living artists of today contemporary
ART
Vol. III
international
Copyright © [2016] by Art & Beyond Studio, Inc. 143645-RYK1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016913921 ISBN:
Softcover 978-1-5245-3523-0 Hardcover 978-1-5245-3524-7 Ebook 978-1-5245-3694-7
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. All artists featured in the Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art book retain Copyright © for each of their individual images. All rights reserved. Editor: Alina Ryk Lampert Design and Layout: Art & Beyond Studio. Inc. — exclusively designed for Art & Beyond Publications, a part of the Art & Beyond Studio, Inc.: www.art-beyond.com www.artandbeyondpublications.com. All rights reserved.
To order additional copies of this book, contact: Xlibris Corporation 1-888-795-4274 www.Xlibris.com Orders@Xlibris.com
contents Fine Art
Maruka Carvajal Stephanie Holznecht Anna Ivleva Sharon Murcott Natalya B. Parris Federico Pisciotta Michelle Purves Yorka Ralwins Silvana LaCreta Ravena Mila Ryk Carol Staub DarnĂŠy Willis
4 6 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28
Mixed Media Print Making
Bardhyl Bejtullahu Hui-ju Chen Giancarlo Flati Ryota Matsumoto Kasia Szczesniewski
32 34 36 38 40
Sculpture Functional Art Steven Lustig 44 Tim Taylor 46 Denise Vieira 48
Digital Art Photography Barbara Hazen Mary Hartenbower Lika Ramati Robin Apple Fu Wenjun
52 54 56 59 60
Jewelry Miniature Art Sandy Den Hartog 64 Juliana Medvedeva 66
From the Publisher
fine art
maruka carvajal
SNOW FALL. Snow Fall, 12” x 12”
Maruka Carvajal is a contemporary artist based in Washington DC. Born in Bolivia, with Spaniard nationality, an upbringing in Brazil, and after several years living as expat in Asia and the Americas, she brings a multi-cultural perspective of the world and sensations expressed through shapes, patterns and her peculiar use of colors and strokes. She started painting during college in Brazil, where she graduated as an architect, but with the years she followed her true passions and devoted herself to the visual arts in full. She pursued further studies, including art classes at Chinatown Heritage Centre in Singapore and the Art League in Alexandria, VA. As a member of the Foundry Gallery in Washington DC, the Color8art group, and visiting artist at the Torpedo Factory Gallery in Alexandria VA, Ms Carvajal’s paintings were displayed in several exhibitions at these and other venues. One of her paintings was acquired by the “Writer’s Center” in the city of Bethesda, MD to 4 •
Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
QUIET SUMMER. Acrylic on Canvas, 20” x 24”
FAVELAS RJ. Acrylic on Canvas, 24” x 30”
be displayed in their permanent collection. Maruka Carvajal’s work is featured in the cover of the “Art & Beyond” magazine edition of March/April 2014 and also in the back cover of the same magazine in the edition of September/October 2014. More recently, in 2015 her work is also featured in the Studio Visit magazine volume No. 32. Using different shapes, lines, and vibrant colors Ms. Carvajal expresses in canvas recollections of emotions, impressions and experiences different cities caused on her. www.marukacarvajal.com International
• 5
stephanie holznecht
LIFE IN MOTION. Acrylic on Canvas, 34” x 36”
Originally from the Southeast coast of England, Stephanie Holznecht immigrated with her family to the USA at the age of nineteen. Stephanie attended UW-Whitewater upon arrival obtaining a BA in graphic design and fine art. She worked in the design industry for ten years as a graphic designer and art director. Holznecht left the industry to raise a family, continuing on as a hobby artist. It was about nine years ago that she took up art professionally. “I have attended many workshops over the years in a diverse range of art and design subjects to enhance my growth as an artist, including many workshops dedicated to abstract art.” Her current artistic style has changed dramatically from earlier years, moving from realism to an emotive, free-flowing abstract artist. Holznecht attributes a lot of this to the workshops in abstract painting that she has taken, although her paintings were already showing signs of abstraction before that. The workshops inspired Stephanie to let go of her minutely detailed realistic artwork and free herself up to feel art on a deeper, more emotional level. For many years her main focus has been using a type of paint called fluid acrylic. Stephanie finds fluid acrylic to be a challenging
6 •
Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
DELIGHTFUL. Acrylic on Canvas, 24” x 48”
medium. This is an exciting process that requires a level of skill that she continues to improve upon, as she controls the outcome of each piece. Holznecht never gets bored with the use of this medium. Layering the paint is her specialty. This technique produces an engaging result, guaranteed to appear different with each painting. Just recently she has begun moving her focus to acrylic paint. Stephanie paints with both fluid acrylic and acrylic paints simultaneously. Her acrylic artwork begins with her choosing two or three colors that compliment each other. She squirts the paint onto the canvas, where she wants it to be. “I then manipulate the paint into a piece of artwork unique to me.” “I invest in the creation of a piece of art to convey what I have inside: my thinking, emotions, life, essence and soul.” When Stephanie creates a new piece of art, what she feels smoothly becomes real. Once her creativity is ready, her vision becomes clear and flows out onto the canvas. “For me it is important to create what I feel. My abstract art is an extension of myself. Full of passion and emotion: happy, sad,
ELECTRIC STORM. Fluid Acrylic Paint on Canvas, 24” x 24” International
• 7
stephanie holznecht
DOUBTFUL. Acrylic on canvas, 30” x 30”
angry, calm, all these play a part in my creative process. The sights running through my mind create the desire to paint in a more expressive form. The outcome of the painting process is titled based on how I feel about the finished piece.” The inspiration that she takes from experiencing life creates a feeling that continues to inspire her. “I feel, as an artist, that is something I could never lose.” “I would say my artistic style is quite unique as it refers to the use of fluid acrylic paint. In both styles I find myself influenced by such masters as van Gogh, especially his use of swirls in his painting process, Georgia O’Keefe for her flowing images of petals and flowers, Jackson Pollock for his fascinating splatter paintings; a technique I have often employed in my own artwork, and Salvador Dali for a fantastical mind and his warped paintings, such as “Daddy Longlegs of the Evening.”” 8 •
Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
HEART BEAT. Acrylic on Canvas, 40” x 30”
