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Visual Language
contemporary fine art
VL ANTHONY A. GONZĂ LEZ obra-de-gonzalez.com
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Features: Anthony A Gonzalez . Brian Croft . Deran Wright . Douglas Clark . Roberta McGowan
November 2014 Volume 3 No. 11
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visual language contemporary fine art
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November 2014 Vol 3 No 11 ŠGraphicsOneDesign1998-2014
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Figurative Painting The scope of my work is wide and varied, but the female figure is the focus of the majority of my paintings. Their expressions and attitudes are what I attempt to capture. Each woman has unique and subtle methods for displaying her feelings and thoughts. Through the use of setting, form, color, posture, and costume I attempt to capture this attitude and convey it to the viewer.
obra-de-gonzalez.com
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VL Cover Artist
ANTHONY A. GONZĂ LEZ
Michal Ashkenasi Abstract Figurative and Minimalistic Paintings
Portrait of a Girl 100/80 cm
michalsart.com
content
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Cover Artist Anthony Gonzalez 2 Delve into figurative painting through the captivating artwork by Anthony Gonzalez
Painter’s Keys - Sara Genn 11
VL Artists to Collect 18 Lisa McKinney, Ray Maines, Denise Bossarte, David Blow, Clayton Gardinier
Looking My Way: Capturing the ‘Attitude’ 54 Anthony Gonzalez “Over these years my work with figures has been very rewarding. There is so much to explore. I don’t believe that I will ever exhaust this subject. Just like the landscape artist and floral painter never exhaust their subject… I will continue with mine.”
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VL Artspan Studio Visit Brian Croft 72
Exploring history through the eyes of an artist.
“Contemporary Hyperrealism in Art is it Real or is it Photoshop?” 92 Barry Scharf
“I don’t know about others, but when I look at hyper-realistic portraiture or landscape I often think it looks like a photo-manipulated image....I long for the images that show off the talent, passion and emotion of the artists.”
VL Artspan Spotlight Sculptors 106 Deran Wright and Douglas Clark
From figurative to western-inspired themes, two bronze sculpture artists bring a three-dimensional side of art to life.
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content CFAI.co Artist Showdown 120
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First Place Marie Fox Second Place Bob Shepherd Third Place Mary Opat
VL Artspan Photographer Roberta McGowan 136 From her earliest years with a point and shoot camera to newspaper photographer to corporate photojournalist to western photographer, Roberta has carried with her the joy of image making.
Directory of Artists and Galleries 154 In alphabetical order you can easily 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
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Hall Groat II Painter Hall Groat II, professor and chair of Art and Design at SUNY Broome Community College, teaches foundation courses in painting, drawing, color theory, and computer graphics. Groat earned a master of fine arts degree in painting and drawing from City University of New York at Brooklyn, a bachelor of arts in art history, minoring in studio art at Binghamton University, and attended graduate and certificate programs at Buffalo State College, Syracuse University, and Savannah College of Art and Design. He also attended summer sessions at Chautauqua School of Art, Chautauqua, NY, and Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vt.
HallGroat.com
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If you want to be featured as an Artist of the Day, contact Visual Language Magazine. VisualLanguageMagazine@gmail.com
Contemporary Abstract Art in Acrylics and Mixed Media
“Across the Essence” 24” x 30” Acrylic on Canvas
Jana Kappeler janakappelerstudio.com janakappelerstudio@live.com
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visual language magazine Contemporary Fine Art
Visual Language Magazine Staff Editorial Editor -in-Chief Laurie Pace Executive Editor Ashley Thompson Contributing Editor Lisa Neison-Smith Consulting Editor Nancy Medina Feature Contributor Sara Genn Painter’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 No11
Lisa-McKinney.com lisamckinneyfineart.blogspot.com
Changes at VLM Visual Language has been published close to three full years. Lisa Kreymborg joined the staff several years ago and has contributed both time and talent bringing her touch to the magazine. She leaves VLM to take up a new publication with Contemporary Fine Artists International. The staff at Visual Language wishes Lisa all the best with the new magazine and we look forward to purusing the pages. Best Wishes from Visual Language Magazine.
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Robert Genn’s Studio Book
Grey matters October 3, 2014 Dear Laurie, I recently met my downstairs neighbour -- a New York jazz-punk original, an arranger of avant-garde film scores, flamenco producer and composer of chamber music for the electric violin. He also conducts an orchestra of Thai elephants. By day, he’s a neuroscientist at Columbia University’s Laboratory of Dopamine Neurotransmission. By night, he breaks up Chopin’s piano scale and has stretched the “Minute Waltz” into half an hour. Long ago, I sprawled on the floor in front of the secondary easel, strangled by the limitations of the Prismacolor pencil set. I was five or six years old. “Sophisticate your greys,” said Dad. He leaned over with some primed panels and squeezed out a palette of acrylic paint. Grey is the jazz of colour. When done right, grey is a soul-stirring, weep-worthy passage of luminosity and glow -- a vibration-maker. Virtuosity is achieved by relinquishing black and understanding the Munsell Colour System. You need only invest in a colour wheel, then begin to break it up and take it apart. Something unexpected happens with grey. The colour itself seems to understand the power of in-between, like suspended twilight or ineffable places of attachment. Perhaps the narrative material is less apparent in grey -- her stories curtained or overshone by louder, simpler truths. In the meantime, grey’s meanings remain fluid. In the language of painting, understanding grey separates us from the obvious. We are removed from the one-note or cacophony of primaries and moved closer to poetry.
