Evolve. Women. Wisdom

My work is politically based and emerges from a place of inspiration and social concerns. I must be inspired by the subject I am compelled to recreate upon canvas. It may be the stance of the person; the color of their skin; the shape of their body or what they are wearing. The best portraits are when the soul of that person emerges from behind his eyes. Even when I paint a tree or a rock, I become one with the object. Whatever it is, when I paint, I become excited, sometimes frustrated and finally satisfied as I see what I have created with the help of my ancestors, long deceased. I believe being an artist involves a social responsibility to incite change, and transform consciousness. It also to bring peace to a troubled soul. I believe if I had started oil painting at 13 instead of 63, I would have been a fashion designer. I love the lines that form the shape of the human body, and the texture of cloth and it's movement upon that body like a human tree fascinates me. When I was young, there were not many images of young, defiant, black women like the ones were described in the poetry of Maya Angelou such as "I'll Rise"...she writes, Does mu haughtiness offend you? .... .You may shoot me with your word, you may cut me with your eyes,, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise. Does my Sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise that I danced like I've got diamonds at the meeting of my things." I love my work to be powerful!

I was born in N. Little Rock, Ark in 1938. When I was six years old I moved to New Brunswick, N.J., home of Rutgers University, so college has always been in my blood, but I would not get my degree from Otis College of Art and Design in 2007 until I was 69 years old. I began oil painting when I was about 63 at the El Camino Jr. College. Today I still take classes there. I went started College when I was 19 and but after a few sessions my disease took control of my life. I moved to Los Angeles in 1961, married, lost babies at birth and most of my life was darkness until Jan 4, 1971 when I stopped drinking. I worked as a secretary, and a Medical transcriber in the day time and took every course I loved until even today. When I started oil painting at age 63, I finally matriculated. I applied to Otis College of Art and Design and graduated on the Dean's list in 2007. The great African American artist of LA took me under their wings and invited me join them in many of their exhibits. I have been extremely blessed to know these gifted life-time artist. I am the new kid on the block. I have been in the CA African Art Museum and with many other groups that are well know with great professional artist. I am grateful for their friendship and knowledge. I have been in the exhibit Day of the Dead in Los Angeles and many exhibits.

My work tells stories – my stories, other people’s stories and stories not yet told. I use bright colors and work in large scale, focusing on the most important subject in the narrative, which may be a portrait or an inanimate, everyday object. I leave the viewer wondering about what is happening and the meaning behind each work.

Melissa Arostegui recalls having a strong interest in shape and color as a child. She spent a lot of time looking at the shapes and outlines of ordinary objects, which shows up in her work. Much of her inspiration came from studying the work of David Hockney and Elizabeth Murray while attending SAIC. This is evident in her large paintings, primarily of bold still life objects and portraits.

Since receiving her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Melissa has participated in several art shows in Illinois including a solo show at the Mission Gallery in Elgin called “A Place She Calls Her Own.” In addition, Melissa participated at Bare Walls, a live event at the Art Institute of Chicago and has been involved in other exhibitions across the country. In 2018, Melissa Arostegui’s work was featured in the magazine Art & Beyond and she was also featured in an online article by Artsy Shark in 2023.

Recent group exhibitions include Refreshing Feminism, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, Illinois; and Evolve.Women.Wisdom, Long Hall Gallery, West Hollywood, California.

“I wait for the canvas to come alive to tell me a story.”

Arrachme is a published contemporary abstract artist with paintings curated into museums, worldwide. The art suggests something more underlying; inviting us to explore a vague world to finish the storytelling.

Her work has been awarded, collected and recognized for many years internationally, mostly for humanitarian and environmental causes which is her foremost passion. She engages in a greater world arts community where she has been elevated into a network of exceptionally talented artists that are regularly curated in museum locations including but not limited to South Korea, the Netherlands, Belgium, USA, UK, France, and Iran. As seen in House and Garden UK 2018.

My journey as an artist began over 30 years ago painting colorful semi-abstract Southwest landscapes in oils and watercolor.

Captured by collage and mixed media, the direction of my work has changed dramatically over the years. And, although I still paint, my "paint brush" is now often through the lens of a camera or iPhone. My photo collages allow me to meld together captured images of light and shadows, architectural elements and the mood inducing landscapes of L.A. and DTLA. Day or night, freeway blurs, building facades, distorted landscapes, graffiti, billboards, glitches, store windows, reflections are translated into seductive, colorful virtual reality-scapes.

Susanne Belcher, a native Californian, and award winning mixed media semi-abstract artist, began incorporating photography into her paintings and collages several years ago. Her experimentation with transparency film, scanning images, layering, overlaying and collaging these elements into her creations extended her visual language. Her images, always compelling, whether minimal or complex, retain a consistent emotional narrative component that is unique, sophisticated and often surreal and mysterious. Her innate ability to distill images through layers of reduction and compilation in mixed media provided a natural transition to digital photography.

She has exhibited in Germany and galleries throughout So. California in both solo and group exhibitions since 1991. The recipient of numerous awards, her work is held in private and corporate collections in the U.S. and Europe. She was a founding partner and represented artist of the former Abbot Kinney Art Gallery (Venice, CA), is currently represented by Gloria Delson Contemporary Arts Gallery (DTLA). She is an active member of Women Painters West, Thousand Oaks Art Association, California Art League and currently sits on the Board of Collage Artists of America and The Fine Arts Club of Pasadena. She is also co-author of an art/nature essay book “Looking for 527” about the journeys of a Yellowstone Wolf killed in 2009 during the first Montana wolf hunt (available on Amazon.com)

I experience much joy expressing my ideas and passions through my art. I am always surprised at the result as I am working spontaneously, focusing on the process as opposed to working for a particular outcome. In my recent work, I am enjoying the playfulness I experience when making my whimsical animal watercolors and my mixed media/collages.

I have evolved through the years and expressed my creativity in different styles--drawing and painting the figure, making expressionist paintings of jazz musicians and singers, making mixed media pieces and whimsical watercolors. I have also acted in the theater, performed stand-up comedy and wrote and illustrated a book of poetry for children. This varied background in the arts has directed and informed my visual art which is my basic focus and love.

Marlaya Charleston has been drawing and painting since the age of twelve. She began her formal training at the age of sixteen at The Art Students League in New York City. Growing up there, she had the privilege, at a young age, to visit The Modern Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Guggenheim Museum where she was moved and inspired. She continued her studies in New York at Parsons School of Design, Cooper Union and eventually earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from The School of Visual Arts.

Her influences are African Art, the German Expressionists, Picasso and Matisse.

Marlaya continued her artistic exploration making compositions combining realistic images with abstract shape, texture and color. As of late, she is enjoying making whimsical watercolors mostly depicting animals and the human figure.

Her works have been exhibited throughout the Los Angeles area and are collected internationally.

ART is a way to connect and disconnect with the whole world. There is a way to reach out to people by expressing my real self and be real me, which is to make ART. I can be 100% honest to myself and to others; I can show how I feel without too much of elaboration; I can decide and control in my own world. Sometimes words and speeches get in the way. Art helps me to meditate and observe. ART is no longer a ?want-to-do?, but a ?got-to-do? in life. I need them to support my own existence. It is to say, ?My work has defined me?. There is no need for me to speak up, to shout and to scream out loud. ART shows me a way out in life, and it follows me everywhere I go. My work has given me a passport to my own world and to reach out others? world.

Hui-ju Chen (Mickey) graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1996. Even though she has not been using art and design as her main profession, she has kept her passion of making art until today. It is interesting to see how her work has varied from photography to acrylic painting to mixed-media to collage. She hopes to keep being experimental because she believes that, in the art world, there are no real errors but different thoughts and processes with different outcomes. Without experimentation, she feels, art is not art. She gets inspiration from different aspects of life. She always hopes to learn and create different kinds of work by making use of her own different life experiences.

It is normal to have lots of frustrations and doubts as one goes through the phases of creation. For Mickey, the biggest frustration has been the temptation and pressure to build and keep up one particular style in order to be a professional artist. Though it is true that a dedication to one style may enable one to come a little closer to perfection in that style, Mickey feels that art is about taking risks. If she is satisfied with one style, she believes that she loses a very important quality of art--the excitement of experiencing different things in the world. Therefore, she hopes to continue working in different ways and experimenting with different styles. Art making, for her, is not just a way to express herself but a way to define her existence.

Michael Cheung (born 1978, Hong Kong) is a Chinese artist living and working in Hong Kong.

Growing up in the former British Colony - Hong Kong where East meets West, Michael is influenced by both Oriental and Western culture.

His approach is edgy, sophisticated and creative one that understands the value of good art.

His art creation is deeply embedded within perception, memory, identity and communication in contemporary life.

A self-taught artist, trained as a graphic designer, he has exhibited in New York, Seoul, Berlin, Copenhagen, Moscow, with magazines such as Art & Beyond magazine, Don't Panic magazine.

His works are held in private collections in Europe, USA and Asia.

ART FAIR

October 2018 Art Market Budapest

March 2018 Harbour Art Fair Hong Kong

December 2017 Spectrum Miami Art Fair

June 2017 YIA ART FAIR #10 - Basel

February 2017 Pink Art Fair Seoul

April 2016 Kolner Liste 2016

March 2016 Affordable Art Fair Italy

January 2016 Art Rooms 2016 London

October 2015 Art Market Budapest

October 2015 Swab 2015 Art Fair

September 2015 Art Copenhagen 2015

July 2015 Art Monaco 2015

April 2015 Kolner Liste 2015

September 2014 Art Copenhagen 2014

May 2014 Cutlog NY 2014

December 2013 Art Edition 2013 Korea

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

December 2013 " From China With Love " exhibition _ MuseOrfeo Home Gallery, Bologna, Italy

I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration.

