GRANT MILNE

JORDANA RAE GASSNER

KOMAL SAXENA 

ROMIE JOHANES

CECILE LOBERT

Miguel E, Face2 - What could be a more current topic nowadays than the one chosen for Artist Talk Magazine Issue 18 - “People & Places”. The World lives in an Era where People travel all the time meeting other People and other Places. An Era where, even not traveling, with a mere touch of a screen People permanently meet other People and other Places not leaving their own Place. An Era where People and Places were never so close... and so distant at the same time. “Face2” tries to symbolize this Era. Symbolizes the anonymous People in their endless search to meet new People and new Places. “Face2” was painted in Portugal and attended exhibitions in Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Poland… also meeting new “People and Places”... 

Erick Mota, Concrete Jungle - In ‘Concrete Jungle,’ I set out to capture the juxtaposition between nature and progress. While the scene looks serene -almost static - the warm tones of the sky, punctuated by the tall masculine shapes of the skyscrapers, lend the viewer some insight into the inner heart of the city. Even in peaceful scenes, this is a place of work, of struggle, the infinite battle between natural elements (the sky and water) and man’s progression towards civilization (the concrete materials and the ferry, which conquered the river).

Ava Chiba, GREAT MOTHER EARTH - I know a magical place full of wonder and cosmic harmony. A place that allows me to be wide as the sky and full of joy. It is a place to which I belong and with which I feel completely connected ... is that the past or is that the future? I have tried to capture my glimpses of a perfect planet in a series of Mother Earth images, to show her infinite and pure charm and to remind us of the lost paradise we were originally meant to create - expressing her beauty and grace in flowers and ocean-like watery patterns and using them like a kind of language she herself has created.

Paolozzi, Untitled IV - I was just playing with the paletteknife and the paints, mixing them with beeswax and putting them on paper, and then a face appeared, which slowly took shape.

Nancy Walker, Ella Fitzgerald - I studied Theatre Design at Central School of Speech and Drama then focussed on technical drawing. I now teach music part time at a primary school in Essex. Since lockdown I have concentrated on developing my love for oil painting and portraiture. Being a movie, theatre and music geek I started with iconic faces to develop my craft, and found that they were popular works. I still love to paint influential faces but am now taking commissions from individuals and family groups. I love that every painting is a different experience and with every brushstroke you are learning something new.

Okaasan, LADY SAKURA - Lady Sakura closes her eyes, she dreams of another life. Being a woman in Japan is not that simple… I’ve been lucky enough to travel to Tokyo, where I found inspiration for some of my work. I met wonderful people there, carrying proudly an outstanding culture: it was like time traveling, to the past as to the future. But a closer look at daily life in Japan shows that’s it’s far beyond a cliché for tourists, and that the weight of many social codes can sometimes be overwhelming. However, crossing the path of a Maiko in the futuristic neighborhoods of the city was priceless…

Monel Aliote, Sira Kante - New York based contemporary portrait painter, Monel Aliote endeavors to convey the essence of a person to the viewer through portraiture. Going beyond a mere likeness, Aliote looks to the emotions, attitudes, intentions, and moods of the individuals he chooses to depict in an attempt to evoke the spirit and soul of the individual upon the canvas. Monel often strive for exact visual likenesses. However, exact replication is not always the goal. He intentionally alter the appearance of his subjects by embellishing or refining their images to emphasize or decrease particular qualities (physical, psychological, or social) of the subject.

João Góis - João is a portuguese plastic artist living in Paris that fell in love with the process of creating and solving complex and less complex compositions about self-imposed problems about his own reality. The artist seeks to bring an intimate and introspective dimension to the current contemporary art practice where communicates with the audience through aesthetic pieces around these enigmas. In times where we lack a sense of belonging, in a deep need to find our identity, the artist chooses himself. By being stripped from stereotypes linked to ourselves and to men’s negative condition on dealing with feelings, looks into finding solutions through colorful compositions, figurative representations, self-portraits and its respective elements.

João Góis

João Góis

Evelyn Espinoza, Portrait Of Korea - The Portrait Of series celebrate the objects and subjects I found unique to my time spent in that place. I use the person as a frame to hold the collage of images together. I weave layers of people and landscapes, culture and colors, animals and details to build up a rich tapestry of the journey I took through this land. The portrait serves as a window into the country. It’s a momentary focal point before the eye takes a wander through the vivid narrative of the culture shared.

Dariusz Dencikowski, WOMEN’s EMOTIONS (Triptych - 3 PARTs) - WOMEN’s EMOTIONS (3-part triptych) - in an abstract style it does not portray 3 Geishas as everyone can think, but various emotions of women. Each figure of a woman has different emotions, each one is different and unique.

Oceane Hall, A Moment in Time - This oil painting depicts the simple joys of life. The beautiful realization that every living soul has a life as complex and vivid as yours. And yet all come together in these simple moments. The ones where we share our culture, time, and happiness. 

Roger Rowley, Untitled, 2021 - Using the human form as a motif, my work explores the concept of ephemerality through presence of absence, memories (that are often distorted) and identity. Untitled (2021) portrays a period of self-reflection and exploration of liminal identity post retirement, compounded by being locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was produced with charcoal powder and reductive drawing techniques using putty rubber and dry paint brushes. A fixative was applied to build layers to create depth and subtle variations of tone. It deploys a language of blurred and delineated marks to convey a sense ambiguity between the past and present, where memory links moments in a fluid and enduring chain of self-identities.

