Richard Gibbons

Golden Eyes - Portrait of a Woman with a Piercing Gaze, Original Oil Painting

2020

Victor Wang's subject is a female seemingly caught in a contemplative moment yet a war rages behind her. She dons a hat shaped as a boat and carries and oar as if to "Dream Away" these other thoughts. Wang uses a blend of luminous colors and buttery textures to evoke these enigmatic moments of meditation. Influence by the Renaissance Masters Titian and Rembrandt for their glazing and layering techniques respectively, the artist builds the surface using heavy paint, swirling and mixing the color on the canvas. The end result is a poetic and emotionally powerful representation of the human form. Victor Wang Dreaming Away, 2017 oil on canvas 42h x 56w in 106.68h x 142.24w cm VWG009 My path through life has been adventurous, exciting, and dream-like. My experience of settling into America in search of better opportunities has been both challenging and inspiring. I use the human face as a vehicle to paint human experiences - worry and wonder, sadness and pleasure - which reflect the emotional stage directly tied to my immigration experiences. I grew up amongst the sunflower fields in northern China. In my childhood years, I played under the bright, yellow sunflowers with my brothers everyday. China’s Cultural Revolution played an important part in my life. During that time, sunflowers were used as political allegories to depict how citizens of China should follow Mao who represented the sun, since sunflowers follow the sun’s movements. People eventually inferred the deception that this symbol masked. After graduating from high school, I was sent to a labor camp in the country for ‘reeducation’ during China’s Cultural Revolution. There, I was subject to grueling farm work. Often, I worked in corn and sunflower fields from sunrise to sunset. Thus, for me, sunflowers evoke both personal joy and sadness. Therefore, to deliver my complex feelings, I use sunflowers as a metaphor to connote my background and emotional stage. My incorporation of collages of figures from China’s Tang Dynasty represents my Chinese heritage and is a constant reminder of where I came from. The texture and earthiness on the canvas’s surface are inspired by the texture of the soil on the farm where I worked in China. Although I often gain great pleasure from the process of painting, it is most important to unfold expressively those feelings within myself. Wang belongs to a generation of immigrant painters from China, whose artistic background was defined by socialist realism but took advantage of their skills and broke away from that tradition to create new subjects in the U.S. “When I was a student during Cultural Revolution, Soviet realism art was among the dominant source of influence and it grabbed us like lightening rod...