Frida Kahlo

I think Frida Kahlo was the ultimate artist and expressed it best in the quote above. I take photographs because I need to, and I photograph whatever catches my eye and touches my soul.

The first time I ever picked up a camera I realized the gift I had been given. We tend to walk through life - one moment to the next, sometimes and often missing life around us or the moments that mean the most to us. As our memories fade or the moment passes; photographs have a way of reminding us how we felt at the moment we took the photograph. They share moments, they share events and most of all they share emotions.

A featured artist of Art & Beyond, as well as a previous featured Artist of The Queer Gallery, her work has been called "Distinctive" by Agora Gallery. Wendy Coco is a photographer who specializes in capturing the images of the living world. Born in Maine she first used her camera to capture images of rural living. In 2002 she moved to Western Massachusetts where she began exploring her interest in the arts and in floral photography. As a Social Worker Wendy quickly found a way to combine her love of people and her 20 year experience in housing the homeless to capture the reality of living today. She has been blessed with the opportunity to meet thousands of people around the country who have found themselves struggling under the weight of poverty. Encapsulated in her

the language of life.

The type of Art that I do is beyond the spoken words.

When it emerges spontaneously because of the process, I accept it with gratitude.

Jenik

No question but the painting of Jenik Cook - and hardly less the work she realizes in other media (most notably ceramics) -is abstract-expressionist. But it is not necessarily Abstract Expressionist. That is, however much it may evince the DNA of mid-century American "action painting," or even European counterparts such as tachism, l'art informel, or CoBrA, Cook's art only incidentally revives the method, much less the look, of these bumptious, scrappy art movements. Rather, to power her vision, she goes back to the roots of gestural modernism, finding dancing line, elastic contour, and fervid color in surrealism, in fauvism, in expressionism itself. The painting of Pollock and Kline, and of Fautrier and Jorn, gives Cook permission to work unfettered like this, and gives us the context to comprehend fully - even to empathize kinesthetically with - what she does. But she is not emulating, much less imitating, Afro or James Brooks in her graceful, muscular paintings on paper or rehashing Sam Francis or André Lanskoy with the rhythmic clots and scatterings of pigment that collect on her canvases (well, on a wide variety of more-or-less canvas-like support material). Look instead to Miro, Masson, Marc, or Münter, Pechstein or Picasso, Marcks or Matisse, for Cook's sources.

Indeed, look into Cook's own cultural heritage. The line that whips and loops throughout Cook's oeuvre, whether hurling forms across canvas expanses or tracing them on the sides of pots, whether describing slashing trails of pure pigment or the sinuous contours of human bodies, is no more a painted line than it is a written one. It is made less with the whole body - although one can sense a change of stance, a hip motion, in so many of these dancing whiplashes - than with the whole arm. These gestures issue from the wrist and the shoulder. They are in fact as much inscribed as painted. Their energy is not just telegraphic; it is calligraphic. If the vivacity of the image bespeaks Cook's Armenian blood, the rhapsodic curvaceousness of her line betrays her Iranian childhood. As comfortable speaking and writing Farsi as she is Armenian, Cook marries her disparate cultural sources -which of course now include the western European and American influences of her adult life - into an aesthetically cohesive mix with a surprisingly broad formal reach.

Perhaps the breadth of that reach, given the variety of sources, isn't actually so surprising. But it is always a bit startling to witness - that is, to be allowed to witness - an artist master such a conceptual and expressive range. Most artists have this range in them, but so many suppress it. For her part, however, Cook refuses to suppress her stylistic multivalency. Not only does she not limit her vision, but she uses that vision very consciously to drive her artmaking in as many ways as it needs to go. She may edit, but she does not self-censure. Her style, ultimately as coherent and personal as a signature, emerges from and among her plethora of approaches, approaches which themselves spring from her persistence, her prolific output, her knowledge of art, and her irrepressible verve. Jenik Cook's art springs forth -in several directions at once.

Peter Frank Los Angeles January 2010

Los Angeles-based artist Sandra Cooper is renowned for her distinctive abstract expressionist style. Her paintings and drawings are unique in their ability to stimulate viewers visually and emotionally with both passion and contradiction. Her striking images encourage viewers to use their own mind’s eye to interpret the movement of paint across canvas. Cooper wants to evoke an emotional response to her art, rather than merely object recognition. “If I wanted to recreate exactly what I saw, I would use my camera. My style celebrates the randomness of abstract expressionism.” “Why paint the entire scene when it’s the negative space that fills my imagination with the creative possibilities of ‘What if’” Cooper says.

Cooper’s “Heart Felt Series,” painted under her “nom de art”

R. Vega, is reflective of the powerful abstract nudes for which she is known.

Cooper’s style and technique are reflected in the media she uses. Whether it is watercolors, mono prints, mono types, charcoal line drawings, acrylics or collage, her work is recognized as a consistent signature of talent.

Cooper?

Exhibitions/Tours/Representations

1) Februrary 20th from 3:00-4:00PM (PST) BlogTalkRadio. The ORACLE Speaks, hosted by Denise L. Cook, with special guest Artist Sandra Cooper. UK Songwriter Artie Q\'s single \"Not a Lot of Love\", which was inspired by Cooper\'s \"Out of Control\", will be played.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/denise-lyles-cook

Call In: (805) 285-9772

2) In 2011 Daily Art Calendar, All For Love, www.ArtWanted.com/SandraCooper

3) The Whole 9 Gallery - Culver City, California - The Peace Project

http://www.thewhole9.com/thepeaceproject-merchandise.php

4) In 2010 Artist Sandra Cooper was featured on BlueHighways TV in conjunction with Lark Gallery Online. The show was viewed in over 220 countries.

http://country-cooperative.com/index.php/artists/category/mixed_media .

5) In 2010 Sandra Cooper artwork Out of Control was chosen by internationally renowned UK songwriter and singer Artie Q for LarkGallery Online E-exhibition Colors of Life - Music

6) In 2010 The Whole 9, juried competition, The Peace Project, Culver City, CA

In 2010 The Pop/Lock Gallery, Global Art Exhibition , Los Angeles, CA

Animoto

http://animoto.co/play/kcodPxjQSc56io2yu6LQOA

2009 Woman\'s Club of Hollywood, guest artist, 12th Annual Rose Variety Arts Show, Hollywood, CA

2009 Woman?s Club of Hollywood, featured cover artist for Denise Cook, The ORACLE, Speaks just because, Hollywood, CA

2009 The Hive Gallery, Art & Action, Los Angeles, CA

2009 LarkGalleryOnline.com, featured artist, Sandra Cooper, Santa Monica, CA

2009 Fantasy 2000, Sherman Oaks, CA

2009 Clouds, ?Heart Felt Series? painted under R. Vega, Santa Monica, CA

2008 Malibu Art Assn, Memories and Appreciation, Juried Exhibition, Malibu, CA

2008 Malibu Art Assn, Colors, Colors, Colors, Emeritus College, Juried Exhibition, Santa Monica CA

2008 Beverly Hills Country Club, Rose Breast Cancer Foundation, Visions of Hope, Beverly Hills, CA

2008 No Ho Gallery, Visions, North Hollywood, CA

2008 Haziaz Gallery, Art48, Sun Valley, CA

2008 Finegood Art Council of the Valley Alliance Jewish Federation, Studio Tour, Los Angeles,CA

2008 Malibu Art Association Juried Exhibition, The Challenge of Colors, Pacific

Palisades, CA

2008 APA Art Association Members Only Exhibition, The Washington Convention Center, Washington DC

2008 Art Treasures of Los Angeles, the Hidden Gems Art Collection, curator: Pasqual Bettio,Westmoreland Art Lofts, Los Angeles, CA

2008 Clouds, ?Heart Felt Series? painted under R. Vega, Santa Monica, CA

I choose bright colors because that’s what we need in the world right now.

“By painting, I chose first to brighten my own life so I could then brighten the lives of others.”

To experience an ELBE painting is to live a moment of the artist’s exhuberant life.

The artist is Elena Berman. She signs her work ELBE.

Elena is energetic, exciting, complex–an introspective extrovert, you might say.

However, one word mostly defines Elena: passionate. Mostly happy, incredibly upbeat. Sometimes angry. Occasionally relaxed. (Afterall, the artist is human.)

But Elena is passionate–always passionate–in her life and in her art.

She is also genuine, perhaps the most powerful force in her art, as her paintings express exactly what she is feeling at any given moment.

When you glance at a painting signed ELBE you cannot look away. Drawn to the powerful strokes and colorful character, you feel the raw emotion of the artist.

Rooms come alive with the expressive colors and explosive strokes of an ELBE original or print.

“EliZe” da Jose – Artist Statement

I understand art as a way of emotionally experiencing reality and a universal language of

communication.

Without conscious e?ort and thought, I try to fill my paintings with expressions strong

enough to let the spectator feel the energy put in the depth of the canvas, transforming the

perception of picture into his own art act.

Most recently, I find myself inspired to focus on developing and exploring the connection

between iconography and abstraction in light of Cosmism philosophy. The inspiration of

this uniquely blended style came about as briefly explained in the following.

I believe that abstract painting was and still is an artist’s attempt at capturing and

expressing Plato's world of ideas which is invisible to the earthly eyes. Then, at the

beginning of the 20th century came the avant-gardism of Filonov and Malevich which was a

rebellion against physicality, materialism and petty-bourgeois consumption.

Iconography takes its roots from the symbiosis of antique vivid imagery and spiritual

practices of Ancient Egypt. From ancient times to the present day, man has never stopped

asking himself questions about who he is and what his true role in this world is.

My newfound unique style of blending iconography and abstract painting is somehow an

endeavour to continue humanity’s perennial e?ort and desire to capture and express the

depth of the invisible world via visible materials, to have a glimpse of the heavenly realm via

earthly instruments, akin to Plato and Malevich’s line of thinking.