Hanna Ihsan, The Old Bailey, London - Hanna Ihsan is a lawyer and a self taught artist. She moved to the UK from Bangladesh at the age of 10 and grew up in inner city Birmingham. She took a traditional career over art because it offered a structured career path, which was important for someone living in a council estate and a low income home. After years, during the COVID pandemic and lockdown, she rediscovered her passion for art and has not stopped since. Hanna works with watercolours and loves to paint places and architecture. 

Hanna Ihsan, Carlton hill, Edinburgh / 

Hanna Ihsan, Mosque, Russia

Cathy Mulhern, All The Buildings walking an Life - Interested in the effects of a place on our emotions & behaviours, also known as physchogeography Cathy Ellie captures the city of Dublin in this piece. Her desire in her urban illustrations is to give a stylised representation of the urban spaces & buildings in her illustration. This piece captures the buildings during a walk, like the old act of Flanerie along the River Liffey, (an Life gaeilge) which runs through the heart of the city of Dublin. Knowing the past, this work shows the history every bridge represents as well as the daily hustle and bustle of present times including commuters to the city and those who’s homes & lives are so central. 

Lamees Farooq, The Masjid - Every person has a specific place he or she holds special. I wanted to share a place where I find comfort. Our Community Mosque, which is significant in Islam because it is where Muslims kneel themselves before their Creator, pray to Him, and seek for guidance. Muslims regularly pray at mosques; a place they can find inner peace and sacredness. This mosque is one of the most famous ones in Dubai. The Jumeirah Mosque is one of Dubai’s most treasured architectural gem. Living nearby, I have grown up seeing this mosque almost every day. With Covid restrictions, prayers at the mosque were initially halted and now restricted. It has made us search within ourselves to find comfort in prayers at home.

Peyton, The Artist, Memory Lane - Memory Lane is a 5’ x 8’ painting on canvas composed of oil, acrylic, spray paint, pigments, and 23k gold foil sourced from Venice, Italy. The intention behind this painting was to highlight Los Angeles, California’s most legendary, historical Black landmarks while recreating the nostalgic atmosphere of the city’s regal Black community during the 1940s and 1960s; aka the Golden Ages of Los Angeles. The overall tone exudes financial wealth, cultural pride, unity, and power all depicted through classic cars, proud afros, well-tailored apparel, and harmonious energy. The culmination of these unique styles, characteristics, and mindsets are strategically brought together in what Peyton calls, “Memory Lane.” 

Carol Foulger, View From the Southbank - I have always been fascinated with the mix of classic and modern buildings in our glorious capital city. I like the way they sit well together and seem to compliment one another. There are always cranes seen in any London scene and for me they are an instant representation of the forever changing, energised Skyline. I can find no better place to show this than the view from the Southbank.

Kristin Ducharme, Portrait of a House - Was created after visiting my extended family this past Thanksgiving. One afternoon I drove my kids to see my grandparents home in Massachusetts. My memories of this house from childhood are like polaroid snapshots; crystal globe doorknobs, hard candy dishes on every table, red carpeted stairs curling their way up to the second floor, linoleum kitchen floors, a light pull in the shape of a traffic light, cigarettes and ashtrays, and visits to the local diner for grilled cheeses and ice cream sundaes. My grandparents haven’t been with us for many years now, and much time has passed, we are all grown now. And though there are new occupants inside the house, the colors are the same as the memories imprinted.

Sheila Romard, Vancouver 7 am - Capturing the early morning atmosphere, as I walked along Canada Place in Vancouver. The light and reflections completely inspired me - oil on canvas

Tarunima Sen, The Chaos in Festivities - Indians from virtually every walk of life exhibit enthusiasm and solidarity during festivals. Durga puja is celebrated widely in Kolkata, the streets are crowded with people of all faiths and colors. Photography is a joy in the city amid the hive of activity. At a busy street Chaltabagan , I captured the love people have for Durga Puja. In this moment, I was most drawn to the exuberance, chaos, and cheerfulness people displayed. “Despite all the chaos, people seemed so at ease and content”. To represent the calm in the midst of the organized chaos of one of Kolkata’s most celebrated streets, I used black and white treatment. In 2018, I shot “The Chaos in Festivities.”

Tina Bullen, The Legendary Coda (Fine line marker on watercolour paper, A4) - Drawn November 2021, this image depicts the Colchester bar, Coda, on a Saturday afternoon. The Acoustic Showcase is playing, and the audience are listening. The many men of Coda come in all shapes, sizes and ages, and all are enjoying the great atmosphere together; this special moment in time. The shading and lines reflect the feeling of being in a very wonky old bar where everything, including the clientele, is on an angle.

Paelo Saddler, Unsong Opera - This shot was taken in November 2013 just after 4pm. A wintery dusk was dawning. I happened to be in the Royal Opera House at the time on a photography assignment for a friend whose team was holding an event there. Outside on the veranda which faces behind the building is a fantastic view of Covent Garden square. Amidst shopping and dining, spectating and selfie taking the most attractive thing was actually the place itself. The people, the sky, the colours; it all coalesced into what I thought was a compelling shot. A shot which, due to perspective and entry, most can’t view. The best performance there, and most in attendance wouldn’t see it.

Sumaira Isaacs, The Pandemic Love - My painting is an ode to the bizarre pandemic (covid 19), chronicling the loves and lives of many others, separated couples, and families.  As result, of experiencing firsthand almost a year-long separation from my husband, reunited only recently.  Living apart in two worlds, trying to deal with ‘new-normal’ – as family, friends try to reassure -hold you together. The upheaval of the virus acts as a backdrop, a constant reminder of the fragility of the world we live in: Apart. It’s erratic strokes, documents and captures the chaotic feeds, that constitute long-distance intimacy in the digital era: video calls, text chats, emojis, filters  photos by the thousands, as we move from one season to another, picking on silver linings.

