48th Annual Art Festival Beth-El
Artist Bios
*click on any artist bio to visit their gallery!
ALEXANDER, Scott - Warren, PA
WOOD: Scott Alexander was born and raised within the gorgeous Allegheny National Forest in Warren, Pennsylvania. Growing up in such a stunning area, he became enamored with the lush forests, the beginning inspiration for his love of woodturning. After art school, Scott returned to his hometown with his wife and two sons. Scott gained employment as a commercial photographer and amateur furniture builder, and this year, Scott has made the leap to a fulltime woodturner. His bespoke work has been featured in numerous upscale showrooms and publications, including Bon Appetit Magazine. Scott honors nature by practicing sustainable woodworking, sourcing locally and giving shavings away for fertilizer or animal bedding. Using green wood, wood that has been recently cut and has not had an opportunity to season or dry, allows him to make a physical connection to his pieces unlike any other medium in which he has worked. He keeps his designs clean to allow the natural beauty of the wood to shine, and believes his job as a wood artist is to be an editor of Mother Nature’s best work.
AMBLER, Kent - Greenville, SC
WOOD PRINT: A printmaker and painter, Kent Ambler attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting. It was at Ball State where he was introduced to printmaking and discovered an innate “feel” for the process of making woodcuts. Ever since, woodcut prints are his medium of choice. Kent creates loosely cut prints based on everyday events and objects using the documentation of his everyday life as a substructure. Kent’s woodcuts explore traditional aesthetic qualities of art such as mark making, composition, color, shape, and line quality.
BASS, Mariel - St. Petersburg, FL
GLASS: Mariel Bass studied fine art and glass at Massachusetts College of Art, where she first discovered the art of glass blowing and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She has attended workshops at well known craft schools throughout the U.S. such as Pilchuck in Washington, Haystack School of Crafts in Maine, and Corning Glass in New York. She worked for several glass studios in the New England area before moving to St. John, USVI in 2008 where she helped run a recycled hot glass studio for five years. In 2013 Mariel moved to St. Petersburg, FL to join the St. Pete Glassworks team at Duncan McClellan’s glass studio. Mariel has had the pleasure of working with many renowned glass masters and in addition to creating glass for large scale public installations seen throughout town she also educates the public about glass and art through live demonstration. Recently she has participated in various group and collaborative shows such as the Italian Techniques exhibition at the Chihuly Museum in 2016 and Exquisite Corpse International in 2016 and 2017.
BAUERMEISTER, Michael - Augusta, MO
WOOD: Michael Bauermeister has worked in several museum collections including the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery and the Boston Museum of Art. His work is on display in three U.S. embassies and has been featured in books and magazines about wood art, including American Craft magazine, Wood Art Today (Schiffer Publications), and Scratching the Surface (North Light Books). In 2018, he won the Smithsonian Craft Show Award of Excellence in Wood. He says wood has become his voice and language, and after years spent making both useless and useful things the physical work of sawing, carving, turning, and polishing has become his contemplation. His real effort is figuring out what to make next. Sometimes the wood itself makes the suggestion, but other times he works just to keep his hands occupied. Sometimes it all comes together into a kind of wooden poem.
BRADLEY, Joseph - Greenville, SC
MIXED MEDIA: Joseph Bradley’s work has been seen in The New York Times, HGTV, Country Living, Traditional Home, and published in books by Chronicle and Penguin Books. Owning a successful gallery and studio in Greenville South Carolina's Art District, Bradley creates work for private collectors and corporations. He says, “I grew up in a 150 year old ramshackle farm house in rural South Carolina. I deeply connected to nature as a child - the horses, cows, and puppies on our little plot of land in the country were my friends. The work I make now is a celebration of that - an exercise in observation. I paint every single piece as if I were to hang it in my home. It just makes life better." His recent work is process-oriented and an exploration of intuition, experimentation, and playfulness, each work centering around themes of nature. They are meant to reveal our relationships to each other and the emotions those relationships elicit.
BUICK, Robert - Sherkston, Ontario
GLASS: Robert Buick fell in love with glass while attending Sheridan College School of Crafts and Design in Oakville, Ontario where he majored in Glass Blowing. After exploring all facets of working with glass Robert focused on fusing, slumping and kiln casting. Striving to cross the boundaries of classical technique Robert truly pushed the limits of this material through his exploration and execution. Recently, Robert has moved into pursuing large steel sculptures. The scale in which steel lends itself has always been intriguing for Robert and it does not limit him on any level. He is excited for work to come as he is always trying to push himself to create pieces that are timeless in design. For the past 30 years Robert has been creating unique and highly desirable works that demonstrate his expertise and boundless creativity.
CARTER, James - Southbury, CT
ACRYLIC: Through his acrylic paintings, James strives to give the viewer a fresh, whimsical view of familiar and some not so familiar situations. He likes to employ the underlying humor of reality vs. fantasy and delight in juxtaposing unexpected objects where the animate and inanimate interact seamlessly together.
CAUSEY, Teri - Fort Myers, FL
MIXED MEDIA: Teri Causey is a contemporary abstract artist exploring color and movement. She creates large pieces with layers of sweeping strokes and gestural marks on cradled wood panel. Her work is about color and composition, using acrylics, oil pastels, and charcoal on cradled wood panel. Layers of paint and gestural marks are often covered up as the painting progresses, affecting the final painting's hue and texture. The painting becomes an evolving piece that slowly emerges and develops.
COBBLE, Michelle and Jeffrey - Seward, AK
PHOTOGRAPHY: Michelle and Jeffrey Cobble have been married for 20 years and photographing together throughout that time. They have the same intense desire to produce wildlife photography that captures what they see in the field, and are never satisfied until their work says something to them. Each image is painstakingly proofed until it is the standard they would expect on their own walls. They were approached within the last month for the use of an image in a major network production, and have been featured in Howard Alen craft shows multiple times.
COLTON, Mindy - Orlando, FL
SCULPTURE: Award-winning artist Mindy Z. Colton, originally from New York City, was classically trained in all the traditional arts. She graduated with Honors from the High School of Music & Art, NYC. Colton studied at The Art Students League of New York, Parsons’s School of Design, and has a BFA from Washington University in St. Louis. She pursued a career as an Art Director working in graphic design & illustration while still finding time for her fine art. Mindy eventually chose to leave behind her successful design career to follow her true passion as a full time fine artist. Her love of sculpture is where she has found her greatest artistic satisfaction, recognition and success. Involved with horses her entire life, she chose to combine her passion for both art and horses in her unique sculptural works. Creating from table top to monumental works, Mindy has found both success and personal fulfillment with her equine sculptures.
COVINGTON, Daphne - Smyrna, GA
MIXED MEDIA: Daphne Covington has worked as an artist for over 40 years, knowing that she would be an artist since childhood. Daphne’s current body of work is a very personal process where she executes a technique over and over. Working on canvas and paper and using a combination of oils, acrylic, oil sticks, graphite and charcoal allow her work to be emotional and tangible. Her work is created intuitively with layers of oils and gestures of charcoal and oil pastels. Every piece is one of a kind. Daphne’s work has been featured in magazines such as Trends Magazine along with Atlanta Homes and Lifestyle Magazine in addition to being voted Best Local Artist in Atlanta’s Southern Voice Magazine.
CURVIN, Joyce - Palm Harbor, FL
SCULPTURE: Creating paper mache sculptures through recycling and up-cycling is at the heart of what Joyce Curvin does. Keeping recyclables away from the landfill, she combines a variety of items such as bottles and paper into armatures that will soon become cheerful and fun loving dogs, cats and birds. After Joyce creates the armature she then coats it with multiple layers of paper mache and various textures. Often she will pair birds with the cats and dogs since she believes the birds represent a conscience, a friend or a director of sorts to their feline or canine friends.
DELGADO, Lilian - Riverview, FL
OIL: Lilian Delgado was born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil and discovered her artistic talents and interest at a very early age. At the age of 12 she was featured in Brazilian newspapers and the local news of her hometown. She had her first international show in a five-star hotel in Salvador, Brazil at the age of 13. She pursued a Graphic Design degree for several years at Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. She studied with influential professors and went on to study at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota. She eventually obtained a Masters in Business from the University of South Florida. After many successful years in the corporate world and accounting, Lilian made the decision to pursue her heart’s passion as a full time career. Today she travels all over the nation and internationally sharing that passion with her audience.
EITHARONG, Ummarid - DeLand, FL
PAINTING: Born in Bangkok, Thailand, Ummarid Eitharong came to the United States as a young man. Predominantly self taught, he began his career as an artist with large scale photorealistic pencil drawings. He then transitioned to mixed media and now paints abstracts with acrylic paint on canvas or watercolor paper. Ummarid is influenced by his surroundings, using color, shape, line and texture to create abstract compositions. His awards include Best of Show, Gasparilla 2019; first place, Coconut Grove 2019; first place, Winter Park 2019; and first place, Armonk (NY) 2019.
FOX, Todd K. - Orlando, FL
SCULPTURE: Todd K. Fox is a native of Orlando, Florida and continues to reside and work in his hometown. He taught himself the art of Raku pottery and sculpture at the age of 11, and has continued to perfect his craft. He has work in many galleries, numerous shows, and permanent collections and has won many awards. Todd derives his inspiration for his sculptures from his study of African and Caribbean cultures. His work is biographical, sharing or relating to a moment of his life or events. He evokes emotion in his sculptures using posture, position and staging, rather than through a drawn or sculpted face on the piece. Posture shows emotion, emotions tell a story. His style seems simple upon first observation, then yields a much more sophisticated archetype. Todd’s works are narrative, depicting ethereal entities and presenting allegorical inclusions. He expresses and shares journeys of past and present, telling universal stories of love, joy, hope, sorrow and discovery.
FREY, Benjamin - Philadelphia, PA
MIXED MEDIA: A professional artist since 2003, Benjamin Frey has been involved in art for most of his life. Born in Maine in 1979, he grew up in an artistic family and decided at the age of 10 to become an artist. He had several artistic mentors along the way, including the contemporary landscape painter Alan Bray, the collage artist Roderick Slater and the exceptional and innovative book artist Richard Minsky, and although he studied Classical Literature and Philosophy at St John’s College, Annapolis, he also studied at the Art Students League of New York. In 2018 he moved his studio to Philadelphia. His works have won top awards at many juried competitions, have shown in galleries across America, and are included in numerous private collections around the world.
FURLONG, Aaron Henry - Los Angeles, CA
JEWELRY: Aaron Henry's innovative jewelry and design techniques are combined with inspiration from natural colors and shapes to create finished pieces that are versatile, precious, sophisticated and collectible. His work will remain relevant for future generations, even as our designs continue to evolve. His jewelry has appeared in marketing efforts of the World Gold Council, the GIA, De Beers and the California Jewelers Association. Jewelers Quarterly Magazine has also named Aaron as a “Designer of the 21st Century.”
GASPAR, Deborah - Dallas, TX
JEWELRY: For over a decade, Deborah Gaspar has been designing inspirational works of art in the form of timeless, handmade jewelry. Inspired by her love of nature’s abundant beauty, and enhanced by her creative and exquisite style, Deborah’s unique designs have become cherished signatures within her clients’ wardrobes. The timeless nature of the designs allows them to create a unique harmony with almost any style. Her pieces can take you from desk to dinner, from brunch to opening night, from Park Avenue to Paris, and work with everything from haute couture to denim.
GILBERT, Dominice - St. Petersburg, FL
SCULPTURE: Dominice Gilbert grew up on a family farm in rural Indiana and began creating art at an early age, winning a national drawing competition when she was seven. Throughout elementary and high school she explored many art types and found her medium after taking her first welding class at seventeen. Dominice graduated high school early and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with help from a merit scholarship. After graduation she did artist residencies at CrabTree Farm in Lake Bluff, Illinois and The National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2010 she moved to Saint Petersburg, where she bought a commercial property with her lifelong partner JR Lodico. In 2018 they opened a newly built studio adjacent to their home where she continues to create art. Her primary focus is pushing herself to the next level, causing her sculpture to constantly evolve as every design works off the last. She creates tension between forms, mixing opposing textures and shapes in harmony, creating balance in opposition. Her sculptures are a replication of her emotions, but also a reflection of the viewer.
GONZALEZ, Luis - Miami, FL
WOOD: Born and raised in Colombia, Luis Gonzalez always had a passion for wood and hand tools. He started as a young adult, humbly sculpting and carving what would eventually become his way of life. After he moved to Miami in 2003, his art became well known within the local art scene. Since 2006 he has been participating in some of the most renowned juried art shows across the country.
