Progression
Even at an early age, Marissa has shown an enthusiasm for illustration. She can recall spending hours creating and illustrating stories inspired by the many books her parents shared with her. That inspiration has led her to some of her greatest artistic passions, including children’s book illustration and portraiture.
Marissa earned her BFA in Illustration at the Hartford Art School in Connecticut, where she found new inspiration in her professors. While there, she received many distinctions for her work, including the best portfolio in each of her departmental portfolio reviews. She has also had the honor of having her work featured in numerous exhibitions, including the Society of Illustrators Annual Student Scholarship Competition in New York City.
Since graduating from Hartford Art School, Marissa has continued to follow her passion as a freelance illustrator and portrait artist. After completing her first children’s book illustration project, she went on to be featured in numerous publications and television appearances. Her projects have included collaborations with ESPN, as well as creating illustrations for Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s yearly concert production “Tales of Halloween”.
My artwork is very much inspired by visual storytelling. The thing I love most is capturing my subject’s likeness through vitalizing details – both on the surface of the artwork, as well as the narrative behind it. I often use a mixed media approach, combining acrylic and colored pencil. Working this way combines the freedom of laying bold washes with the tight control of drawing. As the piece is built up in many thin layers, I can carefully explore all the details. Quilting these details together as a visual story is where I find my greatest artistic passion.
Propel
Katy Bishop is a contemporary abstract painter based in Los Angeles. Her gestural abstract artwork is characterized by bold, expressive, and vibrant use of color.
In addition, Katy is known for her use of alcohol ink in reverse painting on plexiglass and glass. This involves painting on the back of a clear surface, which allows the viewer to see the image in reverse. Whether painting on paper or on glass in reverse, Katy produces a range of vivid, translucent colors and creates unique, organic images.
These techniques add to the distinctiveness of Bishop’s artwork, creating a visual experience that is both intricate and harmonious. Her use of different materials and techniques highlights her ability to create striking and engaging pieces.
So far, in 2023,
• Katy had a very successful solo exhibition, VIVID INK, at TAG Gallery, Los Angeles.
• Her alcohol ink reverse painting on plexiglass, TERRA FIRMA VII, is part of the USA Exhibition at The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, in June 2023.
• Global Painting Conclave awarded the Bronze Award in the competition Abstract Painting January 2023, for BEYOND, an alcohol ink reverse painting.
• SPRING ROSE, an alcohol ink reverse painting on plexiglass, is part of the in-person exhibition COLORS OF THE WORLD in Rome.
• TERRA FIRMA VIII and THE BOX are currently at Encino Terrace Gallery, Encino.
• GALA, HOPE, and DOWN IN THE VALLEY are showing at TAG Gallery in July.
Katy is a member of The Los Angeles Art Association, the California Art League, and the International Association of Art – USA.
She is represented in Los Angeles by TAG Gallery and by MEGA Gallery in Rome, Italy. Her art is held in private collections across the country.
I create my artwork to communicate feelings and ideas that cannot easily be expressed well in words. My gestural abstract artwork is characterized by bold, expressive strokes and vibrant use of color.
As I develop an artwork, I acknowledge that the control we all want to exert in our lives is often paired with uncontrollable growth and change, and emotional responses. The immense beauty in those emotions intrigues me. I also find beauty in abstract landscapes, and memories of times well-loved.
Much of my artwork is painted reverse on glass or plexiglass. Other artworks are on synthetic paper. Most often I use alcohol inks because they can be deep or transparent. They can be controlled and sometimes, they are totally uncontrolled. A challenge that I enjoy.
What I love about working in the abstract is that it comes from within, each stroke and color expressing the story I wish to tell.
Propulsion
Kylo-Patrick Hart is an award-winning photographer and chair of the Department of Film, Television, and Digital Media at Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, Texas, USA). He received his formal training in digital media arts while a student at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, with additional instruction provided by offerings of the Maine Media Workshops and Santa Fe Workshops. His photographs have been exhibited in numerous cities throughout the United States and in several countries abroad.
Photography has been my passion since early childhood. My motivation is to discover and capture the beauty, even when it is not always readily self-evident, that surrounds us continuously in all areas of our everyday lives. I believe the finest images are those that are serious yet playful, aesthetically appealing yet a bit quirky. As both an artist and an admirer, my favorite photographs tend to be ones whose contents speak loudly for themselves — even when it is not immediately clear exactly what they are saying. They seek to inspire their viewers to wrestle with their intriguing content and, as a result, ponder various aspects of our surrounding world in new and unique ways.
