Download PDF - ARTisSpectrum

Flowers & Fruits 1
Oil on Canvas 24” x 20”
HANNA VATER
Hanna Vater’s paintings explore
nature’s inexhaustible
mystery and beauty. For her,
it is a never ending exploration,
as using the harmony
of a painting to navigate the
chaos of nature creates more
questions than answers.
Most interested in quietness
and incidental inspiration,
Vater focuses on small details
when she paints. She
uses subdued colors and
soft painterly gestures, relying
on the richness of light and shadow to give her paintings
their dramatic undertones. Everyday objects serve as
the building blocks for Vater’s still lifes, and these building
blocks allow her to reach for something more profound.
Each object has its own inherent identity, and these inherencies
metaphorically allude to a larger, natural rhythm.
The details, observations, and parts that come together to
form the whole of Vater’s paintings ultimately point to the
world’s comprehensive encompassing of every small gesture.
Originally from Riga, Latvia, Hanna Vater received her
Masters in Painting from the Latvian Academy of Art. She
currently lives and works in Seattle, Washington.
Website: www.Art-Mine.com/ArtistPage/Hanna_Vater.aspx
Deeply interested in the ways in which colors interrelate
and coexist, Melanie Prapopoulos sets forth on a
constant journey of artistic exploration. She frequently
experiments with a variety of mediums and techniques to
produce works that question the status quo and stimulate
others to do the same. Working in a semi-abstract
style with both traditional (oil and acrylic paint) and nontraditional
(glitter, broken shards of mirrored glass)
materials, Prapopoulos’ works range from subtle figurative
to mysterious landscape. While her works evidence the
influence of the narrative, intriguingly, they never divulge
the entire story. Instead, they ask the viewer to work, and
in turn, question the content set before them. She employs
dramatic, energetic gestural strokes to create a sense
of heightened drama, which is further enhanced by her
expert use of color. Thick black outlines interplay against
soft pastels and muddy earth tones, creating a visual and
emotional tension that harks back to the etchings of 19th
century artist Francisco de Goya. Although her scenes are
more understated, the evocative quality is the same: stirring
to the mind and the spirit.
Currently residing in Greece, Melanie Prapopoulos has
travelled widely throughout the world. She holds a B.A.
from New York University and an M.A. from the University
of Indianapolis.
Tropical Girl
Giclee Print 23” x 22”
COCO MASUDA
Eternally fascinated by the
beauty of the female form and
spirit, Coco Masuda puts forth
a unique vision of the women
she observes in her daily life in
New York, and during her frequent
travels to Hawaii and Tokyo.
Typically drawing from her
memory, her creative process
allows her to invent imagined
identities for these observed,
real women. This narrative element
to her works engages the
viewer, while their elegant simplicity
and striking colors captivates the eye. Drawing on
her Japanese heritage, Masuda is equally influenced by
both the fine and decorative arts and her meticulous craftsmanship
conveys a deep respect for the tradition of making
art. Masuda’s carefully balanced compositions reflect her
artistic acumen: beautiful areas of negative space interplay
with graceful shapes and intense tones. Born in Tokyo, Japan,
Coco Masuda graduated from New York City’s prestigious
Parsons School of Design. She now lives and works
in New York, where she is also a successful illustrator.
Websites: www.cocomasuda.com
www.Art-Mine.com/ArtistPage/Coco_Masuda.aspx
MELANIE PRAPOPOULOS
Beach Combings - Fish Mixed Media on Canvas 9” x 12”
Websites: www.melanieprapopoulos.com
www.Art-Mine.com/ArtistPage/Melanie_Prapopoulos.aspx
70 ArtisSpectrum