Day: September 19, 2010

Whether Vera’s forceful pen and ink graphics or her smooth plaster sculpture, each piece underscores a keen sense of form. In ‘Wrecking Ball’ she counterbalances thick and thin lines against concentric circles. An arcing black shape intersects the design and leads the focus to the small, dangling black and white sphere. Dissecting rectangular blocks cut into the circles, adding depth, while repeating triangles on the base add impact. The eye is lead both into the design and beyond, into the coming of action.

Butterfly Wing’ however, narrows the image, focusing on the graphic reinterpretation of the wings. The central diagonals suggest spreading wings, both polarized and moving through the perspective of semi-circular lines. Bean’s white sculpture, by contrast, is smooth and gently rhythmical. In ‘Bend’ motion results from recurring shapes emphasized by the stark color and shadows. ‘Cracked’ employs diagonally sliced verticals and a feeling of layered planes.

emotionsinmotion.com

Gary Walters, a Christian artist and a native of Jackson, Mississippi, has lived in Jackson all his life except for two years that he spent in Texas. He and his wife, Joan, presently live in Jackson. They have four grown children:Doug,Daniel,Jill and Jacob the other artist on this site and seven grandchildren.

Gary attended the Jackson Public Schools through the 10th grade, then moved to Deer Park, Texas, where he graduated from high school. Gary’s father sparked his interest in art at an early age. Walters attended Hinds Junior College and studied with Louis Walsh and Katherine Denton where he won honors as the school’s most outstanding art student. While attending Mississippi College he studied with Dr. Sam Gore and received the Bellaman Award for the most creative art student. Gary later earned a Masters Degree from Mississippi College.

Over the past 35 years Walters has had numerous one man shows. He has also taught art for Mississippi College, Mississippi State University, Hinds Community College, Belhaven College, and many workshops on painting. In 1993, he was honored as the Art Alumnus of the Year for Mississippi College. He is represented in many public and private collections throughout the United States. Walters has been featured in : MISSISSIPPI MAGAZINE, DELTA MAGAZINE, THE CLARION LEDGER, SCOPE MAGAZINE, WLBT , VIP MAGAZINE – etc.

“I consider each work of art as an adventure or trip you have never been on before. I believe the subject to be mainly an inspiration point. I feel no matter what the outside subject happens to be, the real subject should be the painting itself. If the artist makes a valid statement it comes not from the subject, but from the artist’s knowledge, skill, and above all his heart.”

Gary Walters

garywalters55.com

“I have spent most of my life in the tiny Welsh county of Pembrokeshire.

I like to capture movement and take aspects of the natural environment: colour, atmosphere and mood and transfer those qualities into a visual form. The inspiration for my work encompasses both the physical and non-physical. I really try to breathe life into my work in order to give the sensation of freedom and to demonstrate the beauty of the unaltered outside world, a world full of movement and colour.”

Edward Bowie

bowiesarthouse.com

” Painting, writing or taking pictures are the doorways to my soul’s freedom. Art is what breaks the bonds that chain me to this physical world, the wings that carry me to the other end of the rainbow where I find the missing link that connects me to eternity. Photography started it, followed by the drawings I make every time I see a blank piece of paper and a pen or a pencil. Going deeper, wandering into the unknown, I discovered the poet, the romantic the sensitive being that sleeps inside of me. I woke him up.

The magic trick was complete when painting emerged through the fortunate encounter of Haitian master Tiga. The chains were broken and total liberation was finally reached. Freedom at last. I paint by letting the colors dictate the direction of the work, I disappear and the artist takes over, contact is made with the other side and I am no longer in charge. Only when I emerge from my slumber state that I put the final touch to the piece, applying, as best as I can, the techniques learned from master Tiga. Within my soul live three distinct entities that form the one. The painter, the photographer, and the poet, they all live there in perfect harmony. Using a brush, a sponge, a piece of cardboard, the artist is in charge and makes the final decision on which media he wants to use to create. Inspired, possessed, talented, call it as you may. I am just the conduit, I only let it flow.”

Kristo Nicolas

kristoart.com

Christian Nicolas grew up in a home where reverence for photography, literature, and the arts was evident. Molded by two parents who were professionally involved in photography, Christian was drawn behind the lens. Under the guidance of his parents and uncles, Christian tested, learned, and entered the world of picture taking. By the age of 12, he was already experimenting with special effects using his parents’ darkroom to create abstract work. Christian held his father in high regard, and his father’s commitment to teaching and writing helped define Christian’s life. These early influences shaped Christian’s personal interests and deepened his appreciation for the arts in general. Inspired by French poets Verlaine, Ronsard, Baudelaire and others, Christian began writing poetry at the age of 14. He moved to the United States at 19 to carry on his academic studies. His fondness for the family’s passion enticed him to switch from his      studies and earn a degree in Art Photography instead. He then worked in that field diligently for five years.

With great enthusiasm, he devoted most of his free time to writing, drawing, and the study of mysticism. These activities were his passion until he met Haitian master Jean Claude Garoute-also known as Tiga. With a natural flair for illustration and a keen eye for the esthetic, a dormant talent awakened as Christian began to paint with Tiga’s guidance. Producing not only utilizing acrylics, Christian found new possibilities in the appliance of the “Soleil Brule-” technique created, documented and taught by Tiga. KRISTO was born. Totally immersing himself in this new approach and allowing spontaneity to have free rein, the artist emerged. He reveals how it changed his life. “This completes the circle.  I have found the missing link that I have been searching for so long. Painting takes me to another world, where freedom is not a vain word, but a liberating reality.”

Motivated by his new found outlook, Kristo began to bring attention to the reality engulfing Haiti and its inhabitants by writing a series of poems – a compilation of nine texts in French and Kreyol called “Haïti: Un Cri de Désespoir (Haiti: A Cry of Despair).” Kristo’s first CD was released in October, 2005. Following a series of exhibits from 2005 to 2009, Kristo co-authored, in February 2009, the Book “Here…There and Beyond,” a 320 pages collection of the work of 16 Haitian artists of Florida, their biography, statements and views on their work, as well as critics by independent art connoisseurs. In addition to co-authoring the book and editing most of the texts and the photographs it contains, Kristo planned and curated a series of exhibits related to the promotion of the book and the artists showcased in it. This series of events was advertised by the media in newspapers such as The Miami Herald, La Prensa Del Sur, The Miami Sunpost, The Haitian Art Society, USA Today.com, and the March 2009 issue of the prestigious Doral Lifestyle & Business magazine.

In May 2009, Kristo authored and published the book Beyond Words – Beyond Colors, a book that encompasses Kristo’s poetry, art photography, and paintings. Kristo is currently the Owner / Manager of Kristo Art, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Kristo is represented by Agora Gallery of New York from July 2009 to July 2010. and Artists Haven of Sunrise Florida.  Samples of his work can also be viewed at gallery Festival Arts of Petion-ville Haiti.