TO YOU, DEAR ARTIST Your art has the power to inspire, challenge, provoke, and make a positive impact on the world. It has the ability to awaken, renew, heal, and restore. Your art is imprinted with the design of our universal grid, restoring balance and harmony and keeping us centered in this vortex of creation. It’s fantastic to see the world through your artistic lens. Your unique perspective lets us see the universe freshly and beautifully, finding awe-inspiring moments in the most unexpected places. Thank you for sharing your vision with us. Thank you for working, creating, brainstorming, perfecting, and presenting the products of your sparkling artistry. We are moved by your message, and your creativity has left an indelible impression on us, and we feel profoundly grateful for the opportunity to experience your talent firsthand. Thanks for sharing your incredible gift with the world. Viviana Puello CEO/Founder ArtTour International Magazine www.arttourinternational.com
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ON THE COVER “Duality” by Patricia Karen Gagic
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ATTENTION: Help us protect visual artists rights. The copyrights of all published artworks are retained by the artists. Magazine published by ArtTour International Publications, Inc. 45 Rockefeller Plaza, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10111. Copyright © 2023 Reproduction of any published content without the written permission of the magazine’s publisher is prohibited by law.
Honoring the Best of the Best:
Our Top 60 Masters We are excited to present the Top 60 Masters Book, a collection of the world’s most talented artists. The team at ArtTour International Magazine takes pride in recognizing and honoring these exceptional artists and their masterful creations. Our Top 60 Masters project showcases outstanding artists and aims to inspire others to push their limits and strive for excellence. Let us inspire you to reach your full potential and make your dreams a reality. As you flip through the pages of our Top 60 Masters book, you’ll be transported to a world where art meets creativity and excellence. From mesmerizing sculptures to vibrant paintings, striking photographs, and digital works, every artwork in this collection has the power to awaken your senses and inspire you. This art collection is for everyone, from beginners to experts. Take your time to admire and be inspired by the beauty and emotion in each work of art. In today’s fast-paced world, taking a moment to appreciate and be inspired by art can be revitalizing. The Top 60 Masters book can spark your creativity and imagination. We’ve picked the top 60 artists based on their exceptional skills, creativity, and unique styles. It took several months of research and review to ensure we chose the best of the best from around the world. Our selection showcases artists from diverse creative disciplines, including photography, painting, sculpture, digital art, and more. Each Artist has been recognized for their mastery in their field and has produced captivating and thought-provoking work. I congratulate Patricia Karen Gagic, who was selected as our Artist of the Year for the Top 60 Masters 2023. Her unique style and excellence earned her this well-deserved recognition. Patricia’s journey began in childhood, and her passion and drive inspire aspiring artists worldwide. Congratulations, Pat! Our team completed this special project with passion and creativity. We’re grateful for everyone’s valuable contributions and look forward to their positive impact on our future. We aim to inspire and exceed limits through this project. Congratulations to all involved. Let’s create more magic together. Join our celebration of the top 60 art masters worldwide through our innovative multimedia project. Experience interactive content across different platforms, including featured appearances on the ArtTour International TV S with over 200 million viewers. But that’s not all - we’ve also created an exciting virtual exhibition of the top 60 masters in our digital gallery. Visit www.top60masters.com to explore your favorite artists in all media formats, including interviews, reviews, and stunning artwork. You can enjoy all of this from the comfort of your own home! Explore the work of our top creators on different platforms. Join us to witness their talent and stay updated on our top 60 masters.
Stay inspired!
Viviana Puello CEO/Founder ArtTour International Magazine
Anne-Marie Mulligan p. 24
2023
Irina Howard p. 62
- Aleksandra Ciążyńska p. 22 - Alexandra Finkelchtein p. 23 - Alice Hickey p. 38 - Anne-Marie Mulligan p. 24 - Athina Soultani p. 28 - Barbara Tyler Ahlfield p. 29 - Betsy Stewart p. 30 Frank Hoeffler p. 42
- Camilla Fransrud p. 32
Jean Jacques Porret p. 68
- Cleo Mitchel p. 33 - Dalia Pugatsch p. 39 - Derwin Leiva p. 35 - Devon Govoni p. 40 - Dina Zaifer p. 41 - Frank Hoeffler p. 42 - Frans Frengen p. 31 - Fred Osther p. 52 - Eu Oy Chun p. 100 Gabor Richter p. 44
- Gabor Richter p. 44
John Nieman p. 74
- Gayle Faulkner p. 53 - Gayle Printz p. 48 - Giovanna Berni p. 54 - Giuseppe Grieco p. 55 - Gunilla Klemendz p. 56 - Hélène DeSerres p. 60 - Holly Liu p. 57 - Howard Harris p. 66 Gayle Printz p. 48
- Irina Howard p. 62 - Janice Alamanou
Katrin Alvarez p. 80
p. 73
- Jaraide Dossavi p. 67 - Jean Jacques Porret p. 68 - Jim Fitzpatrick p. 72 - John Nieman p. 74 - Josef Weidner p. 78
Hélène DeSerres p. 60
Kyra Belán p. 88
Michelle Larsen p. 96
Patricia Karen Gagic p. 16
Patrick Joosten p. 108
- Judith Dupree Beale p. 76 - Kajal Mondal p. 79 - Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke p. 86
- Katrin Alvarez p. 80 - Kimberly Berg p. 92 - Kwong Tim Jackson Lee p. 87 - Kyra Belán p. 88 - Luiz Todeschi p. 117 - Mathias Sager
Mathias Sager p. 94
p. 94
- Meghan Poynor p. 77 - Michelle Larsen p. 96 - Monika Bendner p. 93 - Neela Pushparaj p. 102 - Patricia Karen Gagic p. 16 - Patrick Joosten p. 108 - Paul Smith p. 101 - Philip Noyed p. 110 - Regina Jokubaitis p. 111
Neela Pushparaj p. 102
- Ric Conn p. 112 - Sonakshi & Disha Chaurasiya p. 113
- Susan N. McCollough p. 115 - Sveta Long p. 114 - Sydnei SmithJordan p. 118 - Thomas Elias Lockhart III p. 116 - Tom Ashbourne SSC SCA OSA p. 120
- Toti Cuesta p. 34 - Tracey Chaykin p. 119
Tom Ashbourne SSC SCA OSA p. 120
- Trude Kjølen p. 122 - Vigdis Elisabeth Feldt p. 124 - WWDesign p. 125 - Wendy Cohen p. 127 - Wendy Yeo p. 126
Trude Kjølen p. 122
You see, you came to this life experience to thrive, be happy, enjoy it, and live the best life you deserve. You came to succeed, bloom, spread your beautiful and colorful wings, and fly high. Viviana Puello, “You Are The Masterpiece”
16 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023 “Serenity” Acrylic on Canvas, 36”X48”
PATRICIA KAREN
GAGIC patriciakarengagic.com
M
otivated by the delicate balancing of elements of the past, choices made in the present and a powerful intention to change the future, each thought and intuition becomes master to the emergence of form and method in my art making. Complexity is a key frame. The infinity of possible iterations of a form is a fascination intellectually and in terms of my method. It drives how I engage with materials in the search for what is luminous to the eye and transcendent in meaning to the heart. My art is intended to point to what is greater than the conventional and logic-based pointof-view. The under-painting is central to how this orientation shows up in the final works. In search for the luminous and transcendental, the underpainting is an investigative yet carefully orchestrated evolution of intentional layering in which I am immersed in a process of moving with a rich flow of contemplative and clairvoyant thought. In this movement, I press-in on the mark-making with brush and paint, then stand apart from it, then press-in again and so on until the idea which wants to be
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023 17
“Avalon’s Dream” Acrylic on Canvas, 36”X48”
18 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“Cosmic Moment” Acrylic on Canvas, 48”X60”
noticed shows itself in relationship with my intention for an image. This process is deeply personal. It is intended to bridge to others in a way inviting them to participate in the images I make, such that well-being is magnified by an encounter with something opening them to intuition of a greater Whole. One of the influences on my artistic life and practice is the Transcendental Realist artist, Adi Da Samraj. He speaks about the function of art in a way perfectly giving voice to my intention. He writes, “True Art heals, True Art restores equanimity. Art must regenerate the sense of well-being. That is its true purpose.” This regeneration of well-being is an overarching purpose in my method and is the context of an intellectual consideration around image-making. It is my experience well-being resides as an already-present condition in the domain of the esoteric rather than exoteric world of things and strategies designed to make us feel better, or safe, or at ease. I try to stand on the magical horizon where the rules of nature and the mystical unknown find their way together from mind to hand to canvas in order to create conditions for well-being to be re-animated in experience of the viewer. Additionally, the “Small Worlds” of Wassily Kandinsky (1922) further inspired my attraction to complexity/simplicity paradox as the mathematics in his work harmonized aspects of my feeling of understanding and brought a joyful knowing or sensing of something beyond the images themselves. Additional influences include my long-time mentor and dear friend, Master Artist, Dragan Dragic who I was blessed to “Duality” Acrylic on Canvas, 30”X40”
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023 19
“The Path” 4500x6000
20 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
meet in France in 1999. His capacity as a technical genius understanding the Matisse palette with flawless precision only scratches the surface of his wisdom. Dragan triggered in me an appreciation of and engagement with the paradox of complexity coupled with a confidence in simplicity as its ultimate expression. In the ensuing years of our artful learnings
together, he helped me to see the beauty of abstraction lies in the various underlying hypostases combining or being in dynamic relationship in such a way as to become conscious to the viewer as a living process. As a group, those by whom I am influenced are practitioners of what I call “Complex Simplicity”. They further include Franz Kline; a brilliant man who eventually
“Silent Eighties” Acrylic on Canvas, 30”X40”
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023 21
became a dynamic interpreter of boldness with monochromatic staging where black was equally as powerful as white and required careful fluid strength. The work of Adi Da Samraj informs my understanding of the need to perpetually embody the aesthetic experience as Reality Itself. There is a delicious struggle I engage in daily as I am drawn into what is “inbetween” the phenomena, moments, ideas which arise and yet practicing in the actual doings of the world in order to make visible what is found in those spaces. It is my adventure to capture more truth as an artist and be less of an ego and I sense the Ultimate Reality might be touched in the in- between spaces as both Truth and Egoless. I look to other artists for clues on how to enter- into these spaces more and more consistently as artist. In the work of Paul Emile Bourduas, I found rhythm and seduction at the root of his process and all the in-between spaces functioning as necessary places of risk to effervescently touch those rhythms, to animate the seductions. The moments of this realization create a rich ocean of plankton, food for the work to be done.
“Twilight Zone” Acrylic on Canvas, 48”X60”
What I continue to learn is how incredibly liberating it is
to affirm and elevate emotion as the intent of a painting or photograph and to be fearless in approaching the image as a sovereign manifestation requiring my stand as one “getting to know” life, bringing forth clues for others, and trusting the process is the under-painting of the journey I have been given to fulfill.
“The Arrival” Mixed Media, 30”X40”
“The Deserter” Mixed Media, 30”X40”
22 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
ALEKSANDRA CIĄŻYŃSKA A
“Emerald Meadow 1” 2022 , Oil on Canvas, 27.5”x19.7”
www.ciazynska.pl
leksandra was born in 1987 in Poland. She graduated from the Faculty of Economic Sciences at the University of Warsaw and is a passionate painter. She has loved to paint since she was a child. For many years she participated in classes conducted by prof Paweł Lewandowski-Palle. There, she fell in love with art even more, especially painting. And so her adventure with art continues to this day.
Aleksandra took part in many exhibitions. Among others, her paintings have been in New York, Rome, Venice, Barcelona, Vienna, Munich, Paris, Heidenreichstein, Ajdovščina, Ciechocinek, Milan, and Fuerteventura. She received many awards, e.g., Woman Art Award 2022 by Musa International Art Space in Paris and ATIM’s Top 60 Masters in New York. Her paintings have also appeared in many publications. Many articles have been written about
“Emerald Meadow 2” 2022 , Oil on Canvas, 27.5”x19.7”
her art, including Today in New York, Warsaw Tribune, The European Gazette, Economic News Observer, International World Times, Fox 28, US National Times, etc. “For me, art is one of the forms of communicating with people, speaking without words. Through my painting, I can express myself in a non-verbal way on essential topics and convey my thoughts. I love the diversity of the world, and I draw inspiration from this diversity. This is why my paintings are so diverse in terms of themes and techniques. My paintings are just as diverse as the world is.” @aleksandraciazynska @aleksandraciazynska “Emerald Meadow 3” 2022 , Oil on Canvas, 27.5”x19.7”
ALEXANDRA
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023 23
FINKELCHTEIN alexafinke@yahoo.ca
“I
believe art is meant to register what an artist thinks because the Universe manifests itself through the artist’s work. In the 19 century, artists began to understand that art is more than a demonstration of skills in the persuasion of likeness. Unlike artists rendering what they see or what their cameras do, I receive my ideas in meditation. I make works using patterns of clearly separate individual lines of colors (by acrylic paint in this body of works).
“The Meditating” Acrylic 18”x14”
“One More Time” Acrylic 18”x14”
Using linear patterns, I pursue more than one goal, once aiming to create a sense of movement that would draw viewers’ eyes endlessly around the picture plan to bring spectators to attempt to match my view of the subject to one they know. Moreover, my deconstruction of figures creates a sense of drama, first in similarity in qualities between support and painting media, both having translucent nature, as a semitransparent paint on the acrylic glass painted in the back; second, in loose portraying of the human body configuration – some parts missed others multiplied.”
