Visual Language Magazine Contemporary Fine Art Vol 2 no 10 October 2013

VL 

V I S U A L L A N G U A G E 

contemporary fine art 

Artspan . VL 

October Volume 2 No. 10 

Joe Belt 

VisualLanguageMagazine.com JoeBeltStudio.artspan.com/ 

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VISUAL LANGUAGE 

Contemporary Fine Art 

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October 2013 Vol 2 No 10 

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Joe Belt 

http://joebeltstudio.artspan.com/ 

VL Cover Artist 

Artist Joe Belt grew up in West Texas with an eye for composition and a love of the 

outdoors. He trained in the fine arts at Texas Tech University. His art has been shown 

nationally and collected in half a dozen foreign countries. 

Joe works with many subjects, such as wildlife, portraits, and ranch life, but is best 

known for his highly detailed pencil drawings of Native American subjects throughout 

North American. 

Joe currently lives in Columbus, GA and his most recent drawings have concentrated on 

the native cultures of the Southeast. He is a charter member and on the board of directors 

of the National Western Art Association and a member of the American Academy of 

Fine Arts. 

VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 3

Mark Yearwood 

MarkYearwood.com 

Solo Exhibition Opening October 18, 2013 

InArt Gallery 

219 Delgado Street 

Santa Fe, NM 

505-983-6537 

www.InArtSantaFe.com 

“Esoterica” 24’’x24’’x2.5’’ Mixed Media on Canvas 


content VL 

Painter’s Keys - Robert Genn 17 

ARTSPAN New on the Site - 30 

CFAI Colors on My Palette 36 

Judy Batterson 

Read the up close and personal interview of CFAI.co 

Artist Judy Batterson. Find out more about what she uses 

when painting and things that are special in her life. 

Hall Groat 

Niki Ginsberg Dealing Art in Australia 44 

Hall Groat interviews Niki Ginsberg 

on Art in Australia. 

VL Studio Visit Native American Artist 

Nocona Burgess 56 

I am Comanche from Lawton Oklahoma. I am the 

great-great grandson of Chief Quanah Parker, on my 

mother LaNora Parker Burgess’ side of the family. 

My father, Ronald Burgess, is also former chief of the 

Comanche tribe. I have one younger brother, Quanah 

Parker Burgess, who is also an artist. 

VL Gallery Visit with Miller Fine Art Cincinnati, Ohio 72 

Miller Gallery is proud to present its second biennial 

Contemporary Realism Invitational, an exhibition of 

paintings by some of the finest realist painters in the 

United States, Canada and beyond. 


ARTSPAN Studio Visit Joe Belt 90 

Traditional Western Themes in pencil, color pencil, pastels and more. “Having 

grown up in West Texas, I was always interested in the history of the 

area. My great-grandmother was mixed-blood Ogalala, a tribe out 

of Nebraska area and she lived until I was in my early 20’s 

VL Studio Visit Texas Artist Sarah Beth Banning 104 

Sarah Beth Banning was born and raised in South Texas among 

rolling farm and ranch land before moving into the heart 

of the Texas Hill Country. She now lives in Wimberley, a.k.a. 

“A Little Bit of Heaven” where she is raising her 3 children 

and pursuing her artistic career. 

VL Visit with Red Cliff Gallery 114 

Connie L. Morse and Dave Sime are two artists 

who combine the creative process of painting, 

sculpting, music, acting and writing along with 

their love of travel into a successful career. 

ARTSPAN Studio Interview Sharon Hodges 126 

How often do you paint I paint at least 4-5 days each week, 

6-8 hours each day….half the battle is showing up and 

getting started….then, the time just evaporates. 

International Equine Artist Interviews 138 

Enjoy four up close and personal stories of Equine Art from IEA Members 

Carol J. Walker, Nancy Christy-Moore, Lorna Matsuda, and Andrea Michael. 


content VL 

VL Show Review Melissa Doron 150 

Melissa Doron’s show runs through September 26th 

at The Next Door Gallery located at 2020 Waugh 

Houston, Texas, 77006.. 

VL Studio Visit with Kristine Byars 156 

Galleries have a difficult time pinpointing Kristine Byars painting 

style. Kristine (“Kris”) likes that. Her art doesn’t 

seem to fit in any one category. 

VL Barry Scharf 

Seeking Exposure 174 

ARTSPAN Photographer Rudolph De Ram 180 

“I was born in the Netherlands and raised in the Midwest. 

My interest in art and photography began back in 

early childhood.” 

CFAI.co Art Challenge 

“Hot August Nights” 188 

Hot as a Heartbeat 

Diane Morgan 


Artist of the Day 

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” ― Edgar Degas 

Sign up today. 

Barbara Jones Artist of the Day 

The beauty of the ordinary is what I try 

to capture in my paintings. We are surrounded 

by unlimited opportunities to 

share with others the unique qualities of 

color, light and form that are part of our 

everyday lives. Too often we overlook 

the simple beauty of God’s creations 

or pass them by. Whether it’s the quiet 

glow of a sunlit morning, the softness 

of a cloudy afternoon or the interplay 

of colors and form in a still life arrangement--I 

try to capture in my paintings 

the unique light and atmosphere of my 

subjects. 

http://barbarajonesfineart.com/ 

http://artistofthedayvl.blogspot.com/2013/07/vl-artist-of-day-texas-artist-barbara.html 

artistofthedayvl.blogspot.com 

If you want to be featured on Artist of the Day, Contact Visual Language Magazine. 


Dyan Newton 

Colors of Life 

DyanNewton.com 

Visit my website for workshops and class schedules. 


VL 

VISUAL LANGUAGE MAGAZINE 

Contemporary Fine Art 

Visual Language Magazine Staff 

Editorial 

Editor -in-Chief Laurie Pace 

Executive Editor Lisa Kreymborg 

Consulting Editor Nancy Medina 

Consulting Editor Diane Whitehead 

Consulting Editor Debbie Lincoln 

Feature Contributor Robert Genn Painter’s Keys 

CFAI Contributor Kimberly Conrad 

Feature Editor Art Reviews Hall Groat II 

Feature Writer Barry Scharf 

Feature Writer David Darrow 

VL Sponsor ARTSPAN Eric Sparre 

Advertising 

Contact: VisualLanguageMagazine@gmail.com 

Marketing and Development 

Executive Director Business/Management Stacey Hendren 

All Artwork is Copyrighted by the Individual Artists. 

Visual Language Vol 2 No 9 

www.songbrushgallery.com 

http://NoworNever-Debbie.blogspot.com 

10 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

Painter’s Keys 

with Robert Genn 

Mountain rules 

August 30, 2013 

Dear Artist, 

Robert Genn’s 

Studio Book 

Trudging around in the Bugaboos, I’m thinking how rules are meant to be broken. Having said that, a few 

rules for acrylic and oil painters are well worth following. My only reason for backing up my helicopter and 

dumping them off on you is that these rules can save a lot of trouble and make work fresher. Up here in the 

scudding clouds and creaking glaciers I’m also realizing they’re not my rules but the rules of the truly great 

painters who have trudged in humbling spots like this before. 

1. Start with a toned ground. It can be grey, brown, red or whatever, and it can be wet or dry. When you 

prime your canvas with a coloured ground, you won’t have to fight the tyranny of white. Leave the fighting 

of white to the watercolourists. This way, there will be a significant tone on all parts of your canvas--happy 

accidents or paucities will occur, and the ground becomes part of the overall effect. 

2. Establish your foreground first. We painters tend to start by painting the part of the landscape that first 

knocks our socks off, and it’s not always the foreground. Actually, compelling foregrounds are often the most 

difficult part, even though they are vital to a strong composition. Foregrounds determine where farther-back 

focal elements may be placed. 

Painter’s Keys - Robert Genn 

3. Plan ahead to one, two, three, four, five. You don’t want to make the painting just a foreground and a 

background. Even though your painting may be two dimensional and flat, it needs to have at least five elements 

of interest as it recedes. At the expense of being too simplistic, an example would be foreground rocks, 

a lake, a mountain range, a distant mountain range and a sky. 

4. Establish at least five large complex shapes. Dynamic, even abstract shapes add magic to the magic. Patches 

of snow, ominous spires, dark and light rocks are generously pressed into compositional service. Interlocking 

with one another, these shapes tease your viewer’s eyes into seeing your magical experience. 

5. Take your brush here and there like a bee in an alpine meadow. In other words, don’t laboriously work on 

or try to finish off one particular part. Paint promiscuously. Watch the greater image materialize. You need 

that thing over there to tell you what to do about that thing over here. 

Like life itself, there’s more to this than meets the eye. You can make up a pile of additional basics and rules 

for yourself. These five are a good start. Ours is a game of rugged individualism. But even rugged individualists 

have a few rules that make their climb easier. 

Best regards, Robert 

PS: “Oh the difficulties of mountain art for too little genius.” (J. E. H. MacDonald) 

Esoterica: Plein air invites a Zen-like attitude and acceptance of the spiritual flow. Lost in a cloud of our own 

making, days pass far too quickly. The more I look at this life, the more it seems a combination of inhaling 

the gifts and letting your work tell you what it needs. 


