Observica - Summer 2021 | Discover the Artist Media by biafarinart

OBSERVICA Loading ... Please wait

Issue #14 Summer 2021

Ojibwe Girl | Painting | W:20.00 H:16.00 in | AW127452024 by Nancy Stainton

published by

a contemporary art magazine providing art critiques, interviews, news, events, calls, artist presentations, articles and ads

OBSERVICA Magazine

Issue #14 Summer 2021 October - 2021

observica.com/summer2021

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

OBSERVICA Magazine

Code:

MGZ655937101

Link:

https://www.observica.com/summer2021

Date:

15-Oct-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.

Tranquil Moments Painting, Acrylic, Ink, Oil Color on Linen W:40 H:24 cm 2021 Erin Starr

AW127463296

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Erin Starr Painting

Erin was born in Kansas City, USA. In 2021 and 2020 she was selected by panel of Jurors for the International Ad Art Show in New York City. Her work was displayed digitally in the Oculus World Trade Center on large scale screens and on kiosk screens throughout NYC. Her most recent shows include an international exhibit with The Visionary Project, NYC, SIY Gallery in San Francisco, The Cultural Center of Cape Cod, and The Artist Council of Palm Desert. In November 2016 she was part of the Accessible Art Fair New York, located at the National Arts Club in New York City. Her paintings are part of an ongoing exhibit in Belgium and Germany with Little Van Gogh since 1999. She has shown her work in Montreal, Canada, as well as numerous galleries across the United States since 1992. These shows include ongoing exhibits with Gallery Z in Rhode Island, Art Impact International in Washington DC, and Van Der Plas Gallery in New York City. Her works belongs in private collections around the world including Europe, Nepal, South Korea, and Canada.

biafarin.com/artist?name=erin-starr

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Oceans Apart

Painting, Mixed Media on Canvas | W:50 H:40 cm | 2021 | AW164300581

Erin Starr: Passion and Empathy Nancy Krüger Interviewer

Erin, we are very grateful to talk to you and get familiar with your art career and creation via this interview. Tell us about your artistic background story and if there was a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as a visual artist? I began drawing as a young child and exploring my creative interest. I think art is not only part of one’s creative ability, but it is within the heart and mind. Art has always been a part of who I am. I decided in High School I would pursue an art degree in college. It was during this time when I was particularly inspired with the traveling exhibit The Courtauld Collection in the late 1980’s, a collection of impressionist work. After reading the novel “Lust for Life” by Irving Stone, about Vincent Van Gogh, I understood art is a combination of creative ability and talent, and the feelings that are driving us to create. In college, my instructor Bette Sellers furthered my interest and confidence to continue with art. This inspiration, passion, and dedication are with me every day to create something new, explore, and grow as an artist. Exactly! Art not only portrays the beauties, disproportions, and mystery of the world but also evokes feelings and thoughts. Was there ever a moment of doubt to question your art career entirely? If yes, what was your feeling at that moment, and how have you overcome the situation? Art is always full of ups and downs, an endless journey of exploration. While creating is meaningful to myself, this personal dedication can be easily disappointing with the competitive art world. Facing galleries, exhibits, and rejection can either push me to do more or make me pause and rethink what I am doing and experiment with new techniques. I have never had the feeling to give up or quit. Painting has always been too important for me to let that happen. And the dedication has paid off with the appreciation from collectors and art shows I have so far accomplished, and all the ones I wish to come.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

I appreciate your efforts and not being disappointed. I think it's because of your passion and the way you look at your art. Now, we are willing to know about your daily artistic life. What is your daily routine when working in your studio? I begin my day in the studio in the morning. I have also always had my studio space at my home. Being in my home space has always been comforting to me to be able to walk away and return as often throughout the day as I need to. Sometimes I have to walk away from my work to see it more clearly, but I am then eager to get back to it. I generally always have music playing while I paint. Take us through your process of making your artworks. How do you begin, where is your work endpoint, etc.? How do you move from an idea to an artwork? Where does an artwork begin for you? While I began my art career using primarily oil paint, and later acrylic, today I am constantly incorporating new and different mediums and exploring how they work together. I like to begin my painting with a wash of acrylic, but then layer the paint with ink that creates depth. I also use iridescent paint or ink that changes with the light as reflections do. With a pallet knife or a large brush, I like to create broad strokes of color that move across the canvas and flow like water. I sometimes incorporate other mediums like bronze powder or mica flakes. Because like the water I love the way the colors of rocks and minerals flow next to each other. I sometimes finish with oil color on part of the canvas because of the rich and semi-transparent color it can create.

❝Art allows us all a moment to reflect, escape, feel joy, sadness, beauty, and tell a story. For these reasons it has always been with us and will always remain with us.❞ Great job! Some artists tend to make their collections and artwork famous for a particular idea. They prefer to talk about a single concept and show different aspects of an approach. Is there a central concept connecting all your works together or each series or artwork is unique? My work has changed over the years and moved into a more abstract direction. I spent years painting the female body, but also I explored flowers and landscapes. What was a foundation of all my work was the texture and movement of the paint. I have recently been drawn to the reflections and movements of water or the abstract colors of land forms. The textures, the layers, and the loosely flowing movements in which the paint can be applied have inspired these works. Also, as our environment becomes increasingly important to our future, I feel it is important to give people something to think about or to feel when they see my work. In my series “Peaceful Reflections” I use color and light to transcend into layers of reflections, contemplating life and our desire for tranquility. We need to preserve our natural environments to create a more peaceful world. Inspiring is the most significant step in presenting a creative artwork. How do you get inspired? How do you seek and use inspiration for your works? Nature is clearly the inspiration behind my work right now. But not as we see it, but as it makes us feel. I think that to feel nature’s beauty is to protect nature’s beauty. And protecting our natural environments is a message I wish to convey in my at this time. Erin, is there an artwork or series that you would like to be remembered for? And if yes, what is it? My current series is the most important series I have done so far. I particularly like the painting “waters reflection” because it was challenging, and it forced me to work it over and over until it felt complete. It has all the layers and depth I wanted to give the feeling of the water not just a visual of the water. Also, the painting titled, “sea of blue” draws attention to the soothing colors of the sea. It is not obvious that it is the sea, but is open for interpretation and feeling.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Some artists or artworks were key influences in an artist’s art career in different eras. What are your art influences? Who are your favorite contemporary or historical artists and why? I have several artists that have been important inspirations and for different reasons. Georgia O’Keefe is an inspiration to me because as a woman she found her place in the art scene in NYC. She remained an independent woman and created work her entire life with dedication and passion. I also love to gaze at the work of Vincent Van Gogh, to walk the same places in France where he painted. To feel his passion while looking at the fields and the light and the colors that he captured. He had a deep and tormented soul that transformed through his work into absolute beauty. I have also liked the work of William De Kooning his expressionist women and gestural strokes. I like the work of current artist Wangechi Mutu, she is a living artist, whose paintings of women inspire me. So, if you could meet one of your ideal artists from the past, who would it be and what will you ask about? I would like to meet Vincent Van Gogh while he worked on a painting in the south of France. I would like to ask him at what moment in his career did he feel the most peaceful, and during which painting did he feel satisfied? I’d like to watch him create in silence with the nature around us. Now it's time to ask about your future endeavors because our readers are waiting to see more of you. Any upcoming works or future projects that you would like to share with our readers? My latest exhibit was with MvVo, at the World Trade Center in NYC. My paintings were chosen by a prestigious selection committee to be displayed on gigantic screens in the Oculus during the month of May 2021. During 2021 I have or had exhibited with the Cape Cod Cultural Art Center in MA, the Visionary Project NY, The NYC Artwalk, James May Gallery, Artsy, SIY Gallery in San Francisco, Art Fluent, The Assessable Art Fair, and Spectrum Art Gallery in Connecticut. During 2021 my work has been published in the “Art Collectors Choice The Middle East Edition”, “Artistonish” Magazine, and “Observica Magazine”, and Studio Visit Magazine. I am currently working on a large solo show for Ghent, Belgium coming in January of 2022. Glad to know that and wish you success Erin. Thank you for your time and sharing such an interesting artistic story. I look forward to seeing your brilliant works in the future exhibitions. Good luck and best wishes for your life.

❇

This interview ends here. We hope that you enjoyed reading this inspiring interview with Erin. If you want to ask your own question, please scan the QR code and proceed.

Erin Starr

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Depth of Re ection Painting, Mixed Media on Linen W:71 H:132 cm 2021 Mixed Media: Acrylic, Oil, and Ink on Linen Erin Starr

AW698608179

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Into the Mist Painting, Acrylic on Linen W:76 H:127 D:1 cm 2021 Acrylic and ink on linen Erin Starr

AW712768381

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Waters Depth Painting, Acrylic on Linen W:91 H:91 cm 2021 oi paint, acrylic paint, and ink on linen Erin Starr

AW157264325

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Dalene Meiring

I love to paint expressively, offering themes of femininity and connectivity, creating worlds in which familiar motifs such as flowers, landscapes, cityscapes, objects and animals take on wider symbolic qualities. I’m fascinated with the intricate ways in which the elements of our individual worlds coexist. It is this interaction that drives a gentle anecdotal narrative through each of my artworks. Whether it be an abstracted landscape, a joyful flower composition or an animal at rest, I want to take the viewer on a journey. Hopeful that they can be reminded of a time, place or event in their on life..although the exactness of that moment may forever evade them.

biafarin.com/artist?name=dalene-meiring

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Blue, green and in between Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:76 H:101 cm 2018 Contemporary figurative Oil and gold leaf on stretched canvas Dalene Meiring

AW406412145

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

All along the lane Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:153 H:101 cm 2018 Modern landscape Dalene Meiring

AW101849944

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

My backyard Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:153 H:122 cm 2021 Abstract landscape Dalene Meiring

AW644096561

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

The sea between Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:153 H:137 cm 2021 Contemporary landscape Dalene Meiring

AW870717097

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Celebration of colour Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:101 H:101 cm 2020 Expressive still life Dalene Meiring

AW404383201

♡

Eden II Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:44.10 H:66.10 in 2021 Kathryn Neale

AW217148505

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Kathryn Neale Painting

Kathryn Neale holds a BA (Studio Art, Graphic Design) from Principia College in Elsah, IL, a MA (Painting and Drawing) from Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, IL) and an MFA in Visual Art (Painting) from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. She was awarded the Louis Roblee McCarthy Scholarship, the Helen Faibish Memorial Scholarship Award for Graduate Sponsorship, and the Belle Cramer Graduate Art Award during her two years at Washington University. Her artwork has been exhibited at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum (St. Louis, MO), Des Lee Gallery (St. Louis), Bruno David Gallery (St. Louis), the Lemp Brewery (St. Louis, MO), Townsend Wolfe Gallery (AK), Chesterfield Arts Center (Chesterfield, MO), University Art Gallery at Eastern Michigan University (Ypsilanti, MI), Miami University (Miami, OH), Riverside Art Museum (Riverside, CA), Parks Edge Exhibition Center (Idyllwild, CA), Swope Art Museum (Terre Haute, IN) and the Tarble Arts Center (Charleston, IL). Neale has pieces in the permanent collections of the Indiana State University, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel (Clayton, MO), The Eilan Hotel (San Antonio, TX), The Four Seasons Hotel (Boston, MA), as well as private collections. Most recent exhibition held at the Des Peres Hospital featuring 15 local artists' work from May October 2016.Ms. Neale attended the prestigious Painting’s Edge Residency led by Roland Reiss (Idywild, CA) in 2008 as well as was an advanced level intern at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC. She has taught as an adjunct professor at Maryville University (St. Louis, MO) for graphic design and illustration and currently lives and works in St. Charles, MO.

biafarin.com/artist?name=kathryn-neale

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Gardenia

Painting, Acrylic on Canvas | W:30 H:30 in | 2020 | AW677208657

Kathryn Neale: Intuitive Authenticity Monica Davidson Interviewer

Kathryn, many thanks for accepting our invitation to talk to you about your art and paintings. Tell us about your artistic background story and if there was a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as a visual artist? I have always had a very creative background starting in childhood and I took private art lessons growing up and wanted to study art and graphic design in college. But with painting, I had 2 specific instances that “pushed” me to make the decision to pursue contemporary painting. One was Senior year in College, I was in France and abroad and I had gotten angry at my professor because I couldn’t figure out what “he wanted.” I began to paint a memory of a church in watercolor and it ended up being more abstract and expressive. When I showed it to the group, my professor instantly whispered in my ear that he wanted to “see more of this.” I realized that he wanted to explore more abstraction in his later years but he was figuring it out for himself and couldn’t teach it yet. However, his remark change the trajectory of how I thought about my art. The second was when I was out of college, in my first job, that I visited a local gallery and ran into an artist who is a professor at a university that offered one-year Master’s program in painting. After debating for over a year, I left my corporate job to pursue my love of abstract painting. Great! Sometimes some strange events can change our path, but it is important that it has a good result and that we can understand and find our path and continue with confidence. Was there ever a moment of doubt to question your art career entirely? As I look back, my “doubts” about if I was good enough, etc. with my artwork, or “if this would work” all surfaced throughout college for me. I was constantly comparing myself because I wasn’t “that kind of artist” (which in college was the traditional/realistic kind). I knew in my heart if I ever would pursue art it would have to be an abstraction that I loved. But I did not know how to get there. After I made the decision to go to the Master’s program, I mentally committed knowing that’s what I truly wanted to do.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

So your doubts are not about art. Your dilemma is whether this is what you have in your dreams and your heart truly wants to come true or not. What is your daily routine when working in your studio? With a full-time job and mom of two young boys, I have to be grateful for any time spent in the studio. And that includes 30 minutes here, 20 minutes there at night or on the weekends. We all have busy lifestyles and ideally, I would love to work in the studio during the day - my afternoon hours are usually most productive. However, it has become more of a cycle that when the winter months come around, I end up producing new series of work being inside. And then, when the family gets busy during the summer months, I tend to work on more of the business side of marketing, updating the website, submitting to shows, etc. You are a unique busy artist mother. Now, take us through your process of making your artworks. How do you move from an idea to an artwork? Where does an artwork begin for you? My process is very intuitive and my perspective about my process is that all I’m doing is capturing “decisions” I’m making on the painting surface. The process is akin to someone practicing the piano for example. I view my artwork as a practice where I’m looking for what is “working” and what is “not working.” The passion of continuing to paint comes through when the spontaneous moments appear, those decisions not planned but “happened, create tension, interest, and uniqueness. I work in many, many layers. I crave the space of ambiguity of not knowing what comes next. The analytical part of me will pause to think and critique, and then I will jump right back in for another layer.

❝Being an artist is a form of meditation, and the process is a tool to confront one's own ego.❞ So you cherish the passion of continuing painting when spontaneous moments appear and happen without being planned. This is amazing. Is there a central concept connecting all your works together or each series or artwork is unique? Throughout my entire career, I have always been drawn to patterns (specifically floral because they are abstracted patterns), and I believe it’s because of my graphic design background and aesthetic. The patterns provide just enough structure to my organic, fluid, and intuitive painting process. And I can “react” to this structure in different ways, either by pulling in graphic elements through stencils and playing with them like they are brushes or painting on a pattern itself, thus subtracting or deduct the parts of the pattern by “breaking it up.” Again, I tend to paint in series because I constantly circle back to ideas that I have already explored, and it’s easy to explore them further. Good job! On the artworks of your collections, you gave a brief description about how you worked, the tools and colors that you used for a specific purpose that was important to you, but since you love the space of ambiguity, you work layer by layer to make space for thinking and analysis in each layer. Would you like to give a particular interpretation of your work to your viewers or you prefer to leave the whole interpretation to your audience? Since my artwork is inspired by abstraction, I’m fine with viewers having their own interpretation. However, I am well aware that just my choosing floral patterns, that in and of itself brings its own construct and context, but I appreciate it and choose it for that purpose. At some point, I envision that I would take steps even further to choose certain floral patterns because of their historical context or cultural symbology.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

I’ve explored that in my past and would love to circle back and re-explore that idea again. Floral patterns are their own powerful symbolic language in their own right, and they are universal in every culture, thus they have the potential to communicate to so many different types of people. And that is hopefully of their beauty, their connection to Mother Nature, their history/culture, and timelessness. Kathryn, you have chosen floral patterns due to displaying symbols and cultures. Your artworks are inspired by abstract, watercolors, bubbles, and structured patterned shapes. How do you seek and use inspiration for your works? Just like many artists, the world around us constantly is providing ample inspiration on a daily basis for our art. It could be the sunset colors, a tile pattern in a restaurant, tree bark, etc. For me, it is all of the above, but also I tend to be drawn to premix color palettes that have been created by interior design shops and paint shops. I will literally go to the local hardware store to buy premixed color paint which typically will be the main color of a larger painting or a series of paintings. I then react to that color. I am also constantly being inspired by wallpaper/textile patterns from interior design-makers. Humans have always had a history of bringing nature into our interior spaces and even more so today since the modern lifestyle is more cut off from nature. I also visit garden parks to draw and take photos of real-life flowers.

❝Our world is constantly providing us with experiences that polarize us to choose fear over love. Art speaks to our souls, encouraging love.❞ And, how do you select your artworks subjects? Where they come from? Since I paint in abstraction, I do not have any specific artwork subjects except for the textile patterns. In addition to acrylic paints, you have also used multi-media paints, collages, and chalk in your various collections. Is there an artwork or series that you would like to be remembered for? And if yes, what is it? I think some of my favorites over the years have been the ones that I have painted on the fabric itself. It presents such different challenge verses starting with a “blank canvas.” I do love the blank canvas because there’s so much freedom in starting a new painting. However, reacting directly to fabric slows me down and allows me to think more on decisions on what is blocked out and what “peaks” through, etc. I also think some of my most recent larger pieces are moving in the right direction with their complexity of layering and different textures and color choices etc. Great! What are your art influences? Who are your favorite contemporary or historical artists and why? One of my absolute favorites is Cy Twombly. I love all of his art and process and am constantly inspired by his series of works. I have always loved Matisse (especially his later works with textile cutouts) and studied all of the artists that worked in the Pattern and Decoration Movement from 1975-1985 here in the US, especially Robert Kushner. The UK textile artist, Caroline Quartermain is another artist that I am drawn to as well as many other contemporary artists I find on Instagram.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

If you could meet one of your ideal artists from the past, who would it be and what will you ask about? It would be Matisse for sure. Especially towards the end of his life, as he was pioneering a new era of abstract art, it was almost a spiritual connection that he was able to infuse with his cutouts. He often spoke of his intent to “cut into color” (akin to a sculptor “releasing” form from stone), and at first glance, his cutouts evoke a sense of naiveté and deceptively simple. I would love to glean his insights into pulling inspiration from nature herself. He loved movement, organic shapes, and “motifs” using those nature-inspired motifs (like algae) as a language for a beauty that has stood the test of time. Was it deliberate? The end of his life was plagued with such physical illness, did he see symbolic references to the color choices he created? He seemed to create works of art that simply were beautiful (and still are). In a contemporary art world, the discussion around creating art simply to evoke beauty is still a hot topic, often looked as provincial and trivial. Matisse worked on these cutouts for almost 20 years at the end of his life, and how would he react to how the art world has evolved today? Our readers are fascinated by inspiring and ideal images of the perceived beauty of nature through your paintings. So, they are enthusiastically waiting for your future endeavor. Any upcoming works or future projects that you would like to share with our readers? Yes, galleries are now accepting physical work since they have opened up which is great news. I have a group exhibition called “Pattern” at the Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH this month (July 2021) and another “Abstracted Abstraction” in St. Louis Artists’ Gallery from July-August. I am thrilled to be showing again. And, so are we. Thank you for the good news. I appreciate your time and cooperation for this fascinating interview. I hope to hear more from you and your brilliant artworks in the upcoming world-class show. Good luck with your progress!

❇

Here is the end of our wonderful talk with Kathryn. Please send us your questions about Kathryn's artistic career by scanning the below QR code and we will get your answers.

Kathryn Neale

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Untitled from Patterned series Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:40 H:54 in 2020 Kathryn Neale

My most current series (2021) continues to explores floral stencil patterns, and how I use the stencils as their own visual language like a brush. My work at this point, tends to be multi-layered, rich with abstract, "painterly" mark-making, watercolor-inspired washes and "blobs," and the structure of patterned shapes. Color is always an important aspect of all my work. I pick colors from interior design color schemes and use pre-made colors from craft and hardware stores. Oftentimes, the titles of my works are the main pre-made color that I chose to set the "tone" for the work. I'm constantly interested in blurring the lines between what is the decorative a...

