At the end of every year, we announce our Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery “Year in Review” recap. In this annual feature we again highlight and promote again the gallery’s top winning artists for the 12 individual monthly art exhibitions and any other special online art exhibitions the gallery conducted, which in 2022 included the gallery’s “Summer 555” art exhibition.

In 2022, the gallery received more than 9,043+ entries for our art competitions and the following artist’s and their art are what we consider to be the best entries from our online themed exhibitions. 

The gallery received a broad array of media and artistic styles throughout the year.  We tried to showcase the various media received in our art exhibitions and we hope that you will take some time to view the various exhibitions that we have posted in our Gallery Archives.

Please enjoy reading about these extremely talented artists.

“Cityscapes” – January 2022 – Jeffrey Friedkin - "Urban Mirror”

Jeffrey Friedkin is a fine art and street photographer, specializing in capturing the energy, vibrancy and isolation of New York City. Jeffrey is a juried photography member of the prestigious Salmagundi Art Club in NYC. He is the Chairman of the Public Relations Committee and serves on the Salmagundi Board and Photography Committee.

A multiple award-winning photographer, Jeffrey has widely exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the tristate area in addition to a large international online presence. His work has been featured on various magazines and is held in private collections and clubs. A series of his photographs have been acquired by the Yuko Nii permanent collection at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center in Brooklyn, NY and Corcoran Realty of Westchester.

Jeffrey Friedkin’s photography employs a synthesis of the artistic eye and technology. His work focuses on New York life: the streets, people, architecture and nature. The lush rural landscapes and sparkling seascapes of the Hudson River Valley region equally inspire him. His images tell these stories.

Jeffrey’s website is www.jeffreyfriedkin.com  

“All Women – February 2022 – Sophie Parkhill - "Crabtivated”

I am a self-taught wildlife & portrait artist in North Wales, UK. With only a small amount of basic school art studied, I rekindled my love for art back in 2019 with a Blue Jay painting after being inspired by Jason Morgan. It was then, that I realised I wanted to aim for realism with my work, in the hopes of one day achieving hyper-realism in my work.

Predominantly I focus on wildlife, whilst also taking on pet portrait commissions. However, since the lockdowns began, I decided to push myself to work on something outside of my comfort zone, which included a range of human portraits. These gained a lot of appreciation from fellow artists and followers and ultimately started a new journey of human portrait commissions being taken alongside my animal commissions.

Through 2021, just 2 years after beginning my art again, I have become a member of the Association of Animal Artists, gained several awards and exhibited in several exhibitions across the UK. Including the very prestigious Royal Society of Marine Artists annual exhibition in London.

Sophie’s website is www.spwildlifeart.com

 “Abstracts” – March 2022 – Harrie Handler - "The Melting of Winter”

Harrie still resides in her birthplace of Tucson, Arizona. After attending one photography class in high school, she decided to pursue a career in teaching art. During her university years, she studied with master photographers Jack Welpott, Todd Walker, and Harold Jones and was inspired by their work. Her volunteer work at the UA Center for Creative Photography allowed her the opportunity to meet Ansel Adams.

Harrie began a teaching career after graduation, teaching high school photography for seven years in the Tucson Unified School District during the day, and Art for Personal Development at night for Pima Community College. Her teaching continued for another 21 years. After retirement, she was contracted to lead two commercial interior design projects, and was able to concentrate on her painting which is now her preferred art form. While her original emphasis was oil painting, she currently paints mostly in acrylic.

In her abstract paintings and photography, Harrie is inspired daily by the shapes and forms, textures, shadows and color seen in reflections of water, clouds, human figures, peeling paint, wood and ordinary objects. She is an active member of the Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild (SAWG), Contemporary Artists of Southern Arizona (CASA), Contemporary Art Society (CAS), Southern Arizona Artist Guild (SAAG) and the International Society of Acrylic Painters (ISAP).

See more of Harrie’s work on her website.

