A Wind Rose

Lis has had a life-long love affair with portraiture. It is the only art she ever wanted to do. She attended the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC, as well as the American University, Montgomery College, where she sought out the realist teachers in a 70s/80s world of Expressionists who had been taught by the 60s abstract artists. She was introduced to a legacy of Master’s methods by the dean of painting, Willliam Newman. She also earned a Cosmetology license and was a model and makeup artist, which lends another aspect to her love of portraying faces. As a painter at heart, Lis quickly earned CPX signature status with CPSA for her mixed media portraits. Her award-winning work has been juried into numerous national exhibitions. Among many publications, she also has a chapter in “Draw Portraits in Colored Pencils” published by Ann Kullberg. She is on faculty at the prestigious Yellow Barn Studio in Glen Echo, MD, and shows her work at the Eastside Artists’ Gallery in Frederick, MD.

My story-telling, colored pencil artwork is often recognizable, even before the viewer sees my name on it. I like to express the human experience, whether drawing a person or an animal. I try for detail and an engaging composition. In my mind are the masterful illustrations and paintings of generations past. I have had a life-long love affair with portraiture. It is the only art I ever wanted to do. And though I started with oils, I believe there is nothing that this pigment in its precision pointed stick, can’t do or that oil paint could do better. My competitive nature is out to prove that. I still approach my work like a painter. Layering in the old-school oil painterly way. Not striving for photo-realism, but want to see my own hand in work. Like a perfect, genius brush stroke in a master’s painting, you will see all of my pencil marks, if possible. I want to inspire. Not only with what a media can do, but what a person can do. After all, a well-trained artist is a person who can do anything.

A Wing And A Prayer

Michael Lopez, 62, was an award-winning journalist for 17 years before changing careers to become an architectural historian who is intricately involved in the development and reuse of historic buildings.

While drawing and writing since childhood, Michael’s artistic ability became front and center during his master’s degree training in historic preservation, which required the drawing of buildings and building components.

He is a mixed media artist, whether it be incorporating stained glass pieces into his work or painting watercolors. Of late, he has focused on painting nebulae, where stars are born.

Michael considers himself an emerging artist who has had recent success exhibiting in regional galleries. His work is most recently included in the 44th Annual Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolor. In early winter, he will also have a solo show in Saratoga Springs, NY. He is a native of Central New York and lives in Niskayuna in New York’s Capital Region.

I am as enthralled by painting a humble water pitcher as I am by painting newborn stars.

At age 62, I am an emerging artist.

Art whispered in my ear when I long ago decided my favorite color – it’s maroon — or drew houses and ships as a kid, or, kneeling in church, studied the orange flames of hell, the white dove of the Holy Spirit, and the sorrowful faces of saints in the stained glass.

And then life went on. I became a journalist, which is a craft but not an art, so, later, poems began to pour out. After 17 years as a reporter, I switched careers, studying historic preservation in courses that forced me to draw a single brick and taught me how to handle charcoal.

I also drew the human form and came to realize that knowing how to draw classically was necessary before I could lay claim to my own artistic hand. I explored, painting on bits of vintage stained glass, sketching weeds and herbs, and flowers, testing watercolor and pencil.

Now, I have a body of work which uses watercolor to explore “star nurseries,” nebulae in which stars are born. These breathtaking events, where light and gas, and dust work out masterpieces, are happening far above our heads, out of sight. I intend to bring them to light, and if I am asked why, my answer is, how can I not?

I’d like people to understand that if I am painting a glimpse of a galaxy, or pressing moss into a painting of a tree stump, or hand-decorating an ordinary object, I am curating my life. I would like you to attend my show.

