ISMA IL C AR - Shirin Golestaneh
Transcription
ISMA IL C AR - Shirin Golestaneh
Ismail Acar Ismail Acar Ismail Acar’s art is of a highly meaningful nature, and is strongly inspired by history and the passage of time. He has dealt with a wide variety of themes often related to history and culture including the city of Istanbul, Hagia Sofia, the portraits of the Sultans, Byzantine culture and history, and the Gods of Anatolia. The diversity of his historical interests give his work great breadth, and in addition to historical themes he is often inspired by flora, and in particular by tulips, roses, and pomegranate. He has been exhibited across Europe, the US, Canada, Mexico, Russia and the Turkish Republics, and his works can be found in museums and galleries in China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea. Luleci Hendek cad. no-50, Galata, 34425, Istanbul, Turkey [email protected] www.ismailacar.com “Pasa”, Oil on canvas 6 Loredana Alfieri, was born in Taranto in 1968, of Neapolitan origin, she studied accountancy but felt more drawn to art. She paints in the expressionist style in her own art studio in her native city. She has exhibited in Bari at the Gallery of the Musical Academy, in Latiano at the Imperial Palace, in Turin, Milan, in Ferrara at the Palace of the Este family, in Beijing, Naples, Rome, Nice, and in Monaco she won an international award. She has participated in the Art Expos of Bari, Reggio Emilia, and Florence and has appeared in various art magazines including Arte Mondadori. Loredana Alfieri Loredana Alfieri Via Lago di Molveno 7/b, Taranto, 74100, Italy [email protected] www.loredanaalfieripittriceblogspot.com “Mondo cane”, Mixed media on canvas 7 Bjorn Algrim Bjorn Algrim Never stop reaching. It is only when you express joy and abundance in your own life that you can help others to know the same in their lives. To make yourself miserable for the sake of helping others will serve no purpose at all. The best way to be of service to others is from a position of strength and fulfilment rather than from a position of weakness and despair. What have you always wanted to know, always wanted to have, always wanted to do, and always wanted to be? It is never too late to answer that question, and to answer it with colourful detail and passion. For the answer is your own truly beautiful and unique gift to life. Never stop reaching for the best you can imagine, for when you fulfil your highest possibilities, you raise the whole world up with you. PB: 7021 St, Olavs pl, Kristian August gt11, 130, Oslo, Norway [email protected] www.algrim.com “Pride”, Oil/tempera on canvas 8 My paintings probe natural forms and atmospheric environments in the universe, on earth, and psychologically. Natural forces of destruction and rebirth challenge my art and these natural cycles involve unpredictability and inevitability. This dichotomy also encompasses society and man on a microcosmic or more personal level. Powers of good, evil and the unknown thematically interlace in my art through colour and hints of figural abstractions. The unknown inspires me since its existence is indefinite or static. There is always an element of surprise when a specific acrylic-stain layer dries in a particular manner, perhaps in accordance with the unique temperature and humidity levels. Perhaps these layers of paint hint at hidden dimensions of meaning. So I often wonder, why and how do certain events happen? Why does it rain when it is supposed to hail? Some questions are not meant to be answered. Yet they still exist and pique our interests. Andrea Allegrone Andrea Allegrone 2299 Old Rex Morrow Rd, 30260, Morrow, Georgia, USA [email protected] www.andreaallegrone.com “Dancing Figure”, Oil on canvas 9 Kareem Amin Kareem Amin Born in Guyana ad currently living in California, Kareem is a highly dynamic and genuine artist who has been exhibited in the San Diego Museum of the Living Artist .“As an Abstract Painter, I am forced to create images and patterns with selfless authority. These images develop from an imaginary concept of reoccurring visions that includes figures, representing movement with overlapping brush strokes. The textural pattern is painted to balance the figures, distinctively allowing contrasting color-palettes to render as Light and Darkness. This dichotomy in my work is brought about by disguising the figures so that the viewer is free to interpret their own subjects and voices.” 830 25th Street, suite 102, 92102, San Diego,California, USA [email protected] www.kareemralphamin.com “Heart”, Oil on canvas 10 “Vako’s work reproduces the world of his feelings. The concentration of light and movement connects the viewer with the world of music.” N. Tovmassian, Aravot Daily, Yerevan. I work with colors, forms and movements. Orange, for me, is the color of life. It’s very musical, bright and cheerful. To make it real, I add some ‘sad’ tones with blue, but bring them back with red. Most of my paintings are done using these 3 colors with their shades and tones. I use a lot of contrast in light and color. Whether it’s nature, buildings, interiors or figures, I paint them in forms of squares and rectangles fading into, and sometimes abruptly contrasting, each other. The background is as important as the figure and vice-versa. My art doesn’t have any hidden connotation. I don’t like to be ‘philosophical.’ I paint things the way I see them. My people are very simple; musicians, artists, beggars, etc. My scenery is simple and direct too; old and new buildings, streets and even rooms. Very simple, everyday life! Vako Armeno Vako Armeno 9 Tbagrichneri Street, apt 62, 10, Yerevan, Armenia [email protected] www.vakoarmeno.co.cc “Dancing Figure”, Oil on canvas 11 Mario Artioli Tavani Mario Artioli Tavani Born in Florence in 1965, he lives and works in Cantagallo, Prato. During his adolescence, he studied classical guitar and participated in various painting competitions. Though he initially specialised in precision mechanics, working in printing and as an artisan, from 2002 onwards he dedicated himself entirely to sculpture. Of him the critic Anita Valentini said: “... he is an artist eager to give his figures the pure breath of illusion but, at the same time, of reality, as if he wanted to resolve the mystery of things, of life, and of what the love of what man can create.” He has received a number of awards and has participated in various exhibitions including at the Palazzo Panciatichi in Florence, Sale del Bramante in Rome, and the Espace Fontvieille in Monaco. Most of his works, almost exclusively in iron without mergers, are part of private and public collections. Via dei Cipressi 8, Cantagallo, Fraz. Usella, (PO), 59025, Italy [email protected] www.marioartiolitavani.it “Il falso benessere”, Iron sheeting without joints 12 Marianne’s art is powerful and mysterious. Her paintings often have a mist about them and the theme of her works is often an exploration of the relationships between people. “Communication, to understand another human being truly and completely is difficult. In addition, people may unconsciously transmit their own emotions and prejudices on others, not to forget all the things not mentioned for one reason or another. This complexity of interaction between people fascinates me.” Sissel M. Aurland Sissel M. Aurland Gauteidveien 227, 2016 Frogner, Norway [email protected] www.sisselaurland.blogspot.com “Trompetan over bølgeblækktaket”, Oil on canvas 13 Carla Avanzi Carla Avanzi Carla Avanzi was born in 1968 in Udine, where she resides and works as a teacher. As well s being a respected artist, she has received many honours in the world of literature. For her poetry she has won numerous international prizes, including “Giovanni Verga”, “William Shakespeare”, “Omaggio a Verga” and the “Lev Tolstoj” competitions. Her poetry has been widely published in Italy, and she has also published a novel, ‘Profumo di libertà’, published by Campanotto editors. She is also respected for her commentaries on Pirandello, Carducci, Foscolo, Pascoli and Ariosto. It is this rich cultural background which Carla Avanzi brings into her paintings. Her works are permeated by her poetry, and they often sing of war and violence, themes often covered by the Poets she is so fond of. Her works are mysterious and rich in symbolism, and her colours and brush strokes are like words subtly whispered. Birago 53, Udine, (UD), 33100, Italy [email protected] www.carlaavanzi.beepworld.it “Violenza”, Mixed media on canvas 14 Shefqet Avdush Emini currently lives and works in Holland, after having graduated from the Fine Art Academy in Prishtina, Kosovo. He has worked as a lecturer but has always been occupied by his painting and sculpture, he now works as a professional artist. The artist describes his work as“figurative abstract expressionism” and incorporates a vibrant palette and a layering of colour. The artist uses oil on canvas to create his expressive pieces that blur abstraction with figurative elements. His works are often bold in their use of colour and brushstrokes. He has exhibited in Denmark, The Netherlands, Germany and Italy in both group and solo exhibitions. Shefqet Avdush Emini Shefqet Avdush Emini Meliskerkestraat 26, 6845 AW Arnhem, The Netherlands [email protected] www.shefqetavdushemini.com “untitled”, Oil on canvas 15 Ted Barr Ted Barr Theodor Barr’s art is the result of a highly refined and complex technique, developed over much time and with much experimentation. He depicts the universe and space with notable spirituality and he has recently exhibited at the Venice Biennale and the FusionArts Museum of New York. “At a very young age I asked myself about the origin of life. I used to raise my eyes to the stars and wonder if we came from there. I try to paint what elevates my soul and spirit, galactic elements from deep space with the marvel of stars and galaxies. The universe is dark, even the largest stars as big as 20 times our sun would look like tiny pale dots in a larger scale picture of the universe. It is very hard to communicate the universes vastness. The basic element to my work is tar or asphalt, then I use combinations of oil and acrylic colors and on top I use special lacquers that are used for wood coating.” P.O. Box 1189, 47111, Ramat Hasharon, Israel [email protected] www.ted.co.il “Fingers formation”, Tar and mixed media on canvas 16 17 Jenny Bennett Jenny Bennett I paint to make something from nothing, to communicate my visions to others, to put people where I have been, on journeys to remote and beautiful parts of New Zealand. Like the author Anais Nin, I believe that art provides us with the antitoxins we need to live. Landscape is my primary focus at present, in particular the New Zealand flora, nikau palms, beaches, rocks and water. Nikau have a wonderful structure reminiscent of the gothic arch, a richness of colour, texture and lush foliage. All this contrasts with the more austere and subdued palette associated with the other theme of rocks and water. As evident here, I am fascinated with the dualities of soft/hard, solid/fluid, eroding/creating and light/dark. 41 Cockburn Street , Onerahi, 110, Whangarei, New Zealand [email protected] www.jennybennett.com “Beneath Kapowairua, Spirits Bay” , Oil on linen 18 Zina Bercovici, an Israeli artist, presents two paintings of gloomy human bodies. Male or female? One can not tell. The mystical shapes do not reveal that. The colors of the figures are soft and worm. They immerge gently out of the soft background colors. The combination of the soft shapes and the delicate colors is magnificent. The shape and the structure create mild and delicate contrasts. The soft and fluidic strokes and the colors make pleasant pictures of human bodies join together in unknown activities. The human shapes are of different nations, sizes and origin, they symbolise the equality of humanity. It is left to the imagination of the viewer to complete the picture and the story of the unity of mankind. The artist plays with the mind of the viewer, letting his intelligence and mentality interpret the scene. The combination of simple lines and shapes, yet sophisticated approach is the surprising and genuine style generated by Zina Bercovici Zina Bercovici Zina Bercovici Nitzanim 18\4, 34354, Haifa, Israel [email protected] www.artzina.com “Untitled”, Oil on canvas 19 Anneli Bergquist Anneli Bergquist Anneli was born in Finland in 1945 and came to Sweden in 1950. She currently lives in Österlen, a notable center for artists and is a member of various art associations and groups. She was heavily influenced by Tiffany glass which she was first exposed to in England in 1993, and started working on it then. In 1997 she started experimenting with aquarelle, oils, and acrylics, and today she uses all the techniques and mediums, making her a very dynamic artist. After much study, she works as an interpreter of art and she teaches drawing, and is also a teacher of oriental dance. Her art is inspired by the people she meets and her travels. Her art exudes calmness and a rare internal harmony. Holmåkravägen 4, 27660, Skillinge, Sweden [email protected] www.bildtolkning.se “Life’s winding”, Metalwire and glass 20 I depict freely from nature and more than often coastal motifs, lakes and waterways. Water is for me a symbol of freedom, that also gives interesting reflections, as light is the essence of the image. I strive to capture a mood, more than to make a direct representation of reality. For me, nature has a soul and my ambition is to convey some of the calm and the strengh it can bring. My true drive is the wish to make pictures come alive, to share the creative process in the making itself. I paint in both oils and watercolours. I prefer to make my nature oil paintings in large formats up to 3m. Kathrin Bernekorn Kathrin Bernekorn Sparresväg 31, 247 53, Dalby, Sweden [email protected] www.bernekorn.se “Vårbäcken”, Oil on canvas 21 Piera Bessone Piera Bessone The work of the Turinese artist Piera Bessone stands out due to its chromatic structure. The artist’s creations bring life to nature in a symphony of chromatic notes, and the paintings are full of poetry. The use of acrylic on canvas leaves room for a rare compositional power. The mixture of color is convincing and captivating. The expression is original and adopts a language that makes abstraction a more concrete reality. Via Pinerolo, 22, Cavour, (TO), 10061, Italy [email protected] www.besspierre.com “Pioggia primaverile”, Acrylic on canvas 22 It all happened many moonlit nights ago, this love affair with my oils. I didn’t know myself very well then until I picked up the brush and took to painting in the twilight of my aloneness. I found wisdom in solitude, earnestness in loneliness and a voice that was nurtured in silence. Edouard Manet once disclosed, “…laws of artistic nature are baffling. It is when an artist has most reason to be discouraged that he is, in fact, drawing near to his own particular truth...” My paintings are a celebration of life and a true testament that my imagination is for keeps and can be larger than life itself. Plet Bolipata Plet Bolipata Casa San Miguel, Barangay San Miguel, San Antonio, Zambales, Philippines [email protected] “Variations on Blue Hour: Appasionata”, Mixed media on Canvas 23 Antonio Bono Antonio Bono Bono was born in Brindisi in 1969. Passionate from a young age about design and colours, he graduated from the artistic lyceum. He resides in the historic district of the city, where his passion for clay modeling and studying of the figure developed, bringing him closer to the famous local paper mache workshops. Here he began to work, dedicated to the creation of numerous portraits, commissioned for a number of sacred sites. His closeness to the beautiful city of Lecce brought him to start working the stone of Lecce, for which he received a number of commissions for sacred statues and architectural decorations. He has participated in various exhibitions and competitions. One such competition, organised by the municipality of Brindisi, had as a theme “the street of your city”. It brought him to observe the people of his city, its little roads and harbor, and the countryside more closely, and he came closer to impressionist painting. He currently lives in Umbria. Via Campomicciolo 182, Terni, (TR), 05100, Italy [email protected] “Raccolta”, Oil on canvas 24 “An innate drive towards figurative art saw her graduate as teacher of Art, then to graduate at the academy of Arts and subsequently in Psychology, longing to know man intimately. Her creations: paintings, sculptures, buildings, glass fusions or ceramics, strike us inside, causing emotions that stimulate our sense of being.” Elena Morelli “Already leading the staff at Palazzo Valentini, Rome, in 1990 where Professor Parracciani said: “For reasons of ‘life’... she creates new forms of light that plough through infinite space”. The profound inner search of the artist leads to a sound expression of art and an individual realisation: In 2003 she achieved the International Diploma of OntoArte. The viewer, often unknowingly, spontaneously enters into a dimension where she contacts her own intimate truth.” Carmen Mennella “The overwhelming tendency to the whole, to the cosmic, in a synergy, never calm, of forms and symbiotic approaches, project her works towards a being that makes itself exist in its creation, strength.” Giuseppe Spallotta Letizia Borelli Letizia Borelli Via Coste della Madonna 8, Scandriglia, Rieti, (RI), 02038, Italy [email protected] “Senso e parola”, Oil and iron on canvas 25 Elmer Borlongan Elmer Borlongan The human figure continues to be the focus of my works. The sound and the fury of Manila street scenes have been the fitting accompaniment to the figures that have graced my works throughout the years. I paint in a studio in the middle of a mango farm surrounded by the sound of a sometimes wailing sea and the chirping of the birds. People here have a deep attachment to the elements of the earth, in spite of the deceiving laid back nature, there is a certain rhythm and sense of purpose in everyday living, in the tilling of the soil or catching fish in the sea. There is a profound beauty in the ordinariness and simplicity of it all that must be expressed in the only way I know how. And that is, visually. I am here to document what is there to see to make sense of my existence. Casa San Miguel, Barangay San Miguel, San Antonio, Zambales, Philippines [email protected] “Waiting Shed”, Oil on Canvas 26 Abstract Expressionism and action painting have always influenced my work. My practise is heavily rooted in these two movements. I enjoy painting this way, however in addition I am also influenced by more traditional mediums. Painting for me becomes a physical gesture. I want to drip, rub, stain and apply the colour with violence, almost ruining the image that I’m representing. The result is a painting, vivid, vibrant, dynamic and full of energy. Through these brush strokes I can make it even more dramatic and expressive, the faces of my characters then evolve. The elderly and their loneliness is my recurring theme. The lack of dialogue together with isolation means that the time spent becomes for them a life devoid of any sense and meaning. Without contact and dialogue with other people, life is reduced only to passivity and stagnation. My portraits are the representation of the transience of their lives and that behind every melancholy gaze is always a story that deserves to be remembered. Giancarlo Bozzani Giancarlo Bozzani Via Padova, Milano, (MI), 20154, Italy [email protected] www.borronibrothers.com/giancarlo_bozzani.html “Rebecca”, Oil on panel 27 Caryia Breemen Cariya Breemen Cariya Breemen’s artwork utilizes an extensive range of materials, colors and formats to express thoughts and ideas in two and three dimensions. Her work spans a wide genre, from almost monochrome pieces to more representational paintings that utilize a wider range of colors and materials. There is also the combination of a large selection of design elements, which in many cases feature materials such as glass or wood that add texture and depth. Change and variation in the context of Cariya’s work is a constant and necessary aspect of expressing the full meaning of her work. Each piece has its own intrinsic meaning that provides the framework for its full context, however, ultimately, it is left open to the individual interpretation of the viewer. 