Visual Language Magazine Contemporary Fine Art Vol 3 no 9

Visual Language 

VLcontemporary fine art 

features 

Marcia Baldwin 

James Loveless 

Jan Sasser 

Milton Wagner 

J W Burke 

Carol Jo Smidt 

Fran J Scott 

VL 

September 2014 Volume 3 No. 9 


JamesLoveless.com

VL 

visual language 

contemporary fine art 

VisualLanguageMagazine.com 

Subscribe Free Today. 

http://visuallanguagemagazine.com/subscribe.html 

September 2014 Vol 3 No 9 

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2 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com


Contemporary Fine Art 

As a young boy, I constantly brought books to my 

mom and dad so they could read them to me. It 

was a wonderful time that I could enjoy being their 

center of attention. My folks would also tell me 

about life lessons that still influence me today. 

I felt that I was probably not the only child that 

experienced those wonderful memories. That is 

how and why I imagined the image of a grandfather 

reading a story to his granddaughter. “Story 

Time” is a 30” X 30” oil painting on board. 

VL Cover Artist 

Jamesloveless.com 

Grateful on the Trail of Tears, Oklahoma 

The Centurion 

VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 3

Gaye Sekula 

“A Pregnant Moment” 

Deep in Sandias 

“We lose ourselves in the things we love. We find ourselves there, too.” 

sekulastudio.com

contentVL 

Cover Artist James Loveless 3 

Incredible tales from the Old West with James 

Loveless. 

Painter’s Keys - Sara Genn 11 

VL Artist Features - 16 

Isabelle Gautier, Lelija Roy, Linda McCoy 

Bob Coonts, Alejandro Castanon 

CFAI Colors on My Palette 46 

Patricia A Griffin 

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 Marcia Baldwin 52 

“I remember standing and staring at a charcoal drawing she 

had done and was framed in her dining room. It captivated 

me, even as a small child.” 

VL Features International Equine Artists 

Museum Show; El Paso, Texas 66 

Museum Show with Juried Signatured Members of the IEA 

August 4th through September 28th 


VL Studio Visit with Milton Wagner 76 

The crisp smell of aspen trees have always reminded me of the Colorado 

high country cowboy life. I was born and bred in a small mountain 

town in southwest Colorado. 

VL Studio Visit with J.W. Burke 88 

The Lonesome Crowded West by Dave Justus. 

“Some artists say they feel compelled to create, as if a voice 

inside is driving them in their craft. But for J.W. Burke, art was 

all about getting the voices to stop.” 

VL Studio Visit with James Loveless 102 

Art has been my passion for as long as I can remember. 

I love people and I have relished drawing and painting the 

figure since my grade school days.” 

VL Mini Visit with Barbara Mason 110 

Pastel Paintings by Barbara J. Mason inspired by a trip to 

Venice, Italy during Carnivale 2014 

VL Artspan Studio Visit with Carol Jo Smidt 112 

My fascination with the beauty and grace of horses greatly influenced 

my artistic path. Drawing horses as a 4 year old is my first recollection 

of my passion for art. 


Barry Scharf 122 

American Artists 

contentVL 

Is it just me or have you noticed that our modern culture does not 

provide much for living hard working artists in the contemporary or 

classical visual arts There are no living Picasso’s, no Leonardo’s, 

if you are not a dead painter or already famous for something else 

you are of little or no importance to this culture. 

ARTSPAN Spotlight with Jan Sasser 134 

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

I can’t recall a time when I wasn’t aware I loved art. Books, music, and 

visual arts were all valued in my family. As a child, I loved to draw and 

was inspired by the sketching of an older sister as well as my great uncle’s 

amateur painting and sculpting. When I asked for quality drawing supplies 

they were given, along with the imperative to treat them with respect and 

practice basic skills first. 

CFAI.co Equine and Western Art Showdown 148 

First Place Patricia A Griffin 

Second Place Jonelle T. McCoy 

Third Place Suzy Pal Powell 

VL Artspan Photographer Fran J Scott 162 

I started getting serious about photography in 2006 when some 

friends talked me into shooting a dressage show. What started as 

a hobby escalated into a profession.Though I have been working 

as a professional for some years, I still consider myself an amateur 

who creates some nice things once in a while. 

Directory of Artists and Galleries 180 

In alphabetical 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. 

Cindy Keichinger 

In today’s world, people tend to rush from “A” to “B” in a panic in case they are late for whatever. The 

World is a beautiful and interesting place, and we should take time to notice that, before the things that 

make life worthwhile are gone. 

With my artwork, I try to show people what they are missing and perhaps add some serenity to their 

busy lives. My artwork covers: nature, wildlife, landscapes from around the world, still life and people. 

Take a moment to look around the site , and “smell the roses”.” 

www.goldenkstudio.com 

artistofthedayvl.blogspot.com 

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

VisualLanguageMagazine@gmail.com


“A White Horse" Oil 9 x 12 

www.caroljosmidt.com 

carol@caroljosmidt.com 


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 Sara 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 

Marketing and Development 

Executive Director Business/Management Stacey Hendren 

All Artwork is Copyrighted by the Individual Artists. 

Visual Language Vol 3 No 9 

http://bobcoonts.com 

http://alejandrocastanon.com 


The Painter’s Keys 

Robert and Sara Genn 

The one-millimetre rule 

Robert Genn’s 

Studio Book 

Not long ago, while in the middle of a private easel disaster, the phone rang. “Did you know that Tony Robbins recently took 

up golf” asked a friend. She was calling from a new-age encounter session somewhere in the bowels of an inner city Marriott.” 

Apparently you can improve the accuracy of your swing by altering the angle of your club face by a millimetre or two.” I 

put down my brush in a previous resolve to scrape and re-mix. Things had gone from bad to worse in the space of a couple of 

millimetres. “I gotta go,” I said.”I have to make a small change.” 

Art, and making it a career, is one of those ever-evolving life works -- always in motion, growing wild or dying on the vine 

-- a work in constant need of pruning and care. “In business, you’re either growing or slipping,” said a dealer, once, just before 

he went into frozen yogurt. Here in the studio are brushes to clean, books to keep, galleries to care for. Habits clamour to be 

improved, and ideas lie waiting to be originated and cultivated, then executed with uniqueness and excellence. 

Often, artists entertain bold moves as a solution to floundering inspiration, disappointing work, or a lackluster bank balance. 

”Insanity,” said Albert Einstein, “is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Maybe a softer, 

gentler way can improve outcome. Before a drastic act, might we merely nudge a millimetre or two in the direction of quality 

Here are a few ideas: 

The Painter’s Keys - Robert Genn 

What is uniquely yours and embodied in your work It’s priceless. 

What is the most lust-worthy quality in your work Make it obvious. 

Is there an area in your work where you’re cutting corners Identify it. 

Do you have a favourite brush size Go bigger. 

Do you have a preferred process Do it in reverse. 

Do you overwork your paintings Finish 10% underworked, rather than 1% overcooked. 

In the final presentation, is there an extra millimetre to give Give it. 

Sincerely, 

Sara 

PS:”Quality is not an act, it is a habit.” (Aristotle) 

“Quality is always in style.” (Robert Genn) 

Esoterica: “Great things,” said Vincent Van Gogh, “are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” 

Motivational speaker and self-help author Tony Robbins was born Anthony J. Mahavorick in North Hollywood, California in 

1960. A self-described weakling, in pimples and poverty, Tony started selling seminars and embodying his own incantations. 

“Any time you sincerely want to make a change,” he says, “the first thing you must do is to raise your standards.” 


Cindy Sorley-Keichinger 

Wildlife & Nature Artist 

Golden K Studio 

goldenkstudio.com 


Dusk Look Outs – 9 x 12 Acrylic


Cindy Sorley-Keichinger 

goldfarm@telusplanet.net 


Flow 3

ASHKENASI 

michalsart.com 

Michal 

Ashkenasi 

Photography 

michalsart.com

VL 


Artists to Watch and Collect 

Isabelle Gautier 

Lelija Roy 

Linda McCoy 

Bob Coonts 

Alejandro Castanon 

Visual Language Magazine Featured Artists this month 

delve into the beauty of each of the five different artists and 

their unique approach to creativity. 