GREENE GRAFF, Marjorie - Lutz, FL
RELIEF PRINTMAKING: Marjorie Graff has been making relief prints for over 20 years, influenced by the environment she lives in and the places she has traveled. In all her endeavors, she considers the elements of color and composition first. Her most recent work is called "Illusive Geography" and addresses how we approach and react to the places that surround us. Marjorie Graff holds a BFA in printmaking from the Philadelphia College of Art and a Masters from Temple University, Tyler School of Art. For 21 years she was a professor of Fine Arts at St. Petersburg College. Most recently she had a retrospective of her work at the Leepa Rattner Museum of Art and at the Rutledge Street Gallery in Camden, S.C. She is a founding member of 24 Hands, a printmaking group, and a member of FLAG (Florida Artist Group) as well as SGCI ( Southern Graphics International).
GRANT, Will - Bradenton, FL
SCULPTURE: Will Grant studied ceramics in high school and then furthered his education while attending College of the Desert in Palm Springs, CA. He spent his time in school mostly sculpting abstract figures. Accepting an invitation to work in a small village in Taiwan making furniture, Grant jumped at the chance. He was introduced to the art of making furniture out of acrylic and fell in love with the material. Grant soon discovered that he could take remnants of acrylic and create art forms in sculpture. These early, experimental works were usually given away to friends and family until one day he discovered how to add color and seamlessly fuse the acrylic into unique art forms. Grant started to create centerpieces for Walt Disney’s corporate parties and then started making displays for various companies such as Burberry and David Yurman Jewelry. In 2005, Grant was introduced to his first artwork by famed Israeli artist Yaacov Agam and he was instantly inspired by the movement of his pieces. Grant recently started incorporating glass, metal and wood into his acrylic sculptures.
GREENHECK, Ryan - Philadelphia, PA
CERAMIC: Ryan J. Greenheck received his Master of Fine Arts degree from SUNY College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2004. He also received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree as well as a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Wisconsin-Stout in 2002. He has participated in numerous national juried exhibitions and invitational shows since 2000, and his work is represented in many galleries, collections, and homes throughout the world. Over the past 12 years, he has been a professor at several academic institutions including The University of Pennsylvania and Temple’s Tyler School of Art. Ryan initiated The Philadelphia Potters Urban Studio Tour and is also coordinator of The Steel City Pottery Invitational and Co-coordinator of The Brooklyn Pottery Invitational. A structured composition is vital within the framework of his vessels: the rim and feet of his pots are strongly defined areas, while the space between lends itself to be broken down in parts. He incorporates patterns on the surface to assist in accentuating the volume with the forms explored, but sensitivity in the glazing process must be attained in order to preserve the essence of the piece.
GRUSHOVENKO, Signe and Genna - Greenville, SC
OIL: Signe was born in Michigan, raised in Georgia, and makes her home with her husband and collaborator Genna in Greenville SC. An artist her whole life, she studied drawing and painting at LaGrange College and has been a full time artist since. Genna was born and raised in Ukraine, and trained as a ceramicist, he practiced that art for 8 years before immigrating to the US in 1997. The Grushovenkos have been exploring and developing their artistic style together for nearly 2 decades. Genna begins their process by applying rich layers of pattern and tone to gessoed masonite or linen supports. Signe then selects an inspiration image from their extensive collection of vintage found photos, draws with oil pastel atop the abstract underlayer using the photo for reference, and completes the image with blocky 'panes' of oil color. The final results of their collaboration are multi-layered paintings with deep surfaces, crisp at first glance but rewarding the careful viewer with an undercurrent of complex tonality and colorplay.
HAMILTON, Tate - Denver, CO
OIL: Tate Hamilton has been actively painting for 35 years and uses a limited palette of 5 to 6 colors. He has studied with master class artists, developed a recognizable style, and has won many awards while appearing in magazines and on TV. His philosophy of creating art is this: "We are co-creators of my work. I start the painting and the viewer finishes it with their own imagination." He focuses on real life scenes, such as cityscapes and portraitures of people. Recent awards include Best Of Show La Quinta Fine Arts Festival 2019 and Best Of Show South Ann Arbor Arts Festival 2019.
HAMPEL, Christine (Oliver Jewelry) - Naples, FL
JEWELRY: "Express your unique self with jewelry that has personality." Christine Hampel's slogan sums up her philosophy and design goal. She creates truly unique, beautiful, yet powerful jewelry for confident people that are bold enough to express themselves without question. She's a contemporary jewelry artist that uses traditional metalsmithing techniques as well modern technologies to create edgy, one of a kind designs. Shapes and texture she finds in nature are a constant source of stimulation for her design process, and she won Best in Jewelry Main Street Fort Worth in 2019.
HARBEITNER, Kayla - St. Petersburg, FL
CERAMIC: Kayla Harbeitner received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, Florida in 2013. Kayla’s concentration was in Computer Animation. During this time she focused on computer based sculpts, but always enjoyed going back to the wheel and clay. Post graduation and moving to Saint Petersburg in 2018, she has been working with Charlie Parker as his apprentice. She brings traditional art into the craft by creating decorative and functional work with etching and painting. She creates functional ceramics where the designs and shapes can represent who she is as an artist. Planters are wonderful functional objects that can seem and be so mundane, but she hopes to create beauty through their form, sometimes with carvings and painting. Her recent awards include Emerging Artist-Craft Art 2018 and Collectors Circle Award Craft Art 2018 and 2019.
HATCHER, Lissa - Lutz, FL
MIXED MEDIA: Lissa Hatcher’s award winning photographs are highly conceptualized and choreographed productions full of fantastic characters in imaginary places. Working as a photographer, art director, and editor, it is often whispered that her shoots look like tiny movie sets where characters play out scenes like actors. Lissa is an award winning photographer, painter, and writer specializing in Surrealistic Fairytales. She has received awards from Kodak, Fuji and other industry leaders, with features in American Photo Magazine and Kodak.com, and a variety of other publications. Primarily self taught, she received certification as a Master in Photography from the Professional Photographers of America in 2011. Lissa continues pushing boundaries by combining photography, costume design and paint to create mixed media pieces and writing short stories about her characters which will ultimately be published as a children’s book.
HEDBLOM, Daniel and Frances - Rochester, MN
METAL: With their love of the North Shores of Lake Superior much of the Hedbloms’ work is inspired from this region. Although many of their pieces start off as a doodle, they always seem to find Lake Superior within their work. By combining both of their talents as a team the Hedbloms are able to design and create their artwork, and use a unique process to bring out the beautiful colors in the copper. Both Frances and Dan design the artwork requiring many months of planning to create the design. Despite having no prior torch-work experience, Frances has found she has a true talent in bringing out and blending the colors within the copper. Dan enhances the colors of the copper through the grinding and buffing process which results with the copper shimmering and the colors appearing to move fluidly when displayed in the sun or light. With his 20 years of woodworking and carpentry experience, the uniquely curved frames are also designed and built by Dan.
HEQUEMBOURG, Aaron - Monticello, GA
MIXED MEDIA: Aaron Hequembourg uses his passion for the past with the elements from a 200 year old plantation to create nostalgic and emotional works that also benefit his subjects from his community. Aaron was formally trained in engraving and printmaking on a scholarship to the University of Iowa. Upon graduating without a printing press, Aaron started to produce abstract figurative paintings engraved into wood panels. In 1997, Aaron and his wife Hope were married in the front yard of a farm that has been in her family since 1815. They proceeded to move into the farmhouse and have four children, and over the course of their lives there a family member suggested burning down the sharecropper houses that were scattered over the farm. After seeing the value of the wood, Aaron began to salvage materials for his contemporary work; however, after experiencing the history of the buildings and the objects inside them he was inspired to turn to his neighbors and community for subject matter, paying 10% to each model with the sale of their pieces. It has changed their lives and his. The result is the most successful body of work he has ever produced.
HUNNICUTT, Joel - Siler City, NC
WOOD: After taking a furniture making class over 20 years ago, Hunnicutt fell in love with working with the lathe and over the years he realized, “I wanted to take my love of wood, give it the luminosity of glass while using the forms of ancient pottery. This led me to segmented wood turning. Each piece is made up of small segments, assembled into a rough form and then turned into the final shape. I reinterpret the ancient and classical forms and couple these forms with 21st century treatments.”
KATTENBRAKER, Lisa - Olympia, WA
MIXED MEDIA: Lisa Kattenbraker creates narrative pieces using traditional batik methods, locally harvested beeswax, fiber reactive and natural dyes. Through hundreds of hours of wax application, both ancient and contemporary patterns and symbols are batiked into cotton fabric. Color, composition and pattern create an emotive backdrop while stick figures remain faceless, inviting the viewer to bring his or her own story to the piece. While the conversations, and the various reactions have not changed the way she continues to present her “human forms” in art, it has opened up new conversations and dialogue about how we as a community and culture see race, whether and where it subverts itself into consciousness, as well as how and where race shows up as a form of personal recognition, and how it connects or divides us on both a conscious and subconscious level.
KLISS, Bob and Laurie - Fresno, CA
GLASS: Together Bob and Laurie Kliss push the imagination into a whimsical state by joining together exciting color combinations, textures, and shapes into glass art that will surely enrich any collection. Trained at Pilchuck Glass Studio in Seattle Washington and moving onward to teach workshops and touring exhibits all over, the Klisses have become a favorite of private and corporate art collectors and earned extensive awards throughout their careers. They take pride and pleasure in each handmade item they produce and wish continued enjoyment to those who have included them in their collections.
KUBALE, Nancy - Rutherfordton, NC
CERAMIC: Nancy Kubale is a full-time ceramic and mixed media artist living 50 miles southeast of Asheville in the foothills of Rutherford County, NC. She earned her BFA in Mixed Media from Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and studied clothing construction at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NY, ceramics at Penland School of Crafts and sculpture at Florence Academy of Art. Her current work attempts to find ubiquitous truths; transforming sight to insight. Kubale exhibits regularly at high-end Art Fairs throughout the Eastern and Midwestern U.S., including SPECTRUM during Miami Art Week and the Philadelphia Museum Fine Craft Show, also participating in numerous group and solo gallery exhibitions throughout the country. Kubale has works in several permanent museum collections and is published in six books, as well as numerous magazine articles. Her ceramic figures begin with hand building techniques in red earthenware clay with a high grog content. She layers the surface with terra sigillata, slips, underglaze, stains, oxides, glazes, and underglaze pencils and powders. She utilizes both lithography and serigraphy techniques on slip – firing each piece three to five times. Her imagery is influenced by Greek and Roman sculpture, Catholic statuary, South American Santos,
and Southern and indigenous folk art. Some of the larger pieces utilize “stages and backdrops” to create an environment or context. Graffiti tags and text are added as elements that provide essence; the “I AM” of things that distinguish and define a life.
LAI, Daniel - St.Petersburg, FL
MIXED MEDIA: Daniel Lai, a self-taught artist of Chinese descent from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was granted US citizenship through extraordinary ability in the field of fine art and arts management in 2014. He often writes his experiences in a journal but finds it inadequate to convey how he truly feels. So, Daniel translates the paragraphs to a visual form that is three dimensional, simplistic, and often relatable to many. His sculpture series is a three-dimensional journal that conveys snippets of his emotions and feelings toward life; and the themes of this series often touch upon knowledge and contemplation. Daniel calls these sculptures “three dimensional hieroglyphs of my experiences.” Oftentimes, the true meaning of text and words are just beneath that thin layer of their lexical meaning. In other words, we live in a metaphorical world. Three dimensional representation of his experience transcends the boundary of words.
LEWK, Jim - Miami, FL
SCULPTURE: Born in Troyes, France and raised in New York, his interest in art dates from pre- grammar school. After moving to Miami, he studied art at the University of Miami, Florida State University, and in several European countries. By 1970, he was working full-time as a metal sculptor. Even though he is familiar with current trends and techniques in art, he prefers to be an outsider artist, and has developed a style that is very much his own. Jim’s sculptures are made of copper, welded with patina, and polychrome finish. The base is fossil coral from Key Largo formed at the beginning of the Ice Age 125, 000 years ago. The beauty of this ancient stone is its fossil imperfections. The balloons are hand-blown glass.
LONDONO, Olga - Tarpon Springs, FL
FURNITURE: Olga Londono graduated with honors as a graphic designer in Colombia, and a few years later in 1996 she moved to the United States looking for an adventure and new opportunities. In her first few years Olga tried different mediums until she specialized in hand-painted glass and sold her products in some of the most famous art venues in Miami Beach, then moved to Key West with her husband and both worked in local markets. When they moved to Tampa Bay they decided it was time for a change in their product and they created a new line, handmade art made out of wood, and finished with epoxy resin. Olga began creating fun characters with bright and bold colors, a few years later furniture was added to the collection. Her designs are all based on the happiness that she wants to bring to her customers from the bold and colorful pieces and silly characters, she always wants that smile back from the people when they see the designs. After selling in many art shows throughout the state she decided to have her own art gallery shop in Tarpon Springs, FL where she sells her artwork along with customized signs.
