roses. An emissary of nature, Ms. Birkhaug visually combines her physiotherapy training with her passion for flowers. Combining European and Asian influences into a rich and highly detailed art form, Ms. Birkhaug steps away from the trappings of our technological culture and recalls a time of sensorial depth and dedication to beauty in all of its forms.
Stunning in its simplicity as it is compelling in its level of detail, Aase Birkhaug illustrates the beauty of her floral subjects in the minutia of visual details and the broad, overall atmosphere of each composition. Proficient in art media such as aquarelle, tempera, gouache, oil, acrylics, and pastels, Ms. Birkhaug’s quest for learning places her at the forefront of artistic innovation. Through her art, Ms. Birkhaug’s visual poetry is a message of serenity to the world with images that are refreshingly tranquil, reminding the viewer of the serene moments and vistas that perhaps still do exist if we but know where to look.
“Rose III Rosariet Aboretet” Watercolor, 4” x 6” “Roses in Symphony” Tempera on Canvas, 8.5” x 10.5”
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CORA CRONEMEYER Crafting a sense of intrigue, deep contemplation, and emotional transcendence, Ms. Cronemeyer’s dynamic canvases exude heartfelt beauty and powerful sentiment. Radiating with vibrant colors and balanced compositions, her color voices directly reflect the mood of each painting, communicating through pigment and visual narrative. By emphasizing illuminated color juxtapositions, one observes the flow of color and line, shape and form which become intricately interwoven in translucent, opaque layers of gorgeous hues. Defined by a special sense of harmony and rhythm, there is a choreography and a visual melody between the lines and the forms that dance into unique compositions that mirror the human soul. Guided by her unwavering artistic identity, Cora C r o n e m e y e r ’s c r e a t i v e p r o c e s s b o l d l y imparts the reality of the invisible within the visible and the tangible within the intangible.
“The Birth of a Star” Crayon on Paper, 7.5” x 6”
“Freedom Won” Acrylic on Paper, 30.5” x 18.5”
Alternately meticulous and spontaneously and freely marking in her compositions, Ms. Cronemeyer is ultimately driven by a combination of passion and attention to process. “Usually, I control my reactions to what I see. Once in a while, though, I don’t” Ms. Cronemeyer explains of her artistic journey. Celebrating the glory of the world, her boundless imagination is very present, which buzzes with images-within-images, free association, and fantastical popart bright colors. Consistently pushing the boundaries of creation, Ms. Cronemeyer’s compositions enter the realm of the extraordinary, leaving an indelible mark on the viewer.
“Freedom Lost” Acrylic on Paper, 30” x 21.5”
Earnestly contemplating the human condition and the significance of everyday life, Cora Cronemeyer’s oeuvre is both compelling and aesthetic, drawing from the subconscious and her personal experiences. Modulating her palette, there is a palpable presence, providing each work with a powerful physicality and message. Alluring and magical, this masterful artist’s rainbow-hued art has been exhibited internationally as well as in New York. Acclaimed for her visceral canvases and dazzling coloration, Amsterdam Whitney Gallery is proud to shine the spotlight on this rising Star!
alph Waldo Emerson stated, “There is no beautifier of complexion, or form, or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain around us.” Inspired by visualizations after a head injury, Ms. Cronemeyer’s new series depicts equal forces of good to countermand forces of negativity and destruction. Often coupling her paintings to create thoughtful juxtaposition, Ms. Cronemeyer’s series illustrates opposing forces of good and evil, birth and devastation, wins and losses. Through her high voltage, pop-style compositions, this gifted artist communicates a visceral message reflecting a unique individual style and perspective. Employing symbolic narratives, she opens a window to the flow of feelings, memories and emotions, offering tangible shape to the suggestion of timeless moments and eternal ideas. Acknowledging the negative and moving forward with the positive, Ms. Cronemeyer’s complete exploration of abstract ideas and her adjacency of contrast acutely define the delicate balance of our world. Through these prudent pairings, Ms. Cronemeyer successfully illuminates the beauty and joy of life as her antithetic counterparts further emphasize the positive. “The Introvert” Pastel on Paper, 28.5” x 22.5”
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APP
LAWRENCE ARMSTRONG
avid Bailey delcared,“It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer.” A disciple of this doctrine, Contemporary Chinese photographer APP utilizes the full spectral abilities of the lens to view life and create new meanings for the future. In a new series examining the visual intricacies and social implications of wires and industrialization, APP becomes an explorer of unchartered domains. APP’s visionary art expands the boundaries of photography as he creates invisible dimensions of reality and reinterprets them into otherworldly vortices of forms. Offering a new, unique aesthetic vision, APP transforms his surroundings, transcribing themes of technology and new, modern landscapes into kaleidoscopic realms of the mind.
