SOLEIL ART ISSUE

Artist Issue #1
ART EDITION

Artist Contents
Franscois Potgieter ....................................................................................................
David Kloc .................................................................................................................
Kit Mizeres .................................................................................................................
Blial Cabal ..................................................................................................................
Damian Campbell .....................................................................................................
Nathan Reidt ..............................................................................................................
Justin Schwartz ..........................................................................................................
Stuart Holland ...........................................................................................................
Alex Eckman-Lawn ..................................................................................................
Alexis Kandra ............................................................................................................
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Magazine Team
Svetlana Blasucci -Founder/Editor in Chief
Jeremiah J Auguste - Art Director/Graphic Designer
Yuwei Luo -New Business Development
Soleil is an American cognitive (psychological) magazine focused on millennial
culture and fashion based in New York. Soleil Magazine is directed primarily towards
the millennial lifestyle and those looking to apply the different doors of the perception
of the world. The magazine was founded in 2017.
A few years back I spent some time in a psych ward as an observer. It was in the
South of France called Saint-Paul Asylum, Saint-Rémy. There I met the most
interesting women who were being rehabilitated. Their issues were unknown.
Listening to the psychologist explain the place where Van Gogh spent his last few
years was enthralling. Before attending art school I studied psychology and after
being in France shooting these women I wanted to find a way to incorporate
photography and therapy. This magazine in a way is therapy. The theme of this
magazine is to have a complex and psychological twist in ways to interpret art. We
want our contributors to think outside the box. I find art a way to conquer fears and
allow people to find themselves.
To create a more focused outlet for young creative minds. A collaboration of visual
and literary ideas whose creators are connected by a similar vision. Something you
can feel the workflow through you when it’s held. People should pick us up because in
a sense it can be therapeutic. It helps you proceed things differently, changing the way
people think and see the world around them. Not talking but engaging forecasting,
trending, up to date in the now! We are redefining millennial through technology, art,
and fashion! Our generation our time! This magazine will be seasonal and the next
issue is Fall. The theme entails Wes Anderson palette and Greek Mythology. (e.g;
Persephone & Hades as previously mentioned)

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Anglerfish
49.5cm X 29.5cm X 49cm
Wood, Steel, Leather, Recycled Items
a Plastic Human Skull with a Vintage Camera Lens for a right eye. The skull is covered
in Leather Scales and have Leather Fins and a Leather Tale strung in-between Steel
Rods. a lantern hangs from an Antenna protruding from its forehead. All the elements
come together to form a Steampunk Anglerfish.
Artist- Franscois Potgieter
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Head with Hand Antlers Lamp
59cm X 48cm X 85cm
Steel Wire and Rod, Wood, Old book pages
a Wire frame sculpture, of a woman’s head with hands mimicking antlers. a Wire frame
skull, covered with old book pages, is housed on the inside. The sculpture is illuminated
from within by a lightbulb and mounted on a wooden base with a circular wooden
frame.
Artist- Franscois Potgieter
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Reminiscence
Life-Size
Wood, Steel, Plastic, Acrylic, Wire, Vintage Sankyo Projector, Vintage Pants, Vintage
Shoes, Recycled Items
a Refurbished Vintage Sankyo Projector, mounted as a head on a plastic Human
Skeleton. The Skeleton holds a white piece of paper onto which he projects his
memories. His back is outfitted with old slides which are illuminated from below
by a lightbulb.
Artist- Franscois Potgieter
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Artist:
DAVID KLOC
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The work I make is, fortunately for me, mostly for bands and compounding on that fortune - bands I
really enjoy. I really have a simple formula for what I do - and that is I just draw posters that I’d be happy /
excited to hand to the bands I’ve wanted to work with for ages. Also it certainly doesn’t hurt that if I do a good
enough job with the work the band makes money. Bands love money. Wait… everyone does. So I get asked to
work for someone if they think it’ll make them money - and the happier I am with the piece, the more money
is made - which ends up making other people happy. Basically what I’m saying is that money doesn’t create
happiness as much as happiness creates money - through this channel specifically. As for how I got started
- I made a poster a week for 6 years for a comedy show called The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail here in
LA. Being able to illustrate and screen print a poster a week for 6 years teaches you… a lot. So now that the
show has concluded I work for bands at about the same pace… and once in a while I get to see my girlfriend or
sit on the couch. Thanks for reading.
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Artist:
KIT MIZERES
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Kit Mizeres has not long graduated from art school, but from viewing her work and being in the presence
of the sheer power, sophistication and maturity of her artistic voice, one could be forgiven for thinking she
has already benefited from a lifetime of creative expression. Having adopted a liberating lifestyle of nomadic
freedom, Mizeres is constantly on the road, continually collecting a wealth of stories and experiences which help
to inform her life choices and also her artistic explorations. Being close to nature all her life, and possessing both
a boundless curiosity and a caring heart, it is only natural that at the core of her images lie messages of concern
about how humanity asserts its dominance over the rest of the animal kingdom.
Mizeres skillfully integrates these sentiments into her striking surrealism, along with her interest in personal
folklore and the ironing out of her own internal struggles. The results are not only a rare treat for the eyes,
but deliver an abundance of metaphorical stimulation and raise important topical questions about our species,
which should not be overlooked. Kit Mizeres is an American artist and illustrator with no current fixed abode.
She earned her BFA in Illustration from the Columbus College of Art and Design. Since graduating, Kit has been
making serious waves within the New Contemporary Art scene and has exhibited her work in prominent galleries,
such as Corey Helford Gallery in LA and Arch Enemy Arts in Philadelphia.
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www.syntheticflyingmachine.com

