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VISUAL LANGUAGE
contemporary fine art
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October Volume 2 No. 10
Joe Belt
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VISUAL LANGUAGE
Contemporary Fine Art
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October 2013 Vol 2 No 10 ŠGraphicsOneDesign1998-2013 2 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
VL Cover Artist
Joe Belt http://joebeltstudio.artspan.com/
Artist Joe Belt grew up in West Texas with an eye for composition and a love of the outdoors. He trained in the fine arts at Texas Tech University. His art has been shown nationally and collected in half a dozen foreign countries. Joe works with many subjects, such as wildlife, portraits, and ranch life, but is best known for his highly detailed pencil drawings of Native American subjects throughout North American. Joe currently lives in Columbus, GA and his most recent drawings have concentrated on the native cultures of the Southeast. He is a charter member and on the board of directors of the National Western Art Association and a member of the American Academy of Fine Arts.
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Mark Yearwood
MarkYearwood.com Solo Exhibition Opening October 18, 2013 InArt Gallery 219 Delgado Street Santa Fe, NM 505-983-6537 www.InArtSantaFe.com
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“Esoterica” 24’’x24’’x2.5’’ Mixed Media on Canvas
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Painter’s Keys - Robert Genn 17 ARTSPAN New on the Site - 30 CFAI Colors on My Palette 36 Judy Batterson Read the up close and personal interview of CFAI.co Artist Judy Batterson. Find out more about what she uses when painting and things that are special in her life.
Hall Groat Niki Ginsberg Dealing Art in Australia 44 Hall Groat interviews Niki Ginsberg on Art in Australia.
VL Studio Visit Native American Artist Nocona Burgess 56 I am Comanche from Lawton Oklahoma. I am the great-great grandson of Chief Quanah Parker, on my mother LaNora Parker Burgess’ side of the family. My father, Ronald Burgess, is also former chief of the Comanche tribe. I have one younger brother, Quanah Parker Burgess, who is also an artist.
VL Gallery Visit with Miller Fine Art Cincinnati, Ohio 72 Miller Gallery is proud to present its second biennial Contemporary Realism Invitational, an exhibition of paintings by some of the finest realist painters in the United States, Canada and beyond.
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ARTSPAN Studio Visit Joe Belt 90 Traditional Western Themes in pencil, color pencil, pastels and more. “Having
grown up in West Texas, I was always interested in the history of the area. My great-grandmother was mixed-blood Ogalala, a tribe out of Nebraska area and she lived until I was in my early 20’s
VL Studio Visit Texas Artist Sarah Beth Banning 104 Sarah Beth Banning was born and raised in South Texas among rolling farm and ranch land before moving into the heart of the Texas Hill Country. She now lives in Wimberley, a.k.a. “A Little Bit of Heaven” where she is raising her 3 children and pursuing her artistic career.
VL Visit with Red Cliff Gallery 114 Connie L. Morse and Dave Sime are two artists who combine the creative process of painting, sculpting, music, acting and writing along with their love of travel into a successful career.
ARTSPAN Studio Interview Sharon Hodges 126 How often do you paint? I paint at least 4-5 days each week, 6-8 hours each day….half the battle is showing up and getting started….then, the time just evaporates.
International Equine Artist Interviews 138 Enjoy four up close and personal stories of Equine Art from IEA Members Carol J. Walker, Nancy Christy-Moore, Lorna Matsuda, and Andrea Michael.
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VL Show Review Melissa Doron 150 Melissa Doron’s show runs through September 26th at The Next Door Gallery located at 2020 Waugh Houston, Texas, 77006..
VL Studio Visit with Kristine Byars 156 Galleries have a difficult time pinpointing Kristine Byars painting style. Kristine (“Kris”) likes that. Her art doesn’t seem to fit in any one category.
VL Barry Scharf Seeking Exposure 174
ARTSPAN Photographer Rudolph De Ram 180 “I was born in the Netherlands and raised in the Midwest. My interest in art and photography began back in early childhood.”
CFAI.co Art Challenge “Hot August Nights” 188 Hot as a Heartbeat Diane Morgan VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 7
Artist of the Day “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” ― Edgar Degas
Sign up today. Barbara Jones Artist of the Day The beauty of the ordinary is what I try to capture in my paintings. We are surrounded by unlimited opportunities to share with others the unique qualities of color, light and form that are part of our everyday lives. Too often we overlook the simple beauty of God’s creations or pass them by. Whether it’s the quiet glow of a sunlit morning, the softness of a cloudy afternoon or the interplay of colors and form in a still life arrangement--I try to capture in my paintings the unique light and atmosphere of my subjects. http://barbarajonesfineart.com/ http://artistofthedayvl.blogspot.com/2013/07/vl-artist-of-day-texas-artist-barbara.html
artistofthedayvl.blogspot.com If you want to be featured on Artist of the Day, Contact Visual Language Magazine.
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Dyan Newton Colors of Life
DyanNewton.com Visit my website for workshops and class schedules.
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VL
VISUAL LANGUAGE MAGAZINE Contemporary Fine Art
Visual Language Magazine Staff Editorial Editor -in-Chief Laurie Pace Executive Editor Lisa Kreymborg Consulting Editor Nancy Medina Consulting Editor Diane Whitehead Consulting Editor Debbie Lincoln Feature Contributor Robert Genn Painter’s Keys CFAI Contributor Kimberly Conrad Feature Editor Art Reviews Hall Groat II Feature Writer Barry Scharf Feature Writer David Darrow VL Sponsor ARTSPAN Eric Sparre Advertising Contact: VisualLanguageMagazine@gmail.com Marketing and Development Executive Director Business/Management Stacey Hendren All Artwork is Copyrighted by the Individual Artists. Visual Language Vol 2 No 9
http://NoworNever-Debbie.blogspot.com
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www.songbrushgallery.com
Robert Genn’s Studio Book
Mountain rules August 30, 2013 Dear Artist, Trudging around in the Bugaboos, I’m thinking how rules are meant to be broken. Having said that, a few rules for acrylic and oil painters are well worth following. My only reason for backing up my helicopter and dumping them off on you is that these rules can save a lot of trouble and make work fresher. Up here in the scudding clouds and creaking glaciers I’m also realizing they’re not my rules but the rules of the truly great painters who have trudged in humbling spots like this before. 1. Start with a toned ground. It can be grey, brown, red or whatever, and it can be wet or dry. When you prime your canvas with a coloured ground, you won’t have to fight the tyranny of white. Leave the fighting of white to the watercolourists. This way, there will be a significant tone on all parts of your canvas--happy accidents or paucities will occur, and the ground becomes part of the overall effect.
Painter’s Keys - Robert Genn
Painter’s Keys with Robert Genn
2. Establish your foreground first. We painters tend to start by painting the part of the landscape that first knocks our socks off, and it’s not always the foreground. Actually, compelling foregrounds are often the most difficult part, even though they are vital to a strong composition. Foregrounds determine where farther-back focal elements may be placed. 3. Plan ahead to one, two, three, four, five. You don’t want to make the painting just a foreground and a background. Even though your painting may be two dimensional and flat, it needs to have at least five elements of interest as it recedes. At the expense of being too simplistic, an example would be foreground rocks, a lake, a mountain range, a distant mountain range and a sky. 4. Establish at least five large complex shapes. Dynamic, even abstract shapes add magic to the magic. Patches of snow, ominous spires, dark and light rocks are generously pressed into compositional service. Interlocking with one another, these shapes tease your viewer’s eyes into seeing your magical experience. 5. Take your brush here and there like a bee in an alpine meadow. In other words, don’t laboriously work on or try to finish off one particular part. Paint promiscuously. Watch the greater image materialize. You need that thing over there to tell you what to do about that thing over here. Like life itself, there’s more to this than meets the eye. You can make up a pile of additional basics and rules for yourself. These five are a good start. Ours is a game of rugged individualism. But even rugged individualists have a few rules that make their climb easier. Best regards, Robert PS: “Oh the difficulties of mountain art for too little genius.” (J. E. H. MacDonald) Esoterica: Plein air invites a Zen-like attitude and acceptance of the spiritual flow. Lost in a cloud of our own making, days pass far too quickly. The more I look at this life, the more it seems a combination of inhaling the gifts and letting your work tell you what it needs. VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 11
Niki Gulley Do
http://nikigulley.com
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ouble Page
http://nikigulley.com
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“Artistic exposures one frame at a time�
Three Sentinals
conniedines.com 14 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
conniedines.com
Connie DInes October Due couble page. ad.
