Visual Language Magazine Vol 3 No 7 July 2014 by Visual Language

Visual Language contemporary fine art

features Tigran James Tennison Jennedy Paige Sabine Barber Dennis Lewis Janine Kilty Eleanor Bennett

July 2014 Volume 3 No. 7

Tigran http://ttigran.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 1

VL visual language contemporary fine art

VisualLanguageMagazine.com Subscribe Free Today. http://visuallanguagemagazine.com/subscribe.html

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Contemporary Fine Art Tigran Tsitoghdzyan is an Armenian-born painter based in New York City. His latest series, “Mirrors” was featured in the 2012 and 2013 editions of Art Basel in Miami Beach. The ongoing series is a detailed study of women’s faces encased in black. Although shielded by their hands, their glowing faces are exposed. The magnified images of each face are intimate viewings of the individual, each fossilized in isolation. The photorealistic portraits express an increasing sense of transparency in the Age of Information and Social Networks. The series explores a generation at the heel of modernity by juggling nuanced contemporary ideas using traditional elements of oil painting. The marriage of technology with an old world sensibility has led critics to describe the “stunning portraits along the most unexpected surface” as both “intriguing” and “haunting.” Tigran found his calling in painting at the age of five. The precocious child preoccupied himself by drawing and painting with watercolors. By the age of ten, Tigran was hand-picked by Henrik Iguitan, founder and director of both the Modern Art Museum and Children’s Art Museum based in Yerevan, to star in a solo exhibit. This pivotal event led to his works being displayed throughout the United States and Europe. His paintings can currently be found in private collections, art galleries and museums across the world.

http://ttigran.com

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VL Cover Artist

Tigran

Connie Dines Artiful Exposures One Frame At A Time

Bleeding Hearts

Shafer Canyon View

www.artfulexposures.com

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content Cover Artist Tigran

His latest series, “Mirrors” was featured in the 2012 and 2013 editions of Art Basel in Miami Beach.

Painter’s Keys - Robert Genn 11 VL Artist Features - 16 Demian, Kristine Kainer, Jody Anderson, Lelija Roy, Rod Seeley

CFAI Colors on My Palette 46 Barbara Rudolph

Read the up close and personal interviews from CFAI.co Find out more about the artist, their inspirations and how they approach their work.

VL Studio Visit with Tigran 56 “People are my landscape,” contemporary artist Tigran Tsitoghdzyan explains. “I’m just an observer. I love being lost in the crowd and feeling anonymous.”

VL Studio Visit with Texas Artist James Tennison 76 Inspired by local geography, neighborhoods and landmarks in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas - as well as subjects he finds on his travels James seeks to paint the beauty he sees all around. What really excites him is the effect of light - sunlight and shadow - and the colors that can be seen in shadows and reflected light if one looks closely.

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VL Artspan Studio Visit with Sabine Barber 92 I was born and raised in South Africa. Growing up on a beautiful farm in Mpumalanga, most of my childhood was spent outside in the sun, running barefoot through the dirt, climbing in trees and daydreaming in the garden.

Barry Scharf 108 Interview with Dennis Lewis. In my early days of teaching at the Art Institute of Seattle was where I first met my now long time friend Dennis Lewis. Dennis and I share many values and ideas about the art of painting. I have known him now for 18 years and he has never stopped creating works that demonstrate a high standard in skill, love for the figure and still life painting. His paintings have been shown in galleries and he has won many awards and prizes.

ARTSPAN.com New Works - 112

Do not miss the new works posted every day on Artspan.com SANDRA FLOOD

VL Studio Visit with Jenedy Paige 116 Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not one of those artists that knew my calling in life from the age of five. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even try oil painting for the first time until I was a junior in college. I hear people talk about how all artists are just born with ability and I have to laugh. Mine has been a skill that I have developed over just hours and hours of plain old hard work and the prayer of faith.

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content

ARTSPAN Spotlight with Janine Kilty 128 When did you realize you loved art and wanted to be an artist? Although I have loved music, theater and the visual arts my entire life, I did not come to learn drawing and painting as a youngsterâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; it was at the urging of my husband, Kurt, that I began to take lessons, first in drawing, then expanding to paint. Once I got into it, I knew I would never stop!

WAOW Winners 140

On Exhibit in San Diego, WAOW

CFAI.co Showdown Realism 148 First Place Barbara Rudolph Second Place Paula Peacock Third Place Darla McDowell

VL Artspan Photographer Eleanor Bennett 160 Eleanor Leonne Bennett is an internationally award winning photographer and visual artist. She is the CIWEM Young Environmental Photographer of The Year 2013 and has also won first places with National Geographic,The World Photography Organization, Natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best Photography and The National Trust to name only a few.

Directory of Artists and Galleries 178

In alphabetically order you can easy find all featured artists and advertising artists, along with featured galleries in our index directory.

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Artist of the Day “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” ― Edgar Degas

Laura Reed Laura is a mixed-media artist living in Sarasota, FL. She has been an artist her entire life, beginning in second grade with a drawing of Popeye. She has explored many mediums, including silk screening, gourd crafting and watercolor painting, until arriving at her current explorations of mixed-media abstract.

http://laurareed.artspan.com/

artistofthedayvl.blogspot.com If you want to be featured as an Artist of the Day, contact Visual Language Magazine. VisualLanguageMagazine@gmail.com

www.carol@caroljosmidt.com

carol@caroljosmidt.com

Carol Jo Smidt

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dances With Treesâ&#x20AC;?

Oil

30 x 30

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visual language magazine Contemporary Fine Art

Visual Language Magazine Staff Editorial Editor -in-Chief Laurie Pace Executive Editor Lisa Kreymborg Contributing Editor Lisa Neison-Smith Consulting Editor Nancy Medina Feature Contributor Robert Genn Painterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Keys CFAI Contributor Kimberly Conrad Feature Editor Art Reviews Hall Groat II Feature Contributer Barry Scharf 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 3 No 7

http://loganbauer.com

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http://roberthopkins.artspan.com/

Robert Genn’s Studio Book

Robert Genn (May 15, 1936 - May 27, 2014) On Tuesday morning, at 10:20am, Dad passed away. He was at home, surrounded by his family. My brother Dave’s Airedale, Stanley, lay on the floor nearby. This day was also my, and my twin brother James’s, birthday. A few evenings earlier, Dad and I were sitting up together, discussing a favourite piece of music. “Carl Orff ’s Carmina Burana has the ability to take you from placidity to power in one sonic breath. It is music of dignity and strength, with primitive, energetic passages, evoking absolute beauty from the simplest of phrases. It brings up something that has everything to do with significance -- squeezing joy and motif that you just can’t drop -- it stays with you.” I tapped along on his laptop as he riffed a stream of consciousness, his sense of wonder twinkling, then sparkling, his voice growing ever softer, his hand squeezing mine when we paused. “The thing about art is that life is in no danger of being meaningless,” he whispered. I remembered, again, the wonder of nearing the summit plateau at Lake McArthur, rounding a corner to the West Coast Trail’s packed, silvery strand and, moment by moment, the unveiling of the magic hour on the Bois d’Amour in Pont Aven, Brittany. A few more steps, a couple of breaths to our destination: a silent sharing in the marvel. I thanked him for the millionth time. We all thanked him as he slipped away. “Thank-you, Daddy, thank-you.” And what about your twice-weekly letters? This ardent epistolary friendship, this living commitment, a connection and conviction to the imagination and creative heartbeat, and to lifemanship? Dad wrote to you last October, after receiving his diagnosis, and since then we’ve solidified our intention. He wrote:

The Painter’s Keys - Robert Genn

The Painter’s Keys Robert Genn

“From the get-go we have been aware of the value of these twice-weekly letters to artists and others. Sara has helped me with many of them. We’ve shared our artistic journey together and have often talked about this day. One of the ideas we’re tossing around is that she start off by writing once a week. The other letter would be a favourite previous one of mine. If we ran all my previous letters once a week, they would last for 27 years! Finding ourselves at new chapters in our adventure, we sincerely hope we can continue to be of service to you.” And so, I’ll write to you. And you’ll get Dad’s letters, too. It will be my honour to do so, and will continue to be with the deepest gratitude to you, his friend in art. Sincerely, Sara PS: “Over the days of this journey, a kind of energetic serenity has set in. Something happens with the mixture of space and time. I feel a sense of story. Others have told me you can feel it in your brush, and I do now. A family of mergansers swims close by -- the young are almost ready to fly south. Perhaps you have felt it too -- it has something to do with purity.” (Robert Genn, on the Mackenzie River, 2000) Esoterica: Dad’s dream has been to reach artists of all stripes -- individuals with a common joy, journeying in this life-enhancing, inexplicable affair of the heart. He wrote, “We have no other motivation than to give creative people an opportunity to share ideas and possibly broaden their capabilities -- to get more joy and understanding from their own unique processes.” With this dream in mind, please forward this letter, or letter of your choice, to someone you think might find it of value. If one, or many, chooses to subscribe, we will exponentially widen -- as a diverse and generous community of worldwide artists. “To float like a cloud you have to go to the trouble of becoming one.” (Robert Genn) “Art is something else. Art is fluid, transmutable, open-ended, never complete, and never perfect. Art is an event.” (Robert Genn) “We live our short spans in the vortex of a miracle, and while we may not be the center of that vortex, it is magic to be anywhere in there.” (Robert Genn) “Love me truly! Remember my constancy. With all my heart and all my mind I am with you even when far away.” (Anonymous text, Carmina Burana)

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Robert Hopkins Photography

roberthopkins.artspan.com

Email: rchopkins@optonline.net Overcoat - LeeAnn #29

ÂŠ2013 Robert Hopkins

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ASHKENASI Michal Ashkenasi

Abstract 3

michalsart.com

Enhanced Photography

Abstract 4

michalsart.com

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Artists to Watch and Collect Demian Kristine Kainer Jody Anderson Lelija Roy Rod Seeley

Visual Language Magazine Featured Artists this month delve into the beauty of each of the five different artists and their unique approach to creativity. Demian uses several unique methods to create work that is abstract, avant-garde, and intense. Kristine Kainer specializes in realistic depictions of everyday items with abstracted, richly colored backgrounds. Jody Anderson appreciates the transition of warm and cool light on the turn of a face or the delicate shift of light on a restful hand in her painting. Lelija Roy creates mixed-media work that expresses texture as color and color as texture. Rod Seeley is a self taught digital artist that is always pushing his creative boundaries through his unique â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stylized Digital Fractal Artâ&#x20AC;? creations.

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Demian

http://www.demianart.net

The intention of Demian’s work is fulfillment of the longing, the hunger, the rush of vital feeling that may be out of reach within, perhaps just beyond the fingertips...and the satisfaction, the relief, and the surging freedom of their presencing. His works have been characterized as abstract, avant-garde, and intense. They typically display vivid color and rely on texture, depth, and fantastical themes. Demian was raised in a remote area on Maui. His nickname was “Doodles”, which he despised, but looking back it was apt as he was constantly drawing, painting, and writing calligraphy. He received an education balancing artistic development with traditional subjects, as the arts ran strong in his family. Like Gauguin and Rousseau, Demian is an autodidact in abstract art. Somewhat a polymath, he received his Doctorate from Cornell, published a best-selling book, invented a cancer therapeutic, and was awarded two black belts. Similar to Kandinsky and Hofmann, he returned to art in the middle of his professional years. Through the insistence of his fine art consultant fiancé, the aptly named Beth Miracle (who he calls his “catalyst and muse”), he has released his private and personal works to the public. Demian has developed several unique methods to produce his pieces. Not the least of these is a variation of Automatism, a process to infuse the subconscious into the works, while bypassing the rational mind.

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Left: Primordium Above: Grandmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stories

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Demian

http://www.demianart.net

Left: Homecoming Right: Neither-Neither Tree

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Demianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work is made with acrylic, watercolor, and resins, usually on plastic, and then the image is impregnated in aluminum via dye sublimation and framed. There is no digital art other than routine adjustments for the dye sublimation transfer.

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Kristine Kainer

http://www.kristinekainer.com

Finding beauty in the ordinary is the guiding force behind Texas artist Kristine Kainer’s work. The daughter of a Marine, Kristine moved frequently along the Eastern Seaboard. She graduated from The College of William and Mary with a degree in Art History and began a career in colorimetric chemical analysis. Later, she earned a Master’s degree from George Mason University and pursued a teaching career in mathematics. In 2003, Kristine, her husband, and their young daughter relocated from the Washington, DC area to rural Texas. It was an opportunity to experience a slower pace of life while living on an old farmstead. Here, while working closely with the land, Kristine’s creative spark was ignited in the form of painting. A self-taught artist, Kristine specializes in realistic depictions of everyday items with abstracted, richly colored backgrounds. Oils are her medium of choice. A signature member of the Artists of Texas and a member of CFAI, her works are in both public and private collections throughout the United States and internationally.

Canning Jars 20 x 20

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Aermotor 30 x 30

Clam Shell 20 x 20

Oyster on the Half Shell 12 x 12

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Jody Anderson

http://jodyandersonart.com

“To everything -- a season, and a time to every delight under the heavens” - Ecclesiastes 3:1 Jody Anderson’s season with painting began in the year 2000 when she was inspired to pick up a paintbrush for the first time. She found great delight in the laying down of color on a canvas and began exploring the works she has now come to greatly admire of Vermeer, Zorn and Sorolla. Their intentional purpose and apparent command of color placed a burning desire in her soul to work alongside the hearts of those brilliant Masters. Jody works in oil and enjoys an array of subjects including still life, landscape and figurative work. Studying the transition of warm and cool light on the turn of a face or the delicate shift of light on a restful hand moves her spirit and easily translates to her still life work. As a lover of the outdoors, Jody also finds herself occasionally plein air painting and especially enjoys the camaraderie of joining other artists as they capture nature at its finest. With her passion for the arts, and her desire to evolve; she is grateful for the guidance from the talented minds surrounding her and feels blessed to be given the opportunity of this journey.

Shawna - Oil 16” x 20”

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www.jodyandersonart.com

Yellow Pears and Blue Bottle - Oil 16” x 20”

Copper and Plums - Oil 18” x 24”

Peonies - Oil 16” x 20”

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Lelija Roy

http://www.lelija.net

When you walk into a grove of aspens--you enter the embrace of AspenSPACES. You are not walking among individual trees, rather the entire grove is a single, interconnected living organism.

