Elvira Kravenkova

“I paint the beauty of ordinary things and people and my thoughts about this world.”

— Elvira Kravenkova

Elvira Kravenkova is an award-winning Canadian artist residing in greater Vancouver area. She works in impressionistic realism style rooted in her Russian background. She was born and started her art education in Russia and later, after coming to Canada with her family, continued her art education going through Anatoly Badriashwilli’s studio and Mandy Boursiqout’s Atelier.

Elvira is teaching art since 2016 when she was invited to instruct at a private art school and started to teach at her studio. Kravenkova’s works are in private collections in Russia, Australia, Italy, Israel, USA and Canada.  She shows her works internationally and in Canada (including multiple juried and curated shows). In last three years she participated in four museum shows in the US and Canada.

What is the impetus of your creativity?

I can not stay away from my art materials for too long, at least a graphite pencil and my sketch book should always be in my car or in my purse. While other people talk about their day, I sketch my impressions of the day. Art is my way to communicate with the world and the thing that helps me to get through even toughest times of my life. It also helps me to find like-minded people who finally become my friends and collectors. So, the impetus of my creativity is my love to life and interesting people.

What is your art philosophy? 

World is beautiful. Even when I go through some terrible times, my ability to find beauty everywhere, helps me to get through. I remember my conversation with my grandmother when she was about eighty-six. She told me that she was tired of life and a few minutes later she asked if I could help her to replace her window curtains with something nicer. My answer was: Sure. And then I laughed and told her it means she is not tired of this life.  She also laughed and said she is tired but she still wants to be surrounded by beautiful things. With the help of my art, I try to teach people to notice wonders and beauty of this world. 

What medium do you use for your studies and how does that translate to the final painting or artwork?

For my studio works I spend a lot of time to do preparation. I start with multiple thumbnail sketches, which are done with graphite pencil, trying to find the best composition and light. I also use my reference photos when I need them. After I decide what thumbnail sketch is the best for my painting, I start doing color studies where I use either watercolors or oil paint. My choice really depends on my mood, it is not my technical decision. 

If I work with a model, I usually start sketching with charcoal or Conte crayon and later work with oil paints. For my final paintings, I usually use oil paints which is the medium that I love more than anything else for its versatility.

Do you ever venture out of your creative process to try out new things?

Since my education does not include art only (I am also trained in science and medicine), I love to experiment. The longevity of my art career gave me the chance to go through different styles and different mediums. I was trained in classical realism and started to show my works as a realist. 

Later, when I needed some challenge, I decided to try abstractionism. It was a period of my super-bright works that were done in acrylics. I still have one of my abstract works on display in my living room. It is titled Sunny Day and helps us to survive long gray West Coast winters. My personality always moves me from one thing to another and does not allow me to get stuck. After awhile I got tired of my abstractionism period and got back to realism, this time it is impressionistic realism. I also love to try different mediums, including some digital sketching and try to incorporate the results into my oil paintings. 

New things always inspire me and keep me learning.

This portrait was inspired by the personality of Anna Rivina who used to fight for the most vulnerable people in Russia  and now, after being forced  to leave Russia, started to protect women and children who are going through difficulties of adaptation after they had to leave their own home countries.

Katayoun Stewart

What is the impetus of your creativity?

The empetus of my creativity is the blend of my personal experiences, emotions and curiosity about the world around me and expressing thoughts and feelings that I can’t articulate in words.

How has social media changed your art practice?

Social media has significantly transformed my art practice in several ways. For example sharing my works on Instagram and facebook and receive instant feedback. Also I have been exposed to a diverse array of artists which has broadened my creative horizons. On the business side, social media has become a tool for marketing my art.

What is your art philosophy?

I believe art should evoke emotions and provoke thoughts. My philosophy in figurative and portrait painting is grounded in the pursuit of capturing the essence of the human spirit. I believe that every face tells a story, and my goal is to bring those stories to life on canvas and uncover the unique character and inner life of the individual. This process is not just about achieving physical likeness, but about understanding and depicting the personality, mood, and energy of the person. I am particularly drawn to the play of light and shadow on the human form, as it reveals not just physical features, but also subtle emotional states and hidden narratives.

What influenced your art style?

I have always had a deep admiration for old masters’ classical technics with a contemporary perspective. I am particularly drawn to the play of light and shadow on the human forms as it reveals not just physical features but also subtle emotional states and hidden narrative.

What turns has your art career taken?

My art career began with a deep engagement in abstract landscape paintings, a realm where I expressed my visions through the interplay of color and form, capturing the essence of nature in a way that resonated with my personal perspective. This phase was marked by a freedom in expression, where each canvas was an exploration of the abstract world.

However, a significant turn in my artistic journey occurred against the backdrop of unfolding political events in Iran. Witnessing the social upheaval and the impact of these events on individual lives, I felt a compelling need to shift my focus. This period marked my transition from abstract landscapes to figurative art, a change driven by a desire to capture the human condition and its complexities more directly.

This shift was not just in subject matter but also a profound alteration in my method and approach. Figurative art allowed me to explore and portray human emotions, stories, and the underlying psychological states of individuals living through these tumultuous times. It was a way to connect more deeply with the audience, offering a mirror to society and the issues it was grappling with.

Embracing this new direction, my work began to reflect the narratives and experiences of those around me, painted with a sense of urgency and authenticity that abstract landscapes did not permit. This phase of my career was characterized by a more grounded and realistic portrayal of life, a response to the immediacy of the social and political climate.

Currently, my art continues to evolve within the figurative realm, constantly influenced by the world around me. This journey from abstract to figurative art, prompted by external circumstances, has not only broadened my artistic repertoire but also deepened my understanding of the role of art in reflecting and responding to societal changes.

What are you frustrated about?

There’s often a tension between creating art that is true to my vision and producing work that is commercially viable. 