connie dines Three Sentinals
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Mary Jo Zorad ZoradArt.com
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Dancing with the Shadows... The Spirit of the Horse
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Jo-Jo Kolodnicki
jojowildpaint.com 18 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
The Serious Side of Wild
jojowildpaint.com
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Tracy Miller
www.tracymillerfineart.com
Horses and Wildlife of the West 22 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
Abstract Collage Paintings
LAU RA R E E D laurareed.artspan.com
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Moses Provencio
Artwestbadlands.com Traditional & Contemporary Western
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NancyMedina.com NancyMedina.com sheriart.blogspot.com
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Sheri Jones
sheriart.blogspot.com
Left Page: Sun Burnt River Above Top: Tuscan Dreaming Lower Left: Blue Lake Benbrook LowerRight: Fall Day Shadows
Landscape and Still Life Artist
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Laurie Justus Pace Ellepace.com
Two at the Raising 16 x 20 Oil on Canvas
Dutch Art Gallery. Dallas DutchArtGallery.net 28 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
Mirada Fine Art. Denver MiradaFineArt.com
The Painted Ponies
Blue Mist 24 x 30 Oil on Canvas
Rare Gallery. Jackson Hole RareGalleryJacksonHole.com
South Hill Gallery: Lexington SouthHillGallery.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 29
artspan
Newest Works
Osler-Kurki Studio
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Nina Evans
http://www.ninaevansart.com
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David Mac Innes
http://www.davidmacinnes.com
Carol J Smidt
www.caroljosmidt.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 31
For Commissions and show bookings, please visit www.AspenIronWorks.com 32 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
For Commissions and show bookings, please visit www.AspenIronWorks.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 33
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CFAI.co Colors On My Palette
Judy Batterson
http://www.judybetterson.com http://www.cfai.co/colors-on-my-palette/judy-batterson
When did you realize you loved art and wanted to be ‘an artist’? I don’t remember a time, EVER, when I wasn’t an artist! Some of my first memories were of drawing and coloring. When I was in elementary school in Peoria, Illinois, we had art class only once a week. I would get SO overwrought with anticipation before art class my hands would shake. Once I got so excited waiting for the time to arrive, I couldn’t stay in my desk and was apparently jumping around and being disruptive. (me?!) My punishment was, oh no!, that I had to skip art class that week. Now, I get to paint whenever I want (well, almost). My studio is full of wonderful paints and brushes and canvases and light and color and all of the things that make my art sing. Who has been the greatest influence from your past to mentor you to this career? My other “vice,” besides painting, is reading. My father was an avid reader as well, and filled my childhood home with all kinds of books. My earliest influence was the illustrations I pored over in those books. We had a fabulous copy of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, packed with vibrant, rich vellum color plates. I loved the combination of pure primary color and realistic subject matter elaborated with eastern decorative themes. We had a copy of a turn-of-the-century period novel titled “A Mouse Is Born,” illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley. His Art Nouveau blackline illustrations were inspirational. I loved the detail, the contrast, and the fact that he never broke up a mass! We also had several huge old leather and gilt books illustrated by Gustav Doré, Don Quixote, Paradise Lost, The Bible Gallery, Fontaine’s Fables, and more. Doré’s ability to render realistic detail and use of line were a HUGE influence!! And the mood he could set!!!... I could go on and on about how those book illustrations rang bells and blew whistles for me! Who is your mentor today, or another artist you admire and why? About 12 years ago, after a long career of illustrating, I took a pastel painting class at our local art center. My teacher was Bev Lee, an incredible portrait artist (and now my dear friend). Bev helped me to get out of my illustrator’s headset and begin to think more like a painter. (I still have lots of work to do there.) Most of my illustrations were blackline; very graphic and tight, with no color information. I had to start at square one with color and color theory. Bev helped me to begin the process of loosening up and lightening up. I was inspired to begin painting because I live in one of the most beautiful spots in the world: western Colorado. I wanted to paint that beauty; as much of it as possible. Because of that, I have been inspired by painters of the American West: from Charles Russell to Jill Soukup, with a myriad of others in between. Bill Anton, Clyde Aspevig, G Russell Case, Ralph Oberg, Daniel Smith, Jim Wilcox... and the many other painters of the American West who successfully strive to communicate the beauty of this incredible place we are privileged to live in. Who would you love to interview? I would like to visit with one of the great illustrators, like Maxfield Parrish or Arthur Rackham or Kaye Neilson. I deeply admire their ability to render the landscapes of their imaginations with such a brilliantly realistic approach.
Read more at http://www.cfai.co/colors-on-my-palette/judy-batterson 36 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
Hammock at Low Tide
Eco-Trip Read more at http://www.cfai.co/colors-on-my-palette/judy-batterson Read more at http://www.cfai.co/colors-on-my-palette/judy-batterson
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Jonelle T. McCoy Oklahoma Equine Artist
“Lady C Salutes” portrait of FOSH (Friends of Sound Horses) TWH mascot
mccoysgaitedhorseartworks.blogspot.com 38 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
Linda McCoy
lindamccoyart.blogspot.com Commissions Welcome. Landscapes, Figurative and Still Life VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 39
Kasha Ritter
www.kasharitter.com
KASHA ritter
Because Flexibility Matters
R
Painting Without Brushes
www.kasharitter.com
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Hall Groat II
Nicky Ginsberg: Dealing Art In Australia Reprint from 2001 New York Art Guide, opyright©2001
By Hall Groat II, Professor and Chairperson, Art and Design Department, Broome Community College ___________________________________ Hall Groat II Distant Learning Painting School, DVD Instruction Series http://www.HallGroat.com
When did you begin as an art dealer in Australia? Nicky Ginsberg: I have been an art dealer for some 6 years. Over these years the number of artists that I represent has grown as have the number of exhibitions held for them. What purpose does your web site serve? My web site was initially set up as a means of further promoting these exhibitions but its role has evolved over time. In fact, the relationship between the exhibitions and the web site has reversed where the exhibitions generate sales in their own right, and also drive people to the web site. Therefore, sales are spread throughout the year and my artists receive on-going publicity through the site. Have you had success marketing artwork through the Internet? Yes, it is possible to sell art over the net and it’s not just to people who already know or have bought work from a particular artist. The site has grown into a virtual gallery in which the most recent work of artists is shown as well as past work so that an artist’s development can be viewed as an ongoing process and evolution. Publicity activities drive much of this traffic to both the web site and to exhibitions. The web site also encourages pre-exhibition sales, and we send electronic invitations to our e-mail database. What styles do the artists’ work in that you represent? Emerging contemporary Australian artists best describes the style of the artwork. There is no single style that binds them together so much as their common interest in the Australian landscape (both country and city), and in the beauty and intrigue of fruit, flowers, and abstract forms. These artists also have another thing in common. As emerging artists they aren’t looking for the environment of many traditional Sydney galleries. They regard themselves as artists first and artists who ‘sell’ second. It takes time for an artist to develop, and our approach is to allow and encourage this development to take place. Also, bringing their work to a wider public over a period of time. In this sense, the exhibitions (whether solo or group shows) are ‘showcases’ for their work, and the web site is a record of what they do and where they are going with their work. Many of them have been awarded or hung in prestigious competitions and exhibitions, and these achievements are also chronicled on the web site. 44 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
What is the art market like in Australia and in Sydney, in particular? Well, in many ways it’s probably much like anywhere else. It’s got a top end of galleries which are very much part of the establishment and mainly deal in work by well-known artists such as Blackman, Olsen, and Nolan. It’s where the big money is and there are both those who are genuinely serious collectors using them and also a fair number of people with their new money chasing a secure and impressive purchase. They are establishment galleries and part of the Sydney social and artistic landscape. Not quite London’s Bond Street, but with pretensions in that direction. They tend to deal with artists only when they have become recognized. Then there are other galleries focusing more on emerging artists, but most often with a need for these artists to sell fairly easily. They are often smaller galleries in more ‘Generation X and Y’ areas. There is also a representation of galleries specializing in aboriginal work. Not many galleries in Sydney support experimental art. Installations have not yet made that much of an impact. The non-commercial galleries (the Art Gallery of NSW and the Museum of Contemporary Art) are pretty good in their own ways, but the AGNSW has to combine an institutional role with the introduction of a bit of the new. It also suffers from a degree of schizophrenia over the relationship between its collections of European and Australian art. Who buys art? There are a number of different markets each with their own characteristics. There is the high-end/establishment/investment/corporate market which, in truth, plays pretty safe. There are some high-end buyers who also support emerging artists and a few of these have set up scholarships, trusts, prizes, etc. Then there are the ‘artistically aware’, drawn from all levels of society, who keep well up with what’s happening in the world of Australian art, and browse galleries as a pursuit. Then, there are the inexperienced buyers who are many in number and seem to come into the market at the age of 35+ and then make their first tentative steps in buying art. They need reassurance on the work and value, and some knowledge of the artist when buying. It is probably the latter two groups who account for the greater number of sales and gallery visits. In fact, more Australians visit an art gallery or exhibition per year than attend sporting events! Is there a clear distinction between what is viewed as commercial art and fine art? There is a distinction made between artists for whom the creation of work is an end in itself and those who paint with the dollar signs in the their minds. There has been a blurring here; the best example being Ken Done who was rampantly commercial but recognized by the press and promoted as the ‘new pinnacle of Australian art’. How do artists surface in Australia? Many Australian artists are pretty much household names for those with any interest in art. These names are both drawn from history and from the world of today. Once there was a massive ‘cultural cringe’ in Australia where anything Australian was automatically regarded as inferior or second rate compared to work from Europe and America. This still persists in degree but has largely been overtaken as Australia comes to feel more a real part the world. However, any Australian doing well overseas is still seen as a hero. Artists are not seen as fringe dwellers in society but a part of what Australia is becoming today, and seen as part of the broad cultural community that extends to all artistic activities, from opera to rock bands. The Broadsheet newspapers and magazines give pretty good coverage to artists and exhibitions. There is a growing appreciation of what artists bring to life and society. What is the nature of this appreciation? There are many ways of approaching this question. On a banal level, ‘it looks nice in the home’ or ‘impresses people in the office’. But the value of art in Australia is much more than this. Australia is a country that is still, after more than 200 years, seeking to define itself and its place in the world. White Australia (a Government policy until the 1960s!) is long gone as a strand that sought to give Australia some form of national identity. Australia is now a true multicultural melting pot. Aboriginal Australia is now increasingly being valued. The nature of employment in Australia has changed and its blue-collar origins are diffusing. The landscape is ever changing but still blighted by the ‘build it cheap and big’ housing of the post war era and the ensuing suburban lifestyle and endless suburbs. Then there is a gap between the Australia that tourists see and the Australia that many Australians see and can see quite differently. It’s still a young country and is still searching for that elusive identity that will bind all of this diversity together. A recurrent theme in Australian art is the search for this identity, and much Australian art confronts this by exploring the ordinary and the day-to-day in a way that brings it to life. There is often a desire to make the painted image more real than what is being painted, or to deconstruct the familiar into the challenging, and confronting unfamiliar. http://www.HallGroat.com
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N J Busse
Painter of the American West
nanceejean.com njovmc@gmail.com 970.261.2028 46 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
“Early Morning in the Rockies� 24x30 oil
Caroline Ratliff carolineratliff.com
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Sharon Hodges
Dutch Art Gallery 10233 E. Northwest Hwy #420 Dallas, TX 75238 www.DutchArtGallery.net
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Bill Hester Fine Art 830 Canyon Rd. Santa Fe., NM 87501 www.BillHesterFineArt.com
Way Out West
SharonHodgesFineArt.com SharonHodges.blogspot.com
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Val Travers
Surrounded by Sea
Symphony in Blue
valerietravers.com
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New Whirlpool
End of a Perfect Day
valerietravers.com
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janetweaver.com
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jweaver642@embarqmail.com
janetweaver.com
Janet Weaver Participant in the 8th Juried International Guild of Realism show at the Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe, Arizona. 10/4 - 11/30/13.
