Bushwick Lately
Dylan Rivera is a visual artist who works and lives in East Meadow, New York. He is currently receiving his BFA at Maine College of Art & Design in Portland, ME. He began his studies in Liberal Arts at twenty-two after having a professional career as a pastry chef in New York City. After transferring to Maine and excelling in sculpture, he explored other mediums like plaster, wood, steel, and stone. Though he’s best recognized for his sculpture, he began exploring other disciplines like painting, film photography, two-dimensional design, and creative writing. Dylan plans on attending a graduate program in New York City, where he can be close to his family and home studio in Long Island.
I’d say my art is full of whimsy and emotion. My sculpture looks at shape language and formal empathy through the texture of abstraction, and the vehicle of materiality. My painting looks at the fun and spunk of street culture, and how that relates to the commodified ecosystem that is the institution. My photography examines the quietness of tedium and the soft compositions of a passing suburban domestic, balanced with the moving and shaking of city life. My poetry explores a more raw side to my experiences, I find it nods back to why I feel the necessity to abstract form in my sculptures. It puts words to the madness, futility and compulsion of abstraction. In my practice, I’m enchanted with the human experience, and seduced by its form, language, and texture.
Butterflies Emerging
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.
Butterfly 5
Bobby J. Jones was born and raised in Texas from 1966 to 1989. Jones attended Texas Tech University and graduated from his family’s alma mater with a BFA in Art (Painting and Drawing) in 1989. Bobby moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and attended The University of New Mexico. He received his master’s degree in Art Education (Museum Education, Ceramics, and Photography) in 1994. Jones worked in Retail Management in California for 12 years and Customer Service for 4 years in New Mexico. He currently works for Albuquerque Public Schools. Even though Bobby has lived in Texas, California, and New Mexico, he considers New Mexico home!!!
Bobby is a Lifetime Member of Alpha Phi Omega, Golden Key National Honor Society, and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. He was a member of the now-closed Matrix Fine Art Gallery. Jones is also a member of The New Mexico Imaginative Arts Collective and The Art Posse at First Unitarian Church.
He continues to exhibit his artwork at different art galleries in Albuquerque (The Tortuga Gallery, The South Broadway Cultural Center, The Albuquerque Open Space Visitor’s Center, and The Gallery With A Cause at The New Mexico Cancer Center). He also exhibits his art online through international art exhibits through The Biafarin Company in Ontario, Canada. Jones also creates publications of his coloring books, his photography, and his artwork. These publications are available on Amazon and online through Barnes & Noble. Jones has a website through Art Storefronts. www.bobbyjonesart.com. Where art lovers can buy prints and artwork from this artist!!!
Living in New Mexico, I reflect upon childhood memories of my mother in Texas. She loved butterflies and hearts and would display images of these two beautiful objects in her kitchen. These objects have found their way into my artwork. I have a layered approach to my mixed-media paintings. First, I paint wavy bands of colors, bright and dark, to give contrast and depth to my paintings. Next, I draw upon the painted surface of my paintings with metallic and permanent color ink markers. These combined techniques create a three-dimensional effect in the appearance of my mixed media paintings.
Butterfly Girl
The work of oil painter, Joan Witte, straddles genres. Her main influences are Picasso, Mark Rothko, Georgia O’Keefe, Matisse, Salvador Dali, and Diego Rivera. Similar to the abstract expressionists, her paintings, while more representational in style, express the subconscious and/or life experiences. Heavily influenced by her rural Michigan upbringing, her forms are rooted in nature and science.
Witte is primarily self-taught. As a child growing up on a farm in southeast Michigan, she was preoccupied with art before she started kindergarten. In school, her classroom notes were involved doodles sparsely sprinkled with words. Her bedroom walls were her palette and set the stage for a preference for painting large-scale pieces. Her career as a painter started in 2019.
She received some training at community colleges and Eastern Michigan University. She continues to pursue her education today through art centers and fellow artists.
