Michael Anderson
Statement: If you approach one of my paintings from across the room in order to closely see a detail you may not find it. I am willing to sacrifice a higher level of finish for more expressive brush strokes, simple shapes and the joy of thickly applied paint.
I complete my paintings alla prima, all at once, outdoors on location in the plein air tradition. Texture and energy are essential elements in my work. I strive for my paintings to not only reflect the Midwestern landscape and but to transcend it as well. For me the act of painting is a meditation on the way light falls upon the earth revealing color, form and my relationship to nature.
Web site: http://www.michaelandersonstudio,com
Eldon Benz
Statement:
Art - Fun - Whimsy - Process.
Balance is lacking in our world today. Making otherwise discardable materials into something interesting, fun, and balanced is my challenge.
There is no one process. A large part of the art is selecting and manipulating the media to fulfill the fleeting vision of the day. Can the vision and the materials at hand generate enough internal interest to become a complete tangible object, just bits and pieces on the work bench, or just a figment?
Web site: http://www.eldonbenz.com
Robert Bolla
Statement:
A photograph should not only ask a question but it should attempt to find an answer to that question in such a way as to entice the viewer to examine the photograph. Thus the photo should tell a story or create an image in such a way as to urge the viewer to use his or her imagination to garner both experience the image and learn from it. A photograph should entice the viewer draw his or her own story from what he or she sees. When working with wildlife photography the photograph should depict animals in their natural habitat and should express some aspect of the ecology of the animal, i.e. how does it live, where does it live, how does it survive, what is life about for the animal, how has it evolved to fit into its environment? A bird lifting off from the water makes one ask what is the strength of a wing, how does it work, and where is the bird going. Working as a street photographer the shots should be candid and provide an image that describes the person to the viewer telling a story. The photographer in asking permission for the photo has the opportunity to gain information about the individual as for example after taking a photograph of a woman looking similar to Nelson Mandela and talking with this woman I found that she was Mandela's niece also being related to Tutu. This being said the photographer may find one answer from the photo and the viewer another, thus opening a discussion and a knowledge base.
Web site: https://robertbolla.smugmug.com/
Kathy Corey
Statement: From Key West, a descendant of seafarers, adventure seekers, and rapscallions lured by the ocean, my art is inspired by my heritage and love of the sea. “Somewhere Out There” expresses the search for eternal truth that is found in the roar and silence of the sea.
My husband and I live in Saint Louis among our family and friends.
Web site: http://www.bextraordinaire.com
Karen Cowdery
Statement:
Women's desires are well known to me - I have been a woman for a very long time.
'Wise Women Teach' is a reflection of women's role in early education of nearly all children. It asks the question, 'Why would any culture want to withhold education from girls?'
'Adornments' illustrates the human trait to adorn ourselves with items we make. No other species does that in the same way.
'One Size Fits: Gram Might Approve' uses my grandmothers doilies. Her crochet work was excellent into old age. Fine threads were her challenge, until she could not see them clearly enough to do her precise work.
Web site: www.kaceycowdery.com
Jerry Cox
Statement:
My work starts as a study of a very simple form, lately I've been studying the arc and the ellipse. I work loosely in sci-fi themes, stylizing until I achieve a narrative that's more than the simple subject.
Web site: http://www.coxstl.com
Jacque Davis
Statement:
What were you wearing when you were raped? Did you fight back? Did you say no? How could this man have resisted that skirt, that low slung blouse?
How were you culpable is the implication.
In 2005 inspired by a rape victims statement 'If only I had teeth down there'
Dr Sonnet Ehlers invented the RapeX a female condom with teeth that painfully traps a man's penis and can only be removed by a physician. This medical visit could help provide evidence for an arrest and prosecution. To date nothing has become of the RapeX condom. A Go Fund Me is well short of it's $310,000 goal to begin production. Currently there are no women using this device.
I can't help but wonder ...what if vaginas had the option to wear teeth and could fight back? If instead of being asked ' What were you wearing? a police officer said...
'I see you were wearing teeth when you were raped.'
Web site: http://www.jacquedavis.com
Blaine Deutsch
Statement:
I'm a designer, painter, printmaker, cyclist, conversationalist, writer and seeker of inspiration. Always working to further my skills as a storyteller, image maker, and amateur quantum physicist. I have a giant garden, partially for all the produce it provides, but also because it functions as a grand experiment in wonder. I truly believe that we are each better for the people around us and that it is possible to do great work while still being nice to one another.
