Visual Language Magazine Contemporary Fine Art Vol 3 No 6

VL 

Visual Language 

contemporary fine art 

features 

Tigran 

James Tennison 

Jennedy Paige 

Sabine Barber 

Dennis Lewis 

Janine Kilty 

Eleanor Bennett 

VL 

July 2014 Volume 3 No. 7 

Tigran 

http://ttigran.com 

VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 1

VL 

visual language 


VisualLanguageMagazine.com 

Subscribe Free Today. 

http://visuallanguagemagazine.com/subscribe.html 

July 2014 Vol 3 No 7 

©GraphicsOneDesign1998-2014 

2 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com

Tigran 

Contemporary Fine Art 

Tigran Tsitoghdzyan is an Armenian-born painter based in New York City. 

His latest series, “Mirrors” was featured in the 2012 and 2013 editions of Art Basel in Miami Beach. 

The ongoing series is a detailed study of women’s faces encased in black. Although shielded by their hands, 

their glowing faces are exposed. The magnified images of each face are intimate viewings of the individual, 

each fossilized in isolation. 

VL Cover Artist 

The photorealistic portraits express an increasing sense of transparency in the Age of Information and Social 

Networks. The series explores a generation at the heel of modernity by juggling nuanced contemporary ideas 

using traditional elements of oil painting. The marriage of technology with an old world sensibility has led critics 

to describe the “stunning portraits along the most unexpected surface” as both “intriguing” and “haunting.” 

Tigran found his calling in painting at the age of five. The precocious child preoccupied himself by drawing and 

painting with watercolors. By the age of ten, Tigran was hand-picked by Henrik Iguitan, founder and director 

of both the Modern Art Museum and Children’s Art Museum based in Yerevan, to star in a solo exhibit. This 

pivotal event led to his works being displayed throughout the United States and Europe. 

His paintings can currently be found in private collections, art galleries and museums across the world. 

http://ttigran.com 


Connie Dines 

Artiful Exposures One Frame At A Time 

Bleeding Hearts 

Shafer Canyon View 

www.artfulexposures.com 


contentVL 

Cover Artist Tigran 3 

His latest series, “Mirrors” was featured in the 2012 and 2013 

editions of Art Basel in Miami Beach. 

Painter’s Keys - Robert Genn 11 

VL Artist Features - 16 

Demian, Kristine Kainer, Jody Anderson, 

Lelija Roy, Rod Seeley 

CFAI Colors on My Palette 46 

Barbara Rudolph 

Read the up close and personal interviews from CFAI.co Find 

out more about the artist, their inspirations and how they approach 

their work. 

VL Studio Visit with Tigran 56 

“People are my landscape,” contemporary artist Tigran Tsitoghdzyan 

explains. “I’m just an observer. I love being lost in 

the crowd and feeling anonymous.” 

VL Studio Visit with Texas Artist James Tennison 76 

Inspired by local geography, neighborhoods and landmarks in his hometown 

of Fort Worth, Texas - as well as subjects he finds on his travels - 

James seeks to paint the beauty he sees all around. What really excites 

him is the effect of light - sunlight and shadow - and the colors that can be 

seen in shadows and reflected light if one looks closely. 


VL Artspan Studio Visit with Sabine Barber 92 

I was born and raised in South Africa. Growing up on a beautiful 

farm in Mpumalanga, most of my childhood was spent outside in 

the sun, running barefoot through the dirt, climbing in trees and daydreaming 

in the garden. 

Barry Scharf 108 Interview with Dennis Lewis. 

In my early days of teaching at the Art Institute of Seattle was 

where I first met my now long time friend Dennis Lewis. Dennis 

and I share many values and ideas about the art of painting. I have 

known him now for 18 years and he has never stopped creating 

works that demonstrate a high standard in skill, love for the figure 

and still life painting. His paintings have been shown in galleries 

and he has won many awards and prizes. 

ARTSPAN.com New Works - 112 

Do not miss the new works posted every day on 

Artspan.com SANDRA FLOOD 

VL Studio Visit with Jenedy Paige 116 

I’m not one of those artists that knew my calling in life from the 

age of five. I didn’t even try oil painting for the first time until I 

was a junior in college. I hear people talk about how all artists 

are just born with ability and I have to laugh. Mine has been a 

skill that I have developed over just hours and hours of plain 

old hard work and the prayer of faith. 


contentVL 

ARTSPAN Spotlight with Janine Kilty 128 

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

Although I have loved music, theater and the visual arts my entire 

life, I did not come to learn drawing and painting as a youngster– it 

was at the urging of my husband, Kurt, that I began to take lessons, 

first in drawing, then expanding to paint. Once I got into it, I 

knew I would never stop! 

WAOW Winners 140 

On Exhibit in San Diego, WAOW 

CFAI.co Showdown Realism 148 

First Place Barbara Rudolph 

Second Place Paula Peacock 

Third Place Darla McDowell 

VL Artspan Photographer Eleanor Bennett 160 

Eleanor Leonne Bennett is an internationally award winning photographer 

and visual artist. She is the CIWEM Young Environmental Photographer 

of The Year 2013 and has also won first places with National 

Geographic,The World Photography Organization, Nature’s Best 

Photography and The National Trust to name only a few. 

Directory of Artists and Galleries 178 

In alphabetically order you can easy find all featured artists 

and advertising artists, along with featured galleries in our 

index directory. 


Artist of the Day 

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

Sign up today. 

Laura Reed 

Laura is a mixed-media artist living in Sarasota, FL. She has been an artist her entire life, beginning in 

second grade with a drawing of Popeye. She has explored many mediums, including silk screening, 

gourd crafting and watercolor painting, until arriving at her current explorations of mixed-media abstract. 

http://laurareed.artspan.com/ 

artistofthedayvl.blogspot.com 

If you want to be featured as an Artist of the Day, contact Visual Language Magazine. 

VisualLanguageMagazine@gmail.com

www.carol@caroljosmidt.com 

carol@caroljosmidt.com 

Carol Jo Smidt 

“Dances With Trees” Oil 30 x 30 


VL 

visual language magazine 


Visual Language Magazine Staff 

Editorial 

Editor -in-Chief Laurie Pace 

Executive Editor Lisa Kreymborg 

Contributing Editor Lisa Neison-Smith 

Consulting Editor Nancy Medina 

Feature Contributor Robert Genn Painter’s Keys 

CFAI Contributor Kimberly Conrad 

Feature Editor Art Reviews Hall Groat II 

Feature Contributer Barry Scharf 

VL Sponsor ARTSPAN Eric Sparre 

Advertising 

Contact: VisualLanguageMagazine@gmail.com 

http://roberthopkins.artspan.com/ 

Marketing and Development 

Executive Director Business/Management Stacey Hendren 

All Artwork is Copyrighted by the Individual Artists. 

Visual Language Vol 3 No 7 

http://loganbauer.com 


The Painter’s Keys 

Robert Genn 

Robert Genn (May 15, 1936 - May 27, 2014) 

Robert Genn’s 

Studio Book 

On Tuesday morning, at 10:20am, Dad passed away. He was at home, surrounded by his family. My brother Dave’s Airedale, Stanley, lay on 

the floor nearby. This day was also my, and my twin brother James’s, birthday. 

A few evenings earlier, Dad and I were sitting up together, discussing a favourite piece of music. “Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana has the ability 

to take you from placidity to power in one sonic breath. It is music of dignity and strength, with primitive, energetic passages, evoking absolute 

beauty from the simplest of phrases. It brings up something that has everything to do with significance -- squeezing joy and motif that you 

just can’t drop -- it stays with you.” 

I tapped along on his laptop as he riffed a stream of consciousness, his sense of wonder twinkling, then sparkling, his voice growing ever softer, 

his hand squeezing mine when we paused. “The thing about art is that life is in no danger of being meaningless,” he whispered. I remembered, 

again, the wonder of nearing the summit plateau at Lake McArthur, rounding a corner to the West Coast Trail’s packed, silvery strand and, 

moment by moment, the unveiling of the magic hour on the Bois d’Amour in Pont Aven, Brittany. A few more steps, a couple of breaths to our 

destination: a silent sharing in the marvel. 

I thanked him for the millionth time. We all thanked him as he slipped away. “Thank-you, Daddy, thank-you.” 

And what about your twice-weekly letters This ardent epistolary friendship, this living commitment, a connection and conviction to the 

imagination and creative heartbeat, and to lifemanship Dad wrote to you last October, after receiving his diagnosis, and since then we’ve 

solidified our intention. He wrote: 

The Painter’s Keys - Robert Genn 

“From the get-go we have been aware of the value of these twice-weekly letters to artists and others. Sara has helped me with many of them. 

We’ve shared our artistic journey together and have often talked about this day. One of the ideas we’re tossing around is that she start off by 

writing once a week. The other letter would be a favourite previous one of mine. If we ran all my previous letters once a week, they would last 

for 27 years! Finding ourselves at new chapters in our adventure, we sincerely hope we can continue to be of service to you.” 

