abstract – Circle Foundation for the Arts

Atom Hovhanesyan

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Atom Hovhanesyan was a New York-based artist working in oil and ink. Atom lived a life not many would understand. To this day, his family and friends still don't understand the struggles and depression he faced for nearly the past decade, but his art speaks volumes. In his abstract works, Atom's goal was to create a unified atmosphere and sense of luminosity. Bits and pieces of forms from memory were utilized as building blocks for constructing the composition. Atom was trying to create a complex space compelling enough to act as a point of departure while retaining the often accidental mystery and painted energy.

As a faithful and respectful learner, Atom loved traditional media and ground his own colors. He committed a colossal dedication to his art, beyond any imaginable passion or love. Sometimes spending 72 hours nonstop working on a painting or drawing, Atom unintentionally, or maybe subconsciously even, created a unique and unprecedented style and technique in post divisionism and ink drawings never observed before.

Atom's own statement about his art: "The goal here is to utilize the whole surface of the support, challenging the viewer's perception of negative space. Essentially divisionist, the figure/composition is woven into the fabric of the plane and the space warps into the figure. In the painting process, repetitive, almost automatic, application of the cross-hatched lines allow the subconscious the opportunity to direct the composition. There is a tension between the desire to hide vs. the need to reveal, conflicting within the human mind. As far as drawings, I worked with ink with the same approach, because of the fine lines unique to this medium and the texture that arises from multiple built-up layers of cross-hatched lines, allowed me to focus on light and texture and the feel of the drawing ended up being quite different from the paintings."

Newel Hunter

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"I rarely know what I'm going to paint beforehand, choosing to let my subconscious direct the work and guide my hand, allowing chance to play an important role in shaping the final product."

Newel Hunter is an award-winning American artist who has developed a dynamic style of painting crafted around action, drama, and vitality. His stated ambition is to create a body of work where, "ideas, discovery and surprise reign supreme." And in doing so, he skirts the boundaries between realism and abstract, fiction and fact. Every image is a whole body exercise in storytelling.

Hunter is proud to be one of only 44 international artists featured in Aleatoric Art in the 21st Century. At 240 pages, this coffee table-sized book is the definitive volume on the role of chance in contemporary fine art. He has exhibited globally, and his artwork is in the private collections of many international collectors.

Jean Jacques Porret

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"I'm a self-taught artist who believes the journey into art begins at birth. I was born to parents who were collectors, and living in an art-filled home sparked my creativity. I began creating wooden sculptures at the age of 6 and stopped when I was a teenager, to later pick it up at age 28. I haven't stopped since. In my early years, I was looking at some of the greatest sculptors of all time for ideas and techniques. However, I found myself becoming too influenced by them. I then concentrated on creating my own style and path. That was maybe crazy and for sure an expensive decision, but today I'm on my own, with my own style.

While practiced in stone carving and other sculpting methods, I prefer the sensual -if unpredictable- outcome of bronze cast in the lost wax technique, where each step is more demanding and riskier than any other sculpting mean. That’s not to say that I, an engineer by training, leave much to chance. It does help me to understand how things fit together, but that’s where the value of my formal training ends. For a while I was casting my own sculptures, today I prefer to let that to be done by others, concentrating on the creating of 3D pieces which are sensual and which I can live with."

Bernd Steinert

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German artist, Bernd Steinert was born in 1964 in Wegeleben and today lives and works in Friedrichsbrunn. He has studied at the University Potsdam (1985-90), the University of Art and Design Burg Giebichenstein in Halle, Germany (1998-2002) and was a member of Ramberk Artists' Association from 1999 to 2003. A founding member and chairman (2003-7) of the Kunstverein "Arbeitskreis 7Kunst - Kunstlervereinigung E. V., Steinert directed the 7kunstgalerie.

He has lived and worked together with Sylke Steinert since 2011 and since 2012 he has been a member of art association “Art | Quitilinga" in Quedlinburg. In 2016 he established Studio Steinert & Straka in the cotton spinning mill in Leipzig.

"There are two complementary directions in my paintings. On the one hand, I create mostly abstract pictures and on the other hand pictures in which a predominantly figurative scene must assert itself against non-figurative picture elements."

Ray Besserdin Paper Sculpture Artist

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Born to artist parents, Ray began his passion for paper in childhood, about the time he also became fascinated with nature. Graduating from LaTrobe University in 1982 and starting out as a graphic designer/illustrator, he soon began innovating sculpture techniques with paper. Over 30 years, his work has ranged from miniature to gigantic and abstract to ultra-realistic, but his signature work is a style he terms “Impressionist Sculptured Paper,” associating it with the painting style of that name because it is only loosely representative, concerning more with stimulating emotive responses.

“I want the nature of the paper to show through as I speak to viewers’ hearts without the clutter of detail."

Ray uses mostly hand and mould-made sheet formed cotton, mulberry and hemp papers from Europe and Asia. Nature and people are his favourite subject matter.

