American Art Collector Issue 197, March 2022

2 SHOW PREVIEW 099 which meant the water was often perfectly still.” One of the many joys of Venice is discovering something beautiful and picturesque around every corner. “Spending time in Venice,” he says, “one begins to discover little pockets of the town, where one finds aesthetic details which I find delightful; 13th-century window details, for example. Venice favors rosy colors, variations of reds and terra cottas, which I also love. When I’m in Venice, I feel like I need to paint without resting, because if one likes complex shapes and textures (which allow you to compose more intricate composi- tions) then Venice has everything you crave.” He continues, “In general, when I’m composing in Venice, I leave the house with an idea about a place I saw, or a bridge I want to paint, but when I am on the ground, things are always different and whatever catches your eye is where you stop. I am basically dealing with surprises to which you have to respond. Most of my Venetian compositions involve balancing the architec- ture with the reflection morphing below. Because of the consistent aesthetics of Venice, almost any corner is a potential composition. The Venetian sense of color, the workmanship, the variety of detailing of the palazzos and the richness of texture resulting from the sea air working on fine materials....the appeal is infinite.” Gallery 1261 1261 Delaware Street, Suite 1 • Denver, CO 80204 3 (303) 571-1261 • www.gallery1261.com

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / CAVALIER GALLERIES 3/8-3/22 Palm Beach, FL Representational Art Today C ontemporary representational art in its many 1 guises, from Trompe l’Oeil to luminism, will be on display at Cavalier Galleries in Palm Beach, Florida, 1 from March 8 through 22. Joseph McGurl, The Florida Waterways, Joel Carson Jones perfects the ancient technique Venus Rising, oil on of Trompe l’Oeil to comment on contemporary life. In panel, 24 x 36\" Existence he depicts not only the static objects typical of a still life but also the movement of the flames of 2 matches as they fly through the air. Aided by photog- Peter Poskas, raphy but also by careful physical observation of the Outcropping, oil on objects in his still lifes, he creates paintings of many board, 29¼ x 24¼\" layers. It’s startling to see the flaming matches in a still life and to observe that they’ve left the control of 3 the Joker juggler, about to plummet onto the string on Joel Carson Jones, which the Joker is precariously balanced. Existence, oil on panel, 10 x 8\" He says, “As a painter, I strive for consistent improvement. I am drawn to heightened realism with 4 the painstaking dedication it takes to achieve this. I am Robert E. Zappalorti, also driven to the challenge of interweaving emotion Frosted, oil on panel, into these technical pieces. Through emotion, I strive 10½ x 18¾\" 100 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com 5 Paul Oxborough, Bar George, oil on linen, 36 x 48\" 2

34 to give a humanistic quality to such work.” turned on, a fisherman returns to port and drift to that place that inspired me—even if Paul Oxborough revels in the qualities of a woman takes a refreshing dip. it is a scene from my imagination, as many of my paintings are. I am able to do this by paint, allowing it to be itself while making McGurl says, “Often, a literal transcription maintaining a fairly close fidelity to the up an image on the canvas. He explains of the scene does not convey the emotional impression of the real world rather than that he paints “not with photographic response I feel. For instance, when looking having an obvious style or ‘stamp.’” accuracy, but with impressions. I think of at a mountain, it often does not look as myself as an impressionist—painting the massive as it ‘feels.’ That is because if you There will also be artwork on view impression of light hitting your eyes; the record only what you see, you are missing by artists Robert E. Zappalorti, Frank impression of color you see at a glance.” out on what you feel…So much contempo- Corso, Edward Minoff, John Terelak, The multiple visual stimuli of a bar and rary art seems self-absorbed, and it may be William Nelson, Guy Stanley Philoche the effect of light on a variety of physical of interest to people who know the artist and more. materials is apparent in his painting Bar personally, but I want to minimize my pres- George. Despite the lack of photographic ence in the scene. I don’t want my ego to Cavalier Gallery exactness, the qualities of the objects are get in the way of the viewer being able to 292 S. County Road • Palm Beach, FL 33480 easily observable, from the tattoos on the enter the scene and almost subconsciously (561) 770-3168 • www.cavaliergalleries.com bartender’s arms to the transparency of glass jars and bottles. 5 SHOW PREVIEW 101 The effects of light on the sea are captured by Peter Poskas in his painting Outcropping. A sturdy house rests on a stone outcropping at the edge of the sea scintillating in the sunlight. He lives in Connecticut and summers on Monhegan Island in Maine and has been painting scenes of New England for decades. He often returns to farms and other sites over and over again to paint them in different seasons and light conditions. Poskas’ realism is enhanced by his sense of abstrac- tion in making his compositions. The luminist painters of the 19th century are characterized by their treatment of light in the landscape. Joseph McGurl is called a 21st-century luminist. He is fascinated not only by the physics of light, but also by the spiritual qualities of nature. The Florida Waterways, Venus Rising is his impres- sion of a moment at the end of the day as the natural light fails, artificial lights are

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / LILY PAD | WEST B eginning March 4, Lily Pad | West Gallery combines the work of two 3/4-4/10 Milwaukee, WI artists, Peter Batchelder and Leya Evelyn, into one vibrant show titled Color PETER BATCHELDER & LEYA EVELYN Space. While Batchelder’s work centers around the architecture and landscape Emotive Color of his home in the New England area, Canada-based Evelyn focuses on gestural 102 abstractions. Both artists are seemingly quite different yet, come together in an explosive, color-focused show. “Fascinated by architecture and archae- ology, Batchelder intends to translate the context of time-worn structures within his paintings, asking questions such as ‘who built this?’ and ‘who lived here?’” Explains gallery representative Kim Storage. “Alternatively, Evelyn allows her paintings to become structures themselves, self- referentially recounting the history of their own making. Through their use of color, both Batchelder and Evelyn shift focus away from the built environment towards an emotive one.” Batchelder strives for simplicity in his 1 work, taking out parts of a composition than what may have actually been tin the real scene that inspired the piece. In show piece Rose, featuring a bright rose- colored barn on a brightly lit background, it’s all about color. The oil painting also contains a small purple and blue shed to the left of the barn. “I love the almost human quality that I see in the clusters of outbuildings found on so many old farms,” says Batchelder, “but overall, Rose is about color and light.” His piece Refuge, of a trail with two trees against a purple and blue sky, has a bit more complexity. Batchelder says, “[This piece] is both about a place and emotion. This location is based on a meadow on Martha’s Vineyard. On a recent trip to the island, I visited a favorite [piece of] conservation land with miles of trails that crisscross old farmland that leads to small bays and lagoons that cut into the shore. I have always loved the sense of peace and solace I find at these places. The simplicity of the landscape and hints of relics of human interaction with it give it that quality that attracts 2

1 Leya Eveyln, Until No. 2, triptych, mixed media on canvas, 60 x 72\" 2 Peter Batchelder, Rose, oil, 48 x 48\" 3 Leya Eveyln, Things You Need to Know No. 1, mixed media on canvas, 60 x 49½\" 3 people to visit. Some call these preserved of the color’s potential in different ways… more talkative painting than [the other SHOW PREVIEW 103 tracts of land ‘sanctuaries,’ or ‘conserva- Their intention is to eliminate any precon- painting]. Until emphasizes the many tion lands.’ What they all provide is ceived notions or prejudices a person may possible variations of blues and how refuge from the modern world.” have about a color, how it is used and what they can enhance each other. All color is a painting is. The subject matter refers only relative: how it is used, where it is placed, Evelyn’s way of working is to “emphasize to itself. This, therefore, creates a uniquely what is near it, how much there is and the complexity of color, its intensity and its personal visual impact.” what kind of mark it makes.” many permutations,” she says. “The focus is on the emotions this provokes rather Both paintings use blue as the main These colorful arrangements will than any need to analyze.” In her largely color: one is mainly ultramarine blue, remain on view at Lily Pad | West through abstract, mixed media show pieces Things the other indigo. “The indigo painting, April 10. You Need to Know No. 1 and Until No. 2, she Things You Need to Know, seems close to says, “Both investigate gesture, marks and black,” says Evelyn. “By the way it is used, Lily Pad | West the intensity of color. Each one allows the the drama of the color is accentuated by 215 N. Broadway • Milwaukee, WI 53202 viewer to appreciate the deeper meaning the other colors in the painting. It is a (414) 509-5756 • www.lilypadgallery.com