And so, I’ll write to you. And you’ll get Dad’s letters, too. It will be my honour to do so, and will continue to be with the deepest gratitude to 

you, his friend in art. 

Sincerely, Sara 

PS: “Over the days of this journey, a kind of energetic serenity has set in. Something happens with the mixture of space and time. I feel a sense 

of story. Others have told me you can feel it in your brush, and I do now. A family of mergansers swims close by -- the young are almost ready 

to fly south. Perhaps you have felt it too -- it has something to do with purity.” (Robert Genn, on the Mackenzie River, 2000) 

Esoterica: Dad’s dream has been to reach artists of all stripes -- individuals with a common joy, journeying in this life-enhancing, inexplicable 

affair of the heart. He wrote, “We have no other motivation than to give creative people an opportunity to share ideas and possibly broaden 

their capabilities -- to get more joy and understanding from their own unique processes.” With this dream in mind, please forward this letter, 

or letter of your choice, to someone you think might find it of value. If one, or many, chooses to subscribe, we will exponentially widen -- as 

a diverse and generous community of worldwide artists. “To float like a cloud you have to go to the trouble of becoming one.” (Robert Genn) 

“Art is something else. Art is fluid, transmutable, open-ended, never complete, and never perfect. Art is an event.” (Robert Genn) 

“We live our short spans in the vortex of a miracle, and while we may not be the center of that vortex, it is magic to be anywhere in there.” 

(Robert Genn) 

“Love me truly! 

Remember my constancy. 

With all my heart 

and all my mind 

I am with you even when far away.” (Anonymous text, Carmina Burana) 


Robert Hopkins 

Photography 

roberthopkins.artspan.com 

Email: rchopkins@optonline.net 

Overcoat - LeeAnn #29 

©2013 Robert Hopkins


ASHKENASI 

Michal Ashkenasi 

Abstract 3 

michalsart.com

Enhanced Photography 

Abstract 4 

michalsart.com

VL 


Artists to Watch and Collect 

Demian 

Kristine Kainer 

Jody Anderson 

Lelija Roy 

Rod Seeley 

Visual Language Magazine Featured Artists this 

month delve into the beauty of each of the five different 

artists and their unique approach to creativity. 

Demian uses several unique methods to create 

work that is abstract, avant-garde, and intense. 

Kristine Kainer specializes in realistic depictions of 

everyday items with abstracted, richly colored backgrounds. 

Jody Anderson appreciates the transition 

of warm and cool light on the turn of a face or the 

delicate shift of light on a restful hand in her painting. 

Lelija Roy creates mixed-media work that expresses 

texture as color and color as texture. Rod Seeley 

is a self taught digital artist that is always pushing 

his creative boundaries through his unique “Stylized 

Digital Fractal 

Art” creations. 


VL Demian 

http://www.demianart.net 

The intention of Demian’s work is fulfillment of 

the longing, the hunger, the rush of vital feeling 

that may be out of reach within, perhaps just 

beyond the fingertips...and the satisfaction, the 

relief, and the surging freedom of their presencing. 

His works have been characterized as abstract, 

avant-garde, and intense. They typically 

display vivid color and rely on texture, depth, 

and fantastical themes. 

Demian was raised in a remote area on Maui. 

His nickname was “Doodles”, which he despised, 

but looking back it was apt as he was 

constantly drawing, painting, and writing calligraphy. 

He received an education balancing artistic 

development with traditional subjects, as 

the arts ran strong in his family. 

Like Gauguin and Rousseau, Demian is an autodidact 

in abstract art. Somewhat a polymath, 

he received his Doctorate from Cornell, published 

a best-selling book, invented a cancer 

therapeutic, and was awarded two black belts. 

Similar to Kandinsky and Hofmann, he returned 

to art in the middle of his professional years. 

Through the insistence of his fine art consultant 

fiancé, the aptly named Beth Miracle (who he 

calls his “catalyst and muse”), he has released 

his private and personal works to the public. 

Demian has developed several unique methods 

to produce his pieces. Not the least of 

these is a variation of Automatism, a process to 

infuse the subconscious into the works, while 

bypassing the rational mind. 


Left: Primordium 

Above: Grandma’s Stories 


VL Demian 

http://www.demianart.net 

Left: Homecoming 

Right: Neither-Neither Tree 


Demian’s work is made with acrylic, watercolor, and resins, usually on plastic, and then the image is impregnated 

in aluminum via dye sublimation and framed. There is no digital art other than routine adjustments 

for the dye sublimation transfer. 


VL 

Kristine Kainer 

http://www.kristinekainer.com 

Finding beauty in the ordinary is the guiding force behind Texas artist Kristine Kainer’s work. The daughter 

of a Marine, Kristine moved frequently along the Eastern Seaboard. She graduated from The College 

of William and Mary with a degree in Art History and began a career in colorimetric chemical analysis. 

Later, she earned a Master’s degree from George Mason University and pursued a teaching career in 

mathematics. 

In 2003, Kristine, her husband, and their young daughter relocated from the Washington, DC area to 

rural Texas. It was an opportunity to experience a slower pace of life while living on an old farmstead. 

Here, while working closely with the land, Kristine’s creative spark was ignited in the form of painting. 

A self-taught artist, Kristine specializes in realistic depictions of everyday items with abstracted, richly 

colored backgrounds. Oils are her medium of choice. A signature member of the Artists of Texas and a 

member of CFAI, her works are in both public and private collections throughout the United States and 

internationally. 

Canning Jars 20 x 20 Aermotor 30 x 30 


Clam Shell 20 x 20 

Oyster on the Half Shell 12 x 12 


VL 

Jody Anderson 

http://jodyandersonart.com 

“To everything -- a season, and a time to every delight under 

the heavens” - Ecclesiastes 3:1 

Jody Anderson’s season with painting began in the year 2000 when she was inspired to pick up a paintbrush 

for the first time. She found great delight in the laying down of color on a canvas and began exploring 

the works she has now come to greatly admire of Vermeer, Zorn and Sorolla. Their intentional purpose 

and apparent command of color placed a burning desire in her soul to work alongside the hearts of those 

brilliant Masters. 

Jody works in oil and enjoys an array of subjects including still life, landscape and figurative work. Studying 

the transition of warm and cool light on the turn of a face or the delicate shift of light on a restful hand 

moves her spirit and easily translates to her still life work. As a lover of the outdoors, Jody also finds herself 

occasionally plein air painting and especially enjoys the camaraderie of joining other artists as they capture 

nature at its finest. With her passion for the arts, and her desire to evolve; she is grateful for the guidance 

from the talented minds surrounding her and feels blessed to be given the opportunity of this journey. 

Shawna - Oil 16” x 20” 


www.jodyandersonart.com 

Yellow Pears and Blue Bottle - Oil 16” x 20” 

Copper and Plums - Oil 18” x 24” Peonies - Oil 16” x 20” 


VL 

Lelija Roy 

http://www.lelija.net 

When you walk into a grove of aspens--you enter the embrace of 

AspenSPACES. You are not walking among individual trees, rather 

the entire grove is a single, interconnected living organism. 

AspenSPACES capture moments in time: the perfect place for a picnic, drifts of gold, snow covered elk 

poetry. The dance of light and color changes each time you look. 

Denver-based artist Lelija Roy’s mixed-media work expresses texture as color and color as texture. She 

works with acrylic paints and a long list of other water-based media pigments. Her textures combine 

various rice papers, lace, silk, fibers, handmade paper and metals. Her process includes mono-printing, 

watermarks and numerous painting techniques. Resulting AspenSPACES typically include as many as 

twenty layers. 

Her formal art trained began in the 1970s at the Art Students League in New York City and a BFA from the 

University of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Roy started her full-time art career in 2005. Her work is held in both 

public and private collections throughout the U.S. and in several foreign countries. Lelija’s AspenSPACES 

can be found in galleries in Sedona, AZ as well as Denver, Breckenridge and Vail, CO. For the latest from 

her Denver studio, please visit www.Lelija.net. Commissions are always welcome. 



VL 

Rod Seeley 

http://RodSeeleyArt.com 

Stylized Digital Fractal Art 

Rod Seeley is a self taught digital artist that is always pushing his creative boundaries through his unique 

“Stylized Digital Fractal Art” creations. My passion is utilizing creative shapes and vibrant colors combined 

with dozens of special techniques to create truly unique artwork. Many of my pieces are enhanced 

using a customized digital paint (oil) technique and customized filters. My artwork is designed to be done 

on high gloss metal in a metal shadow frame which adds an additional visual dimension to the artwork. 

In 2012 Mr. Seeley started entering juried international exhibitions and has won awards for his work. 

His artwork has also been included in the Museum of Computer Art and The International Art Guide – 

“Abstract Art Showcase”. His artwork also appears in Volume VII & VIII – “International Contemporary 

Masters” a Juried art publication. 