Although I’m constantly reminding myself of the value of artistic integrity and trying to find a healthy balance between commercial and creative goals, this conflict sometimes impacts my creative process, leading to periods of self-doubt and reduced productivity.

Additionally, the current economic climate has made it more difficult to secure funding and resources for new projects. This has limited some of the plans I have for exploring and expanding my artistic practice.

These challenges, while frustrating, have also been learning experiences. Looking forward, I hope to continue finding innovative ways to sustain my practice and to create art that resonates both with me and my audience.

News from the Lunar Codex Project

The Serenity Collection draws from our other time capsules, mainly because my timeline from contract to payload onboarding was tight (Dec 8-12). Serenity will likely launch sooner than Polaris.

Serenity will include 3 sub-collections on 2 types of media. Medium 1 has lifetime comparable to Nanofiche, so is costly. Medium 2 is rad-shielded semiconductor memory.

Serenity is included in a larger time capsule from my payload partner, a replica of which will go on a traveling exhibit and eventually be offered as a permanent exhibit to a major institution.

- Serenity A:
Analog images from 25 artists. Archive medium 1.
--- Artists selected by 5 art curators. The specific selection of artworks was curated by Samuel Peralta.
--- Morrisseau (Androgyny), Gomez (Lifted High), Horton (Ring of Bright Water), Gadino (Robot Betty), Okamura (Wu Tang Tee), Ingold (Postpartum), Read (Requiem), Scott (Only Good News), Longhurst (Body & Mind III), Ross (New American Gothic), Van Doren (We Can Thrive From This), Deng (ASMR), Aubey (Emerald Girl), Dzhuraeva (Calm Water), Zeller (Wrapped in You), Anghik Ruben (Passing Through Time), Swingle (Pool Party), Bitanga (Concatenations), DaLuz (Between Worlds), Wiesenfeld (Starship) Bess (Rapture), Randall (Dreaming Moon), Savenkova (Oceans), Malang (Coming Storm), Peralta (Wingbeat of Birds)

- Serenity B:
Around 1500 creatives. Digital format. Archive medium 1.
--- Art magazine covers - All from Nova - Menendez/Goss183, BBM, and FAC covers
--- Music - Waveforms and sheet music from Nova
--- Nonfiction - Assaf (Say Please) from Polaris
--- Novels - Parsons (Elliott), Maidman (Zanzibar), Blouin (Billy) from Polaris
--- Plays & screenplays - J Peralta, P/S Cawdron, JM Alberto from Polaris
--- Poetry - All Nova poets + Best African Poetry 2019-21 poets from Polaris, Clevenger and Whedon from Polaris
--- Short stories & anthologies - A Weir (Sephalon Tales), B Sujiwaro (Yesterdays Tomorrow), authors & editors from 23 official volumes of the Future Chronicles from the Special Edition, AI, Dragon, and up to CW:HWH (~300 creatives), Memory's Children & Knight's Gambit from Polaris

- Serenity C:
Around 2000 creatives. Archive medium 2.
--- Selected from Polaris, not yet fully documented. Work selected for Serenity will *still* be included in Polaris.

Welcome aboard!

Erica Calardo

Erica Calardo is a figurative painter living and working in Italy. Her works in oils, watercolors, and pencils are windows on the solitude of lost souls. She explores the realm of Beauty, Grotesque, and Magic, by creating eery oneiric feminine figures who tell tales of long forgotten dreams, of an imaginary timeless past.

Deeply rooted in the Italian Tradition, her technique is inspired by the Renaissance and Mannerism old masters (Leonardo, Bronzino, and Lavinia Fontana above all). She is mostly self-taught and has learned her skills from old dusty books. She has recently studied academic painting with Italian master Roberto Ferri.

Since 2010, she has showcased her work in galleries in Italy (Mondo Bizzarro, Studio21), and abroad (La Luz de Jesus - LA, Auguste Clown - Australia, Modern Eden, Swoon, Flower Pepper, WWA, and Spoke Art, Distinction - USA, Pinkzeppelin - Berlin among others). Erica's paintings have appeared in several magazines and books, like Miroir Magazine, Beautiful Bizarre, Il Manifesto, Inside Art, Italian Pop Surrealism, Illustrati.

ADD TO YOUR ART COLLECTION @ARTSY

Eugen Varzić

Eugen is an artist who has developed a highly personal style that makes his beautiful pieces instantly recognizable. His paintings from the last few years, is simultaneously beautiful in both technique and aesthetic, but also creates a subtle sense of unease in the viewer. The work demands answers (or at least questions) from the viewer. It demands contemplation. And yet, the sheer honesty of it makes it something that can be lived with. This is challenging art that could take pride of place in a living-room and be accepted into your life. Eugen is one of the bravest artists that we know, in that his paintings are a refined, but almost excruciatingly honest, recording of the journey of his life, both the highlights and also the dark depths of thoughts and emotions that generally are hidden away and never shared. Even though they can be uncomfortable, something of Eugen’s innate empathy and compassion is also contained in each of his paintings and they provide a deep sense of support and strength that comes from exploring and knowing your limits.

ADD TO YOUR ART COLLECTION @ARTSY

Lorena Lepori Interview

Add to your art collection @Artsy.

Lorena Lepori's figurative oil paintings have a narrative based on the representation of feminine figures beyond gender, relating to everybody who can express the power of femininity. She uses cross-dressing to reach out and create iconic alter egos to expand and embrace a hidden part of her models’ personality through look transformation. She relies on myths, fairytales and clichés challenging the traditional representation of the matters, re-introducing them in a contemporary setting, mixing old and new symbols to relate more with universal concepts.

Scott G. Brooks | Interview

I use the figure to create surreal and mildly inappropriate imagery, from simple portraits to complex narratives.

What influenced your art style?

