realism – Circle Foundation for the Arts

Jerry Steingraeber

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Jerry Steingraeber was born, raised and educated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He began his professional career as a graphic artist for The Milwaukee Journal. Jerry remained at the newspaper for 38 years.

Upon retirement, Jerry pursued a fine art career doing paintings in oil and acrylic mediums. Subject matter has evolved from his love of nature to include landscapes, portraits and florals often with the inclusion of multiple figures. The idea of having a visual impact along with human interest is Jerry’s goal.

Donelli J. DiMaria

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Over the years, Donelli has developed a distinctive painting style most appropriately characterized as Contemporary Realism. To this end, he blends the techniques of the old world masters line, form, edge and value with the brushstrokes, vibrating colors and light effects of the Impressionists. However, the distinctive contemporary nature of Donelli's unique style is in his compositions and paint application.

The ideas for his compositions come largely from photographs and memorabilia collected while traveling around the world as a research scientist. Donelli sets up the subject matter for his paintings to tell a story. Typically, he emphasizes the main point by using a palette of earth colors for most of the painting with a punch of bright color, such as red to attract the viewer's attention. Thick paint application, detail and value contrast are also used to attract the viewer to the center of interest. He layers color upon color allowing each layer to show through to increase the light, luminosity and emotional intensity of his work.

For the past 20 years, Donelli has been a full-time artist and teacher in Santa Fe, NM. Recently, he has been in 16 museum shows across the USA (twice in the “Contemporary American Realism” show at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art in 2008 and 2010) and has shown his work in galleries nationally (NY, CA, AZ, TX, CT, and NM). His four drawing and painting video courses on “Udemy” have more than 125,000 subscribers, and his drawing manual loosely based on the “Reilly” technique is still available on “Lulu” and at Artisan stores.

Yvonne Welman

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After completing her education at the Academy of Arts Tilburg, the Netherlands, Yvonne Welman worked as a teacher in Arts and Art History. To improve her qualities as a painter, she took lessons in 16th and 17th-century oil painting techniques. Welman works with open acrylics in a layering technique. The textile fabrics in a lot of the paintings are personal stories.

Because she likes to make narrative paintings, her work has to be realistic. The stories cover gender equality, social issues, art history and personal issues, exploring the Zeitgeist from a female perspective. Serendipity, time and technique each play their part during the process of creating her paintings. It takes a lot of time to create Welman's work which allows for inserting new ideas during the process. This stands in strong contrast with all the images that we are surrounded by, most of the day. Welman creates a more complex strip story from all the images we daily encounter.

Sometimes her work stagnates. To free her mind from such problems, Yvonne turns to the joy of creating with a focus on pure beauty, composition, structures, colors, light. Nature (flowers) provides the possibility to create without intellectual problems interfering. Most of the time just by using the craftmanship of drawing and painting there appears, out of nothing, a solution to the problems.

Artists like Breughel, Jeroen Bosch, Georgia O' Keefe, Camille Claudel, Neo Rauch, Lita Cabellut, Jenny Saville are her inspiration. Yvonne Welman is a member of the artists' societies NABK, BOK and WKK and Krimpener Kunstwaard in the Netherlands as well as Manhattans Arts International on line Gallery, Kun:st International Stuttgart. She has received awards in the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, USA etc.

Denise Henley – Portrait Artist

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Denise Henley is an award-winning artist residing in the U.S. It would be fair to say that she has been creating art most of her life but painting professionally since 1998. Featured in several group and solo exhibitions Denise has been the recipient of various awards and recognitions and her works are collected both nationally and internationally. A constituent of realism, she is continually perfecting her drawing skills, believing it to be the backbone of figure painting.

Henley's current work focuses on the simplification of forms and a combination of realism and abstract marks. To this end, she will reach for a painting knife as a way of eliminating fussy details that can make for a banal work of art. For her, the medium or style is inconsequential; the important thing is that a goal is realized. Denise is intoxicated with the human figure and excited to portray it as she sees it—simply beautiful.

"Too much reality in a portrait is always a disappointment to the imaginative soul. We love suggestion and not hard facts." - John F. Carlson

Luba

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Luba Stolper is a contemporary artist whose passion for art comes to life in oil paintings reminiscent of the Old Masters'. Born and raised in a small village in the Ukraine, Luba spent much of her childhood in nature, capturing her surroundings through drawing.

After moving to California, equipped with a keen eye for color and ascetics, Luba enrolled in The Fabric and Textile Design School in Berkeley, where many of her designs were featured in fashion magazines. As a self-taught artist seeking to enhance her ability, she studied for three years under the direction of artist Charles Becker. In 2015, Luba traveled to Florence to participate in an international workshop to deepen her knowledge of the intricacies of painting still life. With the desire to refine her skill, Luba has been training in the Academic Style at The Russian River Atelier under the guidance of masters Naomi Marino and Jay Blums who received their education at the Angel Academy of Art in Florence.

