Featured Artist - Edoen Kang

Purple Iris

Today I would like to introduce to you another very talented artist, Edoen Kang. She is also a member of WWAO, World Wide Women Artists Online and is participating in the WWAO May Showcase.

Queen Conch

From Edoen Kang's Profile:

"I am Edoen, a full time artist living in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia BORNEO.I paint in watercolor, oil and acrylic. The inspiration of my work is the beautiful nature of Borneo, ie the unspoiled underwater world, the tropical rainforest, the people and their culture. Painting to me is a life long passion. Colors, light, patterns found in nature fascinated me. My favourite subjects are marine life, Koi fishes, the Borneo nepenthes and orchids.

Auspicious Turtle

"Hopefully, people who see my paintings can also appreciate my view on the nature and environment. Since 1990, I have participated in more then 40 exhibitions locally and abroad. Some of my paintings here are for sale, please visit my Artwanted website's store for more info, or email me at edoen98@yahoo.com. Thank you !"

Morning Catch

Edoen Kang's paintings are vibrant and beautiful. Her love of nature shows in her work, and that tropical feeling is quite evident in each piece. I am both impressed and delighted whenever I view her work.

Auspicious Koi 7

Lion Fish

I hope you have enjoyed viewing the artwork of Edoen Kang.
You can view her work Here
Her ArtWanted Website
View her Online Gallery

Her Blog

Have a wonderful day,
Brenda

Featured Artist - Cheryl McDonald

Mystic Valley

Today I want to share with you the work of Cheryl McDonald. She is a watercolorist, illustrator, photographer, graphic and web designer. Cheryl is also a member of WWAO (World Wide Women Artists Online), and is participating in the May WWAO Showcase.

Rainbow over Yosemite Falls

From Cheryl McDonald's Bio:
I have been an artist, illustrator, and designer for over 30 years. And what I know today is that there is always something new for me to learn, explore, and experience. My view about life is that we make our own destiny, we write our own story and my story changes every day because I am open to the possibilities. I take nothing for granted and have appreciation for all. The name of my company is Passions at Play for this reason- I am passionate about life and art is my way of playing through life...

Misty Falls

A View of San Francisco

Cheryl McDonald has created a series of cards and prints for Cards With a View, called A View of San Francisco and they are on sale at the California Welcome Center in PIER 39 in San Francisco.

Sunset at the Cliff House

Crystal Blossoms


Cheryl McDonald's Website
Her Blog
To purchase prints and cards go to CARDSWITHAVIEW.NET

Featured Artist - Lynne Reichhart

Today I want to tell you about Lynne Reichhart, another very talented artist, whom I admire, and is also participating in the
WWAO May Showcase that I am hosting.

Artist Redux

From Lynne Reichhart's Profile:
"I am a professional award-winning artist that likes to paint small and medium size pieces. I like pieces that are more intimate for cozy spaces. I have collectors worldwide and value all my customers. My work has been chosen for many competetive juried shows. I have a large range of prices so everyone can enjoy my work!"

Cottontail

From Lynne Reichhart's Bio:
"I grew up in Upstate NY in a small town. I was always drawing and painting as a kid, but never considered art as a profession. I went to college and earned a degree in computer science. After 20 years in the business world, I have finally returned to my first love - art!"

Purple Fantasy

"I began taking classes at the renowned Munson Williams Proctor School of Art and loved it. I feel that I am always learning and have difficulty being tied to one medium. Currently I work in acrylic, watercolor, color pencil and dabble in digital art (my computer background comes in handy)."

Fall Church

"Painting and drawing have always been my passion and I try to convey that passion in my work. My teacher and mentor always said that no painting is easy. I believe that all works of art take a little piece of myself to complete. I am happy to share that piece with you."

Adirondack Lagoon

"Creating art can be both frustrating and very very rewarding! One has to love it and I do! Lately, I have tended towards realism, but who knows where this journey may take me. I can't wait to find out."

Christmas Beauty

Lynne Reichhart's Website
Visit Lynne's Blog
Lynne's Etsy Shop
Prints on Fine Art America of Lynne's work
Her Zazzle Store
Lynne's CafePress Shop

May you have a most wonderful day!
hugs,
Brenda

Featured Artist Jennifer Lynn Pratt

Jennifer Lynn Pratt is the next artist I am featuring. She is one of my sister artists from my WWAO World Wide Women Artists Online Group, who is in the WWAO May showcase that I am hosting on my website.

From her Bio:

"I'm an artist from Springfield, MO. My first love when it comes to artwork is sculpture. I also do drawings (pencil, charcoal, some mixed media), digital art, and photography. Horse and wildlife sculptures are my main emphasis; occasionally I do some figurative artworks.

I create my sculptures from clay because of the exceptional attributes of this medium. Clay is an inviting, earthy material; it’s also quite durable. It’s perfectly suited to figurative sculptures because of the wide range of emotion and movement that can be captured. A finished clay sculpture is unique from other sculptures - when you touch the surface, your hand follows a path that was not created by a tool, or by machine, or transferred from another medium; it’s the exact paths and grooves that the artist’s hands created.

