Silhouette Louvre
Karen Safer is an international, award-winning photographic artist and poet with a musical bent. A Los Angeles native, born to creative, scholarly-minded parents who encouraged world travel (230+ countries/territories visited). She was given a camera and crayons at 3 and exposed to California motifs: light, trees, the ocean, music, and vernacular architecture that defined/influenced her left-handed aesthetic.
Early on she was influenced by movies, music, books, and plays, and as a student of art and history, inspired by ancients to moderns – Assyria to Cindy Sherman. She has a bachelor’s/master’s degree in art from UCLA and California State University. She is a member of the Los Angeles Art Association, IAA-USA, Women United, LACMA, and MOCA; listed in Who’s Who of Professional Women, Best Contemporary Visual Artists Worldwide Guide & Cat. Vol. 2, ArtTour Magazine (NY), Artist Talk Magazine (UK), Lens Magazine, etc.
She began taking pictures of family and friends, progressing from painting to developing black-and-white photos in college. She was fortunate to begin a life of travel as a teen that shaped her love of the exotic paired with an eye for the formal, accidental, and unusual while subliminally seeking the “beautiful” that jiggles the lens/frame of my eye.
She is featured in magazines, catalogs, and books and exhibited internationally in over 100+ galleries/museums with over 500+ exhibitions in London, Rome, Berlin, Glasgow, Budapest, Athens, Prague, Paris, Barcelona, Florence, Venice, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Tokyo – California to New York – winning 410+ first and other awards: Exposure One Awards, Australian Mono Awards, Refocus Awards, Black & White SPIDER Awards, 21st Julia Margaret Cameron Awards in Abstract and in Architecture categories, Botticelli International Prize in Florence, LA Art Show 2024, 17th Annual Color Awards, in Tokyo Metropolitan Museum, Art Expos in Basel and Paris and in Armenian Modern Art Museum in Yerevan.
I am a photographic artist & poet, writer, and native Angelino, living at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. I was given a camera & crayons at 3 and exposed to California motifs: light, trees, ocean, music & architecture that defined my left-handed aesthetic. I was influenced by my dad’s photographic ability (he developed B&W photos in the back washroom) and my mother’s thirst for knowledge and travel. I have a master’s art degree, a career in design/architecture, exhibits in 500+ shows, 410+ awards, and traveled to 233+ countries/territories.
I began taking pictures of family/friends in my youth, studied painting and drawing then began developing black and white photos in college. I am a student of the universe, art, architecture, history, literature, film, and music and heavily influenced by everything from ancient Assyrians to Vermeer to Hopper and from Atget to Cindy Sherman. I embrace the natural and urban environments, and while I drink color in all its vibrance, I venerate black and white. I am a “citizen of the world” and a “romantic soul” with intellectual cravings living in a Digital World.
I have traveled around the world a hundred times and now my photographs are doing the traveling for me on five continents. They are traveling back to places where I have memories that reflect the cultures, people, and environments I intimately have interacted.
My motos: “A photographer has the whole world big or small to capture.” kjs
And, “Wherever I am is my favorite place in the world.” kjs
Silk Tree Supernova
Gerrit van Ommering is a fine art photographer based in Gold River, California. Originally from the Netherlands, he relocated to the United States at the age of 19 to pursue a dynamic career in the aerospace industry, specializing in the invention, design, development, and deployment of space systems. Following retirement, he transitioned to photography – channeling his technical expertise and creative drive into a new artistic medium. His photography work, much of which is creative and abstract, explores the tension between realism and imagination.
Gerrit is actively involved in Northern California’s photography and arts communities. He is active in the Viewpoint Photographic Art Center and Gallery, the Sierra Camera Club, Sacramento Fine Arts, Rancho Cordova Arts, and many others. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and competitions, earning regional awards and entering several private collections.
In July 2024, he co-presented the successful duo exhibition “REALISM\Fantasy” with his wife Lucille at the Mills Station Arts & Culture Center, where he contributed the 31-print “Fantasy” segment. He had a very successful 24-print solo exhibition, “Embellished Emblems”, at Gallery 1075 in West Sacramento during June 2025. In 2025 and so far in 2026, he has had 176 images accepted in 32 physical and 55 online/magazine exhibits.