AW099298026

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Raja Painting, Acrylic on Panel W:60 H:47 in 2021 Kathryn Neale

AW115043281

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

The Secret Garden Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:44 H:51 in 2021 Kathryn Neale

AW335684834

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Thoughts on Linen 1 Painting, Acrylic, Chalk Pastel on Linen W:14 H:18 in 2021 Kathryn Neale

Small works on raw Linen Series - 18”x14”, acrylic, chalk paint, pastel on linen. This original piece includes a frame, artwork is on a floated matte to preserve “edges”, white mat with white frame. Final frame size is approximately 24”x18”.

AW127928692

♡

The Maple Leaf Painting, Acrylic on Paper - Cotton W:18 H:23 cm 2020 Cher Pruys

AW127245168

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Cher Pruys Photography, Painting, Drawing

Cher Pruys, ASAA SCA, IGOR, AAPL, CSAA, AMS, LMS, OSA, MAA, CFA, NOAPS. "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 165 International exhibits, as well as exhibits in numerous non juried shows. She has won 186 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 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, 26 magazines, the latest being The Best Of Acrylic Fall 2021, and has-been featured in over 106 international publications. Cher's works have found a permanent home in private and public collections worldwide.

biafarin.com/artist?name=cher-pruys

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Mischief Painting, Acrylic on Paper - Cotton W:23 H:15 cm 2021 Ottawa is full of mischief! Cher Pruys

AW127170666

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Cruising Painting, Acrylic on Paper - Cotton W:41 H:26 cm 2019 One can almost feel the wind in their face as this Harley cruises down the back roads. Cher Pruys

AW127370532

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Illuminated Vessels Painting, Acrylic on Paper - Cotton W:23 H:19 cm 2016 These found vessels are illuminated in the sunlight. Cher Pruys

AW127813218

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Childhood Memories Painting, Acrylic on Paper - Cotton W:30 H:23 cm 2020 Childhood is fleeting, so these objects render memories of those years. Cher Pruys

AW127046914

♡

A Feeling of Play Painting, Ink, Pencil Drawing on Paper W:76 H:111 cm 2020 Jason Bassels

AW127594564

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Jason Bassels Painting, Drawing, Installation, Mixed Media, Sculpture

Creating all his life—from visual arts, martial arts, building, teaching—BasselsJ’s work endeavours to open the world’s eyes to the varying shades of conflict inherent to human life, and the wisdom revealed from rising above it. Raised in a project neighbourhood in Toronto in a single-parent home, he managed a troubled childhood through visual arts and encouragement from youth mentors—wisdom he impart to his students today. He turned down the Ontario College of Art and Design (now called OCADU) to drive tractor trailers. By his mid20s he had amassed 1M miles of driving between Canada, the US, and Mexico. Years of traveling provided many life lessons that shape his art and stories today. In 2003 he opened his 1st martial arts school and in 2005 opened his 2nd, with now 500+ students. He has been training martial arts and studying its history and philosophies for 30+ years. A short list of accomplishments— • Art shows: Canada, US, Philippines since 2011 • Art for charity: SeaShepherd, Willow Park Ecology, Peel Youth Village • Art instructional workshops every year: • Umeboshi Seminars for adults, since 2010 • Ninja Night art workshops for children, since 2008 • Mouth of the Wave youth art workshops and events, since 2012 • Taught martial arts in: Asia, Europe, South America, USA Stories and art fill his studio today, while a motorcycle and vegetable garden fill his yard, which he enjoys with his family.

biafarin.com/artist?name=jason-bassels

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

August Sun’s Blues Through Pink

Painting, Ink on Paper | W:44 H:30 D:1 in | 2018 | AW127954266

Jason Bassels: Visual Harmony Marian White Interviewer

Jason, Thank you for talking with me to get familiar with your art career and discuss all the awesome artworks you created or are creating. Tell us about your artistic background story and if there was a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as a visual artist? As a child, I would draw on my schoolwork and made toys from trash – looking back ‘Art’ knew me before I knew it, as is with many children I think; it offered a way to adapt, and even escape circumstances beyond my understanding, circumstances that were the path to my art. The purpose of Art remained elusive throughout my childhood and early twenties even though it was something I constantly refined. I looked for ‘art’ in many familiar places, Art school, the church, the streets, comic books, wildlife, and though it served to refine my abilities it remained elusive. The point at which I recognized ‘my’ Art and its purpose emerged out of the circumstances leading out of my teens and into my twenties that led me to seek out Martial Arts as a way to manage feelings of anger and anxiety. The refinement of patterns and skills associated with Martial Arts progressively opened an extraordinary and multifaceted discovery of healing, ideas, philosophies, science, and culture that became more evident as my skills became more refined; I had found my Art and it began to speak. Becoming the Artist has been an awkward merging of many undistinguished directions that pushed against the pragmatic familiar my talents may have been appreciated and recognized sooner, a unique gambit that has otherwise led back to recognize the elementary features of art so familiar it could not have recognized it any other way. That is, like martial arts, art depicts many of the conflicts and obstacles of life. Art struggles against difficulties and frees artists from whatever captivates their souls. Was there ever a moment of doubt to question your art career entirely? This may have happened for every artist even if she or he has been full of ideas and passions. Most of the time, new trends can come out of such moments. You can describe your various feelings and how you have overcome the situation and continue your journey. What has given you hope and strength to continue and not to give up? I remember visiting the Art Gallery of Ontario while in high school and listening to a curator explains the context of a square, circle, and triangle painted in elementary colours, and why it was so profound. Many of my classmates offered insights, and then the curator asked what I thought.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

I said they paid too much for something I could have done way cheaper – to which I received a swat from my big Greek art teacher. I have thought often about this moment throughout the years leading toward my version of something so familiar it’s ambiguous.I have become the Artist pushing the status quo of something just as elementary as those shapes, and my ideas have met with many opinions just as apathetic as a ‘know-it-all high school boy’, and though I have wanted to quit many times, this moment has taught me that apathetic opinions are the very reason to create high art– to elevate people above them. In a moment of hesitation, something may give you hope and strength to continue and not to give up. What is your daily routine when working in your studio? The concept of a studio where I do my work has always been more of a setting than a place. My work stems from a fluid relationship with a fundamental medium of human nature that I explore through teaching, study, physical refinement, and the visual art themes of my work. The morning is a reflective time, a time to write, read and record concepts and alternative directions, and a time to refine my connection with the “abstract source” through Martial ‘Art’ as I see it emerging and speaking through my work. Late morning, I am ready to mould and shape whichever visual art theme I have begun or am beginning, usually with a cup of coffee or a warm green tea in hand. The rest of the day, and into the night I manifest through my work something elementary that I have pulled from the familiarly vague spectrum of natures affair with ‘fighting’; some days I am a sculptor, some days a painter, some days I am an Illustrator and author, but every day I live ‘my’ Art where it takes me. An artist uses some techniques, brushstrokes, or color mix in the process of creating an artwork. Are there other elements involved in an artistic process? Take us through your process of making your artworks. How do you move from an idea to an artwork? Where does an artwork begin for you? My process has evolved over the years to provide lessons, compositions, and installations that have been refined and are hosted in the features of body, mind, and spirit. Works that begin as non-fungible that I make evident at the recognizable threshold of tangible art. The materials I choose to work with are just as important as the composition. The medium, the canvas, the substance I use in a work represents an aspect of the ethos of a particular theme they are being used to convey. Black ink may represent a shade of human conflict, a coat hanger may be used to represent the threshold of human nature, a mirror may be used to convey the mind. During my “Source Abstract” period, I used Plastisol Printing Ink on Paper to paint Toronto Jazz musicians, which was like painting with glue on an involuntary surface. The source abstract concept I explored was to experience through the painting process a way that reflected the challenge to being a musician, to bond with your audience that is often a very fickle surface, and the innate struggle that comes with trying to become something unique among many versions created from the same thing. Some artists believe that a sense of unity between the artworks or series clearly encompasses the idea and meaning of the work while others think that each work should have unique qualities and can just vary slightly because each one is created individually. Is there a central concept connecting all your works together or each series or artwork is unique? My art explores a pervasive theme we often can’t see for no other reason than it is so familiar. Looking back twenty-five years ago my work has gone through five distinct periods that I inadvertently began with the “Beginners Mind” period, where I initially drew the elementary feature of fighting as I first recognized it. The skills and patterns themselves, essentially the physical fighting skills all of us first recognize. The second period was the “Guardian Kings”, where I began to study the spiritual and philosophical undertones of ‘fighting’ through the lens of Zen, Buddhism, Bushido, and other eastern modalities, which I expressed and explored through ink and charcoal depictions of various deities and idols. The second was the ‘Shades of Fighting’ period where I explored the image of fighting as a medium more than an explicit action, through a monochromatic theme, where ‘fighting’ became a medium represented by the black paint manifested through us. The third was the “The Source Abstract” period, where I painted without any black as though it was intrinsically present in a musician, a fighting JAZZ abstract narrative. The present period I call the “I Am Dapo” period, where I am focused on the features of a dynamic relationship through which we each shape and mould each other as though we are all ‘art’ and the ‘artist’ in one.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

❝The choice is art; a quintessential theme that becomes ever more elusive the more we make it.❞ Artists tend to obtain feedback from the audiences about their work and see how they feel when they look at the artwork and what message they perceive. Would you like to give a particular interpretation of your work to your viewers or you prefer to leave the whole interpretation to your audience? When I was about twenty-eight, I rented some space in a church and began teaching Martial Arts. A mother came to the Church to inquire about classes for her child and asked a question, “how will studying ‘fighting’ help my child become a better human being?”, to which I provided some generic answers about how learning to fight will make her child more confident, which was the answer that got me a knew paying student but said nothing about the art. By my late thirties I had arrived at a much deeper context to meet some version of this same question that supported the ‘art’, how studying fighting begins with where we recognize it so that in time we can liberate ourselves from the unconscious exploitation of it; a goal of the training that primes us to become better individuals through each other. A response that most often didn’t lead to a new paying student. I think about what has become the premise and direction of my art and how it aims to open a viewer’s judgment and opinion of something as intrinsic to their reality as the night sky they first recognize as a child, just as they do fighting, and how each viewer first recognizes it in terms of what is closest and most evident to them. A viewer does not need to be a paying Martial Arts student to benefit from what I have discovered from my journey beyond the familiar features of fighting as they first know it, just as they do not need to be an astronaut to benefit from what was discovered beyond the stars they first recognize. The interpretation of my Art is a direction I share through a composition with each viewer uniquely, and though I do feel it important to provide some context as to where it may take them, what is discovered along the way is paramount to where they are looking from and willing to go. Inspiration is basically that strong and sudden emotion that makes you want to go and create. How do you get inspired, Jason? How do you seek and use inspiration for your works? I am inspired by the risk, want to know what’s beyond the familiar I see and feel, as though each composition is the result of leaping into the ambiguous ether beyond the dogma of status-quo – I attempt to speak through my art, “look I am a bird just as you are, and we are not meant to live safely in the proverbial nest we first recognize as who’s right, who has more, who belongs, who was their first, who wins, who loses, or who’s to blame, yet where else does a fledgling strengthen its wings if not the features of the nest it recognizes. I am inspired to create art that gives purpose to the threshold we enter and know the word and ourselves in such a way that we do not adopt or pass on the beating of our adolescent wings as the nest, but rather a process that with guidance and understanding can lead to the courage and ability to leap from it and fly together. What about your favorite subjects? How do you select your artworks subjects? Where they come from? My Art and I are like the wind and a sail that propels a theme that’s course is not decided by ether, and yet it knows its heading. Subjects are arrived at and explored like a new destination, and what is discovered there decides the next direction the art and I take it. A significant shift in the direction of this theme took place following an interest in drawing instrumentalists back in 2015, a subject matter influenced by my introduction to the music scene in Toronto through my sisters’ gigs.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

At the time I had no idea drawing musicians would lead to a whole new way of looking at the direction I was going. A year later, following one of my sister’s gigs, she pointed out that she was playing with some of the best around. She briefly shared their trials and struggles, some worse than others, and yet here they are, she said, playing with me in a nightclub for almost nothing. I began to look at the instrumentalists I was drawing as something we see and hear and yet cannot go unless we travel that road as one of them. How we see them in one place and yet only the façade, the super-fiscal is familiar, and so from this the theme of my work found a new path and I fallowed it to see where it would go, and as I did it became my “Source Abstract period” from which my work majorly pivoted. I think an innovative art creation is like a roller coaster ride of ideas and emotions. When the high comes, it’s that of pure joy and enthusiasm for exhibition. Is there an artwork or series that you would like to be remembered for? And if yes, what is it? Confucius said that if we want to know what will happen in five years plant a tree, but if we want to know what will happen in one hundred years teach a child. I have come to feel that children possess our greatest treasure the future, and though we have remarkably changed many things in our world through them, that treasure often gets left in the past. When I was a boy, we had an old couch that was held up on one end by a stack of poetry books. Sometimes before bed my mother would say pick a book, and we would usually pick the blue one because it had a poem called, “Winken, Blinken, And Knod”, you may know it, but if not, it is about a little boy carried by his mother’s voice beyond what some believed is impossible; that the treasure in him is real. My mother lifted the corner of the couch and slipped the book out, and each time she read to us by that crooked green couch the future became brighter, and the impossible plausible, and though nothing seemed to change the future was made better by three. If there is a body or series of work I hope is remembered it is my children’s stories, illustrations and poems, and though most who may benefit from them may not recall who I am anymore then I was interested in knowing all the names of the authors, illustrators and poets that helped me find my treasure when I was a child, I can’t think of a better way to be remembered. Jason, let’s talk about your influences. What are your art influences? Who are your favorite contemporary or historical artists and why? My artistic influences are as peculiar as the source of my art I suspect. I was never one to be a fan, to remember who did what, or who said what, I have always walked to the beat of my own drummer, and yet my work is the bi-product of so much I could never itemize it all. I think the first real solid thing that influenced me was ‘not having’, which gave me so much. Sometimes nothing on my bread for lunch, so I would eat a pretend sandwich with whatever I wanted on it, drink whatever flavour I could imagine from the water fountain, make whatever I wanted from the garbage dumpsters in our neighborhood, or teaching myself to drive in an old beat-up van that I rebuilt at fifteen with nickels and dimes. T.V. programs like, Mr. Dress-up, Mr Rogers, The Friendly Giant, and of course Sesame Street planted many valuable seeds in me as a child. I remember the colours, the music, the characters, and the way social concepts were shared and explored indirectly and head-on, topics like having one parent, or feeling sad, or being honest with yourself, and how the world isn’t always what we want so that it can be something for everyone. When I look back at the stories, poetry, and illustrations in Dr. Seuss, Where the Wild Things Are Where the Sidewalk Ends, Sharett’s Web, and Le Petite Prince, I see with new eyes an extraordinary and complex theme, high art that has elevated and refined the way I approach and explore the themes of my own work. There was a significant period in my youth and into my teens where East Coast HipHop, and of course break dancing and graffiti had an influence. The various ways to lay down letters, cityscape’s, subway trains, buses, sneakers, caps, intercity parks, and of course the hoody are all influenced from this time. In my late teens and early twenties, my interests turned to Native Art and culture. I began to explore the spirit of life through Wildlife painting and drawings, which moved me out of a non-secular view of life and the god I was raised with. During my twenties, Martial Arts are where everything intersected, and the catalyst that opened my attention to a world of influence through the portal of Eastern Philosophy – the lessons and Art of Confucius, Lao-tzu, Bodhidharma, Kukai, and Musashi, which led to an interest in Western Philosophy, science, and Art, The Greek Classics to the Renaissance, and the Humanism movement from which I drew a correlation to the study of fighting as a threshold in the world, initially recognized and explored as the elementary physical features of a spectrum that is intrinsic to the experience of life self.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

If you could meet one of your ideal artists from the past, who would it be and what will you ask about? There are many ideal artists I would like to meet from both the Western Genre the Eastern and in-between. I can imagine sitting at a table long enough for us all to sit, and the grand debates and disagreements that would peel back something new - Kukai and Morrisseau discussing natures will, Vivaldi and Musashi debating the value of silence. I would write a letter and place it under the plate of each to be found when their meal was done - that we may discuss my topic over the desert. And creative work isn’t done forever: it won’t be too long before the entire cycle begins again! So, our readers are waiting for your future artworks. Any upcoming works or future projects that you would like to share with our readers? The theme of my work is moving towards large instillations that can be walked through and interacted with, instillations that feature how we are made through each other, and allow us to explore that familiar yet vague fundamental of our existence. I see the work continuing to emerge and grow through what I call the “source abstract”; that ambiguous and extraordinary point when light and dark meet, and from which we are manifested and natured from that friction. I suspect this theme will become the premise for years to come, and I feel it has been the leaping point I have been living towards. “The Source Abstract”, which will be reproduced on a much larger scale, so that it can be moved through. The initial piece is made from coat hangers intertwined to create a 3’ cube in which are suspended the torqued twodimensional bodies of three figures that reveal each other from yarn that appears to extend from their abdomens. The larger piece will stand 8’ and be made of steel and thin coloured aluminum will replace the yarn. I see this installation being transformed each time the public interacts with it, some of the connections being broken and new connections being made. Great! we can't wait to see your fabulous new works. That was a very rich and insightful talk and I am very happy that you shared your interesting artistic points. We wish you all the best and hope to have you in another wonderful interview soon!

❇

We appreciate your attention and hope that you enjoyed reading about Jason. If you want to ask your own question, please scan the QR code and proceed.

Jason Bassels

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Beautiful Strays Painting, Ink Painting on Paper W:30 H:44 in 2018 Jason Bassels

This painting speaks to the quality and individual merit of four Toronto singers, songwriters and street poets. They each stand side by side in solidarity it seems, in an alley just outside a bar they have performed at, and yet there is a musical quality that emanates off of them even though they do not appear to be singing or performing in any way. It’s as thought the alley they stand in conducts and resonates something intrinsic to what they are together, that competes with a mature unspoken dynamic among them that is otherwise elusive on the stage. There is something powerful being said from their feminine energy that is magnified by their individually unique outward appearance, as thoug...

AW127351264

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Dynamically Still in Red Painting, Ink Painting on Paper W:76 H:111 cm 2018 Jason Bassels

The pianist is a well known musician in the Toronto music scene. This painting rattles in reds and pinks as though the pianist is striking out from the painting with his sound. He has been painted in such a way that an undertone of violence has been captured in the narrative of what he is playing in that moment just before his hand strikes the keys again, and yet there is no feeling of threat or intimidation derived from his playing. A calm intensity can be felt emanating out from the hostile colours that saturate him, as though he is both animated and still, hard and soft.<...