Along with my finished artworks website (jenpratt.com), I also have a site devoted to clay sculpture and horse art demos, www.jenpratt.com/clay_sculpture/index.php Here you can find information for building sculptures out of clay, relative measurements for the horse, etc.

I've also started a website with articles & tips for creating an art website, including layout, taking good images, building a light box to take better images, etc. Equus Studio now also provides cheap web hosting and web design. Check out www.jenpratt.com/Art_Website/index.php for more info.

I'm an artist from Springfield, MO. I started, my art business, Equus Studio, in 2004. My first love when it comes to artwork is sculpture. I also do drawings (pencil, charcoal, some mixed media), digital art, and photography. Horse and wildlife sculptures are my main emphasis; occasionally I do some figurative artworks.

Along with my finished artworks website (jenpratt.com), I also have a site devoted to clay sculpture and horse art demos (www.jenpratt.com/clay_sculpture/index.php). Here... (read more)

Of course, sculpting & drawing; gardening and growing tropicals (especially orchids - some of my photography comes from my own orchid collection); running; playing the piano."

I hope you enjoyed learning about this incredible artist, Jennifer Pratt, as much as I enjoyed sharing with you.

Have a wonderful and Blessed day,

Brenda

Featured Artist - Diane Clancy

I am featuring another artist, Diane Clancy, who is participating in the World Wide Women Artists Online (WWAO) May Showcase that I am hosting on my site http://brendathour.com/wwaoshowcase.html be sure to check it out.

From Diane's Bio:
"Diane Clancy, creates vibrant paintings that feature color and vision to inspire and uplift people. Says Diane, "I feel very blessed to have this opportunity to express myself through painting. I love that people say my artwork enhances their lives." Diane's use of color is her unifying theme across a wide variety of contemporary styles and mediums.

Conundrum I

Diane, a Greensfield, MA artist, creates radiantly colorful paintings in digital and traditional mediums. She creates goddess images, paintings bordering between abstract and realism, and magical fun images.

Ocean Dreams

Collectors have called her work poetic, whimsical, celestial, peaceful, serene, healing, fun, new age and thought provoking. Diane's work ranges from goddess and visionary images to creative and unusual figures and landscapes. She has a line of imaginative fanciful animal images. Diane has a stunning series of bubblescapes that will amaze you. Diane's contemporary art is available as giclee reproductions, selected originals, and for licensing.

Peach Fantasy

Diane Clancy's Art also collaborates with Susan Elkin Photography doing graphic design. They specialize in working closely with their clients to create marketing materials that showcase each client's uniqueness. Together, Diane's graphic design experience and Susan's photography enhances the outcome of the projects."

Mother Watching All

From Diane's Artist Statement:
"I paint because I feel inspired when I look at my paintings. Your response touches my soul and encourages me to create.
My paintings feature vibrant color, and vision. These works are vivid and express transformation by looking at things in new ways.
I want to uplift and support you in following your deepest purpose. Paintings keep me connected to the sense of the mystery of life."

Radiant Understory

Be sure to check out:

Diane's etsy shop

Diane's Blog

Diane's Zazzle Shop, CafePress and Redbubble shops

WWAO Featured Artist - Denise M. DesLauriers

As you may know, I am hosting the World Wide Women Artists Online (WWAO) Showcase for May on my website. If you don't know about it, you can check it out here


The second artist I am featuring on my blog is Denis M. DesLauriers. She is a very talented Scratchboard Artist. What's Scratchboard? Well, I'll tell you all about it.

Tulips and Ivy

About the Artist- from her Bio:

"I grew up on a farm in northern North Dakota. There I was surrounded by nature in all her aspects; new life, growing things, and sometimes death. I loved the changing of the seasons. Each one bringing with it, its own experiences and lessons. This closeness and love of nature is what I try to express in my drawings and paintings.

Living in a rural area, gave me little chance for formal art training until I got into college. But this didn't stop me from plaguing my family with my prolific 'artistic creations' from an early age. I was able to take an oil painting class in High School and participate in the International Art Camp at the Peace Gardens in northern North Dakota. These classes opened up a whole new world of expression for me and I wanted more. I spent my first year in college taking several different art and humanities courses, trying to decide which direction to take my art career. An advertising arts course was the wisest choice for me, and after two more years, I earned my bachelor's Degree. During this course, I discovered scratchboard and became fascinated by its possibilities."

Tiger Siesta

"Through the following years, I worked as a freelance as well as a staff artist. I used many different mediums, but scratchboard was my favorite. Eventually, I began specializing in scratchboard and working toward a fine art career.

Over the many years I have worked as a professional artist, my work has appeared in many galleries, art shows, festivals, and fairs; garnering several awards. My work in is private and public collections around the world."