Antonia Maria, Frozen Layers - At first look you can see elements that describe a frozen painting both by brush and by the color palette used suggesting a cold and oppressive atmosphere. The central part represents the center of interest of the work, marked by floes which seem to leak, creates the impression of instance stillness, constituting a decoration wrapped in frozen ice caps. The work presents the feeling of anguish and the thrills of a deep space shaped by ice shapes that make up a cold, numb and frosted contrast. My style is abstract, I can say that it represents me as an artist and I find myself easily, as a way of expressing ideas and thoughts.

Kristianna Gasparjan, Recognize Artsakh - Have you been to a place where you feel a divine presence? Where you are connected to your ancestors just by touching the ground? Where you feel a love for land that runs deep? A love that doesn’t understand time, distance or borders. A land that knows ethnic cleaning, colonial settlers and genocide all too well. Can they give away land that is not theirs to give? Exploitation of land and hatred for the indigenous is how to spot the oppressor. It’s clear what they’re most afraid of: Truth. From the Armenian castle hidden in Lake Van, to the Amaras monastery to Tatik and Papik – they cannot unwrite what has already been written.

Atelier Dédé / Danté-Danýel, Drowned World /  Maps of Tomorrow XII - “Maps of tomorrow” is a cycle that tells the story of my enslaved ancestors who were taken to the Caribbean, to Brazil and Louisiana. These pieces are meant to be  seen as topographic maps. Maps of an unknown world, a uncertain future  full of foreign countries, coasts and bodies of water. These enslaved Africans had no idea where they were taken after they had been bought, sold and kidnapped, these men, women and children did not know if they would survive this journey and what was waiting for them at its destination. For them these unknown waters, shores and land masses where terrifying and mythical places, inhabited by devils, demons and ghosts.

Olga Goldina Hirsch, The First Snow - The subject “city” is very personal to me. This is my space in my drawings and it has my thoughts, my memory, my imagination, my story, my philosophy and my personality. This is why I repeat the image of my native city Moscow and its citizens again and again, my favourite wintertime, the first snow, dark windows, and my long term own experience with making ‘white on white’. My city is subjective, full of colours and childhood memories, symbolic and where the “mind goes away”.

Olga Goldina Hirsch, The Winter City - The subject “city” is very personal to me. This is my space in my drawings and it has my thoughts, my memory, my imagination, my story, my philosophy and my personality. This is why I repeat the image of my native city Moscow and its citizens again and again, my favourite wintertime, the first snow, dark windows, and my long term own experience with making ‘white on white’. My city is subjective, full of colours and childhood memories, symbolic and where the “mind goes away”.

Lee Joon-young, Sound of hope Garden of language - We open the box of pain in our hearts because of scars that cannot be seen with the naked eye and start to pile up one by one. People who do not even have the strength to endure pain end up avoiding everything and forgetting to comfort themselves. Seeing the color that expresses himself, he begins to walk endlessly between the remaining hopes like a small flame. He began to feel his heart beating more and more, and he finally reached their sanctuary. I didn’t even think that the place I met for the first time was unfamiliar. Because it was a happiness I couldn’t feel in reality.

Alice Gur-Arie, The Three Believers - My passion - and the focus of my practice - is landscapes, seascapes, Nature and wildlife, but sometimes a face so captivates me, I am compelled to photograph it and create a world 

that exists solely to give it context. In this artwork, from France, I imagined these three as “believers,” united in contemplative harmony. This portrait combines photography and painting. My creative process treats a photograph as the canvas, so I have interpreted these faces as I repainted them by hand digitally, making each recognisably different. Viewers are invited to ponder who they are, where they are, why they are together, and what they are thinking - dreaming…?

Alessandro Villanucci, a relaxing break / the meeting in the afternoon / you go down alone - My interest in photography began with my father’s legendary “Voigtlander”. With time and passion I have refined my style by developing a spontaneous predilection for architecture, landscapes and the animal world. I currently use a Canon EOS 700D and an IPhone 12Pro. I am a great observer of reality, but I like the more hidden sides that normally escape if we do not pay attention to them. I also find inspiration in trivial things that I like to give dignity by changing perspective or point of view. 

Alessandro Villanucci, a relaxing break / the meeting in the afternoon / you go down alone - My interest in photography began with my father’s legendary “Voigtlander”. With time and passion I have refined my style by developing a spontaneous predilection for architecture, landscapes and the animal world. I currently use a Canon EOS 700D and an IPhone 12Pro. I am a great observer of reality, but I like the more hidden sides that normally escape if we do not pay attention to them. I also find inspiration in trivial things that I like to give dignity by changing perspective or point of view. 

Alessandro Villanucci, a relaxing break / the meeting in the afternoon / you go down alone - My interest in photography began with my father’s legendary “Voigtlander”. With time and passion I have refined my style by developing a spontaneous predilection for architecture, landscapes and the animal world. I currently use a Canon EOS 700D and an IPhone 12Pro. I am a great observer of reality, but I like the more hidden sides that normally escape if we do not pay attention to them. I also find inspiration in trivial things that I like to give dignity by changing perspective or point of view. 

Ann Lebron, Re-Nao - A fun lively place with a fun and inviting vibe that makes you want to be there!

