Abel is from a village nearby Pondicherry. The village’s people work hard, while it is also filled with cows, bulls, cocks, hens, paddy fields, trees and their colors, birds, and various climates. He has been attracted for his paintings to these elements.
After school studies he went to a college of fine arts for five years, where he learned more painting techniques, especially watercolor. Portraits, landscapes and still lifes are among the compositions he did there. After that he specialized in watercolor as a professional, and now he travels frequently to Europe to participate in international watercolor festivals and to teach his techniques to people.
He won the second place award from the Serbian watercolor biennale in 2013, and he has been invited to many cultural and art festivals in France. For him studying about nature and observing it is the good way to learn more and more to develop his art.
Virginie Roca lives in Villeneuve les Béziers, France. She has always drawn, and has taken classes and followed workshops taught by American, English, Dutch and German artists.
Roca primarily works in pastel, and her favorite subject is the female figure, which she calls, “An ode to sensuality. A representation of undeniable elegancy.” She also features works on the themes of travel and still lifes of food, especially in the settings of tea rooms and restaurants.
When asked why she chose pastel, Roca says that she was seduced by the intense pigments and sensual technique, and that drawing with them allows her to lose herself in her work. In her subjects, she focuses on the emotions that emerge and explores all creative possibilities. Ultimately, she sees art as a spiritual practice.
Her work will be on view August 1 through 15, 2019 at Le Caveau Winery and is on view at Cultura periodically throughout the year.
The John C. Doyle Art Gallery proudly represents the work of Anna Rose Bain. She is very kindred to late artist John C. Doyle in that she is able to paint any subject that inspires her with masterful results. However, she is especially known for her serene figurative works of women in beautiful environments.
Bain was a self-taught artist until attending Hillsdale College where she fell in love with oils and excelled while sweeping juried art awards every semester. She received a full scholarship her senior year to attend a summer of painting at the Florence Academy of Art. She has also studied under several renowned artists including Judith Carducci and Nancy Guzik.
Her painting style is a combination of both classical and direct painting methods. Her paintings are an expression of gratitude, and an exploration of the questions one faces at different stages of their life. Most recently her self-portrait, Silent Snowfall, was chosen in the top 25 finalists for the 2018 Portrait Society of America International Competition, as well as being given the Award for Exceptional Merit.
Portraits of her two children are also very prominent in her prolific life as an artist. Before the recent arrival of her second baby, she published a book of all her paintings and drawings about motherhood in hopes that it will inspire other creative parents and caregivers to continue pursuing their dreams. Anna now resides in Westminster, Colorado, with her husband, Steve, their daughter, Cecelia, and their brand-new addition, Everett!
Karen Ann Hitt is an awarded and nationally exhibited artist represented by the Hughes Gallery, in Boca Grande, Florida. Classically trained at Parsons School of Design in New York, Hitt is an Artist Member of the historic Salmagundi Club in New York, an Associate Member of Oil Painters of America and American Impressionist Society, and recently, an Art Ambassador at The Forgotten Coast, as well an artist in residence. Her works have been collected extensively and can be seen in permanent collections like Venice City Hall. She is also honored to have been received by a United States president. Karen Ann Hitt is known as “An Original Hitt,” discovering always that “the journey is the destination.”
Hitt resides in Venice, Florida, but spends several months each year traveling with her husband from the Gulf Coast to the Eastern Sierras and everywhere in between.
Collectors may view recent works of her lavender harvests, sunrises, sunsets and more throughout the seasons. Save the date for her group exhibition opening March 21 at the Hughes Gallery.
Artist Paul Rhymer comes from a family of artists and has been painting his entire life. His sculptures capture a wide range of subject matter, including all manner of wildlife as well as various plant life.
“I try to create sculptures that convey my feelings and experiences of animals and use them to express my feelings about the world around me. I feel like all of my life’s experiences have fed my career in art,” says Rhymer. “My whole life has been spent outdoors hunting, fishing, paddling and bird watching. It has instilled a love of the natural world in me that gives me my world perspective. My career as a taxidermist and a model maker gave me the tools to express myself in sculpture—both the skills to actually sculpt and all the skills needed to produce a bronze cast from a clay sculpture. And the anatomical knowledge to portray my subject accurately,” he says.
Rhymer explains that for the last year or so, he has been using his artwork as a way to write “love letters to music”. “My subjects and their titles have expressed my admiration of music’s ability to invoke an emotional response; for me this is the highest accomplishment of art.”
New works by Rhymer can be seen at the upcoming Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale, Arizona, from January 12 to March 24, 2019.
New York City Rain, oil on canvas, 30 x 40”San Diego based artist Michael Flohr’s painting style has been described as a cornucopia of avant-garde, abstract expressionism and impressionism. His keen sense of observation enables him to capture the essence of his subjects and define that “moment.” Whether seen, heard or read, “it is all connected to that which can be processed into a visual.”
