spotlight – Art & News from EBSQ

EBSQ Spotlight on Photography: Colour: Richard Holland

This month’s featured gallery is Photography: Colour. Photography lets us briefly stop time and capture tangible moments. Whether spontaneous or crafted, what our eyes see is frozen forever. When the photograph is in colour, we will always have the blue of the sky, the flush of a cheek, and every colour the world presents us. During the month of June, we are going to take a few moments to catch up with some of the EBSQ photographers that enjoy capturing the world in colour.

Richard Holland

I became interested in photography when I was about 16 years old…got my first SLR as a high school graduation present from my parents. Much to their dismay I spent the better part of my college years in the photo lab. I spent a couple of years learning the silver process (B&W) and developing a personal gum bichromate process (water colors) before moving on to color (long before the digital age).

I call myself a social landscape photographer, which is like photojournalism without the paycheck. I like to capture the truth in a person’s eyes, something they prefer you wouldn’t see; a soft spot. It’s there for a moment unguarded then jumps back behind the wall. I also enjoy performance photography: music, dance, sports. Nature is also a big draw. Stopping time in the flight of a bird or a bee. Enjoying the bloom of a flower. Helping others be moved by things they otherwise might not.

I feel color photography deals with reality. Black and white by its very nature manipulates the moment. I love both. – Richard Holland

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EBSQ Spotlight on Photography: Colour: Lisa Miller

Lisa Miller

Color photography gives an opportunity to record what is seen. A memory made with the snap of the shutter. Through a photo, a photographer can show the world what and how they see. From broad landscapes to the smallest macro, life is what is captured. Once a photographer understands light and color the possibilities are endless, exciting and rewarding. Capturing life it is my passion. – Lisa Miller

EBSQ Spotlight on Photography: Colour: Leea Baltes

Leea Baltes

I feel that the colors that surround us, in the different seasons, in the heavens and throughout the entire universe is a wonderful and gracious gift from God. I was captivated by the colors in nature as a very young child and to this day I can close my eyes and still see the beautiful bouquet of lilacs that I took to my first grade teacher. Or the brilliant yellow leaves of the maple tree against a bright blue autumn sky. Summer is my favorite season because of all the shades of green and all of the beautiful flowers. I am reminded of the song “What A Wonderful World”. What a wonderful gift from above! – Leea Baltes

EBSQ Spotlight on Photography: Colour: W. Kevin Murray

W. Kevin Murray

The seasons of Spring, Summer and especially Fall scream to be captured in color. While Winter respectfully requests it’s long, contrasting shadows be photographed in monochrome. The vast majority of the year, outdoor photographers like myself yearn for at least 64 individual colors with a handy crayon sharpener built into the back. For film photographers the year started out on a sad note, the end of Kodachrome, you gave us those nice bright colors, those greens of Summer… but, new this year, along comes Kodak Ektar 100 and color film is rejuvenated. At the present I mostly shoot digital, with digital the amount of control the photographer has over the image is nothing less than inspirational! Along with that, new and improved imaging software arrives on the shelves before I have time to familiarize myself with the latest and fastest that I just downloaded six months ago. True Photography’s learning curve has never been steeper on the one hand, but on the other “point and shoot” may have muddied the waters a bit, the difference between a picture and a photograph… as always, in the eye of the beholder? – W. Kevin Murray

EBSQ Spotlight on Portraits & Figurative Art: Sandy Farley

This month’s featured gallery is Portraits & Figurative Art. Portraits are the artistic representation of an individual or individuals with the face as the focus. The term “figurative art” most frequently refers to the representational depiction of a human or animal figure. Often they are deeply personal – either to the artist, because of the emotions being expressed by the subject or because of the emotions these works elicit from us. They delight, disturb and connect us. During the month of May, we are going to take a few moments to catch up with some of the EBSQ artists that create some of these evocative pieces of art.