Juried Exhibits: Scarab Club, 111th Gold Members Show
Riverside Art Gallery, The Winter Solstice
St. Lawrence Street Gallery, Think Small
Swords into Plowshares, Women’s Liberation 2024
Riverside Art Center, Anything but Canvas
Art 634
Glen Arbor Arts Center 2024
Plymouth Community Council of the Arts 2024
Michigan Woman’s Caucus 2023
Black Box Cafe and Art Gallery, June 2022
Looking to the Light, Galerie Camille, 2022
Huron River Artist Collective, Oct to Dec. 3, 2021
Three Cities Art Club 9th Annual Juried Exhibit 2021-2022, Westland City Hall, MI (Nov. 5 to Jan. 17, 2022)
Retail Partner Frameworks, Plymouth MI
Group Exhibits Joe and Rosie Coffee and Tea, Dexter, MI (Summer 2021) Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea, Ann Arbor, MI (Summer 2020) Between the Comments, fundraiser for the National Alliance of Mental Illness (July 1-14, 2020)
Located in the Metro Detroit area, I am a female visual artist. I prefer oil paint and encaustic mediums because they are like yin and yang, opposite but interconnected. My oil paintings are very planned. It can take a year or longer to create a painting. The pieces are very planned and full of personal meaning. Working with encaustic mediums, hot beeswax mixed with resin, does not allow for precise work. It dries in minutes and requires flexibility. When I sit down, I don’t know what I will create. The two mediums keep me challenged and creatively balanced.
Painting is a meditative experience. When I dip my brush into the oil paint or hot wax, time ceases to exist. Some people call this the zone or being in the flow. Whatever you label it, I think Cecil B. DeMille’s quote says it best for me, “Creativity is a drug I cannot live without.” My happy place is my studio.
I have a fondness for painting flowers because they make people happy. Because life is not all hearts and flowers. I also express my voice through oil paintings about mental illness and the vices that go with it. I feel art is a great visual impetus for a conversation about important societal issues. For me, being an artist is about touching people’s lives. I have heard more than once: Your painting is about me. It’s my story. Some of my paintings have prompted tears and hugs. As an artist, the emotional connections created by my work are priceless to me and why I paint what I do.
Buzz At A Meeting Arch
Stanislav “Standa” Riha
Visual artist, photographer, and writer
Member of CARFAC
Born in 1952 in Prague, former Czechoslovakia. He grew up in Lesser Town (Malá Strana), surrounded by great medieval and modern art and artists that caused his desire to create. From early childhood, he enjoyed drawing and later painting; as a young man, he focused mainly on surrealism. His artistic attitude was shaped by many art courses in childhood, followed by art training by MgA Milos Saska and work in set production of the Realistic Theatre.
In 1980, he lived for a year in Grinzing, Vienna, Austria, and then moved to Vancouver, BC, Canada. Enchanted with the natural beauty of British Columbia, he dedicated the first few years to realistic nature themes and then switched to Surreal and later Surreal-abstract creative work.
In the last three decades, I have been creating wall-mounted, cast resin, and aluminum sculptures combined with canvas and gold leaf and exploring the computer as an art tool for creating digital artwork.
All my life, I have loved to create art full of emotions and feelings, “soul,” with the satisfaction of fun. I am interested in the balance and composition of colors and objects rather than the reality of the items.
The direction of the last two decades has been aimed at understanding and, through artwork, expressing the human struggle of emotions and adaptations. For the past ten years, I have been polishing my creative work in the Surreal-abstract style.
The main motto of my artwork is: Just as in a good story, the readers have space to create their image; in a good picture, the viewers can form their account.
Bygone Days
Born in Idaho, I never got the dust out of my shoes. As the ditches filled with water in the spring and summer, I’d dangle my feet to feel the slime between my toes. One day I grew up and took the mud and made a creature that no one had ever seen before. This was the beginning of my career in ceramic sculpture. I went off to the University of Minnesota and earned an MFA in art, which led me to painting, filmmaking, and photography.
I entered competitions, filled the auditorium at Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, had a film placed in the Belgium Archives, showed my work in galleries, and traveled to gather more images. I settled down to one form of art, clay sculptures. Those creatures that I first felt and then created became my signature. As one example of my creative response to world events, when the war started in Iraq, the sculpture I was working on blew its head off and exposed the bloodied ribs below. How appropriate, I thought. I then made thin, softened bodies of those who had died in the explosion and had them crawl out the neck. Clay showed me devastating defeat, love, magic, and the abnormalities we witness in our lives.
In 2021, we moved to a smaller place, which had a wide open garage, and room to expand into another area of art. I had collected, over many years, photographs which I had begun to transform into paintings by creating distortions and adding other images, as well as color and scribbles. I decided to enlarge the end product. Using canvas as a backing to the images, I was able to continue the alterations in the photographs. Painting!