Ann Lebron- It’s the every day hustle and bustle of life at Grand Central Station, the question is “Where will your life lead you today?” My mind thinks where is everyone going? As you sit and watch people you realize there are many stories to be told all in one place. This piece is on a 12 x 12 tile using alcohol ink and up cycled newspapers and magazines with the incorporation of a photograph that I took at Grand Central Station. 

Claire Maen, Discussion With A View (Film Captured Photography) - In this Rolleiflex series made on Twin Peaks, in San Francisco, I did not photograph the place, but the relation people had with the place. Train of thoughts flying over the San Francisco bay. Selfies. Conversations with a view. I was especially intrigued by this group of young men gathering over the city, away from screens. Has the view changed the nature of their conversation? As a French photographer living in California, I try to capture the poetic beauty of post-industrial, commercial, and natural landscapes with my 1951 Rolleiflex film camera. Despite our world turning digital, I believe in the power and beauty of film photography, and its delicate colors.

Renato Di Maggio Rodrigues, Quando vidi Roma - The realization of my work is based primarily on the search for shades of color that reflect Rome. Colors that reflect the past, colors that reflect the present. In all this enters the medium of photography, a photograph that knows of timelessness, infinity and eternity! Aeternum... eternity.  As the city of Rome is defined, I am creating a true dialogue between photography and painting and confirming my sense of place. Reflecting the atmosphere defined and lives of the coexistence of the greatness,

of size, of role, of history, and of spaces and situations on the scale of the individuals.

Brian Mark, Ecoscape 

Catarina Diaz, Fire - The work “Fire” is a statement of an empowered woman who challenges us with a glance over her shoulder, presenting herself in a golden “dress-armour” covering her prominent breasts. She wears bold make-up that contrasts with her dark, glowing skin tone. Her accessories are natural: a vibrant bluebird hanging from her ear to her shoulder like a long earring. The conventional hat gives way to a sumptuous lifelike ‘crown’ of petals. Everything in this woman is an affirmation. It is an internal and true fire that will not give space nor time to constructed masks. Only to the essence.

Catarina Diaz, Mellifluous - “Mellifluous” belongs to the series “Wild Cities”, a body of work produced in 2020, where compositions of urban landscapes are transformed into disconcerting places populated by animals and exotic situations. The whole composition and the singular perspective of the work lead the viewer’s gaze to a young girl dressed in vibrant yellow, suggesting a “portal” between the wildlife - the exotic fauna of fluorescent colours - and a third plane - the black and white of a London setting.

The female figure seems to “melt” between these two worlds in her tentacular position, fulfilling our secret wish to touch different times and spaces. 

Cecilia “Cicci” Grensner, Be the very best of you - just bloom - Cicci wants to share her art from her heart always. This painting come out  after having a hard time. And want to tell - even if the world and other people do you wrong  just be your very best, just go out bloom anyway. Cicci lives on an island outside Gothenburg, Sweden called Hönö. She start painting 2014. Her studio ART from HEart is placed in Hönö klåva harbour with a beautiful inspiring view over sea and neighbor Islands. Cicci has also having small art classes this autumn with Boys and Girls with downs syndrome and other people with some other functional variations which give them and her so much fun and happiness together.

Donna Borg, Between Me and Myself, This drawing was inspired by that moment when I remove the fog from the mirror after having a shower and see my face revealing itself to me in its most natural state. This mundane action is always a bit of a revelation to me and a moment which makes me reflect on who I am, how I see myself and what’s currently happening in my life. The hand between myself and my reflection in the mirror is a representation of wanting to reach out and comfort myself, but at the same time it’s also a symbol how I sometimes self-sabotage and put a barrier between me and myself.

Stephanie Ruppe, Pearl with the Dandelion - I enjoy painting Pearl since her adventurous spirit is often captured outside discovering in the meadows or carrying around her small farm animals. Stephanie Ruppe is a versatile and gifted impressionist artist and her preferred mediums are oil and watercolor. She paints from the heart, with a joyful and passionate approach to her work. Her style has been formed through years of experience and observations; capturing a truly expressive, engaging and inviting depiction of her various subjects. Stephanie‘s connection to Southern California and summertime are common themes in her artwork. Her paintings invoke a nostalgic, uplifting and warm feeling, including the exuberance of youth.

Irene O Neill, Fantasy Barbers - This work was painted in response to gender and gender identity and the title Fantasy Barbers suggests the barbers is a fantasy world. In this space depicted it is a male world. Painted from a collage which I constructed from found and own photography. The research for this painting comprised of visiting barbershops and looking at the historical world of this world of male beauty and grooming. There is a lot of pressure on us all today to look good, to look young and we always have photoshop to improve the illusion of beauty if reality fails us. 

Astrid Vlasman, Girl on a chair - We see a young girl sitting on a chair. She has her legs up in a strange way and is looking intently at her cell phone. She is not aware of her surroundings. I made this work after an example of a photo I took a few years ago of my adolescent daughter. It’s a typical attitude of hers. the chair and the lamp have also been applied to reality. This work also contains old children’s drawings by my daughter Geeke Bolhuis.The whole is made of used and ripped paper, like all my work. It are my paper paintings.

Stephanie Ruppe, Summer - This painting of Summer reading now belongs in a Private Collection. Summer is a granddaughter of my dear friend.  It is still to this day, my favorite painting. Stephanie Ruppe is a versatile and gifted impressionist artist and her preferred mediums are oil and watercolor.She paints from the heart, with a joyful and passionate approach to her work. Her style has been formed through years of experience and observations; capturing a truly expressive, engaging and inviting depiction of her various subjects. Stephanie‘s connection to Southern California and summertime are common themes in her artwork. Her paintings invoke a nostalgic, uplifting and warm feeling, including the exuberance of youth

Astrid Vlasman, The presentation (coronatime) - We see 2 girls behind a table. They seem bored. It is not clear what they are doing. Maybe they are waiting for an online connection. Maybe they should give an online presentation. The teapot and the fruit seem completely random, but they may also be part of the presentation. The moment of waiting has been recorded. The entire painting consists of pasted-on recycled paper. It is a large collage with oil paint.