Title: “POMEGRANATES XV” VisualLanguageMagazine.com Medium: Oil Size: 11x14, archival| board - VLonMagazine 53
janetweaver.com
Jason Gomez
www.vinodipinte.com
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Alejandro Castanon
Vino Dipinte Art Gallery 602 Orient St San Angelo, TX 76903 VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 55
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VL Studio Visit
Nocona Burgess http://www.eagleserpentstudios.com/ 56 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
Jesus in White By Nocona Burgess
http://www.eagleserpentstudios.com/ VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 57
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Studio Visit
Nocona Burgess
I am Comanche from Lawton Oklahoma. I am the great-great grandson of Chief Quanah Parker and my father is also former chief of the Comanche tribe. Throughout my life I have traveled around the country with my family. I have lived in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Poplar, Montana; Phoenix, Arizona; and Santa Fe, New Mexico. We traveled a lot while my parents were working on their degrees. Many opportunities allowed us to see and experience much of the country and all the different kinds of people. That is what my parents wanted to give to my brother and me to expand our thinking. I have always been around art. My dad went to school for art and education and has always painted and drawn. My maternal grandfather was an artist, as is my maternal grandmother a quilt maker of her own designs. My great-grandmother who raised my father, was an accomplished bead worker despite being blind. With all this art and all these artists around me, I had no choice but to pursue art. It is in my blood. In 1989, after a year at the University of Oklahoma, I decided to move to New Mexico, where I stumbled upon the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe. I could draw and had painted a bit. I was pretty good and, because of my family, more advanced than most in my classes. At IAIA my art really took off. I had a good time and learned a lot about Native art and how the traditional forms had evolved into more contemporary styles. This is what really grabbed my attention. I had already known quite a bit about traditional style. I grew up knowing people like Doc Tate Nevaquaya, Rance Hood, Allen Houser, and reading about Oklahoma artists like Woody Crumbo and Kiowa 5. I liked the idea of modern Indians; after all that’s who I am. I loved the old style, but it seemed so distant to me. To this day I enjoy painting old portraits and traditional subjects, but in my own style. In a way, when I paint them the subjects speak to me and I get to know them. After looking at them over and over for hours, how can I not receive something from them? My painting is a way of saying thank you to them for all of their sacrifices. In 1991, I graduated from IAIA with an Associate in Fine Arts degree. I then went on to the University of New Mexico. I found myself questioning whether art was the way to go. Could I make a living at it? I knew some people did, but they always seemed the exception to the rule. I continued on with my degree with an emphasis in both studio art and native art history. I began work at a bingo hall, soon to be a casino. This is when I started to drift away from art. I got promoted and made my way into management. It was pretty cool and the money was really nice; it felt good not to be a broke college student any more. From 1991 to 1996, I worked in the casino. My work schedule left no time for school and definitely no time for art. I missed the art, but soon learned to live without it. I was successful and making a good living. In 1996, I decided the casino was not for me and I left. I needed a new start so I moved back to Oklahoma. I got back in touch with my people and family. I needed to get back to my art. It was 1997, and I hadn’t worked on any art for years. I enrolled at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) to work on my B.F.A. There I started taking classes again and getting back into the flow. Art was back in my life. http://www.eagleserpentstudios.com/
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Right: Quanah Parker - Quahada - Cheif, Warrior, Statesmen 80x68
http://www.eagleserpentstudios.com/
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VL
Studio Visit
Nocona Burgess
I met my wife, Danielle, at USAO. She is also an artist and is very supportive of my art. After graduation in 1999, we were married and moved back to Santa Fe. I began painting and things started to work out. I started to get into shows and to sell my paintings again. My art opened doors. My first show was at Red Earth in Oklahoma City. In 2000, my brother and I were asked to be in a show in Holland, and from there the show traveled to Belgium and Germany. Since then, I have traveled around the United States and to South Africa showing my work. I paint from historical photos of Native Americans; I’ve always had a passion for history. I grew up learning the history of my Comanche and Kiowa people. I was also encouraged to read and to find out more on my own. This was combined with my love of art. I started making art as soon as I could pick up a crayon. I recently was given a box of my drawings from my mother. These were from when I was around 3-4 years old: of course, they were Indians. I’ve always wanted to tell a bit of a story of their lives. These were people; human beings that lived loved and fought. I never wanted my paintings to be just “Indian in a Blanket” type of art. I wanted people to see them and their story and histories and beauty and people. I try to avoid the stereotype or cultural cliché’s. I’ve just always had a passion for those images and their stories. I am always looking for images and stories.
http://www.eagleserpentstudios.com/
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Iron Scare in Red
http://www.eagleserpentstudios.com/ VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 61
VL
Studio Visit
Nocona Burgess
I also paint animals and landscapes. The animals I paint are usually ones I’ve experienced or had the chance to observe. We live outside of Santa Fe at the base of the Jemez Mountains and there are buffalo, coyotes, ravens, elk, hawks, eagles and so on. I really started painting animals again once I moved out here. I was just reminded again about animals when I started to see them here. The landscapes are based mostly on eastern New Mexico West Texas and Oklahoma, between Santa Fe and Lawton Oklahoma. This was/is Comancheria, Quahada (a band of Comanches), country. I paint them in abstract way with heavy brushstrokes, in contrast with sharp edges. I was always told to paint what you know and the 3 elements are what I see and observe, the land, the people, and the animals are what inspire me to paint. I love to drive read, observe and take it all in. I really push myself in the studio to explore and experiment with techniques and texture and color. I don’t ever want to get to a point where it is a formula. I realize there is some sort of formula to it, but I don’t want every painting to be painted the same and the same palette, color scheme and brush strokes. I like to see the evolution of my own paintings over the years and the hopes of getting better and improving. Full Moon Ghost Dog
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Black Hat Ute
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Studio Visit
Nocona Burgess
Llano Estacado Cuervo
Representing Galleries Nocona Burgess Giacobbe-Fritz Gallery in Santa Fe www.giacobbefritz.com Four Winds Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA www.fourwindsgallery.com Bonner David Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ www.bonnerdavid.com Kiva Gallery, Sweden www.kivagallery.se/ Rare Fine Arts Gallery, Jackson Hole, WY www.raregalleryjacksonhole.com Left Page: Kicks Iron
http://www.eagleserpentstudios.com/
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David R. Darrow
so many things to paint. so little time.
Man of Renewal
Hoping
Ashton’s Morning
66 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com Kenyan Daughter
The Wanderer
www.DaveThePaintingGuy.com facebook.com/davethepaintingguy
Portrait of Anne Gillum
Juno
David R. Darrow Realistic Impressionism Accepting Commissions david@darrowart.com www.DarrowArt.com Subscribe to Private Mailing List: www.DarrowArt.com/list/ Etta
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408.641.0799
Shirley Anderson Painting Landscapes and Florals in Pastel
Colorful. Sensitive. Bold.
California Dreaming
Pink Morning
shirleyandersonart.com
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Mountain View
mike maron fine art watercolor
mikemaron.artspan.com
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Suzy ‘Pal’ Powell SWS WyWS CFAI
www.suzypal.com www.suzypal.blogspot.com
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Texas Tales...