Steven Tovar, Blial Cabal’s
sole illustrator Specializes in the
exceptionally unforgiving art of
nib and ink illustration. Focusing
on the art technique of hatching,
in combination with a knack for
the esoteric, occult, and dark
arts.
Having a natural talent for drawing
I was always encouraged
by the people around me. I took
basic art courses throughout my
four years of high school and was
fortunate to have an incredible art
teacher. I applied to School of the
Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC,
where I had previously taken a
three-week long introduction to
multimedia art course) and received
a generous scholarship. Having
turned down the art scholarship for
personal reasons, I quit drawing for
a few years. When I started drawing
again people noticed, they asked me
to draw for them. I was working
fulltime at a deli and was also
drawing personal illustrations and
commissions for three to four hours
a day. My art commissions were
getting booked out 6 months in
advance and I was turning down
perspective clients because I did not
have adequate time to draw. Having
once again been encouraged by the
people around me, I decided to take
a leap! It didn’t make since to turn
away from this chance to become
a self-supporting artist so I quit
my job at the deli (January 2017)
to focus fully on drawing. The
unfathomable support and
encouragement coming from
family, friends, fans, and strangers
has been incredible! Over the past
two years I have worked with
several remarkable artists and
musicians whom all have provided
me with the gift of being an artist!
Album Art, Hell (Full Length) 2017
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Album Art, Mizmor - The Psalter MMXVII: Five-Year Commemorative Discography 2017
Heavily influenced and inspired
by master artists such as Albrech
Durer, Gustave Dore, Francisco
Goya, Zdzisław Beksiński,
and Stefano Della Bella, in
combination with the anarchist
literature of Peter Lamborn
Wilson, the anonymous PM, and
literature of Georges Bataille,
blended with various sub-genres
of the West Coast Black Metal
scene and East Coast Underground
Hip-Hop. The Blial Cabal dark art
aesthetic was born.
I have a hard time explaining much
of my work. So, I’ve learned to focus
more on my thought process behind
the art.
The experience of death is an
entrancing subject, the great
nothingness, an abysmal fate. In
my drawings violence and death
symbolize loss or suppression of
culture, destroying hierarchy,
abolishing controlling religious and
government systems, and my lack of
faith in humans.
My artwork is very chaotic. I
attempt to illustrate the huge
disconnect I have with the world I
see around me today. Spiritual loss
and anguish, seem to be a concept
that either people understand or
they don’t. The overall atmosphere
of emotions conveyed in my art are
hopelessness, anxiety, anger, and
fear. Those are the emotions that
pour onto my paper because they
are the feelings that reside inside
myself. It’s a strange kind of
hypocritical meditation, a paradox.
Because, for me the violence, death,
and demons that I draw bring a
calming peace. Thankfully, a lot of
people relate to the emotions and
imagery in their own way and they
really appreciate my work.
Based out of the Northern
California Foothills in Grass Valley,
CA Blial Cabal is a collaborative art
collection between Husband and
wife duo, Steven & Maranda.
Together they provide uniquely
macabre functional art fueled by
music, fine arts, literature, and
all things dark.
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Blial Cabal is tremendously appreciative for all the continued
support! Colossal thanks to everyone who enjoys the art!
The “Prodigious Devourer” is for sale $1159 and prospective
buyers can email us at blialcabal@gmail.com
www.BlialCabal.com
@BlialCabal
BlialCabal@gmail.com
blialcabal.storenvy.com
Prodigious Devourer 2017
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Dionysus