The Painter’s Keys - Sara Genn
The Painter’s Keys Robert and Sara Genn
In the language of colour, grey is a key to mastery. Start with a light grey imprimatura. Warm or cool, it becomes an early signature move that determines later choices. Vibrancy is only as effective as the mastering of restraint. “Better grey than garishness,” said Ingres. So, if you lean toward a high chroma, your new grey ground should keep things classy. Grey begins with white and miniscule dobs of warm and cool complementaries. At the other end of value, grey is full-strength. Dioxazine violet and phthalo green mixed in equal parts will give you blacker-than-black. Now play. Scumble cadmium orange over pale violet. Pour cadmium yellow lemon into a lake of puddling crimson -- the vibrations are hotter than a kitchen sink full of abutted primaries. Your deliberate, subtler warms and cools become a place to rest, to stretch time, to dance and dazzle. Once you sophisticate the in-betweens, your blacks and whites can take their solos and shine. Sincerely, Sara PS: “There’s a difference between external truth and pictorial truth. It’s often the painter’s job to understand and craft this difference.” (Robert Genn) Esoterica: In Mastering Colour, Richard Robinson explains the Munsell Colour System and breaks down the basics of mixing and achieving tricky middle-values. For grey, the colour wheel is your ally. In Minute Waltz Variations, David Soldier digitally extracts “microtones” or “notes that Chopin did not write.” The Minute Waltz in Half an Hour becomes a meditation on something already perfect. Where to go? For artists, after a few thousand hours at the palette, the prismacolors in the cerebral cortex are as good as grey.
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ANTHONY A. GONZĂ LEZ Attitudes and Expressions
obra-de-gonzalez.com
http://www.obra-de-gonzalez.com/
Una Vez Por Todas
Jonelle T. McCoy
Rhythm and Hooves Series “Opera”
jonellemccoy.com
www.caroljosmidt.com
“Blue Horse"
carol@caroljosmidt.com
Pastel
12 x 16
Lis
sa McKinney Lisa-McKinney.com
lisamckinneyfineart.blogspot.com
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Artists to Watch and Collect
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Lisa McKinney Ray Maines Denise Bossarte David Blow Clayton Gardinier
Visual Language Magazine Featured Artists this month delve into the beauty of each of the five different artists and their unique approach to creativity. Lisa McKinney finds her artistic inspiration comes from nature, as well as quiet days spent in her studio in the mountains overlooking the rugged, rocky Oregon Coast. Ray Maines eye tends to see images which are abstract or which can be abstracted through the digital process. Denise Bossarte practices photography where a synchronization of the eye and the mind is cultivated and the artist is mindful of the present moment without judging, reflecting or thinking, without overtaking the moment with their agendas. David Blow’s current work focuses on nature as a source of inspiration and enlightment. Clayton Gardinier works predominately as a landscape and nature photographer but does a little abstract work as well. Clayton’s preferred medium is black and white; although, he does some color work when it is appropriate.
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Lisa McKinney
http://www.lisa-mckinney.com
Colorful Obsessions Lisa McKinney is the daughter of an internationally collected wildlife and western painter and a renowned biotech director. The mix of the creative and the logical always felt like a pull of two very conflicted worlds. As a child, Lisa found the quiet solitude of creating art was a welcome reprieve from a rambunctious house with three brothers. Lisa’s drawings and paintings were chosen each year to be displayed in the elementary school art shows at the local opera house. However, art was soon left behind and replaced by college, studying for a career in social work. After a very rewarding time working with troubled teens, Lisa realized that the color of creativity was a crucial part of her soul. Searching for a path that would lead to the perfect blend of right and left brain culminated in her current full time career as a mixed media artist, photographer, and graphic designer. She finds her artistic inspiration comes from nature, as well as quiet days spent in her studio in the mountains overlooking the rugged, rocky Oregon Coast.
Foggy Morning on Mount Tamalpais
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Mountain Reflections
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Lisa McKinney http://www.lisa-mckinney.com
Rocky Beach II
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Stone Castles
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Ray Maines
www.mariemaines.com
Images are found wherever travel takes him. His eye tends to see images which are abstract or which can be abstracted through the digital process. Fragments and details of objects and areas also attract his attention. He is very aware of light and trys to utilize it to best enhance the effect on the final image. His images are produced in the ‘digital darkroom’ where many of the processes are essentially comparable to those in the photographic darkroom. The creative freedom of the digital process allows him to produce images and situations which would be extremely difficult if not impossible to achieve in film photography.
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Octopus’s Garden (20”x13”)
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Ray Maines
www.mariemaines.com
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Denise Bossarte www.foundworlds.com
Finding and Capturing the Unique Beauty of the Ordinary World My photography is in the Miksang Contemplative Photography style. Miksang photography is a Shambhala Buddhist Contemplative practice that focuses on direct perception of the world, without conceptualizations; it is photography that connects the photographer with non-conceptual awareness. In contemplative photography, a synchronization of the eye and the mind is cultivated where the artist is mindful of the present moment without judging, reflecting or thinking, without overtaking the moment with their agendas. When the eye and the mind are harmonized, the photographer is simply observing the moment in which they find themselves and they can discover and capture the ordinary magic of the phenomenal world. This magic manifests itself as images of things in our ordinary world that are often overlooked or ignored, but hold their own unique beauty and expression. Often with Miksang photography, the photographer will be stopped in their tracks by perceptions that completely interrupt the flow of mental activity, which freezes them in the moment. The craft is to capture that moment with the camera so that people viewing the photographs can then have the same experience.
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Denise Bossarte www.foundworlds.com
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David Blow
http://www.davidblow.net
David Blow is a photographer/printmaker and Professor Emeritus of Art the University of North Texas. He has been engaged as a printmaker for forty years, and exhibited his work in numerous national and international exhibitions including 2013 “Retrospective” University of North Texas on the Square Denton, Texas; “Transforming Culture National Invitational” VAM Gallery, Austin, TX and “The Next Generation,” Museum of Biblical Arts, NY, NY. David’s current work focuses on nature as a source of inspiration and enlightenment.