Ray has been recognized both in Australia and internationally with 24 awards to date, including two gold from New York, one for a Macquarie Bank corporate commission and First in the Nature Exhibition of LightSpaceTime Gallery, Florida 2018. He won the People’s Choice Award, National Works on Paper 2018, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Victoria and a highly coveted International Art Professionals “Gold Medal for Creativity” by the Mondial Art Academia, France.

Corporate clients include Macquarie Bank Australia, Amcor, Ford Motor Company and Northern Territory Government of Australia to name a few. Private commissions hang in London, Munich, Manhattan, New Zealand and throughout Australia.

Recent interviews: ZoneOneArts https://zoneonearts.com.au/ray-besserdin/ ACS Magazine Chicago, USA https://www.acs-mag.com/acsmagjanfeb2019 and Art & Museum Magazine, UK https://lnkd.in/gWbhQqx

Ray Besserdin is Australian Ambassador for Mondial Art Academia, France since 2018.

2019 Exhibitions: July in Melbourne, Australia presented by the Royal Botanical Gardens of Victoria; October in Paris, Carrousel du Louvre

Mahood

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“As a teenager, I learned to develop and print black & white film before moving on to SX-70 film manipulation and Polaroid transfers. I then became interested in digital photography which I see as an outlet for creativity and experimentation. There is no set formula for the way I work, and every piece is unique in that respect. I appreciate art that tells a story, makes you look twice, and leaves you in doubt. My photographic art is currently featured in the Contemporary Masters XI edition, Art Professionals 33 (Masters of Today Art Books), Important World Artists, A World of Art 2, and The Art Book 2018 (The Artblend Artist Agency). My images have also been featured in magazines and books including the 2016 edition of "Bird Photographer of the Year”.”

Anna Green

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“I was exposed to the world of visual art at a young age, in my birthplace, Melbourne, Australia. My mother painted in oils and sculpted, and she often encouraged me to paint along with her. After high school, I went to Ontario College of Art, where my focus was fine art. I had intended to carry on in my education to become a medical illustrator (as I also had an interest in healthcare), however, I got sidetracked and moved to the Bahamas. There, I married and had two little girls. During my six years on the island, I painted in watercolor and sold my work through local tourist galleries. I eventually returned to Canada with my daughters, whereby I went back to school to study Occupational Therapy. Throughout my education and subsequent employment in the field of healthcare, I continued to paint occasionally, mostly for my own pleasure and sanity.

In the last decade, I have been fortunate to have the time to delve more deeply into my art career. I believe that my diverse life experiences (relationships, travel, career changes, and personal interests) have positively impacted my paintings. My style is considered "whimsical", a reflection of my daily activities, thoughts, and dreams. My becoming a yoga teacher, six years ago, marked the biggest shift in my work. My current medium of choice is liquid acrylic, which gives my work fluidity while still offering rich tones.

While I still love the challenge of portrait work and the serenity of landscapes and still life, the female image has become my trademark. My "feminine spirits" have evolved from fairies to yogis to women with attitude (the girlfriend's series); all symbolizing the inner strength and grace of the female. My paintings often evoke a smile or a chuckle, as the viewer can often see elements of themselves in each.”

Bea Last – Artist / Mentor

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"Born abroad, to foreign parents, living and working in various places, at present based in Scotland. Not one particular place feels like home so, therefore, refer to myself as a global citizen.

My practice is process-led, the creative process to me is very much a journey, reflected in life. The monochromatic aspect of my work was process-led. Colour had become redundant and a distraction. I wanted to focus on the marks I was making.

Working large-scale was process-led. The works I create tended very much to have a presence about them and called out for a larger scale. Mark-making is very much the foundation of much of my work. I use it as a language. The broader the palette of marks made the more I can express myself. The marks evolve and develop, vital in moving my practice forward.

The use of paper is at present important to me. Both fragile, strong and reusable. I love combining fragility with the monumental. The use of light can be very elemental changing this fragility into solidity. Both can be crushed. Recycled. A kind of alchemy.

Conversation, placement location and relationship remain a constant.

Part of my practice includes mentoring. At present, I am mentoring a recent graduate from Grays School of Art, Aberdeen for a nine-month period and have been asked again to facilitate a portfolio preparation course, on behalf of Glasgow School of Art, for young students who may be thinking of applying to art school. The focus being experimental drawing and creative process. Commissions for the corporate sector continue, with paintings included in both private and corporate collections. Dokkae Project, Jeddah, The Corinthia Hotel (British Art Project) London W1, Microsoft, Reuters. I am also, at present working on an exhibition in Vienna, 2019.”

Bea Last holds a BA in Illustration from the University of Westminster (1981-1984) and is currently based in Scotland.

Tadas Zaicikas

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Tadas Zaicikas (1974) was born in Lithuania, earned a Master's Degree at the KTU(1996). Since 2013, he lives and works between Canada and Saint Pierre and Miquelon. He is a Member La Mda- the association with a national competence of all professional artists from visual arts stated in France.