LUTTRELL, Marge - Knoxville, TN
MIXED MEDIA: Luttrell, an encaustic mixed media artist, hails from Knoxville, Tennessee by way of New Jersey. She received her MFA from the University of Tennessee and is a Fulbright Scholar. Along with exhibiting her work throughout the country and winning many awards, she is also an encaustic workshop teacher at Penland School of Crafts, Arrowmont, Touchstone, and many others throughout the U.S. and Europe. She explores the creation stories and constellation myths that are passed down to us. Whether ancient or modern, the same stories are universal then and now, as they have the ability to mirror our own mythologies in the present tense.
MADVIN, Andrew - Detroit, MI
GLASS: Andrew grew up curious with the freedom to explore the outdoors, quickly becoming interested in the natural world around him. He displayed a passion for creativity and a clear talent to build. These innate skills developed in his high school metals and jewelry classes, earning him work at a custom jeweler and earned him gold and silver scholastic awards on a national level for his art and designs. This energy, in combination with a scholarship, propelled his schooling to the College for Creative Studies in Detroit where Andrew abandoned the delicate format of jewelry for the larger scale study of sculpture. However, once exposed to the medium of glass there was no doubt it was the beginning of a life long relationship. He says, “The material holds an excitement I can feel. I see endless possibilities in form, technique, and physical attraction waiting to be discovered.” The fire and soul of hot glass seduced Andrew at once. Currently, Andrew is producing all of his original glass works to the highest quality and craftsmanship, and his limited edition fine craft and sculpture continue to evolve as his techniques flourish and his ideas expand. Installation and custom commission work are available and collected on a national and international level.
MADVIN, Robert - Detroit, MI
GLASS: Robert Madvin was first introduced to glass while enrolled in high school by his older brother Andrew Madvin, also a successful glass artist. He later studied glass-blowing at the College of Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan and the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, Hawaii. While earning his degree in fine arts from the College of Creative Studies Robert began working with his brother to develop their own glass studio. Robert continues to blow glass and cultivate his work in that same studio space. Robert’s primary inspiration derives from nature; his artwork focuses on natural elements, textures, and color that he encounters in his travels and his day to day endeavors. While Robert was studying in Hawaii he developed his most prominent glass sculpture series called Pohaku, meaning “rock” or “stone.” Ancient Hawaiians would stack stones upon one another to create rock sculptures used as navigational instruments throughout the islands. Robert encountered some of these tools while hiking various trails in Hawaii and developed them into his glass stacked stone sculptures, shown at various art shows and galleries throughout the U.S. and Canada.
MARIN, Ancizar - Pembroke Pines, FL
SCULPTURE: Born in Colombia, Marin first received formal art training in the 1980s at the Bellas Artes institute in Manizales, Colombia. He continued to study sculpture at the Lucio Petraglia school of art in Bogota, where he honed his sculptural proficiency in bronze and steel. Later, South American travel exposed him to the rich melting pot of cultural influences that further informed his approaches to color and texture. Marin works now in South Florida, where his work has been featured in design magazines, gallery shows, and prestigious art fairs, and private commissions continue to proliferate. Using the lost wax techniques and materials such as bronze, fiberglass and chrome, Ancizar Marin is inspired by the whimsical subjects of Cirque du Soleil. He loves to see that his sculptures bring the same joy and happiness to people as they bring to him. Today, Marin continues to experiment with multiple textures and techniques.
MARRINSON, Thomas - Hinesburg, VT
CERAMIC: Marrinson uses low fire white earthenware that is slab and wheel formed and finishes his pieces with colors that are a commercial under-glaze. He writes, “My decorative vessels are studies in simplicity and grace of form, the juxtaposition of textures and colors which enliven each other and the luminosity of soft, non-reflective surfaces."
MATHISEN, Katherine - Miami, FL
SCULPTURE: Katherine studied sculpture with many noted artists at the Penland School of Art & Crafts. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida, specializing in Art and Biological Studies. In addition, she studied ornamental horticulture at SUNY in Farmingdale, NY, and acquired twenty years of experience in the field as a floral and landscape designer in both New York and Florida. Gardens she created have appeared in magazines, books and TV commercials. Katherine has exhibited and taught ceramics for more than 18 years, working with many masters in contemporary sculpture. Currently, Katherine exhibits her award-winning ceramic sculpture in galleries and art shows throughout the US, and pieces can be found in both public and private collections in the US, South America, Europe and Australia.
MCCLELLAN, Duncan - St. Petersburg, FL
Duncan McClellan’s fascination with glass began at age five, when he visited a glass factory in West Virginia. Duncan never forgot the image of the glowing, molten mass being formed by an expert craftsman. After successfully working with leather and clay, he finally had the opportunity to learn to blow glass at a studio in Ybor City, Florida in 1987. Duncan has studied the creation of larger forms with Fred Kahl and John Brekke, two instructors and artists working at the New York Experimental Glass Workshop. Duncan has also been honored as the second American invited to study and work at the ARS Studio in Murano, Italy. Duncan most recently moved from Tampa and now works out of a newly renovated tomato plant in Midtown District of St. Petersburg, FL. Duncan redesigned a 7,800- square-foot building to have plenty of space to work and host events for local non-profits. Duncan processes enables him to place imagery on the inside and outside (and in some cases both) of his glass vessels. In his one-of-a-kind or series works, images are juxtaposed to articulate the message or idea. The focus is centered around the internal graal technique and overlay techniques, incorporating hand cutting, photo resist and computer graphics. To finish these works, acid etching, fire polishing and a six-stage grinding and polishing technique are used. Currently, his work depicts emotions relating to family, personal growth and the spiritual connections between each of us as souls. As Duncan embarks on each new artistic journey, his connection to the work is more deeply felt by those who experience it. Each piece holds a unique place in the artist's life and it is his joy to share with it you.
MELNICK, David (Dana*David) - New York, NY
JEWELRY: David Melnick has always strived to make pieces that offer a unique perspective. He wants to present jewelry that is distinctive, but allows it to be worn every day, and has always felt that the best design is the simplest design. His pieces are organic and architectural shapes, hand crafted in 18K gold and diamonds. The goal is to design a piece of jewelry that can become your favorite piece to wear: its design should not shout and be able to be worn with other jewelry without overwhelming those pieces.
MOSKOV, Boyan - Contoocook, NH
CERAMIC: I got into ceramics when I was young. I grew up in Bulgaria, and I attended an art school in Troyan, Bulgaria from age 13 - 19. That is where I studied many different mediums, but I always enjoyed working with ceramics. When I graduated there were good jobs in production pottery, so my career started there. I worked for several different production pottery companies, and then when I was older, started my own company. In 2007 I moved to America with my wife, to her hometown in New Hampshire. When I first started making pottery in America I started with production pottery - mugs, bowls, plates, things like that. I didn’t feel like I was expressing myself artistically, so I decided to focus on sculptural pieces that allowed me to experiment more.
NEMNICH, Michael - Indialantic, FL
OIL PASTELS: Nemnich’s work is made on 100% cotton based, handmade archival paper. He uses oil pastels, oil pencil and graphite to achieve his imagery. He works the image through multiple layers that are added and subtracted until the image is complete. Nemnich believes this process invites the observer to look closely and realize there is more to the image than they observed at first glance.
NEWMAN, Rachael - Bluffton, SC
JEWELRY: Though Rachael Newman calls coastal South Carolina home, she and her husband enjoy equal time traveling to art festivals in their Airstream trailer or cruising in their sailboat. Each of these aspects of her life influences her art. She is driven by an innate sense of aesthetics, balance and shape. Her unique jewelry has simple elegance that reflects the chemistry between the inherent beauty of a woman and the piece she wears. Rachael selects distinctive freshwater & Tahitian pearls, then designs a sterling setting to showcase their lyrical nature. She has often been told that she has vast interests, but for her it comes down to a few much simpler components: nature, water, creativity, and solitude.
OKONKWO, Nnamdi - Fayettville, GA
SCULPTURE: Nnamdi was born in Nigeria but came to America over 30 years ago with the help of a basketball scholarship. He graduated with an MFA in sculpture from Brigham Young University in Utah. He now lives and works in Fayetteville, GA, and has his works represented in many private and public settings across the world. I want to tell a story with my art that resonates with the human family and moves the soul to a nobler and higher place. I hope to capture something essential, beautiful and hopeful about humanity, in a familiar, simple, but profound way.
OTIS, Andrew - Charlevoix, MI
CERAMIC: Andrew Otis, a second generation potter of over 20 years, practices his craft in beautiful northern Michigan. His work consists of large vessels, ranging from 3-6 feet tall, created on a potter's wheel. The smooth surfaces become canvases for his carvings and pedestals for his sculptures. They're fired to 2300 F. Crafting works on a larger scale creates a fuller surface to carve into, which allows for more designs and more creativity than one might find on a smaller piece. Oftentimes the images and designs carved into the vessel will be assimilated with the sculptures that he mounts on top of the vessel, creating a seamless work that connects naturally. Living in a rural area certainly impacts his subject matter, as the serenity of working in a studio in Northern Michigan allows for a close interaction with the pastoral.
PETERS, Tim and Erika - Winter Haven, FL
PORCELAIN: Tim and Erika met in a dark room in 1984. They have been creating award winning porcelain pieces since then. They have been doing this to support 3 dogs, 7cats, 2 birds, and an extensive garden. Theirs is a life filled with living things.Tim and Erika create beauty from earth, fire, and human inspiration. We have traveled from Key West to the Olympic Peninsula, remember the places we have seen, and carve into porcelain what those places could have been.
PETERSON, Benjamin - Tampa, FL
METAL/MIXED: Born in Green Bay Wisconsin and relocating to Florida in 2001, Benjamin Peterson works predominantly in metal in addition to including stone and a variety of river rocks in many of his pieces. Peterson’s artistic process began with years of hands-on work with marble, slate, and granite. He used remaining pieces for a variety of beautiful mosaics and décor for home and garden. In addition he studied under other artists that taught him how to weld. Benjamin enjoys the hunt of finding various industrial metal remnants and repurposing them. He believes their aged life is complementary in color to Florida’s lush landscapes.
PETRAITIS, Loretta - St.Petersburg, FL
OIL: Loretta Petraitis was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, a student from the Applied Arts School, she continued on with her studies and graduated with an MFA from Vilnius Art Academy. Following a career as a textile designer Loretta immigrated to the United States and started working as an artist where she continues today to express herself through the language of art. Most ideas in her paintings derive from the urban industrial landscape. She says, “My art conceptually dwells in the mental imagery of the cities with big shoulders and solidity of their history. I find it interesting and worthy to concentrate on architectural structures, large scale perspective, natural and artificial lights, water reflections and different disintegrating surfaces, such as abandoned concrete and rusty metals.” Loretta’s use of texture, capturing the history and deterioration of the architecture she paints helps her to reveal the depth and emotional input of the compositions.
RECHTSCHAFFEN, Vasant - Lagunitas, CA
JEWELRY: Acclaimed jewelry designer Vasant has been a citizen of the world her entire life. It wasn’t until her annual visits to India began that her inspirations blossomed, 20 years ago. She soon found herself poring through trays of precious and semi precious stones in search of the perfect adornments for herself, her friends and her clientele. This passion has now grown into a mission to spread beauty and love around our planet. She loves to see how women “know” exactly which stone and piece is right for them. Somehow it’s always the right fit! She gets so much pleasure out of seeing my designs light up a beautiful woman and in turn seeing how her natural beauty makes her creation even more stunning to the eye!
REINFELD, Bruce - Philadelphia, PA
PHOTOGRAPHY: At first glance, Bruce Reinfeld doesn’t initially seem like the whimsical kind. His photographs are focused, journalistic and frank. The well-heeled lyrics that infiltrate his buoyant brand of pop are ruminative and straight forward, poetic yet never fussy. Yet for all this blunt force, there is a capriciousness that belies his lighthearted sense of play and humor. Photographically it is wrecked train tracks, battered sculptures, creaky barns, bruised busses, dime-store Elvis impersonators, and the wretched likes that are his subjects. He adds a gently silly and unique perspective. His coloring gives each piece of black & white film a surrealist burst of pop color that makes the image he has captured come vibrantly alive — merging the beauty and sadness in his art with seamless elegance. Take a tour of his gallery here: https://youtu.be/U6Kto_GEAYk
RODRIGUEZ, Hernan - Hialeah, FL
OIL: Born in Güines, Havana, Cuba in 1982, Hernan Rodriguez is a self-taught contemporary landscape artist with humble beginnings in the countryside. Surrounded by unique and exotic landscapes, Rodriguez discovered early on that painting would be his lifelong passion. Using the landscape of his hometown in Cuba as the prime motive and model behind his works, the artist garnered the attention of Raul Perdomo, a renowned Cuban landscape painter, and eventually became his apprentice. He later travelled to Miami, where he currently lives and works. Rodriguez’s landscapes have become memories of his mother country. Showing an impressive maturity and pictorial skill, his style demonstrates a simple approach to nature as the artist invites us into his world for a constant reflection between man and earth. Through an epic representation of the land and with an intense pigmentation, he has developed his own unique style of landscape, one within the style of traditional realism.
