Armik Malekian, 1951 | Figurative painter

Armik Malekian was born in 1951, the son of Armenian descendents who had immigrated to Southern California. He earned a Bachelor Degree in Fine Art and Master Degree in Graphic Design from University of Decorative Arts in Tehran. During his academic years he worked as a portrait and landscape artist for art galleries. He was also an illustrator and Art Director for advertising agencies. Shortly after graduating he settled with his family in California in order to expand the realm of his artistic pursuits.

Arts and Crafts movement, 1850-1900

Arts and Crafts movement, English aesthetic movement of the second half of the 19th century that represented the beginning of a new appreciation of the decorative arts throughout Europe.

By 1860 a vocal minority had become profoundly disturbed by the level to which style, craftsmanship, and public taste had sunk in the wake of the Industrial Revolution and its mass-produced and banal decorative arts.

Among them was the English reformer, poet, and designer William Morris, who, in 1861, founded a firm of interior decorators and manufacturers - Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company (after 1875, Morris and Company) - dedicated to recapturing the spirit and quality of medieval craftsmanship.

William Morris (1834-1896) | English textile designer

Frank Markham Skipworth | Portrait /Genre painter

Frank Markham Skipworth (1854 in Castor, Lincolnshire - 1929 in London) was an British portrait painter.

He painted also genre and historical subjects.

He studied for two years at the Lincoln School of Art, then under Sir Edward John Poynter (1836-1919) at the Royal Academy Schools for three years and became a pupil of William-Adolphe Bouguereau in Paris. | Source: © Wikipedia

Maxfield Parrish | Fantasy / Romantic painter

Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966)° was an American painter* and illustrator, active in the first half of the 20th century.

Parrish is best known for his depictions of fantasy landscapes populated by attractive young women.

For biographical notes -in english and italian- and other works by Parrish see:

• Maxfield Parrish | Golden Age painter / Illustrator ⥅
• Maxfield Parrish | Romantic Painter / Illustrator ⥅

Catrin Welz-Stein | Surrealist Digital painter

Catrin Welz-Stein graduated from Graphic Design in Darmstadt, Germany and then worked for different advertising agencies in Germany, USA and Switzerland. Three years ago Catrin started to create digital images by collaging old illustrations and photographs.

At the same time she discovered online social networks and her private images were then open to the public. The positive responses Catrin got there were her motivation to go on with her art until now.

Keith Mallett, 1948 | Jazz painting

Keith Duncan Mallett* is an American artist who has worked as a painter, etcher and ceramic artist. His subject matter ranges from figurative to still life and abstracts. Mallett's work has been exhibited worldwide and is featured in corporate and private collections.

For biographical notes -in english and italian- and other works by Mallett see:

• Keith Mallett, 1948 | Abstract Figurative painter ⎘

Alfred Sisley: "I always start a painting with the sky"

▻ "Every picture shows a spot with which the artist has fallen in love".

▻ "Ogni immagine mostra un elemento del quale l'artista si è innamorato".

Alfred Sisley | Works

Sisley's student works are lost.

His first landscape paintings are sombre, coloured with dark browns, greens, and pale blues.

They were often executed at Marly and Saint-Cloud. Little is known about Sisley's relationship with the paintings of J. M. W. Turner and John Constable, which he may have seen in London, but some have suggested that these artists may have influenced his development as an Impressionist painter, as may have Gustave Courbet and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot.

Alessandro Andreuccetti, 1955 | Watercolor painter

Italian painter Alessandro Andreuccetti is born in San Gimignano, Italy. He studied art and architecture in Florence and, after graduating, started his job in 1980 as a graphic designer.

From 1978 he was interested in watermedia painting, fascinated with this technique and the support of hand-worked paper. He was showing paintings in many italian towns.

On 1983 he won the 1th prize at “Concorso nazionale del fumetto e del Fantastico di Prato” and he started to collaborate with Sergio Micheli of University of Siena and the editor Nerbini of Florence to realize comics and illustrations.

Edward Hopper | Magic Realism painter

Edward Hopper (1882-1967) was born in Nyack, New York, to a middle-class family.

After he graduated high school in 1899, his parents, though supportive of his artistic ambitions, encouraged him to pursue commercial illustration.

He studied at the Correspondence School of Illustrating in New York City for a year before enrolling in classes at the New York School of Art in 1900, where he switched his focus to fine art.

There, Hopper studied under William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916) and Robert Henri (American, 1865-1929), who encouraged their students to paint the everyday realities of the world around them.