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / SKIDMORE CONTEMPORARY ART Through 3/12 Santa Monica, CA RICHARD BAKER Slices of Life Through March 12, Richard Baker with department head artist Neil Welliver. Beach, and the pansies were in a bed of displays seven new works for his However, Baker is tackling more detailed flowers in front of a housing develop- show A Colorful World, at Skidmore compositions than he might have tried in ment I noticed while walking my dog at Contemporary Art Gallery. As the title the past. “I generally try to simplify compo- home in the midday sun.” suggests, Baker utilizes color to enhance sitions and don’t paint individual leaves or the world as he sees it and illuminates blades of grass,” he says. The more detailed The artist likes to refer to moments every day, common moments and scenes. paintings in the show are his floral show that he finds striking as “slices of life.” For Collector of his work, Bill Boggs, says, pieces Pansies and Wildflowers, featuring example, on a bike ride in the Hamptons, “Richard Baker’s command of light and glorious flower displays. Baker came across a barn that later inspired color, combined with his subject matter and his aptly titled show piece Hamptons Barn. composition has led to years of fine work. Such beautiful, sunny scenes are taken “[This painting] is the most abstract piece His canvases take you on a journey…” from brief snippets of Baker’s time on I’ve ever done,” he furthers. “I really flat- vacation or from his home in La Quinta, tened the picture surface and have some Having studied at the University of California. “I work from photographs broad color fields with a very simplified Pennsylvania, and heavily influenced by that I take on my everyday travels that barn. This one is on the borderline between his teacher Rackstraw Downes, Baker’s stick with me and I get a strong response representational and abstract.” technique has evolved over time, and yet, from,” he says. “I saw wildflowers on a still resembles that of Downes’ work along visit to the Hamptons next to Georgica While Baker usually responds to bright, sunlit scenes with vibrant color, he’s also 1 104 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

incorporated darker lit paintings into the mix. This 2 SHOW PREVIEW 105 includes pieces like Rainy Day at the Whitney, 3 showing rain drops on a window, with a hazy background. “This is a totally different palette than I would normally do,” he explains. “Instead of looking at the art on my visit to the Whitney Museum, I was looking at the rain pouring down the window and saw a view of the Hudson River. Instead of taking pictures of the art and the museum, I took pictures of the view outside.” Baker notes that his paintings are not meant to be conceptual in any way, and in fact, doesn’t even like the word. “I don’t try and make people think and don’t want people to have to have an extensive knowledge of art history to be able to appreciate my paintings,” he states. “My paintings are a response. They are intuitive, visual experiences that I had that I’m trying to enhance and communicate. I hope that people enjoy my motifs, derive a sense of calm and are somewhat bedazzled by the light and color.” Skidmore Contemporary Art 1 2 3 2525 Michigan Avenue, B-4 • Santa Monica, CA 90404 Hamptons Barn, oil Pansies, oil on Wildflowers, oil on (310) 828-5070 • www.skidmorecontemporaryart.com on canvas, 36 x 48\" canvas, 30 x 40\" canvas, 30 x 40\"

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / SHOH GALLERY Through 3/5 Berkeley, CA MICHELLE E. FILLMORE Breaking Open M ichelle E. Fillmore sums up her response to the COVID pandemic in a painting and her description of it. In The Escape Artist, a young woman sits in a field folding paper cranes. The most popular form in Japanese origami, the crane symbolizes good fortune and longevity. As she finishes each crane, it becomes a bird that flies freely away. Fillmore sees the young woman in “the act of making her own freedom.” When the painting was exhibited at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, she wrote, “I started The Escape Artist in March of 2020, around the time the pandemic was unfolding in the United States. What began as an expression of directing energy toward creating positive solutions and opportunities for life, shifted to a much more personal search for transcendence. The title references the feeling of respite I expe- rienced while painting it. In depicting symbols of freedom and optimism, I’m able to temporarily expel my fears and anxieties; the finished work serves to relay this transcendence to others.” Before the pandemic “I wanted to paint posi- tive things,” she says. “The pandemic pushed me toward painting the truth, which is sometimes not pretty. It can be dark and uncomfortable. I’m painting what I’m honestly feeling. I think people gravitate toward the truth.” Her latest photorealist paintings will be shown in the exhibition Breaking Open at SHOH Gallery in Berkeley, California, through March 5. Among the works is the painting In Control, in which a woman sits in a chair holding a steering wheel with her right foot poised over an imagined gas pedal. She says, “At the time, I was thinking of the fact that women had recently been allowed to drive in Afghanistan. There’s a disconnect between what this woman thinks she’s in control of and what she’s not in control of.” Fillmore’s paintings are autobiographical meta- phors. She grew up in an environment in which there was mental illness that was never really confronted. “The pandemic has brought back what I experienced as a child,” she explains. “I’m trying to help facilitate more conversation—to make it less stigmatized. It’s important to do my part.” SHOH Gallery 700 Gilman Street • Berkeley, CA 94710 (510) 504-9988 • www.shohgallery.com 1 106 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

2 1 34 The Escape Artist, oil on wood panel, 48 x 24\" 2 The Opening Dance, oil on canvas, 24 x 48\" 3 Separation (diptych), oil on canvas, 60 x 40\" 4 In Control, oil on canvas, 30 x 24\" SHOW PREVIEW 107

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / SHAIN GALLERY 1 2 3/4-3/16 Charlotte, NC CURT BUTLER On the Water Anew solo exhibition at Shain Gallery highlights the art of Curt Butler, whose works radiate a sense of cultivated style and originality. The Gastonia, North Carolina-based artist paints a variety of subject matter, though most pieces tend toward marine and water themes, like marshlands, ponds, seascapes and aquatic-dwelling wildlife. The texture in Butler’s paintings is mesmerizing, a blend of both building up the surface or carving into the paint. “Texture, for me, is usually my emotional response to my subjects,” says Butler. He discusses the play of horizontals and verticals in works like Stem to Stern, which captures a simple front- facing view of a boat on still waters. “[I wanted to] emphasize the piercing bow of a boat and its ability to slice through water. [Paintings of] single skiff boats with no occupancy are generally about myself or the viewer as a single vessel,” he says. “As a metaphor relating back to the title, this is a person who is thorough, intensive and seeks the truth from beginning to end.” Butler’s style has evolved over the years while working as an artist and as an art teacher. He says, “I taught art in many capacities over the course of 20-plus years including owning and operating my own art business where I taught workshops in one room and painted professionally in another room. 108 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

3 I think the logistics and environment allowed me to are and what is to come in your journey. If you choose 1 SHOW PREVIEW 109 always have learning as front and center in my work. For to follow along with me, you will see that some of my Beyond the Fog, me, the emergence of a style means that you are aware subjects are landscapes, boats and shorebirds, but they oil, 24 x 48\" of your artistic journey and you begin to respond to it.” have become more or less personal iconography to talk about a deeper metaphor,” says Butler. “My paint 2 The upcoming Shain Gallery show includes Stem application is becoming more and more a conduit for Freckled Shore, to Stern, as well as gentle waterscapes like Beyond feelings taking artistic form.” oil, 48 x 48\" the Fog and Eve’s Eyelashes. Another work is Freckled Shore, a square composition depicting a small flock of Shain Gallery 3 waterbirds. “A new body of work is really a stopping 2823 Selwyn Avenue, Suite K • Charlotte, NC 28209 Stem to Stern, point in the journey…You are, in essence, giving the (704) 334-7744 • www.shaingallery.com oil, 48 x 48\" public a road map of where you have been, where you