ROSE, Marlene - Clearwater, FL
GLASS: Marlene Rose is an award-winning glass sculptor, internationally known in museums as well as top art and glass galleries. Her works are collected by the glass connoisseurs, fine-art collectors and Hollywood A-list celebrities.
Marlene Rose simply breathes life and beauty into whatever she makes. Each piece is a one-of-a-kind, hand cast glass sculpture made from 2000 degree molten glass using a stamp and pour method. Sandcasting glass is based on the thousands-year-old tradition of bronze casting, adapted only recently for glass.
RUPPERT, Brad and Sundie- Norwalk, IA
MIXED MEDIA: Brad and Sundie Ruppert have a fascination with texture and the need to innovate by creating unique mixed media sculptures. Their most recent body of work gives new life to perhaps the oldest textile used today, fur felt remnants trimmed from the brims of felt hats. They have developed a process of cutting, bending and layering the intricate felt pieces over carved wood, creating incredible likenesses of their natural subject matter.These two Iowa artists reference multiple photographic images to realistically interpret the color, movement and emotion of their nature- inspired subjects. Sundie explains, “We try to capture the soul that shines through bright eyes, soft fur and sleek feathers.” Brad adds, “Viewers are drawn in by a type of optical illusion. The soulful eyes grab them first. Next, the brain tries to comprehend if they are viewing a painting or a sculpture and then finally, they reach out and touch the soft felt to fully indulge in the experience.”
SCHWARTZ, Suzanne - Katonah, NY
JEWELRY: Suzanne first discovered the freedom art could bring when her grandmother taught her to sew and knit. Even as a child, textiles inspired her with their variety of patterns, textures, and movement and opened Suzanne’s eyes to art’s boundless possibilities. As an adult, her creative medium moved from textiles to metals, but the stitching came with her, as seen in Suzanne’s current Interwoven Collections. Suzanne loves texture, form and intersecting lines she finds inspiration in everything from nature to architecture, fabric, design, lines and texture. All of these spur her personal aesthetic and style. Her pieces are stitched with gold or silver wire on metal shapes, giving the work a three dimensionality while honoring the basic design sense of each piece. Stitching is a way for Suzanne to create texture in her jewelry, but what Suzanne loves most is seeing her finished work on other people. Even though it came from her hands and inspiration, she sees it in a new light, taking on a life that wasn’t there before and fitting to their personality as if made for the wearer. It’s exciting and truly gratifying.
SHANAS, Bonnie - Cherry Hill, NJ
MIXED MEDIA: Born in New Jersey, Bonnie moved to Israel during her childhood where she was raised and lived the next 30 years of her life. Married with two sons yet consumed by the corporate life, she decided it was time to stop and “take a breath”. In 2006 she closed the office doors and ventured out on artistic endeavors, a pursuit which led her to the exploration of sculpture, using wire mesh as her primary medium. Bonnie focused on figurative studies in the studio classes of Israeli artists No’am Douieb and mentored with sculptor Shulamit Hartal, where she acquired her knowledge on mesh sculpting while pertaining to her interest in the human form.In 2009, Bonnie returned with her husband and children to the US where she continued to develop her work and establish her artistic path. Today her work is represented in art galleries in several states. She exhibits in both juried and invitational exhibits, as well as national shows where she has won numerous awards and honorable mentions. Since 2012 she has participated in several invitational art residencies in Poland and in France where she worked on themed exhibits created by collaborating international artists. Her work can be found in both private collections in the US, England, Australia, and public installations in the US, Poland and France. Learn more about her technique here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m2ETQDk57U&feature=youtu.be
SIGWARTH, Douglas and Renee - River Falls, WI
GLASS: With over 24 years of glass blowing experience together, the Sigwarths met in college and both transferred to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls to receive their degrees. As they were about to embark on their honeymoon, someone recognized the name “Sigwarth” and mentioned a glass factory in Hergiswil, Switzerland. The couple sought out the factory and discovered it was a part of Doug's family history and that he was related to the owners through his great-great-grandfather. Doug’s family has been glassblowing for centuries and he was never aware of the link between his passion and his ancestry until his honeymoon!
SMITH, Jon - Clearwater, FL
OIL: Jon Smith's training in art began as a child and continued through his studies at the University of South Carolina, the College of Charleston and finally the Leo Marchutz School of Painting and Drawing in Aix en Provence. It was in southern France while painting on location and studying the Impressionists that Jon developed his sense of light and color. Upon return from France, Jon settled in Boston and continued to paint plein air and to copy the Masters to build upon his technique. He combined his understanding of the Impressionists with the Old Boston School and developed his own style: a loose realism with a hint of Impressionism. As Jon developed as an artist, his interest in painting people as the subject of his work led him to the museum setting. He developed compositions encompassing the fine lines of the architecture of the museum building itself while also capturing the spontaneity of people enjoying the art work. Most of what Jon has become known for is the way that he is able to capture the very essence of people.
SOLOMON, Josh - Norfolk,VA
GLASS: Always inquisitive and seeking, Joshua uses glass blowing as an avenue for inquiry. His love of the material and passion for exploration is channeled into his work through form, color and texture. Finished works are easily accessible and enjoyed by peoples of all ages, backgrounds and planetary origins. His colors and textures are inspired by his knowledge of the natural world and passion for the fantastic.
STEIDEL, Debra - Wimberley, TX
PORCELAIN: Debra Steidel is self-taught: through diligence, a library and advice from seasoned potters, she learned her way with the wheel and how to glaze and fire ware. Debra began her career as a functional potter, throwing bowls, mugs and such. In the early 1990's she began to sculpt sculptural sea forms, which carried over into her current body of work with the lids that are cast in glass. In 2004, she began experimenting with the ever fickle "crystalline glaze." Working in the medium of ceramics can be filled with uncertainty. Unlike any other medium in art, the end result is not seen until the kiln is opened. This is part of the mystery of ceramics that Debra embraces and is forever inspired. Her fascination with clay began in 1974, at 18 when she purchased her first potters' wheel. The plasticity of clay with its endless possibilities have kept her constantly inspired for over 4 decades. For her, nothing can compare to the sensation of raising each wall of a vessel and the creation of an elegant form from a crude chunk of clay. As an artist, it is essential to her being "to create".
TESLA, Cat - Lilburn, GA
PAINTING: International artist Cat Tesla is a contemporary nature-based abstract painter. Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1963, Cat grew up with a love for both art and science and obtained degrees in Biology and Graphic Design, along with a Master’s Degree in Human Genetics. She worked as a genetic counselor on faculty at Emory University for 20 years, then eventually traded genetics clinic for art studio. Tesla completed additional painting studies with artist, writer, and author of “Expressive Drawing” Steven Aimone, as well as Nicholas Wilton, Sausalito-based artist and teacher. Cat’s work has been exhibited in galleries across the U.S. and U.K., as well as the Knoxville Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art in Atlanta, and the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art north of Atlanta. After 24 years as a professional artist, Tesla’s paintings are in more than 300 corporate collections and nearly 1000 hospitals and medical centers in the U.S., and in private collections worldwide. Her nature-based abstract works were recently placed in Capital One and the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab’s permanent collections. Tesla lives and works in the Atlanta, GA.
TESSER, Sharon - Louisville, KY
FIBER: Sharon Tesser holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Washington University in St. Louis with a specialty in Illustration and studied at the Studio Art Center International in Florence Italy for Art History and Restoration. She worked as a freelance illustrator for several years and has published pieces with the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Little Brown, McGraw Hill, and Lark Publishing. Sharon is a fiber artist who sees the role of textiles as language. Their fibers and patterns tell stories in and of themselves; when she uses the fabric it becomes her voice. Utilizing a love of textiles and her commitment to recycling, she began deconstructing clothing and linens and then hand dying the fabric. The images made are from original sketches and built up with the dyed fabric, and the finished textile is completed using several layers of fabric and wrapped onto a maple board. She says, "There is power in recognizing that life's smallest moments are in fact what make one's truest existence. I seek to make the ordinary extraordinary. I celebrate the first cup of coffee in the morning, a whisper, a good book...These to me are the most vibrant examples of a life well lived; realizing that the very smallest moments are the most important."
THETFORD, Daryl - Chattanooga, TN
MIXED MEDIA: From an early age, Daryl Thetford was interested in art, but it wasn’t a “practical field,” so he pursued and received his MS in counseling from Murray State College, but after 15 years as a counselor he felt unfulfilled and decided to follow a new passion, collage. His collage works can contain anywhere from 100 up to 200 photographs. His works consist of combined photos that Thetford himself takes all over the United States. He then manipulates his photographs to create his desired image. As Thetford relays, “I was drawn to the detail, the texture, the painterly aspect of older signage that coexisted with the newer, slicker, mechanically-produced signs and I wanted to preserve these images.”
TSHUN, Sip - Pompano Beach, FL
MIXED MEDIA: Sip Tshun grew up in Indonesia to Chinese parents who moved his family there to make a better life for themselves. In Indonesia he lived in Pontianak, a tropical paradise where the equator passes through the middle of town. His talents were noticed when he was very young and the teachers actually didn’t believe he had done the artistic work himself. His sculptural, precise use of colored pencils to enhance the bright colors of his work add a unique touch to each piece. Tshun says, “The one constant is time: it is precious and we must live in each moment!”
VELASQUEZ-MAHER, Colin - Philadelphia, PA
MIXED MEDIA: Wife and husband duo Luisa Velasquez-Maher and Colin Maher-Velasquez don’t make it easy when it comes to deciding which of their series to buy. Colin’s Philly roots are shown in the more academic, gallery approach with his “Sculpi” series. His texture and colors are representative of his time spent with Luisa but his execution is aggressive and minimalist—taking color and texture to its extreme, every time. All of their paintings are actually mixed media sculptures on canvas. All of them are a version of a hand- mixed medium that consists of marble dust and oils, inks, or acrylics. This medium allows Luisa and Colin to sculpt with color onto canvas: shape, sand, stain, distress, and layer to their own ends without being limited by the nature of the paint being used.These sculptures on canvas are an expression of pure, physical and mental artistic discipline, the labor cannot be rushed, stream-lined, or mechanized. It is both classic and wholly contemporary.
VELASQUEZ-MAHER, Luisa - Philadelphia, PA
MIXED MEDIA: Wife and husband duo Luisa Velasquez-Maher and Colin Maher-Velasquez don’t make it easy when it comes to deciding which of their series to buy. Luisa’s Colombian heritage shows through in her “Flores sin Fronteras” series; with her choice of vibrant colors, bold texture, and decidedly unique finish. All of their paintings are actually mixed media sculptures on canvas. All of them are a version of a hand- mixed medium that consists of marble dust and oils, inks, or acrylics. This medium allows Luisa and Colin to sculpt with color onto canvas: shape, sand, stain, distress, and layer to their own ends without being limited by the nature of the paint being used.These sculptures on canvas are an expression of pure, physical and mental artistic discipline, the labor cannot be rushed, stream-lined, or mechanized. It is both classic and wholly contemporary.
WHITFIELD, Warner and KELEMEN, Beatriz - Ocala, FL
GLASS: Warner Whitfield began working in glass in 1972 and apprenticed with master glass artist Fritz Bachman from Hamburg, Germany, establishing a glass studio in 1976. Beatriz Kelemen began working in glass in 1984 in Venezuela under her father’s Frank Kelemen tutoring, well known for his work in stained glass. She has a bachelor's degree in Architecture and a Masters in Project Management from Cal Poly University, CA. Whitfield and Kelemens' work is shown in many galleries and has won numerous awards at juried exhibitions throughout the United States. Some collectors and commissions include: Pittsburgh Plate Glass, United Technologies, the Japanese Embassy, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum, Martha Stewart, Stephen King, Whoopi Goldberg, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the King of Jordan and the Premier of Newfoundland Danny Williams, also featured in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. Their designs are influenced by diving in the shallow clear waters of Florida and the Caribbean, and combined with their dance instructing careers many of their designs and compositions, particularly those involving the Latticino technique, are reminiscent in the feeling of underwater coral reefs and the rhythm of dance.
