EFFLORESCENCE

Cidne

Cidne constantly explores with her camera and uses the images for many processes–printmaking, cyanotypes, bookmaking. Recently concentrating on fabric, she is eco printing, natural dyeing, and stitching. Ever-ready to add another process, she mashes them up together and creates her own original techniques. Nature never fails to turn her on, but she insists on staying rooted in her long-time community of Northeast Los Angeles. She has been part of the local artist community for the past 25 years, having solo shows, participating in group shows, and instructing others in some of her techniques.

Jamie

Jamie Ellis Pasquale was born in London, England but has been living and working in Toronto, Canada for the past 4 years. He draws multiple sources of inspiration for his work namely the works of 19th century impressionists, the painters and musicians of the post war New York school, landscapes be that urban or rural and Graffiti culture. This eclectic mix of inspiration is reflected in his diverse background growing up in London, from the culturally rich museums and architecture to the gritty visual language of the urban environment. Painting is his primal mode of expression using oils and acrylic most often, though he is known to experiment with other techniques such as collage and Photography. Self taught first in the vibrant stylistic discipline of wildstyle graffiti art he began his venture into fine art some years after. Having formally studied Landscape Architecture at college he then spent some time studying art academically at the Toronto school of realistic art where he honed his skills in figurative drawing. His art has been shown at gallery 1313 a small space located in Toronto’s downtown, also as part of many charity auctions across the city, namely for Building up a charity focused on assisting youth in their work in the trades. His artwork is collected by patrons widely across Europe and North America but he hopes to expand his viewership worldwide.

Roxanna

Roxanna Angles is a film photographer, artist, podcaster and writer who resides in Southern California. She uses multiple formats of film and loves to intertwine painting, collage and her pressed flowers into her work. You can find her work on Instagram @roxannalog or her shadow account @golannaxor.

Brooke

I use my feelings and experiences to shape my art. Nature is very impactful to my work, and color selection.  I consider nature to be so beautiful because it is raw. Objects in nature are not meticulously placed down. Leaves fall where they fall, and this is what I believe makes nature so glorious.  I strive for my art to have the same beauty as staring into dense woods.  First seeing the trees closest to you, yet still having sight into the depths, giving you the ability to notice smaller details in the background. By using abstraction I hope to evoke the emotions of my viewers personal experiences with nature.  For example, feeling sunlight on your skin, or the breeze passing by.  My style encompasses inspiration from Arists like Gerhard Richter, David Reed, Mark Rothko and Bernard Frize.  I feel these artists incorporate a similar idea of organic arrangement into their works.  To produce an organic image I use a combination of color, layer, and texture. Colors fluctuate layer by layer, just as light can alter a color.  The appearance of light is created by the use of layering and transparency, which creates a pull.  Different layers are applied with varying tools and techniques which provides a unique visual texture.  Texture promotes the work to have an organic feel, as well as creates depth on a flat surface.  This depth gives the work a picturesque-like quality.  Color choices are inspired by personal emotion and memory, and nature in its raw state.  I hope for these color selections to stimulate a connection between the viewers, and artwork.  My paintings are closely representative of the natural world, my own personal feelings, and past experiences.  In regards to process, I feel my involvement in the artwork during the time of creation plays a role of what, and how nature is represented.  My work strongly embodies how the viewer connects to color, light, movement, and the overall feeling the painting can uniquely portray, based on their own experiences.

Meghan

Born in 1971, in Seattle, Washington, USA, Meghan Starr Crandall received a BA in Graphic Design in 1994 from Central Washington University. She currently lives in Seattle, WA and is the co-owner of Kick Spark Creative. Design and photography have been at the center of her practice for more than 25 years. In recent years, she has branched out to explore painting and mixed media, and has participated in six intensive art retreats in Joshua Tree, CA at JTHAR.

“Interpreting a place or subject through pure and often overlooked details is the driving force behind my work. I revel in finding unexpected relationships between form, texture and color. In my assemblage photographs, I’m drawn to how the simple pieces we can find on a daily walk speak volumes about our culture and environment. Discarded human-made objects encroaching and inevitably integrating with the graceful creations of nature. I focus on harmoniously combining this flora and flotsam to paint an honest portrait of our landscapes today, hoping to encourage people to contemplate the enormous importance of maintaining balance. A core part of my process is to return the organic pieces to nature and recycle the litter, making the photograph the only tangible record of the composition’s existence.”

Kevin

Kevin became interested in photography at an early age. He is a graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography, and has also studied under many respected photographers in workshop and mentor settings. Kevin’s photographs are in numerous collections, including the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, Arizona, and the Getty Center, Los Angeles, California. His work has been exhibited widely in the United States and France, in solo and select group exhibitions. Kevin’s photographs of nature have appeared in publications by Kodak and the Sierra Club. A commercial, industrial and portrait photographer by profession, he now uses his skills to teach a college course in photography, where he is appreciated for his skills in critiquing photographs and helping students to appreciate the qualities of light.

Kano

Childlike wonder is the best way we can describe Kano’s work. Her expressive use of color on her preferred canvas, repurposed plywood, is invigorating and uplifting. Being raised in various parts of the world gave the artist an innate grasp on planet Earth’s magic and a side of bewilderment for the human race. With a deep appreciation for mother nature and a romance with Ghibli films, Kano’s work hits the root of our truth as earthlings. Born and raised in Japan for the first nine years of her life, Kano draws a lot of her inspiration from a childhood spent watching Ghibli films. “The movies are made with beautiful, imaginative animations that seeped into my childhood imagination and dreams. The films and their messages of harmony between nature and mankind still inspire me at the age of 21.” She explains that these films, along with the Hawaiian values of “Aloha ‘Aina” inspires her to incorporate her respect and love for the environment into just about every piece—through materials, imaging, and colors. Kano explains art is the only place she feels she can fully let go and tap into the parts of herself that process life a little more lightly and magically. Her ability to channel gentle and sprightly energy allows her viewer to feel safe to do the same. She has the ability to dip into the parts of the brain and heart that might need the loving reminder that being whimsical and being grounded can coexist. Spirited and Lively, Kano’s artwork offers the psyche refuge from the daily responsibilities and chatter that can at times feel like an endless weight. Kano takes us on a journey down her multi-color path to rescue our inner child and invite them out to play. Through her multi-media paintings Kano shares with us her childlike wisdom in a collection of pieces that are a breath of fresh and light air as we emerge from the strange cocoon that was 2020.

-from the Pacific Artists Union, Maui Hawaii