My early influences were TV, movies, and comic books. Being from Michigan I also recall being influenced by wildlife artists. There were some beautiful religious paintings at the church we attended, that I would stare at while attending mass. My parents had some very interesting and unusual art hung in the house, from Margaret Keane knockoffs to Dutch master knockoffs, several of which I now have hanging up. Specific elements such as ruff collars or horse drawn carriages continue to be a staple of my work. Over the years I’ve been drawn to specific movements such as the pre-Raphaelites, and more artists than I can list, but they include Cadmus, Bosch, and Rockwell.

How has AI changed your work?

I don’t think AI has changed my work yet. From my perspective it seemed to just come out of nowhere. I can turn my nose up and dismiss it, but it's obviously here to say. The elaborateness of it is daunting but also inspiring in a weird way. My work has always been fantastical and detail forward so I can’t help seeing it as competition of some sort. Pixar and CG has definitely changed the way I see the world and create, and over time I think AI will as well. Just as photography moved painting into new directions, I predict AI will as well, but it’s just too early to see what direction that will be. One thing for sure is that AI won’t be able match the effects of traditional painting and making art anytime soon. 

What role does your artwork have in society?

My work plays the role of the non-conformist.  I live in a world filled with bears, cubs, otters, mermaids, kitties, puppies, witches, fairies, pagans and atheists. As someone who has often felt marginalized, I feel comfortable with those who share that experience. These are the people I include in my work—my neighbors, coworkers, drinking buddies, and loved ones.  

As a gay man, existing has become a political act, and I once again find myself in a time where people like me and my friends face demonization. This is not new to me and it seems to recur every decade or so. I accepted long ago that there will always be people who hate me simply for living my life. I am privileged to live openly and safely, while so many people live in fear or risk their lives for speaking up and being who they are. Given the current climate of anti-LGBTQ+ laws and propaganda, I feel a responsibility to be more public about who I am and the work I do. I hope my work speaks to that weird kid somewhere and can help unlock something in them that’s buried or has been pushed down. I’d like to give someone the courage to stand out and not feel forced to conform to the rigidity of society.

What concept or narrative is behind your work?

My work is primarily narrative, and while I try to communicate new and different ideas in each one, there are a few recurring themes. Being an outsider is common in my work. Impending doom and some sort of mental or physical impairment pop up quite a bit as well. Religion and spirituality - both pro or con, comes into play, as does sexuality, either as an underlying theme or in a more direct style. 

Do you ever venture out of your creative process to try out new things? 

I spend most days painting, but am occasionally dragged out of my comfort zone and try new things. Back in 2020 I was invited to audition for a reality art show that would have pitted me against other artists. That went against just about everything I believe in but rather than a flat no I went along and had several interviews with casting agents and producers. That was way outside my comfort zone. Ultimately I was not selected, the show recently aired and most artists panned it. I have not watched it, and also relieved I was not selected.

TikTok was another venture that I tried and ended up enjoying. More traditionally I dabble in the occasional sculpture, and I also work digitally quite a bit. I recently opened a shop on Threadless and have a line of tshirts for sale there. Creating those designs forced me to think about ways to simplify my work and what I’m trying to say, which could be very useful in my traditional work as well.

Which was your breakthrough piece? Tell us more about it.

I think my first breakthrough piece was from 1997. It’s a large oil on canvas piece called “Light Sources of the Body and Sole” and takes place in a church. I had been working hard for many years to be more traditionally representational,  but realized that was becoming painful and limiting. There were enough academic and photorealist painters out there I thought I would try something new. I had been drawing these little cartoons characters with exaggerated wide-set eyes and large heads, so I thought I’d try that in my “Art”. This piece was one of the first and by far the most elaborate. I still have it hanging in my studio today. It was a style that confused people but it also made my work very easy to recognize. Eventually it seemed  like everyone was painting figures with big heads and wide-set eyes so I have slowly begun going back to a more traditional style and being a bit more subtle with the distortions. 

The Ginger with the Dragon Tattoo

20 x 16 inches

Oil on canvas

Girl with a Cabbage

24 x 18 inches

Oil on canvas

Rhapsody in Yellow and Red

48 x 24 inches

Oil on canvas

Sonata in Red and Yellow

48 x 24 inches

Oil on canvas

Home to Roost, 2019

Oil on canvas

20 × 16 in | 50.8 × 40.6 cm

Gabriella Di XX Miglia | 10 QUESTIONS

Born in Genoa, Italy, Gabriella Di XX Miglia received her art education at the Ligustica Academy of Fine Arts in Genoa doing studies with Rocco Borella and Mimmo Rotella, then for three years continued her training under Guido Chiti and Palma Viardo. Later she received her Masters Degree in Art Restoration and Conservation. In 1983 Gabriella opened her painting studio in Los Angeles. Esther Robles, a pioneer in California modern art, organized and hosted Gabriella Di XX Miglia first personal exhibit in USA .Gabriella's works have been shown annually in both national and international shows. She was featured on 1984 in The Los Angeles Times, Sunday Home Magazine.

Her paintings are in the collections of private, corporate, and public sectors. In 1985 she was nominated for Guggenheim Fellowship, New York.

1-What is different from your art work than other artists working in contemporary realism?

I go beyond realism in my desire to capture resonant moments.

2- How important is process versus the end result?

Process is my compulsion of painting born by curiosity. It involves of letting go of controlled, pre-planned finished pieces without expecting an end result. The end result is always unpredictable. 

3-What is your ultimate goal when creating contemporary realism?

My ultimate goal is to stay consistent to my muse in connection and balance.

4 -What do you like best about your work?

The surprise of using new tools, the discovery of my subject through different marks, the human connection.

5-What do you do you like least about your work?

It takes a long time to find my end result.

6 -Why contemporary realism?

I always was a figurative painter but also attracted to some elements of dream that makes sometime my art a bit more expressionist. I express my reality who is my connection to all my inner sensations.

7- Which are your greatest influences?

