PORTFOLIOa r t i s t

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issue 20ArtistPortfolioMagazine.com

Life of An Artist

lifeofanartist.tv

PORTFOLIOa r t i s t

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This is our 20th issue!

Over the last 4 years we have come across so manytalented artists from all corners of the earth and we areso thankful that our readership continues to grow. Wecan’t thank you enough for your support of the arts andArtist Portfolio Magazine.

The end of 2014 is near and next year we have someveryexcitingnews thatwewill be revealing inearly2015.As Artist Portfolio Magazine continues to grow as anindependent online art magazine we look forward tosharing the art from artists to art lovers worldwide.

In this issue of Artist Portfolio Magazine you will find artfrom artists who participated in our Midwest vsWest ArtExhibition.Asalways, selectingonly 20worksof art is anextremely challenging endeavor and we are happy withthe art we selected. We hope you enjoy this issue ofArtist Portfolio Magazine.

ArtistPortfolioMagazine.com

publisherben walker

editoringrid reeve

artistportfoliomagazine.com

myartcontest.com

Copyright© 2014Artist Portfolio Magazine

All contents and images cannot be reproducedwithout written permission from artists. Artists inArtist Portfolio Magazine retain rights to theirimages.

cover art:

Rachel YurkovichCleveland Heights, OH

Eat, Drink, and be MerryVideo

Page 42

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Jeffrey Olson, born in Chehalis, WA. in 1953, is an assemblage sculpture artist using foundmaterials, primarily rusted metal and weathered wood. He is self taught and inspired by the manyshadeand texturevariationsof rustedmetalwhich remindhimof thedesert regionsof theAmericanwest he has loved since childhood. Common themes are classical mythology, religion,psychological archetypes and science fiction. Olson has exhibited in numerous Earth Day shows,arts walks, a two person show in Hamilton, MT. at Art City Gallery (Diamonds and Rust) and iscurently showing works at Matter Gallery, Olympia,WA. and Four SeasonsGallery, Tacoma,WA.He lives and works in Yelm, WA.

Jeff OlsonYelm, WAdarkmoonstudio.net

Liar25" x 21"

Gothic Cathedral45" x 21"

Bone Dancer21" x 9"

Nude #142" x 14"

Christie Chew-WallaceChicago, ILoilpaintingsbyccw.com

Christie’s husbandwasa tadmore generous andagreed to fund her education atMission:Renaissance. She receivedexcellent instruction under the guidance of Mr. Larry Gluck. Along with her private instruction Christie has completedmany college courses in the arts from Fulton College, Glendale College in Los Angeles and College of DuPage inIllinois. She has complimented her formal training with a variety of seminars, workshops and panel discussions onevery subject from “How to take slides of your artwork” to “How to sell your art out of a tent”. During her educationher artwork continued to change and grow from reality based art to abstract.

In the midst of all the art schooling and creating Christie and her husband had two children; the artwork slowed a littlebut never stopped. They continued to raise their children and Christie continued create and participate in shows bothlocally inCalifornia andnationally. In 1990Christie andher familymoved toChicago. Shepromptly joined theChicagoArtists Coalition and The Arts Alliance and began to show her work throughout the city and suburbs. She has beenin several gallery stables, Gallery 500, the Blue Mule Gallery and Gallery Atlantis to name a few.

Christie’s children are now completing their college educations (one in the arts) and are on their way to becoming self-sufficient adults. She is the proud owner of three English Bulldogs, two of them are certified therapy dogs, she andherBulldogsworkall over thecityhelping2nd and3rd gradechildren improve their readingskills throughSITSTAYREADand helping thementally and physically handicapped children and adults use their minds and their bodies to work withanimals and make their lives a little better. This is accomplished through Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy. Christiedonates up to four pieces of artwork each year to her favorite organizations, including Treehouse Animal Foundation,NOW, Rainbow and a variety of other worthy organizations who might be having a silent auction to raise money fortheir cause.

Christie’s family resides in the South Loop of Chicago andGrant Park is her dogs’ back yard. Her studio is in her livingroom, spreading throughout the house. She works with oils and acrylics on canvas and is quite prolific as well asinquisitive and moves forward with her art by striving to becomemore creative and original with each new series. Herpaintings fully occupy her time and she works hard to produce art that speaks about her own acknowledgements onlife.