598 10th Avenue, Suite 6F, 10036, New York, USA [email protected] www.CariyaBreemen.com “Disintegration”, Mixed media on canvas 28 Born on the island of Rhodes in 1940. His uncle, Luigi Zucchelli initiated him into the art of painting in 1950 and he subsequently attended the workshop of master Aurelio Barbalonga and other Bolognese artists and eventually opened his own study in 1965. The art world was a place of fervor in those days and Busi took part with enthusiasm feeling increasingly that painting was his vocation. Silvia Evangelisti writes of him: “In the paintings of Busi the paint, colour,and image tend no longer to represent reality but to explore its essence, its soul, and its identity, which the artist searches for within himself, within his relationship with the world, and within his experience, his story, his memory. His paintings speak of this, as if there were an emotive filter between the artist’s painting and reality, creating a kind of perceptive ambiguity that insinuates itself between vision and representation, bringing his paintings to the boundary between presence and evanescence, between reality and appearance, poised between abstraction and figuration. Arturo Busi Arturo Busi Via G.Vasari 30, Bologna, (BO), 40128, Italy [email protected] www..arturobusi.it “Eclisse”, Oil on canvas 29 Dagmar Calais Dagmar Calais The famous diptych“Ristratto di Battista Sforza e Federico da Montefeltro”by Piero della Francesca served as an example for my two paintings. Unlike many other artists of his time, Piero was able to convey the artistic and humanistic achievements of the early Renaissance: he exposed the nature of the ducal couple in this painting which is reminiscent of classical coin portraits through the depiction in profile. The military leader is hiding the scarred part of his face from the contemplator, and only the striking infraction of the nose is an indicator for his dangerous occupation, which I pointed out in my interpretation by using war paint and the headdress. In contrast to her spouse, the well-educated Battista is showing proud introversion with her gaze through the half-closed eyes, which refers to the posthumous origin of the Piero Portrait. The coin-like tondi of my paintings reveal the intimate relationship of the ducal couple just like the two sides of a coin. Föhrenstr. 76-78, 28207, Bremen, Germany [email protected] www.dagmar-calais.de “Federico da Montefeltro”, Oil on canvas 30 I have a reverence for life, its rhythm, its connected song of celebration. I paint stories with watercolour, oil, gouache and bits of foil and fabric. I listen to world music while painting, music that is the heart beat of our collective soul. I create paintings in one sitting and when I realise I am finished I can breathe. I once lived in a centuries old farmhouse in the heart of Provence, France, and walked the countryside conversing with the farmers, sketching the connection of land to buildings. Jill Louise Campbell Jill Louise campbell I now live on a small island on the Pacific Coast of Canada, my studio on the ocean edge feeding my inspirations, I can feel the ancient legends of the native culture. This deeply influences my paintings, my art is my joy and illumination. 120 Fruitvale Road, V8K 2M1, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada [email protected] www.jlcgallery.com “Cicada Sings”, Watercolour and gouache 31 Cosimo Carola Cosimo Carola “Influenced by fashion, we become accustomed to appreciate artwork and artists which are already widely recognized and celebrated and lose the pleasure of discovery. I have rediscovered new perceptions by observing the works of the young painter Cosimo Carola. Carola is able to portray his heart in the colourful approach of his works. An emotion presents itself on the canvas in the lines and geometry, giving them shape, image, body and meaning. The brilliance and intensity of colour, together with the ordered geometry of the forms seem to want to entrap in cages of stylistic lines; strong feelings are ready to explode as cries for help in a deaf world. Tired posing, imploring gazes or lost in emptiness: the masks that ineptly conceal inner pain, every single aspect of the works generate feelings in the observer who feels almost defenceless. Cosimo Carola is an artist to discover: his works breathe, live, speak, listen and evoke emotion.” William Kerdudo Facchinetti Via Antonio Gramsci 79, Vimodrone, (MI), 20090, Italy [email protected] www.cosimocarola.com “Sottovetro”, Oil on canvas 32 When we observe the creations of Alessia, our eyes rest on the beauty of the feminine curves in their most natural shape. These nudes are an allegory of the most real emotions, not the sensations felt in day to day life but the more intricate emotions we feel in private. More and more behavior patterns condition our life. The rather impressive and peculiar aspects to each of these creations are the absence of the face and the expressions. Alessia achieves in her work a very poignant motif that some would say mirrors the soul. If the expression of the body symbolises the natural and sincere emotions of oneself, then surely the absence of one’s looks show how fickle and subjective our emotions can be. This is very important in Alessia’s work, it shows that she works without egocentricity and without any sort of presumption. In a world that is becoming more and more devoid of personality, where instead we are replaced by prejudices and limited expression that can sometimes blur and overwhelm our emotions, Alessia’s work overrides all of this to bring in a new and transitional sense of feeling. Alessia Carrara Alessia Carrara Via Mistorni, Alla Fontanella, Pura, Ticino, 6984, Switzerland [email protected] www.alessiacarrara.ch “Ramoe”, Bronze and lost wax 33 Candela Casado Sastre Candela Casado Sastre In my painting, I believe that there is a mixture of the abstract and the figurative. From far away it is figurative and from close up it is abstract. The colour is essential to the overall meaning, but sometimes I try to place emphasis on the lines, though never so much so as to overwhelm the colour. This is an almost subconscious act, the product of my creative impulse, like a power struggle between these two factors of my artistic pursuits. There is another aspect which is now prominent: collage. With sheets from newspapers and magazines, I incorporate these as elements of things that one has to see throughout the day: the here and now. The newspaper serves as the foundation for the work because of its visual texture, which inspires me and leads me to perhaps continue with other elements. Candela Casado Sastre graduated from the national school of Bellas Artes Prilidiano Pueyrredon, Buenos Aires and has exhibited in Italy, Uruguay, the USA and Brazil in both solo and group exhibitions. Madero 1390, Buenos Aires, Argentina [email protected] www.candelacasadosastre.com.ar “El Tigre II”, Mixed media 34 “Andrea Casalini manages to draw upon the mundanity of everyday life, such as cars, flowers, motorcycles and human figures. He then crosses the border beyond realism into the less descriptive through the use of colour, expression, the movement of brush strokes, and by using sinuous curves, the subject of the painting becomes alive. The artist is influenced by futurism and is inspired by Boccioni. He also adores the pop art movement and looks upon the city graffiti of the 80s. Casalini’s main focus is to convey his passion for art and the theory behind it, as a viewer we can see his interest for graphic design. And it is pop art which is more than ever alive in the imagination of Casalini, as well as the strong brush strokes reminiscent of 80s graffiti. With his experience in the area of graphic communication he succeeds to express his passion for art’s meaning.” Dott. Carlo Pasquini Andrea Casalini Andrea Casalini Via della Vecchia Ferrovia 6, Cecina, (LI), 57023, Italy [email protected] / [email protected] “Mitos”, Acrylic on canvas 35 Leila Chalabi Leila Chalabi Leila Chalabi began her studies in Art in Lebanon, and continued in France, entering the St Roch Academy one year after her arrival. Since then she has exhibited in Paris, Geneva, Kuwait, Istanbul, in Lebanon and other locations. ”It’s a subtle matter, that fine relation between what comes out on the canvas, and the reality to depict. It’s a struggle between tensions, circumstances and the spirit unfolding with brushes. My canvas is my basic grounding structure, colours are my language. It is my way to express and show my understanding of life. I look for harmony in my colours. Even the ugliest of feelings, violence, grieving and pain, will have to be shown in a sense of equilibrium, of completeness in the space given. 3, Rue Francoise 1er, 75008, Paris, France [email protected] www.leilachalabi.com “ Les Ailes du Plaisir”, Mixed media on canvas 36 Born and educated in Hong Kong, Clementine Chan holds a Bachelor Degree in Social Science. She studied pastel, drawing and oil painting with renowned Hong Kong artist Alan Lau Chung Hang. In 1998, she was accepted by the Parsons School of Design and received an award of merit in the 7th annual competition of Manhattan Arts international magazine. She is currently a full-time arts administrator of the leading modern dance company in Hong Kong. A prolific painter, she has been actively exhibiting since 2002 in private galleries and public venues, presenting ten solo exhibitions. She has also been commissioned to do illustrations for bestselling books and other publicity materials, as well as stage sets in dance productions. In 2007, Chan was invited to exhibit her works in the 6th Florence Biennale. Her works are collected by private collectors in Hong Kong. Clementine Chan Clementine Chan 11C, Block 13, Phase 4 Seacrest Villa, Sham Tseng, N.T, Hong Kong, China [email protected] www.clementinestudio.com “Night Watcher” , Oil on canvas 37 Malaika Charbonneau Malaika Charbonneau Paraphrasing Omar Khayyam in ‘The Rubaiyat’, the written word exists forever. Yet, conversations seldom see past the present. My series is based on the theory that paint can be as permanent as the pen. Imagining the canvas as a studio equalizer, the viewer is able to see the inflection and amplitude of the conversation. The magnified or minimised geometric shapes give an aesthetic form to an audio experience. Charbonneau has studied Literature, Philosophy, Art and Architecture. She recently received her BFA from the Emily Carr University in Vancouver in May of 2008. Her work was featured in the Vancouver Theater Playhouse and at 999 Seymour in their showroom. Her paintings are in collections throughout North America as well as Germany and England. 907B 9th St E, S7H 0M9, Saskatoon, Canada [email protected] www.ThirtyThreeCircleThree.com “Yellow Nude”, Mixed media on board. 38 Born in Catania in 1972, Coglitori already showed an inclination for painting as a child, and in 1988 he started attending classes in drawing and ceramics. He developed greatly from 1990 to 1995, when he set off to visit numerous museums and exhibitions and copied the works of the masters. It is in imitating a work of Van Gogh that he discovered his creativity and he started to blossom as an artist. Since then he has exhibited his works widely and attracted much positive criticism. The Umbrian painter Valan describies Coglitori’s works as follows: Salvo Coglitori Salvo Coglitori “He sits on a fine line between Naif art and the figurative, and through his sunny colours one can recognize his origins. He does not refrain from dealing with the most varied subjects, the elderly are particularly striking in his paintings, as are the strong trees, which sit so close to each other, and yet appear solitary”. Via Santi Bonaccorsi, 3, Aci Catena, Catania, (CT), 95022, Italy [email protected] www.salvocoglitori.it “La Donna in Giallo”, Oil on board 39 Claudia Coppola Claudia Coppola Sinuous lines, strident colours, and compositional power are the elements that bring life to Claudia Coppola’s artistic world. Faces of magical fairies, who live in dreamlike atmospheres with languid eyes that are so huge they could almost open a gate to one’s soul. Looking inside these eyes one can read immense fragility mixed with sadness and innocence. Strong femininity is expressed by the colour blue, in addition a splash of the unconscious is mixed in with the spiritual world of infants which causes a certain magic that comes into play. Via Francesco Zambrini 18, Milano, (MI), 20128, Italy [email protected] www.premioceleste.it/claudiaemanuelacoppola “Tornare s casa II”, Mixed media on panel 40 Barbara Crimella was born in Rho, in the province of Milan, in 1973. Her fascination with the third dimension and construction have always provided the stimulus for her to try and express her emotions. She enrolled at the Brera Academy of art and earned a diploma in sculpture with Igino Legnago. Her works composed in silicon are capable of capturing the essence of skin, which the viewer himself can touch and come into contact with. The principle concept in which the artist finds inspiration is the use of the body as the highest expression of the inner world of a person, anguish, pain and problems. Tall slender sculptures composed of rusted iron are the second form of sculpture created by the artist Barbara Crimella who is inspired by the shapes of nature in which she takes refuge to protect their own balance. Rust, due to the fact that it changes over time and its warm colour is one of the materials favoured by the artist. Barbara Crimella Barbara Crimella Via Pio XI, 69, Saronno, (VA), 21047, Italy [email protected] www.barbaracrimella.it “L’Abbandono”, Silicon and rusted iron 41 Marina Cuccus Marina Cuccus Marina Cuccus lives and works in Sardinia where she is professor of painting. Having graduated from the Artistic Lyceum of Cagliari, she continued her studies in Rome, graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in painting. “Mixing genres such as Tachism and Gestural art, she walks a path full of painting to achieve a formal and chromatic significance. The entirety of the painting shows the process followed by the painter, and even the finest details are suggestive of metapainting. The gesture is automatically both reasoned and unconscious, it becomes a calligraphic sign. The expressive urgency of communication passes through the filter of the meditated. The form is not only distorted but annihilated, and the structural phase passes through the process of deconstruction for which design and colour are generated in a balancing of opposites where the content is form and form is content.” Massimo Antonio Sanna Piazza Galba 6, Monserrato, (CA), 9042, Italy [email protected] http://ahinama.altervista.org/eureka.html “Red & Black”, Mixed media on canvas 42 Born in Catania, Sicily, in 1952, he lives and works in the eternal city. He has participated in important personal and collective exhibitions in Catania, Madrid and Paris. He is an Engineer by education and therefore his technical and scientific preparation lead him to study the influence of light and to apply the laws of optics to his painting technique. Starting from the premise that every colour radiates with a well defined wavelength, he theorises an abstract style, which defines the Expressionism of reason, which is not produced by the unconsious, but from measured and balanced choices that are the result of a conscious selection of colors and background. In his material compositions, using strong and vibrant colours, he transcends the art-science dichotomy provoking new sensations and interpretations of reality. Gaetano D’Alessandro Gaetano D’Alessandro Piazza B.C.Fragalà 15a, Catania, (CT), 95125, Italy [email protected] www.gaetanodalessandro.it “ Quali colombe dal disio chiamate...”, Oil on canvas 43 Patrizia Viviana De Filippo Patrizia Viviana De Filippo “Two worlds, in a fight to see the light on the paintings of Patrizia De Filippo. Strict and rigorous, the first observes with respect the lessons of the great masters of the past. Irreverent, rebellious and a little cynical, the second can not resist the impulse to expose and ridicule reality with painful irony. Between these two ways, the observation and dramatic representation of feelings on the one hand, and the critical and disenchanted irony on the other, we find a need for a synthesis, difficult but ever more urgent. The whole process seems permeated by the fear of the self, of one’s own inner world and the need to control it. One cannot but nurture great expectations for this artist“ Antontella Russo Via Passo Enea, 35, Trapani, (TP), 91100, Sicily, Italy [email protected] www.vivianapdf.splinder.com/ “Oblio”, Oil on canvas 44 Carlo Dezzani was born in Turin in 1957. He began his artistic life at a young age and enrolled in the Artistic Lyceum in Turin, being taught by masters such as Chessa and Sergio Albano. In 1993 he began exhibiting both in Italy and abroad achieving notable critical acclaim, receiving attention from newspapers including “La Stampa” of Turin, “La Repubblica” of Rome and the “NICE-MATIN” of Montecarlo. He has been written about by L. Carini, A. Spinardi, and L. Lepri and received the compliments of Prof. Vittorio