Barbara J. DiMartini
Anna Drake
Statement:
Both trash and people can be transformed.
John Dyess
Statement:
I am a native St. Louisan, with a BFA from Washington University School of Fine Art. I am a painter, illustrator, photographer and teacher creating art and illustration. I have been self employed since 1980.
My clients include many major corporations and companies throughout the United States, including Anheuser-Busch, Monsanto, General Electric and the St. Louis Baseball Cardinals to name a few.
My work has been published in many widely distributed magazines such as Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Sports Afield and North American Fisherman.
I have been represented in numerous local and national shows including the Foundry Art Centre, the National Parks Service and over thirty shows at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild.
I have also been recognized by the New York Society of Illustrators and Communication Arts Magazine.
I have been an instructor for illustration and drawing in the St. Louis area at Washington University,
Webster University, Meramec Community College and Jefferson College.
Web site: http://www.studiodyess.com
Molly Edler
Edgar Eslinger
Statement:
My realism paintings are meant to depict the beauty of items seen in our everyday life through the use light, shading and color. All of my work is acrylic painting, applied much like water colors in numerous thin layers.
John Hardecke
Statement:
I love the serendipitous outcomes I get from painting, starting a piece with little or no preconception and simply enjoying the process of exploration and discovery.
Web site: https://www.instagram.com/hazel_mopes/
Mimi C. Huang
Statement:
Mimi Huang has two Master’s degrees in arts – one in Chinese art and one in Modern Art. She works as an art researcher, a writer, and recently an artist as well with paintings juried in national and regional exhibitions. She likes to think her works as passionate tributes to art as well as to life. They invite viewers to appreciate nature, people, scenery or even practical events with a renewed sense of wonder.
During the convalescence from a surgery in early March 2018, the desire to take painting lessons resurfaced again. It is something she has always wanted to do but kept on procrastinating. Physical weakness might have provided the necessary sense of urgency. A voice inside her kept on saying: “Time cannot wait. Do it now.” On April 17, 2018, she walked into Ms. Jan Groenemann’s studio to have her first art class. The rest is history. She has always loved art and her research work in art history enriched that appreciation on the intellectual level. But the process of creating art further enhances the understanding of art on the creative and emotional level. Furthermore, it also helps her healing from the surgery. She has continued making arts since then, which is one of the best things happened in her life.
Challenge and reward of the creative process probably come from the same source of solitude. It is challenging to have to make all the creative decisions on one’s own in complete solitude. But once those decisions are made and executed successfully the reward is great precisely because the sense of self-fulfillment is largely nourished by solitude. Thus, the creative process is not so different from Zen practice. It requires focus, clarity and balance.
She likes the unique luminosity and delicacy of watercolor. A range of beautiful effects can be achieved in less predictable ways, which is always exciting. She is starting to explore other mediums such as oil and mixed medias and hopefully will have chance to exhibit her work with them in the future.
Helen D. Hume
Statement:
As a plein air painter I love to share all the sounds, smells, and excitement that I am experiencing in a location.
January Kiefer
Statement:
The natural world seduces me, compelling me to look deeply and long. Painting absorbs me. It is an act of gratitude, a prayer of thanksgiving.
Brian Kirchoff
Statement:
For as long as I can remember I've looked at things with an artist?s eye. The awareness that almost anything could be captured in a frame (if possible, of course), hung as art, and someone somewhere would appreciate it. I've always had that. My eye seeks out the patterns, the colors, contrasts, subtle value differences, bold lines, the whimsical and the downright ridiculous. I work to capture these qualities on canvas to share.
Web site: http://www.abstractchicken.com
Robert Kokenyesi
Statement:
I intend to tell bursts of stories of elegance, beauty and vulnerability of the creatures that live on beaches and in the oceans, stories of the humbling and unstoppable power of the waves and currents, stories of menacing and enigmatic mysteries emerging to us on the beach or in the depth of the oceans.