“Botanicals” – April 2022 – Stephen Kenneth Hackley - "Reverence”

Stephen is a native of Des Moines, Iowa who moved to Texas at the age of 4. Taking art classes in school was a beginning for Stephen, including achieving a major art award at the young age of 14. However, he did not immerse himself into his career as a painter until the mid-90's after becoming inspired by the work of renowned American subliminal artist Jim Warren.

“I am really interested in evoking an emotional response from my work using color, motion, texture and form and even elements such as rock and metal right on the canvas. I want my art to touch people and bring some beauty and joy into their surroundings. I truly believe the essence of what an artist does is create.”

Stephen was twice given the distinction as one of the top 50 floral painters in the world by the Susan Kathleen Black Foundation, where twice his work traveled to galleries and museums across the US with the exhibits. He has a 7-panel reproduction spanning 15 feet wide and a 12-foot original both purchased by the M Crowd (owners of Mi Cocina Restaurant) in the Mi Cocina in the Ft. Worth Hulen area.

He has been invited to Art Monaco and shown at the Redwood Media Group's family of world-renowned art shows. His work has also been represented by the Main Street Gallery in Aspen, is in ADC Fine Art in Cincinnati, Ohio and Art on 7th in Henderson, North Carolina.

Stephen’s website is www.hackleyfineart.com

“Figurative” – May 2022 – Linda McCord - "Funny Pages”

Linda McCord is best known for her figurative work in watercolor and acrylic paintings. The series of watercolors titled, Family, focuses on lighting, texture, and unusual composition. McCord says, “My work is more mathematical than emotional. I focus on shapes and design.” Her work has been described as abstract realism. Linda McCord is a signature member of International Society of Acrylic Painters, Northwest Watercolor Society, California Watercolor Association and Georgia Watercolor Society. Her paintings have been published in several books and she has won numerous international awards. She recently won the Gold Award for her series of watercolors, “In the 90’s” and was featured at the MiKiHASi, Memories, and international film featuring this series.

Linda’s website is www.lindamccord.com

“Animals” – June 2022 – Scott D Ferguson - "The Red Throne”

Scott Ferguson was born in 1982; his earliest and fondest memories were of his mother teaching him how to hold a pencil and draw animals. Growing up in a family of artists and craftsmen Scott's passion for art only grew from childhood as he went on to obtain his BA in Animation. Originally a sequential artist and digital painter for fifteen years in the comic and gaming industry, he found the importance of composition, conceptual development, and creating a story through his work. These base fundamentals he learned would eventually lead him to oil painting.

Drawn to the brilliant works of impressionism done by old and modern masters, Scott uses an array of wet on wet techniques prioritizing thick brushstrokes, lighting, and a limited palette in his paintings. Growing up in old colonial and Victorian homes surrounded by the wilderness of Pennsylvania, Scott's interest in historic architecture, memorabilia, and animals are reflected in his work creating a contrast in his portraits of threatened and endangered wildlife.

Scott’s website is http://scottferguson.net

“Open” – July 2022 – Jeffrey Friedkin - "On the Town”

Jeffrey Friedkin is a fine art and street photographer, specializing in capturing the energy, vibrancy and isolation of New York City. Jeffrey is a juried photography member of the prestigious Salmagundi Art Club in NYC. He served on the Salmagundi board and was Chairman of the Public Relations Committee and assists the Chairman of the Photography Committee for the Salmagundi Art Club.

A multiple award-winning photographer, Jeffrey has widely exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the tristate area in addition to a large international online presence. His work has been featured on various magazines, advertisements and news sites and is held in private collections, corporate businesses and clubs. A series of his photographs have recently been acquired by the Yuko Nii permanent collection at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Jeffrey Friedkin’s photography employs a synthesis of the artistic eye and technology. His work focuses on New York life: the streets, people, architecture and nature. The lush rural landscapes and sparkling seascapes of the Hudson River Valley region equally inspire him. His images tell these stories.

For more information about Jeffrey or to see more of his work, please visit his website.

“Summer 555” – July 5 – September 5, 2022 – Cher Pruys - "Girls Girls Girls”

"To take my inner visions with my hands and create a work of art for you the viewer .... That is the ultimate in self-expression."