Sgarbi. He has exhibited widely in Italy, in particular at EXPOARTE and has also exhibited in New York. He prefers working with Aquarelle and divides himself between his informal soul and metasurreal landscapes. His works are characterised by an atmosphere of timelessness, where the time passes without ever really leaving, haunting castles and haunting eyes. Carlo Dezzani Carlo Dezzani Strada Basse n.5, Villafranca (TO), Piemonte, 10068, Italy [email protected] www.dezzaniarte.com “La Maison de femme” , Oil on canvas 45 Anneli Di Francis Anneli Di Francis I hand build my sculptures out of clay. In my work I depict humanity and small things which move our conscience. Pictures are both individual pieces as well as entities that form a series. When I begin working, the whole process with all its stages and materials has already been thought through. The relation between the name of the image and the picture itself is very important to me, how the image expresses the matter and bears it’s name. “She is a mass consumer of art who, in addition to making ceramics, writes poetry and frequently visits art exhibitions and the theatre. Nevertheless, she does not take art and her pieces too seriously but with a pinch of salt. Therefore she says she makes nonsense with a clear conscience. She is torn by the fact that art is turned into something grave instead of letting it just be a source of joy and resource.” Kirsi-Maria Tuomisto Törnäväntie 10 B 27, 60200, Seinäjoki, Finland [email protected] www.1st4art.eu “Working Method”, Ceramics and wood 46 As an Architect, I used to design spaces and enclose them with walls, that defined their boundaries within the natural surrounding. As a sculptor, I think about the inner spirit of my sculptures, and define boundaries with clay. This inner spirit is the essence of my work. Life, Human Beings and the relationship between them, have always inspired me. By joining them together, I can feel the music of their movements, the colors, the shadows they cast on one another, and the sensuality of couples and groups. Through them I can transmit my own feelings and talk with my audience, in different ways.” Lea Dolinsky Lea Dolinsky Lea Dolinsky has exhibited widely and internationally and has developed a powerful and unique style. In her art one can recognize different influences, including from Latin America and the Mediterranean. Her works are dignified but sensual. Rehavat Ilan 10, 54056, Guivat Shmuel, Israel [email protected] www.leadolinsky-sculptor.com “Bar” , Ceramics 47 Jamie Donald Jasmie Donald My current studio work involves taking images from mass media sources and turning them into art. The process of making a painting starts with these images, and from there I aim to re-mediate them and turn them into something else. The mere process of spending time re-creating an image adds value and importance to what the audience sees. I like to play with the perceptions of the images: is it a painting of a celebrity, or is it a painting of a drawing of a celebrity? By re-producing an image in different media, I am removing it from the context in which it came from. There are clues to this in the titles as well as in the way I have composed the pictures. 15H St Swithin Street, AB10 6XB, Aberdeen, Scotland [email protected] www.myspace.com/jamierdonald “Self Portrait (if my name was Caleb Followill)” , Oil on Canvas 48 Her first public decoration was at the age of 16, when she won an open art competition and her first exhibition came two years later where she was described as a young talent. She has consequently been represented in several private art collections around the world, exhibiting in Paris, Norway and elsewhere. She went on to study philosophy, design and humanities before moving to Paris and starting an art education in the fields of painting, art history and sculpture. She also had an art gallery in which she could explore other artist’s art, but she now concentrates on her own work, with expressionist paintings, lithographs and sculpture forming an exploration of the human being in relation to different cultures, religions and the inner self. Nina Dreyer Henjum Nina Dreyer Henjum Storgt 70, 2609, Lillehammer, Norway [email protected] www.ninadreyerhenjum.com “Angels and Demons”, Mixed media 49 Christine Drummond Christine Drummond The German poet Gotthold E. Lessing once said that ‘the ultimate goal of art is joy.’ Joy is what I want to bring to people through my paintings, through my choice of colours, the theme, the life, the movement; each stroke of the palette knife on my canvas conveying joy. When I complete a painting, I hope that those who see it will be attracted to it and want to be enveloped by the atmosphere it creates. If people feel good when they look at one of my pieces, if my paintings brighten their day in any way, then my mission as an artist is fulfilled. 1591 Prestwick lane, IN 46032, Carmel, U.S.A. [email protected] www.chdrummond.com “Caribbean market” , Oil on canvas 50 Cathrine Edlinger-Kunze is a German artist who lives in the United States. Born and raised in Saarbruecken, Germany, she studied with the late artist Max Mertz and after graduating in graphic design and book illustration, her focus gradually shifted to figurative art. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she lived for more than 13 years, Cathrine became a very active and recognized member of the art community. She taught art to children and adults and devoted most of her time to live figure drawing. It became her passion and this is reflected in her distinct emotional and personal artwork. She recently moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. Her work has been exhibited in Germany, Italy and the United States and her collectors come from places as diverse as Germany, Namibia, Canada, the United States and Japan. Cathrine Edlinger-Kunze Cathrine Edlinger-Kunze 4182 Mystic CT, 95124, San Jose, California, U.S.A [email protected] www.edlinger-kunze.com “Lead me on”, Acrylic on Linen 51 Joseph El Arid Joseph El Arid Joseph El Arid was born in 1963 in the beautiful Lebanese city of Zahle, famous for its ancient churches and architecture. Joseph is a self-taught artist and studied at the Royal Art society of Sydney. He has exhibited widely both in Lebanon and around the world, and in particular in Australia for the Marian Apostolic Movement and Paris where he has exhibited in many locations, and where in 2001 he was guest of honour at the art saloon of Compiègne. Joseph El Arid is an artist of remarkable skill and notable dynamism. He paints using oil on canvas in different styles. His abstract works are geometric and of great profundity, seemingly being characterised by many levels of depth. His landscapes are mostly of his homeland, and many of them depict the city of Zahle with its white houses, terracotta tiles, and cyprus trees. In these paintings his impressionist style is both dreamy and enchanting. Zahle haouch el omara-hraoui st, 961, Zahle, Lebanon [email protected] www.onefineart.com “Abstract Bird from Beyond”, Oil on Canvas 52 The work of Antonio Esposito is characterised by a need to search, carried out using different materials and developing a process of experimentation completely independent from stylistic orthodoxies. In his works, the unconscious matrix of certain figures can appear or disappear behind the canvas in colour. Through the network of lines, which is based on and meshed together with a mental approach, the creativity that the artist produces is not an end in itself, it is a ‘discovery.’ This is often linked to a certain ironic and disenchanted approach of an artist who allows himself to be influenced both by the sacred and the profane. Within his work, eclectic and rich, we can find a fine thread which links works of various subjects: the need for research. Ultimately every work is a subject-object, an answer and a new stimulus, expression both contingent and universal. A creative research for the deepest meaning of what it is to “do” art. Antonio Esposito Antonio Esposito Via Valle Pozzo, 17, Albano Laziale, Roma, (RM), 00041, Italy [email protected] www.artesposito.it “Untitled” , Acrylic on Canvas 53 Giulio Galgani Giulio Galgani Giuglio Galgani, is a highly creative and dynamic artist of many talents, and of insatiable curiosity. He is a compulsive experimenter, not only a visual artist but also involved in theater and cinema, and has been exhibited internationally in numerous exhibitions and museums, particularly in Italy and England, including at the The Museo d’Arte Contemporanea of Palagio, The Assembly house of Norwich, and The Palazzo Piccolomini of Pienza. “Giuglio Galgani is an artist inspired by the enigmatic silence of his land, La Val di Chiana. His name may not be known to many, but as the history of art has taught us, this is the fate of those destined to meet a higher and indisputable affirmation in time.” Giovanni Faccenda Loc. Badicorte 13, Marciano Della Chiana, (AR), 52047, Italy [email protected] www.giuliogalgani.com “La Chimera”, Bronze, and lost wax 54 Portraits do not represent us as we really are, though many of us, in various epochs, have believed in this half truth. Portraits, if made by an artist of the court, represent us as we would want to be. But if the artist is more than a mere court artist, they represent us as we should recognise ourselves to be. In a painting there are characters, scenes, frames, colours and lights exalting the emotions and sentiments. This is the text by which the framework suggests the narrative. Of course, imagination is static, whilst the story is dynamic, and develops over time, but the compositional elements of the story, the core poetic message in the background are all present in the picture. The painting here expresses what is best in a single frame of the story, capturing it on the canvas, representing the instant where the story has reached its greatest climax. Corrado Gatti Corrado Gatti Via Lagustena, 16/18, Genova, (GE), 16131, Italy [email protected] “Tris Pulp”, Mixed media on canvas 55 Patrizio Gelli Patrizio Gelli Patrizio Gelli was born in 1956 in the municipality of Serravalle Pistoiese. He grew up in Bonelle, a village near Pistoia, and still lives there today. Self-taught from a very young age, he has a great passion for art and devotes a large part of his free time to painting and has been displaying his works in solo and group exhibitions since 1980. He uses the ancient fresco technique on hard materials such as tablets and plywood and conjures up the appearance and almost the very feel of the wall, as if the painted surfaces in the picture were parts of murals taken from the wall and glued onto the tablet. The resulting consistency of the material is extraordinary. Due to a clever mixture of pigments, at times also with ancient origins, he creates the opaque but at the same time bright charm of times past, of things slowly, progressively eroded by age. Via Bonellina 174 Bonelle, Pistoia, (PT), 51100, Italy [email protected] www.patriziogelli.com “Vecchia finestra” , Fresco 56 The figures are out of focus, the first is interacting with the second and they meet together in unison. This duality is representing the possibility to change our internal perspective. Life is never the same but constantly evolving. Our soul is flowing from moments of stillness and isolation, to other moments that desire the search for new horizons and the will to begin again is a driving force. The events of the past are unchangeable however they shape the future. “My paintings tell my pain and show my past. When painting the suffering of others, I in turn remove my own anguish.” Every work is represented by using loose brush strokes which appear transparent giving an almost invisible touch. Wood plays an intrinsic part in the production of the works. Luigo Giagnorio Luigo Giagnorio G. Frescobaldi 5, Bologna, (BO), 40100, Italy [email protected] “Equilibrio” , Oil and acrylics on wood 57 Franco Giomi Franco Giomi The Italian artist Franco Giomi is a lonesome and reserved man who ever marvels at wild landscapes, everyday life and dreams. His narratives deal with notions of strength, freedom, elegance and the rugged indomitable potency of nature: the enchanting area of Maremma, his homeland, with its herds of horses and cows, cattlemen, dawns and sunsets over wide wetlands is Giomi’s favourite ‘muse’. Giomi’s scenes are never still, but are fragment of some longer story he wants to tell us: the movement and action are created by the predominance of white painted over underlying spots of colour on oversized canvases. “In the paintings of Franco Giomi, watercolor functions as performing art in which his narratives become a dance on paper” Alex Michon, Co-director of The Transition Gallery. Giomi has exhibited extensively in London, St.Etienne, Milan, Florence, Rimini, Certaldo, Grosseto, and Punta Ala. Via Arrigo Boito, 7, Grosseto, (GR), 58100, Italy [email protected] www.francogiomi.com “Nude”, Watercolour 58 A work of art often mirrors one’s life experiences - this is true for the viewer as well as the artist. Shirin Golestaneh’s work represents the journey from within - the world of imaginary landscapes, dreams and places we know inside ourselves. She incorporates moons, suns, brooks, mountains and seas working with layers of transparencies to create a mosaic of colours revealing images from underneath. Shirin Golestaneh Shirin Golestaneh The vitality and creativity shown in Shirin’s work derives from her multi-cultural background. She was born in Boston to an American mother, also an artist and a Persian father, then briefly lived in Switzerland and has studied in Pennsylvania and Florence. “Shirin has revealed herself in a work that shows a controlled, serenely conscious journey to those childhood places, to the enchanted landscapes of timeless fables, which tell the origins of things.’” Ennio Pouchard. 145A King Henry’s Rd, NW3 3RD, London, England [email protected] www.shiringolestaneh.com “Abstract in Green”, Oil on canvas 59 Teresa Gostanza Teresa Gostanza Teresa Gostanza, a Spanish surrealist, born in Germany and raised in Australia, is currently residing in the US. A painter from early childhood, she always rebelled against having to paint the facts. Reality is created from spontaneous thoughts of fragmented images, or dreams: “Therefore, I don’t usually plan out what I’m going to create since it evolves all by itself. I’m just the vehicle which allows creation to manifest. Only as time passes do I truly understand the true messages hidden within. The images speak to those who listen. Throughout the years people have contacted me to explain how in the dream state the paintings came alive as they wondered into them, to receive whatever messages they needed to hear. What is reality and what is the dream? This has always been the question for me, as I journey within, into the outer limits of my true existence.” 14941 E Ohio Ave, 80012, Aurora, U.S.A [email protected] www.gostanza.com “The Awakening”, Oil on canvas 60 Art is Remedy. Remedy to the grind and tendency to gravitate to the mundane. Art is poking and prodding thru the arrogance of censorship and the status quo of “accepted” thought. I use color, line, and shape to express emotion, sensuality, tell a story or evoke critical thinking. Color is the integral cog in the wheel. I love the interactions between disparate colors, the subtle hues created, or a bold brash passionate passage, and then making these elements work as a unified whole. I began in the arts at age seven playing the saxophone and performing in a jazz band through college. After a long hiatus, I returned to the arts and taught myself to paint in the mid 1980’s. Experimentation and sensuality characterize my art, as my improvisational skills are translated into the visual aesthetic . Ian Edmund Grant Ian Edmund Grant 2411 Soda Canyon Rd, 94558, Napa, U.S.A [email protected] www.edmundiangrant.com/ “The organ grinder”, Acrylic on board 61 Chucho Guillen Chucho Guillen The American artist Chucho Guillen’s interest in painting started from a young age and has since been fuelled by his travels, life experiences and inspirational teaching from Fr. William B Wasson. His technique is motivated by freedom that forms uninhibited brushstrokes, and a sense of the artist’s passion and inner-energy emerges in his works. This vibrant style and fresh look allows the mundane to become a point of departure, which in turn becomes revitalised and invigorated. This emotionally and energetically charged approach to painting develops a fresh perspective to art. Mr Guillen paints murals and is very involved in public art in New Haven whilst also being privately acquired by collectors and large companies in the USA. Mr Guillen has developed a following in Amherst, Massachusetts, Soho in New York and many other venues. 581 Elm Street, 1st floor, 6511, New Haven, Ct , USA [email protected] www. jessealchemy.com “Woman in sensuous rapture”, Oil on canvas 62 In recent years I have moved from an abstract expressionist position towards a figurative–expressionist, lyrical painting style, using an artistic process rich in spontaneity, free association and the senses. After having started with drawings and watercolour, I began working in oil for a series of works taking influence from geology and arabesques. Soon my inspiration turned towards abstract expressionism before I became more interested in post-impressionism. Cézanne, Klee and their followers influenced works focusing on motives from Copenhagen city landscapes in which I adopted an almost tonalist style, one that I coined “zonation painting” due to the emphasis on the aesthetic integration of lines, tones and colours. Most recently, with acrylics I have shifted toward an expressionist and figurative direction. Hans Jorgen Henriksen Hans Jorgen Henriksen Kongestien 31, 2830, Virum, Denmark [email protected] www.zonering.dk “Politechnical students on a tour”, Acrylic on canvas 63 Minna Herrala Minna Herrala Minna Herrala is a widely exhibited and widely travelled artist. Her art is colourful, powerful but also gentle and sensitive, and shows her commitment to exploring and understanding the natural world. She uses varied techniques and mediums, and her experiences all over the world have contributed to generating a highly distinctive style. In the words of the artist: “Cognition and research play a very important part in my work, but sketching or planning is rarely done before the painting has begun and mostly everything comes from the subconscious. I describe the individuality and loneliness of one human as a part of nature, and one’s relation with other human beings. I mainly prefer large canvases and acrylics, but I also experiment with different combinations including variations of pens, ink, coffee and watercolour.” Heleenkatu 3 a 1, 60120, Seinäjoki, Finland [email protected] www.kuvataiteilijamatrikkeli.fi/taiteilija_english.asp?id=2450 “Wisdom”, Acrylic on canvas 64 Colin Hill Colin Hill The creation of my work is an action of expression and exploration about the desire to discover what it might be like to be inside the eye of a moment’s passage as it moves through time and space. The procession of paint mingles with an internal struggle, to carve out the reflection of a moment, as it moves through the here and now. Often in my paintings there is a sense of gravity and horizon which hint at the possibility of a place or landscape. This is neither intentional nor unintentional as I do not use photo reference and do not have a plan of action when the process of painting begins. It seems that the concept of a horizon gives the mind’s eye perspective and therefore our minds eye will ground the imagination, anchoring it someplace familiar. It is in this jaunted landscape where I find potent aspects of calm, meditation, and existential reflection. 