Giovanni Prini | Figurative sculptor

Lo scultore Giovanni Prini (1877-1958) nasce a Genova. Conclusi gli studi all'Accademia Linguistica di Genova esordisce esponendo una scultura in gesso dal titolo "La tentazione di S. Antonio" alla XLIII Esposizione di Belle Arti di Genova.

Si trasferisce a Roma alla fine del 1900 e qui conosce Duilio Cambellotti e Giacomo Balla.

La sua casa-studio di via Nomentana, animata dall'ospitalità della moglie, la poetessa Orazia Belsito, diviene presto luogo di ritrovo di giovani artisti come Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Duilio Cambellotti e Gino Severini.

Ora Tamir, 1980 | Fly with me

Born in Israel, Ora Tamir immigrated to California. Ora’s Oil Paintings are purely intuitive, surreal with a futuristic quality and haunting beauty.

The images are personal, touch the soul and have a distinct unique feel to them. Each of Ora’s original oil paintings are a long labor of love. The first step is an idea.

A wooden board is coated with gesso (a painter’s medium) and sanded until a very smooth undercoat results.

Jérôme Birti, 1988 | Abstract Portrait painter

Jérôme Birti was born in Brussels, Belgium where he now lives. From his early observations of life around him as a child to the now ever developing artwork, the same drive and focus animates his swift hand and sharp stance.

Movement interwoven into a knot that loosens before the eyes. Those words seem to encapsulate his art.

Ichiro Tsuruta 鶴田-郎, 1954

Ichiro Tsuruta è nato nel 1954 nella città di Amakusa, nella prefettura di Kumamoto.

Era un ragazzo che andava a giocare sulle montagne e nei fiumi vicini subito dopo essere tornato da scuola, ma fin da allora dimostrò anche un talento artistico, vincendo sempre premi nei concorsi di disegno.

Intorno al secondo anno di scuola media, Tsuruta iniziò a nutrire ammirazione per Keiichi Tanaami, Akira Uno e Tadanori Yokoo ed altri, ed il suo obiettivo era diventare un illustratore.

Dopo il diploma di scuola superiore, Tsuruta proseguì gli studi alla Tama Art University, dove si laureò in graphic design.

Boris Dubrov, 1979

Boris Dubrov was born in St. Petersburg. At the age of five he surprised his parents by his unique art abilities.

So, they decided to take him to the Art school where he got necessary knowledge of painting and graphics which he later developed on a professional level.

In 1994 Boris entered the Art-Restoring Lyce...um "Kupchino" where while studying he got interested in surrealisme.

The Administration of this Lyceum arranged the first exhibition of his works in the field of surrealisme.

Florence Blin, 1971 | Abstract painter

Florence Blin, pittrice Francese🎨, ha presentato il suo lavoro in oltre 10 mostre personali nelle città di Ajaccio, Lione, Shanberi, Valankon, Nizza, Cannes, Monaco e Parigi. Ha partecipato al Festival di Arte Moderna del Mediterraneo. Le sue opere sono offerti alle aste Druon e Parigi. Le opere della Blin sono state pubblicate sulla rivista internazionale di pittura "L'Aube".

Peder Mork Mønsted | Landscapes with figures

Peder Mørk Mønsted (1859-1941) was a leading Danish landscape painter of his time, known for his photo-realist style, landscapes, portraits and genre scenes.

He began his artistic training in Aarhus before travelling to Copenhagen to study at the Academy of Copenhagen from 1875-1879.

He was much influenced by his teacher Andries Fritz, court painter to Prince Ferdinand of Aarhus, and he also studied figure painting under Julius Exner and Niels Simonsen.

Bryce Liston, 1965 | Children and flowers

"The artist has within himself the power to convey the idea of what it means to be human" - Bryce Liston.

Bryce Cameron Liston is an full time professional artist, who have received multiple prestigious awards.

Bryce Liston is a self taught artist born in Utah in 1965.

Christopher Clark | Jazz, Music and Dance

Christopher Clark è stato un artista sin dalla prima infanzia, quando guardava Bob Ross su PBS ed imitava l'arte del famoso pittore ad olio con i pastelli.

Si considera un artista autodidatta, con i suoi studi che spaziano dalla formazione personale con maestri contemporanei, alla tecnica dell'arte accademica classica, con molta ispirazione dall'arte del XIX secolo e dal movimento impressionista.

Christopher ha vissuto in Italia per un certo periodo, immergendosi nella cultura e nell'arte italiana, che continua ad influenzare la sua pittura.

Olga Krimon / Ольгa Кримон, 1972

Born in Odessa, Ukraine, Olga Krimon / Ольгa Кримон received academic art education in Kazan, Russia.

