Observica - SE 2021 | Discover the Artist Media by biafarinart

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Issue #15 Special Edition 2021

Leopard | Drawing | W:60.00 H:45.00 cm | AW127060768 by Tiko Sanikidze

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OBSERVICA Magazine

Issue #15 Special Edition 2021 December - 2021

observica.com/se2021

b i a f a r i n . c o m

OBSERVICA Magazine

Code:

MGZ894701552

Link:

https://www.observica.com/se2021

Date:

31-Dec-2021

Publisher:

Discover the Artist

Observica is a Canadian contemporary art magazine published by "Discover the Artist” media holding. It focuses on telling the compelling story of significant arts created by brilliant artists from all around the world. Our publications are available to millions of art lovers, experts, collectors and enthusiasts in both digital and print format and reaches readers in over 100 countries. Observica is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission from the publishers. The magazine can assume no responsibilities for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations.

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Cher Pruys Photography, Painting, Drawing

Cher Pruys, ASAA SCA, IGOR, AAPL, CSAA, AMS, LMS, OSA, MAA, CFA, NOAPS, AWA.. "To take my inner visions with my hands and create a work of art for you the viewer .... That is the ultimate in self expression." Cher Pruys was born in Regina. Over the years she lived in many places including Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Fort Frances, settling into her present home in Devlin, on the banks of the Rainy River with her husband Mark, 4 dogs and 2 cats. By age three, Cher was seldom found without a drawing tool in hand. She worked in pencil, charcoal and ink over the years, until, she picked up a paintbrush at the age of 35. Beginning with oil paints, she found her chosen mediums in acrylic, water color and gouache. Although self taught, her dedication and talent has seen her work juried into 169 International exhibits, as well as exhibits in numerous non juried shows. She has won 198 awards for her work in the International Juried Exhibits. Included in these awards, the first recipient of a major Canadian National Award, The Mary Pratt Crystal Award of Excellence at the 2014 SCA Open Juried Exhibition, The SCA 1st place award of distinction twice respectively, 2016, and 2017 at The Canada’s 150 show. The SCA 2nd place Award of Distinction in the 2021 Elected Members Show. October 2021 Winner of The Exclusive Harmony of The Arts Contest by The Blue Blood Gallery in Prague. The Gold Medal recipient for Figurative Painting in The Mondial Art Academia’s International 2018 Competition. The Silver Medal for Portrait Painting in The 2020 International Art Professional World Art Acadamia Competition. The Aviation Week & Space Technology Award Best of the Best, and the ASAA Award of Distinction for the best painting in the ASAA International Space & Technology Exhibit & Competition, consecutively for 2 years. In 2020 & 2021 she was awarded with the most wins in The American Art International Awards. She has had 14 solo exhibits. Cher is also an avid fused glass artist, and a certified teacher of piano and guitar. Her painting "The Bubble" had the honour of being part of the Masterworks from The International Guild of Realism Tour. Her work has graced the covers of 3 books, 28 magazines, the latest being The Best Of Acrylic Fall 2021, and has-been featured in over 125 international publications. Cher's works have found a permanent home in private and public collections worldwide.

biafarin.com/artist?name=cher-pruys

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Beach Baby Painting, Acrylic on Paper - Cotton W:25 H:25 cm 2021 This wee one is making the most ion her day at the beach. Cher Pruys

AW127716800

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Christine Oliver Mixed Media, Painting

I have been an exhibiting artist since 2000, participating in several juried art shows as well as Silicon Valley Open Studios and Peninsula Open Studios. My formal art training is a BFA in printmaking, sculpture and drawing from the State University of New York at Binghamton and ceramic courses at the University of Cincinnati's acclaimed School of Design Art and Architecture (DAA). I received a degree in Graphic Design from Central Academy of Commercial Art in Cincinnati, OH and worked as an artist, illustrator, designer at the George Tassian Organization, ad agency in Cincinnati. I work in watercolor, acrylics and collage and have taught classes since 2013 in Sunnyvale and Los Altos, CA. I have just completed a series of multimedia collage pieces using polaroid images and three-dimensional totems, whimsically depicting roosters and chickens in unusual settings.

biafarin.com/artist?name=christine-oliver

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Carnivale Mixed Media W:12 H:12 in 2021 This piece is created using acrylic and oil pastels on birch substrate. Christine Oliver

AW127155814

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Deborah St John Drawing

I started drawing as a child but didn't start showing my work to the public until I was in my late 20s. I have won numerous awards and ribbons including Best of Show ribbons. I was chosen Best Hunting Animal artist and Best Bird artist at the OWL Wildlife shows in Kansas City. I was the 1999 Ducks Unlimited Sponsor Print artist for Oklahoma and Safari Club for Oklahoma Donor Artist for 1999 and 2000. Artwork and shows were a hobby while I worked in the healthcare field during the 1990 - 2019 years. Shows were spotty but I had my artwork in numerous galleries in Oklahoma. After retiring in 2020, my art started to take off with numerous requests for pet portraits. This year my portrait of Dolly, a shepherd lab mixed breed, was chosen for the jerry Goldstein Foundation Award of USD 500. My depiction of a lily pond with leopard frog and red-ratted slider will be featured in the Anne Kullberg's February Colored Pencil magazine and my work has been chosen monthly to be in her Pencil Box for the last 7 months. The Red Bluff Art Gallery's "Cats and Dogs" on-line exhibition chose my cat drawing “Glass of Milk” for their exhibition. On the wildlife side again, I received a Special Recognition Award for my peregrine falcon piece “The Offering” from the LightSpaceTime Primary Colors Art Exhibition. It too is on-line. I was an artist in the Southwest Arts first on-line exhibition with a one page spread on their website. My goal is to keep pleasing pet owners with their portraits done by me and move the bar higher each time I draw a new piece.

biafarin.com/artist?name=deborah-st

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Dollie Drawing, Color Pencil W:8 H:9.50 in 2020 Deborah St John

Derwent Lightfast, Derwent Colorsoft color pencils. This was my sister's favorite forever pet which she raised from a pup on the bottle. Dollie would not allow you in the house unless you played ball with her because the tennis ball was her favorite toy every day of her life. My sister lost her 4 years ago and this was a Christmas present to her.

AW127487810

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Jo Ann Graham Jewelry, Mixed Media, Sculpture

Retired Dance Educator now creating timeless works of wearable art in sterling silver. Techniques used are forging. casting, and chase and repousse. I use these techniques, by themselves and/ or combined, to address my own aesthetic in creating my works of art. My work evolves organically as I manipulate the metal to achieve a sense of fluid undulating dance like movement. I strive for a sense of harmony and balance allowing the wearer to witness the connection with the hand of the artist. It is ART. It is an interactive visceral process uniting the artist and client.

biafarin.com/artist?name=jo-graham

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

JAG collections Photography W:18 H:7 in 2018 Cast and forged sterling and fine silver bangles, bracelets, rings and earrings. Gold on Steel cuffs.. Jo Ann Graham

AW127512160

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

William Horan Painting

Born and raised on Long Island, William Horan is an emerging artist, chiefly employing the use of oils and acrylics to express a truly unique vision. After bouncing around between jobs and trying to find his place in society, William found a true passion in art. Struggling with many internal demons, he began painting for therapeutic reasons several years ago and has not been able to put down the brush since, constantly thinking up and working on new projects. Although lacking formal artistic education, William was able to take advantage of an excellent arts program in Bay Shore High School, and, with the help of some very attentive, passionate, and talented educators, he was able to develop his craft.

biafarin.com/artist?name=william-horan

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Crochta Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:16 H:20 in 2019 William Horan

AW127315344

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Rich Sheaffer Painting, Mixed Media

Rich Sheaffer resides in San Marcos, California. Since retiring from the electric utility industry at the end of 2016, Rich has branched out into the areas of writing and art. While much of Rich’s career in engineering and management was rather mundane, the exceptions were when he did not follow conventional wisdom and explored on his own without necessarily doing things the accepted, “correct” way. That is when breakthroughs occur, discoveries are made and quantum improvements can be initiated. It is with that spirit that Rich creates art by inspiration and imagination. While Rich’s works generally reflect the angst of a common man regarding events occurring in the political milieu, some have eerily also predicted future events. For example, “The End of Democracy in the National Interest?” was inspired by things said in the course of the impeachment defense in early 2020, yet also proved to predict the rhetoric and events that would follow the 2020 U.S. national election. Rich is active with the Artists Guild of the San Diego Museum of Art, the Artist Alliance of the Oceanside Museum of Art, and others.