Cher Pruys was born in Regina. Over the years she lived in many places including Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Fort Frances, settling into her present home in Devlin, on the banks of the Rainy River with her husband Mark, 4 dogs and 2 cats.

By age three, Cher was seldom found without a drawing tool in hand. She worked in pencil, charcoal and ink over the years, until, she picked up a paintbrush at the age of 35. Beginning with oil paints, she found her chosen mediums in acrylic, water color and gouache.

Although self-taught, her dedication and talent has seen her work juried into 199 International exhibits, as well as exhibits in numerous non juried shows. She has won 224 awards for her work in the International Juried Exhibits.

To learn more about Cher or to see more of her work, please visit her website.

“Seascapes” – August 2022 – Mike DeCesare - "Storm at Sea”

Photography is my first language, and I try to speak softly, using color, light and tone to wrap the viewer in a moment, an insight, an emotion, and a love and respect for the earth. I alone capture and develop every digital negative, taking precaution to do no harm and leave no trace in the environment."

I started taking pictures as a child, using a Kodak film camera. I evolved into medium format film photography for all of its spectacular clarity.  That meant I was “late” to digital capture, not making the transition until digital technology advanced far enough to make it truly enlightened. 

In college, television/film was my focus and became my career choices for decades, even while photography was always near; often, I integrated my images into project work.  Finally, photography became the focal point of my work, and I have fused it with my love and respect for the outdoors.

My fine art photography explores the interactions of people and nature, from an abandoned cabin in a forest landscape to a doorway in an urban landscape to a billowing storm at sea.  Everywhere there is nature’s grandeur and nature’s fury, and mankind’s imprints and interactions. 

In my work, the viewer is invited inside the image, to see, feel, judge and create their own interpretation and emotional bond.  

Mike’s website is http://prophotonorthwest.com

“Landscapes” – September 2022 – Mary McKenna Ridge - "Switzerland Respite”

Mary is a Photographer/Artist living in New York City at the Westbeth Artists' Housing Complex. She holds a Master's Degree in Graphic Communications from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, N.Y., has studied at the International Center of Photography, at N.Y.U., and at the School of Visual Arts, all in Manhattan. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Art Education from Edinboro University, PA. Mary has worked as an Art Instructor in NYC Junior High Schools and as a Graphic Designer in addition to her Photographic work.

Mary has designed many book jackets for publishing companies, and also works in watercolor and pen and ink. Mary shoots in color and black and white, using digital full frame, as well as 35 mm SLR. She has photographed throughout Europe and Asia, and much of the United States.

Mary’s website is http://marymckennaridgephotography.squarespace.com

“Patterns, Textures & Forms” – October 2022 – Lillian Anna Blouin - "Disordered Mind”

An award-winning artist and devoted student of hyper-realism Lillian Anna Blouin’s unique style of painting seeks to bridge together the worlds of the real and the unreal. Each piece is a surreal exploration of everyday objects with multiple interpretations behind each painting. Lillian received her BA in Illustration from Laguna College of Art and Design. After showcasing in several southern California galleries she was inspired to pursue an MFA in painting at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She has been an exhibitor in the internationally acclaimed Festival of the Arts since 2013. Other exhibitions include the LAAA’s National Survey Exhibition in Los Angles and the National Juried Small Works Exhibition in Clifton Springs, NY.

Lillian’s website is www.lillianannablouin.com

 “Primary Colors” – November 2022 – Cher Pruys - "Bubble Gum Wishes”

Cher Pruys was born in Regina. Over the years she lived in many places including Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Fort Frances, settling into her present home in Devlin, on the banks of the Rainy River with her husband Mark, 4 dogs and 2 cats.

By age three, Cher was seldom found without a drawing tool in hand. She worked in pencil, charcoal and ink over the years, until, she picked up a paintbrush at the age of 35. Beginning with oil paints, she found her chosen mediums in acrylic, water color and gouache.

Although self-taught, her dedication and talent has seen her work juried into 199 International exhibits, as well as exhibits in numerous non juried shows. She has won 224 awards for her work in the International Juried Exhibits.