Winter’s Chapel
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Creation of Autumn
The End of a Season 48 x 36 Oil
New Morning
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David Blow
http://www.davidblow.net
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Clayton Gardinier
http://claytongardinierphotography.blogspot.com
Clayton Gardiner has a doctorate in geology and is an engineer/scientist working in Houston. After teaching for five years as an Assistant Professor at Georgia State Auburn Universities and working twenty years in the diamond industry, he moved to Houston to work for an oil and gas field-related company. Photography has been a hobby for Clayton since 2000; he became serious about image making in 2007. He works predominately as a landscape and nature photographer but does a little abstract work as well. Clayton’s preferred medium is black and white; although, he does some color work when it is appropriate. He is a member of the NW Houston Photo Club where he is the Program Chairman as well as the Club’s past President and Competition Chair. He also is a member of the Houston Photographic Society, Artists of Texas, Texas Miksang Group and Sheryl Brown Art and Creative Coaching on Facebook. Clayton’s images have been exhibited at the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts – 2013, Barbara Bush Library – 2013, Houston Public Library – 2014 and the Davis and Company Gallery – 2014. One of his images at the Davis exhibit was sold at that exhibition. Clayton’s images are forever evolving and he is constantly looking for new venues to expand his expertise.
Pleasure Pier Galveston TX
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Statue of Zeus Florence Italy
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Clayton Gardinier
http://claytongardinierphotography.blogspot.com
Houston Abstract Bank of America
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Clayton Gardinier
http://claytongardinierphotography.blogspot.com
Live Oak
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Gondola Ride at San Marco Square
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BAUER Logan Bauer Landscapes,Life drawings,Still life, Figurative Portraits
LoganBauer.com
LoganBauer.com
Richard Levine Pastel Painter Landscape and Figurative
"Roswell, New Mexico #1"
www.richardlevine.net
Davis & CO Fine Art
email: artisanrichard@gmail.com
dandcgallery.com
Janet Broussard
“A Nice Red” 14 x 11” Oil on canvas
janetbroussard.com
Judy Wilder Dalton Contemporary Fine Art
Finding Life in Art and Art in Life
“Falls�
judywilderdalton.com wilderartist.blogspot.com
Aspen S P A C E S
Sunrise Trance 36 x 36 Acrylic with Mixed Meida
Lelija Roy
aspenspaces.com
aspen.spaces@gmail.com
Isabelle Gautier French Contemporary Flair
“Avec Le Temps�
65 x 73
Un-stretched
www.isabellegautieronline.com
Leslie Sealey f i n e a r t
“Lily with Raindrops”
16 x 16
Oil
The Lily Series LeslieSealey.com
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Aixa Oliveras
“Ascension” 60” x 30” Oil on Linen
aixaoliveras.com
Roseanne Snyder
“Desert Beauty� 20 x 24
roseannesnyder.blogspot.com
Vicki Rees
vlrees.com tippingpaintgallery.com
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ANTHONY A. GONZALEZ
Looking My Way 54 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com http://www.obra-de-gonzalez.com/
http://www.obra-de-gonzalez.com/
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Anthony A. González
Capturing the ‘Attitude’
Eight years old, Anthony A Gonzalez discovered the journey to be a painter. One of his earliest memories is the drawing of a windmill. His sister was quite impressed by the novice artist and as big sisters do, made quite a fuss over Anthony’s drawing. With all the attention and compliments, Anthony’s confidence soared and he knew then he wanted to be an artist. So early in life, he did not know exactly what it took to do this, but looking around he saw comic books coming to life. That must be what artists do. From that day forward Anthony saved his money to buy typing paper from the local drug store. He painstakingly began to copy the comic book characters, like L’l Abner and such. The support and encouragement from his sisters made all the difference in the direction his life would take. “The Moulin Rouge” hit the screens in 1952, a British drama film directed by John Huston. José Ferrer played the artist Toulouse-Lautrec. When Anthony saw this movie everything changed in his world of ‘artist’. “Because of this movie, from that day forward, I wanted to draw and paint the figure like he did.” Throughout his younger years, Anthony visited many art museums and took in the intense beauty of other artists painting the figure. To see original paintings by the masters was an inspiration to his work. Every visit he made to a museum just stirred his imagination and desire to paint. Childhood turned into adulthood and Anthony joined the United States Air Force. He served for eight years before returning to San Antonio, Texas to work as a sign painter. Precious time was lost as his day job took over his life to provide for his family. He was able to take art classes at a local community college during this time keeping his hope of painting alive through those busy years.
http://www.obra-de-gonzalez.com/
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Time passed and life changed. “I quit my day job and decided to work toward an art career full time. I took classes at the San Antonio Art Institute and had some excellent teachers.” Jerry Alexander taught life drawing. His instruction made all the difference in the world to me going from the animated comic drawings to simple figure drawings and under Alexander’s teaching, Anthony’s skills honed in to classic figure drawing. From this day forward it became daily practice. Following the San Antonio Art Institute days, Anthony took private watercolor classes from watercolorist Mary Hetherington. Additional workshops he attended were from well-known artists that influenced his approach but his signature style was self developed. He painted both female figures and western cowboys in watercolor. A trip to Madrid, Spain led to figurative oil painting classes. Anthony fell in love with the deep richness of oils and the classic approach to European painting. Returning home he found himself still painting western scenes and cowboys. He realized he did not have subjects to paint from or photos to work from, so he dabbled in other subjects. Narrowing down his choices, he drifted back to painting the female figure. He had been painting women most of his career and that is where he constantly found discovery and growth. Over the next six years he had a studio in San Antonio and hired models to come to the studio to pose for him as he painted. Anthony found painting from life during these six years sharpened his skill even more. He began to see many different expressions and later realized the ‘attitudes’ that were right there in front of him to explore. From this discovery he continued to look for both the expression and attitude in the figure before him.
