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FASO Collector Recommends: Milena Guberinic

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Biography

Milena is an internationally exhibited, award-winning visual artist born in the former Yugoslavia and based in Canada. Her studio practice is shaped by graduate study in Psychology, Japanese language and culture, and Fashion Design, alongside sustained independent study, specialized workshops, and self-directed research. It is informed by early experiences of loss, migration, and displacement, and by ongoing negotiations with illness and memory. She works primarily in watercolor, ink, and mixed media.

Milena’s work is regularly selected for international juried exhibitions including the Royal Watercolour Society Open (UK), the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolours’ International Open Water, Fabriano in Acquarello (Italy), and International Watercolor Masters (UK), among others. Her paintings have been featured in Splash 26 and Splash 27: The Best of Watercolor, Artists Magazine, and Art Avenue, and have received honors from Art & Color 365, BoldBrush, and the Federation of Canadian Artists. She has also served as a judge for the International Watercolor Society-Canada. She is an Elected Member of the Society of Canadian Artist and Exhibiting Member of the Federation of Canadian Artists.

In addition to her studio practice, Milena works as an illustrator for fantasy publications, including Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor: Age of the Wolf and novels by Thomas B. Matthews. She is also a sought-after educator, teaching through established online programs.

Working primarily in watercolor, ink, and mixed media, Milena uses material instability as both metaphor and structure. Her practice embraces fragmentation, absence, and perceptual uncertainty.

Artist Statement

I rarely begin a painting knowing exactly what it will become. A fragment of reference, something remembered, a doll, or an imagined place is often the start. From there, I follow the painting rather than trying to control it, allowing meaning to emerge through the process of making.

Many of my images grow from memories, but are not illustrations of lived experience. They live between observation and invention and entangle remembered moments, emotions, and imagined forms. Figures, dolls, and invented or remembered landscapes act as stand-ins for ideas that are difficult to describe directly.

Watercolor is central to this process. Its fluidity and unpredictability allow forms to dissolve, shift, and reappear, echoing the way memory itself changes over time. I am interested in creating paintings that leave room for uncertainty and personal interpretation and invite viewers to bring their own experiences to the work.

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FASO Collector Recommends: Garry Kravit

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Biography

Garry started painting in 2009. His training is a combination of self teaching as well as having studied with Elkin Canas, Milixa Moron, and Carlos Martinez-Leon at the Chiaroscuro Studio of Art in Miami. He has also studied with a number of contemporary artists including, Todd Casey, Tony Curanaj, Carl Bretzke, David Kassan, Shana Levenson, Joseph McGurl, Richard Murdoch, and Joe Paquet.

When he’s not in the studio or working en plein air, you can find him flying Captain at the controls of a Boeing 777 for a major U.S. Airline. He also enjoys woodworking but is power tool challenged so If he’s not painting or flying you may find him in the emergency room having something stitched up.

A graduate of the University of Florida with a B.S. in psychology, Garry also studied creative writing in the MFA program at Florida International University. He currently lives near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and also in the Western mountains of North Carolina with his wife, Karen, and Midge Anne, Priscilla Jean, and Rowena Mae, their kitties.

Garry feels incredibly fortunate to be able to enjoy two of his passions, flying and painting, often on the same trip.

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FASO Collector Recommends: Bryan Cohen

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Biography

Bryan Cohen calls Wilmington, Delaware home. Growing up in Sussex County, his work reflects his childhood spent in coastal Delaware and offshore fishing with his stepfather, as well as the surrounding rural landscapes. Bryan was fortunate to have been mentored by his Milford High School art teacher and accomplished watercolor artist John Bayalis, who recognized his talent and encouraged him to embark on a lifelong pursuit of artistic growth.

Bryan studied the fine arts through his own personal discovery. While his earlier works are primarily watercolors, Bryan matriculated through acrylics and realized his affinity for oils in the past decade. An avid photographer, Bryan’s artwork is sourced from the images he captures in the beauty of the everyday.

More recently, Bryan incorporates plein air experiences into his works. Bryan is inspired by the works of Isaac Livitan, Edgar Payne, and Normal Rockwell, as well as contemporary painters Ritchie Carter, Mark Boedges, and Juliette Aristides, just to name a few.

Bryan’s journey is a testament to his deep appreciation for the creative process. Bryan continues to infuse homes and spaces with art that resonates with him on a personal level, and he’s grateful for the opportunity to share it with his community.

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FASO Collector Recommends: Janie Haskins

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Biography

I’m fascinated by the world around me-the effects of sunlight, reflections on the water, old buildings, and the beach. I also love to watch people. These inspirations weave themselves into my paintings, which strive to show beauty, a sense of “being there,” and something true about human nature. I paint in an impressionistic style, using color, light and composition to transform what I see in front of me.

Many of my paintings begin on location. For me, there’s nothing better than being outside and capturing sunlight on the landscape, or the joyous feeling of a day at the beach. But I also take photos and work from them in my studio, where I can take my time without worrying about wind, rain, heat, mosquitos, or ever-changing light.

Bio

Janie Haskins is an impressionistic oil painter from St Petersburg, FL. She is known for her colorful depictions of landscapes, birds, and life in Florida.

Janie began studying painting as a teenager but veered away from art and instead became a journalist and then a lawyer. It took years to circle back to her first love of painting. In the meantime, she represented entertainment industry clients in L.A., started her own law practice in Ohio, and raised four children.

