Rodrigo Zaniboni | Plein air painter

Rodrigo Zaniboni is a Brazilian painter from the São Paulo countryside.

His brushstrokes have a contemporaneous, realistic style reminiscent of the Impressionists.

Zaniboni uses a very particular palette to emphasize the correct use of the color scale, and the technique of painting by layers is one of his strongest skills; he uses the technique in his routine work and considers it one of the most important activities for artist.

Bjorn Thorkelson, 1971 | Figurative painter

G. Bjorn Thorkelson was born in Orange, CA. He has been working as an illustrator for the last 13 years and is currently making the transition to fine art.  He currently shows at Gasov and Gurule in Scottsdale and The Wilcox Gallery in Jackson.

A native of Southern California, Bjorn lives with is wife Connie and four boys, T'Jae, Braden, Shawn and Riley in his Southeastern Idaho studio/home. Art has been his passion since early childhood and he cannot remember wanting to do anything else.

His early "crayon studies" of kindergarten took on more importance as he realized that he wanted to be an artist. "I've always loved to draw," he says, "it's as simple as that. Painting is merely an extension of that desire".

Ron Hicks, 1965 | Romantic Soul

"I see things very abstractly, so I think of myself as a painter who sees shape, value, edges and texture. I like to romanticize life. I love the interaction of people doing...'things' -- whatever it is. It could be the most mundane thing to any passer-by, but I find great beauty in that" - Ron Hicks*

Jack Vettriano: "I don’t apologise for what I have painted.."

• "I miei dipinti raccontano le cose che ho fatto e quelle che vorrei poter fare".

• "I painted beach scenes not because I was feeling nice, but because I wanted to get a particular effect of reflection".

Fabian Perez, 1967 | Embrace series

"Art happens in the sublime moment when the human being expresses his emotions through skills" - Fabian Perez

For Fabian Perez, the purpose of art is to perpetuate beauty.

"That is what I am always striving for. God created the world and embellished it with the wonders of nature. I think it is the artist’s job to embellish it with his work".

"I am constantly fighting for a more romantic world, one where the woman and the man have defined roles and power isn’t always the goal".

Pausing, he says, "I would like to say that it is not important what you have, but how you enjoy it".