Download PDF - ARTisSpectrum

John StevensonRenowned Canadian landscape painter JohnStevenson captures the luminous quality ofsunlight in all its moods. Strongly influenced bythe Impressionists, Stevenson has developed aunique style involving a palette knife and oils. Hemanipulates pure oils directly from the tube on hiscanvas, working deftly with the knife to blend andshape the paint. “I love using oils because I feelthat I can make the colors dance and become morevibrant and subtle at the same time,” he explains. Hisinterpretive work is a window to the natural world,expressing the way the sunlight and wind constantlychange his surroundings.Stevenson paints heavy layers with his palette knife,creating an impasto effect. As a result, his work takeson a sculptural quality, and changing the lighting orthe point of view causes the painting to shift subtly. Inthis way, the very style of his knife work evokes theendless changes that occur in the natural world, andwhich pose such a challenge to landscape artists.Butterfly Meadow Oil on Canvas 30” x 36”John Stevenson began painting seriously at a young age. Encouraged by his family, he sold his first painting at age 10. He currentlylives in Quebec, and he is a familiar figure along the Ottawa River or deep in the Gatineau Hills, camera or palette knife in hand.www.artbystevenson.comwww.Agora-Gallery.com/ArtistPage/John_Stevenson.aspxNada HermanLilies on Red Oil on Canvas 40” x 80”In capturing the energy and spontaneity of hersurroundings, Nada Herman creates workthat seems to have grown from the naturaljoy of creation. The artist grew up in the beachcommunity of northern Sydney, and her bodyof work reflects this influence, featuring brightlycolored seaside vistas and the wonderful life thatis possible in these idyllic surroundings.Her style is painterly and lush. Brushstrokes areswaths of verdant hues, rich with texture. Hermanwill often frame a piece using patches of flowers ortrees in the foreground, a perspective that allowsfor greater range of color and depth. Rolling hillsgive way to placid azure waters dotted by fishing vessels, sail boats, and flocks of birds. Herman loves expansive paintings, andher canvases often reach well over six feet wide, becoming like windows into which the viewer can peer. You can truly senseher love for this inspiring place, and her art functions as a means to transport us there ourselves. In her estimation, meaningis possible anywhere one seeks it. “I believe nothing is static,” she explains. “A humble flower or piece of fruit has a life force.”Nada Herman has devoted her life to the arts, receiving instruction from a young age; both her father and grandfather werecelebrated artists. She works from her studio at the top of Avalon in Sydney.www.nada-art.comwww.Agora-Gallery.com/ArtistPage/Nada_Herman.aspx35 ARTisSpectrum