Janie’s life experiences inform her art. Growing up in coastal Newport News, Virginia, she developed a deep love of the water and the beach. Journalism taught her to be a keen observer. And law taught her perseverance.

Janie recently spent three summers traveling around the country with her husband in a Winnebago van, painting plein air along the way. The experience gave her a new appreciation for the vastness, variety and beauty of the American landscape.

Janie has studied with some of the premier landscape painters in the country and has taken top awards at regional plein air competitions. She teaches a weekly plein air/studio painting class during the winter months, along with occasional workshops. She is married to fellow artist Jim Kammerud and they share a studio in St. Pete’s Warehouse Arts District.

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FASO Collector Recommends: Karin Nelson

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Biography

It was in 2009 that Karin Nelson began her self-taught art path, rather by accident. While working as an Executive Assistant, she was experimenting with paints to create something for her office walls and at home. The immediate receptiveness to her paintings very quickly motivated her to leave the 9-to-5 position and pursue art full-time.

A thread running through her work is the interpretation of timeless structures. Whether an urban scene of stately buildings claiming their place in the cityscape, or the rural counterpoints of humble, weathered barns, these manmade structures appeal to her visual senses and pique her interest regarding the lives (past and present) intertwined with their existence.

Also dear to Karin’s heart are the open skies and country fields near her home, and the powerful yet serene draw of Lake Michigan horizons. Oft-repeated responses to her work include the words “peaceful” and “it stirs such memories.”

Karin’s medium of choice is acrylic. Her unique and masterful handling of its distinct properties has opened the doors to internationally-published articles and magazines, where she shares her knowledge and tips on this subject. She has received multiple awards, participated in many juried exhibitions, and has had numerous appearances on television, radio, and in various publications. Karin lives near Grand Rapids, Michigan with her husband of 49 years. They have three grown children, a son-in-law, and three precious granddaughters.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My approach to each painting is only minimally planned, and could often be described as an “attack” - with intuitive, fast, high-energy application. The bold strokes express my preference for strong lines, no matter the subject. Avoiding photo realism in favor of embracing the impression of the scene, I teeter between adding hints which portray dimension, and pulling back in order to leave room for the viewer’s imagination. It’s a tightrope walk; an intense three-way conversation between the scene, the canvas, and me. The mystery and intrigue of this addicting process is, in itself, as deeply satisfying to me as a resulting successful piece of art. My tools include jumbo knives, bristle brushes, brayers, and flat planes such as blocks of wood, dowels, or rulers. Paint application ranges from thick, opaque, knifed-on areas to thin transparent layers, used both for the foundation and to subtly change and add color without disturbing existing strokes and marks from my previous layers.

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FASO Collector Recommends: Sherry Mason

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Biography

Sherry Mason is a contemporary realist oil painter whose work explores light, atmosphere, memory, and the emotional experience of the visible world.

Following a career in pharmacy, Mason retired from practice in 2016 to devote herself fully to painting. Her independent education in classical and representational art includes a six-month mentorship with Tina Garrett, workshops with Joseph McGurl, Scott Christensen, and Bill Farnsworth, direct observation, and sustained studio study.

Rooted in plein-air experience, Mason paints landscapes, figures, and still lifes, exploring questions of light, color, atmosphere, presence, and memory across different subjects.

Her paintings have received recognition from the Art Renewal Center, PleinAir Salon, Almenara Art Prize, BoldBrush, Art & Color 365, and other national and international juried programs. A Non-Resident Artist Member of the Salmagundi Club, Mason lives and works in North Carolina.

Artist’s statement:

Through oil painting, I explore the quiet poetry of light, place, memory, and lived experience.

My work begins with observation - often outdoors, where changing light reveals how quickly the familiar can become extraordinary. Plein air studies and direct encounters with the landscape inform paintings developed in the studio, where memory becomes as important as observation.

I am drawn to thresholds: the last light on a horizon, a path disappearing beyond view, reflections dissolving into water, a solitary figure absorbed in a quiet task. These moments invite us to linger. Light becomes more than illumination; it becomes a way of directing attention toward what might otherwise pass unnoticed.

Although landscape has been central to my practice, I do not see subject matter as a boundary. The figure, still life, and other subjects offer different ways to study light, color, form, atmosphere, and presence. I am interested in pursuing the same questions deeply across different subjects, allowing each area of study to expand how I see the others.

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FASO Collector Recommends: Anna Toberman

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Biography

Anna Toberman is an American portrait and figurative artist working in the Chicago area. She works in oils, charcoal and pastel mediums to achieve a creative vision that expresses accurate representation and a keen interest in the human condition and spiritual development, both in commissioned work and personal projects.

Anna is a signature artist of the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society, and she has won several awards and honors in national and international exhibitions.

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FASO Collector Recommends: Jason Sacran

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Biography

“What I admire in an artist is the ability to convey authenticity through the work; i.e., choosing and pursuing a truthfulness in both the vision and the execution. I think Jason Sacran is one of those rare artists whose work seems thoroughly authentic. His character portraits are insightful and beautifully rendered, with great feeing and empathy, and his plein-air landscapes are exhilarating examples of spontaneous response to nature. He is definitely a talent here to stay.”

