Category: Artist

This astoundingly accomplished English artist is an expert when it comes to capturing the majesty of the natural world on canvas. Her compositions practically vibrate with texture and life, which is a remarkable feat, particularly for a self-taught artist.

Park West loves connecting their collectors with artists, so asked Clare 10 questions to help you get to know her better. Be sure to check out her fantastic artwork throughout the Q&A and enjoy!

1). When did you first realize you wanted to become an artist?

About six years ago. I’ve always painted since I was a child—drawing animals and flowers, anything full of life and color. But I had never really gotten into it full time until a carpal tunnel operation on my left hand left me unable to work for three months. So I picked up a paintbrush with my right hand and started painting. I lined the walls in my tiny apartment, mainly with landscapes, seascapes, and florals.

After those three months, I contacted a few UK art publishers and received a message back from the largest. We met and I received a contract to work with them. My driven passion for creating put me on a path to build on a professional career in the art world.

2). What inspires your art?

My inspiration comes from everything around me. Whether it’s taking my dog for a walk around my local rose gardens or just watching the bees and butterflies on the lavender outside my window.

3). Have you been particularly influenced by any artists?

Yes, the outstanding Simon Bull, one of the iconic artists of our time. Like me, he also paints prolifically with an abundance of color. He has been a dear friend and true inspiration throughout my journey.

4). You call yourself an “Organic Texturilist.” What is that?

When you’re creating art as an “Organic Texturilist,” the idea is that the artwork grows as if a tree would grow from a seed out of the earth, reaching toward the sky. I always keep an organic element in the story of my art, whether it’s trees, florals, skies, or rolling seas. I add texture as my final element for everyone to see and feel with their eyes and emotions. It helps me share my journey, my energy, and my process.

5). Can you describe your usual process for creating a work of art?

I start all my artwork with a base color. Then I add layers. For example, if I was painting a floral work, I would paint my centers and build leaves around the edges. That would dry for a day and next I’d add the petals mixed with paint and paste to create high-definition impasto. I add more leaves, stems, and fun splashes, and finally my signature. I then spray all of my art with a resin-based varnish to protect it for years to come.

6). What do you want collectors to take away from your art?

I’d like my art to fill the walls of collectors around the world with a sense of me smiling back through the artwork. I want them to feel like they are walking through a room that has been encapsulated with happy energy, color, and texture, a room that brings their imagination face-to-face with mine.

7). What do you enjoy doing when you’re not painting?

I love meeting with friends for tea or coffee at the seafront. Friends are the color of life. My journey has been blessed with many beautiful souls that have believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. I also enjoy dog-walking, meeting new people, and taking short trips to experience the vast beauty of the UK.

8). What is one of your favorite travel destinations?

I would say the most beautiful place that I have visited would be Santorini in Greece. The Mediterranean holds a special place in my heart. I lived there for many years, and it’s influenced my laidback lifestyle and colorful creativity.

9). Do you have a favorite color?

My favorite color would have to be turquoise, the color of the most beautiful seas and skies. My second choice would be grey and hot pink—that color combination has always attracted me.

10). You’ve mentioned before that your dog, BB, has been by your side since you began painting. Is he a good artist’s assistant?

My BB has been on my artist’s journey with me since the beginning, and his tail has definitely picked up every color of the rainbow. He always lies by my door, watching me work. I even think he winks when he really likes a particular piece!

• Reflections on a Lake

Famous Artworks

• “Ceres 6,” 1967
• “Aloha,” 1970
• “Arachnid,” 1977
• “Peach Basket,” 1981
• “Zen Gardens,” 1982
• “Rocks and Water,” 1983
• “Resurrection,” 1985
• “Bypass,” 1987

Cleve Gray was an American painter best known for his contribution to the Abstract Expressionist movement. His artistic style changed radically in the 1960s, with his earlier interest in Cubism giving way to an aesthetic influenced in part by French modernism and the traditions of the Far East.

The Life of Cleve Ginsberg

Birth and Childhood

Cleve Ginsberg was born in New York City on September 22, 1918 and grew up in the Bronx, the child of an affluent Jewish household. At the age of six, he enrolled at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, a progressive kindergarten with an emphasis on moral philosophy and community service.

He was born Cleve Ginsberg. The family changed their name to Gray in 1936.

