Diane Kazakis

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"Captivated by the ebb and flow in nature, I create work that is in a state of flux by exploring mediums that have an altered appearance when viewed from different angles. My work depicts not only the beauty of the natural environment but also draws attention to its fragility and deterioration."

Wave ripples - Card, bronze leaf, wood 30 x 30 x 7 cm

Diane Kazakis is an award-winning Australian artist who has worked in the fields of art and art education in Australia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and now Asia. Drawing on her experiences from living in these diverse environments, her desire is to inspire an appreciation and concern for the fragile world around us.

Diane has exhibited extensively in solo and group shows, with work in public and private collections around the world. 

Trained as a sculptor, Diane applies this background to produce a variety of art which is tactile and diverse. She uses a range of media, layers and overlapping segments to present depth and capture movement. Her work ranges in media and formats, dissolving the boundaries of traditional sculpture and painting.

Whilst studying Visual Arts at the University of Melbourne, she was the youngest artist to win the prestigious Andor Meszaros Sculpture Prize in 1994. In subsequent years, Diane has received other awards, including first prize in the 2001 acquisitive Moreland Sculpture Award for her sculptures depicting nature's decline.

Diane was commissioned for numerous large-scale projects such as an enormous robot sculpture for the Village Roadshow Cinema Complex in Melbourne, Australia and a large model earth for the Body Shop's International Environmental Conference in 2001.

In her role as Vice President of the Association of Sculptors of Victoria (2000-02), Diane coordinated events such as the sculpture exhibition at the International Flower & Garden Show in Melbourne and the Association's Annual Exhibitions.

In recent years, Diane has worked on private commissions, including a series of paintings installed at Sahab Hotel in Jabal Akhdar, Oman. This series of paintings is based on the fossils, natural vegetation and stunning views that this beautiful boutique hotel has to offer. In 2022 she installed a series of paintings in Healin' Spa, Suzhou, China which are based on natural elements to enhance the tranquil setting.

What the water gave me - Ink on canvas 60 cm diameter
Contours I - Oil on canvas 50 x 35 x 2 cm
This is where you will find me - Ink on canvas 83 cm diameter
Icarus - Oil, bronze leaf, transfer on wood 70 x 100 x 3.5 cm

This review was published by Circle Foundation for the Arts © CFA Press ∙ Images are courtesy of the artist

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Carmen Schaefer

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“I have always been a pencil.” - Toulouse Lautrec

American Gothic Revisited - Graphite on paper 32 x 24 in.

Carmen Schaefer holds an MA in Art History and an MFA in Photography and Drawing. She has studied with Allan Kaprow at Stony Brook University, Henry Holmes Smith at Indiana University and Arnold Gasson at Ohio University. 

This schooling, along with a life of early constant travel as the daughter of a career Navy man, is reflected in her work. There was no “home town.” There were eight different schools before high school. It was a very peripatetic and isolated life.

Carmen has shown photographs at the Everson Museum in Syracuse, taken first place for photography at the Central New York Art Open and second place at the Plymouth Center for the Arts National Photography Exhibit and Competition and shown photographs internationally at PH21 Gallery in Budapest, Hungary. She has exhibited drawings at over 40 venues and galleries. She has won awards for drawing at the 33rd Bradley Print & Drawing Exhibition and 29th International Drawing & Print Competitive Exhibition at Gormley Gallery Notre Dame of Maryland University, 53rd annual Drawing and Small Sculpture show in Corpus Christie, Texas, Connecticut Academy of Fine Art CAFA+ show and for the 2020 American Art Awards competing with artists from 62 countries.

Carmen has been featured in Lake Affect magazine, Along magazine, and Artisstonish Magazine.

She is a signature member of the Rochester Art Club, a member of Rochester Contemporary Art and an elected member of the Connecticut Academy of Fine Art.

Her work is in many private collections.

Quarantine Portfolio Space - Graphite on paper 32 x 24 in.
Power of the Sun - Colored pencil on paper 32 x 24 in.
Self Portrait Reflection - Graphite on paper 32 x 24 in.
The Rust Chair - Colored pencil on paper 32 x 24 in.

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Roland Reinert

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"My intention in my art is to paint and compose out of my imagination in order to express my thoughts and my view of the world and the human existence."