American Classic, oil on canvas, 28 x 22”Flohr sketches the “moment” as a scene unfolds, often in charcoal. Many times, these sketches become works of art themselves. When painting in oils his profound use of loose, lively brushstrokes and vibrant color establishes the mood and further defines his style. The challenge for Flohr is not to make a painting look overdone but to synthesize a depicted scene down to its essence.
Homage to Fred, oil on canvas, 48 x 72”While a student at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, he frequently visited cafes and bars, constantly sketching his surroundings. It was during that time Flohr met his wife Melissa, who quickly became his muse. She is seen in many of his paintings—a figure in a red dress in the 1920s style that she favors, recognizable only by her shadow and subtle mannerisms. After graduation Flohr traveled extensively. Specifically his time in Europe led him to pursue the desire to capture the nuances of social interaction, city nightlife and cityscapes in his artwork. Michael Flohr has become one of most successful artists of his generation and through his work to date has already established himself in art history.
Represented by Exclusive Collections Gallery
212 S. Cedros Avenue #104 | Solana Beach, CA 92075
These paintings are a part of Oklahoma-born painter Derek Penix’s Trees Series, a series the artist says he is really enjoying working on at the moment. Works like Just Peachy and Peachy Keen evoke warm, sunny sentiments. “It really is all about capturing the light,” says Penix.
He continues, “I love capturing the spotty patterns of light that poke through each branch. The light that splashes on the trunk and features the different textures of bark that is unique to each tree. The light that illuminates the subtle variations of color in the leaves. The branches that twist and bend tell a story about the light that they so desperately contour to bask in.”
Lissa Nicolaus, a native Californian, grew up in Carmel and moved to Italy for a few years, where her appreciation and study of art began. She received her BFA in art from UC Berkeley and continued her studies at the San Francisco Art Institute and the Academy of Art.
Nicolaus paints on location using the dramatic beaches, soft rolling hills, picturesque waterfront vistas and scenic small villages as the subject matter for her colorful impressionistic oil paintings. Painting plein air, and sometimes finishing her work in the studio, she gravitates toward bold colors and a central composition that frames the moment. She strives to capture the sensation and light in that particular setting. Her brush strokes are evident and tend to create a feeling of kinetic energy. Eeyore, oil on canvas, 9 x 12”
Nicolaus is a founding member of the BayWood Artists, a group of professional landscape artists committed to raising public awareness for the preservation of rural open space. She has exhibited at the Bolinas Museum, California Heritage Gallery, MarinScapes, Arts Benicia, Sausalito Bay Model, Marin Open Studios, Claudia Chaplin Gallery, Artisans Art Gallery, The California Collector’s Gallery, The Studio at Marin Art and Garden Center, Toby’s Feed Barn Gallery and The Red Barn Art Gallery at Point Reyes National Seashore.
In addition to her artistic endeavors, Nicolaus is an avid fly fisherwoman and outdoor enthusiast. She enjoys hiking, exploring, extensive world travel with her husband, and considers it a privilege to be able to immerse herself in beautiful and interesting environments that inspire her.
Contemporary realist painter Mark Hunter creates coastal, landscape, marine, portrait and figurative works in oil. “In my work, I attempt to achieve an illusion of three dimensional depth, atmosphere and luminosity that represents nature,” the artist says.
“I am primarily a studio painter and consider my plein air and figurative paintings from life as studies for my larger studio works. However, I believe painting from life is extremely important for the representational artist because there are many areas of observation that are available from life that are not available from a photograph,” says Hunter. “As a result, I believe painting from life helps me achieve my goal of representing nature. It forces me to observe nature more closely and improve my drawing skills so I can develop compositions quickly and paint faster. These skills transfer to the studio.”
A sailor as well as an artist, Hunter’s coastal and seascape paintings are inspired by scenes observed while on sailing trips. “My goal is to recreate the effects and mood of light, wind and waves on both open water and within snug anchorages. I want the observer to feel the sun on their face, the wind in their hair, the movement of the waves and the spray in their face.”
Hunter’s landscape paintings are inspired by the rural areas near his home, as well as scenes encountered during his travels.
Hunter began his art training studying the human form in life drawing sessions and still enjoys painting the figure from life. He considers the human form the most beautiful yet most challenging of all art genres, with capturing both the likeness and the soul of the subject the elusive goal.
The still life paintings of artist Matthew Bird are inspired by the Dutch masters, employing a dark background which allows light to starkly reveal the beautiful textures and colors on display, each carefully studied with precision and clarity. The various subjects are transformed into exquisitely observed objects that demand contemplation.