e Corbusier stated, “Space and light and order. Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep.” Exploring the tensions between order and chaos and between free form and precision, architect and artist Lawrence Armstrong’s multimedia artwork illuminates a pure aesthetic while spurring creativity, wonderment, and awe. With an extraordinary body of work informed by his highly disciplined art form, surgical precision of craftsmanship, and career as an architect, Mr. Armstrong’s paintings and wall hangings create complexities in the structures themselves, as they overlap and produce vibrations and illusions of spatial expansion.
Dramatic in composition, light, and unexpected color, APP’s phantasmagorical photography is a visual puzzle, revealing hidden mysteries and submerged narratives of human emotion. Adding a theoretical layer to his aesthetic land and skyscapes, he triggers investigations into the alluded symbolic imagery. APP’s sublime use of color unifies the visual space and conveys a vitality of conceptual expressionism throughout his series. A master at probing the viewer to question the image, his dreamlike, imaginative juxtapositions transports us to hidden universes as he invites us to search for truths beyond his pictures.
Inspired by his background in architecture, Mr. Armstrong’s multimedia artworks represent an ongoing exploration of layers. Exploring how the layers in his compositions interact and intersect each other, Mr. Armstrong uncovers hidden tensions and meanings. “I have always been aware of, and fascinated by Layers in the Natural and Built Environments,” explains Mr. Armstrong of his artistic process. Incorporating both visual and figurative layers of emotion, complexity and simplicity, and chaos and order, Lawrence Armstrong’s interpretation of form are both strategic and visionary.
“PHV_9” Archival Photographic Paper Epson UltraGiclee, 19.7” x 19.7”
“Amor 1.1” Layered Glass, Stainless Steel, Acrylic, 24” x 18” x 12”
A true artist who delights in the physical construction and manual formation of his artworks, Mr. Armstrong states that “a concept gestates for days or weeks, until the appropriate media becomes clear. I create a sketch, and try to understand it for a period of time. The piece then comes out of me very quickly.”
Through APP’s lens, a rich vocabulary of fascinating, abstracted scenes is innovatively created through the artist’s unique photographic language. A mystical aura is perceived in what was previously ordained as an ordinary setting. In APP’s looking glass world, he portrays a vitality of conceptual expressionism as he translates these flowing outlined images into lyrical mindscapes that redefine time, place, and location. This quest to translate the flowing images into haunting silhouettes is a testament to APP’s masterful fusion of the real and the unreal.