Reflections - Acrylic on canvas 60 x 50 cm

Swiss painter, Roland Reinert was born in 1951 and has had solo shows in his native country and group participation in Italy, Paris, Denmark. He has been published in a variety of international art magazines and books and was the recipient of the 2nd Prize in Artavita Contest selected for publication on the back cover of "Important World artists Vol.4"

 

Select Awards

Best Modern and Contemporary Artist 2016

Best Modern and Contemporary Artist 2017

Best Artist of the Year 2019

The Island - Acrylic on canvas 70 x 90 cm
Illusion of Freedom - Acrylic on canvas 50 x 70 cm
The Ignorant and the Fool - Acrylic on canvas 70 x 80 cm
Blowin’ in the Wind - Acrylic on canvas 60 x 70 cm

This review was published by Circle Foundation for the Arts © CFA Press ∙ Images are courtesy of the artist

 

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Josea Bee

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Born in: Hong Kong

Lives in: Hong Kong

Media: Illustration

Describe your work in 3 words: Yin Yang symbol

See More Work:  www.joseabee.com

Eye Contact

"In a world of duality, many things are defined and demarcated. However, "existence" and "non-existence" are more a concept than a reality. People tend to perceive "existence” merely through time, space and matter; but when you change your consciousness, your mind can be changed."

What themes does your work involve?
Part of the inspirations of my current artworks comes from an exploration of ancient religious cultures; together with my own unique perceptions and abstract memories of consciousness, soul, etc., and delicate brush strokes, my artworks try to convey philosophical and religious thoughts of life.
Describe your creative process.
Essentially speaking, sensations, feelings, insights, fantasies - all these are private and personal, and art is one way to give one peace of mind and inner tranquility, while philosophy is one way to understand life. Everything is narrated through symbols and combined with relevant experiences and messages, she strives to convey a harmonic integration of philosophy, art, rituals and society.
What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?
If one is aware of the otherness of things and visualize closely, one can easily enter the realm of spiritual vision and transfer. Even situations, things and sensations encountered and experienced in daily life can penetrate into the subconscious unconsciously. Yet in dreams, they turn into something like sailboats and guide you through the sea. Being taught, informed and experienced, I am like a recorder on a voyage.
What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?
Nowadays, humans cannot live without communication channels like verbal and body languages and other sign systems. People need to understand and transmit information through them. Any symbols, signs, verbal and body languages, etc., that run through and ripple across people's hearts also can be regarded as “good art”.
What is the role of the artist today?
Our society is overwhelmed with materialism nowadays and the blindfolded focus only on the immediate illusion. But reality is actually far beyond the things in front of us. We are just living in an illusion that is falsely treated as the only reality. Artists are one of those roles who can awake people's souls and guide them into another reality.

This page was published by Circle Foundation for the Arts © CFA Press ∙ Images are courtesy of the artist

Alexander Lee

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Born in: 1975, England

Lives in: Stockholm, Sweden

Media: Painting, Drawing

Describe your work in 3 words: Authentic, personal, diligent

Alternate Sources - Pencil Drawing on Paper 60 x 50 cm

"The idea of avoiding or breaking the mold appeals to me so as the idea of immortality which is unavailable to me through the limitations of the material world."

“Insanity is the only sane reaction to an insane society.”
― Thomas Stephen Szasz.

What themes does your work involve?
People, places and things. Generally, my art is about myself and my inner and outer connection to my immediate environment, It's about my isolation in grief after having lost both my parents tragically and how I am continuously attempting to move forward and stay connected. These emotions are encapsulated in my works as waves, movements, power and rhythmic surges of energy, It's a cycle which will end only when everything ends.
Describe your creative process.
An idea presents itself; inspired by a mood, a conversation, a need, a want, an ambition. However crude it may initially be, rough and rudimentary, I know that in a few days I will have a lucid image in my mind, an uncontrollable process. The piece is clear. It's like the transformation we see in nature when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, which sometimes appears in my work. I never know quite when a piece is finished. In the studio, the viewers perspective or maybe it is never finished?
What influences your work? What inspires you?
The original impressionists! Not necessarily their artwork, but the stories of them. And the impact of my direct environment: the coast of Western Australia, the mountainous peaks of the Alps and the contrasts of dramatic seasonal change in Scandinavia. Keneticism i.e the ever changing, the constant struggle between the unstoppable force meeting the irremovable object which is a state we seem to dwell within.
What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?
It’s emotive art. Art that leaves you with an impression; you leave with a little bit of it. It's when you feel that the experience has changed you to a degree. If a piece is good also depends on the viewer, "I can bore you in a day or I can shock you in an instant but how many lifetimes would it take to create universal beauty?"
What is the role of the artist today?
I see the role of the artist today as to provoke thought and to evoke satisfaction.

This page was published by Circle Foundation for the Arts © CFA Press ∙ Images are courtesy of the artist