Sandy Farley

Animals have very rich social and emotional lives. Their capacity for empathy, their delight in play: these are the very things that we first seek out in them when we wish to bond with or understand them. I often take my artwork to middle ground between animal and human — a place where characteristics of both are blended, and perhaps a bit of humor is added to sweeten the mix. My human and animal portraits share these traits. – Sandy Farley

EBSQ Spotlight on Portraits & Figurative Art: Mark Satchwill

Mark Satchwill

People, especially portraits, are my favourite subject matter. The human face is an amazing thing – every one unique and beautiful in its own way, the window to the character of the soul behind it. The challenge of capturing not just the superficial likeness, but a glimpse into the heart of the subject, is what excites and fascinates me. All the subtle nuances, the muscles at the corners of the mouth, the eyes, the tilt of the head, all can be used to convey meaning and expression and what it is to be human. – Mark Satchwill

EBSQ Spotlight on Portraits & Figurative Art: Leola Walker

Leola Walker

What inspires me when I paint figures – motion that shows or causes emotion. From the innocent joy on my grandchildren’s faces while playing in the backyard, or the sway of the sari as women carry water above their heads, to the raw brute emotion of beast and cowboy at the rodeo. All tickle your senses and hopefully provoke thought about the scene. Can you almost hear the laughter of the children? Hear the singing? Or smell the sweat and hear the grunts at the rodeo? Because I paint mainly in miniature I have to try and create this on a very limited space. It’s a challenging and fun process. – Leola Walker

EBSQ Spotlight on Portraits & Figurative Art: Theresa Bayer

Theresa Bayer

My paintings feature dreamlike scenes of mysterious people, animals, and landscapes and have a storybook quality to them. Symbols inspire me, because they compress complex ideas and philosophies into immediately accessible images. I love portraying the figure and seeing how many different ways it can fit into a fantastic scene. I attend figure drawing and figure painting sessions to get a fix on the realism, and then invent surroundings. – Theresa Bayer

EBSQ Spotlight on Portraits & Figurative Art: Pat DeVane Burns

Pat DeVane Burns

What is so intriguing to me about forms and faces, be it person or animal, is that each one is an individual… alike in so many ways, but different. It is my challenge as the artist to see what is unique about the body language, the nuance of expression, the coloration, the personality and to translate what might be considered intangible into a tangible painting of that individual. – Pat DeVane Burns

EBSQ Spotlight on Digital Art: PQ Ribber

This month’s featured gallery is Digital Art. Digital Art is not defined by one genre or style but rather the means used to create it. With the advance of digital tools and software, anything is possible. Like any medium, Digital Art requires the talent, patience, skill, and creativity of the artist to come alive. Digital Art is limited only by the imagination (and skill) of the artist. This month we are going to take a few moments to catch up with some of EBSQ’s Digital artists.

PQ Ribber

The medium of digital has opened up whole new possibilities for me and my art. I’ve always wanted to do collages of classic, old, imagery. Digital has allowed me to ‘gut’ the best of old illustration/advertising/Victorian trade cards and other materials that previously were not the sort of thing one would take a scissors to. It is paint without paint, light in the darkness, halls of mirrors and worlds of magic. The other amazing thing about digital is that it ‘democratises’ art – everyone can have a copy that is every bit as ‘good’ as anyone else’s. Art is meant to be seen and appreciated (hopefully), after all. – PQ Ribber

EBSQ Spotlight on Digital Art: Deanne Flouton

Deanne Flouton

First of all, I love digital art because it allows me to take my art in myriad directions, based on what constantly emerges as I work. Digital art has allowed me to see the world through my own rose colored glasses. I enjoy the fact that I can do detailed editing by adjusting hundreds of different parameters that affect the look and feel of the digital paint tool and the final result.

I was always frustrated with the desire to be able to paint well, but was never happy with the results. Then traditional (analog) photography satisfied my artistic curiosity for many years, until digital photography came along. A digital camera opened up a whole new world for me in conjunction with Photoshop. But somehow that did not seem enough. I wanted more, to be able to create more than what Photoshop or other paint programs offered. A review of Studio Artist sparked my interest and I immediately began working with an early version of this very sophisticated software whose learning curve (huge!!) frustrated me even more. However, I persisted and over the years have tweaked my art to suit my needs and visual aesthetic. The software is constantly evolving and I continue to learn but have not yet mastered all the technical aspects that I would like to due to the complexity of the software.

My work may be rendered as realistic or abstracted output, often times having no direct relationship to the content of the original source image. It is creativity ‘on the fly’ at times, and can result in a happy accident or a meticulously planned outcome. Its possibilities are endless, which makes it so exciting to work with. Guided by the image and imagination it is the magic of the transformation that inspires me at every step. Many versions of the same source image can be rendered, making it difficult to settle on one or more ‘best’ versions as keepers.