ARTIST.com
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Unwrapping the Reality of Life
Anne-Marie Kornachuk, Crimson River, 24 x 48
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Miller Gallery Cincinnati, Ohio www.millergallery.com
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Miller Gallery
Contemporary Realism Invitational October 4 – 19, 2013 Opening Party Friday, October 4, 6 – 8 pm Miller Gallery is proud to present its second biennial Contemporary Realism Invitational, an exhibition of paintings by some of the finest realist painters in the United States, Canada and beyond. A year in the planning, this extraordinary body of work, curated by gallery director Rosemary Seidner, features new paintings by 27 leading artists. Leaving the heyday of 20th century modernism behind, a time when pushing art to its limits was more important than actual skill, there is an ongoing broad return by artists across the globe to discipline and tradition. The resulting art is not traditional, but refined to the highest level and inspired by the greatest artists of the past. Included in the show are 15 renowned realists that Miller Gallery regularly represents and 12 remarkable artists whose work we greatly admire. Gallery Artists: Anthony Ackrill, Florida; John Agnew, Ohio; David Michael Beck, Ohio; Isabelle du Toit, Florida; Velko Geurgevich, Serbia; Daniel E. Greene, New York; Karen Hollingsworth, Georgia; Neil Hollingsworth, Georgia; Anne-Marie Kornachuk, Canada; Otto Lange, Georgia; Ron Monsma, Indiana; Yana Movchan, Canada; Jonathan Queen, Ohio; James Andrew Smith, Oklahoma; Chris Thomas, Kentucky; Dennis Wojtkiewicz, Ohio Invited Artists: Colin Berry, New Hampshire; Paul Butvila, Canada; Marie Channer, Colorado; Tony Chimento, Florida; Frank DePietro, Pennsylvania; Randy Ford, New Jersey; Allan Gorman, New Jersey; Rob Hefferan, Great Britain; Sherry Loehr, California; Pierre Raby, Canada; Glennray Tutor, Mississippi; Eric Wert, Oregon
Miller Gallery 2715 Erie Avenue Hyde Park Square Cincinnati, OH 45208
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theresapaden.com
www.millergallery.com
- VL Magazine | 75 Tony Chimento, The Simpsons, Mylar Bag & Chrome Dog, oil on canvas,VisualLanguageMagazine.com 60 x 40
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Karen Hollingsworth, Gentle Reader 36 x 48
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Chris Thomas, Pink Peonies with Green 20 x 18
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Miller Gallery
Glennray Tutor, SOLO: My Wish Coming True 15 x 9
Right Page: Pierre Raby, An Unexpected Moonlight Gathering, 16 x 12
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Randy Ford, Red Robin Diner, 40 x 60
Allan Gorman, Macho Dream , 40 x 40
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Daniel E. Greene, NA, Wall St Bench 2 36 x 36
David Michael Beck, Summer in Ohio 24 x 30
Anne-Marie Kornachuk, Colour Field 30 x 36
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Frank DePietro, Waterlily Triptych 36 x 72
www.millergallery.com
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For further information, please contact Rosemary at 513-871-4420, or rosemary@millergallerycom.
www.millergallery.com
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Pushing Boundaries...
sallieswiftart.com
www.cfai.co/sallieanneswift
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sallieswiftart.com
www.cfai.co/sallieanneswift VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 85
Kimberly Conrad Contemporary Artist
Afternoon Splash VI 24x24x1.5 Acrylic on Canvas http://www.KimberlyConradFineArt.com 86 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
“Pouring Color Into Your Life”
Deep Waters III 24x24x1.5 Acrylic on Canvas http://www.KimberlyConradDailyPaintings.blogspot.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 87
Zengo
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48 x 36 inches Stepping Out
Judy Osburn
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Studio Visit Joe Belt
http://joebeltstudio.artspan.com/
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NATIVE AMERICAN ART. TRADITIONAL WORK IN PENCIL, COLORED PENCILS, PASTELS & PASTEL PENCILS...ORIGINALS, LIMITED EDITIONS PRINTS,
artspan
http://joebeltstudio.artspan.com/
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Studio Visit Joe Belt
Santa Fe Trader, Pencil
http://joebeltstudio.artspan.com/
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Right Page: Cowboy Gear, Pencil
artspan
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Studio Visit Joe Belt Artist Joe Belt grew up in west Texas with an eye for composition and a love of the outdoors. He trained in the fine arts at Texas Tech University. His art has been shown nationally and collected in half a dozen foreign countries. Joe works with many subjects such as wildlife, portraits and ranch life, but is best known for his highly detailed pencil drawing of American Indian subjects throughout North America. Texas Tech published some of his earliest work in The Pencil Drawings of Joe Belt. In addition to his pencil drawings, his work in pastels, charcoal and watercolors have been featured on movie posters, book covers, album jackets and architectural murals. Joe currently lives in Columbus, GA. His most recent drawings have concentrated on the native cultures of the Southeast. He is a charter member and on the board of directors of the National Western Art Association and a member of the American Academy of Fine Arts. Joe designed the artwork for the Ossahatchee Indian Festival logo as well as the drawing and design of the print that will also be used as the T-shirt design. He has often been a part of the Ossahatchee Indian Festival.
Crocker Spurs, Pencil
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artspan
Ghost of the Wolf, Colored Pencil
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Studio Visit Joe Belt
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artspan
Little Dancer Man, Colored Pencil
“Having grown up in West Texas, I was always interested in the history of the area. My great-grandmother was mixed-blood Ogalala, a tribe out of Nebraska area and she lived until I was in my early 20’s. I don’t know if my interest came from her, or what, but, my fascination with Native American people and culture has been with me as far back as I can remember. Needless to say, being from Texas and attending Texas Tech University, the cowboy culture was very much around me during all of this time, it just seemd to fit together and happened.” Joe Belt Canyon Creek, Pencil
Left Page: Pow-Wow Dancer, Pencil
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VL Studio Visit Joe Belt Capturing the Native West, one pencil stroke at a time...
Izu 3 8 x 10 Santa Fe Trader, Pencil
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Right Page: Cowboy Gear, Pencil
artspan
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Warren Osburn
Above: Early Light Left Below: Taos Casa Right Below: Red Rock Evening
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Karla Smith karlasmith.artspan.com
Mustang Beauty
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davidyappfineart.com
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Blair Thrall
blairthrall.com
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STUDIO VISIT SARAH BETH BANNING
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www.songbrushgallery.com
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STUDIO VISIT
SARAH BETH BANNING
Sarah Beth Banning was born and raised in South Texas among rolling farm and ranch land before moving into the heart of the Texas Hill Country. She now lives in Wimberley, a.k.a. “A Little Bit of Heaven” where she is raising her 3 children and pursuing her artistic career. Sarah Beth currently shows work at Texas Treasures Fine Art in Boerne, TX and at her own gallery/studio space called SongBrush Gallery in Wimberley, TX.