Greek mythology is quite a broad
and intriguing topic, you may think
you know a lot but when you dive
in it’s like opening Pandora’s box.
Twelve major deities, ‘The Twelve
Olympians’ were at the centre of
this mythological universe and
below them, there was an extensive
and fully developed hierarchy
of creatures and monsters which
was often used as a political
commentary and an explanation
for creation itself.
In creating this piece of work, it
was imperative that I narrowed
my focus; at first this proved to be
quite the challenge and I found
myself overwhelmed by this vast
ancient universe. To start, I knew
that I would have to educate myself
to an extent and this is where my
research began; I looked at several
literary works such as Homer’s ‘The
Iliad’ and Hesiod’s ‘The Theogony’
and other visual expressions
like sculpture and painting. On
a recent trip to Paris I saw a
marvelous sculpture of Dionysus in
the Musée du Louvre, it was here
that I would say I was properly
introduced to Dionysus as one of
the Twelve Olympians.
To be perfectly honest, my only
prior knowledge of Dionysus was
that Gucci have a bag by the same
name. However, I was intrigued by
his youth and feminine characteristics.
Upon further research, I discovered
that in some of his earliest
depictions Dionysus was portrayed
as a mature, bearded male cloaked
in beautiful robes whereas his later
images are of a young androgynous
male, often fully nude. As the god
of the grape harvest, ritual madness
and fertility I believe that his later
depictions were much more fitting.
The use of a sensuous young male
symbolizes festivity, frivolity and
the raging youthful hormones
definitely relate to the idea of
fertility. In addition to Dionysus’
human form, I mulled over the
symbolism that often surrounded
him and his story. Dionysus is
more often than not, shown with a
thyrsus, a vine covered wand or
staff topped with a pine cone. This
was both his weapon used to
destroy the opposition of his cult
but also a wand that instils festivity
and ecstatic freedom in those who
follow his mysteries.
Having chosen Dionysus as
my definite stimulus for my
illustration I began to look for
models; I knew that I wanted a
young male with relatively feminine
and refined features such as full,
sumptuous lips and long eyelashes.
Although, I did want to incorporate
a more contemporary and fashion
based aesthetic. This lead me
to choose @mickydcachi from
Instagram as my model. He has
quite an edgy and contemporary
look in terms of hairstyle and his
septum piercing but his natural
features lean more towards the
androgynous side of the spectrum.
With my model chose I began with
some preliminary sketches of his
face from different angles and with
different expressions. I chose the
final expressions due to his pouted
lips which I believe emphasize the
idea of sumptuous femininity.
Then I began to sketch and
paint symbolic imagery such
as the grape vine and the pinecones
– I knew that I wanted to
modernize the imagery and so I
chose to play about with abstract
composition. I scanned all my
watercolor paintings onto my
computer and began to play about
with composition on Photoshop.
I quite enjoyed the juxtaposition
between this modern work method
and the ancient stimulus. The final
composition reflects a wreath crown
or halo which reflects the rule of
Dionysus.
I knew from the start of this project
that I wanted a muted color
palette to reflect the ancient nature
of Greek Mythology but I knew that
I needed to add color to reflect the
frivolity and festivity of Dionysus
as a deity. I also experimented with
double exposure to generate a
modern edge and create a more
holistic piece as for me, it was
important to convey that Dionysus
and the symbolism are one.
My creative process differs from
each design brief but I would hope
that this has given you a greater
insight on how my brain works
from start to finish when I am
creating.
-Damian Campbell
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Artist:
NATHAN REIDT
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I am a self taught artist currently living in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. I began drawing when I was about
5 years old and haven’t stopped since. Professionally I have been a CG Artist in the film industry for the past 15
years but am pushing more and more into living off of my personal art.
A lot of what is happening in my art right now is roughly based on thoughts of neglect, overgrowth,
decay, and our societal definitions of beauty. These are themes that my brain continues to come back to, is
fascinated by, and is also tormented by.
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Artist:
JUSTIN SCHWARTZ
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My name is Justin Schwartz, i was born and raised in South Africa until I moved to the uk with my wife
in 2014.. I’v always been Ito art and drawing since a young age but I never took it too seriously as it was never
something I thought I’d be able to do as a livIng. In 2013 I started tattooing but with the move to the UK I was
unable to get back into a studio so I ended up doing bar work and squeezing drawing in at late at night . I then
started posting my drawings on social media and gave myself the name Boyishmind and In these last 3 years
people have seemed to like my art and it now am back in a studio tattooing and drawing full time.
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Artist:
STUART HOLLAND
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Stuart Holland is a visual artist living and working in Boise, Idaho. He is a graduate of Boise State
University and earned his BFA with an emphasis in printmaking in 2014. Drawing influence from psychology,
various spiritual traditions, psychedelics, and quantum physics, Stuart’s work is the realization of an enigmatic
liminal realm.
Within this enigmatic plane, Stuart’s work explores the concepts of Self, consciousness, and the ultimate
nature of Reality. Riddled with vast landscapes, monolithic architecture, and thought provoking voids, it is often
difficult to discern if these environments exist in the physical realm, are mental fabrication, alternate realities, or
are glimpses into a higher dimension of consciousness. It is within in this liminal ambiguity where Stuart’s work
invites viewers to delve into the contemplation of “What truly is?” and “What could be?”
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The subjects of these works illustrate various phases of growth in cultivating a sense of Self and
purpose in a reality where chaos and consciousness are in constant flux. As these figures travel within these
environments, they undergo transcendental growth, finding strength, solace, and absolution in their exploration.
With these higher states of consciousness on the horizon, contact with ‘selflessness’ tempers, and even subdues,
the Ego; nothing exists in isolation, and all is but a microcosm of a larger plane of existence.
Through bravely and honestly contemplating these questions, Stuart’s work suggests Reality is not absolute
but a malleable aspect of existence, and with an open mind, a discerning eye, and careful practice and
understanding, we are able to become increasingly conscientious collaborators in the superstructure of Reality.
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Artist:
ALEX ECKMAN-LAWN