Da Vinci, France Hals, Rembrandt and many more.

8- What is your background?

I studied painting at The Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti in Genoa, Italy and received my Master Degree in Restoration and Conservation from the University of Genoa, Italy. After working in both Italy and USA in bublic and private sectors as a conservator and a restorer I dedicated full time in my art making.

9- Name three artists you’d like to be compared to in history books.

Turner, Giovanni Boldini, Pietro Annigoni

10- Which is your favorite contemporary realism artwork today?

Stephen Bauman in his portrait of a boy with blue eyes.

David Morris | Spotlight

How important is process versus the end result?

For me process is extremely important; I am most drawn to works that take on the look of a relic and I love when the end result holds evidence of the process. Rubens’ oil sketches are a good example of this. I love to see evidence of layers that have been built up or of hints of the underlying drawing that the artist perhaps used as a basis, but never tried to erase. Some of these marks may represent failures and others revisions. But to me such marks breathe life into a work; they represent the struggles that were part of it. As such, often the work of other artists that I have bought has been small studies that were created in the course of larger works.

What is your ultimate goal when creating contemporary realism?

I don’t think much about how my work would be categorized under a specific genre. Rather what I make is the result of my interests.  I have always been drawn to the human figure as subject matter. When I represent people I look for something unique in the person’s expression, or the pose, or the design of how multiple figures are intertwined that I try to represent and communicate.

What do you do you like least about your work?

In general I work with a quite limited palette, because it is manageable for me and it feels like a natural way to keep the painting unified. That said, I truly admire, and am dumbfounded by the work of figurative artists like Steven Assael and Nelson Shanks in which they have created brilliant works with huge palettes of highly chromatic pigments, that hold together beautifully.

Which are your greatest influences?

The work that I make is an amalgam of what I have learned and what I have experienced in the course of my life. I am influenced by those from diverse disciplines who have taught me in medical anatomy,  artistic anatomy, understanding form, techniques in drawing and painting, etc. My work is influenced through my studying the work of living and deceased artists. It's also from travel, reading, watching plays and noting set design, listening to music, looking at photographs, and making an effort to become one with nature and my surroundings.

Christa Forrest | 10 QUESTIONS

1- What is different from your art work than other artists working in contemporary realism?
It has always been a struggle to find my own uniqueness - what makes me different.   Throughout my creative journey I have compared myself to others and seen frustration along the way.  I finally decided to focus on myself. Working through my uniqueness and creative process by focusing on my own self portrait.  So my work is a true connection of me.  Getting to understand and accept me as well as sharing my creative journey with my viewer through the feelings and experiences I have felt throughout the process.  

2- How important is process versus the end result?
I truly enjoy the process and sometimes never get to the end result.  I love activating my canvas with an underpainting and experimenting with different ways to allow it to come alive.  My process is my growth, each time learning and understanding how to get to that end result.    I do enjoy finishing but the process is where I love to live.  

3- What is your ultimate goal when creating contemporary realism?
Where my creative journey is right now, my goal is to see myself, my uniqueness and story through my self portraiture series.   Each new painting becomes growth.  I love the challenge of making it look “real” but also experimenting with texture and color to play with those themes.   

4 -What do you like best about your work?
I love the learning process. I truly enjoy working through my creative problems and finding solutions.  I love challenging myself to think and see differently and play with those challenges on my canvas.   What I love is looking back as I experience where I started and where I am now as an artist.   Creating a growing, breathing body of work that evolves as I evolve in my creative journey.

5- What do you do you like least about your work?
I think what I least like about my work is that it takes me so long to get to that end result.  My “inner critic” loves to voice their opinion when I don’t need it.   

6 -Why contemporary realism?
I love the challenge of realism.   I love experimenting with color and texture to create a living, breathing body of work.   I love diving into a subject and see the uniqueness of it.  I love challenging my work to develop story and feeling rather than just making it look like a photograph.

7- Which are your greatest influences?
My greatest influences are all of the amazing female portrait artists out there.  I love watching and supporting their growth.   It has been my motivation to grow through their successes.  

8- What is your background?
This is somewhat of my second career.  I spent 20 years in the finance industry and quit to pursue my true passion as an artist.  I am primarily self-taught but I definitely take advantage of learning from many of the artists that motivate and influence me.  My work focuses primarily on portraits in oil but I love to work in mixed media and do love to paint a good landscape every once in awhile.  

9- Name three artists you'd like to be compared to in history books.
That’s tough to choose just three.  But I love Georgia O’Keefe, Frita and I am currently obsessing over Bisa Butler’s amazing work.  

10- Which is your favorite contemporary realism artwork today?
I can’t stop obsessing over Amanda Greive’s work.  If I could spend an hour watching her process….

Nadia Ferrante | 10 QUESTIONS

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1-What is different from your art work than other artists working in contemporary realism?
I always try to capture the mood of the subject, it fascinates me how the human body moves in space and how I can express a thought in an action. What strikes me most in the themes I deal with, is highlighting the condition of women in modern society and the theme of the environment. I try to express myself in various techniques, trying to put them on the same level of importance.

2-How important is process versus the end result?
I spend a lot of time creating the best surface for my work and in the creative development of the concept I want to achieve, to find the right way so that my intent corresponds to the final result, it is perhaps my favorite thing. I also always try to go a little further in my search for the perfect texture, be it in human figures or in the fabrics of clothes. 

3-What is your ultimate goal when creating contemporary realism?
My ultimate goal is that of creating something unique that corresponds to the image in my mind so that it is clear to the viewer, and that it reaches as many people as possible. 

4 -What do you like best about your work?
When the final work turns out to be even better than the starting image that forms in my mind 

5-What do you do you like least about your work?
When in progress I realize that what I see does not work as it should, or that the initial project proves to be longer than expected to be implemented.

6 -Why contemporary realism?
Because it is the way of conceiving art that I have had since I was a child, linked to the great masters of the Italian Renaissance who were like superheroes for me.