AW127235376

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

More than Her Song Painting, Ink, Pencil Drawing on Paper W:76 H:111 cm 2018 Plastisol ink, inkjet printer ink and pencil on paper Jason Bassels

AW127207288

♡

MAS ALLA Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:80 H:100 D:3.50 cm 2021 Laura Carbajo

AW039877397

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Laura Carbajo

I am Laura Carbajo, I was born in Miramar, Argentina on December 20th, 1976. Currently I live in Mallorca Spain, again by the sea as in my hometown, having settled in different countries experiencing different cultures, customs, behaviors … Since I was little I started painting, my first painting dates back to when I was 5 years old. After a few years I did a painting course, in which I deepened techniques and from that moment on my training was self-taught. Each artwork that I begin allows me to discover the techniques to use, since in them I express my feelings. When I paint I discover myself, I am connected with the universe and my inner peace. Each of my paintings is a different emotion.

biafarin.com/artist?name=maria-carbajo

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

ECOS DE MI CORAZON Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:100 H:100 D:3.50 cm 2021 Laura Carbajo

Artwork made in acrylic. Light and tranquillity is what it transmits. The inner peace is reflected in the colours of the sky elevating us towards the infinity of being. AW506611623

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

RESILIENCIA Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:80 H:100 D:2 cm 2021 Laura Carbajo

Artwork in acrylic and palette knife. Beauty in the midst of the storm is maintained. Harmony, integrity... conditions that allow us to reach our destination. AW304597762

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

REFLEJO Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:100 H:80 D:3.50 cm 2021 Laura Carbajo

Acrylic arwork. Peace, tranquillity and plenitude, a feeling of greatness in which one is part of this immense universe. AW848718530

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

SERENIDAD Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:146 H:97 D:3.50 cm 2021 Laura Carbajo

Artwork with acrylic and brush. Shadows and lights highlighting the serenity of the place and the moment in which one finds oneself... Simply the simplicity of the moment. AW674852791

♡

The Face Painting, Acrylic, Crayon, Oil Color, Pencil Drawing W:40 H:30 in 2020 Tsai Hsi Hung

AW127567800

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Tsai Hsi Hung Painting

Tsai Hsi Hung graduated from Taipei National University of the Arts 2010. In 2009, she travelled to Australia as an exchange student for the Dance at Queensland Technology University Dance Department. She has worked with the Australian Dance Theater, Tasdance, Expressions Dance Company, and Chunky Move Dance Company Dancers. In 2020, Hung received a Choreography Fellowship from the New Jersey Council on the Arts. Shortly after, Hung’s work was selected by the Joffrey Academy of Dance for their Spring 2020 Winning Works performance in Chicago. Hung was invited to Taipei National Dance Theater to perform New work this July 2020. Hung's most recent work will be featured in Ballet X's 2020-2021 season. In 2021, Hung won Western Michigan University’s National Choreography Competition and will premiere a new work in 2022. In June of 2018, the MET Dance company performed Hung’s work IO for 12 dancers at the Miller Outdoor Theatre in Houston, Texas. In2019, Hung’s piece DOUBLEND was performed at the NU VU Festival at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Centre, Martha Graham Studio Theater and NYU Skirball Center. Her most recent work, Brushstroke- X2, was performed at the 2020 APAP Peridance Showcase in New York. PAINTING EXHIBITION Novado Gallery New Jersey 2020 Triskelion Arts Theater New York 2019 Pepco Edison Place Gallery. Washington D.C. 2018 CAGO Gallery Sichuan, China 2017 Mora Gallery New Jersey 2017 Green Point Gallery New York 2017

biafarin.com/artist?name=tsai-hung

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

The Face

Painting, Acrylic, Crayon, Pencil Drawing | W:36 H:48 in | 2019 | AW127221256

Tsai Hsi Hung: Color Sparks Peter Lévesque Interviewer

Tsai, thank you so much for accepting our invitation to this interview. Tell us about your artistic background story and if there was a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as a visual artist? My background is in dance and choreography. From an early age, I was drawn to visual expressions and communicating through the body. My painting expresses this relationship. Even my abstract paintings are about showing movement. Was there ever a moment of doubt to question your art career entirely? If I run out of ideas, sometimes I can doubt my work. But this usually passes because once I begin a new painting, I feel connected to the process, and all other thoughts fall away. Creating an artwork engages an artist so much and brings with it such an enthusiasm and joy that eliminates any kind of doubt and negativity. What is your daily routine when working in your studio? I don't have a set routine. Most times, I work in concentrated bursts, finishing a series of paintings in a short time. Good! Ok, now take us through your process of making your artworks. The images come from my life. My series, The Face, is a collection of portraits: friends, family, people I have encountered, current events. Or an emotion can trigger an image in my mind. The image is usually formed in my mind before I paint. You have recently created two series, Face and Line. Is there a central concept connecting all your works together or each series or artwork is unique? I have a few collections that are united by themes. My most recent collections are called The Face and The Line. The Face is a series of portraits, some large, some small. I strive to capture the personality of the person on the canvas. These paintings tend to be half realistic, half abstract. I want to capture the emotion behind the face and not just a depiction. The Line is all abstract. It is concerns my movement while painting (which is very physical) and the movement of the paint as it flows across the canvas.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

The titles of all the artworks in the Face collection are the same, and there is no description for them. Did you leave the understanding of the concept and message of Artwork to the viewer? I mean, would you like to give a particular interpretation of your work to your viewers or you prefer to leave the whole interpretation to your audience? I would like everyone in the audience to come up with their own feelings concerning the work. Each person has a different experience, and I want them to bring that to the paintings. In the Face series, each of your artworks shows a specific feeling and mood, and the painting space also helps to display these emotions more strongly. What inspires you to show all these senses? How do you seek and use inspiration for your works? The atmosphere is very important. I often fill the room with a scent and play music, mostly classical. Bach and Chopin are two of my favorites. There are various subjects that you have used to show the faces. How do you select your artworks subjects? Where they come from? I am drawn to recurring themes. I love painting faces, for example. Especially, the eyes. The eyes are the strongest part. They show the connection between people. That’s true. The eyes can speak the words when the mouth cannot. Is there an artwork or series that you would like to be remembered for? And if yes, what is it? I would love to be remembered for my series, The Face. This series is like a diary for me. These portraits represent the models, but they show how I was feeling when I painted each one. They were painted over a few years and I continue to add to the series. So this theme is an ongoing expression that is important for me. Tsai, what are your art influences? Who are your favorite contemporary or historical artists and why? I am inspired by Picasso, Bacon, and Pollock. I also love Cecilia Brown. Very inspiring. I saw one of her exhibits in New York a few years ago and was really moved by it. And, if you could meet one of your ideal artists from the past, who would it be and what will you ask about? I would love to talk with Cecily Brown. Because of the amount of detail in her painting, I wonder how she initially starts - if the painting is fully formed or if it develops while she works. It would also be great to hear her thoughts on how she approaches color. Your artworks make our readers feel impressed and enthusiastic because they have engaged the viewers in finding the messages in the various facial expressions. So, any upcoming works or future projects that you would like to share with our readers? I am currently looking for an opportunity to exhibit The Face and The Line for an art show I conceived, called Room H. It will also feature choreography that will interact with the paintings. Good luck with your art shows in the future. Once again, thank you very much for accepting our invitation for having a friendly talk about your colorful career. I hope to hear from you again and talk to you soon. Best wishes.

❇

Thanks for reading this concise interview with Tsai. If you have any question about this artist, please scan the QR code and proceed.

Tsai Hsi Hung

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

The Face Painting, Acrylic, Crayon, Pencil Drawing W:20 H:16 in 2018 Tsai Hsi Hung

AW127829828

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

The Face Painting, Acrylic, Crayon, Pencil Drawing W:20 H:16 in 2018 Tsai Hsi Hung

AW127690490

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

The Face Painting, Acrylic, Crayon, Pencil Drawing W:24 H:36 in 2019 Tsai Hsi Hung

AW127701918

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

The Face Painting, Acrylic, Crayon, Pencil Drawing W:36 H:48 in 2019 Tsai Hsi Hung

AW127486830

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Cena Caterine Painting

When in third grade, I remember a coloring assignment in school. We were given a tree to color and underneath the tree was written;” El Arbol es Verde.” (The tree is green) in Spanish. It’s amazing what an adult remembers about being a tender young age. I love children and currently teach Awanas and Sunday School. Fast forward in time to junior high school when I doodled girls faces in extremely dull classes where my teachers spoke in a monotone while I sat and watched the clock. I wanted to obtain a degree in art, but my father thought that I would be unable to make a substantial living in the art world in Texas. In those days your parent’s decisions were set in stone, which is so different fifty years later, but I did as I was told. Instead, I went into retail merchandising and modeling as a career for the next twenty years. I moved to Palm Springs, California where I continued in retail but then went into real estate for the next thirty years of my life. My friend, Ruth Leithal, a contemporary artist from Vancouver, Canada taught classes in mixed media that renewed my interest in painting in the 2000’s. Most of my paintings have a religious nature based on my Christian beliefs with the intention of encouraging faith. In July of 2016, I was commissioned to paint a 6’x4’ painting of the Virgin Mary. In the painting, she is standing on top of the San Bernardino Mountains with the San Jacinto Mountains below. Under the mountains is the Church of Our Lady of the Valley in Yucca Valley, California surrounded by the soft coloring of desert landscaping of Joshua, yucca and palm trees with cacti. On either side of the Madonna are two cherubim floating serenely in the clouds. The children upon completion of their catechism instructions are be photographed under Her painting when they to which starts their life journeys. Bart Lindstrom, a fabulous, well known realistic painter gave me lessons which completely changed my painting style forever. I learned to paint exactly from a photograph and to determine changes from dark to light which seems simplistic, but it’s difficult to obtain as I attempt to achieve photo realism. Since 1938 Forest Homes Campgrounds in the San Bernardino mountains has been positively impacting lives. Billy Graham decided to dedicate his life to God’s service at Forest Homes. My favorite Jesus painting was purchased and donated to be displayed at the retreat. The Orange County Rescue Mission has a different Jesus painting of mine whose skin tone is more in tune with the region’s people where Jesus lived. My favorite painting of Jesus has the most soulful eyes and caring face. A chaplain at Desert Regional Hospital in Palm Springs, California has handed out thousands of cards with Jesus on one side and Psalms 23 on the other. She said patients revere and kiss the card keeping it by their bedsides. The holy cards are also distributed by a missionary in the Philippines, a chaplain at the Tustin California Veterans outpost, two Desert Springs pastors and by the pastor at the Nevada Assembly of God with different portraits and scripture verses. I am currently working on a 6’x5’ painting attempting to capture my favorite Jesus teaching the children who attend Desert Springs Church where the painting will be displayed. The background will be of the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains with jacaranda, ocotillo, bird of paradise and palm trees, saguaro, barrel and aloe vera cactus. There is a cloud angel overlooking Jesus and the children. Two children will hold a lamb and a four-legged kid with a few sheep sitting nearby. It is my largest painting to date and I’m thankful there is no completion date. biafarin.com/artist?name=cena-caterine

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Angels Escorting A Soul to Heaven Painting W:40 H:30 D:3 in 2017 - 2018 Cena Caterine

Two angels escorting the soul of a woman into Heaven with the darkness below and the hope and promise plus the comfort of Heaven above AW127060798

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Guardian Angel in the Sky Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:24 H:18 D:2 in A guardian angel watches from above hovering over a mountain top. Cena Caterine

AW127106062

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Indian Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:24 H:36 in 2020 A sleeping Indian Maiden dreaming Cena Caterine

AW127546548

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Midnight Cowboy with Cacti Bikini Girls Mixed Media, Acrylic on Canvas W:14 H:16 D:2 cm 2017 - 2021 Cena Caterine

Abstract ranch painting in the desert on a goat farm. A cowboy riding a camel while two young ladies model cacti bikinis AW127401970

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

The Darkness of Lilith Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:24 H:36 D:3 in Cena Caterine

Lilith is famous in Jewish history as the first wife of Adam mentioned in the Talmud in the third century. She is accredited for stealing the souls of stillborn babies. She is a wonton demon so young men were warned never to sleep alone in a house. Lullaby is Hebrew for Lilith Begone.

AW127020958

♡

Blue Grotto – A Place Apart Digital Arts W:17 H:24 in 2021 Rick Hurst

AW127919852

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Rick Hurst Photography, Digital Arts

My childhood refuge was to immerse myself in the natural world around me — experiencing the beauty of nature, the vibrancy of color, the variety of architecture. This eventually led to a 1982 Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minor in Art History from the University of Southern Mississippi, and to a 1984 Summer Course in Illustration at Parsons School of Design in New York, NY. Not finding a job in the arts field, I joined the federal government in the mid-80s, and eventually retired in Washington, DC as a paralegal. After moving to the Gulf Coast of Alabama, I converted my new garage into an artist’s studio, and revived my talents in acrylics and watercolors and my interest in abstract forms. I participated in art markets, artists’ coops, galleries and art shows, even winning awards and mounting a 6-month one-man show. All these venues were in multiple cities in Alabama and western Florida. To satisfy my cravings for new avenues of creativity, I began experimenting with digital photos of nature, architecture and my own artwork, altering colors and combining images in multiple overlays. By the time I moved to St Petersburg, Florida in 2016, I was wholly committed to the digital art world. Now my tools for expressing myself as an artist have changed: I work with clean hands — no brushes, no pencils, no splattered acrylics, watercolors or oils — and I can take new photographs and work digitally from any location. My photography captures the beauty and spirit of nature and the real world. I meld these into digital artworks using multiple exposures, layers, color transformations and advanced art filters – images which may live through many iterations. Each digital image is my personal expression of inspiration from the real world, explored and revealed through my own artistic imagination.

biafarin.com/artist?name=rick-hurst

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Complexity - Life Forces Collide and Meld

Digital Arts | W:18 H:24 in | 2020 | AW127499110

Rick Hurst: Vibrant Design Monica Davidson Interviewer

Rick, many thanks for accepting our invitation for this interview, and taking the time to answer our questions. Tell us about your artistic background story and if there was a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as a visual artist? Throughout my life, I have been the one who is different - totally deaf in a hearing world. Art has been my greatest gift, my refuge, and my salvation. Expressing my innate creativity is my defense against adversity, hardship, and discrimination. At the same time, it allows me to explore my inner self, seek the strength of purpose, and reveal the world I see in others. I was never aware of my heightened visual sense, and never imagined it would lead me into the art world - not until, at age 12, I won a prize for a painted foot-high ceramic rooster entered into a community contest. My color palette was praised as more imaginative than any of the other older contestants. From that moment, I knew that art would forever be a part of my life. You talk about your art so pleasantly and delicately that we can clearly understand you live with your art. You can find your inner voice and change it into art, indeed. Was there ever a moment of doubt to question your art career entirely? My intense childhood interest in art eventually led to a Graphic Arts degree. However, I could never find a job in the arts; instead, I spent 25 years in federal service as a paralegal. Still, a yearning for art was always with me. Late in my work career, I traveled to see the art masterpieces of Europe I had only seen and studies in art books. It was pure elation and inspiration to wander Monet’s Giverny garden, roam DaVinci’s Tuscan Hills, gaze across Van Gogh’s sunflower fields, and explore Picasso’s retreat. My passion for art was rekindled. After retirement, I moved to the Gulf Coast, returning to my earlier passion, to pursue an art career in abstracts, using acrylics and watercolors. I became fascinated with the iPad and manipulating images of my own artwork. Very quickly, I plunged into the world of digital design, now focused on my original photography.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

It seems your art studio is a place where you can shut out the world, and you’re there on your own to think and create. What is your daily routine when working in your studio? My daily studio routine varies in when and what I do, but usually involves a variety of tasks: checking status online (website, social media, email/texts); reviewing exhibitions and new calls for artists; reviewing recent and past photos for inspiration; and most importantly contemplating a new artwork or continuing with a current design. Every moment outside the studio is another opportunity for inspiration and new photographs. Branding, marketing, and maintaining an online presence are very demanding and time-consuming. My daily routine ensures I keep current with these requirements, but my highest priority is living and creating my art. Now that your priority is living and creating art, take us through your process of making your artworks. How do you move from an idea to an artwork? Where does an artwork begin for you? All of my designs begin with original photography that captures the beauty and spirit of nature and the real world. I meld these photos with digital artworks using multiple exposures, layers, color transformations, and art filters. When I see something I want to photograph, it may or may not spark an idea for a new art piece at that moment, or perhaps it may trigger a memory of an earlier photo I might use with it. Just as often, my daily review of new and old photos will stir my creative process. Each design is the result of an iterative process, constantly transforming images and adding in others until I am satisfied, or leaving a work in progress until another day. To denote a mindset or a sensory experience, an artist may compose the features or concepts of the artworks or series uniformly or individually. Is there a central concept connecting all your works together or each series or artwork is unique? I feel a natural energy in the world around me, which I see, especially in the vibrancy of colors, and I strive to sustain or enhance that energy in each design I create. I never really have a target image or tone/mood in mind. I may begin a design by selecting one photo that draws me to it, but then I follow where it leads, transforming colors and layering in other images as the developing piece demands. The resulting digital design is unique, and is added to the thousands in my portfolio. I may then select new images to add online, or submit them in calls to artists for an exhibition. Using art is not an esoteric debate, but something that you want to deliberately and freely reveal. Would you like to give a particular interpretation of your work to your viewers or you prefer to leave the whole interpretation to your audience? Other people may not see the world as I do, but my wish is to stimulate their own imaginations, to have them look within and create their own interpretations of my designs. Each digital image is my personal expression of inspiration from the energies of the real world, explored and revealed through my own artistic imagination. Often I will add a short phrase to an image title to stimulate the viewer: LABYRINTH - Feast on the complexities then explore your inner self SANCTUARY - Let the solace of the ancients comfort The VOID - On the brink of the cosmos STELLAR REBIRTH – A guiding light in troubled times My purpose is to interpret and reveal the universal energies I see to / in all who view my art — to awaken curiosity and prompt introspection, to feed their inner being, to have my designs resonate with them. Are you inspired by any ideas in the real world? How do you seek and use inspiration for your works? I carry my studio with me at all times, my artist’s tools of canvas, paint, and brushes left behind. Wherever I am, I use my iPhone to capture images and art apps with filters to manipulate them. Nature and architecture are the foundation for many of my abstract designs: spirals from the Dali Museum DNA staircase merge with the domed ceiling from a Budapest spa and tropical flora to evoke the infinity of the cosmos, or restructure into a futuristic energy escape. Organic elements can lead to amazing constructs: overlays of magnolia blossoms reveal a feminine torso or explode into a fantastical flower; stems from a bunch of grapes morph into a multi-patterned North Star ascending the heavens; a pond of Waterlilies at a neglected mansion melds with marshland scenes to become a colorful vignette of tranquility and contemplation.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Tell us about your subjects, Rick. How do you select your artworks subjects? Where they come from? My iPhone is an extension of my artist’s eye. I capture images everywhere I go. Nature is my favorite subject especially flowers, along with other flora and fauna. I am equally interested in the power and variety of architecture. Pattern intrigues me, but so does unexpected asymmetry. I am also drawn to both the macro and the micro. I never purposefully work toward a predefined goal in an artwork; rather, it is the process of image manipulation which guides me and pulls me along to produce the final artwork. You see universal energies throughout your surrounding world, nature, the vibrancy of color, the vitality, and the strength of architecture, so your art will stick in viewers’ minds forever. Are there an artwork or series that you would like to be remembered for? And if yes, what is it? Series 2020-2021: ENERGY, FREQUENCY, VIBRANCY An ongoing exploration of universal components in the origin of cosmic life and its evolution. Each artwork is a unique window into that continuum, anywhere from the first spark of life energy to the sophisticated harmony and complexity of the human mind. My creative perspective and process are unique in the world of digital design. I see universal energies in the world around me - the life forces of nature, the vibrancy of color, the vitality and strength of architecture. Digital designs are named after completion. I look for their relationships to my concepts of universal energies: DRIFTING OPALESCENCE – The Vibrancy of Life Forces / The dispersion of mononuclear elements. BLUE GROTTO - A Place Apart / Serenity in an idyllic setting, away from the chaos of the world. PORT of ENTRY - Explore your Future / Multiple doorways, paths to be chosen. Rick, what are your art influences? Who are your favorite contemporary or historical artists and why? Picasso - abstracts that uplift the ordinary; bold colors in new and complex forms; staying true to his own path. Monet - literally transforming nature into living art (Giverny); sharing that vision throughout his artwork. Warhol - first recognized the use of computers in the design of digital art in 1984; reducing images to simpler shapes and colors. If you could meet one of your ideal artists from the past, who would it be and what will you ask about? Van Gogh What drives his passion for creating such unique art? What sustains his drive to paint despite the lack of public recognition during his lifetime? Our readers are into the uniqueness of your digital art, and they are waiting for your future works. Any upcoming works or future projects that you would like to share with our readers? While continuing with digital design, I recently began planning a series of abstracts using flowing acrylics on canvas. My artist’s hands are begging for manual work, and I want to explore the random patterns created with the flow. What a wonderful news! I am grateful that you shared your brilliant artistic mind and plans with us. Thank you for your time and see you soon in another inspiring talk here. Very good luck to you and great hopes!

❇

Dear readers, we hope that you enjoyed reading this attractive interview with Rick. Please scan the below QR and send us your questions about the matter. Wish you all the best!

Rick Hurst

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

DRIFTING OPALESCENCE - The vibrancy of life forces Digital Arts, Digitally Manipulated on Metal W:35 H:35 in 2021 Rick Hurst

Archival-quality Digital Transformation on Metal Panel Replication precedes dispersion. Original digital photos of nature, architecture and artwork, color-transformed and combined in multiple overlays.

AW127060058

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Glorious Sunrise - The Daily Renewal of Life... Digital Arts W:15 H:30 in 2021 Archival-quality Digital Transformation on Metal Panel Rick Hurst

Explosion above the horizon, reflected on the sea. (Original digital photos of nature, architecture and artwork, color-transformed and combined in multiple overlays.)

AW127765568

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Labyrinth - Feast On the Complexities... Digital Arts W:35 H:35 in 2020 Archival-quality Digital Transformation on Metal Panel Rick Hurst

Then explore your inner self. (Original digital photos of nature, architecture and artwork, color-transformed and combined in multiple overlays.)