AspenSPACES capture moments in time: the perfect place for a picnic, drifts of gold, snow covered elk poetry. The dance of light and color changes each time you look. Denver-based artist Lelija Roy’s mixed-media work expresses texture as color and color as texture. She works with acrylic paints and a long list of other water-based media pigments. Her textures combine various rice papers, lace, silk, fibers, handmade paper and metals. Her process includes mono-printing, watermarks and numerous painting techniques. Resulting AspenSPACES typically include as many as twenty layers. Her formal art trained began in the 1970s at the Art Students League in New York City and a BFA from the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Roy started her full-time art career in 2005. Her work is held in both public and private collections throughout the U.S. and in several foreign countries. Lelija’s AspenSPACES can be found in galleries in Sedona, AZ as well as Denver, Breckenridge and Vail, CO. For the latest from her Denver studio, please visit www.Lelija.net. Commissions are always welcome.

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Rod Seeley

http://RodSeeleyArt.com

Stylized Digital Fractal Art Rod Seeley is a self taught digital artist that is always pushing his creative boundaries through his unique “Stylized Digital Fractal Art” creations. My passion is utilizing creative shapes and vibrant colors combined with dozens of special techniques to create truly unique artwork. Many of my pieces are enhanced using a customized digital paint (oil) technique and customized filters. My artwork is designed to be done on high gloss metal in a metal shadow frame which adds an additional visual dimension to the artwork. In 2012 Mr. Seeley started entering juried international exhibitions and has won awards for his work. His artwork has also been included in the Museum of Computer Art and The International Art Guide – “Abstract Art Showcase”. His artwork also appears in Volume VII & VIII – “International Contemporary Masters” a Juried art publication. His artwork also been exhibited at ArtExpo New York 2013 & 2014, Spectrum New York 2013 and Spectrum Miami 2013. The insert on each piece artwork is the “Original Fractal Creation” used to create the finished artwork displayed.

Imagine It

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Liquid Look

Prospective Vision

http://RodSeeleyArt.com

Green Looker

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Naomi Shachar

“Waiting at the Gate”

www.nomika.info

BECKY HICKS

"Celebrating the Spirit of the West"

beckyhicksfineart.com

beckyhicksfineart.blogspot.com

Roseanne Snyder Diversity in Texture and Composition

Passion 24 x 24

roseannesnyder.blogspot.com

Jonelle T. McCoy Oklahoma Equine Artist

“Your Equine Art Connection!”

“Shania’s Eye”

mccoysgaitedhorseartworks.blogspot.com mccoysartworks@gmail.com

Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bouquet

Abstract Collage Paintings laurareed.artspan.com

Laura Reed Life Experiences

A Bouquet for Monday

laurareed.artspan.com

http://www.vanessakatzart.com/

Vanessa Katz

Left Page: Entwined Right Page: Top Left: Solace Right Page: Top Right: Together Right Page: Bottom: Symphony

www.VanessaKatzArt.com

Urban Fresh 12 x 12

VL REES

Contemporary Realism and Beyond Visit my Websites:

www.vlrees.com www.TippingPaintGallery.com

STEPHANIE PAIGE Contemporay Artist

Stephanie Paige

La Jolla . Santa Fe . San Diego . Denver . Scottsdale . Napa Valey . Walnut Creek . Lagua Beach

Resting Sky 48” x 48” Mixed Media made with Textured Marble Dust Plaster

Visit Stephanie’s Representing Galleries

NEXT SHOW is at Pippin Contemporary on June 20th 2014 Mirada Fine Art Gallery . Denver, CO. Ph.303-697-9006 Calvin Charles Gallery . Scottsdale, AZ . Ph.480.421.1818 Pippin Contemporary . Santa Fe . Ph.505-795-7476 Contemporary Fine Arts Gallery . La Jolia, CA. Ph.858.551.2010 Christopher Hill Gallery . Napa Valley, CA. Ph. 707.963.0272

STEPHANIEPAIGESTUDIO.COM

Terrye Jammaer Philley Gulf Coast Artist

Title: Pick-Up on the Beach Medium: Oil on 11 x 14 Gallery Wrap Canvas

TerryePhilley.com

“Reflections of Drowned Mosque by Day”

36 x 24

Allegorical Painting

Sanda Manuila sandamanuila.artspan.com

Kaleidoscope

ValerieTravers.com

“All Too Soon” Oil on Canvas 30 x 20

Valerie Travers â&#x20AC;&#x153;Painting is a reflection of who I am and what I feel most deeply. Expansive skies are a constant source of wonder and inspiration to me and bring joy to my soul.â&#x20AC;?

ValerieTravers.com Working in Acrylic, Oil, Pastel, Mixed Media Landscapes, Seascapes, Abstracts, and Florals

discover art . inspire collectors

dandcgallery.com

Tigran at Davis&Co

engage discussion . celebrate life

DAVIS&CO f i n e a r t g a l l e r y Established by David Davis and Melissa Davis Doron, the mission of Davis and Company, Contemporary Fine Art, is to inspire our collectors and guests with original works of art of the highest possible quality and to create an upscale, engaging gallery where artists of paramount caliber can exhibit and sell their works of art.

dandcgallery.com

Home is where the art is.

CFAI.co Colors On My Palette

Barbara Rudolph http://barbararudolphfineart.com http://www.cfai.co/#!colors-on-my-palette-interview/cy2z When did you realize you loved art and wanted to be ‘an artist’?

I have loved art for as long as I can remember. Even when I was a little girl I loved to draw. I didn’t make the full time jump into becoming an artist until I was in my mid 20s.

Who has been the greatest influence from your past to mentor you to this career?

I had a couple of college professors that were very encouraging to me. They were also very honest about communicating the difficulties I would face when pursuing art as a full time career which made me want to work even harder. My late father was always encouraging of my artistic ventures. He also was “accidentally” the reason I made a major change in my painting theme. It was unfortunately not until after his passing that I pursued painting “birds” full time and gained success at it.

Who is your mentor today, or another artist you admire and why?

I don’t have a specific mentor today, but I wish I did. I think it’s important, but not so easily found. I know of a few well known wildlife artists that I like to follow that also paint or sculpt in a realistic style. I also have a few friends that are phenomenal artists that I ask to critique my work if given the opportunity. One friend and “master sculptor” of wood and bronze is “Ken Newman” - he does a lot of museum shows. A few other artists that I truly admire but have not actually met are: Carl Brenders, Nancy Howe, James Offeman, Grace Kim and Julia Hargreaves. They all do outstanding work! There are many others too.

What is your favorite surface to paint on? Describe it if you make it yourself.

When I paint on canvas I prefer to have it custom stretched. The canvas quality is better and tighter. I sand it lightly to remove most of the texture if I can. I then almost always do 2-3 coats of black gesso. I let it dry a few days and then do an oil ground. I stock pile the primed and ready to go backgrounds in my studio so that when the ideas are flowing...I can begin to paint on them right away. I also sometimes use Ampersand panels, however I still find I have to prime them first. The reason is because they tend to absorb the paint up way to quickly if you don’t. They do not work well on large scale paintings because they warp. No matter what the label tells you... they warp! I do like to use them for 11x14” size and under. They are a time saver because I don’t have to sand them. I purchase the “smooth” surfaces, which usually have to be ordered online. The local art stores usually only carry the medium tooth surface, which would be great for people who paint with thick paint.

What brand of paints do you use?

My absolute favorite are the “Lukas 1862 Finest Artists Oil Paints” from Germany. They are rich and buttery.

Do you have a favorite color palette?

I tend to like a lot of variations of brown and other natural colors

What is your favorite color in your closet?

That would be a toss up between bright red and fuchsia.

What subject appears the most in your paintings and why?

“Birds” I often paint the birds with classic books, vintage musical instruments and even with some sports themes.