7- Which are your greatest influences?
What most influences me is the Italian Renaissance and the Baroque, in particular Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio in my formative years, later I fell in love with Degas who made me discover pastels, Klimt and the Pre-Raphaelites. . I have recently been admiring Annigoni’s work 

8- What is your background?
I took a drawing and painting class for 2 years, a few workshops, a drawing and painting course in life, but over the years I’ve perfected the technique that works best for me, both in painting and drawing.

9- Name three artists you’d like to be compared to in history books.
Degas, Caravaggio, Annigoni.

10- Which is your favorite contemporary realism artwork today?

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Benji Alexander Palus | 10 QUESTIONS

Benji Alexander Palus is a painter of closeness; intimacy. Inspired by figurative art of every style and era, Palus works in the discipline of figurative realism, delving deep into the humanity of just a handful of close friends who act as his muses. His oil paintings are extensions of his personal relationships, explorations and celebrations of everything he values and admires in his friends' divine femininity.

In the artist's words: “It's difficult to convey the importance of my friendships with these few women who inspire me to paint. They are my art. They inspire me with the very fabric of who they are, down to their core – the way they love and live their lives, raise their families, and overcome hardship and tragedy.”

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1- What is different from your art work than other artists working in contemporary realism?

I try not to compare my work to other artists' work (thief of joy, and all), but maybe it's the straightforward nature of the scenes I generally paint. There's not a lot of symbolism in my work. I don't believe that a deeper meaning to an image is necessary to make it more beautiful, or if you'll excuse the redundancy, more meaningful. I paint actual moments that I've experienced with my muses which capture their own unique personalities, and prefer to leave it to the viewer to project their own feelings and thoughts onto them. For example, I recently finished a painting of my pregnant friend at a restaurant, checking her sandwich for mayonnaise. It's so simple but I find the image beautiful and funny - it's just something that she does because she really hates mayonnaise, yet there was something there so endearing to me, and yes, moving. I can only hope that viewers will find as much delight as I do in the little moments like that.

2- How important is process versus the end result?

I think the end result is really what matters most. That's the part that lasts. Looking at my finished pieces, you'd never know which ones were a struggle and which ones came easily - which started with a detailed sketch and which started as blobs of color on the canvas. That said, though, to the artist the process is all there is. However, once a painting is finished it goes out of your hands and off into the world. It's no longer yours. From an altruistic perspective, what you're giving to the world is far more important than your own individual experience.

3- What is your ultimate goal when creating contemporary realism?

I want to give people wonder. When I see a piece of art and it fills me with wonder, it's like magic. It transports and transforms and connects with me. If I can create something that gives people that sense of wonder, it's like a sacred privilege, for which I am inexpressibly grateful.

4 -What do you like best about your work?

I guess it's the fact that since I paint my closest friends, my work gives me so much time to spend with them. An artist by necessity spends long stretches of time working in solitude, but for me that lonely time is spent reliving memories on the canvas in between the times that those memories are being made. It keeps the people that I love close to me, even when they live a thousand miles away.

5- What do you do you like least about your work?

That's easy - there's not enough of it! I work too slowly! I wish I could be one of those artists that pumps out thirty paintings a year, but if I can finish one a month it feels like an accomplishment. I'm more prolific than I used to be, but it never feels like I'm doing enough.

6 -Why contemporary realism?

From my earliest childhood, realism has been the style to draw my eye and move me the most, so that's what I do. I'm a realist by nature. I'm not a spiritual person, nor particularly philosophical. I know that spirituality, philosophy, and symbolism play a large part of realism art, but honestly those aren't the aspects that appeal to me, at least not in the work that I do. I love that I can create a painting and a person, thing, time, and/or place are made real on the canvas - capturing a real moment, real emotions. I love the freedom of that simplicity. My paintings usually don't "mean" anything. They're captured moments, slices of life, and hopefully that's what makes them resonate.

7- Which are your greatest influences?

I can throw out some names - Sargent, Titian, DaVinci, etc, or contemporary artists like Pamela Wilson, Jeremy Lipking, Casey Baugh, Heather Brunetti, but the list would be unending. I have thousands of influences. Every single piece of realism art that I've ever seen has left a mark.

8- What is your background?

I consider myself mostly self-taught when it comes to practicing my chosen calling of figurative realism. Most of what I know of figure drawing and oil painting comes from trial and error, built on some basics that I learned in high school. When I was twenty I took an eighteen month course in commercial art and earned an associates degree, but it wasn't very illuminating. There wasn't much focus on fine art and I missed the week they spent using oils because I was on an internship. A few years ago I took a three day workshop with Natalia Fabia which was wonderful, but that's pretty much the extent of my fine art education, aside from visiting galleries and art museums to study the paintings and artists that I love.

9- Name three artists you'd like to be compared to in history books.

A gallery director once told me that my work reminded her of Caravaggio, which swelled my head a bit, although I'm not sure I see it, ha ha! Really, though, I try not to think about things like that. I just do my best to make something beautiful and worthwhile.

10- Which is your favorite contemporary realism artwork today?

There are soooooo many! But I have to say that the image that first popped into my head when I read this question was “Pearl” by Heather Brunetti.

Sarah Warda | 10 QUESTIONS

Sarah Warda is an American realist painter from Connecticut. She received her formal education from the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts, as well as the Art Students league of New York with Harvey Dinnerstein and workshops with Aaron Shikler. Her work has been displayed in notable venues such as, the National Arts Club of New York, New Britain Museum of American Art, and the Zhou B Art Center Chicago. She has participated in numerous exhibitions including Connecticut Women Artists, Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Arts Club NY, and PoetsArtists. She has been commissioned for numerous illustrations, murals and portraits for public, private and corporate collections.