His artwork also been exhibited at ArtExpo New York 2013 & 2014, Spectrum New York 2013 and Spectrum 

Miami 2013. 

The insert on each piece artwork is the “Original Fractal Creation” used to create the finished artwork 

displayed. 

Imagine It 

Liquid Look 


Prospective Vision 

http://RodSeeleyArt.com 

Green Looker 


Naomi Shachar 

“Waiting at the Gate” 

www.nomika.info

BECKY HICKS 

"Celebrating the Spirit of the West" 

beckyhicksfineart.com 

beckyhicksfineart.blogspot.com

Roseanne Snyder 

Diversity in Texture and Composition 

Passion 24 x 24 

roseannesnyder.blogspot.com

Jonelle T. McCoy 

Oklahoma Equine Artist 

“Your Equine Art Connection!” 

“Shania’s Eye” 

mccoysgaitedhorseartworks.blogspot.com 

mccoysartworks@gmail.com

Tuesday’s Bouquet 

Abstract Collage Paintings 

laurareed.artspan.com

Laura Reed 

Life Experiences 

A Bouquet for Monday 

laurareed.artspan.com

http://www.vanessakatzart.com/

Vanessa Katz 

Left Page: Entwined 

Right Page: Top Left: Solace 

Right Page: Top Right: Together 

Right Page: Bottom: Symphony 

www.VanessaKatzArt.com

Urban Fresh 12 x 12 

VL REES 

Contemporary Realism and Beyond 

Visit my Websites: 

www.vlrees.com 

www.TippingPaintGallery.com

STEPHANIE PAIGE 

Contemporay Artist 

Stephanie Paige 

La Jolla . Santa Fe . San Diego . Denver . Scottsdale . Napa Valey . Walnut Creek . Lagua Beach 

Resting Sky 48” x 48” Mixed Media made with Textured Marble Dust Plaster 

Visit Stephanie’s Representing Galleries 

NEXT SHOW is at Pippin Contemporary on June 20th 2014 

Mirada Fine Art Gallery . Denver, CO. Ph.303-697-9006 

Calvin Charles Gallery . Scottsdale, AZ . Ph.480.421.1818 

Pippin Contemporary . Santa Fe . Ph.505-795-7476 

Contemporary Fine Arts Gallery . La Jolia, CA. Ph.858.551.2010 

Christopher Hill Gallery . Napa Valley, CA. Ph. 707.963.0272 

STEPHANIEPAIGESTUDIO.COM

Terrye Jammaer Philley 

Gulf Coast Artist 

Title: Pick-Up on the Beach 

Medium: Oil on 11 x 14 Gallery Wrap Canvas 

TerryePhilley.com

“Reflections of Drowned Mosque by Day” 

Allegorical Painting 

Sanda Manuila 

36 x 24 

sandamanuila.artspan.com

Kaleidoscope 

“All Too Soon” Oil on Canvas 30 x 20 

ValerieTravers.com

Valerie Travers 

“Painting is a reflection of who I am and what I feel most deeply. 

Expansive skies are a constant source of wonder and inspiration to 

me and bring joy to my soul.” 

ValerieTravers.com 

Working in Acrylic, Oil, Pastel, Mixed Media Landscapes, 

Seascapes, Abstracts, and Florals

discover art . inspire collectors 

dandcgallery.com 

Tigran at Davis&Co

engage discussion . celebrate life 

DAVIS&CO f i n e a r t g a l l e r y 

Established by David Davis and Melissa Davis Doron, the mission of Davis and Company, Contemporary 

Fine Art, is to inspire our collectors and guests with original works of art of the highest possible quality and to 

create an upscale, engaging gallery where artists of paramount caliber can exhibit and sell their works of art. 


Home is where the art is.

CFAI.co Colors On My Palette 


http://barbararudolphfineart.com 

http://www.cfai.co/#!colors-on-my-palette-interview/cy2z 

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

I have loved art for as long as I can remember. Even when I was a little girl 

I loved to draw. I didn’t make the full time jump into becoming an artist 

until I was in my mid 20s. 

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

I had a couple of college professors that were very encouraging to me. They were also very honest about communicating 

the difficulties I would face when pursuing art as a full time career which made me want to work even harder. My late 

father was always encouraging of my artistic ventures. He also was “accidentally” the reason I made a major change in 

my painting theme. It was unfortunately not until after his passing that I pursued painting “birds” full time and gained 

success at it. 

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

I don’t have a specific mentor today, but I wish I did. I think it’s important, but not so easily found. I know of a few well 

known wildlife artists that I like to follow that also paint or sculpt in a realistic style. I also have a few friends that are 

phenomenal artists that I ask to critique my work if given the opportunity. One friend and “master sculptor” of wood 

and bronze is “Ken Newman” - he does a lot of museum shows. A few other artists that I truly admire but have not actually 

met are: Carl Brenders, Nancy Howe, James Offeman, Grace Kim and Julia Hargreaves. They all do outstanding 

work! There are many others too. 

What is your favorite surface to paint on Describe it if you make it yourself. 

When I paint on canvas I prefer to have it custom stretched. The canvas quality is better and tighter. I sand it lightly to 

remove most of the texture if I can. I then almost always do 2-3 coats of black gesso. I let it dry a few days and then do 

an oil ground. I stock pile the primed and ready to go backgrounds in my studio so that when the ideas are flowing...I 

can begin to paint on them right away. I also sometimes use Ampersand panels, however I still find I have to prime 

them first. The reason is because they tend to absorb the paint up way to quickly if you don’t. They do not work well on 

large scale paintings because they warp. No matter what the label tells you... they warp! I do like to use them for 11x14” 

size and under. They are a time saver because I don’t have to sand them. I purchase the “smooth” surfaces, which usually 

have to be ordered online. The local art stores usually only carry the medium tooth surface, which would be great for 

people who paint with thick paint. 

What brand of paints do you use 

My absolute favorite are the “Lukas 1862 Finest Artists Oil Paints” from Germany. They are rich and buttery. 

Do you have a favorite color palette 

I tend to like a lot of variations of brown and other natural colors 

What is your favorite color in your closet 

That would be a toss up between bright red and fuchsia. 

What subject appears the most in your paintings and why 

“Birds” I often paint the birds with classic books, vintage musical instruments and even with some sports themes. 

Read more at http://www.cfai.co/#!colors-on-my-palette-interview/cy2z 


The Playoffs 

To Kill a Mockingbird 

Read more at http://www.cfai.co/#!colors-on-my-palette-interview/cy2z 


DORON 

MELISSA DAVIS DORON 

Landform Utah 

www.artistdoron.com

Melissa Davis Doron captures the bold of life and the 

subtle nuances of nature. 

Davis&CO 

DandCgallery.com

Collectors Discover New Art Daily. 

International Voices - Speaking Through Art 

Professional Artists - Join the CFAI Family. 

Membership Includes: 

• Personal Coaching on Individual Art Marketing Strategies 

• Heavy Brand Marketing of CFAI.co Member Artists 

• Promotion of Artist’s Work on Multiple Social Media Sites 

• Promotion of Artist’s Events and Workshops 

• Professional Gallery Page on the CFAI.co Website 

• Over 100 Specialty Art Blogs to Choose From 

• Monthly Artists Showdowns Free for Members 

• Quarterly Juried Competitions at a Discounted Rate 

• Eligibility for Inclusion in the Annual Collectors Book 

http://www.cfai.co

Aspen S P A C E S 

Lelija Roy www.lelija.net aspen.spaces@gmail.com

CHAPMAN 

Elizabeth Chapman 

Contemporary Abstract Artist 

melizabethchapman.artspan.com

Victoria Pendragon 

“From Many, One” 

www.victoriapendragon.com

Conflict of Interest – 16x16 

Confidence – 12x16 Acrylic 

Dusk Lookouts – 9x12 Acrylic 

goldenkstudio.com

goldenkstudio.com 

Cindy Sorley-Keichinger 

Wildlife & Nature Artist 

Golden K Studio 

email: goldfarm@telusplanet.net

VL 

TIGRAN 

Reflection (2012 24” x 43” / 60 x 110 cm, oil on canvas, private collection 

wwwttigran.com

wwwttigran.com

VL 

Studio Visit 

Tigran 

Reflection in the Age of Technology 

“People are my landscape,” contemporary artist 

Tigran Tsitoghdzyan explains. “I’m just an observer. 

I love being lost in the crowd and feeling 

anonymous.” 

Yet, Tsitoghdzyan—who goes by Tigran professionally—found 

himself set apart from the crowd 

at an early age in his native Armenia. Henrik Iguitan, 

founder and director of both the Modern 

Art Museum and Children’s Art Museum based 

in Yerevan, hand-picked ten-year-old Tigran to 

star in a solo exhibit featuring over 100 of his 

paintings. Tigran doesn’t make too much of his 

impressive start. “For me it was normal. My 

class came to the exhibit with my art teacher. 

