September EGA Meeting recap

Even with my busy schedule, I have been finding myself looking forward to the monthly Elk Grove Artists Group (EGA) meetings. It gives me a chance to take a needed break from work, discuss things with fellow area artists and to perhaps learn something from the guest speaker that I might have never known. Thinking it over since my entry A night with the EGA that I decided that it would be a good idea to post a little recaps of the meetings I'm able to attend for those members who aren't able to attend and to let non-members know what's going on.

Last night at the start of the meeting we welcomed new member Ester Cheng into the group. New to the Elk Grove area and works in watercolor, acrylic, pastel and mixed media. Strangely enough, I have run into the delightful woman and her husband last month while I was attending Blue Moon Gallery's Second Saturday reception when they had come by after seeing my and several other fellow artists' work being shown at the Sacramento Fine Arts Center's Magnum Opus XXIII show. After welcoming her to the group, we also thanked Vice President Judy Knott for doing the 14^th Annual Walk for The Arts to raise funds for the EGA. Judy thanked those who pledged donations but asks us for a bit more participation for next year's walk so that we can raise more donations in order to help the club. We also covered the fact that our Ist Annual Elk Grove Art Tour is coming up which consists of 10 locations and 27 artists which you can go meet between 10am and 5pm on Saturday September 29th (you can find the map here: http://elkgrovefineartscenter.org/Studio_Tour_2012.php ) . After going through club business, we ended it with a raffle drawing which was won by our Plublicity Officer Kelly Croisdale. Right now the raffle winners are entitled to hand or display, for one month, one piece of original work at the Elk Grove Fine Arts Center. So congratulations to Kelly for winning for this month!

This month's guest speaker was the wonderful Dee Tschida who discussed her techniques for how she goes about her abstract paintings. Covering briefly the 4 painting skills briefly (technical skill, painterly skill, artistic skill, skill of expression), she started off showing the various tools and things she uses to put texture into her pieces before she begins painting. Showing such things as modeling past (which she explained has more substance then geso but suggests you should let dry for 24 hours before painting), her acrylic paint brands of choice (keeping the audience reminded that it's best to keep to a three color pallet to make sure that the colors don't clash), and primed canvas, she let everyone know that she would demonstrate what she does. Dee then went about showing a small slide show explaining how she had started her abstract painting career and how she got to the style she uses now. As a watercolorist who doesn't really use acrylics that often, let alone go towards the abstract genre, I was completely captivated and I have a feeling that others in the room were as well with some of the questions they asked.

Once the slide show part of Dee's presentation was over, she demonstrated her technique though had to remind us repeatedly that she would only be able to show the first couple of steps of what she does since there was the drying time she needed to consider. Patiently answering our questions and explaining things in a completely understandable way, the presentation was quite informative for those who aren't acrylic users and even those in the room who were discussed amongst themselves that they found out about things they hadn't known before. 

If you're interested in learning more about the EGA, go ahead and visit our official website:

elkgroveartistsca.org

Don't forget to check out the works of area artists at the Elk Grove Fine Arts Center which is located in Old Town Elk Grove! 

Elk Grove Fine Arts Center

9080 Elk Grove Blvd. 

Elk Grove, CA 95624

(916) 685-5992

Wednesday through Saturday - 11am - 4pm or by appointment 

Website: http://elkgrovefineartscenter.org/

Collaboration with Rebecca Tripp – part 3

It would seem that the talented Rebecca Tripp has struck again! While checking messages, I spotted her cheerful message nestled in my inbox letting me know that she had gotten another music video made with one of my paintings included. It has become a wonderful treat for me now to listen to her music while looking at the beautiful works by the other artists she had carefully chosen to include. I actually had to watch the video again because I totally forgot to look through to figure out which painting of mine she had decided to use. This time around the theme of the music was Garden Waltz – Dandelion Minuet. The list of artists she used was myself and 65 other individuals found on deviantART and various other locations on the internet. 