WOOD: Scott Alexander was born and raised within the gorgeous Allegheny National Forest in Warren, Pennsylvania. Growing up in such a stunning area, he became enamored with the lush forests, the beginning inspiration for his love of woodturning. After art school, Scott returned to his hometown with his wife and two sons. Scott gained employment as a commercial photographer and amateur furniture builder, and this year, Scott has made the leap to a fulltime woodturner. His bespoke work has been featured in numerous upscale showrooms and publications, including Bon Appetit Magazine. Scott honors nature by practicing sustainable woodworking, sourcing locally and giving shavings away for fertilizer or animal bedding. Using green wood, wood that has been recently cut and has not had an opportunity to season or dry, allows him to make a physical connection to his pieces unlike any other medium in which he has worked. He keeps his designs clean to allow the natural beauty of the wood to shine, and believes his job as a wood artist is to be an editor of Mother Nature’s best work.
AMBLER, Kent - Greenville, SC
WOOD PRINT: A printmaker and painter, Kent Ambler attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting. It was at Ball State where he was introduced to printmaking and discovered an innate “feel” for the process of making woodcuts. Ever since, woodcut prints are his medium of choice. Kent creates loosely cut prints based on everyday events and objects using the documentation of his everyday life as a substructure. Kent’s woodcuts explore traditional aesthetic qualities of art such as mark making, composition, color, shape, and line quality.
BASS, Mariel - St. Petersburg, FL
GLASS: Mariel Bass studied fine art and glass at Massachusetts College of Art, where she first discovered the art of glass blowing and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She has attended workshops at well known craft schools throughout the U.S. such as Pilchuck in Washington, Haystack School of Crafts in Maine, and Corning Glass in New York. She worked for several glass studios in the New England area before moving to St. John, USVI in 2008 where she helped run a recycled hot glass studio for five years. In 2013 Mariel moved to St. Petersburg, FL to join the St. Pete Glassworks team at Duncan McClellan’s glass studio. Mariel has had the pleasure of working with many renowned glass masters and in addition to creating glass for large scale public installations seen throughout town she also educates the public about glass and art through live demonstration. Recently she has participated in various group and collaborative shows such as the Italian Techniques exhibition at the Chihuly Museum in 2016 and Exquisite Corpse International in 2016 and 2017.
BAUERMEISTER, Michael - Augusta, MO
WOOD: Michael Bauermeister has worked in several museum collections including the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery and the Boston Museum of Art. His work is on display in three U.S. embassies and has been featured in books and magazines about wood art, including American Craft magazine, Wood Art Today (Schiffer Publications), and Scratching the Surface (North Light Books). In 2018, he won the Smithsonian Craft Show Award of Excellence in Wood. He says wood has become his voice and language, and after years spent making both useless and useful things the physical work of sawing, carving, turning, and polishing has become his contemplation. His real effort is figuring out what to make next. Sometimes the wood itself makes the suggestion, but other times he works just to keep his hands occupied. Sometimes it all comes together into a kind of wooden poem.
BRADLEY, Joseph - Greenville, SC
MIXED MEDIA: Joseph Bradley’s work has been seen in The New York Times, HGTV, Country Living, Traditional Home, and published in books by Chronicle and Penguin Books. Owning a successful gallery and studio in Greenville South Carolina's Art District, Bradley creates work for private collectors and corporations. He says, “I grew up in a 150 year old ramshackle farm house in rural South Carolina. I deeply connected to nature as a child - the horses, cows, and puppies on our little plot of land in the country were my friends. The work I make now is a celebration of that - an exercise in observation. I paint every single piece as if I were to hang it in my home. It just makes life better." His recent work is process-oriented and an exploration of intuition, experimentation, and playfulness, each work centering around themes of nature. They are meant to reveal our relationships to each other and the emotions those relationships elicit.
BUICK, Robert - Sherkston, Ontario
GLASS: Robert Buick fell in love with glass while attending Sheridan College School of Crafts and Design in Oakville, Ontario where he majored in Glass Blowing. After exploring all facets of working with glass Robert focused on fusing, slumping and kiln casting. Striving to cross the boundaries of classical technique Robert truly pushed the limits of this material through his exploration and execution. Recently, Robert has moved into pursuing large steel sculptures. The scale in which steel lends itself has always been intriguing for Robert and it does not limit him on any level. He is excited for work to come as he is always trying to push himself to create pieces that are timeless in design. For the past 30 years Robert has been creating unique and highly desirable works that demonstrate his expertise and boundless creativity.
CARTER, James - Southbury, CT
ACRYLIC: Through his acrylic paintings, James strives to give the viewer a fresh, whimsical view of familiar and some not so familiar situations. He likes to employ the underlying humor of reality vs. fantasy and delight in juxtaposing unexpected objects where the animate and inanimate interact seamlessly together.
CAUSEY, Teri - Fort Myers, FL
MIXED MEDIA: Teri Causey is a contemporary abstract artist exploring color and movement. She creates large pieces with layers of sweeping strokes and gestural marks on cradled wood panel. Her work is about color and composition, using acrylics, oil pastels, and charcoal on cradled wood panel. Layers of paint and gestural marks are often covered up as the painting progresses, affecting the final painting's hue and texture. The painting becomes an evolving piece that slowly emerges and develops.
COBBLE, Michelle and Jeffrey - Seward, AK
PHOTOGRAPHY: Michelle and Jeffrey Cobble have been married for 20 years and photographing together throughout that time. They have the same intense desire to produce wildlife photography that captures what they see in the field, and are never satisfied until their work says something to them. Each image is painstakingly proofed until it is the standard they would expect on their own walls. They were approached within the last month for the use of an image in a major network production, and have been featured in Howard Alen craft shows multiple times.
COLTON, Mindy - Orlando, FL
SCULPTURE: Award-winning artist Mindy Z. Colton, originally from New York City, was classically trained in all the traditional arts. She graduated with Honors from the High School of Music & Art, NYC. Colton studied at The Art Students League of New York, Parsons’s School of Design, and has a BFA from Washington University in St. Louis. She pursued a career as an Art Director working in graphic design & illustration while still finding time for her fine art. Mindy eventually chose to leave behind her successful design career to follow her true passion as a full time fine artist. Her love of sculpture is where she has found her greatest artistic satisfaction, recognition and success. Involved with horses her entire life, she chose to combine her passion for both art and horses in her unique sculptural works. Creating from table top to monumental works, Mindy has found both success and personal fulfillment with her equine sculptures.
COVINGTON, Daphne - Smyrna, GA
MIXED MEDIA: Daphne Covington has worked as an artist for over 40 years, knowing that she would be an artist since childhood. Daphne’s current body of work is a very personal process where she executes a technique over and over. Working on canvas and paper and using a combination of oils, acrylic, oil sticks, graphite and charcoal allow her work to be emotional and tangible. Her work is created intuitively with layers of oils and gestures of charcoal and oil pastels. Every piece is one of a kind. Daphne’s work has been featured in magazines such as Trends Magazine along with Atlanta Homes and Lifestyle Magazine in addition to being voted Best Local Artist in Atlanta’s Southern Voice Magazine.
CURVIN, Joyce - Palm Harbor, FL
SCULPTURE: Creating paper mache sculptures through recycling and up-cycling is at the heart of what Joyce Curvin does. Keeping recyclables away from the landfill, she combines a variety of items such as bottles and paper into armatures that will soon become cheerful and fun loving dogs, cats and birds. After Joyce creates the armature she then coats it with multiple layers of paper mache and various textures. Often she will pair birds with the cats and dogs since she believes the birds represent a conscience, a friend or a director of sorts to their feline or canine friends.
DELGADO, Lilian - Riverview, FL
OIL: Lilian Delgado was born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil and discovered her artistic talents and interest at a very early age. At the age of 12 she was featured in Brazilian newspapers and the local news of her hometown. She had her first international show in a five-star hotel in Salvador, Brazil at the age of 13. She pursued a Graphic Design degree for several years at Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. She studied with influential professors and went on to study at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota. She eventually obtained a Masters in Business from the University of South Florida. After many successful years in the corporate world and accounting, Lilian made the decision to pursue her heart’s passion as a full time career. Today she travels all over the nation and internationally sharing that passion with her audience.
EITHARONG, Ummarid - DeLand, FL
PAINTING: Born in Bangkok, Thailand, Ummarid Eitharong came to the United States as a young man. Predominantly self taught, he began his career as an artist with large scale photorealistic pencil drawings. He then transitioned to mixed media and now paints abstracts with acrylic paint on canvas or watercolor paper. Ummarid is influenced by his surroundings, using color, shape, line and texture to create abstract compositions. His awards include Best of Show, Gasparilla 2019; first place, Coconut Grove 2019; first place, Winter Park 2019; and first place, Armonk (NY) 2019.
FOX, Todd K. - Orlando, FL
SCULPTURE: Todd K. Fox is a native of Orlando, Florida and continues to reside and work in his hometown. He taught himself the art of Raku pottery and sculpture at the age of 11, and has continued to perfect his craft. He has work in many galleries, numerous shows, and permanent collections and has won many awards. Todd derives his inspiration for his sculptures from his study of African and Caribbean cultures. His work is biographical, sharing or relating to a moment of his life or events. He evokes emotion in his sculptures using posture, position and staging, rather than through a drawn or sculpted face on the piece. Posture shows emotion, emotions tell a story. His style seems simple upon first observation, then yields a much more sophisticated archetype. Todd’s works are narrative, depicting ethereal entities and presenting allegorical inclusions. He expresses and shares journeys of past and present, telling universal stories of love, joy, hope, sorrow and discovery.
FREY, Benjamin - Philadelphia, PA
MIXED MEDIA: A professional artist since 2003, Benjamin Frey has been involved in art for most of his life. Born in Maine in 1979, he grew up in an artistic family and decided at the age of 10 to become an artist. He had several artistic mentors along the way, including the contemporary landscape painter Alan Bray, the collage artist Roderick Slater and the exceptional and innovative book artist Richard Minsky, and although he studied Classical Literature and Philosophy at St John’s College, Annapolis, he also studied at the Art Students League of New York. In 2018 he moved his studio to Philadelphia. His works have won top awards at many juried competitions, have shown in galleries across America, and are included in numerous private collections around the world.
FURLONG, Aaron Henry - Los Angeles, CA
JEWELRY: Aaron Henry's innovative jewelry and design techniques are combined with inspiration from natural colors and shapes to create finished pieces that are versatile, precious, sophisticated and collectible. His work will remain relevant for future generations, even as our designs continue to evolve. His jewelry has appeared in marketing efforts of the World Gold Council, the GIA, De Beers and the California Jewelers Association. Jewelers Quarterly Magazine has also named Aaron as a “Designer of the 21st Century.”
GASPAR, Deborah - Dallas, TX
JEWELRY: For over a decade, Deborah Gaspar has been designing inspirational works of art in the form of timeless, handmade jewelry. Inspired by her love of nature’s abundant beauty, and enhanced by her creative and exquisite style, Deborah’s unique designs have become cherished signatures within her clients’ wardrobes. The timeless nature of the designs allows them to create a unique harmony with almost any style. Her pieces can take you from desk to dinner, from brunch to opening night, from Park Avenue to Paris, and work with everything from haute couture to denim.
GILBERT, Dominice - St. Petersburg, FL
SCULPTURE: Dominice Gilbert grew up on a family farm in rural Indiana and began creating art at an early age, winning a national drawing competition when she was seven. Throughout elementary and high school she explored many art types and found her medium after taking her first welding class at seventeen. Dominice graduated high school early and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with help from a merit scholarship. After graduation she did artist residencies at CrabTree Farm in Lake Bluff, Illinois and The National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2010 she moved to Saint Petersburg, where she bought a commercial property with her lifelong partner JR Lodico. In 2018 they opened a newly built studio adjacent to their home where she continues to create art. Her primary focus is pushing herself to the next level, causing her sculpture to constantly evolve as every design works off the last. She creates tension between forms, mixing opposing textures and shapes in harmony, creating balance in opposition. Her sculptures are a replication of her emotions, but also a reflection of the viewer.
GONZALEZ, Luis - Miami, FL
WOOD: Born and raised in Colombia, Luis Gonzalez always had a passion for wood and hand tools. He started as a young adult, humbly sculpting and carving what would eventually become his way of life. After he moved to Miami in 2003, his art became well known within the local art scene. Since 2006 he has been participating in some of the most renowned juried art shows across the country.