Iain Stewart writes, “Matthew’s work is not defined by the subject, but rather by the painter himself, orchestrating what emotional response the viewer will take away, while allowing the freedom to explore and glean the hidden gems within it. It’s a joy to behold.”
Bird maintains a studio outside Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife and children, where he paints with a deep love and respect for nature and life, enjoying both figurative and still life work. “I have focused on developing my craft to capture the beauty of what surrounds me with precision and clarity,” he says, “and strive to convey that to all people through the universal language of representational art. It is my desire that when others see my work they may be inspired by the perceptible signs of the real Creator.”
Bird graduated with honors from the Pratt Institute of Art. He is a signature member of numerous organizations, including the National Watercolor Society, and his award-winning watercolor paintings have been exhibited across the country, as well as in Canada, China, Greece, Hong Kong and Italy.
Magnolia Still Life and Branzino For Two are on view through December 29 at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art as part of the 2nd Annual National Juried Exhibition.
Bird’s work is currently showing at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art’s 2nd Annual National Juried Exhibition through December 29.
Between Light & Shadow, Ria Krishnan’s recent release, takes the viewer on a journey that explores fleeting moments in nature as seen from the artist’s lens. The paintings are crafted to capture an emotion in time. She paints using a limited palette of just the three primaries and white. In all her paintings, this limited palette harmonizes into a symphony that is larger than the sum of its parts. You can see the paintings come together as the viewer takes a few steps back from the textured brush strokes. The compositions are carefully orchestrated to capture the subtle dialogue between light and shadow. All paintings depict local California scenes from the coast to the cliffs of Yosemite.
“My process is very detailed. I start with visiting the location of interest. As an artist, observation is key to developing a painting. I begin by taking field notes in the form of sketches or small plein air paintings. Eventually, after months of study these sketches translate into larger studio pieces,” says Krishnan.
“Painting for me is a very personal expression of my connection with nature. It’s about holding on to a moment in time and making that the main focus or idea of my painting. In the end, it’s important to paint with emotion and empathy. I believe my paintings are filled with life.”
Always touching on the wonder of nature, Sally Ruddy’s direct observations of her surroundings capture impressionable moments, immortalizing each memory on her canvases. Beautifully integrating her emotional responses and personal narratives to that of her viewers, Ruddy’s signature soft brushstrokes and airy, effortless blending of colors contribute to an homage to her surroundings. Ruddy explains, “All of these works record scenes of my personal environment and celebrate the essence of life." Asking herself what it is that directly speaks to her artistic vision; the painting gradually and spontaneously begins to bloom.
Omitting fine details in the scenery, Ruddy creates a setting that is otherworldly, transporting her viewers into her intimate memories of family and self. Dreamlike and movingly sentimental, Ruddy’s paintings blossom with color and intrinsic emotion. She creates an expressive, expansive body of work that encapsulates the little joys and treasures of life, reflecting the beauty within. Her work, done in a variety of subject matters, visually details her family’s almond farm, a neighborhood home and gleamed treasures. Ruddy uncovers small moments of joy and beauty by seeking out the unexpected and overlooked.
Ruddy’s natural scenes demonstrate her deep love of her subjects and the world around her. Her paintings have been featured across the United States and throughout Europe. Her pieces are held in public and private collections throughout the world including the Kaiser Permanente Hospital, California State University Stanislaus, the Museum of New Mexico, and the Oakland Museum Department of History.
Sylviane Gaumer is an avid backpacker passionate about the magical transformation of a black canvas into an inviting landscape. Inspired by the specific colors and light in the Sierra Mountain range, her work is constantly evolving toward the best rendition of the emotions she feels when she is one with nature. “I spend a lot of time with mother earth. It is part of my daily life to walk, hike or backpack. Nature is my main source of inspiration, and that is where the calling is for me right now,” says Gaumer. “Through my brushstrokes I want to share with you the trails of the Desolation Wilderness leading to breathtaking views of [the] alpine lakes. I want to capture the smell of pine needles and bark, the earthiness of mushrooms. I want to convey with my palette knife the roughness of warm granite. I want to invite you to embrace the celestial blues of high elevation, untouched by polluted air. I want you to take off your shoes and jump in the pristine waters. I want you to stop and contemplate what is offered and so often ignored.”
Gaumer resides and works in her home studio in Grass Valley, California, and is an Associate Member of Oil Painters of America, American Women Artists and Women Artists of the West. Gaumer’s Alpine Lake collection is presented at CK Art Gallery in Sacramento and at Art Works Gallery in Grass Valley.
Gaumer’s solo exhibition Roar of Nature in its Simplicity at Artize Gallery in Palm Springs, California, presents a collection of landscape paintings celebrating the Joshua Tree National Park.