She told me I could do better.” Tigran humbly 

jokes, “I actually had really bad grades in that 

art class.” 

Tigran grew up surrounded by intellectuals. He 

painted in his parent’s living room, listening to 

their friends talk politics, philosophy and music. 

He credits his parents with his down-to-earth attitude 

about his early success; they didn’t show 

him articles about his first show or subsequent 

European and American openings until he was 

twenty-two. As a result of this no-nonsense attitude, 

Tigran says, “I never felt that I was different 

than anyone else. It was just that I liked to 

paint.” 

Perhaps this insistence on anonymity and normality 

prompted Tigran to leave behind the acclaim 

of his home country in 1998 and study in 

Europe as a young man. While he found success 

there, New York had been on his mind since a 

visit at age fourteen for an exhibition of his work. 

“At that point in the Soviet Union we didn’t know 

much about foreign countries in general—going 

to New York was like going to Mars. I couldn’t 

find a Guns ‘N Roses CD at home and then I 

came to New York for that trip and was front row 

at a Guns ‘N Roses concert. I was talking about 

New York nonstop after that.” 

Mirror Series 

wwwttigran.com 




VL 

Studio Visit 

Tigran Tsitoghdzyan 

Colorful Spectrums 



Artistic Layers 1 



VL 



VL Studio Visit 

Tigran 

Tigran arrived in the Big Apple five years ago determined 

to make it his home. “I love to watch how people 

of different cultures connect to each other here. 

That is the magic of New York.” 

Tigran is especially interested in how people interact 

in this new era of technology and social media. “It’s 

the era of selfies,” he says, referring to pictures people 

take of themselves on their phones and cameras. 

This fascination with self-reflection is captured in 

Tigran’s work. His images of mirrors suggest a close 

examination of self, and yet the hands held to the 

face in many pieces shield the subject from outright 

observation. Tigran wants to convey the same 

disconnect that occurs when a small child holds his 

hands over his eyes and believes he is actually hiding 

in full view. 

Tigran’s work explores the way people use the 

Internet to convey images of themselves. There is 

significant transparency in an online profile—individuals 

offer the particulars of their lives up to the larger 

community. We see the faces of Tigran’s subjects 

through the screen of their hands just as we connect 

with people through the filter of the computer screen. 

Tigran elaborates, “Contact with people today is very 

different from how it used to be. It is influenced a lot 

by social media. When I’m on the street and I see 

people taking Facebook pictures, I know they are 

curating a very specific story about themselves.” 

The details of these stories are what drive Tigran’s 

ten-hour workdays, as he labors over the particulars 

of each face. Oil painting allows him to spend longer 

on each painting and achieve a realistic effect. 

“The technique is an instrument I need to convey 

the details. I use oil painting to tell the story. Not the 

reverse.” 

Left Page: Armenian Mirrors 

Right Page: iPray (2011) 

24” x 24” / 61 x 61 cm, 

oil on canvas, private collection 



VL 

The detailed faces in the “Mirrors” series tell a story about the artist as well as his diverse subjects. 

Tigran explains that one Mirror depicts an older Armenian lady whose hands entirely cover her face without 

any transparency. This beautiful grandmother represents a very old culture and lives with a past she 

is not yet willing to share. In contrast, Tigran describes another Mirror of an attractive, self-aware, young 

American woman with an open face. “I’m in between these two realities,” Tigran admits, “I live here in 

America but my background is from Armenia.” 

64 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com 

wwwttigran.com


Tigran Tsitoghdzyan 

Left Page: White Mirror (2013) 75” x 50” / 190 x 127 cm, oil on canvas, private collection 

Right Page: Mirror II (2013) 100 “ x 70” / 254 x 178 cm, oil on canvas, private collection 




Tigran 

Left Page: Millenium (2010) 47” x 47” / 120 x 120 cm, oil on canvas, private collection 

Right Page: Censored II (2011) 32” x 32” / 82 x 82 cm, oil on canvas, private collection 



Tigran reflects that the inspiration for his work stems from both the incredible diversity of cultures in New York 

and the transparency of the individual on social media. Tigran is fascinated with how people present themselves 

in our Age of Information. In a way, Tigran himself is the mirror: observing and reimagining the reflections of the 

individuals who stand out in the crowd. 



VL 

Recent Exhibitions 

Tigran 

2013 

Mirrors - Arcature Gallery, Palm Beach 

2013 

Mirrors - Gallery Valentine, South Hampton 

2013 

Art Basel Miami 

2012 

Millennium, Valette Foundation, Conthey, Switzerland 

2012 

Art Basel 

Miami, USA 

2011 

Destockage 

Katz Contemporary 

Zurich, Switzerland 

2011 

Painting Stories 

50 - 1 Gallery 

Limassol, Cyprus 

2007 

Armenian Landscapes 

EWZ - Unterwerk Selnau Kultur und Eventhaus 

Zurich, Switzerland 

2007 

Tigran Tsitoghdzyan - Serabai 

Centre Culturel de la Vidondée 

1908 Riddes, Switzerland 

2006 

Hyperrealismus: Personal Exhibition 

Artefiz Kunsthalle 

Forchstrasse 317, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland 

2005 

Forum d'Art Contemporain 

Sierre, Switzerland 

2004 

GordArt Gallery 

Johannesburg, South Africa 

2003 

Gallery of the Contemporary Art «Fabienne B.» 




don scott MACDONALD 

The elegant canvases of nationally–acclaimed artist Don Scott Macdonald are not simple rec 

Rather, Mr. Macdonald strives to distill the essence of a scene. Dreamy, simple and powerful 

perceived stillness with inherent movement, and expert representation with unearthly abstra 

Artist Reception: Friday May 16th, 6-9 pm 

Exhibition: May 17 - June 8 

miradafineart.com 

All Paintings by Don Scott Macdonald. 

(l to r): Sky Crane Creek, 24” x 48”; Boundless, 36” x 48”; Virga Laguna, 36” x 60”

eations of static landscpes. 

ly emotive, each painting juxtaposes 

ction. 

5490 Parmalee Gulch Rd. 

Indian Hills, CO 80454 

(only minutes from Denver) 

www.miradafineart.com 

303-697-9006 

info@miradafineart.com 

miradafineart.com

Sonoma Hills with Barn 

Eric Bodtker 

ericbodtker.com 

Davis&CO 


!

Last Light 

D A L T O N 

Judy Wilder Dalton 


Finding Art in Life and Life in Art 

judywilderdalton.com 

wilderartist.blogspot.com

www.valariewolf.com 

www.zebrajazzstudio.com 

Lauriepace.com 

jonelle-t-mccoy.artistwebsites.com www.mariadangelo.com www.pamshaouy.com 

http://sues-art.com www.debrahartgallery.com www.internationalequinearti

www.equineartist.com 

www.michellehogan.ca 

www.debfloodart.com 

www.nchristy.com 

sts.com www.BarbYoungPhotography.com www.mindycolton.com

VL 

http://www.jamestennison.com 


VL 

James Tennison 

Evening Light on Bass Hall 36” x 27” Oil 

VisualLanguageMagazine.com http://www.jamestennison.com 

- VL Magazine | 77

VL 

Studio Visit James Tennison 

James E. Tennison graduated from the Art Center 

College of Design in Pasadena, California in 1982. 

He cites his time at Art Center, where he studied 

under such artists as Dan McCaw and John Asaro, 

as his most formative educational experience. After 

graduating, he spent several years as a freelance illustrator, 

eventually making the transition from illustration 

to portraiture and fine art. 

Inspired by local geography, neighborhoods and landmarks 

in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas - as well 

as subjects he finds on his travels - James seeks to 

paint the beauty he sees all around. What really excites 

him is the effect of light - sunlight and shadow 

- and the colors that can be seen in shadows and 

reflected light if one looks closely. 

Tennison’s paintings have been exhibited in galleries 

throughout the United States, including the Salmagundi 

Art Club in New York City, the Legacy Gallery 

in Scottsdale, Arizona, Howard/Mandville Gallery in 

Kirkland, Washington and Galerie Kornye West in 

Fort Worth, Texas. He has participated in many group 

shows and competitions and has had a one man 

show titled “A Year In Fort Worth”. 

His portrait commissions have taken him across the 

United States and to England. His 

commissions include the official portrait of 

former Texas Governor Ann Richards, which hangs 

in the state capitol in Austin. He has painted portraits 

for Harvard University, Southern Methodist University, 

Texas Christian University, The National Cancer Institute, 

the New York County Lawyer’s Association as 

well as many other public and private collections. 

His awards include the Salmagundi Art Club Purchase 

Prize, the People’s Choice and First Honor 

Awards at the Portrait Society of America’s International 

Competition, the RayMar Art Competition Best 

of Show Award and the Oil Painters of America Online 

Showcase Silver Medal. 

