Creative Thresholds

by LizzieRz

LizzieRz is a Brazilian Architect and Urbanist, internationally recognized and quoted in the press for her artistic and architectural projects. Throughout her career she’s worked in a broad artistic universe–design, graphic design, painting, drawing, sculpture, and literature. As an artist, Liz likes to choose simple details in everyday context and expand them to reveal new patterns.

You can learn more about LizzieRz here:

http://www.lizzierz.com/

http://www.soulempreendimentos.com/

https://twitter.com/LizzieRz

Artist: Marzena Lavrilleux
Born in Lodz (Poland) in 1969, I came to France at the end of 2007 and I’m now living in Orleans. I’ve painted since 2008. Before arriving in France, I worked with a Polish artist. We made a few fashion shows in Poland (Warsaw and Lodz). Until then, my artistic sense was expressed more in fashion clothing. The ability to express emotions through painting has always fascinated me. It was something of a revelation, not of my artistic side, but my ability to express myself on a canvas. In my paintings, I want to express my emotions, which are sometimes extreme. I never prepare what I am going to paint, it is a spontaneous expression of my imagination. Most of my paintings are dark for the reasons mentioned above. My paintings are subjective because I have no perception of people who will view them. So everyone will see what he or she wants.

Learn more about Marzena and see more of her work at her Website and Facebook page.

by J. Adam McGalliard

J. Adam McGalliard received an MFA from the New York Academy of Art with a scholarship for study and a BFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he was the recipient of the Myrtle Reeves Scholarship. McGalliard taught painting, drawing, and printmaking as a faculty member at the Sawtooth Center for Visual Art in Winston-Salem, NC. In New York, he taught as an Adjunct Painting Professor at Brooklyn College and the City University of New York. He also worked as a Post Graduate Teaching Assistant at the New York Academy of Art, NYC.  For Five years he worked as a painter and sculptor for world-renowned artist Jeff Koons.

His latest work is a series of photographs and paintings involving the projection of images on figures. The photographs are works in and of themselves while also informing the painting process. The projected image works as a double-edged sword. It can starkly reveal something that is hidden, like the writhing tattoos of the Illustrated Man, or it can mask an individual as a concealing veil or garment that creates a protected outer hull.

Learn more about Adam and see more of his work at his Website or visit his Facebook page.

Swiss visual artist, Verena Baumann, was born in 1964 and has been working for thirty years with paint, pencil, scissors and a camera. After beginning her career as a graphic designer she expanded her interests and activities towards the freedom of a more personal art form. By living a less compromised life, she began to discover and explore a more instinctive use of line, shape, color, texture, and composition. Balancing the union of harmony and fragmentation is a primary motivation in her search for artistic truth. Today she explores spontaneousness and improvisation as a transforming fuel, nurturing her love for painting. The pursuit of ordinary magic became the most valued attribute for her creations. Find out more about Verena at http://about.me/verenabaumann.

by Brent Houzenga

In 2006 Brent Houzenga stumbled across a discarded photo album with portraits from the 1890s. This set off a surge of inspiration. Since then Brent has amassed an extensive body of work, attempting to breathe new life into the individuals in the photographs through vibrantly colored abstract paintings that incorporate stencil work and spray paint. His graffiti style brings a bold contemporary touch to the “old-timey” figures.

Later, Brent extended this style to contemporary portraits. He frequently uses one image over and over again, casting each subject in a new light by layering a new design on top. This allows him endless opportunities to explore the various facets of an individual’s character. His paintings are bright and bold. They draw interesting links between the past and the present, and between what we perceive and what is real.

Check out more of Brent’s work at his website. Contact him at BrentHouzenga@hotmail.com.

By Maxwell Sebastian

Maxwell Sebastian was born in 1979 in Atlanta GA. He spent his early years in the metro Atlanta area, but moved and spent his teens and early 20’s in Philadelphia, PA. 2002-2003 brought him back to Atlanta. He’s a self-taught artist and has been exhibiting since 2000-20001. Check out more of his work at his website.

By Hilary Yarbrough

Artist: Hilary Yarbrough
I began drawing at a young age as a way to break down what I was taking in and to understand every moving part. As an adult, I am still breaking the world down into pieces, as a means to stop it for a moment and give an image to every story. I am self-taught, and my favorite mediums are those which are more volatile–the watercolors and inks and gouaches–because they do what they want, as opposed to the final outcome being entirely in my hands. I try to be playful–if dark–when I paint, to lessen the weight of reality, but also to remind myself that I am small and everything is fine.

Check out more of Hilary’s work at Anti Illustrator.

by Ilisa M. Millermoon

When I began painting female figures I chose to title the series “More Than.”

We are Divine creatures with many facets. The physical is only one facet.

We are physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, passionate. We are “More Than.”

The moment we embrace ourselves as Divine creatures we know no limits to our creative expression.

by Holly Friesen