I had a new project and it was so fast. In no time, I began painting with acrylics.
Quote from article, https://www.see.me/creators/glennamills
“Glenna Mills, a remarkable artist with a unique and captivating approach to her work, has ventured through a creative journey as diverse and rich as her imagination. She delved into film, photography, and sculpture. ” Each exploration brought out a storyline that brought out a mystery in the eyes of the beholder. One competition in film led to an acquisition by the Belgium Film Archives. Numerous exhibitions art sales and participation in organizations like See/Me helped to showcase her work to the public.
“Fueled by an unceasing well of creative energy, Glenna also explored the world of voiceover and became a part of a group that recorded stories for children, showcasing her versatility in the realm of art.”
When not working in her studio, you could find her at her computer either writing or manipulating photographs she had collected over the years. Her storytelling led her to write a play, NIGHTS LIKE THESE, which was produced in a venue in Berkeley, California in the 90s.
During the pandemic, Glenna accumulated many photographs which she partially abstracted by way of her computer, turning black and white photos into colored renditions of a personality. After the pandemic, she decided to transfer these images onto canvas She was then able to work on large canvases, which breathed fresh life onto her subjects.
In conclusion, Glenna Mills’ journey in the art world is a testament to the transformative power of creativity.
As an artist, I’m delighted with surprises that come from the unconscious. I enjoy starting with one idea and watching it turn out to be something else. I’ve argued with clay and often lost. Sometimes a female refuses to let out the male that I thought I was making. Sometimes a character refuses to sit. And sometimes what I’m working on decides the life I wish to give it is not the life it wants and it takes a dive off the table. I might like the shape left on the floor, or I sweep it up. Either way, the adventure is delightful.
The same holds for painting. Once the image is on canvas, the size alone demands attention. It is always exciting for an artist to have whatever you are working on surprise you. The canvas sits on the easel as you enter the room waiting for you to react. Paint, brushes, and pens tremble with excitement, ready to tease you into daring new ideas. And so you do.
Cabaret
Julie Mantis is an artist creating art that celebrates the beauty of everyday life. Born in New York City, she then traveled extensively as the daughter of a naval officer. Julie’s paintings have been exhibited in Laguna Beach, CA galleries and virtual exhibitions internationally. Julie studied visual arts at New York University and was a graphic artist in the pre-digital era. Recently relocated from the Los Angeles area or Orlando, she continues creating original artwork in mixed media and oils.
My paintings are stories of life and travel. Nature, glimpses of landscapes, glimpses of memories and places visited, allow me to capture my fondest moments, each painting tells a story. Painting shares the opportunity to be amazed by the little things life and nature have to offer.
Cabbage
Lael Salaets has been drawing since his earliest childhood. Since his family moved often, creativity enabled him to cope with change.
He enlisted in the US Marines and was stationed at Okinawa, Japan. There, he studied Eastern philosophy, art and culture. Wabi-sabi, the idea that nothing is perfect, finished, or permanent, influenced much of his pencil work. After his deployment to Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, drawing became a meditative process to cope with PTSD.
He studied fine art and design at the University of Oregon and Lane Community College where he received a scholarship and an AAS in graphic design.
He resides in Eugene, a member of Maude Kerns Art Center, and the Oregon Society of Artists based in Portland.
My primary medium is graphite and colored pencil. Much of my work is inspired by wabi-sabi, a philosophy that nothing is perfect, finished, or permanent. Thus, the experience of drawing is a focused, meditative process – to observe and capture subjects at a particular moment of interest.
Through the use of subtle layers, color depth, and a broad range of values, the composition emerges. I seek to achieve balance, the proportional relationship of abstract shapes into positive and negative space.
The sweep of pencil marks, and how they flow together, develops a strong framework, resulting in imagery that evokes a sense of calm and appreciation for the present, and the unfinished imperfection of reality.
Cactus Blooms In Yellow
Cassandra Bloedel has been an achieved artist within juried art shows since 1995. She is self-taught and has gained recognition in some of these juried art shows by receiving placement ribbons in watercolor, acrylics, drawing, and photography.
Her recognition in artwork includes publication in a Canadian magazine for her photography, and acceptance in juried art shows for her watercolors, acrylics, drawings, and photography since 1995 to present.