Holznecht has exhibited at many venues throughout the United States and the world: including New York NY, Miami FL, Chicago IL, Cooperstown NY, Janesville WI, Gadsden AL, Metuchen NJ, Santa Fe NM, and Sturgeon Bay WI, all in the USA, and overseas in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dharam, Nepal, New Delhi, India, London, England, and Montecarlo di Lucca, Italy. Stephanie has won many awards, including a Bronze Award in the Master of Art International Exhibition, London, England. First place for a wine label competition at Vin Art in Tuscany, Italy. Best in Show at Arts on Elston Gallery, Chicago IL, USA, and top 85 and 58 finalist respectively, in the Abstract/Experimental category, out of over 7500 entries in The Artist’s Magazine competition, years 2014 and 2015. Her art is in the permanent installations in many corporate and private collections worldwide. www.scholznecht.com • sholznecht@gmail.com International
• 9
anna ivleva FIREBIRD. Oil on Canvas, 24” x 48” PEONIES. Oil on Canvas, 24” x 36”
Anna Ivleva was born in Odessa, Ukraine (former USSR). Ivleva started schooling and basic artistic training in 1963-1972. Through Ivleva’s extensive travels in Europe, she was able to gain the most valuable experiences while exploring world famous museums with collections of artists such as Monet, 10 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
“As a practicing artist I want to reflect nature on canvas and the creations of God in bright bold terms.” - Anna Ivleva
YELLOW IRISES. Oil on Canvas, 30” x 40”
FIRST DATE. Oil on Canvas, 24” x 36”
Korovin, Golovin, and John Singer Sergeant who’s work influenced her artwork dramatically. Ivleva took private art lessons in oil painting and learned different techniques and is self-taught in art history. Inspired by the beauty of nature and works of the old masters she developed her technique by using short, wide and deep brush strokes in her artwork to make a strong visual impression which helps emphasize the emotions of chosen colors of the paint. Ivleva’s artwork is quiet and peaceful as well as joyful. Ivleva’s most resent exhibitions include Anderson Art Center, WI and Gallery 7, Joliet, IL. Anna Ivleva is proud member of the Chicago Society of Artists. www.healingartworld.com International
• 11
sharon murcott
LAST OF THE MUSTER. MT DASHER, NZ. Watercolour on Paper, 45cm x 55cm
Born in New Zealand Sharon lives on a small lifestyle block in the South Island town of Oamaru. She has had a love of drawing and painting most of her life. Due to a rural upbringing she is Mainly self taught, as even at secondary school Art was not an available option. As a result, this has lead her to find her own way through a lot of trial and error, to develop her unique style and certainly breaking some ‘watercolour rules’. She has been fortunate enough to attend workshops, both in New Zealand and Australia, of Artists that she admires and has learnt a lot from. Her favourite medium is most definitely watercolour. The unpredictability and excitement of what can happen when painting with this medium is still as thrilling now as it was when she first started painting, perhaps even more so. Exhibiting in and around her hometown of Oamaru Sharon has sold work both nationally and internationally as well as having won various awards. 12 •
Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
MISS GREEN EYES. Watercolour on Paper, 75cm x 55cm
WINTERS DAY. DUNEDIN, NZ. Watercolour on Paper, 60cm x 80cm
FAREWELL KORIMIKO. Watercolour on Paper, 60cm x 75cm
Sharon’s inspiration for her paintings comes from everyday situations and Moments that she strives to capture. Her three children are a constant source of inspiration. Whether it is a moment in the remoteness of the high country, the busyness of a city street or the intensity of a portrait, She strives to give the viewer the same feeling of passion and excitement when looking at the painting that she feels when painting it. http://devi-art.wix.com/devi-art Facebook. Devi-art by Sharon Murcott International
• 13
natalya b. parris
BACHELOR. Acrylic on Canvas, 16” x 20” (Image Three)
Natalya B. Parris is recognized for creating paintings in her unique artistic style - “Emotional Counterpoints in Paint – Dots.” This is how she describes her technique: “In the first step, I draw an outline of the picture I wish to paint. My second step is to paint the piece. The unique part comes next. I spend a significant amount of time deciding how to place multi-layered (three-dimensional) dots to bring out the images that I wish to emphasize. Indeed, each dot is designed and established to play a part in the overall painting.” Natalya’s dots connect her experience making engineering drawings by hand (it was the time when she learned to paint such perfect dots) and the present time, when she uses those dots to create art. A large part of Natalya’s art is inspired by the Russian Falk traditions and crafts. During her travels to the rural areas of Russia when she worked as an engineer and had business trips to construction sites, she acquired original folk art pieces for her collection, visited local museums and talked to people 14 •
Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
BACHELOR: Underpainting. Acrylic on Canvas, 16” x 20” (Image Two)
Image
(Drawing): In the first step, Bachelor, 16” x 20” (I draw an outline of the picture I wish to paint) one
acrylic on canvas,
Image two (Underpainting): Second step is to paint the piece; Bachelor, acrylic on canvas, 16” x 20” Image
three
(“Bachelor”): Perfectly
round dots
are overlaid onto sections of a previously-painted picture;
Bachelor, acrylic on canvas, 16” x 20”
who created this art. But, her art is not authentic Russian folk art; it is derived from folk art. It is her feelings about Russian Folk Art: a modern, contemporary interpretation of it. She often works within a theme and creates artworks in series. Her latest series linked to Russian Folk Art and Russian history is “Memories of Hillwood”. The artwork “Bachelor” is inspired by Russian Folk Art. She painted it as a present to her son’s 16th birthday. As a little boy her son liked art and often painted with her. He believed that his mother would become a famous artist and wanted to have pieces of her art in his possession. He knew that his mother would continue paint at night, and first thing he did when he awoke was to run to find Natalya and asked her to promise to give the painting she painted overnight in his “private collection.” But, time passed by and it became his younger sister turn to claim mother’s art and the son stepped aside. Thus, Natalya wanted to do something very special to her son’s birthday, but was not sure what painting her teenager son would like. When she overheard him saying in a joke “I am a rooster.”
BACHELOR: Drawing. Acrylic on Canvas, 16” x 20” (Image One)
She remembered thinking “Bingo! I will paint a rooster for him and call it a “Bachelor.” This artwork won 1st place at the Maryland State Fair 2015. And, her son loves it. You can see more of Natalya B. Parris’s art on Facebook page Natalya B. Parris. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Natalya-B-Parris/111488538880248 www.linkedin.com/pub/natalya-parris/18/a1b/820/ https://artavita.com/artists/8737-natalya-b-parris International
• 15
federico pisciotta ON MY VIDEOPLAYER. Mixed Media and Oil on Shaped Wood, Plexiglass and RGB LED Lamps, 90cm x 94cm. 2014.