To learn more about Cher or to see more of her work, please visit her website.

“Nature” – December 2022 – Lynette Orzlowski - "The Encounter”

Lynette Orzlowski’s artistic practice has been driven from an early age to paint, with a love of animals and a passion for horses.

The paintings are an impressionistic style, though many elements within the works hold true to subtle notations of realism, walking the line between loose movements and textures, to fine detail and anatomical correctness.

Using a wide array of different techniques, mixing the texture and variety of mediums to express an individual body of work. With the main focus of Lynette's work being to explore the different notions and relations ships between humans and animals, in particular the horse. This long standing partnership between man and animal is one of great significance, not only with the everyday but into the realm of fantasy.

With Lynette’s own understanding for this partnership, having resided in the rural outskirts of Victoria, herself being surrounded by the direct importance the roll of the horse still plays in everyday life she is able to draw first hand on this as a major source of inspiration.

Lynette’s website is www.orzlowski.com.

Congratulations to our Top Winning Artists for 2022 - Your Works are Magical and Stunning! Thank you.

2022 Year in Review – Our Top Winning Artists

 

 

It’s that time of the year again when we at the Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery announce our “Year in Review” recap. In this annual feature we highlight and promote again the gallery’s top winning artists for the 12 individual monthly art exhibitions and any other special online art exhibitions the gallery conducted, which in 2021 included the gallery’s “555 Special” art exhibition.

In 2021, the gallery received more than 11,787+ entries for our art competitions and the following artist’s and their art are what we consider to be the best entries from our online themed exhibitions. 

The gallery received a broad array of media and artistic styles throughout the year.  We tried to showcase the various media received in our art exhibitions and we hope that you will take some time to view the various exhibitions that we have posted in our Gallery Archives.

Please enjoy reading about these extremely talented artists.

“All Women” – January 2021 – Merrilee Soberg – “The Timekeepers”

After retiring from a successful career as a professional potter, Merrilee turned to photography and digital art to fill the creative void. She honed her digital art skills in Sebastian Michael's Photoshop Artistry online courses. As a result, she has been published in numerous editions of "Living the Photoartistic Life" magazine and was featured in the February 2020 edition.

In 2020, Merrilee received first place in Fusion Art's "Leaves and Petals" competition plus second overall (first place in photography division) in "Light Space & Time's" Nature competition. Many of the photos used in Merrilee's compositions were taken at home on Vancouver Island on the west coast of Canada or during her world travels.

She is passionate about photographing wildlife, especially birds, in their natural habitat. As she lives on the edge of a seasonal wetland, other elements of nature regularly find their way into her artistic creations. These photos combined with digital painting are the building blocks used to create inspired, unique works of art that can be beautiful, intriguing, moving and at times thought provoking. She focuses on the resilience, strength and connectedness of the human spirit.

Nature and the human form....what a magical combination.

Merrilee’s website is www.merrilee-soberg.pixels.com  

“CityScapes – February 2021 – Sandy Friedkin - "Schnippers for Lunch”

Sandy received a BS Degree from Columbia U., School of Occupational Therapy, and practiced as an OTR for many years. She had training in many artistic & craft media and enjoys taking pictures and post - computer processing. Sandy was born & spent most of her life in New York City. Her family still lives in the New York Metro Area & if she has an opportunity to visit NYC, she takes her camera & goes there. These pictures were taken on one such visit.

Sandy has lived in beautiful South Florida for the past 30 years. She loves the year-round warm climate and the outdoors. There is always something of beauty to photograph, whether wild birds, wildlife, flowers & botanicals, people, architecture or Land and Seascapes. Sandy has had her photographs displayed in many juried shows, galleries, and in many homes in South Florida. She has won a number of “Best in Show”, Special Merit, and Honorable Mention Awards.

If you would like to see more of her work, visit her website: https://sandyfriedkin.smugmug.com/browse

“Abstracts” – March 2021 – Ingrid Black – “The Cosmic Eye”

Ingrid Black is a self-taught artist who has worked with acrylics for over 35 years. Since retiring from her real estate career in 2008, she has devoted herself to art. She has had four solo exhibitions and has participated in numerous group exhibitions since then. Her cityscapes were very popular in the eighties. She went on to paint a series of portraits of performing artists, capturing her subjects’ energy on stage - depicting them in a surrealistic style. When she submitted her portrait of Bob Marley to the Bob Marley website in 2012, it went viral.