Alex Eckman-Lawn is a Philadelphia born illustrator who spends his days in the gutter and his nights
in the sewer. Alex creates multi-layered, hand-cut, paper collages using everything from his original digital
paintings to imagery from old medical texts. Each layer is spaced, creating a depth that draws you into the pieces.
His work has appeared in comic books, on album covers, book covers, T-shirts, music videos, and posters. His
cut paper works have most recently been on display at SCOPE Miami Beach, Art on Paper NY, Paradigm Gallery
+ Studio, Arch Enemy Arts, Art Dept., Gallery 1988, Crane Arts Ice Box, Bottleneck Gallery, and more. He is
currently hard at work trying to burn his name into the ground and pull the sun out of the sky.
“My work tends to deal with my fear of my own body, the feeling of being trapped in a decaying cage.
I dissect my paper sculptures like a cadaver, sometimes violently cutting away at them. I burrow into the body,
creating caverns and uncovering new spaces. The result can be harrowing, but at times comforting as well. In
cutting through the layers of paper, I am given the opportunity to play both surgeon and architect, for once in
complete control over what lies inside.”
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Artist:
ALEXIS KANDRA

I have always been inspired by dioramas in natural history museums. What I liked most about the
diorama is that when you stand in front of it, the diorama takes up your whole field of vision and you become
immersed in that world. At the same time, the diorama is a construct, a designed illustration of a world held
inside a box. I found this very similar to paintings, and began making large-scale paintings of my own surreal
dioramas inspired by natural history and psychology.
As the paintings evolved, I wanted to capture that feeling of looking into another world but on a smaller
scale. I began using circular forms, creating port-holes or bubbles that contain the animal life. I needed to
address the space outside these circular frames, and began using grids to indicate an infinite space extending beyond
the spheres of life. I started to warp the grids, and have them interact with the animals. The grids became
another dimension, or underlying structure to the universe of the paintings.
I wanted this other dimension to have an infinite feeling like cold outer space. I researched to find what
materials could create a rich dark black that would make the oil painted animals pop forward. I found metal
foils that come in a range of colors, and create a glossy metallic surface that really separates from the matte oil
painting. The foil is applied just like gold leaf, and is used in faux and decorative finishes. Unlike gold leaf it
comes in every color imaginable, and I have started to incorporate other colors in addition to the neutrals.
The paintings are still evolving, becoming more complex and having more dynamic space. I’m excited
to continue making them, and I never get tired of creating new works as I explore this world.
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http://www.kandra-art.com/

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