A Winter Scene

I was born and raised in NYC but mostly in The Bronx. I attended CCNY where I graduated with a BS in Mathematics and an MA in Mathematics Education. I taught high school mathematics in The Bronx. I have always been interested in the arts and started writing poems and playing guitar at age 19. I studied poetry under Professor Robert O’Clair. I studied guitar at The Guitar Workshop. I studied painting and drawing at SUNY in Purchase. I have had paintings in 8 live group shows at Jones Gallery in Kansas City, Missouri, and in many online shows. I have exhibited continuously at HMVCGalleryNewYork virtually since its inception. A wonderful state-of-the-art gallery with outstanding artists! My poems have been published.in magazines, books, and at HVMOCA. I self-published a children’s book, ”Mr. Fine Goes to the Eye Doctor”. My principal artistic interest has been abstract painting and drawing for the last 10 years, but I have written many poems as well. I live in Putnam County, NY.

My work in fine arts has principally been in 2 classes of abstract paintings: oils and water-based paints. However, I have completed numerous works in drawing. I focus on color, texture, methodology of delivery, and composition. In composition, I am interested in positive space and negative space as well. I believe the painting/drawing is a manifestation of my emotional state of both conscious and unconscious feelings.

A Winter Scene 1.0

I was born and raised in NYC but mostly in The Bronx. I attended CCNY where I graduated with a BS in Mathematics and an MA in Mathematics Education. I taught high school mathematics in The Bronx. I have always been interested in the arts and started writing poems and playing guitar at age 19. I studied poetry under Professor Robert O’Clair. I studied guitar at The Guitar Workshop. I studied painting and drawing at SUNY in Purchase. I have had paintings in 8 live group shows at Jones Gallery in Kansas City, Missouri, and one at Arbor Gallery, Carmel, NY. Also, I have exhibited in many online shows. I have exhibited continuously at HMVCGalleryNewYork virtually since its inception. A wonderful state-of-the-art gallery with outstanding artists! My poems have been published in magazines, books, and at HVMOCA. I self-published a children’s book, ”Mr. Fine Goes to the Eye Doctor”. My principal artistic interest has been abstract painting and drawing for the last 10 years, but I have written many poems as well. I live in Putnam County, NY.

Abandoned Building

Charles Crabb first started in photography when he was eight years old. The years that followed saw the study of classic photographers, publications, and better equipment, leading to a lifelong fascination with photographic composition.

After a technical career consisting of computer system design, data science, and physical models, Charles is concentrating on his love of the photographic image. His work has been shown in exhibits at the National Orange Show, Riverside, CA; Belmar Arts Council, New Jersey; Art League of Rhode Island; Cotuit Center for the Arts; Cultural Center of Cape Cod; MVA Gallery, Bethlehem, PA; Exhibizone; Click! Festival, Raleigh, NC; Trolley Barn, Poughkeepsie, NY; Louisville Art Association; Indianapolis Art Center; Virginia Beach Art Center; Yeiser Art Center, Kentucky; Marblehead Arts Association (MA); Las Laguna Art Gallery; Wickford Art Association, RI; Old Town Arts and Crafts Guild, LI; and Prairie Village Arts Council, Kansas, Sedona Arts Center, Kavanaugh Gallery, Keller Prize, and others.

Charles follows the work of many photographers throughout the world but also keeps a hand in the technical development of photographic tools, both hardware and software. He has an interest in how artificial intelligence is used to enhance images

I am drawn to a moment’s compositional aspects of line, texture, tone, lighting and context, more so than a photographic opportunity’s documentary aspect. I try to render moments to reveal the way that I see them,
and feel about them.

While we emphasize tonal characteristics that attract our artistic subconscious when we interpret a moment, we don’t precisely capture what we feel about a scene: The photo lives to be interpreted by others. When I create a photograph, I understand that others will analyze what it is, and will find new meanings in it.

In photography, it is both technique and technology that produce the image. I am careful to understand the camera’s influence on capturing an image and to understand the camera’s limitations; I try to use camera settings to reveal how the image affects me, but the conversation about the story and meaning of the image transcends the involvement with the technology that is used to capture it. Then, using developing tools cautiously, I try to uncover tonal aspects of an image that bring out undiscovered aspects of its form; the image becomes a personal design of an encounter with a particular moment that must be rendered.