biafarin.com/artist?name=rich-sheaffer

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

What Do You Have To Lose? Mixed Media, Acrylic on Canvas W:40 H:40 in 2017 What Do You Have To Lose? Rich Sheaffer

AW127144052

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

SungChan Kim Drawing, Painting

Sungchan Kim was born and lives in Korea, and has loved to draw since childhood. So, I entered the Department of Visual Design at Kyungsung University, but from my 4th year of college, painting was not included in my life. As 20 more years passed, life, marriage, and work all seemed to go well, but they gradually disappeared one by one, leaving nothing behind. Such things kept repeating, and strangely, the more I lost, the more the picture came closer to me. In the end, it became the only strength left for me.

biafarin.com/artist?name=sungchan-kim

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Absolute loneliness(self-portrait 2) Drawing on Paper W:13 H:17 in 2019 SungChan Kim

AW127910102

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Sylwia Skoczylas-Quagraine Painting, Mixed Media

Sylwia Skoczylas-Quagraine is polish born and London based contemporary, intuitive artist, specialising in abstract mixed media paintings. Her journey with paintings has the self-directed nature of learning. Sylwia has taken Vedic Art intuitive painting courses which has opened up her intuitive perception. Everything she has learnt has been through self-guided learning, using books, videos, informal courses, and a large dose of trials. Sylwia has shown her work in international Art Fairs and exhibits in London. Her most recent artworks was shown in virtual exhibitions at The Holy Art Gallery in London and Capital Culture House in Madrid. Sylwia has sold works for private collectors in the UK , Poland, USA and Africa.

biafarin.com/artist?name=sylwia-skoczylas-quagraine

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Our Expectations Painting, Mixed Media on Canvas W:20 H:16 in 2020 Sylwia SkoczylasQuagraine

Check your expectations at the door as nothing will be as you expect. You may just as well throw out any ideas you have on what your future holds. Your experiences may be better or worse, but most likely nothing will be as you think they will. Better to go into an experience with no preconceived.

AW127054614

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Yue Zeng Painting

Yue Zeng is a Chinese-American self-taught artist, mother, and wife, who has been living in the United States since 2008 and currently resides in Woodbury, Minnesota. Zeng’s artistic practice focuses on oil painting, with her subjects mainly being mythical creatures and animals. With a style between impressionism and fantasy, she explores the vividness of their spirit in saturated colors and organic forms. Zeng’s interest in the arts started in elementary school, sparking her desire to create later in life. In her twenties she obtained her Masters in Science from SUNY-ESF in Syracuse, New York. In 2017 due to physical complications, Zeng had to leave the chemistry industry. Transformed by the experience, she decided to revisit her art practice and make it her career regardless of the obstacles she would face. Since then, Zeng has flourished in her artistic expression, finding her true passion in oil painting.

biafarin.com/artist?name=yue-zeng

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Night Watcher Black Panther Painting, Oil Color W:20 H:16 in 2020 Yue Zeng

A beautiful black panther roams at night to protect creatures on the land. It comes and goes alone, leaving its shadow behind. AW127386478

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Tiko Sanikidze Drawing

I aspire to give the viewer a new emotional perspective in which we can appreciate everyday situations as we deal exclusively with how people appear, when in reality there is more than what we see. As a hyper-realistic artist, I use pencil to create drawings that go beyond a photograph. These objects and scenes in my drawings are meticulously detailed to create the illusion of a new reality not seen in in the original photo. My style focuses on emphasizing details of the depicted subject, often not seen by the human eye. Hyper-realistic paintings and sculptures are not strict interpretations of photographs, nor are they literal illustrations of a particular scene or subject. My work is a distinct departure from the older and more literal school of Photorealism.

biafarin.com/artist?name=tiko-sanikidze

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Leopard Drawing, Pencil Drawing on Paper - Sanded W:60 H:45 cm 2019 Tiko Sanikidze

Capturing the strength and beauty of its subject, this contemporary art from the artist is designed for those looking to add a striking focal point to any living room, bedroom, or office. The image features a close-up drawing of a leopard in black and white. The dark background contrasts with the white fur and black spots of the leopard, focusing the viewer's attention on the grace and strength of its subject. Ready to hang and features a square shape, the wall art measures 48 in. high and 32 in. comes with a black plastic frame.

AW127060768

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Mireya Acosta Illustration

Mireya Acosta is an artist based in Houston, Texas that has been exploring her interests and talents for several years. Mireya works with ink illustrations, digital illustrations, and a variety of other traditional mediums. Her projects are mainly inspired by the many events and emotions of life one experiences. She takes inspiration from small phrases of emotions and uses them to create drawings to embody those words. Mireya attends the University of Houston-Clear Lake, from which she will graduate in 2021, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design with minors in Art History and Communications. On her spare time, she enjoys reading and indulging in her love for Ancient Greek, Roman, and Mesopotamian art.

biafarin.com/artist?name=mireya-acosta

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Emotions Unsaid Illustration W:9 H:7 in 2021 We tend to keep things to ourselves until they suddenly burst out. Should we say them? Will we regret it? Mireya Acosta

AW127212194

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Yvonne Allred Painting

I am a self-taught artist who has been painting for about 10 years now. I turned to painting to help de-stress from an IT consulting role and discovered a passion that continues to flame. I started out with a love/hate relationship with acrylics, played briefly with oils and finally settled with watercolors. I worked in those for several years and then took a brief break from painting. In June of 2020, I stumbled across the work of Iris Scott and was very moved and inspired to try finger painting. I picked up my oils and started working straight from the tube, falling in love with the very visceral nature of finger painting and the freedom it allows in creation. In addition, I have a host of certifications in the IT world, am a certified holistic life coach and have a PhD in Holistic Wellness. I am also a proud member of the West Valley Arts Council.

biafarin.com/artist?name=yvonne-allred

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Big Rock Painting, Oil Color on Board W:24 H:18 in 2021 Yvonne Allred

Oil on archival gessoboard - 100 percent finger painted. A lovely rock formation cropping up out of a sandy beach. AW127518672

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Bolanle Awosika Painting

Bolanle paints in acrylic, through the use of color and symbolism Bolanle coveys messages to that cause the viewers to think about how they see the world around them. From an early age art has held a special place in Bolanle's heart. She attended Roosevelt Middle School of the Arts where she majored in visual arts. In her last year she was awarded the Georgia O' Keefe award for artistic potential. In high school Bolanle continued her art education by taking paint a pottery class. In her senior year she took 2nd place in the Rainbow Summer posted contest. After high school Bolanle has participated in community art project Black Box Fund - "Get out and Vote". Her work has been featured in Imani & Metcalfe Park Gallery and exhibited and in Marn Member exhibitions including "2020 a Year in Translation" and "Catch 2022". Her work has been selected for juried online exhibition "Anti War 2022" and in a few months her art will be featured in Observica Magazine -special edition. In a desire to advance her professional skills Bolanle is attending IAP college to obtain her certification in gallery ownership.

biafarin.com/artist?name=bolanle-awosika

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Return to Joy Painting, Acrylic W:28 H:22 in 2021 Bolanle Awosika

When we are in the mist of painful situations in our lives, we sometimes feel as though the circumstance will never get better but there is joy on the other side of our pain. AW127344482