96 San Jose Avenue, 94110, San Francisco, U.S.A [email protected] www.colinhill.carbonmade.com “Totem”, Oil on canvas 65 Girmay Hiwet Girmay Hiwet Girmay Hiwet was born in Ethiopia in 1948 and now lives in Switzerland. He studied at the University of Art in Addis Ababa and Frankfurt and has exhibited his works all over Europe, and they are present in various museums and collections. “After five years of studies at the Art Academy and several exhibitions in Addis Ababa I came to Europe in 1971 to be at the Mecca, the birth place of modern art. Looking back as a young Ethiopian artist fresh from the Art Academy, filled with idealistic ideas, trying to find the roots of the European masters like Picasso, Kandinsky, Matisse, Van Gogh, hitch hiking from Paris to Amsterdam with little money, drinking in the same coffee house where Picasso and Skunder met their friends and colleagues, to see the galleries, the museums and the narrow streets, this experience was the beginning of my artistic life in Europe.” Dammstrasse 19, 8702, Zurich, Switzerland [email protected] www.hiwetart.com “Roots no. IV “, Acrylic on Canvas 66 Maria Holohan is a Textile Artist who is passionate about the drawing process. Drawing with cloth, stitch & mixed media she explores, with exquisite technique, and portrays the dreams and nightmares of Paranoid Schizophrenia. Her most significant work to date The Mental Fairy Tale is inspired by the darker side of Classic Fairy Tales. Cinderella, for example is a bold but uncertain figure, constructed from fragments of cloth. The collage surface, quilted, scraped or raised, connotes the inability of humans to master their emotional environment. The character’s relationships with reality and fantasy, how they interact with each other within her drawings and how this intertwines with the artists own memories and beliefs are central within the work. Maria’s most recent series, called A Shabby Tale, experiments with oil and mixed media involving sketch books, embroidery, appliqué & mono printing, exploring themes such as melancholy, jealousy, sibling rivalry, submissive females, abandonment and the Prince Charming Syndrome. Maria Holohan Maria Holohan 28a Beddington Court, SN3 4UN, Swindon, England [email protected] www.axisweb.org/seWork.aspx?WORKID=51667 Hansel & Gretel Series.“Friends”, Drawing with cloth & stitch on canvas 67 Nicolette Ingeneeger Nicolette Ingeneeger She was born in Indonesia, lived for a long time with her partner in Nigeria and lived afterwards in America and South-Africa too. Her gypsy-like existence made her into who she is today: an artist with a social involvement, which she tries to incorporate into her paintings. There is a tension between reality and magic, both in her magic-realistic paintings and in her still lives, which have “ a touch of magic” and an austerity, that counterbalances a increasingly turbulent world. She has had exhibited in several European countries. Korendijk 8, 4331 HP, Middelburg, The Netherlands [email protected] www.nicis-art.nl “See no evil,Talk no evil”, Oil on linen 68 Living in a war torn Lebanon for many years, one of my favourite activities has been painting. Drawing upon the Lebanese cultural heritage, I have been spurred to create this latest series of works, representing an ancient mythical hero that inhabited current Lebanese land: a Phoenician person. In a previous printmaking exhibit, I included several Lebanese symbols, hints of Phoenician culture, alphabets, cedar trees and modern local city scenes. However, in my latest series of mixed media paintings on canvas, the main subject is the abstraction of the native man. These ghost-like figures could be any of us humans in our struggles to improve our earthly lot. Existentially, they are characterless and devoid of an identity, blending into their surroundings, modern beings in search of a soul. They are fragments of a dreamlike imagination, haunting and obsessive, bridging the past and future, roaming, wandering, and searching for meaning. Mona Jabbour Mona Jabbour Jabbur 8th fl Abd el Al Hamra, LAU Kraytem, 13 5053, Beirut, Lebanon [email protected] www.monajabbour.mosaicglobe.com/ “Terra”, Mixed media on canvas 69 Hillary Jackson Hillary Jackson Art is an exploratory process. I enter into a trial and error dialogue with my materials and work until I have produced an image which seems truthful to me and evokes what I felt. I communicate what I have seen through painting or printmaking, to express what cannot be said in words, hoping that what I produce needs no verbal explanation. I enjoy returning to a motif to explore different ways of presenting it, creating as many as ten versions of the same subject using a variety of media. If I strike an evocative chord in myself and then the viewer, I have succeeded. My subject matter varies with the seasons and I am inspired by colour and the effect of light. Most of my landscapes are derived from studies and/or photographs, but I occasionally use a model so that I can interact with their character and convey personality and mood. 6 Milestone Way, Gillingham, SP8 4TB, Dorset, UK [email protected] www.hilaryjacksonpaintings.com “The Old Barn”, Oil on Canvas 70 I was born into a very creative family of potters and musicians and my father is a professional photographer, so I learned from an early age to look at things carefully. I feel very free in my work and inspiration is my guide. Winy Jacobs Winy Jacobs I followed the classical academic path of art school but I actually learned the most through personal exploring and experimenting; extending my own boundaries from within. I use oil and acrylics impressionistically and abstract paint daubs help me search for the balance between form and expression. Colour, movement, line and light passionately shout from the canvas. In my work horses play an important role. For me they symbolise vitality, power and rebellion. My glamour paintings are also very striking as with this subject I am able to show that the glitter is just a thin facade concealing the truth. Heijenseweg 42, 6591 HC, Gennep, The Netherlands [email protected] www.winy.nl “Show some emotion”, Oil on canvas 71 Diego Jacobson Diego Jacobson “The most beautiful paintings do not originate in the mind. They are an expression of the inner essence, of the soul. I like to apply paint in what I can only describe as a random fashion, always keeping a sense of balance on the canvas, and mixing colors in a nice way. Mostly, I like to cooperate with the paint and see what appears. I do not usually have a theme in mind when I start to paint. I always like the finished product, and I have learned not to judge the painting in process. To me, painting is also a lesson in trust. It is trusting that you will always like the end product, so that you can just be totally free during the process.” Box 1509, 00726-1509, Caguas, Puerto Rico [email protected] www.diegojacobson.com “Behind the curtain”, Acrylic on Canvas 72 Fascinated by different people and cultures, the sculptress and personal consultant, Hilde Klomp transforms emotion into sculpture, focusing on the movement of the figure. Her other passion for photography is reflected in her ability to capture in bronze a simple movement. Sculptors like Giacometti, Rodin, Brancusi, Moore and Hepworth inspired her. Hilde looks for intense emotions in the banal and it is the intensity of these experiences that interests her. Some people see pride, grace, movement, excitement, daring and naughtiness in the sculptures whereas some people say that the sculptures have a self-conscious appearance with the facial expressions remaining anonymous. She works with the cire perdue method so that the front and the back side of the sculptures are both interesting and can be interchanged. The work is made to be captivating from every visual angle, thereby inviting the audience to feel the sculptures for a full sensational experience. Hilde Klomp Hilde Klomp Archipelstraat 15, 6524 Lk, 6524 LK Nijmegen, The Netherlands [email protected] www.hildeklomp.nl “Balinese Oerkrachten voorkantb” , Bronze and lost wax 73 Tien Gui Koh Tien Gui Koh Koh Tien Gui was born in Singapore in 1968. A lawyer by profession, it was only when he worked with the United Nations and lived in Geneva that his interest in art took hold and blossomed. Crayons or pastels are his speciality. His subject matter is his native Singapore and childhood memories of a time gone by. The colourful beauty of Tien Gui’s art captures the essence of a simpler time and lifestyle. He has been exhibiting his works since 2001, with solo exhibitions in Geneva, Switzerland and Singapore. Tien Gui’s work is warm, nostalgic, colorful, romantic and even mysterious in imagery. His paintings are filled with symbolism that capture the feel of a bygone era. The visual images invite poetic interpretation. The images make a conscious effort to give the viewer hope, which Tien Gui suggests through the use of brilliant colours and luminescent qualities. Beyond this, in all Tien Gui’s work, there is a fundamental reconciliation of the mystery and the poetry for a world that exists only in memories 37G Jervos Road, 242927, Singapore [email protected] www.tiengui.com/about.php “Just a bowl of rice”, Oil and pastel 74 The blank canvas, to me, exemplifies infinity. While the sky may symbolize infinity to many others, I’m glad I see it in something so tangible and within my reach – the “blank” canvas. Like life, it is what you make of it, and that is what makes its challenge so real to me. Namita Kulkarmi Namita Kulkarmi Creating art is also a way of keeping a visual personal journal, for each painting/ drawing is a visual “freeze-frame” capture of the fluid web of thoughts and sensitivities that I dwelled in during its creation, endowing it with peculiarity and individuality. The variety in my art is presumably a ramification of the dynamic medley that life has always been to me. The innumerable diversities, eccentricities and idiosyncrasies - geographical and human - one witnessed over the years, all gladly belong in my artistic arsenal today, waiting to be summoned in the creative process. Mumbai, India [email protected] www.namitakulkarni.com “Money Matters”, Pencil on paper 75 Baebel Laenen Baebel Laenen I began as a member of several local art associations and contributed first to exhibitions in the north of Bavaria. Later on, I started to work with some galleries known in Germany, for example, the Boehmer Gallery in Mannheim and finally in 2003 I was invited to take part in the Biennale in Florence. Furthermore, I took part in exhibitions like the Kunstmesse Salzburg 2004 and the Art Domain Gallery in Leipzig 2005. I started to work intensively in the field of painting in 1983 and improved my skills during a two year study of arts at the University of Darmstadt. The art I prefer is based on experiments with colours on different materials like oil on metals or plastics and, of course, oil on linen. Colours may be mixed with sand, whilst I prefer pigments. I work also with encaustics and foils glued on plexiglass. The best ideas I have come along during working. Rosenstr.2, D - 95168, Marktleuthen, Germany [email protected] http://www.laenen.de/Welcome_BL.html “Rhapsody in Blue” , Oil on aluminium 76 After her first subjects, figures and faces, the artist decides to use colour as a primary means of communication almost manipulating it in order to extract feelings and emotions. She feels attracted by the informal style found in the New York school, from Jackson Pollock to Mark Rothko and the turning away from the traditional paint brushes, and thus created her work “Ansia” (“Anxiety”) working on the floor blending the colours with her hands in order to penetrate the mind of the the viewer, to feel and model the paint as though it were alive and thus releasing the emotions that it transmits while in direct contact with her skin. The artist says that the pure colours in her explosive works bring us closer to God, the inner movement reminding us of the beauty of creation, artwork should capture us, free us from problems, and distract us and fascinate us, not bore us in the search for an interpretation, but only transmit emotions. Aurora Lanciotti Aurora Lanciotti Via G. Carini, 32, Roma, (RM), 00152, Italy [email protected] “Anime”, Oil on canvas 77 Dawn Lawrence Dawn Lawrence Once I am inspired from being out on the water, sketching the action, I become compelled to recreate the emotions that the experience invoked in me as a painting. I want the observer to feel that they are there, a part of the frenetic activity with the exhilaration of powerful racing yachts surging towards them. I like to turn the canvas into an arena for the scene to play out on, so that it has a life and energy of it’s own. With this approach, I can lift the painting beyond being a mere illustration and capture both the technicalities of the yachts along with the atmosphere and drama of the race. A mixture of traditional materials and contemporary technique are employed to convey the history and innovation that combine to make the America’s Cup. 15 Church Road, Gosport, PO12 2LB, UK [email protected] www.quartergallery.com “Desafio Español vs Luna Rossa : 32nd America’s Cup”, Oil on canvas 78 Sinae Lee Sinae Lee Sinae Lee is a profound and powerful artist from Korea who has exhibited all over the world, whose art shows the mystery of conversion from external to internal representation. “After 25 years in painting what’s in the outside world, I’ve come to realize I have more to paint within. What’s within is so much like what’s on the outside, it may see chaotic, yet one can find order. Finding the order is the subject matter of my painting. When I am standing in front of a canvas, it confronts me as the chaotic world does. The noise, colors, shapes and movements come across as thoughts and memories. After the first brush stroke the painting almost takes on a life of its own. My hands become the instrument of that life. If there is a good accident, it is because the process is controlled consciously or sub-consciously.” 16 Maggs street, L1T 4C5, Ajax, Canada [email protected] www.sinaelee.com “Blue Moon Rising”, Acrylic on canvas 79 80 Being the Third Patriarch of Buddhist Forshang, I consider my calling to bring awakening to the true essence of life.To share my understanding and reflection of the true reality, I create paintings to capture the ineffable transformative energies and harmony of the universe and to spark a sense of enlightenment and transcendence in the viewer. I am grateful that my creations have been appreciated: in 2008, I had received more than ten invitations to hold exhibitions in museums worldwide and won forty or so honorable recognitions in international juried expositions, including a Grand Prize awarded by World and Universal Academy in Netherlands. This year my itinerary includes the solo exhibition curated by Achille Bonito Oliva, a world-renowned Italian art critic, as part of the Collateral Events of the 53rd International Art Exhibition of Venice Biennale, and exhibition at Zurab Tsereteli Art Gallery in Moscow arranged by the Russian Academy of Arts. Sun Don Lee Sun Don Lee 413 N. Rodeo, Beverly Hills, California, USA [email protected] arts.sundon.net “No Dharma Exists Beyond; No Body Exists Beyond; No Mind Exists Beyond”, Oil on canvas 81 Irit Levy Irit Levy Irit Levy is a highly thought provoking artist, whose art reflects a strong existential contemplation of the world and of ordinary objects. She has become recognised both for her paintings and for her mosaics and she has exhibited throughout France, the UK, Singapore and the US. “Over the years my art changes as I experiment with new materials and new approaches. What remains most similar in my art is the backgrounds. My works often show a certain emptiness. The backgrounds are large and usually have a character of their own and at times the content of the paintings seem to be floating. For me, the backgrounds are no less important than the content, in the same way that unspoken words are no less important than spoken ones.” 2 Rue Honoré Labande, 98000, Monaco [email protected] www.iritlevy.com “Cranberry?”, Acrylic on canvas 82 The series,“Human Condition”reflects various polarities struggling in my mind. A pure and simple state of mind, calm as a newborn, affords me original vitality and a direct insight into the world. Meanwhile, the wisdom gained from experiences attracts me to complicate thoughts and to agitate life’s course. When trying to understand inner intention, my sensibility leads me to explore the mystical unknown and chaos. On the other hand, rationality shapes my thinking on defining general and systemic statements of phenomena. While my subjective imaginative viewpoint originated from the traditional Chinese painting, the classical western viewpoint influences me to see and express the world by means of solid presentation. In between life and death, by observing the existence of life in periods, comparing their external and internal statuses of individuals, I try to integrate the polarities, to clarify the human condition, to question about the meaning of life. Tsui Ting Lin Tsui Ting Lin 4F, No. 94, 2nd, BA-DE Rd, Taipei, Taiwan [email protected] www.ltting.blogspot.com “24-0 Question #2”, Acrylic and Chinese Ink on Polyester 83 Anthony Lindhout Anthony Lindhout These days I live in rural Emsland in Germany. Before I start to paint, I love to walk with Gino, my Labrador. This is a wonderful time for contemplation and it frequently inspires me. We explore the fields around our home, the hills further away and the seashore; all have different ‘faces’ and, most of all, different light. My thoughts and inspirations often mirror the change in the season, that is so clear when you live in the countryside. Music and poetry also play vital parts in bringing the creative processes together. I would like to share all this with you. Please take your time and enjoy. Große Strasse 59, 49733, Haren-Fehndorf, Germany [email protected] www.tonlindhout.com “Eruption”, Acrylic on canvas 84 Roberto Lucato, born in Castelfranco Veneto, expresses himself with both music and painting. He is Professor of music and teaches the Bassoon at the Cagliari Conservatorio. “I am always accompanied by a strong passion for Painting and other mediums. Sometimes I am ashamed to be part of the human race, and this is why I make my thinking men. They are the desire to represent the thought of man in his most spiritual state, reflected in a mirror, asking oneself questions. My art is also an attempt to awaken sleeping souls from the oppressions and impositions of an uncontrolled society increasingly based on power. With my thinking beings I want to invite the observer to a catharsis, metaphorically representing ourselves, our tortured and contradictory human condition, but still, for those who can read, with a message of hope for a renewed sense of being ourselves, thinking people”. Roberto Lucato Roberto Lucato Via Castellana 158, Castelfranco Veneto, (TV), 31033, Italy [email protected] www.robertolucato.it “Contro Corrente”, Mixed media on canvas 85 Lyzio Lyzio Lyzio, pseudonym of Lise Lavallée, born in Québec in 1946, has both Canadian and French nationalities. Self-taught, she started painting in 1986 and began working in a symbolism style ten years later. Central to her work is the attempt to show the association of unity and duality in the momentary character of life. She has a preference for mythological and eternal forms, which in her work seem to perform in a way similar to myths and folk tales. She is metamorphosing the tangible into an imaginary state using the language of radiant colours and evocative shapes in an intuitive approach: a perpetual transfiguration. Astronomical forms, nymphs and ethereal beings, a language of its own, with a vibration of energy that comes from the heart rather than the myths of eternity, thereby unravelling her own tapestry of dreams, emotions and warmth. That alchemy is the base of her personal and singular technique. 