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The Playoffs

To Kill a Mockingbird Read more at http://www.cfai.co/#!colors-on-my-palette-interview/cy2z VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 47

DORON MELISSA DAVIS DORON

Landform Utah

www.artistdoron.com

Melissa Davis Doron captures the bold of life and the subtle nuances of nature.

Davis&CO

DandCgallery.com

Collectors Discover New Art Daily. International Voices - Speaking Through Art

Professional Artists - Join the CFAI Family. Membership Includes: •

Personal Coaching on Individual Art Marketing Strategies

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Heavy Brand Marketing of CFAI.co Member Artists

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Promotion of Artist’s Work on Multiple Social Media Sites

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Promotion of Artist’s Events and Workshops

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Professional Gallery Page on the CFAI.co Website

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Over 100 Specialty Art Blogs to Choose From

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Monthly Artists Showdowns Free for Members

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Quarterly Juried Competitions at a Discounted Rate

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Eligibility for Inclusion in the Annual Collectors Book

http://www.cfai.co

Aspen S P A C E S

Lelija Roy

www.lelija.net

aspen.spaces@gmail.com

CHAPMAN Elizabeth Chapman Contemporary Abstract Artist

melizabethchapman.artspan.com

Victoria Pendragon â&#x20AC;&#x153;From Many, Oneâ&#x20AC;?

www.victoriapendragon.com

Conflict of Interest – 16x16

Confidence – 12x16 Acrylic

Dusk Lookouts – 9x12 Acrylic

goldenkstudio.com

Cindy Sorley-Keichinger Wildlife & Nature Artist Golden K Studio

goldenkstudio.com

email: goldfarm@telusplanet.net

VL TIGRAN

Reflection (2012 24” x 43” / 60 x 110 cm, oil on canvas, private collection wwwttigran.com

wwwttigran.com

VL Studio Visit Tigran

Reflection in the Age of Technology “People are my landscape,” contemporary artist Tigran Tsitoghdzyan explains. “I’m just an observer. I love being lost in the crowd and feeling anonymous.” Yet, Tsitoghdzyan—who goes by Tigran professionally—found himself set apart from the crowd at an early age in his native Armenia. Henrik Iguitan, founder and director of both the Modern Art Museum and Children’s Art Museum based in Yerevan, hand-picked ten-year-old Tigran to star in a solo exhibit featuring over 100 of his paintings. Tigran doesn’t make too much of his impressive start. “For me it was normal. My class came to the exhibit with my art teacher. She told me I could do better.” Tigran humbly jokes, “I actually had really bad grades in that art class.” Tigran grew up surrounded by intellectuals. He painted in his parent’s living room, listening to their friends talk politics, philosophy and music. He credits his parents with his down-to-earth attitude about his early success; they didn’t show him articles about his first show or subsequent European and American openings until he was twenty-two. As a result of this no-nonsense attitude, Tigran says, “I never felt that I was different than anyone else. It was just that I liked to paint.” Perhaps this insistence on anonymity and normality prompted Tigran to leave behind the acclaim of his home country in 1998 and study in Europe as a young man. While he found success there, New York had been on his mind since a visit at age fourteen for an exhibition of his work. “At that point in the Soviet Union we didn’t know much about foreign countries in general—going to New York was like going to Mars. I couldn’t find a Guns ‘N Roses CD at home and then I came to New York for that trip and was front row at a Guns ‘N Roses concert. I was talking about New York nonstop after that.”

wwwttigran.com

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Mirror Series

wwwttigran.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 59

Studio Visit Tigran Tsitoghdzyan

Colorful Spectrums

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Artistic Layers 1

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VL Studio Visit Tigran Tigran arrived in the Big Apple five years ago determined to make it his home. “I love to watch how people of different cultures connect to each other here. That is the magic of New York.” Tigran is especially interested in how people interact in this new era of technology and social media. “It’s the era of selfies,” he says, referring to pictures people take of themselves on their phones and cameras. This fascination with self-reflection is captured in Tigran’s work. His images of mirrors suggest a close examination of self, and yet the hands held to the face in many pieces shield the subject from outright observation. Tigran wants to convey the same disconnect that occurs when a small child holds his hands over his eyes and believes he is actually hiding in full view. Tigran’s work explores the way people use the Internet to convey images of themselves. There is

significant transparency in an online profile—individuals offer the particulars of their lives up to the larger community. We see the faces of Tigran’s subjects through the screen of their hands just as we connect with people through the filter of the computer screen. Tigran elaborates, “Contact with people today is very different from how it used to be. It is influenced a lot by social media. When I’m on the street and I see people taking Facebook pictures, I know they are curating a very specific story about themselves.” The details of these stories are what drive Tigran’s ten-hour workdays, as he labors over the particulars of each face. Oil painting allows him to spend longer on each painting and achieve a realistic effect. “The technique is an instrument I need to convey the details. I use oil painting to tell the story. Not the reverse.”

Left Page: Armenian Mirrors Right Page: iPray (2011) 24” x 24” / 61 x 61 cm, oil on canvas, private collection wwwttigran.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 63

The detailed faces in the “Mirrors” series tell a story about the artist as well as his diverse subjects. Tigran explains that one Mirror depicts an older Armenian lady whose hands entirely cover her face without any transparency. This beautiful grandmother represents a very old culture and lives with a past she is not yet willing to share. In contrast, Tigran describes another Mirror of an attractive, self-aware, young American woman with an open face. “I’m in between these two realities,” Tigran admits, “I live here in America but my background is from Armenia.”

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wwwttigran.com

VL Studio Visit Tigran Tsitoghdzyan

Left Page: White Mirror (2013) 75” x 50” / 190 x 127 cm, oil on canvas, private collection Right Page: Mirror II (2013) 100 “ x 70” / 254 x 178 cm, oil on canvas, private collection wwwttigran.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 65

VL Studio Visit Tigran

Left Page: Millenium (2010) 47” x 47” / 120 x 120 cm, oil on canvas, private collection Right Page: Censored II (2011) 32” x 32” / 82 x 82 cm, oil on canvas, private collection

wwwttigran.com

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Tigran reflects that the inspiration for his work stems from both the incredible diversity of cultures in New York and the transparency of the individual on social media. Tigran is fascinated with how people present themselves in our Age of Information. In a way, Tigran himself is the mirror: observing and reimagining the reflections of the individuals who stand out in the crowd. wwwttigran.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 67

Recent Exhibitions Tigran

2013 Mirrors - Arcature Gallery, Palm Beach 2013 Mirrors - Gallery Valentine, South Hampton 2013 Art Basel Miami 2012 Millennium, Valette Foundation, Conthey, Switzerland 2012 Art Basel Miami, USA 2011 Destockage Katz Contemporary Zurich, Switzerland 2011 Painting Stories 50 - 1 Gallery Limassol, Cyprus 2007 Armenian Landscapes EWZ - Unterwerk Selnau Kultur und Eventhaus Zurich, Switzerland 2007 Tigran Tsitoghdzyan - Serabai Centre Culturel de la Vidondée 1908 Riddes, Switzerland 2006 Hyperrealismus: Personal Exhibition Artefiz Kunsthalle Forchstrasse 317, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland 2005 Forum d'Art Contemporain Sierre, Switzerland 2004 GordArt Gallery Johannesburg, South Africa 2003 Gallery of the Contemporary Art «Fabienne B.»