“The Wrapped Up,” Acrylic 18”x14”
24 24 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023 “Essence 16” Oil on Canvas, 36”x36”
ANNE-MARIE “Essence 3” Oil on Panel, 30”x30”
“T
www.ammulligan.com
he land, the sea, and the sky. . .these are the natural elements of our Earth that capture my attention and fascinate me.
I am in awe of the beauty in the world that surrounds me. . .the color, the texture, and the light! Art is my passion, and that is what I share with the world! Like many from the art world, I am self-taught with no formal art education. I began my art career at the public library, reading everything I could get my hands on, mainly information on the history of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. I’ve always been fascinated with light and how it plays in and around the changing atmosphere in the sky and makes the water appear alive. I continue to study the work of artists whose work I love: Monet, Degas, Renoir, and Seurat; The Canadian Group of Seven artists
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023 25 “Soul Fire 7” Oil on Panel, 20”x20”
MULLIGAN “Essence 6” Oil on Panel, 16”x16”
(especially Tom Thomson); the wonderful color fields of Mark Rothko and the work of talented colorist Wolf Kahn, Canadian watercolorist Toni Onley, the beautiful oils of Prussian-Canadian H.E. Kuckein, American artist, Ken Elliot, Italian painter, Marco Fallani and Dutch-American artist, Luc Leestemaker, all, whose amazing landscapes have had such an impact and influence on my work. I live and paint beside the Pacific Ocean in British Columbia on the west coast of Canada. My painting career spans 43 years, 23 years as a watercolorist, and the last 20 years as an oil painter. I paint mainly on wood panels ranging from 10 inches square to 84 inches and beyond. When the painting is completed, I finish the edges of the panels trimmed with kiln-dried birch or Douglas fir, sanding them smooth and sealing the edges with a matte varnish so that the panel may be hung framed or unframed as finished paintings.
26 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“Sea Smoke 9” Oil on Panel, 36”x30”
I usually paint in series and number each painting in that particular series starting from the first or initial painting. In 2017, I learned about combining cold wax with oil paint. This combination enables me to build up many layers of paint slowly. Adding and removing sections of the layered paint then acts as the visual support for what will later be revealed from the first, second, or sixth layers. This technique visually adds more texture and depth to the painting while keeping the ethereal quality of the piece. In addition, the ability to reveal earlier layers of paint often adds that final touch that tells me when the painting is complete. My paintings are representative and a compilation of everything I’ve seen and experienced in my life to that point in time. I paint mostly seascapes and landscapes because I love the water and sky. My compositions often feature a low horizon which better emphasizes the vastness of the sky and the colors and contrasts I see there. The paintings reveal themselves to me as I paint. I let go completely, empty my mind, let the ‘innate knowingness’ take over, and allow that most profound part of me to flow. . .and miracles happen! I become the conduit through which creation occurs. It is a feeling of freedom and love and joy that words cannot adequately express. In a publication of ARTisSpectrum Magazine in New York, one art critic wrote, “her work is an open interpretation of a universal
“Soul Fire 6” Oil on Panel, 12”x12”
“Essence 30” Oil on Canvas, 18”x18”
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023 27
“Winter Woods” Oil and Cold Wax on Panel, 38”x38”
“Into the Light 19” Oil on Panel, 36”x72”
subject – space, or perhaps light, or perhaps the two combined - that recalls images as disparate as Turner’s oceans, Monet’s sunrises, and Stieglitz’s cloud studies. At one glance, an image seems merely to be piles of paint; at a second, it has become a textured horizon. There is a certain “earthiness” in the artist’s choice of colors as she melds the qualities of the land, sea and sky.” I endeavor to convey feeling and mood through my paintings, and people often remark on my work’s “ethereal” quality.
“Westcoast” Oil and Cold Wax on Panel, 16”x16”
They tell me they experience a profound sense of peace and well-being upon viewing my paintings. I believe my life is an ever-changing journey of self-discovery, and my paintings express love. Painting makes my heart sing! The technical aspects of painting remain the same . . .necessary and essential. However, they are as unconsciously accomplished when I work as breathing. The painting itself draws out my heart and soul of me simply by me picking up the palette knife and brush and allowing the piece to life. I do not question this, and by my acceptance, each painting takes on a life and purpose of its own. Through this amazing act of creation, I am grateful to share my love and joy with the world.” “Essence 9” Oil on Panel, 16”x16”
28 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“Paradise Beach” Pastel Painting with Pastel Pencils, 22”x28”
“Dazzling Beauty” Graphite Portrait on Strathmore Bristol Paper 9”x12”
ATHINA SOULTANI www.athinasoultani.com
“A
rt is always a way of expressing myself and we can achieve more as individuals and as nations if we genuinely believe in ourselves."
“The Boy from Aswan” Graphite Portrait on Strathmore Bristol Paper, 9”x12”
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023 29 “Arabella in Repose” Oil on Canvas, 40”x40”
BARBARA
TYLER AHLFIELD
“Cabaret#2” Oil on Wood Panel, 16’’x20’’
www.barbaratylerahlfield.com
I
nfluenced by a successful career in the fashion industry, American artist Barbara Tyler Ahlfield creates dramatic, emotionally charged portraits that are whimsical and refined.
Her works present a world of glamour in a style that combines her love for fashion and painting, blending classical, realistic figurative techniques with a modern fashion-inspired impressionist influence. Ahlfield explores colors, textures and captures the tactile qualities of velvet, the rich luster of satin, the feel of taffeta, and the nostalgic, crispy texture of vintage lace, taking the viewer on an indulging journey of romantic fantasy. During Ahfltield’s thriving career as a Fashion Illustrator, she worked for some top U.S. department stores, including Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, and Hutzler’s. Her most recent series of fashion illustrations feature in the Summer 2021 product line of her brand Sisumoi, a company she established with her daughter Alexandra Ahlfield. Sisumoi is an online retailer of inspirational accessories designed to uplift and bring beauty with lifestyle products. Barbara Tyler Ahlfield has received several honors, including the NORMA award for lingerie advertising and cosmetic advertising, the Seklemian award for reflective color advertising, and the Federated Dept. Store advertising award. In 2014 she was named one of the top 50 new international artists by Art Business News magazine 2014. In 2019 Ahlfield was featured as “Artist Of The Year” in ArtTour International Magazine, and she has received the ATIM Top 60 Masters Award. She has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Weekly, Daily Herald, and U.S. News, among many other media outlets.
“Cafe-Society” Oil on Canvas
30ATIM’S ATIM’STOP TOP60 60MASTERS MASTERS2023 2023 30
BETSY STEWART
“Natales Nos. 5,6” Acrylic And Sumi Ink on Canvas, 10"x80"x3" (each.)
betsystewart.com
B
etsy Stewart is an American contemporary artist who has defied convention as she charted her path as a painter. Drawing inspiration from her educational background in art history and philosophy and numerous travels and experiences from around the globe, she creates beautiful works that reflect her philosophy. These works are a rendition of personal experiences that incorporate nature, the cosmos, and unseen energies to create vivid imagery. Her paintings are a union of vivid colors and fluid patterns scattered on canvas. They explore microscopic nature's elegant beauty and serenity that eludes our limited human eyes. In many of her series, Stewart examines the unique microscopic ecosystem of shallow pond water, which is a reflection of the uncertainty and fickle nature of human life. Her work shows her keen interest in expounding on the magic of nature and biodiversity. Her artworks tell stories of an environment teeming with life and different forms coexisting perfectly to create an almost magical ecosystem. Her recent "Biocriticals" series suggests a layered interconnectivity that could represent the origins of life in a drop of water or systems in the vast cosmos. As for carving her unique niche as an artist, Stewart has succeeded in being an accomplished artist and a name to reckon with in the art scene.
"Water Stills Nos. 27, 28” Acrylic and Sumi Ink on Canvas, 40"x6"x3" (each.)
“Bioverse No. 4” 48"x 48"x3"
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023 31
“To Eternity” Fumagine/Acrylic/Movable Dots/Movable Square, 27.55”x27.55”
“Rebuilt Space, In Broken Red And Blue” Fumagine/Acrylic/Movable Dots/ Movable Square, 27.55”x27.55”
FRANS FRENGEN www.allart-frengen.be
Creating Beauty from Ashes
E
Despite the bold, thick lines, smudgy appearance, and simple nature of Frengen's drawings and paintings, they are still highly detailed and reveal the artist's deep level of skill and technique. It may still be decades before our world comes together in peace to face the obstacles facing our species and our planet. When we are striving for unity, artists like Frans Frengen are opening doors to critical conversations. Inspiring people from all over the globe to ask more questions about challenging topics. Questions like, what can we do to make a difference? To bring awareness to global problems, share support for environmental conservation, and share a vision of the beauty that truly comes from ashes.
ach of us will face tragedy in our lives. The pain, recovery, and rebirth that comes from adversity are as unique as our fingerprints. To describe the gamut of experiences and feelings that each one contains can be overwhelming, and yet, there is also tremendous beauty that comes from these experiences. Each opportunity and lesson a chance to take what they taught us and use it to serve others. From racial division to global warming, we are bombarded daily with loss, devastation, and division. How can humanity rise like the phoenix from these proverbial ashes? Through artistic creation, Master Fumagine artist, Frans Frengen, paints with flame. They are bringing the right ashes into the beauty of his work. Creating art with ashes and soot, Frengen paints with a flame, creating paintings and sculptures of soot and installing smoke, allowing us to see that beauty, hope, and restoration comes from the ashes. For a world suffering from rampant wildfires, systemic racism, and gender inequality, Frengen brings vision and hope with his work. Inspired by this technique of using real fire, ashes, and soot, real conversations around environmental conservation have been ignited, bringing into view so much that our world is suffering a loss. Original from Belgium, Frans Frengen is one of the most genuine contemporary artists to emerge on the scene, developing a work process that is as intriguing as his artwork. Feng studied painting and drawing under prominent artists for some years before acquiring the signature "Imagine" technique that forms the basis for much of his work.
“Rebuilt Space, Black And White With Blobs Of Paint” Fumagine/Acrylic/Movable Dots/Movable Square, 27.55”x27.55”
32 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“You Are in all the Grandness of Little Things” Acrylic on Canvas, 23”X23”
CAMILLA FRANSRUD www.artbycfransrud.com
“A
rt is about sharing your magical world and let people be a part of it Art brings people together and gives them a breath, a moment of poetic stillness. The world needs art.”
“Salt of the Earth” Mixed Media, 39”X31”
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023 33
CLEO MITCHEL cleobob44@yahoo.com
“M
other Earth is the most giving planet in existence, she gives us all the elements to sustain our human life. Her love is endless and she asks for nothing in return. Her beauty is customized for you, where ever you are positioned on the planet. She provides humans and all of wildlife an endless garden of surprises. Mother Earth is the biggest inspiration for all of my art creations."
“Alligator Watching You” Acrylic on Canvas 12”x12”
“Happy Puppy” Acrylic on Canvas 12”x12”
“A Colorful Soul” Acrylic on Canvas 12”x12”
34 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
TOTI CUESTA “A
“Breath of Life” Watercolor, 27”x19”
www.toticuesta.com
rt is magical and sacred. I could not live without it. It gives meaning to my life, commitment to nature, and inner growth.
My paintings are a way to share all the enjoyment, happiness, and gratitude I feel when I paint. My elements are the human figure, usually female, the explosion of color, and the symbol. With my art, I want to awaken consciousness, give nature back its sacred character and make us realize that taking care of the planet is essential to inhabit it. Although a watercolorist, I have done numerous works with other techniques, such as oil and pastel. However, watercolor is the most luminous and transparent technique that can best represent the vibration of different dimensions and capture it in colors that transmit joy and light."
“Tree soul” Watercolor, 22”x26”
“I am Mountain” Watercolor, 22”x29 ”
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023 35
DERWIN LEIVA www.derwinleiva.com
D
erwin Leiva was born in Cuba in 1978, where music was part of his daily life. In 1995 he moved to Miami and in 2004 to Hawaii, where he currently resides. He studied art at the Honolulu Museum of Art, Linekona School, and completed his BFA with Sculpture concentration at the University of Hawaii Manoa. Although his work has been influenced by artists like Picasso, Boccioni, and Wifredo Lam, Cuban music has always been a constant backdrop to his work. Through rhythm and motion in his work, he mirrors the experience of freedom found in Cuban music. Most recently, Leiva exhibited at the 1st International Biennial of Art in the World 2021 in Palermo, and his work became part of the private collection of the US Embassy in Guatemala. In addition, He has participated in several international exhibitions, including International Biennale Barcelona, Spain, and Biennale Internazionale D’Arte Contemporanea 2019 in Mantova, Italy. His work has been displayed at the MEAN (European Museum of Modern Art) and the Diocesan Museum Francesco Gonzaga. Exquisite Arts Magazine has published his work, Create Magazine, Spotlight Contemporary Art Magazine, Art International Contemporary Magazine, and several books like Important Excellent Art Book, Artisti 20- Annuario Internazionale D’Arte Contemporanea, The Great Encyclopedia of International Art, Masters of Today, 100 Artist of the Future, Trends In Art: Insights For Collectors, and Top 10 Contemporary Artists. Leiva’s work has been recognized internationally, and most recently, he received the prestigious “Collector’s Vision “The Bath” 2021 Oil On Canvas, 60”x48”
“The Living Room” 2020 Oil On Canvas, 60”x48”
International Art Award,” the “Artexpo New York “Best New Exhibitor Award,” “International Caravaggio Prize - Great Master of the Art,” “The International Botticelli Award,” “The International Diego Velazquez Prize,” and “The International Michelangelo Award.” In addition, Leiva was recognized at Mantua Art Expo as “Artist of the Year 2019;” He was also awarded “Artist of the Future” by Contemporary Art Curator Magazine and “Artist of the Year 2020,” by World of Art Magazine for Best in Art and Creativity.