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Andre Barker Drawing

My name is Andre Lamonte Owen Barker Jr, I am a 24-year-old African American Contemporary artist from Detroit, Michigan. In 2008, my mom and dad filed for divorce, and it left me feeling lost and utterly alone at times. It was during this period that I dove into playing video games to escape from my hectic life at home. I always wanted to be in a creative field outside of what many people in my family and neighborhood wanted to pursue, so when I discovered my love for gaming, I knew that I wanted to be in that industry in some way. Originally, I was interested in creating storyboards or character art for companies like Naughty Dog, but as I grew as an artist, I realized that there were some things that I could show in other media that did not have to be through interactive entertainment. It was not until 2015 when I graduated from my high school Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies that I started to take drawing seriously. After coming to Wayne State University, I became one of a few African American students in the Fine Arts program and one of a handful of black male Drawing majors. Of course, being successful in school is always excellent, but I also felt an obligation as one of the few black students in the program to achieve good grades in all my classes. This fact and my natural drive and persistence have allowed me to achieve an overall GPA of 3.9. One of the great things about also being a student at Wayne State University is that the Detroit Institute of Arts is also in midtown. While visiting the Star Wars exhibit in 2018, I could not help but realize the lack of black representation in the museum and that forced me to think about all of the mainly white artists we learned about in my classes. This realization inspired me to think about what I truly wanted my art to be about. To show more black representation in art and to give a visual to the African-American experience in the United States.

biafarin.com/artist?name=andre-barker

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Birth of a Son Drawing, Graphite Drawing W:19 H:24 in 2021 Andre Barker

AW127404372

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Jim Bellisle Painting

Lifelong self-taught New Hampshire artist with a thorough appreciation of everything from Bosch to Basquiat. This can lead to a lot of trial and error exploration (which it has) but after wandering infinite avenues I think I've finally found solid footing for my abilities, vision and message. I've displayed extensively at alternative sites but have also displayed at the Agora Gallery, NY, the Goldfish Gallery Sarasota and most recently the AVA Gallery in Lebanon NH. I've had my work shown in Art NE and Artispectrum as well as several local periodicals in addition to being a past member of the NH Artists Association and the Suncook Valley AA.

biafarin.com/artist?name=jim-bellisle

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Star Man Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:15 H:20 in 2021 Science explained. Jim Bellisle

AW127581720

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Katy Bishop Painting, Mixed Media

My high school scholarship to the Chicago Art Institute, was the start of my artistic journey. Oils, acrylics, charcoal sketching and pastels techniques were the mediums that we explored while focusing on portraits, still-life and landscapes. I earned points every semester to return on the scholarship. After college graduation, my long career in the film business producing story-telling images was very fulfilling and creative. It was great to create as part of a team. But at the same time, I wanted to find my own "solitary" art form. While sketching, and painting from photos and still-life, I also explored pottery, photography, and jewelry design. But I never felt that "connection". Nothing expressed what I wanted to say. I never felt like I “found” an artistic medium that was right for me. But when I found Alcohol Ink techniques, working with their fluidity, I fell in love with abstracts. Alcohol inks have also influenced my work in acrylics. Now each project develops into what I want to say and share with you.

biafarin.com/artist?name=katy-bishop

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Breaking Thru Painting, Alcohol Ink on Paper W:8 H:6 in 2021 Katy Bishop

Sometimes it feels like your ideas and art expressions are blocked. But it is such a joyous feeling when you see that finally you are breaking thru. AW127795940

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Phillip Britt Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, Mixed Media

Phillip Britt Artist Phillip Britt was born June 7, 1978 in Memphis Tennessee. He started drawing at a young age as his father recalls him drawing a house that had been destroyed by fire near the church they attended in South Memphis. Ever since then, Phillip has continued his love for in as much so he has made it a career teaching students the beauty of Art. Double majoring, Phillip received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Bachelor of Art in Mass Media Art at Grambling State University. To be of service, he became certified to teach Art to elementary, middle school, and high school students. His love of Art, he says, has provided bountifully for his family and students. Phillip hopes that as he continues to learn, he educates and inspires his students to do their best-as he tells them frequently, “I am not looking for the person who draws, colors, or paints the best, I am looking for the person who does their best.” This is so that each and every student feels confident in their work that they create with their own hands. Phillip strives to make the student feel like they are an artist even though they may not feel they are one, and they are greeted with this statement every day. Trying to be creative and produce more as an artist, Phillip says his art is “A manifestation of the knowledge I have gained through learning and observation.” Whatever the theme or topic that interests him, Phillip will try to tell a message in his works. Phillip resides in Waggaman, Louisiana with his wife, two sons, and daughter. To further his education and career, he plans to continue in the Master of Arts in Museum Studies program at Southern University at New Orleans.

biafarin.com/artist?name=phillip-britt

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Beauty Beside Herself Painting, Oil Color W:72 H:48 in 2002 Image of Africa beside and an image of a black woman. Phillip Britt

AW127643084

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Derick Cox Drawing

I am an average guy who occasionally makes funny remarks and funny art. Besides art, I like to do improv, play the trumpet, ride my skateboard and like every other person my age, I play video games. I am very personable. It is really easy for me to keep a conversation going.

biafarin.com/artist?name=derick-cox

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Falling Out of It Drawing, Graphite Drawing W:10 H:15 in 2021 Derick Cox

As work begins to pile up, you mind begins to wander. Your mind does not want to think about the stress that is yet to come. So you begin to fall into this pit of nothing. The more you stress, the further you fall. AW127691844

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Robert Falcone Painting, Sculpture

Robert Falcone has been making music and visual art since the mid 1960’s. He drew cartoons for the Cleveland State newspaper, the Cauldron from 1969 - 1970, and worked in the production and design space at Kent State University 1970 - 1971. Robert took an art break to pursue his medical career from 1973 - 1987. Falcone has been producing music and visual art continuously since, and recently completed an MFA in Visual Art at The Columbus College of Art and Design. He is represented by the Lindsay Gallery.

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Orchid Painting, Oil Color, Gold Leaf on Canvas W:16 H:20 in 2020 Robert Falcone

AW127900982

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

SEVEN Painting

The Artist SEVEN is a muralist, illustrator and designer native to Chattanooga, Tennessee. He is mostly identified by the bold and colorful large-scale murals he paints in various cities throughout the southeastern United States. He is the creator and director of the BURNIN’ BRIDGES street art project, which seeks to evolve, elevate, expand and educate on the art-form and culture of street art muralism. His goal is to continue to contribute to the culture artistically while helping to develop a cultural awareness and an appreciation for street art as a relevant and empowering art form in today’s society. SEVEN's canvas paintings can be described as large scale luminous urban masterpieces that reflect a style similar to that of his murals. SEVEN's work has been exhibited in various group art shows and publications and he is considered a street art pioneer in his home town of Chattanooga.

biafarin.com/artist?name=eric-finley

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Buttafly Transportal Painting, Spray Paint on Concrete W:168 H:132 in 2018 SEVEN

AW127957056

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Ted Gillespie Painting

I have always been inspired by what our lives give us on a daily basis: stress, love, relationships, society, politics and even death. All these experiences play a major role in how and what I create. I express my art without hesitation thru painting, drawings and sculpture. I still love the feel of the paint on the brush as well as on my hands. I don’t paint objects and “things,” I paint events that happen in my life and or yours. My practice is usually one of turmoil, then discovery, then turmoil, then destruction, then peace and, finally, acceptance. I may start with a sketch from my book or directly on the canvas. Either way, I won’t know the outcome until I’m there. I’m an artist working with canvas and paints, and the excitement of the process is still what thrills me to go to the studio every day. I want my images to provoke, be elusive, have some ambiguity, move the inner you, and even make you recoil at times. I try to let the paint be paint and not get in its way. I don’t think about what to paint or how to paint it anymore. I let the process take over for a journey I’m willing to take. Born in Hammond Indiana, I grew up in a lower middle class neighborhood. Aware at a very young age of the need to express myself, I started drawing and painting everything I could. I also had a love for football that I mistakenly thought that would take me to college. After high school, told I had to make a choice between sports and art, I attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Ill and later the Art Institute of Ft Lauderdale, Fl. where I studied graphic design and fine art. I am an advocate for Alzheimer’s patients , and on the speaker’s bureau for the Alzheimer’s Association. The father of 5 boys, I paint from my home studio, residing with my wife and two dogs in St Charles, Missouri.