Portuguese Church - Late Morning 12” x 24” Oil 

http://www.jamestennison.com/ 


Last Light on First Methodist 24” x 18” Oil 



VL 


Marguerite 40” x 30” Oil 



The Colonnade 20” x 30” Oil 



VL 


Dress Rehearsal at Bass Hall 28” x 22” Oil 



Roger 24” x 30” Oil 

Lucius 9” x 12” Oil 



VL 


Courthouse at Dusk 30” x 24” Oil 



John Peter Smith Tree 14” x 21” Watercolor 



VL 


Trio 24” x 48” Oil 





Simon Kenny 

Sentinel 

Destiny 

Diffusion 

Email: simonkenny@eskayfineart.co.uk

simonkennysart.com 

Into the Breach 

Between Heaven and Earth 

Pulse 

simonkenny.artweb.com

Natural Art for the Nature Lover in You! 

The Little Red Barn” Acrylic, 16x20 Unframed 

Terri Holland 

terrihollandartstudio.weebly.com

Linda McCoy 

Gallery/Fine Art Instruction 

209 S West Street, Mason, Ohio 

www.lindamccoyart.blogspot.com 

Email: lindamccoyart@live.com 

clairebullfineart.com 

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/claire-bull.html

Samburu Woman, Oil on Canvas 

http://www.sabinebarber.com

VL 

SABINE BARBER 

http://www.sabinebarber.com

VL Artspan Studio Visit Sabine Barber 

I was born and raised in South Africa. Growing up 

on a beautiful farm in Mpumalanga, most of my 

childhood was spent outside in the sun, running 

barefoot through the dirt, climbing in trees and 

daydreaming in the garden. I also spent countless 

hours doodling, using any scraps of paper I 

could find, filling the pages with princesses, mermaids, 

unicorns, playing out my fantasies using 

pencil or ballpoint pen. In my early teens, I began 

taking private lessons in oil and pastel painting, 

which opened up a wonderful world to me. I found 

a new, colourful, way to express myself. Art was 

a part of my life, a part of my day-to-day. It helped 

me escape, it made me happy! 

Then, as they say, life got in the way and before 

I knew it, I grew up, finished school and went to 

college. Afterwards, I found myself at a crossroad. 

Young, brave, and eager to experience the “real 

world” out there, I followed my family to Germany 

(I soon learnt it may as well have been the moon!). 

There, I ended up in some day job and earned 

money – the way the “real world” dictates. I rarely 

picked up a paintbrush anymore. It just didn’t “fit” 

into my serious grown-up world. And besides, it 

had only ever been a fruitless hobby anyway, so 

what was the point, right I didn’t leave myself 

much time to miss Africa, since I had convinced 

myself that I made the right decision emigrating - 

that life was better here than in my crime-ridden 

home country. I would just have to get used to it 

here and learn to deal with the homesickness and 

whatever other feelings of restlessness I had. So 

I soldiered on and kept myself busy. Eventually, 

I married my wonderful husband (also a South 

African) and in the years that followed, we became 

the proud parents of two beautiful children. 

I thought that finally I would have all I would ever 

need to feel “complete” again. 

After our son was born, I lost my day job, which 

I didn’t really mind, because being a mother was 

my new full-time job anyway, and I was happy 

to stay at home for him and, later, our daughter. 

When both my children were old enough to go to 

Kindergarten, I suddenly found myself alone for a 

few hours in the mornings. 

It was during that time that I started feeling more 

restless, bored, and really, really homesick! 

I needed an outlet, something to do. In an epiphanic 

moment, I put on some African music, dug 

out my old pastels and over the course of a few 

days painted a portrait of an African woman, carrying 

her child on her back. I remember looking 

at it for ages afterwards and thinking how much 

I MISSED this. And how much better I felt! And 

then I did another painting a few days later – another 

African portrait. Then another one…. I didn’t 

know what I was going to do with the paintings 

afterwards or where this was going, but I just 

couldn’t help myself. I dug out old photos, contacted 

friends in South Africa for some “holiday 

shots” from safaris, the Kruger National (wildlife) 

Park, or for just any photos capturing life in Africa. 

I poured over these references – some purely for 

inspiration and to reminisce. After completing a 

few portraits, I decided to try my hand at wildlife, 

for variety. At first, I worked primarily with pastels 

(because it is so much quicker to tidy up and store 

away before the kids returned home from Kindergarten). 

Then, as my confidence grew I braved 

the “big, white, scary canvas” to attempt an oil 

painting for the first time in years. It was exhilarating! 

Of course, oils take forever to dry, so I 

opted for the water-based variety. My children, in 

the meantime, were well-trained at keeping their 

inquisitive little fingers away from the easel and 

“mommy’s paintings”, while they dry. 

Three years have passed since that “epiphanic 

moment”, and I haven‘t stopped painting! The 

more I painted and the more encouragement I got 

from friends and family, the more I WANTED to 

continue. Now, it fills a void in my life that I cannot 

explain and I don’t want to give it up anymore. I 

hadn’t dared to think of having a life as an artist, 

but for the first time I wondered if this could be 

more than “just a hobby”. I found a small, local 

gallery in Germany that hung up my art and offered 

me a small platform to get myself „out there“. 

I was also invited to display some of my work at 

various businesses around our area. While the 

feedback has always been good, the sales have 

much catching up to do (although this might be 

more a question of location and target audience). 

Nevertheless, to me it was a big step to “expose 

myself”, artistically. And it is only the beginning. 

http://www.sabinebarber.com 


Right: Baby Elephant, Pastel

http://www.brightstroke.com 



Himba Boy, Pastel 



Cape Girl Drawing in the Street, Oil on Canvas 

Lalibela Boy, Oil on Canvas 




African Lady with Child, Pastel 



San Girl, Oil on Canvas 

Madre Himba, Pastel 




Catch of the Day, Oil on Canvas 

Right Page: Ibhubesi, Oil on Canvas 






Frangipani (Plumeria), Oil on Canvas 



Burning Sky, Oil on Canvas 

I have recently started branching out to new themes 

that inspire me to paint. My children inspire me. The 

beautiful landscapes and season changes in Europe 

inspire me. People in history inspire me. While I don’t 

think I will ever stop painting “Africa” entirely, I must 

admit I get a particular rush from painting portraits. 

There’s something about painting a face that is so 

calming and gratifying to me: The beginning stages 

and outline of a face, a body, a look. Then comes the 

“ugly phase” where the whole painting looks a mess 

and I am almost tempted to throw the damn thing 

in the bin. But then there’s that redeeming moment 

where it actually starts to LOOK like someone again 

and I power through, slowly reaching the final stages 

of completion. 

At present, I live in England. (Yes, we moved again 

recently!). While I still don’t know where or how to best 

approach this new art venture, I feel like I am in a better 

location “artwise”. I hope to someday have my own 

studio, my own solo exhibition and one day make art 

my “day job”. While I may still be at the beginning of 

such a dream, I can say that with each “Africa” painting, 

the feeling of homesickness is becoming less and 

less and with every brush stroke, I feel my sense of 

self coming back… 



Ann Balch 

The Delicacies of Life 

LADYBUG 

21.5" X 29.25" 

Mixed media 

(Watercolor/Archival Acrylic Varnish) 

HIDDEN 

Oil on Canvas 24" x 36" 

www.annbalch.com 

Right Page:CROWNING GLORY 

Mixed Media (Watercolor/Acrylic Archival Varnish) 

26.75" x 20" 

by Ann Balch, CSPWC, SCA 

Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

Nancy Medina Fine Art 

Painting Under the Tuscan Sun 

June 6-13, 2015 

https://www.ilchiostro.com/index.phpaction=workshop-details&item=273 

You are invited to join award winning artist Nancy Medina for 7 days of making brilliant colors bloom at 

the Tuscan Renaissance Center, a lovingly restored ex-monastery dating back to the 12th century. Open 

for beginners to advanced students in oils, as well as those who work in water based oils, watercolor, and 

acrylics, you will learn to loosen your approach to painting in this exciting multi-media workshop scheduled 

during the peak of poppy blooming season. 

NancyMedina.com 

Right Page: Sunset Blaze Wildflower Fields 16X12 

Left Page: Ruby Tango Peonies 12X12

https://www.ilchiostro.com/index.phpaction=workshop-details&item=273

VL 

Barry Scharf 

My interview with Dennis Lewis- 

A Figurative, Still Life and Realism Artist. 

By Barry Scharf 

In was in my early days of teaching at the Art Institute 

of Seattle where I first met my now long time 

friend Dennis Lewis. Dennis and I share many 

values and ideas about the art of painting. I have 

known him now for 18 years and he has never 

stopped creating works that demonstrate a high 

standard in skill, love for the figure and still life 

painting. His paintings have been shown in galleries 

and he has won many awards and prizes. 

When I was given the topic for this article I immediately 

thought it would be a great way to introduce 

Dennis to all my readers. I spent some time thinking 

of what questions to ask him about his life his 

art and his views. Here is his reply. I hope you enjoy 

the interview. 