Isabelle Gautier’s art is a fascinating reflection of her European 

heritage and adopted American culture. Her extensive 

travels across all continents have left a lasting impression 

on her oeuvre, making her artwork both personal and 

universal. Lelija Roy paints landscapes: observed, remembered 

and imagined. Lelija’s current work speaks to her intense 

need to be one with the natural world and to celebrate 

the beauty of earth’s biodiversity. Linda McCoy found a 

fascination in birds when shooting with a new camera, capturing 

them in flight. .Bob Coonts works with a color palette 

reminiscent of the Fauvist movement and often combines 

both realism and abstraction in one piece. Coonts’ work has 

been likened to abstract surrealism, realism with an abstract 

point of view or imagined realism. Alejandro Castanon 

see life in colors and shapes. His senses are awakened to 

every nuance of movement and light as he faces the canvas 

to explore the fascination before him. Color explodes into 

energy. 


VL 


www.IsabelleGautierOnline.com 

Isabelle Gautier grew up in Normandy, in a little village 

just a few miles from the Mont-Saint-Michel in western 

France. 

It was not until 1999 that she moved to Atlanta with her 

American husband and their two sons where they live 

and work today. 

Gautier’s art is a fascinating reflection of her European 

heritage and adopted American culture. Her extensive 

travels across all continents have left a lasting impression 

on her oeuvre, making her artwork both personal 

and universal. 


Artist’s Statement- 

“Is there a better way than art to bring people from all over the world together in a celebration of beauty” 

Each canvas is a new opportunity to release my emotions and leave behind conventions. It is where I find my 

own balance and freedom to explore. With each new canvas, I try to indulge myself in complete freedom of 

expression. 

My quest is not to create the illusion of reality but to suggest with colors and composition the inherent nature of 

aesthetic objects and emotions. 

Website: www.IsabelleGautierOnline.com 

E-mail: isagautier62@gmail.com 

Cell: 678 644 2527 


VL 


www.IsabelleGautierOnline.com 

Collections, publishing and reviews: 

In March 2014, Gautier’s work was included in the Saatchi Art Rebecca Wilson Abstract Art 

Collection (London) . 

In 2013 three of Gautier’s paintings were selected by Interior Designer Linda Woodram for 

HGTV Smart House in Jacksonville, Fl. 

In November 2013, Gautier was the featured artist in North Fulton Magazine. 

More recently in April 2014, as well as in March and November 2013 her work was published 

in Visual Language Contemporary Fine Art -International Voices-. 

You can also read reviews about the artist in Folio Weekly, FL - March 2013- Snap Roswell, 

GA - May 2010 and in Milton Herald, Milton GA - Sept 2008. 


International artist Gautier’s art 

can be seen in the USA at: 

Muse & CO Gallery, Roswell, Atlanta GA : 2012-present 

Saatchi Art Gallery, London: 2013- present 

Bradford’s Interiors, Nashville, TN: 2013-present 

VIEW GALLERY, MS : 2014- Present 

Atlanta MADE: 2013-present 

Website: www.IsabelleGautierOnline.com 

E-mail: isagautier62@gmail.com 

Cell: 678 644 2527 


VL Lelija Roy 

http://www.lelija.net 

http://aspenspaces.com 

Denver-based artist Lelija Roy offers landscapes: observed, remembered and imagined. Lelija’s current work 

speaks to her intense need to be one with the natural world and to celebrate the beauty of earth’s biodiversity. 

Her creative process is essentially terra-forming. Her multi-layered canvases start with earth, water and sky. 

Later she grows rocks and trees and plants. 

Although her inspiration starts in nature, rarely does she reproduce a specific scene. You recognize mountains, 

shore lines, forests but her intend is to place you in this space. So what you see is less important 

than how you feel. She wants you to feel surrounded and embraced by these organic forms. Hence, her 

mixed-media paintings are about the “space” created by the trees in a grove, the wind and water carved 

shape of a canyon, the quiet intersection of woodland and meadow or the ever-changing line between wet 

and dry sand on a beach. 

As an only child, my best friends were a box of crayons. My spirit poured on to countless pieces of paper. 

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. Her early career in graphic design morphed into publishing, educational 

research and teaching; avoidably completing the circle as a full-time artist since 2005. Her work is held in 

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

be found in galleries in Sedona, AZ as well as Denver, Breckenridge and Vail, CO. 

Break Free 18x24 

Primal Woodlands-12x18 diptych 


April Tapestry-20x16 


VL 

Lelija Roy 

http://www.lelija.net 

http://aspenspaces.com 

Sunlight Magic-20x16 

Solstice-24x24 

Twilight Grove-12x36 


Day Dreaming-20x16 

Finally October-20x20 

Lelija expresses texture as color and color as texture. She works with acrylic paints and a long list of 

other water-based media pigments. Various rice papers, lace, silk, fibers, handmade paper and metals 

form the texture as well as the color. Lelija hand paints these materials and her process combines 

mono-printing, watermarks and numerous painting techniques. Resulting AspenSPACES typically include 

as many as twenty layers. 

Lelija is very careful to select only professional quality pigments. No published or published papers are 

ever used. To further assure archival quality, each piece receives an acrylic gel and a final UV polymer 

varnish. She carefully extends the image to all four sides of her gallery-wrapped stretched canvases, 

so no framing is required. 

You’ll find a wide range of sizes from 12”x12” to five foot by twelve foot triptychs. Lelija is very accomplished 

working on special landscapes for her clients and welcomes commission requests. 

www.aspenspaces.com aspen.spaces@gmail.com 303-355-0456 


VL 

Linda McCoy 

www.lindamccoyart.blogspot.com 

I’ve never painted birds until this past winter when the purchase of a 

new camera and an incredibly snowy, cold winter settled in on Ohio. 

I perched myself on a stool by the window, sketchbook and camera 

nearby. I watched them day after wintery day; feathers fluffed, trying 

to keep warm, feet wound around frozen branches. I hadn’t intended 

to start a bird series, but first there was one painting, then another 

and another. The day I caught them mid-flight everything changed. 

What were ordinary brown and grey Sparrows were now, with wings 

outstretched, glorious creatures in the sunlight. 

I paint them in oil, honoring their beauty as best I can; staying true to 

their color and pattern using an impressionist palette. They continue 

to intrigue me with their antics; fighting over sunflower seeds and for 

the best position on the feeder. For them, these are the glory days of 

summer; sunshine and warmth, more than enough food. Winter will 

come again though and I will be watching. 

I am represented by Davis &Co Fine Art Gallery in Spring, Texas, the 

Row House Gallery in Milford, Ohio, and ArtonSymmes in Fairfield, 

Ohio. 

Email: Lindamccoyart@live.com 

Homeward Bound 

Sparrow in Flight_Linda 


Female Finch 

Chickadee in Flight 

Cruise Control 


VL 

Bob Coonts 

http://bobcoonts.com 

A Colorado native and long-time Fort Collins resident, 

Bob’s painting style reflects his Western Heritage yet 

is uniquely his own. He strives for an image that is unusual 

and innovative. His work is often stylized, often 

whimsical, always colorful and strong in design and 

composition. Animals, landscapes, people, history 

and mythology provide him with a wealth of subject 

matter. He also produces images that are purely abstract 

or non-objective in nature. 

Bob works with a color palette reminiscent of the Fauvist 

movement and often combines both realism and 

abstraction in one piece. Coonts’ work has been likened 

to abstract surrealism, realism with an abstract 

point of view or imagined realism. 

He paints, sculpts and dreams in his home studio 

north of Fort Collins, Colorado, where he and his wife 

Sallie live near a lake with a view of the magnificent 

Rocky Mountains. 



VL 


http://www.alejandrocastanon.com/ 

Born in Torreon, Mexico in 1983 Alejandro soon moved 

overseas and spent most of his youth in Spain and Germany. 

His interest in art began at an early age and grew 

into a passion in his late teens. A self-taught artist he 

has explored many styles and mediums of art such as 

realism, abstract and use of graphite and charcoal. After 

serving eight years in the U.S Air Force he chose to 

move to San Angelo, TX to be present in his daughter’s 

life. In less than a year he opened the Vino Dipinte Art 

Gallery and began his artist career. 

After just two short years Alejandro has established 

a firm presence in the local art community as well he 

has been featured as an emerging artist in Visual Language 

International Art Magazine, and has been published 

in American Art Collector. He held a solo-show 

in November 2013 where he exhibited over 20 portrait 

paintings from which only a handful remain. His secret 

to acheiving such an incredible pace of success, “I don’t 

stop dreaming even when I’m awake, every event is an 

opportunity and every obstacle a new door waiting for 

me to walk through it. Attitude is everything and there is 

no such thing as a prayer answered without hard work”. 