Federico Pisciotta was born in Rome on October 30, 1975. He graduated the VI Art School in Rome in 1993 and in 1997 painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, with Nunzio Solendo and Sandro Trotti. After teaching for several years in the capital, he devoted himself exclusively to painting and contemporary art research. From 2013 Pisciotta lives and works in Fara in Sabina, at his studio “700Artecontemporanea”. He has participated in group exhibitions, solo and international exhibitions in Italy and abroad exhibiting at some prestigious public spaces such as the Foundation Museum Venanzo Crocetti in Rome, the Stables of Aragona Palace in Vasto, CH, the DAP1 Gallery in Warsaw and Halle 50 at the DomagkAteliers in Monaco of Bavaria. He also exhibited at International Fairs in New York, Miami, San Diego, Santa Fe, and the Hamptons. He took some aspects of popular culture, contaminated them with underground footnotes and applied them to an academic education. This way, Federico Pisciotta created a pictorical hybrid between technical perfection and decay of sign, strong provocation and intimacy of images. As a result, the logic connection among his images tends to loosen its functional rhythm in order to achieve a figurative trend, dysfunctional. It is set where nothing has, or must have, a meaning and everything seems 16 •
Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
THE GAME EXHIBITION. Mixed Media and Oil on Shaped Wood, Plexiglass and Ultra White LED Lamps, 167cm x 98cm. 2014
WITHOUT RELIGION. Mixed Media and Oil on Shaped Wood, Plexiglass and RGB LED Lamps, 124,5 cm x 98cm. 2015
to have a bias toward the absolute paradox. At first blush, we are looking at something not new. It seems that we got used to it thanks to the expressive-visual dynamics of the second half of the last century, considering also to what extent the pop avantgarde was paradoxical (considering the two aspects of the word: the logical one and the perceptual one). Thanks to that pop avant-garde images - every kind of images - became beyond-consumption products, fitting the “artistic consumption”. On the other hand, from another point of view, it supported the consumer aspect of art. But, as a loose cannon in the shrewd side of contemporary painting for what concerns the pop-reloaded, Pisciotta firstly recreated the iconographic value of each subject. After that, he reduce it single images-icons in order to spread the spicy taste of limited post-social frames, packed with politically-incorrect two-way aspects. He is just enough caustic, more confident than what is required by pop-addicted forces, used by our roman artist with wisdom, as Franco Angeli did years ago, the Italian example of the original pop collective imagination. We are at the crowning moment of consumerism which always more clearly connects with virtual reality. He finds these connections in scenes of video-games which become ordinary administration for who, like Pisciotta, is on the other side of the screen or of canvas. Maybe, did the act of pushing the play button, symbolically big and evident, become a vital necessity? federico.pisciotta@gmail.com • www.federicopisciotta.com International
• 17
michelle purves
PASSION AWAKES ECSTASY. Oil on Canvas, 230cm x 185cm. 2016
The love and intimacy with nature all started when Michelle Purves lived in a remote village in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) when she was nine years of age. The immense cultural and spiritual significance of her native Africa resonates strongly with herself and it is from such environs that Michelle draws her inspirations, and her art form has evolved. The fiery sun and flaming red skies, contrasted to romantic soft pink skies bedding themselves on the horizon. The scorched earth begging for rain and the chameleon clinging with hope to a vivid green tree in the middle of a drought. The midnight blue sky, alive with flickering stars and fireflies dancing to the beat, of an opera of cicadas. Nowadays, clouds for Purves represent the interconnectedness of nature. The beginning of life. The colours of the sky resemble the moods of people and their colourful characteristics, whether it be romantic, imaginary, or dramatic overtones. Flowers represent the individual travelling through this vast world with hopes and dreams, reaching for the sky, and not forgetting the beauty of their surroundings. 18 •
Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
MOON OF DREAMS. Oil on Canvas, 145cm x 165cm. 2012
TRANQUILITY OF DREAMS. Oil on Canvas, 71cm x 71cm. 2016
“Purves frequently strips the scenescape of everything that is not the subject she wishes to explore, allowing the subject’s nuances and often overlooked character to be revealed. Commonly dismissed as unwanted obstructions to the aesthetic superiority of a bright sunny day, clouds, in Purves’ work, are championed as humble heroes: givers of gifts, above all the gift of all life, as the deliverers of rain and water.” “Her hues are endearing, emanating a warmth that demands a moment of contemplation. Their subject-matter is often implausibly simple and never formatically dominant, allowing the colours, textures and contrasts to take center stage” written by David McKenzie, Art Monaco Mag 2015. Purves paintings are in traditional oils and her technique is nonconformist. Since 2002, she have had numerous successful exhibitions in Australia. She was awarded “Prix d’excellence Artist Emergent” at Art Monaco 2015. The wide range of exhibitions in 2015 include Art Monaco, Art Zurich, and through Steiner Art Gallery (Vienna) at Shanghai Expo and Miami Red Dot. Purves artwork featuring in: Global Art Agency – Contemporary Art of Excellence Vol. II, and Vol. III; Investable artists 2016 and 2017. Art Domain Who Is Publisher- “Who is Who in Visual Art 2017” (Finalist in Palm-art-award with Art Domain). World Wide Art Books International Contemporary Masters Volume XI. www.michellepurves.com International • 19
yorka ralwins ALL ABOUT HER. Acrylic on Canvas, 48” x 36”. 2015
“A white canvass is where I confess. It’s where my fear, indignation, fantasy, grief, and despair tumble to be voiced and reconciled. What emerges on the canvass is the conquest, the true essence of my ‘self’ and its complexity. Though the inspiration to paint comes from a place of darkness, in the process lies the joy. When I’m painting I am valiant, auspicious… victorious. I paint to balance my feelings. The figures, textures, colors and effects in my work are intended to strike an emotional involvement with the piece from the observer, one that will compel you to journey with my state during its creation. I choose to work with acrylic as it is conducive to the level of convention or experimentation I am seeking, and I often add water, wax, vinegar and other elements until the voice of the piece emerges. My finished works are often strange to myself since they are nothing of what I felt or wished to express when I began. However, the core of my original impulse is imbedded in the work to be discovered through endless exploration by the observer’s eye.”