The innovative artist, Christie Chew-Wallace was born in St. Louis, Mo. in 1956. Shemet her husband, Robert, in high school and theymarried in 1981. Theymoved to LosAngeles that same year and Christie began her formal art instruction at a private artschool called Mission: Renaissance. Christie has always been interested in creatingand has done so since shewas old enough to pick up a crayon. Her parents were veryproud of her talent but did not have the funding for an art education so they bought heran art course from a T.V. commercial. Christie passed with flying colors!

PortalsAcrylic

48" x 60"

A Snake in the Grass: Portal Series - Acrylic - 33" x 48"

Through the Seventh Portal - Acrylic - 20" x 40"

Photography has been a passion of mine for over 20 years. As a kid growing up in Kansas, I always enjoyed taking pictures of events, aswell as of friendsand family.Duringhigh school I tookaphotography classasoneofmyart classes. Thephotography coursewasa traditionalfilm-based class, so black-and-white photographs were the focus. My dad took me down to local pawnshop to buy my own camera to usefor the photography class. How excited I was to havemy ownNikon camera. I must say it servedmewell for over ten years, from high schoolto undergraduate to graduate school and beyond.Once I was enrolled in college at Kansas State University, I took more photo classes but my focus was on becoming a graphic designer.Photography, which always came easily tome, was a consistent source of comfort and understanding. I was able to take some photographyclasses for some of my electives and one was an independent study, but it was still traditional film-based course. After a few years passed,I felt I needed to good back to college and better myself in the area of graphic design so I enrolled in the MFA program at Kansas StateUniversity. During this time my camera and I collaborated in photo sessions to help me communicate the message I wanted as a designer.Also during this time a revolution in photography was taking place: digital cameras. Digital files had, of course, replaced the more traditionalfilm. This was also a time when I became aware of what Photoshop could really do. It allowed me to blend and manipulate multiple imagesto create something entirely new. Most of the photographic manipulation I was doing was focused on graphic design- (visualcommunications-) based work, so not much in the way of self-exploration and investigation this changed in the next few years.I finishedmygraduate degree 2002and I gotmy first teaching position at EmporiaStateUniversity, as theHeadofGraphicDesign. Althoughthis is no longermyprocess, at this time, Iwas still shooting film-based images, scanning the images in, andmanipulating them inPhotoshop.For a faculty show, I did my first self-expressive, narrative piece called Crossroad (2005). I didn’t see the potential of the work, but one ofmycolleaguesat the timementioned tomehow impressive theworkwasandstated I shoulddomore.Crossroadblendsdifferent backgroundtextures with telephones poles, birds hanging on telephone lines, and a railroad sign. I deleted all the words in the source material except“Cross Road”.

Around this time I created two works--Forgotten (2006) and 02 Trapped (2006)-- which became my therapy in a way and helpedmy work to evolve to what it is today. They are also typical of the kinds of images I make and of the process I use in making them. Aroundthe time that I began this body of work, I was walking through the Biology Department on Emporia State’s campus. The Department hadon display exhibits which included different taxidermied birds, mounted on limbs, as well as a display case with just wings. I went back laterwith my camera and photographed all the birds on display and their wings. One of the instructors showed me more of the animals they hadin storage: a nest from birds, wasp nests, and other taxidermied animals. This photo shoot is where I got a lot of my pictures of birds andwings that I used for Forgotten and 02 Trapped. I found this to be the easiest way to shoot birds because the living ones don’t tend like humaninteraction. I go to museums, wilderness conservation areas and, when possible, shoot birds in their natural environment. I still continue touse birds as a reoccurring symbol in my work, as well as trees, textures and decaying architecture that is incorporated in my work. I havealways been intrigued by creatures of flight, real or imagined, how they must see the world in such a different way and that they have thefreedom to fly anywhere at any time.