In 1929, he began his formal training in visual art with Antonia Nell, a former student of Realist painter George Bellows. His talent for the subject was evident and his technique matured at a prolific pace, leading to his acceptance into the prestigious Phillips Academy in Andover in 1933.

During his time there, he was mentored by educator and art historian Bartlett Hayes Jr., under whose guidance the teenager developed an interest in non-representation painting.

Early Adult Life

With his history of academic excellence, Gray was accepted into Princeton University in 1936, majoring in archaeology, painting and Oriental art. His instructors at the time included James C. Davis and George Rowley, the latter of whom inspired his thesis on the landscape painting of the Yuan Dynasty. After graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1941, he moved to Tucson to establish himself as a professional artist, exhibiting several Cubist genre compositions at the Alfred Messer Studio Gallery.

After graduation in 1941 he moved to Tucson, Arizona. Our painting, which we call Reflections on a Lake, was most likely displayed at, and purchased from, the Alfred Messer Studio Gallery in Tucson, where Gray exhibited his landscape paintings and still lives.

Europe

As the United States became increasingly involved in the “War in Europe,” Gray returned to New York to enlist in the Armed Forces. He was dispatched to Britain in 1942, serving in Germany and France before the liberation of its capital.

Even as the Occupation came to an end, he remained in Paris in order to meet its cultural elite, intellectuals and painters including Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein. His acquaintance with them put him in contact with avant-garde theorist Andre Lhote and printmaker Jacques Villon, under whom he resumed his artistic training in 1944. His first exhibition was subsequently mounted at the Galerie Durand-Ruel.

 

Career

Gray did not come back across the Atlantic until late 1946, settling in New York for a few years before moving to his parents’ 94-acre property in Connecticut. Over the next decade, he became a regular in the national art circuit, participating in prominent festivals and expositions such as the Corcoran Biennial, the Whitney Annual Exhibition and the Annual Exhibition of Abstract and Surrealist Art in Toledo.

In the 1960s, the artist formed a close friendship with the Color Field painter Barnett Newman who urged him to abandon his Francophilia in favor of a more individual voice.

What emerged was meditative and minimalist in comparison to his earlier style, dissolving lines in a sea of color with the distinctive restraint of Oriental traditions.

This shift in aesthetics was met with critical acclaim, with numerous awards and showcases of his work in New York and abroad. Gray remained an active figure in the art world well into the 1990s, producing new compositions in his studio in Warren.

Later Life

In 1957, he married the Polish-American writer Francine du Plessix. His wife of 47 years, Francine du Plessix Gray reported that he suffered a “massive subdural hematoma after he fell on ice and hit his head.” He passed away in Hartford Connecticut on December 8, 2004 after his fall.

Timeline

• 1918 – Born in New York
• 1924 – Enrolls at the Ethical Cultural School
• 1933 – Attends Phillips Academy in Andover
• 1940 – Graduates from Princeton
• 1941 – Moves to Tucson
• 1942 – Returns to New York to enlist in the army
• 1946 – Returns to New York after serving in Germany, Britain and France
• 1949 – Moves into his parents’ home in Warren
• 1957 – Marries Francine du Plessix
• 2004 – Dies of a subdural hematoma

Major Exhibitions

• 1948 – Jacques Seligmann Gallery, New York
• 1955 – Philadelphia Art Alliance
• 1964 – Staempfli Gallery, New York
• 1967 – Saidenberg Gallery, New York
• 1970 – Betty Parsons Gallery, New York
• 1977 – Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo
• 1981 – Betty Parsons Gallery, New York
• 1984 – Armstrong Gallery, New York
• 1990 – Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York
• 1991 – Eva Cohon Gallery, Chicago
• 1998 – Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford
• 1996 – Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase

Museums/Collections

• Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• Museum of Modern Art, New York
• National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
• Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.
• Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover
• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Wash. D.C.
• Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury

Books/Publications

• “Cleve Gray” by Nicholas Fox Weber
• “Cleve Gray: Man and Nature” by Cleve Gray,
  Karen Wilkin and Francine du Plessix
• “Cleve Gray: Paintings” by Thomas B. Hess
• “Cleve Gray: A Considered Life” by Claire Giblin

• July Sails

Victor Spahn was born on March 20, 1949 in Paris as a second generation Russian. After his secondary studies, he worked for a fabricator of mosaics and, for pleasure, composed his first mosaic wall. His painting and printmaking are a direct result of his extensive work in mosaic techniques. His style suggests movement and dynamism as he captures the essence of a particular moment. Spahn paints with a combination of palette knife and brush and enjoys great success in lithography, serigraphy, and in the creation of hand-embellished graphic works.