Right Page: La Gitana
http://www.obra-de-gonzalez.com/
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Anthony A. Gonzรกlez
Cherry Pie 8x10 in. Oil on Canvas by Hall Groat II http://www.obra-de-gonzalez.com/
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Banana Split 16x20 in. Oil on Canvas by Hall Groat II
Chocolate Raspberry Tarts 18x24 in. Oil on Canvas by Hall Groat II http://www.obra-de-gonzalez.com/
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Anthony A. Gonzรกlez
A Small Bouquet Next Page: And Night Will Fall http://www.obra-de-gonzalez.com/
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Suspicious http://www.obra-de-gonzalez.com/
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Anthony A. Gonzรกlez
Strawberry Short cake 8x10 in. Oil on Canvas by Hall Groat II http://www.obra-de-gonzalez.com/
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Anthony A. Gonzรกlez
Expectations http://www.obra-de-gonzalez.com/
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Curious
Ann http://www.obra-de-gonzalez.com/
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Anthony A. González
“Over these years my work with figures has been very rewarding. There is so much to explore. I don’t believe that I will ever exhaust this subject. Just like the landscape artist and floral painter never exhaust their subject… I will continue with mine.” Nine years ago Anthony built a studio near his home. It has been a personal space that has created the perfect atmosphere for him to continue his painting journey. He spends most days working in the studio with live models. He has given workshops at his home studio, in San Antonio, Spain and in Italy. He enjoys doing demonstrations when asked. “I enjoy sharing what I know with others. We are all learning all the time. I also paint still life here in my studio and go out and paint landscapes when I can. I am not like most artists that know what to expect from their paintings. I approach my canvas with a little nervousness. It helps me stay focused. When the painting is finished and when it’s a good one, I feel content and satisfied. It’s a great feeling to have…and then I know there is room for one more painting to explore.” Anthony paints by intuition. Using color, form, and composition comes naturally to him. Not much is planned as the model takes their place. Some lighting adjustments and costume changes create
the mood of the model. From there comes her expression and pose. As Anthony takes in the complete setting he has ideas forming in his head of the direction the painting will go. The expression on the model’s face is the most important for what he wants to portray. He gives total credit to the model for his work because he could not make up or create those expressions. It is something original and honest that he captures on the canvas. Anthony has two sons. The oldest son, A. Andrew Gonzalez, is an artist. His work is shown internationally. Andrew developed a totally unique original approach in his method of painting. He and his dad have never talked about ‘how to paint or draw’ or even discussed ‘the disciplines of art’, but they do share the experience of art genres, books, museum shows and other art functions they attend together. What hope began at age eight as a simple windmill drawing is still alive in Anthony. “I believe the inspiration is well and alive in me and will always be. All this is because my wife, Beverly believes and supports what I do. I cannot leave out the many wonderful people I’ve met over the years and all of this because I chose to paint. These are personal friends, artists, collectors, gallery owners and those from my foreign travels. I’ve been very blessed.”
Tender is the Night in Progress http://www.obra-de-gonzalez.com/
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Hasta Cuando Digo http://www.obra-de-gonzalez.com/
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discover art . inspire collectors
DAVIS&CO f i n e a r t g a l l e r y Home is where the art is. dandcgallery.com
engage discussion . celebrate life
dandcgallery.com
Anthony A Gonzalez at Davis&Co
Bob Coonts
"Holy Cat", Acrylic on Canvas, 18”x24”
www.bobcoonts.com
James K. Russell Futuristic Illustrator
“Dawn Patrol�
Ink, Marker, Acrylic
"Come on board as two Federation patrol craft run the 'slot' on a sweep through the canyons of an ore-rich asteroid." Take a trip to some crazy, futuristic & fantastic places at www.escapeillustrations.com
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Artspan Studio Visit Brian Croft
http://www.oberc-habzda.com
Bathhouse on English Bay - 1931
http://www.oberc-habzda.com
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Artspan Studio Visit Brian Croft Brian Croft, History Through the Eyes of an Artist.
I was a fighter pilot and, later, an airline pilot. Now 66 years young, I call myself an artist. As I look back on nearly two decades of painting, I realize that it began as a Forrest Gump type of moment; one day in September of 1995, for no particular reason, I decided to pick up a brush and create my first watercolour and, when I finished that, I started another, then another, until today my painting logbook (I was a pilot remember) records more than 380 paintings. In 2004, I transitioned from the watercolour medium to acrylic on canvas and the paintings are now much larger in size and involve concentrations of detail that astonish even me as I step back from the canvas. My first studio was our family laundry room. There, I found a little space and enough light to do my early watercolours. With three teenage children, the rest of the house and all of the bedrooms were spoken for and so there I sat with my two new friends, the washer and dryer, and embarked on my journey. This was not ideal! After painting, I had to pack everything up then, to resume painting, unpack and set-up again, all of which took time. Many artists face the same problem: finding enough space where artwork and tools can be left out rather than be packed away after each work session. Eventually, I graduated into a dedicated studio where I could have all my tools, paint, canvas and research laid-out in organized chaos. Now, even if I have only a few minutes of time available, I can drop into my studio get to work immediately. Nothing in my artistic journey was planned; at first I painted a diverse array of subject matter: floral arrangements, still-life studies, animals, people, and old buildings. Old buildings, more than anything else, seemed to tell me a story while I painted. These rather forlorn and threatened structures also re-ignited a longtime fascination with architecture that I first discovered during my high school drafting classes. It pleased me to be able to paint these buildings, and as I did so, my mind was free to think about the lives of the pioneers that built them. By the end of that first year, 1995, I completed over thirty-five watercolour paintings. My subject matter was increasingly focused on old buildings and I found myself creating a visual record of the heritage and history that I saw around me. My research and paint process yielded increasingly detailed works. A good deal of acquired historical in-
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formation, usually in the form of notes and supporting photographs, helped me develop each painting to its full potential and, over time, this attention to detail became the most recognizable element of my work. After a painting was finished I condensed the research material into short historical summaries; these summaries were then printed and mounted beside each work in galleries and served to introduce each work to the viewer. Today, I write much longer historical summaries for virtually every work. Happily, it turned out that my paintings of heritage scenes when combined with my writing of historical summaries constituted viable and reflective news articles that resonated particularly well with newspapers and magazines. By 2002, having created over 275 watercolour paintings and publishing a number of limited edition prints, I began to feel pressure from the galleries that represented; they asked me to consider a transition of my work onto canvas. I evaluated both oil and acrylic for nearly a year before settling on acrylic. The result was a decision I lament every day. I loved the properties of oil paint in every respect save one, the slow drying time. As my work was, and still is, all about details, acrylic paint, with its immediate dry-time, became my medium simply because it supported my tiny detail work without fear of smudging or disturbing surrounding wet pigment. Even though I still miss the mental gymnastics of thinking twenty-five moves ahead, working light-to-dark, to control a watercolour project and often yearn for the thick-rich blending properties of oil, I cannot deny that the move to acrylic on canvas has permitted me to paint more detail than ever before. My historical paintings tell stories from our past and I call this work my “serious side”. A few years ago, as a diversion, I painted a few 1950’s and 1960’s Vancouver nightlife paintings and I could not help but notice a subtle change in people’s reaction to my art. From those who grew up in that era, there were more smiles than usual. This reaction expanded my perspective on history and I began to focus on the neon-blazing era of Rock and Roll, and the days of my youth and thats how I discovered the other side of my work, the “fun side”.