In terms of process, each final digital image is composed of anywhere from 20 to almost 100 original source images. I shoot a lotof textures aswell asman-made and organic forms that I integrate into the background ofmy pieces. I also photograph abandoned buildingsbecauseof thestories they leavebehind. I alwayshavemycamera inmycarwhen I amgoing toevents, or home for theweekend. SometimesI will even just go down a road to see where it takes me to shoot.

So how do I sum up my work? It incorporates layers of textural and organic imagery that draws upon my interest in decayingarchitecture, nature, and the landscape in which I live. This imagery, rich in personally derived symbolism, is organized into imaginary,mystical, and mysterious landscapes. While the stories created in the work are not explicit, I incorporate symbols that, like signposts,encourage the viewer to navigate the implied narratives in their own way, based on their own personal experience

Matthew DerezinskiKirksville, MOhttp://mderezinski.wordpress.com

Crossroad #2 - Digital - 8" x 17"

Evening FlightDigital

17" x 8"

Misplaced Memories - Digital - 8" x 17"

My current body of work is a direct reflection of our changing environment. It isimpossible to overlook the profound link between man’s impact on earth and thevolatile weather we are experiencing. My new work addresses this change as it ismanifested in tsunamis,hurricanes,wildfiresand thealtered landscapeofourplanet.I have been impacted by powerful images and firsthand observations of theseextreme weather patterns and their impact on earth and mankind. Some piecesdepict the tension fromamomentary confrontationwhile others reflect the aftermathof this tumultuous conflict. Once inspired by these natural occurrences, I work froma streamof consciousness that often takesmywork in unexpected directions. Theselandscapes seek to accentuate the balance between the turbulence of our alteredatmosphere and the peace that emanates from the landscape’s inherent beauty.

Lissa BockrathChargrin Falls, OHlissabockrath.com

Mystic Veil - Oil on Canvas - 48" x 60"

Delusions of Granduer - Oil on Canvas - 60" x 48"

Intoxicating Revolt - Oil on Canvas - 30" x 30"

Lorax - Oil on Canvas - 5' x 4'

Ron WeinkaufSeattle, WAronweinkauf.com

Ron has been passionate about art since his high school days, where he majored in art for three years under thedirection of an inspiring teacher. He wants to give her credit, as he feels she was equal to all of the professors at theUW.

Ron has long enjoyed exploring the myriad relationships one sees in life, both in real life and in the world of art. Hedeveloped a series of life-size two-dimensional acrylic figures and closely related paintings, which are acrylic in mostcases. Of coursemany relationships one sees in his art are entirely a figment of his imagination. Wry humor is a verycommon thread in his works. Ron enjoys employing a little deceit…the “frames” are inmost cases actually faux, beingcomposed of heavily textured acrylics, and the “shadows” where shown in the mattes are also faux.

Although he has exhibited at various Seattle locales, the amazing world-wide internet is currently his preferredmeansof displaying his works.

Ron has lived in Seattle nearly all of his life, having been born in theMidwest, and living there until hewas twelve years old. He attended theUniversity of Washington in Seattle, and graduated with a degree inarchitecture, following five years of courses. In addition to numerousarchitectural drawings in ink, pastels, and watercolors, art was alsoincluded in his curriculum. He feels that art and architecture are veryclosely related, and indeed that architecture can be considered apractical form of art.

American FantasticAcrylic

Ptg. 36" x 42" - Fig. 21" x 65"

Zero - Acrylic - Ptg. 34" x 48" - Fig. 24" x 72"

SupersplatAcrylic

Ptg. 54" x 54" - Fig. 36" x 72"

<- opposite page

Double SubtleAcrylicPtg. 42" x 73" - Fig. 25" 73"

Michael GriesgraberLas Vegas, NVmgriesgraber.com

Born and raised in St Paul, Minnesota, Michael Griesgraber, attended the University of Minnesota, earning a BFA inStudio Arts. He went on to earn a MFA in Advertising Design from Syracuse University while in his 30s. With acombination of talent, people skills, and timing, Griesgraber thrived in advertising as part of computer and technologyrevolution, riding the waves of change and fortune that happened in these fields and in design. Nowwith a successful30-year career in advertising behind him he lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Griesgraber paints seven days a week in his downtown Neonopolis studio where he is a artist in residence. Activelyinvolved with the Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Art, he was featured in their exhibition Action Abstraction as wellas their traveling exhibition Neo Action Abstraction and was highlighted with his own solo show Colors Square Routein 2013.