AW127552486

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Port of Entry - Explore your Future Digital Arts W:15 H:24 in 2020 Archival-quality Digital Transformation on Metal Panel Rick Hurst

Doorways into another time and space. (Original digital photos of nature, architecture and artwork, color-transformed and combined in multiple overlays.)

AW127057324

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Stellar Rebirth - A Guiding Light in Troubled Times Digital Arts, Digitally Manipulated on Metal W:18 H:24 in 2021 Rick Hurst

Archival-quality Digital Transformation on Metal Panel Remain steadfast in your vision. Original digital photos of nature, architecture and original artwork, color-transformed and combined in multiple overlays.

AW127554592

♡

Hallucinating Orchid Digital Arts, Digitally Manipulated on Paper W:16 H:20 in 2021 David Joseph Fleshman

AW127209280

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

David Joseph Fleshman

David Fleshman was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1991. He earned his Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout Award in 2008. David was awarded first place in the 2008 Boy Scouts of America Patch Contest for the Las Vegas Area, North Star District. In 2009, he graduated with High Honors at Southeast Career Technical Academy High School majoring in Animation and Digital Game Development. In 2014, David earned an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Graphic Technology - Computer Graphic Design at the College of Southern Nevada. He has judged numerous exhibitions at CSN and participated in the 10th Bi-Annual CSN Graphic Art Exhibition and Portfolio Review in Spring 2014. In 2015, he earned the Cynthia Bunker/Joy McClenahan Memorial Scholarship for attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In 2018, David graduated with High Honors from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a Graphic Design and Media bachelor’s degree with a Minor in Art History. He was chosen to participate in a UNLV Capstone Thesis Show called, “Spaces Graphic Design Thesis Exhibition”. David’s academic design and artistic achievements, portfolio, and biography are included in the UNLV Capstone Thesis book. He is also included on their website located at “http://spacesthethesis.design/”. David volunteered at the Nevada State Museum located at the Springs Preserve. He assisted in setting up the Electric Nevada Exhibition at the Nevada State Museum. In 2019, David graduated with his Associate of Arts Degree in Art Emphasis at CSN. On January 4, 2021, he was hired as a graphic design intern with “The 7th Magazine” located on the island of Ischia, Italy. David is an artist who has participanted in the exhibition, “SIZABLE,” at the Clark County Government Center Rotunda, begang on June 21 - July 29, 2021. He has his artwork in numerous magazines and journals if you are interested in what he is published in look on his website. David has won "The ATIM Collector’s Choice Award" from ARTTour International Magazine located in New York, NY. He is receiving film festival awards as well such as "New Creators Film Awards," "London Shorts Film Festival," "Emerging Artists Film Festival," and "Andromeda Film Festival." Currently, David just received "The ARTYA Emerald Award" from ArtTour International Magazine; it will be awarded to him in November 2021. He will be at the upcoming Spectrum Miami Art Fair in December 2021. The Art Fair will be hosted by ARTTour International Magazine booth #513 it will be a Live exhibit and Digital Exhibition event.

biafarin.com/artist?name=david-fleshman

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Broken Crystalize Jewel Digital Arts, Photography, Digitally Manipulated on Paper W:16 H:20 in 2021 David Joseph Fleshman

AW127598560

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Emerald Eye Digital Arts, Digitally Manipulated on Paper W:16 H:20 in 2021 David Joseph Fleshman

AW127599520

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Golden Irish Claddagh Digital Arts, Photography, Digitally Manipulated on Paper W:20 H:16 cm 2021 David Joseph Fleshman

AW127944160

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Mystical Marigolds Digital Arts, Digitally Manipulated on Paper W:20 H:16 in 2021 David Joseph Fleshman

AW127618080

♡

Jester's Hat (Dried Columbine) Photography W:16 H:20 in 2020 Charles Jones

AW127880234

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Charles Jones Digital Arts, Photography

My objective is to produce surreal and abstract images through ultra-realism of flowers and plants. Every part of most of my photos is tack sharp even though the subjects are as small as 1/8 inch. This is what I mean by ultra-realism. I achieve this by using focus stacking. This technique can provide over 150X magnification in 16 x 20 inch prints. Such high magnification allows my images to become surreal and abstract to the point that it is not always obvious what the subject is. This achieves my desire to have people enjoy a purely sensory experience based on color, shape and texture. But people inevitably ask me what the image is of and how I achieve the depth of field. To me, this illustrates that people have a natural curiosity about science. My sense of awe is always enhanced when I understand the science involved behind an experience. I hope my photos provide this same sense of awe in others. My two main artistic influences are Georgie O’Keeffe and Dr.Seuss. My ultrarealism is partly influenced by the Harvard University Glass Flowers created by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka along with Maria Sibylla Merian who, circa 1700, provided detailed illustrations of the life cycle of insects – especially butterflies. For surrealism I draw on Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali. M.C. Escher also plays a role as do mathematics, science, science fiction, and fantasy. I am a retired mathematician. My career was in the aerospace industry and included coordinating research with small businesses and universities. I’ve always been a plant person. I’ve maintained gardens and indoor plants since a child and have done some extensive wildflower identification. I became more serious about photography when I retired in 2014. I started using focus stacking at the end of 2015. Besides photography, I have a variety of interests including science, philosophy, secular activism, hiking, marble collecting, weaving, and playing saxophone. I also write the Starting From Doubt blog.

biafarin.com/artist?name=charles-jones

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Dancing on Blue Flames (Semi-Dried Passion Flower) Photography | W:16 H:20 in | 2020 | AW127414378

Charles Jones: Ultra-Realism Abstraction Marian White Interviewer

Charles, thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions in this interview. Tell us about your artistic background story and if there was a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as a visual artist? I have always been a plant and flower person. I have gardened and kept indoor plants since my preteen years. I was introduced to photography in 8th grade and did casual photography for many years. In my thirties, I started getting more serious about photography as well as wildflower identification. While living in the Mojave Desert there was a “bloom of the century” and I identified about 100 different flowers and documented another 50 or so that I couldn’t identify. Of course, this included photographs. Thus began my focus on how to take pictures of flowers. As I started thinking about retiring, I realized I wanted to produce photographs that truly capture the inner beauty of flowers in a way people don’t ordinarily see. This led me to study photographic techniques and ultimately to macro photography and the use of focus stacking. It seems like you’ve done so much improvisation in your career. Was there ever a moment of doubt to question your art career entirely? Having had a successful career as a mathematician, I am in an unusual position where I am not financially dependent on my photography. For the most part, this allows me to produce art that satisfies my personal aesthetic. Also, I have only developed my art to the point where I feel the quality is good enough to display it in the last four years or so. Thus, there really hasn’t been time for me to go through a period of doubt. However, I have come to realize that the photographs that get the most attention are not always what I consider my best pieces. This causes some artistic tension in my creative process since I have a strong desire to have my work viewed and realize that public and professional recognition is necessary to obtain a wide audience.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

We’d like to know how an artistic day of Charles goes on. What is your daily routine when working in your studio? I am always looking for new flowers to photograph wherever I go. This includes walking and hiking and visiting gardens – public, friends, and my own. When I find a flower of interest I’ll bring it back to my studio and start photographing it. A specific technique I use is keeping flowers on my kitchen table and watching them progress through the entire process of opening, closing, and drying. I have come to realize that the visual nature of flowers can change dramatically during this process. In particular, dried, semi-dried, and sometimes wilted, flowers present very interesting combinations of shape, color, and texture. Thus, rather than a daily routine, I have to take my photographs at the appropriate moment of this progression. Due to my use of focus stacking, there is, of course, a great deal of processing which I do as I have time and inclination. Now, Please take us through your process of making your artworks. How do you move from an idea to an artwork? Where does an artwork begin for you? My art always starts with a flower or plant. As a macro photographer, this involves looking very closely to find an image I like. The next step is to put the flower on a “third hand” which provides six degrees of freedom so that I can position the flower exactly at the right angle. Focus stacking combines multiple pictures at different focal distances into a single photograph. Most of my pictures are 100 or more combined photos. I usually spend a few hours taking multiple multi-picture pictures and then process them through the stacking software (which sometimes takes overnight.) I then do some manipulation in the stacking software and final production using photo editing software. Because of the processing time and the progression of the flowers, I sometimes use several flowers to get the final picture – and sometimes I have to compromise with what I was able to get when the flower was ready.

❝I create art that produces a personal sense of awe. It is extremely satisfying when my art transfers this feeling of awe to other people.❞ Your art path constantly reminds us it takes a lot of effort to make vivid and remarkable art. Is there a central concept connecting all your works together or each series or artwork is unique? I strive to make every photograph unique. This is aided by the macro nature of my work. Most of my pictures have a breadth of view in the range of 1/8 to 1 inch. Flowers can be very different in structure at this scale. In one sense, I try not to do series that are just variations on a theme – again, this is aided by the different structures of different flowers. However, in the sense that flowers have common parts – petals, stamens, pistils, etc. – there is, at least, this commonality. More generally, my objective is to produce surreal and abstract images through ultra-realism. This last is implemented through focus stacking which most often creates photos that are sharply in focus throughout the entire picture. The use of macro photography enables showing aspects of flowers that cannot be seen by the naked eye. Further, I focus on creating a sense of awe and wonder more than other emotions.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

To convey the message to the viewers, artists use various methods such as giving titles or general or detailed descriptions, and sometimes they leave this perception to the viewers. Would you like to give a particular interpretation of your work to your viewers or you prefer to leave the whole interpretation to your audience? I usually provide an interpretation of my work by providing titles. This is often motivated by my surreal objective. I like to invoke an image other than the flower itself. I also always write up a short description for each final photograph. This can include aspects of where I found the flower, unusual aspects of the image, or the process I used to create it. I also document the flower species (including the Latin name if I can.) When I exhibit my preference is to have a plaque that provides my description, the breadth of the field, the magnification, the number of stacked photos, and a thumbnail picture of the entire flower. In fact, what you give to the viewers is like raw materials and leave the final product to themselves and their searching mind to get something beyond a picture of a flower or plant, and finally, you are motivated by the result. How do you seek and use inspiration for your works? My inspiration always starts with the flower or plant itself. A common method is for me to keep flowers on my kitchen table and watch them progress looking for an interesting image. I am also often inspired when I first see a flower or plant and start thinking about what it may look like under magnification. There are also times when I find an image during the photographic session that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. This is partly due to the smallness of the subject and partly due to the nature of focus stacking. It takes some practice to envision what the final stacked image will look like and sometimes it is quite surprising what is generated. Of course, there is always a surreal inspirational background looking for implied imagery. This is influenced by my interest in science fiction and fantasy as well as my artistic influences. And now regarding the subjects, how do you select your artworks subjects? Where they come from? At the basic level, my subjects are almost always flowers or plants. But at the macro level, and within each flower, and within the realm of surrealism and abstraction, the concept of “subject” seems unproductive to me. I am more interested in shapes, colors, and textures that combine into a visual image that explicitly does not invoke an image of the whole flower or plant itself. My “subjects” are found by diving into individual flowers. Artists will always be remembered because of the kind of content they put out via their art to encourage people to move toward a particular style or even a unique vision. Are there an artwork or series that you would like to be remembered for? And if yes, what is it? Perhaps it is arrogant of me, but I hope to be remembered for having developed a new and distinct artistic style. I’ve visited art museums around the world and have never seen anything like what I create.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

I have also yet to have anyone suggest that my work looks like someone else’s. Further, I have only been seriously engaged in my art for well less than a decade. I hope that I have not created my magnum opus yet. Having said this, examples of my art that exemplify my artistic objective include: Space Turtle, Parched, I See You, Underwater Swan, and Dancing On Blue Flames. All of these are relatively unrecognizable as the base flower and they invoke surreal images. They also have the combination of shape, color, and texture I look for. In particular, Space Turtle and Parched invoke a science fiction-type alien-ness. In Surrounded by Flame and Spiral Begonia, we can enjoy the magnificent ultra-realism and achieve the depth of vision and science combination, as well. Charles, let’s talk about the influence and what your art influences are. Who are your favorite contemporary or historical artists and why? My two main artistic influences are Georgie O’Keeffe and Dr. Seuss. Although I have progressed to more abstract images, my earlier images are somewhat comparable to O’Keefe’s work. The influence of Dr. Seuss seems to be more recognized by people when I point it out. Other influences include Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali. To a lesser extent, I am influenced by M.C. Escher. Although I do not know specific artists’ names or the name of the style, there is a classical style of painting flower arrangements that are exceptionally realistic to the point of including browning leaves and insects. This influenced my desire for ultra-realism. I am also inspired by mathematics, science, science fiction, and fantasy. It is perhaps worth noting that, while I pursue surreal images, I am not influenced by the political nature of the Surrealist Manifesto. If you could meet one of your ideal artists from the past, who would it be and what will you ask about? For the most part, I am not that interested in meeting celebrities so this is a hard question for me. Realistically, of the people I listed, I’d probably be most interested in meeting M. C. Escher, but that’s more from a mathematical rather than artistic perspective because I would enjoy talking about tessellations with him. Artistically, and from a human experience point of view, Georgia O’Keeffe would probably be my choice. I am attracted to strong and competent women and Georgia meets the bill. When asked about the idea of meeting someone, I generally envision sitting around having a lengthy discussion rather than some brief celebrity-type encounter. As such, I would hope to find topics of mutual interest and pursue them rather than coming to the encounter with specific questions. Due to the uniqueness of your art, our readers are waiting for your future works. Any upcoming works or future projects that you would like to share with our readers? I don’t specifically plan out projects. My work is inspired by the flowers I find. The main type of project I might engage in would be to travel someplace in search of local flowers. Tropical rainforests would be my first choice. Because of my creative method, this would require setting up my studio and spending weeks at a location. I don’t have the financial ability to do this. Wonderful, we eager to see more creative photos from fascinating flowers you find in our planet Earth. Charles, that was a very rich and practical talk and I am very grateful that you accepted our invitation. Good luck with your artistic blossoms.

❇

Dear art fans, thank you for your attention and we hope that this interview answered a considerable part of your questions about Charles' artistic career. If you want to ask your own question, please scan the QR code and proceed.

Charles Jones

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

I See You (Semi-Dried Dutch Iris) Photography W:20 H:16 in 2020 Archival Ink Jet Charles Jones

Watching some Dutch irises dry on my kitchen table I saw them dry from the tip out. My girlfriend suggested the title. The blurred colors in the background are the other two main bulbs of the flower. About 1 inch wide. Focus stacked.

AW127664598

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Iris Faceo (Dutch Iris) Photography W:20 H:16 in 2021 Archival Ink Jet This picture has an awesome array of textures. Part of the effect is that the flower is slightly wilted so that the lip has the 90 degree angle. The title comes from a surreal interpretation of the beard as an alien creature confronting the rearing stamen. About 0.9 inches wide. Focus stacked. ff

Charles Jones

AW127274574

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Crocus With Aphids Photography W:16 H:20 in 2016 Archival Ink Jet Charles Jones

I didn’t notice the aphids when I was shooting this picture. What a surprise that there is a line of them in perfect profile. The distorted magnification through the water drops are pretty awesome too.

AW127475688

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Space Turtle (Semi-Dried Salpiglossis Sinuata) Photography W:16 H:20 in 2019 Archival Ink Jet Charles Jones

I got this flower while at a music camp-out at Turning Earth Farms outside of Salem, OR. This was grown using the results of their composting toilet. The name draws from my interest in science fiction and fantasy and from my having a tortoise years ago. About 0.38 inches wide. Focus stacked.

AW127723710

♡

Woolscape - Agelessness Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:65 H:91 D:3 cm 2021 Jae Young Park

AW930624633

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Jae Young Park Painting

Park Jae-young was born in 1973 and began painting in elementary school. He graduated from Sunwha Arts Middle School and Gyewon Art High School. who liked realistic paintings, started to reflect her emotions slowly in he paintings, starting from graduate school in 2003 as she lived in a family environment where she had a textile business. The master's thesis related to the work is 'A Study on Image of Cloth through the Intensive Structure of Repetitious Line' From 1999 to 2001, he won three awards in the Korean National Art Awards. It was exhibited and sold at Christie's Auction in May 2007. From 2004 to 2007, he was ranked 20th in domestic and international auctions by Korean artists', and he also won the 'Painting Award' at the London Art Biennale 2021. From 2003 to 2021, he had sixteen solo exhibitions, mainly solo and planning exhibitions. Major Group Exhibitions include: London Art Biennale 2021 (Chelsea Old Town Hall/London, UK) Aesthetica Art Award 2020 (York Art Gallery/York, UK), The Royal Arts Award 2020 Vll (Royal Opera Arcade Gallery/ London), 2020. UI Art Line x Bart Buzz Partnership Exhibition, 2018. Cultural Olympics, various other group exhibitions. The Art Fair participated 2020 SCOPE New York, 2019 Asia Contemporary Art Show, 2019 Art Asia, Harbor Art Fair 2018, Art Kaohsiung, AHAF, AAF Milan, AND KIAF 2007. Artwork projects include 2019 ARTBLOC Project (Work/Owned/Startup), UNESCO Creative City Network x Buzz Art: Project Participation (Author's Autobiography), and Brand Biz Conference 2018 (Promotional Production and Promotional Video Production), UI ART LINE X Buzz ART (Partnership Plan / LED Large Billboard Exhibition). Representation Christie's (Hong Kong), May 2007. Pyeongchang Culture Olympics 2018. 2018 Open Call For Artist - exhibition (Korea Cultural Center in Washington DC, USA).

biafarin.com/artist?name=jaeyoung-park

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Woolscape - Dip Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:53 H:73 D:2 cm 2021 Jae Young Park

Life in the era of COVID-19 is limited and it is not easy to communicate with people around you. It's stuffy and unstable, like being immersed in a small cup. Still, I smile because there is hope. AW978012197

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Woolscape - Some day Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:65 H:91 D:3 cm 2021 Jae Young Park

A small paper boat likens the self. More and more people are anchored or stranded in their lives. It is a difficult time for everyone and it seems that time in life has come to a standstill. May the journey of life begin again..... someday!

AW977457365

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Woolscape - Vitality Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:53 H:72.70 D:2 cm 2021 Jae Young Park

Human life like a prickly cactus. Many things happen in modern society. Although it is difficult, it endures with strong vitality and has a family, so they depend on each other to overcome it. AW813992699

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Woolscape - Yolk Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:65.10 H:50 D:2 cm 2020 Jae Young Park

What do you seek in life? Our daily life is compared to egg whites and yolks. Egg whites are comfortable because they are boring but not burdensome. The yolk gives the feeling of being alive. What kind of life do you live?