Niki Gulley Do 

http://nikigulley.com 


uble Page 

http://nikigulley.com 


“Artistic exposures one frame at a time” 

Three Sentinals 

conniedines.com 


conniedines.com 

Connie DInes October 

Due couble page. ad. 

connie 

dines 

Three Sentinals 


Mary Jo Zorad 

ZoradArt.com 


Dancing with the Shadows... The Spirit of the Horse 


Jo-Jo Kolodnicki 

jojowildpaint.com 


The Serious Side of Wild 

jojowildpaint.com 




Tracy Miller 

www.tracymillerfineart.com 

Horses and Wildlife of the West 


Abstract Collage Paintings 

L A U R A R E E D 

laurareed.artspan.com 


Moses Provencio 

Traditional & Contemporary Western 

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Artwestbadlands.com


NancyMedina.com 

NancyMedina.com 

sheriart.blogspot.com 


Sheri Jones 

sheriart.blogspot.com 

Left Page: Sun Burnt River Above Top: Tuscan Dreaming Lower Left: Blue Lake Benbrook LowerRight: Fall Day Shadows 

Landscape and Still Life Artist 


Laurie Justus Pace 

Ellepace.com 

Two at the Raising 16 x 20 Oil on Canvas 

Dutch Art Gallery. Dallas 

DutchArtGallery.net 

Mirada Fine Art. Denver 

MiradaFineArt.com 


The Painted Ponies 

Blue Mist 24 x 30 Oil on Canvas 

Rare Gallery. Jackson Hole 

RareGalleryJacksonHole.com 

South Hill Gallery: Lexington 

SouthHillGallery.com 


artspan 

Newest Works 

Osler-Kurki Studio 

http://oslerkurki.artspan.com 

Nina Evans 

http://www.ninaevansart.com 

David Mac Innes 

http://www.davidmacinnes.com 


Carol J Smidt 

www.caroljosmidt.com 


For Commissions and show bookings, please visit 

www.AspenIronWorks.com 


For Commissions and show bookings, please visit 

www.AspenIronWorks.com 


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CFAI.co Colors On My Palette 

Judy Batterson 

http://www.judybetterson.com 

http://www.cfai.co/colors-on-my-palette/judy-batterson 

When did you realize you loved art and wanted to be ‘an artist’ 

I don’t remember a time, EVER, when I wasn’t an artist! Some 

of my first memories were of drawing and coloring. When I was 

in elementary school in Peoria, Illinois, we had art class only once 

a week. I would get SO overwrought with anticipation before art 

class my hands would shake. Once I got so excited waiting for 

the time to arrive, I couldn’t stay in my desk and was apparently 

jumping around and being disruptive. (me!) My punishment was, 

oh no!, that I had to skip art class that week. Now, I get to paint 

whenever I want (well, almost). My studio is full of wonderful 

paints and brushes and canvases and light and color and all of the 

things that make my art sing. 

Who has been the greatest influence from your past to mentor you to this career 

My other “vice,” besides painting, is reading. My father was an avid reader as well, and filled my childhood 

home with all kinds of books. My earliest influence was the illustrations I pored over in those books. 

We had a fabulous copy of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, packed with vibrant, rich vellum color plates. 

I loved the combination of pure primary color and realistic subject matter elaborated with eastern decorative 

themes. We had a copy of a turn-of-the-century period novel titled “A Mouse Is Born,” illustrated 

by Aubrey Beardsley. His Art Nouveau blackline illustrations were inspirational. I loved the detail, the 

contrast, and the fact that he never broke up a mass! We also had several huge old leather and gilt books 

illustrated by Gustav Doré, Don Quixote, Paradise Lost, The Bible Gallery, Fontaine’s Fables, and more. 

Doré’s ability to render realistic detail and use of line were a HUGE influence!! And the mood he could 

set!!!... I could go on and on about how those book illustrations rang bells and blew whistles for me! 

Who is your mentor today, or another artist you admire and why 

About 12 years ago, after a long career of illustrating, I took a pastel painting class at our local art center. 

My teacher was Bev Lee, an incredible portrait artist (and now my dear friend). Bev helped me to get out 

of my illustrator’s headset and begin to think more like a painter. (I still have lots of work to do there.) 

Most of my illustrations were blackline; very graphic and tight, with no color information. I had to start at 

square one with color and color theory. Bev helped me to begin the process of loosening up and lightening 

up. I was inspired to begin painting because I live in one of the most beautiful spots in the world: western 

Colorado. I wanted to paint that beauty; as much of it as possible. Because of that, I have been inspired by 

painters of the American West: from Charles Russell to Jill Soukup, with a myriad of others in between. 

Bill Anton, Clyde Aspevig, G Russell Case, Ralph Oberg, Daniel Smith, Jim Wilcox... and the many other 

painters of the American West who successfully strive to communicate the beauty of this incredible place 

we are privileged to live in. 

Who would you love to interview 

I would like to visit with one of the great illustrators, like Maxfield Parrish or Arthur Rackham or Kaye 

Neilson. I deeply admire their ability to render the landscapes of their imaginations with such a brilliantly 

realistic approach. 

Read more at http://www.cfai.co/colors-on-my-palette/judy-batterson 


Hammock at Low Tide 

Eco-Trip 




Jonelle T. McCoy 

Oklahoma Equine Artist 

“Lady C Salutes” portrait of FOSH (Friends of Sound Horses) TWH mascot 

mccoysgaitedhorseartworks.blogspot.com 


Linda McCoy 

lindamccoyart.blogspot.com 

Commissions Welcome. 

Landscapes, Figurative and Still Life 


Kasha Ritter 

www.kasharitter.com 

KASHA ritter 

Because Flexibility Matters 

R

Painting Without Brushes 

www.kasharitter.com


HallGroat.com

hallgroat.com 


VL Hall Groat II 

Nicky Ginsberg: Dealing Art In Australia 

Reprint from 2001 New York Art Guide, opyright©2001 

By Hall Groat II, 

Professor and Chairperson, 

Art and Design Department, Broome Community College 

___________________________________ 

Hall Groat II Distant Learning Painting School, DVD Instruction Series 

http://www.HallGroat.com 

When did you begin as an art dealer in Australia 

Nicky Ginsberg: I have been an art dealer for some 6 years. Over these years the number of artists that I 

represent has grown as have the number of exhibitions held for them. 

What purpose does your web site serve 

My web site was initially set up as a means of further promoting these exhibitions but its role has evolved 

over time. In fact, the relationship between the exhibitions and the web site has reversed where the 

exhibitions generate sales in their own right, and also drive people to the web site. Therefore, sales are 

spread throughout the year and my artists receive on-going publicity through the site. 

Have you had success marketing artwork through the Internet 

Yes, it is possible to sell art over the net and it’s not just to people who already know or have bought work 

from a particular artist. The site has grown into a virtual gallery in which the most recent work of artists 

is shown as well as past work so that an artist’s development can be viewed as an ongoing process and 

evolution. Publicity activities drive much of this traffic to both the web site and to exhibitions. The web site 

also encourages pre-exhibition sales, and we send electronic invitations to our e-mail database. 

What styles do the artists’ work in that you represent 

Emerging contemporary Australian artists best describes the style of the artwork. There is no single style 

that binds them together so much as their common interest in the Australian landscape (both country and 

city), and in the beauty and intrigue of fruit, flowers, and abstract forms. These artists also have another 

thing in common. As emerging artists they aren’t looking for the environment of many traditional Sydney 

galleries. They regard themselves as artists first and artists who ‘sell’ second. It takes time for an artist to 

develop, and our approach is to allow and encourage this development to take place. Also, bringing their 

work to a wider public over a period of time. In this sense, the exhibitions (whether solo or group shows) 

are ‘showcases’ for their work, and the web site is a record of what they do and where they are going with 

their work. Many of them have been awarded or hung in prestigious competitions and exhibitions, and 

these achievements are also chronicled on the web site. 


What is the art market like in Australia and in Sydney, in particular 

Well, in many ways it’s probably much like anywhere else. It’s got a top end of galleries which are very 

much part of the establishment and mainly deal in work by well-known artists such as Blackman, Olsen, 

and Nolan. It’s where the big money is and there are both those who are genuinely serious collectors using 

them and also a fair number of people with their new money chasing a secure and impressive purchase. 

They are establishment galleries and part of the Sydney social and artistic landscape. Not quite London’s 

Bond Street, but with pretensions in that direction. They tend to deal with artists only when they have 

become recognized. Then there are other galleries focusing more on emerging artists, but most often with 

a need for these artists to sell fairly easily. They are often smaller galleries in more ‘Generation X and Y’ 

areas. There is also a representation of galleries specializing in aboriginal work. Not many galleries in Sydney 

support experimental art. Installations have not yet made that much of an impact. The non-commercial 

galleries (the Art Gallery of NSW and the Museum of Contemporary Art) are pretty good in their own ways, 

but the AGNSW has to combine an institutional role with the introduction of a bit of the new. It also suffers 

from a degree of schizophrenia over the relationship between its collections of European and Australian art. 

Who buys art 

There are a number of different markets each with their own characteristics. There is the high-end/establishment/investment/corporate 

market which, in truth, plays pretty safe. There are some high-end buyers 

who also support emerging artists and a few of these have set up scholarships, trusts, prizes, etc. Then 

there are the ‘artistically aware’, drawn from all levels of society, who keep well up with what’s happening in 

the world of Australian art, and browse galleries as a pursuit. Then, there are the inexperienced buyers who 

are many in number and seem to come into the market at the age of 35+ and then make their first tentative 

steps in buying art. They need reassurance on the work and value, and some knowledge of the artist when 

buying. It is probably the latter two groups who account for the greater number of sales and gallery visits. In 

fact, more Australians visit an art gallery or exhibition per year than attend sporting events! 

Is there a clear distinction between what is viewed as commercial art and fine art 

There is a distinction made between artists for whom the creation of work is an end in itself and those who 

paint with the dollar signs in the their minds. There has been a blurring here; the best example being Ken 

Done who was rampantly commercial but recognized by the press and promoted as the ‘new pinnacle of 

Australian art’. 

How do artists surface in Australia 

Many Australian artists are pretty much household names for those with any interest in art. These names 

are both drawn from history and from the world of today. Once there was a massive ‘cultural cringe’ in Australia 

where anything Australian was automatically regarded as inferior or second rate compared to work 

from Europe and America. This still persists in degree but has largely been overtaken as Australia comes to 

feel more a real part the world. However, any Australian doing well overseas is still seen as a hero. Artists 

are not seen as fringe dwellers in society but a part of what Australia is becoming today, and seen as part 

of the broad cultural community that extends to all artistic activities, from opera to rock bands. The Broadsheet 

newspapers and magazines give pretty good coverage to artists and exhibitions. There is a growing 

appreciation of what artists bring to life and society. 

