Persephone
Keith Doles is an Abstract Expressionist painter and Florida native who graduated from the University of North Florida with a BFA degree in Graphic Design. In 2005, he earned a Master of Arts degree in Business from Webster University. His style combined influences from Cubism and Abstract Expressionism. In 2006, Doles began producing commercial art for web designers and small businesses from Florida to Wisconsin. Projects included prototype drawings, logos and illustrations for children’s books and magazines. In 2016, Doles became a resident artist at the CoRK Arts District in Jacksonville’s Riverside neighborhood. His abstract work developed after a period of physical and emotional trauma and recovery. He was a fine arts instructor for UNF Continuing Education and the founder of the award-winning public art team, Bridge Muralists.
“”I create with a childlike, energetic spirit. I use geometric shapes and organic forms and merge them into work that feeds the mind with wonder, reflection, and question. My fascination with architecture began very early in life, and construction sites symbolize rebuilding myself from the ground up. I was a full-time caregiver for my mother and recovery after a collapse provided an opportunity to reevaluate everything I believed was necessary. Infrastructure is the underlying framework essential to make a society functional. The work illustrates my personal infrastructure – physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.””
Doles’ work has been featured in exhibitions at the Ritz Theatre & Museum, Haskell Gallery at Jacksonville International Airport, MOCA Jacksonville, and LeMoyne Arts in Tallahassee. Keith is a graphic designer and artist for interior designers and commissioned public art projects.
Persephone was known as the Goddess of Spring who presided over agriculture in Greek mythology. She was also Goddess of the Underworld and her return above the earth each Spring symbolizes immortality. Inspiration for the painting came during a tour of Eartha’s Farm and Market in Jacksonville, Florida and seeing people in the neighborhood tend to certain crops on the land. It was wonderful to hear how the space was intended for building community by being a safe place for children, tackling the food desert problem, and educating future generations about agriculture. This painting was commissioned by the Clara White Mission in Jacksonville to advertise and support the beautiful 10.5-acre organic farm located on Moncrief Road. The property was developed by philanthropist Eartha M. M. White, and was the site of Florida’s first African American museum and nursing home. It is currently an agricultural center and job training facility that offers fresh produce to farmers markets between October – June.
Perseverance
Jeni was born in Mill Valley, California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. Jeni moved down to Santa Monica, CA, and attended SMASH, an alternative school near Venice Beach. At the age of eight, Jeni moved to a small town outside Munich, Germany.
Attending Munich International School, Jeni was taught in German along with English as a primary language. Growing up in Germany gave Jeni unique access to master works from the classical world to modern art. For university, Jeni returned to the States and earned a BA in Liberal Studies and Studio Art from Sonoma State University. After which Jeni worked with the Peace Corps in Central Asia, in Bukhara, Uzbekistan becoming familiar with the art and culture of ancient institutions like the Silk and Spice Road. After the Peace Corps, Jeni returned to the States and now lives in Upstate New York and has been painting since 2021.
Drawing from the ethos that we are all just muses to one another, emotional integrity is central to art. By using visual language, I tell stories of the atmospheric emotionality of life. The work has helped me learn that even the worst parts of myself I have to love. My paintings are forms that are minimal and straightforward, emulating honesty and love, a reality that is a mirror of the dignity of our existence. I paint what I feel when I look out onto the world. My work is atmospheric, organic, and spectral, and it speaks directly to the human experience.
Of particular interest to me is the conjunction of inner reality and external construction. I use the union of realism and abstraction to visually explore the emotional and psychological existence of humanity. My work explores the way realism can push into and through inner abstract landscapes, like figures breaking the surface of consciousness, the thin veil of emotional atmosphere. My paintings clearly represent the relevance of the dialogue and narrative that happens internally and externally when we are engaging with the next global cultural evolution.