While she was painting portraits, she liked to paint birds and other animals, on occasion, which led to a series of bird paintings - realistic depictions of birds in settings normally associated with human beings. Also very popular, these paintings tell a story, often with humorous undertones.

She ventured into abstracts in 2016. Her fascination with texture, colour, contrast and light is evident in her abstract creations. In 2020, David Stark, Editor/Publisher of two websites, who has been involved in the music scene in London, England for many years, purchased the right to use Magical Mystery Tour, her psychedelic painting of the Beatles, for the cover of his new book, It’s All Too Much.

Ingrid Black’s work comprises a wide range of styles and subject matter - she tries something new just about every year. Not doing so would make her feel as though she is standing still. She is a member of The Lakeshore Association of Artists in Pointe Claire, Quebec, and The Society of Canadian Artists.

Ingrid’s website is www.ingridblack.com

“Figurative” – April 2021 – M. Gilmour - "Sitting. Waiting.”

Based in Munich, Germany, Michael is a Senior Member of the Federation of Canadian Artists. With no formal training in fine art (Michael's formal education is in accounting and law), Michael is a self-taught painter who has relied on practice, casual advice, books and videos to develop his painting techniques since he began painting in 2012.

Michael favours representational art with the aim of giving the viewer a high sense of realism to create the illusion of life. Michael prefers still life and figurative motives, and generally works with photographers to find natural compositions.

Michael’s website is www.gilmourfineart.com

“Botanicals” – May 2021 – Cher Pruys - "Coneflower”

Cher Pruys was born in Regina. Over the years she lived in many places including Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Fort Frances, settling into her present home in Devlin, on the banks of the Rainy River with her husband Mark, 4 dogs and 2 cats.

By age three, Cher was seldom found without a drawing tool in hand. She worked in pencil, charcoal and ink over the years, until, she picked up a paintbrush at the age of 35. Beginning with oil paints, she found her chosen mediums in acrylic, watercolor and gouache.

Although self-taught, her dedication and talent has seen her work juried into 99 International exhibits, as well as exhibits in numerous non-juried shows. She has won 75 awards for her work at the International Juried Exhibits. Included in these awards, the first recipient of a major Canadian National Award, The Mary Pratt Crystal Award of Excellence at the 2014 SCA Open Juried Exhibition, The SCA 1st place award of distinction twice respectively, 2016, and 2017 at The Canada’s 150 show. The Gold Medal recipient for Figurative Painting in The Mondial Art Academia’s International 2018 Competition. The Aviation Week & Space Technology Award Best of the Best, and the ASAA Award of Distinction for the best painting in the ASAA International Space & Technology Exhibit & Competition, consecutively for 2 years. She has had 14 solo exhibits. Cher is also an avid fused glass artist, and a certified teacher of piano and guitar.

Her painting “The Bubble” had the honour of being part of the Masterworks from The International Guild of Realism Tour. She was elected to the American Society of Aviation Artists as an artist member in 1996, and eventually was elected as a Foreign Affiliate Artist Fellow, one of only two Canadians receive this honour. Her work has graced the covers of 3 books, 14 magazines, and has-been featured in over 50 international publications. Cher’s works have found a permanent home in private and public collections worldwide.

Cher’s artistic style can be described as Realism with a hint of Abstract in her latest works.

Cher’s website is www.artbycher.ca.

“Animals” – June 2021 – Kaz Turner - "Rise to the Bait”

Since a very young age, visual art has always been of great interest. Kaz began to paint and illustrate from a very early age and continued to do so as a hobby. Kaz pursued an artistic career for a short while, although circumstance led her to a change in career.

