Hazel Soan, 1954 | British Watercolor painter

British painter Hazel Soan grew up in the UK and graduated with a BA hons in Fine Art after studying painting at Camberwell and Leicester Art Colleges.She was awarded the Holbrook Trust Prize from Nottingham Museum and Art Gallery in 1976 and within a year of her graduation, she was earning a living by her paintings, and her watercolors sold out within the first hour of her first exhibition in London. Hazel has since held over 20 solo exhibitions, heeding the advice of one of her college professors- ‘Always have an exhibition on the horizon’. She has held exhibitions from as far afield as the Namibia, Venezuela, South Africa and Zimbabawe to closer to home in the UK. She took advice from the same lecturer when he told her to have a studio of her own where she could work uninterrupted and also to travel in order to avoid getting in a rut. She now has a studio in West London and another in Cape Town.

Jean-Pierre Augier, 1950 | Metal sculptures

French sculptor Jean-Pierre Augier, was born in Nice, he lives and works in Saint-Antoine-de-Siga, between Levens and Saint-Blaise (Alpes-Maritimes, France).

As a child, he created with various materials. From 1963, he got interested in disused old tools and learned how to weld them. From that time on, he would only shape iron and then exhibit at «La Maison du Portal» in Levens, in several other French regions, but also in Paris, New York, Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland.

Girel Oleg ~ Minimalist portraits

These Minimalist portraits by artist Girel Oleg eliminate all but a few colors to tell their story. Each image (originally a photograph) was digitally remixed, removing layer upon layer of detail to leave just contour lines and patches of richly textured color. It’s a simple, yet effective effect.

Włodzimierz Czurawski ~ Belarusian painter

Belarusian painter Włodzimierz Czurawski has graduated from the A.K. Glebow National Art Academy in Minsk. He has exhibited his art multiple times in his home country of Belarus. His work is characterised by its subtlety and calm, dimmed colour scheme. The artist in his landscape art or paintings still life using his masterful skills is able to create an effect of a magical depth.

The Leshan Giant Buddha / Il Buddha gigante di Leshan

The Leshan Giant Buddha (乐山大佛) was built during the Tang Dynasty (618–907AD). It is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below his feet. It is the largest stone Buddha in the world and it is by far the tallest pre-modern statue in the world.
The Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. It was not damaged by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

Egidio Antonaccio, 1954 ~ Realistic Impressionist painter

Italian painter Egidio Antonaccio is a Realistic Impressionist whose oil paintings express his love of nature and a man gifted with a rare talent. Having studied with some of the great Italian masters of fine art, he has developed a brilliant and commanding style. Born in Castelluccio, Italy, Egidio Antonaccio graduated from the Institute of Fine Art in Castrovillari, Italy, in 1973. Then in 1978, he graduated with honors from the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy.

Sung Sam Park, 1949

Korean painter Sung Sam Park was born in Soeul, Korea where he began painting at the age of twelve. His talent and teaching abilities were quickly recognized and by the age of thirteen, while still a junior high school student, Park taught painting at the local high school.
Early on, Park attracted the attention of prominent artists and heads of state. Byen Si-Jin, former university president of Jo-Joo Island, was his private art teacher and mentor. The former president of South Korea, Yoon Bo-Sun, personally awarded him many First Places in the national competitions of the Mok-Woo Art Society. Park is still the youngest person ever to have competed in these competitions.

William Waterhouse | The Modern Pre-Raphaelite

British painter of classical, historical, and literary subjects, John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) was born in Rome, where his father worked as a painter.

In the 1850s the family returned to England. Before entering the Royal Academy schools in 1870, Waterhouse assisted his father in his studio.

His early works were of classical themes in the spirit of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and Frederic Leighton, and were exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Society of British Artists and the Dudley Gallery.

Cha Soo Griffith | Cityscape painter

Korean painter Soo Cha Griffith lives in Knoxville, but her artist's spirit lives in the picturesque villages and gardens of Italy and France. Griffith paints and sketches a wide variety of subjects, but her favorites are old-world towns, streets, coastal areas, open meadows, flower gardens and people. Her favorite place to paint, she said, is around Lake Como in northern Italy, Griffith said.