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Consumption 5 Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:36 H:36 in 2021 Consumption Series Ted Gillespie

AW127010798

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

AnneKarin Glass Painting

AnneKarin was born into an environment where originality and creativity were prized and rewarded. Her father, Henry P. Glass, was a founder of the field of industrial design and a pace setting designer during the 20th century. Her mother, Eleanor, was a master dressmaker. AnneKarin studied at her father’s knee and spent her childhood summer vacations at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. AnneKarin continued to create art during high school and college. In the Peace Corps in Brazil, she established a leather goods factory to give semi-employed shoe makers steady work. She designed and make patterns for shoes, bags, belts, jewelry, and household items in leather. She also produced a body of woodcut prints and photographs. After finishing her Master's degree at Illinois Institute of Technology, she moved to San Francisco, where she established her own corporation, a graphics brokerage. She designed and produced architectural graphics and illustration, photography, and graphic design for print and electronic media. AnneKarin has exhibited her work at the Art Institute of Chicago; SOMARTS Gallery, Modesto Lanzoni Gallery, 23rd Street Gallery, Bonhams & Butterfields, Tubac Center for the Arts,, the Napa Valley Mustard Festival; Green House Gallery, San Antonio; and has had multiple solo exhibitions locally and in Brazil. Her awardwinning work is included in private and institutional collections the worldwide, and has been published in books and magazines internationally.

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Soaring Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:30 H:40 in 2021 Colorful abstract. The composition gives the artist a feeling of flying. AnneKarin Glass

AW127063904

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Alyssa Graham Drawing, Painting, Graphics, Sculpture

My name is Alyssa Graham, most people know me as Aly. I am currently a student at Bowling Green State University where I have almost completed my bachelor's degree, and I am planning to graduate next fall. My major is advertising with a minor in digital arts. I have been drawing since I was in about 3rd grade and became really interested in digital design when I began taking computer graphics classes at my high school in my hometown of Delaware, OH. I have completed multiple advertising design internships as well as being a part of the Media Student Association here at BGSU. I certainly have a passion for anything art or design-related and hope to inspire others someday.

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Sisters Drawing, Charcoal W:16 H:20 in 2021 Alyssa Graham

AW127264986

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Austin Howlett Painting

My name is Austin Howlett and I am a Maui raised artist now living and working in Los Alamos New Mexico and I specialize in surreal figurative oil painting. I primarily derive my inspiration from the people and environments that surround me so that I can create paintings that explore emotional vulnerability and self discovery. I am very much inspired by the inherent flaws found in humanity as a whole and in us as individuals and the small steps we can take to become better people. I love working as an artist because with every painting I feel as if am an adding to a sort of imagined world in my head and it allows me to connect with others through shared emotions and thoughts. Nothing brings me more joy than having a stranger really connect with a painting that I’ve created and that painting allowing us to have an open and honest conversation about our unique experiences. Creating imagery has always been the best way for me to communicate with others and I feel honored to speak through my art as a career. Growing up in Maui I gained an intense appreciation for how the natural world can influence our wellbeing. Our ties to nature are more prevalent that we think and so I strive to portray this connection in my artwork as a reminder.

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As One Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:48 H:24 in 2019 Austin Howlett

In this piece humans and nature breath as one. The divisions that we have insisted on for generations have evaporated and we finally see ourselves reflected in the natural world that surrounds us. Plants, trees and moss start to grow with her body as her hands reach into the earth.

AW127370138

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Bob Ingram Sculpture

My life as a maker has taken me on a long and varied path filled with wondrous discoveries. For decades I was a designer/maker of fine furniture. Such work was exhibited widely and as well, received many awards. In the mid-1980 "s I stepped away from the studio to continue my studies in Industrial Design in the graduate department at Pratt Institute, Brooklynn NY. These studies were then followed up with a Designer in Residence at the Tasmanian Institute of Technology in Tasmania Australia. It was during this time that I made a commitment to "one day turn my attention to making sculpture full time". That day came about 20 years later plunging me into the wacky world of art leaving the comfy product gig in the rearview mirror. Most of my art are works using found objects as well as adding in various tooled pieces of wood, metal, glass, plastics, and any other material I can wrap my hands around. Not surprisingly these pieces have been warmly received and supported by my fellow artists because of their whimsy, humor, and quite possibly the shared understanding that there is no university tenure track bound art professorship pulling out of this port. I like to say I take the ordinary and make it into the mundane!

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Pierced Barn Sculpture W:14 H:18 in 2021 Vintage pitch fork, 200 year old barn beam slice Bob Ingram

AW127566874

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Parker Janssen Drawing

Parker Janssen is an artist who depicts scenes and imagery of south Texas landscape to showcase her life as she has lived in south Texas her whole life and it is essential to her identity. She looks to Texas regionalism as inspiration for her scenes, but more uses vivid colors much like the Fauvist to create paintings and ink drawings that take on a daydream like quality. She is about to graduate from Texas State University in San Marcos, TX in 2022, and she will have completed with her BFA in studio art with a concentration on painting.

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Growth Drawing, Oil Color on Canvas W:36 H:36 in 2021 Parker Janssen

AW127619556

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Averi Johnson Painting, Graphics, Photography

In hopes of capturing feelings and concepts, my work reflects that which cannot be easily explained in words. I am a self taught artist from New Jersey. I use bold color combinations and experimental composition to create dynamic abstract art. I use acrylic, oil, spray paint, and marker to create intoxicating works.

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Flames Painting, Acrylic, Marker, Spray Paint W:14 H:14 in 2020 Averi Johnson

AW127674464

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Emma Kalff Painting

Emma Kalff was raised in West Chester, Pennsylvania. She received classical training in drawing and painting at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. She has participated in national juried shows and has exhibited her work in various venues across the US. She currently resides in Ridgway, Colorado.

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People Talk Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:8 H:8 in 2021 Emma Kalff

AW127723966

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Xinyan Kong Digital Arts, Photography

Xinyan was born in Yangzhou, China. She graduated from California College of the Arts in 2020, and she has received the Int'l Creative Achievement Award since 2016. She was drawn to Photography when she was in Grade 8. This new way of seeing through the lens revealed a totally new world of eternal moments. She works mainly with still-life, but also creates interventions within the natural environment by colliding nature with man- made objects.

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I(n)sLOVE Digital Arts W:10 H:10 in 2020 Print on Transparency Xinyan Kong

AW127958968

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Jeannette Kortz Painting

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have lived in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and now Richmond, California. Where I live now is very close to the San Francisco Bay. I love the nature where I live; the birds, the Bay creatures, the beautiful shoreline, and San Francisco Bay itself. I paint to reflect my love of the Bay and its surroundings.

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Yosemite Falls Reflection Painting, Oil Color W:12 H:9 in 2021 Jeannette Kortz

Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park, California. A beautiful place with amazing scenery. One of my favorite places in the world. AW127008364

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Bogdan Kravchenko Painting, Photography, Sculpture

Bo Kravchenko got his Master’s degree in Book Graphics at Kyiv State Academy of Arts and started painting in 2010 after a long and successful career in creative advertising. His both parents were artists, and art was the focus at home. After graduation, Bogdan published sixteen books with his book illustrations, and then for many years worked at creative agencies in Europe until he found himself on the East coast of Florida. Under the impression of its beauty, he felt the pull to return to painting and photography. Having spent a life collaborating with galleries, artists, and designers, he had a clear idea of what he wanted to work on. Soon he was able to work full-time as a painter, selling his artworks through festivals and online art galleries, participating in solo and group exhibitions. Today, Bogdan sells his paintings to collectors all over the world and exhibits extensively. After a decade of painting his favorite landscape theme, he has gained confidence and technical skills. Today, he tends to work on a larger scale and abstractly, with a focus on light, textures, and how the landscape works in an abstract context.

