The Art of Sandra Perlow

Sandra Perlow (1940 - present) is a contemporary abstract artist, currently living in Chicago, who has been creating art for over forty-five years. Sandra works in multi-media creating a collage on top of monoprints or woodcuts using a combination of various mediums which include acrylic, gouache, or oil stick.

(Perlow, Sandra. Must Come Again. c. 2012. collage on canvas.)
Sandra was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois where she earned her Bachelor’s of Art Education (B.A.E.) and her Master’s of Fine Art (M.A.) from the school of the art institute of Chicago in which she mainly focused on drawing and painting. She also received an M.A. from the Illinois Institute of Design. Perlow then began to teach herself at the school of the art institute of Chicago.

(Perlow, Sandra. Apart from That. c. 2012. collage on canvas.)
Rhythm is the key property of Perlow’s multi-media paintings. She works in shapes and colors, inspired by architecture or landscape. She draws inspiration from daily life, people, and museums.

(Perlow, Sandra. Tangled. c. 2012. collage on canvas.)
“Perlow’s creative process is an energetic shuffling and sorting of memory, text, sound, and image. There is spontaneity in her studio practice as the surrounding loop sets up a syncopated tempo as she works on several canvases at one time. The cacophony of visual signs is also found in the layers of images on her studio table: a landscape of books and papers from a visual library from Chinese brush painting Rotella’s decollates or the works of Philip Guston. The creative impulse is immediate and improvisational as Perlow pulls paper, motif, and gesture onto the surface of the picture plane.” (Sandra Perlow.net, 2012).

(Perlow, Sandra. Draw Into. c. 2012. collage on canvas.)
At the age of seventy-two years old, Sandra is full of energy, has a wonderful sense of humor, and has unparalleled lust for life, which I believe is definitely reflected in her work, and her work is much appreciated here.

Enjoy :)

References

• Sandra Perlow.net

The Art of Liz Kenyon

Liz Kenyon is a contemporary artist, born in California. She works in soft pastels and her technique is defined by adding layer upon layer in order to build up texture. Her style is more painterly than linear and she uses as many colors as possible to bring energy into her work.

(Kenyon, Liz. Social Hour. soft pastel.)

Kenyon graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson. She worked as a freelance artist illustrating book covers for Avon Books in New York where she was nationally published and has won over 20 awards for her illustrations, monoprints, and soft pastel paintings.

(Kenyon, Liz. Doughnut Break. soft pastel.)

In 1975 Kenyon moved to Phoenix, Arizona. At that time she began using soft pastels and crossed over into fine art. As a pastelist, she has had 15 one-woman shows, received over 30 awards, and also teaches art workshops at the Scottsdale Artists’ School.

(Kenyon, Liz. Sunset at Dave Bruce Vineyard. soft pastel.)

“I enjoy traveling to hilltop regions in search of classic rural landscapes and I’m passionate when it comes to color.” says, Kenyon

(Kenyon, Liz. Standing Pears. soft pastel.)

Kenyon has been published in Northlight Books and she is a Signature Member of the International Pastel Society. Her work is most certainly much appreciated here!

Enjoy! :)

References

• lizkenyon.com

The Art of Susan Sarback

Susan Sarback was born in New York. Her paintings are always about light and color, especially the quality of light. She is the founder of the "School of Light and Color”. Located twenty miles east of Sacramento in Fair Oaks, California, this school teaches adults at all levels in-depth art instruction in oils, pastels, and watercolor.


(Sarback, Susan. Tulips On Glass. oil on canvas.)
Sarback started her formal study of art at an early age. She studied both abstract and representational art and she received her Master’s degree in Fine Art in 1988 at Columbia Pacifica University in San Raphael, California.


(Sarback, Susan. Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco. oil on canvas.)
Sarback’s career significantly changed after she studied under Henry Hensche. A master painter who was an American Impressionist painter and in the lineage of Charles Hawthorne, William Merrit Chase, and Claude Monet.


(Sarback, Susan. Egg, Fork, and Salt. oil on canvas.)
“My subject is always light and color. It took years of training to learn how to be receptive to light, form, and rhythm and I learned this by painting from life with natural light both outdoors and in the studio. This made it possible to refine subtle color variations that capture the quality of light, atmosphere, and space.” says Sarback.


(Sarback, Susan. Conch Shell. oil on canvas.)
Sarback’s work can be seen in galleries in New York City, San Francisco, Napa Valley, Sacramento, Seattle, and Santa Fe. She has also authored two books, “Capturing Radiant Light and Color in Oils and Soft Pastels” (2007) and “The School of Light and Color” (1986). She also presently teaches workshops all over the country.


