Artists Describing Their Art:
Jonathan Benitez - my art is a storytelling in visual form.my images are my attempt to extricate memories from my past experiences as a child.i live in a coastal community where the daily toils of the fisher folks are my sources of inspirations. beauty sometimes do not reconcile with certain aesthetics. but i found it in exploring realities,there is beauty in depicting the human conditions,the other side of happiness,the negative feelings as effected by pain and sufferings but unspoken.the best art in the world is not about happiness but its about depicting what happen to humanity. ...
Vanessa Bernal - Artist's statement: My earliest childhood memories are those of painting with my grandfather and frequently visiting the Art Institute of Chicago where we would spend countless hours together. He taught me that everything we come in contact with has the potential of becoming a work of art. My grandfather and I would take walks together to hunt for "treasures" of discarded objects that later he would turn into beautiful collages and assemblages. It is those lessons I carry with me and -today- in my work I see his influence. I have never been comfortable with expressing myself verbally. I am not one to strike up a conversation with a stranger, nor do I feel comfortable speaking to a group of people. Visual expression comes naturally to me; it is through this means I can best communicate with others and feel the most comfortable. At a young age I became aware of the injustices being perpetrated in the world and was deeply disenchanted with the political process as a means of creating effective change in our global community. For me, becoming an artist was inevitable. Through the visual arts not only did I communicate my life's passions, my fears, ...
Dana Zivanovits - Dana Zivanovits was born in 1958 in Columbus, Ohio and received his art training from the Columbus College of Art and Design (1978 to 1982). After art school, he went abroad for a year and studied the art of the old masters in London, Paris, Madrid, Rome and Venice. Returning to his studio in Columbus to develop these influences into a new body of work, he then traveled to Mexico and studied the sculpture and painting of that country for an extended period. The unique and vivid colors of Palenque and Vera Cruz intensified his palette. After a period in Ohio, he then moved to Venice Beach, California where the brilliant light of the region reinforced his desire to capture effects of sunlight and atmosphere. Returning to Ohio in 1995, he has continued to paint themes deriving inspiration form sources such as world mythology, classic and B-grade cinema, literature and dreams. However his primary inspiration is direct observation from nature, versus an approach based in art theories or cultural critique. Dana has been widely represented by galleries and exhibition projects including Julie Rico and Mega Boom in Los Angeles, the Venice Art Detour, Around the Coyote Festival in Chicago ...
Jeffrey Dickinson - My work revolves around the figure. Most is drawn directly from a model in a studio setting. Although that sounds simple anyone who has attempted it knows it takes years of practice and effort to produce something worthwhile. I am constantly working towards improving my drawing skills. A few years ago I began doing quick watercolors over my pencil drawings. I like the spontaneity and immediacy achieved in this way. I also paint in oils and acrylics. These paintings are much more planned out and carefully executed. Although the subject matter is often surreal or narrative they still have as there basis a realistically drawn figure. ...
Roger Cummiskey - I am a full time visual Artist. www.rogercummiskey.com Membereships: Professional Member of Visual Artists Ireland - VAI. Member The ArtistsaEURtm Resale Right (ARR) (Droit de Suite) In Ireland - IVARO. Chairman of the Andalusian International Artists Group - AIA-Group - PAIA. Member AsociaciA3n EspaA+-ola de Pintores y Escultores - AEPE. Member AsociaciA3n de Acuarelistas de MA!laga - AAM.. Member of NADFAS - Costa del Sol Decorative and Fine Arts Society. I am a Professional Member of the Sculptors' Society of Ireland Ltd. (aka Visual Artists Ireland)
Joanna Glazer - The inner images and bold colours Joanna Ewa Glazer incorporates in her work convey a sense of abundance, total immersion into life and optimism. In her paintings, she creates a space of beauty and paradise in the way that shows resilience and strength regardless of circumstances. Each painting is like a poem , a life affirming experience." All her work is also about sense of identity, search for it and hints as to where to find it She finds her sources in fashion magazines, newspapers, books, art reviews, and advertising. Even a simple image in everyday newspapers may awaken emotion. Joanna Ewa Glazer has travelled and lived for long periods in numerous countries: Poland, France, Italy, Japan, USA, Belgium and UK. She was born in Gdansk (Poland).. ...
Ken Hillberry - In art and in life, dynamics of balance, integrity and tolerant interaction of all elements or participants ought to be see, experienced and maintained. At the same time, the challenge of affecting this balance is creatively encountering all changes and adapt accordingly. For some, the destination or pre-determined outcomes are sought more often than not. Then there are some who savor the journey, thus witnessing and enjoying developments along the way. I fall into the latter category. It's like watching the film develop in a darkroom. the image takes form a little at a time right before my eyes. The creative process, for me, is void of pressure and timeless. The ability and practice and discipline are central in my approach. My creative intent is to engage a viewer in thought and emotion, as well as, with their eyes. Using imagination, retrospect or model, my range of composition can be conceptual, perhaps impressionistic or abstract in application, but always developed to evoke an awareness and appreciation for the relative conditions in life experience and art form as I incisively or playfully interpret my experiences along the way. ...
Julie Richman - The urban landscape is a reference point for the shapes and images I create in paintings, monotypes, drawings, and one-of-a-kind artist's books. Although this idea concerns the environment and is somewhat thematic, the work is abstract in that I use shapes, colors and geometric forms to express in paint, the feelings engendered by life in the concrete world. I transform what I see into a painting populated by shapes, colors, nonexistent dwellings and containers surrounded by fictitious plants, animals, and strange forms of life. These elements become characters in a visual drama within the picture plane, choreographed to take place during the time the work is viewed, much like music or film. ...
Armineh Bakhtanians - I hold degrees in commercial art, design, and interior design from UCLA, Rio Hondo College and Mount. San Antonio college. Although my profession has been in the field of inerior design for many years, creating works of art in watercolor has been my passion. The world is full of colors, shapes, designs, and beauty, if we choose to see it. It keeps on moving to the rhythms of many sorts. As one observer of nature,and creator of art and beauty I am commited to telling stories in forms of shapes and images that have come to me through my herritage of centuries to the PRESENT MOMENT. My father was a great inspiration for me as a child, and led me to the wonderous world of art, and as an artist I am committed to the growth and change in my work just as it is innate in nature. Armineh...
Ellen Spencer - ARTIST'S STATEMENT Ellen Spencer is a well known artist and longtime environmental activist. Her work reflects her passion in the celebration of life, women's/children's health and its connection to our environment. Ellen is originally from the Boston area, but has been residing in the San Francisco bay area for the past ten years. She currently has her studio in Oakland, California. She has spent many years successfully exhibiting and selling her works throughout the United States and has received numerous awards. Her work has been hailed as, i?1/2exuberant and excitingi?1/2 by New York's Art Speak magazine. She is currently represented by 57th Street Gallery in Oakland, CA, ArtWorks in San Francisco, Artist Alley Gallery in San Francisco, Agora Gallery in New York and Marziart International Gallery in Hamburg, Germany. As an artist and an activist, my work represents the strength and unity inherent in the human spirit. These paintings are part of several different series about women, health and the environment. They celebrate what is possible when people come together as one. Each painting has a feeling of its own and is done in different mediums. The colors are vivid and rich reflecting the myriad ...
Leif Fleissig Hammelsvang - Statement:in viewing my work, one must remember,that it reflects the cultural outlook of the age in which we live. It reveals my personal feelings as influenced by the existing social, religious, economic and political situations. My paintings have certainly been created to serve a special function....