Anna Ataeva is a multi-disciplined artist with an extensive education, both academic and practical. She first attended the School of Oriental Arts in Moscow and the prestigious Moscow Fine Art Lyceum. Anna received her Masters in Fine Arts from The State Academic Fine Art Institute of Russian Academy of Arts (Moscow), where she studied and mastered multiple painting and drawing techniques. She also completed the “Professional Special Course on Modern Traits in Art" at The Institute of Contemporary Arts (director Joseph Bakstein, Moscow), where she graduated with a License in Management in the Field of Visual Arts. Anna's contemporary art project for her graduate degree was accepted to the National Museum of Russian Fine Art, The State Tretyakov Gallery.
 

Nenad Mirkovich was born in  Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1951. Mirkovich’s desire to express his artistic side led him to begin drawing and painting as a young boy. While working as a portrait painter and magazine illustrator in Yugoslavia, Mirkovich began to receive public acclaim for his gift of artistry. It was through these years that Mirkovich developed his style known as “Jazz - Rock Music” art.

One of Mirkovich’s passions is music. Mirkovich translates that passion onto canvas depicting energetic jazz greats and rock and roll legends. Working mostly at night, he paints with jazz or classical music playing in the background. Mirkovich uses splashes of color to emphasize movement and sound. Collectors of all ages find that Mirkovich delights the senses with each stroke of his paintbrush.

One of a recently completed series featuring a jazz ensemble, painted in an impressionist style, is titled “Melancholy Blues”. The piece has both high energy and high drama, and will appeal to both beginning collectors and music enthusiasts. Mirkovich now make his home in Houston, Texas
 

Tim Hovde's history in the arts is intricately tied to his life as a painter. He grew up in Minot, North Dakota, between hills and valleys and next to a major river. The youngest of three children, he enjoyed fishing, hunting, collecting insects, being in the outdoors. He really loved the natural environment at the town of his childhood. He, then, discovered that he had a natural talent for music when he started studying trumpet. He studied jazz and classical music for eight years.

His father, a professional portrait and event photographer, introduced him to photography at a very early age. Tim Hovde’s life was all about music and photography until he came across a book of Georgia O’Keeffe: One Hundred Flowers, when he was a teenager. He saw those images in the book and he knew that was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life: paint. He started experimenting with different mediums and different techniques, on canvas, paper and wood.

He moved to Arizona in 1992 where he found a warmer climate, a better market for his abstract artwork and where he is now a full time artist. His work is shown in galleries and museums, holds group and solo shows. His work is in private collections in the United States and Europe.
 

Mark A. Chapman

Mark A. Chapman was born in Kansas and did his undergraduate work at Kansas State University. After graduating from law school at the University of Texas in 1968, Mark spent two years in the Army, including one in Thailand. During the 1970's and 80's most of his time was spent in the real estate industry. In the late 80's Mark entered the oil business and is still active in that and the stock market.

His artistic impulse bubbled to the surface when he began sketching during church services. His first painting occurred in July of 2001 when he painted the barn bathroom floor in a multi-colored abstract. From this start in the "can", he branched out and started putting acrylic and oils on canvas.

He also enjoys painting watercolors on trips to various parts of the world. [ Africa, Australia, the Caribbean, and throughout the U.S.]. In addition to painting, Mark has been collecting paintings and bronzes for many years. Mark has established Art Scholarships at his alma mater, Kansas State University. Recently he funded the Mark A. Chapman Gallery at the Kansas State U. Dept. of Art.

View more of Mark's work: www.MarkAChapmanArt.com
 

Lidia Dinner was born in 1960 in Kazakhstan , Soviet Union (now CIS). She has shown extraordinary and unique talent from her young age. Her father, professional musician, sent her to study painting and fine art to the Art college in Yakutsk , Russia , a very famous art school in this part of the country.  She got her Masters degree in 1985 and as winner of annual Award of “Best student work” was invited in the Academy of Art , named after Ilia Repin in St. Petersburg , Russia . Since that time St. Petersburg became Lidia's hometown.

Academy of Art in St. Petersburg has the highest rank among all Art schools in Europe . Due to her brilliant talent and extraordinary capacity Lidia Dinner was able to study not only painting technique but also composition, graphics, drawing and monumental art. In the Academy of Art she attended classes of professor U. Neprintsev (Fine Art) and professor A. Mylnikov (Monumental Art). She was graduated Academy of Art in 1995 and got her “excellent” diploma, special Award of State Board of Examiners and “Big Gold Medal” of the best graduated student of the Academy of Art for her fabulous monumental picture “Seeing off troops of Alexander Nevsky”.