Yorka Ralwins (B. 1965, La Romana, Dominican Republic) began her painting life in 1999 when she opened a gift shop of handpainted art in South Plainfield, New Jersey and set up her first studio next door where she taught painting to children, adults, and people with special needs. Murals were her love during that period. She was also attracted by decorative and faux painting, which she incorporated into her business as an art teacher. Exhibiting her personal artworks was never a consideration as she felt them too intimate to unveil to critics and the public. Moving to Florida changed that. South Florida awoke the artist with a purpose in her, and she was ready to step out of her cocoon. She is a fast rising female artist with high sells and recognition as well as the Ambassador of the Arts for the NYC Dominican Day Parade 2016. 20 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
TROPICAL HORSE. Acrylic on Canvas, 58” x 83”
The figures, strokes, colors, and effects in her paintings are intended to strike an emotional involvement with the piece. Yorka intends to arouse memories and feelings, perhaps spiritual, which compel you to pause and wonder what her story is about. She calls it figurative expressionist work which gives her the freedom to set up a contradiction in the viewer’s mind that asks them to reconcile a familiar image with the sometimes unreal surroundings she places it in. She emigrated from the east coast of Dominican Republic to the United States in 1974 where she lived a number of years in New York City before marrying and moving to nearby New Jersey. She has three charming children and a golden grandson and currently lives in Port Saint Lucie, FL. At the present she is an in-house artist at Studio 17 Highwaymen & Florida Art Gallery in Fort Pierce, FL. www.yorkaralwins.com
IN THE MIDS OF TEARS. Acrylic on Canvas, 58” x 85” International
• 21
silvana l a c reta ravena
THE PEACOCK SERIES: PEACOCK PEEKABOO. Oil on Canvas, 24”x 36”
“Silvana LaCreta Ravena is a versatile painter who works in oils, acrylics, watercolors, and encaustic. Originally from Brazil, she was educated as a psychologist and also holds degrees in art therapy, art history and a master’s degree in fine arts. The connections between psychology and art have been the constant subject of her paintings. She became fascinated with this theme during her practice as a clinical psychologist, an experience that helped her to infuse her art with principles based on different lines of thought in psychology. Some Freudian concepts, ideas from the Phenomenology, concepts of the Gestalt therapy and some Jungian concepts are particularly important to her artworks. In several of her oil, encaustic and mixed media pieces she reflects on the concept of memory and is particularly interested in the qualities of these media that make the passage of time more visible. From her perspective the passage of time is intimately associated with a multitude of psychological dynamics and highlights the idea that the act of seeing is actually an act of comprehending. For Silvana, we see things not only with our brain, but also with our experience, and this experience is part of an array of psychological processes that go beyond our awareness. 22 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
THE PEACOCK SERIES: PROVOKING PEACOCK. Oil on Canvas, 24”x 36”
Thus, in her pieces, she seeks to play with elements pertaining to the act of producing and beholding art to reflect on the connections between images and the mind. According to Silvana, “art is a type of embodiment in which experience creates matter that creates experience.” Since moving to Minnesota in 2006, Ms. Ravena has centered her focus exclusively on painting, making it her way of stimulating people’s psychological dynamics. Silvana is represented by galleries in multiple states, has exhibited regularly in various venues throughout the country and has received prestigious art awards in the US and Europe. Her work has been featured in national and international art publications as well as in television art shows, belonging to private collections in both the US and Brazil.” slravenastudio@gmail.com • www.silvanaravena.com
TRAVEL EMBODIMENTS 1: AMSTERDAM. Oil on Canvas, 48”x 48” International • 23
mila ryk PEACEFUL DREAM 2. Oil On Canvas, 20” x 20”.
Mila Ryk is a 3rd generation artist born in the Ukraine. Raised in a country that prohibited ones basic freedoms, there was very little chance to make your dreams come true. After she immigrated to United States in 1991 her passion to art become the most important part of her life. Inspired by Art Nouveau and amazed by the endless beauty of Orchids, she developed her unique style and technique, which gave her the ability to share her vision and feelings with a viewers. Mila Ryk unites line work of figures, brush strokes, colors and nature in one single form of harmony and beauty.
24 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
SICRET GARDEN. Oil on convas, 18” x 24”.
Mila is listed with the Cambridge Who’s Who Registry as an Honoured Member and published in the 2008-9 edition of the Cambridge Who’s Who Registry of Executives and Professionals. In November of 2009 Mila’s artwork has been published in the Best of America Oil Artists, Volume II book. Her art was listed in the International Dictionary of Artists 2011 and published in the Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. vol.II Mila’s work found home in private collections around the world. Mila Ryk is founder and publisher of Art & Beyond Publications created to help artists to self-promote their art. www.milaryk.com International • 25
carol staub
HANGING OUT. Acrylic on Paper, 30” x 22”
Carol Staub was born and raised in Milford, Delaware. Upon retiring from a 26 year career in the airline industry she pursued her interest in silversmithing and fabricated award winning one of a kind pieces of jewelry. Her entry into the “painting” world came when a friend coerced her to take a watercolor class. She has been painting ever since and hasn’t looked back. She finds her inspiration from nature and all life’s experiences along the way. 26 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
URBAN REFLECTIONS. Acrylic on Paper, 22” x 30”
WINTER SOLSTICE. Acrylic on Canvas, 48” x 36”
Having been born in a rural area her senses are keen and appreciative of the simple things in life. This has enabled her to express herself freely and with great warmth. She is a signature member of the San Diego Watercolor Society, Florida Watercolor Society, International Society of Experimental Artists, National Association of Women Artists and many others. Her works have been featured in many books and magazines some of which include, Masters of Today, International Contemporary Artist, Creative Genius, The Artist’s Magazine, Acrylic Artist Magazine, Watercolor Magazine, Art and Beyond Publications and many others. She has received numerous National and International awards. carolcando@aol.com • www.CarolStaub.com International • 27
darnéy willis
clowniris. Acrylic on Canvas, 66” x 89.5”
Darnéy Willis began a serious interest in painting in the summer of 1967. Over the next 13 years, when he painted, Darnéy’s approach mostly involved left brain control, descriptive, short brushstroke representational painting. During 1980 - 1981, he took a 180 degree paradigm shift and began to paint spontaneous, wet-on-wet acrylic, very large canvas paintings directly outdoors from maple tree subjects. It was very right brained and had very little predetermined control, or pre-drawing. It was absolutely liberating. These painting images were very natural in exterior contours, but otherwise were very expressive in invented bold personal emotional color and interior content. The viewpoint also caused the painting to appear more abstracted. It was a macro view instead of the typical middle distance landscape view. “Philosophically I found I was not only celebrating the maple trees but life itself ” states Darnéy.