Dennis first could you give us a little background 

about your career as a Figurative, Still 

Life & Realism painter 

At the early age of seven, I decided that I wanted to 

be an artist. Drawing for me was fun and a way for 

me to express myself. I was also blessed to have 

parents who encouraged me to draw at such a 

young age. My dad displayed artistic talents when 

he was in the armed service and I would confiscate 

his drawing pad with filled charcoal portraits of 

many of the service men he served with. My mom 

brought postcards from work to draw my favorite 

cartoon characters. 

After graduating from high school I was awarded a 

grant allowing me, to study commercial illustration 

at Chouinard Art institute, where I received my BFA 

(Bachelors of Fine Arts) Degree. Attending a professional 

institute helped me to develop my professional 

artistic skills and knowledge in composition 

and design. 

What has lead to your interest in this type of 

painting 

years, trained me in various painting techniques 

and styles. Every job given to an artist was followed 

up by ‘tight deadlines’ and helped in the perfecting 

of my artistic skills. During the mid sixties up to the 

late eighties, editorial, magazine ads, entertainment 

and product advertising was all promoted mainly by 

the use of illustrations although, photography was 

also used. The use of illustration allowed more creative 

freedom for the clients and allowed artist the 

freedom of self-expression. Since my interest was 

already representational art this eventually lead to 

my interest in traditional painting. 

When the digital age entered, many illustrators 

found themselves out of work or adapting their 

skills to computer graphics. I was able to make the 

transition. Eventually making the commitment to 

pursuing the fine arts market full time. 

How do you choose the subject matter for 

your work 

Choosing subject matter for me has always been 

relatively easy. I’m one of those individuals who 

find myself plagued with many ideas and concepts 

for painting. I plan out many of my personal 

projects for the year and the fact that there is 

so much I want to say through my art keeps me 

motivated as an artist. 

However, there are times when an unexpected 

subject matter or an event catches my eye and 

I’m suddenly inspired at that particular moment. 

Art is all around us and it’s important to take a 

moment out of your busy schedule, open your 

eyes and appreciate the beauty that surrounds 

us. I also try to use my time wisely, reading, 

viewing and studying many of the great painters 

who left behind a tremendous body of work to 

inspire future generation of artists. 

Working as a professional illustrator for over the 35 

http://barrywscharf.squarespace.com/ 


Hair 30 x 24 



VL 

Barry Scharf 

What do you believe are the important points that 

any painter should know in order to be successful 

at this type of painting 

I believe without a shadow of doubt, in order to be good 

at something requires passion, dedication and a lot of 

hard work. I believe that every artist has to have a love 

for what they do. And you must be willing to work at 

your craft even when you don’t feel like it. It can be 

intimidating working on that blank canvas, hoping your 

hard efforts will not go in vain. No one wants to ‘blow 

a painting.’ But, sometimes, without failure you cannot 

achieve or appreciate success in your work. 

When I taught, I had a saying... “Don’t be afeared...” 

Jokingly, I would tell my students that with every mistake 

you grow as a creative person, and students must 

be willing to overcome their fears. Every artist must be 

willing to accept the fact that you will fail sometimes but 

it’s more important to get back on track and continue 

the process. Dedication and hard work will always pay 

off in the end. Building confidence, and overcoming the 

fear of failure, is the first step to achieving the success 

you desire in your work. 

Although, success can be equated with gallery recognition 

and financial reward, I believe that ‘true success’ 

is based on that personal journey and development 

through the learning process. Remember when you 

were a child, being an artist was more about passion, 

joy and the love of the craft, that to me, is more valuable, 

more important and the true definition of success. 

work. When I first started painting I use to give each 

piece a tight deadline, much like when I was working in 

the business as a professional illustrator. And I would 

work relatively tight when it came to rendering. But, 

since then, I try and take my time, allowing myself to 

maintain an open attitude about each piece, keeping a 

loose approach in some cases while focusing more on 

the concept, design, harmony and the final goal of each 

piece. 

Have you found a market for this type of painting 

Where do you show your work 

Art as a whole is not an easy venture to market these 

days. It requires a lot of patience and sacrifice to get 

your work out there in the competitive market. My goal at 

this particular time is developing a strong body of work. 

I belong to several art organizations and over the years 

have shown at various galleries here in the city where 

I live as well as other major cities. I’ve also, had the 

privilege of being a published artist belonging to several 

prestigious art organizations, having my work exhibited 

on several occasions at the ‘Forest Lawn Museum’ 

located in Glendale, California, ‘Masterpiece Christian 

Art Foundation’ and ‘Northwest Air Force Art Program.’ 

Several paintings (Angels On Our Shoulders, ‘Chasing 

Mach 1 ’ and ‘Reign of Fire’) are on display hanging in 

the U.S. Pentagon in Washington D.C. 

Is lighting important and if so how do you decide 

the setup and control the look 

Lighting is everything in a good painting. I try and set 

up good lighting in my studio when I paint. The old masters 

where extremely good at this. As an artist, I work at 

this all the time. Just like developing good drawing and 

painting skills it’s important to maintain good composition 

along with good lighting. 

How much time do you spend on a painting and 

how do you know when to stop 

Each painting dictates it’s own time frame. Some paintings 

can go very quickly and some you can find your 

self struggling in an attempt to capture the mood. However, 

these days, I’m learning to stay flexible with my 



Reign of Fire 22 x 24

What do you think is the future of this type of 

painting 

Brass Lamp 

Representational art continues to struggle for its recognition 

and appreciation. It competes with abstract 

art, which it should. Both having impact and on today’s 

culture. There is room for both. The digital age 

that is so prevalent in today’s society has created 

a huge buzz with today’s young artist. Many young 

artists lack the educational knowledge and history of 

great traditional artists like Henry O’tanner, Alphose 

Mucha, Norman Rockwell, Pablo Picasso and other 

legendary artists who have made significant contributions 

in today’s art world. 

Although, there are still a few academic institutes 

that still teach ‘traditional arts,’ many students lack 

the basic fundamentals of good drawing and design 

but seem to focus more on computer graphics and 

digital art. However, given the circumstance of today’s 

age of technology, it’s a natural evolutionary 

progression. I do believe that art goes in cycles. Digital 

art for now seems to be in the spotlight for the moment. 

It’s just a matter of time, when boredom sets 

in and the appreciation of the ‘hands on’ traditional 

arts and its uniqueness’ will once again surface to 

the forefront. 

Are there any other comments you would like to 

make 

Fruit of the Harvest 36 x 24 

Being an artist is not an easy life but it’s the life I’ve 

chosen. I’m very thankful that I’ve been able to express 

myself through my craft and hope to do more 

paintings in the near future. I also believe that it’s 

important to give back, sharing the knowledge and 

experience I’ve gained through the years as a professional 

artist as and art instructor. Hopefully, motivating 

others to seek out the treasure that is within 

them. Some of us are good at singing, working with 

kids, etc. We’re all gifted at something. I would like to 

encourage others to follow your passion, that thing 

that gives your life purpose and joy. Those gifts and 

talents should not be taken for granted but rather 

shared with others to inspire future generations to 

come. 

-Dennis Lewis 

http://dennislewisfinearts.blogspot.com 

Silver Reflections 12 x 9 



VL artspan.com 

Sandra Flood 

Look Away 


An Opened Door

The Perfect Place to Find Art 

The Italians 

Kyle’s Glory 

Sandra Flood 

www.sandraflood.com

Laurie Justus Pace 

LauriePace.com

The Painted Pony Gathering Two Passing of Spring 

32 x 48 Oil on Canvas 

MiradaFineArt.com

http://www.jenedypaige.com/

VL 

Jenedy Paige 

Summer’s Gift 

http://www.jenedypaige.com/

VL Studio Visit Jenedy Paige 

I’m not one of those artists that knew my calling in 

life from the age of five. I didn’t even try oil painting 

for the first time until I was a junior in college. 

I hear people talk about how all artists are just 

born with ability and I have to laugh. Mine has 

been a skill that I have developed over just hours 

and hours of plain old hard work and the prayer 

of faith. 

As a Senior in High School my family moved to 

a small town in Northern Colorado where I found 

my dreams of academic grandeur dashed. No 

AP classes No Honors program This led me 

to signing up for six art classes. There, at a tiny 

high school in a tiny town, I found an art teacher 

that truly inspired me. She taught the idea that art 

was all about communicating a message, and this 

was news to me, I always thought it was about 

making something look “real”. The idea of being 

able to send a message through an image really 

spoke to my heart, and my passion for art began. 

I then went on to study at BYU-Idaho, at another 

small town in southeast Idaho, where I found 

myself once again inspired by amazing teachers. 

Though at the bottom of the raw talent pool, I was 

motivated by an academic scholarship and would 

go to school at 4:00 am to work before classes began. 