“PHV_8” Archival Photographic Paper Epson UltraGiclee, 19.7” x 19.7”
Refined, the oeuvre of Mr. Armstrong induces the viewer into existential and reflective states; simultaneously penetrating the human psyche, as well as captivating the eye. Elevating the importance of line and accentuating volume and mass, Mr. Armstrong veers from static forms and compositions and instead embraces the vigor of present reality. Skilled and well versed in many artistic mediums such as glass, metal sculpture, and acrylic paints, each work has its own strong gravitational pull, with different color choices and styles of application that create an incredible layering of contrasting forms that achieve captivating harmony. Whether two- or three-dimensional in scope, the artwork that results is almost multisensory in nature, eliciting from the viewer a multifaceted experience and opening our eyes to the wondrous complexity that ultimately composes our world. “Gestalt” Oil and Collage on Canvas, 47” x 50” x 6”
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EILEEN BERGER
DAVIA
enri Matisse proclaimed, “An artist must possess nature.” Striving to encapsulate and possess nature in her flora and fauna oeuvre, Arizona-based artist Eileen Berger creates sensual renditions of paradise. With dazzling applications of lucid color, her huetopian canvases yield a dramatic and enveloping visual experience. Taking her viewers on an artistic journey to the tropics, Ms. Berger’s intense, rainbow-inspired colorations and playful experimentations with texture communicate her omnipresent fascination and mystery of nature and the healing qualities of both art and the organic world. With a combination of formal training and experimentation, Ms. Berger has developed a personal style that brings forward a bold and vivid color palette to her mixed media paintings. Each composition is infused with exoticism of the color wheel and floral varietals inspired by her travels to the South Pacific and Caribbean. “My art is colorful, vibrant, and happy. I hope others can feel and share in the joyful spirit in which it has been created,” Ms. Berger says of her artistic process. Her signature technique of layering intense and neon flora and foliage over a dark background, Ms. Berger’s electric bolts of color capture a tropical, otherworldly essence as she masterfully translates her extensive travels onto canvas. Through splendid flora, the efflorescence of each petal is stylized from any context or setting and is displayed frontally. Developing into a decorative pattern, the pure form and order of each leaf and petal becomes the focus of her juvenescent paintings.
“Caribe” Mixed Media on Canvas, 24” x 24
“The Matrix” Oil on Canvas, 60” x 48”
ouise Nevelson mused, “Art is everywhere, it just has to pass through a creative mind.” Inspired by this credo, contemporary artist Davia’s innovative paintings are a testament to this ideology. Channeling flowing abstract imagery inspired by nature, these powerful paintings are a contemporary lens exploring the modern world as each work proves incisive and revelatory in showcasing the ever-changing face of the universe around us. Deconstructing reality, her works are incarnations of humanity as her oeuvre reverberates with vivid sweeping lines, flowing forms and dreamlike patterning. With superb gestural amplitude, free-flowing expressionist shapes, illuminated pigments and glimmering light, her dynamic, visionary compositions are tactile and deeply textured. Through an emphasis on contrast, proportion and pattern, her emotions and scenic moods are brought forth as her compositions reflect a connection between the disharmony and balance of the universe. Davia’s “Dreaming Realities” compositions anthropomorphize into a spiritual harmony uniting humankind with the universe as her artworks become meditative portals for viewers to imagine and mediate. Through these labyrinthine creations, she transports the viewer to a natural paradise where one may contemplate the power, purity and sanctity of nature. Incorporating rich metaphors into her oeuvre, Davia often couples her own poetry with her paintings. In Davia’s, “The Matrix,” the letter ‘G’ is ingrained into the composition to represent the omnipotence of the universe. “G is a letter often used for expressing the Divine Consciousness,” explains Davia. “I painted it reversed to show the cosmos from the viewpoint of the G contemplating this infinite field of infinite possibilities.”
“PagoPago” Mixed Media on Canvas, 24” x 48
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ai-wen wu kratz ax Ernst declared, “Creativity is that marvelous capacity to grasp mutually distinct realities and draw a spark from their juxtaposition.” Following this credo, contemporary master Ai-Wen Wu Kratz’s intricate ink drawings and acrylic compositions ignite that spark combining mesmerizing depth and a unique, contemplative quality. An undulating artistic vision contributes to the visual intersection of abstract and geometric forms as Ms. Kratz’s adroit artistic hand provides a compelling perspective of a dream world replete with fluid, lyrical forms. Balancing a subtle, pastel color wheel to heighten the chimeric quality of her compositions, her fascinating explorations allow us to shift the parameters of how we interpret the world. Interwoven strands of color offer glimpses into her artistic insight and contribute to the ethereal and vaporous quality of her iconic acrylic works on canvas. Teeming with energy, Ms. Kratz’s hand moves along parallel paths as emergent colors cascade gently towards the edges of the composition plane. Overflowing with opaque rivers of paint in a rippling rainbow of hues, the artist’s incredible sensitivity to chromatic relationships and compositional balance is apparent.