Eventually after a long break, she returned to the art world and enrolled onto a part time class at a local college. This transition intensified her eagerness to create a personal style of decorative imagery; consequently, this progressed to the foundation course in Art and Design. It was here her drawing strengths were apparent and subsequently Kaz went on to gain a BA Hons in Illustration for Children’s Publishing at Glyndwr University Wales where she experimented with a plethora of materials, and found the amazing result pastels could produce when creating a design.

As a professional wildlife artist not only does Kaz have an avid interest in animals and their welfare but her love the natural world has been the inspiration to create realistic works of art. Her aim is to capture the spirit and character of the animals she paints, paying particular attention to the assiduous detail, their energy and form. Her portraits are a true representation capturing a pet's personality.

Kaz also offers one to one tuition, at her home studio in which she enjoys helping others to improve their own painting skills. All age groups are catered to, from beginners to advanced. Commissions for pet portraits are always welcome. As a consequence, she considers it an honour and a pleasure to illustrate nature and animals in art.

Kaz’s website is www.kazturner.com

“Landscapes” – July 2021 – Barbara Mierau-Klein‏ - "Tetons Sunset”

I enjoy combining my photography skills, education in graphics, and love of painting to create mixed-media digital works of art. Using all three disciplines enables me to diversify my style. My first love will always be abstracts. I create these with more of a feeling rather than starting with a vision of the end result. As I get older, I find myself leaning toward more of a modern style of work. The less complicated feel and composition appeals to my "less is more" aesthetic. I am an optimist and generally positive person. I focus on creating art that is colorful, has movement, light and uplifting. There's enough darkness in the world, I choose "HAPPY"!

Michelle’s website is www.woitzelphotography.com

“555 Special” – July 5 – September 5, 2021 – Jon Bøe Paulsen - "Dead Ringer”

Jon Bøe Paulsen’s (1958) paintings are hauntingly realistic. His impeccable skills give filmic qualities to his works. The artist studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (US) and graduated from the Norwegian State Art Academy in 1984.

His portraits tell many stories in one single image, and his dynamic between light and dark add a “carravaggistic” feel. Jon’s success as an artist was translated into various commissions, awards, and publications, including a documentary film on his life.

The artist’s work has been featured in exhibitions in Norway, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.

Jon’s website is www.artrenewal.org/Artist/Index/7440

“Open (No Theme)” – August 2021 – John H Diephouse - "Carriage for Hire”

I am a primarily self-taught photographer who began exhibiting my images about fifteen years ago. I seek to share images with which I has a strong and instinctive personal connection. Images may be simply documentary, invoke a sense of time and place, or resonate as an abstract blend of color, shape or form. Others provoke an indefinable question that does not readily yield answers without further study and reflection.

My creative process follows an intuitive yet patterned path, searching for the combination of elements that produces an instinctive but undeniable connection. Most often, the images that provoke the strongest connection are those that do not produce an immediate reaction but provoke a response through repeated contact and consideration over time.

I exhibit widely and have received awards in local, regional, and national exhibitions. My photographs are also included in several corporate and private collections.

John can be reached via his email.

“Patterns” – September 2021 – Christopher Brown - "Firmament”

I am a working artist with a master's degree in fine art. Included among my abstract works are wall sculptures, paintings, and drawings. I use a variety of traditional and nontraditional materials including canvas, paper, charcoal, chalk, pen, pencil, oil paint, varnish, plywood, wood, steel, and epoxy resin.

My abstract artworks are informed by Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism (Surrealism in that I give the unconscious/subconscious mind considerable liberty while working and Abstract Expressionism in so much as the pieces are not rooted in, nor do they mirror or seek to translate, objective reality). The artworks exist (for the most part) independent of direct visual reference to the physical world. When a direct reference is made, via a representational image fragment or a material that comes loaded with associations, it is done to induce a sense of memory, of fading or forming thought.

Free from the tethers of objective "subject", I use color, line, shape, material, and composition as “notes” struck in dynamic, gestural ways as well as quietly and reflectively played. These “notes” occupy visual spaces that are emotive and contemplative—internal, inward-looking spaces.

My large-scale pieces are intended to envelop the viewer and immerse them as they experience the work. Through this experience, I hope that the viewer may find respite from the noise of the “real” world, a breathing space, and calm found through quiet reflection.