Budd Harris Bishop

Director Emeritus, Harn Museum of Art

University of Florida, Gainesville

Born: Nashville, TN, 1980

Jason Sacran is an artist/painter living in Arkansas. He has been invited to many exhibitions and awarded many times with such organizations as the Oil Painters of America and the American Impressionists Society among others. Some of Jason’s recent awards include Best of Show awards in the: 2017 American Impressionist Society’s Annual Juried Exhibition, 2016 Maui Plein Air Invitational, 2016 Plein Air Rockies, 2015 Plein Air Easton, 2015 Olmsted Plein Air Invitational, 2015 Easels in Frederick and 2014 Door County Plein Air. Jason has also had featured articles with publications such as Southwest Art Magazine, International Artist, PleinAir Magazine and The Artist Magazine where Jason was featured on the cover of the issue he was featured in.

Artist Statement

“The Lord has given me this talent, ability and passion to create and make paintings. I want to acknowledge Him, and give honor, glory and thanks for these blessings. May I always remember - I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

With that said, I am a contemporary representational painter, working primarily outdoors. I paint what catches my interest in the moment. This could be almost anything; an orchestration of shapes, color contrast, light and shadow patterns, a mood or atmosphere, a subject I have never tried, or a subject I enjoy, etc. I am drawn to paint places and things that say something about the day and time I live in now. Although my work is not necessarily subject driven, I find myself painting the overlooked and simultaneously familiar aspects of everyday life - scenes we pass by but rarely take the time to fully consider. In the chaos of daily life, I believe we all take the simple and familiar for granted. Sometimes it is these quiet unadorned places that make the most worthy subjects.”

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FASO Collector Recommends: Tara Tokarski

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Biography

It was a time when Gigantor Robots and Apollo Moon Rockets were the toys to have. The Beatles were singing “Let it Be” and the popular films where Hello Dolly and the Aristocrats. Kids impatiently waited all week long for Sunday night and the Walt Disney Show, while during the holidays it just wasn’t Christmas until the Grinch Stole it. It was 1970 and Tara Tokarski was growing up in the small town of Harrisburg Illinois, not too far from the Mississippi River. It was a perfect spot to start a lifelong childhood adventure with the stories of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn very much alive in that neck of the woods.

Tokarski spent her summers running wild in the heavily wooded areas of Illinois, where she would disappear for hours to hunt what she considered big game; gooseberries, sugar snaps, and blackberries planted by her grandmother. Her first memory of art was of her grandfather whom she would watch as he sketched her very own carousel horses, just like in Mary Poppins. Unfortunately, her grandfather passed away in 1980 when she was 10. But the introduction to the magic had been established. Shortly after his death, her parents, in an effort to keep her from attacking the neighbor’s new raspberry plants, introduced her to landscape painting. The painting classes, which she had an inclination towards, lead to her parents rewarding her skill with an artistic summer treat of more art classes nestled deep in the Garden of the Gods country.

Her family, closet creatives, had their own outlets. Her mother and grandmother were very skilled in the art of quilt making and needlework, while her father created stained glass wonders. His creations covered windows and lights turning their home into a visual wonder of vibrant colors. Everything from Tiffany-style light covers to giant ducks in flight, these panels of color were the inspiration to a young mind. Her father was also a chemist and she would watch as he would mix batches of magic potions for this, that, and the other. One of his favorite games would be name the element, a game Tokarski was not very fond of but made an impact in her creative future for she was never afraid to mix up something new and strange.

This rich background had another element to it, her family was very much old-fashioned and patriotic. At her childhood home, you could find an old red barn which in its hay-day was adorned with Pennsylvania Dutch Hex signs. Touches of folklife can be found covering her grandmother’s and cousin’s homes where she spent a lot of her childhood time. Mixed with these decorative touches are early colonial inspirations. Today she intently uses these icons from her past to evoke a nostalgia for a more innocent time and her feelings of home.

On her mother’s side of the family were more adventures where you could find in their home everything from a suit of armor to paintings of Spanish bullfighters. German coo coos and crazy Sparkle Cats ticked away on the walls. All manner of deer skins, Cherokee headdresses, and different Native American artifacts could be found in grandpa’s den. These little wonders laid the foundation for the curiosity of wonderful things.

All through her young educational years, Tokarski stayed very active, no longer attacking berry plants but canvases and paper. Along with her painting and sketching her parents decided she needed to try dance and music. Her bane of existence was in the form of a piano, she was not good. During an art competition, in a moment of creative innovation, she created the Cellist. A figure reminiscent of cubism but with waves of music flowing out in very sharp fashion. That won her a Golden Scholastic Key award and a scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and most importantly an end to the dreaded piano lessons.

During Tokarski’s time at SCAD she experimented with style and concept, working with fashion illustrator Ben Morris, and other popular illustrators. Tokarski found inspiration in Al Hirschfield, Pol Turgeon, C. F. Payne, Dr. Seuss, Tim Burton, and the many artists from Disney who made those Sunday nights so magical. Using these masters as a springboard for technique and concept, Tokarski formed her stained glass like style. Along with vibrant color, she also manages to hold on to that feeling of innocence, while incorporating those iconic images from her past like decorative symbols from the Pennsylvania Dutch, but in her own way. Art represents our thoughts and for Tokarski’s newest project she revisits American Folktales. In particular, the ghost tales, which she hopes will reconnect a younger generation in their culture and instill a love of history and mystery.