Acknowledged numerous times in Upstream People on-line exhibitions and as a Showcase winner by Artslant onseveral occasions, Griesgraber has also exhibited in ART Santa Fe, the 2014 BrooklynWorking Artists Annual Colorshow, the Los Angles Art Association Annual Open show and downtown LA Art Show in 2013.

OutsidetheboxAcrylic on Canvas

36" x 36"

Maze - Acrylic on Canvas - 40" x 40"

X in X Squared - Acrylic on Canvas - 48" x 48"

Pick Up Sticks - Acrylic on Canvas - 40" x 40"

Kim FujiwaraRochester Hills, MAkfgallery.com

KimFujiwarawasbornand raisedon thenorthwest sideofDetroit,Michigan.By first gradehewasalready in advancedart classes mentored by his art teacher. He was known as “the kid who draws.” He says his influences were Marvelcomic books, Monster movies, psychedelic rock posters, Creepy andMadmagazines. He did hallway art and specialassignments for gradeschool andhighschool.He tooksecondplace in thestate for theAmericanLegionPoppyPostercontest in the 11th grade. He was determined to make art as a career and in 1975 he enrolled at the prestigious artschoolCenter forCreativeStudies/CollegeofArt andDesign (CCS) inDetroit. Some influencesand inspirationsduringthis time were American artists, Bernie Fuchs, David Grove, Norman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish, Bob Peak, GilElvgren, Frank Frazetta, and French Impressionism. After graduating CCS in 1979, Kim worked at major art studiosaround the Detroit area and by the mid 80’s he was an instructor at CCS for 5 years teaching Illustration, FigureIllustration, and Illustration Techniques. In 1992, Kim started his own studio, Fujiwara Art, Inc.

Kim’s artwork and portraits have appeared on national ads, book covers, editorials, magazine covers, CD covers,posters, brochures, billboards, annual reports, point-of-purchase, and children’s books. Several of his portraits havedecorated the walls at the prestigious Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills and more recent works includeover 30 portrait montages for Ford Motor Company’s NADA awards which can be viewed at world headquarters inDearborn. Portraits of celebrities have included, Arnold Palmer, Isiah Thomas, Jack Nicholas, Henry Ford, GeorgeKell, BenWright, Al Unser Jr., Hillary Clinton for the Washington Post, and a limited-edition print of Shaquille O’Neal.In 2003 Kim created a series of limited wine labels of Michigan for Cherry Creek Cellars. His work appears in severalNative American children’s books including; Carlos Montezuma, Ishi, also Science Adventures/ Whales, and ItalianPortraits. He has recently completed another children’s book, “My Name is Leona.” In September 2013 “My Name isLeona’ was awarded Gold Medal from Mom’s Choice Awards.

2009, after the demise of illustrations in print collateral, overall economy, and computer generated images, Kimreinvented his passion from Illustrator to Fine Artist. Kim decided to stay with what he is most known for, figures andportraits. With the support of his wife, he began to create two series of oil paintings, The AmericanWest and La BelleFemme (The Beautiful Woman).

“With both series, The AmericanWest and La Belle Femme, I can fuel my creative passion and spirit from everythingthey have to offer. From colorful landscapes, cowboys and cowgirls, Native Americans, horses, and great wardrobeof the West to beautiful women in a variety of sensual settings and costumes.”

The art of Fujiwara has garnered several Gold and Silver Awards at the Annual Scarab Club Advertising Exhibits heldinDetroit, honorablementionatPadzieski gallery inDearborn,merit onPortfolio.com first on-lineart show, a red ribbonat Birmingham’s “Our Town” exhibit, and a gallery spot on ovationtv.com. In 2012 and 2013, Kim was a top 5 finalistin the MI Great Artist Contest to include a solo show in both years.

Kimcurrentlyworks out of his homestudio inRochesterHills andwould like to relocate toArizonawhere he canpursuehis creative passion and entrepreneurial spirit in the fine art market.