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95 Stuart Painting, Oil Color, Acrylic on Canvas W:48 H:24 in 2020 Bogdan Kravchenko

This series "Nature in Motion", and is mostly depicting different types of landscapes, with a modern sense of speed and movement. I want to remind through my artworks that we are living in a modern beautiful world with unique color combinations made by Mother Nature

AW127059456

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Issue #15 - Special Edition 2021 observica.com/se2021

Bjoern Larsen Painting

Bjoern T. M. Larsen (Bjørn) was born in Copenhagen City (Denmark) by a multi racial family. He studied Graphic Design and Arts in Venice City (Italy) and did some local exhibits in Bologna were he studied Anatomy, Padua, and Venice (Italy). He spend some time in Manchester (United Kingdom), Madrid (Spain) and Cologne (Germany). After being inspired by the Scandinavian design in search of Natural movement combined with clean geometry and Classic Arts in Italy and around Europe he moved to San Francisco (California - US) to then finally settle in Seattle (Washington - US). He won several Art Festival such as the Shoreline Art Festival in Washington state and continues to do local exhibits and sell online not only originals but also Prints. “My Art reflects my dreams and I just love to share what I saw while sleeping. I would love to be a full time Artist but at the current time I just don’t have enough expertise to market myself fully in order to achieve my dream”.

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Volition Genesis Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:36 H:48 in 2021 Bjoern Larsen

AW127250786

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Judi Lightfield Painting

You’ve heard it before, maybe you’ve felt it. Everybody lives in their own bubble. It’s a bubble in that it is clear, edgeless, smooth. If it was a cube, you’d get pushed into a corner and you’d feel it. No, it’s a bubble, soft and slippery. At times you’re barely aware of it. You float in your own minestrone soup. Everybody lives in their own bubble. What does that look like? I’ve worked years visualizing the essence. At first the bubbles occurred with a cosmic background. It was the sensation of vast outer space and the improbability of finding a bubble there. The images were surreal. After all how does a bubble exist in a vacuum. Now the negative space is an abstract landscape. There is a horizon line. Sky above, earth below in a variety of settings, mountains, valleys, trees, water. Some are calm, some are edgy. The title of the paintings are the primary colors used for the landscape. The human figure disappeared for a while and now returns. The first figures were stiff and brittle. They got looser as I developed the image. Now in some paintings they float. In some the figures are about to break out of the bubble. Sometimes the bubbles collide. The number in parentheses after the title refers to the number of figures in the painting. Here’s the question- are you safe in your own bubble? Are you free without it? Any cocoon can become a coffin if you stay in it too long. There is no one right answer.

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Orange Red Yellow 7 Painting, Oil Color on Board W:48 H:54 in 2021 Judi Lightfield

I've said it before and i'll say it again- everyone lives in their own bubble. The title is the primary palette, the. number refers to the figures in the image. AW127301772

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Galina Manikova Mixed Media

I was born on Sakhalin, grew up in Moscow, got educated in Jerusalem and live in Norway since 1986. In the 80's I started working with installations, ceramic sculpture with photographic images on, combination of twodimensional motifs and three-dimensional shapes, illusions of depth and volume, photography on textiles and still images next to video projections and moving images. I am now working with photo emulsions on handmade paper, glass, ceramics, cotton fabric and silk mounted in several transparent layers illuminated and projected on walls, ceilings, and floors. I often use letters and texts as part of the images.

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Cyanopluss 03 Photography, Cyanotype on Paper W:28 H:40 in 2021 Galina Manikova

Ecoprint followed by cyanotype handmade photo-emulsion on washi paper framed by handmade kozo fibers paper. AW127356150

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Ash Margaret Cheatham Photography

Ash Margaret Cheatham is a photographer, entrepreneur, explorer, and a mother who lives and works in Houston, TX. Ash was born in the Detroit area in 1985. She was relentlessly nurtured by technology as it exploded during her formative adolescent years and became fixated by the complexities of human nature in the information age. In her current concepts, Ash illustrates how technology advancements have changed the way people interact with one another and themselves. Her work brings a new and often uncomfortable perspective to social issues that are commonly ignored or concealed. Her aim is to increase an awareness to the viewer that people are much more complex than they would like to admit. Ash Margaret’s work has gained an international audience through gallery exhibitions and publications spanning the United States, Hungary, United Kingdom and Canada. She has also recently been awarded 3rd place in the 5th edition Boynes Emerging Artist Awards.

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GMO Picnic Photography, Giclee Printing W:30 H:20 in 2021 Giclee Printing archival print on cotton rag Ash Margaret

AW127409256

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Natalie Marino Mixed Media, Painting

Natalie Marino graduated from New York University and completed two years of graduate work at the New School for Social Research before receiving her Master of Academic Art from the Academe de Bedriacense in Calvatone, Italy. She is an award-winning fine artist who has been exhibited widely in museums, corporations and fine art galleries throughout the U.S. and Europe including Alan Stone Gallery NYC; Tom Winer Gallery NYC, Rosalyn Sailor Gallery, Philadelphia , NJ Center for the Visual Arts, Summit, NJ, Korea Soo Bahk Do Headquarters, Seoul, Korea and Ivanhoe Museum , Patterson, NJ.. She is well known for her large impressionistic pastel figurative and has hosted a weekly cablecast on television called “Art Forum”. She is one of the few women who has painted with the “Street Painters” in New York City and a charter member of the Riker Hill Art Park which housed her studio for many years . Some of her awards include: Ludwig Vogelstein grant for Fine Art; Bee grant from the Pastel Society of America; Union County Cultural and Heritage Grant and the Passaic County Cultural and Heritage grant for Mural painting in Patterson, NJ. In addition she has produced, directed and edited short cable cast productions supported by grants: (The Homeless in NJ; We Can Still Dance (Indigenous people leaving the Reservation); and NJ Work Force Labor. Her spiritual beliefs and her humanistic approach are reflected throughout her fine art. She has illustrated 79 books which are distributed through Barnes and Nobles, Borders, and Amazon. She is currently working in her studio in the metropolitan New York region.

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Woman Waiting Alone Mixed Media, Pastel on Board W:32 H:40 in 2020 Natalie Marino

Painted from a model in the artist's studio. This piece is intended to show the independence of women. Painted on 100 RAG board. No preservatives. AW127654222

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J Maskrey Painting

Drawing inspiration from nature, and in particular her frequent visits to the Sequoia National Park, Maskrey’s paintings align her emotional engagement with the spectacular trees, which she sees as individual characters and depicts in abstract form using paint on canvas. Her works are primarily painted with palette knife, with which she applies layers of heavy impasto. After the first layer has dried she returns to the canvas and builds further roughly textured thick layers, creating a series of vertical forms that invoke the verticality and literal rootedness of trees and the rough texture of bark. To Maskrey the multi-layering of her technique also reflects the complexity of human emotions — happiness, fear, joy — and she sees in her tree forms the essence of individual personality and uniqueness. Maskrey, who is Anglo-Chinese, was born in Hong Kong, attended high school in Australia, and then Auckland University in New Zealand, where she studied sociology. Yet at the same time she was encountering the work of Van Gogh, Mark Rothko, and Edvard Munch, artists to whom emotional fluctuations were a consistent theme in both their work and their personal lives. Her own creative path was launched when she moved to London in the 1990s to study to become a makeup artist, a career in which she met with considerable success. Her work was featured in the leading fashion magazines of the time, including i-D, Dazed & Confused, Elle and Vogue, among others. In 2000 she pioneered the concept of adhesive jewelry to be worn directly on the body. Her intricate and delicate designs were recognized by multiple prominent fashion houses, and she collaborated with designers and brands including Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Estée Lauder and MAC Cosmetics. Vogue prophetically described Maskrey’s body jewelry as “resting somewhere between art and fashion.” Upon moving to Los Angeles in 2019 Maskrey made the decision to commit fully to her art practice, which she describes as her greatest passion. She completed the specialized program in painting at UC Berkley and is currently working towards an MFA. Despite the fact that Maskrey has only been producing works on canvas since 2019 her aesthetic has emerged full-fledged, as has her method, resulting in a striking and memorable body of work that links her previous instincts with new mediums, techniques, and forms. J Maskrey lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

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Giant 1 Painting, Oil Color, Acrylic on Canvas W:30 H:30 in 2021 J Maskrey

These giant trees are full of color , texture and emotion . Looking at the trees and nature as the underpinning influence , J’s starting point was the shapes of the trees . J love of using bright colors and plenty of texture can be experience fully in this art work .