jutta legien-vaya assily Kandinsky unequivocally stated:”With few exceptions, music has been for some centuries the art which has devoted itself not to the reproduction of natural phenomena, but rather to the expression of the artist’s soul, in musical sound.” Inspired by this statement, Jutta Legien-Vaya’s harmonic compositions sing with a luminescent palette evocative of both celestial and ethereal realms. Musically inspired by Chopin and Debussy, Ms. Jutta Legien-Vaya’s lyrical compositions are abstract reveries which reverberate with symphonic precision, as she deconstructs reality with expressionistic iconic images. Shimmering color harmonies and musical forms merge and contrast in rhythmic patterns, just as we differentiate in music between counterpoint and harmony. Visually, her personal artistic vision comes to a crescendo through the mystic realm of color in her oil on canvas compositions. Richly vibrating in form and hue, her subliminally hued oeuvre reflects an unmistakable joie de vivre where color dynamically interacts on the canvas.
“From the Elysium” Acrylic on Canvas, 30” x 30”
Right on key, the gifted artist hits a high note with her virtuosic palette which reverberates with the pulsation of color as it unites her oeuvre Offering visual spiritual sensations, the elements of color exist simultaneously with form as her color wheel outlines the structural
“Bach, Toccata” Oil on Canvas, 39.5” x 39.5”
planes, making them energetic with tones fitting together like notes in a musical score. “My colors contain a life full of experiences. My ultimate aim is to open people’s eyes towards universal topics to make them overcome restricted thinking and to give them hope, however dark the present times may be,” Ms. Legien-Vaya says of her color selections. Evocative, emotional and imbued with great visual energy, her modern vision orchestrates gem-colored forms that vibrantly ascend the compositions, inspiring viewers through rhythmic brushstrokes, melodic color schemes and compositional harmony.
There is an intrinsic beauty in the quiet, serene emotion displayed in each curve and undulation, each composition conveying a subtle, ancient wisdom and feminine energy that invites the viewer to bask in the healing nature of each painting. Ms. Kratz’s gentle touch creates a mimetic illusion in each piece, as the soft, refined nature of her technique works to invoke the breathtaking masterpieces, exquisite in nature to the point of demanding a moment of silent contemplation. Tranquil and complex, these pieces exemplify truth in simplicity, allowing the viewer to take in every detail without distraction and absorb the aesthetic fully. They do not shroud themselves in mystery, rather, they stand forward for all to see and glean meaning. Her lyrical shapes and ethereal forms beckon the viewer while they create a gentle emotional connection as she draws upon mystical memory. Bold while simultaneously being demure, Ms. Kratz’s oeuvre brings something modern to ancient modes of expression, becoming something all its own. Stunningly brilliant and superbly innovative, this Asian born-Pennsylvania based artist’s delicate body of work is filled with explosive color and beautiful movement. ized for her timelessly masterful works. It is the Amsterdam Whitney Gallery’s privilege to shine
“Sing to the Carnival” Acrylic on Canvas, 30” x 32”
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Investing each composition with incredible vitality and an irrepressible hued syncopation, Ms. Legien-Vaya’s expressionist compositions pulsate with gestural swaths of bold colors and brilliant plays of light. Tension and energy dominate her explosive canvases as her masterful color application electrifies the scene she portrays. With a palette of royal purples, lilacs, and oceanic blues, she captures the dynamism and evanescence of musically inspired compositions. “There is the kind of music which has been composed, but there is also the kind of music which is inside us,” she explains. “Some of my compositions are linked to music which has actually been composed and which everyone can hear. Other compositions show the inner song which sleeps in everything.”
“Chopin Nocturne b-Moll, op.9 No 2” Oil on Canvas, 39.5” x 39.5”
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RIC CONN
ROBERT HOOKE iacometti stated, “The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity.” Sculptor Robert Hooke introduces a new visual counterpoint to sculpture by creating dramatic white translucent alabaster and bronze works of abstracted figures and biomorphic forms which emphasize sinuous curves and smooth surfaces. Uniquely conveying a magical fusion of three-dimensionality through the body language of his organic animals and human figures, Mr. Hooke invites interpretation through the removal of all unnecessary embellishments, luxuriating in and emphasizing their reductive, refined contours and volumes. Beautifully intertwining a distinctive narrative and a compelling aesthetic, Mr. Hooke’s undulating, organic sculptures allow viewers the space for their own contemplation.
rancis bacon stated, “All of our actions take their hue from the complexion of the heart.” Influenced by this provocative concept , contemporary portraitist Ric Conn elevates quiet, intimate human moments, depicting his female subjects internal visceral emotions with unusual grace and attention. Dignified and expressive, his introspective scenes convey hesitation, reflection, anxiety and resilience through carefully rendered portraits that expose the psychology of his subjects. Alluringly communicating the mysteries of being a woman, this spectrum of figures stylistically emote the feminine mystique as they mirror the persistence of beauty within a turbulent world.
