I am a fine artist.  I had a very successful career teaching art for 35 years in the Maine Township High School District #207, Park Ridge, Illinois, USA.  I also taught Adult  Art Education.   I have won numerous awards as an artist and as an art teacher.   I work in all media, including oils, acrylics, alkyds, drawings, etching, and lithography  as well as digital art and calligraphy. My work ranges from realistic to abstract landscapes that evoke a poetic, whimsical attitude bordering on fantasy.  All of my work is original and protected by copy write.

I am married to Lorna for 48 years this next August 28, 2008.  We live in Rolling Meadows, Illinois  We have three grown married sons, and five grandchildren.

Recent exhibits:

“Art Expo West”, Las Vegas, October 27-30, 2007

“Florence Biennale 2007”, December 1-10, 2007

“Art In City Hall”,  September 16-February 21, 2009

Aurora, Illinois Northwest Cultural Council, Corporate Art Exhibitions, 2008-2009, NW  Suburbs of Chicago, IL

2008-Who is who in American Art
2007-Who is Who in American Art
2006-Who is Who in American Art
2005-Who is Who in American Art
2004-Book Art Press, New Art International, New York
2004-Origini, Romanian Art and Culture Magazine
2003-Book Art Press, New Art International, New York Clipa
2002-Virtual Art Solutions-Internet Gallery, Los Angeles
2000-Origini, (Roots) Romanian Art Magazine, Fine Art Award, Book Art Press- New Art International.
Cetatea Culturala, Romanian Magazine
Who is Who in American Art
1999-Origini, (Roots). Romanian Art Magazine
1998-Who is Who in American Art,
Who is Who in the West
1997-Who is Who in American Art,
Who is Who in in the West,
Glendale News Press
Luceafarul Romanesc, Canada
1996-Romania Libera, Azi, Dreptatea, Fetele Culturii Gaudemus, Mondo Magazin, Cotidianul, Gazeta de Nord Vest
(all Romanian magazines),
Artist Spectrum Magazine-Press Release Aword, Directury of Illustrations, Work Book
Selected for Art Communications International-Internet,
Selected for Encyclopedia of Living Artists 10Th Editions
Who in Who in America
1995-Magazin International, Universul, Micro Magazin (all Romanian Magazines)
Art Speak,The Villager
Actualite Departamentale Sud Ovest- French Mazazine
1994-The 4th Annual California Art Magazine “Discovery Awards”
Selected for Encyclopedia of Living Artists 9th Edition- Art Network,
Magazine International, Romanian Magazine
1993-Selected for Encyclopedia of Living Artists 8th Edition-Art Network
ActualiteDepartamentale Sud Ovest-French Magazine,
Dario Las Ameicas- Spenish Magazine,
Cotidianul, Drepatea, Universul, Micromagazin (all Romanian Magazines)
3rd Annual Art of California Art Magazine “Discovery Avard”

For the best art viewing experience, including priced works for sale, see Ovidiu Lebejoara’s work in the main gallery