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / VERNON FILLEY ART MUSEUM 3/25-7/22 Pratt, KS CHARLES BAUGHMAN Transforming a Medium 12 A n exhibition opening in March at through July 22. watercolor,” Baughman shares, “but in the the Vernon Filley Art Museum in “I wanted to connect with people in that last two decades my style has loosened Pratt, Kansas, explores what can come of with every year.” For the last 10 years, he’s taking the beauty of a photograph and area of Kansas to share images of what transitioned to only using his fingers and transforming it into a painting. Kansas they find beautiful. Getting community sticks to paint, explaining, “Using the bare artist Charles Baughman has embarked on involvement is really important to me,” minimum tools forces me to be pretty bold a project in which he asked local photog- says Baughman. “It’s been rewarding to with my color and mark making. I [think] raphers to send him photos capturing collaborate with local amateur and profes- my paintings have an energy that can’t be the state’s unique beauty. The artist then sional photographers and get a fresh seen in photographs alone.” drew inspiration from those photos and perspective and use the landscape to show re-created them in his signature “splatter- both realistic and abstract versions of the “Ninnescah Landscapes” Splatterscape scape” paintings. same scene.” paintings by Charles Baughman & Photography by Regional Artists will kick These paintings along with their original Viewing Baughman’s paintings and off with an opening reception on March 25 photographs will hang side by side in the their corresponding photographs right from 6 to 8 p.m. collaborative exhibition, titled “Ninnescah next to one another give visitors the Landscapes” Splatterscape paintings ability to take in a “real life” scene and Vernon Filley Art Museum by Charles Baughman & Photography then reconceptualize and reimagine it in 421 South Jackson Street • Pratt, KS 67124 by Regional Artists, running March 25 its abstracted form. “For years I drew very (620) 933-2787 • www.vernonfilleyartmuseum.org realistically with pen and ink, graphite and 110 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

3 SHOW PREVIEW 111 1 Charles Baughman, Western Kansas Sunset, acrylic and mixed media painting of photograph by Bonnie Johnson. 2 Bonnie Johnson, Western Kansas Sunset, photograph. 3 Charles Baughman, Meadow, acrylic and mixed media painting of photograph by Stan Reimer. 4 Charles Baughman, Kansas Sky, acrylic and mixed media painting of photograph by Brian Creal. 4

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / CODA GALLERY 3/18-3/30 Palm Desert, CA MICHAEL STEIRNAGLE Eye for Design M ichael Steirnagle pivoted to fine art after a long career in illustration. “Around the time that computers showed up and took over the illustration business, I decided I didn’t want to compete with that,” he remembers. He took a job teaching at Palomar College and immediately gravitated to figure painting. However, he still views the human figure as primarily a design element. “You can move them in any way you want and create some really interesting designs and patterns with light, shadow and color,” he says. Steirnagle’s illustration background comes through in Beach Candy, which features people lounging on the beach under colorful umbrellas. After looking at aerial drone photos of a beach, he noticed natural patterns and shapes emerging on the ground below. He points out that the umbrellas in Beach Candy are set up on a diagonal grid, with sunbathers inter- spersed between them. “The structure works to keep the whole painting together so that there is no particular focal point,” he says. “I like to paint figures, but I don’t try to paint specific people. The point is really 1 2 112 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

3 for the viewer’s eye to move all around the canvas.” Dolphin Swim. “I did one figure and the painting was 1 SHOW PREVIEW 113 The start of the pandemic gave Steirnagle an cool, but I realized I could create patterns within the The Match, oil on linen, painting and I needed more figures to do it,” he says. 66 x 66\" opportunity to challenge himself with larger paintings. “It really afforded me the opportunity to stretch my The result is an image of many divers overlap- 2 wings,” he says. He worked on paintings jam-packed ping, so they look like a pod of dolphins swimming Dolphin Swim, oil on with figures and full of dynamic imagery, including in the ocean. “I had to let go of reality, because that linen, 44 x 72\" The Match, which depicts the drama of a polo match. particular perspective could not be duplicated in real life,” Steirnagle says. 3 “I had gone to a polo match and shot a couple of photo- Beach Candy, oil on graphs. I initially had no intention of doing a painting, Steirnagle’s show at CODA Gallery opens in Palm linen, 75 x 75\" but the people were wearing such interesting hats and Springs, California, on March 18 with a reception from clothing,” Steirnagle says. The painting is rich in color 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. It runs through March 30. and shadow, capturing the playful atmosphere of race day. CODA Gallery While watching the Summer Olympics, Steirnagle 73400 El Paseo #B1 • Palm Desert, CA 92260 became fascinated with the way the divers moved in (760) 346-4661 • www.codagallery.com the water, and it became the basis for his painting

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / CLAGGETT/REY GALLERY 3/1-3/31 Edwards, CO DEREK PENIX Temecula Sunrise 1 2 3 A t the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, before most people were even aware what was coming down the road, painter Derek Penix and his family sold their Oklahoma home and were planning a move to Temecula, California. And then everything went haywire. For Penix, however, even though the move itself was stressful, the change of scenery had a huge impact on his creative energy. “It was just so pretty. Temecula is a little inland, so it was all vineyards and horse properties and ranches,” he says. “That first wave of shutdowns wasn’t so bad because I had these new views around this new place. The timing ended up being perfect.” Although his newest show—opening March 1 at Claggett/Rey Gallery in Edwards, Colorado—doesn’t have a theme or title, one that can be gleaned from the finished paintings and his state of mind over the past two years might be “Chaotic Serenity.” This motif can be seen in his new paintings Seagulls, Koi and Apples. In each work there is a flutter of motion, be it flapping wings, flicking tails or flut- tering leaves, and yet there is a calmness to that movement within his works. “I did like painting the variety for this show,” Penix says. “When I started 114 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

4 representational. “I’m attracted to that idea of figura- 1 SHOW PREVIEW 115 tion, but really experimenting with it and looking for Birds Eye View, oil, adding to the mix I was playing around with different those accidents with the paint.” 20 x 20\" things, just trying to see what I could get away with. And I did do some California coasts, mostly because He continues: “Creativity is more accidental than 2 I was attracted to the shapes of the coastline.” preplanned. As an artist I want to embrace the accidents Apples, oil, 30 x 40\" and go with the flow. When you limit yourself you fall Penix mentioned shapes several times and finally into traps.” 3 admits his next works might be full-on abstracts. Koi, oil, 48 x 48\" Mostly, he says, he’s ready to try new things. “I want Claggett/Rey Gallery to take my work out as far as I can just to see what 216 Main Street, Suite C-100 • Edwards, CO 81632 4 happens. If you’re going to fail, then fail big,” he says, (970) 476-9350 • www.claggettrey.com Seagulls, oil, 36 x 36\" adding that he’s been recently interested in Richard Diebenkorn’s paintings that are abstract, yet vaguely

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / ARCADIA CONTEMPORARY 3/10-3/31 New York, NY A Touch of Romance A fter the French Revolution in 1789, with the same title by Pieter Bruegel the Second, a 5-by-4-foot canvas, is from his artists became disillusioned with the Elder. Nienartowicz explores the effects Obscura Series. From afar, the photoreal- ideas of reason and order from the enlight- of religion on the mind and on the body istic subject is approachable, seemingly enment and began to pursue the imagina- explaining, “Following the theory of obscured by a layer of bubble wrap. Closer, tion and emotion in a new creative era now empiricism, according to which, on the his brushstrokes are prominent abstrac- referred to as romanticism. The French day of birth, everyone is a tabula rasa—a tions. In his process, he brushes on a poet and essayist Charles Baudelaire (1821- blank blackboard, each event leaves a mark. translucent glaze that he removes in the 1867) wrote, “To say the word Romanticism Systems of beliefs and practices, doctrines, highlights with a cotton swab. is to say modern art - that is, intimacy, cults and rituals leave behind deep and spirituality, color, aspiration towards the indelible traces. They create a framework Steven Lawler paints in West Yorkshire, infinite, expressed by every means avail- for thinking firmly and indisputably, England. The figure in his painting Before able to the arts.” because they make themselves infallible. the Storm emerges from the dark in the Just as the skin serves as a room for the manner of the Old Masters and characters in Arcadia Contemporary presents The interior, keeping it intact, so beliefs and his favorite film noir. These filmmakers’ and New Romantics with young painters from doctrines are imprinted on it with marks painters’ use of light, separated by centuries, around the world at its New York gallery, and tattoos.” create a sense of drama, regardless of the March 10 through 31. subject. The dramatic light adds both clari- Darian Mederos emigrated from Cuba fication and mystery to his characters. The Polish artist Agnieszka where he had been painting as a young Nienartowicz portrays women and girls boy. He challenges the viewer to under- Megan Elizabeth Read comes to who reveal classic paintings of Western art stand the human face and figure—both painting from a career in the tech field. tattooed on their backs. In The Triumph of of which reveal our lives. The Orange Largely self-taught, she grew up in rural Death, she reveals a portion of the painting Virginia drawing as often as she could. 1 116 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