Beata Dencikowska, No limits - “No Limits” is a painting depicting a ballerina who always fights for her dreams despite the pain of suffering or various favorable winds or obstacles. She knows that everything is possible because actions created by the heart always find a positive solution and lead to victory. The painting was created thanks to one phrase that was passed on to me during the ongoing pandemic: “Don’t let it just be a dream”

Beata Dencikowska, Harmony - “Harmony” is a painting from the “Symphony” series, containing 14 paintings in the same technique and colors, made with acrylic paints. This series presents 14 of our greatest artists of all time, who have had or have a significant impact on my artistic development from the early years of my childhood. In this picture, some see Ludwig van Beethoven, others Elton John, others John Lennon, or others Elvis Presley. And who has been painted by me - I leave to the artistic sensitivity of each person to choose from.

Miya Turnbull, Self-Portrait  - My masks are three-dimensional self-portraits - a combination of photography, sculpture and collage. This mask is made of individual split half-mask components that I can open and close while wearing, to reveal different parts of my face as well as different patterns. All my masks are self-portrait based; I make variation after variation to explore different facets of my identity and to examine the liminal space between public vs private and beauty vs grotesque. This mask represents all the layers and ‘selves’ that make up our complex identities, what we present to the world and what we hide. 

Ajten Helps, Intransitive - In all my paintings I wish to share a part of my self. Intransitive is an expression of my desire to leave out the energy of the passion of been our self-trying to keep away our fears our doubts and make all those dreams come true perhaps our greatest fears is us surrounded with those choices and situations which we create trying to figure out ourselves.

LOUMA, Mon espace - In this painting, I wanted to represent a character, who was not in his daily space. 

A present certainly reassuring (choice of colors), but a present that is not  the one relived by the character. The place is an allegory of the present time and of the daily life in which the character is not in his place. I’m talking about an inner universe that is inadequate to the outer reality. However, the character, may consider an outward flight. 

Ameana Alessandri, Silenced - Alessandri is heart broken by the oppression of women rights in Afghanistan, she used her art work to express the lost voices of a nation of women after the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban. 

RocaVaron, Sous la lune á Port Berenice - “Sous la lune á Port Berenice” is an expressionist representation of the loss of infant innocence. The child-turned adult woman runs defiantly across a starry beach on the Red Sea, under the guardian sight of her dog, which symbolises how society limits our freedom and demands stereotypes. Using a mix technique of goauche paint and dripping acrylics on canvas, my work is largely abstract expressionist. Regardless of the style, for me, art is a gateway to satisfy a primal hunger for creative expression, where a canvas becomes an open experimental laboratory, giving the freedom to create inner visions.

Ava Chiba, Amelie - The artwork “Amelie” is more than a portrait. It’s a sacred language and activation code for personality. Not trying to show the obvious and feeding the mind with information I am doing portraits in a kind of language based on floral formations, geometric pattern and color codes. My artworks are grounded on subtile perception and remote viewing. “Amelie” for example is a strong personality with a delicate and sensitive nature, but based on natural power and authority. Being nurtured by the forces of love and nature, she has the potential to develop a new state of consciousness in this life: full of grace, transcendence and compassion.

Tina Bullen, Lanterns (Oil on canvas, 30x30cm) - This slightly abstracted piece shows a low sun streaming through the trees in Highwoods Country Park, Colchester, and the autumnal leaves seemingly swirling and floating in the air like lanterns... but are the lanterns coming out of the light, or being sucked into it?

Jemima Murphy, Lovers Haven (oil on canvas, 150x120cm) - Lovers Haven addresses strength, positivity and happiness in the unknown; it portrays romantic secrecies in an enchanted world. The dream-like view captured here shifts the focus from the natural to the personal. While ‘Lovers Haven’ demonstrates a wildness of positivity and mystery, there is also an element of hidden heartache that only belongs to one’s own memories. The activity here expresses a story with clarity belonging only to Jemima’s mind; it provides a host of clues for understanding her personal circumstance and mood, the turn of events that may have preceded it, alongside any future events that are unknown.

Rebecca Annan, Moonlit Street in South-East London - I captured this on a night I was power walking around our block, escaping the claustrophobia of lockdown. I started out my walk stressed and pre-occupied and this view of a beautiful, orangey-pink moon stopped me in my tracks. It helped me to stop, breathe and be thankful.  It shows a residential street in South-East London at dusk, the glowing embers of the moon shimmering through the trees and streetlights shining on the resting cars. I chose oil-pastel as the medium for this piece to capture some of the life and energy of the moment. As an artist I love to capture fleeting, temporal moments in art form. I especially enjoy capturing scenes that represent calm and serenity.

Maria Lopes, Whisper - Hellen Frankenthaler said, “There are no rules. That is how art is born, how breakthroughs happen.”. These words kept humming in my head like a whisper. By then, I just had a Thanksgiving dinner with 25 people, 15 nationalities, celebrating different cultures, and simply being thankful. This brought to life the topic of differences and their importance in our lives, nature and art. With this work I want to express differences/diversity by color, shapes, value and texture, through the lens of my surrounding nature, the National Park of Sintra/Cascais. Differences make us grow and thrive spirituality. 