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don scott MACDONALD

The elegant canvases of nationally–acclaimed artist Don Scott Macdonald are not simple rec Rather, Mr. Macdonald strives to distill the essence of a scene. Dreamy, simple and powerful perceived stillness with inherent movement, and expert representation with unearthly abstra

Artist Reception: Friday May 16th, 6-9 pm Exhibition: May 17 - June 8 All Paintings by Don Scott Macdonald. miradafineart.com

(l to r): Sky Crane Creek, 24” x 48”; Boundless, 36” x 48”; Virga Laguna, 36” x 60”

creations of static landscpes. lly emotive, each painting juxtaposes action. 5490 Parmalee Gulch Rd. Indian Hills, CO 80454 (only minutes from Denver) www.miradafineart.com 303-697-9006 miradafineart.com info@miradafineart.com

Sonoma Hills with Barn

Eric Bodtker ericbodtker.com

Davis&CO dandcgallery.com

Last Light

D A L T O N Judy Wilder Dalton Contemporary Fine Art

Finding Art in Life and Life in Art judywilderdalton.com

wilderartist.blogspot.com

www.valariewolf.com

www.zebrajazzstudio.com

Lauriepace.com

jonelle-t-mccoy.artistwebsites.com

www.mariadangelo.com

www.pamshaouy.com

http://sues-art.com

www.debrahartgallery.com

www.internationalequinearti

ists.com

www.equineartist.com

www.michellehogan.ca

www.debfloodart.com

www.nchristy.com

www.BarbYoungPhotography.com

www.mindycolton.com

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James Tennison

Evening Light on Bass Hall 36â&#x20AC;? x 27â&#x20AC;? Oil

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Studio Visit

James Tennison

James E. Tennison graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 1982. He cites his time at Art Center, where he studied under such artists as Dan McCaw and John Asaro, as his most formative educational experience. After graduating, he spent several years as a freelance illustrator, eventually making the transition from illustration to portraiture and fine art. Inspired by local geography, neighborhoods and landmarks in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas - as well as subjects he finds on his travels - James seeks to paint the beauty he sees all around. What really excites him is the effect of light - sunlight and shadow - and the colors that can be seen in shadows and reflected light if one looks closely. Tennison’s paintings have been exhibited in galleries throughout the United States, including the Salmagundi Art Club in New York City, the Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona, Howard/Mandville Gallery in

Portuguese Church - Late Morning 12” x 24” Oil http://www.jamestennison.com/

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Kirkland, Washington and Galerie Kornye West in Fort Worth, Texas. He has participated in many group shows and competitions and has had a one man show titled “A Year In Fort Worth”. His portrait commissions have taken him across the United States and to England. His commissions include the official portrait of former Texas Governor Ann Richards, which hangs in the state capitol in Austin. He has painted portraits for Harvard University, Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University, The National Cancer Institute, the New York County Lawyer’s Association as well as many other public and private collections. His awards include the Salmagundi Art Club Purchase Prize, the People’s Choice and First Honor Awards at the Portrait Society of America’s International Competition, the RayMar Art Competition Best of Show Award and the Oil Painters of America Online Showcase Silver Medal.

Last Light on First Methodist 24â&#x20AC;? x 18â&#x20AC;? Oil

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Studio Visit

James Tennison

Marguerite 40â&#x20AC;? x 30â&#x20AC;? Oil

http://www.jamestennison.com/

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The Colonnade 20” x 30” Oil

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Studio Visit

James Tennison

Dress Rehearsal at Bass Hall 28â&#x20AC;? x 22â&#x20AC;? Oil

http://www.jamestennison.com/

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Roger 24” x 30” Oil

Lucius 9” x 12” Oil http://www.jamestennison.com/ VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 83

Studio Visit

James Tennison

Courthouse at Dusk 30” x 24” Oil

http://www.jamestennison.com/

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John Peter Smith Tree 14” x 21” Watercolor

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Studio Visit

James Tennison

Trio 24” x 48” Oil http://www.jamestennison.com/

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Simon Kenny

Sentinel

Destiny

Diffusion

Email: simonkenny@eskayfineart.co.uk

simonkennysart.com

Into the Breach

Between Heaven and Earth

Pulse

simonkenny.artweb.com

Natural Art for the Nature Lover in You!

The Little Red Barnâ&#x20AC;? Acrylic, 16x20 Unframed

Terri Holland terrihollandartstudio.weebly.com

Linda McCoy

Gallery/Fine Art Instruction 209 S West Street, Mason, Ohio www.lindamccoyart.blogspot.com

clairebullfineart.com Email: lindamccoyart@live.com http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/claire-bull.html

Samburu Woman, Oil on Canvas

http://www.sabinebarber.com

SABINE BARBER

http://www.sabinebarber.com

Artspan Studio Visit Sabine Barber

I was born and raised in South Africa. Growing up on a beautiful farm in Mpumalanga, most of my childhood was spent outside in the sun, running barefoot through the dirt, climbing in trees and daydreaming in the garden. I also spent countless hours doodling, using any scraps of paper I could find, filling the pages with princesses, mermaids, unicorns, playing out my fantasies using pencil or ballpoint pen. In my early teens, I began taking private lessons in oil and pastel painting, which opened up a wonderful world to me. I found a new, colourful, way to express myself. Art was a part of my life, a part of my day-to-day. It helped me escape, it made me happy! Then, as they say, life got in the way and before I knew it, I grew up, finished school and went to college. Afterwards, I found myself at a crossroad. Young, brave, and eager to experience the “real world” out there, I followed my family to Germany (I soon learnt it may as well have been the moon!). There, I ended up in some day job and earned money – the way the “real world” dictates. I rarely picked up a paintbrush anymore. It just didn’t “fit” into my serious grown-up world. And besides, it had only ever been a fruitless hobby anyway, so what was the point, right? I didn’t leave myself much time to miss Africa, since I had convinced myself that I made the right decision emigrating that life was better here than in my crime-ridden home country. I would just have to get used to it here and learn to deal with the homesickness and whatever other feelings of restlessness I had. So I soldiered on and kept myself busy. Eventually, I married my wonderful husband (also a South African) and in the years that followed, we became the proud parents of two beautiful children. I thought that finally I would have all I would ever need to feel “complete” again. After our son was born, I lost my day job, which I didn’t really mind, because being a mother was my new full-time job anyway, and I was happy to stay at home for him and, later, our daughter. When both my children were old enough to go to Kindergarten, I suddenly found myself alone for a few hours in the mornings. It was during that time that I started feeling more

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restless, bored, and really, really homesick! I needed an outlet, something to do. In an epiphanic moment, I put on some African music, dug out my old pastels and over the course of a few days painted a portrait of an African woman, carrying her child on her back. I remember looking at it for ages afterwards and thinking how much I MISSED this. And how much better I felt! And then I did another painting a few days later – another African portrait. Then another one…. I didn’t know what I was going to do with the paintings afterwards or where this was going, but I just couldn’t help myself. I dug out old photos, contacted friends in South Africa for some “holiday shots” from safaris, the Kruger National (wildlife) Park, or for just any photos capturing life in Africa. I poured over these references – some purely for inspiration and to reminisce. After completing a few portraits, I decided to try my hand at wildlife, for variety. At first, I worked primarily with pastels (because it is so much quicker to tidy up and store away before the kids returned home from Kindergarten). Then, as my confidence grew I braved the “big, white, scary canvas” to attempt an oil painting for the first time in years. It was exhilarating! Of course, oils take forever to dry, so I opted for the water-based variety. My children, in the meantime, were well-trained at keeping their inquisitive little fingers away from the easel and “mommy’s paintings”, while they dry. Three years have passed since that “epiphanic moment”, and I haven‘t stopped painting! The more I painted and the more encouragement I got from friends and family, the more I WANTED to continue. Now, it fills a void in my life that I cannot explain and I don’t want to give it up anymore. I hadn’t dared to think of having a life as an artist, but for the first time I wondered if this could be more than “just a hobby”. I found a small, local gallery in Germany that hung up my art and offered me a small platform to get myself „out there“. I was also invited to display some of my work at various businesses around our area. While the feedback has always been good, the sales have much catching up to do (although this might be more a question of location and target audience). Nevertheless, to me it was a big step to “expose myself”, artistically. And it is only the beginning. Right: Baby Elephant, Pastel