AW426917297

♡

Adam and Eve Painting, Oil Color, Acrylic W:20 H:24 in 2021 Matt Gabler

AW127692668

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Matt Gabler Painting

Matt Gabler grew up in a family of creatives. From writing, designing, and. most importantly, painting. With years and years of cultivating and mastering the creative process, Matt finally allowed himself to be free in his expressive ways and unstoppable energy. Dedicating countless hours to creating and revolutionizing abstract expressionism. throughout that, he found that there is a bigger purpose than changing the genre itself, but utilizing the genre to tell a message. A message that anyone and everyone can understand. Through his paintings, there are depictions, emotions, and more that showcase scenes in our lives or scenes from our heads, and through that process, the message becomes very clear. It’s personalized for each and every single person that views his works. So please, look, enjoy, and share your thoughts.

biafarin.com/artist?name=matt-gabler

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Blank Face

Painting, Oil Color, Acrylic | W:20 H:24 in | 2020 | AW127388388

Matt Gabler: Painful, Dreamy Robin Weißbach Interviewer

Matt, thank you for accepting our invitation to be with you and talk to you for some moments. Tell us about your artistic background story and if there was a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as a visual artist? I come from a family of creatives. I used to be more into sports than art when I was younger; however, with the innate drive to create and my love for a competition, I slowly turned into a creative. Focusing on expressing myself at all times, always finding something different to think about or to display for others. Being creative in what we do or create is a significant and fundamental matter. With creativity we can make the world awesome. Was there ever a moment of doubt to question your art career entirely? There were many times that I doubted my abilities, as we all do. Met with defeat we tend to overthink and hesitate and base our ideas on what others will enjoy. And especially when you’re young this happens much more often. However, my response to that over the years has been slowly fading away. A rejection now is a lost opportunity for the other party. In fact, doubt is an element of faith. Matt, what is your daily routine when working in your studio? I prefer to work early in the morning, the chaotic mess is too much to deal with before going to sleep. I mix my paints and prepare my canvases, I use knives, flames, rocks, and feathers to paint along with the traditional paintbrushes. I have a saying, I put the canvases through as much pain as we go through. All of us are eager to know about our favorite artist’s creation from A to Z. So, take us through your process of making your artworks. How do you move from an idea to an artwork? Where does an artwork begin for you? I change my ideas and my application of the paint consistently, if I do the same thing for too long, I grow bored, and it becomes too easy. Ideas come out like a Gatling gun, nonstop . There’s never a minute to not consider what to do next, for to sit there and think is already too much time wasted.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

100

Good job! Do you seek a uniform concept or style while creating your artworks? I mean, is there a central concept connecting all your works together or each series or artwork is unique? My paintings all have similarities because even though I change things up, my technique never changes. And my technique is raw, unfiltered, pain. Some artists prefer their artworks to be decoded by the viewers, while others give them clues. How do you favor, Matt? Would you like to give a particular interpretation of your work to your viewers or you prefer to leave the whole interpretation to your audience? The name itself gives the interpretation of the painting. The painting I create can sometimes be confusing, but once you notice the title the painting begins to make sense. I tell my collectors once you understand one painting it makes it easier to understand another one, then you’re in a small club of people who truly appreciate and understand what I have struggled to express. You tell a story through the colors, textures, or figures of your artworks. How do you seek and use inspiration for your works? I don’t get inspired the traditional way. I simply think of what I want to do when I want to do it, no subliminal messaging no subconscious thoughts. I go to the canvas with an empty mind and I just flow with the painting. I get out of the way. For if you think too much or hesitate too much you’ll ruin the painting. What about the subjects you choose? How do you select your artworks subjects? Where they come from? I never go into a painting with a definitive idea of what I’m going to paint. I allow the painting to do that by itself. Once I finish painting the message and story are revealed and therefore I am their storyteller. Yes, indeed, art is free, and there’s no must in art. Through your paintings, there are depictions, emotions, and more that showcase scenes in our lives. Is there an artwork or series that you would like to be remembered for? And if yes, what is it? My original favorite series is my series on stalkers. It was my first definitive series that I stuck with successfully. When I was painting them, they had the same colors and shapes with different applications causing them to reveal the story of a girl with a stalker. Some great artists or masters can be influential in the art that an artist presents. What are your art influences? Who are your favorite contemporary or historical artists and why? My favorite artists are Picasso, Dali, and Pollock. I love Picasso for his breaking of traditional figures, Dali for his dream-like paintings and unique view on life, and Pollock for breaking all the rules of painting. And, if you could meet one of your ideal artists from the past, who would it be and what will you ask about? I would love to speak to Picasso and explain to him how exciting it will be when I own one of his easels. Our readers are willing to follow your works because they insist that there’s always a pleasurable story behind each of your artworks. Any upcoming works or future projects that you would like to share with our readers? I have a solo art show coming up and I’m up for many exhibitions. Along with that, I’m planning an independent solo art show this fall. Good luck with your solo show Matt! Thanks for accepting our invitation for this interesting interview.

❇

Dear readers, if you want to ask your own question from Matt, please scan the QR code and proceed.

Matt Gabler

101

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Cone Head Painting, Oil Color, Acrylic W:20 H:24 in 2021 Matt Gabler

AW127835434

♡

OBSERVICA

102

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Cracked Ice Painting, Oil Color, Acrylic W:20 H:24 in 2021 Matt Gabler

AW127075458

♡

103

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

For Those That Are Shy Painting, Oil Color, Acrylic W:20 H:24 in 2020 Matt Gabler

AW127062136

♡

OBSERVICA

104

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

In A Dream, Out At Sea Painting, Oil Color, Acrylic W:48 H:60 in 2021 Matt Gabler

AW127969428

♡

OBSERVICA

105

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Valentina Bakhchevan Painting

Valentina Bakhchevan was born in Moldova ,in an artistic family. She lives in New York city since 1996. Graduated from the College of Fine Arts in Chisinau, Moldova and Institute of Arts in Lviv, West Ukraine. Collections - There are paintings in museum collections in Chisinau, Moscow, Vilnius, Lviv, Stockholm. - Private collections in Europe, Russia, Israel, USA, Spain. Solo Exhibitions Two solo exhibitions in Moscow, Russia. Group Exhibitions 1. Chisinau, Moldova 2. Central House of Artists - Moscow 3. Central House of Youth - Moscow 4. "Young artists of Moldova" - Moscow 5. The Centre Pompidou - Paris, France 6. Vilnius, Lithuania - 1st place Premium Award 1986 7. Tashkent, Uzbekistan - 2nd place Premium Award 8. Lviv, West Ukraine 9. "Labyrinth", "Flash Art" - Moscow, Russia Auction Participated in Sotheby's auction in the 90s - Stockholm Publications 1. Young painters of 70s - Moscow, Russia 2. Art Monograph "Valentina Bakhchevan" - Irina Kalashnikova, Moscow, Russia, 1984 3. Encyclopedia of Moldova - Chisinau, Moldova 4. Magazine " Out Look" - Moscow, Russia 1980 5. Magazine "Light" - Moscow, Russia 6. "Artistic Process in Republic of Moldova 1940-2000", Ludmila Toma, Chisinau, Moldova 7. National Calendar of Moldova Usually the painting begins from sketches. The main goal is to create images with eternal conceptions as an infinity, eternity. There are life transformations space, time and the others abstract conceptions, which came from knowledge of Anthroposophy. It gives me positive ideology, faith in myself and spirit of the humanity. This explains my preference for the materials I have chosen : metallic acrylic (especially gold acrylic-the most spiritual color) and neon acrylic.

biafarin.com/artist?name=valentina-bakhchevan

OBSERVICA

106

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Mothers Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:100 H:100 D:4 cm 2021 Valentina Bakhchevan

The arouse in connection with the tragedy that swept the whole world of the present time . Since I am a mother, I think that Mothers - old, young or future ones, feel anxiety and concern for life , like no one else... AW911892452

♡

107

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Stones gatherers Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:100 H:100 D:4 cm 2021 Valentina Bakhchevan

Throughout life people unwittingly or deliberately violate the laws of worldview- “ scatter stones”. But everyone has a time to pay off their debts, that is speaking in biblical language - “picking up stones”. AW605667003

♡

OBSERVICA

108

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Women and children Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:100 H:100 D:4 cm 2021 Valentina Bakhchevan

A common tragedy that engulfed all of humanity, has become a part of the soul of everyone living on planet Earth . Looking back at a very recent past in which there could be peace, equanimity, predictability; you understand that the world has changed irrevocably. This world of the past has passed into the category of experiencing real nostalgia...

AW438466375

♡

OBSERVICA

109

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Etheard Joseph Painting, Graphics, Photography

About the Paintings Have you ever looked up at the sky on a late beautiful warm summer night, and been consumed by the universe? While you are gazing at the stars, your mind starts to wander and you are unconsciously asking; why are we here, and where do we fit in? Are there other Universes where I could also exist? and what would I look like? I wonder what would happen to the human body after passing through a wormhole or a black hole. I have heard theories such as the body becomes spaghetti strings-like. These are just a few of the thoughts I have at times. My paintings are a reflection of some of those thoughts and more. In some paintings, I use repeated brushstrokes of different colors over and over to mimic the body going through a black hole. Places I have been or dreams I have, shapes, colors I see, experiences I have, all of them metamorph when I paint. Some of the paintings take months to finish, I usually use a combination of oil and acrylic paints. I use symbols a lot and specific colors in my paintings. I use titles such as infinite existence, Exhilaration, Passion, Daydream, Awakening, and many others to describe my work. Every section of the canvas has a meaning, some are noticeable and some are hidden, which is for the viewer to find out. I use painting as a vehicle to express myself to the world without using words. I paint on large canvases, 3ft x 6ft, 8ft x 10ft even 9ft x 15ft, I will keep going bigger and bigger, each painting is a story and some stories have to be told big. Ultimately, when a viewer is looking at one of my large-scale paintings, I want them to forget everything else. I want the viewer to experience all of the things I was thinking about when I was creating the painting. I want to pull them into my universe.

biafarin.com/artist?name=etheard-joseph

OBSERVICA

110

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Allure Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:84 H:72 in 2019 Abstract Acrylic on Canvas Etheard Joseph

AW127603460

♡

111

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Exhilaration Painting, Oil color, Acrylic on Canvas W:144 H:108 in 2020 Abstract Oil and Acrylic Paint on Canvas Etheard Joseph

AW127302732

♡

OBSERVICA

112

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Fantasy Painting, Oil color, Acrylic on Canvas W:144 H:108 in 2021 Series: Metamorphosis / Titled :Fantasy / Subject Matter : Abstract Oil and Acrylic Paint on Canvas Etheard Joseph

AW127996438

♡

113

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

I Am Painting, Oil color, Acrylic on Canvas W:72 H:48 in 2020 Abstract Oil and acrylic paint on canvas Etheard Joseph

AW127685630

♡

OBSERVICA

114

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Quantum Existence Painting, Oil color, Acrylic on Canvas W:144 H:108 in 2021 Etheard Joseph

Series: Metamorphosis / Titled : Quantum Existence / Subject Matter : Abstract Oil and Acrylic Paint on Canvas AW127784486

♡

115

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Rapture #2 Painting, Oil color, Acrylic on Canvas W:72 H:48 in 2020 Abstract Oil and Acrylic Paint on Canvas Etheard Joseph

AW127642992

♡

OBSERVICA

116

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Reverie Painting, Oil color, Acrylic on Canvas W:144 H:108 in 2021 Series: Metamorphosis / Titled : Reverie / Subject Matter : Abstract Oil and Acrylic Paint on Canvas Etheard Joseph

AW127272094

♡

OBSERVICA

117

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Yali Hajhassan Calligraphy

My name is Yali and I am a self-taught artist interested in Arabic calligraphy. My early fascination with Arabic calligraphy started at the age of 9 by practicing Al Ruqʿah script. However, it was not until the age of 17 that I continuously committed to experimenting and practicing calligraphy. The past 10 years that I spent working on improving my calligraphy skills have been a great beginning of an even greater chapter of this extraordinary Journey. My BA in psychology had a great influence in shaping my understanding of life which -in turn- has been reflected in my artworks. The passion I have for literature and especially Arabic poetry has always been present in my artworks as I work on bringing out the charm of poetry using calligraphy. My goal is to offer others the chance to see how beautiful poetry is through calligraphy which I usually describe as "Music to the eyes".

biafarin.com/artist?name=yali-hajhassan

OBSERVICA

118

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Granada Calligraphy, Ink on Paper W:30 H:20 cm 2021 Yali Hajhassan

This artwork was inspired by the majestic architecture of Al Andalus and especially Alhambra Palace in Granada, it represents the authentic magic of Andalusian history and architecture. It takes me back to the garden near Nasrid Palaces where I was reading "Eleven Stars over Andalusia" by the famous poet Mahmoud Darwish while listening to Malek Jandali's magnificent piece "Andalus". This artwork is a visualization of the delicate dialogue between geometric-shaped windows and flawless marble through Arabic letters. Every time I look at it, I realize that my memories of Granada shall never fade away.

AW346594048

♡

119

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Ocean of Lost Souls Calligraphy, Mixed Media on Canvas W:90 H:50 cm 2021 Yali Hajhassan

This artwork represents the deep oceans that exist within our souls and are not usually easy to reach. The oceans of memories, feelings, and thoughts that we keep in the deepest bits of our souls. AW024550037

♡

OBSERVICA

120

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Visualizing the music of Nassir Shamma Calligraphy, Mixed Media on Canvas W:35 H:50 cm 2021 Yali Hajhassan

This artwork is an attempt to reflect the powerful yet delicate beauty of Nassir Shamma's magical piece "Baghdad Night". AW127141092

♡

Anamorphosis Series: Flux Sculpture W:83 H:248 D:112 in 2021 Lisa Merida Paytes

AW127241338

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

122

Lisa Merida Paytes Sculpture

Lisa Merida-Paytes holds a M.F.A. from the University of Cincinnati 1997 and B.F.A. from the Art Academy of Cincinnati 1991. Her work has been featured in exhibitions and publications nationally and internationally for 23 years. During that time, she has taught at all levels throughout the Midwest and served in various professional positions which include, Gallery Director at FUNKe FIRED ARTS 2007-11 and Art Director / Founder of the Kennedy Heights Art Center in 2004. She was appointed Co-Liaison for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), Cincinnati Conference held in March 2021 and served as a NCECA Board Member 2020 - 2021. Currently, her work can be viewed in a feature, authored international article in Ceramics Ireland Magazine, Issue 45, 2021. In June, Merida-Paytes was awarded a National Artist Relief Grant thanks to a generous lead gift from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation that was matched by the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, The Willem de Kooning Foundation, DeWitt Stern, a division of Risk Strategies Company, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation COVID-19 Relief Effort, Imperfect Family Foundation, Kinkade Family Foundation, Carolee Schneemann Foundation, Lenore G. Tawney Foundation, and Teiger Foundation. She will have upcoming works published in Artwalk Magazine, Issue 02, September 2021. In June – October 2021, she will have two mixed-media installations featured at the Yellowstone Art Museum. Also, in September – November 2021, her work with be included in the Ohio Arts Council’s 2021 Biennial Juried Exhibition at the Riffe Gallery in Columbus, Ohio, AC Hotel during Artprize 2021 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and an international review and interview published in 7th Review Me’s Artstonish and Observica Magazines. Recently, a solo exhibition of her work was at Cincinnati Learning Collaborative and showcased in NCECA’s Virtual Conference in March 2021. This show debuted her new Flux Series which is created from sculpting, weaving and casting paper, along with various mixed media materials. This new series moved on to the Lois and Richard Rosenthal’s Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, Ohio in March 2021. Merida-Paytes served as a moderator and panelist for a 2019 NCECA Discussion she organized entitled, FOCUS: Inspiration Matters held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2016-17, she was awarded an AIA Summer Residency at Watershed, organized a group exhibition of that work in Portland, Oregon and wrote an article about the Residency and Exhibition that was published in Ceramics Ireland Magazine. She was awarded an AIA Summerfair Cincinnati Grant for the third time in her career (2018, 2006 & 2001). Also, she published her own curriculum, Special Studio Teaching Manual Series: Preserving Memories with Paperclay, an Art-to Art Palette Books publication. Her work is included in 500 Figures in Clay Volume II, 2014 and The Best of 500 Ceramics: Celebrating a Decade in Clay, 2012 Lark Book’s publications. Additionally, she has feature articles published in Studio Ceramics: Advanced Techniques, (cover artist), The American Ceramics Society’s book in 2010, Pottery Making Illustrated, July / August 2009 issue (cover artist), Art-to Art Palette Journal 2008, Raku, Pit & Barrel, The American Ceramics Society’s book, In 2007, Ceramics Monthly’s October 2006 issue, 500 Raku 2010 and 500 Animals 2006, Lark Book’s publications. biafarin.com/artist?name=lisa-paytes

123

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Anamorphosis Series: Flux II

Sculpture | W:79 H:62 D:56 in | - | AW127521534

Lisa Merida Paytes: Skeletal Connections Monica Davidson Interviewer

Lisa, thank you for accepting our invitation to be with you for some moments. Tell us about your artistic background story and if there was a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as a visual artist. After receiving an M.F.A., from the University of Cincinnati in 1997 and B.F.A., from the Art Academy of Cincinnati 1991, my work has been featured in exhibitions and publications nationally and internationally for 23 years. During that time, I have taught at all levels throughout the Midwest and served in various professional positions which include, Gallery Director at FUNKe FIRED ARTS 2007-11 and Art Director / Founder of the Kennedy Heights Art Center in 2004. I was appointed a Co-Liaison for the NCECA Conference held in Cincinnati on March, 2021 and served as an NCECA Board Member 2020-2021. Through this time, my varied experiences have helped influence my artwork and direct my studio hours and working process. So great! Was there ever a moment of doubt to question your art career entirely? In 1991, I graduated with a B.F.A. from the Art Academy of Cincinnati. At that point in my artistic development, I was focused on creating large, site-specific environmental sculptures. I had applied to several graduate programs around the country and was accepted into Cranbrook Graduate School in Bloomfield, MI. However, shortly before earning the undergraduate degree, I was in a horrific car accident. A driver ran a red light, struck and totaled the car and severely tore the soft tissues in my back and neck. I was placed on a 24-hour morphine drip to begin therapy. It was difficult and painful just to raise my arms above my head. That period was the worst time in my life. I couldn’t attend Cranbrook and couldn’t create art. It took 4.5 years to recover from the accident, to work again and attend graduate school.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

124

Oh, no. You must have gone through a difficult situation. But you were so strong that after healing, you started again and moved on. What is your daily routine when working in your studio? My daily routine in the studio consists of investigating and experimenting with diverse concepts, materials, and processes not seen in the traditional arts. The material and methods used to assist in sculptural exploration and abstraction of contemporary figuration. I work on several pieces of various stages at the same time. Depending on the work, I weave different paper qualities and gauges of copper and steel wire together while strengthening materials with liquid starch, paper clay slip, and epoxy. Also, I will hand build ceramic molds to cast paper or glass frit while incorporating woven copper pieces inside each of the different materials. When the copper and steel wire structures are added to the cast paper they create unique textures, strength, and durability. When the copper wire structures are added to the glass frit and fired in the molds they oxidize and create iridescent hues that are encased inside the glass structure. And, the glitter of these copper colors and iridescent hues inside the glass structure really displays a beautiful work of art. Now, take us through your process of making your artworks. How do you move from an idea to an artwork? Where does an artwork begin for you? My current work series researches, investigate and bring awareness to people living with disabilities while pushing the boundaries of contemporary art. My work discusses these concepts by focusing on movement's copious flow, a manner of the passage of the living body to one’s gait and gesture. This work begins with sketches, maquette, and experimentation with materials and application techniques of pigments, develop weaving strategies, explore strengthening materials with liquid starch and investigate hanging systems. Various mixed-media materials such as, paper, paper clay, and wire are woven together into sections and layered together. Have you tried to include a mindset and concept in all your series? I mean, is there a central concept connecting all your works together or each series or artwork is unique? As an artist with disabilities caused by Ataxia, a rare neurological disease that is progressive, affecting my ability to walk, talk, balance myself and use fine motor skills, my artwork not only considers the essential structure of skeletal or embryonic animal references but has become a vehicle to interpret transformative changes occurring in my body caused from the progression of the disease. My work has always been concerned with the wonder of origin and amending society’s exploitation and waste. Recently, I was diagnosed with an inherited autosomal dominant disease called Spinocerebellar Ataxia 5. This disease runs in my father’s family and has moved my work to investigate genetics, too. Specifically, this form of ataxia was found in one branch of Abraham Lincoln’s family and I am Lincoln’s cousin 7 generations removed. For artists, disability is not a limitation, but it can be the embodiment of a dream and an opportunity to flourish and empower themselves. Would you like to give a particular interpretation of your work to your viewers or you prefer to leave the whole interpretation to your audience? My work is deeply personal and contains inherently profound interpretations and important concepts throughout each piece. However, as a formalist, my work is concerned with the aesthetic elements and principles of design, as well. For example, strong formal presence, texture, color, composition, emphasis, etc. In my work, I prefer to provide a strong visually interesting work to capture the viewers’ interest and leave them to interpret the artwork. I provide the audience an opportunity to interact with my work in an intimate way. For instance, the audience is drawn into the pieces because of the patterning and details, but then they become a part of the cast shadows from each piece. Lisa, in your artworks, you focus on a wave of motion, and through it, you reveal different aspects of human body movement, nature, and origin. How do you seek and use inspiration for your works? My father’s taxidermist/slaughterhouse business was an overwhelming environment with powerful images of hanging carcasses of deer, piles of sawed-off animal feet, and freezers full of animal hides. These images presented a lack of empathy for life to me as a child. My father’s vocation, was straightforward; permanent displays that are frozen in time. Although a recent diagnosis of a rare, degenerating disease my objective has manifested into exposing the unseen core and dysfunction of systems to communicate with the whole body. I find these references provocative and they offer me an opportunity to understand our own growth and decay. This work drives examination, and permits curiosity uncovering aspects of human nature and wonder of origin. These juxtaposed ideas reveal blurred distinctions between connections and dysfunction exhibited in multivalent invocations of the body.