What is the nature of this appreciation 

There are many ways of approaching this question. On a banal level, ‘it looks nice in the home’ or ‘impresses 

people in the office’. But the value of art in Australia is much more than this. Australia is a country that is 

still, after more than 200 years, seeking to define itself and its place in the world. White Australia (a Government 

policy until the 1960s!) is long gone as a strand that sought to give Australia some form of national 

identity. Australia is now a true multicultural melting pot. Aboriginal Australia is now increasingly being 

valued. The nature of employment in Australia has changed and its blue-collar origins are diffusing. The 

landscape is ever changing but still blighted by the ‘build it cheap and big’ housing of the post war era and 

the ensuing suburban lifestyle and endless suburbs. Then there is a gap between the Australia that tourists 

see and the Australia that many Australians see and can see quite differently. It’s still a young country and 

is still searching for that elusive identity that will bind all of this diversity together. A recurrent theme in Australian 

art is the search for this identity, and much Australian art confronts this by exploring the ordinary and 

the day-to-day in a way that brings it to life. There is often a desire to make the painted image more real 

than what is being painted, or to deconstruct the familiar into the challenging, and confronting unfamiliar. 

http://www.HallGroat.com 


N J Busse 

Painter of the American West 

nanceejean.com 

njovmc@gmail.com 

970.261.2028 


“Early Morning in the Rockies” 24x30 oil 

Caroline Ratliff 

carolineratliff.com 


Sharon Hodges 

Dutch Art Gallery 

10233 E. Northwest Hwy #420 

Dallas, TX 75238 

www.DutchArtGallery.net 

Bill Hester Fine Art 

830 Canyon Rd. 

Santa Fe., NM 87501 

www.BillHesterFineArt.com 


Way Out West 

SharonHodgesFineArt.com 

SharonHodges.blogspot.com 


Val Travers 

Surrounded by Sea 

End of a Perfect Day 

Symphony in Blue 


valerietravers.com 

New Whirlpool


valerietravers.com 


Janet Weaver 

janetweaver.com 

jweaver642@embarqmail.com 

Participant in the 8th Juried International 

Guild of Realism show at the Tempe Center 

for the Arts, Tempe, Arizona. 

10/4 - 11/30/13. 

janetweaver.com 


Title: “POMEGRANATES XV” VisualLanguageMagazine.com Medium: Oil Size: 11x14, - VL on Magazine archival | board 53 

janetweaver.com

Jason Gomez 


www.vinodipinte.com

Alejandro Castanon 

Vino Dipinte Art Gallery 

602 Orient St 

San Angelo, TX 76903 


VL 

VL Studio Visit 

Nocona Burgess 

http://www.eagleserpentstudios.com/ 


Jesus in White By Nocona Burgess 



VL 

Studio Visit 


I am Comanche from Lawton Oklahoma. I am the great-great grandson of Chief Quanah 

Parker and my father is also former chief of the Comanche tribe. Throughout my life I 

have traveled around the country with my family. I have lived in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; 

Poplar, Montana; Phoenix, Arizona; and Santa Fe, New Mexico. We traveled a lot while 

my parents were working on their degrees. Many opportunities allowed us to see and experience 

much of the country and all the different kinds of people. That is what my parents 

wanted to give to my brother and me to expand our thinking. 

I have always been around art. My dad went to school for art and education and has always 

painted and drawn. My maternal grandfather was an artist, as is my maternal grandmother 

a quilt maker of her own designs. My great-grandmother who raised my father, 

was an accomplished bead worker despite being blind. With all this art and all these artists 

around me, I had no choice but to pursue art. It is in my blood. 

In 1989, after a year at the University of Oklahoma, I decided to move to New Mexico, 

where I stumbled upon the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe. I could 

draw and had painted a bit. I was pretty good and, because of my family, more advanced 

than most in my classes. At IAIA my art really took off. I had a good time and learned a lot 

about Native art and how the traditional forms had evolved into more contemporary styles. 

This is what really grabbed my attention. I had already known quite a bit about traditional 

style. I grew up knowing people like Doc Tate Nevaquaya, Rance Hood, Allen Houser, 

and reading about Oklahoma artists like Woody Crumbo and Kiowa 5. I liked the idea of 

modern Indians; after all that’s who I am. I loved the old style, but it seemed so distant to 

me. To this day I enjoy painting old portraits and traditional subjects, but in my own style. 

In a way, when I paint them the subjects speak to me and I get to know them. After looking 

at them over and over for hours, how can I not receive something from them My painting 

is a way of saying thank you to them for all of their sacrifices. 

In 1991, I graduated from IAIA with an Associate in Fine Arts degree. I then went on to 

the University of New Mexico. I found myself questioning whether art was the way to go. 

Could I make a living at it I knew some people did, but they always seemed the exception 

to the rule. I continued on with my degree with an emphasis in both studio art and native 

art history. 

I began work at a bingo hall, soon to be a casino. This is when I started to drift away from 

art. I got promoted and made my way into management. It was pretty cool and the money 

was really nice; it felt good not to be a broke college student any more. From 1991 to 

1996, I worked in the casino. My work schedule left no time for school and definitely no 

time for art. I missed the art, but soon learned to live without it. I was successful and making 

a good living. 

In 1996, I decided the casino was not for me and I left. I needed a new start so I moved 

back to Oklahoma. I got back in touch with my people and family. I needed to get back to 

my art. It was 1997, and I hadn’t worked on any art for years. I enrolled at the University 

of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) to work on my B.F.A. There I started taking 

classes again and getting back into the flow. Art was back in my life. 



Right: Quanah Parker - Quahada - Cheif, Warrior, Statesmen 80x68



VL 

Studio Visit 


I met my wife, Danielle, at USAO. She is also 

an artist and is very supportive of my art. After 

graduation in 1999, we were married and 

moved back to Santa Fe. I began painting and 

things started to work out. I started to get into 

shows and to sell my paintings again. My art 

opened doors. My first show was at Red Earth 

in Oklahoma City. 

In 2000, my brother and I were asked to be in a 

show in Holland, and from there the show 

traveled to Belgium and Germany. Since then, 

I have traveled around the United States and to 

South Africa showing my work. 

I paint from historical photos of Native Americans; I’ve always had a passion for history. I grew up 

learning the history of my Comanche and Kiowa people. I was also encouraged to read and to find 

out more on my own. This was combined with my love of art. I started making art as soon as I could 

pick up a crayon. I recently was given a box of my drawings from my mother. These were from 

when I was around 3-4 years old: of course, they were Indians. 

I’ve always wanted to tell a bit of a story of their lives. These were people; human beings that lived 

loved and fought. I never wanted my paintings to be just “Indian in a Blanket” type of art. I wanted 

people to see them and their story and histories and beauty and people. I try to avoid the stereotype 

or cultural cliché’s. I’ve just always had a passion for those images and their stories. I am 

always looking for images and stories. 



Iron Scare in Red 



VL 

Studio Visit 


I also paint animals and landscapes. The animals I paint are usually ones I’ve experienced or had 

the chance to observe. We live outside of Santa Fe at the base of the Jemez Mountains and there 

are buffalo, coyotes, ravens, elk, hawks, eagles and so on. I really started painting animals again 

once I moved out here. I was just reminded again about animals when I started to see them here. 

The landscapes are based mostly on eastern New Mexico West Texas and Oklahoma, between 

Santa Fe and Lawton Oklahoma. This was/is Comancheria, Quahada (a band of Comanches), 

country. I paint them in abstract way with heavy brushstrokes, in contrast with sharp edges. 

I was always told to paint what you know and the 3 elements are what I see and observe, the land, 

the people, and the animals are what inspire me to paint. I love to drive read, observe and take it 

all in. 

I really push myself in the studio to explore and experiment with techniques and texture and color. 

I don’t ever want to get to a point where it is a formula. I realize there is some sort of formula to 

it, but I don’t want every painting to be painted the same and the same palette, color scheme and 

brush strokes. I like to see the evolution of my own paintings over the years and the hopes of getting 

better and improving. 

Full Moon Ghost Dog 



Black Hat Ute 



VL 



Studio Visit 


Llano Estacado Cuervo 

Representing Galleries Nocona Burgess 

Giacobbe-Fritz Gallery in Santa Fe www.giacobbefritz.com 

Four Winds Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA www.fourwindsgallery.com 

Bonner David Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ www.bonnerdavid.com 

Kiva Gallery, Sweden www.kivagallery.se/ 

Rare Fine Arts Gallery, Jackson Hole, WY www.raregalleryjacksonhole.com 

Left Page: Kicks Iron 



David R. Darrow 

so many things to paint. so little time. 

Man of Renewal 

Hoping 

Ashton’s Morning 


Kenyan Daughter 

The Wanderer

www.DaveThePaintingGuy.com 

facebook.com/davethepaintingguy 

Portrait of Anne Gillum 

Juno 

David R. Darrow 

Realistic Impressionism 

Accepting Commissions 

david@darrowart.com 

www.DarrowArt.com 

Subscribe to Private Mailing List: 

Etta 

www.DarrowArt.com/list/ 

VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 67 

408.641.0799

Shirley Anderson 

Painting Landscapes and Florals in Pastel 

Colorful. Sensitive. Bold. 

California Dreaming 

Pink Morning 

shirleyandersonart.com 


email: sranderson0930@sbcglobal.net 

Mountain View

mike maron 

fine art watercolor 

mikemaron.artspan.com 


Suzy ‘Pal’ Powell 

SWS WyWS CFAI 

www.suzypal.com 

www.suzypal.blogspot.com 


Texas Tales... 