(Sarback, Susan. Down the Pier. oil on canvas.)
International Artist Magazine has named her one of the Master Painters of the World and her work is much appreciated here!

Enjoy! :)

Reference: Sarback, Susan. Capturing Radiant Light and Color in Oils and Soft Pastels. North Light Books: Cincinnati, Ohio. 2007.

Reference: Light and Color .com

The Art of Jeff Legg

Jeff C. Legg (1959 – present) was born in Joplin, Missouri. His “old master” techniques combined with his inspired contemporary use of chiaroscuro continue to inspire fellow artists and collectors worldwide.


(Legg, Jeff. Green Bottle with Apricots. oil on canvas.)
Legg was interested in art at an early age and was mentored at the age of thirteen by a college art professor, Darrel Dishman, who was regionally famous at that time. Legg then studied later on at Atelier Lack in Minneapolis and at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design.


(Legg, Jeff. Horse of a Different Color. oil on canvas.)
Legg began painting full-time at age 30 and is now a signature member of the “Oil Painters of America”. His favorite artistic influences include Chardin, Rembrandt well as contemporary artwork from the Wyeths.


(Legg, Jeff. Smoke and Melon. oil on canvas.)
His paintings have been featured in many publications including The Artists Magazine, American Artist, North Light books, Southwest Art, Art of the West, Western Art Collector, and American Art Collector magazines.


(Legg, Jeff. Red Eucalyptus and Apricot. oil on canvas.)
"I must diligently search my heart to find out what really moves and captivates me. ’Truth’ is the essential ingredient in making art. The human soul is hopelessly bound to express it." Jeff Legg


(Legg, Jeff. Cabbage, Brass and Melon. c. 2009. oil on canvas.)
Today, Jeff Legg is a nationally recognized award-winning artist, who paints in his studio daily and his work is much appreciated here!

Enjoy! :)

 
Reference: Jeff legg.com

The Art of Jia Lu

Jia Lu (1954 – present) was born in Beijing, China. She strongly feels that beauty is the final measure of all things. True beauty born of self-knowledge and self-understanding, burns in her art like a beacon. The paintings of Jia Lu seem filled with a spiritual light that announces the undeniable presence of the divine.


(Lu, Jia. Halo. c. 1996. oil on canvas.)
Jia Lu grew up in a family of artists. Acting, poetry, and art classes filled her early years and fired her restless imagination. However, the Great Cultural Revolution swept down upon Beijing with destructive violence and many of her family members and art teachers were targeted for persecution.


(Lu, Jia. Woman Warrior. c. 1998. oil on canvas.)
Jia Lu was forced to adapt to the radically changing conditions in order to survive. She turned her hand to many different pursuits, including working as a nurse where she gained invaluable firsthand knowledge of the human anatomy. She then enrolled in the Central Academy of Art and Design.


(Lu, Jia. Purity. c. 2001. oil on canvas.)
By 1983, Jia Lu was already an accomplished figure painter. She moved to Canada without a word of English. She used her intelligence and adaptability to find friends and collectors, learn the language and continue her education. She soon found work in the visual arts department at York University.


(Lu, Jia. Heaven's Song. c. 1998. oil on canvas.)
Her realistic painting style made her an outsider at this bastion of contemporary art, but she never abandoned her dream-like imagery and polished style. When a rare opportunity arose to travel to Japan to work on a huge project in Tokyo reproducing ancient Buddhist cave murals, Jia seized this chance to explore her cultural roots.


(Lu, Jia. Gingko. c. 2004. oil on canvas.)
In the summer of 1995, she and her future husband Geoffrey spent two months in the museums of Paris and London, immersed in the great works of sculpture, architecture, and painting. She returned home to Canada deeply inspired, determined to capture the magnificence and universality of the human figure.


(Lu, Jia. Mountain Spirit. c. 1998. oil on canvas.)
Jia Lu currently lives in Los Angeles. She delights in beauty wherever she finds it. Her sense of confidence and hope is contagious, both in her personality and in her art.


(Lu, Jia. Mandala. c. 1999. oil on canvas.)
Sharing her love of the beautiful, Jia sends her paintings out into the world to remind us that there is, in essence, no separation between the human and the divine, and her work is much appreciated here!

Enjoy! :)

References: Jialu.com, ArtifactsGallery.com, jialu.deviantart.com & Visions Fine Art Gallery

The Art of Marco Cutrone

Marco Cutrone was born in the New York City area and was clearly influenced by his environment. Cutrone was brought up in a strict European household with an emphasis from his father, who taught him that you must work hard in order to succeed.