Just like Dr. Seuss’ statement “oh the places we will go”, Tokarski hopes to introduce a new audience to American Folklore and like Mrs. Van Winkle she will shrewdly keep you in line. She tends to incorporate fun little surprises like her own likeness as Mrs. Van Winkle and her husband as Rip. Always one for a bit of fun, her young son, named after the Washington Irving’s trickster in Sleepy Hallow one Braum Bones, is featured as a ghost gnome climbing the mountain. A role he was not overly thrilled about modeling for. Combing a lot of different material in each piece, she then lets the paint define the painting, most of the time with happy surprises. Always the chemist’s daughter, no two painting are ever quite the same.

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FASO Collector Recommends: Patti Arbino

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Biography

Driven by a deep appreciation for the natural world, I use the pure, vibrant hues of pastels to express the intense colors and rich textures found in nature.

One of my greatest inspirations comes from walking along beaches after high tide, where the shoreline rocks reveal hidden displays of brilliant color. By looking closely at these tiny stones, I uncover intricate patterns and complex palettes that are easily missed at first glance. My goal as an artist is to preserve the quiet rhythm of nature. I invite viewers to pause, slow down, and discover the immense beauty that surrounds us.

A feature article on my art titled “Sublime Splendor” is published in the Fall 2026 issue of the Pastel Journal magazine. I’ve won awards in both national and international exhibitions, and my work is in private collections nationwide. I received a Bachelor of Arts in Art from California State University Northridge.

SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS

Pastel Society of New Mexico, Distinguished Pastelist

Pastel Society of the West Coast, Distinguished Pastelist

Pastel Artists of Oregon, Signature Member

Pastel Society of Colorado

California Art League

Click here for a summary of shows and awards.

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FASO Collector Recommends: Dan Simoneau

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Biography

Figuring it Out

Male Figurative and Other Work by Dan Simoneau

Dan Simoneau is a contemporary figurative artist whose work explores masculinity, vulnerability, and identity through disciplined series and nuanced gesture. Working primarily in acrylic, watercolor, and oil, he approaches the male figure as both subject and symbol - a vessel for emotional complexity, cultural expectation, and personal narrative.

Simoneau’s paintings emphasize posture, gaze, and subtle shifts in body language, revealing the tension between how men are seen and how they see themselves. His work often investigates themes of intimacy, resilience, and the quiet moments where identity becomes visible.

Over four decades, Simoneau has developed a practice rooted in technical precision and conceptual clarity. He is a signature member of multiple prestigious art societies, an award-winning exhibitor, and an active contributor to contemporary figurative discourse. His studio practice includes ongoing research into image transfer methods, archival techniques, and the evolving role of figurative art in LGBTQ+ cultural spaces.

Simoneau currently works from his studio in Wisconsin, where he continues to build series that challenge assumptions about masculinity and invite viewers into deeper, more empathetic ways of seeing.

Regarding his work. . .

Simoneau’s work takes the tools of classical painting-Baroque light, academic draftsmanship, and Symbolist atmosphere-and uses them to tell very contemporary stories about men, often men of color and queer men. He’s interested in the male figure as complex, vulnerable, and emotionally present, not just idealized or heroic. That same eye for light and surface also extends to his non-figurative work, so a tattooed torso, a neon sign, and a bag of fruit in plastic all get the same level of care. In everything he paints, he’s trying to honor subjects that are often overlooked and expand who and what we consider worthy of serious, sustained looking.

Click this text to listen to an interview hosted by WGTD Radio in Kenosha, WI.

Curriculum Vitae (CV) Links:

- Memberships

- Exhibitions

- Awards

To read my full bio, click here.

To view my currently available figurative work, click here.

To view my currently available portrait work, click here.

To view my collection of sold works, click here.

To see my Artsy Shark Featured Artist Page, click here.

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FASO Collector Recommends: Jennifer Sowders

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Biography

Impressionistic acrylic or watercolor LANDSCAPES, and watercolor PORTRAITURE

Growing up on a ‘dead end’ road in the country; Northwest Ohio-native artist, Jennifer Sowders, grew up spending a lot of time studying nature and it’s indelible thread is noted within her painted landscape and figurative series bodies of work.

A 1994 BFA graduate from the Columbus College of Art and Design, she has signature membership in: Ohio Watercolor Society and Watercolor USA Honor Society. She holds associate membership in: Allied Artists, American Impressionist and National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Societies.

New to acrylic landscapes as of 2021, she debuted with an honorable mention in AcrylicWorks 9 : The Best of Acrylic; and bookends the yearly finalist streak in 2026 with a 3rd place Award for AW13. She is also an avid watercolorist, having 2 pieces in the Ohio Arts Council collection.

Other recent accomplishments have been in receiving the Ohio Watercolor Society’s 2025 Silver Medal, 2nd place in the landscape division of the Artists Magazine’s 40th Annual, and Grand Prize in International Artist magazine’s challenge #141 and #149 Landscapes (’24/’25, Two years in a row!). She is currently represented by the Toledo Museum of Art’s Collector Corner, Gallery 317 (Bryan, OH) and is actively welcoming further representation and group show opportunities as well.

Jennifer opens up her Fostoria, Ohio studio and gallery space: MONgallery and Art Studio, every MONday to visitors. She coined “MON” to represent “Middle Of Nowhere” because of her rural location where she lives with husband, Gary and has 3 sons.