In my work, I try to find an image of the elusive other shore - where every soul aspires to go -

and trying to find artful means to communicate what is di?icult to express in words.

ELIZAVETA DAJOSE (Artist Name: Elize)

Elize daJose is a professional artist, sculptor, iconographer and illustrator.

Her artworks primarily consist of a unique blend of abstract art and icon painting, experimenting with various materials, although her favorite media remain acrylic painting and ceramics.

Born in Moscow, Russia, her life as an artist started at a very young age. One day on a snowy street in her hometown, she bought Kazimir Malevich’s book from a peddler which turned her consciousness upside down and defined her entire life path.

From 1996 to 2000, she religiously undertook painting, sculpture, and graphics in various workshops of Moscow artists.

Since 2001, she has been working in the creative workshops of the Babushkinsky Sculpture Combine and in 2002, she became a member of the Moscow Union of Artists, sculpture section.

From 2002 to 2010, she actively participated in group exhibitions at the Central House of Artists, Gallery on Kuznetsky Most, Darwin Museum, and Timiryazev Museum.

In 2010, she participated in the Annual Art Juried Competition in Los Angeles, CA, and became a laureate.

In 2011, she took part in the collective exhibition "Woman Day Art Exhibits" at the Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles, CA, and in 2012 she had a solo exhibition "Three Artists" at Liz Loft Gallery, LA, CA.

In 2016, Elize moved to California and actively participated in collective exhibitions, including the "Summer Exhibit" at Bergamot Station Art Center in Santa Monica (2016), "Brain Art Event" at Lark Gallery/The Chiari Project in West Hollywood (2017), and "The Art of Transformation" at Brick & Mortar Loiter Galleries in Long Beach (2023), among many others.

In 2025, Elize was awarded the Silver Medal at the New York International Art Juried Competition, "The Light from the Other Shore."

In 2026, an essay featuring Elize's creativity and spiritual development was published in the book "Revelations of the Artist - Deep Calls to Deep", curated by ArtServe International.

Elize is an active member of the Los Angeles Art Association and Riverside Community Arts Association. She is currently represented by Lark Gallery in West Hollywood and Literary Engineers, LLC in Benicia, CA.

I am a primarily a sculptor working in varied media. A painter, a curator, an educator, and builder of large architectural/environmental landscape works formed out of rock, metal, often megalithic in size. My work continues to evolve through the exploration of new media. The use of clay to captivate me, serving as an extension of my imago mundi.

2019 “All U Can Eat”, Bunny Gunner Gallery, Claremont, CA

2019 Vertical Wine Bistro, Pasadena, CA

2019 “Evolve Women Wisdom”, LarkGalleryOnline, Long and Great Hall, West Hollywood, C

2018 Bunker Open Doors" LarkGalleryOnLine,West Hollywwod,CA

2018 “Fahrenheit 2018 Biennial” AMOCA, Pomona, CA

2017 “Forces of Nature II”, LA County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, Arcadia, CA

2017 “:Hollyweird Tube Formed in Fire”, Ventura College, Ventura, CA

2017 “Evolving”, Bunny Gunner Gallery, Claremont, CA

2017 “All U Can Eat”, Bunny Gunner Gallery, Claremont, CA

2015 “The Nature of Sculpture” LA Arboretum, Arcadia, CA

2015 “Off the Wall”, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA

2014 “Sculpture in the Garden”, Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts, Alta Loma, CA

2013 “2013 Ceramic Biennial”,AMOCA, Pomona, CA.

2013 “International Womens Day”, LarkGalleryOnline, West Hollywood City Building, W. Hollywood,CA

2013 “Abstract Contemplations”, LarkGalleryOnline, Sulkin/Secant Gallery, Santa Monica, CA

2012 “Forces of Nature”, The Los Angeles County Arboretum, Arcadia, CA

2012 “Sculpture in the Garden”, Sam and Alffreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts, Alta Loma, CA

2012 “New Beginings” , The Loft Galleries and Studios, LarkGalleryOnLine, San Pedro, CA

2011 “Exposed”, AMOCA Permanent Collection, Pomona, CA

2011 “The Art of Clay”, AMOCA, Pomona, CA

2011 “Rossinian Night”, House of Balsamic, Irvine, CA

2011 “Off the Wall”, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA 0

2010 “The Gallery Repertoire”, Gallery Armstrong’s Pomona, CA

2010 ”Moon Light Discovery”, Long Beach Art Walk, LarkGalleryOnLine, Long Beach CA

2010 “Phantom Galleries, Long Beach, CA

2010 FreshArt”, Arena Gallery Santa Monica Studios, Santa Monica, CA

2010 “Reaching Within”, LarkGallery OnLine, Los Angeles, CA

2010 “Los Angeles Art Show”, Armory Center for the Arts, Los Angeles, CA

2009 “Muddy’s Wood Fire Special”, The Myers Gallery-Muddy’s Studio, Santa Ana, CA

2009 “Hidden Treasures”, LarkGalleryOnLine, Los Angeles, CA

2009 “Rhythms- Small Pleasures and Vessel Forms”, Bunny Gunner Gallery, Pomona CA

2009 “Clay and Ink” California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA

2009 “Off the Wall”, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA

2009 Phantom Galleries, Pasadena, CA

2008 “Art Without Boarders”, LarkGalleryOnLine, Los Angeles, CA

2008 “Diversity In Clay”, 2008 AMOCA/ACS-DC Show. Pomona, CA

2008 Presidents Show”, 2008 American Ceramics Society, Burbank, CA

2008 “Bunny Gunner’s 1st

2008 “Fred’s Friends”, Armstrong Gallery, Pomona, CA

2008 “Alchemy of Art”, LarkgalleryOnLine, Los Angeles, CA. (Honorable Mention)

2007 Los Angeles County Fair, Pomona, CA

2007 “Open Call LA 2007”, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2007 “Small Treasures”, Palos Verdes Art Center, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

2007 “Extreme Clay”, American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, CA

2007 Pyoung Taek International Art Festival, Korea

2007 “Off the Wall”, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA

2007 “L.A. International Art Festival 2007, ASTO Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA

2006-Present Armstrong’s Ceramic Art Gallery, Pomona, CA

2005 “Recording Memories of Three Generations Through the Arts”, Armory Center for the Arts,

2004 Dynamics of Scale”, Xiems Ceramics Center, Pasadena, CA

2003-2004 California Fine Art Market, Pasadena, CA

2003 “2003° Fahrenheit”, Glendale City College, Glendale, CA

2003 The DA Center for the Arts, Pomona CA

2002 Armory Center for the Arts, Faculty Exhibition, Pasadena, CA

Birthday”, Bunny Gunner Gallery, Pomona, CA

Pasadena, CA

2002 Bedlam Gallery, Los Feliz, CA

2000 Prufrock Gallery, Pasadena, CA

1999 “Patricia Ferber Recent Works”, Prufrock Gallery, Pasadena, CA

1997 L.A. River Festival, Los Angeles, CA

1997 “Patricia Ferber Recent Works”, The Art Bank, Los Angeles, CA

1996-1997 Art You Can Live With, L.A. Artcore, Los Angeles, CA

1996 “Vessels”, The Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA

1996 Bella Lewitzky Dance Foundation Silent Auction, Sotheby’s, Beverly Hills, CA

1995 Exploring A Movement: Feminist Visions in Clay”, Wingnall Museum/Gallery, Chaffey College,

1995 “One Vision”, Space Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

1995 Silent Auction, Space Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

1994 “DADA Downtown Lives”, Los Angeles, CA

1994 “Cups”, Space Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

1994 “The World of Cups”, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA

1994 “Grants for the Arts, 1993-1994 “Fellowship Recipients, Pasadena, CA

1993 “Clay Currents”, Southwestern College, Chula Vista, CA

1992 The Cultural Factory, Pasadena, CA

1992 Space Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

1992 “Transformed From Clay 14 Southern California Artists”, The Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA

1992 “An Odyssey In Clay and Drawing”, 801 N. Brand, Glendale, CA

1992 “Clay Works”, Space Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

1991 Nemiroff-Deutsch Fine Arts, Santa Monica, CA

1991 Space Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

1991 “Scripps 47th

1990 Downey Museum of Art, “Metals Now”, Downey, CA

1989 Downey Museum of Art, “Ceramics Now”, Downey, CA

1989 Vorpal Gallery, San Francisco, CA

1986-1988 FISID, Design Center of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Ceramic Annual”, Scripps College, Claremont, CA

"It is not a quaint world of beauty but a world where indescribably gorgeous colors can hurt your eyes. It is not a world of evil but a world where unmitigated emotion can mix pleasure with pain in a volatile cocktail."

Art critic, artist, and collector Dan Prince made these observations in Passing in the Outsider Lane: Art From the Heart of Twenty-One Self-Taught Artists. They apply so powerfully to the work of Irina that her painting Awakening is on the cover.

Irina proudly takes the "fire" in her maiden name – Fireman – as a metaphor - for the brightness of her canvases.

"I didn't hold a brush in my hands for the first time until the end of 1991 – since then I've held it tight and never let it go. I work tirelessly, often all night; I forget time and find myself in different worlds. The indescribable states I experience are like those first pure, adolescent feelings of falling in love, when you cease to be the property of Earth.

The particularly deep, coloristic density with which her work lies on the canvas determines the originality and memorability of the images she creates; their energy causes them to merge and compress themselves into a cacophony of phosphorescent colors so intense it almost produces sounds. Using these highly-charged combinations of colors in the finest-hued moods, Irina expresses her own most complex emotions.

"I never begin with a predetermined theme – I let each theme define itself on the blank canvas. My hand moves on its own as my subconsciousness carries me to an unknown beyond. When I step back and look at the image I've produced – I can't believe it was me.