Art Creations by Derwin Leiva @derwin_leiva “Social Distance” 2022 Oil On Canvas, 60”x48”
The sun’s rays are no less than the sun itself; a drop of water is no less than a river. A wave is no less than the ocean. A grain of sand is no less than a seashore. You are the same. You’re made of pure energy. You’re a manifestation of the perfect process of creation. Viviana Puello, “You Are The Masterpiece”
38 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
ALICE HICKEY A
daenaarts@gmail.com
lice Daena is an artist who has spent a lifetime painting and creating. At the age of four, miss Daena decided she wanted to be an artist, and by the age of seven, she had sold her first painting at Stix Bear and Fuller in Saint Louis, Missouri. At seventeen, she worked in Saint Louis as a professional artist for Vincent Price and Rembrant studio’s painting oil portraits. She first entered the gallery scene in 1962 at the 5th Avenue art Gallery In Scottsdale. While in Scottsdale, miss Daena worked eight hours a day for five years, drawing technical renderings for Motorola in Phoenix while at the same time freelancing at home. Miss Daena claims it had been a very exciting and fulfilling experience as an artist. She says as long as she can create, she is happy. It has been what she considers therapy, along with just what she enjoys doing the most, which is watercolor painting. Miss Daena thinks she would be lost without the opportunity to create. “My goal is to be as creative as possible and to be able to please people with my art. My journey is not over; I will continue to create paintings and illustrate books as I enjoy my work. The thing I had wanted most of my life was to be a successful artist, and I believe I have accomplished that,” says Miss Daena, who is a third-time winner of the Easter Seal competition. She has published at least 500 illustrated books this year and has 7000 paintings she has created within the last fifteen
years. “I don’t give up, and I will keep trying as long as I can still paint.
“My goal in life is to be Creative. Being creative is what gives me happiness and joy. I truly believe God has designed me to be creative, and that is what he has given me to do. I work painting, illustrating, and creating books, not for fame or fortune but because I love creating. I believe it is essential to work a what I love doing”
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023 39 “Bild B: Life Comes Back I” 2022,Acrylic Mixed Media on Canvas, 35”x35”
“With my paintings, I try to send light into the depths of the human heart. I intend to touch people. Again and again, I look for the subjective truth of aesthetics. It is wonderful to let my own philosophies of life speak through the mouthpiece of my paintings. The cave-Art series combines several of my interests: art, history, and mysticism. This work mixes 15000-year-old image fragments from the caves of Lascaux, Chauvet, and Altamira with modern abstract art. I created the second series, “breakup-life comes back,” at the end of the current corona pandemic.
DALIA PUGATSCH D
Finally, the bright colors of the diverse bouquet- called life – come back to us!”
www.pugatsch.ch
alia Pugatsch (born in 1957 in Zurich) is a passionate artist from Zurich, Switzerland. At a young age, she began to express her life in drawings. She inherited the art from her mother’s side and the intellectual foundation from her father’s. She has mainly developed her painting knowledge autodidactically. After a few years as a lawyer, she fully devoted herself to her genuine passion for art. Her preferred painting technique is acrylic with structures and inlays. The artist often develops completely new painting techniques. Abstract shapes and expressive colors determine her paintings. Especially for her last series of works, Dalia Pugatsch developed a completely
“Bild A: The Power of Our Senses” 2022, Acrylic Mixed Media on Canvas, 35”x35”
new painting technique called blur and dab. Fifteen years ago, Dalia Pugatsch founded her own art school, «studio for art and design» hundreds of art students have been trained by her. Dalia Pugatsch’s artistic vita is lined up by many art exhibitions and picture sales at home and abroad. In 2019 she wrote a book called “Art®evolution.” The book’s content, i.e., the critical examination of a part of the art world with the basic thesis “away from the provocation and the superiority of the Artist name toward pure aesthetics and skill,” is miraculously confirmed by the inclusion in this yearbook.
“Bild C: Life Comes Back XVIII” 2022, Acrylic Mixed Media on Canvas, 35”x35”
40 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
D
DEVON
GOVONI
evon is a visual artist with an extensive international exhibition and publication history specializing in oil painting, mixed media, sculpture, and photography.
People often ask, “why monsters?” I create monsters because they represent anything and everything possible in life. They can represent emotions, good, bad, and indifferent. They can represent hopes, dreams, fears, and nightmares. Monsters can be masks to deceive others from knowing the true parts of yourself or even to deceive yourself of your true parts. They can be liberating once you know how to manage them, be vulnerable, and be open to exposing them to the world. People often think they are weird and creepy because they present as “not normal,” yet they are the most normal of all things that exist.
She is also a doctor of expressive arts therapies, licensed mental health counselor, board-certified art therapist, registered expressive arts therapist, and an adjunct professor at the University of Montana. Devon’s private practice, Abstract Therapy LLC, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, offers action-oriented approaches created through systemic, interdisciplinary lenses combined with the expressive arts.
All monsters I create never existed in the tangible world until I brought them to life. I want to encourage others to bring their monsters to life too!”
Devon is also a part of Voces Arts and Healing, a team of expressive arts healers who have been working in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, providing mental health and expressive arts healing services to asylum seekers and workers in the shelter systems. Her newest project mentioned is her therapeutic monster deck and accompanying activity books to be released in the coming year.
“Dallas” Mixed Media Sculpture
“I am genuinely intrigued by the human condition and how people are intertwined in divinely unique ways. Creating art has been a way to explore the intricacies of relationships throughout my life. I believe that the overall art-making processes can assist a person in understanding the world from different perspectives. I feel so incredibly fortunate to be able to explore existential meaning in the world individually and alongside others who look to find deeper meaning within their own lives in my professional work.
“Birdy” Mixed Media Sculpture
More recently, my art is leading me to do more mixed media and photography work, but mainly to do more mixed media sculpture. I find it to be a unique type of media blending in the final phases of the sculpting process due to the sculptures always ending up in the state of an entity itself, some form of monster who tends to have a voice of its own, a place at the table. So by, adorning the monster after going through a process of phases is the final phase where it actually comes to life.
“People Eater” Mixed Media Sculpture
devongovoniartist.com
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DINA ZAIFER dina-zaifer.wixsite.com/artist
“A Child in a Carrier” Oil, 19.7”x27.6”
“Trauma” Marble Sculpture, 16”x8”
“I
have been painting since I was a child, even before my study at an art institution. I paint using different techniques: oil, acrylic, and sculpture on stone. Mostly I enjoy painting my grandchildren and everything around me. I am a member of Tel-Aviv and Ashkelon art organizations. I had ten privet exhibitions and participated in many exhibitions in Israel, Barcelona-Spain, Kutná Hora-Czech, and Moscow. I have created a giant stone sculpture for a hospital in Ashkelon and a significant sculpture in an Ashkelon Garden, ‘praying girls’”
“Shaked ” Acrylic, 31.4”x35.4”
42 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“Gravel Road in Maine” 24”x36”
FRANK HOEFFLER www.frank-hoeffler.pixels.com
“Marsh in Washington County” 18”x24”
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“Fall Down at the River” 24”x36”
“M
y studio is my sanctuary, a place at peace. I lose all inhibitions. There are no interferences to interrupt, and I am at my best. I have images flooding my mind even when I am asleep, but mostly while I am paying attention to and observing the space around me. My paintings are the product of these images combined and manipulated. As a result, I am confident and comfortable with myself, which allows me to let the work come forth. I love to paint; I need to paint; I will always paint.”
“Beach at Harbor Head” 16”x20” “Fallen Pine tree” 24”x18”
“Aroostook County Maine” 24”x18”
44 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
GABOR RICHTER www.art.richter-gabor.com
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023 45
A
ccording to the motto, “The most valuable thing is always newly learned after you think you know everything,” Gabor Richter develops new creations full of natural movement, just like his character. The artist sometimes uses old photos of historical persons or pictures created by artists of the past as models. Gabor Richter gives the paintings a new role and creates space for new thoughts and interpretations. In this way, he pursues his aim as an artist to make the viewer of his art think about being itself, about people, life, and crucial values. The captivating acrylic and oil paintings impress with their wild yet harmonious design. An explosive sea of colors becomes an experience for the senses and lets you explore some exciting details even at a second glance.
“Who´s right” Acrylic on Canvas, 59”x118”
46 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“Hungarian Reality 2022” Acrylic and Oil on Canvas, 39”x78”
As if the expressive colors and motifs had a mind of their own, they come together in the artist’s paintings to form a unique theme and leave plenty of room for the viewer’s imagination. Selected accents and motifs serve as food for thought and honor the masterful skills of the venerable creators of the excellent art era of the past. Impressions are caught in Gabor Richter’s presented works, and those who become fully involved in his art not infrequently linger for several moments so that no detail of the fantastic compositions escapes them. Not only the first but also the second, third, and fourth glances at these paintings allow for ever new moments of experience. This selection offers the ideal setting for the work of a passionate and innovative artist who has learned his craft and put it into practice with a love of creativity. “Roosevelt” Acrylic on Canvas, 59”x78” “Albert and the Big Bang” Acrylic on Canvas, 39”x59”
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“Martin Van Buren” Acrylic on Canvas, 59”x78”
“Grant” Acrylic on Canvas, 59”x78”
Gábor Richter was born in Hungary in 1955. After an abitur, he studied civil engineering and architecture in Budapest. Then, becoming a graduate engineer, he moved to Germany and worked as an airport planning engineer. In 2013 he started a professional art course at Art Academy in Bad Reichenhall. He completed his studies as a master’s student of Professor Markus Lüpertz. He has undertaken several study trips in Europe, France, Germany, Hungary, England, Africa in Egypt, Zanzibar, and the USA in Phoenix, Los Angeles, and New York. He has customers in Europe, America, and Africa. He has had several international exhibitions in Baden-Baden, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Düsseldorf, Budapest, Zurich, Miami, New York, and London.
“Jackson” Acrylic on Canvas, 59”x78.7” “Longing for Paris” Acrylic and Oil on Canvas, 39”x78”
48 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
GAYLE PRINTZ
“FANTASY” Acrylic on Canvas, 30”x40”x1.5”
A WORLD MASTER ARTIST www.GaylePrintz.com
“A
rt is a universal language. It transcends boundaries. It allows us to communicate, find meaning and experience the world as one. In May of 2020, I picked up my first paintbrush to reflect upon the beauty that remained in a world darkened by the pandemic. I thought I had discovered a private way to express myself through painting. But, two months later, my artwork was on exhibit in Europe. When I began painting, it did not occur to me that sales and international recognition would be part of my artistic experience.
“CLIMB” Acrylic on Canvas, 24”x36”x2.4”
“ANGLES” Acrylic on Canvas, 36”x24”x1-3/8”
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“BUZZ” Acrylic on Canvas, 36”x24”x1.5”
I painted because there were feelings and thoughts, I needed to express without being judged. But, as I opened myself up to the idea of spreading those thoughts by letting them go, the international response was overwhelming. In November 2020, my painting, “COLORS,” became part of the permanent exhibit of Le Musée de Peinture de Saint-Frajou in France. Since 2022, I have been one of sixty World Master Artists. And every painting in my modern art portfolio is an international award winner—sharing in over a thousand juried international art awards I have earned. In addition, I am told my paintings rank among the most sought-after Art Investments in the world’s primary and secondary markets. I am both fortunate and humbled the art world feels I have a contribution to make. The fact that art experts, art collectors, art investors, and art lovers are interested in ensuring I have an artistic future provides all of the inspiration I need to continue on this unexpected path. My work has a distinctive style, such that when you see one of my paintings, you will recognize it as a Printz. This may be because I break all the rules and deviate from anything seen in the art world. As I am unaware of the rules, I do not rely on anyone else’s style to express myself. And the possibilities are endless when there are no rules to follow. Because I paint without boundaries, many art critics consider the breadth and scope of my work noteworthy. I am frequently asked how I can so freely paint across artistic genres—how I can paint pieces that range from modernistic, abstract geometric, abstract expressionistic to post-Impressionistic, and then go on to create contemporary landscapes and works seemingly influenced by the 19th Century Masters. I can do this because painting is about exploring freedom of expression in an untraditional way. Transcending barriers by trying different techniques, I lose myself in a painting without fear. I am not afraid to explore where the paint takes me. I paint to discover the unexpected.
“TOTEM” Acrylic on Canvas, 60”x20”x1.8”
50 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“HIDING” Acrylic on Canvas, 40”x30”x1.5”
They say that my “Unrestrained color choices, movement, 3-dimensionality, and defined brushstrokes testify to a groundbreaking style …” which sets my work apart. I am known to blend colors to create smooth transitions, but I have heard it is unusual for each brushstroke to be visible in the final composition. “This approach results in highly expressive artworks, testifying to the artistic freedom with which Printz creates her paintings.” Yet there is more to my work than meets the eye: My paintings somehow change depending upon the angle of your gaze. To me, this makes perfect sense; for as with life, the meaning of my work depends upon how you look at it. There is significant meaning in my artworks, but because I believe the importance of any work of art is based upon the emotion it evokes, I will neither define that meaning nor intrude upon your interpretation. Instead, I want to give you the uninterrupted freedom to feel and experience the world in unanticipated ways. I leave it to you to draw upon your emotional memories and
“CONTROL” Acrylic on Canvas, 60”x20”x1.8”
“BLUE DOG” Acrylic on Canvas, 36”x48”x1.4”
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“COAST” Acrylic on Canvas, 40”x30”x1.4”
imagination to assign a context that makes each work meaningful to you. Though I may never tell you the story a painting is meant to suggest, it is because that story is yours to tell. In most cases, this gives me a distinct advantage because your interpretation of that story is usually much more interesting. Although my work is not purely abstract, it does create a non-literal view of the world. It allows me to explore freedom of expression in an untraditional way. The freedom with which I paint is considered the heart of my uniquely recognizable style. But my goal is to transfer that freedom of expression—freedom to develop your own opinion—to you who, instead of wondering what I thought when I created a painting, must be willing to consider what that piece means to you. I know it can be challenging to get past the distractions inherent in abstract art because the meaning is not
“SIDE” Acrylic on Canvas, 48”x24”x1-13/16”
as defined as in classic painters’ work. But, when you embrace being in an unfamiliar world, richness, and tranquility can fill your soul. When you look at one of my paintings, I hope it captures your eye, captures your interest, and creates intrigue and value that differs from what you might usually see and feel. I hope you will use your imagination as the lens through which to find meaning in my work. But my greatest dream is that by translating the colors of my world into the universal language of art, I can help to promote unity and inspire all People to celebrate the beauty in life.”
