It’s that time of year again when the Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery announces our “Year in Review” recap. This annual feature reviews and promotes the gallery’s 12 top winning artists for the 12 individual monthly art exhibitions.
However, this year we introduced a “Summer Special” competition based on the “555” competition that was launched in 2018. Therefore, we now have 13 winning artists from what is now our 13 annual art exhibitions.
In 2019, the gallery received more than 9,703+ entries for our art competitions and the following artists and their art are what we consider to be the best 13 entries from our 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 2019 – Patti Bradeis – “Young Apprentice”
Patti Bradeis is an award-winning artist born in Philadelphia, PA and currently living in New Jersey. She draws her photorealistic portraits with graphite, carbon and charcoal. Her techniques have evolved from studying the works of artists she admires and experimenting with various tools to achieve her desired effect. She uses photographs as her references. Quoting Renée Phillips, Director and Curator of Manhattan Arts International, “She not only achieves an incredible likeness to her subjects, she infuses her drawings with enormous love for humanity and her drawings evoke a powerful visceral effect on viewers. She reveals truths about many positive aspects of the human experience, particularly love, hope and unity that leap into our hearts.” Patti’s website is: www.belovedportraitsbypatti.com
“CityScapes – February 2019 – 1st Place – Matthew Jackson – “Skyline”
My art is born of depression. Beginning in 2007, I found myself as the senior government official. My ego was huge. I played the game very well. When I attended meetings with Generals, they listened to what I had to say. I had a big head and needed a new hat! I was arrogant, bold and opinionated. I was consumed by my job to the exclusion of my family and the truth of who I was meant to be. In 2009, as the pressures and excesses mounted, I was toppled and descended into a profound depression.
As I recovered, I found solace through Photo Shop PS CS6. I began making pictures and eventually reclaimed my life through art. The images I create speak to the person who was hidden for all those years. I am liberated from the mundane world I once dominated. I create digital art that is a vision unique to my experience. All my images are photo based, most taken by me, but some taken by friends or relatives, or are from the public domain. I will often combine images to achieve the vision I am striving for at that moment. I do not claim to follow a particular genre, though I believe a common strain runs through my work. My art is full of motion and bright with color.
Now, at age 65, I show my work in Denver and in mountain art fairs throughout Colorado. I am retired now from the Department of Defense and I am actively supported in my artistic endeavors by my spouse of 40 years and my children. I don’t know what the future has in store for me. I do know that this journey is not over. Matthew’s website is: www.eclecticimagesart.com
“Abstracts” – March 2019 – 1st Place - Lexi Sundell – “Landscapes of the Heart”
The creative process makes the difference between living and dying, a fact Lexi Sundell experienced more than once in her own life. Three of her immediate family members committed suicide and Lexi survived a variety of near death events of her own arising from a violent ex-husband, car accidents, and health problems. Each of those experiences led to profound changes in her approach to creating art. The creative process took her from suicidal feelings of her own to an exuberant joy in living. Over the years, she has shifted from oil painting to clay work to metal sculpture and jewelry to acrylic painting. Her great uncle Marvin Lenschow, a professional artist, tutored her in oils in her teens. As a result, she initially despised acrylics because they did not behave like her beloved oils. However, once she decided to discover what acrylics can do that oils cannot, they became her favorite medium. She is now an internationally recognized expert in acrylics and authored two books on acrylic painting published in six languages.
The most recent book is Creating Exceptional Color in Acrylics but both books remain available on Amazon. She became one of the top half dozen precision wax-carving specialists in North America when she worked in sculpture and jewelry. All of the minute detail of waxwork done under a ten-power loupe led to an explosion of floral paintings several feet wide when poppies in her extensive gardens caught her eye one early dawn morning. After nearly dying of a systemic infection, she suddenly found herself painting wildlife in bold colors, which expanded her reputation. Further health issues led her into abstract painting as well. Moons, or portions of moons, often appear in her work because a moon only reflects the light brought to it, just as a painting only reveals what the viewer brings to it. Her current work, regardless of subject matter, is all based on her love of color. She paints in multiple layers of acrylics and clear gel, providing unique textures to her paintings. Light refracts within those layers, creating a luminosity not usually seen in acrylic painting. The Russell selected her painting, “Something in the Air”, for their 2015 show and Night Tapestry for the 2017 show. The Yellowstone Art Museum has included her paintings in their shows and featured her in a quick draw fundraiser as well. Her work has appeared in numerous invitational shows, such as Icons of the West and the MPAA shows.