Balance - Oil - 28" x 22"

Green River - Oil - 36" x 24"

Morning Rose - Oil - 18" x 24"

Kassandra MattiaGreenbay, WIkassandramattia.com

Kassandra Mattia was born in Fairfield, California and raised near Green Bay,Wisconsin. A recent graduate of SantaClara University’s Department of Physics, Kassandra is fascinated by the vast mysteries woven into the fabric of thetime and spacewe occupy. Drawing upon imagery fromher childhood in the ruralMidwest, she uses paint as a vehicleto express her observations of the “spiritual vibrations” that lie beneath the earthly veneer of our daily rituals andmeetings. Creating work that is simultaneously realistic and abstract, earthly and spiritual, traditional and bizarre,Kassandra hopes her paintings inspire an evocative environment for connection and conversation amidst theincalculable unknown that surrounds us.

MaeOil on Panel

40" x 30"

Margaret - Oil on Panel - 10" x 10"

ElaineOil on Canvas

20" x 16"

<- opposite page

RuthOil on Panel10" x 8"

Matthew Thomas ClarkPullman, WAmtclark.commatthewclark@mtclark.com

Matthew Thomas Clark is from the Southern United States and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts ,with anemphasis in sculpture, at Western Kentucky University. After completing his undergraduate degree he rananon-profit craft academy in the foothills of theAppalachianMountains.Heholds aMaster of FineArts, withan emphasis in painting, from Arizona State University. He practices an intermedia approach to artcombining photography, digital illustration, graphic design, painting & drawing, digital modeling andanimation. His work has been shown nationally and internationally.Currently, Clark is an instructor of fine art at Washington State University, Pullman.

Playing Field (White) - Painting - 36" x 36"

Playing Field (Red) - Painting - 42" x 42"

Before the Start - Painting - 48" x 48"

Playing Field (Black) - Painting - 48" x 48"

Rachel YurkovichCleveland Heights, OHrachelyurkovich.com

BioRaised: Prague, Czech RepublicLives: Cleveland, Ohio

Rachel Yurkovich received her BFA in Sculpture and Painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2014. She iscurrently using video to frame situations of uninhibited consumption in living things, and the damaging consequencesthat often occur as a result. This work has been exhibited at Cleveland venues such as SPACES Gallery, theReinberger Galleries, and Arts Collinwood. As a recipient of the 2014 First Agnes Gund Traveling Award, Rachel ispreparing for her upcoming travels to Chernobyl, Ukraine as a location for filming before 2020.

Eat, Drink, and Be MerryVideohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HsCxE_x2fU

Sugarcoated - Videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYy7HkP_Xlo

Egg Eating Chicken - Videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BObuVun5AD4

Five-Second Rule - Videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIEzQGZtptw

Katherine RohrbacherLos Angeles, CAkatherinerohrbacher.com

KatherineRohrbacher is anativeof FortWayne, Indianaandcurrently resides in LosAngeles,California.She receivedher BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, with a concentration in painting, in 2005.

She earned her MFA in 2009 from the Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art whereshe studied under the late Grace Hartigan and artist Joyce Kozloff.

She also received a painting fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center and is a member of the Los Angeles ArtAssociation and TAG Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, CA.

BlossomOil on Canvas

40" x 30"

Wild Thing - Oil on Wood - 36" x 48"

Stilled Life - Oil, Acrylic, Latex and Glitter on Wood - 60" x 60"

Wilted - Oil on Wood - 36" x 36"

I cannot remember a time in my life when I didn’t make art. My earliestrecollections are of hours at a small wooden easel depicting ornate buildings ofChinese architecture. It has always been amystery where that inspiration camefrom.

As I grew up, with my mother’s enthusiastic support, I was allowed to paint allover my bedroom walls, floor to ceiling time and again mostly with what wascurrently onmymind. Duringmy teens, giant flowers and other cultural symbolsof those timesemergedwhich I proudly displayed to passersby throughmyopenwindows. The epic conclusion to my creative years at home came when I wasofficially introduced into theworldof designandgivenpermissionand thebudgetto formallydecoratemy roomfor the last timeunder thewatchful eyeofan interiordesigner. Those early girlhood experiences hinted at my artistic path ahead.Ever since, I havecontinued toexploreandmasterdifferentmediums, stylesandsubject matters. Surprisingly, there has been nothing that I couldn’t do and Iequally enjoyed everything that came from under my hands and from mybrushes.