"My creations are my children, my friends, my accomplices. It is easy, interesting, and intriguing to socialize with them. They guide me and I follow eagerly. They shape me and build my life. I do my art the way I want, feel, and see it."

"And yet, as Marina Tsvetaeva wrote, 'The boundlessness of my words is only the shadow of the boundlessness of my emotions.' And I'd like to say in unison with her that the brightness, the different planes, and, I hope, the boundlessness of the works I create are only the shadow of the emotions which overwhelm me, the states I experience, and my belief in each human being."​

Irina's works have been exhibited in synagogues, cultural centers, art festivals, and galleries in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Nashville. As part of Dan Prince's collection they have been shown in museums across the country. Her works are held by private collectors in the US, Canada, Israel, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine.

Nature’s infinite pallet of color and diversity awaken our hearts and mind.

*** The Law of the Universe:

No matter how dark the night gets, the sun will rise. It always does.

*** Innocent and beautiful colors of sun are ready to dance with you at winter solstice, awaken your heart and mind.

*** Sun’s rays are inviting you to the new year journey! Be ready to fly!

** Galina Kovshilovsky’s paintings derive from her Russian origins. One feels the breath and wildness of a massive country and yet the simple handy work of it dedicated population. Galina’s paintings capture the sprawling epic about the erosion of tradition with visually striking exploration of color in its infinite variety and vitality. Her painting, be they large or small, capture the imagination with visually stunning Swirls and movement of the eye, emotion and the imagination. We are left breathless with the fascinating lovingly layered colors where the rules of organized thought clash and intersect with rituals and beliefs. We are moved. We are coaxed. We are seeing and drawn into a study of inclusiveness always before us.

Her color is gorgeous and she paints energy.

Dr. Marion Somers.

My photographic collages are layers of my reflections and observations, being personal, political or historical.

Like our life experiences, these thoughts accumulate on top of each other, to create my feelings and emotions that get expressed in the artwork.

The layering process coincides with the synthesis of creating visual pieces that invites one to investigate and explore the given information.

Like in previous works of mine, made on glass, the technique and the transparencies in my photographic digital collages are an important part of the art, they emphasis the build-up process and the blending which creates the images.

Vered Galor has been involved with the fine art world as an artist, curator and educator for over thirty years. She received her BA and MA in Fine Art from California State University in Northridge in 1975 and 1978.

Mrs. Galor started her career as glass sculptor. In 1981 she established a business doing curatorial projects and consulting in Contemporary Fine Art.

She lectured, participated in discussions and wrote art programs to encourage the collaboration of Art and Architecture.

Since 1989 Mrs. Galor has been concentrating on photography. She has been creating here own work, teaching photography and showing with galleries in Los Angeles California, Fort Collins and Loveland, Colorado and Las Vegas Nevada.

While I still love the challenge of portrait work, a more animated portrayal of the female image has become my trademark. My "feminine spirits" have evolved from fairies, yogis and mermaids to women with attitude (the girlfriend's series)..all symbolizing the inner strength and grace of the female, regardless of culture, age or occupation. My paintings often evoke a smile or a chuckle, as the viewer can often see elements of themselves in each.

I was exposed to the world of visual art at young age, in my birthplace, Melbourne, Australia. My mother painted in oils and sculpted, and she often encouraged me to paint along with her. After high school, I went to Ontario College of Art in Canada, where my focus was fine art. I had intended to carry on in my education to become a medical illustrator (as I also had an interest in health care), however I got sidetracked and moved to the Bahamas. There, I married and had two little girls. During my six years on the island, I painted in watercolor and sold my work through local tourist galleries. I eventually moved back to Canada and became absorbed with the demands of everyday life. In the last 15 years, I have been fortunate to have the time to delve more deeply into my art and yoga career. I believe that my diverse life experiences (relationships, travel, career changes and personal interests) are represented in my paintings. My style is considered "whimsical" ....a reflection of my thoughts, dreams and hopes for a happier world. My work can be seen in galleries, restaurants, spas and yoga studios in Canada and the USA.

I studied for over 12 years in the studio of Ilana Bloch. I am a member of three art organizations: Women Painters West, and Los Angeles Art Association and JAI. I have participated in many group shows and received awards on several occasions.

A few years ago, my son created an art website for me. The proceeds of the art I sell on this website, goes to benefit a wonderful local organization: Step Up on Second, where there is help and housing for the mentally ill, It is a very gratifying and pleasurable way for me to use my hands, my time and my inspiration to help others.

I enjoy experimenting with acrylics and collage, exploring layering, pouring and making graphic and soft edges. I like to "mix it up" in one piece, combining the accidental with the planned out, the painterly with the graphic, the atmospheric with the straight edge.

I particularly enjoy adding collage medium. I camouflage the brightly collage pieces within the paintings, so that they can be discovered slowly. They add a vibrant edge and an element of surprise that contrasts with both the graphic or atmospheric background.

I am open to exploring new media, and new techniques each year, but I suspect that color and pattern will remain an important element in my work.

I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but have lived in the USA since 1961. I received my Bachelor's Degree from Pomona College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Yale University. At Pomona College, I majored in French and Art History. My interest in art has been lifelong, although I started painting only in 1998. I was a high school French and Spanish teacher and have been retired since 2006, leaving me plenty of time to indulge my passion for painting. I travel to Italy a couple of times a year where i am always inspired, as many who travel there, by the light, the colors and the art.

The exterior World comes to us in pieces, from which we alone build a Whole. But who can say whether or not we construct Whole Correctly?

In Svetlana Ivanova's series of photoanagrams from the 1990s, upon confronting and overcoming a personal crisis of mortality, the artist fulfilled her vision of art as repetition and translation, merged with her notion of the double as one who is "together with me, my second 'I.'" The exterior world comes to us in pieces," she has written, "from which we alone build a Whole," and for these striking, often disturbing images she has used a backdrop of appropriately biomorpic surges and swellings for her emotionally-charged, figures wrapped in fetal embrace that, as they may be the kinds of doubles embodied in ghosts, can be equally interpreted as lives, or many lives, in contorted, distended and yet beautiful floating states waiting to be born or preparing to die. And at the end you realize just how microscopically she has let us into her phantasmagorical world.

Taking "reduce and reuse" principle to the next level I build abstract 2d and 3d compositions with found objects from hi-tech world. Disassembled practical gadgets become pieces of the puzzle that join paint and clay in my artworks. The concept of my current series "Deconstructed" resonates well with "Evolve. Women. Wisdom." theme. It deals with the evolution of knowledge (computers, phones, robot gears, data, concrete) into wisdom (balance, minimalism, harmony, intuitive awareness, abstract).

Lina was born in Kiev, Ukraine, where she graduated from the School of Visual Arts. She has always strived to find balance between her passion for arts and interest in technology. In 2000 she obtained a

masters degree in computer science with a specialization in multimedia and creative technologies from USC, and now enjoys a successful career in software engineering. Lina has pursued her interest in visual art and has studied ceramics and sculpture in Los Angeles since 1996.

Linas clay and mixed media creations have been very well received in exhibitions at the Orlando Gallery, The Style Lounge, Pacific Design Center, VIVA Art Center, American Museum of Ceramic Art, Xiem Gallery, Red Dot Gallery in Palm Springs, Neutra Museum in Silver Lake. Her art is in private and corporate collections nationwide. Lina participates in the Annual California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art in Davis, California, and is a member of Los Angeles Experimental Artists group.

The initial inspiration for Catherine Kuzma’s paintings, nature, landscapes, serve as the spark that ignite a much deeper and intimate conversation with the subtle through the vehicle of painting. Sometimes the conversations are smooth and easy ones, while others more labored, thick with many layers. Regardless, the process has always been a meditative one for her, rich with realization. “Painting is what feeds me, it keeps my soul lit and burning. Without it I feel only half alive.” Currently her painting Under A Blue Umbrella is being exhibited at the National Arts Club in NYC, for the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club’s 122nd Annual Open Juried Exhibition . Her painting Chill Through The City is on view through February 2nd at the Medford Arts Center’s Faces and Places Juried Exhibition, juror Philip Carroll. The same painting was featured on the cover of the Tishman Review 2018 July issue volume 4, issue 3. Also, in 2019 her painting Winter Pines along with Dave Worrell’s poem Right Here inspired by the painting, is being exhibited at D & R Greenway Land Trust, Lovely as A Tree Juried Exhibition in Princeton, NJ. In 2018 some of her exhibits included the Manayunk-Roxborough Art Center, The Philadelphia Sketchclub, The National Arts Club, The Lancaster County Art Association, Medford Arts Center, Lumberton Leas Gallery, and the Center for the Arts in Southern New Jersey, Her paintings, current exhibits, and awards can be viewed on her website www.catherinekuzma.com.