"Garden Bounty" by Dawn Star Wood 

The painting Rebecca decided to use this time around was a painting I did for Blue Moon Gallery back in 2009 that I had titled Garden Bounty. The basic idea of it's format was based off of my friend SoMK's piece 'Plates Duet' (for those who have been following my blog for a while now, I had included her in A common influence... maybe: IvanBilibin). The painting itself is a combination of at least 10 separate photo references with a splash of flare. It was actually one of my first paintings where I began using my tiny paintbrushes which I now use on a constant basis. 

You can find more from the wonderful Rebecca Tripp here:

deviantART:  http://rebeccatripp.deviantart.com/ 
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/RebeccaETripp

A common influence... maybe: Gerald Brom

With October just a couple of days away, I wanted to take this little series to the dark yet beautiful direction of the Gothic genre of art. There's a handful of artists that I'm familiar with in this particular category but for some reason I decided to settle on an individual that I knew I would get responses of both Yes and No. With the Gothic genre, I knew for a fact that there would be individuals who would be passionate about their art so asking who influenced would always be a matter of walking a thin line so as not to offend them. Not sure why but I thought it was a good idea at the time and just stuck with it, choosing Gerald Brom as my artist in question.

"Selenia, Desolation Angel" in MTG by Brom 

Many people are probably familiar with Gerald Brom (1965 - ), but for those who aren't he is a Gothic fantasy artist and illustrator. His works have been used in role-playing games along with card games such as Wizards of the Coast's Magic: The Gathering and Last Unicorn Games' Heresy: Kingdom Come. His paintings have also been used for the covers of the War of the Spider Queen book series and has done the concept art for several movies and video games. With such beautiful works, it's surprising to discover that he actually never took any formal art classes and was influenced by Frank Frazetta, N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell which is just an interesting combination in itself.

It took me several look-throughs of other well known artists in this field before I decided to stick with Brom then an even longer time to pick the people I wanted to ask my question to. In all honesty, I picked them out a month or so in advance of me asking them but it took me a good week to go through pieces just to figure out who's work seemed similar. So picking my five artists, I sent forth my question not sure what to expect in my inbox later:

“Looking at the quality and darkness of your pieces makes me curious if you were influenced by the Gothic artist Gerald Brom. Was he any inspiration for you?”

trejoeeee.deviantart.com (Isle of Man)

"Cronos" by trejoeeee

A digital artist located out of the Isle of Man, Chris specializes in character concept designs and fantasy environments. His pieces seem to have a balance of fantasy and technology to them, some giving a sense of almost a steam punk quality to them. With a cool and earth tone color pallet, he breathes life into his creations and causes the viewer to wonder what they themselves would do if they ever saw some of the beings he's created in person. When I asked my question, I wasn't prepared for the almost exuberant response from him.

“Sure! He's an amazing artist” ~trejoeeee

"Embers" by Jeff Simpson 

JeffSimpsonkh.deviantart.com (Canada)

A talented young man out of Canada, Jeff specializes in digital art. His works are mostly concept pieces of people, strange and intimidating creatures, along with weapons. Cool greys and sepia tones seem to be a staple of the color pallet Jeff works with, with the occasional guest color to bring an unearthy glow to the pieces which draws the viewer in. With his answer, it was as if I was talking to an old friend who I hadn't seen in years and was asking how his day was. There was a lot of insight in his response then what I was expecting.

"Sort of? Not really though, I do like his work but I prefer to be inspired by things that or not speficially created to "look dark" as 90% of the time it comes off as cheesy and forced. I think nature and reality is a much better source of inspiration, looking at the source of our world be it physical or psychological and you'll find much more interested material to play with in your images." ~Jeff Simpson

"Mercy" by One-Vox

One-Vox.deviantart.com (United States)

Located here in the United States, Peter Mohrbacher is a digital artist who is probably best known for his Angelarium series but also his pieces for Magic: The Gathering. He seems to favor blues and sepia shades for many of this works but is obviously not going to limit himself on colors when creating his works which are heavily fantasy based. Of all of the answers I received from this group of artists, I don't think I was prepared to come across someone who actually met Brom.