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1.-What is different from your art work than other artists working in contemporary realism?
Having been told that I am “so sensitive” most of my life, I’ve found a place in my art for this sensitivity that has become my superpower. I think I harness and embrace vulnerability, empathy, and a sense of hope into my art. I’m sure other artists can relate.

2- How important is process versus the end result?
My process is hugely important to the end result. I used to wish that I was one of those highly organized painters who pre planned everything perfectly-  a perfect drawing, premix all the colors, and put on the gloves. Although I really admire this approach, I came to the realization that it not how I work best. I tend to make order out of chaos, and this allows me to really feel the subject and make room for instincts and edits along the way.

3- What is your ultimate goal when creating contemporary realism? 
It might seem lofty, but my goal is to break through the veil of our perceived reality in some sacred way. In a world where we are connected to everything but ourselves, I would like to bridge this gap with my art.

4 -What do you like best about your work?
Honesty and vulnerability

5- What do you do you like least about your work?
My tortured approach

6 -Why contemporary realism?
It’s a great time to express our reality

7- Which are your greatest influences?
Right now, Velazquez, Barkley Hendricks, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Kathe Kollwitz

8- What is your background?
I studied with Deane Keller and Dan Gheno at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts, The Art Students League of NY under Harvey Dinnerstein, and portraiture workshops with Aron Shikler.

9- Name three artists you'd like to be compared to in history books.
As if- Leonardo Davinci, Andrew Wyeth, Turner

10- Which is your favorite contemporary realism artwork today?
I am very moved by the painting, Star of the Sea by Patricia Schappler

Elena Caravela | 10 QUESTIONS →

Elena Caravela, a School of Visual Arts alumna, has exhibited widely and has garnered awards for her painting and portraiture. Examples include a finalist in The Artist’s Magazine 34th Annual Art Competition, NOAPS Online International Exhibitions, Allied Artist of America at Salmagundi Club, Placing in the Portrait Society of America

Member’s Competition, Finalist in Art Kudos International Competition, Awards at Ridgewood Art Institute, Women Painting Women juried exhibition, Principal Gallery, and a Solo Exhibition “Girls In Sight” at the Visual Arts Center of NJ.

Human beings captured in candid moments are at the heart of Elena Caravela’s work. She may concentrate on a particular concept driving a series of paintings, but fleeting human expression is always the underlying core of her paintings. Both Idiosyncratic and universally recognizable nuance of facial expression and body language is on display in frank and sometimes awkward recognition for the viewer. This conveyance of emotion is also demonstrated in Caravela’s Illustration work. It includes magazines such as 3x3 Magazine for Contemporary Illustration, award winning children’s picture books, and a non-fiction picture book about young female artists that she authored and illustrated.

Q&A

1- What is different from your art work than other artists working in contemporary realism?

My work is about the individual in the moment, the personality, or the concept. While always embracing realism, my color palette and or style serve to support the expansion of my subject or concept. These are the elements that drive my work. I’m not in the business of “pretty” for pretty’s sake. 

2.- How important is process versus the end result?

The process is almost everything. The absolute joy of making something out of a personal driving motivation. That said, when the result is disappointing, I have no qualms in painting over the work and starting over or starting something new.

 3.What is your ultimate goal when creating contemporary realism?

My goal is to do my best in bringing forth my subject or concept in search of their myriad mysteries. Peeling away a layer for others to see and feel and to connect with it in some way.

4 -What do you like best about your work?

It is of the moment. Often a fleeting aspect of an expression revealing part of a subject’s complex personality. The same process reveals a concept 

Very close to my heart.

5- What do you like least about your work?

The deficits in my technical skill in so far as my dream of always surpassing them.

6 -Why contemporary realism?

The ability to grab any viewer’s eye instantly, because the human brain cannot resist representations of truth in life.

7- Which are your greatest influences?

So many! The masters of old, of course. Many female artists whose names may not be recognizable. And tons of artists working today. I save images of particular works on my desktop. I refer to them over and over again to inspire me.

8- What is your background?

I’ve been thinking like an artist for as long as I can remember. Certainly feeling deep connections to all living things and a wonderment of the light and the dark. There was never any question that I wanted to BE an artist. Then a BFA at SVA at a time when conceptual art and abstraction won the day. Hence, illustration was the only form of realism that was sanctioned.  I illustrated and painted portraits. I love to teach young artists. I love to share the skills of drawing and painting, gifting anyone the power of expression and creativity.

9- Name three artists you'd like to be compared to in history books.

If ever, Velaquez, Goya and one of my students.

10. Which is your favorite contemporary realism artwork today?

For today, “Void” by Amaya Gurpide

Ariane Kamps | 10 QUESTIONS →

1- What is different from your art work than other artists working in contemporary realism?

My work is different in that I tend to use a lot of punchy colors, lots of neons, etc and the subject matter is often centered around modern problems, mostly concerning how technology is affecting society on a spiritual level. My goal is to create modern mythologies.

2- How important is the process versus the end result?

The process means a lot to me, I enjoy a lot of the little things. I enjoy sanding panels of all things, gilding the edges with gold, little things like that. I'm always excited to begin a piece. That initial excitement is what carries me through the long process that becomes the end result.

3- What is your ultimate goal when creating contemporary realism?

I want to have a conversation with the viewer about our modern life, the choices we make each day and the world we're ultimately building.

4 -What do you like best about your work?

I like to creating little worlds and making peculiar dreams become reality. It helps me think about the issues we're facing when I can see it represented. 

5- What do you do you like least about your work?

I dislike having to explain the meaning or inspiration behind the work because I often don't have a "message" attached to each work, just loose ideas that I wonder about when I look at each painting.

6 -Why contemporary realism?

I'm a very literal person, I get stuck on details which is useful in realism and I've found a safe haven in contemporary realism. I feel like the artists that work in contemporary realism are pushing boundaries and asking important questions, it really feels like an art movement that is alive and growing.