ARTIST.com 


www.suzypal.blogspot.com 


Unwrapping the Reality of Life 

Anne-Marie Kornachuk, Crimson River, 24 x 48 


M 

Miller Gallery 

Cincinnati, Ohio 

www.millergallery.com 


VL 

M Miller Gallery 

Contemporary Realism Invitational 

October 4 – 19, 2013 

Opening Party 

Friday, October 4, 6 – 8 pm 

Miller Gallery is proud to present its second biennial Contemporary Realism Invitational, an 

exhibition of paintings by some of the finest realist painters in the United States, Canada and 

beyond. A year in the planning, this extraordinary body of work, curated by gallery director 

Rosemary Seidner, features new paintings by 27 leading artists. 

Leaving the heyday of 20th century modernism behind, a time when pushing art to its limits 

was more important than actual skill, there is an ongoing broad return by artists across the 

globe to discipline and tradition. The resulting art is not traditional, but refined to the highest 

level and inspired by the greatest artists of the past. 

Included in the show are 15 renowned realists that Miller Gallery regularly represents and 12 

remarkable artists whose work we greatly admire. 

Gallery Artists: 

Anthony Ackrill, Florida; John Agnew, Ohio; David Michael Beck, Ohio; Isabelle du Toit, 

Florida; Velko Geurgevich, Serbia; Daniel E. Greene, New York; Karen Hollingsworth, 

Georgia; Neil Hollingsworth, Georgia; Anne-Marie Kornachuk, Canada; Otto Lange, 

Georgia; Ron Monsma, Indiana; Yana Movchan, Canada; Jonathan Queen, Ohio; 

James Andrew Smith, Oklahoma; Chris Thomas, Kentucky; Dennis Wojtkiewicz, Ohio 

Invited Artists: 

Colin Berry, New Hampshire; Paul Butvila, Canada; Marie Channer, Colorado; Tony Chimento, 

Florida; Frank DePietro, Pennsylvania; Randy Ford, New Jersey; Allan Gorman, New Jersey; 

Rob Hefferan, Great Britain; Sherry Loehr, California; Pierre Raby, Canada; 

Glennray Tutor, Mississippi; Eric Wert, Oregon 

Miller Gallery 

2715 Erie Avenue 

Hyde Park Square 

Cincinnati, OH 45208 



theresapaden.com 


Tony Chimento, The Simpsons, Mylar Bag & Chrome Dog, oil on canvas, 


60 x 40 


VL 

M Miller Gallery 

Karen Hollingsworth, Gentle Reader 36 x 48 



Chris Thomas, Pink Peonies with Green 20 x 18 



VL M Miller Gallery 

Glennray Tutor, SOLO: My Wish Coming True 15 x 9 

Right Page: Pierre Raby, An Unexpected Moonlight Gathering, 16 x 12 






Randy Ford, Red Robin Diner, 40 x 60 

Allan Gorman, Macho Dream , 40 x 40 Daniel E. Greene, NA, Wall St Bench 2 36 x 36 



David Michael Beck, Summer in Ohio 24 x 30 

Anne-Marie Kornachuk, Colour Field 30 x 36 




Frank DePietro, Waterlily Triptych 36 x 72 



For further information, please contact Rosemary at 513-871-4420, 

or rosemary@millergallerycom. 



Pushing Boundaries... 

sallieswiftart.com 

www.cfai.co/sallieanneswift 


sallieswiftart.com 

www.cfai.co/sallieanneswift 


Kimberly Conrad 

Contemporary Artist 

Afternoon Splash VI 24x24x1.5 Acrylic on Canvas 


http://www.KimberlyConradFineArt.com

“Pouring Color Into Your Life” 

Deep Waters III 24x24x1.5 Acrylic on Canvas 

http://www.KimberlyConradDailyPaintings.blogspot.com 


Zengo 

zengo.artspan.com 


48 x 36 inches Stepping Out

Judy Osburn 

osburnsart.com 


VL 

Studio Visit Joe Belt 



NATIVE AMERICAN ART. TRADITIONAL WORK IN PENCIL, 

COLORED PENCILS, PASTELS & PASTEL PENCILS...ORIGINALS, 

LIMITED EDITIONS PRINTS, 

artspan 



VL 


Santa Fe Trader, Pencil 

Right Page: Cowboy Gear, Pencil 



artspan 



VL 

Studio Visit 

Joe Belt 

Artist Joe Belt grew up in west Texas with 

an eye for composition and a love of the 

outdoors. He trained in the fine arts at Texas 

Tech University. His art has been shown 

nationally and collected in half a dozen 

foreign countries. 

Joe works with many subjects such as 

wildlife, portraits and ranch life, but is best 

known for his highly detailed pencil drawing 

of American Indian subjects throughout 

North America. Texas Tech published some 

of his earliest work in The Pencil Drawings 

of Joe Belt. In addition to his pencil 

drawings, his work in pastels, charcoal and 

watercolors have been featured on movie 

posters, book covers, album jackets and 

architectural murals. 

Joe currently lives in Columbus, GA. His 

most recent drawings have concentrated on 

the native cultures of the Southeast. He is a 

charter member and on the board of directors 

of the National Western Art Association 

and a member of the American Academy of 

Fine Arts. 

Joe designed the artwork for the Ossahatchee 

Indian Festival logo as well as the 

drawing and design of the print that will also 

be used as the T-shirt design. He has often 

been a part of the Ossahatchee Indian 

Festival. 

Crocker Spurs, Pencil 

http://joebeltstudio.artspan.com 


artspan 

Ghost of the Wolf, Colored Pencil 



VL 

Studio Visit 

Joe Belt 



artspan 

Little Dancer Man, Colored Pencil 

“Having grown up in West Texas, I 

was always interested in the history of 

the area. My great-grandmother was 

mixed-blood Ogalala, a tribe out of 

Nebraska area and she lived until 

I was in my early 20’s. I don’t know if 

my interest came from her, or what, 

but, my fascination with Native American 

people and culture has been with 

me as far back as I can remember. 

Needless to say, being from Texas and 

attending Texas Tech University, the 

cowboy culture was very much around 

me during all of this time, it just seemd 

to fit together and happened.” Joe Belt 

Canyon Creek, Pencil 

Left Page: Pow-Wow Dancer, Pencil 



VL 


Capturing the Native West, one pencil stroke at a time... 

Santa Fe Trader, Pencil 

Izu 3 8 x 10 

Right Page: Cowboy Gear, Pencil 



artspan 



Warren Osburn 

Above: Early Light 

Left Below: Taos Casa 

Right Below: Red Rock Evening 

100 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com 

osburnsart.com

Karla Smith 

karlasmith.artspan.com 

Mustang Beauty VisualLanguageMagazine.com phone - VL - 561-706-9170 

Magazine | 101

102 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com 

davidyappfineart.com

Blair Thrall 

blairthrall.com 

VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 103

VL 

STUDIO VISIT 

SARAH BETH BANNING 


104 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

www.songbrushgallery.com

VL 

STUDIO VISIT 


Sarah Beth Banning was born and raised in South Texas among rolling farm and ranch land before 

moving into the heart of the Texas Hill Country. She now lives in Wimberley, a.k.a. “A Little Bit of 

Heaven” where she is raising her 3 children and pursuing her artistic career. Sarah Beth currently 

shows work at Texas Treasures Fine Art in Boerne, TX and at her own gallery/studio space called 

SongBrush Gallery in Wimberley, TX. 

War Horses 48” x 60” Oil on Canvas with Gold Leaf 



When I was a child my favorite toys were a pencil and paper. My mother, grandmother, and aunts will 

all tell you I always knew the proper way to hold a pencil. I’d sit for hours at 4 years old drawing the 

usual things little girls draw; fairies, princesses, birds and horses, so many horses. 

When people ask me how I became an artist I tell them it was my love for horses. I was a little girl without 

a real horse so I drew myself herds of them. At the age of 9 I was fortunate enough to begin riding 

lessons. The teacher, knowing my love of drawing horses, gave me stacks of old horse magazines. I 

studied them cover to cover and made many drawings using the horses in the magazines as inspiration. 

What an amazing gift that old stack of magazines was to me. 

I did finally get that horse at the age of 14. She was small and dark and I named her Sassy for good 

reason. I discovered that my favorite part about owning a horse was watching her run thunderously 

across the pasture and kick up her heels in joy. It’s an amazing sight to see. 

It was summer and I was 16 when I began to paint. My father had bought some wood panels from the 

local craft store and I borrowed one, went into the attic with some craft paint, and started painting. I 

was amazed at what I had done. It actually looked good. I think it was a painting of deer by a lake. 

Next, I did a beautiful horse running through a field of bluebonnets. 

The painting bug had bitten and all summer I was in the attic with my coffee, blueberry bagels, and my 

CD player. It was heaven on earth. I sold every painting I made that summer. 

The following summer was truly inspirational. In high school I played the french horn very well and I 

had the invited to tour 7 countries in Europe with a band made up of high school kids from all across 

America. I was able to see the old and magnificent European cathedrals and tour the Louvre in Paris, 

France. Seeing centuries of art all together in one amazing palace was more awe inspiring than this 

small town Texas girl could have dreamed. 

www.songbrushgallery.com

VL 

STUDIO VISIT 


The Crow Scout 48” x 60” Oil on Canvas with Gold Leaf 



Lakota Blue 36” x 48” Oil on Canvas with Gold Leaf 

Of course my life hasn’t been perfect and filled with nothing but horse riding and European vacations. 

I got married far too young and that did not turn the way I thought it would when I was seventeen 

and so naïve. I went through some pretty dark times in my life but haven’t we all Without the down 

times how could you possibly want to reach higher and grow 

I found myself with three children, a divorce, and moving back in with my parents. I was 24 and had 

no idea what to do with my life. So, in between changing diapers and nursing babies I started going 

back to school. I took my first painting class and hit it off with the teacher. Soon we were pretty good 

friends and it was her influence that helped me realize I needed to pursue art. I am very grateful for 

that. 