"Yep. I got to meet the guy this last year too. Super nice dude!" ~Peter Mohrbacher

"Quadratum Mortis" by Ertaç Altınöz

eratacaltinoz.deviantart.com (Turkey)

Located in Turkey, Ertaç Altınöz is a digital artist who works greatly in the fantasy genre. Highly detailed, each piece is a feast for the eyes which might be almost overwhelming for the viewer but he draws his audience in so that they can slowly enjoy the work he put into them. His color pallet of choice seems to be more towards the blues, cool greys and purples which can be seen in many of his pieces in some way.

"Eheh, thank you so much. I didn't think about it, but I can easily say that I'm not a huge fan of Brom. In fact, I prefer Tony DiTerlizzi's style to get some inspiration. But Brom is a true master, no doubt. Have a nice day and thanks for stopping by” ~Ertaç

""Demon Cult Priest - MtG" by Damascus5

Damascus5.deviantart.com (United States)

Working in both digital and traditional mediums, Clint Cearley focuses on his digital work and is another artist who does pieces for the Magic: The Gathering. His color pallet of choice seems to change from piece to piece mainly due to the fact that he tries to make sure that each has the unique feeling he is aiming for. Each piece has a beauty to it, no matter the subject matter. His response was probably most interesting to me for the simple fact that it's obvious that he wouldn't mind branching out and experimenting with other genres.

"I've been a fan of Brom's work for years, but not overly so. We both have done work for Magic: The Gathering which explains some of the similarities of "quality and darkness." I probably wouldn't do as much darker subjects if it weren't for the fact that they are the projects I'm assigned." ~Clint

Adventures in bookmarks

Rough draft concepts of bookmarks 

I think this is the most interesting little adventure I've ever had when creating and producing a group of bookmarks. It started off with showing my US Facebook followers a rough draft sketch of some designs I was thinking of doing for a Halloween/Dia de los Muertos theme. There was some interest into it, of course most of my male friends were going “Ooo boobs” but besides that I had a lot of people wanting to see what the designs would be like when I got the designs finalized. What surprised me was that one of my graphic design artist friends asked me for permission to use the rough draft as practice for him to “ink” by computer. Figured why not and told him to have fun before I busied myself with trying to figure out the colors I wanted to use for this series. 

Finalized colored designs

Once I had the final versions of the designs done, I posted them and opened up pre-orders which means those who place their orders before I get the group of bookmarks produce have secured their order. I was prepared for my male friends to pre-order for the set but what completely took me off guard when my female friends were the ones that kicked off the ordering spree. Really? I seriously did not see that one coming.

Final product 

It wasn't until I was able to get the first batch of bookmarks produced when I started seeing the guys start filter back in to place orders. It was obviously just one of those weeks but the fact that it seemed as if the men and women of Facebook were trading days of when they would be on.

"Dia de los Muertos" by Luc Grigg

Late on Sunday when my graphic design friend got back to me about what he had done to my rough draft. I had apologized to him when he first asked permission to play around with the sketches since I knew that they were a bit on the messy side. I really think he did a great job and look forward to seeing what colors he was going to choose later if he decides to color it in. Go ahead and check out his account LucGrigg.deviantart.com to see more of his line art

Collaboration with Rebecca Tripp - Part 2

In August I had let my readers know Collaboration with Rebecca Tripp that I had been contacted by a young composer and fellow artist out of Canada named Rebecca Tripp who had asked permission to use some of my pieces for music videos she was making to go with her music. Of course I had agreed and let her go ahead and use what she needed on the condition that she gives me credit for the paintings and that she send me the link to the YouTube video so that I can share it with my readers. So in August she excitedly sent me a message letting me know that the video was posted. After I had posted about the video, I didn't think much further on things since my life for the rest of the month became hectic. Then this afternoon while checking messages, I noticed that she had sent me a note:

“Oh my god! Really? Another video? I HAVE to see what she's come up with” was my first initial thoughts when I clicked the [link] button. What ended up displaying on my screen was truly relaxing as her newest flower waltz played before my very eyes. Along with myself and Rebecca, the video is made up of the works of close to 70 artists from deviantART and other locations on the internet she painstakingly wrote to individually for permission to use their works for her videos.