“Landscapes” Artist’s Series Statement:
My love of landscape originally developed from the discipline of plein air painting. This discipline was interrupted by Covid lock-downs but became for me a passionate ‘escape’ because, for me, the immersion ‘in’ the landscape is transportive. These days I find myself taking excursions for hiking/reference trips and although I’m working on pieces in the studio, when I hear my viewers say “oh, I want to be there”, I know that I’ve tapped into their need for escape and immersion as well.

I paint lush landscapes whether ‘in the wild’ or structured gardens utilizing two separate veins of medium and substrate, either by watercolor on YUPO or acrylic paints on canvas or panel.

I am attracted to the color and luminous nature that the synthetic paper (YUPO) affords. It also enables me to explore textures, enjoy vibrant color that sets upon the surface in an evaporative fashion, and achieve the ‘lush’ escape I’m going for. Concurrently, the use of acrylics with palette knives, acrylic ink, utilizing a silicone implement to dot paint and even a technique of whipping paint upon the surface with a string pushes me further into an impressionistic expression with the added excitement of thick texture. I purposefully shy away from using a brush with my acrylic paintings as a necessary crutch for the impressionism I love.

Within these 2 vastly different methods and mediums for producing landscapes, I am drawn not only to the beauty within a scene, but am careful to include beckoning elements of light/shadow, repetition and depth. Scenes chosen revolve around a dance of light and shadow and it’s own sense of invitation to explore; pathways are common to include for this reason. Quiet, hidden, reflective/introspective. . .lush; these are things I look for. I am polarized by scenes that make me forget my troubles and I feel “enveloped”, even if just for a moment.

“Genre/Portraiture” Series Artist Statement:
I had been painting landscapes as a way to escape my troubles; and throughout covid, I began to experiment with media, mediums and techniques that I’d never tried before; such as watercolor on Yupo, a synthetic plastic-like paper. I also spent a lot of time with close family (during covid lock-downs) and so my love for genre themes, including portraits, continued to grow and become very personal. This personal nature involves my affections, feelings, and light-hearted approach as my real midwest reality wears upon my sleeve. I consider myself a ‘deep thinker’, but I’m always looking for humor and hope in life.

Although Yupo is known for it’s ease in subtractive painting, I paint in a layered add-on approach. . . very seldomly ‘erasing’ what I’ve laid down. This approach is more painstaking in having to only lay one pass down at a time followed by the time it takes to fully dry in-between passes (because we are talking about evaporation on plastic). . .but this method gives me a distinctive look and feel that is uncommon for most purveyors of Yupo. I also find myself using watercolor pencils and ink as well.

Learn More About Jennifer Sowders

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FASO Collector Recommends: Deborah Chabrian

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Biography

“To me architectural and still life paintings are anything but still… they are personal narratives, full of life, that tell the story of a person, time, and place that I find… endlessly inspiring.”

Deborah Chabrian is a watercolor artist who transforms houses, gardens, and objects into vibrant narratives. Her paintings have been included in numerous exhibitions throughout the United States and awarded honors from The American Watercolor Society, The National Watercolor Society, The Portrait Institute, The National Academy of Design, and The Society of Illustrators. Her work graces more than 500 book covers and is featured in numerous books and magazines focusing on Fine Art.

Passionate about art since childhood, Deborah was born and raised in Barrington, IL and won a full scholarship to Parson’s School of Design in NYC, from which she graduated with Honors. There she met her husband, portrait artist Edward Martinez, they are each other’s strongest supporter, and most critical second eye. Over the years they have studied with many inspired artists, most notably, teacher and master realist painter, Burton Silverman. As a lover of watercolor, Deborah discovered Silverman, first through his book, Breaking the Rules of Watercolor, which led to several years of personal study in his NYC atelier. Silverman said of Chabrian: “In some measure Deborah’s work is more than the watercolor medium she uses. Its excellence relies on her visual sensitivity and her expressive content to talk about the wonder of the ordinary, to reveal what our eyes usually just record without really seeing. In this regard, her work is very special indeed.”

Deborah was chosen to paint at The Forbes Trinchera Ranch in CO, which culminated in a show at the Forbes Museum in NYC. She won the American Artist’s Cover Competition, and her work appeared on the cover of the 2008 Summer issue of Watercolor Magazine. She has often been a finalist in the Plein-Air Salon, Splash, and ARC’s Annual Competitions. Her works are featured in The ARC 16th Annual Salon Catalog and Splash 24. Most recently Deborah’s painting ‘Emty Nest’ won ‘Best Watercolor of the Year’ in the 13th Annual Plein-Air Salon, awarded live on stage at the Plein Air Convention & Expo in Cherokee, NC in May 2024.

Notable American Artist Editor, M. Stephen Doherty describes Deborah as “one of the most gifted artists working in the watercolor medium today. Her warm, engaging, and sensitive paintings demonstrate both her well developed skills and her understanding of great art.”

Deborah paints still life, figurative and architectural subjects for commercial and private commission in her studio located in an 18th century Farmhouse in rural CT, which she shares with her artist husband and their two children.

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FASO Collector Recommends: Marc Ward

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Biography

Marc Ward is a Florida born (1954) artist that resides in the foothills of East Tennessee. He graduated from Maryville College in the mid-70’s with a BA in Studio Art. During the 70’s and 80’s his three dimensional work was exhibited in numerous group and solo exhibitions including the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery. The 90’s saw Marc and his wife Kathy, operate their own gallery which represented their own work and the work of over a 100 artists and craftspeople. Also, during this period, Marc started a firm that produces specialized technical equipment for 3D artists and industry. The construction of a new studio on the shores of Douglas Lake and overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains provides Marc with daily inspiration to apply paint to canvas.