What I find compelling about this form is that Digital Art differs from Traditional Art, but because of technology and sophisticated digital brushes, Traditional Art can be emulated through brushes and other software tools which apply oil, acrylic, pastel or pencil “paint strokes” to the digital canvas. These are tools just as a brush, palette knife or pencil is to a traditional artist. It is the skill and vision of the artist that makes the art.

To sum it up my digital art is the creation of an image which reflects my vision through an organized and/or spontaneous process which evolves at its own pace. It is my personal interpretation realized through modification, and/or enhancement of a photograph. My original photographs are used as a point of departure for creation, taking creativity to the next level as an extension of the original photo. It is what keeps me going and on an even keel. – Deanne Flouton

EBSQ Spotlight on Digital Art: Kevin Wells

Kevin Wells

The art I’ve made in digital mediums is creating collages with my photographs in Photoshop by taking each photo and manipulating them, sometimes radically, changing the hues, cropping, etc., and layering them within a composition as transparencies. Also adding line art that I’ve scanned and again manipulated to get the colors and effects i want. Finally “painting” on the piece with Photoshop’s airbrush and paint software that’s built-in. It’s a technique i discovered in college that i became comfortable with because of the total freedom it allows. It naturally turned me toward these modern graphic pop Robert Rauschenberg type of images because that what hit me when i first discovered Photoshop. Earlier than this, on Microsoft Paint, standard on all PC’s, I began literally drawing or painting with the program much the same way I would do an oil painting, with an underpainting, and then building it up in blocks of color and using the “airbrush” tool to soften edges in certain places. When you say “Digital Art”, you’re really describing art made with computer software and photography, where said software is just another tool or medium, the same as oil paints or pastels. – Kevin Wells

EBSQ Spotlight on Digital Art: Carolyn Schiffhouer

Carolyn Schiffhouer

I was drawn to digital art by the challenge of creating art using a computer. To be able to wrestle with the limitations of the technology and come out successful is the greatest fun to me. I love taking an image and seeing just what can be done to it using the computer. It is exciting fun to experiment and see what happens when you do this or that to a bare photo or scanned image. It is a total experience to take an idea, find an image that might work and create something new within the boundaries of the computer. The challenge of creation and the beauty of a final image drew me to digital art and keeps me exploring and exploring. – Carolyn Schiffhouer

EBSQ Spotlight on Digital Art: Ruth J. Jamieson

Ruth J. Jamieson

Digital art is a recent addition to my creative repertoire, and my process is exploratory and sometimes experimental. In 2007 I discovered Print on Demand sites and as I prepared images of my paintings and pottery to be printed onto cards, mouse pads, mugs and other items I experimented with graphics software and all the wonderful things I could do with it. I create composite digital images using many various components, including fractal images.

I admired the ethereal beauty of the Fractal images that one my colleagues created and she introduced me to Apophysis, an open source program which generates random images based on mathematical formulas, which are called ‘flames’. These flames are swirls or sprays of colour. Using the software interface I change the mathematical formula and the image. Colourways and backgrounds can be changed and doing so can radically change the image by changing light values. The random abstract patterns and delicate quality of Apophysis fractals entrance me. I manipulate the flames until I create a representative image that pleases me. Each flame is a gift waiting for me to reveal what it contains. – Ruth J. Jamieson

EBSQ Spotlight on Artist Made Jewelry: Christina M. Givens

This month’s featured gallery is Artist Made Jewelry. Handcrafted jewelry is not only an expression of the artist who created it but of the one who wears it. Whether created in silver or gold; plain or sparkling with gems and stones, artist made jewelry is a coming together of personalities that is unique. Throughout the remainder of March, we are going to take a few moments to catch up with some of EBSQ’s Jewelry artists.

Christina M. Givens

When I was a kid I always took everything apart. From the TV’s to furniture, nothing was safe! My parents always found it funny, that’s only because I would put it back together again. I naturally gravitated to watches and taking them apart.

When I first discovered the steampunk movement, I was dazzled! All the gears and cogs, metal, clock, aviation, I loved every bit of it! I began making pendants with tons of trial and error. But once I got the hang of it each piece had a purpose or a reason for it.