I have always been drawn to images that surprise – ones that feel a little offbeat, mysterious, or just plain strange. While I do plenty of straight or lightly enhanced photography, what I really enjoy is taking an image and pushing it into new territory: twisting, layering, and abstracting until it feels like something unexpected has emerged.
My eye tends to land on unusual shapes, odd juxtapositions, or scenes that others might overlook. I collect these visual ingredients and let instinct take over in the editing process. Sometimes I know where I’m going; often I don’t. I just keep experimenting until something clicks – when the image feels done.
In our smartphone era, billions of photos are taken each year. To even barely stand out, I feel the need to create something different, often strange, abstract, or slightly weird. If my work can get someone to stop for even a few seconds and think, “What am I looking at?” or “How did he do that?” then I have succeeded.
The pieces I am submitting for “Full Bloom” tend to follow that notion. They try to isolate, reimagine, and reinterpret the floral subject to add interest and a bit of surprise, reflecting the fun I had in making them.
Silver & Sun
I am a Russian-born artist living in Florida, USA. I work with acrylic on canvas and digital tools to tell personal and poetic stories through simplified imagery. From growing up in a large family in a small village to creating murals and comics, my artistic path reflects love for people, warmth, and symbols. My work blends narrative, humor, and sensory memory.
This series is a vibrant celebration of aging — playful, sun-soaked, and full of personality. Inspired by the colorful, confident seniors of Boca Raton, Florida, each piece features a radiant older woman enjoying life to the fullest: floating in a flamingo tube, surfing the waves, or simply soaking up the sun.
With bold colors and minimalistic forms, these works reimagine the traditional image of “grandma,” replacing it with someone fabulous, free, and fully alive. The series reminds us that joy, style, and adventure don’t fade with age — they just become more fearless.
Silver Clouds Over Burning
Shana Salaff is a potter, painter, writer, and teacher who lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. Originally from Toronto, she has also lived, worked, and studied in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Fullerton, California. She has participated in residencies in Fort Collins, Bali, and Maine.
My paintings are a series of layers, of passes. Each comes both from the subconscious and conscious act of choosing a color, texture, pattern, brushstroke, etc., that is individual and unique. Acrylic paint offers me a range of colors and textures and the freedom to add layers that dry quickly. I brush, trail, and dab different consistencies of paint as part of my process of thinking out loud.
Simplicity
Michelle Lawson is a contemporary, International award-winning artist, residing in the Greater Newcastle region of Australia. Although she loved art when she was at school, Michelle spent 3 decades following a different career path as a finance and management professional across numerous global mining companies and top-tier chartered accounting firms. However, after some life-changing family health issues, she decided to semi-retire in early 2021 and now finds work/life balance through creating her artwork and serving on Boards. With a passion for acrylics, textures, mixed media, and abstract, her work is energetic, calming, and whimsical.
My artwork epitomizes my vision of a joyful and balanced lifestyle. Intuitively painting with no expectations, apart from a pre-selected color palette, I welcome the uncertainty with brush strokes, multiple layers, textures, and sometimes additional mixed media that purely feel right. The final layers are the most fun with my signature ink markings or posca pen details.
Simply Sweet Scenery
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.
Single Mom
Ever since he was a child, art has been a necessity for Michael. He sees it as a means of storytelling. Drawing from personal experiences, both difficult and inspiring, D’Amelio engages directly with his audience, inviting them into his complex world and allowing them to make their associations.
While attending SUNY Purchase College for Fine Arts on scholarship, D’Amelio found himself drawn to abstract expressionism and neo-dadaism. Not wanting to be bound to any medium or movement he began experimenting with a combination of painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, design, and collage to find his voice. His work was exhibited in numerous student shows, and he graduated near the top of his class.
After college, D’Amelio continued experimenting with his art while carving out a very successful career in Design. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors for The Ray Light Foundation, which provides art scholarships to at-risk youths. Learning the children’s stories behind their work inspired him to take a more psychological approach to his creative process and muses.
It was in 2016 with the birth of his daughter that D’Amelio’s artwork found its voice. Fascinated by the innocence and freedom she had on a canvas, new creative doors opened from within.
Today D’Amelio is consistently producing his best work. Using mixed media, his ghost-like creatures have an uncontrollable energy that blurs good versus evil while creating a strange sense of sanctuary. You almost can’t look away.