GREENE GRAFF, Marjorie - Lutz, FL
RELIEF PRINTMAKING: Marjorie Graff has been making relief prints for over 20 years, influenced by the environment she lives in and the places she has traveled. In all her endeavors, she considers the elements of color and composition first. Her most recent work is called "Illusive Geography" and addresses how we approach and react to the places that surround us. Marjorie Graff holds a BFA in printmaking from the Philadelphia College of Art and a Masters from Temple University, Tyler School of Art. For 21 years she was a professor of Fine Arts at St. Petersburg College. Most recently she had a retrospective of her work at the Leepa Rattner Museum of Art and at the Rutledge Street Gallery in Camden, S.C. She is a founding member of 24 Hands, a printmaking group, and a member of FLAG (Florida Artist Group) as well as SGCI ( Southern Graphics International).
GRANT, Will - Bradenton, FL
SCULPTURE: Will Grant studied ceramics in high school and then furthered his education while attending College of the Desert in Palm Springs, CA. He spent his time in school mostly sculpting abstract figures. Accepting an invitation to work in a small village in Taiwan making furniture, Grant jumped at the chance. He was introduced to the art of making furniture out of acrylic and fell in love with the material. Grant soon discovered that he could take remnants of acrylic and create art forms in sculpture. These early, experimental works were usually given away to friends and family until one day he discovered how to add color and seamlessly fuse the acrylic into unique art forms. Grant started to create centerpieces for Walt Disney’s corporate parties and then started making displays for various companies such as Burberry and David Yurman Jewelry. In 2005, Grant was introduced to his first artwork by famed Israeli artist Yaacov Agam and he was instantly inspired by the movement of his pieces. Grant recently started incorporating glass, metal and wood into his acrylic sculptures.
GREENHECK, Ryan - Philadelphia, PA
CERAMIC: Ryan J. Greenheck received his Master of Fine Arts degree from SUNY College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2004. He also received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree as well as a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Wisconsin-Stout in 2002. He has participated in numerous national juried exhibitions and invitational shows since 2000, and his work is represented in many galleries, collections, and homes throughout the world. Over the past 12 years, he has been a professor at several academic institutions including The University of Pennsylvania and Temple’s Tyler School of Art. Ryan initiated The Philadelphia Potters Urban Studio Tour and is also coordinator of The Steel City Pottery Invitational and Co-coordinator of The Brooklyn Pottery Invitational. A structured composition is vital within the framework of his vessels: the rim and feet of his pots are strongly defined areas, while the space between lends itself to be broken down in parts. He incorporates patterns on the surface to assist in accentuating the volume with the forms explored, but sensitivity in the glazing process must be attained in order to preserve the essence of the piece.
GRUSHOVENKO, Signe and Genna - Greenville, SC
OIL: Signe was born in Michigan, raised in Georgia, and makes her home with her husband and collaborator Genna in Greenville SC. An artist her whole life, she studied drawing and painting at LaGrange College and has been a full time artist since. Genna was born and raised in Ukraine, and trained as a ceramicist, he practiced that art for 8 years before immigrating to the US in 1997. The Grushovenkos have been exploring and developing their artistic style together for nearly 2 decades. Genna begins their process by applying rich layers of pattern and tone to gessoed masonite or linen supports. Signe then selects an inspiration image from their extensive collection of vintage found photos, draws with oil pastel atop the abstract underlayer using the photo for reference, and completes the image with blocky 'panes' of oil color. The final results of their collaboration are multi-layered paintings with deep surfaces, crisp at first glance but rewarding the careful viewer with an undercurrent of complex tonality and colorplay.
HAMILTON, Tate - Denver, CO
OIL: Tate Hamilton has been actively painting for 35 years and uses a limited palette of 5 to 6 colors. He has studied with master class artists, developed a recognizable style, and has won many awards while appearing in magazines and on TV. His philosophy of creating art is this: "We are co-creators of my work. I start the painting and the viewer finishes it with their own imagination." He focuses on real life scenes, such as cityscapes and portraitures of people. Recent awards include Best Of Show La Quinta Fine Arts Festival 2019 and Best Of Show South Ann Arbor Arts Festival 2019.
HAMPEL, Christine (Oliver Jewelry) - Naples, FL
JEWELRY: "Express your unique self with jewelry that has personality." Christine Hampel's slogan sums up her philosophy and design goal. She creates truly unique, beautiful, yet powerful jewelry for confident people that are bold enough to express themselves without question. She's a contemporary jewelry artist that uses traditional metalsmithing techniques as well modern technologies to create edgy, one of a kind designs. Shapes and texture she finds in nature are a constant source of stimulation for her design process, and she won Best in Jewelry Main Street Fort Worth in 2019.
HARBEITNER, Kayla - St. Petersburg, FL
CERAMIC: Kayla Harbeitner received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, Florida in 2013. Kayla’s concentration was in Computer Animation. During this time she focused on computer based sculpts, but always enjoyed going back to the wheel and clay. Post graduation and moving to Saint Petersburg in 2018, she has been working with Charlie Parker as his apprentice. She brings traditional art into the craft by creating decorative and functional work with etching and painting. She creates functional ceramics where the designs and shapes can represent who she is as an artist. Planters are wonderful functional objects that can seem and be so mundane, but she hopes to create beauty through their form, sometimes with carvings and painting. Her recent awards include Emerging Artist-Craft Art 2018 and Collectors Circle Award Craft Art 2018 and 2019.
HATCHER, Lissa - Lutz, FL
MIXED MEDIA: Lissa Hatcher’s award winning photographs are highly conceptualized and choreographed productions full of fantastic characters in imaginary places. Working as a photographer, art director, and editor, it is often whispered that her shoots look like tiny movie sets where characters play out scenes like actors. Lissa is an award winning photographer, painter, and writer specializing in Surrealistic Fairytales. She has received awards from Kodak, Fuji and other industry leaders, with features in American Photo Magazine and Kodak.com, and a variety of other publications. Primarily self taught, she received certification as a Master in Photography from the Professional Photographers of America in 2011. Lissa continues pushing boundaries by combining photography, costume design and paint to create mixed media pieces and writing short stories about her characters which will ultimately be published as a children’s book.
HEDBLOM, Daniel and Frances - Rochester, MN
METAL: With their love of the North Shores of Lake Superior much of the Hedbloms’ work is inspired from this region. Although many of their pieces start off as a doodle, they always seem to find Lake Superior within their work. By combining both of their talents as a team the Hedbloms are able to design and create their artwork, and use a unique process to bring out the beautiful colors in the copper. Both Frances and Dan design the artwork requiring many months of planning to create the design. Despite having no prior torch-work experience, Frances has found she has a true talent in bringing out and blending the colors within the copper. Dan enhances the colors of the copper through the grinding and buffing process which results with the copper shimmering and the colors appearing to move fluidly when displayed in the sun or light. With his 20 years of woodworking and carpentry experience, the uniquely curved frames are also designed and built by Dan.
HEQUEMBOURG, Aaron - Monticello, GA
MIXED MEDIA: Aaron Hequembourg uses his passion for the past with the elements from a 200 year old plantation to create nostalgic and emotional works that also benefit his subjects from his community. Aaron was formally trained in engraving and printmaking on a scholarship to the University of Iowa. Upon graduating without a printing press, Aaron started to produce abstract figurative paintings engraved into wood panels. In 1997, Aaron and his wife Hope were married in the front yard of a farm that has been in her family since 1815. They proceeded to move into the farmhouse and have four children, and over the course of their lives there a family member suggested burning down the sharecropper houses that were scattered over the farm. After seeing the value of the wood, Aaron began to salvage materials for his contemporary work; however, after experiencing the history of the buildings and the objects inside them he was inspired to turn to his neighbors and community for subject matter, paying 10% to each model with the sale of their pieces. It has changed their lives and his. The result is the most successful body of work he has ever produced.
HUNNICUTT, Joel - Siler City, NC
WOOD: After taking a furniture making class over 20 years ago, Hunnicutt fell in love with working with the lathe and over the years he realized, “I wanted to take my love of wood, give it the luminosity of glass while using the forms of ancient pottery. This led me to segmented wood turning. Each piece is made up of small segments, assembled into a rough form and then turned into the final shape. I reinterpret the ancient and classical forms and couple these forms with 21st century treatments.”
KATTENBRAKER, Lisa - Olympia, WA
MIXED MEDIA: Lisa Kattenbraker creates narrative pieces using traditional batik methods, locally harvested beeswax, fiber reactive and natural dyes. Through hundreds of hours of wax application, both ancient and contemporary patterns and symbols are batiked into cotton fabric. Color, composition and pattern create an emotive backdrop while stick figures remain faceless, inviting the viewer to bring his or her own story to the piece. While the conversations, and the various reactions have not changed the way she continues to present her “human forms” in art, it has opened up new conversations and dialogue about how we as a community and culture see race, whether and where it subverts itself into consciousness, as well as how and where race shows up as a form of personal recognition, and how it connects or divides us on both a conscious and subconscious level.
KLISS, Bob and Laurie - Fresno, CA
GLASS: Together Bob and Laurie Kliss push the imagination into a whimsical state by joining together exciting color combinations, textures, and shapes into glass art that will surely enrich any collection. Trained at Pilchuck Glass Studio in Seattle Washington and moving onward to teach workshops and touring exhibits all over, the Klisses have become a favorite of private and corporate art collectors and earned extensive awards throughout their careers. They take pride and pleasure in each handmade item they produce and wish continued enjoyment to those who have included them in their collections.
KUBALE, Nancy - Rutherfordton, NC
CERAMIC: Nancy Kubale is a full-time ceramic and mixed media artist living 50 miles southeast of Asheville in the foothills of Rutherford County, NC. She earned her BFA in Mixed Media from Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and studied clothing construction at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NY, ceramics at Penland School of Crafts and sculpture at Florence Academy of Art. Her current work attempts to find ubiquitous truths; transforming sight to insight. Kubale exhibits regularly at high-end Art Fairs throughout the Eastern and Midwestern U.S., including SPECTRUM during Miami Art Week and the Philadelphia Museum Fine Craft Show, also participating in numerous group and solo gallery exhibitions throughout the country. Kubale has works in several permanent museum collections and is published in six books, as well as numerous magazine articles. Her ceramic figures begin with hand building techniques in red earthenware clay with a high grog content. She layers the surface with terra sigillata, slips, underglaze, stains, oxides, glazes, and underglaze pencils and powders. She utilizes both lithography and serigraphy techniques on slip – firing each piece three to five times. Her imagery is influenced by Greek and Roman sculpture, Catholic statuary, South American Santos,
and Southern and indigenous folk art. Some of the larger pieces utilize “stages and backdrops” to create an environment or context. Graffiti tags and text are added as elements that provide essence; the “I AM” of things that distinguish and define a life.
LAI, Daniel - St.Petersburg, FL
MIXED MEDIA: Daniel Lai, a self-taught artist of Chinese descent from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was granted US citizenship through extraordinary ability in the field of fine art and arts management in 2014. He often writes his experiences in a journal but finds it inadequate to convey how he truly feels. So, Daniel translates the paragraphs to a visual form that is three dimensional, simplistic, and often relatable to many. His sculpture series is a three-dimensional journal that conveys snippets of his emotions and feelings toward life; and the themes of this series often touch upon knowledge and contemplation. Daniel calls these sculptures “three dimensional hieroglyphs of my experiences.” Oftentimes, the true meaning of text and words are just beneath that thin layer of their lexical meaning. In other words, we live in a metaphorical world. Three dimensional representation of his experience transcends the boundary of words.
LEWK, Jim - Miami, FL
SCULPTURE: Born in Troyes, France and raised in New York, his interest in art dates from pre- grammar school. After moving to Miami, he studied art at the University of Miami, Florida State University, and in several European countries. By 1970, he was working full-time as a metal sculptor. Even though he is familiar with current trends and techniques in art, he prefers to be an outsider artist, and has developed a style that is very much his own. Jim’s sculptures are made of copper, welded with patina, and polychrome finish. The base is fossil coral from Key Largo formed at the beginning of the Ice Age 125, 000 years ago. The beauty of this ancient stone is its fossil imperfections. The balloons are hand-blown glass.
LONDONO, Olga - Tarpon Springs, FL
FURNITURE: Olga Londono graduated with honors as a graphic designer in Colombia, and a few years later in 1996 she moved to the United States looking for an adventure and new opportunities. In her first few years Olga tried different mediums until she specialized in hand-painted glass and sold her products in some of the most famous art venues in Miami Beach, then moved to Key West with her husband and both worked in local markets. When they moved to Tampa Bay they decided it was time for a change in their product and they created a new line, handmade art made out of wood, and finished with epoxy resin. Olga began creating fun characters with bright and bold colors, a few years later furniture was added to the collection. Her designs are all based on the happiness that she wants to bring to her customers from the bold and colorful pieces and silly characters, she always wants that smile back from the people when they see the designs. After selling in many art shows throughout the state she decided to have her own art gallery shop in Tarpon Springs, FL where she sells her artwork along with customized signs.
