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Santina ‘Semadar’ PanettaSantina in her StudioLike a dazzling close-up of a GeorgesSeurat painting, Santina ‘Semadar’Panetta has created a wonderful andenergetic body of work that expresses joyand optimism through a unique abstractpointillism. Her paintings, done in richlycolored oil paint on large canvases, canbe stylistically considered either abstractor representational. We consume eachpiece much like finding a face in the moon,as we seek to reveal something familiaror like ourselves. Semadar providesclues to her inspiration through varyingdepths of realism or hints in the title, somemore discrete than others. There areoften palpable landscape qualities in herpaintings. One may discern rolling hillsand lush tree lines glittering in the sununder azure skies, or perceive dawn’sfirst light cast on multihued flowers. Theartist has cast aside brushstrokes infavor of solidly colored dots, juxtaposedneatly to tempt our eyes into acceptingthe illusion of variation of hue and tone.24 ARTisSpectrumThis is key to the vibrant nature of herpainting. Semadar’s talent with color lies inunderstanding the nature of simultaneouscontrast, expertly pairing colors for theirrelationship to each other. She is not tryingto portray detail per se, but much like thegreats of Impressionism, she captures thespirit of a place and the energy of beingthere. The artist is obviously interested inseasonal changes, conveying the hopeof springtime, the celebration of summerand the introspective time of autumn. Likethe explosion of life from winter’s dormantperiod, Semadar’s paintings open like aflower’s bud and display a lyrical senseof movement as our senses dance in thepure energy of color.As a former journalist, Semadar left behindthe world of hardened reality to examinethe mysterious truths that lurk behindappearances, and to allow the secrets ofbeing to be told. “The impressionist Arthas lightness in pictorial aesthetic, but isdeeper than we are led to believe,” sheexplains. “Its content is powerful in thephilosophy of existentialism.”Born in Italy, Santina ‘Semadar’ Panettagrew up exploring the fertile philosophyand art of the classical Mediterraneanworld. She emigrated to Canada andlater graduated from the Academie Artsand Beaux Arts in Quebec with honorsand distinction. She has exhibited andsold her paintings in Canada, Australiaand the United States, with recently soldworks going as far as India and Italy. TheNational Museum of Canada and theAmerican Jewish Archives in Cincinnati,OH, hold her portfolio for collectors andart-lovers to consult.www.artfusiongallery.com/works.php?code=407www.Agora-Gallery.com/ArtistPage/Santina_Semadar_Panetta.aspx