Swan Moon



Kitten Eyes, Too

About Denise M. DesLauriers Scratchboard Art - from her Website;
"Scratchboard is either a stiff paper or board that has been coated with a thin layer (the boards usually have a thicker layer than the paper) of white or colored clay. Ink or paint is applied over the top of the clay either by the artist or the manufacturer. It was originally designed in the 1800's, as a quick and inexpensive alternative to other etching methods for illustrations needed in printing books, newspapers and etc. There are several types and qualities of scratchboard. What a particular artist uses depends on what the purpose of the drawing is (whether for school, fine or commercial applications) or personal preference. I use a heavy weight board that has been coated with white clay and black india ink. It provides the best surface for the fine detailed scratchboard drawings I create."

Hillside Garden

"I start each project with research and a lot of sketching. Once I have the idea worked out, I create a preliminary drawing on tracing vellum. A layer of graphite is applied to the back of this image. The vellum is laid (graphite side down) onto the scratchboard. I then trace over the entire drawing again, creating a light graphite copy on the scratchboard. Most of my work is done with an exacto blade. I work in layers of scratches (dots and lines) across the whole board. Each layer or level of detail adds more 'light' to the drawing. Very small areas can be changed, but correcting larger areas causes too much damage to the surface of the clay. So, if I'm not happy with what I have done, it means starting over. When I am going to be adding color, I use artist's gouache (opaque watercolors) and a small brush. The finished piece is sprayed with a clear latex enamel matte finish."

The Future of Magick

I hope you have enjoyed learning about Denise M. DesLauriers and her scratchboard artwork as much as I have.

Visit her Blog
Her portfolio on Artwanted

WWAO May Showcase - Morgane Antoine

I am happy to announce that I am hosting the World Wide Women Artists Online (WWAO) May Showcase. The theme is art. You can find the showcase here. You can also go to
my website and click on the link, part way down on the home page.

One of our participating artists is Morgane Antoine. Read her inspiring and moving story.

Summit King
From her Bio:

"Born in France, Morgane Antoine started drawing the moment she could hold a pencil. Animal lover since her childhood, like many little girls, she went through a crazy horse period, with equine books and pictures covering her bedroom’s walls. She started riding when she was nine years old and won her first ribbons in jumping competitions. Growing up, art was always close at hand and she developed her talent with no formal training, seeking to bring out the life in her subjects by working in a highly realistic manner with a variety of media such as watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, and acrylic."

Lords Of the Sky

"But at the age of 18, a tragic accident left her crippled with a broken back – and a broken spirit. Riding was now forbidden and for years, she refused to come near stables, the simple mention of the word “horse” being painful. She also stopped drawing: her dreams had been shattered to pieces, her inspiration was gone and all she could feel was the frustration and anger, so what was the point of it? Lost, she turned her back to her two lifelong passions, took on mechanical engineering and left France for Canada."

Teasing the Great Bear

In the Garden

Tender Kiss

"At 22, she lost the use of her legs after a seizure. Though she regained some mobility after several months of struggle, she realized that she would never be able to work full-time in an office and that however hard she tried, she would never have a normal life. This was a painful assessment and a profound questioning but it was necessary to move on. She finally decided to switch to graphic design as a freelance to be able to work from home and adapt her timetable to her medical needs. Art acted as a therapy and finally, the passion, the fascination – and the “joie de vivre” – were back … at the tip of her brushes."

Desert Spirit

"Today she sells artwork across North America and Europe and she has done many custom portraits. Her preferred subjects are still horses but she also finds great inspiration in capturing the spirit and emotion of other animals, wildlife or landscape compositions."

Round Robin Started by Lisa

One of the art groups I belong to, Designing Artists Womens Group DAWG decided to do a round robin. This is a collaboration of artists creating unique, one of a kind artwork together. One person starts an aceo, then mails it to the next person to work on, who mails it to the third person to work on, who then mails it to the last person to finish it. We had 8 people sign up, so we created 2 groups of 4 people. So this is the first of 8 aceo's. Created by group 1.

Lisa Parker started this aceo.

Then it was sent to me. What to do? Add a palm tree of course. I had to leave room for two other artists to work on this.

Myrna Migala added the beautiful rainbow.

It was then sent to Mary Fox, who put the final touches of waves and sunshine, which I think is the perfect touch. Now isn't she beautiful?

This is mixed media, and we are planning on auctioning them off on ebay, with the proceeds being donated to Haitie. Like I mentioned, there will be 8 aceo's in all, and they will be put together in a very cool and unique book.
Stay tuned for more.

Group 1 consists of:

Lisa Parker- etsy shop, Art by Lisa Greeting Card Shop


Myrna Migala- etsy shop,



Mary Fox- website, blog



Me, Brenda Thour

Have a fabulous day : )

Round Robin Started by Mary

This is the second out of eight aceo's finished that is being created by my Designing Artists Women's Group (dawg). They are then going to be put in a cool and unique book to be auctioned off on ebay, with the proceeds going to help Haitie.

Ok, this one was started by Mary Fox.

Lisa Parker added the cute flowers and butterflies.

I then added the Cedar Waxwing.

Myrna Migala added the final touches of the music notes.

I love how it all turned out.

To find more artwork by members of my DAWG team go to http://etsy.com and put dawg_team in the search.