"L_I_F_E" by Dawn Star Wood

I was actually surprised by which pieces of mine were in this video simply because I honestly completely forgot about them. This time around Rebecca used 2 of my older paintings from way back in 2007 for this beautiful montague of images set to her music. One of them was L_I_F_E which was based off of a photo by a friend of mine UrbanRural-Photo.deviantart.com (formally known as surrealeye on deviantart) who is up in the Seattle, Washington area. The photo itself was titled Reborn which he had taken earlier that year. 

"Lotus" by Dawn Star Wood

The second piece she used was Lotus which was also based off of a photo my friend THOM-B-FOTO (who you can see more of his work on his main website http://thom-b-foto.com/ ) had captured at a meditation garden somewhere in Sacramento, California. The photo itself was titled Sacred Lotus 10. Both of the paintings were some of my first watercolor pieces after I graduated college so were only 5x7 inches (meant to be for postcards). Of course since they are some of my older pieces, I keep seeing things that need to be fixed and the fact that my scanner at the time hated my guts probably didn't help matters. 

If you would like to see more from Rebecca and give her a message, here's where you can find her work:
deviantART:  http://rebeccatripp.deviantart.com/ 
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/RebeccaETripp

A common influence... maybe: Rene Lalique

I have been receiving a lot of good comments about this little series as of late and had a few of my readers asking what genres I was going to cover. Actually my goal is to take a pick at as many genres as possible within the arts. It's going to take forever but it'll keep me busy. This time around I decided to take a look jewelry, which in itself has it's own mini genres. It took me a bit to finally choose who I wanted to focus on, who happens to be Rene Lalique. I wasn't too sure if any of them would know Mr. Lalique due to the fact that many jewelry designers during the Art Nouveau and Art Deco time periods were rarely recorded.

Grape broach by Rene Lalique

Rene Lalique (1860-1945) was actually a glass designer known for his ornate perfume bottles and such more then his jewelery creations. He originally started off as a freelance artist who would design jewelry for other jewelers before he finally started his own business to create his own pieces. Incorporating nature into each piece with amazing detail, the ornate creations helped give him recognition as one of France's best known jewelry designers.

It was too bad that I couldn't find out that much information about Mr. Lalique but with each little tidbits of information I could locate, they spoke highly of his skills. Now for my turn. Preparing my line up of artisans, I sent out my question:

"With the delicate work that you do, I was curious if the French jewelry artist Rene Lalique was an inspiration to your pieces."

Skaldsznurowadel.deviantart.com (Poland)

"Bracelet with Pearls" by skaldsznurowadel 

A young woman located in Poland, Agnieszka Hopkowicz works mostly in silver and gives each of her pieces an organic feel but has them elegant enough for her female viewers. Each piece or set she creates seems to have personalities of their own, every one speaking to the viewer differently.

Agnieszka actually has an Etsy shop along with a Polish online shop for those who may be interested in purchasing her pieces but the best way to ask her about anything custom would be contacting her through her deviantART account. 

Etsy -  http://www.etsy.com/shop/AgnieszkaHopkowicz

Polish jewelry shop -  http://www.trendymania.pl/agnieszkahopkowicz 

I had actually come across her gallery about 2 years ago while looking for a pattern to inspire me for a painting I was working on at the time and have frequently visited her account ever since just to look to see what beautiful pieces she had been able to post. Her response to my question was delightful in that she knew who I was talking.

“Definitely Art Deco is close to my heart, but my beloved artist and inspiration is Edgar Brantd. I made a pendant inspired by his works http://skladsznurowadel.deviantart.com/art/silver-oasis-138929238. Cheers” ~Agnieszka

"Handmade Silver Cross5" by MirielDesign

MirielDesign.deviantart.com (Norway)

Formally known as JosephineDeath on deviantART, Norwegian artist Josephine Ryan does a little bit of everything from watercolors and graphite pieces to digital art but her gallery has become more known for her silver jewelry. Her delicate pieces shows how her style has evolved since when she first started to the fragile ornate pieces she has become known for. She does have an online jewelry shop (similar to Etsy) where you can order some of her beautiful pieces, but like most foreign websites you will need to translate  it into the language you use the most. 

Epla.no -  http://epla.no/shops/miriel/

I had actually stumbled into her gallery purely from chance when I was looking for artisans to ask for this particular article and thought it would have been foolish not to share her work. It took me a bit to actually study her pieces before I finally decided to ask her. 