AW127707858

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Jasser Membreno Digital Arts, Painting, Graphics, Photography

Jasser Membreno is a Latino artist, born and raised in Los Angeles, with an incredible facility for drawing and painting. His work is figurative and fantastical; the landscapes, buildings, and objects he creates live simultaneously in the past, present, and future of a world full of decay, mystery, and invention. Since graduating from the Character Animation program at Calarts in 2008, he has continued to create works of art that appear in galleries, film, tv/animation, book publishing, and sculpture work. Along with having illustrated two children's books, Jasser published his first illustrated, bilingual book Pensamientos/Thoughts. He also co-founded a company called CineNovel which bridged the art, literature, and entertainment worlds. Currently, Jasser is developing an animated series based on his character designs and focusing on his passion for the arts. He plans to showcase his new paintings in the spring of 2022.

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Santo Manos Digital Arts, Color Pencil, Acrylic W:32 H:80 in 2020 Jasser Membreno

Santo Manos is a character from one of my dreams which turned into a main character within an epic story that includes an ensemble of fantastical characters, and surreal landscapes. This strange figure floats around a world that is full of decay, darkness, yet full of coy instruments that reveal chi

AW127759692

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Maria Merfeld Painting

Maria was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, then her family immigrated to Israel. For more than three decades Maria has studied and gained expertise in a wide variety of theoretical and practical arts, Art History, Museum and Curatorial studies beside a variety of arts, design, and crafts workshops. Maria's multidisciplinare, long lasting journey, her interests and studies, were developed into a unique and intimate symbolic language that could be recognised as her signature throughout her works and characterised as intuitive and decorative. This language is spreading across symbols, icons and pictograms that emerge into a particular personal dictionary of shapes and forms, influenced, and takes its inspiration from ancient cultures, arts, peoples, legends, and fantasy.

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Warrior 1 Mixed Media W:9 H:33 D:8 in 2021 Maria Merfeld

A figurine built on a leg and an iron bracket. Made from various items collected over the years. This is one figurine from a series of eight. No one is alike. Each is one of. AW127811844

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Kaitlin Murray Painting

In 8th grade, I had this one art class and noticed a talent and liking to painting. Since then, I have been painting as a hobby. I have only become more serious about submitting work this last year. In summer of 2021, I submitted a painting "Eyes of the Galaxy" to the 2021 Northstar Watermedia Society National Juried Art Exhibition and got accepted. Recently, another two of my paintings got accepted into the Virtual 3D Exhibition "Vibrant Landscapes" for the Red Bluff Art Gallery. As someone involved with performing arts as well, I feel that painting is another avenue to allow creativity and invention to come through in a different form. Like how movement can be interpreted by a person or audience, it is interesting for me to hear what people say or think about my art. I would love for painting to become part of my career and to continue growing. I look forward to other opportunities and to be able to share my ideas or experiences.

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Somber Cello Dreams Painting, Acrylic W:16 H:20 in 2021 Kaitlin Murray

Inspired by one of my paintings used in a choreographic college dance project. I wanted to take a different approach to focus on certain shapes and change the coloring to black and white to create a new piece. AW127009534

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Ayla Nichols Digital Arts, Painting

Ayla Nichols was born in a small town in Louisiana, USA in the year 1996. Her childhood was not the most ideal or pleasant and was bountiful in neglect and abuse. As a child of a military family Ayla moved often and rarely made substantial connections or relationships. At an early age she turned to art as a sole form of self expression. However, like any other things the joy in art was soon stripped from her by her family. Ayla muddled through school; joined the Air Force in 2015 and continues to serve as the department manager of the second busiest mammography clinic in the Air Force. In 2021, after many years of tumbling through life, she turned to art again at the recommendation of a therapist. Her new family and friends supported and encouraged this journey and inspired her to utilize social media to share her art with the world. After three months of sharing online she began to acknowledge the requests for custom commissions. From there she became known as the Doodle Lady; a custom digital portrait creator. While fulfilling these custom requests she continued to create her own personal pieces as a therapeutic tool. These personal creations are available as prints, clothing and various household items on her website PeacefulCreationsShop.com and act as a visual diary through her journey in finding her voice. Ayla continues to draw and challenges herself by expressing emotions she once held captive; she has reignited her love and passion for art.

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Playful Digital Arts W:8 H:8 in 2021 Ayla Nichols

Choosing to accept our true nature comes with many benefits. The biggest being the ability to be unapologetically you. The feminine touches of the flowers and soft curls combined with the playful colors and iris shape display the uniqueness of this portrait and hints to the uniqueness of the viewer.

AW127060838

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Olga Nikitina Painting, Graphics

My name is Olga, I was born and educated in Russia, Siberia, where I finished an art school. When I was 20 I moved to Europe and spent some time there, living in Vienna and Paris. Impressionism really influenced my approach to painting and inspired me a lot. Later on, after I travelled to a number of places (the US, China, and Europe), I realised that modern art and 20th century art can still influence people. These thoughts inspired me and made me get back to canvas and paint. Now when I live in California I like to go to Arizona, Nevada and other states to get inspiration from nature, colours, and people.

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Dead Can Dance Painting W:25 H:15 in 2019 Olga Nikitina

This painting is a quintessence of my thoughts and feelings about life, our roots, taboos, and how complicated life has become. I listened to the Australian band "Dead can dance", and my thoughts and emotions resulted in this painting.

AW127107690

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Sachi Parikh Sculpture

Originally from San Jose, California, Sachi started out as a woodworker where she designed and built 1:12th scale Victorian dollhouses and furniture. Her interest led to her producing artwork at a minuscule level with mediums such as polymer clay and ceramics. She currently resides in Brooklyn, NY where she continues to sculpt and work with clay, although at a much larger scale.

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Myth of Sisyphus Sculpture on Clay W:10 H:10 D:2 in 2021 Sachi Parikh

The piece, Myth of Sisyphus, is based on the battle of the body and the mind. On Earth, time is a constant, and the body is finite. How do we lead our life in response to these two unchanging truths? AW127376718

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Graciela Paz Sculpture, Painting, Photography

I'm a Texas-based artist originally from Guatemala. I have a degree in Business Administration and former art education at the Glassell School of Art from The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. I got a certificate of achievement in painting and am about to complete an MFA at Houston Baptist University. Art has been following me since I was a kid, and I genuinely believe that you can apply your creativity everywhere. Several years ago, I decided to stop working in business and started to work towards a new career but this time in one of my passions - Art. When I started with art classes, it was from the beginning and progressed to more complex pieces in no time. Every day my feeling of belonging in this new endeavor was growing exponentially. I've been working with mixed media paintings and ceramic sculptures and taking my inspiration from Mother Nature, creating organic, tactile abstract pieces. I seek to better appreciate structures, systems, and micro life in nature to increase consciousness of the unseen beauty around us.

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Refugio Sculpture on Ceramic W:20 H:28 D:18 in 2020 Graciela Paz

Ceramic Sculpture, bees are made with clay and acetate sheets. In this piece, I’m trying to display two different contradictions: the imbalance in our nature and the geometric vs organic forms in micro life. AW127425372

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Antonio Pelayo Drawing

Antonio Pelayo, born in Glendale, California and yet raised for most of his childhood in the Mexican countryside, has never had his own country. Moving from an American suburb to a tiny village has kept his world unstable; yet that very instability has made him an artist. Antonio was born in 1973 in a comfortable, quintessentially American suburb: close neighbors, picket fences, movie theatres, malls, and English all around. At nine, his family sent him back to his father’s village in Mexico, where the environment radically changed: old broken down adobe churches replaced gallerias and the trappings of suburbia. Some adjustments were difficult, like dealing with outdoor plumbing and the transition to a Spanish speaking environment. Teased and ostracized by other kids, and unable to communicate with the adults, Antonio looked elsewhere for, if not companionship, at least solace. He found it with a pencil and in the pews. He snuck into the village church and stared up at the murals of martyrdom. He hid in the dark corners and sketched the artwork that covered the walls and altars. In 1994, Pelayo joined Disney Studio’s illustrious Ink & Paint Department, where he learned traditional celluloid animation techniques. Once big enough to occupy the majority of the Disney Studio lot, the department had survived the advent of digital animation as a tiny one room holdover from the ‘Golden Era’ of American animation. In this room, amidst some 4,000 different types of paints and inks, Pelayo found shelter – working for a company that had always valued creativity, raw talent and imagination. Through exhibitions organized by the studio to showcase the work of its employees. “I’ve tried landscapes and fantasy scenes,” he says, “but it’s the portrait that fascinates me. That intimacy between the subject and the artist, the vulnerability that the subject must have to my interpretation—that is trust at its most divine."