 
(Cutrone, Marco. Purple Daisies. oil on canvas.)

(Cutrone, Marco. White Gerberas. oil on canvas.)

Cutrone studied at the New York School of Visual Arts and then apprenticed himself to the Dutch painter, Braldt Bralds. He later worked closely with his cousin, Federico Castelluccio, who was a gifted and accomplished painter, as well as an actor. Castelluccio played “Furio Guinta” on the HBO Series, “The Sopranos”. Tony Ryder as well as his former New York School of Visual Arts Teacher, Steven Assael also influenced his work.

 
(Cutrone, Marco. Red Flowers. oil on canvas.)

(Cutrone, Marco. Spring Stems. oil on canvas.)

(Cutrone, Marco. Early Spring Gathering. oil on canvas.)
Cutrone’s figure drawings in graphite capture every nuance of the flesh whilst the dark background, created by several coats of graphite, furthers the stability and intrigue of the figure. Marco feels that his use of graphite is a means of releasing the life which is hidden within the blank sheets of paper.

 
(Cutrone, Marco. H in H. graphite on paper.)

Cutrone states that "The subject has so much to contribute to my pieces, each drawing reflects personal insights about the subject and its maker and each reflects an understanding of our inherent and shared humanity"

 
(Cutrone, Marco. KT in Brown Dress. oil on canvas.)

Cutrone’s oil paintings create a dimension of realism that is inherent in all that is alive. The wonder of the miracle of creation is captured on his canvas. He paints from life and his paintings evoke emotion.

 
(Cutrone, Marco. Little Blue Flowers. oil on canvas.)

(Cutrone, Marco. Reposed Tulips. oil on canvas.)
The Realists movement which began in the mid-nineteenth century seems to be alive and well in Cutrone’s work. His attention to detail is outstanding. The viewer almost feels as though they could reach out and pick one of his flowers. His paintings are so realistic they look as though they are photographs and his work is much appreciated here! 

Enjoy! :) 

Reference: MarcoCutrone.com

The Art of Leonid Afremov

Leonid Afremov (1955 – ) was born in the city of Vitebsk, Belarus. Afremov graduated from Vitebsk Art School in 1978. The school was founded by Marc Chagall in 1921. Along with Malevich and Kandinsky, Leonid Afremov is one of the elite members of the famous Vitebsk art school.

 
(Afremov, Leonid. The Loneliness of Autumn. c. 2009.
oil on canvas.)

Afremov built up his portfolio by painting a lot with oil and participating in various exhibitions until he moved to Israel in 1990. There he witnessed the scorching southern sun-filled with vibrant reflective colors which soon had a positive influence on his paintings. Then he began to thrive as a unique artist.

 
(Afremov, Leonid. The Louvre Museum. c. 2009. oil on canvas.)

Afremov’s artistic style is unique and easily recognized. He uses a palette knife instead of regular paintbrushes to put the paint onto the canvas. The palette knife itself is intended to be used for cleaning old paint off of the canvas. It is very rare that any artist ventures to use it as an instrument in painting together with a brush and it is even rarer that any artist uses it as their only instrument.

 
(Afremov, Leonid. Nude. c. 2009. oil on canvas. museum.)

Working with palette-knife gives fantastic possibilities, but it is also fantastically difficult to master. It took 10 years for Leonid Afremov to build up his palette-knife handling skill up to the level that it is now.

 
(Afremov, Leonid. Evening Charm. c. 2009. oil on canvas. museum.)

Afremov now lives in Florida in the United States. His painting technique is accepted by specialists to be completely unique and not capable of being copied. He even does not really need to sign his artwork, it is impossible to confuse it with other painter's work or to forge. His artistic style is distinctive and easily recognized and his work is much appreciated here! 

Enjoy! :) 

References: Leonid Afremov, Fine Art America & leonidafremov.deviantart.com

The Art of Thomas Fedro

Chicago artist Tom Fedro creates art that makes you smile out loud. A combination of urban landscapes and pop art faces that focus on composition and color.

 
(Fedro, Thomas. Stare Down F736. c. 2009. Acrylic.)

Tom's bright-colored, bold whimsical art warms the heart and celebrates the joy brought to our lives by the diverse nature of our species.

 
(Fedro, Thomas. Sleep Walkers. c. 2009. Acrylic.)

Tom lives and works in Mt. Prospect, IL just outside of Chicago with his wife Alicia and son Jordan. He attended Valparaiso University and The Illinois Institute of Art.