These days I am best known as amulti-dimensional artist capable of translatingmostanysubjectmatter intoamasterfulworkof discriminatingattention todetail.I specialize in floral imagery though I also have portfolios of work in other subjectmatter such as still life, animals, landscapes and abstract. Though currentlyrecognized formy paintings, earlier inmy career, I was known predominantly formy work with glass. Stained Glass was produced on a waiting list only basis.Fused Glass art pieces were sold mostly through galleries. I also had a line ofwoman's high-end fashion accessories featuring elements of fused glass whichweremarketedandsold to finedepartment stores suchasNordstrom,SaksFifthAvenue and high quality boutiques across the United States.

I have lived in San Diego for many years since I attended and graduated fromSan Diego State, cum laude with a degree where I excelled at the drawing ofcarbonstructures inFoodScience /Biochemistry.Myhusbandand Ibuilt ahomeand lived in Hawaii for a number of years but returned to San Diego to raise afamily. I have studied glass and painting techniques with notablementors. I wasmost active with gallery representation prior to the most heavy family raisingyears and consistently remain active with private sales to and commissions tocollectors. Today, the majority of my creative time is spent oil painting. My workis in numerous private collections. The most recent, notable public collection isLife Technologies a multi-billion dollar bio-tech company located in Carlsbad,CA. I am currently working on large scale commission of Balboa Park – and aminiature of same - for a private collector.

Gail Oyer aka "Mercedes"Carlsbad, CAmercedesfineart.com

Orange PassionOil on Canvas

44" x 42"

Red Rose 2 - Oil on Canvas - 56" x 44"

White Rose 2 - Oil on Canvas - 84" x 84"

Grant HamSeattle, WAsplasha.com

Extremes of light, be it natural or artificial have always attractedGrant’s eye and in his art he strivesto reproduce some of the tricks and illusions the light can often create, He finds his best results areachieved using a transparent layering technique first mastered by the Dutch in the 15th century.He is originally from the UK, but relocated to the Northwest a little after the turn of the millennium(The second millennium that is..!!), Grant has been painting professionally for around 15 yearsafter completing his further education at the Cambridge College of Arts and Technology, England.

The Treasure - Oil on Canvas - 16" x 20"

One Dog and His Man - Oil on Canvas - 24" x 36"

Sun Through the Maple Leaves - Oil on Canvas - 36" x 24"

Sun Through the Wisteria Leaves - Oil on Canvas - 24" x 30"

Amber BuckWoodland, WAsixdaysartgallery.net

Ever since I was very young I have always been interested in the energy that a simple painting can create. I paint froman emotional place. Sometimes my paintings come to me in a dream, sometimes from a photo I took, some straightfrommy imagination. I want to evoke a certain mood, or tell a story or create a visual piece that I have in my mind andwant to share.Sometimes thereare longstoriesbehindaworkofmyart; sometimesshort, simple stories.Myart comesfrom what feels like a sacred place, a spiritual visual journey. My goal with a painting is to usually create an upliftingimage. I want to create little moments of joy. In style I lean toward fauvist and impressionistic paintings with brightcolors. I am also deeply influenced by expressionism, folk, and primitive styles. I am drawn to simple lines, patternsand bold color choices. I am constantly exploring color, ideas, shapes, imagery, andmeaning. I see a thousand thingsa day that I’d love to paint.

Originally from The San Francisco Bay area, I moved north as soon as I discovered the trees were bigger there andlived in Eureka, California for seven years. I moved further north and even further out in the country to Woodland,Washington where I reside today. My neighbors have chickens in their yards that I want to paint.

