★ The Origin Point ★
Ting Hsin Chung is a Taiwan-born artist based in Melbourne who uses painting to express energy, emotion, and transformation. Her artworks often begin with a feeling or a bodily reaction, then grow into abstract shapes and layers. She sees her creative process as both a ritual and a way to break rules — each piece is part of her journey through healing, power, and soul awakening.
I create intuitive abstract paintings that come from emotion, body sensations, and energetic shifts. Painting is how I make sense of feelings that don’t have words—each brushstroke is a translation of something I feel, but can’t say. Often, my process starts with pressure in the chest or a strange pull in my hand, and I follow it without thinking. I don’t plan my work. I let the moment tell me what to do. The shapes, textures, and colors come from inside—like a memory I don’t remember, but my body does. My goal is not to explain, but to let others feel something in themselves. I believe we all carry stories in the body, and art can make them visible. Recently, I’ve been exploring how softness and raw emotion can live together in one piece. I hope my paintings give people permission to be more honest, more tender, and more wild.
★ The Visionary ★
Born in Geneva, Switzerland of Romanian political refugees, Sanda Manuila experienced expatriation and isolation at an early age. Her personal history of separation and traumatic family experiences have shaped her vision of discrepancies and differences and gave her the perspective of an outsider. That is why she feels so strongly connected to her artwork. She tells the story of her life, and the world around her, and the need to narrate has become visceral.
As a young adult, she left her native country and moved to Northern California where she is currently living. Over the years Manuila has learned how to become a citizen of the world, a status she gained by studying art over many years in different locations. She studied at L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux, France, Atelier Bessil in Montpellier France, and at the Cornish Institute of the Arts, in Seattle, WA. More recently she traveled to Italy to attend the Angel Academy in Florence and the Rome Artworks Studio in Rome, Italy. Additionally, she participated in artist residencies at Dacia Gallery in NYC and in Sibiu, Romania.
Sanda Manuila creates oil and mixed media pastel and gouache paintings, which are stylized representational images that exude an allegorical quality. Her visual stories depict a state of mind in which the boundaries between dream and reality have become very fluid. Her purpose is to make art that depicts the challenging path of life in these disturbing times, warns about the danger of climate change, and depicts the fear of loss and the struggle for survival. Even when we abuse her, Mother Nature remains beautiful.
I paint visual stories of a world on the edge. The story of a new normal.
The story of tribalism, discord, and the threat of destruction.
The story of nuclear war changing the landscape.
The story of our home, torn by conflict and mistrust.
The story of the danger of the denial of climate change.
The story of Nature’s resilience and beauty even after the abuse we have been inflicting upon her. I paint stylized representational images which exude an allegorical quality. I want my work to be confrontational and emotionally charged. I aim to engage the viewer with surprise, doubt, and curiosity and raise many conversations in these challenging times. I paint poetry.
★ Violets Are Blue ★
Sally has been profiled in American Art Collector, VoyageMIA, and ARTisSpectrum magazines. Southwest Art Magazine’s September 2018 edition named her one of their Nationally Emerging Artists. She was the featured artist at the Palm Beach International Airport in 2019-2020. Sally has been juried into a number of significant art competitions, including the Spring and Fall 2021 NOAPS International Online Juried Exhibitions and American Artists Professional League 2023 Online Exhibit. Her painting “Bold Orange Rose” was selected Best in Show at the Contemporary Art Gallery “All Botanical” exhibit in 2023 and her painting “Blue Heron” was chosen to be included in the upcoming International Guild of Realism exhibit. Sally has been juried as a member of the following organizations:
• International Guild of Realism
• Oil Painters of America
• National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society
• American Women Artists, Signature Member
• American Artists Professional League
Growing up on a farm and co-owning a nursery for most of her life, I have always been surrounded by the beauty of the natural world. So it’s really not surprising that I turned to nature for inspiration when I took up painting. The fascinating shapes, delicate textures, and vibrant colors of flowers and other plants and trees are my favorite subjects.