1 Anne-Christine Roda, L’escargot, oil on canvas, 35 x 57\" 2 Megan Elizabeth Read, Inhale-Light, oil on linen, 6 x 6\" 3 Agnieszka Nienartowicz, The Triumph of Death, oil on canvas, 39 x 28\" 4 Steven Lawler, Before the Storm, oil on canvas, 42 x 32\" 2 SHOW PREVIEW 117 34

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW 5 118 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

Today, her sophisticated, hyperrealist 6 SHOW PREVIEW 119 female figures exist in dark spaces, the better to reveal something about them- 5 selves or the human condition. They Darian Mederos, occupy the dark space rather than emerge The Orange Second, from it as in Lawler’s paintings. The dark oil on canvas, is their place of discovery. In her tiny, 60 x 48\" 6-by-6-inch painting Inhale-Light, the 6 kneeling figure appears to have breathed Daniela Astone, in life-giving light and air, raising her from Love, oil on linen, a collapsed posture, still remembered and 39 x 55\" still visible in a ghostly remnant. 7 Jose Lopez French painter Anne-Christine Roda’s Vergara, Reverence, figures also emerge from the dark. In oil on panel, L’escargot, a woman dressed in a linen and 20 x 16\" lace nightdress curls into a fetal position in a complex composition of arms, legs and 7 fabric. It is as if she has withdrawn into her shell like the snail, having slowed down and protecting herself. As the snail retracts into its shell, she withdraws her spiritual self into her physical body. Other artists with work in the show are Daniela Astone and Jose Lopez Vergara. Arcadia Contemporary 421 W. Broadway • New York, NY 10012 (646) 861-3941 • www.arcadiacontemporary.com

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / ABEND GALLERY 3/25-4/23 Denver, CO LEIGH ANN VAN FOSSAN & JAMES VAN FOSSAN From Sea to Sky Artists Leigh Ann Van Fossan and The tondo Sky 43 has brilliance in color 1 James Van Fossan have been married and light, but there’s a movement in the for 13 years, have shared studio space and clouds that comes with James applying making and his usual application of paint. It have constantly encouraged one another’s the paint in a new way. The large circle, he brings about the highly realistic details and artwork, but until now they have never had says, “creates a really exciting effect. It feels emotion that he’s trying to elicit. an official gallery exhibition together. On like you are laying down and looking up at March 25, Abend Gallery in Denver will a bright sky, and the clouds are moving.” A From Sea to Sky will be on view at the open From Sea to Sky a duo for the artists smaller work, titled Sky 60, is a mixed media gallery through April 23. that focuses on the light, atmosphere and piece that shows raw panel, charcoal mark beauty of the natural world. Abend Gallery 1261 Delaware Street, Suite 2 • Denver, CO 80204 Leigh Ann was born and raised in the (303) 355-0950 • www.abendgallery.com mountains—living now in Colorado with James and their children—but she has always been pulled toward the ocean. “I dream about it, and crave it, and visit it whenever I can,” she says. “It holds a special power over me—it calls to me, and yet it terrifies me at the same time. I wanted this body of work to speak to the magnificence of the sea in coordination with the even more vast magnificence of the sky (captured in James’ works).” Seascapes and beaches remain the subject of her paintings for this show, however there’s a technical focus that has captured Leigh Ann. “I’ve been able to really focus on my favorite aspects of those pieces; how the colors in the sky reflect in the water, how the boats in one piece relate to the boats in another, how man and nature interact harmoniously in these compositions,” she elaborates. “I really wanted to communicate ‘calm’ and ‘dreamlike’ in this body of work. I think we can all use a little more of that feeling these days.” Her paintings, such as Sweet Dreams and The Answer, have what she calls a “unique mood” and they exemplify the subtleties of light and color shifts that inspired the new work. James has been painting skies for many years, but recently tried a looser approach. “I found that I am able to achieve the same levels of depth and movement (and some- times even more now) if I relax my brush- strokes and play with the application more freely,” he says. “In this new body of work, I also dove into a ‘mixed media’ approach— adding some metallic leafing and charcoal sketching to some of the paintings.” In each of these paintings, James hopes the viewers “sense a new energy” and “feel the freedom I felt while painting them.” 120 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

1 2 Leigh Ann Van Fossan, The Answer, oil, 24 x 20\" 2 James Van Fossan, Sky 43, oil, 72\" 3 Leigh Ann Van Fossan, Sweet Dreams, oil, 12 x 12\" 4 James Van Fossan, Sky 60, oil on board, 12 x 12\" 34 SHOW PREVIEW 121

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / PRINCIPLE GALLERY 3/18-4/18 Alexandria, VA Objects at Rest Beginning March 18 at Principle things he had around his house and garden. pear that brought the piece together. “We Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia, is a Sometimes he chooses just based on inter- have several pear trees on our property, new show featuring the paintings of three esting items in his studio. “I never try to some wilder than others,” he adds. “None artists—Larry Preston, Jorge Alberto and tell a story,” he says. “I always choose the are particularly well tended.  I make a Elizabeth Floyd—who create works in the items in the composition first and decide point of looking for fruits that are not still life genre. The trio will be showing a on the arrangement of those items. Color perfect. I like fruit with character.” variety of subjects, including florals and is secondary.” fruits, but also objects that accentuate Alberto will bring a different flavor of texture and reflective properties. In Five Wild Pears, Preston paints a work to the show by including images row of pears, each one unique within the showing metal and fabric. “My paintings For Preston, the objects he chose were lineup. It was the different look of each for this show are a combination of Trompe l’Oeil painting and my own interpretation of traditional tabletop still life,” he says. “The range of the work goes from painted frames, fruit and flowers to a takeoff of the banana that was taped to the wall at Art Basel!” In the painting And All That Jazz, Alberto turned his attention to a saxo- phone, which he does not play but liked the object as a subject. “Although I do not play any musical instruments, I find them fascinating and always keep my eyes open for the opportunity to paint them. A few years ago I did a similar Trompe l’Oeil painting of a trumpet and was looking for another brass instrument to paint,” he says. “In the case of And All That Jazz, the saxophone I used, I borrowed from a friend. This particular saxophone was owned by my friend’s father who played in a band from 1940 to 1950. The history behind the instrument  inspired me to create this painting.” Floyd will be showing several floral pieces. “I have a passion for detail. I love how life is often full of layers and that is also how I feel our homes are too,” Floyd says. “We grow each year adding experi- ences, and often we gather mementos that remind us of these experiences. Each object is a visual note from our past. Looking at a book, or a pile of seashells will animate our senses, evoking nostalgic times of joy and pleasure.” She adds: “This collection of paintings I have created are celebrations of the small details that populate our lives.” Principle Gallery 208 King Street • Alexandria, VA 22314 (703) 739-9326 • www.principlegallery.com 1 122 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

2 3 4 SHOW PREVIEW 123 1 2 3 4 Jorge Alberto, And All that Larry Preston, Five Wild Elizabeth Floyd, Peonies and Larry Preston, Daffodils on Jazz, oil on panel, 29 x 21\" Pears, oil on panel, 14 x 24\" Butterfly, oil on linen, 36 x 30\" Bricks, oil on linen panel, 16 x 12\"

UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / JANE HAMILTON FINE ART 3/18-3/31 Tucson, AZ 30 Years of Art I n the summer of 1979, while living at Parsons’ admin never returned from New 1 a campsite in Taos, New Mexico, Jane York, and he told Hamilton she should stay Hamilton had an encounter that changed on at the gallery because you can’t teach Arizona, 30 years ago. her life. One evening a friend asked her anyone how to sell art—you either have it In 2001 Hamilton made the move to what she was going to do when the winter or you don’t. She worked in the gallery for came and she had to move back into town, over five years before relocating to Arizona. Tucson where she opened at the Joesler but she didn’t have an answer. “The friend She soon opened her first gallery in Bisbee, Village before relocating to a large corner said to me, ‘why don’t you pray about it,’” showroom on Skyline Drive in 2009. recalls Hamilton. “It stuck with me, and a Hamilton has built a dynamic roster of few days later I did a little prayer…asking artists that doesn’t cater specifically to for fun, creative, interesting work.” one demographic, allowing collectors of all types to find exactly what they’ve been When Hamilton moved into town she looking for. “I try to stay eclectic, in the began working for storeowners whenever good sense of the word,” Hamilton says. they needed help in their shops or days off. “We have Native American art, we have Art dealer Jim Parsons had heard about landscapes, we have just about every style her “sitting” for businesses, and asked and there’s a lot of outside artwork as well.” Hamilton if she’d be interested in working for him while his administrator was on To mark her gallery’s 30th anniversary, vacation in New York for two weeks. At Hamilton will have a show from March 18 first Hamilton hesitated because she didn’t to 31. A gallery celebration will take place know the gallery business, but after their opening night from 4 to 7 p.m. The exhibi- paths crossed a few more times, she agreed tion includes artwork on view by a number to watch the gallery two days each week. of the gallery artists including paintings by her husband, Tom Murray, who is “I walked into the gallery, and I had an recognized for his realistic Southwest epiphany,” Hamilton says. “I felt totally landscapes; glass and steel sculptures by at peace, that feeling of I’m home.” At newest gallery artist Mary Sherwood; and the gallery, collectors were coming in the “storybook” paintings of Tucson artist and talking about their collections, and Doug Shelton. Hamilton ended up selling a few paintings. Jane Hamilton Fine Art 2890 E. Skyline Drive, Suite 180 • Tucson, AZ 85718 (520) 529-4886 • www.janehamiltonfineart.com 2 124 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

1 3 SHOW PREVIEW 125 Jane Hamilton Fine Art 5 has been located at its Skyline Drive for more than 10 years. 2 Inside the gallery visitors will find a mix of artwork from highly realistic to sculptural art. 3 Tom Murray, With the Autumn Aspens, oil on linen, 12 x 16\" 4 Mary Sherwood, Let the Sun Shine, fused glass and steel, 72 x 30\" 5 Doug Shelton, The Prospector, oil, 40 x 30\" 4

ARTIST FOCUS East of Eden, oil on panel, 16 x 12\" I Can Hear You, charcoal, 30 x 22\" Cathryne Trachok “ W hen your gallery asks you if Trachok. “But I can honestly say that white/blue around Lake Tahoe. And in you would like a solo show, I am so excited to be doing a solo show the spring, everything is full of color there is a thrill and a fear that settle in. at Cheryl Newby Gallery, and the fear and buds and warmth mixed with a The thrill in having someone you respect has been replaced by eager anticipation.” sense of awe that it did come again. ask you to do something you love, and Even after a really tough winter. These the fear that you won’t get everything The exhibition, Come Again, is a are interesting times we live in, but done in time,” says artist Cathryne celebration of returns. Spring will come as an artist, I appreciate that there is again, and with the warm weather, the beauty all around us, and spring will The Next Wave, oil on linen, 20 x 24\" always come again,” she says. Trachok’s flowers will come again. On upcoming solo exhibition takes place a deeper level, the artist says at Cheryl Newby Gallery in Pawleys she feels like “the celebrations Island, South Carolina. we once took for granted are coming again with an even Want to See More? greater level of appreciation.” www.cathrynetrachok.com Trachok looks at the world Represented by Cheryl Newby Gallery with curiosity, everything 11096 Ocean Highway | Pawleys Island, SC 29585 having some sort of visual (843) 979-0149 | www.cherylnewbygallery.com impact on her. In the winter, it may be the lack of leaves /catrachok on the vines in her beautiful Napa home, or the green hills @catrachokart surrounding the valley due to heavy rain. “In the mountains where I grew up, the snow comes, leaving a beautiful 126 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

ARTIST FOCUS Kirill, oil on panel, 24 x 18\" J Louis A merican artist J Louis lives and Anastasia, oil on panel, 24 x 18\" works in New York City. In his early 20s, the artist was recognized for is witnessing a moment of recognition beyond his vision and has garnered exposure their understanding as these meaningful rapidly, exhibiting with many of the finest glances rest in an unexpectedly ambiguous representational galleries worldwide. His space. Louis’ compositions profoundly break work is currently collected and found in down the setting and apply focus on the figure numerous prestigious collections. by manipulating their vivid color landscape. The contradiction of virtuosic draftsmanship His oil paintings are painted on linen and a discerning taste for appropriate abstrac- panels where he expresses model-like tion form the unique emotional and artistic figures as the center of attention. Although quality of his art. evocative and graceful, these individuals are poised and occupy the painted space Want to See More? AR TIST FOCUS 127 with mysterious confidence. Louis paints with lively, inventive handling of this www.jlouis.co medium. However, he uses more than a Represented by Zeiger Gallery brush. He masterfully manipulates the www.zeigergallery.com surface of the painting and the paint itself, thus constructing fascinating textures and @jlou.is surface qualities. Viewers of his work will notice velvety thin glazes of paint move over the textured panel and mingle with thicker masses of dense pigment, making dramatic contrast in color and texture. His play of material and textural blemishes breathes life into the otherwise still figures. He says, “The beauty of the paint, reflected in human figures, is compounded in the imperfections of the surface. This collaboration is hidden and exquisitely revealed within the composition connecting line, color and texture into a magnificent study of human form and beauty.” His artwork primarily features women in intimate poses, and it feels as if the viewer Lilly, oil on panel, 48 x 36\"

ARTIST FOCUS Numa - Restarante en Madrid, oil on canvas, 15 x 16\" Puesta de Sol, oil on canvas, 51 x 51\" Campo de Golf Junto al Mar, oil on canvas, 39 x 32\" Paloma Hinojosa W hether depicting lively night one of Spain’s most recognized and piece of my experiences but links it to parties on the beach, Parisian leading neo-impressionist contempo- their own, and links it to their memories streets or bustling sidewalk cafes of her rary painters. The self-taught artist and desires.” native Madrid, Paloma Hinojosa’s pant- defines her aesthetic as spontaneous ings strive to not just simply re-create as she allows her emotions to guide her Catch Hinojosa’s work at Onessimo the world, but to convey the emotions throughout. The resulting images yield Fine Art for her show The Joy of Living: of memory and place. By elevating a constructed interplay between realism, The Works of Paloma Hinojosa, from sensations over form, Hinojosa aims abstraction and impressionism. March 11 to 13. to speak from the soul. For Hinojosa, art is transcendent. She states, “I am Hinojosa’s style easily draws viewers Want to See More? convinced that authentic art is not into a dreamlike world that offers a subject to ‘fashion’ or ‘to the market,’ but whimsical escape. Her iconic moon Represented by Onessimo Fine Art comes from the heart and lasts forever. set against night skies in paintings 256 Worth Avenue | Palm Beach, FL 33480 It’s not just for the artist but for the such as Campo de Golf Junto al Mar (561) 223-2194 | www.onessimofineart.com people who see it.” (Golf Course by the Sea) and Puesta de Sol (Sunset) showcase her ability to /onessimo.fineart Throughout her 40-year career, transport and connect with viewers. She Hinojosa has established herself as states, “In my work, the viewer takes a @onessimofineart 128 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