The subject gazes downward in Bruno Surdo's portrait titled "Reflections". The contrast between the silvery backdrop and the model's flawless skin is pure perfection. This intimate portrait is painted with a black trimmed edge therefore not requiring framing however, please contact the gallery for framing options. Bruno Surdo Reflection oil on canvas 30h x 24w in 76.20h x 60.96w cm BRS125 Bruno A. Surdo b. Chicago, 1963 EXHIBITIONS 2023 New Work, Gallery VICTOR, Chicago, IL 2021 Ethos + Truth, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2020 Realities, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2018 Liberation, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL Blood Sport, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL Art on Paper 2018, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Pier 36, New York, NY SOFA Chicago 2018, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL 2017 POP!ARAZZI, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL Coming Attractions, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2015 SOFA Chicago 2015, Ann Nathan Gallery, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL Bruno Surdo: Allegories, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2014 Bruno Surdo: Respond, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Modern Metaphors, Rockford Art Museum, Rockford, IL 2013 Bruno Surdo: Revelations, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Vice + Virtue, Northern Illinois University Museum of Art 2012 Contemporary Realism Biennial, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN 2011 Bruno Surdo, University of St. Francis School of Creative Arts, Fort Wayne, IN Uncensored, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2010 Art Chicago 2010, Ann Nathan Gallery, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 2009 Art Chicago 2009, Ann Nathan Gallery, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 2007 Bruno Surdo, Art Institute of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 2006 Context/Content: Making Meaning with the Figure, University of Arkansas, Conway, AR Creative Imaginings, Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL Bruno Surdo: Cycles, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2005 Art Chicago 2005, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2004 Tragedy, Memory, & Honor, Richard M. Daley Center, Chicago, IL Art Chicago 2004, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Group Show, Arcadia Gallery, New York, NY Drawings VII, Koplin Del Rio Gallery, West Hollywood, CA Armory Show, New York Armory, New York, NY 2003 Paintings & Drawings, College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL The Art Show, New York, NY Bruno Surdo: New Work, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Art Chicago 2003, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2003-10 International Show of Contemporary Artists, Chicago Art Open, Chicago, IL 2002 Bruno Surdo: Perception of Appearance, Frye Museum, Seattle, WA Tragedy, Memory, & Honor, Richard M. Daley Center, Chicago, IL Bruno Surdo: Transcendence, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Art Chicago 2002, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Tragedy, Memory, & Honor, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2001 Magic Vision, Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR 1998 Evanston and Vicinity Artists, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL 1996 Bruno Surdo: A Personal View, University of Wisconsin, Kenosha, WI 1995 Bruno Surdo: Recent Works, College of Lake County, IL AIDS in Our Society, Loyola University, Chicago, IL Bruno Surdo: Life, Struggle, and Hope, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL 2001 Magic Vision, Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR Bruno Surdo: Dualities of Life, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 1999 Group Show, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 1998 Group Exhibition, Fine Arts Building Gallery, Chicago, IL 1995 Spiritual Inquiries, Struve Gallery, Chicago, IL 1994 Recent Works, The 14th Annual Juried Exhibition for Lake County Artists, Grayslake, IL Go Figure, Figurative Works on Paper, Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, Chicago, IL SELECTED COLLECTIONS The Re-Birth of Venus, Temporary Loan, Fort Wayne Museum of Art Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR College of Lake County, Greyslake, IL Flashpoint Academy, Chicago IL John Robert Wiltgen Design Shoemaker Ruud Collection Julie & Thomas Danilek Michael Vozzella and Mike Silver Benjamin Fernandez Tom Braake Betsy Colburn Michael Diemand & Lor LaRose Michael Staab & Kathy Brock Bruce Leep Frank Tzurect Mary Foley Rosalyn Carlson Mimmy Turney Janet Long Halstead Billy Hunt Carol Galli Myles Kerrigan Honorable & Mrs. Edwin Berman Theodore Gage Northrop Art Museum Past Present & Future Company Dr. James & Peggy Kemmler Salvatore Monastero Nix & Virginia Lauridsen Joel Miller David & Marlene Zerkel Ann & Andy Abel Claudia Rush Marc Miller Leonard Goldberg Lawrence Pucci Howard Tullman Collection Susan & Manny Kramer James Rinnert Richar Interiors Michael & Nancy Colt Khalid Altijir Dr. Joe Grodman Beryl & Jack Gore Larry Wolf & Eric Naegle Chuck Wolandi Jack Schwab & David Sandelin Thomas Kaczmarek Marti Dinerstein Craig & Michael Golden Mike & Jill Rose SELECTED PUBLICATIONS Bruno Surdo: The Method Artist Responds, by Lucia Mauro, June 26, 2014, anitathemovie blog An Exhibition of Exhibitionism: Bruno Surdo’s ‘Respond’, by Carrie McGath, July 1, 2014, The Chicagoist Website, Arts and Entertainment “Inspired Environs: A renowned designer decks out his Loop abode in art and texture” Modern Luxury, Men’s Book, Spring 2014 “Master Class” What’z Up Magazine, Fort Wayne, 2011 ”9/11 Painting will be on Display” Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, 2011 “Illuminated Images” Fort Wayne Reader, 2011 “Two Faces of Beauty” American Art Collector Magazine, Issue #3 and #59, 2006/2010 “Art and Calamity” Art Papers, 2009 “Versions of the Present, Techniques of the Past” American Artist Magazine, 2004 “Living Artists” Crow Book Publishing, Chicago, IL 2004 “The New Master” by Craig Keller, Chicago Social Magazine, 2004. “Tragedy, Memory, and Honor,” by William Hageman, Chicago Tribune, March 28, 2002 “Mural Depicts Tragedy of 9/11” Art Section, Chicago Sun Times, 2002 Review by Dennis Raverty, Art Papers Magazine, July 2001 WTTW Channel 11...