125

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

❝As an artist, I find great joy in searching for geographic sites that motivate my artwork, calm the nerves, lift spirits and engage minds.❞ And, how do you select your artworks pieces and subjects? Where they come from? My work discusses and celebrates the fluid connections and movements of body and time, like a river in motion moving toward transformation and hope for our future. Each piece and series of work is inspired by natural processes or formations. When my dad was alive, we took a family vacation to Panama City, Florida. We were almost to our condo when we spotted a roadside stand with fresh fruits so we stopped. We all got out to stretch our legs and to buy fruit and then I saw it… a mounted blowfish hanging above the oranges. That blowfish embodied so many characteristics that I was exploring in my studio in terms of method and form with inherent texture and color. Finding the blowfish, served as a pivotal moment in my work and lead a year-long investigative process with clay and metal that was funded by the Ohio Arts Council. Each of the materials used in your artwork tells a story of its own, and finally, the combination emerges a very memorable overall story in the form of a sculpture. Is there an artwork or series that you would like to be remembered for? And if yes, what is it? I would like to be remembered for my current Anamorphosis Series that creates a dialogue with diverse populations, examining many facets of human growth through the power of movement and connection. These processes, concepts, and materials might not obviously relate to one another, but when probed, inherent threads overarch, link, network and build transformative connections. This project engages different nationalities, ages, backgrounds, religions, sexual orientations, and identities, disabilities, long-term health conditions, and education-levels. Anamorphosis’ reaches this diverse audience by providing an opportunity to reveal common threads that unify and bridge our rich, varied society. This project partner with larger corporations and institutions that employ or attract a wide range of people and encourages engagement through the writing phase of the project. The collaborative writing stage of this project stimulates the exchange of ideas and conversations while enriching participants intellectually and emotionally. Lisa, please talk about your influences. What are your art influences? Who are your favorite contemporary or historical artists and why? In an art-historical context, my artwork draws connections to environmental concerns, while evoking feelings from Environmental Art and Earthworks. In its most general sense, Environmental art, refers to works of modern art that are consciously designed to surround or include the viewer as participants fostering a direct emotional and sensory experience. In addition, my work has always been inspired by the works of Frida Kahlo that possess strong autobiographical elements, culture, identity, gender, class, race and documents her chronic pain. In a contemporary art reference, my work identifies with Andy Goldsworthy’s powerful, rhythms of growth in nature and Ann Hamilton’s encompassing environments. Throughout my career, key artists that have been influential to my work are Martin Puryear’s dynamic forms, Stephen De Stabbler’s massive, rough-textured sculptures, Viola Frey’s rich, tactile surfaces, Mary Frank’s individual way of working with clay, and William Jackson Maxwell’s site-specific sculpture focused on environmental concerns.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

126

And, If you could meet one of your ideal artists from the past, who would it be and what will you ask about? If I could meet an ideal artist from the past it would be Frida Kahlo. I would ask her about the raw, emotional work which documented her physical injuries and psychological trauma caused by her polio disease and bus accident. As a result, her powerful themes of pain, disability, injury, and fragility are very moving to me. If I could meet a contemporary artist I would choose Andy Goldsworthy. I would ask him about his artwork and the art-making process. I am fascinated by his pieces that are made in the landscape while only using nature’s materials; stones, leaves, sticks, snow, and ice, etc., to create dramatic holes, spirals, spores, spheres, and lines in space. Our readers are waiting for your future series since they are into your significant resplendent sculptures. Any upcoming works or future projects that you would like to share with our readers? Anamorphosis is an upcoming project using sculpture to explore materials, challenge the pedestal and give evidence a connection with the world around us. Anamorphosis discusses these concepts by focusing on movement's copious flow, a manner of the passage of the living body to one’s gait and gesture. The public will be presented with strips of paper to respond to questions; What does it mean to connect? Who do you love, what are you doing about it? Written responses will be woven into a sculpture that contains a dynamic form, fluidity, and directional flow. This work will be installed in a venue with 25’ ceilings and a lighting system. The piece will be suspended from the ceiling 10’ high, filling the space, but lower than the light sources to cast extreme shadows. The viewers will experience the sculpted forms above as they move throughout the space and have the opportunity to contemplate our human experience. Very happy to hear about your upcoming project Lisa. Anamorphosis seems quite a real challenge. Thank you for sharing your artistic world and mindset with our readers and wish you all the best for more great achievements.

❇

We hope you enjoyed reading this interesting interview with Lisa and found it useful for your artistic growth. If you want to ask your own question, please scan the QR code and proceed.

Lisa Merida Paytes

127

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Anamorphosis Series: Pulp Sculpture W:58 H:39 D:42 in 2021 Paper, Paperclay, Liquid Starch, Stain, Tea Lisa Merida Paytes

This mixed-media work is formed by hundreds of layers of paper that are woven together to create circular shapes. Each form is pigmented, stiffened with liquid starch, layered and installed together.

AW127973622

♡

OBSERVICA

128

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Anamorphosis Series: Spiral (Full View) Sculpture W:160 H:183 D:109 in 2021 Paper, Paperclay, Liquid Starch, Stain, Tea Lisa Merida Paytes

This mixed-media work is formed by hundreds of layers of paper that are woven together to create circular shapes. Each form is pigmented, stiffened with liquid starch, layered and installed together.

AW127327528

♡

OBSERVICA

129

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Helix Series: Sketch for Tertiary Structure Sculpture W:6 H:7 D:22 in 2020 Copper and Steel Wire, Paperclay, Fiberglass, Cold Patina Lisa Merida Paytes

Woven copper and steel wire, fiberglass coated in porcelain paper clay, fired, cold patinas

AW127792654

♡

OBSERVICA

130

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Muses In Purgatory Series: Three Muses Sculpture W:55 H:62 D:47 in 2017 Porcelain Paperclay, Cone 5, Fiberglass, Copper Wire, Epoxy Lisa Merida Paytes

This series is inspired by my Catholic upbringing and losing my sister. I was raised to believe that Purgatory is a place of suffering, where we repay and repent for our sins. The intent of this piece is to evoke the human spirit that was destroyed and to make amends for our mistakes.

AW127779764

♡

OBSERVICA

131

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Richard Heiens Painting

Dr. Heiens is an accomplished international artist whose colorful abstract expressionist works never fail to solicit an emotional reaction from the viewer. Using color intensity and simplicity of composition, his works make a big impact without crowding the canvas. His paintings have a wonderful balance and handling of the acrylics and are intended to catch the eye of the beholder with their colors and shapes which tell a story. His paintings have a balance of color composition warm/cold/neutral with a mix of different round and edged components. There are clear boundaries filled with soft shifting nuances. He uses layering of the paints to create the richness in the colors with light and darks being well placed. He picked up gallery presentation in Texas and London after selling his works on Instagram.

Recent Achievements include: Award of Recognition. Artist’s Eye Gallery, Lake Worth, FL “Art Restart” Juried Exhibition March 16-April 11, 2021, Award of Recognition. Artios Gallery, N.Y.” Empirical Abstraction” Curated online Art Exhibition April 20-June 20, 2021. Award of Recognition. Featured Artist. Artist’s Eye Gallery, Lake Worth, FL. “Art Insight” Juried show May 18– June 26, 2021. Featured in the “A Renaissance 2021” Youtube Exhibition presented by Artist of Palm Beach County, Florida Featured in The Working Artist May, 2021 Edition IV of the Average art Magazine, Liverpool, United Kingdom Featured in Corriere dell’Arte / Courrier des Arts Modern and Contemporary Art Magazine July 5 –August 15 Edition, Torino, Italy. Featured in Troop Art digital gallery in Buenos Aires, Argentina Featured in Emerging Artists Gallery London, England 2020-2021. Featured in Cotuit Center for the Arts “ All in the Family“ Juried online art Exhibition in Cape Cod, Maine August 14-October 2, 2021. Finalist in Gray Cube Gallery, Blue Art Show, Juried online art exhibition in Dallas, Texas August 1-August 31, 2021. Featured in Exhibizone “Love 2021” Art Show, Juried online art exhibition in Ontario, Canada August25September 25, 2021 Featured in “United Through Arts 2021 Art of Japan”, Juried Exhibition Online in Medford Arts, Medford, NJ. September 1-September30, 2021. Featured in “Art 4 Animals” Juried Virtual Exhibit by Red Bluff ArtGallery, Red Bluff, California, September 1December 1, 2021. Featured in the Art Market Magazine, Juried Gold List Award for Excellence, Canada, Israel, and Florence XIIIth Edution 23-31 October 2021, Fortezza da Basso, Florence, Italy, and Artespo, NY, Aoril 2022. Featured in Exhibizone– “Summer 2021, 06-Sep-2021” Art Show, Juried online exhibition in Ontario, Canada, September 6- October10-2021.

biafarin.com/artist?name=richard-heiens

OBSERVICA

132

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

A Day in the Life of a Lobster Painting, Acrylic W:30 H:40 in 2021 This original acrylic painting was inspired by the paintings of Kandinsky Richard Heiens

AW127650842

♡

133

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Chaos Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:16 H:20 D:1 in 2020 Richard Heiens

This original acrylic painting on canvas was inspired by the geometric figure of a triangle with color to emphasize the lines and shapes AW127333700

♡

OBSERVICA

134

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Lovers Painting, Acrylic W:16 H:20 in 2020 This original acrylic painting was inspired by the paintings of Van Gogh Richard Heiens

AW127753264

♡

December Nights Mixed Media on Board - Wood W:42 H:32 in 2021 Eric Goldstein

AW127727292

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

136

Eric Goldstein Painting, Mixed Media

Vancouver-based Eric Goldstein’s long and productive career as a cinematographer has strongly influenced the art forms that he explores. Eric has directed the photography on over 65 features and televised movies. Eric’s distinct cinematographic style has garnered numerous awards: including an Eastman Kodak Excellence Award; a Gemini Award and several BC’s Leo Awards,. Eric honed his skills as a fine artist at Rhode Island School of Design. Throughout his filmmaking career Eric remained contemporary in the language of art with his metal sculpture, painting, commissioned furniture and artistic fences. Currently, he is using mixed media to build canvases that are graphically influenced and have strong, architectural rhythms “Ultimately, my painted frames express the same underlying concept that I strive for as a cinematographer: emotional narratives with kinetic energy”

biafarin.com/artist?name=eric-goldstein

137

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Flow

Mixed Media | W:42 H:32 in | 2019 | AW127481648

Eric Goldstein Unconventionally crafted Robin Weißbach Interviewer

Eric, thank you for accepting our invitation to talk so that our readers can get more familiar with your artistic career and brilliant artworks. Tell us about your artistic background story and if there was a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as a visual artist? My mother was a working artist, so as far back as I can remember I have always followed an artistic path. In elementary school, unbeknownst to me, an art teacher submitted one of my ceramic sculptures to a state wide-scholastic art completion. The piece won 1st place. In high school, I took an internship with a local photographer and it was there that the idea of making a life as a” creative “ was concreted. Working with James Spider Martin was unquestionably the most significant influence in my young adult life. He was an unpretentious super-creative man and I just wanted to be a part of whatever he was working on. It was in those early years that I recognised; becoming a master-craftsman was more important to me than becoming a self-expressing artist. To master the craft and become a skillful photographer was the pursuit that interested me the most. To that end, I attended Rhode Island School of Design. I loved my experience there, RISD encapsulates an oldschool approach to the arts, where the measure of artistic merit is based on the technical and historical significance of ones work. I studied a lot of art history and honed skills in many different crafts. In my junior year, I was asked to be the cinematographer on a colleague’s student’s film. Inspired by my experience on this project I knew I wanted a career as a cinematographer. After school, I set out to Los Angeles to get a start. It took nearly three years. As a Director of Photography, I have photographed over 65 features and televised movies. My camera work has garnered several awards: including An Eastman Kodak Excellence in Cinematography Award, a Gemini nomination and several Cinematography awards. Some of the more notable films I have contributed to include are, The Usual Suspects, Me, Myself, and Irene, Dr Dolittle 3, American Pie 2, The Right Temptation, Nightmare on Elm St. 7, American History X, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and Arachnophobia. After years of collaborations with other filmmakers, my interest has turned towards being a full-time self-expressing artists. I find that painting requires greater introspection and a deeper engagement with my world. Throughout my filmmaking career, I remained contemporary in the language of art with metal sculpture, painting, and furniture design. Presently, I am unconventionally collaging natural fibers; metal foils, glass tile, plaster and paint to explore nature’s unbounded spaces and attempt to emulate its true intrinsic order.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

138

Wonderful! Learning skills and applying creativity in your favorite art is more important to you than anything, and the traces of this approach are so evident in your artworks. Was there ever a moment of doubt to question your art career entirely? This is a fair question. I humorously like to say that the reason I’m an artist is that it’s cheaper than psychotherapy. Fortunately, I have been propelled with the occasional moments of success, but honestly; a freelance career is innately distraught with uncertainties and insecurities. Never knowing what (income) comes next is inherent with the ‘freelance’ territory. Knowing that these forces can become destructive energies in my life. I have come to understand that the best way for me to get through these feelings is to embrace my vulnerability, let go of any preconceived notions of my career and just create. The process of doing the art’-work is the very thing that helps me move forward. Doubt may come to the artists suddenly, but they try to ignore it and keep presenting what is formed in their minds and senses. Now, take us to your workplace. What is your daily routine when working in your studio? I am not as disciplined with my routine, as I would like to be. I noticed that when I’m turned on with a project I can work for hours in my studio. My current work is very labour-intensive, I would guesstimate that I put in nearly 60 plus hours into each piece. So it is essential that I work in my studio every day even if it’s not a set amount of time. If I’m not actually working in my studio I am often thinking about my current piece and where it’s taking me.

❝For me, the definition of being an artist is someone who exhibits a mindful approach towards doing his or her utmost at any endeavor.❞ You said that you prefer to let go of any preconceived notions of your profession and create because the process of doing art is what helps you progress. Take us through your process of making your artworks. I start with a photography or concept. I approach my work as an architect might attempt a drawing, one line at a time, measuring, removing, and repeating to create shapes and structures that work in harmony. I work with my canvas flat. I will use a variety of organic fibers and objects that speaks to the color and texture of my subjects. Each thread is measured precisely to ensure its straightness and to create a visual pattern much the same way a musician uses the measure to compose. My collage is held in a place using acrylic paint mixed with plaster. When my abstracted frame finally speaks clearly to my original photo I know I am done. Amazing! Your painted frames express the same underlying concept you strive for as a cinematographer: emotional narratives with kinetic energy. Is there a central concept connecting all your works together or each series or artwork is unique? My work is highly conceptual. My processes of creating these pieces are akin to a practice of creative alchemy. I’m using skills that I have developed as a cinematographer, math, quantum theory, and introspection to express something greater than myself. But before I explain, let me say that none of these concepts are important for the viewers to discern or understand! Hopefully, the viewer enjoys my artwork simply because I’ve created an aesthetically pleasing frame. I didn’t set out to use fractural geometry, algorithms, and quantum sciences such as Chaos and Sting theories, but over time, I discovered that these things are innate in my work. The alchemy starts when I endeavour to distill only the basic elements of line, color, and texture from my landscapes and endeavour to pair down nature’s complexities into a single kinetic frame. In doing so, I attempt to emulate natures’ true intrinsic order. Not necessarily as it appears, but as it feels to experience; incomprehensible, indescribable, always changing, and often very chaotic.

139

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

It’s important to understand the audience and generate a clear message. Would you like to give a particular interpretation of your work to your viewers or you prefer to leave the whole interpretation to your audience? I see myself as both a naturalist and a conceptual artist. My constructed frames are both an exploration into the concepts that I employ as a professional cinematographer and my reverential regard for our natural environment. Sometimes amazing sources of artistic inspiration capture the artist's soul. How do you seek and use inspiration for your works? Maybe it is from looking back at the houses along the tree-lined shore, with their luminescent lights shimmering on the bay, or by the path, behind my house, that tunnels west through a shaded forest, all its’ flora bejeweled in the golden afternoon light. Perhaps, it’s because all one can see the houses in my arboreal neighbourhood is the sunlight dancing on their windows and their addresses on the street. Or because the snow-covered birches illuminated by a cerulean sky endows the Squamish Basin with its own phosphorescent light. All I know is, I am constantly being inspired by the landscapes around me. How do you select your artworks subjects? Where they come from? Not sure, they somehow select me. By techniques and methods you use, you create moving images of nature on your canvases. Is there an artwork or series that you would like to be remembered for? I have been a visual artist most of my adult life. I feel that I have found a voice with this new style of mixed media work. Hopefully, if you listen closely, you might feel the synergy comes from the creative alchemy of science, conceptual art and introspection. Eric, what are your art influences? It might sound a little cliché, but I have always valued those artists who pioneered both the arts and sciences. Nothing exemplifies this more than the Renaissance artist and craftsmen such as Leonardo Di Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo. But perhaps more directly, my influences come from continually looking towards postmodernist artists like Rothko, Pollock, and Mondrian for influences. I found that these artists were also pioneers in the language of art. Let's visit the remarkable old artists! If you could meet one of your ideal artists from the past, who would it be and what will you ask about? Any one of the artists I mentioned above. I would ask them all the same questions; what is the meaning of Art? Our readers are waiting for loads of your future artworks to get excited about. Any upcoming works or future projects that you would like to share with our readers? I would like to invite anyone who might be interested in following me to visit my website and signing up for my newsletter. Very good! Thank you Eric for sharing your modern artistic mindset with our readers. Good luck and hope to see you soon again!

❇

Dear readers, if you want to ask your own question, please scan the QR code and proceed.

Eric Goldstein

OBSERVICA

140

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Forest Path Mixed Media on Canvas W:30 H:40 in 2017 Eric Goldstein

By distilling the basic elements of color, texture and line from the landscapes of my world, these abstract canvases endeavor to portray nature in motion, not as nature appears but as nature feels; unspoken, indescribable and sometimes chaotic."

AW127426678

♡

141

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Forest for the Trees Mixed Media W:42 H:32 in 2019 Eric Goldstein

AW127140844

♡

OBSERVICA

142

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Glimpse of the Sea Mixed Media, Mixed Media W:42 H:32 in 2019 Eric Goldstein

AW127267948

♡

143

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Last Light Mixed Media, Mixed Media W:42 H:32 in 2018 Eric Goldstein

AW127847172

♡

OBSERVICA

144

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Old Trellis Fence Mixed Media W:42 H:32 in 2018 Eric Goldstein

AW127620448

♡

145

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Carole Robitaille

I am a Canadian born in Northern Ontario and grew up in Whitby, On. After college, I moved to Toronto for employment and started taking night school courses and workshops in art for many years This kept me continually learning and developing my sketching and painting skills. From there I joined a couple of art clubs in Toronto where I was able to learn different techniques from demonstrating artists, do volunteer work, get to show and sell some of my paintings and also win several awards. I continue to paint now daily since retiring and my love for art continues to grow. Caroler.ca

biafarin.com/artist?name=carole-robitaille

OBSERVICA

146

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

TO THOSE THAT CAME BEFORE US Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:76 H:70 D:2 cm 2021 Carole Robitaille

How can we not all be related to each other? While looking over our family tree and how my ancestors go back about 400 years in Canada, I realized how many people were directly involved with my existence here and now. Each person alive has 2 parents, who each had 2 parents, and the numbers double with each generation back. The painting shows all the people going back in time (shown by colour changes) directly involved with every person's life today.

AW607707417

♡

147

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

A LIGHTHOUSE IN NEWFOUNDLAND Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:70 H:51 D:2 cm 2019 Carole Robitaille

I spent a month in Newfoundland to photograph and paint its rugged beauty. I was very much attracted to this area and also took many photos. AW100955325

♡

OBSERVICA

148

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

BUBBLES OF COLOURFUL WISHES Painting, Mixed Media on Canvas W:70 H:51 D:2 cm 2021 Carole Robitaille

I am sending out bubbles from my balconey daily with thoughts and hopes that all who see the bubbles float by ate granted Colourful Wishes. AW074117008

♡

149

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

HIDDEN PATHWAY Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:51 H:40.60 D:2 cm 2021 Carole Robitaille

This spot was found very close to home. It's under some trees that are found by an entrance to a pathway that takes you across a field to the nearby Bay. It looks like is been a bit of a shelter for many different critters in the past. A covered hidden shelter and pathway.