Near the Fields Where We Ran - Acrylic on Canvas - 15" x 45"

Country Trees - Acrylic on Canvas - 20" x 20"

Sailboats 1 - Acrylic on Canvas - 36" x 36"

Seven Little Yellow Trees - 5" x 7"

Kurisutein Takagi LopusnakReseda, CAkurisutein.com

Kurisutein Takagi Lopusnak is a self-taught artist, born in 1980 in Tokyo, Japan. She grew up in California where shespent most of her time drawing and painting. She studied psychology and received her B.A. from the University ofCalifornia Los Angeles (UCLA) and her M.A. from California State University Northridge (CSUN).

Since 2003 Kurisutein has been working with acrylics on canvas. She often paints numerous faces that represent thehuman spirit and its connection with the subject matter in the title of her work.

"My abstract artworks are representations of the human spirit involved in complex topics. I accumulate drawings offaces and sketches that I then piece together to create a composition. The materials and colors used depend on thenature of the topic. The process of creating each work is very important to me. How the work is treated, the order ofprocedure, and the tools used are directly related to the topic itself - as if I’m creating an experience for the work inprogress.”

CopperAcrylic on Canvas

30" x 48"

opposite page ->

SugarAcrylic on Canvas

30" x 48"

Gold.Acrylic on Canvas

30" x 48"

SilverAcrylic on Canvas30" x 48"

Keri Joy ColestockPingree Grove, ILfacebook.com/keri.colestock

I have been a professional contemporary artist since 2002. I reside in rural Illinois. My wish is to continue to createbeautiful but also fun works of art fueled by passion and imagination. I am recycling found objects and having a blast!One man’s trash becomes a “Keri treasure!’ So the flea markets provide me with the items needed for my work. Ispecialize in creating “feel good” art sculptures but I also incorporate polymer clay in many of my pieces. Most arewhimsical, unique & on the FuNkY side like me!

Myartwork is alsoavailable in galleries in Illinois.Onehome is the4Art IncGallery locatedwithin theZhouBArtCenter.Another is 317 Studio &Gallery in Rockford. I would like to further expandmy artwork intomore galleries & boutiques.I am an artist with Lyme Disease who was told “art would be impossible” 13 years ago. I now have made 1500 piecesof original art.

Tree of Life - Polymer Clay - 27" x 27" x 4"

Leapin' Lizards! Made My Hair StandUpRecycled Found Object Sculpture35" x 19" x 11"

A FuN-Doo PotRecycled Found Object Sculpture27" x 15" x 12"

Terrence Robertson-FallThousand Oaks, CAterrencerobertsonfall.com

As a Visual Effects Artist for over a decade, Terrence Robertson-Fall has developed characters for Sony PicturesImageworks and Sony Pictures Animation starring in films including The Amazing Spiderman 2, Oz The Great andPowerful, The Smurfs, and Alice in Wonderland.As a young aspiring artist, StarWarsmade him so excited about the possibility of creating special effects in a film. Butin 1977 it was a fledgling field and without much opportunity. Another new field, personal computers, sparked anotherpassion, and he followed the family tradition of becoming an engineer. Working in the automotive field, yet anothernew passion, hewas instrumental in winning the 1994 Indianapolis 500, developing patents for vehicle based satellitetracking systems, and building internationally exhibited show cars. Still, he retained his interest for special effects infilm and the desire to be an artist. When Toy Story was released in 1995, he pursued his long held dream and studiedcharacter animation and character rigging in his spare time. He discovered that computer based animation was theperfect match to his artistic and engineering skills. Currently he is a Lead Character Setup/Sr. Technical Animator atSony Pictures Imageworks. He has developed highly technical rigs like the photo-real wings for the flying monkey inOz, The Great and Powerful, sculpting hundreds of poses for the bodies and clothes for the Smurfs so they look realas they move through their antics, and many more characters for a number of popular films. After spending yearssculptingdigital horses, smurfs, dogs, cats,wingsandpeople, Terrence found that heneeded toexpresshis own ideasand thoughts in sculptures that could liveoutsideof thebig screen, off of thepaper, bronzes that couldoccupy theworldwith us.Terrence has taken his creativity and combined it with his love of animals and thrown in a healthy dose of humor andplay. Different perspectives help us see ideas in a different way, much the way animated movies do, so the animalsin his sculptures often express human emotions and characteristics. Each one is telling a story, just as rich andanimated as the characters he created for film. They illustrate positive ideas, adding some magic to our lives.Speaking of magic, Terrence’s photography is a means of remembering some of his more magical experiences innature. There are so many wonderful places in the great outdoors to escape from the concrete and steel world welive in day to day. He has been blessed to experience many of them and have managed to capture some of them,ones that created a story in his mind. Stories and characters can be found in trees, rock formations, waterfalls andanimals. Sharing these stories and characters with others can uplift and inspire them, creating a greater appreciationfor our wild places, and also add beauty to their homes and places of work.