PARUL MEHRA, Maps & Mystique of the ancient city - In this artwork I’ve tried to capture the elements which contribute to the essence of Singapore, where I currently reside. Having recently moved here, I was intrigued to see how the balance of vintage architecture, modern landscapes, temples & nature parks co-exist with fine aesthetic of new age city systems. The mythical fable of it’s name origin started in the 14th century. Attributed to a Sumatran prince, who spotted an auspicious beast, thought to be a lion. Hence the name Singapore originated from “Singa” for lion & “Pura” for city, in the Sanskrit language. 

Jonathan Roelofse, Landscape Beats - Landscape Beats is an exploded scrapbook of habitation and movement. Contour clippings from all the disturbed, common and new ground. Fingerprints and footprints amongst organic and engineered networks. City mice and country mice busy beneath the big block of blue. There is a twilight and night-shift too. North and South. Westerns and Easterns. The one and the everyone. All here.

Adrianne Font’aura, pied-à-terre - This work belongs to a series called “nowhere is somewhere”. My watercolours are about those places found when we are lost and lost when and if we look for them. Places we capture as a glimpse from our childhood’s memory as we get older and life gets too fast, too complex, too fragile and everything seems to fade. Except that. That one place long time gone and yet the only place we can find shelter and comfort. Home.

Teresa Selbee Baker, Remember - This piece is made of many layers, it begins with old photographs from my childhood rephotographed and digitally arranged. The collages are then projected onto an Eight foot tree swing sculpture I built, based on a loved place from when I was a child, then photographed with 35mm film. The building of layers in this piece forms the idea of moments and flashes of time, coming together creating our version of history. This photograph is part of a series studying the differences in memory. The study of memories and dreams influence all of my work. ‘Remember’ looks at what we store as memories versus what we “capture” as memories.

Gaia Adducchio, Polaroid Blooming - Untitled n°29 - By adopting typical techniques of abstract painting to instant photography (specifically a re-elaboration of grattage skills by scrapping emulsion on polaroid support) and by working with analog and digital means, I intended to realize images that allow, both during the creative process and the act of fruition, to let oneself go to unconscious and potentially liberating automatisms. Immersive texture, forms and colors become synonymous of dynamism and at the same time of contemplation and abandonment of senses, in the hope that who is looking at the works can lose him - or herself not in mine, but in his/her unconscious, emotional and cultural references.

Kavita Chachcha, Your Inner journey - Pandemic has affected all aspects of human life – social, emotional, financial and travel. This artwork here narrates the wanderlust of every soul. A woman in red drape is shown standing in front of a temple ruins - Balinese architectural style just about to enter the inner depths. The artistic dialogue in this artwork is conveyed via Digital art + brushstrokes making a captivating composition in black, white & red color combination.

Kavita Chachcha, Let’s get some Lunch! - Lunch time in the Central Business District area was such an everyday ritual for the working crowd. WFH has changed how the restaurant business operates. This Composite artwork depicts a woman in red drape sprinting through an empty passage surrounded by tables & menu cards - one afternoon where normally one needs to wait for a place to sit down.

Rachel Favelle, Lavender Thistles, Oil on Linen 30 x 40 inches - My work is a celebration of Australia’s diverse flora and fauna, a pertinent subject in light of the 2019 bushfires. While I seek to capture a unique portrait of Australia, the lace that adorn the native animals in my work and invasive flora reflect a deeper metaphor about colonisation. There becomes a disparity between residing in a country and appreciating the unique natural qualities that this land possesses. While the Musk Thistle appears beautiful with its vibrant colour, it has become a serious invasive weed, a threat to protected plant communities. The plant is a metaphor for the effect of human interference in nature.

Christine Weber-Nolte, California Dreamin‘ - A place where I always want to be - on a sailing boat upon the ocean. After a commission work with sailing boats I decided to work again with them. The ocean is all I need to feel warm and safe, although it can be adventurous. In my work it was my intention to have all together: the wind, the adventure of the ocean,  the boats and a warm feeling. So I took these shades of red, certainly my favorite color, to show all the beauty and the excitement of sailing. A dream I have since ever.  In Buddhism one has the idea, that being reborn as a precious human life is rarer then a blind  seaturtle surfacing it’s head every hundred years would come out through a yoke. This is also my fascination of the almighty ocean. 

Nina Baxter, Can We Bridge This Chasm? (Parts I) + (Parts II) - “In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse” – From ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot. This diptych invites the viewer to construct their own narrative around these two lovers. Does any space left between the two faces, two bodies, feel like a huge abyss needing to be filled by constant skin on skin contact? Is there an emotional gulf between these two people? A disconnect or rift they’re trying to repair through physical touch? The accompanying quote by T.S Eliot emphasises the potential split-second difference in time between these two moments, and the enormous possibility for change held in that same instant. 

Nina Baxter, Can We Bridge This Chasm? (Parts I) + (Parts II) - “In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse” – From ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot. This diptych invites the viewer to construct their own narrative around these two lovers. Does any space left between the two faces, two bodies, feel like a huge abyss needing to be filled by constant skin on skin contact? Is there an emotional gulf between these two people? A disconnect or rift they’re trying to repair through physical touch? The accompanying quote by T.S Eliot emphasises the potential split-second difference in time between these two moments, and the enormous possibility for change held in that same instant. 