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Artspan Studio Visit Sabine Barber

Himba Boy, Pastel

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Cape Girl Drawing in the Street, Oil on Canvas

Lalibela Boy, Oil on Canvas

http://www.sabinebarber.com

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Artspan Studio Visit Sabine Barber

African Lady with Child, Pastel

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San Girl, Oil on Canvas

Madre Himba, Pastel

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Artspan Studio Visit Sabine Barber

Catch of the Day, Oil on Canvas Right Page: Ibhubesi, Oil on Canvas

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VL Artspan Studio Visit

Frangipani (Plumeria), Oil on Canvas

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Sabine Barber

Burning Sky, Oil on Canvas

I have recently started branching out to new themes that inspire me to paint. My children inspire me. The beautiful landscapes and season changes in Europe inspire me. People in history inspire me. While I don’t think I will ever stop painting “Africa” entirely, I must admit I get a particular rush from painting portraits. There’s something about painting a face that is so calming and gratifying to me: The beginning stages and outline of a face, a body, a look. Then comes the “ugly phase” where the whole painting looks a mess and I am almost tempted to throw the damn thing in the bin. But then there’s that redeeming moment where it actually starts to LOOK like someone again

and I power through, slowly reaching the final stages of completion. At present, I live in England. (Yes, we moved again recently!). While I still don’t know where or how to best approach this new art venture, I feel like I am in a better location “artwise”. I hope to someday have my own studio, my own solo exhibition and one day make art my “day job”. While I may still be at the beginning of such a dream, I can say that with each “Africa” painting, the feeling of homesickness is becoming less and less and with every brush stroke, I feel my sense of self coming back…

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Ann Balch The Delicacies of Life

LADYBUG 21.5" X 29.25" Mixed media (Watercolor/Archival Acrylic Varnish)

HIDDEN Oil on Canvas 24" x 36"

www.annbalch.com Right Page:CROWNING GLORY Mixed Media (Watercolor/Acrylic Archival Varnish) 26.75" x 20" by Ann Balch, CSPWC, SCA Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

Nancy Medina Fine Art Painting Under the Tuscan Sun June 6-13, 2015

https://www.ilchiostro.com/index.php?action=workshop-details&item=273

You are invited to join award winning artist Nancy Medina for 7 days of making brilliant colors bloom at the Tuscan Renaissance Center, a lovingly restored ex-monastery dating back to the 12th century. Open for beginners to advanced students in oils, as well as those who work in water based oils, watercolor, and acrylics, you will learn to loosen your approach to painting in this exciting multi-media workshop scheduled during the peak of poppy blooming season.

NancyMedina.com Right Page: Sunset Blaze Wildflower Fields 16X12 Left Page: Ruby Tango Peonies 12X12

https://www.ilchiostro.com/index.php?action=workshop-details&item=273

Barry Scharf

My interview with Dennis LewisA Figurative, Still Life and Realism Artist. By Barry Scharf

In was in my early days of teaching at the Art Institute of Seattle where I first met my now long time friend Dennis Lewis. Dennis and I share many values and ideas about the art of painting. I have known him now for 18 years and he has never stopped creating works that demonstrate a high standard in skill, love for the figure and still life painting. His paintings have been shown in galleries and he has won many awards and prizes. When I was given the topic for this article I immediately thought it would be a great way to introduce Dennis to all my readers. I spent some time thinking of what questions to ask him about his life his art and his views. Here is his reply. I hope you enjoy the interview. Dennis first could you give us a little background about your career as a Figurative, Still Life & Realism painter? At the early age of seven, I decided that I wanted to be an artist. Drawing for me was fun and a way for me to express myself. I was also blessed to have parents who encouraged me to draw at such a young age. My dad displayed artistic talents when he was in the armed service and I would confiscate his drawing pad with filled charcoal portraits of many of the service men he served with. My mom brought postcards from work to draw my favorite cartoon characters. After graduating from high school I was awarded a grant allowing me, to study commercial illustration at Chouinard Art institute, where I received my BFA (Bachelors of Fine Arts) Degree. Attending a professional institute helped me to develop my professional artistic skills and knowledge in composition and design. What has lead to your interest in this type of painting? Working as a professional illustrator for over the 35

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years, trained me in various painting techniques and styles. Every job given to an artist was followed up by ‘tight deadlines’ and helped in the perfecting of my artistic skills. During the mid sixties up to the late eighties, editorial, magazine ads, entertainment and product advertising was all promoted mainly by the use of illustrations although, photography was also used. The use of illustration allowed more creative freedom for the clients and allowed artist the freedom of self-expression. Since my interest was already representational art this eventually lead to my interest in traditional painting. When the digital age entered, many illustrators found themselves out of work or adapting their skills to computer graphics. I was able to make the transition. Eventually making the commitment to pursuing the fine arts market full time.

How do you choose the subject matter for your work? Choosing subject matter for me has always been relatively easy. I’m one of those individuals who find myself plagued with many ideas and concepts for painting. I plan out many of my personal projects for the year and the fact that there is so much I want to say through my art keeps me motivated as an artist. However, there are times when an unexpected subject matter or an event catches my eye and I’m suddenly inspired at that particular moment. Art is all around us and it’s important to take a moment out of your busy schedule, open your eyes and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. I also try to use my time wisely, reading, viewing and studying many of the great painters who left behind a tremendous body of work to inspire future generation of artists.

Hair 30 x 24

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Barry Scharf

What do you believe are the important points that any painter should know in order to be successful at this type of painting? I believe without a shadow of doubt, in order to be good at something requires passion, dedication and a lot of hard work. I believe that every artist has to have a love for what they do. And you must be willing to work at your craft even when you don’t feel like it. It can be intimidating working on that blank canvas, hoping your hard efforts will not go in vain. No one wants to ‘blow a painting.’ But, sometimes, without failure you cannot achieve or appreciate success in your work. When I taught, I had a saying... “Don’t be afeared...” Jokingly, I would tell my students that with every mistake you grow as a creative person, and students must be willing to overcome their fears. Every artist must be willing to accept the fact that you will fail sometimes but it’s more important to get back on track and continue the process. Dedication and hard work will always pay off in the end. Building confidence, and overcoming the fear of failure, is the first step to achieving the success you desire in your work. Although, success can be equated with gallery recognition and financial reward, I believe that ‘true success’ is based on that personal journey and development through the learning process. Remember when you were a child, being an artist was more about passion, joy and the love of the craft, that to me, is more valuable, more important and the true definition of success.

work. When I first started painting I use to give each piece a tight deadline, much like when I was working in the business as a professional illustrator. And I would work relatively tight when it came to rendering. But, since then, I try and take my time, allowing myself to maintain an open attitude about each piece, keeping a loose approach in some cases while focusing more on the concept, design, harmony and the final goal of each piece. Have you found a market for this type of painting? Where do you show your work? Art as a whole is not an easy venture to market these days. It requires a lot of patience and sacrifice to get your work out there in the competitive market. My goal at this particular time is developing a strong body of work. I belong to several art organizations and over the years have shown at various galleries here in the city where I live as well as other major cities. I’ve also, had the privilege of being a published artist belonging to several prestigious art organizations, having my work exhibited on several occasions at the ‘Forest Lawn Museum’ located in Glendale, California, ‘Masterpiece Christian Art Foundation’ and ‘Northwest Air Force Art Program.’ Several paintings (Angels On Our Shoulders, ‘Chasing Mach 1 ’ and ‘Reign of Fire’) are on display hanging in the U.S. Pentagon in Washington D.C.