Christopher can be reached via his email.

“SeaScapes” – October 2021 – Laurie Snow Hein - “Sailor's Delight”

Laurie Snow Hein has been painting since first grade when she first picked up a paintbrush and watched the bright paint colors dripping down the paper. It was love at first stroke. Her parents had convinced her that it was impossible to make a career as an artist; but it was in her DNA. Both parents, brother, and grandmother were multi-talented in the arts. At age twelve she started studying with Graham Ingels, a retired illustrator, famous for “Tales from the Crypt.” Her high school teacher encouraged her to apply for a scholarship which she received from Columbus College of Art and Design. She decided to major in Industrial design to be practical. At the end of her first year, Laurie was the first freshmen at CCAD to be awarded the Katherine M. Tuttle Scholarship.

After college, she married considering art as a pass time. Six children later at age 40, she was suddenly in need of supporting her family by herself. Her strength was the arts, portrait painting primarily, so she immediately started advertising to paint portraits. Her garage was converted to a teaching studio. She took a job instructing art in all mediums, teaching at two local country clubs. When her paintings of children and animals were noticed by a national publisher, her career in art licensing and reproductions was launched. God blessed her and provided the opportunities and ability to support her family with artistic talent. Had it not been for the necessity of using her artistic abilities she would have never grown to be the artist she is today.

Working 30 years as a professional artist, teacher, licensed artist, illustrator, showing at art festival circuits, Laurie now shows primarily in Florida. Her subject is concentrated on local landscapes, beaches, botanicals, wildlife. The beauty and variety of God’s creation is all the inspiration needed when exploring the amazing world there is to enjoy. Large paintings making you feel in the moment are her forte. Although very realistic, her brushstrokes are bold, rich with colors, transparent glazing, textures, and energy. You feel like you could almost step into the painting. The pace was so fast and demanding for many years that there wasn’t time to consider entering competitions for awards. Now at 70 plus there is a focus to share her art more with her peers and enter competitions creating greater value for her many collectors.

Traveling is a passion, while she searches out the heart of locations to paint. In 2019 Laurie traveled across the US on a 90-day trip starting a new collection of plein air artworks representing our National Parks. In 2021, she created several more plein air paintings during a white-water rafting trip down the Colorado River, flanked by the majestic Grand Canyon.

Contact her directly from her website: www.laurieheinartist.com/ for originals and commissions or custom made giclee reproductions. Follow her art and videos on Instagram and Facebook and collections on Pinterest.

“Nature” – November 2021 – Carolyn Dakin - "Full Moon"

Carolyn is a digital artist and photographer, whose art is inspired by the beautiful natural environment of the South Island of New Zealand. She spends time photographing many images, which she layers together to create painterly and timeless stories. Her work integrates themes of joy, beauty and delight, often with humorous or playful aspects.

Carolyn’s website is www.dakincarolyn.myportfolio.com

 

 

“Primary Colors” – December 2021 – John Jaster - "Boat Reflections”

John was born in Columbus Ohio, graduated from Ohio State and lived in Southern California for 30 years. Although John learned to draw and paint as a young boy, his degrees are in the computer science field. It wasn't until 2010, when his wife bought him a large easel and encouraged him to start painting again, that he began to take his art career seriously.

Since then John has been selected in over 130 gallery shows and juried contests, including the National Oil & Acrylic Painter's Society 2013 International On-line Exhibition and 2014 Best in America show.

John's Carousel Horse #1 was featured in the June 2014 issue the Artist's magazine Competition Spotlight, and he was featured in the 'Artists to Watch' section of the Southwest Art March 2016 edition.

John's acrylic painting have been included in AcrylicWorks Best of Acrylic Painting volumes 1-6+8 and his paintings have been voted FAV15% in Bold Brush on a number of occasions.

John’s website is www.johnjasterstudio.com

Congratulations to our Top Winning Artists for 2021 - Your Works are Magical and Stunning! Thank you.

2021 Year in Review – Our Top Winning Artists