Catherine Kuzma

EDUCATION

1986 B.A. in Fine Arts with honors, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ

Nominated for Stedman Art Student Award

SOLO AND GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2019 Moorestown Community House, MoorArts Gala Fundraiser,

group show, Moorestown, NJ

2018 Manayunk Roxborough Art Center, member’s group show, Phila., PA 2017-2018 Lumberton Leas Gallery, group show, Lumberton, NJ

2017 Inkwood, Poetry Series, solo exhibit, Haddonfield, NJ

2017 Medford Memorial Community Center, Winter Theme Group Show, Medford, NJ

2017-2016 Manhattan Athletic Club, solo exhibit, New York, NY

2015 PII Gallery, Close To Home, collaboration with poet Dave Worrell, Phila., PA

2014 Medford Arts Center, group show, Medford, NJ

SELECTED JURIED EXHIBITIONS / AWARDS

2019 National Arts Club, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club 122nd Annual Open Juried Exhibition, New York, NY

2018-2019 D & R Greenway Land Trust, Lovely as a Tree Juried Exhibition, Princeton, NJ 2018 The National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society, NOAPS 2018 Fall International Online Open Exhibition

Manayunk Roxborough Art Center, MRAC Ekphrastic Exhibit and Member’s Show, Phila., PA

Manayunk Roxborough Art Center, MRAC 10th Annual Juried Exhibition, Phila., PA

First Place Award, Center for the Arts in Southern New Jersey, Black Run Preserve 2018 Juried Art Exhibition, , Marlton, NJ

Lancaster County Art Association, LCAA Open Door Exhibition, Lancaster, PA

The Philadelphia Sketch Club, 155th Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings,

Phila., PA

National Arts Club , Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club 121st Annual Open Juried Exhibition,, New York, NY

2017-2018 Medford Arts Center, Small Works Exhibit , Medford, NJ

2017 Honorable Mention, Medford Arts Center, 9th Annual Fall Fine Art Juried Exhibition, Medford, NJ, juror Frank Hyder,

The Philadelphia Sketch Club, 154th Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings,

Phila., PA

2016 Medford Arts Center, 7th Annual Juried Fine Art Exhibition, Medford, NJ

First Place Award, Oil Painting Category, Lancaster County Art Association, LCAA National Juried Exhibition, Lancaster, PA, juror Neysa Grassi

2015 Award of Excellence, Medford Arts Center, Annual Member’s Show,

Medford, NJ

Medford Arts Center, Juried Member's Show, Medford, NJ

Honorable Mention, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, 2015 Large Format Art Open Juried Show, Phila., PA

Medford Leas Gallery, Art at the Arboretum Juried Exhibition, Medford, NJ

Smithville Mansion Annex Gallery, Smithville Annual Juried Show, NJ

Honorable Mention, The Plastic Club, The Great Outdoors Juried Exhibit, Phila., PA

Center for the Arts in Southern New Jersey, Annual Juried Exhibition, Marlton, NJ

Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Work, Gamblin Artist’s Color Co. Award, The Salmagundi Club, 37th Annual Juried Exhibition for Non-Members, New York, NY

Markeim Arts Center, Art of Sport Juried Show, Haddonfield, NJ

2014 Second Place Award, Medford Arts Center, Annual Member's Juried Show, Medford, NJ

The Center For The Arts in Southern New Jersey, Annual Juried Exhibition, Marlton, NJ

The Salmagundi Club, 36th Annual Non-Member's Show, New York, NY

Honorable Mention, Medford Arts Center, Happy 350th Birthday New Jersey Juried Exhibition, juror Philip Carroll , Medford, NJ

2013 Second Place, Medford Arts Center, 6th Annual Juried Exhibition, juror Fred Danziger, Medford, NJ

Best of Show Award, Markeim Arts Center, Bronze, Russet, Rouge Juried Exhibit, Haddonfield, NJ

PUBLICATIONS

Tishman Review, cover feature “Chill Through The City”, Volume 4, Issue 3,

July 2018

US1 Worksheets Poetry Journal, Volume 60, cover feature “October” painting, April 2015

Burlington County Times, Art Scene, “Happy Birthday New Jersey”, May 30, 2014

Close To Home, Lucia Press, 2015

Fox Chase Review, “Kuzma and Worrell at PII Gallery”, March 29, 2015

www.catherinekuzma.com

My art name is Lark - the bird that lingers between the earth and the sky. We artists do it at the moment of inspiration and meditation. That's how I create my art. I meditate and start with the spontaneous movements of my instruments; usually it is not a brush. A brush makes me think. My instruments are usually just pieces of cardboard. I also paint on any surface – canvas, board, plexiglass, glass, wood, etc – and I love to experiment and see what happens. My best creations take place in a state of no mind.

Although I begin the way abstract expressionists do and use some sumi-e techniques, eventually most of my creation starts shaping as abstract or impressionistic landscapes as ocean, sky, trees, flowers and mountain views start appearing from the formless. Nature is my source of inspiration, but instead of landscape details I channel nature's moods, the feeling of being one with nature, and swimming in its atmospheric light.

Light is what drives me to continue working. My mission is always to bring more light to people around me with my art, poetry and meditations. I know that viewers feel joy, peace and harmony when they look at my work, enter and settle inside it because it heals their emotional wounds and it makes me happy. Being an artist is an opportunity to express the fountain of my creative energy and at the same time serve people's needs in beauty that will heal the world.

When people perceive the light, the high and playful energy that my paintings emanate, they start feeling they are back in the fairy-tale world of their childhood, when their soul was open to transformations and miracles, and they feel like Alice in her enchanting wonderland.

From the beginning of her art career, Lark’s art caught the attention of art lovers and gained recognition from art jurors including LA Weekly critic Peter Frank, Santa Monica Museum Art Director Lisa Melandri and MOCA curator Alma Ruiz.

Fusing classical and contemporary art traditions, Lark's award-winning artworks carry her signature gestural brushstrokes and vibrant color palettes. They have been featured in the many prestigious exhibitions, art catalogs and sold globally in France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Russia, Armenia, Canada, Sweden and many other countries. In 2021 - 2025 Lark's art was exhibited in the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art and the Shiba City Museum of Art In Japan where Lark got two Gold Awards in the group shows.

I paint what touches me most. Something in my life or in the world around me that moves me deeply. It may be joy or it may be sadness and worry.

Just painting what I feel brings me closer in touch with who I am and what I feel, it helps me process what I might not otherwise understand or be able to digest or let go of.

My artwork always had to do with feelings, my feeling about the world, people, and my relationship with them. I always have put it on paper since I can remember.

Like the feelings between mother and child, that are our most complete bond, or portraits of an emotional mood, that seem to come just out of me when I feel a certain way and sit down with a brush and canvas, to capture the emotion.

Regine Legler Bio

Regine Legler was born in Berlin, Germany during the last days of World War II.

Her first exposure to art was a dark, brown door her mother allowed the family to draw on with chalk, which Regine did frequently. Everything was a canvas, including her schoolbooks, which lead Regine to her first commission; being asked by her fellow classmates to help them with their homework assignment to draw Napoleon.

Regine’s formal education in fine art started at age 17 when she enrolled at the Staedelschule in Frankfurt/Main Germany. There she began a two-year study of figure drawing, portraiture, landscape and still life under Walter Hergenhahn, a student of the renowned Max Beckmann. Later, she underwent three years of intensive study in oil painting, acrylic and watercolor at the Freie Academie in Mannheim, Germany.

In her early years, Regine drew and painted scenes of dreams and emotional situations in a style called Fantastic Realism. Then, in 1994, her interest shifted to wildlife and American Indian scenes. Today, Regine’s style has evolved from Fantastic Realism to a more realistic and personalized technique to create a very bold look and tone to convey strong emotions.

Regine holds juried membership at Women Painters West, Southern California Women Caucus of the Arts, Venice Art Forum, and has taught college-level classes at Santa Monica College and the Fashion institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles.

Mikhail Naruzetskiy was born in 1930 in Odessa (Ukraine, former Soviet Union).

He is an author of a number of public monuments in Ukraine, Moldova and Russia;

he also worked as a portrait sculptor.

He had taken part in regional, national and international art exhibitions

in Ukraine, Russia, Finland, Bulgaria, Japan and USA.

His works are on permanent exhibits in museums of Ukraine

and other countries of former Soviet Union.

In 1993, M. Naruzetskiy moved to Los Angeles, US

where he continues sculptural work.

In 2004 his design proposal won a contest for a memorial

honoring the soldiers from former Soviet Union

who fought Nazism in WWII.

The memorial was built in 2005, in West Hollywood’s Plummer Park.

I use art as a means to express my reactions to my environment. In this way what you see is akin to the emanations from a sound box where the acoustics of sounds, life circumstance and landscape have combined at one moment in time. The subject matter is not the subject. The process is often as important as the result. I have recently included with my abstract, tactile paintings, more objective work, but the impetus is the same. Just as each person responds differently to music, I expect each viewer will respond differently to what they see.

Born Elizabethtown, Kentucky

BA, MA California State University, Northridge

Why am I a photographer?

I first began shooting because the experience of photographing people was a way of getting to know them and saving the experience. It made me feel really alive. Then, during my long advertising career, it became a terrific way to solve creative challenges. But still there was always, underneath, the element of wonderment.

Now, as I travel and meet people from different cultures, who kindly allow me into their homes and environments, I am filled with awe as I look through the lens. Sometimes it feels like I'm just sketching elements of personal history as I'm shooting, until the shot suddenly appears. That's when the shutter really goes to work!

The images in my new show, Exploring Humanity, at the Miami Airport, are the culmination of a lifetime of photographing people; and now exploring their lives using my camera as a window into their humanity.

Nancy Ney

As one of New York City's most sought after advertising and lifestyle photographers for decades, Nancy Ney has won multiple industry awards, including the Clio. In 2013, her artistic focus shifted and, having honed her craft to a fine art, began traveling the world photographing special situations and unique themes that interested her. Humanity portraits set in exotic geographical regions as well as natural landscapes that possess a singular sense of beauty have become her hallmark.

India, Mexico,Ethiopia, Bhutan, Galapagos Iceland, Costa Rica, Kenya and Nepal are just some of the countries where she has "gotten the shot." Her international images have won numerous awards, including First Prize at the ipa Family of Man 2016. She has exhibited in the Coral Gables Museum, and most recently displayed a collection of large metal photographic prints at Spectrum in the Design District during Art Basel 2018: and will soon have large photos on display in the American Airlines Terminal at MIA.

Nancy lives in Miami and is an exhibitor in many of South Florida's fine art fairs. To view her full portfolio, visit nancyney.com.

Working as an artist continually.