My artwork confronts my trauma head-on. Drawing from personal experiences, both challenging and inspiring, I also reflect outwardly and often will touch on social and political topics like women’s rights, BLM, COVID-19, and Jan.6. The world is a crazy place right now and I want to make sure I capture elements of that in my art.
You can expect a wide range of brush strokes, and bursts of color with lots of contrast all carefully masked and layered throughout my canvas. I like to work in large format and I will use any medium and technique that feels right at the moment. I want each piece to have its voice and not look like something you may have seen before.
I often will spend a year or two around a theme like “Breathe” or “Mother”. I want to directly engage my audience, inviting them into an intricate world that prompts them to confront their fears, explore their soul, and experience a profound emotional connection.
Sintra Secrets
Olga Zeltser is a self-taught photographer, whose artistic style was shaped by her background and her love for travel, nature, and wildlife. She was 19 years old when she left Moscow to live in New York City. Influenced by her upbringing, her immigrant experiences, and her lust for adventure, her work centers on capturing life’s moments. Whether she is exploring different cultures across the globe to tell photographic stories in black and white or travels to remote parts of the world to spot wildlife in its natural habitat she focuses on capturing a meaningful and powerful moment that celebrates life and the world around us.
Olga has been exhibited at various galleries and art fairs including Praxis Gallery in Minneapolis USA (Dec 2021), Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago USA (July-Sept 2023), Valid World Hall Gallery in Barcelona, Spain (May 2023 and Nov 2023), Modeka Gallery in Manila, Philippines (Feb 2023), Boomer Gallery in London UK (Nov 2023). She was part of the Superfine Art Fair in Washington DC (Oct 2023), and Expo Metro in NYC (Dec 2023) and was printed in various magazines (e.g. Practical Photoshop, Photography Week Magazine, and others).
To me, photography is the art of storytelling. There is something about it that speaks to me at a deep level. I love that it captures a fleeting moment in life in a way that nothing else does. Even years later I’m able to connect with it and recall what I felt in that exact moment. But beyond the pure joy of reliving the moment, there is a story behind every capture. And it’s the story that draws me in and makes me think.
My own story, growing up in Moscow, Russia for most of my childhood and adolescence years was associated with folk dancing and photography. Having traveled widely across Russia and Eastern Europe with my dance group for competitions and concerts I’ve always had my 35mm film camera on me so I can capture the most memorable moments of my adventures. Inspired by the architecture and culture I’ve experienced and the people I’ve met along the way, my photography was about conveying my emotions and perspectives from my journey. To this day my experience with photography is very emotion-driven as it allows me to capture my state of mind in addition to the story beyond the image. It allows me to form an intimate connection with both the act of photography and the moment itself.
This is one of the reasons I’m drawn to two specific photography styles. The black and white street photography (also known as candid), and wildlife
(yes, think lots of hiking and birding, and safari rides). While they are very different in style and technique, both allow me to capture the complex narrative in one single shot.
What stories does my photography tell?
Life is short and precious – celebrate it, in all its forms. Find the beauty beyond what the eye sees and cherish the moments you create.
Siren
Carol Parkett was born in 1969 in Phoenix, AZ. In 2024 Parkett will be receiving her bachelor’s degree in fine arts at Dine College in Tsaile, AZ. Parkett participated in a group show in the 2015 Student Art Walk at Dine College, Tsaile, AZ. Her current artwork is abstract expressionism that is based on images she finds in everyday life. She is working on a series of paintings to add to her portfolio. She is a finalist in the 2023 Black and White competition hosted by Camelback Gallery for the acrylic painting, People. Parkett currently works and lives in Tsaile, AZ.
In 2013, I applied to Dine College located in Tsaile, Arizona with the intention of expanding my massage therapy practice. The problem, at the time, was that there were no available spots in the required classes for physical therapy, so I took painting for my general education classes. It is funny how closed doors give you other opportunities. The journey to becoming an artist is unexpected, but painting is my happy place, my therapy.
It is the colors that grabbed my attention. The colors, and color combinations are the reason I fell in love with painting, well, that and the opportunity to share the unusual images I see in my surroundings. I like to add the earth’s natural materials, specifically, sand, to my paintings for texture. I have always felt that the materials from the earth, such as sand, stone, clay, and even plants have a calming effect if you choose to listen. I can lie down in a field of scattered petrified wood chips and fall into a peaceful sleep.