“FLAMINGO” Acrylic on Canvas, 24”x36”x2.4”
52 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
FRED OSTHER T
“Sea to Sky Highway” Oil on Canvas, 18”x24”
www.fredosther.com
he inspiration for Fred Osther’s painted images springs from real-life settings with an underlying light pattern. He states: “For me, drawing and painting is like a travel journal of the interesting people and places I’ve seen. All have caught my attention for mostly inexplicable reasons”.
“Squamish” Oil on Canvas, 12”x16”
During Covid, all travelers were restricted, but as often happens, when one door closes, another one opens. For this series, it was a chance to explore his neighborhood carefully. These paintings depict a one-hour drive along the Sea-to-Sky Highway, rated among North America’s top 10 scenic routes. His painting approach follows the traditional practice of underpainting. First, oil paints are applied over a detailed grey underpainting. During underpainting, extra emphasis is placed on creating an atmosphere and convincing perspectives. Color is then added with a focus on color temperature. Fred Osther’s early art education began at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto. After a successful business career, he pursued courses at the Gage Academy of Art in Seattle, Angel Academy of Art in Florence, and several workshops with talented teachers. Many successful juried shows followed, and a passionate hobby turned into a true vocation.
“Laneway” Oil on Canvas, 24”x18”
Fred Osther is a Director of the Federation of Canadian Artists. His studio is in North Vancouver, BC, Canada, where he paints and teaches.
GAYLE FAULKNER
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gaylefaulknerfineart.com
“Regal” Textural Acrylic, 36”x24”
“Woodland Shadows” Textural Acrylic, 24”x30”
“I
have termed my paintings Textural Acrylics, and I get very excited as I watch the paint come off the palette knife in a variety of textures and combinations of color. Every painting is full of emotion and in-the-moment creativity. I start with an idea and a very loose drawing, usually 5-6 lines of composition, and then become immersed in the process. I have always said that a painting is like a child that you nurture, have conversations with, and work through the teenage angst with love and patience, and what emerges is a beautiful adult. When I paint, I put on the music (louder than I would have let my children play it), dance to the beat, and even sing, which is a terrible sound. I want my joy to come across to the viewer, and I want them to share the beautiful place that I have created. All are invited to enter the painting, smell the flowers, listen to the rustle of the leaves, lean against a tree, and just breathe.”
“Autumn’s Paintbrush” Textural Acrylic, 24”x30”
54 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
GIOVANNA BERNI @giovannellaberni
G
iovanna is an architect specializing in bio-architecture. As an architect, she studied at the University of Florence, where the landscape, gardens, and urban planning sections have essential masters. Bio-architecture, especially with INBAR. She studied art for 12 years with the Ginette Martenot Method at the atelier de Florence, aged 8 to 20. And in the Florence and Paris offices, she prepared a 3-year dossier to professionally teach Ginette Martenot’s teaching method. He works as a bio-architect, artist, Feng Shui consultant, and meditator. He actively uses art, greenery, and feng shui in
“Red2” Informal Photographic Art on Plastics, reseach on colo given by brush digitally, 14,17” x17,32” Part of the Nft collection Bath color, on Opensea.io
then collected in 4 collections of Nft photographic Art on Opensea.io, installations, drawings of sculptures. He has won some regional awards with oil spatulas. The career merit certificate at the Luxembourg Art Prize 2021. He published 18 artworks in ArtTour International’s magazines and the Shots to tell collection in n. 05. Included in the catalog in the first biennial tour of Europe and the Artfusion and Eternity exhibitions of the London gallery The Holy Art. “Whales Ark” Informal photographic art on plastics, 17,71” x16,53” Part of the Nft collection Whale musical weaves, on Opensea.io.
his work, especially to intervene in redeveloping or making installations.
Membership Atim Artist for a Green Planet (Hearth Day 2022).Selected among the 60 Top Art Masters 2023 by Art Tour International. Artist for peace, with Unicef, in 2022, for assistance to children in Ukraine.
In his Bioarchitecture Atelier, he organizes art workshops named Ecoartpoints, almost always oriented to work on nature, place, landscape, and recycled materials. Last work sitespecific interventions in Florence, in the unknown historic spaces of the city in contact with nature, advertised as Experiences on Airbnb. The artistic production, to date, counts a series of tempera and pencil (Echoes of color), exhibited in the solo shows and London, a series of oil palette knives (Dialogues around fire), displayed in the solo shows, a series of photographic Art with Sassi (The sound of silence), presented at the Luxembourg Art prize 2021, various series of informal photographic Art with recycled materials and above all plastics and use of color, of which several published and
“Unknow (Birth)” Informal photographic art on plastics, reseach on colouring with digital filter programs, 13,77”x9,44” Part of the Nft collection Whale musical weaves, on Opensea.io
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GIUSEPPE GRIECO “T
he hidden message that I intended to formulate concerning my pictorial representations is the art of the Absolute and the indefinite “Elsewhere,” which is summed up in the “Reality of Unreality and the Unreality of Reality” as the primary and unfailing dichotomous link that unites the common destinies of material and immaterial creations. To express and document all the beauty, splendor, and magnificence of Lintels of the Universe, dreamily and futuristically not yet definable.
Master Giuseppe Grieco “EditorDreams” International Graduate Artist
Presence in volumes and magazines of contemporary artworks in public and private collections. Awards, Certificates, Recognitions, Criticisms, Comments, and National-International Insertions, including Mondadori, Vittorio Sgarbi, Diego Fusaro, Sandro Serradifalco, Maria Araceli Meluzzi, Franco Bulfarini, Carla d’Aquino Mineo, Biafarin, Circle Foundation, AltaVista, etc. As indicated by eminent art critics, a “New junction bridge between Picasso and Kandinskij.”
www.editordreams.it
“Michael’s Rain” 2020 Acrylic on Canvas, Surreal Formal, 15.7”x15.7” “Cosmic Fried Egg” 2016, Mixed Technique Acrylic on Canvas, Surreal Formal, 15.7”x15.7”
56 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
GUNILLA KLEMENDZ
“Imagination” 2022, Stoneware ,w 11.4”x h 8.7”
www.artklemendz.se
“I
n my art I move the border between reality and fantasy, using strong colors typical of the Swedish region of Skane.
Ever since I was a child, I’ve been interested in drawing and painting. This interest has grown into a deep passion for sculpturing, and I’ve been working with stoneware for the last 20 years. I like to experiment and mix materials and sometimes use metal in my pieces. Digital art has also become a part of my work. The creative process fills me with genuine happiness, which I hope reflects in my compositions.
“Sleeping Beauty”2020, Stoneware, w 19.7”
Meeting people who have made an impression on me often intertwines with my art in one way or the other. Nature is also fundamental as a source of inspiration. A key element in many of my pieces is leaves, and I like to imagine things that might be hidden underneath. It could be a special feeling or an occasion. I never calculate in advance. I just let the emotions and colors lead me in the creative moment. It is like a meditative state of mind. @artklemendz “The Queen of the Night” 2021, Stoneware , w 18.1”
@ArtAllinug
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HOLLY LIU www.hollyliu.art @holly0880
“I
n my opinion, painting serves as a bridge that connects the beauty of reality and imagination.
In my perspective, artistic creation transcends the mere depiction of visual stimuli; it encompasses the expression of one’s personal emotions evoked by what is observed. Personally, I gravitate towards employing vibrant color combinations to generate a striking visual impact within my artwork. I firmly believe that the skillful utilization of colors can not only amplify the underlying theme but also evoke a profound sense of association and emotion. Ultimately, my artistic intention is to imbue my works with uplifting emotions such as hope, radiance, and vitality..” “Pulse of Life”Acrylic on Canvas, 14”x14”
“Maiden’s Prayer”Acrylic on Canvas, 20”x16”
“Time Flow”Acrylic on Canvas, 14”x14”
Open your eyes to the awareness that you are whole, you are complete, you are perfect. Viviana Puello, “You Are The Masterpiece”
60 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“Fleurs en Folie” 2023 Mix Media on Canvas, 24”x24” “Le Skieur de Fond” 2023 Mix Media on Canvas, 30”x30”
HÉLÈNE DESERRES www.hdeserres.com
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“La Pyramide” 2023 Mix Media on Canvas, 24”x24”
H
elene DeSerres is a dynamic artist whose work traverses various interdisciplinary ranges from photography, paintings to sculptures. From a young age, she was surrounded by an environment that nurtured creativity and imagination, where she was exposed to the beauty of nature and fascinated by the animal world. Her love for flowers, diverse culture, endangered animals, and unsuspecting organic elements combines her authentic abstract work that showcases more than the beauty of this bright planet.
“Flore Aquatique” 2023 Mix Media on Canvas, 30”x30”
Her techniques vary from abstract paintings, photo surrealism, impressionism, acrylic & watercolor painting to sculpture designs. Behind her efforts are grave concerns about climate change and all the bitter realities most endangered species are facing. Using various media, she models new and mysterious creations using textures, transparencies, and vibrant colors that elicit the mysteries of nature and narrates the surrealism of the images.
“l’ivresse des Fleurs” 2023 Mix Media on Canvas, 30”x30”
62 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“Challenges” Oil on Canvas, 30”x40”
IRINA HOWARD www.irinahoward.com
“M
aking art, to me, is a profound process of personal discovery and development. My work manifests beauty and seeks the inner creative significance to reach those who appreciate classical ideals while still being inspired by contemporary ways of speaking about human values. The visual language I developed offers an authentic experience expressed within a non-representational form that reveals the invisible within the visible and helps me to create aesthetically pleasing, meaningful artwork. I draw inspiration from organic texture and compose my themes by giving physical form to conceptual ideas, bridging reality and imagination. My fascination with shapes and textures takes me on a journey to reveal and interpret their meaning, unique purpose, and beauty in connection to human experiences. I chose abstract as the most expressive style. It opens doors for curiosity, imagination, interpretation, and the flow of inner emotions. I use lines to create feelings; shapes and forms to reflect on emotions, thoughts, and perceptions; texture to reveal experiences; and color tones to add contrast and reinforce a message through design and composition. The psychology of art elements imparts more meaningful design, influencing emotional responses. My favorites are circles and curved lines. I found them simple but, at the same time, very compelling. The circle is a line that never stops, represents “completeness,” and gives a sense of protection, friendship, femineity, community, and perfection. It naturally communicates positive emotions and builds a strong visual identity.
“Homelessness” Oil on Canvas, 40” x 30”
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My processes combine research, thoughtful, conscious decisions, and spontaneous, intuitive solutions while creating compositions. My favorite medium is oil paint because it provides an expressive ability and flexibility to create and achieve extraordinary results. For sculpture, I enjoy working with clay. I also use sculpted metal wires, mesh wire, modeling compounds, and other materials to explore different textures.”
“Soul Purpose” Oil on Canvas, 30” x 40”
“Addiction” Oil on Canvas, 40” x 30”
“Nostalgia” Oil on three Canvases, 36”x48”
64 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“Hope” Oil on canvas, 40” x 30”
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“Patterns of Life” Oil on Canvas, 24” x 24”
“My body of work expresses personal experiences, thoughts, spirituality, feelings, and philosophy in life. I believe in an awakened mind and a soul’s purpose when every life experience can be turned into a life-changing event. Therefore, I always strive to inspire hope and encourage positivity towards a bigger future, a healthier relationship, better solutions, restored trust, a more effective and enjoyable human connection, and a more significant self.” “Representation of Life” Sculpting Wires, Mesh Wire Sheet, Clay, Modeling Compound, Papier Mache, Spray Paint, 16′′x16′′x15′′
66 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
HOWARD HARRIS
“Festival City” Sublimation on Aluminum, 36”x30”
www.hharrisphoto.com
“V
isual reality is an ever-shifting, highly individualized experience. In any given moment, what we see reflects our inner state and synthesis of outer qualities—light, color, movement, and space. My exploration of dimensional photographic art represents an attempt to recreate the perceptual experience with its dynamic nature and hidden complexities. In my patented process, I use photographic constructions; a single, often abstracted, image is layered with a clear acrylic subtle grid. The resulting visual phenomenon infuses the image with a sense of dimensionality and fluidity affected by such changes as the viewing angle and light. I aim to combine technology and aesthetics to expand the viewer’s experience of Techspressionism.” Howard Harris has long been fascinated by both visual perception and design. The Denver, Colorado, USA native earned a BFA from Kansas City Art Institute and a MID (Masters Industrial Design) from Pratt Institute in New York. In 2017 Harris was granted a United States Patent Titled Apparatus and Method of Manufacturer for a Layered Artwork, proving his work’s uniqueness and inventiveness. Since then, his work has appeared in many books and publications, such as Contemporary Art Curator Magazine - Power of Creativity Art Book, Masters of Today - Top 10 Contemporary Artists, Artisti di Oggi e di Domani 2 - Artists of Today and Tomorrow and many issues of Art International Contemporary Magazine, to mention a few. He has also been awarded ArtTour International Magazine - Top 60 Masters Award, Accademia Italia in Arte Hermes Award, Socio-Cultural Ea Arte Club Art Olympic Prize, Biennale D’Arte Michelangelo’s David Award, and more. He serves as a Trustee of The Kansas City Art Institute and has won the Who’s Who Worldwide Lifetime Achievement and the USA Small Businessperson of the Year. His work is shown internationally and represented by the United States and European galleries.