Exhibitions:

Art Exhibitions

Solo and duo exhibitions

2018 Helsinki, Art Restaurant Wellamo "Organized Chaos"

2018 Espoo, Culture House, "Zen" series

2018 Helsinki, Cafe Aalto, "Zen" series

2017 Iisalmi, Gallery Venny, "Zen", new media art

2017 Pielavesi, Library Gallery, "Zen", new media art

2016 Äänekoski, Hoikkassali, "Gardener's Dreams", new media art

2015 Vesanto, Library, "Gardener's Dreams", new media art

2015 Keitele, Talligalleria, "Gardener's Dreams", new media art

2014 Helsinki, Jade Gallery, "tää on meijän juttu", with Leila Näivö, new media art

2014 Rautalampi, Gallery of Library, “Process”, mixed media collages

2013 Keitele, Barn Gallery, “Archaic Dreams”, new media art

2013 Rovaniemi, Bear’s Lodge Hotel, “Archaic Dreams”, new media art

2012 Tervo Library, “Archaic Dreams”, new media art

2012 Suonenjoki, Kellarikalleria,“Archaic Dreams”, new media art

2012 Vesanto Library, “Archaic Dreams”, new media art

2012 Kuhmoinen, Gallery of Library, “Archaic Dreams”, new media art

2011 Koli, Nature Centre Ukko, “Archaic Dreams”, new media art

2011 Hailuoto, Cafe Haiku, “Urban Dreams”, new media art

2011 Savonlinna, Cafe Saima, “Archaic Dreams”, with Leila Näivö, new media art

2009 Saarijärvi, Cafe Picasso, “Space Dreams”, new media art

2009 Savonlinna, Cafe Saima, “Space Dreams”, with Leila Näivö, new media art

2009 Jyväskylä, Kallioplanetaario, “Space Dreams”, new media art

2009 Turku, CafeArt, “Archaic Dreams”, with Leila Näivö, new media art

2008 Äänekoski, Hoikkassali, with Aija-Leena Lääperi, new media art

2008 Pieksämäki, Topi´s Gallery, “Archaic Dreams”, with Leila Näivö, new media art

2008 Jyväskylä, Freetime Fair, “Archaic Dreams”, new media art

2007 Jyväskylä, City Library, "Fire" with Mirja Peltola, new media art

2007 Turku, Osaava Nainen Fair, “Archaic Dreams”, new media art

2007 Jyväskylä, FinnGraf Fair, “Archaic Dreams”, new media art

2007 Kuopio, Kivigalleria, “Archaic Dreams”, with Aija-Leena Lääperi, new media art

2007 Petäjävesi, Lemettilä Farm, “Archaic Dreams”, with Aija-Leena Lääperi, new media art

2007 Saarijärvi, Town Hall “Archaic Dreams”, new media art

2007 Manamansalo, Art House Kassu Halonen, “Archaic Dreams”, with Leila Näivö, new media art

2007 Jyväskylä, Tuulikaappigalleria, “Archaic Dreams”, new media art

2007 Kuopio, Café Burts, “Archaic Dreams”, with Leila Näivö, new media art

2006 Tampere, Café Valo, “Archaic Dreams”, with Leila Näivö, new media art

2006 Kuopio, Café Burts, “Archaic Dreams”, with Leila Näivö, new media art

2006 Viitasaari, Library Gallery, “Urban Dreams”, with Leila Näivö, new media art

2006 Jyväskylä, Gallery Mystic “Urban Dreams”, with Leila Näivö, new media art

2005 Vesanto, Library, "Departures", with Leila Näivö, new media art

2004 Kuopio, Gallery Kapriisi, "On the Road", with Leila Näivö, new media art

2001 Jyväskylä, City Library, new media art

1999 Jyväskylä, City Library, new media art

1994 Mikkeli, City Library Gallery, paintings

1994 Jyväskylä Municipality, paintings

1993 Vesanto, City Library, paintings

1990 Vesanto, Library, paintings

1990 Jyväskylä, City Library, paintings

1989 Jyväskylä, City Library, paintings

1987 Jyväskylä, City Library, paintings

1984 Vesanto, Library, paintings

1971 Vesanto, Library, paintings

Some group exhibitions

2018 Varenna, Italy, Villa Monastero, Dö

2017 Berlin, Marzia Frozen, Artopia

2017 Florence, "Le Vie Art", Gallery Mentana, Urban Dreams, new media art

2013 St. Petersburg, Ratio Art Gallery, "Space in ancient and contemporary art", with Norwegian and Russian artists, new media art

2011 Keuruu, Museum of Art, “Unreal world”, new media art

2004 Oulu, Gallery 5, Game of Light, new media art

2004 Jyväskylä, Galleria Mystic, Game of Light, new media art

2004 Hämeenlinna, Paperihuone, Game of Light, new media art

2003 Jyväskylä, Wanha Woimala, Game of Light, new media art

2003 Kuopio, Game of Light, new media art

2003 Mikkeli, Kenkävero, Game of Light, new media art

Be it brush on canvas or a camera lens to the world, creativity, from an early age has been a significant part of my life. It has led me to destinations such as New York, Berlin, Rome, London and Amsterdam in search of material for my projects. Urban Dreams is such a collection that draws inspiration from the streets of these iconic cities.

Most of my artworks are digital collages. The process to create a final version of my artwork can take quite a long time. It all starts with an idea. After that I start to gather material, this could involve for example going to photograph Scandinavian rock art as I did for Archaic Dreams series.

Materials can be almost anything – hand drawings and paintings, my photos and even sometimes vector graphics. The most important thing is that they are my own unique creation. The final stage of my creative process involves a lot of choices and decisions between slight variations in tonalities and saturation that will result in the final version.

I have used the artist name Mirja Birgitta since 2015 and I write also an artist blog Arshop in my native Finnish language.

I have five hand-signed museum quality prints of each piece available. They are also available as poster quality re-prints, bearing my logo and can be found on the Saatchi Art online store.

Series of Dreams is a project that has spanned over 10 years and is still marching forward with my collection of abstract works growing at steady pace.

I hope to create work that reveals the organic foundations of humanness.

As a woman, I believe there are always parts of ourselves that carry the innocence and curiosity of a little girl. That energy—the wonder, the fearlessness, the vulnerability—still lives within us.

"Mirror Twins" are characters that many people can see themselves in. I choose not to reveal too much about them—I’d rather let viewers discover their own meaning and stories within the work.

Now more than ever, artists and creatives must stand up for the value of art. Even when the world isn’t ready to hear our voices—especially as some are being censored, edited, or erased—we must keep creating. It’s painfully clear that many of our communities are being silenced and pushed to the margins.

As an artist, cartoonist, creator, and teacher, I’m committed to encouraging others to stand boldly and make art that speaks truth. My own journey is always evolving. Maybe it’s okay that I don’t reveal everything. Maybe my role is more about connection—and keeping a few secrets of my own.

—Cristina Natsuko Paulos

Cristina Natsuko Paulos is an award-winning artist, animator, cartoonist, designer, and educator. She currently teaches commercial arts and digital media at a high school in the Clark County School District, and works as a freelance artist and workshop leader. She also likes to remind people: she’s a good human.

A BFA graduate of the California Institute of the Arts, Paulos’s work blends fine art and illustration, often featuring mirrored or twinned characters, expressive portraiture, and imagery inspired by real life. Her style draws heavily from cartoon aesthetics and deeply personal themes, creating a space where vulnerability, identity, and duality intersect.

Her original animation work has appeared on Sesame Street, and her artwork has been exhibited in prestigious galleries including La Luz de Jesus, Giant Robot, and the Cirque du Soleil Contemporary Art Collection. She has also been featured in two published books: Garden of Eye Candy and La Luz de Jesus 25: The Little Gallery That Could. Her films have screened at festivals in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and she has collaborated with puppeteers to create toy theatre performances.

Since relocating from the San Fernando Valley to Las Vegas in 2002, Paulos has received multiple grants from the Nevada Arts Council, including two Jackpot Grants, a 2008 Artist Fellowship, and a 2005 Sesame Street Workshop Scholarship.

Paulos works with a wide range of materials—ink, paint, dye, handmade paper, canvas, wood, and mixed media. Her process is rooted in the philosophies of drawing, aiming to expose the raw, often hidden elements of identity.

“My artwork derives from life, juxtaposed with the cartoon world,” she says. “Using drawing philosophies, I try to reveal the marks we often try to erase—the flaws, the discomfort, the quiet parts of ourselves. Whether through cartoons or figures drawn from life, I explore what it means to be fully seen, completely vulnerable—naked, beyond form.”

Art allows me to express myself in a language of my own in which my inner feelings, passion and emotions flow through.

My art, sculptures and installations are eclectic and allude to the wonders of nature and to the ever changing world we live in.

Utilizing ordinary materials, manipulating them with different tools, applying heat to the ceramics and metals and observing their transformation of shape and color take place in front of my eyes is fascinating. I try to control the process but the outcome is often times unpredictable. I strive to captivate the viewer and allow their imaginations to soar.

Art transports me to a place where my imagination is set free, trusting my instincts I explore novel ways of creating art, this feeling is challenging and exhilarating.

Born in Lima-Perú, resides in Florida since 1974. Studied Architecture at the University of Miami.

She has had several solo shows, locally and internationally, including mother and daughter shows [with her artist Mom Raquel Rub] and has been the recipient of numerous awards in juried exhibits.

Volunteers teaching art at Atria Willow wood retirement community, and with children at Meals on Wheels and Gilda’s Club.

She is President of 2+3 the Artists’ organization, board member of The Broward Art Guild [Chair of Outreach and Co-Chair of Art around Town and the Youth Art Show], member of Artists as Entrepreneurs Institute, Art MD, ArtServe, Ceramic League Miami, National Association of Women Artists, National League of Pen Women.

creating sculptures out of organic materials, to convey an emotion that reflects the dichotomy between hard stones and soft metals, such as fossilized walrus tusk ivory and alabaster.

