Intersecting Paths
For 3 decades, Peter Hriso has worked as an artist and animator in various positions. He is a Professor of Digital Animation and coordinates the MA in Art and Design program at Kennesaw State University. He imparts his knowledge and expertise to students by teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in animation and motion design.
Peter Hriso has been a dedicated artist and animator for more than three decades, holding various positions in the field. He currently serves as a Professor of Digital Animation at Kennesaw State University, where he also coordinates the MA in Art and Design program. Through his teaching of animation and motion design courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, Peter shares his wealth of knowledge and expertise with his students.
My work investigates repetition, modularity, and rhythm within digital space, exploring how simple geometric forms can accumulate into complex architectural landscapes. Using 3D animation software, I construct layered systems of blocks and tiles that balance order with subtle irregularities. The interplay of opaque, translucent, and textured surfaces creates shifting patterns of light and depth, transforming static structures into dynamic visual experiences.
These compositions—ranging from stacked translucent panels to painted cubes and soft, fabric-like blocks—highlight the tension between rigidity and softness, as well as uniformity and variation. Each piece becomes a meditation on structure and fragility, evoking both digital precision and tactile materiality. By abstracting architectural and industrial references into playful, modular forms, I invite viewers to reflect on how repetition and variation shape the environments we inhabit, both in reality and in imagination.
Io: When Worlds Collide
Born and raised in the tough Italian neighborhood of Ducktown, Atlantic City, NJ, John Calabrese currently resides in Denton, Texas with his wife Margaret. He received his BA in Art from Catholic University, Washington, D. C., MFA in painting from Pratt Institute and his PhD in Comparative Arts from Ohio University.
He is Professor Emeritus of art at Texas Woman’s University where he taught art history, aesthetics, history of film noir, the art of Alfred Hitchcock, and was in charge of the studies abroad art history program which he initiated in 1994. He has published articles on Paul Klee, J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings,” and Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” and “The Trouble with Harry.”
He has painted the boxer Joe Frazier and drawn portraits of Frank Sinatra and Mickey Mantle. He had coffee with Joe DiMaggio and is a lifelong Yankees fan.
His work has been exhibited in numerous national juried exhibits among which are: “Wanderlust” Art Fluent Online Gallery, MA; “Intergalactic Open” Shock Boxx Gallery, Hermosa Beach, CA; 14th Annual Contemporary International Drawing Discourse, Univ. of NC, Ashville; 28th Arts North International, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, MN; and the upcoming CAL International, Conroe Art League, Conroe, TX and another “Wanderlust” Webster Arts Gallery, Webster Groves, MO.
Delicate nuance of value and texture become tools in conveying powerful dramatic statements about earthly beings who are not afraid to wonder, think, dream, and take that one step beyond.
The inhabitants of the cosmic atmosphere appear at odds with their surroundings, (many of which are actually specifically named astronomical objects). This is the result when the merely earthly confronts its unavoidable connection to the awe, mystery, and majesty of the heavens.
However, when fragile earthly beauty confronts sublime heavenly beauty, the earthly is reverently and silently humbled.
I would like to dedicate this exhibit to the memory of my dear friends Chris, Desi, and Franco.
I greatly appreciate HMVC Gallery New York for this opportunity to showcase my drawings.
Iris
Roberta Rousos has lived 2 lives in her 59 years; as a wife, mother, and community volunteer; and as an artist (and mom). After her husband’s death, she returned to CSU Sacramento earning a BA and MA Degree in Studio Art.
Rousos’ work can be traced to her graduate studies when she added fiber to steel integrating both her metal shop teacher father and her homemaker mother. Her work focuses on seemingly opposing materials.
Rousos’ exhibition sphere now includes galleries in her home state of California, Michigan, New Mexico, Washington, Illinois, New York, Colorado, and Oregon.
She considers herself blessed to be able to be an artist. She firmly believes that we all choose every day what life we are willing to live and what our priorities are. Rousos chooses to live on the line between the physical reality of this world and the spiritual realm. She chooses to appreciate the beauty around her and encourages others to do the same. Life is good if you allow it to be.