“Volcan de Agua” Sublimation on Aluminum, 36”x30”
“Midcentury Modern” Sublimation on Aluminum, 36”x28”
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JARAIDE DOSSAVI J
araide Dossavi is an artist using multidimensional concepts and ideas to express higher ideas and multidimensional ideas and perspectives. His artwork is a higher expression of how to contact different realities as well as the process of making the invisible visible. He thanks the higher dimensions and extraterrestrial realities for becoming visible through the process of communion and the
“Sattva” Based off the Hindu Concept of “Sattva”, a Form of the Three Gunas Surrounding the Idea of Cleanliness, Purity and Higher Vibrational Ideas.
www.jaraidedossavi.wixsite.com/dossavihealing.com blessing of the higher realms for becoming visible through the 3rd eye and higher perspectives. Through the voice of art that he speaks with, his artwork is an expression of planting seeds of higher consciousness to expand consciousness on planet Earth. He channels the artwork through the blissful and star knowledge of the times, past, present, and future. The soul
“Pleiades Light Activation” Based off a Extraterrestrial Ship I Experienced Which Flew Over After Experiencing Telepathic Communications From a Group of Pleiadian Star Beings.
“Arcturian Naga King” Based off a Past Life Reading Where I Experienced Myself as an Aquatic Extraterrestrial Reptilian King.
is expressed through these crystalline indigo timelines of the multidimensional time matrix. The multiverse and the ascension of the soul into higher realms are what he expresses through his art. @atlantis_lemuria
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JEAN JACQUES PORRET www.jjporret.com
| By Viviana Puello
D
iscover the artistry of Jean Jacques Porret, whose sculptures utilize fluid curves to capture the emotions and ideas that unite us. His pieces are distinctive, blending abstract and figurative elements in a compelling and thought-provoking manner. Through examining the intricate curves and balance of Porret’s works, we can reveal the common humanity and shared experiences they convey. Jean Jacques Porret finds inspiration in the world around us, drawing from the beauty of nature, the movement of water, and the interplay of light and shadow to create his distinctive sculptures. In addition to the external world, he is deeply influenced by human emotions, experiences, and ideas. Jean Jacques views art as more than just aesthetically pleasing creations. He believes it is a means of connecting with others profoundly and sharing aspects of the human experience. His sculptures reflect his own emotions and ideas, aiming to resonate with others and spark contemplation and conversation. Amidst the technological and screen-
# 450 “Illusion Intime”
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centric world we live in, Jean Jacques aims to remind us of the intricacy and beauty of nature. His sculptures depict the fluidity and motion of life, highlighting the continuous flow of energy and transformation that envelops us. Whether we are happy or sad, in love or grieving, Jean Jacques’ sculptures encourage us to connect with our feelings and the environment.
“On The Prowl” Colored Pencil
Jean Jacques Porret’s sculpting process begins with sketches, showcasing his artistic talent. He uses his imagination to design each unique sculpture, characterized by fluid curves and delicate balance.
# 454 “Reve Nocturne”
Once he finalizes a design, Porret molds the sculpture in clay, ensuring it remains true to his original vision. It’s worth noting that he considers the piece unfinished at this stage, as additional elements such as color, patina, base material, and size still need to be decided upon. These finishing touches are added after the molding, waxing, and casting process—Porret’s attention to detail results in stunning works of art that stand out with their unique style. The level of attention and detail present in each sculpture created by Porret is remarkable. So it’s not surprising that each piece’s recognizable form and innate humanity are impossible to overlook. Through his creative process, Porret skillfully captures humanity’s shared emotions and ideas in his sculptures, creating a delightful experience for anyone who has the pleasure of beholding them. “Fantaisie”
“
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Achieving a sense of “rightness”, even in the most uncertain circumstances, is the motivating concept behind my sculpture. The work is figurative but is not about the figure. I am an expressionist, as I am more interested in communicating an abstract feeling or idea than an actual image. I use recognizable forms to evoke emotions and stimulate sensations.
“
Porret’s sculptures go beyond the human form and are not solely focused on the figure. Instead, they convey the emotions and ideas we all have in common using each piece’s fluid curves and delicate balance. These abstract forms are impossible to miss, and even those who don’t typically appreciate abstract art will find themselves fascinated by Porret’s work. The sculptures are often large in scale, with a sense of movement and balance that is truly awe-inspiring. In addition, Porret conveys a sense of weightlessness in his pieces, even when made from heavy materials such as bronze. A testament to his skill as a sculptor and his ability to bring out the best in the materials he works with. One of the most striking aspects of Porret’s work is how recognizable forms are often hidden within abstract shapes. They are subtle and usually easy to miss at first glance, but they become impossible to ignore once you see them. This interplay between abstract form and recognizable shape makes Porret’s sculptures so fascinating to behold. Jean Jacques Porret is an expressionist artist who aims to convey abstract feelings and ideas through his artwork.
“On The Prowl” Colored Pencil
“Voltige”
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023 71 “Songe Matinale”
Rather than creating a replica of a subject, he focuses on communicating emotions and concepts. He achieves this by using forms familiar to our Human nature., which capture the viewer’s attention and invites them to connect with the emotions embodied in his art. For Porret, achieving a sense of “rightness” is central to his sculpture, even in the most uncertain of circumstances. He creates sculptures that capture the impermanence of human existence and the idea that our lives are constantly in motion. Jean Jacques Porret’s art communicates a universal language beyond borders and cultures. It focuses on fundamental emotions and ideas that unite us as human beings. Doing so bridges the gap between individuals, creating a sense of connection and understanding. Whether exploring the complexity of the human experience or capturing the beauty of a fleeting moment, Porret’s art is truly expressive in every sense of the word.
“Rencontre Nocturne”
“Fille de Joie”
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JIM FITZPATRICK jim-fitzpatrick.pixels.com
“I
survived several life changing ordeals, one in which I ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time with a guy onto top of me, pinning me down with a crowbar to my throat.
Fortunately, an old judo move kicked in and I was able to get safely away. The things he said, while I struggled to breath, made it clear he hated me because of the color of my skin. What he did was horrible, but it didn’t mean his entire race was. Portraying all of one race or group by the actions of one bad individual kills open dialog and divides people.
“Portrait of a Fire Fighter” Photography Digitally Altered
“High Chief and Legendary Pro Wrestler Peter Maivia” pastels and charcoal digitally combined with photography
“Freckle Faced Beauty” Charcoal
Fortunately, in an age of volatile headlines, hateful tweets, and negative soundbites an artist has a huge advantage. ‘A picture paints a thousand words’… and I want my thousand words to convey a world of hope, joy, and love! “Due to injuries I’ve sustained during my skating and firefighting careers I’ve been coping with chronic pain and mobility issues for years. I hope, through my works and achievements, to inspire others faced with chronic pain or other obstacles in their lives to fight on or in some cases move on. We need to be aware when one door in life closes there may be another door ready to open. The door to the world of creating art and photography has for me!”
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JANICE ALAMANOU www.coastalphotography.co.uk
J
anice is from Norfolk, UK, and has been an International Fine Art Photographer since 2000. She specializes in fine-art photography amalgamations and photography hand gilded with precious metals. Multi-award winning around the world and exhibiting in many countries, her beginnings on the Norfolk coast fuelled her passion with the lens, which developed into Unique and Limited, actual and perceptual stories of life and environment.
“Grow” Fine-Art Photography , 31.5”x20.98”
“Tick Tock” Fine-Art Photography , 39.76”x30”
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“Tricks of the Trade” Watercolor, 30”x24”
JOHN NIEMAN www.johnnieman.com
“Let’s Get Wet pastel” Watercolor, 19”x29”
“The Great Second Banana” Watercolor, 30”x24”
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“Making Whoopie” Watercolor, 32”x22”
A
fter several decades as an international creative director for Ad Agencies, John Nieman decided to reinvent his life and devote it to art. His first forays were pastels and watercolor paintings. He was quickly invited to many shows in the U.S., the U.K., Japan, Canada, Paris, Italy, Ireland, and Thailand, including more than a dozen solo art shows.
Lately, he has progressed to more elaborate installations. He likes to create art that has an immediate impact and a residual mental tickle, either through words or subject matter.
“New Leaf” Watercolor
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“Mark Maker I” Mixed Media, 33” x 26”
“No Way Out” Mixed Media, 11”x16”
JUDITH DUPREE BEALE jdbeale.com
“I
cannot remember when I was not enjoying making marks of some kind. I always knew art was my avenue to learning about myself, the world, and humanity. It would be impossible for me to grow emotionally and intellectually without being involved in some creative process and producing various forms of visual art. Mark-making and painting connect me to my spiritual energy and sense of being beyond this reality.”
“Eye of the Storm” Acrylics, 36” x 36”
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MEGHAN POYNOR
“Elin 2” Photography, 3655×2437
www.meghanpoynorphotography.com
“I
want people to find the story behind the image. When colors come together just right, I’m in awe of that beauty and want others to feel that power. The contrasts in ordinary objects catch my eye, and I want to convey that intrigue to others. Brilliant colors draw me in to create something new and unusual. I’m attracted to open landscapes, like wide-open wheat fields or grassy, rolling hills. Experimenting with the editing process is fascinating, but I always come back to light and shadows.”
“Anticipation” Photography, 6720×4277
“Sunrise Walk” Photography, 6719×4305
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JOSEF WEIDNER “A
“Primeval Giants” 2012 Acrylic on Canvas, 58.2”x36.6”
Josef-weidner.de
‘Where great forces mature and express
themselves in their highest violence, there are the times of art.’ This sentence by the art writer Wilhelm Heinse is valid for the artist in three ways: it is the forces of the ‘inner artistic urge’ to practice art; it is the forces that have to be invested for this purpose and finally, the forces that are released in
“Im Garten Eden” 2022 Acrylic Paint and Oil Pastel on Canvas, 59”X34”
“Cogito Ergo Sum” 2018 Oil Paint on Canvas, 39”x55”
s an art-interested teenager, I saw impressive examples of modern and classical art in museums in Munich, Düsseldorf, Amsterdam, Washington, and New York, which had a lasting impact on my artistic work.”
the creative process. This artistic maxim of the “Sturm and Drang” applies to his self-expression. He reveals against the absolute rule of reason and emphasizes the emotional world. Josef Weidner’s paintings are characterized as surreal abstraction and, at the same time, abstract Surrealism, presenting the viewer with an uncommon variety of forms and structures placed on different painting surfaces. In doing so, the figurativeness of classical Surrealism is deliberately dispensed. The abstract compositional elements present in the artworks are characterized by formal references to organics and geometry. They lend the artworks a surreal quality of their own. They give the paintings an Independent surreal Impression. For him, four essential prerequisites define a work of art.
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KAJAL MONDAL www.kajalmondalartist.com
“M
y paintings reveal my daily life journey experience and emotions. Those I paint and show on my canvas. I keep a composition, concept, and message to share with my viewers. I paint on my canvas two different elements that apparently have no relation but are deeply related, and I share this with viewers or art lovers. I erect a composition that visually makes an impact on my canvas. My art is inspired by the message I receive from nature, society, and aesthetics or art. My subjects are elements that I find in my daily routine, animals and human organs. As part of my creative technique, I apply perspective, which creates depth on my canvas. I shortly narrate a massage which means a vast language to the visitors.”
“Journey” Oil on Canvas, 36’’x42”
“Golden Cactus” Acrylic on Canvas, 30”x50”
“Untitled” Acrylic on Canvas, 42’’x48’’
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KATRIN ALVAREZ
“You can't Shred Yesterday!” Oil on Canvas+Objects 22.8”x22.8”
www.katrin-alvarez.de
THE POWER OF THOUGHT By Viviana Puello
“T
he ability to make thoughts and feelings visible is of the utmost importance in my life. But, over the last few years in particular, I’ve found I can no longer do this with the tools I have, as the news from all over the world crashes into my mind, battling for my attention with all its apparent significance. I am left helpless by this shrill pandemonium, full of disrespect and aggression, and by the unconstrained exploitation of nature. I’m still searching for my responsibility as an artist. It can’t be enough to live in an aesthetic ivory tower. I’m far too quiet with my canvass and my paints”. Katrin Alvarez Award-winning master artist Katrin Alvarez is known for her compelling, dreamlike, surreal paintings that represent the complexity of human situations. Alvarez focuses on the human figure while introducing multiple references such as objects,
animals, etc. to enrich the composition conceptually as well as visually. Katrin Alvarez started as a journalist, going in-depth into the writing profession, but along the way she taught herself the art of painting, influenced and inspired by Michelangelo and Brueghel. Hidden inside each of Katrin Alvarez' paintings is a mood that is impossible to miss, the artist takes her audience on a visual journey as witnesses of people in different stances and circumstances along with elements that make an impact, slowly managing to blend in and propose some radical aesthetic and conceptual ideas.