Capitol on Granville - 1956
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Artspan Studio Visit Brian Croft
On the fun side, the greatest technical challenge was the accurate depiction of the extraordinary automobiles from the fifties and sixties; it takes a great deal of digging to get all the chrome and trim details right. I especially loved painting cars that I always wanted to own but could not afford. Best of all, I felt like a kid again, re-living my youth through the process of re-creating it on canvas. Automobiles aside, there is really no technical difference between “fun” and “serious”, but somehow I can feel the smile on my face a little broader whenever I work on a “fun side” painting. I have a tattered sheet of paper in my studio labeled “Idea List”, a kind of bucket list of paintings yet-to-be. The list is always growing as ideas come to mind and I acknowledge, with some degree of resignation, that I will never get them all done. It is not simply for the lack of time that this will happen; it is because our capacity, as artists, to imagine possible creations will always exceed our ability to execute them all. But that is irrelevant; the important thing is to keep on imagining and working; that is my journey. Brian Croft
Stanley Park Junction
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Artspan Studio Visit Brian Croft
Wigwam Inn - 1913
Vancouver Bus Terminal - 1939
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Theatre Row, Granville - 1962
English Bay - 1916
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Connie Dines
“The Sicilian”
Artful Exposures one frame at a time
“Woman on the Ferry”
www.artfulexposures.com
SCOTT MCINTIRE E N E R GY F I E LD PAI NTI N G S
Fear of Fracking |
Enamel on Canvas
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48” x 60”
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scottmcintire.com issuu.com/mcintire
2013
Tracy Miller
Wildlife and Horses of the West, Bold and Original!
“The Grizzly Days of Summer” 36x48 Acrylic on Canvas
“The One That Got Away” 24x36 Acrylic on Canvas
tracymillerfineart.com
Colorado Homes & Lifestyles BEST
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Artwork (l to r): Laurie Justus Pace, ‘The Gathering One’- Original Oil on Canvas,
miradafineart.com Svetlana Shalygina, ‘Silhousettes De Versailles’ - Mixed Media on Canvas, 36” x 36”
Bruce Marion, ‘The Adventure Begins’- Original Acrylic on Canvas, 36” x 48”; Alle
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‘ART LOVER’S ESCAPE’
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5490 Parmalee Gulch Rd. Indian Hills, CO 80454 (only minutes from Denver) www.miradafineart.com 303-697-9006 info@miradafineart.com
32” x 48”; Larisa Aukon, ‘Continental Divide’ - Original Oil on Panel 24” x 36”; ”; Dominique Samyn, ‘Sage’- Acryilc & Venetian Plaster on Panel, 40” x 32”; en Wynn, ‘Joy Ride’ - Mixed Media Sculpture, 26” x 32” x 9”
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Pat Meyer
“Anticipation”
www.patmeyer-artist.com
Sanda Manuila
“Le Rêve”
Oil on Canvas
40 x 30
Allegorical Painting
sandamanuila.artspan.com
Mary Jo Zorad contemporary fine art
ZoradArt.com
Contemporary Hyperrealism in VL VL Barry W. Scharf
is it Real or is it Photoshop? GoingArt, to Extremes. By Barry W. Scharf
It’s not easy to get out of my comfort space. Often I like to sit within what I know is familiar. I rest in the knowledge I have obtained. Practicing what I have learned works well, I get really good at repeating known skills and routines. Hurdles are often sidestepped whenever possible. Now I don’t mean this is the state of affairs for everyone or even for me to any meaningful depth.
Barry W Scharf
covering the beauty of seeing something for the first time excites me. I know you are wondering where this might be, but that‘s not the point. It’s more about the new... not the exotic. Obviously exotic has it’s draw but it is often remote and beyond most of our resources. Far away places can be an excuse to do nothing.
But sooner or later we all fall into the trap of the easy way out. I have been guilty of this from time to time, as I am sure these words ring true for most. This does not happen often but when it does it’s depressing, just getting into a routine and going with the flow becomes annoying to me, not exerting more energy then needed, not going the extra mile says I am not involved. Comfortable makes me uncomfortable!
I am thinking of some places that are far away, but also many that are close to home but overlooked. Some of these places I can reach in a weekend, others I may need longer. Some I can find by driving others by flying. All will be new all will hold a mystery I am searching to reveal, some places can be explored by day and others by night. I am use to being up in the day so I will also stay up at night. If need be I will watch the dawn sun unfold the day.