Gallery Representation: 

Vino Dipinte Gallery San Angelo, Texas 

Davis & CO Spring, Texas 

Western Series 


Texas Series 

Colorem Face Series 

Commissions are welcome: 

Email: vinodipinte@hotmail.com 

Phone: Tel: 361.237.9358 


Overcoat – Kimberly #2 

©2014 Robert Hopkins

Robert Hopkins 

Photography 

roberthopkins.artspan.com 

Email: rchopkins@optonline.net

Roseanne Snyder 

Contemporary Western Landscapes 

Windmill with Shed - 16 x 20 

Last Light - 16 X 20 

roseannesnyder.blogspot.com

Rocky Ridge 

D A L T O N 

Judy Wilder Dalton 


Finding Art in Life and Life in Art 

judywilderdalton.com 

wilderartist.blogspot.com

BAUER 

Logan Bauer 

Landscapes,Life drawings,Still life, Figurative Portraits. 

LoganBauer.com

Contemporary Realism and Beyond 

Red-Shouldered Hawk - 20 x 20 Oil 

VL REES 

www.vlrees.com 

www.TippingPaintGallery.com

Aspen S P A C E S 

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

S T E P H A N I E P A I G E 

Stephanie Paige 

CONTEMPORARY FINE ARTS GALLERY 

Solo Show September 4th -October 5th 

LA JOLLA, CA 

www.ContemporaryFineArtsGallery.com 

THE CHRISTOPHER HILL GALLERY 

Solo Show October 11th 

NAPA VALLEY 

www.CHGallery.com 

STEPHANIEPAIGESTUDIO.COM 

CALVIN CHARLES GALLERY 

Solo Show December 4th 

SCOTTSDALE, AZ 

www.CalvinCharlesGallery.com

discover art . inspire collectors 

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

“Summer Nights at the Galleries of Old Town Spring” 

Saturday September 6th 5-9 p.m. 

Home is where the art is. 

dandcgallery.com

engage discussion . celebrate life 

dandcgallery.com 

Laurie Pace 

at Davis&Co

CFAI.co Colors On My Palette 

Patricia A. Griffin 

http://griffingallery.org 

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

Where do you find inspiration to create new art 

I am inspired by the arrival of the sun each morning and all the beauty it illuminates, an empty canvas, a clean brush, 

a new tube of paint, an animal sighting. I am inspired by the work of my acquaintances and friends. I am inspired by 

trips into NYC to see the Masters and Contemporaries. My students. I am always inspired by my students. 

What do you do to get past a creative block 

There are a few things that I do when I have a block. I step away from the canvas. I take photo’s of the piece and review 

them instead of the work its self, allowing a fresh eye. I do a self portrait to look within. I clean. Nothing gets me out of a 

funk quicker. 

What is your favorite subject to paint 

I have painted my horse more than any other animal and there is a certain spot along the Delaware River that I have 

painted Plein Air for the past 24 years. That being said, the paint is more important than the subject to me. I will paint 

anything. The paint is where the dialogue begins. 

What has been your favorite experience in your time as a professional artist 

The ability to paint every day and use the best quality supplies I can find. 

Who is an artist that you admire, and why 

Emily Carr. She was an adventurer, tough as hell, willing to take risks. Her work is raw and powerful. She never got 

hung up in unnecessary detail and each piece is full of emotion. “1871-1945 Artist and Author Lover of nature” reads 

her head stone. 

Goldie 

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


Jeb 

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


Leslie Sealey 

f i n e a r t 

“Opening” 

The Lily Series 

LeslieSealey.com

Linda McCoy 

Title: Chickadee in Flight 

Linda McCoy Gallery and 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

Howard Tweedie 

A Passion for Plein Air 

www.howardtweedie.com 

Right Page: “Argenton Easter Day” 

Left Page: “Paragliding Near Manly”

HowardTweedie.com 

www.howardtweedie.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

Jonelle T. McCoy 

https://jonellet-mccoy.square- 

space.com/summer-2014-60- 

series/ 

jonellemccoy.com 

McCoys Gaited Horse Artworks Sixty Series

CHAPMAN 

Elizabeth Chapman 

melizabethchapman.artspan.com

Contemporary Abstract Art 

in Acrylics and Mixed Media 

“The Gathering” 36” x 36” Acrylic on Canvas 

Jana Kappeler 

janakappelerstudio.com 

janakappelerstudio@live.com

www.williambeebe.com

VL 

Marcia Baldwin 

Wolf Abstract 3618 

www.mbaldwinfineart.com

VL 

Studio Visit Marcia Baldwin 

My first memory of being captured by art was in my 

grandmothers home in Texas. She was very artistic 

with quilting and sewing, but at times would take 

classes in art using mediums such as charcoal and 

pastel. I remember standing and staring at a charcoal 

drawing she had done and was framed in her 

dining room. It captivated me, even as a small child. 

When we would enjoy a sweet afternoon or morning 

out on her huge porch, sitting in her double glider, 

she would sketch small things and give the paper 

and pencil over to me to try. My favorite subject, 

even then, was horses. She would encourage me 

and we would giggle at the funny subjects we came 

up with. 

My mom was the one who first started me painting. 

She enrolled me in a summer workshop with a 

noted artist, Louise Sicard, at our Louisiana state 

museum. Every morning, I would enjoy setting up 

my small easel and laying out my paints on my 

palette in anticipation of the famous artist to begin 

his demonstration and how we would first start on 

our paintings. It was information of color and brush 

stroke that I still retrieve in my mind even to this 

day, even after 50 years. We used oil paints for this 

workshop, and I am still in love with the smell of 

turps and oil paints, as much as all those wonderful 

days during that first workshop. 

Mom would take me to our local park next to our 

lake, full of swamp things, huge pine trees, and gorgeous 

bald cypress trees with Spanish moss on almost 

every limb. She would draw and paint in water 

color the most beautiful scenes and I would try my 

best to do what she was doing. But the most important 

thing I learned from these times, was to look 

and see and try to capture real nature on paper. 

I received my Bachelors of Fine Art from Louisiana 

Tech University in Ruston, La. in 1974. My most influential 

instructor was a fine artist/illustrator, Albino 

Hinahosa. His focus on good design, composition, 

figurative subject matter, and attention to detail 

were taught in a loose illustrative style. I incorporate 

the elements of design, learned in these years with 

him. Color theory classes infatuated me also and 

I reflect back on projects using and understanding 

color, how it affects the viewers eye, the emotions, 

the movements in a composition and in general 

how it creates excitement. I was very pleased to 

receive the 1974 Illustrator of the Year Award from 

Louisiana Tech University. 

Many years prior to attending college, my first most 

influential teacher was actually my elementary 

school principal, Mr. Middleton. He always had special 

projects going in the arts and I would be right 

there waiting to be included. One I remember so 

vividly was huge mosaic murals about the history 

of Louisiana and those murals still hang prominently 

in the cafeteria and auditorium of this elementary 

school. His encouragement to paint and draw 

garnered my very first award for a regional contest 

depicting thoughts on beautifying our city. I won 

a cash award and a spot on a local tv program. I 

was hooked. I loved being an artist and I was only 9 

years old ! Art is so important in our early years and 

needs to be in our school 

programs. 

I believe working as an advertising designer had the 

most influence on my work today. It was challenging 

every day being creative on the spur of the moment. 

It was fast paced and you had to pay attention to client 

needs, detail, and incorporate all the elements 

and principles of design to be successful in this 

field. I use those skills today in my oil paintings, and 

paint with bold, fast, strong color and brush strokes. 

It is on an intuitive level, letting a painting come together 

through my minds eye. 

www.mbaldwinfineart.com 


Breaking Dawn Indian War Horse 



VL 


I welcome commission orders. Some of the collectors 

of my works of art, return for specific subjects and 

compositions on commission. We talk by email and 

by phone and decide on subject, size, and client photos 

(if needed). Most of the time, requests come in 

for a painting based on some of my past sold works, 

and I enjoy those the most. The client will specify a 

specific size canvas or will ask my opinion on size 

that I feel is most appropriate for a particular subject. 

It is always a joy to bring their requests to completion 

and send the painting to the client for their first “reveal” 

upon opening their carefully prepared shipping 

package. I take great pride in every work I send out. 