LUTTRELL, Marge - Knoxville, TN
MIXED MEDIA: Luttrell, an encaustic mixed media artist, hails from Knoxville, Tennessee by way of New Jersey. She received her MFA from the University of Tennessee and is a Fulbright Scholar. Along with exhibiting her work throughout the country and winning many awards, she is also an encaustic workshop teacher at Penland School of Crafts, Arrowmont, Touchstone, and many others throughout the U.S. and Europe. She explores the creation stories and constellation myths that are passed down to us. Whether ancient or modern, the same stories are universal then and now, as they have the ability to mirror our own mythologies in the present tense.
MADVIN, Andrew - Detroit, MI
GLASS: Andrew grew up curious with the freedom to explore the outdoors, quickly becoming interested in the natural world around him. He displayed a passion for creativity and a clear talent to build. These innate skills developed in his high school metals and jewelry classes, earning him work at a custom jeweler and earned him gold and silver scholastic awards on a national level for his art and designs. This energy, in combination with a scholarship, propelled his schooling to the College for Creative Studies in Detroit where Andrew abandoned the delicate format of jewelry for the larger scale study of sculpture. However, once exposed to the medium of glass there was no doubt it was the beginning of a life long relationship. He says, “The material holds an excitement I can feel. I see endless possibilities in form, technique, and physical attraction waiting to be discovered.” The fire and soul of hot glass seduced Andrew at once. Currently, Andrew is producing all of his original glass works to the highest quality and craftsmanship, and his limited edition fine craft and sculpture continue to evolve as his techniques flourish and his ideas expand. Installation and custom commission work are available and collected on a national and international level.
MADVIN, Robert - Detroit, MI
GLASS: Robert Madvin was first introduced to glass while enrolled in high school by his older brother Andrew Madvin, also a successful glass artist. He later studied glass-blowing at the College of Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan and the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, Hawaii. While earning his degree in fine arts from the College of Creative Studies Robert began working with his brother to develop their own glass studio. Robert continues to blow glass and cultivate his work in that same studio space. Robert’s primary inspiration derives from nature; his artwork focuses on natural elements, textures, and color that he encounters in his travels and his day to day endeavors. While Robert was studying in Hawaii he developed his most prominent glass sculpture series called Pohaku, meaning “rock” or “stone.” Ancient Hawaiians would stack stones upon one another to create rock sculptures used as navigational instruments throughout the islands. Robert encountered some of these tools while hiking various trails in Hawaii and developed them into his glass stacked stone sculptures, shown at various art shows and galleries throughout the U.S. and Canada.
MARIN, Ancizar - Pembroke Pines, FL
SCULPTURE: Born in Colombia, Marin first received formal art training in the 1980s at the Bellas Artes institute in Manizales, Colombia. He continued to study sculpture at the Lucio Petraglia school of art in Bogota, where he honed his sculptural proficiency in bronze and steel. Later, South American travel exposed him to the rich melting pot of cultural influences that further informed his approaches to color and texture. Marin works now in South Florida, where his work has been featured in design magazines, gallery shows, and prestigious art fairs, and private commissions continue to proliferate. Using the lost wax techniques and materials such as bronze, fiberglass and chrome, Ancizar Marin is inspired by the whimsical subjects of Cirque du Soleil. He loves to see that his sculptures bring the same joy and happiness to people as they bring to him. Today, Marin continues to experiment with multiple textures and techniques.
MARRINSON, Thomas - Hinesburg, VT
CERAMIC: Marrinson uses low fire white earthenware that is slab and wheel formed and finishes his pieces with colors that are a commercial under-glaze. He writes, “My decorative vessels are studies in simplicity and grace of form, the juxtaposition of textures and colors which enliven each other and the luminosity of soft, non-reflective surfaces."
MATHISEN, Katherine - Miami, FL
SCULPTURE: Katherine studied sculpture with many noted artists at the Penland School of Art & Crafts. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida, specializing in Art and Biological Studies. In addition, she studied ornamental horticulture at SUNY in Farmingdale, NY, and acquired twenty years of experience in the field as a floral and landscape designer in both New York and Florida. Gardens she created have appeared in magazines, books and TV commercials. Katherine has exhibited and taught ceramics for more than 18 years, working with many masters in contemporary sculpture. Currently, Katherine exhibits her award-winning ceramic sculpture in galleries and art shows throughout the US, and pieces can be found in both public and private collections in the US, South America, Europe and Australia.
MCCLELLAN, Duncan - St. Petersburg, FL
Duncan McClellan’s fascination with glass began at age five, when he visited a glass factory in West Virginia. Duncan never forgot the image of the glowing, molten mass being formed by an expert craftsman. After successfully working with leather and clay, he finally had the opportunity to learn to blow glass at a studio in Ybor City, Florida in 1987. Duncan has studied the creation of larger forms with Fred Kahl and John Brekke, two instructors and artists working at the New York Experimental Glass Workshop. Duncan has also been honored as the second American invited to study and work at the ARS Studio in Murano, Italy. Duncan most recently moved from Tampa and now works out of a newly renovated tomato plant in Midtown District of St. Petersburg, FL. Duncan redesigned a 7,800- square-foot building to have plenty of space to work and host events for local non-profits. Duncan processes enables him to place imagery on the inside and outside (and in some cases both) of his glass vessels. In his one-of-a-kind or series works, images are juxtaposed to articulate the message or idea. The focus is centered around the internal graal technique and overlay techniques, incorporating hand cutting, photo resist and computer graphics. To finish these works, acid etching, fire polishing and a six-stage grinding and polishing technique are used. Currently, his work depicts emotions relating to family, personal growth and the spiritual connections between each of us as souls. As Duncan embarks on each new artistic journey, his connection to the work is more deeply felt by those who experience it. Each piece holds a unique place in the artist's life and it is his joy to share with it you.
MELNICK, David (Dana*David) - New York, NY
JEWELRY: David Melnick has always strived to make pieces that offer a unique perspective. He wants to present jewelry that is distinctive, but allows it to be worn every day, and has always felt that the best design is the simplest design. His pieces are organic and architectural shapes, hand crafted in 18K gold and diamonds. The goal is to design a piece of jewelry that can become your favorite piece to wear: its design should not shout and be able to be worn with other jewelry without overwhelming those pieces.
MOSKOV, Boyan - Contoocook, NH
CERAMIC: I got into ceramics when I was young. I grew up in Bulgaria, and I attended an art school in Troyan, Bulgaria from age 13 - 19. That is where I studied many different mediums, but I always enjoyed working with ceramics. When I graduated there were good jobs in production pottery, so my career started there. I worked for several different production pottery companies, and then when I was older, started my own company. In 2007 I moved to America with my wife, to her hometown in New Hampshire. When I first started making pottery in America I started with production pottery - mugs, bowls, plates, things like that. I didn’t feel like I was expressing myself artistically, so I decided to focus on sculptural pieces that allowed me to experiment more.
NEMNICH, Michael - Indialantic, FL
OIL PASTELS: Nemnich’s work is made on 100% cotton based, handmade archival paper. He uses oil pastels, oil pencil and graphite to achieve his imagery. He works the image through multiple layers that are added and subtracted until the image is complete. Nemnich believes this process invites the observer to look closely and realize there is more to the image than they observed at first glance.
NEWMAN, Rachael - Bluffton, SC
JEWELRY: Though Rachael Newman calls coastal South Carolina home, she and her husband enjoy equal time traveling to art festivals in their Airstream trailer or cruising in their sailboat. Each of these aspects of her life influences her art. She is driven by an innate sense of aesthetics, balance and shape. Her unique jewelry has simple elegance that reflects the chemistry between the inherent beauty of a woman and the piece she wears. Rachael selects distinctive freshwater & Tahitian pearls, then designs a sterling setting to showcase their lyrical nature. She has often been told that she has vast interests, but for her it comes down to a few much simpler components: nature, water, creativity, and solitude.
OKONKWO, Nnamdi - Fayettville, GA
SCULPTURE: Nnamdi was born in Nigeria but came to America over 30 years ago with the help of a basketball scholarship. He graduated with an MFA in sculpture from Brigham Young University in Utah. He now lives and works in Fayetteville, GA, and has his works represented in many private and public settings across the world. I want to tell a story with my art that resonates with the human family and moves the soul to a nobler and higher place. I hope to capture something essential, beautiful and hopeful about humanity, in a familiar, simple, but profound way.
OTIS, Andrew - Charlevoix, MI
CERAMIC: Andrew Otis, a second generation potter of over 20 years, practices his craft in beautiful northern Michigan. His work consists of large vessels, ranging from 3-6 feet tall, created on a potter's wheel. The smooth surfaces become canvases for his carvings and pedestals for his sculptures. They're fired to 2300 F. Crafting works on a larger scale creates a fuller surface to carve into, which allows for more designs and more creativity than one might find on a smaller piece. Oftentimes the images and designs carved into the vessel will be assimilated with the sculptures that he mounts on top of the vessel, creating a seamless work that connects naturally. Living in a rural area certainly impacts his subject matter, as the serenity of working in a studio in Northern Michigan allows for a close interaction with the pastoral.
PETERS, Tim and Erika - Winter Haven, FL
PORCELAIN: Tim and Erika met in a dark room in 1984. They have been creating award winning porcelain pieces since then. They have been doing this to support 3 dogs, 7cats, 2 birds, and an extensive garden. Theirs is a life filled with living things.Tim and Erika create beauty from earth, fire, and human inspiration. We have traveled from Key West to the Olympic Peninsula, remember the places we have seen, and carve into porcelain what those places could have been.
PETERSON, Benjamin - Tampa, FL
METAL/MIXED: Born in Green Bay Wisconsin and relocating to Florida in 2001, Benjamin Peterson works predominantly in metal in addition to including stone and a variety of river rocks in many of his pieces. Peterson’s artistic process began with years of hands-on work with marble, slate, and granite. He used remaining pieces for a variety of beautiful mosaics and décor for home and garden. In addition he studied under other artists that taught him how to weld. Benjamin enjoys the hunt of finding various industrial metal remnants and repurposing them. He believes their aged life is complementary in color to Florida’s lush landscapes.
PETRAITIS, Loretta - St.Petersburg, FL
OIL: Loretta Petraitis was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, a student from the Applied Arts School, she continued on with her studies and graduated with an MFA from Vilnius Art Academy. Following a career as a textile designer Loretta immigrated to the United States and started working as an artist where she continues today to express herself through the language of art. Most ideas in her paintings derive from the urban industrial landscape. She says, “My art conceptually dwells in the mental imagery of the cities with big shoulders and solidity of their history. I find it interesting and worthy to concentrate on architectural structures, large scale perspective, natural and artificial lights, water reflections and different disintegrating surfaces, such as abandoned concrete and rusty metals.” Loretta’s use of texture, capturing the history and deterioration of the architecture she paints helps her to reveal the depth and emotional input of the compositions.
RECHTSCHAFFEN, Vasant - Lagunitas, CA
JEWELRY: Acclaimed jewelry designer Vasant has been a citizen of the world her entire life. It wasn’t until her annual visits to India began that her inspirations blossomed, 20 years ago. She soon found herself poring through trays of precious and semi precious stones in search of the perfect adornments for herself, her friends and her clientele. This passion has now grown into a mission to spread beauty and love around our planet. She loves to see how women “know” exactly which stone and piece is right for them. Somehow it’s always the right fit! She gets so much pleasure out of seeing my designs light up a beautiful woman and in turn seeing how her natural beauty makes her creation even more stunning to the eye!
REINFELD, Bruce - Philadelphia, PA
PHOTOGRAPHY: At first glance, Bruce Reinfeld doesn’t initially seem like the whimsical kind. His photographs are focused, journalistic and frank. The well-heeled lyrics that infiltrate his buoyant brand of pop are ruminative and straight forward, poetic yet never fussy. Yet for all this blunt force, there is a capriciousness that belies his lighthearted sense of play and humor. Photographically it is wrecked train tracks, battered sculptures, creaky barns, bruised busses, dime-store Elvis impersonators, and the wretched likes that are his subjects. He adds a gently silly and unique perspective. His coloring gives each piece of black & white film a surrealist burst of pop color that makes the image he has captured come vibrantly alive — merging the beauty and sadness in his art with seamless elegance. Take a tour of his gallery here: https://youtu.be/U6Kto_GEAYk
RODRIGUEZ, Hernan - Hialeah, FL
OIL: Born in Güines, Havana, Cuba in 1982, Hernan Rodriguez is a self-taught contemporary landscape artist with humble beginnings in the countryside. Surrounded by unique and exotic landscapes, Rodriguez discovered early on that painting would be his lifelong passion. Using the landscape of his hometown in Cuba as the prime motive and model behind his works, the artist garnered the attention of Raul Perdomo, a renowned Cuban landscape painter, and eventually became his apprentice. He later travelled to Miami, where he currently lives and works. Rodriguez’s landscapes have become memories of his mother country. Showing an impressive maturity and pictorial skill, his style demonstrates a simple approach to nature as the artist invites us into his world for a constant reflection between man and earth. Through an epic representation of the land and with an intense pigmentation, he has developed his own unique style of landscape, one within the style of traditional realism.