2007- NeoCon Chicago, June
2006- Romanian-American Academy of Art and Science, Los Angeles
2005- Infusion Gallery, Los Angeles, Febr
2004- World Art Collection, Holland and Korea June-July
2004- LA Mart Art Gallery, Los Angeles, July
2003- Limner Gallery, New York, October
2002- Limner Gallery, New York
2001- Seaside Gallery, N. Carolina, May
2001- Limner Gallery, New York, January
2001- World Fine Art Gallery
2001- Galerie Alexie, New York, February
2000- Second International Christian Show, Seaside Art Gallery, N. Carolina, April
2000- Book Art Press Showcase 2000 Fletcher Gallery Woodstock, New York, March
1999-2000 THE MILLENNIUM ART COLLECTION,Essen, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Tokio, Johanesburg
and Sydney, in the year 2000
1998-Open Call Exhibition of S. California Artists, City of Los Angeles, Cultural Affairs Department, June-July
1998-Forth Annual International Miniature Atr Show, Seaside Art Gallery, N.Carolina May
1998-New World Art Center New York, January
1998-First International Biennial TREVI FLASH ART MUSEUM, Palazzo Lucarini Trevi, Perugia Italy, June
1997-”Absolute Chalk”, a Street Festival in Pasadena Ca, June
1997-New World Art Gallery, Soho New York, September
1997-INSTITUT INTERNATIONAL D’ARTS PLASTIQUES, GRAND PRIX DU JAPON, SAPORO JAPAN
1997-”ART ADDICTION” International Art Gallery Stockholm Sweden March, AWARD OF MERIT
1997-City of Los Angeles, Cultural Affairs Department, Municipal Art Gallery, June-July
1996-Personal Show Organized by Romanian Minister of Culture, Bucharest Romania, December
1996-Pasadena Art Space, City of Pasadena Cultural Division, Pasadena California October
1996-Ucci Gallery, New York
1996-”ART ADDICTION” International Art Gallery Stockholm Sweden, Sept-Oct
1996-”CONTEMPORARY PORTRAITS” Barnsdall Art Center, Los Angeles, Municipal Art Gallery- The City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs
Department June-Sept
1996-The ARTS AMERICAN, Atlanta, Georgia During the Weeks of the 1996 Olimpic Games, July-August
1996-Abney Gallery, New York, May
1995-George Attal Arts Gallery October Austin Texas
1995-Abney Gallery, October
1995-20th Congress of the American-Romanian Academy of Arts and Sciences, Reno, Nevada, August
1995-”Chalk on the Walk”, a street Festival in Pasadena, California, June
1995- GRAND PRIX de NAPOLEON FOUNDATION, CITY HALL PARIS, France, may-June
1995-San Bernardino Museum of Art, San Bernardino, California, May
1995- “AFFAIRE in The GARDEN” , City of Beverly Hills, California, May
1994-1995 Agora Gallery, Soho, New York
1994-Galerie Cathedrale, Los Angeles California, October-November
1994-”ROMFEST ‘94, a Romanian Art, History and Science Festival, Downey, California
1994- Chalk it Up”, a Street Festival in Pasadena, California, June
1994- AMERICAN ELITE 1995 in FRANCE, April at CITY HALL PARIS, May Museum d’Art Moderne de la Commanderie d’Unet, Bordeaux
France
1994-AfFFAIRE in The GARDEN”, City of Beverly Hills, California May
1993-The American Society of Interior Designers, Washington DC, on Capitol Hills
1993-The 18th Congress of The American-Romanian Academy of Arts and Sciences and Academy of Science of Moldova, Chisineu,
Republic of Moldova
1993-”Chalk On the Walk” a Street festival in Pasadena California, June
1993-”STATE of The ART ‘93″ The New England Fine Art Institute’s National Invitational Exhibition of American contemporary Art, Boston
1993-2th Famboyance Event, Modern Art Museum of Unet, October France
1993-3th Biennial of Aquitaine, Modern Art Museum of Unet, September, France
1993-1th Exhibition of Permanent Collection, Modern Art Museum of Unet, July, France
1993-13th Grand prix of AQUITAINE, Modern Art Museum of Unet June, France
1993- 8th GRAND PRIX FINE ART de Paris, Salon de Colombier, CITIY HALL PARIS, May, France
1993- Chim Gregg Art Gallery, La Puente, June , California
1993- The Funding Center- Old Towne Alexandria , Virginia
1992-1993-Michael Stone Collection, Washington DC
1992-Barakat Gallery, Rodeo Collection, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, May September- Nov
1992-The 17th Congress of the American Academy of Arts and Science, California State University, Norhtrtige
1992 Barakat Gallery- Rodeo Collection, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, May-Sept
1991-1992- Cedar Lily Gallery, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
1991-VIA Festival Art Show, Visalia, California
1991-New York, Uppe-Nyack on Hudson, United Pastelist of America
1991-CALIFORNIA STATE &STATE FAIR. AWARD OF MERIT
1991-Main Street Gallery, Visalia, California
1990-Los Angeles Art Festival, Modern Art Gallery, Los Angeles
1990-Main Street Gallery, Visalia, California
1989-Juleux Gallery, Kansas City
1988-Anca Colbert Gallery, Los Angeles
1887-Anca Colbert Gallery, Los Angeles