Web site: http://www.beachfrontpottery.com
Ruth Kolker
Statement:
Combining painting and printmaking offers an exciting journey of discovery. How the two disciplines are layered help to create a strong visual texture and are often inspired by landscapes and natural forms. Pattern, texture, shape, line and color are woven together to transform the spirit of each composition. I invite you the viewer to respond.
Web site: http://www.ruthkolker.com
Gary Lang
Adam Long
Statement:
Mankind tends to view himself as separated from and above his environment. My work is ultimately about humanity and explores humankind's connection to nature, our place in it and how man seeks to explore and understand his environment. The sculptures examine through visual similarities and juxtapositions what it means to be human and bring nature back to man by using natural and man-made found objects. We are not apart from nature, but a part of it.
Web site: http://www.adamlongsculpture.com
Alex Paradowski
Statement:
The satisfaction of being a multi-media artist is the freedom to explore and combine the endless possibilities available to create an image.
Web site: www.alexparadowski.com
Bob Rickert
Statement:
The convergence of photography and digital imaging has created opportunities for images which no one really considered possible several years ago. It has also created more photographers than ever before. What separates photographers with various ability levels and training is their ability to see the various dimensions of the subjects. Being able to use a camera is not enough, one has to be able to see things differently in a way that viewers of images will find interesting or at least thought provoking. Hopefully, the way I see things differentiates my work from others and provides the viewer with a new and interesting perspective of everyday images.
Web site: http://www.bobrickertphotography.com
Karen Romani
Statement:
Viewing nature in detail is fascinating to me. I enjoy trying to replicate the colors and structures of plants. In addition to this style of painting, I’ve been exploring a number of other artistic mediums. Encaustic painting allows me to loosen up my style, as does cold wax oil painting. I’m still learning these art form but there are so many other areas of art I’m anxious to try. How knows what’s next, but I can’t wait to try something new.
Amy Firestone Rosen
Statement:
The idea of using clothing goes back to when I was a child. I loved cutting out paper dolls and with my mother’s encouragement, I created my own paper doll clothing. As I was exploring printmaking I thought I could use repurposed clothing items as my plate. I loved how the press captured the image of the clothing. For the slip series, I found that I was drawn to the patterns and layers that I could not duplicate with other mediums. The power of the press creates images from clothing that captures every detail. The slips have human figurative quality.
Deanne Row
Statement:
BIOGRAPHY
Deanne Row grew up in a family of graphic artists and jazz musicians, which influenced her interest in the arts from an early age. Combining the clarity of design with the improvisations of the jazz and blues around her, her lifelong love of representational portraits and figures has become more expressive as she explores new media and techniques.
She studied French language and art at the Lycee Saint Exupery, in Bellegarde, France, then continued her focus on painting at the Savannah College of Art and Design. While in college, she worked as a traditional candle carver to pay for art supplies; little did she know that wax would come back into her artistic life much later.
After college, Deanne studied to become a professional picture framer certified in conservation materials and techniques, and framed fine art for a decade before discovering encaustic painting in a client's gallery. She fell in love with the look and feel of the beeswax, which was different from the paraffin that she used in candle making.
As her picture framing work began to include building three-dimensional exhibition and museum displays, her artistic practice also expanded into creating assemblage pieces and sculpture. Most of her paintings and sculpture now incorporate beeswax in the form of encaustic or cold wax mediums. Of course, she still loves charcoal, oil and acrylic, and occasionally explores a theme in various media at the same time, to allow the techniques and color palettes of each to cross pollinate the others.
Web site: http://galleryrow.com
Benji Rowan
Statement:
As a professional artist I have worked with many different media including; drawing, painting, paper arts, and ceramics. Currently I am working in the media of printmaking creating semi-abstract prints that are based loosely on recognizable objects and scenes. Most of my recent works are done using the monoprint technique.
The monoprint technique provides an immediacy that allows for alterations and experimentations from one work to the next, vivid colors, and the ability to create the desired motifs that are important to my work rather quickly. This brings an immediacy to the process that is similar to sketching, but involves the opaque colors of the printmaking ink and the porous textures of printmaking paper.
Each monoprint begins as an idea in my sketchbook where I consider subject matter, colors, and composition. I then can quickly sketch the desired shapes onto acetate and cut them out with an X-Acto knife. The acetate is then put into position on to the plexiglass plate, and the ink is applied with the brayer, through the cut out shapes. If the shapes are geometric and do not include rounded edges, masking tape can be applied to the plate in place of the acetate. Ink is then applied to the desired areas, then the tape is removed before printing.