War Horses 48” x 60” Oil on Canvas with Gold Leaf
www.songbrushgallery.com
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When I was a child my favorite toys were a pencil and paper. My mother, grandmother, and aunts will all tell you I always knew the proper way to hold a pencil. I’d sit for hours at 4 years old drawing the usual things little girls draw; fairies, princesses, birds and horses, so many horses. When people ask me how I became an artist I tell them it was my love for horses. I was a little girl without a real horse so I drew myself herds of them. At the age of 9 I was fortunate enough to begin riding lessons. The teacher, knowing my love of drawing horses, gave me stacks of old horse magazines. I studied them cover to cover and made many drawings using the horses in the magazines as inspiration. What an amazing gift that old stack of magazines was to me. I did finally get that horse at the age of 14. She was small and dark and I named her Sassy for good reason. I discovered that my favorite part about owning a horse was watching her run thunderously across the pasture and kick up her heels in joy. It’s an amazing sight to see. It was summer and I was 16 when I began to paint. My father had bought some wood panels from the local craft store and I borrowed one, went into the attic with some craft paint, and started painting. I was amazed at what I had done. It actually looked good. I think it was a painting of deer by a lake. Next, I did a beautiful horse running through a field of bluebonnets. The painting bug had bitten and all summer I was in the attic with my coffee, blueberry bagels, and my CD player. It was heaven on earth. I sold every painting I made that summer. The following summer was truly inspirational. In high school I played the french horn very well and I had the invited to tour 7 countries in Europe with a band made up of high school kids from all across America. I was able to see the old and magnificent European cathedrals and tour the Louvre in Paris, France. Seeing centuries of art all together in one amazing palace was more awe inspiring than this small town Texas girl could have dreamed. www.songbrushgallery.com
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STUDIO VISIT
SARAH BETH BANNING
The Crow Scout 48” x 60” Oil on Canvas with Gold Leaf
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Lakota Blue 36” x 48” Oil on Canvas with Gold Leaf
Of course my life hasn’t been perfect and filled with nothing but horse riding and European vacations. I got married far too young and that did not turn the way I thought it would when I was seventeen and so naïve. I went through some pretty dark times in my life but haven’t we all? Without the down times how could you possibly want to reach higher and grow? I found myself with three children, a divorce, and moving back in with my parents. I was 24 and had no idea what to do with my life. So, in between changing diapers and nursing babies I started going back to school. I took my first painting class and hit it off with the teacher. Soon we were pretty good friends and it was her influence that helped me realize I needed to pursue art. I am very grateful for that. I received a B.F.A with a major in painting from Texas State University. I guess I was like a lot of graduates and struggled with the post college dilemmas of job hunting and real life. It didn’t take me long to just start doing what I had always done and before I knew it my house was full of giant paintings. That’s when I teamed up with Justin Black and together we opened a gallery and studio space in downtown Wimberley, TX. Justin is a wonderful musician, artist, and designer. He has been very supportive of me and all my artistic endeavors for the past three years. He is my rock. We call our space SongBrush Gallery and we are coming up on a 1 year anniversary. If you find yourself in Wimberley stop by, say hi, and watch me work on my latest painting. www.songbrushgallery.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 109
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STUDIO VISIT
SARAH BETH BANNING
Buffalo Bill 48” x 60” Oil on Canvas with Gold Leaf
I have started using gold leaf in most of my oil paintings because I feel it gives the paintings the right dramatic effect I am going for. I want my art to make an impact. I want them to have a rich vibe and be larger than life. My paintings consist of old school subject matter with graphic elements. My art is transitional because it takes iconic western images and brings them into the now and that is epic. Sarah Beth Banning
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Right Page: Annie Oakley 48” x 60” Oil on Canvas with Gold Leaf
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Worden Art Studio and Gallery Fine Art . Airbrush Murals . Pinstriping . Art Lessons
Morning Walk Acrylic Painting
Scott Worden scottworden.artspan.com email: scottwordenart@yahoo.com
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Vicki Rees
Wrightsville Morning 2013 24 x 24
CONTEMPORARY REALISM & BEYOND
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Studio Visit Dave Sime and Connie Morse Studio Visit
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www.redcliffgallery.com
Connie L. Morse and Dave Sime are two artists who combine the creative process of painting, sculpting, music, acting and writing along with their love of travel into a successful career. The couple met in Montana and began an adventure in plein air painting and performing that was to last for twelve years on the road. Traveling in an Airstream trailer with their golden retriever, Elvira and long haired Himalayan cat, Chang, they painted throughout the west from British Columbia to the Baja. Side by side they recorded the activities of the people and landscapes as varied as the ranches of Montana to the last remaining fishing villages on the Pacific coast. “I love to paint wildlife says Morse and we’ve spent the biggest part of our years on the road visiting every National Park and recording the scenery and animals that inhabit these very special places.” Both Sime and Morse feel a deep connection with the land and the animals that inhabit it. As a result their artwork encourages wildlife conservation and the preservation of open space. Morse depicts a herd of elk studied in Rocky Mountain National Park in her oil painting: “Royal Gathering”. Instead of painting in a studio they prefer to paint on location such as the deserts of Arizona, the Grand Canyon, the Tetons of Wyoming and the west coast. Each area they visit provides them with new artistic stimulation and a variety of subject matter from landscapes and seascapes to wildlife and portraits. For many years, nature has been Connie and Dave’s instructor and the outdoors their studio. Feeling the urge to settle down they chose Durango, Colorado as the perfect location because of the varied landscape painting options available in the Four Corners region. They continue to paint en plein air and return to their Red Cliff Studio to complete finished works of art.
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Studio Visit Dave Sime and Connie Morse
Connie and Dave’s most recent endeavor is the completion and publishing of “Lonepine” a historical, erotic, western romance set in Montana, 1962. Autographed copies are available on their web site and the e-book can be downloaded from all major providers.
http://redcliffgallery.com/page/2705/lonepine-novel
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Dave Sime and Connie Morse are accomplished musicians. Dave plays several instruments including guitar, mandolin, fiddle, harmonica and dobro while Connie plays guitar, keyboards and bass fiddle. They have recorded two CDs: “BORDERLINE” and “OLD OUTLAW” As a musical duo Connie and Dave call themselves “Borderline”, a fitting name, as in the 90’s they traveled from state to state entertaining audiences with their country and contemporary music. They have played in lounges from Fairmont Hot Springs and Grouse Mountain Lodge in Montana to the Bright Angle Lodge at the Grand Canyon. Resorts throughout the west have also enjoyed this couple’s unique and exciting concerts and dances. They perform in many different locations and situations. They may be dressed in buckskins playing around a campfire at a dude ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming or you could find them wearing Hawaiian colors for an outdoor concert by the pool, in Mesa, Arizona. They have even played in a few honkytonk bars along the way! Plein Air painting was worked in between the gigs.
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Studio Visit Connie Morse
Connie L. Morse was born in a booming mining town called Rio Tinto, Nevada. Her mother and father owned the Mountain City Hotel and one of her fondest childhood memories was of going to sleep at night with the sound of music drifting up through the hardwood floors of the old hotel for the Saturday night dance. A ranching community Mountain City consisted of eighty people, eight bars and a general store. Having an artistic father also had a lot of influence on Connie and at an early age she completed her first painting using his oil paints. What makes an artist? Is it heredity, environment or just lust for life? Connie’s bold brush strokes and brilliant use of color make her style distinctive and appealing. She has been in the “Arts for the Parks” competition top 200 in 1995 and 1996. In 2004 she was juried into the top 100 for the miniature show and contest. She was a guest artist with the Plein Air Painters of America in 2001 and again in 2003 for the organizations 18th gathering on Catalina Island. She was interviewed for the book, Enchanted Isle which includes a full page image of her painting “Corona” an old sailboat anchored in the bay. She was also a guest artist with the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters in 2003. Her plein air painting, “Beaver Meadows” 18 X 24 oil, won the Collectors Choice Award as well as one of the top eighteen and top three awards out of over 450 paintings. Juror: Ed Trumble, Leanin Tree Museum of Western Art. Connie won the “Best Painting” and “Best of Show” awards for her painting entitled “First Snow” at the Visions of America show at the El Presidio Gallery in Tucson, Arizona. Jurors: Richard Iams and Greg Wallace.
www.redcliffgallery.com
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Sunset Ranch Connie Morse
Tarahumara Mother Connie Morse
Takin’ Five Connie Morse
Royal Gathering Connie Morse
The Walk Connie Morse
www.redcliffgallery.com
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Studio Visit Dave Sime
Dave Sime, has spent a lifetime studying, sketching, painting and sculpting his landscape, western, Indian and wildlife subject matter. Some people find their calling in life early on and through many different directions the journey ends right where it started. As a young boy Dave carved small birds which were correct in every detail and mounted over driftwood found on the shores of nearby lakes or streams. Today he incorporates natural driftwood into his clay sculptures which are then cast in bronze. He states, “The wonderful forms found in nature cannot be duplicated by man so I find satisfaction in the inclusion of these forms with my sculptures.” Sime conveys the gentler side of a Montana grizzly in this limited edition bronze sculpture, “Something in the Wind”. While working for the Forest Service, he encountered this bear in the north fork of the Flathead River near Glacier National Park. Here he shows the large bear, an almost silver tipped grizzly alerted by something in the air. Concerning his “Silent Watch” sculpture he states, “When I was sixteen I spent the summer of 1956 on a United States Forest Service, forest fire lookout called Cougar Peak in northwest Montana. While on a hike I saw a mountain lion about thirty feet away and never forgot his intense look and attitude. After all these years I created this sculpture from that encounter. Dave Sime’s deep sense of feeling, knowledge and enthusiasm for his subject matter, whether it be wildlife, Indian, western or whimsical themes allow him to paint or sculpt clean lines and fluid forms. They declare their presence with expressive emotion and gestures capturing the feeling and attitude of the subject to involve the viewer in a visual adventure. He owes a great debt of gratitude to watercolorist, Harold Olsen and sculptor, John Coleman for their knowledge and instruction. Dave Sime’s sculptures and watercolors have been juried into Gilcrease Museum, Mountain Oyster Show, Charlie Russell Show, Arts for the Parks and the Briscoe Museum of Western Art.