Petals Of Love
Mary Ruth Barnes is a Chickasaw Dynamic Woman and her watercolors are on display at the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center, the new Artetian Hotel, and the Capital offices of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma City. One of her watercolor paintings, “Flight of Hope- Fighting Leukemia” was chosen as part of the cover of the American Cancer Society’s Circle of Life Calendar Journal for cancer education and wellness for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities. Her short story and painting “ The Evil Doer” was published in the Spring of 2015 Journal of the Chickasaw History and Culture magazine.
Additionally, three of her award-winning photos and one of her watercolor prints have been selected to be permanently displayed in the new Chickasaw Artesian Hotel in Sulphur, Oklahoma. She was honored in 2015 as one of ten women selected as the Chickasaw Dynamic Woman of the Year. She was also featured in the June issue of 2015 Distinctly Oklahoma Magazine for her art. She was selected and archived in the Heard Museum as a Native Artist in 2017. In 2022 Barnes was inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame and Capitol Hill High School Hall of Fame. Barnes debut her first novel, Little Bird, historical fiction in 2022 and was the recipient of two Ippy awards for her historical fiction about Indian Territory.
She is extremely active in her community through Rotary and Business and Professional Women As a member of BPW in Ohio, Colorado, and Oklahoma. Mary Ruth received the 2007 “Woman of the Year” award from Ada Business and Professional Women. She has been married to her husband Mike for 49 years. Mary Ruth and Mike live on their ranch south of Ada. She has two sons who live in Ada with their families and she has four grandchildren.
Art has been a heritage I learned from my Chickasaw grandfather, who was a Chickasaw storyteller. He would often paint beautiful pictures in my mind as he taught me about love and caring, enkindling nature as the basis for love. My art is my passage into my history and my culture. I paint to revive the stories he told me and give a continuation of my culture to my children and my grandchildren. With each story he told me, I try to retell it in my images of the horse, the buffalo, the white dog, the eagle, and the turtle. It is a time for me to bring honor to all the Chickasaw people by creating art that is more than something just seen; art is color depicted from my heart and visually displayed on canvas to honor our forefathers! It is my legacy and my continuum to being the best Native American I can be.
Petals Of Passion
Anita Rachel is a self-taught artist. Inspired by her passion for travel and her love of clouds, Anita Rachel brings to life the colors, moods, and transitions of nature, reflecting the broader seasons of human existence. However, her journey into art was far from conventional. Growing up in a culture where art was undervalued, she discovered her creative voice during one of the most challenging periods of her life: the end of a 17-year marriage. It was then that art became her solace, allowing her to channel her pain into beauty. Each brushstroke became a testament to her God-given talent, a force that refused to be suppressed.
A cancer survivor who endured a five-year battle, Anita found art to be her anchor through depression and loneliness. Now a single mother balancing a full-time job, she views her creative process as a blessing and a mission. Through meticulous layering and attention to detail, she creates works that radiate hope and inspire resilience.
Her mission is to provide comfort and encouragement to those struggling with mental health. With her vibrant palette and heartfelt prayers for kindness, she aims to create spaces of healing and inspiration. Her art serves as a beacon of light, celebrating the triumphs of the human spirit and the beauty of simply being.
Anita is an award-winning oil painter from New Jersey, celebrated for her ability to capture the beauty of life’s seasons and the ever-changing majesty of nature. A two-time People’s Choice Winner at the Rockland Arts Festival (2021 and 2022) and recipient of the prestigious ACOR Art Award in 2024, her work resonates deeply with audiences, drawing them into vibrant worlds filled with emotion and meaning.
Explore Anita Rachel’s masterpieces and join her in finding strength, peace, and a reflection of your own journey within her vibrant works at https://www.anitarachelart.com/
I am an oil painting fine art artist from New Jersey. My passion for traveling has blessed me with the opportunity to admire nature and become a Nephophile (A person who loves clouds). I paint in seasons, depicting the various seasons of life.
Art was looked down upon in the culture I grew up in. As I was on the brink of breaking down my marriage of 17 years, art stood out predominantly, suppressing the pain of it all. The God-given talent could not be suppressed. I would forget the world around me and be immersed in the colors I mixed.
My mission is to provide comfort to those who struggle with mental health. I hope my art creates a space with vibrant colors and inspiration. My prayer is that kindness spreads through my art and through creating art.