Yet, I strive to paint something more than simply a realistic depiction of these subjects. I interpret the subject with a brush in hand, allowing my imagination to select colors and forms.” Like one of my artistic heroes, Georgia O’Keeffe, I invite you to enter into my subjects, to experience them, to have a visceral reaction to them. Above all, my oil paintings allow you to see as I see—God’s amazing way of creating each so uniquely and so beautifully.
★ Wanderlust ★
Mentored by several abstract artists including Roy Henry and Mark Petersen who inspired and guided me in contemporary and abstract art. I have worked with Interior Designers for luxury homes, developers, architects doing paintings for their buildings in lobbies, and set decorators who have my work shown on movies and television. Another area I work in is Corporate art and commissioned works.
An “Escape Artist” is one who creates abstracts from a purely aesthetic viewpoint thoughtfully guiding attention to any subject with beauty and artistic flair. Inspired by a range of subjects from man-made architecture and structures to all natural objects and scenes. A style of art that includes geometric shapes, and lines or can be free-flowing organic. My Art should stir a person’s imagination taking them on their own unique journey and story.
★★ A Dream In Tibet ★★
Nancy Chen got a BA degree from Fudan University and an MBA degree from San Francisco State University. She has attended art classes at several schools, including Contemporary Art Drawing at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York, as well as art classes at Shanghai University Academy of Arts and EverGreen Art School.
She is a newly elected Signature Member of the PSA Pastel Society of America in 2023, an Active Member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, a Member of the ASPAS Spain Pastel Society, and a Member of the Portrait Society of America.
She has participated in national and international juried shows and won multiple awards including the International Association of Pastel Society (Exhibition link: https://showsubmit.com/gallery/iaps-42nd-open-division-exhibition), Pastel Guild of Europe, Spain Pastel Society, Pastel Society of America, National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society, Federation of Canadian Artists, and other awards. Her work is in corporate and private collections in Europe, North America, and China.
Art has always been an integral part of my life.
Before painting in pastel, I painted for years using oil and acrylic. I started painting using pastels in 2021. I love the unique texture, the vividness of color, and the beauty of expression in a pastel painting.
Though I primarily create with pastels now, I also love mixing other mediums such as acrylic and gouache in my work. Lately, I have been exploring the world of multi-media art.
My painting process is a journey of self-discovery. I love to paint different people and have always painted with the utmost sincerity as an artist. “A Dream in Tibet” has parts of my own identity and self in it. When the audience sees my work, they gain a glimpse into my heart and who I am at that moment.
★★ After Spring Showers ★★
I am a primarily self-taught photographer and began creating digital collages as a new means of expression. In creating collages, my goal is to create images that evoke a story of some kind that often moves far beyond the relatively literal boundaries of traditional photography. I have exhibited widely and have earned recognition in local, regional, and national exhibitions. My works are also included in several corporate and private collections.
I draw from a wide range of photographic subjects such as landscapes, botanicals, and wildlife as well as urban environments and people. I follow an intuitive yet somewhat ordered process of layering or merging portions of photos until an image that speaks to me emerges. Most often this is more likely a random bit of serendipity than deliberate intent. Images often suggest a sense of time and place or reflect a rich and ethereal interplay of color, shape, or form. Images may provoke an indefinable question that does not readily yield answers without further study and reflection. Ultimately, my collages provide a vehicle to stimulate both my imagination and that of the viewer, leaving one free to interpret and create an individual sense of meaning and value.
★★ Augustus^ ★★
Nancy Rindone-Doughney is an American career educator who has nurtured a long-held inner desire to join the art world. Twenty years ago, Nancy ventured into the realm of stained glass, finding a creative outlet for her artistic aspirations. This exploration naturally progressed to mosaics, where she discovered a passion for capturing realism through her work.
Nancy has mastered a specific technique for creating mosaics that depict realistic images, particularly inspired by animals such as the bald eagle and large cats. Her latest creations, Ignacio, Augustus, and Americus, showcase her meticulous craftsmanship. These mosaics are composed of thousands of tiny glass shards, expertly cut and nipped into pieces measuring just millimeters. The resulting artworks are striking images that appear almost drawn or painted, showcasing Nancy’s skill and dedication to her craft.