AW085209111

♡

OBSERVICA

150

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

WITH HOPES FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:76 H:70 D:2 cm 2021 Carole Robitaille

Created over Easter Weekend 2021 Tree carries Hope's and Prayers spreading out over the land to all with thoughts for a Brighter Future AW663644248

♡

16th Ave (2) Photography W:10 H:8 in 2017 Jon Osio Lardizabal

AW127222252

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

152

Jon Osio Lardizabal Photography

Jon Lardizabal is an emerging artist whose interest in purposeful composition stems from his background in kinesiology. Observation of an athlete’s injury and the meticulous process of returning an athlete to play translated effortlessly to detailing a subject’s relation to its surroundings within a frame during his self-taught photography classes. The discovery of artists such as Leonard Freed, René Magritte, and Elliott Erwitt would captivate Jon to the point of creating an in-house darkroom and creating a majority of work within the black and white aesthetic. He has since received honors at local calls and shows such as the Athenaeum’s 23rd Annual Juried Show and The Studio Door’s 50 to Watch where his work has been described as technically sound and being reminiscent of imagery from Magnum photographers in the 1970’s/1980’s. His current efforts are focused on refining his projects to take the next steps towards getting them published as photography books. Here, he looks to stray away from traditional museum installations and explore alternate routes of presenting photographs in a way where viewers can hold and observe the photographs as they please.

biafarin.com/artist?name=jon-osio

153

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

B st

Photography | W:10 H:8 in | 2014 | AW127041034

Jon Osio: Understanding Life Nancy Krüger Interviewer

Jon, we are so grateful that you accept our invitation to have an interview with you. Tell us about your artistic background story and if there was a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as a visual artist? For the most part, I’m self-taught. I took a few photography classes at the local junior college after receiving my bachelor’s degree since, at the time, that was the only way for me to have consistent access to a darkroom. It was here where I had my moment of realization because the more I enlarged the images from my negatives, the more I realized that I was literally bringing thoughts from my mind into existence. Which for me, is one of the closest things to magic. That's exactly right. When the negative is turned into a photograph in a dark room, it is as if all the recorded ideas, mindsets, and emotions are coming true. Was there ever a moment of doubt to question your art career entirely? There were multiple times, and I’d narrow it down to the hardest time: the beginning after making that decision to have an “art career”. Because of the oversaturation of platforms (digital and physical) to present art and the ease to start in almost any medium, it’s difficult to really know which avenue to take. “Do I go the commercial route? But how much of my creative freedom do I give up? Should I pay to have my work reviewed? How do I know this will really help?” As you can see, it’s easy to get lost in a rabbit hole of questions.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

154

Yes, and finding answers to all these questions is not an easy task. What is your daily routine when working in your studio? Because my photographs are mostly candid, my studio is more or less wherever I can be completely myself for at least a moment. During those moments, I examine what’s in front of me and if it doesn’t interest me, I keep wandering - by foot or in my head. We are willing to know so many things about a professional photographer’s work process. So, take us through your process of making your artworks. How do you move from an idea to an artwork? Where does an artwork begin for you? The process is more or less the same as my daily routine. The artwork typically begins when there’s a pattern or obscure detail I notice. Because I’m mostly taking candid photographs of others, I’m thinking about how the surroundings compliment and how that changes if the subject(s) are interacting with it. Technically, the artwork is done after the shutter is released and since I’m shooting on film, I won’t know what exactly I created until later. So each time I advance the film, I start the process over. According to what you say, you want to show that each image provides a space for self-reflection and a moment to discuss stressful topics and encourage improvement. So, is there a central concept connecting all your works together or each series or artwork is unique? No, each project is its own, but I would say the way I go about framing can be similar. Even with that said, it’s pretty easy to tell the projects apart since each has its own distinct subject matter. Some artists prefer to occupy the viewer’s mind with the hidden message in the artwork, while others present some descriptions to make the message more understandable. Would you like to give a particular interpretation of your work to your viewers or you prefer to leave the whole interpretation to your audience? “There are as many opinions as people.” Interpretation should be left for the viewer. I don’t mind providing suggestions in an artist statement or where inspiration comes from, but one’s work, like one’s actions, should be able to speak louder than one’s words. Many things can inspire photographers before clicking the shutter. How do you seek and use inspiration for your works? Much of my inspiration comes from cinematography and animation. Because they’re able to include all types of other art mediums (at the same time, or separately) to express an infinite number of thoughts and understandings, there’s plenty of ways to learn and explore different avenues. A great example is from J.J. Abrams’ Cloverfield: when reaching the evacuation zone, the camera pans over to the two main characters that are spotlighted by a large floodlight in the distance. Although brief, the displays of their silhouettes embracing was an excellent way to ease the tension and enter the final act. What about your subjects? How do you select your artworks subjects? Where they come from? If there’s a pattern or detail I’m interested in or a moment that triggers thoughts of isolation, meaninglessness, death, or freedom in front of me, it’s my subject - as long as I can get close enough, haha! Oh yes! The issue of approaching the subject in specific times and particular situations is a big deal by itself. Is there an artwork or series that you would like to be remembered for? And if yes, what is it? These images are part of an ongoing series, four givens, which reflect my understanding of the world. I’d want this presentation of Dr. Yalom’s statement of these eventual experiences to spark self-reflection and discussion. One’s experience of isolation could be another’s experience of freedom, and it’s important to have this kind of understanding about one another. Now, let’s talk about your influences, Jon. What are your art influences? Who are your favorite contemporary or historical artists and why? René Magritte’s work is like a pencil sharpener for my mind. It’s easy to get lost in thought with his paintings because the presentation of familiar items ground many of his paintings in a context that’s common but causes questions because of their placement or displacement. Additionally, his work is presented in a conventional manner, not dependent on a certain expressionistic style or color scheme, and is still able to elicit a number of reactions and responses. For me, they’re a reminder to keep exploring.

155

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

And, if you could meet one of your ideal artists from the past, who would it be and what will you ask about? Easily René Magritte. If given that chance, I’d just want to have a casual conversation where we talk about our favorite foods and drinks, what superpower we’d want to have, places we’d want to visit, preferred time of the year, etc. I’d see it as a waste of time if all we talked about was art. My next question is definitely our readers’ question as they are interested in your candid shots. Any upcoming works or future projects that you would like to share with our readers? I decided to present four givens as a series of artist books earlier this year, and I’m looking to have volume 2 out before the end of the year. As long as I can take and print pictures, I plan to continue creating additional volumes. That's great Jon to move forward in art despite all odds, specially in this era. I appreciate your time to bring up your artistic thoughts and visions and let our readers to get in touch your art more closely. Hope to see you soon in another practical interview. Good luck and art bless you!

❇

Dear reader, thank you for your attention and constant support. If you want to ask your own question from Jon, please scan the QR code and proceed.

Jon Osio Lardizabal

OBSERVICA

156

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Elliott Ave w Photography W:10 H:8 in 2018 35 mm Jon Osio Lardizabal

AW127445098

♡

157

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Fifth Ave Photography W:8 H:10 in 2014 Silver Gelatin Jon Osio Lardizabal

Gentleman passing by bachelorette party.

AW127907600

♡

OBSERVICA

158

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Fourth Ave Photography W:10 H:8 in 2014 Silver Gelatin Jon Osio Lardizabal

Guests at a downtown bar.

AW127072722

♡

159

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Jr Line (2) Photography W:10 H:8 in 2016 35 mm Jon Osio Lardizabal

AW127529228

♡

OBSERVICA

160

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Pan American rd e (4) Photography W:10 H:8 in 2019 35 mm Jon Osio Lardizabal

AW127906100

♡

Snail Outing Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:48 H:60 in 2018 Paul Gregoire

AW127915984

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

162

Paul Gregoire

My ongoing research work led me to adopt a head-on approach to several disciplines linked to the visual arts. From 1970 to 2005, my artistic cursus mainly translates itself into sculpture and installation. I presented solo exhibitions in several contemporary art galleries in Québec. Starting in 1980, I engaged into a saxophonist career where shows became a lieu where music, theatre and artistic performance meet. In the 1990s, performance became a recurrent feature to my approach. I was invited to different international action art festivals. And I was the organizer of a performance event in Québec from 2001 to 2005. Author of a column in the arts magazine ESSE for 10 years since 1985, I have also published four novels. In the early 2000s, the discovery of osteology strongly fueled my aesthetical preoccupations. It is through painting however, which I have been practicing full-time since 2015, that this new source of inspiration materializes itself.

biafarin.com/artist?name=paul-gregoire

163

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Independant Cow Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:48 H:60 in 2018 Paul Gregoire

AW127033612

♡

OBSERVICA

164

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Winter Attitude Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:48 H:60 in 2018 Paul Gregoire

AW127335292

♡

165

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Torres Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:48 H:60 in 2018 Paul Gregoire

AW127141520

♡

OBSERVICA

166

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Peculiar Christmas Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:48 H:60 in 2018 Paul Gregoire

AW127755548

♡

Amber of Autumn Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:50 H:50 cm 2020 Natalie Demina

AW127589674

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Natalie Demina Painting

She was born in the city of Dresden in Germany into a creative family. I came to oil painting at a conscious age, feeling an acute need for self-expression. She studied at the art school in St. Petersburg in the direction of oil painting and graphics. Winner of the No. 1 BIAFARINA Prize 2020 of the 6th edition of the Prisma Art Prize Gallery, Rome Italy. Has publications in the Canadian art magazine Observica 2020 Special edition 9 in 2021. Lives and works in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.

biafarin.com/artist?name=natalie-demina

168

169

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Autumn Rhapsody

Painting, Oil Color on Canvas | W:60 H:50 cm | 2020 | AW127138890

Natalie Demina: Love, Joy and Admiration Marian White Interviewer

Natalie, we are so happy that you share your artistic background and lifestyle with us. So, tell us about your artistic background story and if there was a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as a visual artist? I was born in a creative family, where my mother, having an architect's education, realized her talents through various activities. It was painting, drawing, writing poetry, and interior decoration. Our family even went out into nature with an easel. I was lucky enough to be born in Dresden and was happy to visit the Dresden Art Gallery in my early childhood. It was an unforgettable experience. Having a musical piano education, I wasn’t interested in the artistic direction at all. But the tragic death of my mother changed my whole life. By that time, I had already had a higher engineering education, a prestigious job as a commercial director in a private company, and also my own family. After my mother's death, I took all the oil paints home with me, and it was as if her inspiration and passion for the art of painting descended on me. I had been painting all night long. Knowing the basics of drawing, my hands just intuitively deduced the pictorial forms, and by the end of the work I had already known exactly what was reflected on the canvas. But the most mysterious thing in this story was the call of my own sister, who, after the first night of my immersion in painting, asked me about what I had been doing that night. I was surprised by her question and she explained to me that she had dreamed of our mother that night, who said that she was next to me… Then I realized that my development in this art is my path. Since then, I have been independently studying the basics of painting and drawing in online schools, studying in master classes with artists from St. Petersburg and Moscow, and now I can no longer imagine my life without creativity. Very impressive. It is really admirable that the loss of your mother, despite the grief left in your heart, makes you strive to create valuable artworks, both to calm yourself down and to make her happy and satisfied. So, you have never had a moment of doubt to question your art career entirely, have you? My career in art began at a conscious age, when I was 30 years old. Wherever I studied in my life, I was always the first and received diplomas with honors. It was easy to study and the spirit of perfectionism has always been my companion. Therefore, when I started drawing, I had very strong doubts about my professionalism due to the lack of academic art education. "Impostor syndrome" accompanied me for several years. And only successful participation in International Art Competitions helped me completely overcome this.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

170

Now, tell me, what is your daily routine when working in your studio? This question is frequently asked by our readers because they are curious about whether The artist's every day job is just painting or or doing other things besides. All my life I have been learning, getting new knowledge, and learning different techniques. My creative process is divided into three parts: the first is learning. This is the study of theory and working out new skills on the canvas. The second part is thinking about new projects, paintings, thinking through concepts. This is an intellectual work that fills my work with new meanings and gives it development. Well, the third part: it is the most significant in terms of time - the process of painting itself. Here I just fall through time and space. Everything just freezes up… My whole being is captured by the idea of implementing what I have planned on the canvas, and until the result is achieved, the work will continue.

❝Each artist is a creator and realizing all the responsibility, she must bring her unique view to the world which can affect the people around her.❞ Our readers will greatly appreciate the natural beauty of your artworks. So, take us through your process of making your artworks. Actually, how do you move from an idea to an artwork? And where does an artwork begin for you? I'm a visual artist. And it is very important to me that the work that I create is aesthetic for human perception. It must carry a certain energy of beauty into this world. As for me, the work begins with inspiration of the nature I have seen, which I want to capture on canvas then. And the goal will be achieved if I manage to stop the moment with the help of colors and, without making an exact copy, grab the main meaning, even if I have to exaggerate a little in color and form. This will help to enhance the effect of the work and give it depth. In your artworks, you have depicted scenic landscape and nature. Even images and any other concept are somehow mixed with nature or landscape. So, can we say there is a central concept connecting all your works together or each series or artwork is unique? All my works are united only by the delight of the beauty of nature! These are beautiful women's images, flowers, and magnificent landscapes! Would you like to give a particular interpretation of your work to your viewers or you prefer to leave the whole interpretation to your audience? I would like every viewer to enjoy the contemplation of my paintings. They should not "break" their brain. Everyone will receive a certain message that my works contain, and it will be quite personal. Definitely. It seems that showing off natural beauties requires a lot of inspiration and motivation that can guide the artist's soul to see, feel and display. How do you seek and use inspiration for your works? Every moment, the surrounding space, people can create inspiration for their works – all this I carefully examine, I try to see the beauty and uniqueness. Mindfulness and a broad view make it possible to fill my soul with life-giving energy. And this source is inexhaustible, and my soul demands a new delight in beauty. The birth of the idea of a new picture is always unexpected and completely absorbs my consciousness. From this moment to the last stroke, I am completely at the mercy of the painting process.

171

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

You said you want to show this beauty to the viewers and transfer the energy to them. To fulfill this purpose, how do you select your artworks subjects? Where they come from? My work is divided into three areas: flowers, landscapes and women's images. I know it's kind of hard for you to decide which artwork or series you like the most but it is the most of our curious readers’ question that “Is there an artwork or series that you would like to be remembered for?” And if yes, what is it? Sure, I have an extraordinary mystical painting called "Towards Yourself". This is a fantastic landscape about a girl floating in a boat on a water surface with reflecting clouds. The painting is uses unrealistic colors and seems to be divided into two symmetrical parts horizontally. The idea of the picture is to realize the meaning of life, which boils down to the fact that this is the way to yourself. The world that surrounds us is much more voluminous, wider, brighter, deeper, wiser and there is an immeasurable amount of Love in it! And we are an inseparable part of it. And the mystique of this picture is that by drawing it horizontally, I unconsciously drew the image of the Higher Self. This can be seen by turning the picture vertically. Moreover, I even didn’t notice it by myself, those were my friends who paid attention to it! By the way, this picture has immediately found its owner and moved to Canada. Our readers are willing to know your key art influences during your artistic path. Who are your favorite contemporary or historical artists, and why? I am fascinated by the paintings of the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt. His style is characterized by sensual symbolism. A special role in the work is played by women's images, which are made in an original monumental and decorative manner. Also, I would mention the Russian artist Ivan Slavinsky, who is the one of the contemporary artists in the world of art. I am so close to his style of painting. This is a synergy of realism, postmodernism and surrealism. Have you ever thought about having a chance to meet artists from ancient times? If you could meet one of your ideal artists from the past, who would it be and what will you ask about? If I really had the opportunity, I would be immensely happy to meet Leonardo da Vinci. The genius of this great man is undeniable. And my question would concern the painting "The Last Supper". The most discussed secret of the fresco is the figure of the disciple, located on the right hand of Christ. It is believed that this is none other than Mary Magdalene and her location indicates the fact that she was not the mistress of Jesus, as is commonly believed, but his legitimate wife.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

172

This fact is confirmed by the letter "M", which is formed by the contours of the bodies of the pair. Allegedly, it means the word "Matrimonio", which means"marriage". What would Leonardo have said to me??? Let’s talk a little bit more about creating a spiritual and inspiring artwork that comes from the nature. Our readers have been curious if in your experience, it is like a spark growing into a flame, or it just happens one day at once? My research on the level of human spirituality shows that our fast-paced time, with its insane saturation of information and material overconsumption, has changed nothing in the category of true beauty. Man is still inspired and spiritually cleansed by contemplation of natural nature. The idea of a new painting is born unconsciously and suddenly, at the moment when the perfection of nature completely captures my being and turns off my mind. From that moment until the last stroke, I am completely in the power of the painting process. It is as if everything around me is in the background and the search for color and form on canvas becomes the main focus. My mission in painting is to return people to the origins of natural beauty, in which they will draw energy and their own inspiration for further development. In some of your artworks, if someone is going to accompany the scenery and nature, like “Fermata” or “To Meet Myself”, it is a woman. Our readers are would like to know whether there is an essential philosophy behind this expression. Yes, of course, this female image is in a sense a metaphorical manifestation of me. It illustrates the current moment in my life and tells about my inner state. “Fermata” is kind of interesting concept from some of our readers’ viewpoint. For those who do not know, please elaborate what is “Fermata”? Also, why do you think you are so attracted to this subject? A fermata is a sign of musical notation, prescribing the performer to extend the duration of a note at his discretion. In the interpretation of the image in the painting, it is a time filled with the sound of music, which is left within the space, but without the participation of the instrument. For me it is a kind of pause in life, filled with your inner melody. Some of our readers are emerging artists trying various careers and mediums. If you mentored younger artists who are beginning their art careers in Realism or Naturalism, what single most important piece of advice would you offer? If you feel that without creativity your life has no meaning and it becomes gray and insignificant, find the strength and tenacity not to turn away from this path! Draw inspiration from nature, from amazing people mentors, and surround yourself with those who support you and don't doubt your success. And then, when you get up to the canvas, you will always only be filled!

173

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

❝Mindfulness and a broad view make it possible to fill my soul with life-giving energy.❞ And a frequent question from our readers: As you picture Autumn more than other seasons and in “Autumn Rhapsody” you mentioned “such mature beauty is possible only in autumn”, what does Fall exactly mean to you? Thank you for your question. In my worldview, autumn metaphorically represents a time of awareness. A time when a person, by going through a certain cycle of development, comes to very important life discoveries. Our readers can’t wait to know about any upcoming works or future projects that you would like to share with them. I have already had several projects in my head, but first of all I would like to create an art project "Pearl Sequence", where women's images will live in eloquent poses. And all the images will be connected by one pearl thread. I don't want to give out all the details, but it should be an original series. What a creative mind! I am sure that Pearl Sequence can be the next big thing in your fabulous artistic career Natalie. I would like to express our deepest appreciation for your time and kindness to accept our invitation. Best wishes and good luck for you!

❇

And that's it! We really hope that you found inspiring points in this interview with Natalie. Please scan the below QR code and ask your own question from Natalie to be answered.

Natalie Demina

OBSERVICA

174

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Berth in Autumn Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:50 H:50 cm 2020 Natalie Demina

Your boat is moored! What a riot of colors you can see in the fall and you want to breathe in this slightly cool air, painted with the bright palette of the surrounding nature ... And there, on the shore, new sensations and unexplored expanses of your soul await you. The new stage begins on a completely different basis - not on shaky water, but on solid ground ...

AW127423864

♡

175

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Fermata Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:50 H:70 cm 2020 Natalie Demina

The picture shows a beautiful violinist who has just performed a piece of music and is impressed by this magic. The whole world froze. And she is already listening to the melody of her soul. AW127066764

♡

OBSERVICA

176

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Ice mysticism of lake Baikal Painting, Oil Color W:50 H:60 D:2 cm 2020 Natalie Demina

Зима на Байкале - особое время. Царство льда - так можно назвать озеро зимой. Зрелище просто завораживает и кажется мистическим. Пейзажи зимнего Байкала никого не оставят равнодушным: сотни километров самого прозрачного, сверкающего на солнце льда; гигантские торосы, ледяные пещеры, заснеженные горные вершины.

AW127121354

♡

177

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Re ection of Autumn Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:50 H:50 cm 2020

Natalie Demina

Autumn is the most colorful time of the year! There are so many shades of gold, purple and ocher that you will be surprised at such a wild imagination of nature. Perhaps even the artist's richest palette is incapable of accurately reflecting these hues. And only the surface of the lake is able to catch them and become a guide of this beauty to the water world.

AW127633760

♡

OBSERVICA

178

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

To Meet Myself Painting, Oil Bar on Canvas W:80 H:60 cm 2020 Natalie Demina

All our lives we have been trying to understand its meaning. And after passing a certain path, we come to the understanding that the world around us is not three-dimensional. It is much more voluminous, wider, brighter, deeper, wiser, and there is an immense amount of Love in it. Let's open our soul and look through it into this amazing space! The painting depicts a beautiful girl floating in the clouds on a boat.