As I am getting older now and my years seem to place some limits on me I wonder if I have been doing this a bit to much. I want to create new pathways, change my thought patterns and make new synapses in my brain. I think this year will be my year to challenge myself again. Check of some things from a long bucket list. I am going on an adventure that will force me out of that comfort zone and place me squarely on the edge of my capabilities. I love the idea of travel and adventure to new places I have not yet seen. Dis-
http://barrywscharf.squarespace.com/
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I will document my new discoveries with my artistic expression. I will learn again what a good composition is. I will do things differently. Change my creative routine and use my old skills in new ways. So it is time to start planning, get out the maps, check resources and capabilities and get out there, it is all waiting to be discovered.
http://barrywscharf.squarespace.com/
VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 93
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Barry W. Scharf
Contemporary Hyperrealism in Art is it Real or is it Photoshop? By Barry W. Scharf I don’t know about others but when I look at hyper-realistic portraiture or landscape I often think it looks like a photo-manipulated image. I wonder if the image was copied from a photo or collaged in some way. I am aware that we are living in the digital age and it has had a dramatic influence on the contemporary arts today. This is not to say that digital imagery should not be part of art but rather that it be used as only one of the many tools of an artists studio. Digital imagery allows the artist a quick experimentation to work out scale, composition, object placement, and balancing a color pallet without committing paint to the canvas. This is economical and helps to reduce time and cut down on mistakes when applying paint. Maybe it’s me, but I can tell if something is drawn from sketching with refining or if something is traced and filled in. In the drawing one sees the evidence of artistic inflection and personality, the variation of line
and the slight inaccuracies that mark a skilled hand. Traced images leave me flat it copies everything like a snapshot that is holds no artistic interpretation. It is simply a blink of the eye in reality. I long for the images that show off the talent, passion and emotion of the artists. Don’t we all love the images of the impressionists, the translation of color, movement of shapes and so on? Many 20th century artists understood this and worked hard on their drawing skills so they could translate their visual experiences. Modigliani was an inspiration to me when it came to painting the figure. I loved the extension he added to the neck in a portrait and the lack of pupils in the eyes left it to the viewer to imagine what was going on. Master painter Edward Reep showed me how to move a brush so it would define an object… it’s edge and what it was next to.
Blending in at the Exhibtion by Barry W Scharf
http://barrywscharf.squarespace.com/
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Amedio Modigliani by Barry W Scharf
Don’t Want to Know by Barry W Scharf
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Barry W. Scharf
Figure 7 by Barry W Scharf http://barrywscharf.squarespace.com/
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I have always wondered if being hyper real is a school of art or just a technical exercise to prove one can copy something with an accurate eye? Painting realistically has always been for me a “visual poetry� filled with variations from the real world, carefully omitting that which is unnecessary to the subject statement, shifting values and focus to bring emphasis to the subject focal point. Selecting a limited color pallet to shape the mood, time and feeling of the content.
Girl at an Exhibition by Barry W Scharf
by Barry W Scharf
Elaine Vileria
"Kenya" 12" x 14"
“Solar Eclipse” 15” x 20”
"Upstream" 13" x 20"
elainevileria.artspan.com
Joanna Zeller Quentin
“Toco Toucan” Mixed media on board
www.MoosePantsStudio.com
Laurie Justus Pace
Grazing 18 x 27
The Spirit of the Paint Constantly pushing the edge, Laurie presses in her work for discovery and celebration. Compositions change with color and dimension setting the pace for a unique painting every time with a new journey. Viewing a Laurie Justus Pace painting is a rich experience that drips with color and emotion. Her passionate works are alive with movement, boldly created with a wide brush and a palette knife. She loves working with oils, dramatically carving out the paint and transferring her energy to the canvas and ultimately on to the viewer.
LauriePace.com http://www.ellepace.com/paintings-for-sale/ Left: Been There Seasons of Life 30 x 40
kwoodfineart.com
Kyle Wood
kylewoodfineart.blogspot.com 102 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
kwoodfineart.com
Palette Knife Painters
Paletteknifepainters.blogspot.com
Paletteknifepainters.blogspot.com
Artist Spotlight
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Artist Spotlight Sculptors: Deran Wright and Douglas Clark
http://www.douglasbclark.com/
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http://deranwright.com/
Artist Spotlight
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Cloud Canyon
http://dawnwatersbaker.com/
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Sculptor: Deran Wright
Minotaur
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Studio Visit Deran Wright
An Artistic Life by Fred Schwartz
Deran Wright drew his first recognizable picture at age 3 on a building block (a bird). In elementary school he wrote and illustrated comic books which he sold to classmates. At age 15 he became a commercial illustrator, creating artwork for Texas magazines and newspapers. He has a letter from Stan Lee telling him to finish growing up before he applies for a job as an artist at Marvel. When he was 12, he met a noted western painter/ sculptor, who after viewing the young artist’s ever present sketch pad, gifted him with a box containing a wooden sculptors tool and some ‘mysterious substance’. 5 years later, dissatisfied with commercial illustration, he opened the box and cast his first bronze sculpture in 1979, when he was just 18. Deran can be elusive to track down for an interview. To art shows, gallery openings, unveilings, the usual haunts for artists, he appears briefly, if at all. He and his wife, Geneva, are more likely to be found at live theater performances, history symposiums, or fine restaurants. When I caught up with him recently, he was sketching the complicated knots adorning samurai armor in an exhibit at the Kimbell Art Museum. Knots, armor, and Oriental culture are only three of his many and varied interests. Back in his atelier, when asked about his training, he replies, “self-taught”. But then I notice the shelves behind him groaning under the weight of a mas-
http://deranwright.com/ 110 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
sive collection of books on sculpture. From primitive Oceania, African, Oriental, Classical, Baroque, Art Nouveau, Art Deco. Names like Cellini, Bernini, Gaudens, Rodin, Manship, and Noguchi are on the book jackets. The sculptor didn’t pursue a degree in art, because at the time the academic focus was on abstract and conceptual forms. Drawn to classic figurative sculpture, Deran embarked instead on a rigorous combination of self study and on the job training. As a result, today he creates sculpture in a traditional style from a thoroughly modern perspective, and his work is in high demand. A very reserved and quiet man, the sculptor can be difficult to draw out. At a recent unveiling, when handed a microphone, his speech consisted entirely of, “Thank you very much for coming. I had a lot of fun making this sculpture.” But it soon became apparent that each and every sculpture has an interesting story behind it. For instance there was the time one of his sculptures was unveiled by President George Bush in the Rose Garden at the White House. Oh, and George W. Bush was the keynote speaker at another of his unveilings. Or how he became a key witness in an international copyright dispute between the heirs of Pierre August Renoir, the French government and the heirs of Renoir’s personal assistant. After 35 years of sculpting full time, there are a lot of sculptures and a lot of stories.