Protective Layers
Midwest native, Jennifer Hannigan-Green, is a figurative abstract painter. Originally, a landscape painter illustrating her walk through nature, Jennifer’s style has changed over the years, becoming more simplified and expressive, illustrating her walk through life. Her work shares deep, personal moments. She captures emotional stories through her use of color and shapes. Jennifer has had her paintings shown throughout the world, from Paris, France, to St. Louis, Missouri, and has received an American Art Award two years in a row.
Painting is how I process and communicate with the world. My work is my voice for the feelings and emotions I struggle to speak and find words for. The intense emotions of motherhood – love, sleepless nights, connection. The intense emotions of depression and loneliness. The intense emotions of simply living – finding joy, spirituality, friendship. When words fail me, colors and shapes become my voice. That voice is my work. It is my hope that my voice resonates with you.
Protest
Bio Constance Vepstas
Being a self-taught photographer and traveling has influenced my artistic images. A basic Bachelor of Arts degree and international biennials and museums has developed my artistic endeavors. James O’Reilly past actor and director of many residential theaters in Chicago directed the Body Politics Theater where Art Move a group of Chicago artists and I exhibited our art works at his theatre productions. In 2016 work was included as in previous exhibitions in the Midwestern Biennial a survey of contemporary art at the Rockford Museum of Art in Illinois. Photographs from Greenland and Iceland were exhibited by the New York Center for Photographic Arts at the Noho Gallery in New York on the photographer’s photo tour. A photograph is included in Best of Photography 2015 a book published by Photographer’s Forum. I Have shown works in shows at fund exhibits for Arc Gallery which with Artemisia Gallery was the first woman’s cooperative in the Midwest, an intense art scene in Chicago. A work was included in “Beyond Rosie the Riveter, Woman and Work” an exhibition at Koehnline Museum of Art in 2016, and their International Woman’s Show in 2017 “Women and Anger” also included one of my images. An image Question was included in Surrealism Salon 10 exhibition at the Baton Rouge Gallery center for Contemporary Art in Baton Rouge Louisiana January 2018. The college of art and design at Louisiana State University in conjunction with Baton Rouge Gallery gave an informal lecture by the curator Ron English about the Surrealism Salon Show. www. constancevepstasdigitalphotography.com has further information about exhibitions.
Rebels and protests are the way change happens. Closed ears must be opened. The artist can be a forceful venue for change. The image Vote expresses the struggles women have gone through until 1920 when the rite to voting was granted. The many years spent protesting must be recognized as a success for Woman’s right to vote. Rosa Parks was the strongest woman in the world at that time because she held the world on her shoulders. Of course, she was arrested for not giving up her seat on the bus she was arrested and a mug shot (7053) was taken. The image Vote is reminiscent of a mug shot that celebrates convict number 1920 the year when women were given the right to vote. Suffragettes were arrested and called terrorists for breaking windows and starting fires for disturbing the peace. They did not stop till amendment 19 was ratified.
The Image Protest (Do Cross Line) Questions what has happened. Without the questions, without the silent rage, the change would not have happened. Yet part of our heritage, Madame
American image represents our freedom of speech and liberty of our lives and our pursuit of happiness.
Proto Consciousness
Feraye is a visual artist based in Treasure Coast, Florida. She holds an MFA in Fine Arts, is certified as a Sumi-E ink artist, and holds certifications in multiple other artistic modalities. The main themes in her art are inspired by science, spirituality, and indigenous knowledge to question our mystical existence and the true nature of our 3D reality. She studies the role of consciousness in art to highlight the soulfulness of human-made art in the age of AI. She says making art is a philosophical, spiritual, and magical practice for her. She uses various printing and painting techniques, mostly ink, watercolor, and incorporates Augmented Reality (AR) technology in some art pieces.
Feraye’s work has been exhibited and featured at institutions such as Mass MoCA, The Vault Gallery, and Vandernoot Gallery. She is involved in organizations that explore the intersectional nature of art, science, and spirituality, mainly focused on consciousness. She has been a guest speaker on multiple podcasts. She also participates and volunteers in her local cultural alliance. Beyond art, Feraye spends her time reading and writing, dancing (absolutely not professionally, just as a fun workout), taking nature walks, learning about old-fashioned apothecary, cooking, and spiritual practices.
I make art to interpret the temporary, provisional, illusory nature of our reality, inspired by science, spirituality, and indigenous knowledge. Science and many ancient wisdom teachings (Advaita Vedanta, Sufism, Kabballah, Gnostic texts, etc) tell us that we live in an illusory, mystical existence. This led me to study the role of consciousness in art to highlight the uniqueness of human-made art in the age of AI. I use various printing and painting techniques, mostly ink, watercolor, and acrylic, in my works. I also incorporate Augmented Reality (AR) technology in some of the art pieces I make. In my art, I push myself to question what is unseen but still there. How micro and macro realities seem interchangeable, as above so below. For me, making art is a philosophical, spiritual, and magical practice. I believe qualia is an essential component in making art, and art is a phenomenon of consciousness, exploring the subjective aspects of the human experience. In the same way that science and spirituality inform us, art is also another language of the mystical and the unexplainable. When art synthesizes with science and spirituality, it can be utilized as a powerful tool to elucidate the true nature of our existence.