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La Mujer Drawing, Acrylic, Color Pencil on Paper W:20 H:15 in 2020 Antonio Pelayo

AW127476888

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Jordan Poe Photography

As a graduate of Cal State Channel Islands, I've been a fine art photographer since 2010 specializing in infrared photography with works shown in various exhibitions, published in publications and permanently hung in several businesses.

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Remnants 4 Photography on Aluminum W:55 H:34 in 2015 Jordan Poe

Infrared photography on archival aluminum. A water tower that was a crucial part of Atolia, California's mining district. Currently, The average person wouldn't even notice its existence driving down Highway 395; however, I happened to discover it and document its decaying history of hard time while dodging open shafts and harsh terrain.

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Shannon Puerini Painting

Shannon Puerini’s work revolves around capturing the perfect moment. Her strongest painting influences are Maxfield Parrish and Lisa Yuskavage, their romantic color schemes and feminine subject matter truly speaking to her ideas of bliss and beauty. Shinji Ohmaki’s Liminal Air Space-Time installations speak to the ethereal sense of awareness and aliveness she aims for in her work. She paints these moments not with anxious hyperrealism, but rather she lets the artist’s hand lightly filter the colors and strokes like the way the nature of memory would delicately filter a moment. Having always loved and lived near the ocean, water and likened immersive environments are a constant theme in her work. She also draws inspiration from film stills, films, movies, and videos that flirt with ideas of youth, contentment, and spontaneity; believing in the infinite power of moving image coupled with music. Shannon’s mother, also an artist, was her original influencer that eventually led her to the rebirth of her artistic journey in her sophomore year of high school where she was first recognized and awarded for her self portrait. In 2013 she also won a many other regional awards, and finally a National American Visions Medal which she received in Carnegie Hall. She then attended the Rhode Island School of Design and graduated in 2017 with her BFA. Ms. Puerini’s artistic goal is to harness a universal feeling that is felt during a pure moment of simple, exquisite delight. Naïve bliss. Fleeting yet infinite euphoria. She has found that these sublime moments she works to harness are not revealed when everything goes perfectly, the way a manicured garden is perfect with equal rows of colorful identical flowers; but perfect the way a field of untamed wildflowers is, within its imperfection.

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Gelato Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:9 H:12 in 2019 Shannon Puerini

This painting is of a special time in my life in Venice, Italy...but rather than trying to say all that I possibly can about how much I loved it in a single painting, heres just one small moment. My friend eating gelato, walking past the late afternoon light that drapes across apartment 3085.

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Sunny Redmond Digital Arts, Photography

I grew up in the Hudson Valley in New York state. After high school I attended Rochester Institute of Technology for two years. My parents moved to the mid-west and I took a greyhound bus to New York City and stayed with a friend in the Bronx. I was accepted as a potential fashion model with Stewart models and by July I had started to work and was given the November cover of Seventeen Magazine. My career lasted over 15 years going from junior to high fashion and from print to TV and runway. In 1979, I started being a river guide in the Grand Canyon during the summers and modeled in the fall and winter. I had 12 solo photographic shows in NYC, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. When my first child was born, I stopped modeling and became a fulltime mother. I trained in the healing arts. In 1991, the girls and I moved to Aspen, Colorado, where I opened my healing practice. In 2007, I moved to Taos, New Mexico. From a young girl I have always had a cameras and my eye has continue to evolve.

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N'ice Digital Arts W:18 H:24 in 2018 Archival photographic print. Found art: Like a modern abstract, only real. Frozen mud puddle Sunny Redmond

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Crystal Rodriguez Mixed Media

Pennsylvania based artist, Crystal Rodriguez, has been honing her artistic expressions since 1995. She dabbles in all mediums, but her favorite and most successful pieces are in acrylic, watercolor, and mixed media. Her recent work is inspired by the rekindling of her faith and fresh optimistic outlook in life. In 2003, she created five 4ft x 8ft canvas acrylic paintings for the Eastern United States United Methodist Conference, four 4ft x 13ft and two 4ft x 10ft large silk paintings for student orientation at Lebanon Valley College, and one 4ft x 8ft canvas acrylic painting supporting our troops in a Memorial Day Parade. In recent years, her artwork has been accepted to several juried exhibitions. In March 2022, she will be hosting her personal exhibition in a local community art gallery.

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In The Garden Painting, Acrylic, Glitter on Canvas W:16 H:20 in 2021 Crystal Rodriguez

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Ahmed Shanab Photography, Painting, Sculpture

Ahmed was born in Brooklyn and raised in Philadelphia. In 2019 they moved to Portland to attend Reed College, where they had initially planned to study Political Science. In search of a more efficient means of expression and rebellion, they began pursuing a Studio Art degree instead. Since then, Ahmed has produced a variety of cityscape drawings, conceptual photographs, and interactive sculptures. Critically engaged with futurism and systems of oppression, they use their knowledge of form and light to transform basic patterns and symbols into a unique language.

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Drowning pt.2 Photography W:8 H:11 in 2021 HP Deskjet Ahmed Shanab

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Jeanne Simmons Photography

Jeanne was born in coastal New Hampshire and grew up in a raucous household with four siblings. She graduated from the Maine College of Art in 1991 with a BFA in Sculpture. Upon graduating, she received a scholarship to the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, where she was inspired by many brilliant artists. In 1992, Jeanne left New England and moved to Chicago to attend graduate school at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. City life proved to be overwhelming, so she moved to the Pacific Northwest a short time later, eventually settling on Vashon Island, WA, where she later met her husband, Gunter Reimnitz, who is also a sculptor. Jeanne and Gunter moved to Port Townsend, WA in 1999, where they raised their two beautiful kids. Jeanne worked as a youth services associate librarian in public libraries in the Port Townsend area for 11 years, where she poured her heart into her work with families and children. Jeanne almost gave up on her life-long dream of being an artist in 2017 when she decided to become a professional librarian instead, enrolling in graduate school to pursue her MLS. Just then her life’s passion— making things—bubbled up and was irrepressible. She has devoted her life to art making and the creative process ever since. Jeanne's work has been featured in numerous national and international publications. She is currently working with filmmaker Ward Serrill (The Bowmakers and The Heart of the Game) on a film about her work and her process of working.

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Extensions Photography on Silk W:36 H:48 in 2020 Jeanne Simmons

To make Extensions, I braided a grass extension to my model's hair and connected it to a cornrowed section of hillside grass. AW127195568

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Chesley Smith Mixed Media

Chesley Smith was born in central Texas in 1945. He graduated from Jarvis collage with a bachelor's degree in art and a master's from Texas A&M university commerce TX. He is along time artist currently focused on non objective painting and collages he was a professor of art at Paul Quinn collage.

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Painting the Music Painting, Acrylic on Wood W:43 H:46 in 2013 Wood Relief Chesley Smith

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Ashley Stasik Photography

Ashley Stasik is currently pursuing their Bachelors of Fine Arts from Bowling Green State University with a minor in Psychology with plans to continue on to obtain a Masters in Art Therapy. With past intentions of becoming an art teacher, they were able to gain insight on how the many different art mediums can be applied as a tool rather than just a commercial product or entertainment. Concerned with the therapeutic properties of art creation, she hopes to make a difference in the lives of other people who could benefit from art as a form of therapy. Ashley’s current works focus on an internal exploration of her emotions and past traumas through a combination of photography and fabric arts. Their work is personal and rarely for more than their own viewing. Their focus is on art as a tool to process, heal, and create space to listen to herself. She believes that the sooner she can master art as a tool to accepting herself she can help others do the same.

