Artists Describing Their Art:
Satu Laurel - Sublime and the search of beauty are the main starting points of my paintings. Traditional techniques serve that idea. There is also a hint of mystical, unanswered questions and secrets. Paintings are driven from psychology and unaware, hidden thoughts. Christian themes like Creation and human-God relationship interests me. Contradictions and paradoxes are fascinating. Ugly can be seen as beautiful and old gives a birth to a young. Letting go from the usual gives freedom to see more than the present moment....
Lisa Mayes - Working in sculpture and painting, I create a narratives that place the viewer as a bystander examining an event that is unfolding. The 'events' occur at intersections where a subject is interacting with an architectural spaces or in a vacant landscape that have been altered by an intervention by industry and nature. My work acknowledges past and contemporary references of culture, class and environment. ...
Beata Wehr - Many of my recent paintings are inspired by the desert, my collection of the found metal objects and emotional responses to the events happening here and at distant places. These three subjects do not have much in common, however all of them are part of my life and as such appear on the paintings. Sometimes the distinction between desert plants and my metal pieces is not clear, and the abstracted landscape contains collection of unrecognizable shapes. They are meditations on the desert and human urge to collect, comments on place and time. Others, in which intense shapes almost scream are emotional responses to the recent natural disasters and the tensions between the nations and cultures resulting in wars and acts of terror. Paintings in yet another group show dreamlike peaceful landscapes, those I wish would be reachable to everybody at all the times. I go back and forth between figuration and abstraction, trying to capture the feelings associated with specific locations or sometimes transforming the landscape into an almost non-descriptive one. Many of my works are about longing, or dreams. Some of the works have multiple layers of paint, the newer ones partially obscuring the older, symbolizing memory and ...
Veronica Shimanovskaya - Shimanovskaya's work is concerned with the interplay of materials, shapes and colours orchestrated into harmonies informed by personal experiences. Aspiring to simultaneously explore the poetry and semantics of the visible world, she is convinced that the the viewer will make his or her own connections. ...
Vanessa Bernal - Artist's statement: My earliest childhood memories are those of painting with my grandfather and frequently visiting the Art Institute of Chicago where we would spend countless hours together. He taught me that everything we come in contact with has the potential of becoming a work of art. My grandfather and I would take walks together to hunt for "treasures" of discarded objects that later he would turn into beautiful collages and assemblages. It is those lessons I carry with me and -today- in my work I see his influence. I have never been comfortable with expressing myself verbally. I am not one to strike up a conversation with a stranger, nor do I feel comfortable speaking to a group of people. Visual expression comes naturally to me; it is through this means I can best communicate with others and feel the most comfortable. At a young age I became aware of the injustices being perpetrated in the world and was deeply disenchanted with the political process as a means of creating effective change in our global community. For me, becoming an artist was inevitable. Through the visual arts not only did I communicate my life's passions, my fears, ...
Leif Mårdh - To paint has always been a challenge to me. My uncle was a painter and my father was a sculptor, carving in wood. I learned a lot from them. Although I was very indeterminate as a young how to express my- self on canvas and develop my painting, how to chose style and media. I was a great admirer of the expressionists as well as of surrealists like Salvador Dali. Still very unsure of where is my homeyard in the enormous cityblocks of art I let the brush be conducted by in- fluence of my emotions. Sometimes resulting in creatures with yelling faces in a mess of colours, sometimes in themes in abstemious reticence. ...
Arnold Grace Jr - I cannot imagine what my life would be without the ability to express my inner-most thoughts, dreams and other realities in a visual manner. I express myself through acrylic and oil paintings, mostly on canvas medium.The urge to recreate and interpret my internal and external stimulants is primal and brings me much satisfaction. I do not limit myself to any particular style. However I do tend to paint in an impressionistic form, verging on surrealism, imaginative and figurative representation also. My designs are not complicated or over worked images, but are effective statements of my experiences, augmented by the use of brilliant shimmering color composed from a tight pallette of primary and secondary colors. My subjects are people scenes, landscapes, seascapes and whatever I am compelled to do....
Thora Hamilton - www.hamiltonartstudio.com ....I simply adore painting!! much of this material was the fruit of a somewhat banal provocation on the part of a buyer, who, while enthusiastic about earlier work by me (more emphatically abstract- an be seen on www.thorahamilton.com site), exclaimed "Why don't you make me some paintings of beautiful women...???!!"........and so I obliged!!! Clearly, as all painting comprises who an artist is and where metaphorically he/she is at the moment any given work is created, I was thus given a unique opportunity to wander into depths previously unexplored. ...
Richard Wynne - Richard is an acclaimed International Artist recently returned to the USA. Richard has lived in many Countries. "The last being Thailland. He started his art studies at a very young age at the John Herron Art Institute In Indianapolis, Indiana and then later at the Art Institute of Chicago Richard has lived in many countries, painting, and playing music. Mr Wynne has exhibited in Thailand, the United States, Spain, Argentina, Kuwait, Korea, Ihdia, and other Countries. Sometimes perhaps I say too much about my self but maybe it helps people understand what motivates my work. For your information I've lived in 8 different countries and have been around the world 5 times. I speak a few different languages, some very well; others not so well. By the way I am not a workaholic as I don't consider what I do work. I enjoy life too much. I forgot to say I am also a weight lifter as lifting weights is my Zen. When I am troubled the concentration it takes to lift makes me calm. I guess my page will probably be a little different from what people expect. Sorry I have not been uploading new work as ...
Yuming Zhu - I land my brush with the force of a giant rock splashing into the ocean. I am not looking for a beautiful painting, but to express Life itself. Painting is just like a stacking of passions. Painting is a method of striping myself naked and facing the truth of my inner emotion. I invite the viewer to experience through my paintings the joy of being alive right at this moment. I believe I can do lots of things, but painting and poetry are the best beloved channels to express my complicated emotions. Originally from Shanghai, Yuming began studying under the masters at a young age. After his BA from China, Yuming came to the States and graduated from Sonoma State University with his MA in 1991. Working in oils, pastels and ChineseSumi Watercolors, Yumings work is a unique blend of East meets West artistry. It is a style that Yuming refers to as Transism, in reference to the constantly evolving interests, which include observations on modern life, a love of music, and an exploration of his own unique heritage. I paint to achieve balance and harmony. Once I reach that, I will for sure break itaEUR aEURoeMy art is just...