Statement

I am always searching for magic-the brief moment when a palette knife moves across the canvas and the paint responds in an unexpected, surprising way. It is in these spontaneous interactions of layers and textures that I discover the true essence of creation.

My art combines digital and traditional painting techniques, a process I have refined since the early 1990s. The journey often begins with digital sketches and compositions developed on a tablet through multiple layers of shapes and colors. Then the work shifts to the computer for further refinement before being transferred to canvas. Here, I bring it to life with paint, acrylic markers, art crayons, and colored pencils. This layering adds texture and depth, giving each piece a unique and engaging presence.

Nature, especially the plant world, is a central influence in my subject matter. I am drawn to flowers and plants for their rich visual language-their lines, movement, and vibrant hues offer endless inspiration. In my landscapes, I emphasize the sharp clarity of the Earth’s horizon line, a strong and grounding visual element.

I find inspiration in contrast and dualities: light and dark, above and below, the tensions and harmonies that emerge through color juxtapositions. These oppositions energize my creativity and run throughout my work.

Through blending decades of digital experimentation with traditional painting, I aim to develop a distinctive visual language that highlights the beauty and complexity of the natural world. My goal is to have viewers share in those magical moments I find during the creative process.

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FASO Collector Recommends: Regina Helena Macedo

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Biography

How much of an artist’s viewpoint and way of life can one construe from viewing the artwork they have produced? A short perusal of Regina Macedo’s work reveals a great deal about her fascination with “Mother Earth” and the interaction between humans and nature. We could even hazard an intelligent guess as to what part of the planet she inhabits!

Macedo was born in São Paulo, Brazil, one of six children. Her father’s career in the Brazilian Air Force kept the family on the move, not only within Brazil but, for a few years, the family lived in Montreal, Canada. Macedo’s personal journey as an artist probably began at that point, at the age of six, when she won a children’s art contest in Canada for depicting the dangers of playing with matches and fire. From that point on, art has been her personal haven, which, according to the artist, “… has brought stability and peace within the scope of an often-hectic life”. Currently, Macedo works from her studio in Brasilia, located in the central savanna region of Brazil.

Macedo has led a dual professional life, working as a field biologist at the University of Brasilia and painting in her studio. Her daily experience with nature fuels her artistic perceptions. In fact, Macedo has often been able to connect the worlds of art and science, in an attempt to focus the viewer’s attention upon the beauty of nature, which, according to the artist “… is sadly and quietly vanishing as we hustle on with our busy lives”. For example, as a graduate student at the University of Oklahoma, Regina was enlisted by Dr. Michael Mares, Director of the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, to illustrate a book he and other researchers produced. More recently, in 2019, Macedo contributed her artistic talents to the K-12 Education Program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University, by creating the covers for educational curricula that are being used by science teachers across the US.

Bold compositions and strong colors are a trademark of Macedo´s vibrant paintings, inviting the viewer to explore an exotic and colorful world. Her paintings focus on the complexity and beauty of nature or depict people in thoughtful moments. Her artistic style ranges from impressionistic, bold strokes used to produce color-drenched landscapes to more subtle brushstrokes that result in realistic paintings of people and animals. Her work has earned several awards and has found its way to collectors in Brazil, the US, Mexico, Scotland and Namibia.

The combination of subjects and styles brought together in Macedo’s body of work reflects artistic, personal and professional experiences, yielding a vibrant and original essence to each painting. When asked about her motivation for painting, she replies: “With every canvas, I hope to transmit some feeling based on concepts or images that filled me with emotion of some kind-sometimes joy, sometimes wonder and occasionally wistfulness or sadness. My goal is to convey these feelings to the viewers of my paintings, and to momentarily take them away from their busy lives to a place of quiet contemplation.”

Miguel Ângelo Marini, Ph.D.

Curator, Bird Collection - University of Brasilia

Art enthusiast & collector

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FASO Collector Recommends: Diana Rogers

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Biography

ARTIST STATEMENT

My colorscape paintings celebrate the rich diversity of waterways and landscapes of coastal New England. As a painter, I add my visual voice calling attention to the special places we need to protect from the impacts of climate change.

Lively color leads the way and energetic mark-making tells the story of nurturing places. The pastel medium with pure pigments is ideal for expressive painting. Each stroke of bold color captures a moment in time and the vitality of nature.

As I paint, I reflect on the essence and wisdom of a place rather than simply replicating what I see. This results in vibrant paintings that invite reciprocity and kinship with Mother Nature.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Diana Rogers is a painter based in Connecticut where she creates lively, expressive paintings of the diverse landscapes and coastal waterways of New England. Her work calls attention to special places in nature that we cherish and need to protect and restore.

Taking a color-forward approach to painting, Diana uses vibrant hues and expressive mark-making. She finds painting with the pure pigments of the pastel medium ideal for celebrating each passing season. Leading with her curiosity, she uses observation and experimentation to better understand our connections to nature.

Diana is represented by Gallery One CT, and her work is held in private and public collections across the US. She teaches workshops and classes throughout New England. Her work has received numerous awards including Outstanding Pastel Painting and First Place for Abstract Painting in the BoldBrush National Art Competition.