Often referred to as the “Painter of Movement”, Victor is inspired by sports, dancers, and energetic activities. He paints championship sail boat races, rugby matches, prima ballerinas, and tennis stars – each with the same individual grace and swift motion.

Spahn has participated in many exhibitions, including the Salon of Independent Artists, France, in 1970. He also won first prize in New York for a mosaic table. Personal exhibitions followed in Paris in 1976 for the Societe Toyota; Galerie Wally Findlay, Chicago; and Palm Beach, Florida, in 1984. In 1981, he designed the set for the televised play “Rembrandt of Glass” and created a poster for the world championship of handball in 1988.

Spahn has enjoyed the publication of a hardcover book on his work. He created the cover for the 100th anniversary Michelin Guide for L’Astrance and his serigraph “Autumn Polo” was acquired by Jacques Chirac, President of France. Spahn was the guest of honor at the 42nd International Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture “Art Movement” in Sainte-Maure de Touraine in 2011. In 2012, he was a guest of honor at Amiens, at Ribemont-sur-Ancre and an Ambassador of the Lexus GS 450, partnering with Lexus.

In 2012, Spahn was a guest of honor at Amiens, at Ribemont-sur-Ancre. He was honored by the French government when they named a newly built housing community after him; his name now appears alongside buildings named after Henri Matisse, Camille Claudel, Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Louis Pasteur and Thomas Edison.

In 2013, Spahn moved his studio to the Montparnasse district of Paris, into a work space that had once belonged to Tsuguharu Foujita, a great impressionist painter. His work was featured in the prestigious Polo Paris, a private sports club and only polo club based in Paris. For the second year in row, Spahn has participated in an exhibition organized by the French Ministry of Defense and Veterans Affairs benefiting the injured and families of fallen soldiers, a cause that is close to his heart. His artwork for this event was also selected to be the poster for 2013.

In 2015, Spahn had the honor of being mentioned alongside artists such as Marc Chagall, Victor Vasarley and Jack Pollock in the publication “Gordes: Le temps des artistes.” This last book in a trilogy chronicles the talented artists related to Gordes, a commune located in the Provencde-Alpes-Cote in southeastern France.

• It Gets Better

Marko Mavrovich, a California-raised painter of Croatian descent, vividly captures the essence of the sea in his art.

His tranquil paintings of seascapes and light colors are a result of growing up near the Pacific Ocean and the Adriatic Sea. Practical and resourceful, Mavrovich draws from what he knows—the seascape of the world.

Mavrovich’s art has been exhibited around the globe.

Mavrovich: Personal History

Mavrovich was born to Croatian parents living in California. He and his family moved between islands off the coast of Croatia when he was young, but spent most of their time on the island of Unjie. It was here he developed a love for sea life.

Mavrovich began to hone his artistic talents at the behest of his parents. His dad was a watercolor artist who wanted to see his son follow in his footsteps. During summers in Croatia as a late teen, Mavrovich sold his drawings to German and Italian tourists.

In the late 1970s, there were plans for Mavrovich and his father to hold father-son watercolor shows in Germany and Italy. However, his father grew ill and they canceled the exhibitions. Instead, Mavrovich decided to enroll in Navigation School to become a sea captain and the family’s breadwinner. While at school, Mavrovich continued to draw. He enjoyed working at sea in his years after school, but was torn between pursuing a career at sea or with art.

When his father died in 1985, Mavrovich moved back to California. Mavrovich worked as a commercial diver for three years until a close call with a propeller severed an air hose and grazed his wet suit. Mavrovich had narrowly avoided the loss of a limb. He saw this as a sign to turn his passion for art into his career. Despite the accident, Mavrovich never lost his love of the sea, and began painting seascapes, coastlines, and landscapes.

He started to sell his art and garner recognition from local galleries. These galleries gave Mavrovich the exposure he needed to emerge on to the national scene as a painter. His imagery, influenced by the colors and scenery of California and the Mediterranean, caught the eye of many art collectors.

Mavrovich received further recognition overseas, traveling to Japan to paint for six months at a time. Despite his success, Mavrovich felt stifled—he was surrounded by beautiful Japanese culture and architecture he loved to depict in his art, but Japanese collectors preferred his paintings of foreign landscapes and subjects.