Caleb O’Connor b. 1979 Honolulu, HI EXHIBITIONS 2018 BloodSport, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago 2017 Grand Opening: Coming Attractions, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chciago 2010 Contemporary Realism Biennial, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN 2008 “Art Chicago,” Merchandise Mart, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL “Palm Beach 3 Art Fair,” Ann Nathan Gallery, West Palm Beach, FL 2007 “SOFA (Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art)” Park Ave. Armory, Ann Nathan Gallery, New York, NY “Art Chicago,” Merchandise Mart, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL “Palm Beach 3 Art Fair,” Ann Nathan Gallery, West Palm Beach, FL 2006 “Art Chicago,” Merchandise Mart, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2005 “Caleb O’Connor: Dreams to Reality,” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL “Art Chicago in the Park,” Butler Field, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2004 “Introducing Caleb O’Connor,” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL “Art Maui,” Annual Juried Exhibition, Maui Arts and Cultural Center, Maui, HI 2003 “Rustica,” The Palazzo Bonini, Fivizzano, Italy “Group Show,” Fondatzione ARKAD, Seravezza, Italy “Facing the Real,” the Artists House, Museum of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel “20/30 Vision,” Hui Noi Au, Makawao, HI 2002 “Summer Show,” Gallery K, Washington DC 2001 “Serving Youth,” Gallery K, Washington DC (solo) “New Works,” Caleb O’Connor, School 33, Baltimore, MD (solo) “Small Works,” Gallery K, Washington DC Juried Exhibition, Gomez Gallery, Baltimore, MD Juried Exhibition, MICA Fox Gallery, Baltimore, MD 2000 “The Nine from MICA,” Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Art Gallery, Baltimore, MD GRANTS AND AWARDS 2003 Fulbright Grant to Italy, Project: Painting and Sculpture Elizabeth Greenshields Award, Quebec, Canada 2001 Elizabeth Greenshields Award, Quebec, Canada 2000 Morris Louis 32 Scholarship, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD 1999 Painting Department Award, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD 1996 Presidential Scholarship, Washington DC PUBLICATIONS 2002 Linda M. Grossman, “Meet an Emerging Artist, Caleb O’Connor,” American Artist Magazine “20/30 Show,” Maui News, Arts and Entertainments, October, Maui, HI 2001 Jessica Dawson, “The Beast Within,” The Washington Post, January 11, Washington DC Steve Purchase, “School 33 Opening a Great Show,” The Baltimore Guide Enterprise, MD “A Star is Born,” The City Paper, Baltimore, MD “Best Exhibition of the Year,” The City Paper, Baltimore, MD EDUCATION 2003 Studied under Israel Hershberg...

Artists are often isolated, but long for an idealized golden era, “La Boheme”. Frequently an artist's closest encounter with “La Boheme” is nothing more than drinking at a bar...

Gazing at Lebanese American artist Sally K's floral portrait is consuming and empowering. Inspired by strong, feminine women, she creates pop-realistic paintings that speak to the en...

Gazing at Lebanese American artist Sally K's floral portrait is consuming and empowering. Inspired by strong, feminine women, she creates pop-realistic paintings that speak to the en...

Gazing at Lebanese American artist Sally K's floral portrait is consuming and empowering. Inspired by strong, feminine women, she creates pop-realisti...