ROSE, Marlene - Clearwater, FL
GLASS: Marlene Rose is an award-winning glass sculptor, internationally known in museums as well as top art and glass galleries. Her works are collected by the glass connoisseurs, fine-art collectors and Hollywood A-list celebrities.
Marlene Rose simply breathes life and beauty into whatever she makes. Each piece is a one-of-a-kind, hand cast glass sculpture made from 2000 degree molten glass using a stamp and pour method. Sandcasting glass is based on the thousands-year-old tradition of bronze casting, adapted only recently for glass.
RUPPERT, Brad and Sundie- Norwalk, IA
MIXED MEDIA: Brad and Sundie Ruppert have a fascination with texture and the need to innovate by creating unique mixed media sculptures. Their most recent body of work gives new life to perhaps the oldest textile used today, fur felt remnants trimmed from the brims of felt hats. They have developed a process of cutting, bending and layering the intricate felt pieces over carved wood, creating incredible likenesses of their natural subject matter.These two Iowa artists reference multiple photographic images to realistically interpret the color, movement and emotion of their nature- inspired subjects. Sundie explains, “We try to capture the soul that shines through bright eyes, soft fur and sleek feathers.” Brad adds, “Viewers are drawn in by a type of optical illusion. The soulful eyes grab them first. Next, the brain tries to comprehend if they are viewing a painting or a sculpture and then finally, they reach out and touch the soft felt to fully indulge in the experience.”
SCHWARTZ, Suzanne - Katonah, NY
JEWELRY: Suzanne first discovered the freedom art could bring when her grandmother taught her to sew and knit. Even as a child, textiles inspired her with their variety of patterns, textures, and movement and opened Suzanne’s eyes to art’s boundless possibilities. As an adult, her creative medium moved from textiles to metals, but the stitching came with her, as seen in Suzanne’s current Interwoven Collections. Suzanne loves texture, form and intersecting lines she finds inspiration in everything from nature to architecture, fabric, design, lines and texture. All of these spur her personal aesthetic and style. Her pieces are stitched with gold or silver wire on metal shapes, giving the work a three dimensionality while honoring the basic design sense of each piece. Stitching is a way for Suzanne to create texture in her jewelry, but what Suzanne loves most is seeing her finished work on other people. Even though it came from her hands and inspiration, she sees it in a new light, taking on a life that wasn’t there before and fitting to their personality as if made for the wearer. It’s exciting and truly gratifying.
SHANAS, Bonnie - Cherry Hill, NJ
MIXED MEDIA: Born in New Jersey, Bonnie moved to Israel during her childhood where she was raised and lived the next 30 years of her life. Married with two sons yet consumed by the corporate life, she decided it was time to stop and “take a breath”. In 2006 she closed the office doors and ventured out on artistic endeavors, a pursuit which led her to the exploration of sculpture, using wire mesh as her primary medium. Bonnie focused on figurative studies in the studio classes of Israeli artists No’am Douieb and mentored with sculptor Shulamit Hartal, where she acquired her knowledge on mesh sculpting while pertaining to her interest in the human form.In 2009, Bonnie returned with her husband and children to the US where she continued to develop her work and establish her artistic path. Today her work is represented in art galleries in several states. She exhibits in both juried and invitational exhibits, as well as national shows where she has won numerous awards and honorable mentions. Since 2012 she has participated in several invitational art residencies in Poland and in France where she worked on themed exhibits created by collaborating international artists. Her work can be found in both private collections in the US, England, Australia, and public installations in the US, Poland and France. Learn more about her technique here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m2ETQDk57U&feature=youtu.be
SIGWARTH, Douglas and Renee - River Falls, WI
GLASS: With over 24 years of glass blowing experience together, the Sigwarths met in college and both transferred to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls to receive their degrees. As they were about to embark on their honeymoon, someone recognized the name “Sigwarth” and mentioned a glass factory in Hergiswil, Switzerland. The couple sought out the factory and discovered it was a part of Doug's family history and that he was related to the owners through his great-great-grandfather. Doug’s family has been glassblowing for centuries and he was never aware of the link between his passion and his ancestry until his honeymoon!
SMITH, Jon - Clearwater, FL
OIL: Jon Smith's training in art began as a child and continued through his studies at the University of South Carolina, the College of Charleston and finally the Leo Marchutz School of Painting and Drawing in Aix en Provence. It was in southern France while painting on location and studying the Impressionists that Jon developed his sense of light and color. Upon return from France, Jon settled in Boston and continued to paint plein air and to copy the Masters to build upon his technique. He combined his understanding of the Impressionists with the Old Boston School and developed his own style: a loose realism with a hint of Impressionism. As Jon developed as an artist, his interest in painting people as the subject of his work led him to the museum setting. He developed compositions encompassing the fine lines of the architecture of the museum building itself while also capturing the spontaneity of people enjoying the art work. Most of what Jon has become known for is the way that he is able to capture the very essence of people.
SOLOMON, Josh - Norfolk,VA
GLASS: Always inquisitive and seeking, Joshua uses glass blowing as an avenue for inquiry. His love of the material and passion for exploration is channeled into his work through form, color and texture. Finished works are easily accessible and enjoyed by peoples of all ages, backgrounds and planetary origins. His colors and textures are inspired by his knowledge of the natural world and passion for the fantastic.
STEIDEL, Debra - Wimberley, TX
PORCELAIN: Debra Steidel is self-taught: through diligence, a library and advice from seasoned potters, she learned her way with the wheel and how to glaze and fire ware. Debra began her career as a functional potter, throwing bowls, mugs and such. In the early 1990's she began to sculpt sculptural sea forms, which carried over into her current body of work with the lids that are cast in glass. In 2004, she began experimenting with the ever fickle "crystalline glaze." Working in the medium of ceramics can be filled with uncertainty. Unlike any other medium in art, the end result is not seen until the kiln is opened. This is part of the mystery of ceramics that Debra embraces and is forever inspired. Her fascination with clay began in 1974, at 18 when she purchased her first potters' wheel. The plasticity of clay with its endless possibilities have kept her constantly inspired for over 4 decades. For her, nothing can compare to the sensation of raising each wall of a vessel and the creation of an elegant form from a crude chunk of clay. As an artist, it is essential to her being "to create".
TESLA, Cat - Lilburn, GA
PAINTING: International artist Cat Tesla is a contemporary nature-based abstract painter. Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1963, Cat grew up with a love for both art and science and obtained degrees in Biology and Graphic Design, along with a Master’s Degree in Human Genetics. She worked as a genetic counselor on faculty at Emory University for 20 years, then eventually traded genetics clinic for art studio. Tesla completed additional painting studies with artist, writer, and author of “Expressive Drawing” Steven Aimone, as well as Nicholas Wilton, Sausalito-based artist and teacher. Cat’s work has been exhibited in galleries across the U.S. and U.K., as well as the Knoxville Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art in Atlanta, and the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art north of Atlanta. After 24 years as a professional artist, Tesla’s paintings are in more than 300 corporate collections and nearly 1000 hospitals and medical centers in the U.S., and in private collections worldwide. Her nature-based abstract works were recently placed in Capital One and the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab’s permanent collections. Tesla lives and works in the Atlanta, GA.
TESSER, Sharon - Louisville, KY
FIBER: Sharon Tesser holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Washington University in St. Louis with a specialty in Illustration and studied at the Studio Art Center International in Florence Italy for Art History and Restoration. She worked as a freelance illustrator for several years and has published pieces with the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Little Brown, McGraw Hill, and Lark Publishing. Sharon is a fiber artist who sees the role of textiles as language. Their fibers and patterns tell stories in and of themselves; when she uses the fabric it becomes her voice. Utilizing a love of textiles and her commitment to recycling, she began deconstructing clothing and linens and then hand dying the fabric. The images made are from original sketches and built up with the dyed fabric, and the finished textile is completed using several layers of fabric and wrapped onto a maple board. She says, "There is power in recognizing that life's smallest moments are in fact what make one's truest existence. I seek to make the ordinary extraordinary. I celebrate the first cup of coffee in the morning, a whisper, a good book...These to me are the most vibrant examples of a life well lived; realizing that the very smallest moments are the most important."
THETFORD, Daryl - Chattanooga, TN
MIXED MEDIA: From an early age, Daryl Thetford was interested in art, but it wasn’t a “practical field,” so he pursued and received his MS in counseling from Murray State College, but after 15 years as a counselor he felt unfulfilled and decided to follow a new passion, collage. His collage works can contain anywhere from 100 up to 200 photographs. His works consist of combined photos that Thetford himself takes all over the United States. He then manipulates his photographs to create his desired image. As Thetford relays, “I was drawn to the detail, the texture, the painterly aspect of older signage that coexisted with the newer, slicker, mechanically-produced signs and I wanted to preserve these images.”
TSHUN, Sip - Pompano Beach, FL
MIXED MEDIA: Sip Tshun grew up in Indonesia to Chinese parents who moved his family there to make a better life for themselves. In Indonesia he lived in Pontianak, a tropical paradise where the equator passes through the middle of town. His talents were noticed when he was very young and the teachers actually didn’t believe he had done the artistic work himself. His sculptural, precise use of colored pencils to enhance the bright colors of his work add a unique touch to each piece. Tshun says, “The one constant is time: it is precious and we must live in each moment!”
VELASQUEZ-MAHER, Colin - Philadelphia, PA
MIXED MEDIA: Wife and husband duo Luisa Velasquez-Maher and Colin Maher-Velasquez don’t make it easy when it comes to deciding which of their series to buy. Colin’s Philly roots are shown in the more academic, gallery approach with his “Sculpi” series. His texture and colors are representative of his time spent with Luisa but his execution is aggressive and minimalist—taking color and texture to its extreme, every time. All of their paintings are actually mixed media sculptures on canvas. All of them are a version of a hand- mixed medium that consists of marble dust and oils, inks, or acrylics. This medium allows Luisa and Colin to sculpt with color onto canvas: shape, sand, stain, distress, and layer to their own ends without being limited by the nature of the paint being used.These sculptures on canvas are an expression of pure, physical and mental artistic discipline, the labor cannot be rushed, stream-lined, or mechanized. It is both classic and wholly contemporary.
VELASQUEZ-MAHER, Luisa - Philadelphia, PA
MIXED MEDIA: Wife and husband duo Luisa Velasquez-Maher and Colin Maher-Velasquez don’t make it easy when it comes to deciding which of their series to buy. Luisa’s Colombian heritage shows through in her “Flores sin Fronteras” series; with her choice of vibrant colors, bold texture, and decidedly unique finish. All of their paintings are actually mixed media sculptures on canvas. All of them are a version of a hand- mixed medium that consists of marble dust and oils, inks, or acrylics. This medium allows Luisa and Colin to sculpt with color onto canvas: shape, sand, stain, distress, and layer to their own ends without being limited by the nature of the paint being used.These sculptures on canvas are an expression of pure, physical and mental artistic discipline, the labor cannot be rushed, stream-lined, or mechanized. It is both classic and wholly contemporary.
WHITFIELD, Warner and KELEMEN, Beatriz - Ocala, FL
GLASS: Warner Whitfield began working in glass in 1972 and apprenticed with master glass artist Fritz Bachman from Hamburg, Germany, establishing a glass studio in 1976. Beatriz Kelemen began working in glass in 1984 in Venezuela under her father’s Frank Kelemen tutoring, well known for his work in stained glass. She has a bachelor's degree in Architecture and a Masters in Project Management from Cal Poly University, CA. Whitfield and Kelemens' work is shown in many galleries and has won numerous awards at juried exhibitions throughout the United States. Some collectors and commissions include: Pittsburgh Plate Glass, United Technologies, the Japanese Embassy, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum, Martha Stewart, Stephen King, Whoopi Goldberg, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the King of Jordan and the Premier of Newfoundland Danny Williams, also featured in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. Their designs are influenced by diving in the shallow clear waters of Florida and the Caribbean, and combined with their dance instructing careers many of their designs and compositions, particularly those involving the Latticino technique, are reminiscent in the feeling of underwater coral reefs and the rhythm of dance.