Despite being relatively new to the art world, Nancy’s work has already been featured in 13 online and in-person exhibits, garnering attention and acclaim for her unique approach to mosaic art.
The concept of “painting with glass” has captivated me ever since my instructor first introduced the idea. This phrase sparked a fascination in me with creating artworks that invite viewers to question and explore the medium. My artistic journey is deeply inspired by majestic animals like the bald eagle, lions, and other large cats, whose powerful presence and beauty I strive to capture in my mosaics.
For me, the process of placing each shard of glass with meticulous precision is both a challenge and a joy. It’s through this careful arrangement that I bring these creatures to life, aiming to evoke a sense of wonder in those who view my work. The interplay of light and color in glass adds a unique dimension to my art, creating pieces that can be truly breathtaking. My goal is to share this wonder, revealing the incredible potential of glass to transform into lifelike and inspiring images.
★★ Autumns Paintbrush ★★
Gayle is a Textural Acrylic Artist using palette knives in conjunction with acrylic paint, gels, and modeling paste. She becomes very immersed in the creative process and has a “conversation” with the painting in order to create a place that speaks to her and the viewer. Her paintings are full of colorful textures and invite the viewer to walk into the landscape to discover a memory or a new favorite place. She wants everyone to stroll about, smell the flowers, watch the sunset or sunrise, lean against a tree, and just breathe.
Gayle is currently represented by Amsterdam Whitney Gallery in New York, Artifact New York, and Jones Gallery in Kansas City, Missouri, and is on the Circle Arts website. Her work has been published in numerous magazines including Art in America, Observica, Exhibitzone, Spotlight, and Artistonish. In May of 2023, Gayle was published as an Icon artist by Art Tour International and was selected as a Top 60 Master. She has also been included in the book Current Masters 6.
Paintings by Gayle are included in corporate and private collections around the world.
I have termed my paintings Textural Acrylics and I get very excited as I watch the paint come off the palette knife in a variety of textures and combinations of color. Every painting is full of emotion and in-the-moment creativity. I start with an idea and a very loose drawing, usually 5-6 lines of composition, and then become immersed in the process. I have always said that a painting is like a child that you nurture, have conversations with, and work through the teenage angst with love and patience and what emerges is a beautiful adult. When I paint, I put on the music (louder than I would have let my children play it), dance to the beat, and even sing, which is a terrible sound. I want my joy to come across to the viewer and I want them to share the beautiful place that I have created. All are invited to enter the painting, smell the flowers, listen to the rustle of the leaves, lean against a tree, and just breathe.
★★ Bustling On Bourbon Street ★★
Katrina is a Professional Artist specializing in Acrylic Paintings with more than 25 years of experience and she Illustrated several children’s books as well.
Katrina comes from an artist family of several generations and to become an artist was pretty easy for her as colors, brushes, and canvases followed her all the way around since early childhood.
She’s been participating in exhibitions since sweet sixteen and won several awards, the most important was the opportunity to spend some time in Vienna City, Austria where she discovered F. Hundertwasser’s art which really inspired her. Other inspiring names in art for Katrina are Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Gustav Klimt, and Pablo Picasso.
For the last nineteen years, she’s been living in Leeds City, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. The beautiful scenery of Yorkshire widens her creativity, here is some kind of mix of different natures, like Italy, France, Spain, and Latvia all in one.
In my paintings, I devote much attention to the play of colors, lines, and plot. I convey my vision of the world with colors and images, but the plot plays a special role. The paintings were created mainly during my travels. I try to perceive the world not only in my native Latvia but also in other countries. Each painting has its own story. It tells about the scenic mountains of Tuscany and the magic cathedrals of Italy. Perhaps, there are stories about Britain’s magical gardens or a cat that brings warmth and peace to home. A woman waiting for the love of her lifetime…
I wish to spread beauty in the world and bring happiness to people through my paintings. I wish everyone looking at my paintings will feel the love I can give. Who knows, any person can share this love with others…