In 2005, Mavrovich joined Park West Gallery. His travels with Park West and relationships with his collectors inspire his art to this day. Mavrovich also donates his time and efforts to supporting non-profit organizations that benefit military veterans.

Mavrovich: Style and Influences

Mavrovich’s style is unique but methodical; he generally paints water and boats using colors he believes are most representative of California—shades of red and gold. The art evokes serenity, optimism, and peace. The warm colors give a soft feel to his artwork, captivating art aficionados.

Digging deeper into Mavrovich’s art, it is evident that there is more depth to his creations. Inspired by travel, Mavrovich paints more than seascapes. He utilizes darker colors to portray scenes of old cars, the quiet glow of a big city, and many other breathtaking types of scenery.

Artists who have influenced Mavrovich include Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, and California Impressionists like Edgar Payne. Growing up in California and Croatia inspired his sea-based artwork; he loves oceans, hillsides, and sunlight, capturing their essence in a vivid fashion.

His studio is what he calls “organized chaos” and only he knows where everything is located. Projects that may occur within the next six months are strategically placed around the room so they’re available at all times. He surrounds himself with studies, notes, and supplies.

Mavrovich often finds inspiration from rudimentary materials. Pieces of metal sitting in his studio become a series about old trucks, or wood planks become repurposed as sturdy alternatives to canvas.

• Home

Brazilian-born and Miami-made, Romero Britto is an international artist that uses vibrant, bold and colorful patterns to reflect his optimistic view of the world around him. Britto has created a visual language of hope and happiness all its own that is relatable to all, inspiring millions. Self-taught at an early age, Britto painted on scraps of paper or cardboard or any medium he could find before coming into his own and traveling to Paris where he was introduced to the works of Matisse and Picasso. His appreciation of these masters influenced him to create an iconic style that The New York Times described, “exudes warmth, optimism and love”.

Britto’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums in over 100 countries, including the Salon de la SocieteNationale des Beaux Arts exhibition at the Carrousel du Louvre in 2008 and 2010. In 2013, Maria Elena and Carlos Slim Domit invited Romero to be the first living artist to exhibit at MuseoSoumaya. He has created public art installations for the 02 Dome in Berlin, New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, Cirque Du Soleil at Super Bowl XLI, and has been credited with the largest monumental sculpture in London’s Hyde Park history. Britto served as an official artist for the 2010 World Cup, Ambassador to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil and was recently invited to be an honorary torch bearer for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Britto’s pop sensibility has since leant itself to many collaborations with international brands such as Audi, Bentley, Coca-Cola, Walt Disney, Evian, Hublot, and Mattel to name a few.

Romero is an activist for charitable organizations worldwide and most of all an artist who believes “art is too important not to share.” Britto has donated time, art, and resources to more than 250 charitable organizations. Not a silent activist, Britto was a selected speaker for the arts at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. In addition, Romero Britto is proudly an Inaugural Founding Benefactor of the Harvard International Negotiation Program. He holds a seat on several boards such as Best Buddies International, and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, and was recently appointed to the board of HRH The Prince of Wales charity, The Prince’s Trust. A believer in the role of an artist as an agent of positive change, Romero Britto is committed to developing and supporting the role art will continue to play in world issues.

• Pottery

Patti is a

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Patty and Rick’s studio is located at 843 Rattenbury Rd (Rt 254) in North Granville, PEI between Highway 6 and Highway 2 at Stanley Bridge.  Oh, that there was a more accurate way to guide you to their house, but they value their privacy and nearness to nature.

• Fall Colors

Metal Glass Media‘s home retail store is located in the Joan Harris Pavilion at the Sydney Harborfront by the Big Fiddle. The store is open during cruise ship season and is open to customers only on days a cruise ship is visiting.

I must thank my Mother for enrolling me into evening oil painting lessons at the age of seven because art has been an integral part of my life ever since. I have taken my many years of experience as a successful landscape artist, and incorporated that knowledge into my Stained & Fusion Glass pieces. I would also like to send thanks to The Cape Breton Center for Arts and Crafts for all their support and guidance, as well as the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia for representing me in their gallery shop.

The thing that I enjoy most about Fusion Glass is the fact that there are so many avenues to explore. At present, my creations consist of glass and metals for example: copper, aluminum, gold, silver and brass. I use metal to create beautiful Cape Breton landscapes.