I received a B.F.A with a major in painting from Texas State University. I guess I was like a lot of 

graduates and struggled with the post college dilemmas of job hunting and real life. It didn’t take me 

long to just start doing what I had always done and before I knew it my house was full of giant paintings. 

That’s when I teamed up with Justin Black and together we opened a gallery and studio space 

in downtown Wimberley, TX. Justin is a wonderful musician, artist, and designer. He has been very 

supportive of me and all my artistic endeavors for the past three years. He is my rock. 

We call our space SongBrush Gallery and we are coming up on a 1 year anniversary. If you find yourself 

in Wimberley stop by, say hi, and watch me work on my latest painting. 


VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 109

VL 

STUDIO VISIT 


Buffalo Bill 48” x 60” Oil on Canvas with Gold Leaf 

I have started using gold leaf in most of my oil paintings because I feel it gives the paintings the right dramatic 

effect I am going for. I want my art to make an impact. I want them to have a rich vibe and be larger than life. 

My paintings consist of old school subject matter with graphic elements. My art is transitional because it takes 

iconic western images and brings them into the now and that is epic. 

Sarah Beth Banning 


110 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com 

Right Page: Annie Oakley 48” x 60” Oil on Canvas with Gold Leaf



Worden Art Studio and Gallery 

Fine Art . Airbrush Murals . Pinstriping . Art Lessons 

Morning Walk Acrylic Painting 

Scott Worden 

scottworden.artspan.com 

email: scottwordenart@yahoo.com 


Vicki Rees 

Wrightsville Morning 2013 24 x 24 

CONTEMPORARY REALISM & BEYOND 

vlrees.com 


VL Studio Visit 

Dave Sime and Connie Morse 

Studio Visit 

www.redcliffgallery.com 



Connie L. Morse and Dave Sime are two artists who combine the creative 

process of painting, sculpting, music, acting and writing along with their 

love of travel into a successful career. 

The couple met in Montana and began an adventure in plein air painting 

and performing that was to last for twelve years on the road. Traveling 

in an Airstream trailer with their golden retriever, Elvira and long haired 

Himalayan cat, Chang, they painted throughout the west from British Columbia 

to the Baja. Side by side they recorded the activities of the people 

and landscapes as varied as the ranches of Montana to the last remaining 

fishing villages on the Pacific coast. 

“I love to paint wildlife says Morse and we’ve spent the biggest part of our 

years on the road visiting every National Park and recording the scenery 

and animals that inhabit these very special places.” 

Both Sime and Morse feel a deep connection with the land and the animals 

that inhabit it. As a result their artwork encourages wildlife conservation 

and the preservation of open space. Morse depicts a herd of elk studied 

in Rocky Mountain National Park in her oil painting: “Royal Gathering”. 

Instead of painting in a studio they prefer to paint on location such as the 

deserts of Arizona, the Grand Canyon, the Tetons of Wyoming and the 

west coast. Each area they visit provides them with new artistic stimulation 

and a variety of subject matter from landscapes and seascapes to wildlife 

and portraits. For many years, nature has been Connie and Dave’s instructor 

and the outdoors their studio. 

Feeling the urge to settle down they chose Durango, Colorado as the perfect 

location because of the varied landscape painting options available in 

the Four Corners region. They continue to paint en plein air and return to 

their Red Cliff Studio to complete finished works of art. 



VL 

Studio Visit 

Dave Sime and Connie Morse 

Connie and Dave’s most recent endeavor is the completion and publishing of “Lonepine” a 

historical, erotic, western romance set in Montana, 1962. Autographed copies are available 

on their web site and the e-book can be downloaded from all major providers. 

http://redcliffgallery.com/page/2705/lonepine-novel 



Dave Sime and Connie Morse are accomplished musicians. Dave plays several instruments 

including guitar, mandolin, fiddle, harmonica and dobro while Connie plays guitar, keyboards 

and bass fiddle. They have recorded two CDs: “BORDERLINE” and “OLD OUTLAW” 

As a musical duo Connie and Dave call themselves “Borderline”, a fitting name, as in the 90’s 

they traveled from state to state entertaining audiences with their country and contemporary 

music. They have played in lounges from Fairmont Hot Springs and Grouse Mountain Lodge 

in Montana to the Bright Angle Lodge at the Grand Canyon. Resorts throughout the west 

have also enjoyed this couple’s unique and exciting concerts and dances. They perform in 

many different locations and situations. They may be dressed in buckskins playing around a 

campfire at a dude ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming or you could find them wearing Hawaiian 

colors for an outdoor concert by the pool, in Mesa, Arizona. They have even played in a few 

honkytonk bars along the way! Plein Air painting was worked in between the gigs. 



VL 

Studio Visit Connie Morse 

Connie L. Morse was born in a booming mining town called Rio Tinto, Nevada. Her mother and 

father owned the Mountain City Hotel and one of her fondest childhood memories was of going to 

sleep at night with the sound of music drifting up through the hardwood floors of the old hotel for 

the Saturday night dance. A ranching community Mountain City consisted of eighty people, eight 

bars and a general store. 

Having an artistic father also had a lot of influence on Connie and at an early age she completed 

her first painting using his oil paints. What makes an artist Is it heredity, environment or just lust 

for life 

Connie’s bold brush strokes and brilliant use of color make her style distinctive and appealing. She 

has been in the “Arts for the Parks” competition top 200 in 1995 and 1996. In 2004 she was juried 

into the top 100 for the miniature show and contest. She was a guest artist with the Plein Air 

Painters of America in 2001 and again in 2003 for the organizations 18th gathering on Catalina 

Island. She was interviewed for the book, Enchanted Isle which includes a full page image of her 

painting “Corona” an old sailboat anchored in the bay. She was also a guest artist with the Rocky 

Mountain Plein Air Painters in 2003. Her plein air painting, “Beaver Meadows” 18 X 24 oil, won 

the Collectors Choice Award as well as one of the top eighteen and top three awards out of over 

450 paintings. Juror: Ed Trumble, Leanin Tree Museum of Western Art. 

Connie won the “Best Painting” and “Best of Show” awards for her painting entitled “First Snow” 

at the Visions of America show at the El Presidio Gallery in Tucson, Arizona. Jurors: Richard Iams 

and Greg Wallace. 



Sunset Ranch Connie Morse

Tarahumara Mother Connie Morse 

Takin’ Five Connie Morse 

The Walk Connie Morse 

Royal Gathering Connie Morse 



VL 

Studio Visit Dave Sime 

Dave Sime, has spent a lifetime studying, sketching, painting and sculpting his landscape, 

western, Indian and wildlife subject matter. Some people find their calling in life early on and 

through many different directions the journey ends right where it started. As a young boy Dave 

carved small birds which were correct in every detail and mounted over driftwood found on the 

shores of nearby lakes or streams. Today he incorporates natural driftwood into his clay sculptures 

which are then cast in bronze. He states, “The wonderful forms found in nature cannot be 

duplicated by man so I find satisfaction in the inclusion of these forms with my sculptures.” 

Sime conveys the gentler side of a Montana grizzly in this limited edition bronze sculpture, 

“Something in the Wind”. While working for the Forest Service, he encountered this bear in the 

north fork of the Flathead River near Glacier National Park. Here he shows the large bear, an 

almost silver tipped grizzly alerted by something in the air. 

Concerning his “Silent Watch” sculpture he states, “When I was sixteen I spent the summer of 

1956 on a United States Forest Service, forest fire lookout called Cougar Peak in northwest 

Montana. While on a hike I saw a mountain lion about thirty feet away and never forgot his intense 

look and attitude. After all these years I created this sculpture from that encounter. 

Dave Sime’s deep sense of feeling, knowledge and enthusiasm for his subject matter, whether 

it be wildlife, Indian, western or whimsical themes allow him to paint or sculpt clean lines and 

fluid forms. They declare their presence with expressive emotion and gestures capturing the 

feeling and attitude of the subject to involve the viewer in a visual adventure. 

He owes a great debt of gratitude to watercolorist, Harold Olsen and sculptor, John Coleman for 

their knowledge and instruction. 

Dave Sime’s sculptures and watercolors have been juried into Gilcrease Museum, Mountain 

Oyster Show, Charlie Russell Show, Arts for the Parks and the Briscoe Museum of Western Art. 

Silent Watch Dave Sime 



Something in the Wind Dave

Worship the Sun Dave Sime 

Old Mexico Dave Sime 

Together, Connie Morse and Dave Sime have found the 

true meaning of their creative lives. 

Web Site: www.redcliffgallery.com 

Email: info@RedCliffGallery.com 

Red Rock Rider Dave Sime 



Daily Painters Abstract Gallery 

http://www.dailypaintersabstract.blogspot.com 

Annie O’Brien Gonzales 

http://www.annieobriengonzales.com 

Carol Hein 

http://www.carolhein.com 

Barbara Van Rooyan 

http://www.barbaravanrooyanabstractart.com 

Robert Sako 

http://www.rasako.artspan.com 


lady l 

http://www.cfai.co/ladyl 


Diane Whitehead 


DianeWhitehead.com

Mike Denning 

www.americanroadhousestudio.webs.com 

md.americanroadhouse@gmail.com 


ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight 

artspan 

Artist Interview 

Sharon Hodges 

When did you realize you loved art and wanted to be an artist Art kept my childhood occupied and 

challenged…Real life responsibilities interrupted that reverie for many years. I feel fortunate that art can 

finally occupy the majority of my time now. 

Who has been your mentor, or greatest influence to date Historically, I’m an admirer of George 

Bellows, Sergei Bongart, Nicholai Fechin, Lucien Freud, and many others.…I’ve enjoyed workshops with 

Qiang Huang and Don Sahli recently, but I am mostly self taught, trial by fire…I’ve used and abused lots 

and lots of paint, and plan to use exponentially more. I read a lot, I visit as many galleries as possible, 

and I truly enjoy the work of all my friends. 