Her paintings have taken awards in juried competitions from the international Blossom-The Art of the Flower exhibition to the Avant Garden show at the Torpedo Art Factory and others. Fiber Fusion sent one of her paintings on a tour of the Americas and Europe. Her work has appeared in other museum shows, solo shows, multiple books by other authors, and can be found in collections worldwide. Due to her lifelong exploration of the creative process, Lexi also developed into a public speaker on the topic. At her TedX talk in Whitefish, she spoke on the creative process as related to community development while huge images of her paintings were projected on the wall behind her. A native Texan who studied art at Michigan State University and the University of Toronto, Lexi and her artist husband own and operate RiverStone Gallery in Ennis, Montana, where the spaciousness of the American West truly inspires her colorful paintings. Lexis’ website is: www.lexisundell.com
“Figurative” – April 2019 – 1st Place - Wayne Claypatch – “Out of the Pot”
Inspiration drawn from, oftentimes, obscure nostalgic memories reincarnated in Wayne's fertile imagination. TV programs, colorful plastic toys and cigarette ads are rendered in swirling oils or controlled graphite. Like the tethering ropes on a giant Macy's Parade balloon, Wayne's imagination is harnessed by his mastery of Medium. His work is FUN, but there is nothing funny about his technique. Schooled in the ways of figurative realism, Wayne can breathe life in human form as easily as his two-dimensional models. Either way, Wayne's academic, disciplined, approach and outright skills are incomparable. Wayne Claypatch received his BFA and MA from St. Cloud State University. In 1977, he attended a Fine Arts Study program in Europe and apprenticed under Phillip Pearlstein in 1980. Claypatch has been in numerous solo and group exhibitions over the past 30 years. His work is housed in several private and public collections nationally. Wayne’s website is www.wclaypatch.com
“Animals” – May 2019 – 1st Place - Clare Parkes - “Night-time Encounter”
I am a self-taught wildlife and pet portrait artist specializing in pastels. I discovered my love of drawing whilst on maternity leave last year and it has become a huge passion of mine. I have spent the last ten years working as a wax figure painter at Madame Tussauds in London, but my dream is to pursue drawing full time. I live in Buckinghamshire with my two-year-old son Oscar and having grown up surrounded by beautiful countryside; I have always loved wildlife and the outdoors. I enjoy capturing the emotion and personality of each animal in my drawings. Clare can be contacted via her email.
“Landscapes” – June 2019 – 1st Place - Kieran Brimson - “The Lone Tree”
Having grown up in the beautiful county of Cornwall, I have had the fortune to see incredible landscapes, seascapes, sunrises and sunsets. With seven years of being a Professional Photographer in Cornwall under my belt, I bring dedication and creativity to my work, as well as a determination to create something that has never been seen before. For me, photography is not simply capturing what is laid out in front of you; it is capturing what is not in front of you, a unique perspective that shows the true personality of the subject. To put it another way, it is not just seeing what is beautiful, it is understanding why it is beautiful and knowing how to best get that mood and feeling across on to electronic equipment. Kieran’s website is www.kbrimsonphotography.com
“555 Special” – June 15 – August 15 2019 – 1st Place - Louis Esposito – “American Strength”
A native Californian, Louis Esposito was introduced to Ceramics while studying Industrial Design at San Jose City College. From that moment art became his focus. He continued his art education at San Jose State University in 1965, concentrating on ceramics and glass blowing where in 1972 he graduated with an M.A. in Art.
His work at that time was heavily influenced by the psychedelic 60’s and artists such as Frank Stella, Robert Hudson and Andy Warhol. The artworks produced at this time were ceramic sculptures with a pop art theme. Louis wanted to go beyond ceramics and chose glass blowing as the next step. Louis went on to produce sculpture pieces using glass blown shapes which were brightly painted and combined the glass blown shapes with colored Plexiglas shapes. Louis moved to Richmond, Virginia and in the early 80’s Louis opened his own ceramic & sculpture gallery where he continued to work in ceramics.
After moving back to San Jose, California in 1983 he started working in graphic art with a large company using Illustrator and Photoshop, he worked at creating brochures, manuals and producing the company magazine. In 2000, he decided to continue in 2D graphic art, where he produced colorful illustrations with geometric shapes as the main theme and then he continued on a series producing individual portraits with a slightly pop theme.
Louis can be reached via his website: www.louisespositoart.com
“Primary Colors” – July 2019 – 1st Place - Sarah Miller - “Pride”
Digital artist, writer, and indie game designer, Sarah Miller creates in a world of her own existential fantasy. Based out of a small Virginia mountaintop in the eastern US, with her husband and two dogs, Sarah’s work dances between an array of subjects and styles, exploring fantasy, surrealism, and existential ideas through characters and visual storytelling. Her work has been described as dark and thought provoking, “beautiful and terrifying,” but to Sarah, her illustrations have always been merely an honest look at the darkness and beauty balanced inside our minds—painting by color the words she has often struggled to find for her own story.