Silent Watch Dave Sime
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Something in the Wind Dave
Worship the Sun Dave Sime
Old Mexico Dave Sime
Together, Connie Morse and Dave Sime have found the true meaning of their creative lives. Web Site: www.redcliffgallery.com Email: info@RedCliffGallery.com Red Rock Rider Dave Sime
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Daily Painters Abstract Gallery http://www.dailypaintersabstract.blogspot.com
Annie O’Brien Gonzales http://www.annieobriengonzales.com
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Carol Hein http://www.carolhein.com
Robert Sako http://www.rasako.artspan.com
lady l
http://www.cfai.co/ladyl
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Diane Whitehead
DianeWhitehead.com
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Mike Denning www.americanroadhousestudio.webs.com md.americanroadhouse@gmail.com
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ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight
Interview artspan Artist Sharon Hodges When did you realize you loved art and wanted to be an artist? Art kept my childhood occupied and challenged…Real life responsibilities interrupted that reverie for many years. I feel fortunate that art can finally occupy the majority of my time now. Who has been your mentor, or greatest influence to date? Historically, I’m an admirer of George Bellows, Sergei Bongart, Nicholai Fechin, Lucien Freud, and many others.…I’ve enjoyed workshops with Qiang Huang and Don Sahli recently, but I am mostly self taught, trial by fire…I’ve used and abused lots and lots of paint, and plan to use exponentially more. I read a lot, I visit as many galleries as possible, and I truly enjoy the work of all my friends. Who is another living artist you admire and why? I’m a big admirer of Louisa McElwain’s work. Sadly, she passed away this year at the zenith of her artistic powers…her work is full of emotion, raw energy, and awe for the natural world…..I covet Donna Howell Sickles and Jeremy Lipking’s work…also Larissa Aukon and Amy Ringholz and Walt Gonske. My interests are wide and varied. What is your favorite surface to create work on or to work with? I work on canvas, the heavier the better…and I prefer a larger surface. Working small feels very confining. What are your favorite materials to use? Very large filbert brushes, large palette knives, large rubber spatulas, trowels, anything that I can smash paint around with…. Do you have a favorite color palette? I love color, all of it, and I gravitate to a warmer palette. Occasionally I will intentionally paint something in a cool palette, but it takes real concentration, as it is not my natural tendency. How often do you paint? I paint at least 4-5 days each week, 6-8 hours each day….half the battle is showing up and getting started….then, the time just evaporates. What is the one thing you would like to be remembered for. ? A generous heart. There are many culprits that can crush creativity, such as distractions, self-doubt and fear of failure. What tends to stand in the way of your creativity? Yes, family obligations, daily life distractions, and self doubt are all creativity crushers…We all juggle the demands of our daily lives with the need to feed our creative selves. What are the inspirations for your work? The natural world is my greatest inspiration. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to spend time observing and painting nature, the landscape, and animals. I seek to capture emotion……a frozen moment, a feeling…..and translate that to the canvas…….I’m still figuring out how to do this…It is not a tangible thing…Success will come when the viewer experiences a similar emotional response to a painting…The best practice may be to run around at night catching fireflies….it’s the ‘AHA’ moment if you ever really get one…THAT’s what I’m after.
www.sharonhodgesfineart.com
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Texas Artist Sharon Hodges in studio. How do you overcome these obstacles? Just getting to the studio each day helps…I am blessed w/ a supportive husband, friends, and great studio partners who encourage my work. The smell of the paints, good music, the quiet company of a painting friend or two is helpful for me. What is your favorite way to get creative juices flowing? Just paint…for me, it is all about moving the paint on the surface, making the colors vibrate together...I’m enjoying painting thicker now…it gets dangerous, only from the standpoint that it is easy to lose control of a painting quickly when there is so much wet paint on the surface…it can turn from colorful to mud in an instant. Which work of yours is your favorite? My next painting is always my favorite. www.sharonhodgesfineart.com
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ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight
artspan Sharon Hodges
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Up Close and Personal What is your favorite color in your closet? Dark Charcoal Grey..most of my clothes are covered in paint (yes, I’m messy). My few non-painting clothes are all neutral: black, dk grey, white, taupe…I have a nice collection of big scarves and leather jackets. I dress simply. What book are you reading this week? One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera, both by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Do you have a favorite televion show? I don’t watch much TV, but I do love Big Bang Theory and all the college football games. What is your favorite food? Ice Cream. What color sheets are on your bed right now? Bleached Bone White….always. Even in my previous career in the home furnishings industry, I looked at color all day…. So my home is cream, taupe, white, linen, w/ a few black leather furnishings. I find this neutral palette is a lovely background for colorful art and a couple of nice rugs….and it gives my eyes and brain a rest. What are you most proud of in your life? My step-daughter’s accomplishments…Brooke has had many challenges in her life, and she’s capitalized on her opportunities and is doing great! Who would you love to interview? My dog. Do you have a passion or hobby other than painting/sculpting? Skiing and Golf If you were an animal what would you be and why? Leopard, because they are sleek and fabulous…who wouldn’t want those spots? If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take three things, what would they be? I realize I am supposed to say “a toothbrush, Swiss army knife, and my husband”, but honesty dictates that I state the obvious: I’ll need a STOL jet, plenty of fuel, and a jet pilot. Share something with us that few people know about you. I was once asked to leave a karaoke bar….for singing!!!
www.sharonhodgesfineart.com
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ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight
artspan Sharon Hodges
Cactus www.sharonhodgesfineart.com 130 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
Cactus Fruit
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ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight
artspan Sharon Hodges
Augusta and John
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Lily Pond
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ART BY D. LOUISE
donna hayes
donna hayes RenditionsofGrey.artspan.com
RENDITIONS OF GREY:
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RenditionsofGrey.artspan.com “Be not afraid of ruining the canvas with paint, but of the canvas remaining void of life.” Welcome new artist, Donna Hayes, Art by D. Louise and her Renditions of Grey, RoG
D. Louise
As an over achieving perfectionist, the above quote was the angst that D. Louise struggled to overcome. Born with an intensely creative nature, while being an over achieving perfectionist, made evolving into the world of art nearly impossible. Not wanting to be defined by others, she refrained from fully allowing herself to discover the beauty behind the brush, as if one errant stroke from beyond the box would somehow destroy the canvas forever. It was by chance, while her daughter was taking subject matte photographs in early 2012 with what was supposed to be a silly guileless grey filter, that she found her niche, pushed aside her fears and began to create… It was then, that Renditions of Grey (RoG) was born. Using an 18/0 Spotter brush, magnifying glass, three simple colors (white, black and grey) and a little texture from time to time, D. Louise has created some of the most brilliant works of art… From equine, canine, portraits, landscapes, architecture, planes, trains and automobiles; if she can capture it behind the grey lens, she can bring it to life on canvas. Many of her works are originally photographed and then painted by D. Louise herself… However, some are inspired by other photographers, who have graciously granted D. Louise permission to recreate their photography in her Renditions of Grey, notably such greats as; Giuseppe Pasquali, Raphael Macek and Jan Fialkowski. Prior to RoG, her works included billboards, restaurants and hotel renovations signage, portraits and murals. Her most recent mural, proudly displayed at El Camino Hospital in Los Gatos, CA is shown in the bottom right photo; a 9’x5’ vineyard scene with insects and wildlife for the biggest of “Where’s Waldo” fan. D. Louise prefers to paint with acrylics, easy clean up and fast drying. Now settled in the Pacific North West, just outside of the Seattle area, her future plans are to open her own posh art gallery and wine tasting venue, where patrons may come and relax with a variety of wines & exquisite Bourbons from around the world, while perusing her and other artists’ works. She is currently promoted throughout the US, Canada, New Zealand, Italy and Japan. Critics such as professional photographer Mary Miller have described her works as “Riveting, having the remarkable quality that ignites conversation... Compelling, possessing dimension, depth, and boundless power... Awe inspiring.”, likewise, artist Kristina Heredia states, “Her work grabbed my attention immediately! It is unique and so dramatic”. See full interview is available at: http://kristinaheredia.com/blog/63001/interview-artist-donna-l-hayesof-renditions-of-grey and Richard. V. Whaley, authored poet states, “D. Louise and her Renditions of Grey style have brought life to the canvas in a starkly refreshing departure from the status-quo”. To learn more about D. Louise, you can visit her website or join her at her first upcoming exhibit at the Black Dog & Theatre art gallery in January 2014, located at 8062 Railroad Ave SE Snoqualmie, WA 98065 (425) 831-3647 http://www. blackdogsnoqualmie.com/ We look forward to seeing the blossoming of this new artist and anticipate great things to come. Art by D. Louise at http://renditionsofgrey.artspan.com/ Noble Steed, Acrylic 36 x 48 x 1.5 Original Available. Please contact artist for pricing. Original photographer – Raphael Macek at https://www.RaphaelMacek.com.
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Richard Levine
RichardLevine.net
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Pastel Paintings Landscape and Figurative
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VL Carol J Walker IEA
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Signature Member
www.internationalequineartists.com
Carol’s passion for photography started at an early age, with animals as her favorite subjects. She studied literature and photography as an undergraduate at Smith College, and continued her education in photography after graduating, studying portraiture and nature photography. She has travelled all over the world photographing wildlife for the past 30 years. In 2000, Carol started her business Living Images by Carol Walker, specializing in photographing horses. Carol’s images illuminate the relationship between horses and their people, as well showcase the beauty of horses with her stunning images of horses at liberty. She teaches workshops for amateur photographers on equine photography. Her commercial work includes catalogue covers for leaders in the Equine industry. She has had numerous calendars published featuring her work, and she markets her fine art prints from her website www.LivingImagesCJW.com as well as in several locations on the Front Range of Colorado. Nine years ago, Carol began photographing wild horses. As she followed several herds in Wyoming, Colorado and Montana, she became aware of how precarious their situation on public lands has become. Since then, she has dedicated herself to educating people with her photographs and stories about the wild horses. She is one of the leading advocates working to keep America’s wild horses wild and free on our public lands. Her book Wild Hoofbeats: America’s Vanishing Wild Horses is available at www.WildHoofbeats.com. The award-winning book was released winter of 2008 and is currently in its second printing. Carol’s second book, Horse Photography: The Dynamic Guide for Horse Lovers is in its second printing as well and is available at: www.HorsePhotographyWorkshops.com.