I’m a cancer survivor, and after fighting cancer for 5 years, I’m grateful for the second chance I have. Cancer made me depressed and lonely, but art gave me life. Being a single mom and working a full-time job, art is a huge blessing. The details in my work are accomplished with great patience over several days and with several layers of oil paint.
With each brush stroke, I weave tales of triumph and the beauty of being. My art, a beacon of hope, celebrates the resilience within us all. Explore my masterpieces and find your own reflection in my journey.
“To get lost in art and to stay in a state of artful bliss is a huge blessing” – Anita Rachel
Philadelphia Dreams In The Snow
Hana Brem is a Philadelphia artist. Her works are in watercolor and gouache. She grew up in Paris, Lausanne, and Montreal and paints scenes from her childhood growing up in those places. She also paints portraits of children and mothers and has been commissioned to paint families in emotional and loving scenes.
Watercolor is my medium of choice.
I paint landscapes and portraits that evoke an emotional chord and are reminiscent of an event that has left a mark on my subject’s life.
This winter scene is home to me in Philadelphia.
Philly Nights
Danielle Lange, a self-taught amateur photographer from Delaware, focuses on discovering extraordinary beauty in everyday moments. She integrates mindfulness into her art, teaching others to appreciate the world’s beauty and nature’s therapeutic qualities.
Photography is my passion and my therapy. My pictures are a visual diary of my peaceful moments. When my mind is complicated, I go outside and find beauty. I then capture my discovery. Mindfulness grounds me…necessary for refocus. The art of mindfulness is to pay attention inwardly and outwardly. Be a daydreamer! Be an explorer! Be an Imagineer! Always foster your curiosity and sense of adventure. Embrace the journey. LIVE. LAUGH. LOVE. CREATE.
Photogenesis 77
Fifty years of experience in fine art photography, glamour, nudes, and stock photography. Helped form The Art Institute of Colorado Photography Department and was President of The Colorado Photographic Arts Center for five years. Produced a “How-to Video” called “Glamour Photography on Location with Dick Nosbisch.” Have exhibited extensively in the United States and various countries. In the permanent collection of The Denver Art Museum, The Colorado Photographic Arts Center, The Denver Press Club, and the (C.E.P.A.) Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Arts in New York and The Art Institute of Colorado. Early in my career, I was honored to be the first photographer to be accepted into the Albright Art Museum Member’s Gallery Lend-Lease program in Buffalo, New York.
CURRENTLY, producing my audio podcast “MEMORIES & INTERVIEWS OF THE GREAT PHOTOGRAPHERS – from Ansel Adams to Annie Leibovitz. available on my web page or Apple. Spotify, or Google podcasts. Also manage and play drums in my jazz band called “ALTITUDE: Jazz and Beyond.” Life is exciting and fantastic.
”Photography is not just for capturing an image, it is for opening your imagination and creativity.” ABSTRACTS-PHOTO GENESIS SERIES
”My abstract takes a form that challenges accepted ideas of what photographs should look like. The title of my abstract work is called: “PhotoGenesis” – The manipulation of the original photo negative into an abstract form. Instead of just capturing an image, I enhance and manipulate the image and let the individual do a self-exploration of what it “is” and how it was created. What it “is”, is not what is essential to me. By use of color, shapes, and suggested textures I changed what the original photographic image was. Like my water droplets series, my whole purpose is to let the imagination go wild and to spur the individual captivated by an image to ask, “What is that and how does he do it?”