“Hi! I have never heard of him before, no. I googled the name now, and I do like his style, thank you for bringing it to my attention. I am usually just inspired by nature, and often my dreams.” ~Josephine Ryan

GaleriaAURUS.deviantart.com (Poland)

"VIOLA SILVESTRIS - Necklace" by GaleriaAURUS

Another young lady from Poland, Jadwiga Betley creates beautiful pieces from what is actually known as Silver Clay which is a type of easy to use clay which consists of powdered silver which can be molded, baked then polished to a high shine. She also uses soutache for some pieces to create colorful patterns. For those not familiar with soutache, it's a type of cord which is actually used for the intricate patterns on clothing but has recently had a revival among jewelry designers where they make them into earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Her answer to my question was a pleasant surprise since she ended up sharing with me something she thought would give me some inspiration for some future paintings. 

"Hi! Rene Lalique a genius artist. You're right, it works absolutely wonderful in terms of form and color are an inspiration for me. Your watercolors are beautiful, Art Nouveau. I love watercolors, look at this:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1108972210478.2016931.1412029987&type=3  . Greetings from Poland" ~JBetley

As it seems to be a frequent pattern when I do these little segments, 2 of my artist line up have yet to respond to my question. Probably due to busy schedules, personal things or language barriers but sometime in the future I hope to include their comments to the line up. But, as we wait, I shall present to you a look at their works. 

"Sindarin - Ethuil" by darkonaria 

drakonaria.deviantart.com (Poland) 

With beautiful details in both silver and brass harmonized with semi-precious stones, Anna seems to be incorporate a sense of nature into her works. Tiny details, curves and natural themes in each piece she does, the viewer can't help but spend time with each picture she has posted to check out her skills. She does have an Etsy shop for those who may be interested in purchasing her pieces. 

Etsy - http://www.etsy.com/shop/drakonaria

"Blossoms Headband Tiara" by ElnaraNiall

ElnaraNiall.deviantart.com (United States) 

Primarily working in sterling silver and gemstones, this anonymous artisan from the United States specializes in circlets and tiaras for clients. Unfortunately it may be a while before I receive an answer since she has been so busy, her last post on her deviantART account was in 2010. However she does have a website http://www.medievalbridalfashions.com/ where she sells her pieces online. 

A common influence... maybe: Pietro Gonzaga

For those wondering how I come up with these different installments, I tend to brainstorm one what genre to do next while still working on a previous one. This way I can go ahead and find artists to ask, give them enough time to respond, and still have something else to post and share to my readers. So pretty much when I was getting the A common Influence... maybe: Denis Peterson organized, I was already looking into who to talk to for this one. So what did I decide to take a peek at? Something that I don't think gets enough notice though it is so important in so many works – architectural design. This is where I had the wacky idea of pulling from the dusty shadows of art history Mr. Pietro Gonzaga.

Theater set concept by Pietro Gonzaga

Pietro di Gottardo Gonzaga (1751-1831) is not an individual who well known now-a-days in either the arts or in architectural history but his skills made an impact in the performing arts, technical design and architecture. Pietro was actually an Italian theater set designer who did work in both Italy and for the Russian Empire. Highly detailed, his nearly realistic stage sets was seen as an art form in itself during his lifetime instead of mere pointless decoration. It wasn't until later in life that he attempted to become a practicing architect. Those who may actually know his name would be individuals who are fans of the Baroque and Rococo movements in art which were known for extravagant designs.  

I had a feeling that I was probably going out on a limb when I decided to find artists who may or may not be influenced by Pietro. What happens if they had never even heard of him? There was only one way to find out. Selecting 5 artists, I asked the question:

“I was curious if you were in some way influenced by the Italian architectural artist Pietro Gonzaga when you do your architectural pieces.”

takmaj.deviantart.com (Poland)

"Istanbul" by takmaj

A talented young woman from Poland, Maja Wrońska is a traditional artist focusing in acrylics and watercolors. Though she does do abstract works which reminds me of some of the works created by Paul Klee, she has become more known for her beautiful architectural studies of various locations around Europe. I came across her gallery actually only a couple of months go and delight in seeing the various pieces she uploads. Her answer to the question didn't come to a surprise to me since I was prepared for it.