My love of horses goes way back about 56 years, 

when my mom and dad got our first horse for our 

family. I have owned and ridden horses ever since 

and found you could learn something new about them 

each day and still have much more to learn. In 1985, 

I created a video of how to draw the horse anatomy 

and the simple and short “how to video” was bought 

by Walt Disney Productions for their study and an up 

coming animated movie. I was thrilled. In college, I 

still drew and painted horses, and at one point, one 

of my professors told me that if I would quit using 

bold colors and quit drawing and painting horses, I 

might become a good artist. 

This only made me want to explore the horse as a 

subject more and use even bolder color. The true 

love of horses, my intense desire to know them and 

understand their psyche, their anatomy, the look in 

their eyes and their true desire to please you, has 

brought me to this point in my painting style when 

painting horses. It is the awareness of the beauty of 

this magnificent creature that I want to convey in my 

paintings. I want viewers to understand how important 

this gift from God is and the need to protect our 

wild horses in America and beyond. 

Ebony and Ivory Gypsy Vanner Horses 



Mystic Power Equine Abstract 



VL 


Free Breeze Palomino 

Indian War Horse 3624 



Magic Moments Equine 



lorado Homes & Lifestyles 

BEST ART GALLERY, 2010 & 2012 

- 5280 

TOP 24 GALLERIES IN THE USA, 2012, 2013 & 

Artwork (l to r): Laurie Justus Pace, ‘The Gathering One’- Original Oil on Canvas, 

miradafineart.com 

Svetlana Shalygina, ‘Silhousettes De Versailles’ - Mixed Media on Canvas, 36” x 36” 

Bruce Marion, ‘The Adventure Begins’- Original Acrylic on Canvas, 36” x 48”; Alle

Magazine 

A ‘STYLE-MAKER’ 

- Luxe Magazine 

‘STUNNING’ 

2014 - American Art Awards ‘ART LOVER’S ESCAPE’ - Denver Life 

5490 Parmalee Gulch Rd. 

Indian Hills, CO 80454 

(only minutes from Denver) 

www.miradafineart.com 

303-697-9006 

info@miradafineart.com 

32” x 48”; Larisa Aukon, ‘Continental Divide’ - Original Oil on Panel 24” x 36”; 

; Dominique Samyn, ‘Sage’- Acryilc & Venetian Plaster on Panel, 40” x 32”; 

n Wynn, ‘Joy Ride’ - Mixed Media Sculpture, 26” x 32” x 9”

“Wild White” 

20 x 16 Oil on Canvas $1200 

Janet Broussard 

JanetBroussard.com 

Email: Janet@JanetBroussard.com

Dyan Newton 

Colors of Life 

Meadow Mission II 

DyanNewton.com 

I love using bright, crisp, vivid colors with lively brushstrokes to express my emotions. I take pleasure 

in painting a variety of subjects, including landscapes, both architectural and scenic, portraits, 

animal subjects and still lifes.

www.andreenharris.com 

www.susanmonty.com 

www.harmoneyequineart.co 

www.jonellemccoy.com www.mariadangelo.com www.allifarkas.com 

www.animalartandphotography.com 

www.internationalequineartists.com 

http://sues-art.com

m 

www.michellehogan.ca 

www.equineartist.com 

www.horseartist.com 

www.nchristy.com 

www.moosepantsstudio.com 

www.mindycolton.com 

www.internationalequineartists.com

VL 

VL 

International Equine Artists 

International Museum of Fine Art 

El Paso, Texas 


Artist: Sue Kroll 

http://www.internationalequineartists.com/thehorsespiritartsoul.html 




VL 

Jonelle T McCoy . Judith A Johnson . Mindy Colton . Kenna AlSayed 

IEA International Museum of Fine Art 





Susan Monty . Bonnie Hamlin . Carole Andreen Harris . Patricia A Griffin 



VL 

Nancy Christy-Moore . Carol Walker . Debbie Thomas 






Helen Baily . Carole Andreen Harris . Deborah Flood 



VL 

Yvonne Kitchen . Thomas Allen Pauly . Kenna AlSayed 






Patricia A Griffin . Debbie Thomas . Laurie Pace 



Connie Dines 

“Coming in for Breakfast”

Artful Exposures One Frame At A Time 

www.artfulexposures.com

VL Aspen Ironworks 

www.AspenIronworks.com 


VL 

Milton Wagner 

Aspen Ironworks 

Master Craftsman 



VL 

Studio Visit MiltonWagner 

The crisp smell of aspen trees have always reminded me 

of the Colorado high country cowboy life. I was born and 

bred in a small mountain town in southwest Colorado. 

The only thing I ever wanted to do was be a cowboy. My 

mother had a picture of a three year old me with a rope 

in my hand chasing after a chicken. From chickens, I 

moved on to dogs, calves and occasionally my sister. 

I was lucky enough to come from a farming family tree 

with the occasional cowboy branch. I grew up on stories 

told to me by my two favorite cowboy heroes - my great 

uncle Clem & uncle Henry. Other cowboys I idolized 

were John Wayne, Louis L’Amour, Tom Mix and the boys 

from the Ponderosa. 

I’ve often been asked why cowboys are my idols and I 

guess it really boils down to what a cowboy stands for. 

The cowboys I was lucky enough to know were loyal, 

honest and hardworking. 

When I was in high school, I divided my time between 

metal shop and cow punching for local ranchers. Whenever 

the ranches needed equipment fixed, I was the goto 

person because of my metal-working background. I 

learned early on how to use my imagination to envision 

metal as a great medium. 

When I was eighteen, I broke my first horse. That horse 

was my best friend and partner in crime for the next 36 

years. Right after high school, I met my lovely wife. 

While we raised our three children, I worked as an iron 

worker for money and moonlighted as a cowboy for fun. 

In my spare time, I’d gather leftover metal, wood and 

horseshoes for future art projects 

. 

I started Aspen Ironworks, an eco-friendly metal art studio 

15 years ago because I wanted to work for myself & 

focus more on my art pieces. I work in two main areas - a 

studio/workshop on the back of my property and under a 

large oak tree overlooking the horses. 

I use the oak tree forge when the weather is too nice to 

stay indoors. I use a handmade forge, several pairs of 

tongs handed down from my grandfather to father and 

then to me, and two anvils - a 200 pound workshop anvil 

and an 80 pound vintage farrier anvil which I can transport 

if I need to. 

I started out with individuals cowboys made from leftover 

rebar and quickly graduated to western scenes. I 

thought about what does a cowboy do A cowboy’s life 

is simple. Cowboys rope, they ride, and they drink. My 

western pieces reflect this lifestyle. I do bar scenes, I do 

rodeo scenes and I do cattle drive scenes. 

I feel my work is unique for three main reasons. First, my 

cowboy knowledge is authentic. It’s important to me that 

the story I tell is the right one. I’ve been in these situations 

I craft out of metal. I’ve been bucked off a bronco 

and know which part of the cowboy is last to touch the 

horse. I’ve roped cows and know the correct angle of the 

rope loop. My cowboys hold it at the right angle for roping 

a cow on the first try. I’ve been on top of the mountain 

when it’s cold and freezing and the only thing you want is 

a cup of coffee around the campfire. 

Secondly, I believe in doing lifetime work. I’m putting 

my name on each of these pieces & I want the people 

who buy my art to have something that will last them for 

generations to come. There are metal workers out there 

who just tack their pieces together and that irritates me. 

If you’re going to do a true work of art, you need to craft 

it right 

Thirdly, I believe in leaving a better world for my children 

and grandchildren than I had which is why 95% of 

the materials I use are recycled, reused, or eco-friendly. 

I gather used horseshoes from my farrier friends & old 

metal bits from local farmers and scrap metal shops. I 

even have a page on my website for local residents to 

schedule scrap metal pickups. 




VL 

Studio Visit Milton Wagner 

Every piece of my art has a unique story. For example, 

each mirror used on my bar scenes is a rearview mirror 

from a scrapped car or truck. My chuck wagon base is 

the bottom of an old broken rototiller. Recently I created 

a steampunk bug with ball bearings I had received 

when we replaced a steel ball mill in a gold mine. The 

ball bearings start out 8 inches in diameter and they roll 

around and crush up ore to extract the gold. By the 

time I got them, they had been worn down to about an 

inch across. I saw those and thought they would make 

great eyes. 

I’m really excited about a trio art piece I’m working on 

right now. I’ve got a cattle drive scene. I’ve got a chuck 

wagon, and I’m in the process of designing the campfire 

scene. After driving the cattle all day, there’s nothing 

more a cowboy wants than to take a load off and 

grab a cup of coffee around fire. I’ve already decided 

how to make the fire. I have some discarded copper 

plating which I will melt down and then beat back up 

into flames. 