Cat 3/4
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Studio Visit Deran Wright
Passages
Paul Smith
http://deranwright.com/ 112 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
Right: Laughing Nightwatch Gnome
To the Lowest Place
http://deranwright.com/
VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 113
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Sculptor: Douglas Clark
http://www.douglasbclark.com/
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Western Singer
http://www.douglasbclark.com/
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VL
Studio Visit Douglas Clark
Douglas B. Clark is a sculptor and painter working in bronze and oil paints. He is a native of Fort Worth and a fourth generation Texan. He has loved drawing since early childhood, and was inspired by the paintings of his father as well as the works of Remington and Russell. Doug has always had a great interest in the American West and the scenery and animals of the region. Doug prefers to work from life and his own photography and field sketches. He can often be found sketching, painting, or sculpting at the Fort Worth Zoo and at the Fort Worth Stock Yards National Historic District as well as at annual events like the National Cutting Horse Association's Futurity and the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show. His work is also greatly influenced by his extensive travels across the western United States and Canada. It is his love of the West that fuels his creative spirit.
http://www.douglasbclark.com/
116 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
David Dike of David Dike Fine Art said, "Douglas Clark's bronze sculptures capture the character of the animals he depicts. Clark's inspiration is animals in their natural habitat; the animals exude both a peaceful and powerful spirit. His bronzes are beautifully crafted and are collected by both new and seasoned buyers." His work may be seen in galleries across the southwestern United States including the Insight Gallery in Fredericksburg, David Dike Fine Art in Dallas, the White Buffalo in Glen Rose and the Acosta Strong Galleries in Santa Fe and Oklahoma City. His paintings and sculptures are in public, private, corporate, and university collections.
Texas Speedbump
Leading the Way- Old Blue 2
http://www.douglasbclark.com/ VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 117
Kimberly Conrad “Pouring Color Into Your Life”
“Winds Grow Strong” 36”x48 PouredStrong” Acrylic36”x48”x1.5” on Canvas “Winds Grow Poured Acrylic on Canvas
“Winds Grow Strong” 36”x48”x1.5” Poured Acrylic on Canvas
KimberlyConradFineArt.com
8”x1.5”
KimberlyConradFineArt.com
CFAI.co Artist Showdown
CFAI.co Artist Showdown August 2014 - Figurative Art
http://www.cfai.co/#!showdown-winners/cb0j
First Place
Marie Fox Her Muse http://mariefox.com
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http://www.cfai.co/#!showdown-winners/cb0j
Second Place
Bob Shepherd That’s That http://portraitsbyshep.com
Third Place
Mary Opat Blanket in Love http://maryopat.com http://www.cfai.co/#!showdown-winners/cb0j VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 121
CFAI.co Juried Show
CFAI.co Summer 2014 Abstraction Juried Competition
First Place
Filomena de Andrade Booth Dusk http://filomenabooth.com
http://www.cfai.co/#!show-winners/cyep 122 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
Filomena de Andrade Booth All That Echoes
http://www.cfai.co/#!show-winners/cyep VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 123
CFAI.co Juried Show
CFAI.co Summer 2014 Abstraction Juried Competition
Second Place
Christina Schneck Untitled #1 http://christinaschneck.com http://www.cfai.co/#!show-winners/cyep 124 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
Third Place
Vanessa Katz Desert Sand http://vanessakatzart.com
http://www.cfai.co/#!show-winners/cyep VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 125
CFAI.co Juried Show
CFAI.co Summer 2014 Abstraction Juried Competition Honorable Mentions
Denise Bossarte - PM Dec 2013 2-01
www.foundworlds.com
Jane Tracey - Boots on the Ground http://www.janetracyartist.com http://www.cfai.co/#!show-winners/cyep 126 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
Honorable Mentions
Gabriele Bitter - Handsdown www.gabrielebitter.com
Annie O’ Brien Gonzales - Tulipmania 3 www.annieobriengonzales.com http://www.cfai.co/#!show-winners/cyep VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 127
DAILY PAINTERS ABSTRACT GALLERY
“Thankful” 36”x48”x2.0” Oil on Canvas
DailyPaintersAbstract.blogspot.com
DailyPaintersAbstract.blogspot.com
Dawn Reinfeld
DAILY PAINTERS ABSTRACT GALLERY
DianeWhitehead.com
Diane Whitehead “Animals are my muse. The scratch of the paw, pounce of a hoof, gesture of the head, alert ear, quiet stride, powerful shape, ancient wisdom. All come to play with the shapes I see as I paint. “
DianeWhitehead.com
Lary Lemons
theartgallerysaintjo.com
theartgallerysaintjo.com
CFAI.co October Artist Showdown “Do you have what it takes?”
Filomena de Andrade Booth
“Abstract Art” www.cfai.co/#!artist-showdown/chic
cfai.co
Fall 2014 Juried Competition
Nancee Jean Busse
The World Outdoors Landscapes, Waterscapes, Wildlife, and Western
$500 in total cash prizes Plus much more! www.cfai.co/#!juried-shows/c19ne
VL
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Photographer Spotlight Roberta McGowan
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Photographer Spotlight Roberta McGowan
From her earliest years with a point and shoot camera to newspaper photographer to corporate photojournalist to western photographer, Roberta has carried with her the joy of image making. She is a horsewoman as well as a documentary photographer who combines both passions to create Visual West Photography with her dynamic style. Roberta is an award-winning photographer. She has been honored by the New Jersey Press Association, the New York Institute of Photography, and was named “Photographer of the Year� by the Philadelphia Chapter of Women in Communications. Photojournalism has always been the core of her communication about the Western way of life, the grit of the world of horses, cowgirls, and cowboys.