Living in Alaska influenced the work of Roland whose kayaks were on display in San Francisco and show the influence of the native traditions. Later he went on to create a pink alabaster sculpture whose form and shape is used in

Alaska to welcome strangers into their village.

Roland combined mechanical and artistic abilities helped him to win a first prize with his creation of a modified 1969 Triumph motorcycle for which the pieces and parts were all hand made. The motorcycle is currently on display in

Northern California. He is currently creating for a special commission two new alabaster sculptures influenced by art from the South Pacific. Roland Also enjoys creating jewelry from natural stones and other natural materials.

Roland studied at the University of Anchorage Alaska and Toronto School of Art in Canada

My work is a visual dialogue between the discarded and the resilient. I find beauty in "fragments"—crushed metal, torn envelopes, weathered stamps, and forgotten notes—transforming these remnants of urban life into harmonious compositions.

In the series submitted for "Bridging Through Colors," I use mixed-media assemblage as a metaphor for healing. Just as a crumpled piece of paper or a discarded object can be integrated into a new, balanced whole, our fragmented experiences and diverse backgrounds can find unity through the universal language of art.Each piece serves as a "bridge": between the industrial and the organic, the personal and the collective, the chaotic and the serene. My process involves layering textures and colors to create a space for quiet reflection. By giving a second life to materials that have been cast aside, I invite the viewer to see the possibility of rebirth and transformation in the world around us.

Tatiana Savchenko is a Los Angeles-based mixed-media artist whose practice explores the intersection of urban materiality, personal memory, and emotional resilience. Her work is characterized by a "visual dialogue" between found objects—such as industrial remnants, vintage correspondence, and discarded fragments—and expressive layers of acrylic and watercolor.In 2026, Savchenko’s presence in the Southern California art scene was highlighted by several key exhibitions. She was featured in the "March/Forward" showcase at Shoebox Projects within the Brewery Arts Complex and participated in the StARTup Art Fair at Venice Beach. Her collaborative artist book, LA: Two Voices, One City, created in partnership with Gregory Desgouttes, exemplifies her commitment to exploring unity and connection through shared creative narratives.By transforming everyday debris into layered, atmospheric compositions, Savchenko invites viewers to find tranquility and "healing" within the chaotic textures of modern life. Her work serves as a bridge between the mundane and the spiritual, aligning perfectly with the global call for empathy and connection through the universal language of art.

Jane Serebrenikov’s narrative graphical art works reflect her deeply lyrical and uniquely poetical vision. All her life she is interested in visual art and, grown up on fairy tales, combines magic, vivid imagination and sense of humor in her art works. She also inspired by the arts of Mark Chagall and Reno Magritte.

Jane is started etching 5 years ego and has been taken part of several exhibitions. She sold her arts nationally and internationally. She makes aquatint etchings. This is where the plate is immersed in acid and the lines and tones achieved when the acid “bites” the areas which have not been masked. Than color applied manually and print on printmaking press. Each print is unique.

Jane was born in Moscow, Russia and immigrated to Los Angeles in 1995 with her family. She graduated college as a graphic designer, holds AA degree and contentious working in printmaking studio.

“AWAKENING FEMININE POWER” to bring positive changes to your destiny, improve your health and heal your family karma and receive a gift of Ancient Knowledge from Siberian Shaman and Priestess Shakuntali.

Shakuntali invites women to experience a new horizon as you tap into the expansion of potential when you awaken the power of your own breathe!!

What everyone's been raving about in the Hartford Area as one girl said "I'd would choose breath work over a anything else on a weekend life because I'm actually up leveling my life!" Another lady said she healed trauma spanning back over 10 years go. "I have freedom for the 1st time in 10 years!"

She had very difficult childhood. From early childhood she was going through a lot of psychological difficulties – physical and emotional abuse, non-acceptance of her individuality and condemnation from people close to her. Because from early birth she had super-abilities. She felt people around her, she saw their past, present and future. She was predicting catastrophes and car crashes. All difficulties made her even stronger. When she was 12 years old she stand on her spiritual path and path of self-development. More about her life you can read in book “After Death” and “Adventures of Mystic’s”, these books are written on her real life stories.

She awaking your feminine power and ignite inner breakthroughs, illuminate new possibilities and clarify life purpose. Our human brain operates 5% consciously, 95% is under the surface rooted in our subconscious. We can spend years in traditional ‘talk’ in attempt to heal, freedom & bliss. Ecstatic Breath work cuts through bs and dives deep right into root of our suffering, fears, limiting beliefs. Here we can finally release our past and access our healer within. As we awaken to new epiphanies our soul has been longing for to fully reclaim our power!

SHAKUNTALI is a Doctor of Psychology, founder of the international healing academy of GYUD: working with the subconscious mind, founder of the worldwide charity movement “Field of Love”, master of Feminine practices, co-author and main character of the two best-sellers “After Death” and “Adventures of the Mystics”. Personal coach of Hollywood movie stars.

Shakuntali is a Priestess of White Shamanism, Master of Sacred Feminine Practices, Master of Gyud – a Method Of Working with the Subconsciousness. She is travelling around the world with a mission to help people. Shakuntali is a worldwide charity leader.

Guided by the voice of the spirits, Shakuntali changed her plans in Europe in order to come back to United States at this time, to help people rebirth the lineage power of their ancestors. Every day Shakuntali is guided by her mission – to help other people. She is organizing many charitable initiatives and activities around the world. In these videos you can see more about her lifestyle.

Shakuntali is a very open hearted person and all her time she spends helping those in need, and those willing to learn from her. A very interesting fact about her, that when scientists recently did a research on her body, the result was phenomenal – her body age stopped at 20 years old. Many people ask Shakuntali, how do you stay so young? She always says: “When I see poor children without food on the street I start to pray. My prayer is my mission to help people, it is the main secret of my life.”

I discovered my interest in art at a young age visiting art museums back in Russia. In my childhood I occasionally entertained myself by drawing caricatures and small sketches. They became popular and were collected by friends and family. I gravitated to portraiture and figurative art. What intrigues me most is uniqueness, emotions, and harmony I see in the faces of people around me. I want to share and expose this inner beauty. As I struggled to find my own path, the works of Sergei Bongart, Robert Henri and Joaquin Sorolla guided me.

Learning in art is a never-ending and exciting journey. I have spent much time improving my skills and studying the figure at life drawing and painting classes of California Art Institute and Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, LAAFA.

I am a member of Portrait Society of America and Oil Painters of America. My work could be found in private collections nationwide, as well as in Italy, Peru, Chili, Japan, and Russia.

I discovered my interest in art at a young age visiting art museums back in Russia. In my childhood I occasionally entertained myself by drawing caricatures and small sketches. They became popular and were collected by friends and family. I gravitated to portraiture and figurative art. What intrigues me most is uniqueness, emotions, and harmony I see in the faces of people around me. I want to share and expose this inner beauty. As I struggled to find my own path, the works of Sergei Bongart, Robert Henri and Joaquin Sorolla guided me.

Learning in art is a never-ending and exciting journey. I have spent much time improving my skills and studying the figure at life drawing and painting classes of California Art Institute and Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, LAAFA. I feel lucky and privileged to study with wonderful artist Glen Orbik, Ignat Ignatov, Vadim Zang, and Millie Green.

I am a member of Portrait Society of America and Oil Painters of America. My work could be found in private collections nationwide as well as in Italy, Peru, Chili, Japan, and Russia.

I am very connected to the living world as an empath and lightworker. I love my life, nature and I'm very spiritual, believing everything happens for a reason. My creations identify the painter as someone that sees their organic life as beautiful, natural, symbolic, and at times tumultuous.This series is a repeated shape that symbolizes me through stages similar to a butterfly: Chrysalis(darkness),Metamorphosis(Ode to Marilyn), & final beautiful Maturity.The beginning painting is sizably smaller with the end masterpiece much more grande and joyful just like the final adult butterfly.I use the color white at the end t symbolize the joyful peace that comes from the wisdom gained from the life lessons learned. The last painting symbolizes the joy of the woman who has learned self respect and confidence in herself as she stands independently without toxicity in her life. She has learned to let go of the things that cause her pain. Please enjoy.

Jenni Souter is a native of Sandusky Ohio. She learned to paint at the young age of 5. After studying in art, art education and environmental art education, she graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in painting with a minor in art education k-12. She has continued to nurture and cultivate her passion for art through her role as elementary art teacher. She currently resides during the school year beside the water lilies in Huron Ohio.Summers and weekends are spent near Detroit.She has been slowly been building her career towards becoming an exhibiting artist.

Each one of my pictures is a scene.The background, props , clothes , hair-styles , grimes and of course the attitudes themselves - gestures, facial expressions - raise exuberant stories. Every story is relative, everything is slightly warped so that even on the tenth of twentieth viewing it continues to intrigue. The story is never finished.

Biography

Photographer Heike Suhre was

born in 1960 in Münster, Germany and lives

in Emmen in the Netherlands. After studying at

the Arts Academy of Enschede in the Netherlands,

Suhre went on to have many exhibitions and awards all over the world .

International Exhibitions :

2015 “CONVITTO RAGUSA” MUSEUM in NOTO SICILY

2015 Dundas Street Gallery Edinburgh , SCOTLAND

2015 “ARTIST FOR Unicef at the Politeama Theatre in PALERMO.

