Artists Describing Their Art:
James Mayor - For years of my life I was used as a tool of destruction. As I drifted farther and farther from decency I found myself closer and closer to death. At the pinnacle of my transformation I found myself balancing on a blades edge. One side was darkness and the other is who I am today. It was at this junction of life and death I sat on my brother in armsaEURtm lifeless corpse, while enemies fell around me by the dozens. In the midst of the bloodshed I took a second to gather my thoughts and settle my trembling hands. The event that transpired, which caused life to course through my veins again, was one where I tasted death where I felt more alive than I ever have or ever will again. It was the moment where I noticed flying above me, a beautiful pair of butterflies, dancing without a care in the world, unaffected by the screams of dying men. It was in this brief moment of tranquility when I realized that I needed to break away from this destructive niche I have embodied and give value to life. I have found that creation is the farthest thing from ...
Peter Tovar - Peter Tovar is a seminal artist in the Chicano Art movement of Los Angeles. He was the founder of"Colores"an on-site gallery boutique at Self Help Graphics in East Los Angeles. He has also designed book covers for authors such as Gary Soto, Aurturo Hernandez and Daniel Sanchez. Peter Tovar was born at Children's Hospital in San Francisco. Second oldest son of five children, Peter grew up in Campbell Calif., a small area outside San Jose. His summers would be spent with his grandmother and cousins in the orchards. When they would break for lunch, his grandmother spun stories about the rich history of Mexico and her eventual journey to California.. " We are the people of the earth, " she would tell them. For Peter the colors of the watermelon symbolize his childhood memories of those cherished summers.In 1964 his family moved to LA where he finished high school. Peter began painting after serving in Vietnam. He continued to paint while working at SHG, and in February 1994, had his first exhibit at Self Help Graphics' Galeria Otra Vez. The exhibit consisted of a series of acrylic painting. Currently Peter lives in the downtown area of Los ...
Kathryn Arnold - Artist Statement Kathryn Arnold c2021 My work contains two intertwining veins. One is filled with large, colorful oils on canvas. The other are my drawings which are black and white mixed media works on paper. Both display the density and layered mark-making that points to my process and content. The work is a result of intuitive nonobjective processes and contains my search for visual magic. The sense of touch and chaotic energy of color and marks play an important role in building up layers that function to create an encompassing, enveloping field and bewildering space. Sometimes there is an introduction of a grid-like form with recognizable imagery playing upon it. These become reference points and their intrinsic relating form poetry, a type of interplay between subjective and objective reality. from Ginsberg Howl ...and who therefore ran through the icy streets obsessed witha sudden flash of the alchemy... PAINTINGS marks kinetic sensation chaotic energy a building a destruction emotional complex bewildering spaces autobiographical references major dreams minor non-dreams Materials oil canvas composition leaf gouache ink watercolor acrylic charcoal conte soft pastels oil pastels pencil polymer medium spray paint enamel varnishes rice papers newspapers collage Arches hot-pressed 100 ...
Engelina Zandstra - In the labyrinth of my thoughts there are many roads that are leading to the unknown. many roads are leading to the unknown - around every corner a surprise - fata morganas unprecedented views - paintings designed according to laws of their own. ...
Michael Weatherly - Art speaks to anyone. It can lift your spirits, provoke your thoughts and calm your emotions. A continuing desire to grow and express has driven my creation of original works - The past and the present connect. Creating a work of art is, having traveled various roads through experimentation until reaching the culmination of an organic art form implementing abstract-figurative elements that emphasize textures and non-conventional forms. It is through experimentation and the search of new techniques that I imprint my work with imagery that reminds us of the natural world. For me, creating is a liberating experience - I am always in a happy state even during the times when I struggle with the process. The creative journey starts with a concept - it's just me and the blank canvas, paper or object...my senses awaken...the process is a thrill ...I progress through stages...it becomes. Michael J Weatherly ...