As an arts advocate, she is active in national and regional organizations including Pastel Society of America, Pastel Society of Connecticut, Connecticut Women Artists, Pastel Society of Maine, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, Lyme Art Association, and Mystic Museum of Art. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Lyme Art Association and Clinton Art Society.

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FASO Collector Recommends: Heather Arenas

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Biography

Heather Arenas, born in 1969 in New Jersey, is a multidisciplinary artist currently based in Myakka City, Florida. Arenas began her professional art career by participating in various life drawing and plein air events across the US but primarily in Colorado. She was fortunate to paint alongside several outstanding artists in their fields giving her a sensibility for different techniques. Arenas primarily focuses on the medium of oil paintings on aluminum and wood panels, as well as charcoal drawings on paper. She is best known for her ability to convey stories of the human condition through the use of gesture, employing a limited palette, extensive grays, and expressive brush strokes. One of her most noteworthy projects is “The Museum Series,” which began in 2016 and continues to the present. This series marks a significant breakthrough in her career, as it departs from the confines of realism and ventures into the realm of exaggerated gestures and vibrant colors.

Arenas’ work has been showcased in various prestigious exhibitions and have earned her a place in several private national and international art collections. She is a member of several art organizations including the American Women Artists, the American Impressionist Society and the Bold Brush Inner Circle. Notable exhibitions displaying her works include the American Women Artists National Exhibition 2023 in Charleston, South Carolina, the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art Annual National Juried Exhibition 2023 in Wausau, Wisconsin, and the American Impressionist Society National Exhibition 2022 in Boulder, Colorado, further solidifying her presence and influence within the American art community.

At the core of Arenas’ artistic pursuits lies an aspiration to bestow beauty and radiance upon the world through her evocative creations. Additionally, she remains steadfast in her dedication to supporting fellow artists on their creative journeys. Summing up her life’s mission, Arenas ardently embraces the wisdom of Edward Bok, “Wherever your lives may be cast, make the world a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it.”

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FASO Collector Recommends: Monique Carr

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Biography

Monique Carr is a contemporary painter and art instructor known for her vibrant, energetic style. Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, Monique spent a decade in the Cayman Islands before settling in East Tennessee in 1999. In 2024, she and her husband relocated to Vero Beach, where she now runs her own gallery and studio. With over 20 years as a graphic artist, Monique transitioned to fine art in 2010, developing a signature style that merges expressive colors with captivating textures, creating work that radiates movement and emotion.

“My contemporary landscapes are a fusion of experience, experiment and emotion. Instead of painting what I see with my eyes, I want to depict my own interpretation of a scene with my soul. I want to capture the mystery and the beauty of nature. Simultaneously, I’m thinking about composition, harmony, colors, movement, and texture. Atmospheric effects are another wonderful way to create a sense of drama with calm and mystery, which appeals to me.

I also like to experiment with unusual tools, textures and color combinations, allowing me to see a subject in unexpected ways.

I want to leave the viewers of my work with feelings of surprise and joy, allowing them to interpret each work in a soulful way that is uniquely their visual experience.”

Monique is also an excellent art instructor. She has been teaching since 2012. She conducts workshops in many states and also in France and Italy. She also has a very successful online teaching school.

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FASO Collector Recommends: Ellen Howard

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Biography

Ellen Howard is an impressionist painter drawn to moments of quiet clarity-those brief, luminous pauses when light, land, and emotion align. Her work is rooted in sustained observation and presence, shaped by the belief that painting is not simply about what we see, but about how deeply-and honestly-we are willing to notice.

Whether painting en plein air or in the studio, Ellen seeks the emotional resonance of place: the hush of early morning, the steadiness of a solitary tree, the way a river bends and continues on its course. These moments are not grand declarations, but quiet affirmations. Her paintings reflect a reverence for stillness in a fractured world, offering landscapes as places of reflection, resilience, and calm rather than escape.

Working primarily in oils and gouache, Ellen embraces impermanence-changing light, shifting weather, fleeting impressions-as an essential and generative part of the creative process. Uncertainty becomes an invitation rather than an obstacle, allowing intuition, restraint, and trust to guide each painting as it unfolds. The work emerges as a response to time and lived experience, not as a fixed or predetermined outcome.

Through workshops, demonstrations, and her long-running newsletter series The Art of…, Ellen reflects on painting as both a disciplined practice and a way of being in the world. Her writing and teaching explore themes of stillness, courage, reflection, and the quiet strength required to stand attentively-and truthfully-in one’s own experience.

Now based in Boise, Idaho, Ellen finds renewed inspiration in the expansive skies, winding rivers, and open farmlands of the Treasure Valley. This landscape-both intimate and vast-continues to shape her work, offering space to listen, to breathe, and to paint with intention.

At the heart of Ellen’s work is an invitation: to slow down not for nostalgia, but for clarity-to see more fully, to feel more deeply, and to recognize the quiet beauty that persists, often unnoticed, in the world around us.

Passion

Ellen’s passion for painting is rooted in a lifelong attentiveness to change-light that shifts, weather that moves through, moments that cannot be held. An avid explorer and traveler, she is drawn to the transitory qualities of the natural world, where no experience is ever repeated, and presence becomes essential.