Even though I’m retired from day to day ranching, I still 

get to play cowboy occasionally. Twice a year I head to 

Colorado. I help drive my son’s high-altitude grass-fed 

cattle up onto their mountain grazing lands in the spring 

and back down in the fall. Driving the cattle among the 

aspen trees inspires this old cowboy to come home 

and preserve that vanishing way of life through lasting 

sculptures. 





VL 

Studio Visit 

Aspen Ironworks 



“He who works with his hands is a laborer. 

He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. 

He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.” 

Francis of Assisi 



Joanna Zeller Quentin 

“Wild” Oil on Board 16 x 20 

“Only the Lonely” 18 x 24 Graphite on Bristol 

“Waiting Room” 11 x 14 Gouache on Aquaboard 

Left Page: “Lipizzaner” Oil on Board 16 x 20 

MoosePantsStudio.com

Mary Jo Zorad 

contemporary fine art

ZoradArt.com

Trouble Maker Found 

http://www.artbyjwburke.com/

VL 

J W BURKE 

The Lonesome Crowded West 

A Horse Named Wish

VL 

Studio Visit JW Burke 

The Lonesome Crowded West by Dave Justus 

Some artists say they feel compelled to create, as if a 

voice inside is driving them in their craft. But for J.W. 

Burke, art was all about getting the voices to stop. 

In 1988, Burke was eighteen years old, living in 

Carmel, California and working maintenance for a 

wealthy businessman. “I spent my days off roaming 

the streets,” he recalls, “partly chasing girls, and partly 

admiring the many incredible galleries.” But his wideopen 

future would come crashing down at the hands 

of a group of his peers. 

“As a cruel prank, they poisoned me with a massive 

LSD overdose,” he says. The drugging caused him to 

suffer severe constant delusions, including both audio 

and visual hallucinations, and to harbor paranoid 

thoughts. “These mimicked the symptoms of paranoid 

schizophrenia. I was unable to maintain my sanity.” 

For years, Burke lived either on the streets, where 

he got in trouble with the law, or in mental health 

hospitals, where he struggled to regain his faculties. 

“I lived filthy and homeless,” he says, “begging for 

change and sleeping in a box. My delusions over the 

years had convinced me that I was somehow being 

controlled by, or tortured by, manmade voices.” The 

sounds emanating from public television or radio were 

a source of agonizing torment for him. 

“In September of 1997,” he recalls, “my delusions 

drove me to commit two acts of robbery, both without 

bloodshed. I remember clearly how, upon my arrest, 

as soon as I was handcuffed and placed in the police 

car, my delusions stopped—dead quiet. No voices, no 

hallucinations, no disorientation… just the sound of 

the car and the static of the police radio.” 

But the sudden silencing of a decade’s worth of noise 

didn’t mean everything was fixed, or that Burke was 

whole and healthy again. “The task of rebuilding my 

sanity lay before me while I awoke to the fact that I 

faced spending the remainder of my life in prison,” he 

says. Fortunately, he had a tool for that rebuilding. 

“When I was eleven,” Burke remembers, “my mother 

bought me a sketchpad and charcoal pencils, saying, 

‘Here, I think you are going to be an artist.’” He 

had balked, and had grown up believing that art was 

beyond his capabilities. But in prison, with time and 

determination on his side, he took up his materials 

and started to create. 

“I began drawing in my cell to help stabilize, exercise, 

and restructure my mind against relapse,” he says. 

“Soon I asked myself, ‘What can you do to save yourself 

What are your options’” Feeling that the prison 

system gave him few ways to succeed, he faced 

down his lengthy term and made his decision. “To 

become an artist or a writer would allow me two ways 

to strengthen my mind. One, to teach myself a career 

that could lead to financial independence, and two, to 

obtain possible assistance in regaining my freedom.” 

Frustrated by the lengthy waiting list and selection 

process for the prison’s “Craft Shop,” where inmates 

have the opportunity to earn an income for their families 

or themselves when they get out, Burke has found 

what solace he can in his situation. “In my drawing 

lessons over the years,” he says, “I slowly found that 

any moment I wasn’t drawing was time wasted. My 

work improved, and I learned that once I understood 

how to achieve accuracy in drawing, I could create 

anything, which meant all sorts of excitement and 

pride of achievement.” 

Now, Burke estimates, “I work at drawing ten to fourteen 

hours a day, seven days per week. While I create 

artwork on a variety of subject matter, I especially 

enjoy creating extremely detailed Westerns depicting 

ranch scenes, rodeo, or Old West themes.” 

Perhaps not surprisingly for a man confined, Burke 

speaks eloquently on the evocative, escapist qualities 

of art. “I usually work in graphite or colored pencil,” he 

notes. “The black and white of graphite has the ability 

to transcend time, as well as create realistic textures 

that work well together with the detail to make you almost 

smell the leather, feel the heat of the day, or hear 

the pounding of hooves.” 

Right Page: Bandit 

http://www.artbyjwburke.com/ 




VL Studio Visit J W Burke 



Right Page: Buck 

Left Page: Cougar 





Right Page: Steer Wrestling 

Left Page: Will Rides a ‘94 






Burke feels that his Western art, more than other subjects, allows 

him to include a captivating level of detail that not only 

interests viewers, but “evokes emotions in the form of pride— 

deep pride earned from hard work, calluses, and lives well 

lived,” he says. “If you can make someone proud of themselves 

by what you have created, then you have created 

something more than art, something you can be proud of. This 

is the greatest payoff for an artist.” Though his portfolio covers 

a large number of subjects rendered in a variety of media, 

these Western graphite illustrations remain Burke’s favorites, 

the pieces that readily evoke that sense of pride. 

If Burke’s future is uncertain, his sense of purpose has not faltered. 

“My hopes are to create works of art of a quality worthy 

of being collected by an appreciative audience, and to earn a 

living through my art,” he says. “Regardless of what happens, 

I will continue to grow as an artist, and creating art will remain 

part of my life’s passion.” 

Very recently, Burke’s long-lost son was located. Now, in addition 

to saving for his own freedom someday, the artist has 

taken the long view of helping to put his child through college 

and saving for any future grandchildren. With this in mind, he 

advises that anyone wishing to support his artistic endeavors 

should feel free to write a favorable letter to the Texas Parole 

Board. 

“I’ve always wanted to live my life as a good father and husband,” 

Burke says, “and hopefully someday, when I pass away, 

I could do so knowing that I was loved and had loved, and that I 

had done my best to achieve things to be proud of.” 

A survey of his work—of the open plains of the Old West, as 

glimpsed from the cell of a penitent man—shows that he’s well 

down that trail already. 



Ann Hoffpauir 

“Capturing the West” 

Longhorn 11 x 14 Oil 

ArtworkbyAnn.com

Inspired Art for the Spirit in You. 

“New Horizons”© 30 x 40 acrylic/mixed media 

New Horizons 

Nancy Christy-Moore 

nchristy.com

Richard Levine 

Pastel Painter Landscape and Figurative 

"An Artist's Studio, Santa Fe" 

www.richardlevine.net 

email: artisanrichard@gmail.com 

Davis & CO Fine Art 

dandcgallery.com

Catherin McMillan 

www.animalarthouse.com 

email: catherin@animalarthouse.com

VL 

VL 


Art of the Old West 

Native American Art 

Portrait Commissions 

102 | VL Magazine - VisualLanguageMagazine.com 

http://www.jamesloveless.com/

VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 103 

http://www.jamesloveless.com/

VL 

Studio Visit James Loveless 

Art has been my passion for as long as I can remember. 

I love people and I have relished drawing and painting 

the figure since my grade school days. Fortunately, 

none of those early grammar school portraits are at 

my website. My purpose is to create images that are 

beautiful and historical. My focus is to display Christian, 

family values and reveal the truth by reflecting historical 

facts. My Bachelor of Fine Art at the Kansas 

City Art Institute led me to a life as a full-time graphic 

designer and freelance illustrator for over thirty years. 

I enjoy the play of light and color in nature and I enjoy 

telling a good story. 

I have cherished having several Native Americans 

pose for me when I am not painting commissioned portraits, 

or painting plein air. I have been interested in the 

life of Native Americans because of my ancestry. My 

grandfather was a cowboy, horse trainer and rancher 

in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He was married to my grandmother, 

who was half-Cherokee and half-African American. 