irissunrise. Acrylic on Canvas, 65.5” x 90”
At the time Willis began working in this manner he didn’t have any known historical influences. He simply wanted to paint spontaneous wet on wet bold color watercolors of nature subjects that were significant to him. The desire was to paint very large (around 6 by 8 feet canvases) and Darnéy couldn’t find any watercolor paper this large so he developed a way to paint in a weton-wet water color approach on canvas. After he worked like this for a while and became sensitive to this kind of painting Willis became aware of some historical work. The color field painters during the mid 20th century were painting large canvases with 28 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
blueiris. Acrylic on Canvas, 63.5” x 90”
stained color areas. Painters Mark Rothko and Helen Frankenthaler were working in similar ways. Willis also liked Emil Nolde’s bold color watercolors. “However this work has been my own revelation and I am continuing to develop it, primarily with the iris flower as a stimulating subject.” Willis paints large scale canvases with bold invented color - lyrical and very expressive color passages of natural images viewed so very close up only part of the external contours of the particular images are seen. “I don’t use the internal natural details normally seen with such a view. Currently I am painting flower images, mainly from the iris flower.” These images are meant to be more than visual illusions or mimics of iris flowers - they are intended to be metaphors or doorways into visual, emotional, and sometimes even spiritual journeys - into flowerscapes of peace, order, beauty, and unity. They are metaphors of the human condition, of the magnificent yet fragile
blueirisflame. Acrylic on Canvas, 64.5” x 90”
nature of our humanity and our constant dependence on our Creator for inspiration, protection, nurturing, and restoration. “I realize humans are capable of extremely ugly horrible cruel things also, which is worth
addressing in paint as well. Presently my work is both a joyful celebration of living, having purpose on this earth, and bearing fruit and also addressing issues that arise on the earth from mankind leaving an intimate relationship with our Creator and thus mismanaging our stewardship of the earth.” wellspring-contemporary-art.com International • 29
mixed media print making
bardhyl bejtullahu
LANDSCAPE FRAGMENT II. Printmaking in Aquatint Technique, 50cm x 70cm
LIFE UNDER WATER III. Printmaking in Aquatint Technique, 50cm x 70cm
Bardhyl was born on February 3, 1976 in Suhareka, Kosovo. In 2001 he graduated from The Faculty of Arts in University of Prishtina. After 10 years working as a freelance artist he completed his post-graduate studies in Graphic Art at the Faculty of Arts in University of Prishtina learning from esteemed Professor Fatmir Krypa. In 2013 Bardhyl began working at the Faculty of Arts in University of Prishtina as an Assistant Professor of Graphic Arts. Bardhyl is also a member of the association of Kosovo artists. During these years Bardhyl participated in many local and international exhibitions and workshops. 32 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
LIFE UNDER WATER II. Printmaking in Lithography Technique, 50cm x 70cm
LANDSCAPE FRAGMENT I. Printmaking in Aquatint Technique, 50cm x 70cm
Bardhyl works with all the techniques of pritmaking art, and specializes in Aquatinta. Along with his work as a teacher at the Faculty of Arts in University of Prishtina, Bardhyl always finds time to create many other graphic works using various and unique styles. He is inspired by nature and the life, using shapes, lines, tones and colours Bardhyl is able to expresses his unique emotions through his artwork. https://www.facebook.com/bardhyl.bejtullahu
International • 33
hui-ju chen BLOODY THOUGHT. Mixed Media, 50cm x 110cm
MANIPULATED. Acrylic on Canvas, 50cm x 50cm
Hui-ju Chen (Mickey) graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1996. Even though she has not been using art and design as her main profession, she has kept her passion of making art until today. Along with her teaching job at Shantou University, she always finds time to create various styles of work. It is interesting to see how her work has varied from photography to acrylic painting to mixed-media to collage. She hopes to keep being experimental because she believes that, in the art world, there are no real errors but different thoughts and processes with different outcomes. Without 34 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
IN OR OUT. Mixed Media, 70cm x 90cm
MANIPULATED. Acrylic on Canvas, 50cm x 50cm
experimentation, she feels, art is not art. She gets inspiration from different aspects of life. She always hopes to learn and create different kinds of work by making use of her own different life experiences. It is normal to have lots of frustrations and doubts as one goes through the phases of creation. For Mickey, the biggest frustration has been the temptation and pressure to build and keep up one particular style in order to be a professional artist. Though it is true that a dedication to one style may enable one to come a little closer to perfection in that style, Mickey feels that art is about taking risks. If she is satisfied with one style, she believes that she loses a very important quality of art—the excitement of experiencing different things in the world. Therefore, she hopes to continue working in different ways and experimenting with different styles. Art making, for her, is not just a way to express herself but a way to define her existence. www.ratgoofy.com International • 35
giancarlo flati
ANIMALIA 1. Acrylic, Mixed Media on Canvas, 100cm x 100cm. 2015
GEM OF SPACE 1. Acrylic, Mixed Media on Canvas, 100cm x 100cm. 2012
Giancarlo Flati was born in Aquila, in the Italian region of Abruzzo (central Italy). His artistic production began in 1964 and has continued ever since with growing dedication and commitment. Between 1967-71 he studied under the guidance of the painter Angiolo Mantovanelli. Since 1972 he has travelled widely and lived for long periods in Sweden, Poland, Germany and Norway where he met with numerous contemporary artists. His artistic production is deeply influenced by Northern European culture. Since 1986 he has lived and worked in Rome, Italy. Giancarlo Flati is a winner of the Prize Michetti Museum 2005 (MUMI2005). The actual artistic research of Giancarlo Flati is dedicated to creative consciousness and to the exploration of the “invisible holomovement” of the Bohm’s “Wholeness and Implicated Order”. 36 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
TRANSITION 3 NJ. Acrylic, Mixed Media on Canvas, 80cm x 60cm.2013
TRANSITION 1. Acrylic, Mixed Media on Canvas, 120cm x100cm. 2007
His illustrations have accompanied numerous National and International scientific publications (Journal of Urology, Pancreas, Pancreatology, Chirurgia, La Clinica Terapeutica, Japanese Journal of Surgery, Fertility and Sterility etc.) Flati transposes the invisible world into a dimension constructed through the combination of material, sign and colour with moving images steeped in mystery that make beauty an important guide to truth, as in mathematics, where discovery also depends on the sense of beauty translated into the elegance of formulae. His works are actually being collected in Italy, Sweden, Norway, Danmark, Germany, Poland, Spain, USA, Australia. www.giancarloflati.com International • 37
ryota matsumoto
FIRST SUBTLE SIGN OF EVOLVING DRONES. Mixed Media, 32” x 47”
TRANSIENT FIELD IN THE AIR. Mixed Media, 22” x 33”
Ryota Matsumoto is an artist, designer and urban planner based in Tokyo. He received Master of Architecture from University of Pennsylvania
in
2007
after
studying
at
Architectural
Association in London and Mackintosh School of Architecture, 38 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
THE INTERSECTION OF INFINITE PLANES. Mixed Media, 27” x 47” HIGH FREQUENCY CAPTURED ON THE SURFACE OF AUGMENTED OBJECTS. Mixed Media, 33” x 43”
Glasgow School of Art in early 90’s. His drawings and built work are featured in numerous exhibitions and publications internationally. His artworks are characterized by a hybrid drawing technique combining both traditional media and digital media. http://ryotamatsumotostudio.blogspot.com International • 39
kasia szczesniewski NEBULAR SPAGHETTI. Mixed Media (paper, acrylic), 11”x14”
GOD PARTICLE. Mixed Media (paper, acrylic), 11”x14”