Little by little, I improved, I was able to keep 

my scholarship, and graduated magna cum laude 

in 2006 with a BFA in illustration. 

After college my husband and I moved to California 

where I continued to paint. I joined the Daily 

Painters craze, and just tried to get more experience 

behind my belt. I began teaching at a private 

art school and later would teach out of my own 

studio. I discovered I loved teaching just as much 

as I loved painting. I soon became a mother for 

the first time, and began the careful balance of 

juggling motherhood, teaching, and painting. 

In 2010, I gave birth to my second son. Painting 

became harder than ever, but I knew that it was 

always second to being a mother, and I found 

that as I put my children first, time to paint always 

seemed to find a way. I learned to tell myself that 

it was okay if I only got 30 minutes to paint one 

day that meant I was 30 minutes better today than 

I was yesterday. I learned that in order to be a 

mother and an artist, you have to be patient with 

yourself. 

In 2011, after a glorious summer with our two 

boys in Ensenada, Mexico, I found myself face to 

face with my worst nightmare. My beautiful threeyear-old 

son was pulled from a pool, and we spent 

nearly two months in the hospital with him as he 

fought for his life. Then in November he quietly 

slipped home to the God that gave him life. What 

a gift he had been to our family, and what a gift 

art became to me as I dealt with all the emotions 

associated with such grief. I found solace in my 

faith, in my family, and in my painting. So many 

tears were shed as I tried to find some way to pull 

all the sorrow from my heart and let it go on a canvas. 

I found a new appreciation for art that could 

have come in no other way. It took some time, 

but I found the tears began to dry and the smiles 

began to return. 

We now currently reside in Arizona, and I’m expecting 

our fourth child. I continue to paint a little 

bit every day, and try to have as much fun with my 

kids as I can. I know how fragile life can be, and 

truly try to soak up every moment. I continue to 

work as hard as I can, and pray as hard as I can, 

and look to the future with happy anticipation. 

http://www.jenedypaige.com/ 


Home 



VL 

Studio Visit Jenedy Paige 

Wisdom of the Wilderness 

Vision Rouge 

Among Thistle and Thorns 

Right Page: Little Lamb 



http://www.vanessakatzart.com/ 


VL 

Studio Visit Jenedy Paige 

My Ebenezer 



Little Bird 

Leaving Eden 



Kyle Wood 

kwoodfineart.com 


kylewoodfineart.blogspot.com

kwoodfineart.com 

"Beyond The Gate II" 

18" x 24" Oil on Canvas

Kimberly Conrad 

“Pouring Color Into Your Life” 

KimberlyConradFineArt.com 

KimberlyConradFineArt.com 

“Coastal Reflections-Deep Blue” 30”x30”x1.5” 

Poured Acrylic on Canvas 



VL 

Janine Kilty 

ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight 

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

Although I have loved music, theater and the visual arts my entire life, I did not come to learn drawing and 

painting as a youngster– it was at the urging of my husband, Kurt, that I began to take lessons, first in drawing, 

then expanding to paint. Once I got into it, I knew I would never stop! 

Who has been your mentor, or greatest influence to date 

My husband, Kurt – who perceived my talent and pushed me to take art classes. And Wade Schuman: master 

artist (of both painting and music!) and the most influential teacher in my life. 

Who is another living artist you admire and why 

Besides Wade Schuman, who will always be uppermost in any catalog of my inspirations, I deeply admire the 

work of Jamie Wyeth, Bo Bartlett, Vincent Desiderio, Natalie Holland and Odd Nerdrum. More, I am sure, but 

these come to mind first. 

What is your favorite surface to create work on or to work with Describe it if you make it yourself. 

I usually paint on pre-stretched, pre-primed canvas. I use both linen and cotton. I also occasionally work on 

panels. I further set up these ready-made surfaces by preparing a tinted ground on the canvas, and then I paint 

on this. This is the method used by northern European Renaissance masters, who I admired and strive to emulate. 

My three favorite grounds are “Chamois” (made up of white gesso tinted with raw sienna, burnt sienna 

and chromium oxide green), “Grey Mid-tone” (made up of raw umber, yellow ochre and a touch of black added 

to white gesso), and “Celadon” (made up of yellow ochre, black, chromium oxide green and white gesso). 

What are your favorite materials to use I described the surfaces above – and I use linseed oil as my medium, 

with oil paints from several manufacturers (preference is based on particular colors), the manufacturers 

include Gamblin, Mussini, Holbein, and Williamsburg. I use both boar bristle and sable or sablette brushes 

from a number of manufacturers, predominantly filberts and rounds in a variety of sizes. I also occasionally use 

a palette knife for certain effects. 

How often do you work on your artwork I actually have another career: I work as a Human Resources 

Consultant, which has me traveling with some regularity for selected projects. When I am not on a consulting 

project, and so, not traveling, I like to work in my studio about four or five hours each day, sometimes all seven 

days. I feel bereft at the moment, since I have been engaged on a particularly long consulting project that has 

kept me away from my studio for more than three months! 

What is the one thing you would like to be remembered for 

Being a loyal and loving daughter, wife and friend. 


Nocturne 

http://www.janinekilty.com/ 


VL 

Janine Kilty 


Winter Break 

Right Page: Companions II 





VL Janine Kilty 


Feline and Firkin 



Still Life with Crow 



VL 

Janine Kilty 


Red Scarf 



Winter Bounty 



VL Janine Kilty 


Getting to know you Q&A 

What is your favorite color in your closet I am somewhat red-faced to admit this: after I 

opened my closet to look, I found I had a tremendous proportion of black: pants and skirts, pinstriped, 

tweeded and solid… but, (sigh of relief) tops are more colorful: in addition to white and 

off-white, I have lots of teal blue, “pumpkin”, warm purple (the tertiaries!). 

What book are you reading this week I always have two books going: one visually and one 

audio for my walks. I am reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tratt (absolutely fabulous… and coincidentally 

for this article, centers around a painting I have always found especially inspiring, by Carel 

Fabritius). I am listening to Careless in Red by Elizabeth George (a murder mystery). 

Do you have a favorite television show My husband and I don’t watch much television, but we 

do enjoy “date nights” in our den, watching movies or “TV” shows that are strong on characters and 

narrative, like films. One favorite is House of Cards. We are also looking forward to the start of the 

second season of Orphan Black. We loved the first season. 

What color sheets are on your bed right now I think the color is called “Beech.” It is a soft 

green – like a very pale moss color. If I were to mix it on my palette, I would use unbleached titanium, 

yellow ochre and a touch of black. 

What are you most proud of in your life I have been a mentor and a coach to a number of people 

over the years. Several credit me with helping them achieve their life goals. Also I have been 

involved with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program over many years. One little girl I met through 

that program, and who is now an accomplished, beautiful woman, was someone who has been a 

particularly important part of my life for 25 years. I believe my husband and I made a real, positive 

difference in her life, and feel both proud of and blessed to have had such opportunity. 

Who would you love to interview Of living people, I would love to talk with Cindy Sherman. I am 

fascinated and inspired by her arresting and deeply narrative portraits and would love to learn what 

she draws on for her complex, vivid images, what inspires her. 

Who would you love to paint 

Malala Yousafsai, the Pakistan schoolgirl who survived being shot by the Taliban for her wish to attend 

school. I would love to look into her eyes and try to capture her courage, strength and young 

wisdom, along with her beauty. 



Abbey Road 

Companions 



S A N D Y M O S E R 

Don’t Mess with Momma 

Daydreamer 

Momma’s Boy 

s.moser@ns.sympatico.ca 

Facebook – Sandy Moser Art

Specializing in Wildlife Art 

sandymoserart.com

VL 

WAOW Winners 

“WAOWed in San Diego” 