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“Painful Reality of Human Relations” Oil on Canvas, 49.6”x37.7”
“Pain” Colored pencil on Board+object, 14”x18.5”
Alvarez's works are the perfect combination of expressionism and surrealism. Her paintings are troubling and provoking yet soothing, intimate and sensitive yet bizarre, upsetting yet blissful. The compelling and transcendent imagery in her art has a form of teaching, evoking an array of emotions in the viewer. Her masterful use of color and light and skilled knowledge of the human figure allows for perfectly balanced compositions that expand the perceptions of her audience, creating room for each viewer to form different selfinterpretations of the art. “Trauma” Oil on Canvas+Objects, 33.4”x25.5”
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“Requiem” Oil on Canvas, 25.5”x33.4”
“Capitulation” Oil on Canvas+Objects,41.3”x49.2”
Showcasing masterful drawing skills, Katrin Alvarez depicts all of the figures and other objects or elements on her canvas with exact precision, something that shows her work is the product of dedicated research. Alvarez uses the gaze in her subjects’ eyes as the focal point of her pieces carrying a full palette of fascination, the result, paintings that are thought-provoking, making use diverse media to have a multidimensional approach.
“Abuse” Pencil on Board, 8.2”x11.4” “Horus” Oil on Canvas+Objects, 41.7”x49.6”
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“Dies Irae” Oil on Canvas, 49.2”x41.3”
Katrin Alvarez offers both personal and universal messages, as she aims to raise awareness and establish a fruitful discussion with her public considering a vast number of topics that need more consideration. Thus it is very natural that she structures her artistic expression in a way that invites active participation from the audience for the interpretation of her works.
“Good child” Colored pencil on Board, 15.7”x19.6”
“Brainpregnant” Oil on canvas, 15.3”x19.2”
Alvarez is an internationally renowned artist whose works have been exhibited all over the world. She has received many awards for her paintings since 1968, including The First Group show in Cologne in 1968, Art Basel in Switzerland in 1978, and Agora Gallery in New York in 2004, among others. In 2007, her piece Exorcism won the Allan Edwards Award - Painting On the Edge. In 2009, she received the Vivid Arts Network Award at the Museum Castello Estense and a Leonardo Award for Applied Arts in which she was given the first prize in 2013. In 1972, she received an award for her first solo show in Cologne, and in 2012 she came out with yet another celebration in Vienna. Katrin Alvarez' diverse and vibrant work is what has promoted her as an artist who has established her presence in the global art scene as a distinguished contribution to her creativity.
You came to change the world, to fulfill your purpose, to be happy, to turn the earth upside down. You’re here to write history. Viviana Puello, “You Are The Masterpiece”
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“Untitled” Acrylic on Canvas 120”x180”
Kanyeyachukwu painted this stunning memorial in honor of the the 911 victims. The painting depicts the Twin Towers surrounded by the names of everyone that lost their lives at the scene of that tragic incident. The colors are vivid and bold, yet the overall tone is one of reverence and respect.
KANYEYACHUKWU TAGBO-OKEKE www.kanyeyachukwu.com The Youngest ever recipient of the Austrian flame of peace award, Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke is a 13 yr old savant living with autism but, who has found expression through art. His talent was first noticed at the tender age of 4 when he would draw on bits of paper, walls, furniture and anywhere he found a flat surface. His abstract expressionism style is easily identifiable by his powerful strokes on canvas, and his works are a unique blend of colors, shapes, and textures that reflect his full expression.
parents, siblings, caregivers, etc. of children living with autism all over the world. It is also a story that reminds us that “no child should be left behind” no matter the neuro diversity challenges they may face.
Subconscious, spontaneous and automatic are some of the words used in describing his works. Many of which are painted in bold colours and brushstrokes with non naturalistic depictions.
This exhibition is aimed at raising awareness, and promoting acceptance and inclusivity for children living with autism and special needs in our society. At the end of this week long event, a donation of a portion of the proceeds accrued at the event is made to charitable causes in Nigeria.
Kanyeyachukwus story is one that inspires and reinvigorates hope amongst all of us and especially the millions of
To celebrate the diversity of children living with special needs in our society, every year Kanyeyachukwu hosts a week-long multiple group exhibition titled “F.A.T (Fabulous Autistic and Talented) Art” to mark the WORLD AUTISM MONTH.
Kanyeyachukwu has participated in quite a few exhibitions; these include:• 2018 OFID international world peace day exhibition, Vienna Austria • 2019 Arkane Afrika exposition international d’art, Casablanca Morocco • 2021 New York Art Expo, New York, USA • Vancouver 2022 Art Expo, Vancouver Canada (Kanyeyachukwu’s piece titled“Expression of Harmony”graced the cover of their 2022 journal). • This year, Kanyeyachukwu had his first successful solo exhibition outside Nigeria at the Kente Royal Art Gallery in historic Harlem New York • 2023 World bank IFD African Day event, Washington Dc Welcome to Kanyeyachukwus world
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KWONG TIM JACKSON LEE “I
“Fly up High” Oil on Canvas 48”x36”
www.jacksonlee-art.com
was born and grew up in Hong Kong. This is my home with all my family, friends, and memories, which are profoundly relevant and integral to my identity. To reciprocate the love, care, and support that this community has provided for me, I would like to preserve the legacy of Hong Kong to show its vital spirit through my paintings, e.g., “Mutual Help,” “Forever Guardian,” “Striving for excellence,” “ Never give up” etc.
“Together even Hardship” Oil on Canvas, 48”x36”
“Awakening” Oil on Canvas, 48”x36”
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KYRA BELÁN www.kyrabelan.com
D
r. Kyra Belan, artist, author, and educator has been creating paintings, drawings, installations, and mixed media works for four decades. She received her BFA in visual arts from ASU, her MFA in creative arts from FSU, and her doctorate in art history and higher education from FIU. Frequent exhibitor, presenter, and lecturer at local and national colleges and universities, Belan is inspired by nature, political, and gender issues, and she is also an author of books, including The Virgin in Art, published in several editions by Parkstone International and available in US and Europe, as well as South America. Belan is also instrumental in helping with the ERA passage in the state of VA. In addition, she is a frequent exhibitor in FL and NY galleries and art centers and a frequent presenter at the yearly CAA National Conference. “Sophia Maria” Acrylic Painting, 40”x 30” 2020
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“My art celebrates nature, our Mother Earth, its plants, animals, and ecosystems. It also celebrates the divine feminine spirituality, the inherent equality of genders, and global cultures. I hope that when spectators look at my art, they are inspired to love, respect, preserve our planet, and work harder to prevent the encroachment of climate change". "The mediums include painting, drawing, digital photography, and installations. My recent solo exhibition, titled Love Mother Earth, took place at Ceres Gallery, Chelsea, New York, NY, from May 24 through June 18, 2022. My new series of paintings and drawings, titled The Mother Trees, was the featured artwork of that exhibition.” “The Eye of Power II” Mixed Media on Paper, 30”x22”, 2021
“Kamala Harris for the People” Colored Pencil on Paper, 30”x 22”, 2019
“Beyond the Other” Mixed Media on Canvas, 43”x 33”, 2020
90 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“Magdalena” Acrylic Painting, 40”x 30”, 2020
“#Never Again March for our Lives” Acrylic Painting, 40”x 30”, 2017
“Durga & Kali” Acrylic Painting, 40”x 30”, 2021
“Your Vote Counts” Acrylic Painting, 40”x 30”, 2018
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“Mother Tree VII” Mixed Media on Paper, 34”x 45”, 2022 “Mother Tree VIII” Mixed Media on Paper, 34”x 45”, 2022
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KIMBERLY BERG www.kimberlyberg.com
K
imberly Berg is an award-winning American artist, feminist advocate, and intuitive who highlights the feminine power and grace through striking imagery. He uses his figurative work as a tool to communicate his firm beliefs and journey in fighting for women’s rights. Bergs’s works are predominantly figurative, incorporating realistic drawing, which acts as the backbone of the composition presented to the viewer. He also frequently avoids an overburdened background, a feature which aims to elevate the figure depicted as the sole protagonist of the piece and avoid excess information. The chromatic palette utilized focuses on darker, cool tones that enhance the mystical atmosphere, which is one of the main elements in his work. His works focus on the feminine essence of the human being. He refers to himself as a “male, feminist artist” who wishes to voice both beauty of the female figure and the mysticism connected with the feminine symbolically.
“Meditation I”
Berg uses color to connect his audience to the natural elements concerning his subjects; All these elements are the key characteristics in Berg’s work, always evoking a dialog, thus structuring a cohesive representation of mysticism and knowledge of color technique. In the mastery of his work, Berg depicts the luscious, benevolent, and liberated woman. His work honors the beauty and magnificence of the female figure, and his interest in making women aware of their history have been successfully captured through his paintings.
“Mandala IV”
“Mandala VII”
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MONIKA BENDNER www.monikabendner.de
“The Blues Singer”
T
hrough a digital overlay and collage process, award-winning master artist Monika Bendner creates multilayered, surrealistic experiences through a combination of photographic prints and mixed media. Her compositions, printed on various materials, create a narrative that evokes emotions and multiple responses from her viewers. Monika Bendner’s work has transformed with a background in photographic design as she’s entered different phases of her growth and development as an
artist over her active career. Her use of abstract lines and shapes conveys movement in their dimensionality, and her bold, rich, textured application of color emanates meaning through their saturation. Viscerally recognizable through their intensity and layers, Bendner’s work is diverse and unconventional due to her various materials, methods, and techniques. She creates her work using different alternating canvas combinations, metallic photo printing, acrylic, glass, photography, and found objects.
Her metallic photographic prints are layered and expressed outside of time and space. She brings hyper-real kaleidoscope imagery behind a thick acrylic/glass amalgamation. With the common motive of a figurative hand layered in most of her collections, she leaves her work open for interpretation.
“Fan in Love” “Fan in Crush”
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MATHIAS SAGER
“Stage III” 2022, Acrylic on Canvas, 11”x11”
www.mathias-sager.com
“A
s the discoverer of the socio-temporal matrix and the inventor of the concept of “Awareness Intelligence,” which is the ability to expand and systematically use one’s thinking in the full scope of time and social relationships in a triadic constellation, I regularly take up the number 3 in my artworks. Also, I found that the triangle is the most potent form in nature. Therefore, triadic arrangements and triangular shapes are the essential elements of my abstract expressionist work. Ultimately, art is my language to express the meaning of life, which is (1) self-reflection, (2) love of social connections, and (3) care for the next generations. That systematic and coherent thinking/worldview fuels my painting and poetry process, which generates awareness-intelligent emotions that instill the inspirational power of my works for its visitors. For me, psychology and art belong together. So, the paintings appear with related texts of psychophilosophical/spiritual research and wisdom for a fitter, kinder, and wiser world.” “Listen Within” 2022 Acrylic on Canvas, 35”x35”
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“The Fire Within” 2022 Acrylic on Canvas, 35”x35”
“Golden Cage” 2022 Acrylic on Canvas, 27”x39”
“Discourse” 2022, Acrylic on Wood Panel, 23”x31”
“Place of Understanding” 2022 Acrylic on Canvas, 31”x31”
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MICHELLE LARSEN www.michellelarsenart.com
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“Bighorn” Oil on Canvas with Mixed Media (Paper Sculpted 3D Paintings), 36” x 48” “Aviator” Oil on Canvas with Mixed Media (Paper Sculpted 3D Paintings), 24”x36”
3D Paper Sculpted Canvas Paintings
M
ichelle Larsen is a mixed-media artist using paper to create a sculpture on canvas. Oil paint is applied to the sculpture, creating a three-dimensional painting that protrudes up to four inches from the canvas. Michelle’s exclusive painting style has won awards, and she has exhibited in New York, Miami, Las Vegas, Dallas, and France. “Looking at the obvious, close observation and engagement of the subject, and then amplifying it with three-dimensional texture and bold color. I push beyond the norm to create an innovation in which the viewer becomes engaged with the painting on various levels; a painting, a sculpture and countless paper wrinkles creating complexity and detail. Transforming shape and movement into a protruding canvas. Is it a sculpture or is it a painting? I proclaim it is both. I was never satisfied with the simplicity of a one-dimensional painting, so I considered another element to a fundamental concept.”
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“Beautiful” Oil on Canvas with Mixed Media (Paper Sculpted 3D Paintings), 30”x30”
“The energy that pulsates from within myself has nowhere to go but outwardly. My paintings are an expression of all that is emotion and all that is within. I see beyond this dimension and am naturally drawn to an animated representation of my subject. My focus follows the breath and fortitude of what moves me and my hope is that it will move the viewer also.”
“The Color of Night” Oil on Canvas with Mixed Media, 18”x24”
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“I Found Truth on the Mountain” Oil on Canvas with Mixed Media, 30”x36”
“Tissue paper is formed, compressed and glued to the canvas to create a three-dimensional work of art. After drying time has occurred, bold color is applied giving the art even more theatrics. The energy and movement of the piece vibrates as if having a pulse. My subject matter consists of land dwellers, nature, living off the land, mountain living, and the human struggle. Awakening an uncomplicated lifestyle.” “Song Birds” Oil on Canvas with Mixed Media (Paper Sculpted 3D Paintings), 24”x36”
“Grizzly” Oil on Canvas with Mixed Media (Paper Sculpted 3D Paintings), 40”x40”
“Gold Rush” Oil on Canvas with Mixed Media, 30”x36”
100 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“Before and After” Oil on Canvas 24”X30”
EU OY CHUN www.euoychun.com
“A
s a Realist Contemporary artist, I focus on landscapes, waterscapes, and animals in their surroundings.