His various passions, which covers sculpting, drawing, painting, photography, wood-carving, as well as technologyand engineering – has kept him busy and going in many different directions. But they all have that common thread– creativity and creating positive stories.

Reflections of Three Brothers

Photography

30" x 20"

Reflections of Yosemite - Photography - 16" x 20"

Ruth ModricGreenbrae, CAruthmodric.com

FINN-AGAIN Project: The Meandertale - Digital - 19.5" x 19.5"

FINN-AGAIN Project: Pinneyfore Frockss - Digital - 19.5" x 19.5"

Julian KegelMilwaukee, WIjuliankegel.com

Color Harmony & Secret Backhand Candid CompositionDigital Photography on Canvas48" x 72"

Huge Tracks of LandDigital Photography on Canvas24" x 48"

Larry LefnerColoradolefnerart.com

Larry is an artist who defies categorization because his approach to creativity is constantly evolving. While workingprimarily with wood, Larry creates both fine and functional art that embraces a wide range of themes, from nature-scene architectural motifs to stand-alone abstract sculptures. Many residents of Sante Fe, New Mexico and Aspen,Colorado have collected his work during the forty years he has been a professional sculptor.

Some of Larry's most notable accomplishments in recent years include a monumental tree sculpture commissionedby Joshua Creek Ranch in Boerne, TX. The entire story is documented on our blog page. The Fly Fisherman TreeSculpture commissioned by the town of Basalt is a favorite with locals in the Roaring Fork Valley, and the memorialsculptural bench in front of the Woody Creek Tavern is one more original Lefner.

Larry also has developed his own unique method of sculpting which is a composition of colorful hardwoods. We callit Mosaic Sculpture. It is a technique created by Larry alone. Sometimes we describe it as 'mixed wood' sculpture.People think that these sculptures are painted, but the variety of colors actually belong to the different types of woods.These works of art are truly amazing to behold.

Larry is available by appointment and welcomes commissions for fine art and architectural enhancements, such asmantles, doors and entrance-ways.

Equine Elegance - Functional Mosaic Wood Sculpture - 24" x 37" x 74"

Chief JosephWood Sculpture32" x 32" x 45"

Chief JosephBronze38" x 28" x 4"

Lori Wolf GriliasArroyo Grande, CAloriwolfgrillias.com

Lori Wolf is primarily a mixedmedia artist. Working on paper and board she paints with watercolorand acrylic aswell as drawingwith charcoal, graphite, carand’ache crayons andwatercolor pencil.This new series is called “Reflective Emergence”. As Da Vinci use to say about exercising theimagination, “In order to excite themind, contemplatewalls coveredwith shapeless stains ormadeof ill-assorted stones. Find in them mountain landscapes, trees, battles, figures with livelymovements, faces, andstrangecostumes.”At nineyearsoldPaulKlee reflects, “tables toppedwithmarble slabs,whosesurfacedisplayedamazeof petrified layers. In this labyrinth of linesonecouldpick out human grotesques and capture themwith a pencil.” Lori manipulates her painted surfacesrevealinganoutcropof characters.Expressivegestures, provocativeposes, ridiculousproportionsestablish a chaotic gathering. Charcoal, crayon, or pencil divulge the figures she finds. Passionateabout color and fascinated by the remarkable surprises found through spontaneous painting, Loripays homage to Ernst, Klee, and the Surrealist pedagogy.

White Owl - Mixed - 24" x 36"

Rising Eagle - Mixed - 11" x 14"

Work Force - Mixed - 24" x 36"

ArtistBenWalker.com