During the years 2014 to 2017, Lubaʼs collection of artwork could be seen at Art Encounter, a gallery in Las Vegas. She has been involved in art festivals in Sausalito and Calistoga, where her realistic portrayals received awards and rave reviews. Art expos in Miami and New York have hosted her paintings and she was featured in Artblend magazine. Luba has participated in workshops led by artist Qiang Huang from Texas and J. D. Hillberry from Colorado. Several patrons have commissioned her to create private paintings for their homes and she has many repeat buyers who appreciate her patience for observation and commitment to detail. Some of her paintings can be viewed in a private gallery and her collection is available online as well.

When she is not enjoying time with her family, Luba spends many hours in her home art studio, delving deep into her dedication to painting. She lives and works in Santa Rosa, California.

Svetlana Cameron

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Svetlana Cameron is a Russian-born, British artist dedicated to the study and revival of traditional painting techniques. Trained in the methods of Old Masters, Cameron specializes in portraiture in the style of classical realism. She is best known for her official oil portraits and delicate life-like paintings of children in pastel.

Cameron's attention to detail and the ability to capture her sitter's personality have earned her a strong reputation as an international portrait painter. She holds the title of an Associate Living Master awarded by the Art Renewal Centre in the USA and was on Pastel Journal's Top 100 list of leading international pastel artists twice in 2016 and 2018. Cameron is an elected member of the British National Society of Graphic Fine Art (SGFA) and the National Pastel Society of Russia.

Svetlana Cameron has painted official portraits for a number of institutions in the UK: the Royal Regiment of Artillery, the Isle of Man Parliament, the Roman Catholic Church (Diocese of Liverpool), and the Church of England (Cathedral Isle of Man). Her works hang in private collections in England, Scotland, France, Switzerland, Russia, Ukraine, Malta.

Svetlana Cameron lives on the south-eastern coast of England where she works out of her private studio near Hastings. A sought-after portrait painter, she travels across the UK and internationally to exhibit and meet her sitters.

Lee Howard Gobbi

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Originally from Bradford, Yorkshire, England, Lee Howard Gobbi has worked as a professional Illustrator for Packaging, Publications, Marketing and Editorial Illustration and Magazine Cover Illustration. He has been an award-winning Creative Director for four global packaging and promotion firms working on major brands such as American Express, IBM, Pepsi, House of Seagram, International Playtex, Whole Foods, Office Depot, Unilever and M&M Mars. As well as global clients; Aeon Japan, Globus Germany and MassMart South Africa. Lee designed the Corporate logo for Business Express Commuter Airlines, a division of Delta.

Lee attended the Illustrators Workshop in Connecticut, USA, with a painting featured in the Neenah Paper Calendar, celebrating the history of St. Maarten NA. His art was also featured in a calendar for October in their 'Seasons' publication. Lee taught art at Bridgeport University and has lectured on Fine and Commercial art in the US and South America.

He currently is a Professional Portrait Artist and a member of three National Art Leagues in the USA. He lives and works in Connecticut.

Jingfeng Li

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Chinese Artist, Jingfeng Li was born in 1965 in Anshan city, Liaoning Province, China and today lives in Beijing. His painstakingly realistic works are produced primarily with an ink pen. JingFeng Li graduated from Shenyang Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts and is a member of the American Portrait Society, a contractor of the Sena Art Gallery in France, and a representative painter of modern Chinese painting.

"I started drawing at the age of seven, perhaps a natural affinity; and have been long engaged with photography and painting. I began to work realistically with pen drawing in 2012. I have won many prizes in international drawing contests. Perhaps I was born like black and white and grey color, so choosing pen drawing is in line with my aesthetic. I like the real thing, it makes me really feel the sincerity and affinity of nature."

Gerard Huber

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Gerard Huber was born October 2, 1949, in Waterloo, Iowa. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Painting and Printmaking, 1971. Following completion of undergraduate studies, Huber studied Figure Drawing and Contemporary Theology at the University of Notre Dame, 1971, and participated in the Blossom-Kent Art Program at Kent State University, 1973. Huber earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting and Drawing from Cranbrook Academy of Art, 1975, studying with George Ortman.

In 1994 Huber received a Mid-America Arts Alliance/National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Painting. He has been a Resident Fellow at The Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont (2008); twice at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Lynchburg, Virginia (1987, 1988); and once at the Cummington Community of Art, Cummington, Massachusetts (1988). Huber has been a Visiting Artist/Visiting Scholar at the American Academy in Rome, Rome, Italy, 2013 and 2015.

Huber’s airbrushed acrylic paintings have been exhibited in more than 60 exhibitions including the Joslyn Museum of Art, Omaha, Nebraska; the Arnot Art Museum, Elmira, NY; Parsons School of Design, New York, NY; Salmagundi Club, New York, NY; the Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, Arkansas; and many others. His paintings are represented by the Lizardi/Harp Gallery in Los Angeles, California.

