Meet Artist Robert Feigen, Spring Obsession Open Division Accepted Artist

Robert Feigen

O-137  RatzNKatz Symbiosis 2013  acrylic  $1850

My name is Robert Feigen and I am the artist that has performed the attached painting. I am a graduate of California Polytechnic College in Pomona, California with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Behavioral Science and in Business Administration. I have studied for three years at the Sonora Arts Academy and have been an artist for fifteen years. I am now retired and have chosen to focus on my passion for painting and the arts.

My fifty pieced "RatzNKatz" series is a primitive, anthropomorphic, mystical, fantasy, humorous artistic presentation and is my own style of painting in oil and acrylics. The vivid colors and the action of the characters are an expression of myself for a world of happiness and harmony through strength and balance in the face of potential adversity. There is also some sauciness and arrogance thrown in at times. If the viewer stops, looks, laughs, and smiles then leaves only to come back again I will have been successful in my artistic intent.

The RatzNKatz characters in the paintings have human-like faces and qualities and the Ratz with the exaggerated bodies interact to symbolize both the struggles to coexist and to challenge each other with the underdog (Ratz) being in control of the dominant species (Katz).  The themes in each painting are unique and expressive within a particular genre. The "RatzNKatz Symbiosis 2013" is number forty seven (#47) in the Series and depicts the annual meeting between the Ratz and Katz Clans to peacefully coexist in a harmonious way. Of course there is a whole lot of cheating and mischief going on as well as the teasing amongst the characters and between the Ratz N Katz.

The original paintings and stories in the series are for sale. However, the rights to reproduction are not. Whe the paintings are actually reporduced in a limited edition series, the buyer/seller will be entitled to a percentage commission. Therefore, it is a win/win for everyone.

I want to thank you for your interest in my art.

robertfeigen@gmail.com

Meet Artist Libby Fife, Spring Obsession Open Division Accepted Artist

Elizabeth (Libby) Fife

O-052  In Between  acrylic  10x10  $165

What I paint:
I paint landscapes and figurative works using acrylics on board and canvas. The work is realistic or representational in the sense that it comes from actual images-things that I observe-and that there is a kind of resemblance to those images. It's also abstract in a sense because it doesn't portray things in minute detail, down to the nitty-gritty. I omit and refine and simplify because that is my world view. It's how I see things in real life and so that is how I paint too.

Why I paint:
Why paint instead of say, playing an instrument or cooking or dancing? Painting seems to allow me to express, through design and content, what I think and feel about my interests and the environment around me.  With the exception of writing, painting is the only other creative outlet that gives me the freedom to explore and share with others the subjects that interest me most.

How I paint:
My technique for painting is simple and straightforward and matches my personality. Ideas for paintings begin with my own observations. I become attracted to something that I see. It could be something in my landscape or a person's gesture in a vintage photograph.  I then gather information to flesh out the question or idea.  This gathering usually involves in-the-field research. By that I mean I take my paints outside and get busy! I look at colors and the design of my idea and try to get a feel for things. If it's a conceptual figure piece, I do some online research to learn about my subject. Whether I am painting a landscape, a building, or a figure, the bottom line is that I have to be connected to my subject in some way otherwise I just can't paint it effectively.

What the work is about:
Part of my work is project driven and reflects what I am currently learning about at any given moment. My questions or interests are the starting point. I utilize vintage photographs, both my own and ones that I find, along with my writing and research to structure and support each project. The common denominator in all of this is my desire to learn about something that interests me, to paint it and to write about it, while making a strong and interesting-to-me composition to support it.

The second part of my work has more to do with what I call "structure." For painting, structure to me has to do with puzzles. How things in my environment fit together. Although I view my world as a whole, I quickly zero in on what that world is composed of. For people, it's their body parts all moving together with their environment. The gestures of their figures set against their background or interlocked with other figures. For the land, it's all of the pieces such as trees, hills, and sky acting together. To me, people and objects are not stagnant even if they are frozen in time in a photo. Shapes, colors, and light and shadow are important too but really secondary to the above.  