Women Artists of the West 44th National Juried Exhibition 

Women’s Museum of California 

2730 Historic Decatur Road, Barracks 16, San Diego, California 

Show dates: May 2 through May 31, 2014 

Best of Show $1,000 Independence Day Nancy Harkins 

First Place - 2D $500 4th of July Roses Jeanne Hyland 

Second Place - 2D $250 In It to Win It Cheryl Harley-Volz 

Third Place - 2D $100 Day’s End Nancee Busse 

First Place - 3D $500 “Fierce” Triumph of Harriet Tubman Lori Pandy 

Second Place - 3D $250 Presence Yvonne Kitchen 

Third Place - 3D $100 Rein Maker Burneta Venosdel 

Jury Award $100 Waiting on the #9 Lori Pandy 

Jury Award $100 Catching the Sunlight Carol Amos 

Jury Award $100 After the Rain Jane Hunt 

Allen Award $100 Afternoon Stroll, Balboa Island Michele Usibelli 

President’s Award $300 Ballerina #3 Susan Smolensky 

Publisher’s Award 

Art of the West Magazine Quiet Waters Nancy Peach 


Fine Art Connoisseur 

Piedra Lumbre Morning Patricia Ford 


Southwest Art Magazine Nobility Nancy Doyle 


Visual Language Magazine Waiting at the Gate Naomi Shachar 


American Art Collector Reflecting Pool Lynn Phariss 

4th of July Roses Jeanne Hyland 


Independence Day Nancy Harkins 

Ballerina #3 Susan Smolensky 


VL 

Presence Yvonne Kitchen 

Award of Excellence Canson Bouquet in a Box Jean Olliver 

Award of Merit Art Frames.com A Rose by Any Other Name! Grace Schlesier 

Award of Merit Sculpture Depot Daffodil - New Beginnings Kathy Anderson 

Award of Merit RoyalTalens My Father’s House Judy Burch 

Award of Merit RoyalTalens Desert Cactus in Morning Light Karen Petrovich 

Award of Merit Source Tek Cardinal 1 Kathleen Kirch 

Award of Merit SourceTek Snow Day! Mikela Cameron 

Award of Merit SourceTek Country Squash Dee Kirkham 

Award of Merit SourceTek After the Rain Jane Hunt 

Honorable Mention Wallis Mule Deer Doe Judy Fairley 

Honorable Mention Dick Blick Waiting at the Gate Naomi Shachar 

Honorable Mention ColArt In the Valley Tina Bohlman 

Honorable Mention Creative Catalyst Productions Afternoon Stroll, Balboa Island Michele Usibelli 

Honorable Mention Creative Catalyst Productions Quiet Waters Nancy Peach 

Honorable Mention Chavant Clay Sonoran Standoff Burneta Venosdel 

Honorable Mention Cherry Products (Mary Ann & Learnin’ the Ropes Linda Wacaster 

Honorable Mention Gamblin The Journey Sue Wipf 

Honorable Mention F+W Media Winning Charms Linda Medders-Jackson 

Honorable Mention F+W Media Crows at Bogus Laurel McGuire 

Honorable Mention Townsend Pastels San Diego Marsha MacDonald 


“Fierce” Triumph of Harriet Tubman 

Lori Pandy 


Mary Jo Zorad 


ZoradArt.com

Logan Bauer 

LoganBauer.com

DAILY PAINTERS ABSTRACT GALLERY 

Beyond the Arches 30 x 22 Joan Fullerton 

DailyPaintersAbstract.blogspot.com

DailyPaintersAbstract.blogspot.com 

Breathing Heaven 30 x 22 Joan Fullerton 

Barbara Van Rooyan Blue Canyon II 

DAILY PAINTERS ABSTRACT GALLERY 

DailyPaintersAbstract.blogspot.com

CFAI.co Artist Showdown 


April 2014 - Realism 

http://www.cfai.co/#!showdown-winners/cb0j 

First Place 


The Playoffs 

http://barbararudolphfineart.com 



Well Traveled 





Second Place 

Paula Peacock 

Five Pears 

http://paulapeacock.com 



Third Place 

Darla McDowell 

Sterling Antique Creamer with Strawberry 

http://darlamcdowell.blogspot.com 



DianeWhitehead.com

Diane 

Whitehead 

“Animals are my muse. The scratch 

of the paw, pounce of a hoof, gesture 

of the head, alert ear, quiet stride, 

powerful shape, ancient wisdom. 

All come to play with the shapes I see 

as I paint. “ 

DianeWhitehead.com 

DianeWhitehead.com

Lary Lemons 

theartgallerysaintjo.com

theartgallerysaintjo.com

CFAI.co June Artist Showdown 

“Do you have what it takes” 

Diane Whitehead 

“Equine & Western Art” 

www.cfai.co/#!artist-showdown/chic

cfai.co 

Summer 2014 Juried Competition 

ABSTRACTION 

Barbara Van Rooyan 

$500 in total cash prizes 

Plus much more! 

www.cfai.co/#!juried-shows/c19ne

Lisa McKinney 

Sleep Among the Wildflowers, 16 x 20, Acrylic

Red Kimono (Detail), 15 x 30, Mixed Media 

Lisa-McKinney.com 

lisamckinneyfineart.blogspot.com

VL 

VL 

Photographer Spotlight 



www.eleanorleonnebennett.com

VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 161 

www.eleanorleonnebennett.com

VL 

Photographer Spotlight Artspan Eleanor Bennett 

Eleanor Leonne Bennett Art 

www.eleanorleonnebennett.com 

Eleanor Leonne Bennett is an internationally award winning photographer and visual artist. She is the 

CIWEM Young Environmental Photographer of The Year 2013 and has also won first places with National 

Geographic,The World Photography Organisation, Nature’s Best Photography and The National 

Trust to name only a few. 

Her photography has been published in the Telegraph, The Guardian, The British Journal of Psychiatry, 

Life Force Magazine, British Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and as the front cover of books and magazines 

extensively throughout the world. 

Eleanor’s work is globally exhibited, having shown work in New York, Paris, London, Rome, Los Angeles, 

Hong Kong, Copenhagen, Washington, Canada, Spain, Japan and Australia amongst many 

other locations. She was also the only person from the UK to have her work displayed in the National 

Geographic and Airbus run See The Bigger Picture global exhibition tour with the United Nations International 

Year Of Biodiversity 2010. 

The written work of Eleanor’s has had permanent showcase on the official company blog of Zenfolio. 

In 2012 she was especially invited by the founder of the BCC to contribute an article to highlight the 

importance of the Day Of The Imprisoned Writer. 




Sea Tangles Manchester City Centre 



VL 


Art of a Damp Home Disley, Cheshire 



Rare Vanity Set Disley, Cheshire 



VL 


Distain New Mills, Derbyshire 



Back to Brickwork New Mills, Derbyshire 

Stripping Wood New Mills, Derbyshire 



VL 




Cold Bridge Disley, Cheshire 



Concho River 

Alejandro Castanon 

www.vinod 

www.vinodipinte.com 

Vino Dipinte Art Gallery 

602 Orient St San Angelo, TX 76903

Texas Theater 

Alejandro Castanon 

ipinte.com 

www.vinodipinte.com

KRISTINE KAINER 

Texas Artist 

www.kristinekainer.com 

www.kristinekainer.blogspot.com

artists 

of texas 

artistsoftexas.org

NO WHERE BUT TEXAS 

artistsoftexas.blogspot.com 

dailypaintersoftexas.blogspot.com

Debbie Grayson Lincoln 

Texas Contemporary Western Illustrator 

NoworNever-Debbie.blogspot.com 

DebbieLincoln.com

Felicia Marshall 

feliciamarshall.blogspot.com

Advertisers 

Alejandro Castanon 170-171 

Ann Balch 104-105 

Art Gallery of Texas 154-155 

Artists of Texas 174-175 

Barbara Rudolph 46-47, 148-149 

Barry Scharf 108-111 

Becky Hicks 31 

Carol Jo Smidt 9 

Cindy Sorley-Keichinger 54-55 

Connie Dines 4 

Daily Painters Abstract Gallery 146-147 

Damian 18-19 

Darla McDowell 151 

Davis and Company Art Gallery 44-45 

Debbie Grayson Lincoln 176 

Diane Whitehead 152-153 

Eleanor Bennett 160-169 

Elizabeth Chapman 52 

Eric Bodtker 72 

Felicia Marshall 177 

IEA 74-75 

James Tennison 76-87 

Janine Kilty 128-137 

Jenedy Paige 116-123 

Jody Anderson 24-25 

Jonelle T McCoy 33 

Judy Wilder Dalton 73 

Kimberly Conrad 126-127 

Kristine Kainer 22-23, 172-173 

Kyle Wood 124-125 

Lady L 187 

Laura Reed 34-35 

Laurie Justus Pace 114-115 

Lelija Roy 26-27, 51 

Linda McCoy 91 

Lisa McKinney 158-159 

Logan Bauer 145 

Mary Jo Zorad 144 

Melissa Doron 48-49 

Michal Ashkenasi 14-15 

Mirada Fine Art 70-71 

Nancy Medina 106-107 

Naomi Shachar 30 

Paula Peacock 150 

Robert Hopkins 12-13 

Rod Seeley 28-29 

Roseanne Snyder 32 

Sabine Barber 92-103 

Sanda Manuila 41 

Sandra Flood 112-113 

Sandy Moser 138-139 

Simon Kenny 88-89 

Stephanie Paige 39 

Terri Holland 90 

Terrye Philley 40 

The Art Gallery 160 

Tigran 56-69 

Valerie Travers 42-43 

Vanessa Katz 36-37 

Victoria Pendragon 53 

Vino Dipinte Gallery 1170-171 

VL Rees 38 

WAOW 140-143 

** May Edition of VL, Gary Postlethwait was inadvertently omitted from the index page of 

advertisers as a featured photographer

LADY L 

Colors Make Me Smile 

ladylart.blogspot.com 

ellepace.com/available-work-of-lady-l

http://davethepaintingguy.com/podcast/

Visual Language Magazine Contemporary Fine Art Vol 3 No 6

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?