Lebanese American artist Sally K.'s captivating floral portraits are both mesmerizing and empowering. Her pop-realistic paintings are inspired by strong, feminine women, celebrating the individuality and inherent strength of the female experience. Each painting features endless floral arrangements that frame the mysterious visages of beautiful women, creating a stunning celebration of floral abstraction and wild, fanciful coloration. Lavish in application and luxurious in composition, Sally K.'s work is inspired by pop art, culture, and fashion, resulting in a powerful, visually stunning artwork that captures the essence of femininity. This original 10-inch high and 8-inch wide acrylic and diamond dust on canvas board painting is signed on the front and back. It is unframed and requires framing for display. Convenient Los Angeles area delivery. Affordable U.S. and global shipping options are available. Provenance: Artspace Warehouse. A certificate of authenticity issued by the art gallery is included. Sally K. is an Ohio-born artist of Lebanese heritage who spent her formative years in Saudi Arabia before attending high school and college in Beirut. She graduated with distinction from the Lebanese American University of Beirut, earning a BA in Fine Arts. After moving back to the United States in 2013, Sally K. and her family eventually relocated once more to Qatar in 2019. Sally's multicultural background and diverse experiences inform her artistic vision, resulting in a unique style that blends Middle Eastern and Western influences. Sally K's work is a celebration of femininity, strength, and individuality, reflecting her own journey as a woman and artist. Her captivating portraits of contemporary women are a masterful blend of abstract expressionism and portrait painting, featuring vibrant blooms that create a dreamlike aura around her powerful subjects. Her paintings not only capture the beauty of women but also their confidence and strength, conveying a powerful femininity that inspires and empowers. With alluring, flirtatious, and demure features, Sally's portraits radiate sensuality, independence, and confidence - the very qualities that define strong women. Sally's portraits are intensely personal, as each woman she paints is an extension of her own feelings, thoughts, and experiences. Through her work, she captures the qualities that captivate her in other women - the qualities she admires and strives to gain for herself. Her paintings are a celebration of the complexities and strengths of women, conveyed through a masterful use of color, texture, and composition. Sally draws inspiration from photography, pop culture, and fashion as well as artists ranging from the pop art of Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock to the gilded florals and figures of Gustav Klimt. Her highly regarded paintings have been featured in group and solo shows in Beirut, Dubai, Italy, Switzerland, and the USA. They have been collected worldwide. Notable collectors include Jesse McCartney and Kelly Clarkson. REPRESENTATION Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, USA EXHIBITIONS 2024 Affordable Art Fair, New York, NY 2024 Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA 2024 Affordable Art Fair, Austin, TX 2023 Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA 2022 “Identity with a Chance of Imperfection”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA 2022 “Saturate Euphoria”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA 2021 Affordable Art Fair New York, NY 2021 “Splatters of Life”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA 2020 LA Art Show, CA 2020 Art Palm Springs, CA 2019 Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong 2019 Affordable Art Fair New York 2019 Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA 2018 "Colored Whipped Cream," Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA 2018 Threshold Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2018 484 North Gallery, Laguna Beach 2013 Beirut Art Beat 2009 Lebanese Artists Association 2009 Gallery Surface Libre 2008 Lebanese Painters Exhibition 2007 Café De Prague Hamra 2007 Cream Saifi Village 2007 Matignion Gallery, Horsh Tabet 2007 Drops Batroun (permanent) 2007 Cloud Nine Jemaizeh (permanent) 2007 Tribecca Monnot 2006 Art Lounge, Beirut, Lebanon 2006 MILK Jemaizeh (permanent) 2006 Gauche Caviar Jemaizeh (permanent) 2006 ESCWA Riad El Solh 2006 Tapas Jemaizeh (permanent) 2006 Zinc Achrafieh 2006 Blush Monot 2006 The Basement Jemaizeh 2005 Solo Gallery Show, Art Lounge, Beirut 2005 Zinc Achrafieh 2005 Tribecca Monot Café 2004 Paul Guiragossian...