I am a mixed media artist: found objects, fiber, and oil painting. Returning to college following the passing of my husband allowed me to discover new paths in creative expression. Earning my Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees showed me how strong I could be and where my life’s passion lies.
When coping with life’s traumas, we are often told to take baby steps or to live one day at a time. This is good advice, but not just for when we are suffering. We each have years behind us and hopefully years ahead, but we can only live today. Today is what we can truly see in detail; this moment is what we can affect; now is when we can live. Take a step today.
I come from a long line of artisans and crafters. As a creature of opposites, I constantly struggle to integrate chaos with logic, gravity with freedom, and reality with dreams. My work continually evolves because of my desire and choice to live a life of purpose.
Iris And Jupiter’s Beard
Steve Walag has been a photographer for nearly 50 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and Religious Studies from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) and a BFA in Photography from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He has enjoyed a varied career as a photojournalist, public relations photographer, freelance architectural shooter, photo instructor, and campus photographer at Inland area schools (UCR and Riverside City College). All the while, Steve has pursued his artistic path on the side, beginning decades ago with a strong affinity for the black and white photography of the West Coast “straight” photo school. It is only since 2015 that his attraction to Japanese art led him to formulate the style shown here.
Although Steve’s images may resemble paintings, they are in fact digital photographs printed on textured paper. They were inspired by traditional Japanese paintings in the centuries-old Rinpa tradition. Rinpa artists favored simple, natural subjects – flowers, trees, birds, and landscapes – set against a plain or minimized background. Steve’s fascination with Japanese art led him to emulate those works using digital imaging, lighting, software, and printing techniques.
Iris And Sunflowers
Steve Walag has been a photographer for nearly 50 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and Religious Studies from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) and a BFA in Photography from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He has enjoyed a varied career as a photojournalist, public relations photographer, freelance architectural shooter, photo instructor, and campus photographer at Inland area schools (UCR and Riverside City College). All the while, Steve has pursued his artistic path on the side, beginning decades ago with a strong affinity for the black and white photography of the West Coast “straight” photo school. It is only since 2015 that his attraction to Japanese art led him to formulate the style shown here.
Although Steve’s images may resemble paintings, they are in fact digital photographs printed on textured paper. They were inspired by traditional Japanese paintings in the centuries-old Rinpa tradition. Rinpa artists favored simple, natural subjects – flowers, trees, birds, and landscapes – set against a plain or minimized background. Steve’s fascination with Japanese art led him to emulate those works using digital imaging, lighting, software, and printing techniques.
Irises With Bleeding Heart And Poppies
Steve Walag has been a photographer for nearly 50 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and Religious Studies from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) and a BFA in Photography from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He has enjoyed a varied career as a photojournalist, public relations photographer, freelance architectural shooter, photo instructor, and campus photographer at Inland area schools (UCR and Riverside City College). All the while, Steve has pursued his artistic path on the side, beginning decades ago with a strong affinity for the black and white photography of the West Coast “straight” photo school. It is only since 2015 that his attraction to Japanese art led him to formulate the style shown here.
Although Steve’s images may resemble paintings, they are in fact digital photographs printed on textured paper. They were inspired by traditional Japanese paintings in the centuries-old Rinpa tradition. Rinpa artists favored simple, natural subjects – flowers, trees, birds, and landscapes – set against a plain or minimized background. Steve’s fascination with Japanese art led him to emulate those works using digital imaging, lighting, software, and printing techniques.
Ironic
Adriana Azevedo was born in 1970 in Natal, Brazil. During the Covid pandemic lockdown, she’s unleashed her artistic passion and embraced it. As an immigrant artist based in Florida, her unique Brazilian perspective and cultural background inspire her creative expression.
She worked as an architect in Brazil for 2 decades before moving to the United States. She is proud and honored to contribute to the vibrant and diverse artistic community in the Orlando area.
I find my deepest inspiration in the fascinating worlds of Cubism and Surrealism. These influential movements have ignited my creative spirit, guiding me to explore the intricate interplay between reality and imagination on canvas.