 
(Fedro, Thomas. Watch Yourself. c. 2009. Acrylic.)

He and his wife owned a gallery for many years in Chicago. Currently, he is represented by galleries in the US and Europe and recent special projects include pieces commissioned for the Broadway show "Rent", the 40th anniversary of "The Second City", Toodgood Wineries, Sweet Riot Candy Co., and Chicago's "Cow's on Parade". Corporate commissions include pieces for IBM, Hotel Allegro in Chicago, historic Navy Pier, and Washburn Guitars.

 
(Fedro, Thomas. Hot-Headed F655. c. 2008.
Acrylic, oil & chalk.)

There's just something about these simple abstract faces, I love the bright colors and the compositions. His work is much appreciated here! 

Enjoy :) 

Reference: Thomas Fedro, Self Representing Artists

The Art of Mark Kostabi

Artist and Composer Mark Kostabi was born in Los Angeles in 1960 to Estonian immigrants. He was raised in Whittier, California, and studied drawing and painting at California State University, Fullerton.

 
(Kostabi, Mark. Bored on the Ball
c. 2007. oil on canvas.)

In 1982 he moved to New York and by 1984 he became a leading figure of the East Village art scene. During that time he also developed a provocative media persona by publishing self-interviews which commented on the commodification of contemporary art.

 
(Kostabi, Mark. Love Letters
c. 2007. oil on canvas.)

By 1987 his works were widely exhibited in New York galleries and prominently throughout the United States, in Japan, Germany, and Australia. In 1988, inspiring extensive international press coverage, he founded Kostabi World - his large New York studio known for openly employing numerous painting assistants and idea people.

 
(Kostabi, Mark. The Junk Has Arrived
c. 2007. oil on canvas.)

In 1996 be began dividing his time between New York and Rome and consequently his work's already strong presence in the Italian art scene was vigorously enhanced.

 
(Kostabi, Mark. The Weight of Departure
c. 2001. oil on canvas.)

Kostabi has designed album covers for Guns 'N' Roses (Use Your Illusion) and The Ramones (Adios Amigos), Jimmy Scott (Holding Back The Years), and numerous products including a Swatch watch, limited-edition vases, espresso cups, computer accessories, and a Giro d'Italia pink jersey.

 
(Kostabi, Mark. In the Mix
c. 2003. oil on canvas.)

Like Keith Harring, Mark Kostabi paints faceless cartoon-like figures. Although Kostabi's figures are faceless they are far from generic. They convey a deeply emotional human connection with their body language that reaches out to the viewer and inspires sympathy and compassion. It is almost as if you can read the faceless figures' minds.

 
(Kostabi, Mark. Low Tide
c. 2007. oil on canvas.)

To see more of Mark Kostabi's art, please visit his wonder web page, which is extremely creative at (http://www.markkostabi.com/). I love his use of contrasting colors mixed with the dramatic emotion of his subjects and his work is much appreciated here !! 

Enjoy :) 

Reference: Mark Kostabi

The Art of Laura Cassetti

Laura Cassetti was born in Vercelli, Italy in 1979. She paints with the influence of Tamara de Lempicka, Keith Haring, and Gina de Dominiscis. Riccardo Roma a curator from one of her many exhibits states the following.

 
(Cassetti, Laura. dormiente.
c. 2007. acrylic on canvas.)

"An elegant and sensual, figurative search, where they boast clear and elaborate ancestries, deco and liberty; between the fulsome lechery of Tamara De Lempicka and the surreal severity of Gino de Dominicis, all elaborated in a chromatic feature, ignited and pulsating."

 
(Cassetti, Laura. dame bianche.
c. 2007. acrylic on canvas.)

"Ruler of a spatial rarefied context, a memoir of the experience in the Cartesian two-dimensionality of Keith Haring, Laura Cassetti's women and superwomen, post-modern Madonnas, Venuses and goddess, beautiful and perfect in the perfection of the units that compose to them."

 
(Cassetti, Laura. Ragazza alla finestra.
c. 2007. acrylic on canvas.)

"Moves winding in curves that have a license to abandon the figurative one in order to meet itself in a real graphical search."

 
(Cassetti, Laura. le due amiche.
c. 2007. acrylic on canvas.)

You can visit Laura Cassetti's home page at (http://www.lauracassetti.com/) or you can purchase her art at Gallery Today. I love the dramatic effects created by the vibrant colors contrasting with the white of her subjects. I also love her use of geometry in her wonderful compositions and her artwork is much appreciated here !! 

Enjoy :) 

Reference: Laura Cassetti,