2015 SPECTRUM FAIR MIAMI USA

2016 INTERNATIONAL TRIENNALE IN VERONA ITALY

2016 Blank Wall Gallery ATHENS GREECE (solo exhibition)

2016 Southern Museum Fine Art in LAS VEGAS NEVADA USA

2016 Museum of Marrakech MOROCCO

2016 LEYDAN Art Gallery ,WINDSOR , ONTARIO – CANADA

2016 International Exhibition in NAPLES - Castel Dell'ovo

2016 PARIS - FRANCEART FAIR – CARROUSEL DU LOUVRE – PARIS.

2016 ROME - ITALY at the Palazzo Brancaccio

2017 Biennale de Arte Barcelona - Spain

2017 Biennale Peschiera del Garda .

2017 BIENNALE MEART IN PALERMO – SICILY

2017 INTERNATIONAL EUROPEAN MUSEUM OF MODERN ART Barcelona - Spain

2018 BERLIN INARTE WERKKUNST Gallery - Berlin Germany

2018 International BIENNAL of Flanders at Oud Sint Jan Museum

2018 South Korea The Haegumgang Theme Museum

2018 Emmen The Netherlands

2019 New York at the Big Appel Artosino Gallery

2019 South Korea The Haegumgang Theme Museum

Awards:

2012

Heike Suhre wordt Grote Paul 2012 - Netherlands

2015

Award Artists at the Castle – Nerola (ROME) Italy

International Noto Award – Unesco Heritage- Italy

Marco Polo International Price, Art Ambassador - Italy

2016

International Prize Leonardo Da Vinci - The Universal Artist- Italy

2016 International Prize CANAletto Artistic Career AWARD in Venice -Italy

2016 INTERNATIONAL PRIZE WOMENS ART WORK - MOROCCO

2016 INTERNATIONAL PRIZE SHAKESPEAR AWARD - Verona -ITALY

2016 INTERNATIONAL PRIZE Excellence Palm Art Award -Germany

2016 WINNER of the INTERNATIONAL FIRST PRICE - People's Choice PX3 AWARD - Prix de la photography Paris - FRANCE

2017

INTERNATIONAL PREMIO TROFEO ARTE IMPERO AWARD in ROME ITALY

BIENNALE MEART IN PALERMO – SICILY Winner of the Award Best photographer

Winner of the International Prize Dante Alighieri – Peschiera - ITALY

Winner of the international Award Galileo Galilei – Pisa – Italy

Winner of the Milan International Art Award, The critic committee presided by Vittorio Sgarbi, the italian art critic most known in the world.

Winner of the International Award Francisco Goya Barcelona – Spain

2018

International Award Raffaello – in Bologna - Italy

www.hsfotografie.com

As Agnes Martin said, "art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings". That's what I believe. I believe each shape, line and paint stroke carries weight and comes from the soul.

Drawing inspiration from the nuanced colors and movement in nature, I seek to distill color, contrast, and composition down to each essence, while maintaining a sense of spontaneity. Using acrylic and oil on canvas, with wide brushes and squeegees, I fabricate the illusion of texture and layering.

My art seeks to create a delicate balance between freedom and discipline. Sometimes I ask myself, "If I were to paint a daydream, what would it look like?". Come along on this journey with me and explore the beauty of the world through my eyes. I like to play with the senses and bring forth the passion I want each one of us to experience. Connection and emotions are the most important part of life. I wish to connect each person to their deepest self and to the elements that surround us every day.

I am an abstract painter native to Southern California. A graduate of Art Center College of Design, I spent time in New York City but I call Los Angeles home. I was originally trained as an illustrator and figurative artist. I wanted to break away from what I'd been doing. I emptied my studio of all sketchbooks, drawings and photographic references, and began to paint without any preconceived plans.

Most recent projects is a series called "FASCINATING RESILIENT WOMEN" - I'm inspired by the strong women of 2018 who came forward and told their story. In this series I'm using multimedia materials - Clay, Cement, Brunches, stones, metals....

​Recent Project: “AERIALISTS IN MOTION” – Deeply inspired by the motions and fabric used by a professional aerialist. I captured a sequence of 4 poses and began sculpting . Starting with wire armature and oil clay forming the sculpture and casted in acrylic bronze powder.

I believe that I was born an artist. My sculptures represent my passions of movement, music and nature. My art is especially a reflection of my early career as a dancer. Growing up on the beach in Israel, I was motivated by the fresh air of the sea, feeling the crumbly sand on my toes and listening to music. My soul awakened to the beats of music and I began to dance as a form of expression. When I was four years old I started taking Ballet classes. At the age of 14, I became a professional dancer throughout Israel and was featured in the theater, movies, television shows, and the Israeli opera. My parents always believed in me and helped me to pursue my dreams. In college I studied ceramics, painting, and pottery which led to sculpting. Using my hands to form, discover and create the clay connects me to earth and brings me back to nature. My two passions collide as nature and movement become one in a sculpture. I use metal, water clay, oil clay, wood, and recycled materials to sculpt. The finished product is in an acrylic, bronze, fired clay, wood or natural recycled objects. Spirituality plays a big role in my work. I begin each project with lighting a candle and saying a prayer to my spirit guides asking for guidance with my work. Listening to music allows my body to move and mold the sculptures.

To make art and see it being born from my own hands fulfills one of my

greatest dreams.

I like the moment when a new creation is not yet mine, not yet in my

imagination - but already is tickling my subconscious.

Working with paints, knowing their elasticity, and exploring new

textures and color shades allows me to move them on the canvas

spontaneously.

But it only seems so. In reality it happens under the guidance of my

soul.

It is my soul that expresses itself on canvas, showing its flights and

falls, joys and sadness, and then gives birth to an image. My hands only

choose and move colors around, before the appearance of a new image

gives rise to new fantasies.

When a fantasy desires to continue over a series of my art, the process

gives birth to imaginary realities which emerge from the depth of my soul

and cry out to find release on the canvas. Only then can my hands

themselves put down the paints and hang alongside my body. Fatigue and

relief cover me with a light veil. Nothing more needs to be corrected

and completed.

My soul enjoys the liberation of previously collected feelings and

impressions of life whose meaning was unclear to me but which I can now

express. Also what my paintings let me express on canvas is a joyful light shining

from the soul. It is the wonderful space of creation.

Tatiana Yartseva is a Siberian and moved to California in 2024. She is an artist and interior design and lives and works between the city of Omsk and Los Angeles, where she received her formal art education and immersed herself in the local art scene, working at the Lark Gallery. In addition to solo shows, the artist is an active participant in international projects such as "Peaceful Freedom" (2018), "Evolve. Women. Wisdom." (2019), and "Homage to Russian Avant-Garde" (2019) in the USA, "Seeking inner Joy(2002) in Russia", "The Temple of the Dreams"(2025) in Italy, "LAOpen" (2026) in the USA. Visionary Art Show Artsper Award. Since 2025 showing her art work at Artsy platform.

Participated in Digital Art Exhibition organized by Art Screen TV in the Biennale, Florence, Italy in 2025.

Her works have been featured in the American art publication Art & Beyond, Artistinish, and are held in private collections.

"Goddesses of Nature" is an ongoing photo project celebrating the beauty, wisdom, and mystery of the divine feminine whose true essence lies in a deep connection with Mother Nature. In my interpretation, the Goddess is a metaphor of Nature and every woman's soul - be she Native American, African-American or Caucasian, model-thin or Rubenesque, be she a little girl, a teen girl or a woman - as well as being a metaphor for their mysterious, loving, light-bearing divine essence. In my photographs, the subjects not only join with Nature, they are part of Nature. They not only speak to the trees and flowers, they are in union with them.

I see every woman as beautiful! I believe that women in our everyday life have natural, unique, individual beauty in themselves ? not matter their size, shape or age; therefore, I photograph real, everyday women, not professional models.

I do not use Photoshop to create or merge images as is popular in the artistic world today. My images are actual photographs of young girls and women in actual natural settings representing my ideas about our one-ness with Nature. I help my subjects feel like goddesses during the session, and that is the secret to the Goddess art: finding the goddess inside of every woman and girl." ~ Yelena Yahontova

Yelena Yahontova, M.A., is an award winning photography artist, costume stylist, speaker, and healer with a camera residing in La Jolla, California. She was born in the Eastern European country of Belarus. She has had her photography studio "Yelena: Photographer of Joy" for over 15 years.

Yelena is a woman on a mission. Her mission is to heal and transform how women see themselves by portraying them as beautiful goddesses. She sees every woman as beautiful - no matter her size, shape or age!

Yelena's studio is Nature, and her backdrops are forests, lakes, oceans, and mountains. Yelena uses costume styling, floral accessories and her imagination to transform little girls and women into angels, fairies, and goddess of nature into photographs that bring fairytale magic back into reality.

As an educator and visual artist in New Orleans and now Chicago, I first became attracted to recycled, found, free, or cheap materials as a means of creation due to the equity and accessibility of material, and the accessible visual language found in that material which both inhabits and defies the concept of “fine art.” While living in New Orleans I saw Henri Matisse’s cut out forms everywhere — in the tropical foliage, the shapes of cast shadows, the Old World architecture, and especially in the vibrancy of Caribbean colors. I began to experiment with naturalist shapes inspired by Matisse and the fragmented, yet cohesive book cover designs and collages of John Gall. Then I gravitated toward using materials with variations in value and hue to create a sense of light and movement in works comprised of naturalistic shapes. Since returning to Chicago, I’m moved and constantly inspired by the intuitive compositions my students create as well as the stratified elements of Chicago — its people, languages, architecture, and ever-changing borders. In my abstract series of paper collage, I investigate images of nature and manipulate dissected parts of those images to create compositions that are layered and shifting.

Alicia Zapata received her Master's Degree in Art Theory, Criticism and History and Certificate of Museum Studies from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. During that time she completed internships with Brooklyn Museum and International Center of Photography. Her academic focus was on American photography of the twentieth century and during this time she began to work in analog photography as an artistic medium. After graduate school, she taught middle school and high school darkroom photography at Marwen Art Center in Chicago for years before becoming an elementary school art teacher. From 2015-2018, Alicia taught visual art in New Orleans where she created and built two art programs as well as worked on large scale abstract paintings and began two different collage series which she continues to work in today. Currently, Alicia teaches middle school art on Chicago's northside and continues to work in collage and painting.