“Three’s a Crowd” Oil on Canvas, 36” x 24”
Metamorphosing into glowing visions of femininity, the figures’ powerful facial expressions invite the viewer to look closer and behold the true beauty hidden within the larger image – perhaps even enabling us to forge an emotional connection. As Mr. Conn presents a complex web of body language with precision, his anonymous subjects feel intensely intimate and emotionally. Intensely overflowing with raw emotion, his subjects exude intimacy, fragility, and strength. Often utilizing unique compositions that feel like snapshots of a moment from his own perspective, Ric Conn manipulates light and shadow to elevate the significance of mundane daily moments that often go unseen.
YOLANTA DESJARDINS aul Cezanne declared, “Light is a thing that cannot be reproduced, but must be represented by something else- by color.” Inspired by this philosophy, Contemporary Canadian artist Yolanta Desjardins transcribes an opulent vision of nature into her spectrally hued floral and sumptuous still life oil canvases, celebrating the powerful abundance and energy of our world. Both modern and timeless, Ms. Desjardins’ evanescent compositions provide beauty and inspiring concepts as she commemorates the splendor of nature and immortalizes the permanence of our natural world. Her arresting visceral vision encapsulates an idyllic, contemplative serenity where the presence of light and shadow radiate a divine visual poetry as the viewer is displaced from his contemporary setting and feels he is on the cusp of another timeless, yet transitory, otherworld. Infusing her polychrome canvases with luminescent animate and inanimate subjects, this gifted artist visually transcends canvas boundaries with incandescent subjects found in the natural world. Successfully distilling a singular scene into a single moment in time, Ms. Desjardins’ unique ability to use color to achieve ethereal clarity encapsulates fragments of eternity and enshrines them to offer a permanent remembrance of visual contemplation. 26
Maintaining viewer recognition in his sculptural subjects, Mr. Hooke subscribes to the mentality that “creativity is not the notes you put in, but the ones you leave out.” As he dismantles original forms, he streamlines his work into his own particular vision of contemporary language, transposing the beauty, balance, and proportions that portray the essence of living forms. Mr. Hooke’s minimalistic approach depicts animals and people as undulating shapes and comprising curves inspired by Art Nouveau and Surrealist artistic traditions.
“Reclining Woman” Alabaster, 9” x 16” x 9”
JOHN PETERSON ollowing Henry David Thoreau’s credo that “We can never have enough of nature. We must be refreshed by the sight of inexhaustible vigor,” contemporary master John Peterson is dedicated to immortalizing Western natural terrains and wildlife through his oil on canvas compositions. Rendered in acute realism, Mr. Peterson’s wildlife and landscape work is a loving tribute to Western themes of the 19th century and the independence of travelers and settlers. Through an accomplished skill set and un-relinquishing inspiration, John Peterson’s illuminated depictions of expansive and unspoiled dioramas of the West, honor the national heritage of our western culture. Celebrating his impressions of the natural terrain of the West, Mr. Peterson preserves the traditions and nostalgia of a period in time that has since been replaced by advancing civilization. Imbued with dynamic energy, each figure and scene reverberates with an intrinsic sense of motion within, which allows each work to transcend its two-dimensional state.
“Golden Onion” Oil on Canvas, 14” x 10” “Escape with the Stolen Ponies” Oil on Canvas, 34” x 54”
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ANNA FRANKLIN talian-born, New York based abstract painter Anna Franklin’s chromatic compositions envelope viewers with voluminous gem-colored forms that delicately ascend her abstract compositions through layered brushwork and textured application. Mixing gestural color-fields with nascent abstract organic configurations, a myriad compendium of color components dance across her canvas. Amidst atmospheric pools of brilliant spectral hues, anthropomorphic shapes and simplified lines dreamily reveal organic shapes found in the natural world.