66 Rue du Tillet, 73100, Aix-Les-Bains, France [email protected] www.lyzio.com “Tree of life”, Mixed media 86 I feel that as a painter my objectives are to express the reality that surrounds us now, at this very moment. The expression of reality however, reaches out to the feelings and emotions of the spectator through a prism. I also believe that it is fundamental for the painting to be pleasing to the eye of the beholder . My present work is inspired by my experiences of watching the sea. The first challenge was to discover how to halt the movement of the waves in order to paint them. I feel that I have managed little by little to do this by careful observation of their ebbing and flowing. Valentin Magallanes Valentin Magallanes The style of my painting is very personal and as far as I know I do not fit into any past or present painting movement or technique. I have experimented with surrealism, however, since this has allowed me to express my deepest feelings through a veil of mystery and beauty. Las Nieves 3375 Dep 42-Vitacura, Santiago, Chile [email protected] www.valentinmagallanesb.blogspot.com “Caballos”, Oil on canvas 87 Mais Mais Mais is from the Netherlands. She started to paint “by accident” in 2002 even though she had never had a pencil in her hands before. She paints with oil on canvas on a professional level without any previous art education, making her work by intuition and primarily for herself. She made the decision by advice to show her work to a greater public in the beginning of 2008, bringing her much acclaim. Her style is usually figurative in a surrealist way with much white, grey and black and sometimes very colourful. The paintings of Mais cannot be placed under one genre, with the series of “woman figures” her personal favourites. She did not find painting, painting found her and she still has many pictures in her mind to paint for years. Spui 301, 8032 VS, Zwolle, The Netherlands [email protected] www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist_profile/a/86074.html “Roxanne”, Oil on canvas 88 Alessandra Manfredini paints with oil and salt using a palette knife and her hands. Her paintings are expressive of her emotions, her canvases are marked by her emotional impulses. She always studies new techniques of painting, often working in the silence of her Atelier. Her expressive universe is enigmatic, but simple at the same time, and leaves space for the imagination and interpretation. One may say that her abstract and highly tactile style delights the gaze of whoever desires to perceive an emotion, savouring her paintings if only for a moment. Alessandra Manfredini Alessandra Manfredini Via Zambelli, 13, Magreta Formigine, Modena, (MO), 41013, Italy [email protected] www.kerenda.eu “The Passion”, Oil and salt on canvas 89 Miria Mantelli Miria Mantelli Miria graduated in architecture at the University of Florence under Professor Bini, and under Professor Pettena did indepth studies about the architect Fisterlin. She has been apprentice of Professor Mucci in tools for visual communication, and she has been the student of Professors Buti, Venturini and Giovannoni, with whom she completed a project then exhibited at the Milan Triennial Exhibition, in the section curated by Natalini, and then exhibited at the Exposition of Constantinople. Her works are epitaphs of important people. “The inscription of the name, the date of birth and death is unchanging. The name will be remembered and reinterpreted in future epochs becoming immortal in the memory of the people. Reading the name brings us back to the sounds, and the writing of the name contains symbolism and messages to those who observe it.” Everyone sees in it that which they wish to see. Via di Follettino 58, Campagnano di Roma, (RM), 00063, Italy [email protected] www.miriamantelliart.com “Epitaffio John Fitzgerald Kennedy”, Cement on canvas 90 “In today’s closely controlled society Alexandra Marati, as an analyst of extreme phenomena (global warming, ecological accidents, genetically modified organisms), makes a powerful statement through a body of work that is both timely and revealing. Obsessions, metaphysical passion, personal hallucinations of imprisonment and imminent catastrophe, the interaction between the universal and the subjective – it is through these that the artist interprets the process and the performance of painting. Discreetly punctuating her abstract imagery are emblematic presences, human or insect, reinforcing the menace of the unexpected. The indeterminate depth of her compositions, due to repetitions of colour (with a highly idiomatic use of sprays) and to the tension between multiple chromatic layers, is a primary characteristic of her work.The interior illumination with its “artificial” mutations strengthens both the sense of menace and that of interior examination.” Dr. Sania Papa, Art Theoretician Alexandra Marati Alexandra Marati Mitropoleos 97, 54622, Thessaloniki, Greece [email protected] www.artcau.gr “A city turns to cemetery”, Mixed media with a touch of street art 91 Ilona Marosi Ilona Marosi llona Marosi is an important figure in Hungarian art, and critics have suggested that her analytical thinking, her stamina, and hard-working lifestyle have created a stable base for her art. She began her studies in art in 1991 and established the ART-MA foundation to help Hungarian artists become known both in Hungary and abroad. Her art is inspired by ancient cultures and universal values. She has achieved notable success in mural art and more than 20 of her mural works are permanently exhibited at the national airport and in the collection at the headquarters of the Hungarian broadcasting organisation. She has received several international awards, including the “Diplome de medaille d’argent” from the French Academy of Art and Lettres, and “Medaille d’or” of the 2003 Grande Prix international de Monde de la Culture des arts exhibition in Cannes and the“Grande medaille d’or”of the Exposition Marseille Mediteranee. Daru Utca 2/C, 1023, Budapest, Hungary [email protected] www.marosi-ilona.com “Brass Flowers”, Oil on Canvas 92 “Questions posed are usually open ended, albeit, I frequently approach things from a somewhat skeptical perspective and may hint at my own opinions on a particular matter. My paintings are a visceral response to culture and are filtered by my experience as a painter amidst an art world driven mad by market values or other more global socio-political concerns. This somewhat cynical posture allows me to juxtapose beauty with grotesqueness while referencing topics such as world wars, organized religion, consumerism, terrorism, capitalism, fascism, and racism.” Truman Marquez. “Truman Marquez is an artist with an almost scholarly awareness of art history who often employs themes and motifs from past masters, particularly Gauguin. Marquez is a powerful painter in his own right with a style so fully developed that he can pay tribute to other artists without sacrificing his own identity.” Sean Simon, ArtSpeak Magazine, New York Truman Marques Truman Marques 2526 Pearce Rd, 78730, Austin, Texas [email protected] www.trumanmarquez.com “Hold the Emperor Accountable”, Oil on linen 93 Filip Matic Filip Matic My method, despite the logical consistency, is all beyond the forms, norms and visual-historical heritage. The way its subjective look is presenting these events is as if they were stripped of their symbolism or trauma. In this set of things, the importance of these events is pure and unquestionable but at the same time inseparable from them. These events were fabricated by history, into which they were immediately returned. I give you what already belongs to you, around which there has been a consensus concerning the historical importance. This is something that you remember, something that belongs to our time, something that we have experienced, read about or seen, and something we have feared but still carries the aura of an event. Parkveien 76a, 254, Oslo, Norway [email protected] www.maticgallery.net “Interior 1 “, Oil on canvas 94 I strive for balance in my pictures, in form and colour, and this can be seen as contradictory to my expressions on the theme of disorder. Gun Mattsson Gun Mattsson However, for the spectators, this may contribute to a calm, meditative feeling, inspiring reflections over the external and internal world; the human struggle between choices and the range of impacts and consequences for different people. This is the question of power. I have studied politics and philosophy and these influences combine with my interest in psycho-analysis and the work of different cultures; contributing to the variety of symbols I commonly employ. Inedalsgatan 14, 112 33, Stockholm, Sweden [email protected] www.gunmattsson.com “Hesekiel 38:4”, Oil on canvas 95 Michael May Michael May The artist’s work is a fusion of graphic art and the traditions of the old masters using modern and traditional tools. He wishes to demonstrate a new way to think about modern art, “to find something new and show it”. Looking at Malevich, the artist explores the creation of light from a black border. He explores the contrast of material and light, his paintings are a “consequence of the infiltration of light, described by white lines, and material, described by black”. Colour for the artist is the result of a “diffusion of light and material” that can be brought together in many diverse combinations. Wincentego Witosa 3/8 St ,15 660, Bialystok, Poland [email protected] www.artof-thelight.com “Light in The Material or Words after Malevich”, Mixed media on board 96 With my paintings, I do not set out to paint a particular thing. I start out with a blank canvas, put my headphones on, pour a glass of wine and it just comes, relating to the things happening, not only in my life, but the life of others. Almost like it has been put there for me to see and view and to learn from. I am a New Zealander from Wellington. I began my creative work in a beautiful Art Deco city on the east coast, starting out by teaching myself with slip cast ceramics, gathering inspiration from the environment and a strong visual creative spirit. Melinda McCarthy Melinda McCarthy After a life changing experience, I changed course, discovering a strong creative desire to paint. My emotions, experiences and familiarity with design and colour from my ceramics served as inspiration. 1 Connaught Gardens, London, N10 3LD, UK [email protected] www.artofmelush.com “Gort”, Oil on canvas 97 Nikola McCoy-Snell Nikola McCoy-Snell Nickola McCoy-Snell was born and has lived most of her life in The Cayman Islands where she is already recognized as one of the country’s finest talents to emerge in recent years. She was the first winner of the Island’s highest artistic achievement award, The “McCoy Prize” for Excellence in Caymanian Art in 2002, following it up five years later with honours in the “Fine Art” category as well as the “People’s Choice Award”. Her work was used for the cover of the Cayman Islands Poetry Society’s annual book release in 2005. McCoy-Snell is also very socially active in her support of local charities, raising funds for the Cayman Cancer Society through a solo exhibition in 2007 and an auction of her paintings in aid of the Junior Achievement Program. Her work is largely collected in the Cayman Islands, USA, UK, and Holland and can be found in the various museums of her native land. 413, KY1-1502, Cayman Islands, Grand Cayman [email protected] “Splint II”, Acrylic on canvas 98 Painting is simply a joy and a passion, for me it frees my soul, from past and present emotions, so I am simply the expressionist painter. With my paintings, I do not set out to paint a particular thing. I start out with a blank canvas, put my headphones on, pour a glass of wine and it just comes, obviously in an unconscious way, relating to the things happening, in not only my life, but also the life of others. Chris McDonald Chris McDonald I originally worked with slip cast ceramics, teaching myself and using my creative, visual spirit to take inspiration from the landscapes of my native New Zealand. After a life changing experience, however, I decided to change course, channelling my creativity into a desire to paint, drawing from my experiences, emotions, and familiarity with colour and design from working with ceramics. Po Box 815, North Adelaide, 5006, Adelaide, Australia [email protected] www.cmdart.com.au “The Warrior Within”, Acrylic on canvas 99 Franco Meloni Franco Meloni Meloni’s art is influenced by his dreams and moods and those of others. The characters of a fantasy world, elusive and hidden, live in a magical realism of this artist, a realism borrowed from painting and interpreted in a sculptural language that twists its physical appearance. The shapes of the objects are never trivial, as they are rich in symbolism. His artwork is centered on imperfection, irregularity and conflict. “Every form of expression, both conceptual and material, is in itself originally imperfect. Society on the other hand, exalts perfection, generating superficiality, discontent, and the search for the unattainable”. The artist opposes himself to this kind of control exercised by the collective on the individual. His sculptural and pictorial language is all-purpose, articulated in elements, surrealist, visionary, expressionist and raw. They are works that allow the entering of a fluid universe, suspended in the imaginary. Via Copernico 9, Cagliari, (CA), 09131, Italy [email protected] www.francomeloni.com “Blood”, Red and white clay 100 Antonio Milana began painting in the early 80s. He builds his expressive forms and traces the lines of his creative language through a continuous search for signs, understood as furrows and tracks. His artistic path leads to expressions that include forms mixed in dynamic solutions, which refer to a universal language. By tweaking the balance between smoothness and roughness, he paints contemporary perceptions. He guesses modern emotions intercepting actual meanings and refusing simple and decorative solutions. Antonio Milana’s pictorial language synthesises the experience of an artist who introduces a new way of considering the meaning of art in relation to life, to all occurrences and to all the matters of this world. In 2008, he was invited to exhibit his works at the Biennale MAUI in Caserta. He lives and works near Rome. Antonio Milana Antonio Milana Via Piane Pozza, 11, Sacrofano, (RM), 00060, Italy [email protected] www.artbreak.com/milana “In relazione” , Mixed media 101 Judy Milazzo Judy Milazzo History evolves in spirals. From ancient times, aesthetics and society’s development have been based in common principles of mathematics, astronomy, measures that helped the farmers and fishermen, exact calculations filled with superstition and thought. The delicate and precise drawings of Egyptian hieroglyphics and reliefs speak to me through abstraction, these ancient works also very modern in their content and realisation. Therefore, the symbols and images of these ancient civilisations appear in my work. Similarly, numbers feature in my narratives, mathematics heralding the development of great cultures in the past. Geometry and algebra form a universal and eternal language, a code of order in the theory of chaos, reuniting past and present. The path I have followed in my growth as an artist is, a tale of the pain and effort it takes to become a person, to recognize oneself and step out of the line to contemplate the road, a voyage from darkness to the light. Palmas 75 casa 14, Col. Molino de Cuajimalpa, 5200, Ciudad de México, México [email protected] “Unconscious”, Mixed media on canvas 102 Ryszard Milek lives and creates his art in Nowy Sacz and in the USA. His predominant technique is pastel painting but his works also include acrylic and oil painting and drawing. He is a Vice-president of the Polish Pastellist Association, a member of the Union of Polish Artists and Designers, and an honorary member of the American Pastel Society in New York. He has had 58 individual shows and participated in many collective exhibitions in Poland, Europe and in the US. He has various awards including The First Prize at the Pastel Biennial of 1996, the Jerzy Madeyski Honorary Award at the International Pastel Biennial Exhibition in 2008, and an award from the Minister of Culture and Art for promoting art abroad. Ryszard Milek Ryszard Milek Grottgera 14, 33-300, Nowy Sacz, Poland [email protected] www.ryszardmilek.com “Miscellaneous improvisation”, Oil pastel on paper 103 Andrea Minciotti Andrea Minciotti Andrea