“Painterly brushstrokes built up rich textural landscapes, abstract reflections of moods, Tadas’ canvases are as he describes products of “instinctive dance between the conscious and the subconscious.” Expressive yet cohesive each painting express a unique feeling and allows the viewer to contemplate for hours.” - Myrina Tunberg Georgiou (Circle Foundation Curator)

Exhibitions

2018 - Visions gallery (Toronto, Canada), Solo show “Musing on the Edge”

2018 - Artusiasm Art Gallery (Toronto, Canada), Group Exhibition "Abstraction in Action"

2018 - Contemporary Art Gallery Online- Art Competition and Exhibition “2018 ALL Abstraction”

2018- The finalist in the Fusion Art's (USA)- the 2nd Annual Colors International Juried Art Exhibition

2018 - The finalist Fusion Art's (USA)- the 3rd Annual Landscapes International Juried Art Exhibition

2018 -The finalist Fusion Art's (USA)- the 2nd Annual Black & White International Juried Art Exhibition

2018- Light Space & Time Art Gallery (USA) the “Abstracts" Art Exhibition Painting category 10th place

2018 - Mona Youssef Gallery (Toronto, Canada)

2017- Applecrate Galleries (Ottawa, Canada)

2017 - Fleet galleries (Winnipeg, Canada)

Publications

AKOUN - La cote des peintres 2018 (France)

ArtQuench Masters Edition Art Book II 2018 (USA)

Inspiration: International Art Book_ Contemporary Masters Collection_ volume 6 (2018, USA)

Spotlight 8 - Contemporary Art Magazine (France)

Artistes Contemporains.org

www.Artprice.com

http://visualartsalberta.com/

Art Auctions

Catawiki

Pristine Auction (Phoenix, USA)

RO Gallery live art auction (New York, USA)

Memberships

IAA AIAP- CARFAC

La Maison Des Artistes (France)

Visual Arts Alberta (Canada)

Circle Foundation for the Arts (France/USA)

Maria Zelasko Tomaselli

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"Born in Poland, Maria Zelasko Tomaselli was raised by her father Anthony and her mother Janina Zelasko in the village of Brzezna. As a young girl, she was surrounded by nature and learned how others, such as farmers, interacted with it. When she was ten, Maria recalls creating a “Monet” style painting of a cherry tree in bloom at the Brzezna elementary school. She remembers feeling a magical joy as she painted, and amazement with the finished artwork. As she grew older these memories and the foundation they provided for her creativity, has never left her.

While creating her mixed media artwork, she is courageously true to herself. The lines of poetry that she conceives as her titles seem to resonate with the very core of our human emotional experience. Her titles are rivers of ancient and modern dreams. They spill over with a medieval connotation, and there is a particular contemporary edge within each title.

I believe it is important to see and understand what Maria is presenting; a clear and uncompromising view of the pain of darkness, the anguish of loss, and the inevitable human passage into transformations of personality. In this sense, she reminds us of the Spanish legend of “El Duende,” the spirit wind that carries the story about the dark edges of humanity to the storyteller, poet, performer or painter.

It is rare to find an artist who brings us continuous creative gifts through her artworks. Remarkably, these artworks express naturally fleeting emotional moments experienced throughout the centuries. Maria Zelasko Tomaselli’s art language is characterized by her authentic and unique expression of emotions, her mastery of the materials, and her use of poetic universal titles."

(Biography credit goes to Author, Art Educator, and International professional painter Laara WilliamSen. Biography is not verbatim; it has been edited for succinctness)

Atom Hovhanesyan

After refining and continuing to develop the post divisionist technique by painting not so much in a narrative sense, Atom painted bits and pieces of thoughts or emotions/memories, at times incidental, at times directed consciously, unified in one mood or an atmosphere.

Newel Hunter

"I'm fascinated with the idea of exposing what can't be seen, what's underneath it all; the history, the story, the abstract and random image. And while some of my work is very precise and structured, I revel in the unfixed nature of things. Imperfections are so much more interesting."

Jean Jacques Porret

Bernd Steinert

"Whenever I realize that a picture is becoming too harmonious and slick, I intervene and destroy what is pleasing."

Ray Besserdin Paper Sculpture Artist

Mahood

“I am a digital photographer who is heavily influenced by nature and the natural environment. I am self-taught in photography and art and use digital techniques to convey the mood and feel of the places I photograph. Early Impressionism is an influence.”

Anna Green

“Painting women in all forms is my passion, whether mermaids, fairies or the human form... connecting with nature, community and/or self-discovery. I am inspired by the strength of the feminine spirit; a strength that nurtures not only the self but all that she encounters.”

Bea Last – Artist / Mentor

"My practice is process-led, exploring drawing in its broadest sense. Currently, I am exploring drawing in the landscape with recycled materials, recycled papers and digital media."

Tadas Zaicikas

Maria Zelasko Tomaselli

"Abstract Art is a powerful way for me to express myself. There are no boundaries, only freedom, which allows me to create whatever I want. I title my art poetically since I like my work to be mysterious, contradicting and dramatic! I hope that my viewers will ponder, wonder and dream!"