Brent has created many corporate and residential works combining fusion and stained glass; for example techniques for front entrance kitchen accents, picture windows, room dividers and wall & window hanging. also functional pieces like vases, lamps, soap dishes, plates, bowls, tea-light shades.

Brent began his journey in the arts with charcoal sketches then moved on to painting in oils to becoming proficient in watercolor and acrylic mediums. He has now been working with glass for over 30 years and although working with glass is technically challenging, it is also very rewarding when everything works.

So where did the inspiration for Fusion Glass come from?

The answer to that question lies within a series of moments and experiences during which the artist realized that he needed to find a way to get his watercolors to glisten. He loved the way the sun kissed the glass in a stained glass piece so fusion glass evolved from this concept. So how is is done? To begin, you need to start with a design. Once the design is drawn, a mold is created to provide depth to the landscapes.

Each piece is created by hand and the mold can only be used once due to being destroyed during the firing process. This guarantees a one of a kind, unique art piece that cannot be exactly duplicated.  The final product is a truly unique work of art.

The technique of this particular process was created by Brent through his experience as a painter and through trial and error, resulting in a thing of beauty.

• Missing You

When life gives you walls,
make paintings on canvas.

• Duet Night
• Three Virtuosos

Charles Lee is a diverse, multi-talented artist with the capability of creating various forms of art, from pencil-drawn portraits to tranquil landscapes, arresting abstracts, and serene musicians.

Lee gained a following in the 1970s when exhibiting in Hong Kong and Tokyo, and in the 1980s his popularity soared when his art reached the United States. Lee’s ability to capture femininity and the spirit of music in three different styles makes him a sought-out artist around the world.

 

Personal History

Growing up in Seoul, Korea, Lee began showing an affinity for art at the young age of 7. However, Lee’s father did not approve of his interest in art, so Lee would hide in order to draw. In high school, he received his first official artistic honor—a gold medal in an international competition. Lee recalls bringing awards for his art home and his father destroying them.

“I have had many hardships as an artist, but nothing has been able to stop me. As long as I have life in me, I will paint,” Lee says.

Despite his father’s admonishments, Lee went on to major in art at university. He held his first show at the age of 23.

In the 1970s, Lee exhibited in group shows in Hong Kong and Tokyo. He presented his second solo exhibition at the Tae Yoon and Man Kang galleries in Seoul, bringing him wider acclaim.

During the 1980s, while employed at the Gaius Art Studio, many of Lee’s works were introduced to the United States. Lee subsequently arrived in the United States in 1991 and worked with a Miami wholesaler of fine art.

Today, Lee shows his true talent and versatility as an artist. His art reflects his uncompromisingly high standards. He resides in Florida with his wife and two children. His daughter, Jana, is an artist in her own right, inspired by her father’s encouragement to pursue art. Alongside their own art, Charles and Jana create paintings together.

Style and Influences

Lee embraces oils, watercolors, and acrylics. He also has a penchant for painting with a bright, eye-catching palette(including gold foil) that demonstrates his keen sense of color. Yet in spite of such vibrant imagery he presents his subjects in a calm and reflective—almost ethereal—way.

Lee primarily paints in three distinct styles. The first is a classical, representational style with notes of romanticism. The second is a contemporary naïve style noted for its simplicity and flat expressions. His backgrounds are colorful planes harkening to Cubism, showing a mastery of defining space. A third, purely abstract style emerged as well. Of his styles, Lee prefers his modern approach, believing it instills his subjects with more life.

His low-relief and richly textured mixed media compositions are accomplished through the use of Gesso, giving his artwork the illusion of emerging from the canvas.

Recurring Themes

Lee reveals a knowledge and fascination with Roman, Greek, and Egyptian architecture. His frequent use of columns recalls classical Greek and Roman history.

“I want people to be there…to be inside of this period in time…inside those beautiful buildings,” Lee says.

Music plays an important role in Lee’s life and work. The subjects of his art are often seen playing instruments in serene settings. Lee’s wife and many of his family members are musicians, inspiring him to experiment with musical themes. The positive reaction from collectors encouraged him to pursue this theme throughout his career.

The artist is also interested in exploring the dimensions of the female form, traditionally set against neo-classical backdrops such as palaces or mansions. He sees his women as neither totally Eastern nor Western, but a new ethnicity only existing in his mind.