Photographer
My work has been juried into: “Lasting Impressions 2025” – Evanston Arts Center; “Reflecting 2025”– Maryland Federation of Art; 38th Annual McNeese National Works on Paper Exhibition; “In the City” exhibit juror Christina Gomez (Art Institute Chicago); North American Print Biennial juror Elizabeth M. Rudy (Associate Curator of Prints Harvard Art Museums, Boston); Dubuque Museum of Art Biennial juror Pamela Hugdahl (Executive Director, Rochester Art Center); Rockford Art Museum Biennial Juried Exhibit of Contemporary Artists; Andrew James Wulf, Ph.D. (Director – Albany Museum of Art); Gary Freeburg (Professor/Director of Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Art at James Madison University); Amanda C. Burdan (Associate Curator – Brandywine River Museum of Art); Christiane Paul (Director Media Studies at New School, NY and Curator of New Media Arts at the Whitney Museum of American Art); Felice Frankel (Science photographer/research scientist); Malcolm Daniel (Curator of Photographs – Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC); Kenneth Baker (Art Critic, San Francisco Chronicle); Keith Carter, internationally recognized photographer/educator; William Lieberman, Director of Zolla/Lieberman Gallery – Chicago; Annette Carlozzi (Sr. Curator at Blanton Museum of Art); Dr. Jefferson Harrison (Chief Curator Chrysler Museum of Art); Charlotta Kotik (Curator of Contemporary Art Brooklyn Museum of Art); David Houston (Chief Curator –Ogden Museum of Southern Art); Dr. Russell Panczenko (Director – Museum of Art, Madison Wisconsin); Siri Engberg (Walker Art Center); Stephen Phillips (Phillips Collection – Washington DC); Sam Gilliam (international artist); and Ed Paschke (international artist).
A Ragdale Residency Fellow, I am a juried member of the Illinois Arts Council’s Arts-In-Education Roster. My work has been exhibited at Northwestern University, Concordia University, Rockford Art Museum, and the Alexandria Museum of Art. I was also a fine art consultant and advisor for Grumbacher/Prismacolor, along with developing a program for Blick Art. My artwork is in corporate, university, and private art collections.
A simple moment in time leaves a permanent impression, providing the artist with inspiration to create. Taking time to observe, reflect, and ultimately create is the tangible way for an artist to share a special moment with others. With the “Photographer”, the artist is monumental in size and takes central focus, emphasizing the importance of capturing special moments. “Memories Boxed – Holding” is a quiet piece communicating that lives are comprised of loving moments in time. “Promise” emphasizes the beauty of moments to come.
As an artist, I am a visual storyteller. Art is my voice, and I create visual puzzles with purposeful ambiguity. A curator has described my artwork as “smart and thoughtful and dense with information; gorgeous with color. Mysterious and challenging…puzzles for the viewer to solve”.
Piano Baby
Annalise Sconzo is a self-taught photographer from the East End of Long Island interested in the theme of Soul, Mind & Spirit found in daily life. She was introduced to the art of photography, using a digital camera, in her High School Art Class and enjoyed taking photos of people and events for the annual school yearbook and photos of her pets at home.
Interested in the psyche she attended St. Josephs’ University and earned a B.S. degree in psychology and a certificate as a certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor. Later, the artist returned to school earning a M.S. degree in School Counseling from St. Bonaventure University in 2023. She is currently employed as a School Counselor at a public school. Concurrently, as a photographer, she has drawn upon her experiences, with a diverse population, for the past 12 years employing her interest in feelings, thoughts, behavior, mood, and emotion in her work.
She lives in a small town on the South Shore of the island with her 2 daughters, 2 dogs, and an old cat.
I am excited by the mood and emotions of people living everyday life. Mood and Emotion: This exploration is my passion and inspiration. Children are often my subjects. Nothing is posed, planned, or contrived. To candidly observe a child fully immersed in an innocent and unself-conscious activity is delightful. To capture that moment with the camera is magical. I want to bring my viewer into that moment with me taking hundreds of photos just to find that one special one that catches a meaningful expression of self or soulful spirit.
Often, I choose to print my photographs in black and white or sepia. Paring down to the simplicity and single focus of mood and emotion, the play of light and shadows, without the distraction of color, lends a timeless feel to each piece. Sometimes, the contrast and lighting are rendered, more or less, to thoughtfully improve the feeling of the photo.
My counseling experience with children and adults has given me a diverse palette of moods and emotions that I strive to explore and illustrate in my photos. Moods and Emotion found in daily transactions is my study and goal in my artistic exploration.