My work is a reflection of the multifaceted nature of existence. Through the lens of Cubism, I deconstruct the ordinary, breaking down conventional forms into a tapestry of geometric shapes and angles. This allows me to unveil new dimensions within the familiar, encouraging viewers to contemplate the essence of what they see.
Israel
Marla Jean Clinesmith is a Louisiana-based painter whose work engages the visual and conceptual depth of the ancient Paleo Hebrew pictographic language within a contemporary abstract framework. Her practice examines how early symbolic systems functioned as both image and language — carrying layered meaning through form, structure, and gesture.
Working primarily in acrylic and often incorporating metallic elements, Clinesmith constructs luminous fields of color that serve as both atmosphere and architecture. Ancient letterforms emerge within these layered surfaces, not as illustration, but as structural components that inform composition, tension, and visual rhythm. Her work explores how symbolic language continues to shape perception and spiritual imagination across time.
A two-time recipient of the Denis Diderot Grant for residency at Château Orquevaux in France, Clinesmith also has four paintings in the Château’s permanent collection. Her paintings have been included in regional and national juried exhibitions, including the Adonai Global Art Fund Exhibition, where she was awarded First Place.
Through an ongoing studio practice, Clinesmith continues to investigate the intersection of abstraction, language, and sacred text — creating paintings that invite contemplative engagement while remaining grounded in contemporary painterly concerns.
Creativity rarely emerges in isolation; it is shaped by the influences that quietly form an artist’s way of seeing. My work is profoundly informed by a sustained engagement with the Ancient Hebrew—Paleo Hebrew—pictographic language, a visual system in which each letter functions not merely as text but as image, gesture, and bearer of layered meaning.
These primordial forms offer more than historical intrigue; they preserve a mode of thought in which language and symbol were inseparable. I am drawn to their ability to communicate complex spiritual ideas with striking visual economy, allowing ancient perception to speak into contemporary space.
Biblical texts remain a steady influence in my work, especially those that speak of God’s presence within human life. The ancient pictographs deepen my understanding of these themes, revealing layers of meaning that shape how I build each painting. I do not aim to illustrate scripture, but to express its depth and mystery through the painting itself.
Working primarily in acrylic and frequently incorporating gold leaf or metallic elements, I build layered fields of color that serve as both atmosphere and architecture. Color remains central to my process — a sensibility first awakened through formal study of color theory and continually refined in the studio.
By uniting luminous color with sacred pictographs, I seek to create paintings that operate as contemplative spaces — places where ancient consciousness and contemporary experience meet, inviting viewers into reflection rather than conclusion.
It Is What It Is
I am a first-generation Ecuadorian American artist, born and raised with a passion for creativity. From a young age, I was drawn to the vibrant world of graffiti, a love that not only shaped my artistic vision but also led me to win multiple competitions, including mural contests. In high school, I was honored to be voted “Most Artistic,” an acknowledgment that fueled my desire to pursue art in all its forms.
With a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, I developed a strong foundation in design and structure, which seamlessly blends into my work as both an artist and a third-generation stone mason. I am the owner of Art in Stone Masonry and Design, a company that specializes in creating one-of-a-kind stone works, combining my architectural skills with my family’s craftsmanship traditions.
Painting has always been an integral part of my life. While I’ve explored various styles, my current focus is abstract painting, where I express emotion and energy through color, texture, and form. My art is a reflection of my journey, influenced by my cultural roots, my experiences in the world of
As an avid traveler, my work is deeply influenced by new experiences, unfamiliar landscapes, and fleeting encounters. I am drawn to abstract faces—sometimes inspired by people I meet along the way, but more often, reflections of myself. Each piece becomes a visual diary, capturing emotions, moments, and memories that words cannot fully express.
My process is intuitive and unrestrained. I begin by emptying my mind, allowing color to lead the way. The shades and tones I choose are often those that stood out to me during my travels—vivid hues from a bustling city, muted earth tones from a quiet desert, or the unexpected contrast of light and shadow. Using brushes, spray paint, or scraping techniques, I layer and distort until a face emerges, raw and undefined, yet deeply familiar.
I believe my best work comes when I stop thinking and simply let it flow. In that space of pure instinct, I find truth—not just in the faces I create, but in the connection between movement, memory, and emotion.