AW127098182

♡

179

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Nancy Stainton

Nancy was born in Covina, California. She has been creating works of art since she was 8. She started drawing portraits at that age with pencil and charcoal, influenced by the drawings of her mother’s friend. Later she explored Surrealism with acrylics and pen and ink. She studied Fine Arts at the University of Colorado in Boulder during the 1970's. In the late 1970’s she began experimenting with pastels. She continued this exploration over the years developing a deep passion for this medium. She has done many commissioned portraits in pastel of people and animals. She has won numerous awards for her paintings in many art shows throughout the world over the years. She has been a member of the Degas Pastel Society for 15 years and the Portrait Society of America for 15 years. She is a member of the Pastel Society of America and the Central Coast Art Association. She was a member of the Pastel Society of New Mexico during the 1990's when they lived there. She has been influenced mostly by the Impressionist artists – Monet and Degas especially, Salvador Dali, Picasso as well as more modern artists. Nancy moved to Monterey April 2017. Admiring the beauty of the area she has embarked on painting sea life, landscapes, animals and people of the county. She hopes to engage more with local artists, learning new techniques, subject matter and enjoy the comradery.

biafarin.com/artist?name=nancy-stainton

OBSERVICA

180

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Feeling Sublime Painting W:14 H:16 in 2020 Soft Pastel Nancy Stainton

portrayal of a southern lady feeling sublime

AW127714330

♡

181

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Clement's Warthog Tales Painting, Pastel on Paper W:7.50 H:6.70 D:0.40 in 2020 Nancy Stainton

This painting is of Clement our safari guide in South Africa telling us about the dangers of warthogs while on safari. AW127617064

♡

OBSERVICA

182

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Ojibwe Girl Painting, Pastel on Paper W:20 H:16 in 2021 Nancy Stainton

Soft Pastel This is painting is a young Ojibwe Native American girl in her traditional dance attire. AW127452024

♡

Girl with a Birdcage Painting, Pastel W:18 H:24 in 2020 Lindsay Hirsch

AW127462230

♡

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

184

Lindsay Hirsch Painting

I started painting as a child. I have taken art lessons (drawing and painting) since the age of 5. I continued to take lessons and majored in Art at my high school; Crossroads, and graduated as a National Arts Merit Scholar. I received both an MA in art history from London University and an MFA in painting from The Slade school UCL. I have exhibited in Europe and the USA. Euan Uglow was my mentor and friend. He has probably been the greatest influence on me and how I see the world around me. I mostly paint from life and developed my use of measurement and color from my time at The Slade in London. When I cannot paint from life, I use photo references, but I definitely feel my vast experience painting from life has helped me see and not be limited by the photograph. My work has evolved as did my ability, but I do think that one can see a quintessential something that would be definable as “me” throughout my life in my work. There are general themes and framing of images that I use throughout my life. I have always been a “life painter” never for one minute wavering from my conviction and deep rooting in the physical world. For me, the physical world around us, the “visible world” is the door to a deeper reality that is always lurking close behind the clearly visible. While I paint from life, I hope to bring a deeper understanding to what I see. Painting is for me both a matter of having something to say and the ability to express that message with clarity and eloquence, a message and the skill to convey it. My work exists at the juncture of skill and intent, form and function or as in Kabbalah "vessel" and "light", both must be one and united.

biafarin.com/artist?name=lindsay-hirsch

185

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

My Golden Hour

Painting, Watercolor | W:16 H:12 in | 2020 | AW127087002

Lindsay Hirsch: Visions of Reality Peter Lévesque Interviewer

Lindsay, thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions in this interview. Tell us about your artistic background story and if there was a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as a visual artist? I was brought up by parents who loved to go to museums. My mother has told a story about my first day in preschool, where I went into the classroom and looked at a painting on the wall and said “look, it’s a Degas”. I don’t know how accurate this is, but it’s a great story. I started doing pastels and watercolors as a child. I loved the impressionist and Toulouse - Lautrec and did a lot of copies of these works as a child. I do not remember a time in my life when I did not paint, except for periods when I has young children, it was the least work i have ever done. The behavior and reaction of parents in praising and displaying art is very effective in their child's taste, and visiting artworks and walking through them helps the child get some knowledge about art styles and understanding of art. Was there ever a moment of doubt to question your art career entirely? I did not pursue showing my work when I had young children, that is the closest to “fear” or doubt. Painting for me is as natural as dancing, or walking, for most people, it simply never occurred to me not to do it. I now have the time and frame of mind to work full-time at my art. Great job! Your passion for art is truly commendable. What is your daily routine when working in your studio? I get up, and have coffee and a protein bar, and decide what I need to work on that day. Then, I will usually spend about 30 minutes meditating. After that, I can look at my work and decide what to do. Does something need to be fixed? What is not working on a piece or reading correctly as a form. Then, I start working. I usually work in oils for a period of days or weeks, and then, switch to pastels, I find it difficult space-wise to have too many materials out at once.

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

186

We really want to know what steps your artwork goes through to become a complete painting, Lindsay. So, take us through your process of making your artworks. How do you move from an idea to an artwork? Where does an artwork begin for you? I usually have an image or visual idea that comes to me. From that starting point, I will try to find a model or photo that I have already taken that could work for the idea. I will also decide what medium to work in that would best express the idea. I will do some sketch studies, and color studies for composition. Once I have a good idea of the composition and colors, I will start to block in the colors and form and then work from that point till it is done. You say you have always been a “life painter”, and in my work, one can see a quintessential something that would be definable as “me” throughout your life. Is there a central concept connecting all your works together or each series or artwork is unique? I am generally a figurative artist, so people are the main theme. I do tend to work in mini-series of ideas 3-5 paintings of each. I find that for me doing small series tends to help me get my ideas across in an economic way. Of course, this could change at any time and I might need to do one big painting or more smaller ones. You paint from life to bring a broader understanding to what you see. Would you like to give a particular interpretation of your work to your viewers or you prefer to leave the whole interpretation to your audience? I come from the school of thought that an artwork should stand on its own and be able to be understood without a written commentary. Of course, that being said, I am happy to provide my insights. But, the interpretation is individual, and if a painting means something to another person that is their reality and it’s all good.

❝For me visuals carries great meaning. I love making pictures, I love working and watching my work unfold and become better.❞ Anything can be an inspiration to an artist. Nature, life, people, music, memories, sounds, and voices, etc. Then, the space and the subjects appear, and finally, the artist creates the artwork using the materials, colors, styles, and techniques of his/her choice, and shows that inspiration in front of the viewers' eyes. How do you seek and use inspiration for your works? There is no one way I get inspired. My works come from a visual fantasy, thought, dreams, vision, there are many ways an image speaks to me to be made manifest. Oftentimes there are themes in my personal life that will lead me to have a vision that needs to be expressed. What about subjects. How do you select your artworks subjects? Where do they come from? I recently did a series of Hopi Women, I found that during Covid and Sheltering in Place, I felt like looking to the Past, towards lost worlds, and places that were no longer there. I have a huge admiration for Edward Curtis’s photographs from 100 + years ago, how he must have been a visionary and found the need to capture the indigenous people of America, as if he knew this was the end of their world as it had been for hundreds of years. I used some of his old black and white photos and some others old photos and wanted to make them live in color like paintings.

187

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Which of your artworks or art collections do you think of the most? Are there an artwork or series that you would like to be remembered for? And if yes, what is it? No, not at this time. I hope I have many years of work that is yet to be done to define me. But if I had to answer for the present, it would be the paintings of Indigenous people, I feel that their story has not been really told, not as a contemporary one anyway. Lindsay, what are your art influences? Who are your favorite contemporary or historical artists and why? I have many artists that I love and draw inspiration from: Chardin, has always been a favorite, Ingres, for his love of composition and lack of anatomical accuracy when it suited him. Toulouse - Lautrec, always a favorite, his drawing skill is impeccable and mixed with real passion which is rare. Degas, the same. My teacher and mentor Euan Uglow, who was simply amazing, and very misunderstood. Euan was a Real artist, it was his whole life and he walked the way and talked the talk, he was one of a kind. I learned my ability to measure and think in terms of a two-dimensional plane from him. If you could meet one of your ideal artists from the past, who would it be and what will you ask about? Toulouse-Lautrec, I would like to ask him about drawing and the use of color. I find that since photography has become such a part of our daily life, we no longer see clearly. I can always tell an artist from 100 plus years ago, there is NO sense of photography in their works and the drawing back then was always impeccable. Your artworks are very popular among our readers, and everyone is waiting for your future works. Any upcoming works or future projects that you would like to share with our readers? I am currently working on lots of new pieces and feel like I am always evolving. That's what can be expected from serious artists! I thank you very much for your active participation in this interview and wish to see you evolving more in the future Lindsay!

❇

And we appreciate our readers support and hope you all are got excellent ideas from this friendly talk. If you want to ask your own question from Lindsay, please scan the QR code and proceed.

Lindsay Hirsch

OBSERVICA

188

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Mother and Child Painting, Pastel on Panel W:12 H:16 in 2021 Lindsay Hirsch

AW127715704

♡

189

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Mother and Daughter Painting, Oil Color W:18 H:24 in 2020 Oil on Canvas on Panel Lindsay Hirsch

AW127250132

♡

OBSERVICA

190

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

The Courtesan Painting, Charcoal on Paper W:14 H:20 in 2021 Lindsay Hirsch

AW127320832

♡

191

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

The Guitar Player Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:20 H:40 in 2020 Oil Painting on linen canvas. This is a portrait of a Japanese Guitar player Narumi Lindsay Hirsch

AW127011808

♡

OBSERVICA

192

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

The Hopi Potter Painting, Oil Color W:18 H:24 in 2021 Oil on Canvas Panel Lindsay Hirsch

AW127434668

♡

OBSERVICA

193

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Debbie McCulliss Digital Arts, Photography

Debbie McCulliss travels the globe to bear witness to and record the strength, fragility, beauty, and rhythm of nature and wildlife. A Colorado-based winter fine art photographer and budding conservationist, McCulliss journeys to learn about the history, environmental threats, and conservation efforts of the places that she visits. McCulliss continues mastering her photographic skills and trying to capture “the shot.” Being in nature provides her the opportunity to observe and intimately connect with the world. Her goal is to create memorable art that inspires conversation, evokes action, or leaves a lasting impression.

biafarin.com/artist?name=debbie-mcculliss

OBSERVICA

194

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

South Carolina Coastline Photography, Digital Photography on Aluminum W:60.96 H:40.64 cm 2021 Debbie McCulliss

On a trip to the coastline of South Carolina, I experimented with Intentional Camera Movement--a photography technique for which the camera is moved during the exposure for a creative or artistic effect. Once I got a composition I liked, I experimented with moving my tripod left to right and right to left. The ocean provided the perfect opportunity to experience a new perspective on art.

AW832755075

♡

195

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Michael J Duke

Born in the UK Michael spent fifteen years living in Israel. It was only in 2000 when he joined the Tel Aviv Camera Club that he took photography more seriously, culminating in four solo exhibitions and TACC group exhibitions. During 2003 to 2004, Michael helped set up of Ventures Group of Song-writers, Poets, Artists and Photographers which was a group that mixed artistic outputs for various products and became the group Publicity Secretary.In January 2005, he returned to London and joined the Isle of Wight Photographic Society and the Hampstead Photographic Society and went on to serve the HPS as Programme & Publicity Secretary. He initiated the HPS Newsletter which he edited through to November 2019. Michael appeared in numerous solo and various group exhibitions including 07 in Covent Garden London, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London in 2016, XII Florence Biennial of Contemporary Art, Italy (2019) and Hampstead Arts Council in Central St Giles, London (2020) as well as in various international salons and is happy to return to Italy for the XIII Florence Biennial in October 2021. He gained a QPSA from the Photographic Society of America (2018) an AFIAP from Federation Internationale De L'Art Photographique (2019), an Hon.CPE from the Campina Photographic Exhibitions Society in Romania (2020), a GPU.CR1 From the Global Photographic Union (2020) and an ES.CPE from the Campina PES in 2021. His work can be described as either documentary or artistic deciding which style to use depending upon the end-use of the image.

biafarin.com/artist?name=michael-duke

OBSERVICA

196

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

In The Clouds Digital Arts, Digitally Manipulated on Paper - Cotton W:40 H:30 D:1 cm 2018 - 2021 Michael J Duke

This image is one of a series (Birds On The Move) of images that I have captured with my camera in either the spring or the autumn seasons in various locations. This particular image is one that I captured in autumn 2020 in North London (UK), capturing the migration of pigeons to a particular town (North Finchley) where they are able to find a warm roof upon which to rest and find food. Once downloaded into my computer, I set to work changing the colors. The first part of this was easy by going into Photoshop filters before then adjusting the mid-tones and contrast.

AW127850920

♡

197

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Alexandra Finkelchtein

This artist was first self toughs, then had her BFA from Concordia University, Montreal, and her MFA at New York Academy of Art 2012. Since then international shows, awards and publications are numerous and continuous. Many works are in museums, public and private collections.

biafarin.com/artist?name=alexandra-finkelchtein

OBSERVICA

198

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Together Painting, Acrylic on Fiberglass W:60 H:50 D:1 cm 2021 Alexandra Finkelchtein

The painting is from latest body of works exploring the female world. The work depict two ladies with their hair braided in one braid. It is interpreted as a complicity of interpersonal relations which can be of contradictory nature. Technically, the whole picture plane is charged with elements that is the reference to our information surounding loaded with data. In addition the painting method explores juxtaposition between paints variously illuminated that don't merge in opposition to two different colors that do merge in viewers, eyes.

AW471412525

♡

OBSERVICA

199

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Parisa Khodaparast Painting

I m theologian with bachelors degree in physics, studied in Georgia. I have been pursuing an art career in painting since 2008 and have participated in several art exhibitions in Milad Tower, Entezami Art Gallery, and Ehsan Gallery in Tehran, Iran and joined international group exhibitions in Istanbul, Turkey.

biafarin.com/artist?name=parisa-khodaparast

OBSERVICA

200

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Like a Dream Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:50 H:70 cm 2019 Recreating the nature via art is a valuable act. Parisa Khodaparast

AW127057110

♡

201

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Love Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:100 H:200 cm 2018 Parisa Khodaparast

AW127083720

♡

OBSERVICA

202

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Untitled Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:50 H:70 cm 2015 Parisa Khodaparast

AW127175592

♡

203

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Kieun Kim Digital Arts, Mixed Media

Kieun is a New York/Baltimore based-new media artist and visual designer. Her work displays 2-dimensional art, 3-dimensional art, physical computing, soft circuit, installation, and interactive art. This creativity also demonstrates self-portraits, emotional expressions, and the human connection. She aims to focus on interactive healing effects between people on a variety of projects. Kieun believes her art is expressed in everything she touches. As her portfolio illustrates, her passion for art is interdisciplinary and expressed across diverse media. Kieun’s art works have been accepted in various art galleries and art fairs including Overlea ArtsFest 2021, Artrooms Fair 2019 in Roma, School 33 Art Center 2018 in Baltimore and Governor’s Island Art Fair 2016 in New York. Her project, Revealuxion has received critical praise and acclaim, winning Best in Class at Maker Faire 2015 and is featured in The Washington Post and The New York Times, “Women in the World.”.

biafarin.com/artist?name=kieun-kim

OBSERVICA

204

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Sound Tree No. 3 Digital Arts, Watercolor, Digital Painting on Arches Paper W:16 H:20 in 2012 Digital Art and Watercolors on Watercolor Paper Kieun Kim

AW127347832

♡

205

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Christina Mitterhuber Painting

Christina Mitterhuber, Selected Artist into the AD ART SHOW 2021 by MvVO Art in the Oculus at Westfield World Trade Center in New York City. Self-taught Austrian painter and mixed media artist, was born in Dec. 29, 1975 in Wels. She has self-studies at galleries and museums around the world in United States, Canada, Australia and many countries in Europe. Her favorite galleries are THE MET in NYC and Musee d'Orsay in Paris. Her favorite painters are the old masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Raffael, Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet and Amedeo Modigliani among others. She is also a Professional Makeup Artist since 2001 and has received certificates in first, advanced and proficiency in English native speaker from Cambridge University. Berlitz foreign languages Travel companion degree, Vienna Franz Schubert Conservatory/study branch of acting and Vienna Professional breath, voice and talk studies for the stage are among other degrees that she has received. She currently lives and works in Vienna. During 2018 to 2021, Her works have been showcased and are going to be showcased in galleries and Art centers in various art scenes including: United States of America: THE OCULUS at Westfield World Trade Center in New York City! Austria: Gallery Kunstraum, Gallery Steiner and Gallery Artinnovation Italy: Museo Stadio Domiziano, Piazza Navona at the XIII Rome BIENNALE 2020, where she got selected by the President of the CIAC Mr. Pino Chiovaro! Gallery Rossocinabro, Merlino Botegga d' Arte, The room contemporary art space, Palazzo Albrizzi Capello, La Pigna Gallery (Vatican) , M.A.D.S Gallery Milan, Galleria La Principina and Galleria Mistral Germany: Gallery Artinnovation in Berlin Spain: Van Gogh Art Gallery, Madrid United States: Las Laguna Gallery, Contemporary Art Gallery Online

biafarin.com/artist?name=christina-mitterhuber

OBSERVICA

206

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Violet II Painting, Oil Color on Canvas W:75 H:115 D:1 cm 2019 Violet is a series of oil paintings. Please visit my website for more information. www.christinamitterhuber.at Christina Mitterhuber

AW127172744

♡

207

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Betty Collier Illustration, Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, Mixed Media

Award Winning Sculptor, painter and illustrator and former Tertiary Teacher for over 40 years, I am inspired by nature, human physicality and different cultures. My watercolour and pen and ink are semi realistic with figures, birds, flowers, animals and abstracted forms being my subjects. My bronze sculptures are simplified figures or creatures, while my stone and wood carvings are abstracted and dictated by the shape of the material. There is an emphasis on harmonious interpretations of nature and organic forms, showing undercutting and spatial awareness which leads to greater variations in values. Art awards include the Association of Sculptors of Victoria, 1996, 2000, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015. The Contemporary Art Society of Victoria 2007, 2013. Art Tour International Magazine, 2018, and Top 60's Masters Awards, 2019, 2020. I have been represented in over 70 group exhibitions and 7 solo exhibitions including a solo art exhibition in New York, USA in 2020. Since receiving a 5th and 3rd prize for Sculpture at the Florence Biennale in 2011 and 2015 I have been published in several World Wide Art Books curated by Despina Tunberg from 2017 – 2021, Art Tour International Magazine. Curated by Viviana Puello-Grimandi, 2018 – 2020, Australian Art Edit 2017 – 2019, Circle Magazine 2018 – 2021, Art Universal the Great Encyclopedia of International Art Curated by Salvatore Russo & Francesco Russo 2020 – 2021, The Art Collectors Choice Contemporary Art Station 2020 United Kingdom and Spotlight Comtemporary Art Magazine 2018 – 2021. I am represented at Federation University, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia and in private collections in Australia and Overseas.

biafarin.com/artist?name=betty-collier

OBSERVICA

208

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Beyond the Bend Sculpture, Carving on Stone W:29 H:35 D:20 cm 2016 Betty Collier

Beyond the Bend is a harmonious interpretation of nature and organic form. The smooth lines and flow all emphasize a peacefulness with nature. Very tactile. AW022839082

♡

209

OBSERVICA

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Marco Donati

Born in Livorno (Italy) on August 1978, Marco Donati is a self-taught artist. Since he was a child he developed a natural sensitivity and predisposition for drawing and writing learning to do it on his grandfather’s knees. He approached painting in 2019 at the end of an artistic process that saw him grow up with drawing, words, music, photography and computer graphics before holding acrylic colors, palette knives and brushes. His painting style is dynamic and is purely instinctive: sometimes it is reasoned and accurate, but most of the time it is furious and raw. When not engaged in his office work in logistics, in addition to painting abstract art on canvas, he continues to experiment and also does digital graphic projects. From his beginnings in painting until today, he has participated in several international competitions, in some collective and solo exhibitions and international art books while some of his works have become part of private collections.

biafarin.com/artist?name=marco-donati

OBSERVICA

210

Issue #14 - Summer 2021 observica.com/summer2021

Birdman Painting, Acrylic on Canvas W:70 H:90 D:2 cm 2021 Marco Donati

On canvas, I usually express myself through the colors under abstract form unlike digital art where I represent human figures as well. Birdman is the first approach where a human shape, outlined by a black border and surrounded by colors, is the leading actor in the canvas.

AW886932545

♡

OBSERVICA Magazine

Issue #14 Summer 2021 October - 2021

observica.com/summer2021

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

observica.com