Huber is a tenured professor in the Department of Art at Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, Texas (formerly East Texas State University).

His studio is located at 3500 Oak Lawn Avenue, #275 Dallas, Texas 75219

www.gerardhuber.com

gerardhuber33@gmail.com

(214) 528-5167

“Gorgeously painted voluptuous male figures are the protagonists in Gerard Huber's mesmerizing compositions. Perfectly rendered in a classical style the works bring Grecian ideals of beauty into a contemporary context.

In "Reflection I" Huber's own David is depicted among a variety of symbolic motifs cunningly placed to make it impossible for the viewer to evade the narrative.

Often literally in conversation with ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, the nude characters display a tenderness that comes in contrast with taboo expectations and stereotypic assumptions surrounding what it means to be a strong man. The brawny figures with every muscle and vain painted in exhaustive detail come to contrast with their gentle gestures and tranquil poses. These complex characters manage to exude power from their vulnerability as they seem comfortable and resolved with the combination of strength, power, softness, and emotionality they simultaneously represent.

What is significant in Huber's work is not his extraordinary capacity for realism but more importantly his ability to think and create in a post-modern context where the pieces become mesmerizing for the multiplicity and complexity of the content they evoke whether that is a conversation on art itself, on sexuality or the strong man etiquette.”

- Circle Foundation for the Arts, Director

Lukáš KÁNDL

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What themes does your work involve?

My art includes esoteric and erotic subjects, sensuality, poetry and sometimes an anecdote or even black humor. I also love animal art and to pay tribute to people I admire.

Describe your creative process.

Inspiration comes to me fairly easily. I feel as if ideas were stored in a large spiritual library, with an endless number of books and subjects. I just need to take a stroll in my library, stretch out my hand, and let the composition of my painting appear before me, both magically and very naturally. I always work on only one painting. I choose the format of the canvas according to the size of the main elements I will need. I like to draw things in real size.

What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?

I am influenced by the Old Masters. I am more especially inspired by themes in the domain of esotericism, poetry, literature, or biblical. I make art because I have the technique and skill for this artistic expression and I love it. I always did it. My father was an artist and I started specialized art school four years before the baccalaureate.

What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?

As I said before, I admire the Old Masters. For me, the technique must be perfectly mastered. It must not be an obstacle to the imagination of the artist but must accompany positively his inspiration. His personal style must be easily recognized by the public.

What is the role of the artist today?

What is the most important to me is to offer paintings in front of which the spectator will take time to sit down, to enter in harmony with the painting, and then have his own walk, as an awaken dream, giving him, even for a short time, a rare and unusual feeling. My dream: that supernatural, strange, sublime and magic, would take more and more space in our lives and that beauty and spirituality would become a life's belief.

Jerry Steingraeber

“I try to create stories without words, hopefully with positive vibes and happy endings. When figures are included my aim is to arouse feelings and emotions. My paintings typically have a strong light source with depth and perspective. The end result is a "wish-you-were-here" feeling."

Donelli J. DiMaria

"I am a realist painter who draws inspiration from people and objects around me. Many of my paintings are satirical or kitsch with underlying political or social implications."

Yvonne Welman

"I recycle cultural pictures and put them together to make my feminist opinion visible on all kinds of issues in our society."

Denise Henley – Portrait Artist

"Your profession is not what brings home your weekly paycheck. Your profession is what you're put here on earth to do, with such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling." - Vincent Van Gogh

Luba

"I paint directly from life, trying to create an interesting set-up with different objects. It is important to capture color harmony and a sense of movement. I draw my inspiration from the timeless work of the old masters. I truly believe it is never too late to be passionate about learning."

Svetlana Cameron

"I am a classically trained portrait artist dedicated to the study and revival of Old Masters' drawing and painting methods."

See Svetlana Cameron on the Cover of Spotlight Magazine

Lee Howard Gobbi

Professional portrait artist, Lee Howard Gobbi works in oils, pastels and graphite.

Jingfeng Li

"The beauty of realistic pen-and-ink painting is that it uses just a black line to paint a rich and delicate picture. It presents a beauty of vicissitudes. I like the color of black, white and gray. Its deep, quiet yet noble quality profoundly attracts me."

Gerard Huber

"My strategy is to employ beauty as a subversive instrument of seduction, a peacefully sensual way of drawing the viewer into a space that challenges heteronormative assumptions of male competition, and which demonstrates that same-sex relationships are wholesome, healthy and life-affirming."

Lukáš KÁNDL

"I like to think that in another life, I was yet living in Prague, as somebody in charge of Rudolf II’s fabulous collection in which you could find, for example, astrological tools, potions to make gold, the philosophical stone, impenetrable manuscripts full of VITRIOL formula."

What themes does your work involve?

Describe your creative process.

What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?

What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?

What is the role of the artist today?