Like many artists, Sarah found her eye for visual expression at an early age. Doodles and lifelike sketches brought her from gifted programs to advanced art courses throughout her school years, where she quickly honed the fundamentals and started creating her own characters. As her mind and interests grew, a love of fantasy, heroes, games, movies, and animation inspired much of her artistic development. By the end of high school, she was drawing posters and painting portraits, and after leaving with an academic award in visual arts, she already knew there was much more she wanted to learn.
Her undergraduate years took her studies from studio arts to game design and animation at the Art Institute of Washington. There she learned to bring her 2D illustrations to the next level, discovering creative software and finding immense satisfaction within digital arts. Coupled with her other passion for creative writing, she pursued a combination of storyboarding, scriptwriting, and other classes dedicated to telling stories through visual arts. After years of study between day jobs and relocating, Sarah earned her Bachelor of Individualized Study at George Mason University in Visual Design and Narrative.
Since her time at university, Sarah has built a professional portfolio through various freelance projects, worked as Creative Director for local businesses, and illustrated comics that help teach children and teens with autism. Now, thanks to a recent development from years of seed sowing and perseverance, Sarah focuses on her art full-time, immersing herself in her passion projects. Within the coming years, she hopes to self-publish two very distinct works: an indie tabletop RPG called "The Hunters,” which she has been creating alongside her husband/ creative partner, and a graphic novel of her own design that explores depression and mental illness, titled "Crow & Arrow.”
Much of Sarah’s creative career and adult life were inspired (and affected) by her personal path of self-discovery, and how few mental health resources there were available to figuring out the eccentricities of her own mind. After some late, life-changing diagnoses, she was inspired to discover that, who she is—who she had always been—as an artist was intertwined with those symptoms. Her art was, in itself, a result of the symptom, but also the cure. Through her art and story work, Sarah hopes to create awareness and generate discussion about mental health, encouraging viewers to find voices for themselves through her worlds and characters.
Though she got her start in pencil and inks, she now prefers painting digitally with her CINTIQ tablet, usually in Photoshop, Manga Studio, and other digital art software. There is also a sketchbook always within reach, where she sketches new composition ideas, writes plot points, and keeps track of her mind in organized chaos. Motivated by her fascination with philosophy, psychology, and existential themes, Sarah looks forward to the day where she can turn what she has learned into valuable inspiration and resources for others who are navigating their own existences, creating a community of previously silent voices now sharing in the awareness that they are less alone than they thought.
Sarah continues to showcase her work at conventions across the United States, with pieces in homes around the world, selling prints and taking on commissioned projects under the name Sarah Miller Creations. As her work and presence grows, she will continue to inspire voices, bridge connections, and tell stories through her art. Sarah’s website is www.sarahmillercreations.com.
“Botanicals” – August 2019 – 1st Place - Linda Mullen - “Gladiola Joy”
An award-winning watercolorist, Linda Mullen began her creative career painting in transparent watercolor more than twenty years ago. Her education came primarily through personal experimentation with the aid of books, workshops and personal conversations with successful artists. Linda's artwork is awarded in gallery exhibitions like the San Diego Watercolor Society with many of her more detailed depictions of glass and crystal coveted by an expanding collector base. Kaiser Permanente has ten pieces in their permanent collection. Her watercolors, Honor and Life Streams, are currently on a tour with the Freedom 58 Project art exhibit that promotes awareness of modern-day slavery. These exhibits are a component of the Justice Movement strategy to mobilize university students, faculty and communities. A popular watercolor instructor, the artist offers private and semi-private lessons to painters at all skill levels, including beginners. She is a signature member of the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies. Linda’s website is www.lindamullen.com.
“Open (No Theme)” – September 2019 – 1st Place - Christine Columbo – “Summer”
As a child Christine was artistically inclined, learning how to draw before she learned how to read. Her artistic father gave her lessons starting at 5 years old after noticing she did not draw like other children, but rather with the focus and concentration of a trained artist drawing from life.
After receiving an undergraduate degree in Art from the State College of New Jersey, she went on to get a computer programming degree, and then a master’s degree from NYU in business and philosophy. During her subsequent career years, she worked in New York City as a computer graphic artist, programmer and financial consultant.
Hoping her academic studies and New York City lifestyle and career would create a life of happiness, she was surprised to find a very different calling in 1996, at the age of 35. Following her heart, she “walked out of her life” and for the next 19 years, she lived as a monastic, training under a Hindu master whom she lived with for much of this time.