She continued to grow and develop her skills later in America, through drawing classes with Glen Orbik and painting classes with Jeremy Lipking.

Olga also holds a BA in Art History, and she credits it with providing her the rich visual vocabulary that is instrumental for defining her path as an artist.

She also received an MBA making her well grounded in the business side of an artistic career.

Sayda Afonina / Сайда Афонина, 1965 | Realistic Figurative painter

Russian painter* Sayda Afonina Cайда Афонина was born in Syzran - the small city of Samara region, located on the Volga river. In 20 years of age graduated Сызранскую art school.
The next, 1986, entered in the Penza art school. K.A. Savitsky, which she graduated in 1989.
In the same year became the student shortly before the opening of the Russian Academy of painting, sculpture and architecture, where he stayed after graduation in 1995, work as a teacher of the chair of the portrait. In 1998-2000 she studied at the graduate school Razhviz.

Josepha Brigette, 1950 | Figurative sculptor

French sculptor Josepha Brigette works in clay, stone and bronze, seeking a style that is precise and live, realistic and poetical.

Josepha Brigette was born in the South of France and owed her first name to her mother's Italian origin.

She began her career as a fashion designer.

In spite of the international success which she gained, her creative thirst incited her to confront with other materials.

Vassilis Antonakos / Βασίλης Αντωνάκος, 1980 | Abstract painter

Greek artist🎨 Βασίλης Αντωνάκος was born in Athens. Art had always been an alternative way to express himself even since he was a child.

He attended the Vakalo Art and Design College and then he continued his studies at the School of Fine Arts in Athens.

Mostly being a self-taught artist with a wide range of work in painting, sculpting and stage design. His first solo exhibition -titled "Faces"- took place in 2013 in Red Dot in Athens.

Dick Pieters, 1941 | Fantastic Realism painter

"In life everything seems to be very complicated untill you reach the big exploration that the truth lies in simplicity, the obvious, like nature, the sound, the love. And likewise in my painting".

Dick Pieters worked eighteen months on this portrait of his wife Corrie and himself in a boat on a river. If you stand close to the painting, you can see that it has been painted dot by dot, with almost scientific precision.

Only when you stand further away will the whole image reveal itself. Pieters applied layer after layer (sometimes as much as eight layers) to achieve this impressive effect.

Each layer had to dry first before the next could be applied. Pieters painted the simple moments of happiness.

'Searching all your life for the deepest sources and then discovering that the truth lies in simple things, in the obvious, such as nature, sound, love…,' is how the artist explained his development.

Tina Garrett, 1974 | Portrait /Figurative painter

Award-winning artist, Tina Garrett, paints custom portraiture and figurative work. As a portrait artist, Tina is has earned an Art Renewal Center Associate Living Master.

In 2012, based on her self-taught pastel portraiture, the Scottsdale Artists’ School awarded Tina the first of two merit scholarships and she began working in oil immediately falling in love and hitting the ground running dedicating 5 years to practicing and grasping an understanding of oil painting.

Paul Gauguin | Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? 1897

In 1891, Paul Gauguin* left France for Tahiti, seeking in the South Seas a society that was simpler and more elemental than that of his homeland.

In Tahiti, he created paintings that express a highly personal mythology. He considered this work -created in 1897, at a time of great personal crisis- to be his masterpiece and the summation of his ideas.

Gauguin’s letters suggest that the fresco-like painting should be read from right to left, beginning with the sleeping infant.

He describes the various figures as pondering the questions of human existence given in the title; the blue idol represents "the Beyond". The old woman at the far left, "close to death", accepts her fate with resignation. | © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Roland Palmaerts, 1953 | Watercolour Cityscape painter

Born in Brussels, Belgium, Roland Palmaerts comes from a family of painters. He won First prize* in the National Competition «Tintin» at the age of six. Roland Palmaerts studied at The Athenaeum, at the Institut Saint-Luc and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, where he won First prize* in drawing and watercolour. In 1972, the artist engages in the Belgian armed forces as a para-commando.

Kemal Kamil Akca | Fine Art photographer

Kemal Kamil Akca, nickname Wafflefineart, is a Fine Art photographer and photo-artist living and creatin in Turkey.

Rene Snyman | Plein air / Figurative painter

René Snyman is an awarded* South African professional artist living and working in Sir Lowry’s Pass, Western Cape in South Africa.

Growing up on a Kalahari farm near Upington, her close interaction with nature shaped her remarkable powers of intimate observation. Since discovering her drawing talent as a young child, René dedicated herself to working hard and developing her skills.