7- Which are your greatest influences?

I love the work of Frank Frazetta not only for his fantastical worlds and narrative work but also because, not unlike myself, he started oil painting later in life. He was very gutsy, and made being true to himself and his vision paramount. I also love the work of Mucha, Klimpt, Monet, and Waterhouse. In terms of living artists I'm very moved by the work of Kari-lise Alexander, Ali Cavanaugh, and  Kristin Kwan.

8- What is your background?

I didn't end up going the conventional education route but much of what I learned was from fellow painters, workshops and what I could find online.

9- Name three artists you'd like to be compared to in history books. 

I would feel honoured to simply be mentioned in a history book, I can't imagine being compared to any of the incredible talent out there today.

10- Which is your favorite contemporary realism artwork today?

I love this egg tempura piece by Julio Reyes. It feels timeless yet still contemporary.

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Lorena Lepori | 10 QUESTIONS →

What is different from your art work than other artists working in contemporary realism?

I believe intentions are what makes every work unique. Mine are unpredictable, sometimes. I am mostly inspired by personal memories, abstract feelings and references from movies and music I grew up with. This combination of elements characterizes  what I produce.

How important is process versus the end result?

In my case the two  are deeply connected. Once the right idea hits me, the creative process evolves quickly; subjects, backgrounds, outfits and props are already in the picture before I touch the brush. They are so clear to me, that ,rarely, I found something different from what I have planned on my canvas.

What is your ultimate goal when creating contemporary realism?

Make the  viewers curios about the references and amuse them with the twist I like to add in the composition.

What do you like best about your work?

In the process I like the attention I give to the  concept. In the end, I like to see the materializing of my abstract idea.

What do you do you like least about your work?

I would love to be more spontaneous, less obsessed with technical details.

Why contemporary realism?

I consider myself a pragmatic soul, but nothing trigs me more than realistic figures, amazingly executed, immersed in the abstraction of an idea. 

Which are your greatest influences?

My very first love was Tamara De Lempicka, flamboyant colors and beautiful women in glamorous  and swoony poses. I think I got my imprinting from her, and that would explain the focus of my attention into feminine figures.

Caravaggio, and his incredible dramatic work, definitively represents a level I have always aimed to. Last but not least,  Gustave Klimt who stimulated my curiosity  with his ethereal pale women,  wrapped in symbols and flat fabric.

What is your background?

I used to be a cartoonist and illustrator in my twenties. Life drove me away from that  world  for several years. Only in my forties I went back to my original passion, and I started to train myself as a painter, with the help of artist friends and a lot of self-teaching. It is now 9 years that I am totally committed to oil painting. And I love it!

Name three artists you'd like to be compared to in history books.

I would love to see  my name mentioned next to the three artists named above, that would be of course very ambitious and not very humble.

Which is your favorite contemporary realism artwork today?

A huge masterpiece by Sergio Martinez - The portrait of Desire

Gemma Di Grazia | 10 QUESTIONS

1. What is different from your art work than other artists in contemporary realism?
Unlike still life, landscape painting or botanicals, my flowers are my live models. They have personality, express emotion and have a narrative. The story of my flowers is a dialog between color and the shapes they create; and the conversations can be harmonious, complementary, or energetic.

2. How important is process versus the end product?
The process of painting provides such joy. I love the fluidity of the oil paint, and the satisfying control of my brush. The discovery of the palette as it reveals itself is like watching an engrossing movie. Time doesn’t exist when I’m painting, I’m simply in a zone, a headspace of hundreds of intentional decisions flowing from my mind. The end product is, as some say, “when I stop painting.” To conclude a painting is to finish a good book: resolved and better for the experience.

3. What is your goal when creating contemporary realism?
My goal is to sell my work, so I may afford to continue painting! I heard Audry Flack say recently that art is healing; that can be for the artist and the viewer. Flowers are life-affirming, and beautiful. Beauty itself is healing, whether creating or appreciating it.

4. What do you like best about your work?
My new series of floral paintings fuse representational florals with elements of design. It is exciting and hopeful to make work with the goal of expressing beauty.

5. What do you like least about your work?
I have many more ideas than I can paint. Editing is crucial. My painting process takes time, so I never have enough.  

6. Why contemporary realism?
I enjoy painting what I see, then putting it through my filter and express the beauty.

7. Which are your greatest influences?
My parents, who were artists.

8. What is your background?
A family of artists contributed to my early interest in art. My grandmother, mother and father all attended Cooper Union for art. My mother was a painter and my father, Thomas Di Grazia was a published illustrator and painter. I attended LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and then earned a B.F.A. from Hunter College. I also studied at S.V.A., Parsons, and the Art Students League of New York.

9. Name 3 artists you’d like to be compared to in the history books:
Instead of artists from history, I’d rather be along side the many artist friends whose work I admire.

10. Which is your favorite contemporary realism artwork today?
It is difficult to choose just one particular favorite contemporary realism painting, but some of my favorite contemporary artists are: Xenia Hausner, Hope Gangloff, Audry Flack, and Janet Fish.

GEMMA DI GRAZIA

Di Grazia’s representational paintings are a celebration of color, light and form. Her compositions exhibit formal aesthetic elements, whether using soft pastels or oil paints, she uses a luminous and vibrant color palette that transform the formal foundation into something exciting and dynamic. Her work seeks to evoke the life-affirming beauty inherent in the natural world, and reveal what is extraordinary in the familiar. Ultimately, it’s not the subject matter that interests Gemma, it’s the tone, the gesture, color, light, scale and composition, that continue to absorb and inspire her.

Michael Van Zeyl | 10 QUESTIONS

1- What is different from your art work than other artists working in contemporary realism?
I think my work looks different because I work in three picture planes, a foreground, midground and background and they are clearly separated by dimensional feeling. I like to play with texture and use color harmonies to push the near too far feeling. I think the individual elements of my paintings are realistic but the overall composition is imaginative. 