I’ve always felt that it was the sentiment and the reason behind a piece of jewelry that made it special, even if it was aesthetically pleasing. So this is what I try to create with every piece I touch. – Christina M. Givens

EBSQ Spotlight on Artist Made Jewelry: Lauren Cole Abrams

Lauren Cole Abrams

I love working on a small scale, creating pieces of wearable art. My chosen medium is polymer, which to me is the ultimate medium for jewelry, as it has endless possibilities with color, form and technique. The making of artful adornment is one of the oldest forms of art and I enjoy the connection I feel with makers down through the centuries. – Lauren Cole Abrams

EBSQ Spotlight on Artist Made Jewelry: Aimee Koester

Aimee Koester

I don’t know about you, but I’m a different person everyday. Jewelry gives me the opportunity to showcase the facets of my personality. Even when I’m creating I’m able to use that to my advantage. The artist sculpts in metal, the rebel works in copper, the princess with stones, and the child lives in fantasy. And the best part…. There’s nothing beyond the scope of jewelry. – Aimee Koester

EBSQ Spotlight on Artist Made Jewelry: Terah Lyn Ware

Terah Lyn Ware

My interest in women’s history and adornment has led me to create the timeless jewelry collection, “An Era’s Ambiance”. In my studies of historical attire, jewelry was found to be very symbolic in women’s lives by representing stature, the mourning a loved one or simply adorning one’s soul. I use heirlooms from the past to adorn the souls of today. The antiquity and history of each heirloom that I handpick transcends beauty from a time in one’s past…”An Era’s Ambiance”.

My handmade jewelry would be described as “upcycled” works of art, altered creations, and “Neo Victorian” Classics. I create my jewelry from heart and soul to create “gifts” for those that relate to the past. – Terah Lyn Ware

Terah resides in Berkeley Springs, WV with her husband and son. She is an art teacher for Morgan County, WV.

EBSQ Spotlight on Artist Made Jewelry: So Jeo Katherine LeBlond

So Jeo Katherine LeBlond

I love tiny intricate designs and challenging myself to work with the smallest and most fragile of eggs was just a natural progression for me. The designs are drawn out and the egg goes through the same waxing and dyeing process as with a normal sized egg, just on a much, much smaller scale which requires special tools and a very light touch!

I work with shell cut-outs but also with tiny whole eggs such as parakeet, dove, cockatiel and finch. The most difficult to work with are the finch eggs which only measure about 3/4 of an inch tall. Their paper thin shells are so fragile that they will often crumble into nothing as you are working on them. Taking them to the point where they are wearable jewelry is a painstaking process; most don’t make it past the dyeing stage. They then they need to be filled with a special polymer through the small pinhole where the contents were emptied out and after that many layers of the same polymer are applied on the outside giving them incredible strength, durability and UV resistance.

Often fragile collectibles such as Pysanky are kept in cabinets or glass domes, displayed but out of reach of the viewer. Pysanky jewelry allows the wearer to have the closest proximity to something that most people only catch a glimpse of and knowing that the wearer thinks that my work is special enough to be worn and displayed on their person makes making egg shell jewelry such a rewarding process. – So Jeo Katherine LeBlond

EBSQ Spotlight on Artist Made Jewelry: Carmen Trueheart

Carmen Trueheart

My entire family on my mother’s side has artistic talent. My mother is a water colorist who really has a way with color, one of my brothers does all strictly black and white caricatures in acrylic but won’t let anyone but family see his work, and my other brother makes amazing things like sculptures and air gun paintings. And me, I make jewelry. I have always had an interest in beads and therefore have a self-taught knowledge base of the history of beads. To add to it, I was a hippie, perhaps I still am one. As we all may know Hippies loved beads! The last 10 years or so have granted me the time to take classes in silversmithing, and Precious Metal Clay, as well as learning peyote and other bead stitch work. Collecting vintage and some ancient beads and gemstones is another thing that I lovingly do. Precious Metal Clay is what I concentrate my efforts on these days. I find that it allows me to use the creative energy that I must use and allows me to blend it with my beads and gemstones. I love working with my hands, and all of the techniques to be used with Metal Clay is just the right mix of challenge and artistic expression that makes me continue creating new baubles, pretty things of adornment. – Carmen Trueheart