IVANA MASIC
“Conversations in the Rain” Acrylic on Canvas, 48” x 72”
“Red Butterfly” Acrylic on Canvas, 24” x 18”
ANN GORES
RIBANA SZUTOR
eattle-based artist Ann Gores oil canvases offer a triumphant homage to the timeless appeal of the floral world, creating visually rich transplendent floral bouquets. With Nature as her muse, Ann Gores is influenced by and taps into the art historical heritage of the Impressionists by offering a contemporary evanescent reinterpretation of classically inspired floral arrangements. Known as ‘The Ambassador of the Floral Kingdom,” Ms. Gores skillfully paints floral, still life and landscape scenes that hint to the world the magical, eternal qualities of our universe. “Oranges and Blues” Oil on Canvas, 18” x 14”
ransylvanian born and Milan based painter Ribana Szutor explores the delicate balance between abstraction and reality. Through her neo-geometric paintings, Ms. Szutor redefines how we envision form through a combination of oil painting and acrylic resin technique. Proudly disregarding traditional principles and expectations of fine art, Ms. Szutor’s subjects explore a free combination of colors, imagination, and visceral narratives. Experimenting with color, texture, and imagery, Ms. Szutor unabashedly breaks from conventional artistic guidelines to establish a world colored with what she describes as “latent eroticism, lack of convention, and playfulness.” “Energy” Mixed Media on Canvas, 47” x 55
DIANE HOLLAND
WENDY YEO
master of translating common objects into extraordinary new contexts, Contemporary California painter Diane Holland integrates the essence of food items into her new geometric series. By abstractly depicting visual qualities of food items, Ms. Holland reminds the viewer of the transitory moments of life through a juxtaposition of the ephemeral and the concrete: her images will remain eternal, but the food will be consumed. Through her medium, she commemorates not just the image, but the sensual understanding of the image, invoking the sense memories of smell and taste via her clever usage of line and shading. “Figs and Melon” Acrylic on Canvas, 40” x 30”
“Waterfall in Summer” Acrylic on Canvas, 40” x 30”
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ew York-based artist Ivana Masic’s visceral, colorful visions conjure emotional vistas that reveal heartfelt tableaux. Passionately approaching her canvases with a purposeful majesty that enriches her art with an expressionistic grandeur, she challenges the viewer to visit her magical kingdom of creativity and imagination and transcend the parameters of our lives. Harmonizing the fantastical with the real, this Contemporary Master creates expressionistic figurative and abstracted canvases that articulates the essence of emotion and celebrates the human spirit.
nternational artist Wendy Yeo’s incandescent acrylic paintings translate the essence of Chinese nature painting into semi-abstracted dreamscapes. Universal in its appeal, Ms. Yeo’s multicultural body of work represents a distinct bridge between the worlds that shaped her artistic vision. Interjecting the emotional tones of traditional Chinese painting with ethereal optical landscape projections, she inspires human contemplation on the experiences of nature. Elegantly intermixing a dazzling pastel color palette with dynamic brushstrokes, ranging from fluid organic lines with explosive bursts of color, her lyrical oeuvre harmoniously morphs into dazzling compositions, encouraging viewers to examine themes of the external realm. 29
PHILIP CATANIA
“Egyptian Luminescence” Oil on Canvas, 8” x 10”
urrealist Philip Catania creates uniquely structured dreamscapes, presenting his chimera as visual poetry. Reflecting surrealist fluidity and imaginative impossibilities, his enigmatic realm incorporates an otherworldly universe to secure his unprecedented aesthetic sensibility inextricably linked; his subject matter floats on canvas, as he skillfully illustrates characters which transcend infinity as they metaphorically express inner emotions on canvas. Concerned with the relationship between memory, image, place, and self, Mr. Catania’s oeuvre achieves an understanding of reverie in its exploration and facilitation of the mechanisms of memory and emotional resonance. Speaking in languages both iconographic and purely visual, the focal point of Philip Catania work centers around his own stylized version of the human figure.
