Ian Hornak

(Abstract Still Life) Untitled, 1965, Ian Hornak — Drawing

1965

Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002) Title: (Abstract Still Life) Untitled Year: circa 1964 Medium: Acrylic on illustration board Size: 10 x 9 inches Condition: Good Provenance: Estate of ...

Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002) Title: (Abstract Mythological Landscape) Untitled Year: 2001 Medium: Ink on archival paper Size: 11 x 14 inches Condition: Good Provenance: Estate of I...

Signed lower right, 'E. Brigeois' for Evelyne Brigeois (French, 1946-2016) and dated 1985; additionally signed, verso, dated and titled, 'Troyes #2'. Born in Troyes, France in 1946, Evelyne Brigeois grew up in the town of Nimes, east of Paris. She subsequently lived and painted in Germany, England and Spain before moving to the United States in her late twenties. Settling in Idaho, she began a forty-year career as a fine artist, exhibiting widely and with success including, regularly, at both Boise's Art in the Park and Art and Roses Festival. Evelyne Brigeois was also the recipient of numerous national and international awards including from the National Watercolor Society, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Michigan...

Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo creates dynamic compositions of people and places that communicate a rich commentary on the world around him. Depicting trees from personal encounters, Surdo’s latest body of work entitled “Tree Spirits” takes us on a foray into the forest, where leaves, branches and burls express something deeply personal. Applying his mastery of figurative realism to the natural world, he experiments with form and texture to uncover the intangible spirits of trees. Entitled “Faith,” this small-scale charcoal drawing depicts a tree trunk carved with two deep cuts in the shape of a cross. The carving has healed over, assimilated into the bark as just another interesting detail. Up close, the work is loosely drawn with a heavy hand, but from afar, the natural scene still achieves a sense of realism. The tree trunk is conveyed through chaotic scribbling and aggressive strokes of light and dark charcoal, resulting in a pattern that simulates the rough texture of bark. Light falls softly on the tree, illuminating its form against the dark, atmospheric surroundings. The striking imagery of this work conveys the strong emotional response elicited by Surdo’s personal encounter with this tree. Restricting the composition to only the scarred portion of the tree trunk, Surdo focuses on symbolism of the cross carved into the tree’s side. The carving was inflicted upon the tree by an individual, whether as an act of graffiti or the object of adoration. Despite this wound, the tree persists and grows, adapting and changing until the mark is but another interesting detail. The tree’s spirit endures and speaks to the strength it takes to heal oneself, whether physically or mentally. Charcoal on paper...