I remember when I was a little boy. Then, I would 

ride horseback and sometimes travel to see my grandfather 

in rodeos in Oklahoma and Arkansas; it was an 

awesome experience. Currently, I am researching the 

history of the relationship between Native Americans 

and African Americans in the old west. I have been 

fortunate to gain the assistance from the Texas Civil 

War Museum. Their historians assist me in my quest 

to insure all the artifacts in my paintings are authentic. 

My goal is to have my paintings auctioned successfully 

at the Coeur d’ Alene in Reno, Nevada in my lifetime. 

I am a member of the Oil Painters of America and I 

work in oil paint because I enjoy the flexibility of oils. 

I enjoy observing people and I still continue in figure 

drawing sessions with the live model. I challenge myself 

to work more efficiently by writing articles and blogs 

about different oil painting techniques and attending 

workshops. Some of the painters that have influenced 

me include; Norman Rockwell, Caravaggio, Howard 

Terpning and Mian Situ. 

I hope you enjoy my work! 

Golden Light 8” X 10” oil on canvas 

http://www.jamesloveless.com/western_art_1.html 


Rain Dance 22” X 28” oil on canvas 

Right Page: Old Warrior 8” X 10” oil on board

Old Warrior 8” X 10” oil on board 

http://www.jamesloveless.com/ 


VL 


American Legacy 8” X 10” oil on canvas 

Rain Dance 22” X 28” oil on canvas 



Eagle Wolf 22" X 28" oil on canvas 



VL 


Search Party 24” X 30” oil on canvas 



Story Time 30” X 30” oil on canvas 



VL Studio Visit Barbara J. Mason 

Secrets 

Carnevale, also known as Carnival or Mardi Gras, is celebrated in Italy and many places around the world 40 days 

before Easter, a final party before Ash Wednesday and the restrictions of Lent. 

The Venice Carnival is now world famous - Being a pre-Lent festival, means ‘farewell to meat’ and is celebrated 

throughout Italy. It was first held in Venice, it was revived in 1979 . With great success it is now a open air festival 

where people parade around Venice and St Marcos Square and don masks and costumes,. 

These pastel paintings are just a few of my favorite memories of the costumes of Venice, France- 

Carnivale 2014. 

“Secrets” - Pastel Painting was accepted into the 2014 Pastel Society of America 42nd Annual Exhibition: Enduring 

Brilliance Exhibition. The Jury selected 180 finalist from a field of 1,222 submissions. The exhibit will run from 

September 2, - September 27, 2014 at the National Arts Club in New York, NY. 

“Timeless” - Pastel Painting was accepted into - IGOR 9th Annual International Juried Exhibition. The jury selected 

74 paintings and drawings from 350 submissions. The exhibit will run November 7- 

November 28, 2014 at the Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, SC. 

www.dragonflystudiocreations.com 


Desire 

Timeless 

www.dragonflystudiocreations.com

VL 



Swamp Queen 7 x 14 Oil 

www.caroljosmidt.com



VL 

Studio Visit Carol Jo Smidt 

My fascination with the beauty and grace of horses 

greatly influenced my artistic path. Drawing horses as 

a 4 year old is my first recollection of my passion for art. 

My bedroom walls were covered with my pencil drawings 

of my beloved horses. Hours were spent drawing 

horses and other animals. It was in kindergarten that I 

realized others would want my art. Dissatisfied with my 

work, I took a horse drawing and threw it in the trash 

can. A classmate reached into the trash and took the 

drawing because he liked it! Even at that young age, I 

was amazed that people would want my work! 

After high school, I attended the St. Paul School of Art. 

Fast-forward with me through marriage, a son, 21 addresses 

in 26 years during my husband’s Navy career, 

and a BA in Advertising Design from Iowa State University. 

We finally settled in an equine community outside 

of Woodbine, a small town in southeast Georgia. I finally 

could have my beloved horses on our small farm, 

but although my passion for art was there it still resided 

deep within and struggled to come fully alive. 

After a dozen years as a self-employed graphic designer 

and periodic dabbling with a paint brush, I learned 

that my passion for art was to call me back via yet another 

path. Enrolling in Savannah College of Art and 

Design and taking a number of graphic design graduate 

courses, I was finally brought back to my first love. 

It was on this part of my journey that I realized my need 

to leave the work and world of graphic design to get 

back to my first love – the visual arts and my painting! 

What is my painting world like today I recently moved 

from a small loft on the third floor in our house to my 

new studio, which is the entire first floor of our house. 

I set myself on a fairly structured schedule, and I focus 

on some aspect of my new artist’s life on Monday 

through Friday, 9 to 5. Many mornings are spent with 

paperwork and research. Without a schedule, my 

painting time would vanish, and I would have a lot of 

blank canvas! My work is best done with some breaks. 

I take small vacations, but after a few days, I hear the 

call of my paints, brushes, and canvases, and I eagerly 

get back to my easel and pour myself into my paintings. 

For me, painting is like working on a puzzle, without the 

picture on the box to guide me. Most times the answers 

do not come particularly fast. But by experimenting, 

nudging here and there, my ideas begin to take form 

and a new painting comes to life. I normally paint by 

adding layers over layers. When the paint becomes too 

wet or my eyes too fatigued by looking at the colors being 

used, I move on to another painting. I have between 

4 to 12 paintings in different stages of completion. 

I’ve heard it said that there is “beauty in the everyday”. 

I agree. I enjoy painting ordinary subjects with extraordinary 

colors. My painting subjects are usually animals, 

but I like the challenge of painting other subjects. 

Through my painting experiences, I have branched out 

by creating landscapes, still life, and figurative art. 

Wanting to expand beyond oils, I started painting with 

pastels and gouache. I have grown to love these two 

new media. Changing my media and changing the 

size of canvases from ultra-mini to very large helps me 

move into a new creative arena. 

Not wanting to become too comfortable with my art, 

I strive to continue to learn by trying anything new; 

subjects, color combinations, techniques, and media. 

Knowing that you need to discover by doing, I have 

learned that my “best teacher is my canvas”. I have 

come to believe that “to learn is to paint” and “to paint 

is to learn”. 



My Hero 8 x 10 Oil 



VL 


Participating in regional art shows and festivals is 

one of the ways that I promote my art and to develop 

relationships with collectors and potential collectors. 

I belong to a number of local and national 

art organizations. Painting is a solitary pursuit, and 

I can easily become a hermit. In addition to getting 

out of my painting world, it is necessary to have the 

support from other artists. My contacts with other 

artists become great learning tools to see their art 

up close and personal and to get to know the artist 

behind the painting. 

For me, the journey of a painting is part ability, part 

technique, part intuition, part sweat, and hours of 

learning from past paintings. The reward and joy 

of this journey is the painting process and continues 

to the person who emotionally connects to one 

of my paintings. Pet paintings of animals that have 

passed have provided me with some of my most 

powerful emotional connections. One owner of a 

loving pet, Savannah, who recently passed shared 

this: “my sister and brother-in-law had this painting 

done for us (by me) and it captures her just perfectly!” 

This is one of the big reasons I paint! 

carol@caroljosmidt.com 

A White Horse 9 x 12 Oil 



Dances with Trees 30 x 30 Oil 



VL 


A Pale Horse 9 x 12 Oil 

Gus 11 x 14 Oil 



Leopard Waiting 24 x 36 Oil 

Elk 8 x 10 Pastel 



VL 


Trio 8 x 10 Oil 



Stallions Running 11 x 17 Oil 



VL 


Why in a modern and prosperous 

America are so many 

living artists ignored 

Barry W Scharf 


VL 

Barry W. Scharf 

Why in a modern and prosperous America are so many living artists ignored 

By Barry W. Scharf 

Is it just me or have you noticed that our modern culture 

does not provide much for living hard working artists 

in the contemporary or classical visual arts There 

are no living Picasso’s, no Leonardo’s, if you are not a 

dead painter or already famous for something else you 

are of little or no importance to this culture. When the 

paintings of many dead artists like Picasso and Van 

Gough are breaking all records selling at auction for 

multi-millions of dollars, struggling living artists have a 

hard time even showing their work. Any sales are far 

and few between with much of that money going to 

promotion, material expenses and overhead. 

In today’s world “artists” are no longer fine art painters 

or sculptors skillfully working for years in the solitude of 

their studios to perfect techniques and vision; instead 

they are showmen, entertainers, socialites or merely 

personalities that have become known for becoming 

known. The art of this culture has less to do with talent 

then with being seen in the right places at the right 

time. It is now a here today gone tomorrow (leaving little 

trace of any contribution to the history of art) America. 