Most of my artistic creations are inspired by the sceneries and “Aquatic Jewels #1” Oil on Canvas, 24”x30”
“House Pride” Oil on Canvas, 24”x30”
life I have observed through visits to local places of interest and my travels overseas. The beauty of nature, whether in its natural habitat or artificial environment, has always aroused deep emotions in me. By expressing them through oil on a linen canvas, which is now my favorite medium, I can, in some small way, evoke feelings of joy and touch the lives of my audience.”
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“Muhammad Ali”
PAUL SMITH P
www.paulsmithartist.net
aul Smith, an Internationally renowned artist, has created an extraordinary body of work painting boxing and sporting action scenes.
Smith devotes his life to finding new ways to capture the essence of boxing on his canvas. As a result, he has developed a distinctive artistic style using his chosen medium, Gouache paint, to capture the raw intensity of the fight and the movement of the boxers by rendering the intense physicality of the fight.
“Rocky v Apollo”
A sports lover since childhood and keen interest in boxing history, Smith has painted many iconic fights and sees this as a great privilege and opportunity. Smith states he uses his canvas as an act to document boxing and sporting history, both past and present, through his artistic expression. As a result, Smith’s boxing art is highly sought after and commissioned worldwide. “Jack Dempsey v Jess Willard”
102 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“Girasol” Watercolor On Paper “Blue Poppy” Watercolor On Paper
NEELA PUSHPARAJ www.watercolorsbyneela.com Neela Pushparaj
N
eela Pushparaj started painting at age 49 under the tutelage of Sarita Anne Cooke at the Summit Adult Education program. Following her advice, she attended W/C classes at du’ Cret in Plainfield, NJ as a part-time student. She then became passionately interested in painting watercolors and took multiple workshops in the following years. She continued her career as a hospital pathologist while painting and pursuing art. She helped create an art gallery at the hospital and exhibited her work there. In addition, she has often donated her art for fundraising, both there and at the Rotary in NJ.
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“Floral Quilt” Watercolor On 140 lbs Arches Paper, 15x22 “Maiden Hair” Watercolor On Paper
Her favorite technique is to add colors to damp paper and allow shapes to emerge by picking them out with negative painting. She uses color boldly in her work, including in her florals which range from semiabstract to sometimes totally abstract.
“Three roses” Watercolor On Paper
104 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“Tropical Blossoms” Watercolor On Paper “Roses Do Ramble” Watercolor On Paper
Many of her works are showcased at the St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie, NY, and the radiology department of Atlantic City Medical Center, due to being chosen from a Statewide competition a few years ago. Some of her paintings are on display at FCGAdvisors, a local financial services firm in Chatham, NJ. She has participated in multiple art residencies at the Scenic Hudson, Red Barn in Beacon, NY, and Poland. For the past several years, she has been the art director of a show called Woman-Art, which the Summit College Club runs for female artists of the NY-NJ-PA area. She has won awards in multiple venues for her watercolor paintings.
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“Come Walk in my Garden” Watercolor On Paper “Floral Arrangement” Watercolor On Paper
“
Painting is an integral part of my Life. It is an expression of my joy in everything I see.
“
Nothing is more powerful than seeing your message shared in the world—touching lives, inspiring people, doing things, becoming an entity for transformation. Viviana Puello, “You Are The Masterpiece”
108 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“Red Sea Underwater” 2018 Acrylic on Canvas, 59”x39”
“Happy Soul” 2023 Acrylic on Canvas, 55”x35”
PATRICK JOOSTEN www.patrick-joosten.com
“L’essence de la couleur et de l’imaginaire The essence of color and imagination.”
P
atrick Joosten is a French abstract painter known for his unique artistic style and highly creative approach. Patrick Joosten’s works are often described as energetic, full of movement, and strongly emphasized color with bold and dynamic forms. In addition, he uses various techniques to create textured and layered compositions. His works have been exhibited in galleries and many personal and collective exhibitions across France and
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“Bodies” 2019 Acrylic on Canvas, 59”x39” “Voilà!” 2023 Acrylic on Canvas, 37”x37”
Europe. In addition, he has won numerous artistic awards for his contribution to the field of abstract art internationally.
“Stripes on a Blue Moon” 2023 Acrylic on Canvas, 37”x37”
Patrick Joosten is a respected figure in the world of abstract art, and his work continues to inspire and captivate audiences in France and around the world. Recent Awards: - Collectors Art Prize winner - 2023 - Contemporary Art Curator; - Donatello Prize - Florence - 2023 January 21st; - London Prize - The Best Modern and Contemporary Artists –December 2022; - Faces of Peace - International Art Prize - October 2022; - ATIM’S Top 60 Masters - June 2022; - Power of Creativity Art prize - August 2021; - Collector’s Vision International Art Award - May 2021; - Merit Prize Award - Art Show International 2021. Influences: Richter, Rothko, Picasso, Klimt, Modigliani, Monet.
“I
am a self-taught and independent artist; I am not constrained by any particular artistic tendency, allowing me to experiment with different styles and techniques. “I am passionate about creating works of art that evoke emotions and inspire viewers. I offer energetic and powerful abstract works often inspired by the beauty of nature, and I hope those who appreciate contemporary art will find a connection with my works.”
“Sweet Blending” 2022 Acrylic on Canvas, 31”x 31”
110 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
PHILIP NOYED www.philipnoyed.com
P
hilip Noyed is an innovative multimedia artist known for his Virtual Reality (VR) art, luminous Geometric Illumination light sculptures, kinetic mobiles, videos, 3D paintings, and mixed-media public art installations. His art represents the quintessential
“Rainbow Ember Walkway”
“Radiant Wisteria Walkway”
contemporary art movement using innovative technologies that change how art is experienced today. The images shown here are from the
Neo Art Space VR experience, where people are immersed in out-of-thisworld light art and enjoy a sense of awe, wonder, and joy. Neo Art Space is the first galaxy of immersive VR art. It features 30 beautiful light experiences – bioluminescent caves, radiantly colorful forests, electric energy fields, aurora borealis skies, geometric light spaces – and many interactive art experiences.
“Time Space Horizon Somewhere Else”
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“Lipgasm” Oil on Mirror, 48”x 36”x 2”
REGINA JOKUBAITIS “I
“Sleeping Zebra Eye” Oil on Mirror, 22”x31”x2”
regimmy@att.net
am currently exploring what I call a NEW AGE MIRROR! Simply refurbishing anywhere from new to used to antique mirrors, channeling original creativity in oils, creating an as unique as each individual who looks into it an abstract expressionism experience. My carpentry skills are novice, but that’s part of the art. My artwork is available in print or the original itself at https://www.saatchiart. com/mirrorartist. An award-winning, published, and self-taught artist, born 1/1/60 in New York to Lithuanian immigrant parents. Fluent in English and Lithuanian, graduated from Mt. Saint Mary’s Academy in the Top 10. I explored small-town America for many years while traveling the carnival circuit. I am known as MIRRORARTIST. I am an evolving entrepreneur and invite everyone to visit my websites: https://www. twitter.com/regimmy and http://www.shopvida.com/collections/ regina-jokubaitis if you are a fashion trendsetter and wish to wear my art. Please note: Reflections are evident in photographs of my artwork, as these are of mirrors, not canvas. Originals are clear and crisp, and unique! Looking forward to new art being uploaded sometime in 2023! “
“The Mona Titty” Oil on Mirror, 24”x28”x2”
112 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
RIC CONN www.ricconn.com
“M
y work is on gender equality and female empowerment, two subjects sorely lacking in society. I want to bring awareness to these two subjects and facilitate the needed change.”
“What if she Were your Daughter”
“They Come Out of the Woodwork” “Age Matters”
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“Glimpse” Acrylic on Canvas, 21”x16”
“Sole Soul” Acrylic on Canvas, Light Textured, 19”x14”
SONAKSHI & DISHA CHAURASIYA indiartbazaar.com @mediartation
“A
rt is an inseparable part of our lives. This is our Meditation, our living. We mainly use the acrylic medium. We are fond of nature and usually paint landscapes and other naturerelated elements. But we do not restrict our art to a particular style. We like to explore different mediums and styles, and experimenting with our art has given us some fantastic results. We want to take our journey towards a path where it can reach people’s hearts in a way that will calm their souls. In the future, we aspire MediARTation to become a place where people will come to release their stress and explore their imaginary world through art. Art is a Meditation, and through MediARTation, we want to help people to get their inner peace back. “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” EDGAR DEGAS.
“Serenity” Acrylic on Canvas, Textured Painting, 21”x17”
114 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
SVETA LONG artbysveta.com
A
native from Russia, now based in North Carolina, USA, Sveta Long has a unique style given the name of “Faberge Art Deco.” Her work is a colorful nod to the Faberge eggs and Art Deco era. A walk into the innovative window of her work is a precious gift to all. Long’s artistic techniques are a unique craft; she takes us into an imaginative world of play and craftsmanship drawing intricate lines, flowers, faces, and mermaids that catch the light to shimmer on vases, plates, fabrics, and eggs. She incorporates the use of kitchen appliances such as plates, cups, utensils, and a variety of objects to depict her abstract world.
Sveta Long has a love for all things that shimmer, and she brings her fresh new style to numerous things. What once was a form that was traditionally kept to elaborate and ornate painted eggs has expanded to multiple items. She began to recreate well known and highly desired Russian crafts, using designs that at some point were solely made for royalty. The style brought to mind the admired vintage intricate glory of Russian nobility and their possessions, transformed and made fresh in a completely new and inventive New World style. The pieces pop out at you with vibrant and delicately contrasting colors, beautiful borders, and storytelling patterns.
Something from the old world, a bit of the new world integrated all into one to take place and share space in the heart of many. From vases to home sets, Rooted from Faberge inspiration, applied to tangible objects-- Long is bringing a whole new wave of functionality to an older traditional style.
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“Impulse” Oil on Canvas, 48”x60”
SUSAN N. MCCOLLOUGH T
“Spectrum” Oil on Canvas, 48”x72”
www.susannmccolloughart.media
he artistic creations of Susan N. McCollough are nothing short of awe-inspiring. As a celebrated American master artist specializing in oil painting, she has garnered a reputation for her exceptional design focus and vibrant use of colors. Her techniques in abstract painting showcase an unparalleled level of skill and depth of understanding. Moreover, her artistic prowess extends to other mediums such as acrylics, charcoal, ink, and sculpture, where she creates breathtaking works of art that captivate and inspire. Her innovative approach to contemporary techniques combined with her unique color palette makes an unforgettable experience for art enthusiasts, leaving them with a sense of wonder and appreciation for the beauty of her work. McCollough’s expressionist style is a beautiful manifestation of her eye for color, form, light, and nature. Her creative process brings her immense happiness and has been a source of joy. She attributes her successful career to the support of her loved ones, particularly her late father, with whom she shared a special bond through art. The year 2017 marked a significant milestone in McCollough’s artistic journey as she was recognized as ArtTour International’s Artist of the Year. From that point on, her art has continued to flourish, and she has been honored with numerous awards across the globe. Her works have captivated the attention of art enthusiasts and collectors worldwide, who eagerly anticipate her next creations.
“Counterpart I & II” Diptych, Oil on Canvas, 72”x72”
116 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
THOMAS ELIAS LOCKHART III www.lockhartgallery.com
“I
paint and draw to inspire. I create to leave history and bring us together as humans dealing with heartache, trials, and victories. I want to leave the person viewing my work better than they came. THE MOST DIVERSE MULTI-MEDIA ARTIST WHOSE SPIRIT-DRIVEN PROCESS TELLS THE UNIQUE STORIES OF HIS ART’S INCEPTION. BEGINNING WITH A BLANK CANVAS, THE PROCESS IS WHAT MAKES THE JOURNEY UNIQUE. Traditionally, creating art and painting a piece starts with a clean slate, a blank white canvas. The crisp and clean palette can accept any color or texture. The same is true for a black canvas. It is just as welcoming and receiving, embracing any colors it serves. The difference is the depth and richness.
“The Mothership” Mixed Media on Canvas, 36”x48”
I begin the creation of my pieces with a blank black canvas, bringing instant depth and contrast to the art. Then, using a white crayon or pencil, I sketch out what I see in my mind’s eye, what has been given to me in a dream or by the spirit of God. My inspirations come from all around me, even from music and movement to life stories and current events. There is a magic behind each piece’s journey from conception to completion that manifests itself at the final destination of the purchaser’s wall. Layering elements of fabric, paper, and metal, I will infuse a variety of textures to match the intricate lines of these creations. Creating a painting varies from medium to medium and from individual to individual. My process is as unique as the ability to flow between genres and techniques. When asked what is my style...All of them.”
“Body of Christ” Mixed Media on canvas, 36”x48”
“Piercing Beauty” Mixed Media on Canvas, 36”x36”
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LUIZ GUILHERME TODESCHI L
“The Medium Ether” Fine Art Photography
www.lgtfotografia.com
uiz Guilherme Todeschi is a visionary, ecological and humanitarian activist, writer, poet, photographer, and video producer from Brazil whose works explore metaphysical themes. Founder of the Save Eco Space Movement, Luiz combines artistic creation with his message of world peace. Self-proclaimed as a "Peace Photographer," Todeschi's work invites the audience to expand their consciousness and discover a higher level of awareness for the betterment of the whole.
For this global visionary, his photography and video creations serve as a form of expression that contribute to his higher purpose and promote the expansion of human consciousness, the connection with the biosphere, and the rescue of natural cycles.
In his work "Abortion of Soul," Luiz Guilherme Todeschi explores the concept of energy transformation and the soul's journey through life experience and higher levels of existence. Inspired by his love for the planet and humanity, Todeschi's aims to provoke the viewer to focus on actions and intentions that can help us "transition from a civilization of consumption and self- destruction to a civilization of peace through culture, love and the remembrance that each of us is a part of Divine Creation."