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Photographer Spotlight Roberta McGowan
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When Roberta moved to Colorado from the East Coast 16 years ago, she explains that she felt as if her soul was home. The grand vistas, the “Howdy” life style, the natural world in its entire splendor continue to enthrall her. She is a member of Cowboy Photographers and Artists International, Association of Professional Rodeo Photographers, Colorado Pro Rodeo Association, Equine Photographers Network, and the Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council. Roberta’s education includes Temple University, New York Institute of Photography, Douglis Workshops, Equine Photographers Network Seminars and Workshops, the Philadelphia School of Marketing and Public Relations, Moab Photography Symposium, Carolyn Guild Private Training, and Dan Ballard Workshops.
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Photographer Spotlight Roberta McGowan
New and Ongoing Projects include: “Branding; Their Way of Life,” a photo essay, and “The Pour House, a Colorado Saloon,” a photographic history book. Roberta and her husband Michael have lived in Missouri Heights/Carbondale on the Western Slope of Colorado since 1998.
www.visualwestphotography.com
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She has recently exhibited at: *Redstone Arts Foundation, Redstone CO - group exhibits - Annual Event Labor Day Weekend *The Red Brick Arts Foundation Wild West Exhibit (scheduled for May 2015) *Roaring Fork Open, Aspen Art Museum, Aspen CO *Western States Horse Expo and Art Show, Sacramento CA, *Cowgirls with a Camera, Wickenburg AZ - 9 photographers, March 2013 *Redstone Arts Foundation, Redstone CO *River Valley Ranch Gallery, Carbondale CO *Vectra Bank, El Jebel CO *Gallery 809, Glenwood Springs CO *Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts, Glenwood Springs CO *Vectra Bank, Aspen *Guerilla Gallery, Aspen *Aspen Colors, Basalt CO * Zele’s Gallery, Aspen CO *Aspen Chapel Gallery, Aspen CO *Bella Mia Gallery, El Jebel, CO *Carbondale Fine Arts, Carbondale CO.
www.visualwestphotography.com
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Photographer Spotlight Roberta McGowan
Roberta explains her approach to visual language: "It's not about the camera or the technology; it's about the fragile whispers of life. Those images that are here and then gone in an instant; the eye that sees them; the visions of the artist; the stories to be told: this is Photography. The images I create are dynamic and thought provoking. Strong colors and tones reflect the tough and gritty lives of the horses, cowgirls, cowgirls and the West where they live and work. My photographs are made from the perspective of the subjects. The juxtaposition of moment and movement is what intrigues me most about photography. As a photographer I work to "capture a moment," but at the same time use creativity to "portray movement" within the image. Viewers are an integral part of the artistic process; hopefully connecting with the subject’s emotions, and the subjects in turn appears to be responding to the viewers’ reactions. With a photojournalist eye, my style is powerful yet subtle. I work to savor mystical connections from humans and animals within this special world. I, too, live in the West that still exists in the high deserts and sweeping grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. Thank you for joining me on this visual journey."
www.visualwestphotography.com 144 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com
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Alejandro Castanon
www.vinodipinte.com Vino Dipinte Art Gallery
602 Orient St
San Angelo, TX 76903
Colorem Face Series
alejandrocastanon.com
KRISTINE KAINER
www.kristinekainer.com www.kristinekainer.blogspot.com
Texas Art
www.kristinekainer.com www.kristinekainer.blogspot.com
Artists of Texas
artistsoftexas.org
NO WHERE BUT TEXAS
artistsoftexas.blogspot.com dailypaintersoftexas.blogspot.com
Debbie Grayson Lincoln Texas Contemporary Western Illustrator
NoworNever-Debbie.blogspot.com DebbieLincoln.com
Felicia Marshall
FeliciaMarshall.blogspot.com
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Aixa Oliveras 51 Alejandro Castanon 146-147 Annie O’Brien Gonzales 127 Anthony Gonzoles 2-3, 12-13, 54-67, 69, Art Gallery 132-133 Artists of Texas 150-151 Barry W. Scharf 92-97 Bob Coonts 70 Bob Shepherd 121 Brian Croft 72-79 Carol Jo Smidt 15 CFAI 50 CFAI Juried Show 122-127 CFAI Showdown 120-121 CFAI Showdown 134-135 Christina Schneck 124 Clayton Gardinier 19, 36-41 Connie Dines 80-81 Daily Painters Abstract Gallery 128-129 David Blow 19, 32-35 Davis & Co 68-69 Debbie Grayson Lincoln 152 Denise Bossarte 19, 28-31, 126 Deran Wright 106-113 Diane Whitehead 130-131 Douglas Clark 106, 114-117 Elaine Vileria 98 Felicia Marshall 153 Filomena de Andrade Booth 122-123, 134 Gabriele Bitter 127 Hall Groat II 6 International Equine Artists 86-87 Isabelle Gautier 48 James K. Russell 71
Jana Kappeler 9 Janet Broussard 45 Joanna Zeller Quentin 99 Jonelle T. McCoy 14 Judy Wilder Dalton 46 Kimberly Conrad 118-119 Kristine Kainer 148-149 Kyle Wood 102-103 Lady L 155 Laurie Justus Pace 100-101 Lelija Roy 47 Leslie Sealey 49 Lisa McKinney 16-17, 19-23 Logan Bauer 42-43 Marie Fox 120 Mary Jo Zorad 90-91 Mary Opat 121 Michal Ashkenasi 4 Mirada Fine Art 84-85 Nancee Jean Busse 135 Palette Knife Painters 104-105 Pat Meyer 88 Ray Maines 19, 24-27 Richard Levine 44 Roberta McGowan 136-145 Roseanne Snyder 52 Sanda Manuila 89 Sara Genn 11 Scott McIntire 82 Tracy Miller 83 Vanessa Katz 125 Vicki Rees 53 Vino Dipinte Gallery 146-147
LADY L
Colors Make Me Smile ladylart.blogspot.com
ellepace.com/available-work-of-lady-l
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