Who is another living artist you admire and why I’m a big admirer of Louisa McElwain’s work. Sadly, 

she passed away this year at the zenith of her artistic powers…her work is full of emotion, raw energy, 

and awe for the natural world…..I covet Donna Howell Sickles and Jeremy Lipking’s work…also Larissa 

Aukon and Amy Ringholz and Walt Gonske. My interests are wide and varied. 

What is your favorite surface to create work on or to work with I work on canvas, the heavier the 

better…and I prefer a larger surface. Working small feels very confining. 

What are your favorite materials to use Very large filbert brushes, large palette knives, large rubber 

spatulas, trowels, anything that I can smash paint around with…. 

Do you have a favorite color palette I love color, all of it, and I gravitate to a warmer palette. Occasionally 

I will intentionally paint something in a cool palette, but it takes real concentration, as it is not 

my natural tendency. 

How often do you paint I paint at least 4-5 days each week, 6-8 hours each day….half the battle is 

showing up and getting started….then, the time just evaporates. 

What is the one thing you would like to be remembered for. A generous heart. 

There are many culprits that can crush creativity, such as distractions, self-doubt and fear of failure. 

What tends to stand in the way of your creativity Yes, family obligations, daily life distractions, 

and self doubt are all creativity crushers…We all juggle the demands of our daily lives with the need to 

feed our creative selves. 

What are the inspirations for your work The natural world is my greatest inspiration. I sincerely appreciate 

the opportunity to spend time observing and painting nature, the landscape, and animals. I seek 

to capture emotion……a frozen moment, a feeling…..and translate that to the canvas…….I’m still figuring 

out how to do this…It is not a tangible thing…Success will come when the viewer experiences a similar 

emotional response to a painting…The best practice may be to run around at night catching fireflies….it’s 

the ‘AHA’ moment if you ever really get one…THAT’s what I’m after. 

www.sharonhodgesfineart.com 


Texas Artist Sharon Hodges in studio. 

How do you overcome these obstacles Just getting to the studio each day helps…I am blessed w/ a supportive 

husband, friends, and great studio partners who encourage my work. The smell of the paints, good music, the quiet 

company of a painting friend or two is helpful for me. 

What is your favorite way to get creative juices flowing Just paint…for me, it is all about moving the paint on 

the surface, making the colors vibrate together...I’m enjoying painting thicker now…it gets dangerous, only from the 

standpoint that it is easy to lose control of a painting quickly when there is so much wet paint on the surface…it can 

turn from colorful to mud in an instant. 

Which work of yours is your favorite My next painting is always my favorite. 



artspan 

Sharon Hodges 




Up Close and Personal 

What is your favorite color in your closet Dark Charcoal Grey..most of my clothes are covered in paint (yes, I’m 

messy). My few non-painting clothes are all neutral: black, dk grey, white, taupe…I have a nice collection of big scarves 

and leather jackets. I dress simply. 

What book are you reading this week One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera, both by 

Gabriel Garcia Marquez 

Do you have a favorite televion show I don’t watch much TV, but I do love Big Bang Theory and all the college football 

games. 

What is your favorite food Ice Cream. 

What color sheets are on your bed right now Bleached Bone White….always. Even in my previous career in the 

home furnishings industry, I looked at color all day…. So my home is cream, taupe, white, linen, w/ a few black leather 

furnishings. I find this neutral palette is a lovely background for colorful art and a couple of nice rugs….and it gives my 

eyes and brain a rest. 

What are you most proud of in your life My step-daughter’s accomplishments…Brooke has had many challenges in 

her life, and she’s capitalized on her opportunities and is doing great! 

Who would you love to interview My dog. 

Do you have a passion or hobby other than painting/sculpting Skiing and Golf 

If you were an animal what would you be and why Leopard, because they are sleek and fabulous…who wouldn’t 

want those spots 

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take three things, what would they be I realize I am supposed 

to say “a toothbrush, Swiss army knife, and my husband”, but honesty dictates that I state the obvious: I’ll need a 

STOL jet, plenty of fuel, and a jet pilot. 

Share something with us that few people know about you. I was once asked to leave a karaoke bar….for singing!!! 



artspan 

Sharon Hodges 


Cactus 



Cactus Fruit 



artspan 

Sharon Hodges 


Augusta and John 

www.sharonhodges.artsapn.com 


Lily Pond 

www.sharonhodges.artsapn.com 


ART BY D. LOUISE 

donna hayes 

donna hayes 

RenditionsofGrey.artspan.com 

RENDITIONS OF GREY: 

“My passion equals my success” 


RenditionsofGrey.artspan.com 

“Be not afraid of ruining the canvas with paint, but of the canvas remaining void of life.” 

Welcome new artist, Donna Hayes, Art by D. Louise and her Renditions of Grey, RoG 

As an over achieving perfectionist, the above quote was the angst that D. Louise struggled to overcome. 

D. Louise 

Born with an intensely creative nature, while being an over achieving perfectionist, made evolving into the world of art nearly impossible. 

Not wanting to be defined by others, she refrained from fully allowing herself to discover the beauty behind the brush, as if one errant 

stroke from beyond the box would somehow destroy the canvas forever. It was by chance, while her daughter was taking subject 

matte photographs in early 2012 with what was supposed to be a silly guileless grey filter, that she found her niche, pushed aside her 

fears and began to create… It was then, that Renditions of Grey (RoG) was born. 

Using an 18/0 Spotter brush, magnifying glass, three simple colors (white, black and grey) and a little texture from time to time, 

D. Louise has created some of the most brilliant works of art… From equine, canine, portraits, landscapes, architecture, planes, 

trains and automobiles; if she can capture it behind the grey lens, she can bring it to life on canvas. 

Many of her works are originally photographed and then painted by D. Louise herself… However, some are inspired by other 

photographers, who have graciously granted D. Louise permission to recreate their photography in her Renditions of Grey, notably 

such greats as; Giuseppe Pasquali, Raphael Macek and Jan Fialkowski. 

Prior to RoG, her works included billboards, restaurants and hotel renovations signage, portraits and murals. Her most recent mural, 

proudly displayed at El Camino Hospital in Los Gatos, CA is shown in the bottom right photo; a 9’x5’ vineyard scene with insects and 

wildlife for the biggest of “Where’s Waldo” fan. D. Louise prefers to paint with acrylics, easy clean up and fast drying. 

Now settled in the Pacific North West, just outside of the Seattle area, her future plans are to open her own posh art gallery and wine 

tasting venue, where patrons may come and relax with a variety of wines & exquisite Bourbons from around the world, while perusing 

her and other artists’ works. 

She is currently promoted throughout the US, Canada, New Zealand, Italy and Japan. Critics such as professional photographer Mary 

Miller have described her works as “Riveting, having the remarkable quality that ignites conversation... Compelling, possessing dimension, 

depth, and boundless power... Awe inspiring.”, likewise, artist Kristina Heredia states, “Her work grabbed my attention immediately! 

It is unique and so dramatic”. See full interview is available at: http://kristinaheredia.com/blog/63001/interview-artist-donna-l-hayesof-renditions-of-grey 

and Richard. V. Whaley, authored poet states, “D. Louise and her Renditions of Grey style have brought life to the 

canvas in a starkly refreshing departure from the status-quo”. 

To learn more about D. Louise, 

you can visit her website or join 

her at her first upcoming exhibit at 

the Black Dog & Theatre art gallery 

in January 2014, located at 8062 

Railroad Ave SE Snoqualmie, WA 

98065 (425) 831-3647 http://www. 

blackdogsnoqualmie.com/ 

We look forward to seeing the 

blossoming of this new artist and 

anticipate great things to come. 

Art by D. Louise at http://renditionsofgrey.artspan.com/ 

Noble Steed, Acrylic 36 x 48 x 1.5 

Original Available. 

Please contact artist for pricing. 

Original photographer – Raphael 

Macek at https://www.Raphael- 

Macek.com. 


Richard Levine 


RichardLevine.net

Pastel Paintings 

Landscape and Figurative 

richardlevine.artspan.com 

artisanRichard@gmail.com 


VL Carol J Walker IEA Signature Member 


www.internationalequineartists.com

Carol’s passion for photography started at an early age, with 

animals as her favorite subjects. She studied literature and 

photography as an undergraduate at Smith College, and continued 

her education in photography after graduating, studying 

portraiture and nature photography. She has travelled all 

over the world photographing wildlife for the past 30 years. 

In 2000, Carol started her business Living Images by Carol 

Walker, specializing in photographing horses. 

Carol’s images illuminate the relationship between horses and 

their people, as well showcase the beauty of horses with her 

stunning images of horses at liberty. She teaches workshops 

for amateur photographers on equine photography. 

Her commercial work includes catalogue covers for leaders 

in the Equine industry. She has had numerous calendars 

published featuring her work, and she markets her fine art 

prints from her website www.LivingImagesCJW.com as well 

as in several locations on the Front Range of Colorado. Nine 

years ago, Carol began photographing wild horses. As she 

followed several herds in Wyoming, Colorado and Montana, 

she became aware of how precarious their situation on public 

lands has become. Since then, she has dedicated herself to 

educating people with her photographs and stories about the 

wild horses. She is one of the leading advocates working to 

keep America’s wild horses wild and free on our public lands. 

Her book Wild Hoofbeats: America’s Vanishing Wild Horses 

is available at www.WildHoofbeats.com. The award-winning 

book was released winter of 2008 and is currently in its second 

printing. Carol’s second book, Horse Photography: The Dynamic 

Guide for Horse Lovers is in its second printing as well 

and is available at: www.HorsePhotographyWorkshops.com. 

www.internationalequineartists.com 


VL Nancy Christy-Moore IEA Signature Member 

Nancy Christy-Moore , an internationally recognized 

award-winning painter, brings the joy of color, 

energy and movement to her abstract mixed watermedia 

paintings created on both canvas and paper. 