ARTIST FOCUS Kevin Box KevinBoxStudio and Robert J. Lang, Scents of Sincerity, Rose Kusudama, powder coated fabricated aluminum, 96 x 96 x 96\". Photo by Tira Howard. A rtist Kevin Box takes the art of origami—folding paper in creative ways KevinBoxStudio, Beth Johnson, Michael G LaFosse and Robert J. Lang, to produce elegant objects—to another level Pinwheel Wildflowers, powered coated fabricated aluminum and steel, various sizes. with his museum-quality metal sculptures. He transforms these paper designs through processes he has pioneered through teamwork with foundries, fabrication shops and his studio staff. Origami in the Garden, an exhibition created by Santa Fe artists Jennifer and Kevin Box, features Box’s own compositions as well as collaborations with world-renowned origami artists Dr. Robert J. Lang, Michael G. LaFosse, Beth Johnson and Te Jui Fu. The exhibition places these artworks in botanical gardens where they feel right at home in their settings since paper originates in plant life and origami is made of paper. For the Origami in the Garden team, pre- pandemic years were a time of enormous creative growth, as a caterpillar-like appetite for learning and exploring propelled the sharing of their art in the living context of public gardens. Then COVID-19 hit. Unable to travel, the artists settled into a cocooning phase, turning inward through reflection and studio work. Now the metamorphosis is complete and an enchanting butterfly of exciting new sculptural work has emerged. The largest Origami in the Garden exhi- bition to date opens May 7 at the Atlanta Botanical Garden and continues through October 16. The new artwork is even more connected with the natural world and aligned with the garden environment. It features monumental-scaled blossoms and other botanical subjects, including a 30-foot-tall bouquet of glorious color titled Scents of Gratitude. Another show at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, Virginia, will take place May 28 through November 13. These exhibits allow visitors to experience the artwork’s gift of beauty, joy and peace. Want to See More? KevinBoxStudio, Hero’s Horse, powder coated fabricated stainless steel, 216 x 216 x 216\" AR TIST FOCUS 129 (505) 471-4688 www.origamiinthegarden.com Represented by Kay Contemporary Art 600 Canyon Road | Santa Fe, NM 87501 (505) 365-3992 | www.kaycontemporaryart.com /origamiinthegarden @origamiinthegarden

ARTIST FOCUS Into the Whirlpool, Where Matter Vanishes, acrylic and colored pencil, 14 x 18\" L.HUNT Primarily a narrative figurative artist, L.HUNT uses acrylics and colored pencils to communicate ideas. “Where do ideas come from?” the artist asks. “Many places. Some ideas come from accidents. How can an idea come from an accident?” Two of L.HUNT’s recent works are based on random designs from paint strokes Endless, acrylic and colored pencil, that got on his art table while 30 x 20\" he was painting. “I recognized something in the designs that triggered ideas for other paintings,” he says. “Each new work emerged from what might be described as a ‘Painter’s Phoenix.’” One discarded stroke became a treelike vehicle landing on a restless ocean. It is now a painting titled Landing. Another random stroke became a disintegrating dove with an olive branch in its beak, representing how fleeting global peace is in the world. This painting became Transitory. “I work in a variety of mediums,” he says, “and my approach is that each idea begs for its own style and medium. What I choose will contribute to the impact of the idea.” L.HUNT says, “Art is human, ideas are great, man must cre- ate. Art is fine, art can be treasured, art has a place in human society. However, the importance of art should be understood realistically. If people are to change for the better, it will not be through art. It will need to be through other means.” L.HUNT will host his solo show AMALGAMATION, open- ing April 23 from 2 to 4 p.m, at his gallery in California. Want to See More? Represented by L.HUNT Gallery (951) 893-7949 | www.officiallhunt.com /officiallhunt /officiallhunt 130 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

LINDA MANN oil paintings LINDAMANN.COM Noguchi Lamp, Jewelry, and Scarf 2021, oil on linen, 24 x 24”



2 1. Courthouse Gallery Fine Art, Star Roots, acrylic on linen, 12 x 12\", by Janice Anthony. 2. Bryony Bensly, Gaia’s Birds, oil on canvas, 30 x 40\" M arch marks the beginning of these spaces, and know I could not COLLEC TOR'S FOCUS: WOMEN AR TISTS 133 of mud season in Maine. survive long in their inhospitable reaches, The winter snows are they exist in my mind and I feel them as melting and the spring my home.” equinox brings the hope of a new growing season. Far from the wild places, Maria Jimenez paints the beach at East Hampton, an Janice Anthony lives on a farm long ago exclusive resort on Long Island. It is remi- carved out of the wilderness. She and her niscent of 19th-century luminist nocturnes family often seek out the wilderness where with its soft, atmospheric lighting. Known scenes such as in her painting Star Roots for her insightful portraits of adolescents attest to a flourishing, complex ecosystem. discovering themselves and their place She says, “I live happily in the midst of in the world, this painting also portrays nature, here in Maine where I tend to trust a time of transition—transition in the in the general benevolence of the natural moment and transition over time. The world around me. Maybe I have come to footprints of people now moved on to expect a benign disinterest, though I know the next part of their day will soon be I have no real control over the streams and erased by the rising tide. Rising sea forests around me, we have colonized this levels and ocean storms will eventually place to suit our lives. erase all the human encroachments on the environment. “But I am always aware of what exists beyond, distant from the assumed safety Adina Yoon uses the environment of this outcropping of nature; true wilder- and the mythical phoenix to illustrate a ness that fascinates and calls me. There personal transition out of “mental road- are vast spaces that remain indifferent to blocks” in her work. She says, “Like the me, to all of us, where I would get lost, white phoenix rising from the ashes of or feel danger, or be overwhelmed by old situations that weren’t working, this immensity. Knowing such wild places painting represents the rekindling of that exist is necessary to me, that there are initial spark and joy, and represented by cold relentless winds that scour unknown the volcanoes, even the underlying tumul- lands with a force I could not withstand, tuous passion and fury that explode into where any tiny narrative I might presume the creation of something new and some- to impose is completely irrelevant. thing quite unexpected…This painting Though I have only touched small corners explores that inner journey of the artist, 1

COLLECTOR'S FOCUS WOMEN ARTISTS 34 that most times in order to create something new 5 6 or to follow an illuminated revelation, you must cut ties and even destroy the old world that you knew. Bryony Bensly depicts the mythological Gaia, 3. Era Contemporary, Illumination, There is no creation without destruction, there is the Greek mother of all life, emerging from the oil on panel, 12 x 9\", by Adina Yoon. no destruction without initial creation. This piece fecund earth. Today, the goddess has given her 4. Abend Gallery, East Hampton, explores that paradox and that dance of life and name to the Gaia hypothesis which posits the watercolor, 7½ x 10\", by Maria death of the creative process and the continual earth as a complex system held in balance to Jimenez. 5. 33 Contemporary, evolution of the artist herself.” sustain life. Bensly says, “Gaia’s Birds addresses Eride / Rebirth, oil on Belgian linen, the rapidly declining bird population and asks 39.3 x 39.3\", by Erica Calardo. what this world would be without them? Here, 6. 33 Contemporary, Braids and Gloves Too, oil on panel, 24 x 18\", by Ellen Starr Lyon. 134 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

“Dinner Rush” | 24x24 | Mixed Media www.janinesalzman.com

COLLECTOR'S FOCUS WOMEN ARTISTS 78 9 10 11 they are fading away, their fragility paints on aluminum rather than canvas, culture and music that surround me. If expressed as glass, as the day wanes. and often incorporates gold leaf into the nothing else, my work is authentic.” Dunn Gaia and the bird’s stillness attempts to overall composition. “I love using metal feels that the internet has opened doors for create a sense of silence where life should leaf in my paintings for multiple reasons. women artists, rural artists and artists from be thriving.” These metals are of the earth, they are all kinds of backgrounds. “When you buy considered ‘precious,’ and therefore a work of art, you’re acquiring a little piece The sheer variety of artwork represented I feel they give a reverential quality to the of the artist’s heart and soul,” she says, “and throughout the pages of this collector’s subject matter (similar to the Madonna you’re making it possible for that artist to focus highlight the creativity and innova- and Child paintings of the Gothic/Proto- keep creating more work.” tion of women artists working today. As Renaissance),” says Jones. “I also love, you move through the section, contemplate aesthetically, the way the light reflects off Colored pencil artist Suzanne Vigil, which works speak loudest to you. of the metal, changing as the light in the who is based in New Mexico, uses her space shifts.” medium to create brilliant color and Blue Rain Gallery in Santa Fe, New texture. “Those qualities are so important Mexico, represents an array of talented Cristy Dunn’s artwork has always been in my narratives. As a figurative artist artists working today. Among these is deeply connected to place. “I hope a rever- I am drawn to all shapes, sizes and colors figurative painter Robin Jones, whose ence for the land and the natural world and with each new character, there is a paintings reflect realistic portraits of comes through. There was a time when story to be told. I begin with a focal point young people coupled with endangered I felt limited as a woman artist from the which could be the figure or a unique animals and sometimes historical figures. Appalachian region, but I have come to prop. The story and the figure begin to Young people, Jones feels “will inherit appreciate and embrace these experi- unfold simultaneously,” she says. “I work the planet that we leave them—and they ences,” she says. “More than anything, my the entire surface from one component are also among the strongest and most work is informed by the beauty and the to the next. This helps me balance color influential voices in the climate change hardness of the landscape and by the rich and depth. I look for areas where texture and animal liberation movements.” She 136 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