“No, I wasn't, to be honest I've just saw his works for the first time.” ~ Maja Wrońska

"Arrival" by Titus Lunter

tituslunter.deviantart.com

Titus Lunter is a digital artist who focuses on mostly concept pieces for landscapes and technical city/building scenes that are more towards the science fiction and fantasy genres. Filled with dark and moody color schemes, his work seems to cause the viewer to begin to form stories in their minds to go along with each piece. Last month (August) he was able to reveal to his watchers and fans that he had been doing some work for the upcoming game Killzone Mercenary  telling his subscribers in a journal entry " As some of you may have seen already at GamesCom the project I've been working on for months has finally been announced meaning I can share it with you guys! Hope you enjoy it." Titus's response to my question was interesting over the fact that at least he was familiar with Pietro's work.

“ I haven't heard of him but I've seen some of his work in my art history books if I remember correctly. It's real interesting stuff. But no, no influence, maybe in the future tho. Cheers” ~Titus Lunter

"Venice" by GrimDreamArt

GrimDreamArt.deviantart.com (Poland)

Formally known as Haunted Tower on deviantART, she took advantaged in dA's most recent option of being able to change your account name. A young traditional artist and graphic designer located in Poland, Evi's medium of choice is a combination of pen and watercolors. Though there is a hint of steam-punk and fantasy in some of her pieces, most of her work reflects her studies as a student from the Warsaw Faculty of Architecture. Beautiful technical studies of local buildings, her eye for detail can be seen with the fine lines and delicate shading of her pieces. I think I was most surprised by since she wasn't familiar to Pietro's work but it was obvious that she took the time to look up who I was talking about. 

"Such a shame, but I wasn't familiar with his works at all. However they're really worthy to see. I was rather influenced by Albrecht Durer (his "unfinished" sketches), Caspar David Friedrich and Piranesi." ~Evi

"Fire Escape II" by ctbehrens

ctbehrens.deviantart.com (California, USA)

Located in California, Chris proclaims himself as someone who has a “bicycle addiction”. A traditional artist who focuses on watercolors, his gallery shows his experimentation with various styles as he shares with his viewers his different interests. After appear that he hasn't been able to be on his account since last year so it made me think that it would be some time before he returns to the dA community, he was able to finally respond. 

"I don't know of him, Dawn, but will check him out. Thanks!" ~Chris

"Building" by Bhiggins1218

Bhiggins1218.deviantart.com (Ohio, USA)

An acrylic artist from Ohio, Brendan seems to focus most of his subject matters on florals and local architectural icons. Bright, eye catching colors balanced with dark earthy tones, his paintings seem to strike a balance between realism and abstract points of view. Though it appear that he as well have not been on his account since 2011 so it may be a bit before he returns, I was pleasantly surprised when he was finally able to get back to me with his answer.

"I was mostly influenced by the lights and shadows on the building structure. I do not know much about the history of the building in Columbus, OH. I am more interested in older building from different time periods such as deco era. " ~Brendan 

A common influence... maybe: Denis Peterson

I knew when I started sending out the messages for this one so that I could have some responses to share that I was going out on a limb with this one. Perhaps it's due to the genre I decided to look into, the people I chose to ask, or the fact the artist I chose as a possible influence is someone I know but the answers I received were rather surprising. Not in a negative way, mind you, but this was the first time I actually had the small thought in the back of my mind that perhaps I had offended those who I asked if in some way they were influenced by my friend Denis Peterson.

"Granello di Sabbia" by Denis Peterson

For anyone who is familiar with the hyperrealism movement in art, where the artist portrays the subject matter they're working on with photorealistic quality, may or may not know Denis Peterson by name but might know some of his works. Though he does post some of his works on deviantART in order to show some of his younger watchers what he does along with showing works in progress, he has been shown at the Brooklyn Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, ButlerInstitute of American Art, Tate Modern, Springville Museum of Art, Cocoran MPA and Max Hutchinson Gallery located in New York. Many of his pieces focus either on daily city life in New York (focusing on city architecture or the homeless population) or some glimpses into African life.

