Meet Artist Vaughn Lew

 

W Vaughn Lew

Artist

Murphys, California

O-112 The Naturalist by Vaughn Lew pastel 15x19 $1500
2ND. PLACE WINNER OPEN DIVISION

  I'm originally from Eastern Oregon.  My family moved to Lodi in 1961 whereI attended Lodi High School, graduating in 1964.  I then enrolled at Sacramento State College, where I was a Commercial Artmajor.  De Witt Whistler Jayne was my main influence.  He was a renownedcommercial artist, illustrator, and portrait painter with a gift for teaching and aneye for perfection.  "Mr. Lew", he would say, "so much for a nice beginning,but let's have a finish."  I've been striving for that quality ever since.  Another instructor that had a very positive effect on me was Dr. Tarmo Pasto,an eccentric art psychologist and art instructor who taught the "Space FrameConcept",  It was all about space and form.

  After graduating from SSC and getting a teaching credential I was fortunateto get an art teaching job at Elk Grove High School.  I taught there for severalyears, but had an itch to get into construction.  That is where I've been until fiveyears ago, when my wife Glenda, and daughter Melissa, and I moved to Murphys.  One thing that is certain is that art requires a commitment.  I feel that I now have the time and space to finally concentrate on my painting.  Although I havebeen producing some art over the years, it is only now that I can continue tothe next piece without an extended time period between.  Landscapes, townscapes,wildlife, and portraits all interest me.  My goal is to create images that bring theviewers into a space that takes them away, and gives them pause to reflect.

O-113 Bishop Dawn by Vaughn Lew oil 42x28 $1500

O-111 The Headwaters by Vaughn Lew oil 12x24 $950

Meet Artist Karen (Kara) Lemens

 Karen (Kara) Lemens

SOLD   O-059 Peaches with Ginger Jar by Kara Lemens oil 8x10 $400

Kara paints life and light in a realistically impressionistic style in oils. She enjoys capturing a variety of subjects - whatever the light makes beautiful or interesting. She tries to convey the impression the subject made on her, using the language of oil paint. She finds that painting from life and alla prima (while the paint is wet) best enables her to express that impression.

O-056 Sweet-Tart Sweethearts by Kara Lemens oil 6x12 $450

Kara loves painting on location (en plein air) with her border collie, Frisco. She paints primarily in the Texas Hill Country and the mountains of Colorado, but is always up for a plein air adventure wherever life takes her! She also enjoys creating still lifes in her studio, combining the natural beauties of flowers and fruits with objects of timeless beauty, such as family antiques. She wants to capture the conversation between the objects and her feeling of connection to them.

Kara has been juried into many shows in Texas, Colorado, and California. She also has studied with numerous prominent artists and is especially fortunate to have been mentored by Kathleen Dunphy since 2017.

Kara is grateful that her art enables her to share beauty and her experience of the world with others!

O-058 A Springtime Romance by Kara Lemens oil 8x16 $475

You can find Kara's art at karenlemensfineart.com and follow her outdoor and indoor art adventures on Instagram @karalemensfineart.

Meet Artist Viviana Leija-Sysak

O-109 Confused Balero by Viviana Leija-Sysak mm 27x22 $800

 Viviana Leija-Sysak is a visual artist working the the Bay Area. She holds a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of California in Santa Barbara (UCSB). Viviana has experimented with many materials and techniques, creating a strong body of work in traditional and digital strategies. Her recent artwork emphasizes her passion for drawing, using a mixed-media approach based mostly on watercolors and pastels. She has also served as an art educator teaching traditional and digital drawing, digital animation and art experimentation to a variety of schools and organizations. Additionally, Viviana has worked as video producer for several TV stations and production companies creating mostly education TV series for local communities. She also volunteers at her kids' schools being an active member of their Parent-Teacher Association.

You can contact her or find out more of her artwork by visiting her online portfolio at https://Viviana.work or on Instagram @vivi_LeijaSysak

O-110 Precise Piece by Viviana Leija-Sysak mm 29x24 $1000e

Statement:

As a visual artist, I like to explore different mediums to express my ideas. I have worked in photography, video, animation, drawing, oils, acrylics, and lately, I came back to mixed-media and digital illustration. I normallay challenge myself questioning how an idea that I want to represent will look like in another medium, or which title would I give it if it was a book. This helps me clarify the essence of my concepts, and get to my point using the needed structure to open a clean dialog between me and my audience.

The art pieces I'm presenting are part of a larger series called "Games and Toys" where I compose artwork based on a specific item of this nature, adding some characteristics, situations or emotions that describe or mirror a bigger and more realistic world. I also think about the memories that some toys can bring to adults, and how they would look embedded, not in a play area, but in a daily adult life. I try giving each item a "personality" to compose it with a new view and perspective.

Meet Artist Katy Kelley

 Katy Kelley

Artist Statement

O-095 Freedom by Katy Kelley acr 20x16 $150
JUDGES MERIT AWARD

Formally trained as a registered nurse, and actively working as an intensive care RN.

Raised by an amazing single mom who was an exceptionally gifted artist, I was told "please do not become an artist, for it is a very difficult way to make a living."

I must say I have not received any formal training in the arts.

I first picked up a paint brush during covid.

I love art and music and can not imagine a world without, they are a true blessing in our lives.

As a nurse I have seen more than I often know how to emotionally process, a tremendous amount of pain and suffering. Times I can not, "un-see."

Picking up a paint brush has given me a way to let out some of the stress and passion I feel in life.

Acrylics have made me feel like I am free to create movement, expression, freedom, arts are a language of the soul.

My only hope is that my work may provide a glimpse of joy in our troubled world.

Thank you for your time.

Gratefully, Katy

209-743-3500

morrisonsonora@yahoo.com