Jael Roznicki, Life Lessons - “Life Lessons” is from my quarantine series, May of 2020. This was created from the patchwork of memories and emotions that life brings. My father was suddenly ill with heart failure and grateful survived, but I was face to face with the memories and Emotions of a lifetime all combined. Reflecting on how we are not static beings and how our lives are not all simple and in the lines and still seeing beauty in the patchwork of the whole. Not all aspects of life are good or even enjoyable but it all forms an individual, spirit and soul. That is what inspired this work. You will see the red heart at the Center and the lines that to me, bind it to those in our family. 

Lena Silva, ‘SAUDADE’ (Portuguese word, translated - a feeling of missing ...)  - ‘Her hands held me in the gentlest way from my first breath. Her hands held me close to her with the greatest love as I took my first steps. Her hands brushed my hair and comforted me when I lost my balance or got hurt.’ My work is a sentimental, profound memory of a place I felt the safest growing up and becoming a woman I am today. That place, that person is - my MOTHER’s heart and hands. In a chaotic society where so much is taking place, where fast decisions are to be made, life is changing dramatically and human freedom is becoming farfetched. Missing places, people we love, be it physical or spiritual, is becoming the ‘air’ we need to breathe and stay alive.

Émilie Gosselin, Boreal - As far as I can remember I have loved the arts and colors, I am a Franco-Canadian artist who stands out for her custom-made creations according to the tastes and decor of her clients. I started my artistic activities more seriously in March 2020 with the arrival of the pandemic. “Boréal is colorful, vibrant and sparkling, with gold leaf and lots of texture. She knows how to release heat into the room. The artist also loves incorporating epoxy resin into her artwork, she finds it adds depth to the product. She creates contemporary abstract but occasionally makes figurative.

Katie Dean, Boxed - Pigeonhole, Typecast, Profile… it is a struggle to reinvent yourself when you become a prisoner of boxed-in perceptions of self and other. How can we end this cycle in order to break the chains of internally or externally perceived ideas of what is “good” and “bad” in order to show up in the world to share our most precious gifts? I’ve been caught in a vicious cycle of seeking validation from others, hoping this will cure my feelings of unworthiness. Today I seek a new way.

Harshita Nandwani (Atignas Art), Julius Caeser - It takes courage to move forward, It takes courage to go back, It takes courage to wait and be where you are.

Don’t pressure yourself by any absolute definition of courage. It is your journey, and only you know it best.

This painting “Fortitude” depicts the courage shown by Julius Caesar by Crossing the river Rubicon to march on Rome.

Joanne Huxford, KABUL - I decided to paint KABUL as to the unrest in Afghanistan and the oppression for many years of the Pashtuns alongside the threat of the Taliban. The three men reflect the sense of worry pain a certain reflection on their faces. I painted the backdrop a light sand gold as an idea of hope in the desert sands. White robes and Mazarin wraps on their heads I painted lighter with colors somewhat see-through swirls to signify eternal hope.

Beatrice Opokua Atencah, We Mourn the Lands - The lands in the major mining regions in Ghana that served as the producers have overtime lost the primary activities such as farming and providing shelter to illegal mining activities that there’s none left to preserve. Livestock are dying, streams and rivers polluted and unsafe for animals, and people are still struggling to find shelter. The people are angry, authorities are putting in measures, the privileged are protecting the few they have yet “We mourn the lands” The artwork expresses our attitude towards valuable things. Things we take for granted because it’s of less value or it’s easily accessible. It’s often said “we do not know what we have until we lose it”and that’s the life of an immigrant.

Christoffer Nilsson (pen name Mr Fraxley), Overdrive: Psychosis - This piece represents my recent psychosis where I crashed through my own cognitive wall after getting wrongly medicated and ended up in both a new physical place in form of a psych ward but also a new cognitive place of mind. I’ve feared psychosis all my life but this space that used to be my greatest fear has now helped me overcome my fear of my own mind and turned it into a place of inspiration rather than anxiety and depression.

Nicola Barth, Lilli Adam Nin - When everything is loose and in constant movement, everything reacts with everything else, everything finds itself constantly in a process, there is nothing really finished, and when time and space are only fixed ideas, then deception and change are confusion and chance. This thoughts can sometimes make you dizzy. I paint against the dizziness, because “being one with” (resonate) is a way to resist the chaos. This thoughts, the fast pace in our society and the rapid digital progress demands a stop, a standstill, a contemplation to get behind. I remain to stopp and make visible. My analog answer is painting/making art.”

Yannick William ASSIEDOU, NUÉE - Acrylic on canvas 50x 50cm, expressing the different facets of life with their different nuances and emotional interactions. Artist based at Brussels, self-taught, Yannick Assiedou, has been honing his skills in acrylic painting for the past several years. His roots are on the Ivory Coast, which he left at a very young age to discover the world. This reflects in his work, inspired by biodiversity of our planet combined with the multifacets of human perception. Through bold colorful work he is challenging the expression and sensation of deep emotions.

Marion Gunesch, ‘ Where I belong - Where I belong‘ I feel connected, there I can relax and enjoy my peace of mind, there I find the pure beauty of nature. This place is not ordered and structured, but it is beautiful in a natural way. My artwork is also a result of a dynamic painting process free from any constraints, by following my inner intuition. I have found my form of expression in abstract painting and create my bold abstractions mainly with acrylics and pastels on canvas or paper. These means are ideal for my spontaneous painting style.

Hung-Ju Kan, Density Versus Emptiness-21-14 - Taiwanese artist Kan Hung-Ju. Kan embarks on a journey to retrieve personal memories and bring them to the surface in the context of relocation. In an effort to recall and cope with a major life transition, the artist questions how immigration affects the content of autobiographical memory. The painting featured in Density Versus Emptiness-21-14 is inhabited by the souvenir of personal experiences and traces of specific objects—the wallpaper of the artist’s first room and the fabric of his grandmother’s dress, among other domestic items embellished by floral motifs—often revisited with the arrival of a new season in the Northeast of US, Kan’s home for the last three years. 