Proudly
Gayle Faulkner, with over 35 years of artistic exploration and creativity, stands as a seasoned watercolor, acrylic, and mural artist. Her journey has been marked by constant exploration, a playful engagement with diverse media, and an unwavering commitment to growth in the world of art.
Her academic journey, rooted in a BA in Sociology from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, initially led her to work with children, integrating art into their day-to-day experiences. Gayle’s passion for art eventually pulled her into a more immersive pursuit. She delved into Art and Design courses at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, unlocking her artistic soul. The willingness to ”put herself out there”, coupled with years of hard work and a penchant for thinking outside the box, allowed her to undergo a major growth period.
Finally, the challenges posed by the COVID-19 quarantine became a catalyst for Gayle’s artistic metamorphosis, leading her to focus on acrylic paintings on canvas. Engaging in an online cou
In my art practice, I describe my creations as Textural Acrylics. This term represents the exciting experience of observing paint flow from the palette knife, forming captivating textures and colors. Each stroke channels emotion, and every canvas captures a moment of creative inspiration.
My process is spontaneous – I start with a loose outline, sketch the composition, and then fully immerse myself in the act of creating. Throughout the process, music is my closest companion, its volume soaring. I dance to the rhythm, losing myself in the beats, and, on occasion, even letting out a song. My painting process is a multisensory experience, an immersive journey into the fusion of sound and color, where each note becomes a brushstroke, and every stroke on the canvas is a dance of creation. I often liken my paintings to cherished children—it’s a relationship that involves nurturing, engaging in heartfelt conversations, and weathering the challenges of creative adolescence with boundless love and patience.
Psychotic, Depressed, And All The Rest
From cartoon doodles to abstract expressions, my artistic journey ignited in the heart of Dallas. My teenage years were filled with scribbling characters and worlds, planting the seeds of a creative life. After high school, graphic design blossomed as a passion, leading me to delve into college courses where art and communication intertwined. This became the fertile ground where I discovered a unique voice – abstract portraits and figures, embodying the beauty and complexity of human stories.
Though my path diverged from a formal art or graphics degree, it took a powerful turn toward social work. Earning both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in the field led me to a deeply rewarding career supporting children within the child welfare system. Today, my life embraces a beautiful dual rhythm: the quiet, introspective world of artistic creation and the vibrant energy of community service. Both fuel my soul, one channeling raw emotions onto canvas, the other nurturing dreams and resilience in young hearts.
My work revolves around the complexities of beauty, the impact of social and cultural issues, and experiences of trauma, mental health, and adversity that come from my experiences in the child welfare system. I am also curious about others’ narratives or how they experience the world and how one reaches resilience.
My approach to the canvas starts with a deep sense of curiosity. I extract my own personal memories or explore subjects or people that have endured hardships, to tell their story of resilience. I explore it with an array of questions to reach a deep level of understanding that I am hoping could be transferable to the viewer–not to be answered per se but rather to propagate conversations on our commonalities and shared experiences. My audience is invited to interact with my piece not only visually but philosophically; they can find fresh meaning and provocative thoughts that will help them gain awareness on an array of subjects.
I use an array of mediums, like acrylic paint, pastel charcoal mixed media personal child welfare files, or digital platforms to explore these stories’ experiences and themes.
Public Garden View Boston
When I was studying architecture, photography was a tool I used in the creation of projects and to enhance the presentation of the final product. I incorporated the camera lens as a part of the design development process looking at elements of design such as form, space, geometry, light, texture, and color. Over time, as I improved my knowledge of creative design, I also increased my interest in photography learning that the elements were the same. Just as I had photographed the components of my designs, my work became focused on looking for the elements of architectural design in every image I create. To me, composing a photo is similar to designing a building. I like to see how the visual building blocks in the elements of design can be combined into a unique whole.
” I look at every photo opportunity as if it were a design with architectural, structural, and artistic integrity, regardless of the subject matter.
RJ Pizzi
Buildings have always had an influence on me from a very young age. Architecture became a staple of my life from the first time I took a picture of the Empire State Building at 10 years old, to the use of photography in design through college and into my career. I still love taking and creating images of structures both iconic and non-iconic. I continue to be influenced by the evolution of architecture and photography.