2- How important is process versus the end result?

I spent so much time developing a process with oil paint using material surfaces that were mostly handmade. I hoped to create textures that were not seen before. Being a painting teacher, I surrounded myself with more people who were focused on technique and HOW to paint. When you have a show and you discuss your work with more non-painters you learn they are talking about and focus on the final image and WHAT you painted. 

3- What is your ultimate goal when creating contemporary realism?
To paint my truth but ultimately connect with a wide enough audience which make my paintings immortal.

4 -What do you like best about your work?

It is a reflection of my thoughts.

5- What do you do you like least about your work?

How long it takes me to call it complete.

6 -Why contemporary realism?
Because when I walk out of every museum and art fair I visit that is the genre that stays with me and can’t stop thinking about.

Field of Lilies, 2018

Oil on panel

20 × 30 in | 50.8 × 76.2 cm

7- Which are your greatest influences?
I’m going to go with the living ones because I had the opportunity to study with all of them starting with David Leffel then Steven Assael and weekend with Bo Bartlett. 

8- What is your background?

I went to art school with a focus on illustration and design. I began painting after art school at the Palette & Chisel Academy where I was able to paint with dozens of great artists and talk art talk art 24/7.

9- Name three artists you'd like to be compared to in history books.

I like Vermeer for his thoughtful picture making, I like Thomas Dewing for his etherial quality and made up color harmonies and I like Degas because when you think of dancers you automatically think of him.

10- Which is your favorite contemporary realism artwork today? 

Daniel Sprick’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

MICHAEL VAN ZEYL

Michael Van Zeyl is a full-time artist living and working in Chicago. His formal training began at the American Academy of Art, continuing on at Chicago’s Historic Palette & Chisel Academy. His art has been featured in several publications such as: American Art Collector, PoetsArtists, and American Artist magazine. Michael’s work is already appreciated in many public and private collections, such as the United States District Court, University of Chicago and was the 2014 recipient of the Dorothy Driehaus Mellin Fellowship for Midwestern Artists.

Terry Strickland | 2022 Year in Review

Terry Strickland paints realistic, conceptually provocative figurative oil paintings. They have a modern sensibility and vibrant color with an old master’s attention to detail. The results are beautiful, compelling paintings with universal themes. Much of Terry's work investigates the idea that a choice of costume can reveal or conceal truths about our shared humanity. She explores the concept that change is the one constant in life and is necessary, at times turbulent, painful, or joyful.

Strickland's work is in The Bennett Art Collection and has been collected, published, and exhibited extensively throughout the United States.

Was 2022 a good year for you?

It was a very good year for me. I spent a lot of time painting and finished my first large piece since before COVID and that was exhilarating.

I had some wonderful encouragement from curators, writers, and editors when they included my paintings in their exhibitions and art publications. It’s a great validation that the direction of my work is one that’s resonating.

I enjoyed teaching, too, classes and workshops in person and through my Patreon, where I mentor artists one-on-one, and post instructional and inspirational materials. 

What were some of the highlights in your art career? 

I’m now represented by Didi Menendez at 33 Contemporary Gallery. I’ve been doing group shows as an invited artist for a few years and I’m looking forward to working with them in a closer relationship. 

My painting Phoenix Rising made the cover of Fine Art Connoisseur. That was a very nice surprise!

I was honored to be invited by Peter Trippi, Fine Art Connoisseur, editor in chief, to teach at Realism Live, A Virtual Global Art Conference. It was fun to virtually meet people from all over the globe and be presenting along side some of my favorite artists.

What was the craziest thing that happened?

Images of some of my paintings are going to the moon! They’re included in a time capsule as part of the Lunar Codex, founded by Samuel Peralta. I wish my dad, who worked at Kennedy Space Center as a Quality Inspector on the space shuttle, had lived long enough to see this. It means so much to me a "Rocket Kid" who grew up watching every launch and having the space program and integral part of our lives. Thank you, Dr. Peralta.

Did your art sell?

I sold some in the last quarter of the year and am hopeful that’s a good sign that the economy is recovering. I’ve been in this business long enough to know that there are ups and downs. My strategy is to keep making art, entering shows, and connecting with people. The market will come around.

Were you included in any shows?

It was a busy year for online and physical exhibitions. I had work in several 33 Contemporary Gallery exhibits, The Final Frontier, the Summer Pop-Up show.

My paintings were included in Painting the Figure Now, International Exhibit off contemporary Figure Painters at Wmoca in Wisconsin, in the International FIKVA Award 2022 Exhibition, Antwerp, Belgium, is a finalist in the Art Renewal Center’s International Competition, and was in the Realism Live Faculty Art Auction.  

Were you published in any art magazines or periodicals?

Yes, the first this year was Fine Art Connoisseur’s March/April, 2022, issue in an article about collector Robert C. Kennedy. After the purchase of my painting, Voice of the Tiger in 2010, Robert said, “It’s acquisition helped solidify my realization that I was developing a substantial collection and prodded more serious thinking about that fact.” For me seeing the painting was like seeing an old friend.

My work is in feature articles in American Art Collector, about Painting the Figure Now, July 2022, Fine Art Connoisseur, Dressed to Impress, Nov-Dec issue.  

What are you looking forward to in 2023?

Painting more provocative paintings that connect with people. Continuing to push my craft. Working on new ideas for several new series. I look forward to what 33 Contemporary will accomplish together with exhibitions and art fairs.

Sharon Sayegh | 2022 Year in Review

Were you included in any shows?

I was selected to be in the ArtFair24C Showcase 2022. I also had a two person show at Grant Avenue Gallery, NJ  and exhibited several paintings at LeMieux Gallery, New Orleans. 

Did your art sell?

Yes I did sell this year.

What are you looking forward to in 2023?

I will be exhibiting in a three person show at ArtworksTrenton in May 2023.