She continues to work in art and provides instructional art education as requested. You can read a glimpse of her past environmental career in the book Yellow Dirt by Judy Pasternak, as well as her published book, An Island Boy and His Pets.
She is a Navajo woman with German ancestry, a cancer survivor, and a jewelry designer. She grew up in Window Rock, Arizona, and has traveled to many parts of the United States, Canada, and the Country of Palau. Her artwork takes into account her areas of travel. She continues to achieve in art, especially with her greeting cards.
2025:
1. Laguna Beach, CA, The Hummingbird & Dragonfly Art Gallery – Online Artistic Animals Exhibition Sketch (February)
2024:
1. Washington, DC, Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art Gallery – Online Paintings Exhibition acrylics (November)
2. Laguna Beach, CA, The Hummingbird & Dragonfly Art Gallery – Online Small Wonders Exhibition, watercolor (November)
3. Laguna Beach, CA, The Hummingbird & Dragonfly Art Gallery – Online Halloween Exhibition acrylic (October)
4. Albuquerque, NM, Genuine Southwest Art & Crafts Gallery – Art demonstrations (watercolor, acrylics, and drawing) (October) | Featured artist in 2024
5. Washington, DC, Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art Gallery – Online Photography Collection Exhibition (September)
6. Gallup, NM, Inter-Tribal Ceremonial Juried Art Show and Exhibition (August)
7. Washington, DC, Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art Gallery – Online Landscape Collection Exhibition watercolor (June)
8. Moriety, NM, Mini Comic Con – Artist Alley (April)
9. Laguna Beach, CA, The Hummingbird & Dragonfly Art Gallery – Online Beauty and Splendor Exhibition, watercolor (January)
10. Albuquerque, NM, Comic Con – Artist Alley (January)
2023:
1. Albuquerque, NM, Genuine Southwest Art & Crafts Gallery – Art demonstrations (watercolor and acrylics) (October) | Featured artist in 2023
2. Albuquerque, NM, New Mexico State Fair Juried Art Show – Native American Art Gallery – 2nd place photography (September)
3. Gallup, NM, Inter-Tribal Ceremonial Juried Art Show and Exhibition (August)
4. Gallup, NM, Comfort Inn Veterans Art and Craft Conference room permanent exhibit (August)
5. Gallup, NM, ART123 Gallery Art Exhibitions – Honoring the Families of Navajo Code Talkers (July)
6. San Francisco, CA, VIDA Clothing & Accessories – Featured Artist
2022:
1. Albuquerque, NM, New Mexico State Fair Juried Art Show – Native American Art Gallery – 3rd place watercolor and Honorable Mention drawing (September)
2. Gallup, NM, Inter-Tribal Ceremonial Juried Art Show and Exhibition (August)
3. Gallup, NM, Hubbell Trading Post Rug and Art Auction participation (August)
4. Albuquerque, NM, Genuine Southwest Art & Crafts Gallery – Featured artist
5. San Francisco, CA, VIDA Clothing & Accessories – Featured Artist
2021:
1. Albuquerque, NM, New Mexico State Fair Juried Art Show – Native American Art Gallery – 1st place watercolor and Honorable Mention photography (September)
2. Gallup, NM, Hubbell Trading Post Rug and Art Auction participation (September)
3. Gallup, NM, Inter-Tribal Ceremonial Juried Art Show and Exhibition (August)
4. Albuquerque, NM, Genuine Southwest Art & Crafts Gallery – Featured artist
5. San Francisco, CA, VIDA Clothing & Accessories – Featured Artist
2020:
1. Gallup, NM, Inter-Tribal Ceremonial Juried Art Show and Exhibition (August)
2. Albuquerque, NM, Genuine Southwest Art & Crafts Gallery – Featured artist
3. San Francisco, CA, VIDA Clothing & Accessories – Featured Artist
From 1995 to 2019, I participated in art.
“I am a Navajo woman with German ancestry who grew up in Window Rock, Arizona, and throughout my many years of an environmental career, I am a cancer survivor from chemotherapy in 2020 and again in 2021.
I began to work on the arts for painting and crafts in 1995. I create artwork using watercolors, acrylics, and graphic art. My craft is custom jewelry. I continue to write poems, short stories, and one book, with another being developed. I enjoy photography while traveling, and it is great to find moments in time captured by my camera. Juried art shows were in New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, California, Washington, DC, and New York. I enjoy providing my art for others, including art demonstrations if an opportunity arises, and juried art shows”.