12 COLLEC TOR'S FOCUS: WOMEN AR TISTS 137 13 14 15 16 7. 33 Contemporary, Scorpion Whisperer, oil on dibond, 18 x 24\", by Kate Van Doren. 8. Blue Rain Gallery, That You’re Part of This Place, oil and 24k gold leaf on aluminum panel, 36 x 48\", by Robin Jones. 9. Suzanne Vigil, Can Fantasy Be Real?, colored pencil on drafting film, 32 x 28\" 10. Blue Rain Gallery, Going Back From Whence We Came, oil and 24k gold leaf on aluminum panel, 36 x 48\", by Robin Jones. 11. Mary Calengor, PERSEVERANCE, oil on canvas, 36 x 48\" 12. Pamela Winters, CHILI, bronze, 20 x 9 x 10\" (left) and CHARLIE, bronze, 25½ x 9 x 10\" 13. Linda Mann, Sandstone, Driftwood, and Bottle, oil on linen, 15½ x 23¼\" 14. Blue Rain Gallery, Ready to Imagine Another World. And Ready to Fight For It, oil and 24k gold leaf on aluminum panel, 30 x 24\", by Robin Jones. 15. Suzanne Vigil, Carnival Queen, colored pencil on drafting film both sides, 32 x 28\" 16. Linda Mann, Wrinkled Paper, Greek Vase, and Obsidian, oil on linen, 18¾ x 28¼\"

COLLECTOR'S FOCUS WOMEN ARTISTS 17 18 19 20 21 22 17. Cristy Dunn, Finding Freedom, oil on panel, 24 x 18\" 18. Mary Calengor, IMPERFECT BEAUTY, oil on canvas, 48 x 48\" 19. Crystal Beshara, Summer Canopy, oil on Belgian linen, 16 x 14\" (framed) 20. Crystal Beshara, Moon Flower, watercolor on 140lb cold-pressed paper, 12 x 12\" 21. Tara Will, Gold Rush, soft pastel, 25½ x 19½\" 22. Suzie Seerey-Lester, Wood Stork Study, acrylic on panel, 12 x 6\" 23. Tara Will, Zion Energy, soft pastel, 25½ x 19½\" 24. Suzie Seerey-Lester, Walking the Rails, acrylic on panel, 36 x 26\" 25. Tara Will, Battery Park Palms, soft pastel, 31½ x 23½\" 26. Suzie Seerey-Lester, Calm Waters, oil on panel, 6 x 12\" 27. Laura Pollak, RUBY, soft pastel on archival paper, 14 x 11\" 28. Sarah M Paddock, Early Morning, oil on linen, 16 x 20\" will be the most effective as a plain drape objects from the past in paint gives them “When choosing a still life,” says artist may go from bland to a shiny satin. A wool new life. I feel like a messenger passing Linda Mann, “I always advise collectors rug may become an animal skin. Midway these stories on to another generation. If to listen to their hearts. A still life, more through I have developed my direction, a painting draws the viewer in and evokes than any other type of art, inspires quiet but I always leave space for something a personal reaction or association, the contemplation and study. It is an artwork unexpected. I want the viewer to find their artwork becomes far more valuable to them to live with intimately. It should depict a own meaning in some of my symbolism than just something to fill wall space.” fascinating, dramatic, self-contained world and connect.” that you find compelling and that you can As Calengor moves through her return to every day with pleasure.” Mann As a still life artist, Mary Calengor process, it can take multiple layers paints her still lifes with an understanding chooses subjects to paint that are as impor- to re-create the textures and wear an of how people see and know the world—not tant as the actual exercise of painting them. object has undergone throughout the by recording every detail as a camera does, She says, “Many of my paintings contain years. From rusted pots to torn and but rather by observing the essential and objects that have had a life of their own faded leather, it’s these little details that editing out the unimportant. “In each still with stories to tell, if they could. Capturing Calengor enjoys working with most. 138 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

23 24 25 life, I arrange and light objects carefully, 26 27 COLLEC TOR'S FOCUS: WOMEN AR TISTS 139 creating a fascinating, intimate world,” she 28 says. Working exclusively from life, without photographic references, she observes and captures the ephemeral, dramatic effects of light and shadow, imbuing everyday objects with weight and meaning. Chicago-based 33 Contemporary showcases the work of talented artists such as Ellen Starr Lyon, Kate Van Doren and Erica Calardo. Lyon is a figurative painter focusing on modern portraiture that revolves around feminism, motherhood and coming of age. Her painting style incorporates a colorful palette and multiple thin, luminous layers with a nod to realism but also the search for something more. “During this time of constant change and fear of the unknown, I find myself looking more and more inward to make sense of the world. I am driven to paint about my ever-evolving experience of woman/wife/mother,” she says. CONTINUED ON PAGE 142

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1 2 3 1 ”Fuschia Floral”, not available 2 MasterWeaver Brisaidita Mejia, “Brisaiditas Rich Floral” 13\" W x 13\" H 3 Herta Peña, “Decorated Butterflies” 9” W x 8” H 4 5 6 4 Wounaan master weaver Telvinia Piraza, \"Floral Butterfly by Telvinia” 18\" W x 15\" H, 2+ years in construction 5 Nerby Membora, “Butterfly by Nerby” 6.5\" W x 5.5\" H 6 Gladys Teucama, “Butterflies by Gladys” 7\" W x 6\" H 505-920-6712 Online and By Appointment rainforestbaskets.com

COLLECTOR'S FOCUS WOMEN ARTISTS 29 30 31 32 33 29. Jennifer Ferris, Bold & Beautiful, acrylic on wood panel, 48 x 96\" 30. Sarah M Paddock, Whisper of Jasmine, oil on linen, 20 x 16\" 31. Alina Eydel, Flutter XVII, acrylic on canvas with silver and gold leaf, glass bead mosaic and acrylicalized butterfly wings, 48 x 44\" (framed) 32. Renel Plouffe, Intime, acrylic, 40 x 30\" 33. Laura Pollak, OPEN TO THE UNIVERSE, soft pastel on archival board, 20 x 16\" 34. Jennifer Ferris, The Simple Joys, acrylic, 48 x 60\" 35. Alina Eydel, Flutter XV, acrylic on canvas with silver and gold leaf, glass bead mosaic and acrylicalized butterfly wings, 48 x 44\" (framed) 36. Renel Plouffe, Gratitude, oil, 40 x 30\" 37. Sarah M Paddock, Bathing In Autumn, oil on canvas, 15 x 30\" 38. Laura Pollak, TRILLION CUT, soft pastel on archival paper, 20 x 16\" Italian figurative painter Calardo says, “I Winters has completed several commis- into something beguiling.” am…bringing Old Masters’ techniques sions, which “brings tremendous joy” to Alina Eydel, artist and owner of Eydel into a lyrical, symbolic and oneiric both the client and the artist, she says, contemporary vision influenced by art adding that “your bronze purchase is not Fine Arts, has been exhibiting professi- nouveau. I paint figures of…beauty, eerie only an investment, but an heirloom.” onally since 2000 and is best known for and oneiric in their naked nature, floating her mixed media mosaic techniques of between worlds.” The artwork of award-winning oil glass bead mosaic and butterfly wing painter and watercolorist Crystal mosaic. Currently, Eydel’s work focuses The foundation for Van Doren’s work Beshara reflects her rural roots—a colli- on the interplay of imagery with her is capturing the struggle and strength at sion of realism and expressionism. Her mixed media materials. In her Flutter the heart of the human experience. Never subject matter is diverse, from flora series, Eydel intertwines the silhouettes shying away from difficult subject matter and fauna to farmscapes, seascapes and of a couple, just about to kiss, with the around mental and physical health, she florals. “I strive to paint more than just background imagery, often butterflies. joins with others to help tell their stories. a ‘pretty’ painting,” she says. “I want to She finishes the surfaces with a mix of touch the heart, awaken a bit of nostalgia metal leafs, glass bead mosaic and real Bronze artist Pamela M Winters pours in my viewer and moreover, illuminate butterfly wings. The juxtaposition of the her love of creation into her sculptures. subjects that sometimes can easily be materials with the composition creates Detail, movement and expression charac- overlooked; to transform the mundane intricate artwork that, while abstract at terize her work. Over the past few years, 142 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com