American culture is now catering to the generation 

of the immediate fix. It is a here today gone tomorrow 

web tweeting culture that has boiled down everything 

of value into 140 characters or a Facebook photo of 

what they are having for dinner. It seems there is less 

and less time for the subtle colors of a morning mist 

falling across a meadow, or the complexity of brush 

strokes that make up a sunset envisioned to awaken 

wonder about life, mindfulness and spirituality. 

As long as our institutions of culture, community and 

government ignore the work of living talented fine artists 

there will be no growth in the world of art as we 

have seen for the past centuries. It will be the era of the 

first person shooter, web jewels and bubbles games 

and an endless stream of personal videos describing 

meaningless content of what their cat is doing. 

Digital graphics and animation now holds the hope 

as a medium of this new generation. After all there is 

money to be made here. There are cyber war games 

taking place in the web ether and we all need to team 

up to play and be a part of the battle for available creative 

jobs and available dollars. 

Don’t get me wrong this is not a critique of the artist, 

there are still amazing artists out there working hard 

to create new visions and directions. They are passionate, 

dedicated, studied and skilled. They work relentlessly 

without feedback or reward. They are the 

keepers of the torch of artistic know how and they are 

ready and waiting for the world to wake from the opiate 

of digital newness. 

http://barrywscharf.squarespace.com/ 


Heart Taco by Barry W Scharf 



VL 

Barry W. Scharf 

The issue is more or less that so few in a 

position to support the arts even care to 

do so. Our current society has not found 

education in the arts to be a valuable asset 

resulting in a lack of artistic knowledge 

that has led to fewer investors and collectors 

in the art world who are willing to 

buy the works of new talent. This is clearly 

evidenced by so many show venues and 

galleries across America closing their 

doors due to lack of sales or interest. I am 

left wondering if society no longer needs 

the traditional or classically trained artist 

Would they even be missed 

The good news is that left to their own devices 

artists will struggle on regardless of 

recognition or sales, with or without social 

support. They will create because they 

must... They are driven... because they 

know this is their calling and there is nothing 

else they do better. It is not that we 

should lament the death of painting, as we 

have known it for the past several centuries 

but rather the death of the collector, 

the visionary with the courage to embrace 

and support the yet unknown artist 



Birds by Barry W Scharf 



Laurie Justus Pace 

15 x 30 Oil on Canvas 

LauriePace.com

Florida Sunrise 

http://www.ellepace.com/paintings-for-sale/ 

Available Paintings

Kyle Wood 

kwoodfineart.com 


kylewoodfineart.blogspot.com

kwoodfineart.com 

"Beyond The Gate II" 

18" x 24" Oil on Canvas

Helen Buck 

Color . Shape . Composition 

White Lotus with Vermillion 

36” x 36” 

Acrylic on Canvas 

HelenBuckStudio.com

Helen Buck creates two and three dimensional images as a working artist 

in Austin, Texas. She completed her studio art studies at the University 

of Cincinnati, opening her first professional art studio at the Pendleton in 

Cincinnati. Galleries in Texas and Ohio represent her work. 

White Rose on Teal 

36” x 36” 

Acrylic on Canvas 

HelenBuckStudio.com

VL 

Artspan Spotlight Jan Sasser 

ARTSPAN Artist Spotlight 

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

I can’t recall a time when I wasn’t aware I loved art. Books, music, and visual arts were all valued in my 

family. As a child, I loved to draw and was inspired by the sketching of an older sister as well as my great 

uncle’s amateur painting and sculpting. When I asked for quality drawing supplies they were given, along 

with the imperative to treat them with respect and practice basic skills first. 

However, family role models made their living in “more practical ways”. I didn’t conceive of art as a career 

choice until much later in life. I flirted with the idea of applied art as a young adult, but didn’t actually make 

the move to painting full time til pushing 50, after many years as a social worker. By that time, the backing 

and support of an exceptional spouse made the risk more feasible. 

Who has been your mentor, or greatest influence to date 

I wouldn’t say I’ve had a mentor per se, though living in Charleston, I’ve had the luxury of example and interaction 

with many fine artists. While few are traditional realists like myself, there is always something to learn 

from one’s masterful use of color or another’s exceptional composition skills. The generosity of successful 

artists with technical tips and career advice often amazes me. I’m grateful to Rick Reinert and others who 

have nurtured my confidence along the way and “nudged” me at key moments to shoot for a high profile 

show or opportunity that paid off. 

Who is another living artist you admire and why 

One of several who come immediately to mind is Mary Whyte, a Charleston watercolor artist of international 

renown. I’ve long admired her mastery of watercolor but did not recognize how exceptional she is until seeing 

a major body of her work recently in her “Working South” exhibition. Each piece is an evocative gem of 

dynamic composition, rich color and texture, and masterfully rendered images that express the character 

and personality of each worker and workplace environment. Pieces are all part of a totally coherent and 

integrated concept. It’s as though she “wrote a book in pictures” that tells the tale of a disappearing way of 

life and makes you feel you know all the characters. How can you fail to admire an artist who can do that 

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

I paint on prestretched primed canvas or linen. As a slow painter, I find these far too satisfying to be tempted 

to invest time in making or preparing my own. I love the “spring” of canvas against my touch. A good even 

medium tooth weave interacts beautifully with my brushes and varying strokes to create textural illusions 

while still being “flat” enough to allow precise lines and details when needed. 

What are your favorite materials to use 

Simply, professional grade Winsor Newton Oils, odorless mineral spirits for solvent, and refined linseed oil 

as a medium. For brushes I like hog bristle for underpainting and certain textures. I like soft red sables for 

details, clouds, blending edges, etc. 

What are your inspirations for your work 

I doubt you’ll be surprised when I say nature is my inspiration. Nature has always been a source of joy and 

renewal for me, where I am the most at peace. My husband and I love to walk, visit local rookeries and 

gardens, and travel to scenic areas when we get the chance. I’m always moved to share what I experience 

in my paintings. 


Blackwater Mirror 

http://www.jansasser.com 


VL 



Foraging Ibis 



Local Beauty 



VL 



Nest in the Branches 

Right Page: 

Left - Top: Together; Bottom: In His Prime 

Right - Top: New Arrival; Bottom: Ruffled Feathers 





VL 



In Her Care 



Morning Flight 

Fine Day at Donnelley 



VL 



Getting to know you Q&A 

What is your favorite color in your closet It’s tough for me to choose a single favorite in almost anything. 

My mind doesn’t work that way. There is a wine purple I am partial to, but also a teal, and a rich 

royal blue. I tend to wear solids with black or blue pants. 

What book are you reading this week Right now, visual vertigo makes reading tough. Recently, I 

enjoyed “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed. It’s a memoir that reads more like a novel about a young woman’s 

experiences hiking the the Pacific Rim Trail alone. A very compelling read. 

Do you have a favorite television show No, but a few I like are The Newsroom, Fargo, Homeland, 

and almost any period piece that is well written with well developed characters such as Larkrise to Candleford. 

What is your favorite food Ugh, favorites again! How can you possibly choose just one Fortunately, 

I like a lot of the foods I’m able to eat - grains, beans, green veges, fresh fruit, lean seafoods, and white 

meats. But, OH how I miss rich cheeses, buttery baked goods, and applewood smoked bacon! 

What are you most proud of in your life Artistically, simply that I’m still here, still painting, still showing 

up for shows and obligations with whatever small collection I can manage. Due to health problems 

and family roles it would have been very easy in recent years to give up and go back to hobby painting. 

In the past decade I have seen so many artists come and go, often those with real promise. It’s easy to 

become discouraged by a tough marketplace or be forced by circumstances to stop and put your time 

somewhere else. To be a working artist is to be a small business owner in difficult industry and most 

small businesses fail. 

Who would you love to interview Possibly Da Vinci. There’s been so much hype and speculation 

around his life and work. It would be fascinating to the compare the publicly embellished persona to the 

real man. I’d love to hear him share the realities of his ideas and studio, to hear his reaction to art trends 

that came after him, and to explore his views on current controversies over the integration of technology 

in the artistic process. 

Do you have a passion or hobby other than painting What is it I love almost any quiet activity 

outdoors that lets me “soak in” the sights, sounds, smells, and feel of nature - hiking, birdwatching, photographing, 

gardening, crabbing and shrimping, sitting on the beach, etc. 