For the best art viewing experience, including priced works for sale, see Ovidiu Lebejoara’s work in the main gallery

Ovidiu Lebejoara was born in Romania, 12-14-52. Since 1986 he has lived in Los Angeles. His compositions are an original approach to interpretation of nature using simple terms: water, light, food, and energy. Ranging in style from surrealism to realism, the artist has built a distilled vision of reality where nature’s light and life’s perennial mystery compose a personal symbolism that speaks through elaborated colors and pictorial forms. Ovidiu Lebejoara forgoes the distraction of superfluous and melodramatic abstraction in favor of a cohesive portrait that gives the viewer a rest from turbulent world. His strong, well-conceived and esthetically challenging paintings reveal professional attributes in style, concept and concept. Both his older work and his ongoing series of painting show a distinctive style and contend that he has developed a personally, expressive signature, providing a way for exhibitors and collectors to identify his work.

“I like the simple, I do not like the simplicity”, the artist confess. “I always asked the eternal questions: Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? Why do we live? With each and every work I made I have always though that only the nature or God can answer our uncertainties”.

For the best art viewing experience, including priced works for sale, see Ovidiu Lebejoara’s work in the main gallery

Rosemary Hale is a versatile artist specializing in watercolour and pastel. She works from her studio in rural Staffordshire from which she leads a packed life involving teaching, writing and travel as well as painting.

In recent years, Rosemary has discovered a talent and love for teaching and now spends much of her time running courses and workshops. This came about almost by accident, when a small group of friends asked her to teach them to paint “for fun”. A small class developed from this and she has since gone from strength to strength, writing articles for well-respected art magazines such as Art of England and Leisure Painter, as well as taking painting groups abroad. (Spain and Sardinia planned for 2009).

Whilst teaching committments take up so much of her life, Rosemary still makes time for travel to remote parts of the world, for which she has a great passion. This is reflected in her painting, and wilderness subjects form the bulk of her studio work in recent years. Her watercolours in particular, are most sensitive, atmospheric and subtle, depicting the natural world as she sees it….and because she paints in beautiful parts of the world, so her paintings delight with beauty and light. There is such not a great output of paintings since Rosemary took up teaching, and so her work is now eminently collectable.

Solo Art Exhibitions:

Art Expo New York 2008
Clifton municipal gallery, NJ 2007
Art Expo New York 2007
InterArt Gallery, Chelsea, NY 2006
Art Expo New York 2006
InterArt Gallery, Chelsea, NY 2005
Guild of Creative Art, Shrewsbury, NJ 2005
Powys Gallery, Shrewsbury, NJ 2004
Art and Décor Gallery, Atlantic Highlands, NJ 2004
Studio Montclair, Montclair, NJ 2003
Ocean Art Guild, Island Heights, NJ 2003
Artzania Gallery, Tallahassee, FL 2002
Fedulov Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1997
Brewster Gallery, Baltimore, MD 1996
Gallery of Modern Art, Munich, Germany, 1992
Artist House , Kharkov, Ukraine, 1991

Group Art Exhibitions:

Paradise lost, Williamsburg center, NYC 2008
The Noyes museum of Art.NJ, 2008
Fantasmus, Saeby,Denmark, 2008
Science meets Art, Williamsport, PA, 2007
The Noyes museum of Art, NJ, 2007
Doors of Perception, Interart, Chelsea, NY, 2007
NJ Arts Annual, Noyes Museum, 2007
Mall Galleries, London 2007
H. R. Giger museum Gruyeres Switzeland 2006
Biennale of miniature Poland 2006
Les Decourtenau gallery Belgium 2005
Contemporary Art & Design Gallery, Salt Lake City UT 2005
Arts Guild, Rahway, NJ 2005
Stella Gallery, Paris 2004
C.A.S.E., Jersey City, 2004
Williamsburg Historical and Art Center, NY 2004
Monmouth Museum, Lincroft, NJ 2004
Guild of Creative Art, Shrewsbury, NJ 2003
Triennale Graphics, Kharkov, Ukraine 2003
Clifton Art Center, Clifton NJ 2003
Monmouth Museum, Lincroft NJ 2002, 2003
Monmouth Visual Arts Center, Lincroft, NJ 2002
“Russia to America”, Grant Gallery, Soho, 2002
Chelsea Theatre show and benefit, Chelsea, MA 2002
Monmouth Art Festival, Tinton Falls, NJ 2001-2007
Limner Gallery Midtown New York, NY 2000
ArtYama Gallery Tribeca New York, NY 2000
Art and Art Gallery Brooklyn, NY 1999
Art Expo Javitz Center, NYC 1998
Softline Gallery, Brooklyn, NY 1998
Mt. Kisco, NY 1997
MARS Gallery Moscow, Russia 1994
Exhibition of Encaustics Artist House, Moscow 1991
Artist House Warsaw, Poland 1987
Artist House Poznan, Poland 1986-1987
City Hall, Lille France 1982-1987
Exhibitions in Manege Hall Moscow, Russia 1980 - 1987

For the best art viewing experience, including priced works for sale, see Val Dyshlov’s work in the main gallery

Val Dyshlov was born in Siberia, the land of grand forests heavy with deep snow and
thick-furred brown bears. His passion for art dates back into his childhood when his
parents gave him a watercolor box and color pencils as a present for his fifth birthday.
Val followed his passion and in 1979, he earned an MFA in Graphics from the School
of Art in Kharkov, where he later headed the graphics laboratory and taught drawing.
In 1982, he was accepted into the Artists Union. Since 1995, he lives and works in USA.

A proficient master of many styles, Val Dyshlov celebrates themes and temperaments
of the Old Masters. He expands their vision through the centuries to encompass the
movements and methods of their future. Utilizing classical art forms and images, he
transforms them to build his own world of dazzlingly imaginative plots and characters.

First prize winner in The Artist Magazine’s 2002 contest, Val Dyshlov exhibited in
numerous European cities, including H.R. Giger museum, Switzeland, the Noyes Museum
of Art, NJ, Mall Galleries near Buckingham palace, London, Biennale of Graphics, Poland,
Manege Exhibition Center in Moscow . Other cities include Zimmerly Museum of Art
of Rutgers University, NJ, Chelsea, New York, and Pennsylvania College of Technology.
Many of his artworks are in museums and private collections in Europe, Russia, Canada
and USA.

An art teacher once told Val that all the passions of the universe are hidden in a single
ankle from Return of the Prodigal Son. At the time, he did not fully comprehend this
wisdom, but now every brushstroke offers him an insight into the sense of existence.

For the best art viewing experience, including priced works for sale, see Val Dyshlov’s work in the main gallery

Visual and performing arts are the common languages prevalent among many cultures. These, coupled with my reflections and family influences, birthed my painting series “From Stories of My America”.

From the year 2000, I visually documented the essence of my cultures, culminating in a three year traveling exhibition of which the signature piece, Give Those Yeast Rolls Time to Rise, was directly related to my familial experiences. These works were representative of not only my life story, but the stories in the lives of people across the country and beyond. No ambiguity in my intent or subject. Because of its semblances the exhibition became the catalyst for the The High Museum workshop I conducted where I was asked to compare my work to that of the Harlem Renaissance artist, Jacob Lawrence. The “Stories of My America” exhibition premiered at Atlanta’s Hammonds House Museum in 2002, and was exhibited in eight museums and fine art galleries across the south; the Historic Beach Institute in Savannah, The Rosa Parks Museum, in Montgomery, Penn Center in St. Helena Island, and Fine Arts Academy, Shreveport, LA among them. Gullah Rhythms was displayed in the Kente’ Exhibition at The Marco Carlos Museum. By the close of the exhibition tour I began my transition, fulfilling a career-long desire to move beyond the obvious and explore new depths in my work. Because I found the enigma of “abstraction” compelling albeit a bit overwhelming, I sought the expertise of two of the country’s most stellar artists. Change, after an established thirty year career, has been challenging. The walk of faith I have taken, on this journey of transition into this new genre, has been daunting, but it has also been exciting and rewarding.

