Artists Describing Their Art:
John Hughes - Im a retired Aerospace Engineer, and to occupy my time, i started painting about 3 years ago. I have no formal training in painting other that a high school class in drawing, and more resent a training DVD in oil painting. My paintings are primarily for decorating the wall of a home, and not of an art gallery. Since I am an Army Veteran with a 6 year commitment, I feel that, if I sell some paintings, I will be in a position to financially support one of the Veteran Organizations in order to help my fellow veterans who have sustained both physical and mental injuries. ...
Jon Glaser - There is something fulfilling about capturing a moment in time particularly as the sun makes its first or last appearance. My photographic work reflects an affinity for movement and sound; the latter reminiscent of a song, starting calmly, building strength, power and energy, until the shutter releases and the image is recorded as the ultimate crescendo. While I am most drawn to the grand landscape, my portfolio includes macro still life and abstract work as well, showcasing a relationship between color and light. NOTE: All of my photographs have been processed with Photoshop and Lightroom withlittle manipulation or adjustment. All colors are true of their location. In addition, I print all images using the latest technology, the highest-quality papers, and newest archival inks. All photographs include a 5mm white border to ensure proper handling that helps eliminate the potential for fingerprints. ...
Leonard Parker - Dr. Leonard W. Parker's artistic style lends realism to his landscapes and seascapes by viewing both from a distance or up close! As a university professor, he has grasped the techniques of oil painting from his own personal research and study. His works have been displayed locally, but his desire is to gain wider notariety. Parker has adopted the phrase "'Scapes in oil" to tell both buyers and sellers that his greatest love is representing as real as possible God's wonderful world in which we live! One would desire to display his landscapes and seascapes in a variety of settings. Dr. Parker also has had commissioned art from photographs. Buyers of his artwork have come to cherish their original oil painting on canvas as heirlooms. ...
German Guerra - The reason for creation my abstract works is very simple and very complex. I feel the strong necessity to compose and produce this kind of work. For me iti?1/2s like a serious game with color, form and music. I doni?1/2t know what i?1/2am I looking fori?1/2 with my works, just I know that I have to do it. Other kind of work like Cityscape or Graffitis arise because it's part of interesting visual in each city. For me it's very complicated to walk everywhere without the camera. ...
Suzanne Painter - I am a self-taught artist, learning portraiture from my mother at a young age. I am still in favor of charcoal when drawing portraits because of the ease of application, and the intensity of values. Charcoal gives me depth that pencils lack. As I progressed in my exploration of color, I experimented with oils, acrylics, and watercolor. Although I love the fresh, crispness of watercolor, I have yet to master the medium. Acrylics are wonderful for coverage,and intense color. They dry quickly, and when that's needed, I love acrylics. But I truly love oil paints. I love the smell, the feel, and the beautiful look that oil paints produce. I love the way I can blend and smear the paint to produce the desired atmosphere or emotion within the painting. My favorite colors are French Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red and Yellow, Brown Madder, Indian Red and Yellow, and Burnt/Raw Sienna and Umber. I mix 1 part to 3 parts Stand Oil to Linseed Oil for my painting medium. I live in the central valley of California, and enjoy traveling throughout the western states for inspiration. I maintain my own website as well as websites for other...
Richard Harpum - I find painting to be one of my most satisfying pastimes. Although I drew and painted as a youngster, a career in the British Army followed by many years as a senior executive in business, meant that I did not start pursuing my passion again until I was in my 50s. I am so glad that I did. Although I love the Impressionists, the engineer in me means that I have a great deal of difficulty being "loose" in my own work. Having tried and failed, I decided to take the route of being a realist artist, and recently coined "High Definition Art" as my slogan. However, I am not interested in achieving photorealism. I want people to see that my pictures are paintings, and would hate the thought that someone had to take a close look to discover that one of my paintings was not a photograph. My time-consuming technique pretty much prohibits painting en plein air, so I use photographs for reference in my studio. Consequently, I take a camera everywhere, although this drives my wife nuts! However, I deliberately avoid painting a direct copy of any of my photos. Indeed, with each new painting, I seem ...
S Tofu - My artwork has two main focuses; mixed media collage and landscape painting. I have always used old maps in my collages and incorporated map inspired ideas into my art. In January of 2001, I experimented with a collage using only maps. The success of the experiment and the resulting piece changed the direction of my work. Much of the map work takes its inspiration from other traditional art forms using repetitive patterns, in particular quilts and other textiles. In 2009 the patterns used in my collage work started to take on a more painterly appearance. In 2011 I spent the entire year creating a large-scale piece called the 2011 Project. Essentially I created a map of the year by making a piece of art on each and every day of 2011. The work is made up of 365 individual, mixed media pieces, each 4"x4" (10x10 cm) in size. In many ways the 2011 Project was also my sketchbook for future work. I experimented with new materials and subject matter for many of the 365 pieces. Those ideas have been playing out since 2011. 2012 saw a solo show that was a travel-themed mixed media installation called Imagining ...
Katalin Luczay - Painting to me is an expression, interpretation, and appreciation of the world around me. In my opinion any art should inspire and elevate the human spirit. These types of art works are immortal, such as the works of the old masters. In my paintings I strive to achieve these ideals. I would describe my works as related as representational realism. In my seascapes I bring many different colors together to illustrate the movement of water. In my landscapes and still life works I like to emphasize the play of light as it hits a focal point. I like to paint in oil because I can achieve this sense of light and motion by glazing over layers, as well as in oil I can achieve a richness that I find limiting in other mediums. Please see my website at
Carlos Pardo - IN SHORT: INSPIRATION: Concious and unconcious perceptions, my background, all circunstances of my life, experiences, past and present, books and newspapers that I read, films, Internet aEUR|feelings, emotions and a fertile imagination sometimes, all them aid to weave a story that will change alongside the execution of a piece. In my opinion our tradition, for thousands of years, the Arts reflect the vision of a trascendent life beyond our tangible life. THEME: Unreal cityscapes let us a special kind of plasticity. The imagination and feelings are active agents that are modeling the perceptible reality. Transcendent and oniric themes entered and remain in my artwork. In my imaginary urban landscapes there are overlaid elements of towns he has visited, some imagined, and maybe dreamed, but all with a unique feminine soul. The Town is a mother, lover, or daughter of the actions, dreams and passions of those who dwell in them or recall them in the distance. It is an idea in which wander those who have been caught up in its infinite labyrinth. PROCESS: I usually have not idea about what I will show on the surface. There is a lack of a script or previous sketch. Forms are born...
Jerry Ross - Manifesto of American Verismo By Jerry Ross, 2012 "American verismo", a movement that I have recently founded, is a catch-all phrase for an artistic style that draws its main inspiration from Italian art, both classical and modern. There is an implied nostalgia for work done "dal vero" (after life) whether classical (Raphael, Rubens, or Caravaggio, etc.) or 19th century (the Tuscan I Macchiaioli school) or more contemporary. Verismo is somewhat akin to contemporary "atelier realism" but the latter has been criticized for an academic uniformity and its over attention to details. American verismo is more poetic and linked to post-impressionism, the Milan-based Scapigliatura ('wild hair') movement, and the I Machiaioli's commitment to social issues. But like atelier realism, American verismo is associated with a painterly sketching style, use of broad brushstrokes, and the alla prima, "direct attack" technique of painting. It is also linked to all'aperto (open air) impressionist-style landscape painting. In short, to pleinairism which has become widely popular in recent years. I first introduced the term during several classes he taught at the Maude Kerns Art Center in Eugene and then later at the "Angels Fight Road Art Center" plein air retreat...