Educated at Columbia College in Columbia, 

Missouri, the American Academy of Art in Chicago, 

and Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, 

she has taught and exhibited her work for the past 

thirty plus years. Currently Nancy teaches workshops 

and conducts demonstrations using her “inner 

painting” techniques. 

Nancy Christy-Moore has held over 20 solo exhibits, 

with 2 in Japan. She accepts creative commissions. 

Included in many private and corporate collections, 

her paintings have been exhibited in museums, 

public spaces and as limited edition prints for the 

Hyatt Regency Hotel chain. She was cover artist and 

featured artist for Horses in Art Magazine’s 2011 

Summer issue, 2012 Menlo Charity Horse Show 

Official Artist and is a signature member of International 

Equine Artists. 

Visit Nancy’s website: http://www.nchristy.com 





VL Lorna Matsuda IEA Signature Member 



Lorna is a self-taught artist from Alberta Canada. Her subject passion 

for art lies in Equine, animal and western lifestyles with a strong focus 

on realism and detail, her objective is to show the emotion and character 

of the subjects. She is an established artist having received several 

Peoples Choice Awards, been juried into many exhibits and art sales, also 

receiving the Gallery Choice Award at the Calgary Stampede Western Art 

Showcase. She is a Signature Status International Equine Artist and also 

an official Trail of Painted Ponies Artist with currently 3 releases. Her 

artwork has be purchased by collectors nationwide and internationally. 

Please feel free to visit her website at www.Giddyup-Portraits.com to enjoy 

more of her artworks. 



VL Andrea Michael IEA 

The animal kingdom is my muse and my greatest love and this is reflected in the art that I create. From beloved pets to the 

wildest of beasts, all of nature’s creatures inspire me. However, of them all, the horse stands uppermost in my regard. His power 

and grace, his fire and beauty and his subtle ways of communication all urge me to try and capture his likeness in my art. I’m a 

photorealist artist who strives to breathe life into my subjects, elevating them above mere copies of the photographs I reference. 

In painstaking detail I define the smallest components of what makes the animal unique, distinct from all the others like it. The 

smallest things play together to capture a personality - the set of a lip, the arch of a brow, a look in the eye. With these I strive 

to tell the story of the individual. 



Born in 1980, I spent my childhood years on a farm in Queensland, Australia 

where animals were my constant companions. It’s not hard to develop admiration 

and respect for the characters you grow up with, and farmyard animals, 

pets and wild creatures like wallabies and wedge-tailed eagles were part of my 

story very early on. My intense love of horses started forming when I was about 

4 or 5 and despite what practically every adult felt the need to tell me through 

the years, I did not grow out of it! These days I live in the gorgeous Dandenong 

Ranges, just outside of Melbourne. I have a wonderful supportive husband, and 

more pets than you can poke a stick at. I also have a small, opinionated part 

Arab horse called Danny who keeps me broke. 

http://www.andreamichaelartist.com/ 



CFAI.co 

2nd Annual “Colors of Autumn” 

Fall Juried Show 

$500 Cash Prize 

Open to all 2D Visual Artists Worldwide 


http://www.cfai.co/juried-shows 

Becky Joy

Kristine Byars 

http://www.cfai.co/juried-shows 


Melissa Doron 

Irish Storm 

ArtistDoron.com 

148 | brianjameskluck.com 

VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com 

The Next Door Gallery 

2020 Waugh 

Houston, Texas 77006

The Den-Draw-Logy Exhibit 

Dancing Euphoria 

ArtistDoron.com 


2020 Waugh 

Houston, Texas 77006 

VisualLanguageMagazine.com brianjameskluck.com 


VL Show Review 

Melissa Doron 

The Den-Draw-logy Exhibition 

The Next Door Gallery Houston, Texas 

Walking into an art opening you normally find a quiet place with stark white walls, spotlights, 

hors d’oeuvres and a small wine selection to enjoy while you peruse the art work. A 

steady hum of conversation surrounds you as other patrons stop and discuss the merits of 

certain paintings. 

The Den-draw-logy Exhibition by Melissa Doron at The Next Door Gallery in Houston was 

quite the opposite, and a pleasant surprise. Entering the door, you were met with the captivating 

sounds of a live band, Berry, Zamorrano and Bell Jazz Trio. Inside this extraordinary 

gallery was a full bar open to the patrons attending the opening. There were no small 

plates of finger food, instead the opening was catered by “This Is It” soul food. A quick 

glance around the room of guests exploring Melissa’s work, it was easy to see this solo 

exhibit differed from most. There was a defined theme for the entire body of work and the 

collectors were at ease browsing through the twenty plus paintings included in the show. 

Melissa Doron shared with the group, “This series came from an idea that a very dear 

friend, Laurie Pace, had. She told me I should pick something I am interested in and paint 

that subject for 50 days. This is the result....The Den-DRAW-logy Exhibition. Actually, my 

husband came up with the title. Dendrology is the study of trees. The spelling was just a 

fun play on words.” 

Melissa’s amazing body of work contained trees of every species. It was not the normal 

brown trunk and green leaves. Melissa’s work captured trees in their very essence of existence, 

teeming with color, despite the realization that most were painted without leaves. 

Her palette seemed endless as you strolled through the collection. Crimson to indigo, richly 

blended and sliced by knife. Wide brush and vibrant hues wove through many pieces. 

Every painting in the gallery was of a tree, and yet every painting totally different. 

“Irish Storm” seemed to pull you straight into the canvas. You could be standing a cliff in 

Ireland watching a storm roll in off the ocean, leaving you reeling with the scent of salt and 

rain in the air. “Dancing Euphoria”, an abstract painting with bright colors blending across 

the surface into a dance emerging from the canvas into the room. 

Melissa Doron’s show runs through September 26th at The Next Door Gallery located at 

2020 Waugh Houston, Texas, 77006. Gallery Owner, Mike Bell commented on the exhibit, 

“The reason I decided to initially show Melissa Doron’s work is due to the fact she paints 

with oils and does a fantastic job at that. Most modern artists I come across deal mostly in 

acrylic and pastels. Its refreshing to see someone not afraid of using oils. In 2012 I was introduced 

to a piece of hers called “Derby”. It was a beautiful piece of a horse racing in the 

Kentucky Derby. It caught the whole excitement and essence of the race itself. This years 

show was the intrigue of her concept “50 trees in 50 days”.” 


http://artworkbyann.com/ 


VL Show Review 

Melissa Doron 


2020 Waugh 



The Den-Draw-logy Exhibition 

The Next Door Gallery Houston, Texas 


2020 Waugh 



Debbie Grayson Lincoln 

NoworNever-Debbie.blogspot.com 

DebbieLincoln.com 


NoworNever-Debbie.blogspot.com 

DebbieLincoln.com 


VL 

Studio Visit with Texas Artist Kristine Byars 

wildwood-studio.com 




VL 

Studio Visit Kristine Byars 

Color with a Twist 

Galleries have a difficult time pinpointing Kristine Byars painting style. Kristine (“Kris”) likes that. Her 

art doesn’t seem to fit in any one category. It’s been described as, “contemporary-retro” “exaggerated-realism”, 

and “colorful-expressionism”. Whatever her paintings are, they convey a feeling of joy to 

the viewer and represent the world Kris sees. Talking with Kris, she describes her art, like her world, 

full of amazing people, animals, settings, and they are all bursting with life, vibrancy, and sometimes 

unexpected color. 

Kris gives credit to her Grandmother, who was an artist, for her early inspiration. Sometimes on longer 

visits to their Wisconsin dairy farm, her Grandmother gave Kris and her sisters full access to her 

expensive pastels and encouraged them to use these tools to express themselves. “It was probably 

an effort on Nana’s part to gain some peace, but it was special for us. Both of my sisters had more 

innate talent, but I was the only one who stuck with painting.” laughs Kris. Then while still in High 

School Kris was given the opportunity to work for a small advertising agency called Kruse & Associates. 

These wonderful folks provided her with a life direction, and an outlet for creativity. She started 

on the boards...no computers of any kind. A self-portrait of agency owner Richard (Duke) Kruse hangs 

prominently on the wall in Kris’ studio. 

She bought the painting last year at 89-year-old Duke’s solo art exhibition. After college, Kris worked 

in agencies and design firms for years, finally freelancing as an Art Director. But there was never time 

nor energy for painting. So she was thrilled, ten years ago, when her husband Steve encouraged her 

to return to painting. 

“I really love, and am proud of what I do.“ says Kris. She works primarily in oils, occasionally in oil 

pastel. She took on challenging gouache for a recently completed children’s book project, as she 

wanted the vibrancy of oil but the matte finish of the gouache. But now that the book is complete, she 

firmly claims her allegiance to oils! 



Horse Talk

Ten Hours Old 

Kris’ inspiration comes from several places which she lists as her love for animals, small towns, 

nature, global travel, and everything Texas. “Sometimes I think I might have been born in the wrong 

era, because I gravitate toward all things from the 30’s 40’s and 50’s.” She adds. The children’s book 

is entitled “Montana The Police Horse”. In it her loves are showcased. Fellow equestrian and friend, 

Debra A. Knapp wrote the story and Kris illustrated. Debra feels Kris captures horse’s emotions. Kris 

paints many animal portrait commissions and loves meeting every single critter, whether it’s dogs, 

cats, horses or longhorns. 

When not painting, Kris can’t stay away from her Quarter Horse Sparky. “He’s so gorgeous I could just 

stand there—slack-jawed—and look at him. Or paint him. Then I remember he’s a really fun ride as 

well and hop on.” She says. Because Kris lives in Dallas, boarding Sparky is necessary. That’s what 

takes her to the country at least twice per week. On her route to the barn, She drives as many back 

roads as possible, and always keeps her camera ready to capture paint worthy scenes and subjects. 