I admired the works of the 20th century Expressionist painters. I would occasionally explore the realm of nonrepresentational imagery in my earlier paintings. What I did not realize at the time, was that the language I needed to create this new body of work, was already embedded in the unique rhythmic strokes and style of my representational images.

The traditional definition of abstract art: Abstract art is purely non-objective and non-representational; it does not depict the reality of specific objects. At its inception, this genre’s movement redefined what art is and began breaking all of the traditional rules of art. Artists began leaving out information, splattering paint, texturing the surfaces, using fewer strokes and bolder colors. I think that it is the “rule breaking” that initiated the “conceptual” or “Abstract” art movement, creating the contrasting perspectives and inspired illusions. I depend on the wonders of nature to supply many of the patterns and designs present in my work and believe that colors, shapes and depths have their own rhythm, weight and importance in art. We can often find the story in music. Representational art is like music with words and abstraction reminiscent of “Blues blue” and “magenta Jazz”. They are often based on a theme that takes on different forms or a spiritual experience. In my incorporation of as many of our senses as possible into my paintings, many often speak of the ability to hear my paintings, the rhythms that glide across the canvas, resonating in the melodic tunes embodied within the intensity of the colors, the strength of the lines and boldness of the strokes. It is a common belief that ancient African cultures feared the elements, but in fact, African peoples trust in the continuity of nature, its unchanging cycle of seasons and the succession of day and night. The symbols used to communicate messages within the living world and serve as a link to our ancestors and the supernatural world are, to the untrained eye, abstract in nature. I believe that there are many ways to tell our history.

This genre — and its “stories” is one of them – has been around for centuries. It is interesting that the viewing public, especially those familiar with my prior works, constantly try to find the stories and recognizable imagery in my abstract paintings. They are pleased if their imagination discovers a face or an animal of sorts. What I have deduced, as an abstract artist, is that it takes an entirely different perception and an openness of the imagination to understand the work and to appreciate it on a deeper level. Because many of the stories in my “Stories” series came from complete strangers, it was the space between the story given me and the way I received it that determined the degree of realism or abstraction I incorporated into the painting. With these conceptual works, the beginning and the end of the story are the same. These paintings take a journey through my soul on the way to the canvas, where they are cultivated and materialize. I am going to ask you as the viewer to take it all in, not necessarily expecting to understand the work immediately, but to take the time to appreciate the essence, created by the textures, lines, strokes, and compositions. And in interpreting the depth of my emotional awareness as an artist, we together just might reach a new level of understanding of this abstract genre. It is after all, the language that I am currently choosing to dare broach the world of the conceptual unknown.

For the best art viewing experience, including priced works for sale, see Charlotte Riley-Webb’s work in the main gallery

Armed with strong cultural values instilled in her by her parents and grandparents who had lived in the south, Charlotte acquired the desire to document and share that culture through art at an early age. Her career was built on a good basic educational foundation which she obtained in the public school system of Cleveland, Ohio and earned her B.F.A. degree from The Cleveland Institute of Art. She began her M.F.A. at Georgia State University, screen printing at The Atlanta College of Art, mono-printing and abstract art at Tougaloo College, MS. Charlotte visually documented the essence of her culture in her three year traveling exhibition, “From Stories of My America”. She also used it as a springboard for The High Museum workshop where she was asked to compare her work to that of Jacob Lawrence. Premiering at Atlanta’s Hammonds House, the Stories exhibition has shown in nine different museums and fine art galleries, traveling to the Historic Beach Institute in Savannah, The Rosa Parks Museum, in Montgomery and The Penn Center, at St. Helena Island among them. “Gullah Rhythms”, a painting from the tour, was also displayed as a part of the Kente’ exhibition at The Marco Carlos Museum in Atlanta.