Share something with us that few people know about you. I met “the man of my dreams” at a 

birthday party for Mick Jagger (who didn’t show.) As an ex-mental health worker, I was pretty cautious. I 

had him pick me up at my sister’s house for our first date and I didn’t tell him where I lived til I was pretty 

confident I wanted him to know. Turned out we lived 2 blocks apart. We’ve been married for 25 years. 



Poised to Strike 



Kimberly Conrad 

“Pouring Color Into Your Life” 

CoastalLivingArt.com 

Days of Summer 36”x48”x1.5” 

Poured Acrylic on Canvas

CoastalLivingArt.com

Leslie Gifford 

The Earring Oil on Canvas 36 x 18

Conjuring Oil on Canvas 48 x 24 

www.lesliegifford.com

CFAI.co Artist Showdown 


April 2014 - Equine and Western Art 

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

First Place 

Patricia A. Griffin 

Man Up 

http://griffingallery.org 



Twins 





Second Place 

Jonelle T. McCoy 

A Little Bit of Sangria Anyone 

http://jonellet-mccoy.squarespace.com 



Third Place 

Suzy ‘Pal’ Powell 

Ellie 

http://suzypal.blogspot.com 



DAILY PAINTERS ABSTRACT GALLERY 

“Thankful” 36”x48”x2.0” Oil on Canvas 

DailyPaintersAbstract.blogspot.com

DailyPaintersAbstract.blogspot.com 

Barbara Van Rooyan Blue Canyon II 

Dawn Reinfeld 

DAILY PAINTERS ABSTRACT GALLERY 

DailyPaintersAbstract.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 August Artist Showdown 

“Do you have what it takes” 

Mary Opat 

“Figurative” 

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

cfai.co 

Summer 2014 Juried Competition 

ABSTRACTION 

Dawn Reinfeld 

Don’t miss out! Deadline is August 15th! 

$500 in total cash prizes 

Plus much more! 

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

L i s a M c K i n n e y

Lisa-McKinney.com 

lisamckinneyfineart.blogspot.com

VL 

VL 

Photographer Spotlight 

Fran J. Scott 

www.jglomba.com 


http://fran-j-scott.artistwebsites.com 


VL 

Photographer Spotlight Fran J. Scott 


My name is Fran J. Scott. 

I started getting serious about photography in 2006 when some friends talked me into shooting 

a dressage show. What started as a hobby escalated into a profession.Though I have 

been working as a professional for some years, I still consider myself an amateur who creates 

some nice things once in a while. 

Horses are my passion, from a very early age. They enlist quite the spectrum of emotion. I can 

see it clearly and to my surprise have captured it often. 

Every horse will reveal an instant, a glimpse of who they are. That is what interests and excites 

me. It’s that silent relationship going on between two athletes, or dear friends. When work 

ethic, skill, trust and competitive spirit combine between partners. When both horse and rider 

have the same expression of victory, confidence, conviction, and even defeat. Horses are 

naturally gregarious. I have found they like to share themselves when given the opportunity.. 

Subtle ranges of emotion inspire them to do all sorts of wonderful things....therein lies the 

magic, the spirit, and the grace of these magnificent creatures. 

Through my work I would like to share the beauty and diversity of the horse as I see it and 

have them capture the imagination of others the way they have captured mine. 

I have always been a fan of Nikon equipment, starting with film. Even though I discovered that 

I had no enthusiasm for the dark room! Digital was very liberating for me! A far more forgiving 

medium, I am virtually unlimited in the digital realm with programs like PSP, Corel painter 12, 

wacom tablets, HDR, and numerous other tools to help me bring my work alive. As I technically 

improved I was compelled to tell a story through my images. 

In art, regardless of the medium, mood for me is everything. if I am not lured inside it will hold 

little interest for me. I want to be transported and I want my photos to have that effect on people. 

Enhancing and engineering an image helps to intensify that goal. A process I thoroughly 

enjoy. But I have to start with something that moves me initially. I am not interested in photographic 

correctness as much as how to manipulate the image into a living breathing version of 

what’s in my mind. A photo does not have to be crisp clear and precise to invoke the emotion 

I’m looking for. A pretty picture is always a good thing but that just wasn’t enough. My goal is 

to capture an instant that inspires the emotional response of the moment. 

I am inspired by many things,... texture, specific light, reflection at the top of the list. Though 

I have established a recognizable style, I am ever in a state of morphing. I think that’s where 

the art of it applies. I call this “Romancing the image”. There is no set of rules or techniques 

that I use. I like to experiment. I think of myself as an artist before a photographer. 



Remme-Rory 



VL 


Frost 



Advice to anyone interested in equine photography. Get inspired! You’ll try harder and do 

better if you are. Shoot in every kind of light and every setting but don’t get so technical 

that you miss out on the art of it. Don’t be afraid to try something unorthodox. If you are 

photographing animals, be spontaneous. The moment you stop to think that’s when you 

miss that awesome shot! Toss out your tripod! Look out for those special moments. They 

cannot be planned or calculated, they are spontaneous, precarious, and more often than 

not surprising. I am experienced enough now to size up a situation and be able to gage 

when the shot I am looking for is coming. Observe your subjects. Learn when to go to the 

shot and when to wait for it. 

Simon and the Storm 



VL 


Art of Dressage 

Right Page: Wisteria 

Accomplishments: Shot for notables such as Wyleen May, executive producer of American Idol, etc... 

Was voted Official Show Photographer for the Kentucky International Gypsy and Drum horse Classic. 

Am a regular contributor to the Gypsy Horse Journal. Was featured in North American Friesian Journal, 

Friesian Blood horse magazine, Equine Journal, Horse of Kings, Midwest horse digest. Was added as 

a staff photographer for Dressage Today. 

Aspirations, I would like to publish a fact based Journal regarding the health, care and medical conditions 

associated with the heavily feathered horses known as the Traditional Gypsy Horse. 

Those interested in visiting or owning my work may find it here. 




USCG Bainbridge 



VL 


Winter Valentino 



Solitary 




Magnificent 36 x 48 

www.vinod 

www.vinodipinte.com 

Vino Dipinte Art Gallery 

602 Orient St San Angelo, TX 76903

Eastwood 30 x 40 

ipinte.com 

www.vinodipinte.com

KRISTINE KAINER 

www.kristinekainer.com 

www.kristinekainer.blogspot.com

Texas Art 

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 30-31, 171-172 

Ann Hoffpauir 98 

Art Gallery 156-157 

Artists of Texas 176-177 

Artists Out of Bounds 16 

Aspen Ironworks 76 

Barbara Mason 110 

Barry W Scharf 112 

Bob Coonts 28-29 

Carol Jo Smidt 9, 112 

Catherine McMillan 101 

CFAI 48 

CFAI Color Palette 42 

CFAI Showdown 148, 158-159 

Cindy Keichinger 12-13 

Connie Dines 74-75 

Daily Painters Abstract Gallery 152-153 

Davis & CO 40-41 

Debbie Lincoln 178 

Dyan Newton 63 

Elizabeth Chapman 50 

Felicia Marshall 179 

Fran J Scott 162 

Gaye Sekula 4 

Helen Buck 132-133 

Howard Tweedie 46-47 

International Equine Artists 64-65,66-73 

Isabelle Gautier 18-21 

J. W. Burke 88 

James Loveless 3, 102 

Jan Sasser 134 

Jana Kappeller 51 

Janet Broussard 62 

Joanna Zeller Quentin 84-85 

Jonelle T McCoy 49 

Judy Wilder Dalton 35 

Kimberly Conrad 144-145 

Kristine Kainer 174-175 

Kyle Wood 130-131 

Lady L 181 

Laurie Pace 128-129 

Lelija Roy 22-25 

Lesley Sealey 44 

Leslie Gifford 146-147 

Linda McCoy 26-27, 45 

Lisa McKinney 160-161 

Logan Bauer 36 

Marcia Baldwin 52 

Mary Jo Zorad 86-87 

Michal Ashkenasi 14-15 

Milton Wagner 76 

Mirada Fine Art 60 

Nancy Christy-Moore 99 

Painters Keys Sara Genn 11 

Patricia A Griffin 42 

Richard Levine 100 

Robert Hopkins 32-33 

Roseanne Snyder 34 

Stephanie Paige 39 

Vino Dipinte 172-173 

VL Rees 37

LADY L 

Colors Make Me Smile 

ladylart.blogspot.com 

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


visuallanguagemagazine.com

Visual Language Magazine Contemporary Fine Art Vol 3 no 9

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