Kasia Szczesniewski: sensitive observer, empathetic, loving, hardworking person. Creating- equals for her living a meaningful life and makes her happy. She was born in a year 1961 in Legnica, Poland. When she was 7, she moved with her parents to Wroclaw – a beautiful, over a thousand-year-old, European city, which was her hometown for 20 years. During her youth, Kasia had the opportunity to see many beautiful examples of European architecture, sculptures and paintings, which strongly influenced her way of looking at art. Already in her early years she found joy in transforming that which is ordinary into things that are unique and special. Studying Architecture at Wroclaw Polytechnic University, equipped her among others, with strong drawing and designing skills. After immigrating to Chicago, in 1989, she completed several college level art courses, attended numerous professional workshops and concentrated on self-studies. 40 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
FLYING. Mixed Media (paper, acrylic), 52” x 32” Many concepts inspire Kasia’s creativity: nature, its beauty, the deep and mysterious connection between all elements of the universe, human emotions. She likes using acrylic paints due to their versatility, and ability to dry quickly, palette knifes to avoid being too meticulous with details, and to be able to lay paint in thick layers. She also likes experimenting with materials, for instance: different types of paper, fabrics, and various acrylic products. In the two recent projects: “White Gardens” and “Fabric of the Universe” Kasia utilized paper to build shades of white, and also to create deep and complex textures. Her intriguing compositions were completed ether with black and white, or brightly colorful acrylic paints. The projects are showing her exploration of a technique she discovered herself, and the possibilities it opens for the artist. The artworks, with their range of textures, are interesting even under a magnifying glass. What also is fascinating – how they transform, when lighted differently. The symbolism within them is like a thread, weaving in and out, sometimes closer to the surface and other times deep beneath. Artist prefers to leave the interpretation of her creations up to the viewer, knowing that each art piece resonates in different ways, and on various levels with every person. Nowadays, Kasia is an active member of the Chicago art community, showing and selling her works, doing commissions, and organizing art events. She received many awards, was interviewed by Polish radio and TV stations, and published in local newspapers. www.kasiaartstudio.com • kasiaartstudio@gmail.com International • 41
sculpture functional art
steven lustig
ATHENA IN GREEN. Baja Onyx, Honduran Mahogany, 34h x 12w x 8d
FALLING LEAF. Orange Calcite, Honduran Mahogany, 28h x 18w x 12d
This art is born out of a love of the human form and its natural motion. It is powerful, passionate, and embraces both human and natural forms. Steven was born and raised near the North Shore of Chicago where he began drawing at age 5. In high school he met a regionally known sculptor and began his fine arts education. During that time, Steven was given a copy of Gray’s Anatomy. He became fascinated by what he saw and immediately began to draw directly from the book, changing the course of his life and starting a lifelong study of the human form. Steven received an art scholarship to Bradley University. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Illinois at
44 • Living Artists of Today. Contemporary Art. Vol.III
FLIGHT OF THE MONARCH. Canadian Red Henna Marble, Honduran Mahogany, 32h x 70w x 16d
Urbana-Champaign, with an emphasis on Bio-technical Illustration, where he worked for the Biomechanical Engineering department. His early work combining computers, art, and human motion became the genesis of Steven’s fine art, regardless of media. He would go on to draw, paint and sculpt thousands of interpretations of the human form in his own distinctive style. Steven moved to Southern California in the 80’s to work at an Olympic research center focused on Sports Medicine and Biomechanical Engineering. He quickly recognized the promise of what computer illustration could bring to traditional graphic design techniques. Steven has produced medical images for companies around the world, illustrated four books, and completed a series of life science illustrations for the Nobel Prize winner for Chemistry at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. Throughout this time Steven continued to draw and sculpt, dedicating his life to the arts. His fascination with drawing the human form continues to ignite his creative talent and provides him with an endless supply of material. Steven currently teaches a stone sculpting class at the Laguna College of Art & Design, and Digital Media and Photoshop classes at Golden West College. www.stevenlustigfineart.com International • 45
tim taylor
NIGHT LIGHT. Multimedia Installation for RomArt Biennale (PVC, electric circuitry, UV paints, Polystyrene “bulb”; 3m wide x 3m deep x 2m high; 2015
Tim Taylor is an American artist living in the Northern Mariana Islands of Micronesia. His Master’s Thesis at the Claremont Graduate School in the 80’s was a set of paintings which touched on dreams as content. Taylor was interested in the power of the gallery space as vehicle to the imaginary world. Installation and sculpture followed, bringing the art off the wall to the more tangible object. Basic forms that contained other simple shapes within them can be seen in Tim Taylor’s work as early as a 1984 oil paintings. Midway in his career, installation gave way to theater: “Performance art, sound sculpture, installation… all seemed analogous to gallery as theater the same way photography had creeped in on painting.” Then, after several years exploring stage work Taylor went back to the studio space, convinced that “art by itself does has something of its own to offer, which theater is years, if ever, from distilling.” More recently, the artist combines traditional mediums with other newer, sometimes borrowed materials. Hints of Taylor’s journey can be seen in “Fresco Forms”, a set of small Plaster of Paris and polystyrene carvings embellished with ground pastel in wet plaster. “Ornament” is a plaster form embellished with invisible ultraviolet stage paints. It appears colorless in ordinary studio lighting. The installation “Night Light” is another derivative from Taylor’s stage scenes - sets that lit up in the 46 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
ORNAMENT. Invisible Ultraviolet Acrylic on Plaster of Paris; 4” Round; 2013
BRONZE BALL. Bronze; 8cm Round; 2016
dark theater under UV light racks. Made partly from PVC pipes, the work is reminiscent of his set design for the scene in “Guys and Dolls” of Big Jule’s underground New York casino. Taylor’s 2016 sculptures, small thin shelled bronze spheres with playful shapes punched in, are lost wax forms requiring vacuum casting technique. All of these works mix an element of tradition with a technologic aspect in material or process, and refer to Taylor’s playful priority. A recent page in Taylor’s journal reads, “Art history and current trends combine to present an interesting dilemma to the visual artist wishing to experiment. The problem has gone some distance by now from a matter of things having already been done before.” TheTimTaylor.com International • 47
denise vieira
SAUDADES ETERNAS. Stained Glass Mosaic, 32”w x 24”h. 2012
Denise Vieira is a self-taught mosaic artist who found her passion in December 2009 after attending a basic workshop in Ottawa, Canada. She had to bring her own drawing and was given the tools to play for seven hours. “The feeling of seeing my vision come to life that day haunted me through the holidays and I knew I had to keep exploring it.” In March of 2010, Denise got all her supplies squeezed into her one bedroom condo, and she hasn’t stopped since. Previously a dental hygienist, Denise found her passion to pursue in creating fine art through medium of mosaic to be hung anywhere like a painting or drawing would hang. Her style is inspired through figurative photography, its light and dark effects, its perspective, as well as the “candid” effect. The human form’s ability to convey the expressions of the emotional, physical, mental and spiritual human experience is where Denise creative vision unfolds and the challenge to transform it into a mosaic medium begins.