As developing tools become more powerful, photographers can develop meaning into their works more effectively, and inventively. I used developing tools to continue the conversation that I had when capturing the image with the camera. Oftentimes this process can lead to the abstract, but it is all generated by me, with my artistic process.

Abduction

Belinda Balaski, a native of Southern California, creates colorful watercolor and pastel paintings. She is especially fond of painting horses, influenced by her childhood on the racetrack with her father, the well-known jockey, Lester Balaski. Her work focuses on capturing the spirit and unique beauty of living creatures and the natural world. She is motivated by the desire to share a spiritual sense of serenity and peace.

Belinda’s creativity expressed itself at a young age in acting, photography, and art. When not performing in theatre, she was shooting pictures and drawing incessantly. At fourteen she won a four-year scholarship to the Minnesota Corresponding Art School.

Belinda’s gift for acting took her on a different path. She won many awards and excelled in a 50-year career in Hollywood. These experiences developed her artistic eye for framing, beauty, and editing a myriad of choices. Drawing from a well of diverse talents and life experiences, Belinda uses her gift of capturing a feeling with an instinctual ease of composition.

Belinda lives and works in Southern California but spends several months a year on Kauai, her spiritual home, where many of her inspirational paintings are born.

I am an LA/Kauai based artist who specializes in watercolor. I am forever seeking peace and spiritual tranquility in my work.

There is so much diversity in watercolors, one can only be limited by one’s own imagination. If you are open to listening to the muse, the flow of the water can lead you where your imagination is endlessly open, allowing the kind of creativity that real “Art” is truly made of. The kind of Art that takes you out of yourself and frees you of all limitations. This is my goal. To allow your eyes to rest on an image that will open and inspire your imagination beyond your physical world, allowing you to relate, yet freely fly…

Above The Ozone

Belinda Balaski, a native of Southern California, creates colorful watercolor and pastel paintings of people, landscapes, seascapes, flowers, and animals. She is especially fond of painting horses, influenced by her childhood on the racetrack with her father, the well-known jockey, Lester Balaski. Her work focuses on capturing the spirit and unique beauty of living creatures and the natural world. She is motivated by the desire to share a spiritual sense of serenity and peace.

Belinda’s gift for acting took her on a different path. She won many awards and excelled in a 50-year career in Hollywood. She created BB’s Kids Acting School, where she taught, filmed, and nurtured thousands of children, all the while writing and producing original plays. These experiences developed her artistic eye for framing, beauty, and editing a myriad of choices.

Recently she retired from the film industry and closed her school, to return to her original pursuit of visual art. She enrolled in courses at Emeritus College, discovering a passion for watercolor and pastels. Drawing from a well of diverse talents and life experiences, Belinda uses her gift of capturing a feeling with instinctual ease of composition.

Belinda lives and works in Southern California but spends several months a year on Kauai, her spiritual home, where many of her inspirational paintings are born.

I am an LA/Kauai-based artist who specializes in watercolor and pastels. I am forever seeking peace and spiritual tranquility in my work, drawn from a myriad of life experiences that have etched; people, landscapes, seascapes, animals, faces, children, and a zillion more images inspired by these cellular memories, into my very soul.

Working in water is like magic ~ when you finally tap a color into the invisible watermarks you lay, the magic begins as you tap darks for shadows, lights for highlights ~ trying to keep your values, just like in life.

You can wet the whole paper, saturate it in water and sweep colors across to let them blend and mix at will. Let the water lead you, the colors, the mixes, the forms. You can try to control them, but wet on wet has its own life.

Of course, you can then let that dry and slice a hard line on top sending your blends into the background, defining your edges, and sharpening one’s focus into your subject.

