Artist Interviews
Artist Angela Alés
“Art needs to have a soul. It can’t just be a technical display. Anyone can learn technique. Originality and creativity is what makes it special.” - Angela Alés
Artist Benji Palus
“Painting or drawing basically anything and everything growing up, I can look back and see the early signs that I would eventually narrow my focus to figurative art, specifically women. I was obsessed with comic books in my teens, fascinated by the artists' ability to tell so much with images. Even then there was an allure to the female heroes over the male. I have always felt a pull toward the feminine in art. There is something so noble, so beautiful, so inspiring to me to be found in women.” - Benji Palus
Artist Heidi Neumann
“I think the most important thing I learned is to find your own style and explore it. I have met many artists with wonderful talent but have not found their own style. Their subjects and techniques vary from painting to painting and it is difficult to identify their style. Other artists have a style but no subject and their work feels a bit “all over the place”. I feel that concentrating on one subject for some time opens up entire new ideas and allows you to really reflect on your work.” - Heidi Neumann
Artist Ivan Milenkovic
“These paintings represent people portraits absorbed into their devices – laptops, tablets and mobile phones – where the only light source is the light of a PC, Smartphone screen or other kind of display tech. The Contemporary subject, theme with a classic painting technique made my paintings in a way very contemporary and socially engaged.” - Ivan Milenkovic
Artist Maureen Denny
“Currently I am inspired to grow and learn and make mistakes. And then find a way to use what I learn to make my art more impactful. The deeper I get into this journey the further I want to take it. As an introvert I am starting to find my voice through my art.” - Maureen Denny
Artist Paul King
“Creative blocks surface sometimes… to get over it… just keep drawing and you’ll get inspired”. - Paul King
Artist Kevin Nichols
“My life has been consumed by feeling I do not belong. I am an athlete who doesn’t respond well to coaching, a student who only excels on my own time, and a loner surrounded by many acquaintances and few friends. Human connection is a struggle for me, even though people who know me argue the counterpoint. Drawing is the only through line to my life that has consistently enhanced my human connection, and that is why I create the art I create today.” - Kevin Nichols
Artist Skye Rudin
“I want to continue to explore both myself and the world through my art, and I believe that the understanding gained from that exploration will improve myself as an artist and my life exponentially.” - Skye Rudin
Artist Nathan Cole
“I want to be an advocate for integrating nature into our societies, building wildlife corridors through our landscapes as hunting and migratory routes for species, and rewilding areas to increase biodiversity and ward off invasive species. I am hoping with my art I can impact our relationship with wildlife, to draw on our empathy to see ourselves in these animals, but also value them for their uniqueness and difference from ourselves. I am trying to show the viewer the beauty I see out there in the world.” -Nathan Cole
Artist 江峰 Jiang Feng
To me, the thing that really differentiates people and artists is their thinking. Hence, reading is a must for me because it helps me to reflect and replenish my interiority. In addition, discussing and reasoning with wise and trustworthy friends is always inspiring and rewarding after some reading and reflecting.” - Jiang Feng
Artist Jesse Lane
“Embrace what makes you unique. Don’t be insecure about it. Artists who leave their mark do so in part because of their uniqueness. They own it. I do coloured pencil. While it would be more mainstream to use oil paint, painting is not what I do. I stick to coloured pencil because that’s what I do best. I want to challenge previous perceptions about my medium and do it in a way that adds intrigue to my work.” - Jesse Lane
Juror - Kamar Thomas
“I am inspired by people and -if you will pardon the comparison - the metaphorical masks they wear depending on the context they are in. I like to see how people adapt their behavior and identity.” - Kamar Thomas
Artist Casey Thornton
“ My work speaks quietly, drawing focus to the nature of objects and moments that surround us in the everyday, and inviting the viewer to pause and consider them with a renewed sense of clarity. I paint a variety of subjects including the female figure, self-portraiture, still life and botanical.” - Casey Thornton
Juror - Rachael Lynn Reynolds
“I'd be happy to be involved in anything that helps artists become noticed or establish their careers. Emerging artists are some of the creators with the most fresh ideas and the most ambition. It is fun to see their spark and passion shine through in their work. The Boynes Emerging Artist Award is an excellent way to allow emerging artists to gain a platform. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to be a small part of it.” - Rachael Lynn Reynolds
Artist Jessie McCall
“I was a late bloomer. Late to learn how to swim and still a bit of a dunce when it comes to charging through waves and staying afloat. That’s why I love this work. It challenges me and it challenges my subjects and the result is always worth it. This artwork is multifaceted - it salutes the feminine, it honors our landscapes and it inspires a childlike wonder.” - Jessie McCall
Artist Tanya Atanasova
“ I want to capture more than just their outer appearance. I want to become an intermediary between them and the viewer – building a connection that hopefully goes beyond painted realism. My gaze is directed into the story of every character, I create their identity and unique complexity by using attributes that characterize them.” - Tanya Atansova
Artist Kathy Varadi
“The COVID 19 pandemic is devastating the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world through sickness and death. There is an awakening that the losses transcend the physical and are affecting the emotional and mental health of many more. The emotional losses will persist for decades after the sick recover and the dead are buried…” - Kathy Varadi
Artist Jose Michelsen
“I have always been moved to create art by the human body. At the beginning it was a need to represent, copy what I saw on a piece of paper. But then I learned how to involve my emotions with my visual work and wonderful things started to happen…” - Jose Michelson
Artist Elizabeth Rickert
“I sat in a field in Georgia and was awed by the flight of butterflies. So I began to paint butterflies. In California, I discovered the flax plant which became my Grasses series. In the high desert landscape of Santa Fe, I found and painted roses in all stages of their lives. I never painted a fish until I encountered koi in a pond. Everything I am inspired by starts with the magnificence of nature.” - Elizabeth Rickert