www.internationalequineartists.com
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VL Nancy Christy-Moore IEA
Signature Member
Nancy Christy-Moore , an internationally recognized award-winning painter, brings the joy of color, energy and movement to her abstract mixed watermedia paintings created on both canvas and paper. Educated at Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri, the American Academy of Art in Chicago, and Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, she has taught and exhibited her work for the past thirty plus years. Currently Nancy teaches workshops and conducts demonstrations using her “inner painting” techniques. Nancy Christy-Moore has held over 20 solo exhibits, with 2 in Japan. She accepts creative commissions. Included in many private and corporate collections, her paintings have been exhibited in museums, public spaces and as limited edition prints for the Hyatt Regency Hotel chain. She was cover artist and featured artist for Horses in Art Magazine’s 2011 Summer issue, 2012 Menlo Charity Horse Show Official Artist and is a signature member of International Equine Artists. Visit Nancy’s website: http://www.nchristy.com
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www.internationalequineartists.com
www.internationalequineartists.com
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Lorna Matsuda IEA
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Signature Member
www.internationalequineartists.com
Lorna is a self-taught artist from Alberta Canada. Her subject passion for art lies in Equine, animal and western lifestyles with a strong focus on realism and detail, her objective is to show the emotion and character of the subjects. She is an established artist having received several Peoples Choice Awards, been juried into many exhibits and art sales, also receiving the Gallery Choice Award at the Calgary Stampede Western Art Showcase. She is a Signature Status International Equine Artist and also an official Trail of Painted Ponies Artist with currently 3 releases. Her artwork has be purchased by collectors nationwide and internationally. Please feel free to visit her website at www.Giddyup-Portraits.com to enjoy more of her artworks.
www.internationalequineartists.com
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VL Andrea Michael IEA
The animal kingdom is my muse and my greatest love and this is reflected in the art that I create. From beloved pets to the wildest of beasts, all of nature’s creatures inspire me. However, of them all, the horse stands uppermost in my regard. His power and grace, his fire and beauty and his subtle ways of communication all urge me to try and capture his likeness in my art. I’m a photorealist artist who strives to breathe life into my subjects, elevating them above mere copies of the photographs I reference. In painstaking detail I define the smallest components of what makes the animal unique, distinct from all the others like it. The smallest things play together to capture a personality - the set of a lip, the arch of a brow, a look in the eye. With these I strive to tell the story of the individual.
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www.internationalequineartists.com
Born in 1980, I spent my childhood years on a farm in Queensland, Australia where animals were my constant companions. It’s not hard to develop admiration and respect for the characters you grow up with, and farmyard animals, pets and wild creatures like wallabies and wedge-tailed eagles were part of my story very early on. My intense love of horses started forming when I was about 4 or 5 and despite what practically every adult felt the need to tell me through the years, I did not grow out of it! These days I live in the gorgeous Dandenong Ranges, just outside of Melbourne. I have a wonderful supportive husband, and more pets than you can poke a stick at. I also have a small, opinionated part Arab horse called Danny who keeps me broke. http://www.andreamichaelartist.com/
www.internationalequineartists.com
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CFAI.co
2nd Annual “Colors of Autumn” Fall Juried Show
Becky Joy
$500 Cash Prize Open to all 2D Visual Artists Worldwide http://www.cfai.co/juried-shows 146 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
Kristine Byars
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Melissa Doron
Irish Storm
ArtistDoron.com The Next Door Gallery 2020 Waugh Houston, Texas 77006
brianjameskluck.com
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The Den-Draw-Logy Exhibit
Dancing Euphoria
ArtistDoron.com The Next Door Gallery 2020 Waugh Houston, Texas 77006
brianjameskluck.com
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Show Review Melissa Doron
The Den-Draw-logy Exhibition The Next Door Gallery Houston, Texas Walking into an art opening you normally find a quiet place with stark white walls, spotlights, hors d’oeuvres and a small wine selection to enjoy while you peruse the art work. A steady hum of conversation surrounds you as other patrons stop and discuss the merits of certain paintings. The Den-draw-logy Exhibition by Melissa Doron at The Next Door Gallery in Houston was quite the opposite, and a pleasant surprise. Entering the door, you were met with the captivating sounds of a live band, Berry, Zamorrano and Bell Jazz Trio. Inside this extraordinary gallery was a full bar open to the patrons attending the opening. There were no small plates of finger food, instead the opening was catered by “This Is It” soul food. A quick glance around the room of guests exploring Melissa’s work, it was easy to see this solo exhibit differed from most. There was a defined theme for the entire body of work and the collectors were at ease browsing through the twenty plus paintings included in the show. Melissa Doron shared with the group, “This series came from an idea that a very dear friend, Laurie Pace, had. She told me I should pick something I am interested in and paint that subject for 50 days. This is the result....The Den-DRAW-logy Exhibition. Actually, my husband came up with the title. Dendrology is the study of trees. The spelling was just a fun play on words.” Melissa’s amazing body of work contained trees of every species. It was not the normal brown trunk and green leaves. Melissa’s work captured trees in their very essence of existence, teeming with color, despite the realization that most were painted without leaves. Her palette seemed endless as you strolled through the collection. Crimson to indigo, richly blended and sliced by knife. Wide brush and vibrant hues wove through many pieces. Every painting in the gallery was of a tree, and yet every painting totally different. “Irish Storm” seemed to pull you straight into the canvas. You could be standing a cliff in Ireland watching a storm roll in off the ocean, leaving you reeling with the scent of salt and rain in the air. “Dancing Euphoria”, an abstract painting with bright colors blending across the surface into a dance emerging from the canvas into the room. Melissa Doron’s show runs through September 26th at The Next Door Gallery located at 2020 Waugh Houston, Texas, 77006. Gallery Owner, Mike Bell commented on the exhibit, “The reason I decided to initially show Melissa Doron’s work is due to the fact she paints with oils and does a fantastic job at that. Most modern artists I come across deal mostly in acrylic and pastels. Its refreshing to see someone not afraid of using oils. In 2012 I was introduced to a piece of hers called “Derby”. It was a beautiful piece of a horse racing in the Kentucky Derby. It caught the whole excitement and essence of the race itself. This years show was the intrigue of her concept “50 trees in 50 days”.”
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http://artworkbyann.com/
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Show Review Melissa Doron
The Next Door Gallery 2020 Waugh Houston, Texas 77006
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The Den-Draw-logy Exhibition The Next Door Gallery Houston, Texas
The Next Door Gallery 2020 Waugh Houston, Texas 77006
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Debbie Grayson Lincoln
NoworNever-Debbie.blogspot.com DebbieLincoln.com
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Studio Visit with Texas Artist Kristine Byars wildwood-studio.com
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VL Studio Visit Kristine Byars Color with a Twist
Galleries have a difficult time pinpointing Kristine Byars painting style. Kristine (“Kris”) likes that. Her art doesn’t seem to fit in any one category. It’s been described as, “contemporary-retro” “exaggerated-realism”, and “colorful-expressionism”. Whatever her paintings are, they convey a feeling of joy to the viewer and represent the world Kris sees. Talking with Kris, she describes her art, like her world, full of amazing people, animals, settings, and they are all bursting with life, vibrancy, and sometimes unexpected color. Kris gives credit to her Grandmother, who was an artist, for her early inspiration. Sometimes on longer visits to their Wisconsin dairy farm, her Grandmother gave Kris and her sisters full access to her expensive pastels and encouraged them to use these tools to express themselves. “It was probably an effort on Nana’s part to gain some peace, but it was special for us. Both of my sisters had more innate talent, but I was the only one who stuck with painting.” laughs Kris. Then while still in High School Kris was given the opportunity to work for a small advertising agency called Kruse & Associates. These wonderful folks provided her with a life direction, and an outlet for creativity. She started on the boards...no computers of any kind. A self-portrait of agency owner Richard (Duke) Kruse hangs prominently on the wall in Kris’ studio. She bought the painting last year at 89-year-old Duke’s solo art exhibition. After college, Kris worked in agencies and design firms for years, finally freelancing as an Art Director. But there was never time nor energy for painting. So she was thrilled, ten years ago, when her husband Steve encouraged her to return to painting. “I really love, and am proud of what I do.“ says Kris. She works primarily in oils, occasionally in oil pastel. She took on challenging gouache for a recently completed children’s book project, as she wanted the vibrancy of oil but the matte finish of the gouache. But now that the book is complete, she firmly claims her allegiance to oils!
Horse Talk
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Ten Hours Old
Kris’ inspiration comes from several places which she lists as her love for animals, small towns, nature, global travel, and everything Texas. “Sometimes I think I might have been born in the wrong era, because I gravitate toward all things from the 30’s 40’s and 50’s.” She adds. The children’s book is entitled “Montana The Police Horse”. In it her loves are showcased. Fellow equestrian and friend, Debra A. Knapp wrote the story and Kris illustrated. Debra feels Kris captures horse’s emotions. Kris paints many animal portrait commissions and loves meeting every single critter, whether it’s dogs, cats, horses or longhorns. When not painting, Kris can’t stay away from her Quarter Horse Sparky. “He’s so gorgeous I could just stand there—slack-jawed—and look at him. Or paint him. Then I remember he’s a really fun ride as well and hop on.” She says. Because Kris lives in Dallas, boarding Sparky is necessary. That’s what takes her to the country at least twice per week. On her route to the barn, She drives as many back roads as possible, and always keeps her camera ready to capture paint worthy scenes and subjects.