48 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
BELOVED. Stained Glass Mosaic, 24”w x 30”h. 2012
LUV-UN-TIL-WE-BLEED (Self Portrait). Stained Glass Mosaic, 25”w x 35”h. 2012
Once inspired by the subject in the photograph, Denise lets the idea sit a while, and after a few rough sketches, she creates a final drawing. The lines and curves are filled with vibrant colors, often disregarding the natural color of the subject. Rather, piece by piece, she hand cuts and shapes stained glass; then organizes with careful consideration of color, contrast and composition. Even the interspaces are an integral part of the design, adding movement and rhythm throughout the piece once filled with grout. Hue, tone and intensity of grout color are also important elements. The many exciting variations in tone and density of stained glass, and sometimes resistance to cut and unexpected breaks requires patience and flexibility to create a spontaneous, natural flow. “Drawing and materials combine in a way that an expression of the human spirit unfolds in each mosaic that I hope profoundly evokes you, the viewer.” www.artgoestopieces.wordpress.com • denise.vieira@rogers.com International • 49
digital art photography
barbara hazen
EXCELLENT BEAUTY 06. Digital Photography. 12” x 12”
In 2011 I left a successful career as a pastry chef, and put my creative talents into photography. In this short period of time I have explored many areas of photo expression, until settling into my current work with the female form in ‘Excellent Beauty’. “There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.” Frances Bacon The human body is a living sculpture and landscape that has been explored for centuries. The subtle, velvet darkness in these images captures an ideal beauty that is both universal and personal. The richness and depth of the darkness in this work is meant to challenge the viewer as to the way we see familiar objects or bodies. Through the poetry of light the female form is unexpectedly unique and mysterious. www.barbarahazen.com • Info@barabarahazen.com 52 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
EXCELLENT BEAUTY 01. Digital Photography. 8” x 12” EXCELLENT BEAUTY 22. Digital Photography. 12” x 12”
EXCELLENT BEAUTY 10. Digital Photography. 12” x 12”
International • 53
mary hartenbower
SINFUL LITTLE GIRL. Cyanotype Print, 8” x 10”
Growing up in a small Illinois town of 500 people, Mary Hartenbower spent most of her time exploring her artistic abilities. She was greatly influenced by her grandmother who often looked after her and her four older brothers. Mary’s grandmother was an artist, and she taught Mary how to draw and let her play with watercolors. When Mary turned 16 she and her grandmother took a 10-day trip to Costa Rica where they spent time making photographs and learning the basics of photography. On this trip Mary decided to become a photographer. She continued taking art and photography classes during her high school years in Peru, Illinois. In college, she specialized in photography, earning a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from American Academy of Art in Chicago, Illinois. Recently, Mary has experimented with the alternative process known as cyanotype printing. In this work she makes photographs either digitally or with a large format film camera. The negatives are scanned into the computer, and then print out as 8” 54 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
CATACLYSM. Cyanotype Print, 8” x 10”
GUILT. Cyanotype Print, 8” x 10”
X 10” negatives onto transparency film. She sensitizes 8” X 10” paper and makes a contact print by using natural light anywhere between 5 to 25 minutes, depending on the density of the negative and intensity of the sun. Mary’s recent body of work, titled “Church,” reveals her experiences and personal reflections of growing up in the Catholic Church. This body of work is a self-portrait series that explores the influence that the Church has made on her. It is neither a positive nor a negative statement, but rather her personal truth. www.maryhartenbower.com • maryhartenbower@gmail.com International • 55
lika ramati
GOLDEN GODDESS. Digital Art based on Original Photography.
Lika Ramati, visual artist, designer and fine art photographer. The concepts of womanly beauty, nature, the goddess, femininity, strength and power of the female have been plaited as the themes of Ramati’s vision. The artist utilizes heavily costumed self or models portraiture and with a process of layering and enveloping creates fantasy worlds, all from her original photographs. 56 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
ECOLOG YA. Digital Art based on Original Photography.
In the late 1980’s, Ramati studied fashion design at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Israel before relocating to New York City’s East Village where she quickly became a well-known personality within the scene. Ramati is the founder and decorator of the legendary downtown’s Yaffa Café and appears in the list of 100 most influencing israeli people in art and entertainment . Her Artistic language has no limits, from street art, fine art photography, video art, interior design, to international exhibits - Ramati’s International • 57
lika ramati
“The role of art is to bring joy, beauty and positive energy to the world as well as to raise questions about ourselves and our surroundings" - Lika Ramati
BUTTERFLY. Digital Art based on Original Photography.
art corresponds with European classical images from, gothic, baroque and Renaissance sources as well as cinema, music and architecture. Lika Ramati has exhibited in solo shows and group shows around the world. Art Monaco, London, Paris, Miami and Israel. www.likaramati.com • likasvision@gmail.com 58 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
LONGING. Digital Art based on Original Photography.
robin apple
REBIRTH 17. iPhonography, 20” x 20”
ROSES IN A BED OF PORSCHE. iPhonography, 20” x 20”
Ms. Robin Apple is an iPhone photographer who lives and works in Palo Alto, CA. She fell in love with photography as an important creative outlet and vehicle for self-expression. Robin typically favors highly colored images that incorporate angles, blends, blur, and motion in unique ways. Her images borrow from elements of abstract, impressionist, and pop art and convey her view that people and experiences are mostly contradictory, multidimensional and nuanced, more than they are straightforward.