Over the years her venues extended across the country and beyond the states to include Surinam, South America and Anguilla, British West Indies. Webb’s work is included in numerous, private, business and corporate collections. The most recent public works installations were Faces and Phases of Fulton , a painting installed in the Fulton County Public Service office in Atlanta and the installation of her collaborative new medium, “sculpted paintings” which she creates with her sculptor husband, Lucious. The couple installed an outdoor public work in the concert district of downtown Hampton, VA for which they were awarded The Hampton Arts Commission Award of Excellence and their piece, “Sounds of Perpetual Spring”, was voted as the city’s People’s Choice Purchase Award for their permanent collection.

Among her many awards and accomplishments, Charlotte has been the recipient of several Georgia Council and Bureau of Cultural Affairs grants which she used primarily to fund her 13 year volunteer senior citizen art classes and installation of an art gallery for the work. Charlotte was one of 14 artists nationally to receive the Absolut Vodka’s Heritage Award resulting in the commission and six city national tours Contemporary realistic with an abstract flair, Charlotte’s style easily translated into the illustrations for two children’s books Rent Party Jazz and Sweet Potato Pie, for New York publisher, Lee and Low. She has also recently completed the paintings for Entrance Place of Wonders, a third children’s book based on poems from the Harlem Renaissance for publisher, Harry Abrams Books.

An evolution of study, growth and expansion has led Charlotte to her new and present genre. She began working in “abstract art” with stellar abstract artist and 2004 Vander zee award winner, Moe Brooker of Philadelphia a few years ago and again in “encaustic” the summer of 2004. She also learned John T. Scott’s, of New Orleans, hand-made wax paper printing process after studying with him in 2003. These opportunities aided her in finding her own “abstract niche” and helped propel the career which she had been hinging on for many years even in her figurative works. Her abstract accomplishments were recently acknowledged with her “Best of Show Award” in the AAFTA Holiday Exhibition 2004, and “New Power Generation 2005″ National Exhibition, at the Hampton Museum in Virginia where she was awarded the John T. Biggers’ Award for her pastel work “Integrating Life”. Charlotte also received the first place award for works on paper at the 2005 Southern Roots Exhibit at the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham; AL. Recently voted into the oldest most prestigious organization of women artists, The National Association of Women Artists, NY. She has received a September 2005 fellowship to The Hambidge Art Center and the Women’s Studio Workshop in New York in January 2006 where Charlotte looks forward to translating the abstract images into silkscreen prints. Kandinsky says that “Abstract art places a new world, which on the surface has nothing to do with “reality”, next to the “real” world. Deeper down, it is subject to the common laws of the ‘cosmic world.’ And so a “new world of art” is juxtaposed to the “world of nature.” Charlotte believes that colors and shapes have their own rhythm, “weight” or importance in a painting. She has woven these shapes and colors into compositions which she calls “Earth Tunes”, which she feels are as valid, and have as much emotional power as music. Her exhibition, “Transcendence of Earth Tunes”, will debut her abstract work in a one person exhibition at the Apex Museum during the NBAF in Atlanta, summer 2005.

For the best art viewing experience, including priced works for sale, see Charlotte Riley-Webb’s work in the main gallery

Biography
After obtaining my degree in Fine Art at Liverpool, I lectured for a short time (mainly life drawing). I then moved to Italy in 1979. This was very important as I became aware of colour and light as if they had not existed previously. Also the introduction to early Tuscan artists was an enormous discovery and influence. Now my studio is in Spain; it suits me as I prefer to work in total isolation. I did not start showing work until 1996 as before then I had not felt ready to.

Artistic Approach
The abstract in Art has a purity that I have always loved. Since I was a student I have been trying to paint abstract paintings; however, I have always worked from observation. At first I concentrated on developing my representational skills as I felt they were vital. More recently I find that to achieve my aim the world around me is the richest source of material. The physical presence of paint, and the relationships between colours and marks, are the essential elements.
All ideas are obtained by observation. Selection and the use of them are subjective decisions, though I strive for accuracy all the time.

Only landscape and still-life are my themes and sources. The introduction of the human presence in portraiture changes the discipline, to include it is a move I would not make. Lastly, I find my mind alone does not produce adequate material.

For the best art viewing experience, including priced works for sale, see Philip Richardson’s work in the main gallery