34 35 36 37 38 first glance, merges into focus as the Pieces like Zion Energy and Battery Park the highest compliment.” viewer shifts perspective. Palms exude a sense of dynamism and Suzie Seerey-Lester is an internationally movement. Her thoughts on collecting “My work is the reflection of the reflect many of the previous sentiments: renowned wildlife artist and paints only energy of the subject through light and to obtain artwork in which a deep connec- what she sees directly in the wild. Diving shadow patterns. I am so attracted to tion is felt. “Be in love,” she says. “Having headfirst into her subject matter, she is bold contrast and the beauty of light on a collector want to live with your work is holding an upcoming “master class” in a subject,” says pastel artist Tara Will. which students will photograph and learn F E AT U R E D ALINA EYDEL COURTHOUSE COLLEC TOR'S FOCUS: WOMEN AR TISTS 143 GALLERY FINE ART Artists & Eydel Fine Arts Galleries 800 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 101 6 Court Street Naples, FL 34102 Ellsworth, ME 04605 33 CONTEMPORARY (239) 273-7677, (239) 594-0266 (207) 667-6611 www.eydelia.com, www.alinaeydel.com www.courthousegallery.com 1029 W. 35th Street, Chicago IL 60609 www.eydelfineartsgallery.com www.33contemporarygallery.com CRISTY DUNN BLUE RAIN GALLERY ABEND GALLERY (423) 957-6346, www.cristydunn.com 544 S. Guadalupe Street 1261 Delaware Street, Suite 2 Santa Fe, NM 87501 CRYSTAL BESHARA Denver, CO 80204 (505) 954-9902 (303) 355-0950, www.abendgallery.com [email protected] L’Orignal, ON, (613) 276-1568 www.blueraingallery.com [email protected] www.crystalbeshara.com BRYONY BENSLY www.bryonybensly.net

COLLECTOR'S FOCUS WOMEN ARTISTS 39 40 41 39. Vesna Longton, Cherry tree nymph, 3D glass painting, 24 x 30\" 40. Vesna Longton, Transformation, 3D glass painting with lights, 27¼ x 28¼\" 41. Renel Plouffe, Secret, oil, 20 x 20\" how to paint wolf packs, mountain lions, the world by painting vibrant, colorful every piece.” snow leopards and bears, to name a few. and happy imagery,” says Ferris. “Choose Working with acrylic, oil, pastel, spray artwork that makes you smile, and place it Laura Pollak delves into the world of somewhere you will pass it daily.” paint and charcoal, Renel Plouffe creates three-dimensional pastel art. Her works abstract expressionist paintings that are explore the deep luminescence of natural Painter Sarah M Paddock says, “I am built in layers. The inspiration behind her stones that emit their own captivating always so moved by people’s stories. art, she says, is “the quest of transition.” glow, as well as glistening jewels and Every individual has a unique history shiny metals that continuously catch her and yet so many of us have shared, lived Russian-American artist Vesna Longton eye. “[My work] explores the crevasses experiences. So often our stories involve is an innovative creator. Using a multilayer and lesions of our world and opens us to or are surrounded by ordinary sights and method, she creates three-dimensional the possibilities of light and hope,” says common items. My work, as an artist, is glass, three-dimensional resin paintings the artist. to try to capture both something real and and sculptures that capture the fantastical something romantic or sentimental about and meditative aspects of art. Color energizes artist Jennifer Ferris, each piece with particularity. I want to whose work involves constant invention reflect the specialness of those thoughts The artists featured in this section come and exploration. “The need to create is an and memories with real consideration from different walks of life, and the diver- integral part of my being, and a source of and representation of each article in sity in their styles, subjects and mediums great joy. I strive to share that feeling with offer elements of wonder and variety to any art collection. F E AT U R E D LAURA POLLAK SARAH M PADDOCK Artists & [email protected] (585) 301-1698 Galleries www.laurapollak.com www.sarahmpaddock.com LINDA MANN SUZANNE VIGIL [email protected] [email protected] www.lindamann.com SUZIE SEEREY-LESTER ERA CONTEMPORARY MARY CALENGOR (941) 966-2163, [email protected] Philadelphia, PA [email protected] www.seerey-lester.com [email protected] www.marycalengorfineart.com www.eracontemporary.com TARA WILL PAMELA M WINTERS JENNIFER FERRIS www.tarawill.com (918) 639-2112 (404) 245-6115 www.winterssculptures.com VESNA LONGTON [email protected] www.jenniferferrisart.com RENEL PLOUFFE (617) 678-7880 www.vesnalongton-art.com 144 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com (423) 902-6118 www.renelplouffe.com

“Pink and Yellow Tulips”, acrylic on canvas, 24” x 18” www.lindasacketti.art [email protected] // 847-691-1732 // Linda Sacketti Art // @lindasacketti

Suzanne Vigil [email protected] “The Quiet Before” “The Pause That Refreshes” 28x32, colored pencil on drafting film 18x24, colored pencil on drafting film

SHOW PREVIEW BREAKING THROUGH: THE RISE OF AMERICAN WOMEN ARTISTS When: March 5-May 29, 2022; March 12, awards ceremony and opening reception Where: Customs House Museum & Cultural Center, 200 S. Second Street, Clarksville, TN 37040 Information: www.americanwomenartists.org On the Rise American Women Artists’ next juried museum exhibition will be hosted March 5 to May 29 at Customs House Museum in Clarkesville, Tennessee. In 2017 the American Women — Name, Title 0 Artists launched its 25 in 25 1 initiative to host 25 museum exhibitions over 25 years. The 1 147 goal is to represent women artists Paige Wallis, Once I Was An Optimist, acrylic, 24 x 20\" on a greater scale in institutions, and through facilitating purchase awards with the venues to allow these artists the chance to join permanent museum collections. In 2022 the AWA juried exhibition, titled Breaking Through: The Rise of American Women Artists, will be hosted at Customs House Museum & Cultural Center in Clarksville, Tennessee, from March 5 through May 29. The show features 124 paintings and sculptures by members of the organization that are all available to purchase. Having a focus on women artists that is unrestricted in theme lets the exhibition have a wide range in medium, style and subject matter. Collectors will find everything from classic realism paintings to more abstracted sculpture. Figurative works abound in the exhibition. Paige Wallis’ painting Once I Was An Optimist shows a woman with sunflowers growing up around her. Zoey Zamarripa’s profile painting Kimberly is a serene work of art, while Anat Michaeli has bright colors heavily featured in Alectrona. Cher Pruys captures the essence of her subject in the fun painting Catching Snowflakes. Debbie Korbel’s Michael, Louise Solecki Weir’s Lullaby for Earth and Sky Opus 4 and FELICIA’s Expecting also explore the human form, showing how a multitude of materials—such as terra cotta, polymer gypsum and bronze, respectively—can be transformed

3 2 5 4 148 www.AmericanAr tCollector.com