Minciotti, born in Montefalco in 1978, began to paint after having met Domenico Muzi, a painter of great charisma and artistic value. Andrea created his first works whilst devoting all of his free time to painting, convinced that painting is the most noble of the arts. His goal is to create works that comfort and encourage humanity. In fact, the vibrant colour and brushwork in his paintings quickly catch the interest of the observer and his Van Gogh influenced style combines with the actuality of the Umbrian landscape to make his works original and complete. Andrea frequently uses the figure of the horse to testify to the strength and beauty of nature, he says that: “The Earth without horses is like the sky without angels”. Via Roma,185 , Giano dell’Umbria, Bastardo, (PG), 06030, Italy [email protected] www.andreaminciotti.it “Cavallo Nero”, Acrylic on canvas 104 A journey through time, a journey through the furrows of memory of an artist who draws from his training in the world of textiles to create new visual sensations and tactile revelations. Paths to rediscover to walk along streets that one already knows, but should continue to explore, the testimony of landscapes and existence, balanced and disproportioned. It is on this path that Molteni walks, beginning with his choice of materials: sand, plaster and asphalt. Then he delicately exercises his power using engravings, dabs of colour, atmospheric effects which generate a mist of memories, or perhaps a haze that envelops everything. Visions from above, spaces with unstable borders, fields to be explored following the furrows left by the spatula in the plaster as if ploughed in the ground. It is all about exploration, to feel the change in the matter as an element of all the possible transformations. Maurizio Molteni Maurizio Molteni Via Plinio, 5, Montorfano, (CO), 22030, Italy [email protected] “Fuori Giri” 105 Sergio Muntoni Sergio Muntoni “With this painter from Nuoro we begin again to talk about serious figuration, where reality cannot escape its destiny. Muntoni loves the typical landscape of his troubled and melancholic land, but he also has the ability to capture the figures of the farmers. He is quintessentially a realist. He seems to be looking back to the social realism of the 1950s. The Subjects that he loves most to grasp are the ancient ones of Sardinia: silent farmers, filled with pride and dignity, in the backdrop of a field, a country house. Sergio Muntoni is a painter of dreams and memories where men, countryside and nature are narrated with emotion by the poet. For whom every morning represents the first day of creation. Sergio Muntoni is a painter of his homeland, Sardinia, a land aristocratic as are its farmers, as joyful as its colours of sea and land. Before beginning his work on his traditional palette where he mixes the colours, he prepares the canvas with a light drawing of the outline. Only after this does bring light to works such as the harbour of Arbatax or his other works of docile realism” Paolo Levi (La Repubblica , Mondadori) Via Tirso, 36, Tortolì, (CA), 08048, Italy [email protected] www.sergiomuntoni.it “Raccoglitori di fieno”, Oil on canvas 106 Whilst Philippe draws inspiration from great Québécois painters such as Théberge and Riopelle, his style is all his own. Facing an art era centred on the deconstruction of the object, Philippe prioritizes the reverse element of construction as a key motive in his primarily abstract work. Through the use of colour, line, and form, he “builds” the pictorial space like an architect. With organic and inorganic elements emerging from his paintings, we will occasionally witness a flower or a portrait amidst a colourfully constructed landscape that is illustrative of his life in an urban environment, embracing life and diversity. Philippe Nault Philippe Nault 7767 Saint-Gerard, H2R2K5, Montreal, Canada [email protected] www.philippenault.com “Appearance”, Acrylic on Canvas 107 Michele Nigrini Michele Nigrini Well-known South African artist Michèle Nigrini attracted public attention in 1994 when Dr. Anton Rupert from the Rembrandt foundation attended her first solo exhibition and bought all the available paintings, launching her artistic career. Michèle believes that art is a medium for the elevation of the spirit yet remains rooted in the experience of everyday life. She paints images of her own surroundings and the environment she lives in. Her aim not to copy nature, but to interpret the essential character of things, submitting it to the spirit of the place. P.O Box 31, 9720, Rosendal, South Africa [email protected] www.art.co.za “Sunset soil”, Mixed media 108 Whilst Dag O’Pegren did do some courses in art, he is mostly self-taught. After a long period of Existential Symbolism, he has drifted into a style that is hard to place into any category. Dag O’Pegren Dag O’Pegren “It has been said that being an artist is not a profession but rather a state of being. I feel that is too loose and vague in its expression. I see the role of an artist as being more precise than that. To me it is more a question of life attitudes, melted together through personal temperament, which in good moments give origin to pictures with ‘high temperature’. To me the essence of ‘picture poetry’ lies so very close to that of music, in expressiveness, attraction and valour. Both communicate directly with three of our senses: vision, hearing and the intuitive sense in full resonance with the pounding heart.” Prästlyckevägen 7A, SE-36010, Ullared, Sweden [email protected] www.pegren.com “Un Zen-Orgásmo Carbeño en los pasos de Orozco y Tamayo”, Oil on canvas 109 Gunilla Oldenburg Gunilla Oldenburg Gunilla Oldenburg is a Swedish artist now living in Stockholm. Born in Avesta, Sweden, and raised at an idyllic place by the Dalecarlia River, the early influences of nature became her greatest source of inspiration. Studying abstract painting at the International Summer Academy of Fine Arts in Salzburg, under the eminent artists Emilio Vedova and Zao Wou Ki, her style became an interesting combination of west and east, a mixture of poetic compositions, rhythm and texture. Her works are a combination of imagination and reality, often with a serious touch reflecting the opposites of life. Her techniques are principally acrylic, gouache and collage but she often experiments with different materials: her latest project involves using dried sea-algae from the Swedish west coast. She has participated in more than forty solo and group exhibitions all over the world and is represented in numerous collections. Sköldgatan 5, 11863, Stockholm, Sweden [email protected] www.gunillaoldenburg.com “Duel”, Mixed media 110 Michelle Oraa Ali, a fourteen year old artist from New Delhi, India, is mainly self-taught and has already participated in two group exhibitions and one solo exhibition. The artist is passionate about art and her work is often spontaneous and reflects diverse sentiments. The artist’s work is inspired by her personal observations. The artist uses watercolour on handmade watercolour paper to create her delicate pieces that remain visually striking. ‘Through the Cracks’ demonstrates a subtle combination of monochrome tones and vibrant colour to present an intimately evocative work. Large blank spaces allow for immediate impact; the image is partly-concealed and stimulates the curiosity of the viewer. Michelle Oraa Michelle Oraa 11, Zakir Bagh Apts, Tower 1, New Delhi, 110025, India [email protected] picasaweb.google.com/michelle.o.ali “Through the Cracks”, Watercolour on handmade watercolour paper 111 Natalia Orlowski Natalia Orlowski “Still life is a pictorial genre that has been worshiped by great personalities throughout the History of Art. Natalia Orlowski´s originality lies in starting from a still life representative concept and to turn it into something alive... She raises a different scale which allows her to give them an outstanding character that exceeds naturalistic representation. Fruits are featured prominently, as if they were magnified by zoom-lens. In that level they become closer, the textures assume a tactile and sensuous condition, providing them with life, unexpected life. They are set dramatically as in scenery, placing them as if they were human beings, dancing a sort of ballet or starring in a stage work. Inert things become alive. There is no doubt about the metaphoric sense of this artist’s work, which has singularly restored the transforming power painting has over our senses as well as over concepts about things we already have.” Fermín Fèvre Suipacha 1367 5to L , Castex 3123 1er, 1062, Buenos Aires, Argentina [email protected] www.natorlowski.com.ar “Peras viridas”, Oil on canvas 112 To understand the painting of Simonetta Paganini, we can start with the definition that the writer Franco Mammarella gives us: “Those who know this young woman, self-taught, cannot imagine a way for her to paint other than that which she uses, those who see her paintings can only trace them back to the person she is, such is the sign of her person: the sentiment becomes representation”. But Simonetta’s works are not simple storytelling, she makes us live her dreams, visions and perceptions, as described by the author Teatino Michele Ursini:“Her canvas reveals a dream world, almost idealised, often populated with female figures and horses, for her a symbol of elegance, passion and freedom”. The influence of Salvador Dali and Frida Kalho are evident in this artist whose passion began at a very young age. Simonetta Paganini Simonetta Paganini Via F. Pietrocola 1, Chieti, Chieti Scalo, (CH), 66100, Italy [email protected] www.simonettapaganini.com “Scacchi e Rosa Rossa”, Oil on canvas 113 Bobbie Seright Palanuik Bobbie Seright Palanuik I find inspiration in the ever-changing rural landscapes of the Blindman Valley and the lush boreal forests of the David Thompson Country in my native Canada. Therefore, my works mainly consist of landscapes and nature scenes using my preferred mediums of pastel and oil for their vibrancy, colour and visual effect. I attempt to portray a synergy of colour and light merging in a harmonious flow with each pastel mark and brush stroke creating an impressionistic reflection of my love for the many beautiful faces and moods of Mother Earth. P.O. Box 668 Bentley, Alberta, T0C 0J0, Canada [email protected] www.BobbieSerightPalanuik.com “Early Winter Evening: Gull Lake, AB”, Oil on canvas 114 The artist’s way of working is characterized by a careful basic choice: the beginning is the formal iconographic aspect on which to construct a message of conceptually ironic roots, the key to reading the analysis of her work that arranges itself like a particular vision of life. Specifically, idealised classical sculpture, it enriches itself with a subtle ironic vein. The image, unlike the Dadaists, doesn’t become deconstructed or twisted, it becomes transformed. The viewer remains unaware because that which she sees, even recognising it, is presented from a new point of view. The colour, rendered with delicate monochrome washes, is suddenly completed with potent inserts of colour that envelope the classical linearity. Her works are full of expressive power and of symbols; they open up to fantasy, to invention, to the past, to the future, to dreams. The last cycle is, as said by the artist, inspired by the classical nude intended as an evolution of a dream-like symbolism. Grazia Palomba Grazia Palomba Via Cesare Battisti 7, Torre del Greco, (NA), 80059, Italy [email protected] www.graziapalomba.it “Il pathos del guerriero di Egina II”, Oil on canvas 115 Stefano Pani Stefano Pani Stefano Pani was born in Orroli in 1977, and he lives and works in Villaputzu. In 2008, he graduated from the Foiso Fois Artistic Lyceum of Cagliari, achieving excellent results. Since he was young, Pani has cultivated a passion for art, in particular for drawing and oil painting. He has an excellent knowledge of various techniques including charcoal, pastels, clay, watercolour and oil. He prefers painting in the figurative or realist styles and is indeed an excellent portraitist. He has participated in several exhibitions, both solo and group shows, all of which have gained him great critical acclaim. Pani’s passion is studying landscapes and representing the characters of Sardinia although most of all, he loves the subject of the nude, of which he has accumulated a great collection. Via Silvio Pellico 41, Villaputzu, (CA), 09040, Italy [email protected] www.arte-disegno.net “Banditi”, Oil on board 116 After studying art in Paris, Mariannic Parra opened her Atelier in Nantes, and since then has become a highly recognised artist. Exhibiting across Europe and particularly in Paris and France.“Whereas the horizon darkens, whereas the ugliness and the cacophony threaten ceaselessly to triumph, this is a creed which no decline would be able to threaten. This faith means that the artistic commitment has to pass on a spiritual heritage of works which assume the whole world with man inside of it. The act of creating material, to give something for people to see and think as part of a whole which does not think in itself but which weakens the shadow of a past which does not pass. Imagine the past and the urgency of a resurrection with very deep roots in what is archaic, primitive, and mythical. To create an original terminology in a movement which extends to an unknown territory” Marriannic Parra Marriannic Parra 13 rue Georges Clemenceau, 44000, Nantes, France [email protected] www.parra-art.com “Yeux sans cesse détournés de l’oeuvre” Sand, acrylic 117 Mauro Parrino Mauro Parrino Mauro Parrino was born in Agrigento and began his artistic life at the age of 18. In his painting, Parrino is influenced by Amedeo Modigliani in his form and style, highlighting the deep existential crisis of identity that man lives in a problematic social context in which the more narrow scientism dominates the life of the individual. From here forwards the artist proceeds to find a style that identifies and characterizes his way of painting, a style consisting of subjects and colours, notes pasted on canvas. These new representations give the viewer a unique opportunity for deep reflection and interior analysis. The effect of Parrino’s paintings is to shake and wake up the observer from the indifference of a modern society and superficial feelings. In recent years, the artist has been dedicated to the study of the human figure. Via Emilia, 2, Favara, (AG), 92026, Italy [email protected] www.gigarte.com/parrino “Di giorno e di sera”, Mixed media on canvas 118 I did not have any formal training in the visual arts until I was in my mid-thirties, but I have always been sketching. When I was introduced to charcoal as a medium, I immediately fell in love with the smooth texture and contrast that it creates. It quickly became my favourite medium. Isolde Paul Isolde Paul I also enjoy pencil sketching and have recently started to paint as well. In my work, I create pieces that inspire conversation and are sometimes tongue in cheek too. P O Box 4601, R5G1R4, Steinbach, MB, Canada [email protected] www.isoldepaul.com “Hardship Engraved”, Charcoal, powder pastel and pencil on paper 119 Irini Penna Irini Penna Irini Penna was born in Piraieus, Greece but now lives in Corfu. She took her first lessons in painting at the Corfu School of Art and attended courses at ABC art school. She also had private lessons in painting Byzantine icons at a Corfian monastery. She has taken part in two solo exhibitions and participated in twenty group shows, which were held at Athens, Piraieus, Patras, Corfu, Chania and Italy. She worked for a year at the Ceraco factory, painting porcelain dishes and mugs but now holds a position of artistic responsibility at a Corfian magazine. Irini Penna’s work is displayed in the permanent exhibition of the Corfiot Gallery, Department of Plus Corfiot Painting, as well as in the Municipality Theatre of Corfu, the Chinese Embassy and in private collections. Various institutions have also used her paintings, including the Ministry of Health. Nik Zervou 17, Kefalomantouko, 49100, Corfu, Greece [email protected] “Piano”, Mixed media on canvas 120 Zelmira is an Argentinean artist who has exhibited in South America, New York, Italy and around the world. She studied the social sciences in depth but then dedicated herself to her dynamic abstract art. “My work is guided by my internal vibrations. When I paint with my fingers I feel the pleasurable sensation given by the substance, I play with the movements of the air, with the space-time in which I travel through the canvas. The wealth in which my inner being lives needs to be portrayed, sometimes as serene mood and other times in the painful hopelessness of knowing that there will not be enough material to contain all of my emotions. My movements go from an underground to a totally ethereal world. My artistic expression is visceral, intestinal, lung-like, ventricular, venous, arterial, ocular, finger-like, lingual, nasal, skinned and skin-like.” Zelmira Peralta Ramos Zelmira Peralta Ramos Martin y Omar 866, San Isidro, 1642, Buenos Aires, Argentina [email protected] www.zelmiraperaltaramos.com.ar “Mi regalo es mi canción”, Oil on canvas 121 Igor Eugene Prokop Igor Eugene Prokop I love the sea, the grass, the trees, the animals, the material. Perhaps I am a narrowminded materialist? No, the spirit is immaterial but the material is the worldly manifestation of the spirit. I have travelled around the world and from what I have seen it is small, blue and fragile. However, through my microscope I can sense the cavalcade of momentary magic as well. I am an earthling like so many, seemingly animate and inanimate creatures of God abounding with colours and shapes. I have experienced during my trips that all this is perishing. I do not want my children, my students, the explorers of the future, to be unable to see this magic. I am presenting some fragments from the endless world and giving them to the spectators with love. Csukavolgy12a, 2025, Visegrad, Hungary [email protected] www.profusingart.com “Butterfly’s Birth”, Mixed media on canvas 122 I was born in the Netherlands, in Eindhoven, where I spent the first twenty five years of my life. In 1987 I moved to Tilburg (Nl) where I now live and work. Between 1986 and 1992 I studied at the Art School (ABV) in Tilburg, specialising in two dimensional arts: drawing, painting, photography and graphics. I had the opportunity to exhibit my work at several places in Holland, Hamburg and Belgium. Since 2006, my works have also been exhibited in France and in Barcelona, by Carré d’artistes. Art is very important to me and I have painted since I was a small child. Nature, cities and houses are important sources of inspiration for me. The way we create our environment and houses reflects the way