These compositions are reminiscent of the Impressionist period in their use of light and color, and play with various points of view in a way that is similar to Cubist works. My monoprints have a playful aspect as I contrast simplified subject matter with the traditional genres of landscape and still lifes. Whether the subject matter is an object or a scene, the shapes I use to reflect the objects are simplified to the point of geometric shapes.
While my monoprints begin as sketches, the printmaking process does not lend itself to the same amount of control that an artist has when sketching with pencil or charcoal. Whenever I take a print off the press to look at it for the first time, it is invariably a surprise, and never quite what I was expecting. This is part of the excitement of the process. Even if the print is not a success, it usually contains information that is useful, whether involving color mixing, space, or subject matter, that I can consider going forward. These happy accidents are important to my development as a printmaker as I find myself learning something new from each attempt.
While the process is enjoyable and the final images are aesthetically pleasing, the main objective is to have the viewer experience the same emotions that I feel when considering one of my finished works. Each monoprint is an attempt to communicate a similar emotion within different alignments of shapes and colors. Through my use of media and the formal elements of art I create imaginative scenes that allow the viewer a moment of reflection and quietude.
Web site: http://benjisart.com
Marceline Saphian
Statement:
My work is an effort to share with others feelings and responses that are difficult, if not impossible to put into words. Rather than copying nature, I use it to call on inner responses to what I observe. Subject matter is a point of departure rather than a destination. One of my interests at this time is using older work to add overlays of paint and collage. This leads me to new development as an artist, and I find it is a way of melding the past with the present and the future - a way of making time an unending continuum.
James Scheller
Statement:
I work exclusively in glass; Kilnforming and casting at my Macoupin Prairie Glassworks studio in Staunton, Illinois near my childhood home of Mt. Olive. In September 2018, After 27 years, I moved from my forest home and studio - Chehalem Mountain Glassworks in Scholls, Oregon.
After a long career as an engineer and technologist I was taken hostage by glass kilnforming in 2012. I have dedicated myself to my craft and art. Extensive study of and experimentation with the medium is a passion and healthy addiction.
I enjoy creating pieces with depth and weight. Glass sheets, crushed glass (frit) and glass slabs (billets) are contained within dams and hand built plaster silica molds then fired to over 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. Fired works are then extensively coldworked for hours to achive the final finish.
Inspiration comes from a fascination or forms, textures and colors.
The most subtle details of natural and man-made objects, and objects imagined are studied. The engineer joins glass, heat and gravity to capture thoughts and memories. The works invite one to gaze inside and view the flows of the once molten glass; to get lost in the dance of light and color.
Web site: http://Www.jimscheller.com
John Schnellmann
Statement:
My recent ceramics focus on simple forms with painterly glazes. most of my ceramic work is figurative because I find it an endless amazement and challenge.
Web site: artbyschnellmann.com
Douglas Simes
Statement:
These portraits were drawn from life with oil-based Sanguine pencil, a particularly favorite medium of mine.
My years as a professional actor inform my work. At the outset, when drawing the portrait or figure, I seek to establish a relationship. Rapport with my subject is step one.
Web site: instagram.com/dwsimes
Susan Sontag
Statement:
I work with paper, fiber, paint, ink, and beads, exploring organic forms through color and composition.
Instagram: @sontag.s
Tom Sontag
Statement:
Wood is a beautiful material and in my work I simply try to highlight this fact. I make functional objects that are meant to be touched and used.
Instagram: @tomsontagwood
Joanne Stremsterfer
Statement:
'Weeds' was inspired by the greenhouse at a farmers market near me. The exploding weeds then evolved into a silk screen with pieces of my grandmother's pillowcases used as monotypes to reflect memories of going to sewing clubs with her where she crocheted these pillowcases.
Maggie Zografakis
Statement:
I get my inspiration for painting from my surroundings and my many travels.
Shapes and vibrant color always play a vital role in my work.
I love painting outdoors and use my sketches for developing my paintings.
Barbara Zucker
Statement:
After setting up a home darkroom I became interested in historical processes and later contemporary image making techniques.