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Tension Photography, Color Photography W:8 H:10 in 2018 Ashley Stasik

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Isabella Stoakes Digital Arts, Painting, Photography, Sculpture

Isabella Stoakes is a multidisciplinary artist from the beaches of Southern California. She uses her writings, and the atmosphere of her home town in Los Angeles as a source of inspiration for her work. She finds herself constantly exploring new ways to express herself and is not afraid to get her hands on new material. Isabella describes herself as a woman whose purpose in life has become to create and will forever be producing the visions of her mind.

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This will have to do Digital Arts, Oil Color on Board - Wood W:13.50 H:16.50 in 2021 Isabella Stoakes

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Ivan Suvanjieff Painting

Ivan Suvanjieff is a multifaceted artist and painter. His most recent solo exhibition, "Quanta Dada", was held on the French Riviera in June of 2021, and his upcoming solo exhibition will be held in Barcelona, Spain from September 15 to October 6, 2022. He is also an activist, a musical and literary icon (from Detroit Punk Rock to his literary magazine, ‘The New Censorship’) an award-winning filmmaker, and he has been nominated 17 times for the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2001, Archbishop Desmond Tutu honored Ivan by presiding over his wedding ceremony at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa.

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No. 7 Digital Arts, Acrylic on Canvas W:28 H:24 in 2019 Ivan Suvanjieff

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Bella Szabo Sculpture

Bella Szabo completed her final year of undergrad at Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts as a Ceramics Emphasis and with a Bachelor of Arts in Global Cultures and Languages: French. She has won awards for her artwork including a Reserve Merit in the category of painting in Southeast Missouri State University’s Annual Juried Student Exhibition. Her work has been included in juried exhibitions like Artist’s Vision 2021, Marin Society of Artists; The Premier Exhibition, The In Art Gallery; Persistence III, D’Art Center; and Varsity Art XXV, Art Saint Louis. She also curated her solo show, Cityscapes, at Catapult Creative House and was the exhibition coordinator for Professor Chris Wubbena’s “Professional Practice in Visual Arts” class exhibition, Smorgasbord: An Art Collaboration. Szabo’s most recent exhibition, Figures in Time, was her undergraduate thesis which was on display at the River Campus Art Gallery. Upcoming solo shows for 2022 are currently in the works at galleries located in Cape Girardeau, MO. She continues to create art at home in her free time and works on her ceramic arts at Southeast Missouri State University’s ceramics studio.

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Large Canteen Sculpture W:10.50 H:11.50 D:3.25 in 2021 Bella Szabo

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Abigail Tessier Painting

Abigail Tessier, born in Potsdam, NY in 1998, is an artist focused on expressive acrylic and oil painting. Abby has been drawing and creating since before she could even write, and was self-taught until high school when teachers encouraged her to get serious about painting. She won her high school Norwood-Norfolk their first national art award for her painting Bird Brain in 2016. Abby then went on to study studio art with a concentration in painting at SUNY Potsdam, taking a study abroad course on plein aire painting in Dingle, Ireland in 2019, and then earning a Bachelor’s degree in 2020. She now resides in Ithaca, NY, continuing to pursue art as a career, selling custom commissions, original works, and prints of her paintings.

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Swirl Girl Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:30 H:40 in 2019 Abigail Tessier

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Robin Venturelli Photography

Robin started her career as an independent Los Angeles, California studio portrait photographer in the 1980’s, after having received her Bachelor of Arts from U.C.L.A. She studied under Julia Dean in her Venice, Beach studio. A day spent at Roger James’ studio in Los Feliz was inspirational to her and impacted her noir lighting style. As digital photography entered the mainstream, Robin refocused her career on Travel Journalism, with a career working as Director for Luxury Travel Magazine, based in Australia. Her responsibilities included worldwide photographic journalism and editorial content for feature articles in the magazine. One of her favorites was a trip to Ballyfin in Ireland. Pivoting once again when the 2020 pandemic shut down travel, Robin found herself captivated by capturing her neighborhood streets. She studied under James Maher in New York, and was invited to join his photo salon, “Close To Home.” Her street photography has been published in “Lot” featuring Matt Weber, John Vachon, and Richard Angeloni. She has also received numerous awards in online juried exhibitions. Robin’s current project is a book entitled, “Route 66; The Last Mile.” It features Venturelli's life living on the western end of the historic Route 66 in Santa Monica, California. Robin shares her award-winning street photography of life in a vibrant yet ever-changing city with its excesses, pleasures, pitfalls, and perplexities. While photographing her neighborhood, she shows these extremes through social commentary, along with the everyday aspects of the constantly altering life at the end of the route. It is available on both Amazon and Blurb. Robin was recently selected as one of the top 80 “International Women Street Photographers” for 2021.

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Birding Photography W:11 H:15 in 2021 Robin Venturelli

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G. Robert Wagner Drawing, Painting

Artist for many years, BA fine art Millersville PA, Government and Corporate Art positions Accomplished fine artist. Showing in galleries nationally and internationally. I have always enjoyed drawing & creating. Awards for art early on and an artist scholarship in college increased my motivation and desire to create art that makes a difference. Today i enjoy working at my studio and creating art that inspires thought. This artwork on exhibit at Discover Lancaster is having very positive feedback.

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It's a Mad World Illustration, Mixed Media W:17 H:11 in 2021 Crazy times experienced recently around the world. From the Pandemic to the countless disasters G. Robert Wagner

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Yiwei Wang Digital Arts, Graphics, Sculpture

A native of Shijazhuang, China, Leo (Yiwei) Wang now resides and works from Chicago, Illinois. Presently, he is pursuing concurrent graduate degree in Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a multimedia artist, fashion model, and aspiring architect, Leo is the proud recipient of several merit awards and has been showcased in three solo exhibitions (#SOFAB; #SOFAB: FlamBOYant ONLY and #SOFAB: Faux Venus). Leo addresses key phenomena in today’s social media and pop youth culture by paying attention to issues such as body image, gender stereotypes, the power dynamic in sexual interplay. With boutique elements, bright colors, and artificial materials, he project fabulousity and confidence by filtering them through an ideal persona. For his work and personality, Leo has been featured in several publications, most notably Valley Magazine, The Daily Collegian, and Centre Daily Times.

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Twinkle Bat Digital Arts W:3 H:31 D:3 in 2020 Yiwei Wang

Clear packing tape; LED light. As baseball has expanded as a global sport, so has the baseball bat as a symbol of jock campus culture. This culture cages what boys should do. By using plastic tape as the shell of the bat, I want to ensure people’s entitlement of being “flamboyant”, “plastic”, “extra” or even “fake

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Tonia Zambrano Painting, Photography, Sculpture

I was born and raised in Denver where I studied photography in my youth. After quitting college (UCD/pre-med) I moved to California where I studied painting, sculpture, and philosophy earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at San Francisco State University. Then I lived on a small Caribbean Island where I honed my craft. Currently I live, paint, sculpt, build and write in one of Denver's oldest neighborhoods. In addition to developing a strong portfolio of oil on canvas paintings, photographs, and sculptures, I have created large commission/installation pieces in stained glass mosaic. Typically I'm physically working on two or more pieces at a time, while mentally I'm working on up to five. My paintings and photographs are primarily surreal imagery, oil on canvas. My sculpture work includes many materials from steel, wood, clay, found objects, and glass mosaics over body casts. Currently I am experimenting with metal work and finding great joy in deconstructing old computers for spare parts. I find beauty in almost everything I see. I love what I do and I enjoy the creative process. I am a dedicated artist and I try to bring the viewer intimately closer to the exotic scenes depicted in my work through both outright statements and sublime suggestion.

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Dark Tango, Dancing with my Shadow Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:40 H:30 in 2020 Original sold, can be on loan for entries. Tonia Zambrano

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Jake Zapor Drawing

I am an artist, teacher, and content creator. I live and work in Southwest Michigan. With an MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, I teach art and art history courses at a public high school and Lake Michigan College. In my spare time, I create videos for my 500,000 tiktok followers and I am a competitive swimmer.

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Fracture & Flow 2 Drawing, Pencil Drawing on Paper W:42 H:72 in 2020 Pencil drawings layered on transluscent paper Jake Zapor

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Issue #15 Special Edition 2021 December - 2021

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