ADRIENNE KYROS hrough the transcendence of color, artist Adrienne Kyros is able to achieve an aesthetic experience reminiscent of the work of Paul Gauguin. Transforming the normative western world into a reverie of line and color, there is huetopian lightness to her exceptionally rendered watercolor and acrylic oeuvre. Through her thick brushstrokes and thought provoking lines, viewers are transported into the gentle breeze and warm sunshine of her masterfully established compositions. Inspired by nature and her travels, Adrienne Kyros paints flora, fauna, and still life scenes, reverberating with a symphony of color and masterful understanding of light. “Aegali Hills, Amorgos Greece” Watercolor, 21” x 29”
PENELOPE CHIUSANO arrying a message of beauty and simplicity in form, the underlying concept of femininity is evident through the delicate nature of Penelope Chiusano’s gestural paintings and through her focused attention to fine detail. Part icon, part dream, the artworks are awash in bold patterns and vibrant colors as her unique aesthetic juxtapose pensive, realistic figures with lush flowers and undulating flourishes that glow with inner light. Demonstrating an affinity with textiles and hand written lettering, Ms. Chiusano combines textured strokes with a cogent aesthetic language which defines a female visual lexicon.
BARBARA MUIR anadian artist Barbara Muir is inspired by the emotions and intimacies of our world and translates them into landscapes that encapsulate subtle moments of awe and wonder. Challenged by freezing a scene as it exists for only a special, brief moment in time, her landscapes showcase the precision and uniqueness of her artistic vision. Ms. Muir accents the external world as she draws a visual metaphor of asking us to examine the interior quality of our character. “The Happiest View” Acrylic on Canvas, 36” x 60”
“Housewaves” Water Media, Collage, 18” x 24”
PAUL KENTZ
SALLY RUDDY
nown for his “Theater of the Street,” Paul Kentz is dedicated to commemorate exuberant city life as he immortalizes iconic New York City landmarks. Effortlessly transporting the viewer to the urban, cosmopolitan streets of New York City, Mr. Kentz fills the spectator’s eye with frozen pictorial snapshots of the immediate, bustling activities of the metropolis. Continuing his eternal love affair with New York City, this inveterate New Yorker offers a unique perspective and an enchanting vision to the emblematic images of New York City, infusing them with a pulsating new life and fresh artistic vision.
alifornia artist Sally Ruddy is influenced by the emotions and intimacies of our world with landscape compositions that encapsulate subtle moments of awe and wonder. Recognizing the admiration for nature found throughout her series, Ms. Ruddy’s new “Loving Nature Series,” expresses a profound love for tradition, family, and her homeland. Encapsulating the essence of pictorial nostalgia, Ms. Ruddy lures viewers into a gentle dialogue with her painted compositions. “Horse Lovers” Oil on Canvas, 18” x 24”
“Tartan Day, Manhattan” Oil on Canvas, 18” x 24”
GUNILLA KLEMENDZ wedish artist Gunilla Klemendz’s triumphant hand painted, glazed stoneware and metal sculptures manifest into masterful, three-dimensional organic compositions. Applying her aesthetic vocabulary to a myriad of materials and shapes, Ms. Klemendz harmonizes her expressive forms, melding and intermingling shapes into strikingly reconfigured organic sculptures which burst with excitement and vitality. Crafting exciting abstract forms out of stoneware and metal, her colorful application and decorative approach creates balance to the passion with which she creates her artwork. 30
PAUL UYEHARA he striking abstract works of Paul Uyehara illustrate this sentiment through his dazzling non-representational canvases. Appealing to universal emotions and ideas through their magnificent bold color palette and dynamic, textural paint application, his prodigious oeuvre reflects his inner passions and emotions, providing a sensorial experience for his audience. “Deconstruction #24” Oil on Canvas, 16” x 24”
“Chameleon” Stoneware and Metal, 6” x 10”
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JOHN PETERS
“Red and White Roses” Metal Leaf, Oil on Canvas, 24” x 20”
ART ACQUISITOR Magazine Amsterdam Whitney Gallery 32