There is so much diversity in watercolors, one can only be limited by one’s own imagination. But if you are open to listening to the muse, tuning into the moment, the flow of the water can lead you where your imagination is endlessly open, allowing the kind of awesome creativity that real “Art” is truly made of. The kind of Art that takes you out of yourself and frees you of all limitations. This is my goal. To allow your eyes to rest on an image that will open and inspire your imagination beyond your physical world, allowing you to relate and yet freely fly…

Abstract # 14

Currently, Zofia’s art practice primarily consists of oil on canvas paintings, garnering her attention and acclaim in various exhibitions. In September and October 2023, her works graced the Harrisburg Art Association, showcasing the depth and versatility of her artistic vision. The HMVC Gallery in New York became a platform for her art in December 2023, with a special feature in the iconic Times Square, catapulting Zofia’s work onto an international stage. As she continues to weave her narrative through paint and brush, Zofia’s art promises to be a captivating journey into
emotion, form, and the essence of visual storytelling.

In the vast canvas of my artistic expression, my heart finds its greatest resonance in the world of abstract painting on canvas. I am Zofia Niechwiedowicz, and my journey as an artist is an exploration of the connection between emotion and the ethereal beauty of the natural landscape. A
guiding force in my artistic philosophy echoes the sentiment of my father, who, in his photography, captured moments with love. In my artistic narrative, I echo this sentiment proudly – I paint with love. It is not just a stroke on the canvas; it is an expression of the deep affection I hold for the act of creation. Love, for me, is the catalyst that breathes life into each piece, infusing it with an intangible quality that transcends the visual.

Abstract # 18

In the vast canvas of my artistic expression, my heart finds its greatest resonance in the world of abstract painting on canvas. I am Zofia Niechwiedowicz, and my journey as an artist is an exploration of the connection between emotion and the ethereal beauty of the natural landscape. A guiding force in my artistic philosophy echoes the sentiment of my father, who, in his photography, captured moments with love. In my own artistic narrative, I echo this sentiment proudly – I paint with love. It is not just a stroke on the canvas; it is an expression of the deep affection I hold for the act of creation. Love, for me, is the catalyst that breathes life into each piece, infusing it with an intangible quality that transcends the visual.

As you journey through my abstract landscapes, I invite you to immerse yourself in the emotions woven into each brushstroke. Let the colors speak, and may you, too, feel the love that breathes life
into my art. For in that shared connection, the canvas transforms into a tapestry of shared emotion, a testament to the enduring power of art to touch the soul. I measure the success of my art not merely by its aesthetic appeal but by the emotions it evokes. If a single person can feel the pulse of my passion, the resonance of my love through the strokes and colors, then I consider it a triumph. Each painting becomes a vessel, a conduit through which my emotions reach out to the viewer, inviting them to experience the beauty that inspired its creation.

Zofia Niechwiedowicz, a native of Poland, carries the spirit of artistic expression within her, nurtured in the creative ambiance of her upbringing. Zofia spent her summers at Plein Air events alongside her father, an accomplished oil painter, and award-winning photographer, laying down the foundation for her artistic journey. Surrounded by the soulful melodies of Blues Music, captivating photography, and an array of art objects, Zofia’s early exposure to fine art ignited a profound love for the process of making art.

A graduate of Bialystok Technical University Faculty of Architecture in Poland, Zofia holds a Master’s Degree in Architecture and Urban Planning. Her architectural background infuses her artwork with a unique perspective, blending the structured elements of design with the expressive freedom of artistic creation.

Currently, Zofia’s art practice primarily consists of oil on canvas paintings, garnering her attention and acclaim in various exhibitions. In September and October 2023, her works graced the Harrisburg Art Association, showcasing the depth and versatility of her artistic vision. The HMVC Gallery in New York became a platform for her art in December 2023, with a special feature in the iconic Times Square, catapulting Zofia’s work onto an international stage. As she continues to weave her narrative through paint and brush, Zofia’s art promises to be a captivating journey into emotion, form, and the essence of visual storytelling.