Matthew Kowalski, an artist out of Oakland, California, has been painting in his Radical Relief style for the past 30 years. You can see more of his artwork at www.MatthewKowalskiArt.com.

Kowalski’s next show is Saturday, January 15, 2011:

A Brand-New Day
Conscious Collective
4148 MacArthur Avenue, Oakland, CA
3:00 – 6:00 PM (Pacific Time)
Produced by The Space

Statement from the artist:

“I create my Radical Relief art using found objects as a printing medium. Finding the objects I use is random and up to fate. I am driven by curiosity in my search for and discovery of these tools, society’s discards. I get a great sense of satisfaction knowing that I am turning someone’s garbage into gold and making my small contribution to stopping the waste running amok in our world. It makes me feel good knowing that everything we need is here, all around us; we don’t need to make more.”

“I love to see shapes layered on top of each other, knowing that beneath each form is a foundational layer. My goal is to make the one-dimensional objects on the surface come alive to the viewers, stimulating their creativity in their search for meaning.”

Contact: MK@MatthewKowalskiArt.com

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Cynthia Tom is a visual multi-media artist, focusing on surrealism. Her interests in cultural and women’s issues shows through her work. She is currently the Board President of Asian American Women Artists Association. You can see more of her artwork at www.cynthiatom.com.

Contact Information:

Cynthia Tom Fine Arts
1890 Bryant St.Studios, 302
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-722-4296

Email: cynthiatom6@gmail.com

Henry Avignon is an artist and writer who has been featured in several literary and art magazines.

Avignon describes his work:

“My work deals fundamentally with notions of “material desire.” This is exemplified by an urge to “document” signatures of energy in medias res when such modes of desire are multivalent. To approach the exotic presences of energy on Nature’s terms is why I turned from painting to PHOTOSCULPTING – The principle desire being to let go of a degree of subjective control in the work, to shift the paradigm of creativity from the masculine to a feminine nature: artist as conduit and incubator of externally oriented and catalyzed life energy rather than internally rooted projections of an individualized imaginary. To identify, interpret, translate and present artistic forces rather than create from the limiting material energy of just my own sources of poetic logic. Keeping with the photographic tradition that one need document a moment in time all images then represent captures of processes that are unfolding in time. All Images are straight shot renderings of built environments. Only the manipulation, by pushing and pulling, of light is employed. The presence of burnt white is an important part of the aesthetic pathology.”

Henry Avignon
E-mail: henryavignon@gmail.com

Jamie Treacy’s artwork was most recently featured as part of the exhibition Life: Expressions of Living, at the Adobe Art Center in Castro Valley, California. Treacy is a visual artist and teacher based in Oakland, California. His work has been exhibited in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Japan. See more of his artwork at jamietreacy.com.

Statement from the artist:

“To retool, to reinvent, to recover, to revise. These are ideas I apply to the landscape in my works in the media of colored pencil, cut paper, acrylic and watercolor. I am  fascinated by ways in which life could persevere and reclaim once weʼve exhausted a space and abandoned it. To feed this fascination, I look for moments of natural triumph in the worn out spaces of the city. The work begins with a photographic gathering of textures, creatures and spaces. I then use my photos to build future possible world where life reinvents itself.”

Phone: 510-435-7301
Email: jamestreacy@me.com

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Alisha Fisher’s work can be interpreted in many ways. She’s a photographer, fashion designer, and performance artist, inspired by nature. See more of her work on her Website at www.AlishaFisher.com.

Contact: artistfairy@gmail.com

Mary Bartnikowski, is an author, professional photographer, kundalina yoga teacher, mother, surfer, car-free connoisseur, global citizen, and creative motivator. She has traveled and taught photography all over the world. Check out her Website at www.bartnikowski.com.

Statement from the artist:

“I was sitting around one day, my work was done, and I noticed there was no one to make dinner for. My son was riding camels in Morocco on his own dime when it hit me. I need adventure and the unknown. If he can do it so can I – it should be easier for me I’m older than him.”

“So now I travel, explore, write, shoot, teach photography and reflect full-time. My art is my life.”

Contact Mary Bartnikowski via phone at 650.327.9567 or e-mail mbartnikowski@yahoo.com.

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Statement from Junko Van Norman:

“I am a self-thought artist. I have always loved art in my entire life whether as a creator or appreciator. I started drawing when I was only a few years old. I did not grow up in an artistic family, nor did I have any mentor to follow his or her footsteps, but I just liked expressing and playing with my thoughts, feelings and emotions whimsically through my drawings. I was a big daydreamer when I was growing up. I would spent hours thinking what it would be like if I opened the front door and saw the most beautiful tropical island on the other side, or what if I could build a house with a swing and swimming pool in a big tree….. While my mind traveled endlessly from one dream to another, I drew them on a piece of paper or built them with
cardboard boxes. Since then many years have passed, but I am still a daydreamer in many ways. In my art my imaginations still play the most important role. I also find the most enjoyment out
 of what I do when the stories from my imaginary world start enfolding on a canvas in front of my eyes. It is quite special, and I truly hope to share that experience with other people. My paintings usually don’t have any deep psychological meanings or messages behind them. They are a simple reflection of who I am and trace of my past. I just would like people to freely
interpret them in any way they want and have lots of fun with them. That is my mission! As an artist nothing is more rewarding than being able to give a moment of enjoyment to others through my art.”

Website: www.junkovannorman.com

E-mail: info@junkovannorman.com