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Studio Visit Kristine Byars
One of Kris’ favorite things to do is volunteer at a very special place called “Cleveland Avory Black Beauty Ranch” in East Texas. It’s the nation’s largest animal sanctuary and home for formerly abused, unwanted and neglected animals. Says Kris, “Kind of like the Island of Misfit Toys. I adore it. It’s a very tranquil place with a lot of really caring people who show the resident animals respect, kindness, and safety.” Kris has recently completed several lively murals which cover the bedroom walls in the Chimpanzee enclosure, as well as in their play yard. “The bedroom wall is a night-time jungle scene, complete with glow-in-the-dark moon and stars! “says Kris. She has accumulated a wealth of great stories connected with those painting projects!! Home for Kris is shared with her encouraging husband Steve, full-figured cat Bo-Peep and Golden Retriever Augie—”the world’s kindest soul”, according to Kris. Discussing her marriage, Kris says “Steve possesses the remarkable business abilities that escape me, and my creativity softens, and takes him out of his element. He helps me with every aspect of my craft including sometimes brutally honest painting critiques!“ Steve is an avid sailor and together they have traveled worldwide and bare-boated in some of the world’s most beautiful places. One more source for artistic inspiration.
Nice Gather
Right Page: Everything is New
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Studio Visit Kristine Byars
Elegant Pear Queenie’s Trick
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Right Page: Got Your Back
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Studio Visit Kristine Byars
The Joke
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Girl’s Best Friend
Kris feels very fortunate. “I often look at my life and wonder, how it is that I am so blessed? I’m hoping the answer lies in Karma.” Regardless of your religious beliefs, good brings good. And Kris tries to reflect that world in her artwork.
wildwood-studio.com
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He is all hat and no cattle.
Felicia Marshall feliciamarshall.blogspot.com
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Aspen S P A C E S Lelija Roy
www.lelija.net
Art on a Whim Gallery 100 N Main St--Towne Square Breckenridge, CO www.artonawhim.com (970) 547-8399 168 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
James Ratliff Gallery 671 State Route 179--The Hillside Sedona, AZ www.jamesratliffgallery.com (928) 282-1404
Carol Engles
carolengles.artspan.com Email: Carol.Engles@gmail.com
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Autumn’s Orange Burst
eric bodtker
ERIC BODTKER www.ericbodtker.com
EricBodtker.com
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Sandy Coulter
coulterart.net
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Kim McAninch
Karen Tarlton
Palette Knife Artists
www.paletteknifepainters.blogspot.com
Niki Gulley 172 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
Laurie Pace
Becky Joy
Jill Saur
www.paletteknifepainters.blogspot.com
Kay Wyne
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Barry Scharf
Seeking Exposure. A long time ago, my mentor told me to ignore what is going on outside of your studio. Do not become distracted from the deeper thought and commitment necessary to create at a level that can make you seriously competitive. Because if you want to be at the top of your game you must, keep focused while working and improving. He said to make your artwork deep and so good it cannot be denied. Do this and you will be found, the world will find you! This process is true, acknowledgement belongs to the deserved ones whose work separates them from the pack of otherwise “good artists”. We are all good artists here, only a very few become great. What is it that gives your work a special hook or vision? What is your skill level? Setting ego aside, look at what you create and ask yourself if it is truly the very best, you can do. Will it separate you from the pack of other good artists? We live a creative life and have done so all our life; to us this is what is important. We are painters. We are sculptors. We make images that fulfill our spirit and vision of the world. We are true artists in every sense of the word. There is no one else we need to convince of this. It is at this point in our life there is nothing to prove to anyone. Our success is not determined by external fame or fortune but by the joy, we find in living this life. Time will tell if what we have done will last. Now with all this said there is also a need to share what we as artists make with others. We want them to see what we have been doing. We want them to see our vision. We would like to sell a piece of work occasionally so we can validate our process. Doing this is unavoidable to any serious artist. Without this, we are living in a vacuum. Therefore, the dilemma arises of how to share our work. Devoting time to this process takes us away from the studio. So luckily, with the creation of the Internet, we live in a time that now circumvents many traditional time consuming approaches. Posting your work on a web page takes less time then seeking a gallery that may reject you or is less costly then hiring someone to promote you. Nevertheless, which one do you use? There are so many ways to expose your work? This magazine is a good start. “Shaman” by Barry Scharf 174 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
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Lisa McKinney
www.cfai.co/lisamckinney
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The Five Graces Lincoln ~ Pace ~ Togel ~ Whitehead ~ Zorad
the5graces.com
Diane Whitehead
Mary Jo Zorad
Laurie Pace
What makes The Five Graces special/unique? All members of The Five Graces create bold, vividly-colored artworks with an inspirational flair. Several of the group are excellent teachers and writers. They work energetically toward touring exhibitions that showcased their artworks - shows to the US and to Europe. All five artists are spread out over the US. 178 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
Who are The Five Graces?
Debbie Grayson Lincoln (the steady grace), Laurie Justus Pace (the heartbeat grace), Conni Tรถgel (the wired grace), Diane Baird Whitehead (the business-minded, directly spoken grace) and Mary Jo Zorad (the quietly inspired grace) have as many similarities as they do differences. Their artwork demonstrates a common commitment to a high standard of workmanship. To speak with any one of the five women reveals a commonality in what inspires them and how they choose to live their lives, with integrity and a commitment to doing their work for a higher cause. Each feels her creative inspiration as a passionate and natural calling.
thefivegraces.blogspot.com for daily updates
Debbie Lincoln
Conni Togel
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VL
Photographer Spotlight John G. Lomba
Artspan Photographer Spotlight Rudolph De Ram
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artspan
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VL Photographer Spotlight Rudolph De Ram
“I was born in the Netherlands and raised in the Midwest. My interest in art and photography began back in early childhood. I’ve always enjoyed drawing and painting and my introduction to photography began at around age nine when I received a toy camera that used “real film”. After high school, I attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago where I studied life drawing, illustration, and design. With a solid reference from one of my art school instructors, I landed a job with a small advertising agency. That was the beginning of a professional journey that included work at various advertising firms and industrial design firms. During that period I continued my interest in photography, painting... and all things about the American West. I’ve been a fan of the iconic American Cowboy for as far back as I can remember. Growing up in the late 50’s and thru the 1960’s, television still offered a steady run of “Westerns”. The Hollywood image of the Heroic Cowboy left a lasting impression on me. I continue to be fascinated with the true history and culture of the American West from the early pioneers to the issues that face the Western States today. Some of my Western photographs have been exhibited at the Cody Art League Gallery in Cody Wyoming, Open Shutter Gallery in Durango Colorado and the Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins Colorado. I was selected for the Cowboys & Indians Magazine, Special Edition Photography Issue, and in 2008 I was fortunate to have an image selected as the overall Grand Prize Winner. I’ve also had photos selected for the B&W Magazine’s Single Image Issue and the Portfolio Contest Special Issue. As a participant in the Fine Art festival circuit I’ve been fortunate to receive various awards including the 2012 and 2013 best of category awards for photography at Barrington Art Festival Illinois, the 2011 best in photography at Wells Street Art Festival in Chicago and Fountain Square Art Festival in Evanston Illinois. Also in 2011, I received the Dorothy Burgert Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Photography at Art Fair on the Square in Lake Forest Illinois.”
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artspan
http://www.deramphotography.com/
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VL Rudolph De Ram
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artspan
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VL Rudolph De Ram
“The collection of Photographs shown here, represent the places and the people across this country that have inspired me as an artist and excited me as a photographer. In presenting these images, it’s my hope that you may also experience that visual moment captured in time, and perhaps evoke an emotion or recall a memory from another time or place, real or imagined.”
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artspan
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CFAI.co Art Challenge
CFAI.co Art Challenge
August 2013 “Hot August Nights� Best of Show - Diane Morgan http://www.cfai.co/art-challenge-august-2013-hot-augustnights-classic-cars-hot-rods-junkers-and-clunkers
Best of Show Hot as a Heartbeat Diane Morgan www.dianemorganpaints.com
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First Place Souped Up Barbara J. Mason
www.dragonflystudiocreations.com
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CFAI.co Art Challenge Second Place Jack’s Truck Annie O’ Brien Gonzales www.annieobriengonzales.com
http://www.cfai.co/art-challenge-august-2013-hot-august-nights-classic-cars-hot-rods-junkers-and-clunkers/
CFAI.co September Art Challenge - “Avant-Garde” - $100 Cash Prize! Open to all 2D visual artists! Enter now www.cfai.co/art-challenge
Painting by Sallie-Anne Swift 190 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
Third Place ‘Till Rust Do Us Part Suzy ‘Pal’ Powell www.suzypal.com
http://www.cfai.co/art-challenge-august-2013-hot-august-nights-classic-cars-hot-rods-junkers-and-clunkers/
Submit your portfolio to join
Contemporary Fine Art International
www.cfai.co/register
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VL OilPaintingDVD.com Step by Step Demonstrations
OilPaintingDVD.com
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Hall Groat II
OilPaintingDVD.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 193
THE COLORS OF TEXAS
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THE ARTISTS OF TEXAS
artistsoftexas.blogspot.com dailypaintersoftexas.blogspot.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 195
http://davethepaintingguy.com/podcast/
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