O-053  Winter Hillside  acrylic  10x10  $165

About The Faces (or Lack Thereof):  

 I currently paint my figures without facial features, relying instead on posture and gestures, color and line and shape, to express what I think. I accept that images of people in general can provoke strong reactions whether or not facial features are included. Getting a reaction by not including facial features is not my intent but it's very OK when that happens.  It's my hope that all parts of my paintings will elicit responses and get a dialogue going. I love to talk about my work and am anxious to know what others think. It's why I have gone to some length to explain what I do, how I do it, and why I do it.

Meet Artist Diana Eppler, Spring Obsession Open Division Accepted Artist

DIANA  EPPLER                                   

 www.dianaeppler.com                                                                                

                                                                                              

 

O-128 Sun on the Veil  oil  22x28  $1900

 “My painting subjects are varied as that is my nature.  I will probably be perpetually in some period of transition with my art which, I hope, is a good thing.  I try to work towards a melding of classical, contemporary and my own style; always striving to share with the viewer a means of expression which is representational without being literal or prosaic.

O-127  Courthouse, Fall Morning  oil  22x28  $1900

I used to worry where was I going with my art?  Was I a colorist, tonalist, impressionist, plein air or studio painter?  I now know my art leads me.  Each piece is individual and dictates how it should be painted.  First comes what I feel, then what I see.  When I paint it is me and it is my own.  An idea for painting frequently comes from my emotional response to color and light.  I build around that, often changing the subject matter partly or entirely until the color, light, movement and design meet to fit the mood.  This manner of creating a painting works well for the studio, which I very much enjoy, however, painting en plein air (outdoors in one sitting) is a good way to rejuvenate the very feeling that create the moods.  The California foothills offer the artist an abundance of choices to paint.”  

O-129  Vineyard Pond  oil  11x14  $450

Born in Amador County, Diana lived at Lake Tahoe and in Nevada, Southern and Northern California before returning to the foothills in 1997.  She now resides in Jamestown.  She attended Western Nevada Community College and studied with Wellington Smith, noted artist, lecturer and teacher.  Workshops over the years included Janet Tarjan Earl, Edgardo Garcia, Jeanette LeGrue, Kathleen Dunphy and Charles Waldman although she considers herself, basically, self taught.  Past Board of Director of the Siskiyou Art Assoc., Creative Arts Guild and  Mother Lode Art Assoc. Past member of the Lithia Artists Assoc., Central Sierra Arts Council and Central Calif. Art Assoc.  Founding member of the Post Gallery and founding Director of Aloft Art Gallery, Sonora . Currently her works can be seen locally at Ventana Gallery, Sonora; Galleria Copper, Copperopolis and the Europa Café  in Sonora as well as on her web site.

She has been accepted in numerous juried shows and won many awards including Foothill Favorites in the MLAA Shows.  A finalist in California Shines Statewide Art show for the 2011 US Capitol Christmas Tree Celebration.  Her works hang in homes and businesses across the country.

Meet Artist Patty Ehlers, Ironstone Spring Obsession Art Show, Open Division accepted artist

Patty Ehlers

O-059  A Kiss  graphite  16x20  $425

I received a Bachelor of Arts in Art from San Jose State University with a concentration in Design.   Following college I worked as a free-lance illustrator which allowed me to segue into a job with Lockheed.   While at Lockheed I worked as a Cartoonist and Technical Illustrator.  Europe called and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work in England but had, by then, moved into the Technical Field of Computers.   Art was never out of my thoughts and I dabbled in textiles and ceramics as a hobby.  

O-058  Egg Head  graphite  14x18  $375

In 2011 I retired and relocated from the Bay Area to the Sierra Foothills.   I jumped back into the art world by taking drawing classes at a local gallery.  The focus in my drawing class was portraiture. 

I enjoyed portraiture but there seemed to be something missing for me.  Graphite is so soothing to work with and to view but my cartooning background took over.   I enjoyed skewing the reality with the quirkiness, the gray tones with the vibrant colors, and taking advantage of illustrating the abundant wildlife of the Sierras.