Magdalena Serwin, 1983 | Figurative painter

Magdalena Serwin is an Polish artist born in the Jastrzębiu-Zdroju region.

- "I am a graduate of State Higher Professional School in Racibórz about direction of applied arts. Under the eye of wonderful artists I explored the arts of painting, graphical which and photographic.
I am self-taught in great measure, which the painting is passion and at the same time something like the peace, for of breath from everyday matters. The oil painting accompanied me for the youngest years, but in the time was neglected".

Irene Sheri Vishnevskaya, 1968 | Ballet dancers

"I am in love with my canvases. It is the beauty and passion of painting and the result that come from those feelings that drives me to fill the canvas every day" - Irene Sheri

For biographical notes -in english and italian- and other works by Vishnevskaya see:

• Irene Sheri Vishnevskaya, 1968 | Romantic Impressionist painter ⤑

Marina Podgaevskaya, 1963

Марина Подгаевская is an Russian painter, known for lyrical and full of mythology and fantasy themes.

Марина Подгаевская was born in Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

Marina graduated from LHU Podgaevskaya them. Serov in 1983, in 1998 - the school-studio at the old technique of painting.

Gina Higgins | Noir artist

Born in New Orleans, the granddaughter of the founder of Delta Airlines, Gina Higgins was raised in the Hollywood Hills of LA. Accepted into the University of Southern California Roski School of Fine Arts at 17, she also received formal training in figurative painting in Paris and Florence, before returning to complete her BFA.

Gina's illustrative clients include Liz Claiborne, Etienne Eigner, Alexander McQueen, CBS Studios, and AandM/Polygram records. Gina has also emerged as a highly desirable figurative painter, specializing in contemporary film noir. Her works have exhibited in galleries across the west coast and are included in numerous celebrity and corporate collections.

Gina has exhibited with the following artists: Fabian Perez, Thomas Arvid, Manuel Nunez, Michael Cheval, Michael Parkes, Todd White, Jaline Pol, Sabzi, Carrie Graber, Rob Hefferan, Michael Goddard, Svetlana Valueva, and Pino.

Florian Nicolle | Graphic designer and illustrator

Florian Nicolle is graphic designer and illustrator freelancer from Caen, France.

- "I already have a degree in Graphic Design, there was a section devoted to the illustration that i have worked a lot, which finally took a big place in my work.

I try to create an image that retains its freshness of the first paint stroke, the expressions of the line have to be very free and spontaneous.

While keeping a rigorous drawing.

So i use fast techniques, like a bic, large brush, watercolor and chines ink.

I draw a picture as if I wrote a text, with the same tool, the same freedom, erasures, lines, scribbles".

Hernan Javier Muñoz, 1983 | Surrealist painter

Hernan Javier Muñoz is an Argentine painter born on April 5, 1983 in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In 1996 he entered the Art School "Rogelio Yrurtia". There he graduated as Professor of Plastic Arts in the year 2000. During these years he had his first approaches to art in general but without feeling them part of his current profession.

Henriëtte Ronner-Knip | The painter of cats

Born in Amsterdam, Dutch painter Henriëtte Ronner-Knip (1821-1909) came from an artistic family and she studied art under her father, the well-known Neo-Classical painter Joseph Augustus Knip.

After selling her first painting at the age of fifteen she produced an outstanding body of work which is now on display in many European museums, including the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Dordrecht Museum.

Giulio Monteverde | Monteverde Angel, 1882

The Monteverde Angel or Angel of the Resurrection is the name given to a marble statue of 1882 that guards the tomb of the Oneto family in the cemetery of Staglieno in Genoa, Northern Italy.

It is one of the most famous works by the Neo-classical Italian sculptor Giulio Monteverde (1837-1917) and was commissioned by Francesco Oneto, a president of the Banca Generale, in honour of deceased members of his family.

Portraying a pensive angel with long, richly detailed wings, it is acknowledged as one of the most beautiful and sensual sculptures in its genre, to which Monteverde contributed other important Neoclassical works.

Andrew Atroshenko, 1965 | The passion of music

"Music and art consume my life. There is a symphony in everything I paint" - Andrew Atroshenko

Greg Dubuque | Hollywood legends

Greg Dubuque, American painter, was born and raised in a small, average, suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Chasing frogs and turtles in the neighborhood pond by day, while watching Wild Kingdom and old Creature-Feature monster movies by night.

Those early experiences led to his love for the outdoors, its scenery and wildlife, as well as the creepy-crawly side of nature.

After a short stint in a Junior College Art Program, Greg went on to attend the prestigious Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles, CA where he received a BFA in Illustration and Design.