She comes to photography from a background in clinical
psychology and appreciates the salience of emotion in her work. These days she’s using her iPhone6s plus and finds it freeing; not only is it accessible, inconspicuous, lightweight, and small but it also makes for an easily-rechargeable, fun, responsive and quiet travel companion. She hopes that her images stimulate curiosity and wonder. www.robinapplepeopleshots.com www.facebook.com/robinapplepeopleshots www.instagram.com/robinapplepeopleshots International • 59
fu wenjun
NEPOTISM. Conceptual Photography, 140cm x175cm. 2014-2015
Born in Chongqing - China - in 1955. He graduated from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and currently is an independent artist. He was awarded 1st prize of digital art from 2nd International Biennial of Contemporary Art in Argentina, Tour Eiffel La Grande Exposition Universelle “The Best Artist in the World”, International Award “Lorenzo il Magnifico” of X Florence Biennale and other international art honors. His artworks are collected by Today Art Museum, Old Summer Palace Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Center, Kennedy Family, World Council of Peoples for the United Nations, Dazu Grotto Museum, Chongqing Art Museum, Guangdong Museum of Art and other significant organizations and collectors. www.fuwenjun.com
60 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
GONE WITH THE WIND. Conceptual Photography, 140cm x175cm. 2014-2015
TAKE THE HORSE HEAD AS GUIDE. Conceptual Photography, 140cm x175cm. 2014-2015
Main Solo Exhibitions 2015 Guangdong Museum of Art (Guangzhou, China) “Thoughtful Images — Fu Wenjun’s Abstract Photography Exhibition” United Nations Headquarters (New York, USA) “Photographic Narrative — Fu Wenjun’s Conceptual Photography Solo Exhibition” 2014 Florida (USA) “Illusory Metamorphoses — Fu Wenjun Grass Cloth Photography Exhibition” 2013 Miami (USA) “Thought Reading — Fu Wenjun Conceptual Photography Exhibition”
A LONG JOURNEY. Conceptual Photography, 140cm x175cm. 2014-2015
International • 61
jewelry miniature art
sandy den hartog
The Pendant is 200 year old piece of Roman Excavated Glass. Surrounded by 4 Emeralds and Chryophase and Sterling Silver. The Pendant is set in Sterling Silver.
A Pendant hand made in Moroccan.Fine Silver as well. Making the necklace complete are Sterling Silver, Rubies from Africa and little Chat Chats for protection. Very delicate and practical.
Sandy Den Hartog is a Native Californian. She now resides in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Her home faces the Beautiful Lake with
a backdrop of a dramatic Mountain Range. With this view Sandy has taken the time to absorb the impact of this beauty and pieced together Jewelry that exemplifies each geographical characteristic, blending into original Jewelry Objects. She is an Award Winning Artist. Sandy has placed in numerous Juried Art Shows throughout Arizona. Her romantic pieces of Art continue to be showcased at DAVID RAFAELS at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Other distinguished pieces of a different flair at the JAMES RATLIFF GALLERY in Sedona, Arizona and AFRICA AND BEYOND GALLERY in La Jolla, California. She is a self taught Artist. Her Jewelry displays both serene and harmonious qualities that have been regarded as the highest of models. Her work covers a wide range of style, from Ethnic, Classic, to Over The Top and Everyday Chic. She refers to herself as displaying 64 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
The Pendant is .999 Silver. (fine silver) Engraved with pins, nails and screwdrivers. No modern tools. It is a piece from the Tuareg people of Niger and Mali. They are considered the finest Silversmiths in the world. Beautiful double strand of Turquoise and African Agate called DZI beads. Said to ward off evil Spirits. A definite EYE CATCHER.
Pendant is hand carved Sterling Silver. Other side is a beautiful Hand Carved Ebony Buddha Head. Topped off with hand carved Ebony Beads and Antique Silver Moroccan Beads
“ARTISTIC FREEDOM.” Sandy loves to mix everything up. The old with the new, and the big with the small. Although quite versatile in her design she leans toward the large and Ethnic Style. Many of Her designs are created in Her Peaceful and Relaxed Times. She considers them to be her most Distinguished and Dramatic Pieces. Sandy also says, “If you can’t see your Jewelry from across the room, why bother.” Gemstones and Artifacts used in her talented designs have been found in her many World Travels. Kazuri Beads from Kenya, Turkamon items from Turkistan, Tuareg pieces are from Niger and Mali. All this supplemented by wonderful earthy components from the culture of the Yoruba People of West Africa. All this and so much more are incorporated into the Unique one of a kind Designs made by Sandy. stitches1@suddenlink.net International • 65
juliana medvedeva
THE HOSTESS OF THE COPPER MOUNTAIN. The small lacquered papier mache box with oil lacquered miniature painting, 8cm x 10cm
THE PRINCESS WITH THE MAGIC FLOWER. The small lacquered papier mache panno with oil lacquered miniature painting, 7cm x 11cm
Juliana Medvedeva is a woman of many talents. She is an oil lacquered miniature painter, a comic photographer and a master of sports in swimming. Juliana was born in Moscow in 1984. Her grandfather descended from an ancient family of nobility and was a World War II hero as a Lieutenant General. After the war had ended he became the Minister of Government for Nikita 66 • Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art. Vol. III
THE CHILDREN OF FLOWERS. The small lacquered papier mache hairclip with oil lacquered miniature painting, 10cm x 4cm
THE ENCHANTING PARIS. The small lacquered papier mache box with oil lacquered miniature painting, 8cm x 10cm
Khrushchev.
As a result of her grandfathers achievements,
Medvedeva was able to benefit from a good upbringing and received a very well rounded education. Juliana Medvedeva graduated from the
Fine Arts College
named after Carl Faberge and the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. Medvedeva enjoys being creative, fine art and likes to paint oil lacquered miniatures on semiprecious stone, paper mach`e, mother-of-pearl, porcelain and on enamel. www.juliana-medvedeva.com • info@juliana-medvedeva.com International • 67
from the publisher Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art is a resource for art professionals – gallery owners, art collectors, art publishers, museums and other art institutions around the world. This, the third edition of the book series takes the viewer through a visual journey of discovery and enjoyment of artwork by artists who live and work both next door to us and around the world, they share similar life experiences and moments in history, technological breakthroughs, economic hardships, tragedy and happiness of today’s fast paced world. Expressing oneself creatively and making an impact on the world while at the same time trying to make a living can be challenging and throughout history, artists have been known to face and overcome obstacles that this profession can bring. This book is a tribute to those artists who never give up their dreams, passions, ability to feel, live, love and experience joy. They create an extraordinary collection of art, capturing our life and displaying it through their prism of artistic vision to share with the rest of the world.
Living Artists of Today is a great example of the recognition of the artist. We are immensely proud and honored to publish these works and help bring these artists to the forefront and share with the world the work of these talented artists. Each artist published in this book has an Online Gallery on the Art & Beyond Publications website with a biography and direct contact information to the artists at www.artandbyondpublications.com.
Read. View. Enjoy.