In 2010, she emerged from this cycle a completely different being, and spent the next 5 years integrating her new perspective and experience of life as an opportunity to live in love and with compassion for all beings. In 2016 came a profound deepening of her awakened state, at which time she moved to a monastery in Crestone, Colorado. For the next two years, she stayed in retreat. It was during this time she began drawing and painting again. In 2017, Christine received 13 awards for her paintings done during this same year.
Reflecting on her life, Christine has said, “For much of my life although it appeared I had achieved success, I didn’t feel my life had purpose. This led to my monastic journey, meditation, service and eventually a journey into the depths of my own heart. At the end of my 19 years as a monastic and spiritual practitioner, it was as if nothing had happened and everything had happened. I appeared the same but the lens through which I viewed the world was completely different. My heart was open and filled with love and my paintings are how I try to capture the beauty I experience all around.” Christine’s website is www.christinecolumbo.com
“Patterns” – October 2019 – 1st Place - Maureen Ravnik - “Chevrolet”
Maureen Ravnik was born and raised in Minnesota. A brief visit to Colorado sold her on attending college there to pursue a career in sales & marketing. She stayed and never looked back. Working and traveling a lot in that discipline opened her eyes to the wonders of the American west and reawakened childhood tendencies to creatively document her discoveries. She began making images of the American west in hopes of preserving the history, the culture, and the dreams that shaped the west.
Today, Maureen’s time is spent outdoors taking in and capturing the scenery, wildlife, and exploring other methods for interpreting and sharing what she sees and experiences along the way. She is deeply inspired by the work of Ansel Adams and Art Wolfe. Maureen has accomplished many things with her photography including images placed in the Audubon International Top 250, local, national and international juried photography exhibitions, winning placements in monthly club competitions, state park calendars, images selected for use by the City of Littleton, and many images selected as editor picks on National Geographic and for publication. Her work has been the subject of several newspapers. She has co-authored 2 books that document the history, beauty and environment of the second largest natural area in the country. She was listed by Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery as one of the top ten photographers to watch for in 2018. She was also selected for a solo exhibition by LightSpaceTime.art for April 2019. Maureen has also served as a juror for the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts in Colorado.
Maureen’s goal is to continually look for new ways to grow and express what she feels. That is what inspires her to never reject possibilities in subject matter. Maureen’s website is www.maureenravnik.crevado.com.
“SeaScapes” – November 2019 – 1st Place - Victor Mordasov - “Waves”
Victor Mordasov spent many years exploring different mediums and methods of painting. He discovered the joy of painting by following the techniques of the Old Masters in combination with an impressionism manner of painting. He paints a wide range of subjects, including landscaping, still life, portraits, seascapes and marine venues. His work portrays the exterior of the subjects as well as their characters and personality. Victor is a Fellow Maxima Cum Laude of The American Artists Professional League (AAPL). His paintings have been juried into and won awards in numerous National and International shows. Victor’s website is www.victormordasov.com
“Nature” – December 2019 – 1st Place - Carrie Cook - “On the Inside Looking Out”
We’ve lost our connection to other species, endangering and exploiting sentient individuals in the process. Everyone has a story, whether used for experimentation, food or entertainment, living captive in a zoo, or facing increasing perils in the wild. Their stories are inextricably linked with our own, and like ours, are filled with both loss and hope.
A Signature Member of both Society of Animal Artists and Artists for Conservation, Carrie Cook is actually a portrait artist. She has recently focused her practice on species closest to our own - non-human primates. Through each portrait, she acknowledge the individual, for it is surely as individuals that they see themselves.
Carrie was once a graphic designer in NYC, a student of Disney in L.A., and an art teacher to mildly interested middle schoolers in Colorado. But it was as head of graphic design at the Dallas Zoo, and the discomfort she felt around captive animals, which led her down her current path.
Awards include SAA’s Medal of Excellence, and David Shepherd’s 2018 Wildlife Artist of the Year - ‘Vanishing Fast’ category. Her work has been exhibited at San Diego‘s Museum of Natural History, The Houston Museum of Nature and Science, The Wildlife Experience in Colorado, VanDusan Botanical Garden in Vancouver, the Hiram Blauvelt Wildlife Museum in New Jersey, Arizona’s Sonoran Desert Museum, Miami’s Art Basel, The People’s Gallery in Austin’s City Hall, and England’s Nature in Art Museum, among other venues.
A portion of profits from paintings is donated to organizations that fight for animals. Carrie’s website is www.carriecook.com.
Congratulations to our Top Winning Artists for 2019 - Your Works are Magical and Stunning! Thank you.
2019 Year in Review – Our Top Winning Artists