Is lighting important and if so how do you decide the setup and control the look? Lighting is everything in a good painting. I try and set up good lighting in my studio when I paint. The old masters where extremely good at this. As an artist, I work at this all the time. Just like developing good drawing and painting skills it’s important to maintain good composition along with good lighting. How much time do you spend on a painting and how do you know when to stop? Each painting dictates it’s own time frame. Some paintings can go very quickly and some you can find your self struggling in an attempt to capture the mood. However, these days, I’m learning to stay flexible with my http://barrywscharf.squarespace.com/ 110 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

Reign of Fire 22 x 24

What do you think is the future of this type of painting?

Brass Lamp

Representational art continues to struggle for its recognition and appreciation. It competes with abstract art, which it should. Both having impact and on today’s culture. There is room for both. The digital age that is so prevalent in today’s society has created a huge buzz with today’s young artist. Many young artists lack the educational knowledge and history of great traditional artists like Henry O’tanner, Alphose Mucha, Norman Rockwell, Pablo Picasso and other legendary artists who have made significant contributions in today’s art world. Although, there are still a few academic institutes that still teach ‘traditional arts,’ many students lack the basic fundamentals of good drawing and design but seem to focus more on computer graphics and digital art. However, given the circumstance of today’s age of technology, it’s a natural evolutionary progression. I do believe that art goes in cycles. Digital art for now seems to be in the spotlight for the moment. It’s just a matter of time, when boredom sets in and the appreciation of the ‘hands on’ traditional arts and its uniqueness’ will once again surface to the forefront. Are there any other comments you would like to make?

Fruit of the Harvest 36 x 24

Being an artist is not an easy life but it’s the life I’ve chosen. I’m very thankful that I’ve been able to express myself through my craft and hope to do more paintings in the near future. I also believe that it’s important to give back, sharing the knowledge and experience I’ve gained through the years as a professional artist as and art instructor. Hopefully, motivating others to seek out the treasure that is within them. Some of us are good at singing, working with kids, etc. We’re all gifted at something. I would like to encourage others to follow your passion, that thing that gives your life purpose and joy. Those gifts and talents should not be taken for granted but rather shared with others to inspire future generations to come. -Dennis Lewis http://dennislewisfinearts.blogspot.com

Silver Reflections 12 x 9

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VL artspan.com Sandra Flood

Look Away

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An Opened Door

The Perfect Place to Find Art

The Italians

Kyleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Glory

Sandra Flood

www.sandraflood.com

LauriePace.com

Laurie Justus Pace

The Painted Pony Gathering Two Passing of Spring

32 x 48 Oil on Canvas

MiradaFineArt.com

http://www.jenedypaige.com/

VL Jenedy Paige

Summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gift

http://www.jenedypaige.com/

Studio Visit

Jenedy Paige

I’m not one of those artists that knew my calling in life from the age of five. I didn’t even try oil painting for the first time until I was a junior in college. I hear people talk about how all artists are just born with ability and I have to laugh. Mine has been a skill that I have developed over just hours and hours of plain old hard work and the prayer of faith.

the first time, and began the careful balance of juggling motherhood, teaching, and painting. In 2010, I gave birth to my second son. Painting became harder than ever, but I knew that it was always second to being a mother, and I found that as I put my children first, time to paint always seemed to find a way. I learned to tell myself that it was okay if I only got 30 minutes to paint one day that meant I was 30 minutes better today than I was yesterday. I learned that in order to be a mother and an artist, you have to be patient with yourself.

As a Senior in High School my family moved to a small town in Northern Colorado where I found my dreams of academic grandeur dashed. No AP classes? No Honors program? This led me to signing up for six art classes. There, at a tiny high school in a tiny town, I found an art teacher that truly inspired me. She taught the idea that art was all about communicating a message, and this was news to me, I always thought it was about making something look “real”. The idea of being able to send a message through an image really spoke to my heart, and my passion for art began. I then went on to study at BYU-Idaho, at another small town in southeast Idaho, where I found myself once again inspired by amazing teachers. Though at the bottom of the raw talent pool, I was motivated by an academic scholarship and would go to school at 4:00 am to work before classes began. Little by little, I improved, I was able to keep my scholarship, and graduated magna cum laude in 2006 with a BFA in illustration.

In 2011, after a glorious summer with our two boys in Ensenada, Mexico, I found myself face to face with my worst nightmare. My beautiful threeyear-old son was pulled from a pool, and we spent nearly two months in the hospital with him as he fought for his life. Then in November he quietly slipped home to the God that gave him life. What a gift he had been to our family, and what a gift art became to me as I dealt with all the emotions associated with such grief. I found solace in my faith, in my family, and in my painting. So many tears were shed as I tried to find some way to pull all the sorrow from my heart and let it go on a canvas. I found a new appreciation for art that could have come in no other way. It took some time, but I found the tears began to dry and the smiles began to return.

After college my husband and I moved to California where I continued to paint. I joined the Daily Painters craze, and just tried to get more experience behind my belt. I began teaching at a private art school and later would teach out of my own studio. I discovered I loved teaching just as much as I loved painting. I soon became a mother for

We now currently reside in Arizona, and I’m expecting our fourth child. I continue to paint a little bit every day, and try to have as much fun with my kids as I can. I know how fragile life can be, and truly try to soak up every moment. I continue to work as hard as I can, and pray as hard as I can, and look to the future with happy anticipation.

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Home

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Studio Visit

Jenedy Paige

Wisdom of the Wilderness

Vision Rouge

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Right Page: Little Lamb

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Studio Visit

Jenedy Paige

My Ebenezer

http://www.jenedypaige.com/

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Little Bird

Leaving Eden

http://www.jenedypaige.com/

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Kyle Wood kwoodfineart.com 124 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

kylewoodfineart.blogspot.com

kwoodfineart.com

"Beyond The Gate II" 18" x 24" Oil on Canvas

Kimberly Conrad “Pouring Color Into Your Life”

KimberlyConradFineArt.com

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ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight

Janine Kilty

When did you realize you loved art and wanted to be an artist? Although I have loved music, theater and the visual arts my entire life, I did not come to learn drawing and painting as a youngster– it was at the urging of my husband, Kurt, that I began to take lessons, first in drawing, then expanding to paint. Once I got into it, I knew I would never stop! Who has been your mentor, or greatest influence to date? My husband, Kurt – who perceived my talent and pushed me to take art classes. And Wade Schuman: master artist (of both painting and music!) and the most influential teacher in my life. Who is another living artist you admire and why? Besides Wade Schuman, who will always be uppermost in any catalog of my inspirations, I deeply admire the work of Jamie Wyeth, Bo Bartlett, Vincent Desiderio, Natalie Holland and Odd Nerdrum. More, I am sure, but these come to mind first. What is your favorite surface to create work on or to work with? Describe it if you make it yourself. I usually paint on pre-stretched, pre-primed canvas. I use both linen and cotton. I also occasionally work on panels. I further set up these ready-made surfaces by preparing a tinted ground on the canvas, and then I paint on this. This is the method used by northern European Renaissance masters, who I admired and strive to emulate. My three favorite grounds are “Chamois” (made up of white gesso tinted with raw sienna, burnt sienna and chromium oxide green), “Grey Mid-tone” (made up of raw umber, yellow ochre and a touch of black added to white gesso), and “Celadon” (made up of yellow ochre, black, chromium oxide green and white gesso). What are your favorite materials to use? I described the surfaces above – and I use linseed oil as my medium, with oil paints from several manufacturers (preference is based on particular colors), the manufacturers include Gamblin, Mussini, Holbein, and Williamsburg. I use both boar bristle and sable or sablette brushes from a number of manufacturers, predominantly filberts and rounds in a variety of sizes. I also occasionally use a palette knife for certain effects. How often do you work on your artwork? I actually have another career: I work as a Human Resources Consultant, which has me traveling with some regularity for selected projects. When I am not on a consulting project, and so, not traveling, I like to work in my studio about four or five hours each day, sometimes all seven days. I feel bereft at the moment, since I have been engaged on a particularly long consulting project that has kept me away from my studio for more than three months! What is the one thing you would like to be remembered for? Being a loyal and loving daughter, wife and friend.

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Nocturne

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ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight

VL Janine Kilty

Winter Break

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Right Page: Companions II

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Janine Kilty

ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight

Feline and Firkin

http://www.janinekilty.com/

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Still Life with Crow

http://www.janinekilty.com/

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Janine Kilty

ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight

Red Scarf

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Winter Bounty

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ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight

Janine Kilty

Getting to know you Q&A What is your favorite color in your closet? I am somewhat red-faced to admit this: after I opened my closet to look, I found I had a tremendous proportion of black: pants and skirts, pinstriped, tweeded and solid… but, (sigh of relief) tops are more colorful: in addition to white and off-white, I have lots of teal blue, “pumpkin”, warm purple (the tertiaries!). What book are you reading this week? I always have two books going: one visually and one audio for my walks. I am reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tratt (absolutely fabulous… and coincidentally for this article, centers around a painting I have always found especially inspiring, by Carel Fabritius). I am listening to Careless in Red by Elizabeth George (a murder mystery). Do you have a favorite television show? My husband and I don’t watch much television, but we do enjoy “date nights” in our den, watching movies or “TV” shows that are strong on characters and narrative, like films. One favorite is House of Cards. We are also looking forward to the start of the second season of Orphan Black. We loved the first season. What color sheets are on your bed right now? I think the color is called “Beech.” It is a soft green – like a very pale moss color. If I were to mix it on my palette, I would use unbleached titanium, yellow ochre and a touch of black. What are you most proud of in your life? I have been a mentor and a coach to a number of people over the years. Several credit me with helping them achieve their life goals. Also I have been involved with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program over many years. One little girl I met through that program, and who is now an accomplished, beautiful woman, was someone who has been a particularly important part of my life for 25 years. I believe my husband and I made a real, positive difference in her life, and feel both proud of and blessed to have had such opportunity. Who would you love to interview? Of living people, I would love to talk with Cindy Sherman. I am fascinated and inspired by her arresting and deeply narrative portraits and would love to learn what she draws on for her complex, vivid images, what inspires her. Who would you love to paint? Malala Yousafsai, the Pakistan schoolgirl who survived being shot by the Taliban for her wish to attend school. I would love to look into her eyes and try to capture her courage, strength and young wisdom, along with her beauty.

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Abbey Road

Companions

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SA N DY M O S E R

Don’t Mess with Momma

Daydreamer

s.moser@ns.sympatico.ca Facebook – Sandy Moser Art

Momma’s Boy

Specializing in Wildlife Art

sandymoserart.com

WAOW Winners

“WAOWed in San Diego” Women Artists of the West 44th National Juried Exhibition Women’s Museum of California 2730 Historic Decatur Road, Barracks 16, San Diego, California Show dates: May 2 through May 31, 2014

Best of Show $1,000 Independence Day Nancy Harkins First Place - 2D $500 4th of July Roses Jeanne Hyland Second Place - 2D $250 In It to Win It Cheryl Harley-Volz Third Place - 2D $100 Day’s End Nancee Busse First Place - 3D $500 “Fierce” Triumph of Harriet Tubman Lori Pandy Second Place - 3D $250 Presence Yvonne Kitchen Third Place - 3D $100 Rein Maker Burneta Venosdel

Jury Award $100 Waiting on the #9 Lori Pandy Jury Award $100 Catching the Sunlight Carol Amos Jury Award $100 After the Rain Jane Hunt Allen Award $100 Afternoon Stroll, Balboa Island Michele Usibelli President’s Award $300 Ballerina #3 Susan Smolensky Publisher’s Award Art of the West Magazine Quiet Waters Nancy Peach Publisher’s Award Fine Art Connoisseur Piedra Lumbre Morning Patricia Ford Publisher’s Award Southwest Art Magazine Nobility Nancy Doyle Publisher’s Award Visual Language Magazine Waiting at the Gate Naomi Shachar Publisher’s Award American Art Collector Reflecting Pool Lynn Phariss 4th of July Roses Jeanne Hyland

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Independence Day Nancy Harkins

Ballerina #3 Susan Smolensky

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Presence Yvonne Kitchen

Award of Excellence Canson Bouquet in a Box Jean Olliver Award of Merit Art Frames.com A Rose by Any Other Name! Grace Schlesier Award of Merit Sculpture Depot Daffodil - New Beginnings Kathy Anderson Award of Merit RoyalTalens My Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s House Judy Burch Award of Merit RoyalTalens Desert Cactus in Morning Light Karen Petrovich Award of Merit Source Tek Cardinal 1 Kathleen Kirch Award of Merit SourceTek Snow Day! Mikela Cameron Award of Merit SourceTek Country Squash Dee Kirkham Award of Merit SourceTek After the Rain Jane Hunt Honorable Mention Wallis Mule Deer Doe Judy Fairley Honorable Mention Dick Blick Waiting at the Gate Naomi Shachar Honorable Mention ColArt In the Valley Tina Bohlman Honorable Mention Creative Catalyst Productions Afternoon Stroll, Balboa Island Michele Usibelli Honorable Mention Creative Catalyst Productions Quiet Waters Nancy Peach Honorable Mention Chavant Clay Sonoran Standoff Burneta Venosdel Honorable Mention Cherry Products (Mary Ann & Learninâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the Ropes Linda Wacaster Honorable Mention Gamblin The Journey Sue Wipf Honorable Mention F+W Media Winning Charms Linda Medders-Jackson Honorable Mention F+W Media Crows at Bogus Laurel McGuire Honorable Mention Townsend Pastels San Diego Marsha MacDonald

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“Fierce” Triumph of Harriet Tubman

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Mary Jo Zorad contemporary fine art

ZoradArt.com

Logan Bauer

LoganBauer.com

DAILY PAINTERS ABSTRACT GALLERY

Beyond the Arches 30 x 22 Joan Fullerton

DailyPaintersAbstract.blogspot.com

Breathing Heaven 30 x 22 Joan Fullerton Barbara Van Rooyan Blue Canyon II

DAILY PAINTERS ABSTRACT GALLERY DailyPaintersAbstract.blogspot.com

CFAI.co Artist Showdown

CFAI.co Artist Showdown April 2014 - Realism