It took quite a bit of time for me to find a handful of artists who I thought perhaps may have been influenced by Denis but was able to choose 5 artists to ask.:

“Pondering your work, I was wondering if the artist Denis Peterson (who specializes in photo-realism) influenced your style in any way or not. “

tincek-marincek.deviantart.com (Slovenia)

"It's time to make up" by tincek-marincek

The account is actually shared by a set of artistic sisters, Valentina & Marina, from Slovenia who specialize in digital art. Though focusing on a fantasy or anime theme, their vibrant work has a surprising amount of detail to the point that some elements are rather realistic. Beautifully executed, their combined talents always is able to draw the viewer in. I was lucky enough to receive from one of the young women about my question. Even though there was a slight language barrier, I could understand her words perfectly.

"Hi... I didn't hear for this artist jet.  When I draw realistic I just draw what I see, or I add fantasy elements by myself. Or I made up character by myself in realistic style..." ~ Valentina Remenar

ja5on.deviantart.com (Canada)

"Aphelion" by ja5on

An acrylic painter out of Canada, Jason's work is quite memorizing. Glass, cut crystal and reflective surfaces fill his tantilizing pieces and truly portrays the genre of photo-realism when it comes to an inanimate object. Beautifully done, I often go to his gallery to just study his pieces when I need to refresh myself on what to do in my own pieces. His answer was a little surprising to me but in a pleasant way.

"No. But I do know him and have met him in person. My style was already developed before I knew his work though." ~Jason

gottfriedhelnwein.deviantart.com (Ireland)

"Murmur of the Innocents 13" by Gottfried Helnwein

A painter mainly located in Ireland, Mr. Helnwein uses a mixture of oils and acrylics in his large pieces to create eye catching and perhaps sometimes controversial pieces. I had actually stumbled across his gallery perhaps a year or so ago and it never gets dull looking at the massive amount of detail he puts into his pieces. The response I received was perhaps the one I was most unprepared for since it wasn't Mr. Henwein who responded but a member of his studio who answered in his place. It is obviously due to his busy schedule but the fact that not only did his staff respond but gave added sources of information was quite appreciated on my part. 

"No, Helnwein developed his own style in the early 1970s and technique was never really an important subject for him. You will find many good interviews with Helnwein on his youtube channel, that should help answer some of your questions: https://www.youtube.com/user/gottfriedhelnwein 

Regards, Studio Helnwein"

413.deviantart.com 

"Silence is thought converging" by 413

Mr. CJ Tanedo is an oil painter who uses a mix of photo-realism and almost abstract imagery in many of his large, highly detailed pieces. A man seemingly to be of little words, the simple titles compliment his paintings perfectly, letting the images speak for themselves instead. At times when I wander his gallery, I sometimes look at a painting half expecting that I would be able to see what he was able to capture on canvas blink or take a breath. He has actually been able to respond recently and I love his response to my simple question.

"Hi. I've seen the works of dennis peterson here in DA and other here on the net, and i really respect his talent and artistic views. Yeah, he could have inspired me in the photo realistic painting world, like Chuck Close and other hyper realists.  Dennis Peterson- if I'm not mistaken, uses acrylic as his medium... I do it in oil paints... before doing photo realism, I was really into impressionism, and expressionism as well... I also like the master brush strokes of the likes of Rembrandt to Odd Nerdrum... somehow I tried to absorb some of their technical processes and apply it on mine... I still apply some of the academian principles of oil painting execution and try very hard to achieve the realistic effects. Thank you for asking  I really appreciate you noticing my art works." ~ CJ Tanedo 

With 413 being able to respond (9/12/2012), I happily went about and added his answer in which leaves only one more artist needing to respond. So I ask my readers for your opinion as to if this gentleman was inspired by Denis Peterson or not. 

"Diego Velazquez" by Benbe

Benbe.deviantart.com (Spain) 

A chalk pastel artist originally out of Spain, Rubén Belloso Adorna skillfully uses the small colored sticks to create large scale highly realistic pieces. Mostly focusing on portraits, he does occasionally do city scenes and the surrounding landscapes he often visits. He doesn't state much on his pieces but I think that his works do the speaking for him.