Painting is not simply an act of observation, but a way of aligning with life’s rhythms. Working outdoors, immersed in the elements, Ellen experiences painting as a practice of trust-responding rather than controlling, listening rather than imposing. The uncertainty of changing skies and fleeting light mirrors the larger unfolding of life itself.

Her landscapes are reflections of this lived dialogue with nature. Through them, Ellen explores themes of faith, resilience, and gratitude-believing that meaning reveals itself not through certainty, but through attention and openness. Each painting becomes an affirmation of presence, a reminder that beauty and clarity often arrive quietly, and only for a moment.

“My art is centered around living a faithful life and trusting in the unfolding of the great tapestry of life.“

Second Mountain

After a successful career in finance, Ellen returned to her lifelong passion for art-what she describes as her second mountain. Her journey back began at the Peninsula Museum of Art, where she rediscovered not only the act of painting, but the power of art to connect people and build community.

For more than 15 years, Ellen has cultivated a professional career as a fine artist, developing a distinctive voice rooted in observation, atmosphere, and intuition. This return was not a departure from her earlier path, but a deepening-bringing clarity, purpose, and a renewed commitment to creative service.

Process

Ellen’s process begins outdoors, where she paints en plein air and responds directly to shifting light, water, and atmosphere. She often hikes into foothills, along winding rivers, or across open farmland to discover scenes that quietly reveal themselves through time and attention. Immersed in nature, she absorbs the shimmer of reflections, the glow of evening skies, and the stillness of the land. These field studies capture not only what she sees, but how the moment feels-records of presence infused with memory and emotion.

Back in the studio, these impressions evolve into larger works layered with depth and intuition. Guided by both observation and feeling, Ellen balances structure with freedom, allowing each painting to unfold organically. The result is a body of work that honors the landscape while inviting viewers into a shared moment of stillness, discovery, and quiet clarity.

Influences

Ellen’s love of art traces back to her grandfather, an illustrator and airline purser in the 1930s, whose drawings, stories, and adventurous spirit shaped her early sense of curiosity and creative exploration. His life of travel and making planted the foundation for Ellen’s own artistic journey and continues to inform her sense of wonder and discovery.

Her work is informed by both historical and contemporary painters. The luminous atmosphere and sensitivity to fleeting light found in Claude Monet have long guided her understanding of how momentary impressions can be captured on canvas. She is also influenced by Sergei Bongart, whose bold brushwork and expressive use of color resonate with her desire to paint with energy and emotional depth.

Ellen’s practice is further shaped by early California painters such as E. Charlton Fortune, Edgar Payne, and William Frederick Ritschel. Their work-celebrating light, movement, and the enduring presence of the landscape-reinforces her belief in painting as both a personal expression and an ongoing dialogue with the natural world.

Service to Others

Beyond her studio practice, Ellen is deeply committed to service within the arts. Through teaching, writing, curating, and leadership, she has found a meaningful balance between creative work and community engagement.

For eleven years, Ellen has served the California Art Club, first as Co-Chapter Chair of the San Francisco Chapter and currently as Vice President. In these roles, she has helped foster membership, education, and professional opportunities for artists nationwide. This commitment reflects her belief that the arts thrive through shared knowledge, generosity, and collective support.

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FASO Collector Recommends: Liana Russwurm

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Biography

Artist Statement ~ HOMME

“This painting will haunt my memories while warming my heart”

This comment, from Colin Mitchell, Editor at Standard Guide Advocate, captures the essence of my artistic aspirations. This unsettling dissonance provokes important conversations about perceptions of identity through a sociological façade.

Rendered within the core of my work, media and contemporary culture define feminine notions of beauty, vulnerability and sexuality using the materiality of veiled imagery.

White Orchid is best described as a figurative still life. It is the first painting of a series where the focus will be contemporary men set within a visual narrative telling their story reflected through both the objects and the subject. Influenced directly from time I spent in Italy as a student and the work of Caravaggio, particularly his portraits of young men. Using chiaroscuro lighting, musical instruments, flowers, plants, fruit, vegetables and other pieces are added creating a still life reminiscent but the models are chosen for their unique individuality and sense of strength with no barriers of age, nationality or body type.

Working figuratively my work questions the status quo on perceptions of beauty through staging scenes, using models, props and lighting I utilize digital images as sketches to develop a hard copy to use for a visual reference for each painting. This series is unique as it if the first time I am ‘standardizing” the work through sized, frame and table which will make up the base of each piece.

BIO

Liana Russwurm was born in 1966 in Elmira, Ontario. After graduating OCAD University in 2007 she spent four years recuperating from a work place accident, which eventually led her to purchase an old church in Alvinston Ontario where she could focus primarily on painting. Her work has been displayed in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Italy and Ireland. Her art is owned in public and private collections across Canada.

She is best known for her ongoing series Dime Museum, The paintings Dance of the Dead (2008, oil on panel), The Judy (2012, oil on panel) and Americana (2013, oil on panel). Americana won Peoples Choice Award at the Judith and Norman ALIX Gallery 2013 Juried Art Show. Her painting Beak (2013, encaustic on panel) from her series Façade won best in the show at the First Annual Petrolia Playhouse Juried Art Show.

White Orchid (2018, oil on panel) was chosen as a part of the International Biennial Portrait Competition in 2019 at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art in Wausau, Wisconsin. This painting is the first painting in the series she is currently working on for an exhibition called Homme, which with open at the Judith & Norman ALIX Art Gallery in the fall of 2022.

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