we think. An important aspect is that art is a way to communicate colour and beauty. I hope to inspire people and to touch their hearts. Huub Ragas Huub Ragas Batenburglaan 18, 5043ak, Tilburg, The Netherlands [email protected] www.huubragas.exto.nl “Flowing world”, Gouache on panel 123 Sergio Rapetti Sergio Rapetti Sergio Rapetti was born in the Forties in Acqui Terme where he still resides, he started painting in oils in 1984. His works range from the figurative to the impressionist-abstract. ‘For the Remembrance of History’ is a series of paintings representing an interpretative, philosophical idea. These impressionist-abstract works bring back to life the history of the American Indians who lived in the desert plains of Mexico, Arizona and California, struggling to survive. The works remind us that they had everything taken away from them, even their own lives, only because, to their misfortune, they were born in an area of immense wealth: gold, oil, and so forth. This is still of great relevance today. The other works represent tribes of Bedouins, who share a great deal of similarity with the American Indians. Via Moriondo 39, Acqui Terme, (AL), 15011, Italy [email protected] www.rapettisergio.it “Indiani d’America”,Oil on canvas 124 Marieta’s art combines both roughness and smoothness. She works with materials which she comes across during world tours or on a quick run through her own home port Rotterdam. Marieta shapes materials without loosing respect for the authenticity of the substances. Manipulations performed by artist Marieta are modest. Her mastery and craftiness contribute to the subtlety of her artworks. “In the artwork and design she has made since 1995, after she completed her study, you feel the zest of love for diverse intercultural printing techniques. In her present-day 3D-objects, Marieta goes back to the base of printing. Besides using old Chinese printing techniques and woodprints, Marieta still does tricks with chemicals.” Annet Brugel, Rotterdam 2007 Marieta Reijerkerk Marieta Reijerkerk Rodenrijselaan 5b, 3037 XA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands [email protected] www.marieta-reijerkerk.com “Changing identity 1954” , Metal with photography 125 Jianhui Ren Jianhui Ren I have always dreamt of visiting Tibet and when this became a reality, I was showered with the fruits of their harvest and a variety of experiences. Just like numerous pearls embedded on a piece of green silk, cattle graze on those boundless grasslands. Voices of songs advancing in waves with rhythms strong and primitive, yet earnest and benign, bringing along a mysterious spiritual vacuum, as though heavenly voices reverberated in the atmosphere. It rocked my heart and mind, comparable to the interaction and conglomeration of everything in heaven and on earth: the voices floating towards the horizon alongside the clouds. Gazing at the shepherd, who was so carefree, I was suddenly enlightened with the truth in life, that we return to nature when we regain innocence. As we let go, we become carefree. 55 Strathmore Avenue, 07-151, 140055, Singapore [email protected] www.nanyang-cas.org “Faraway Song”, Oil on canvas 126 Art is the warm sensitive route to truth, midway between the heat of emotion and the coldness of intellect, and there are places where man simply cannot compete with nature - except in an ultimate individual abstraction. My paintings are silent wings that let me fly, to transmit life with canvas and colour, the source from which all beauty and wonder come. In my younger years, I immersed myself in a structured life as a dentist. In 1989, I experienced a devastating automobile accident that forced the loss of that profession. In the aftermath of that tragedy, a profound spiritual transformation evolved. This life-changing event forged a path of serious painting and sculpting. Kristi Rene Kristi Rene 2411 Soda Canyon Rd, 94558, Napa, U.S.A. [email protected] www.kristirene.com “We opened our eyes”, Triptych, Acrylic on canvas board 127 Henry Riekena Henry Riekena Henry’s paintings are vivid abstractions that are very conscious of the role that the passage of time plays in the act of viewing a work. Inspired by his own synaesthetic responses to music and emotions, the paintings are not merely static images, but are dynamic, immersive environments that are intended to be viewed slowly and at length. Colour, brushstroke and perceived depth swirl and overlap, creating a place without definite ground, inviting the observer to be drawn out of their day to day lives and into the meditative, reflective experience of the piece. PO Box 424394, 94142, San Francisco, U.S.A. [email protected] www.henryriekena.com “Golden Palace”, Oil on canvas 128 “I grew up with my summers filled with camping trips to the High Sierra Mountains. That is where my interest in outer space began. I would lie in my sleeping bag and just watch the billions of stars in the sky and wonder about what else might be out there. That love and fascination with the cosmos never left me. While studying for my BS degree at Arizona State University I took a course in astronomy. But really I decided I just wanted to paint the universe...or what I imagined the universe to look like.” Sandi Miller. Sandi Ritchie Miller Sandi Ritchie Miller “Bursts of light provide loci of power, centers of radiation that effuse energy and reaction...Miller’s seamless surfaces act as windows into vibrant galaxies...yet her art is more fantastical than anything a scientist has seen” Elizabeth Schlatter, University of Richmond Museums 5747 blaine Rd, 20733, Churchton, U.S.A. [email protected] www.sandiritchiemiller.com “A Moon”, Mixed media on lucite 129 130 Giovanni Carlo Rocca was born in Tiriolo in 1960, moving to the province of Turin whilst very young and then subsequently moving to the Piemontese capital. He finished his art studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Turin and then completed a course in restoration at Palazzo Spinelli in Florence becoming recognized by the Tuscan region as a restorer. During his academic education he received positive influences from artists such as Sergio Saroni, Vincenzo Gatti and Francesco Franco, his teachers. Following these studies, he undertook a career as a restorer working for decades on precious masterpieces, entering into a symbiosis with painting that will give life to the “re-Impressionism” movement. He has collaborated with major international and national organisations creating and implementing projects to support human rights using art as an instrument of social justice. Giovanni Carlo Rocca Giovanni Carlo Rocca Via Don Bosco 62, Torino, (TO), 10144, Italy [email protected] www.giovannicarlorocca.it “India”, Oil on canvas 131 Marit Elde Rosendahl Marit Elde Rosendahl Women in different ages, shapes and places fascinate me. I like to look at their role, what has been accomplished and what is unchanged. When I look at modern society’s attitude towards women, I think the liberation of women has taken a few steps back. The space in which the women can be themselves has always been narrow and this is where Carrie and her friends from “Sex and the City” make a difference. As a symbol for today’s women, they have the freedom to make their own choices whilst maintaining their femininity. Carrie with her radiance and beautiful clothes is in my point of view, one of our time’s biggest icons. As an artist, it is the expression of the painting that thrills and drives me. I work figuratively and abstractly, both expressions are very important to me in my artistic role. Riiserveien37, 1860, Trøgstad, Norway [email protected] www.mariteiderosendal.blogspot.com “Carrie 2”, Acrylic on canvas 132 The way they talk, the way they move, their gestures, their postures: people can be such characters. More so when they are unaware of being watched. Ironically, in some cases, the best actor is he who does not act at all but is just himself. Real life can indeed be a great stage, just detach from it, sit back and watch. My work is inspired by these characters, how they interact with each other and their behaviours in sometimes ‘unlikely’ situations. The result is what one may perhaps, term ‘human archetypes’ and their stories. They are more real than one may think though. And if the narrative should look contrived at times, viewers rest assured, it borrows from reality more often than not. Andrea Rossi Andrea Rossi ASC Studios, Worsley Bridge Road, London, SE26 5AZ, UK [email protected] www.andrearossi.biz “The last slice of salame at the vernissage “, Oil on paper 133 Gianluca Russo Gianluca Russo His artistic production doesn’t follow academic layouts but denotes the freewill of expression through the most varied colours and materials, transferring onto paper and canvas all that fascinates him, giving greatest importance and authority to his idea more than the perceived result of the work itself. His creations are quickly sprinkled on the floor, carrying with it line and strong colours, making reference to the traditions of the hot earth of his home town in Sicily. The artist tends to hide some of the women that he represents, almost to communicate that “a certain beauty doesn’t need to be contemplated in its entirety” but that the detail is the important element and the key to reading his works. Faces deprived of smiles that suggest stories and thoughts, perhaps until now unknown. The mixtures of colours enjoy blending together, elaborating works that tread with the strong visual impact of visual folk-lore that his entire collection wishes to communicate. Via G.B. Valente 67, Roma, (RM), 00177, Italy [email protected] “Safari”, Oil on panel 134 Lidia Russo , born in Cercola in 1964, is a renowned Sculptress who has exhibited widely throughout Italy and won numerous prizes. Lidia Russo Lidia Russo “The Sculptress Lidia Russo has mastered the ‘Raku’ technique, which with a skilled combination of mixed enamels, has allowed her to give an air of antiquity to her creations. Her works seem to take inspiration from primitive art and preserves its freshness and its poetry. Truly this artist demonstrates such mastership of her technique, such unity to her poetic inspiration, that she is able to create some true masterpieces” Emilio Bianchi Corso Tullio Boccarusso, Massa di Somma, Napoli, (NA), 80040, Italy www.lidiarusso.spaces.live.com “Le grandi Idee dei geni” , Terrarossa biscottata 135 Meir Salomon Meir Salomon Fire and water drawing is a new way of drawing, I use plain white paper, wetting it with water and drawing on it, out of the sheer desire to shape the paper into form, creating a relief with the use of the brush. Thus, the brush and the water create paper waves and a soft relief is formed. A “sculpture” is born of a mutual collaboration between human handwriting and that of nature. Bringing together fire and water, the constructed and the destroyed, the real and the unreal. Dov 28/9, 76804, Mazkeret Batya, Israel [email protected] www.meirsalomon.com “Rhododendron”, Oil on canvas 136 It has been my privilege to study art in Florida, Colorado and Italy. Along the way I have exhibited art in six countries and worked in museums in three. As a result I have built up a unique collection of experiences both personal and professional. Through all of my travels (from Cambodia to Colombia and many points in between) I have been more and more certain of one thing, I am and will always be an artist. In sickness and in health I am married to art and can do nothing about it, it is too late. My work is varied but is usually in a Neo-Expressive style that both employs visual ideas of the Abstract Expressionists and the German Expressionists. Occasionally straying into a Surrealist zone (creating works similar to the biological musing of Calder and Miro) I have allowed myself room to explore a wide range of abstraction. Ever present is the use of intense color, organic and expressive brushwork and a mixing in an almost mystical way, hints of the visible natural world and that of the invisible or microscopic. Jonathan Sanchez Jonathan Sanchez Waffengasse 4, 2502, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland [email protected] www.sanchezartwerk.com “Summer’s Caldron”, Acrylic on canvas 137 Giancarlo Scarsi Giancarlo Scarsi Giancarlo Scarsi was born in 1956 in Alessandria. Painting is an old passion which allowed him to exhibit his paintings around Italy. About him critics have written in the main national newspapers and specialised magazines. (Avvenire, La Repubblica, Il Messaggero, Il Tempo, Libero, La Stampa, Il Giorno,L’Unità, Il Giornale, Secolo d’Italia, Il Gazzettino di Venezia, Archivio, Art Journal). Giancarlo Scarsi paints feelings, moments and places where he has been and where he would like to be. The characters, who haven’t got a visible face, but who are always portrayed from the back, let space to imagination and to the inevitable introspection which from every picture is projected, as from the particular to the universal, towards the most hidden places of the human soul. In the same way the observer can grasp the phychological value of the silence, undisputed protagonist of the work, permeating landscapes and people of sounds heard only by who, with real aesthetic sensibility, can be on the same wavelength as an art work “Out of Time”. Via Borgo Masone n.14, Masio, (AL), 15024, Italy [email protected] www.giancarloscarsi.it “Ponte Vecchio, Firenze”, Oil on canvas 138 Gillie and Marc are fascinated by the things that give us pleasure, the things that make us happy. Their subjects are dogs, cats and smiling faces. But their paintings also hint at darker meanings: do these handsome dogs, beautiful people and colourful objects belong to a world we can only dream of possessing? Gillie and Marc Schattner’s work uses a colourful and exuberant meshing of figurative expressionism and Pop Art to explore ideas of contentment and happiness. The bold, simple shapes and rich colours and textures they use in their paintings and sculptures are a source of simple, positive pleasure, while also suggesting metaphors for our search for happiness. They have painted together for the last 15 years and are international award winning artists and Archibald Prize Finalists. Their portraits are demanded internationally and their subjects include Rhonda Birchmore, Scarlett Johannson, John Konrad, Archbishop Pell, Dr Harry Cooper, Jimmy Little, and the late Peter Brock. Gille and Marc Schattner Gille and Marc Schattner PO Box, 56, Paddington, NSW 2021, Sydney, Australia [email protected] www.gillieandmarc.com “He’ll never be famous but he doesn’t give a damn, he’s a musician”Acrylic on Canvas 139 Karine Schneider Karine Schneider Karine Schneider is an artist greatly influenced by nature and its healing power. She often combines elements of nature with figurative studies, describing her vision of humanity as “humorous and mystical” she also attempts to incorporate the “complexity of human desires” in her work. Her work includes the “violence and magnificence”of man and woman, portrayed with a vibrant use of colour. The artist has exhibited in Paris, Cannes, Shanghai, New York, and the Florence Biennale of 2007. Schneider’s work demonstrates her interest in light and symbols that work together to form her striking pieces. The artist is also influenced by the concept of ying yang, which she feels is “where violence and beauty are always bound”, an element that she attempts to present in her work. 30 Rue Campestra, 6400, Cannes, France [email protected] www.karineschneider.com “The discovery of Yin 2”, Acrylic on Canvas 140 A painter of German-Serbian origin from Sombor, Serbia, Atila Schroeder received first formal recognition in India, at a collective exhibition, where his work was noticed for being specific and characterized by extremely original expression. Living as a monk for six years, for some time in India, Atila Schroeder has deeply reached in the field of spirituality. Reflected in spontaneous movements of his soul, his need for artistic expression is rooted in a deep lust for self-accomplishment. A rich and variegated language of his artistic expression, defined by vibrant colors and movements, reveals traces of diversified cultural milieus of Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, India. All of his paintings disclose a need for freedom of movement, a quest for the true self and a heroic effort to leave a mark on the water, a need to live happily and joyfully discovering the magic of life. Atila Schoeder Atila Schoeder M. Gorkog 29, 25000, Sombor, Serbia [email protected] www.atilaschroeder.com “Ancient Soul”, Oil on Canvas 141 Mary Segerfalk Mary Segerfalk Mary Segerfalk is a powerful and sensitive Swedish artist, she takes inspiration from her past experiences, and her art has been exhibited across the world from Europe to the Americas to as far east as Korea. Currently Mary works with painting, silk screen, sculptures and objects in urban environments. She is an explorer in life and has a curious mind for people and the world. Mary has also had engagements as a lecturer and is featured in a number of art books. Her art has a depth that comes as a result of the intricate thought process behind her painting. She is highly spontaneous, and starts thinking about her art as soon as she wakes: she searches, creates, improves, recreates, replaces, and taking inspiration from everything around her including her own art collection, she works at her pieces continually until she is satisfied, and all of her works are a thoughtful journey. Lundakragatan 4, 252 71, RÅÅ, Sweden [email protected] www.marysegerfalk.se “Knight12”, Coppersheet and leather 142 “Settembrini Luigi was born in Rome in May 1968. Luigi is a painter, theatrical set designer and works on digital art, having studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti of Rome. Skill in the use of color and bright and expressive tonalities characterises the vivid works of an eclectic artist of undoubtable artistic ability. His works of geometrical structure can communicate both warmth and harmony or can be cold and melancholic, where plastic forms cause the works to emerge from their compact material individuality, making them interact physically with the observer. The process of alienation from reality leads the observer into an enchanted world, mysterious, a-temporal, where the interiority of the artist can express itself in concentric lines and deep colours, where all is frozen in its essence, in an abstract form, purified by conceptual relativity. All of this can be found in Luigi Settembrini, who experiments continuously, escaping stereotypes to offer an original and personal art.” Marco Filippa Luigi Settembrini Luigi Settembrini Via Marco Valerio Corvo, 2, Roma, (RM), 00174, Italy [email protected] www.settembrini.org “Secondo solstizio”, Mixed media on canvas 143 Claudio Souza Pinto Claudio Souza Pinto Claudio Souza Pinto is a painter, poet and comedian, an unusual definition for an artist, but an apt one for this artist’s unusual style. Claudio has been well known in France for many years, and recently has been attracting the attention of the public in his home country as well. His works may at first seem like they depict a surreal fantasy world, but the intention of this artist is actually the opposite: with these works he portrays reality. His figures are made up of clothes and masks, symbolising that in society, it is external appearance that is valued. The masks Claudio portrays are the product of human creativity, and change depending on the occasion. Thus Claudio is a surrealist, who uses surrealism to capture reality, and does so with notable humour. Rua Pedro Rabechi 220, 13257550, Itatiba, Brazil [email protected] www.claudiosouzapinto.net “The Kiss”, Oil on linen 144 It was in 2001 that Steven Spazuk discovered a new way to draw and paint. A candle, a sheet of paper and swirls of black smoke transform the artist’s hand into a seismograph that reveals gossamer transparencies, voluptuous spheres with ephemeral halos and surprising x-rays of the soul’s body and of the body’s soul. Spazuk has spent many years using the end of a candle to affix the imprints of bodies onto canvases that have found their way back from a time lost. Steven Spazuk Steven Spazuk Steven Spazuk’s journey has been multi-faceted: publicity, design and scenography. In 1994, painting became his main occupation; since that time he has exhibited and performed in Montréal, Ottawa, Paris, Berlin and Florence. 