“The Soul” Fine Art Photography
“The return Of Soul” Fine Art Photography
118 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“Jackie” Oil On Canvas, 16”X20”
SYDNÉI SMITHJORDAN S ydnéi SmithJordan strives to reveal the beauty in pain and the serenity that comes from sorrow as she produces her artwork. She refers to her paintings as autobiographical dialogues that capture dreamscape and reality in a way she calls Pop Fusion, a blend of graphics, abstraction, collage, and traditional media. Her process included researching her subjects before painting their images on canvas. Her figures are painted in a limited palette of grays with a subtle contrast of light and color, a pirate with a dynamic presence. Sydnei explores themes of heritage and history which include a series of Harriet Tubman, Women in Black History, and The Negro Leagues, among others. Public artwork includes The Harriet Tubman Museum Of Cape May, Newark Public Library, multiple South Jersey Conservancies, and several local businesses. As a child, SmithJordan sought refuge from the pain of a tumultuous environment by doodling designs in pen, pencil, and markers. Her love of art led her to a career in desktop publishing and medical illustration. When her mentor, Ronn Davis, urged her to paint larger with oils, she discovered a passion for painting. Later, she introduced collages with metals and fabric in her art practice after nerve pain from a mastectomy
“Good Sportsmanship” Oil On Canvas, 20”X16”
www.smithjordanarts.com
made it challenging to paint. She stopped painting for a while when she was called upon to raise her granddaughter. When she was finally able to resume her work, she was pleased to feel that art still had the power to bring her to a place of serenity and joy. The artist has worked nationally and internationally for commercial and private venues and counts such
notables as Whoopi Goldberg, Denzel Washington, Forrest Whitaker, and Patti La Belle among her collectors. She studied fine art at the College of Design, Art, and Architecture in Santa Monica, California, and studied illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design. Ms. SmithJordan is currently establishing a vigorous practice in South Jersey. “Play Like A Girl” Oil On Canvas, 20”X16”
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TRACEY CHAYKIN “M y name is Tracey Chaykin, and I’m an Award-Winning Colored Pencil Artist from Napa, California. Born and raised in the boroughs of New York City, I’ve always desired to be creative, even from an early age, with Nature as my main inspiration. My Art is a reflection of the beauty around us, utilizing Hyper-Realism to preserve the subject with creative license/imagination for the supporting backgrounds. Colored Pencil is my medium of choice, with every new piece providing an opportunity to challenge myself to invent
“Sanctuary” Colored Pencil, 12”x9”
www.traceychaykin.com
new ways to work with this versatile medium. Some days it’s Colored Pencil on its own, sometimes combined with other mediums. Once a subject is chosen, I study it and consider how to represent it best using Colored pencils and if adding other mediums, such as Gouache, Acrylic Pouring, Metal Leaf, or even Palette Knife painting, will further help the subject come alive. In our day and age, with the increasing effects of Climate Change on environments around the world, I choose to capture moments from the tiniest insects to people.
“Hopeful” Colored Pencil/Gold Leaf, 5”x7”
My efforts are not only to preserve but also to participate in conservation efforts. Groups like Artists and Biologists Unite for Nature and Artists for a Green Planet provide the ideal platform with campaigns to achieve these goals; bring a voice to those that can’t speak for themselves. The goals are to share the beauty and diversity of our world and that we all deserve a place to live in it. We are all responsible for ensuring our world’s survival for future generations and all living on this Planet! If my Art inspires the smallest of changes and evokes emotion, then I’ve achieved my goal!” “Winter Break” Mixed Media, 8.5”x6”
120 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
TOM ASHBOURNE SSC SCA OSA
www.tomashbourne.com
C
anadian sculptor Tom Ashbourne primarily works in stone, using its natural energy and colors to create beautiful contemporary abstract sculptures. Like all exceptional art, Tom’s sculptures communicate meaning through form and energy. His signature style is sensuous curves, touchable textures, and compelling tension between positive and negative space. “I am a former corporate executive and a lifelong collector. I’ve developed a vast knowledge of art and art history, which encouraged my creativity and helped me become a confident sculptor. As a collector and professional artist, I continuously learn about color, balance, and how to present different images and shapes best. “ As a sculptor, I naturally think in 3D, a gift few people have. I see things in the raw stone and bring them out. I work on each side equally and continually assess the sculpture as it evolves. I want every side to draw people’s interest time and again. To me, the most successful piece of art is one that you can look at and own for years and continue to see something new and
“Energy & Light” (36”) Bronze
“Tommy” (15”) Bronze
different in it over and over. My sculptures have a softness, a warmth, an invitation. They are a representation of my natural curiosity and my personality, which is warm, welcoming, and inclusive. I naturally see all sides of situations, which I present in my sculptures. Some unusual elements I introduce are embedded billiard balls or iridescent glass. Like me, my sculptures don’t have many sharp edges; they have curves, positive and negative space, and lots of conversation between their different sides.
“Primal” (23”) Chlorite, Marble
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“Red Sky” (10”) Alabaster, Gilt, Marble
“Elation” (12”) Wonderstone, Marble
Biography Tom is an Elected Member of Canada’s top professional artist associations: Sculptors Society of Canada (SSC), Society of Canadian Artists (SCA), and Ontario Society of Artists (OSA). Tom is the only artist in Canada who is currently an Elected member in all three exclusive societies for professinal artists. Recent Awards, high profile Exhibitions, and Sampling of Media Coverage 2023 Florence (Italy) Art Biennale; 2023 Art Market Magazine (Issue 80); 2023 Contemporary Art Curator magazine (EU): “Collectors Art Prize”; 2023 ATIM Top 60 Masters (preannouncement); 2023 SCA 2023 Open International Online Juried Exhibition; 2023 OSA “Heart. Breath. Spirit.” Lt. Governor of Ontario’s chambers (currently running) 2022 Spotlight Magazine (EU) - front cover Issue 31; 2022 American Art Awards” World’s Best Non-Representational Sculpture.” 2022 AGO Newsletter: feature article; 2022 SCA 53rd Open International Juried Show and Image to advertising show; 2022 ATIM magazine – cover image; 2022 Watershed magazine (Canada). 2021 London (UK) Art Biennale; 2021 Florence (Italy) Art Biennale; 2021 Parrott Gallery: solo show;
2021 American Art Awards” World’s Best Non-Representational Sculpture; 2021 World Biz Magazine Luxury Collection Guide: Artists to Collect in 2021; 2021 Circle Quarterly magazine (UK): Certificate of Excellence; 2021 Contemporary Art Curator magazine: Honourable Mention; 2021 Quinte Arts Council “Expressions”: Honourable Mention. 2020 DESTIG magazine: Best Artists of 2020 and feature article; 2019 Air Canada Enroute magazine. Gallery Representation Amsterdam-Whitney International Fine Art, Eleventh Avenue, New York (Chelsea), NY Emily Harding Gallery, Carlaw Avenue, Toronto Canada Canadian Sculpture Centre, Distillery District, Toronto Canada
Tom Ashbourne, Sculptor @Tom.Ashbourne
“Ulrich” (15”) Alabaster, Glass, Granite
122 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
“The Mask” 23,62”x 35,43”
TRUDE KJØLEN www.artvonkrippendorf.com
“I
started at an early age with interest in art. At the age of ten, I got to paint with a close family friend who was a renowned artist. At 16, I attended art school in Norway, and Bruce Naigles became my teacher, mentor, and friend.
“We Meet Again” 27,55”x 35,43”
A death in the family in 1992 put a stop to all artwork, and I didn´t touch a brush again until Christmas of 2020 when my son gave me an acrylic art set as a gift and urged me to start painting again. In Easter 2022, I met Jarl Goli, who quickly became my friend and mentor and gave me the courage to open a gallery and show my artwork for the first time. Thank you, my dear husband, Leif. Thank you, friends, for giving me the time and energy.”
“Velkommen Inn” 27,55”x 23,62”
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“Luna” 27,55”x39,37”
“Frost” 39,37”x 31,49”
“La Meg Puste” 31,49”x 47,24”
124 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
VIGDIS ELISABETH FELDT
“Autumn by Bredevannet” 2017 Oil on Canvas, 39”x39”
vigdis.elisabeth@gmail.com
“I
t is still about seeing and realizing.
pictures are metaphors and can be referred to as surrealistic.
First, I am grateful to be selected as one of the sixty preferred artists in 2023 by Art Tour International Magazine.
Expressing the beauty of the creation takes awareness and self-confidence. Therefore, I wish for others to become secure in their own person to trust themselves, value themselves, feel peace of mind, and become aware of the greatness of life surrounding them, perhaps by exploring different media and expressing their ideas, communicating, and sharing these ideas and thoughts.
I have always been overwhelmed by the splendor of life, the created. I want to share this experience with others. It has also always interested me to understand what is happening in human interactions. I work on light, shape, color references, and water transfer in my works. Light playing with the surfaces of materials. Sunbeams penetrate leaves, flowers, and light, touching the skin. I paint in an expressive, impressionistic, and natural manner. I find stories to tell from my mind and imagination. Also, I interpret human interactions and create landscapes I have seen and enjoyed. Some of my
I hope that every human being will gain the possibility to grow through a sufficient upbringing, where the individual is seen and loved and has enough supplies of water, food, decent housing, education, cultural interactions, and sustainable, organized work for everyone. The teaching of human rights and how to practice living together must always be a fundament, too.
“Bredevannet in Early Evening Light” 2015 Oil on Canvas, 31”x31” “August afternoon in Vadla” 2016 Oil on Canvas, 39”x 39”
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WWDESIGN www.design.ch
“I
live and work in Switzerland. Bringing the hand to the spirit on the wooden wall or metal is a piece of soul we make visible.
My artwork reflects movement, power, energy, and the courage to use color. It is the joy of shapes and colors. Art is the addiction in my life. (Contemporary Art Pictures & Sculptures)”
Her works belong to private collections in many countries. She is an awarded artist. Exhibition - Art fair art basel hyperion hotel basel 2023; - Switzerland: events, galleries, twice: art fair zurich, airport- zurich, Twice: swissartexpo art festival zurich, art basel – euroairport basel 2017&2023; - Usa: artexpo new york 2023, exhibition whith the world wide art & artavita pavilion at artexou new yourk; Artexpo new york, galleries, wynwood - walls miami, gallery new yourk, galleries tour new yourk, gallery washington dc.
“My way Fancy” 3kg, 2013, 20”x 10”
“I Close my Eyes and then you Are Very Close to me and you Touch me Stay with Me” Oil & Mixed Media on Wood, 31”x 23”
- United kingdom: gallery edinburgh; - France: art fair paris louvre «paris + per art basel»; - Brussels: art gallery; - Italy: twice: gallery ferrara, art fair genova, art padova, art tiepolo, art fair milano, gallery verona, modern art civic museum moreale, biennale art fair palermo, gallery casacanditella (chieti), The jambo street & pop art italy; - Spain: twice: european museum of modern art barcelona; - Austria: art fair salzburg, art fair innsbruck; - Germany: castle waldenburg, castle glauchau.
“Never before Touched my Heart Like you There’s Something in your Eyes you Look at me Like this I Lose Control 2009 June 13 Sorry Iwog a Way” 2022 Oil & mixed media on wood, 31”x 23”
Waldraut Hool-Wolf @w.hool_artist_wwdesign_art
126 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2023
WENDY YEO www.wendyyeo.com
W
endy Yeo, R.W.S.W., is a Hong Kong-born painter who graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art, University College, London. She was awarded various prizes and a Travelling Scholarship to Europe. Wendy Yeo has exhibited widely in Solo Exhibitions throughout the U.K. - including The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and Wolfson College, Oxford, and overseas including California, New York, Hong Kong, Turkey, and Kuwait. Mixed International Shows include New York, Paris, Venice, Rome, Milan, Yu Kyung Museum (South Korea), Reykjavic (Iceland), Vienna, Lisbon, and Berlin. She was elected a member of the Royal Watercolour Society of Wales.
“Low Tide” Acrylic on Canvas, 29”x 24”
“At the moment, I am involved with natural forms e.g., plants, trees, rocks, sea, and water in lakes and waterfalls - portraying form with movement and space and all the cycles in nature, e.g. the four seasons and night and day.” “I use watercolor and acrylic on canvas, often using cutup pieces of my work as collages. Having been born in Hong Kong and studying at the Slade School of Fine Art, I like to exploit the traditional Chinese use of the brush and the oriental use of space combined with a Western individual interpretation of form, light, and color.”
“Autumn Sunrise” Acrylic on Canvas, 35”x 27”
“Storm in October” Acrylic on Canvas, 35”x27”
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WENDY COHEN www.wendycohen.net.au
W
endy Cohen is a Sydney-based artist who has attained a BFA and MFA Degrees.
Her art practice focuses on the relationship of colors, shapes, lines, and form with realistic components communicated in a painterly language. By integrating shapes into a cohesive body of colors and forms in conjunction with collage elements, flowing ideas are arbitrarily manifested that bring the viewer's attention to the brushstrokes, mark-making, and materiality on the surface of each painting. However, the primary focus of Artist Wendy Cohen's practice is to invite the viewer to enjoy each painting as she transforms the static space of each painting with synchronized contrasting colors highlighting its vibrant chemistry and resonance.
“Fluorescent Chandeliers” Mixed Media on Canvas, 19.6’’x27.5’’
“The Essence of Fluorescence” Mixed Media on Canvas, 19.6’’x27.5’’
“Free Fluid String Dance” Mixed Media on Wood Panel, 11.8’’x11.8’’