Frank Boyce, King for a Day - This piece is a meditation on the illusory nature of power and includes the words of the Elizabethan poet and spy Christopher Marlowe ‘ What are kings when regiment is gone but perfect shadows on a sunny day’ carved into the surface. In the era of the return of strongman politics and posturing a reminder that nothing lasts forever and promises are made by those in power  that cannot be kept. It is said that we get the politicians we deserve. If so we might need a rethink..... and an election.

David Winston, Waterloo 15 secs - I am fascinated by the idea of recording the traces of the movement of people in crowded spaces. I work a lot with multiple exposure, as it frees the photographer from the limitations of a single static image. In this case, the commuters at Waterloo Station become transformed into dancers.  Their unpredictable movements mean they directly contribute to the outcome of the final image, making them the actors in the story. 

Eilis de Faoite, L’idiot Fait Un Vœu - L’idiot is the artist and not the artist. She is all women and no woman, all people and no person. She speaks of the many masks that we wear, as humans and the roles we assume to save face, to be liked, to conform and to be accepted. She is a construct of the shame and judgement that forms us from birth and sometimes before that. L’idiot is both everybody’s fool and nobody’s fool.

Veronica Chandler, Love is Love - Ecuadorian-born, US-based artist, VERONICA LARREA CHANDLER, creates works that embody the power of raw femininity and the human connection to the Earth and Mother Nature. Inspired by the native cultures of North and South America, her current ‘Kachina’ series pays homage to the kachina dolls of the Hopi tribe of the Southwestern U.S.  The “Love is Love” series is homage to the LGBTQ community. 

Kay Tur, Bad Angel - “Bad Angel” is an oil painting with dimensions of 120*100cm. This piece challenges the socially accepted and conventional notion of “good” and “bad”. What seems to be good is really good? What seems to be bad is really bad? 

Eszter Bognár, Inside - Broken red - Through this work, she indelibly fixes emotions and moods on the canvas, enlivened by the vision of that vivid red and, as if it was an electric shock, by the presence of sea green that releases a charge of energy and vitality. The free brushstrokes and dense layers of tonality emphasize the creativeness of this artist, where red shades which turn into white represent feelings of a quiet soul, suggesting a new representation of dimensional spaces, in addition to the reality perceived.

Medusa Black, Chimera X33 - Chimera X33 is a piece of art created with code and imagination. The generative art piece takes the name of the original mythological creature because it is originally a simple experiment (X33). Who could tell that algorithms (simple or complex) mixed with creativity could be any form of estheticism? The choice of the background brings a better visual to the pixels and visual comfort. Red is the perfect colour to illustrate the vibrance of the art. *The mix of black and red brings a sinister dark ambiance, and the curves bring a small sense of innocence & beauty. //For more technical details, the language used was javascript, a common language for front-end and back-end developers.

Rossanne Pellegrino, Landed - ‘Landed’ investigates how the manipulation of imagery can alter its meaning, changing the relationship between people and place. Adding digital shapes and glitter to this found photograph provides a sharp contrast from the subjects in the original image – black and white, formal and almost detective-like. The people and their surroundings, Stonehenge, have now taken on an out-of-this-world quality.

Also inspired by the Yayoi Kusama quote, “I am just another dot in the world”, Rossanne uses this other-worldly sense of her image to convey a feeling of smallness and of being just one part in an infinitely bigger picture. She invites the observer to imagine what that could be. (Print is available for sale - £220).

Joana Felicissimo, Florence - The original photograph of this drawing was taken by me in Florence on my solo trip to Italy in 2018. It was a memorable trip that I took just before I started my Visual Arts Degree at ULHT in Lisbon, and I used it for a landscape project that I had to do in my first year. I’m much better at colour than graphite, so this was a big challenge for me, but I was really happy with the outcome.  Florence is such a beautiful and lively city. This image of Ponte Vecchio has so many little details and was tedious work, but one that I secretly enjoy doing. This is a place that I would love to visit again one day, ideally in a covid-free world.

Heather Lowe - This work is an Original Oil depicting the McCreedy Polymetalic Mine in Sudbury Ontario Canada. This Mine offers investors the widest hedge in investing since its produces equal Fine and base metal yields. The anomaly of the Mcreedy is the Quartzite and fine gemstone found in the sludge. This Oil on Corkworks by Heather L Lowe was completed using her Trademarked Alchemy Art Process (TM) with Peridot, quartz and Lapis infused in the 27 layers of Gamblin Oil. Beeswax and Poppy Oils are also added to the paint. This work was Completed and was Installed at the OP EDWARD JONES Financial Board Room Kansas City and is the Private Collection of Scott & Melanie Lawrence.

Elysia Gilman, Post - Theatre Bustle, Elysia Gilman is a 21 year-old artist from North Wales who seeks to  capture moments in time with her oil paintings. She is most inspired by the impressionists, so capturing light  and movement with confident brushstrokes play an important role in her work. Alongside her artwork of  sporting and figurative scenes, Elysia was inspired to create a series of work around The Savoy Hotel after  watching a documentary on television. With this piece, Elysia wanted to capture the vivid city life as people  exited The Savoy Theatre. Working freehand with oil paints from a black and white photograph, she chose to  add the green text to highlight one of London’s most iconic hotels.