1442 chemin du Lac, J6N 1B1, Ville de Lery, Quebec, Canada [email protected] www.spazuk.net “Autoportrait 2007”, Soot on paper 145 Monika Stahl Monika Stahl Monika Stahl has been painting for only a couple of years and has already developed a unique acrylic technique. She has been deeply inspired by the writings of Eric Fromm and his philosophy has notably influenced her art. Eric Fromm differentiates between possession-centered people and being-centered people. The former are those who aim for possession and the latter privilege existence and life. Monika uses bank notes to symbolise the possession-centered mentality, and depicts the destruction of banknotes through ripping , cutting, burning and painting over them, signifying the transformation from the possession-centered mentality into the being-centered mentality. She has recently been studying and developing her technique in New York. She has met with notable success and has attracted the attention of the banking and business world, where she has had numerous vernissages. Hauptstrasse 140/1/8, 3400, Klosterneuburg, Austria [email protected] www.moneyart.at “Austriastahlrot”, Collage on linen 146 Her work began with landscape photography when she studied at the academy of administration and business in NRW in Germany. Inspired by the different art of Asian, African and North American cultures, she combines her impressions with their historic techniques, producing silver jewellery with the influence of several cultures. She also creates alluring paintings, notable for their bright palette, reduced imagery and flat areas of seductive colour. The main materials in her workshop are silk, gypsum, bronze, wood, acrylic and silver. She is attracted to attitudes and situations that provoke an extreme visceral answer. The paintings hold up a mirror to both the banality of urban life and solitude of glamour, giving order to the barrage of mass media images and information that confront us daily and the works reflect this vanity, made from uninflected slicks of bright glossy paint, giving them a hermetically sealed, impenetrable perfection. Ingrid Stiehler Ingrid Stiehler Talaue 56, 46286, Dorsten, Germany [email protected] www.ingridsworkshop.de “Human energy makes the world go on”, Acrylic/bronze on canvas 147 Astrid Stoefhas Astrid Stoefhas ”This omnipotent creativity of Astrid Stöfhas always keeps me fascinated in new ways. Like her restlessness, quest, decided perception and the transcription of her uncommon angle of view, always in the context of inconvenient stories. Aligned with a perfected artistic method.“ Charlotte Menck ”She is a universal artist. You can‘t tell from looking at her pictures which country she is from or what her style is. Her art appeals directly to the absence of barriers.” Ligacao “A. Stöfhas transforms paint into fire and brightness.” Nathalie Procaccia “It‘s a special might, which comes from her paintings.” Paolo Ferrone, Formia Elbberg 5, 22767, Hamburg, Germany [email protected] www.astridstoefhas.com “Power (political might)”, Mixed media on canvas 148 Josie Taglienti lives and works in Phoenix. She studied at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the Kansas City Art Institute and the University of Guanajuato. Her academic training in drawing and painting provides a basis for her thought process. She uses intense pastel colours on fibrous paper to create images often taken from her environment. Josie Taglienti Josie Taglienti Taglienti has described paper as an “awesome companion” and favours pastels to create her dynamic and often serene works that the writer Dan Koon has described as “singularly vibrant art”. Her one-woman shows have taken place in Mexico, Chicago, Scottsdale and Phoenix, with group shows across America from Delaware to Hawaii. 1717 E. Union Hills, #1043, 85024, Phoenix, U.S.A. [email protected] www.italiamerica.org/id303.htm “Sogno del Cosimo II “, Papyrus paper/pastel 149 Jean Taylor Jean Taylor In a tradition as old as people themselves, Tlingit women made garments and other items for their loved ones. The mothers and grandmothers pass tailoring skills from generation to generation. A memory of the simple organic beauty of relatives working on their art has inspired me to create images that honour this art rooted in familial love. Items made include clothing, footwear, regalia and functional items and objects for special occasions were elaborately ornamented. Porcupine quills, beads, and dyed moose hair are commonly used to make colourful designs. Elaborate ornamentation on hide is stunningly beautiful art. I strive to create images that capture the energy of dancers and bring the beat of the drum to life. When I paint people of my culture in regalia, the rich vibrant colours, artistry and cultural significance fill me with a deep sense of pride and gratitude. I express my appreciation for these powerful art forms by putting them on canvas. Box 207, Y0A 1B0, Teslin, Canada [email protected] www.yessy.com/jtaylor “Love made visible”, Oil on canvas 150 I am trained as a nurse as well as a psychotherapist, and in both my artistic and my health work, I am concerned with how the body, soul and spirit are inextricably linked together, mutually influencing each other. Since late 1600, Western thinking, strongly influenced by the philosopher Descartes, has separated body from the mind, and put God outside the human being. The mind has been associated with the male and spiritual pureness, while the body has been associated with the woman, as something dirty, impure, humiliating. Some of these attitudes exist even today. In my works, I try to bring up the feeling or sensation of being a physical female body, with special emphasis on sensuality and eroticism. My main focus in my paintings is to make a homage to the female sexual body and soul. I use acrylic on canvas, but also make sculptures and installations. Guri Annikki Torgersen Guri Annikki Torgersen Grønnvoll allé 9G, 0663 Oslo, Norway [email protected] www.annikki.no “Oppover, endelig!”, Oil on canvas 151 Antonella Valori Antonella Valori To hear a sound, to smell a perfume, to proclaim an emotion transforming it into colour, at times through the impressionism that our masters have taught us, at other times, through the abstraction that every one of us interprets and personalises. For me, painting freezes me in the enjoyment of a landscape and regenerates mind and body: to see children grow and to stop for a moment the speed of time passing, leaving to others a part of myself. Without doubt it is communication with the outside world, a product of a long learning curve, fruit of events that life preserves. It is all as captivating as a sunset, or a face seen by different eyes, by different perceptions, with painting, it becomes my sun down, my face. I started, preferring oil colours on canvas, with monochrome paintings, after which I ‘dared’ to use more colours, creating contrasts that were sometimes strong. I would describe my painting as loaded, dense, veiled, and undefined. Via di Rimedia, 13, Loc.Torre, Fucecchio (FI), 50054, Italy [email protected] www.antonellavalori.altervista.org “La Vita”, Oil on canvas 152 Juliëtte van Bavel is a multi-disciplined artist who makes creations in oil-paint, macro-photography and stone. Before finishing the HBO Royal academy of arts she was a professional ballet dancer and worked as such up to 1998. Juliëtte has a fascination for light and movement and this became her study in art at all levels. So independent of the discipline, this is what she is looking for. “Where is the light, the movement, where is the light within the movement? And what is it? Can I catch it ? Does it bring me the lines I am looking for? The harmony and the tension? It is an everlasting fascination that opens up to new levels all the time.” Jullette Van Bavel Jullette Van Bavel Lange Dreef 112, 2285 LB, Rijswijk (ZH), The Netherlands [email protected] www.jubali-art.com “Force”, Stone and marble 153 Thea Van Herpt Thea Van Herpt The sculptures of Thea van Herpt (1960, Hooge Mierde, Netherlands), mainly portraits and nudes, are at once recognisable for their thoughtful use of various characteristic materials such as marble, bronze, plaster, stone, concrete and wax, and they show a refined sense of light and dark. Ever since attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Arendonk, Belgium, the artist has been interested in the anatomy of the human figure. Although she has chosen the classical approach to depict this subject, Thea nevertheless has found her own way in doing so. She likes to take on the challenge of expressing the deep, innermost qualities on the surface of a sculpture, which is to be seen in her search for a correlation between expressionist touch and a polished surface. This way, the artist shows that a classical way of working doesn’t necessarily make it conservative or old-fashioned. Since her graduation, Thea has participated in several international exhibitions. Schoolstraat 23, 5095AN, Hooge Mierde, The Netherlands [email protected] www.theavanherpt.nl “Extralarge”, Bronze 154 My new work is very much concerned with the universe and the place of humanity within it. My paintings are a constant voyage in space and time. I travel stepping stones up and down and explore places and ideas which are concerned with existence on a deeper level, where time seems to stand still and life is simpler and more contemplative yet deeper and more meaningful. My inspiration comes from everything around me, my immediate environment in Ireland, and the cosmos: the elements, earth, air and water, people and places, music and emotion. My latest series is inspired by a dream-like place which is part of this dream-like world. I feel the further back I travel, the closer I get to the future, and so the cycle continues. Mieke Vanmechelen Mieke Vanmechelen Rath, Bonane, Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland [email protected] www.miekevanmechelen.com “Realm of Perception”, Oil on canvas. 155 Cora Vogtschmid Cora Vogtschmid Cora Vogtschmid was born in 1952, in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. After finishing Modern High School she moved to Amsterdam, where she attended the Grafic School and the Gerrit Rietveld Academy of Art. She now lives and works in Amsterdam. In the last few years Vogtschmid has been painting and drawing studies of water in its various manifestations and the sea especially is becoming an important source in her recent work. Periods of working in oil on canvas alternate with working in black and white on paper; sometimes by means of dry-point and etching, sometimes by charcoal drawings. The drawings shown are part of a series of seven. “A sea from which birds travel not within a year, so fast it is and fearful “ Homer. Keizersgracht 247, 1016 EB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands [email protected] www.coravogtschmid.nl “Sea 2”,Charcoal 156 I have been painting since I can remember and when I paint I am reminded that I exist and that I am useful to myself and others. Painting for me is like food for my soul. I create my feelings, my thoughts, my life’s experiences and I am trying to pass them over to the viewers or even create some new ones depending on individual experiences and feelings. Ioanna Voskou Ioanna Voskou Being able to paint, I feel that for me it is a special gift – creating something from nothing, I am inviting everyone to travel into their own thoughts through my thoughts, a shared journey of the thoughts and ideas of the artist and spectator. Pentadaktylou 18, Mesa Geitonia, 4001, Limassol, Cyprus [email protected] www.ioannavoskou.com “Untitled”, Oil on canvas 157 John Wieser John Wieser John Wieser, a self-taught artist started his professional career in 1993. When reflecting nature, John incorporates aesthetic harmony in all of his work, whether animals, landscapes, or the complexities of the human condition. The artist begins with pencil as “equipment of the first hour”, which offers many possibilities of organisation from the early sketch-up into a photo-realistic distinguished elaboration of combined medium representations. The variety of grey tones in graphite also permit the viewer to look more deeply into the character of the subject, without being diverted by colour. One of the most important points for the artist is, to create something special, to surprise the viewer. Few realise how many details can be hidden in nature, in a flower, animal or human body. In 2002, the artist began to work more on his nude-pencil-drawings, connecting aesthetics and naturalism in a perfect artistic execution. Sportplatzstraße 438, 5541, Altenmarkt, Austria [email protected] www.john-wieser.com “Sunshine”, Pencil on paper 158 Ulla Wobst, a respected German artist, first studied philology at the universities of Munich, Tuebingen, Berlin, Cologne, Muenster and Wuerzburg. As the headmaster at the Kant-Gymnasium in Dortmund she was responsible for the organisation of the language department and fine arts. She has been committed to art for many years, and since 2001 working as a free-lance artist has been her regular occupation, working in her Atelier in Dortmund. Wobst ‘s work is focused on man and the basic themes that surround humanity: life, love and death, but literature and foreign cultures also play a dominant role. She experiments with many different types of colours and materials, working either on paper or canvas. Beside figurative painting, reaching from surrealism to realism, and abstract painting, she is also fond of employing abstract elements together with figurative ones in order to communicate her ideas. She has exhibited all over the world from China to the US, and widely around Europe. Ulla Wobst Ulla Wobst Ertmarweg, 4, 44319, Dortmund, Germany [email protected] www.ulla-wobst.net “The Golden Bowl”, Oil and mixed media on Canvas 159 Paul Ygartua Paul Ygartua Paul Ygartua, English by birth, studied at the Liverpool Art College before deciding to take off across the ocean and emmigrate to Canada. His adventure into the art world began in the 1960s in Vancouver. His inspiring West Coast Indian chief portraits first brought him recognition. These quickly led to his large scale murals, the most famous being for the United Nations pavilion during Expo 86 in Vancouver. In his paintings he seeks to interpret the fundamental values of the nomadic peoples of the world and also in his more intimate work to illustrate the workings of the mind and soul. His work is now moving towards abstract impressionism, vibrant and passionate, colourful and bold. His paintings are in public and private collections worldwide and are treasured for their intrinsic and real value. 1108-1330 Harwood Street, V6E 1S8, Vancouver, B.C. V6E 1S8, Canada [email protected] www.ygartua.com “Carnival” Dyptych, Oil on canvas 160 The vessels are meditations on permeability and containment, substance and void. The process of making them is deeply meditative and references the sacred arts of making prayers visible. These vessels belong to the cycle of work “Prayers for the 21st Century”. As a sculptor, I continue to be interested in transformation though now as an intra personal, rather than political, process of global consequence. Millicent Young Millicent Young 6180 Mannahoc Way, 22968, Ruckersville, U.S.A. [email protected] www.millicentyoung.com “Striped Vessel”, Steel, wood and horsehair 161 Mona Youssef Mona Youssef I believe that Art is a manifestation of love. We love the nature around us, the people we share our world with. When we truly love what we do, we do it wholeheartedly and become professionals at it. Yes, Art is a powerful tool and a silent international language that can convey messages to the world reflecting culture, history and civilization. This language can speak up, announce, make known, unify, bring together, support, up build, encourage, share, care for, show compassion and kind feelings toward all. In a word, art is love. 202-840 Sutton Mills Court, K7P 2T1, Kingston, Ontario, Canada [email protected] www.mona-gallery.com “Blue Shadows”, Oil on canvas 162 Gianfranco Zazzeroni was born in 1945 in Urbino, where he attended the Artistic Lyceum, an environment sensitive and supportive of the arts. He has been professor of design at the Pescara Art Institute and in 2002 he was professor of editorial design and art publishing for IFTS courses. For the occasion he published the “Quaderno Progettazione Editoriale”. His interest in the publishing sector has allowed him to work with cultural associations at an international level. In addition to his participation in several exhibitions with paintings and graphic works, he has an excellent knowledge of engraving techniques. He has received various awards and his works are in museums and private collections including the Franciscan Art Museum of Falconara, the Pinacoteca Corrado Gizzi in Guglionesi, The Mail Art Museum of L’Aquila, The Museo delle Genti d’Abruzzo in Pescara, and the Pinacoteca Barocci of Urbino. Gianfranco Zazzeroni Gianfranco Zazzeroni C. da Barco, 6, Montesilvano, (PE), 65015, Italy [email protected] www.zazzeroniarteweb.it “Incontro”, Spatula on paper 163