VL 


One of Kris’ favorite things to do is volunteer at a very special place called “Cleveland Avory 

Black Beauty Ranch” in East Texas. It’s the nation’s largest animal sanctuary and home for 

formerly abused, unwanted and neglected animals. Says Kris, “Kind of like the Island of Misfit 

Toys. I adore it. It’s a very tranquil place with a lot of really caring people who show the resident 

animals respect, kindness, and safety.” Kris has recently completed several lively murals 

which cover the bedroom walls in the Chimpanzee enclosure, as well as in their play yard. 

“The bedroom wall is a night-time jungle scene, complete with glow-in-the-dark moon and 

stars! “says Kris. She has accumulated a wealth of great stories connected with those painting 

projects!! 

Home for Kris is shared with her encouraging husband Steve, full-figured cat Bo-Peep and 

Golden Retriever Augie—”the world’s kindest soul”, according to Kris. Discussing her marriage, 

Kris says “Steve possesses the remarkable business abilities that escape me, and my 

creativity softens, and takes him out of his element. He helps me with every aspect of my craft 

including sometimes brutally honest painting critiques!“ Steve is an avid sailor and together 

they have traveled worldwide and bare-boated in some of the world’s most beautiful places. 

One more source for artistic inspiration. 

Nice Gather 



Right Page: Everything is New



VL Studio Visit Kristine Byars 

Elegant Pear 



Queenie’s Trick 

Right Page: Got Your Back



VL 


The Joke 



Girl’s Best Friend 

Kris feels very fortunate. “I often look at my life and wonder, how it is that I am so blessed I’m hoping 

the answer lies in Karma.” Regardless of your religious beliefs, good brings good. And Kris tries to 

reflect that world in her artwork. 




He is all hat and no cattle. 

Felicia Marshall 

feliciamarshall.blogspot.com 


Aspen S P A C E S 

Lelija Roy 

www.lelija.net 

Art on a Whim Gallery 

100 N Main St--Towne Square 

Breckenridge, CO 

www.artonawhim.com 

(970) 547-8399 

James Ratliff Gallery 

671 State Route 179--The Hillside 

Sedona, AZ 

www.jamesratliffgallery.com 

(928) 282-1404 


Carol Engles 

carolengles.artspan.com 

Email: Carol.Engles@gmail.com 


Autumn’s Orange Burst 

eric bodtker 

ERIC BODTKER 

www.ericbodtker.com 

EricBodtker.com 


Sandy Coulter 

coulterart.net 


Kim McAninch 

Karen Tarlton 

Palette Knife Artists 

www.paletteknifepainters.blogspot.com 

Niki Gulley 


Laurie Pace

Becky Joy 

Jill Saur 

www.paletteknifepainters.blogspot.com 

Kay Wyne 

Noreen Coup 


VL Barry Scharf 

Seeking Exposure. 

A long time ago, my mentor told me to ignore what is going on 

outside of your studio. Do not become distracted from the deeper 

thought and commitment necessary to create at a level that 

can make you seriously competitive. Because if you want to be 

at the top of your game you must, keep focused while working 

and improving. He said to make your artwork deep and so good 

it cannot be denied. Do this and you will be found, the world will 

find you! 

This process is true, acknowledgement belongs to the deserved 

ones whose work separates them from the pack of otherwise 

“good artists”. We are all good artists here, only a very few become 

great. What is it that gives your work a special hook or 

vision What is your skill level Setting ego aside, look at what 

you create and ask yourself if it is truly the very best, you can do. 

Will it separate you from the pack of other good artists 

We live a creative life and have done so all our life; to us this is 

what is important. We are painters. We are sculptors. We make 

images that fulfill our spirit and vision of the world. We are true 

artists in every sense of the word. There is no one else we need 

to convince of this. It is at this point in our life there is nothing to 

prove to anyone. Our success is not determined by external fame 

or fortune but by the joy, we find in living this life. Time will tell if 

what we have done will last. 

Now with all this said there is also a need to share what we as 

artists make with others. We want them to see what we have 

been doing. We want them to see our vision. We would like to 

sell a piece of work occasionally so we can validate our process. 

Doing this is unavoidable to any serious artist. Without this, we 

are living in a vacuum. 

Therefore, the dilemma arises of how to share our work. Devoting 

time to this process takes us away from the studio. So luckily, 

with the creation of the Internet, we live in a time that now circumvents 

many traditional time consuming approaches. Posting your 

work on a web page takes less time then seeking a gallery that 

may reject you or is less costly then hiring someone to promote 

you. Nevertheless, which one do you use There are so many 

ways to expose your work This magazine is a good start. 

“Shaman” by Barry Scharf 



Lisa McKinney 

www.cfai.co/lisamckinney 

Lisa-McKinney.com 

Lisa-McKinney.artistwebsites.com 


Lisa-McKinney.com 


The Five Graces 

Lincoln ~ Pace ~ Togel ~ Whitehead ~ Zorad 

the5graces.com 

Diane Whitehead 

Mary Jo Zorad 

Laurie Pace 

What makes The Five Graces special/unique 

All members of The Five Graces create bold, vividly-colored artworks with an inspirational flair. Several of the group are excellent 

teachers and writers. They work energetically toward touring exhibitions that showcased their artworks - shows to the US 

and to Europe. All five artists are spread out over the US. 


Who are The Five Graces 

Debbie Grayson Lincoln (the steady grace), Laurie Justus Pace (the heartbeat grace), Conni Tögel (the wired 

grace), Diane Baird Whitehead (the business-minded, directly spoken grace) and Mary Jo Zorad (the quietly 

inspired grace) have as many similarities as they do differences. Their artwork demonstrates a common commitment 

to a high standard of workmanship. To speak with any one of the five women reveals a commonality 

in what inspires them and how they choose to live their lives, with integrity and a commitment to doing their 

work for a higher cause. Each feels her creative inspiration as a passionate and natural calling. 

thefivegraces.blogspot.com for daily updates 

Debbie Lincoln 

Conni Togel 

the5graces.com 


Photographer Spotlight 

John G. Lomba 

Artspan Photographer Spotlight 

Rudolph De Ram 

VL 


artspan 

http://www.deramphotography.com/ 


VL 

Photographer Spotlight 


“I was born in the Netherlands and raised in the Midwest. My interest in art and photography 

began back in early childhood. I’ve always enjoyed drawing and painting and my introduction to 

photography began at around age nine when I received a toy camera that used “real film”. After 

high school, I attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago where I studied life drawing, 

illustration, and design. With a solid reference from one of my art school instructors, I landed a 

job with a small advertising agency. That was the beginning of a professional journey that included 

work at various advertising firms and industrial design firms. During that period I continued my 

interest in photography, painting... and all things about the American West. 

I’ve been a fan of the iconic American Cowboy for as far back as I can remember. Growing up in 

the late 50’s and thru the 1960’s, television still offered a steady run of “Westerns”. The Hollywood 

image of the Heroic Cowboy left a lasting impression on me. I continue to be fascinated with the 

true history and culture of the American West from the early pioneers to the issues that face the 

Western States today. 

Some of my Western photographs have been exhibited at the Cody Art League Gallery in Cody 

Wyoming, Open Shutter Gallery in Durango Colorado and the Center for Fine Art Photography in 

Fort Collins Colorado. I was selected for the Cowboys & Indians Magazine, Special Edition Photography 

Issue, and in 2008 I was fortunate to have an image selected as the overall Grand Prize 

Winner. I’ve also had photos selected for the B&W Magazine’s Single Image Issue and the Portfolio 

Contest Special Issue. 

As a participant in the Fine Art festival circuit I’ve been fortunate to receive various awards including 

the 2012 and 2013 best of category awards for photography at Barrington Art Festival 

Illinois, the 2011 best in photography at Wells Street Art Festival in Chicago and Fountain Square 

Art Festival in Evanston Illinois. Also in 2011, I received the Dorothy Burgert Memorial Award for 

Outstanding Achievement in Photography at Art Fair on the Square in Lake Forest Illinois.” 



artspan 



VL 




artspan 



VL 


“The collection of Photographs shown here, represent the places and the people across 

this country that have inspired me as an artist and excited me as a photographer. In 

presenting these images, it’s my hope that you may also experience that visual moment 

captured in time, and perhaps evoke an emotion or recall a memory from another time 

or place, real or imagined.” 



artspan 





August 2013 “Hot August Nights” 

Best of Show - Diane Morgan 

http://www.cfai.co/art-challenge-august-2013-hot-augustnights-classic-cars-hot-rods-junkers-and-clunkers 

Best of Show 

Hot as a Heartbeat 

Diane Morgan 

www.dianemorganpaints.com 


First Place 

Souped Up 

Barbara J. Mason 

www.dragonflystudiocreations.com 

http://www.cfai.co/art-challenge-august-2013-hot-august-nights-classic-cars-hot-rods-junkers-and-clunkers/ 



Second Place 

Jack’s Truck 

Annie O’ Brien Gonzales 

www.annieobriengonzales.com 


CFAI.co September Art Challenge - “Avant-Garde” - $100 Cash Prize! 

Open to all 2D visual artists! 

Enter now - 

www.cfai.co/art-challenge 


Painting by Sallie-Anne Swift

Third Place 

‘Till Rust Do Us Part 

Suzy ‘Pal’ Powell 



Submit your portfolio to join 

Contemporary Fine Art International 

www.cfai.co/register 


VL OilPaintingDVD.com 

Step by Step Demonstrations 

OilPaintingDVD.com 

hrgroat1@stny.rr.com 


Hall Groat II 

OilPaintingDVD.com 


THE COLORS OF TEXAS 

artistsoftexas.org 


THE ARTISTS OF TEXAS 

artistsoftexas.blogspot.com 

dailypaintersoftexas.blogspot.com 


http://davethepaintingguy.com/podcast/

Visual Language Magazine Contemporary Fine Art Vol 2 no 10 October 2013

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