Winning her “Big Gold Medal” of the best-graduated student, Lidia Dinner took her turn after the famous Russian painters of the past, such as Karl Brullov, Alexander Ivanov, Isaak Levitan, Ilia Repin etc. Her picture “Seeing off troops of Alexander Nevsky” was bought by Museum of Academy of Art in St. Petersburg .  In 1995-1998 she got her PhD in Art and became a teacher on the faculty of paint in Academy of Art . Lidia Dinner is a member of Artist's Union of Russia from 1996.

The inspiration for Yuroz' vision as an artist can be traced back to his experiences as a young man in Soviet Armenia. Born Yuri Gevorgian on March 30, 1956, he dreamed of artistic and political freedom. Yuroz distinguished himself as one of the youngest students ever accepted in the esteemed Akop Kodjoyan School of Art. He earned a master's degree in art and architecture at the Yerevan University of Art and Architecture.

Yuroz left Armenia for the United States. It was not easy entering a new country with only hope for a better life fueling his determined mind.  At first, he was unable to find work or a place to live.  As he joined other homeless people on the streets of Los Angeles, he began to understand what few could.  Pitied by some, ignored by most, these street people were survivors.  Yuroz saw in their eyes a reflection of himself.  His early series, "Hollywood Boulevard", depicts the homeless friends he met and studied.   Through determination, Yuroz landed a job building models for an architectural firm by day and slept on the office couch by night. After a few months he had saved enough money to rent his own studio.

Yuroz has become a worldwide influence in the art community. Fellow artists write to him about his technique.  Yuroz states, “Art has a very important obligation these days, because politics do not touch people.  Art has to build bridges between races, between countries."
 

Reg Stark was born in Beaumont, Texas in 1942 and began to show his talents as early as the third grade when he received a blue ribbon for his colorful drawing of an Easter lily.  He went on to receive awards throughout his school years as well as other local contests, including those held by the Art League of Houston. He studied commercial art at the Texas Academy of Art before entering the University of Houston to earn his Bachelor of Science degree. Stark has tackled all sorts of subjects and has experimented with a wide variety of media while being inspired by artists such as Magritte; Hopper; Andrew and Jamie Wyeth; and John Alexander, who was also born in Beaumont.  Both collectors and critics alike have noted Stark’s ability to create paintings that evoke a mood of reflective solitude whether through is popular seascapes or whimsicals.  He has exhibited in Houston and Chicago.  Stark lives just outside of Houston with his son, Jeff, a graphic designer, and continues to dedicate his work to his late wife, Linda.
 

Simon Bull was born in Bedforshire, England, in 1958 and was educated at Ripon and Croydon before going to art schools in Chetenham and Leeds.  He has rapidly become one of England's most popular printmakers with an international reputation for his etchings and watercolors.

Working in mixed media with watercolors, gouache, pastels and even gold leaf, Simon Bull's work - with 
asymmetrical dynamism - has a jewel-like exuding warmth and power.

The first of his many one-man exhibitions was held at the Hong Kong Hotel, Hong Kong in 1976.  Since then his work has been exhibited at the important Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, the Mall Galleries, Olympia and the National Exhibition Center in Birmingham.

Simon's first one man show at Harrods in London was a complete sell out.  The Queen of England has several pieces in her art collection.  Simon now resides in Carmel, California.
 

Raised in Suzhou, China by his grandmother, Jie Zhou’s memories of his homeland figure prominently into his work. He is particularly fascinated by the breathtaking beauty that lies just under the rough surface of simple village life. 

He received his M.F.A.from Academy of Art College in San Francisco and has participated in group and solo exhibitions across the country.


 

Travelling the globe in a blaze of "colour and character", with a style that is highly individualistic, Kendall is taking the art world by storm.

Leaving a technicoloured trail that leads all the way back to her home in Buderim on the beautiful Queensland Sunshine Coast of Australia. Painting professionally for the past 15 years, Kendall decided three years ago to enter the export market and has since travelled to South Korea, Singapore, Mumbai, Bangalore, New Delhi, Toronto,Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, exhibiting and painting "live on location" for Tourism Australia, Tourism Queensland, Austrade and The Office of the Australian Consulate General.

The sales of her artworks and extreme art performance style so popular, she is often booked 12 months in advance. In the coming year she will showcase her work in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and has been approached to exhibit in Dubai, Shanghi, Beijing and Bucharest ,with an action plan to take her new "Kendall by Design " homewares range to the four corners of the globe. From humble beginnings and after being told at school that "no one makes money out of art", Kendall is managing to create a niche in the art world nationally as well as internationally, selling hundreds of paintings a year. Kendall's paintings are housed in public and private collections world wide, and she has already signed with galleries and art dealers in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and India and intends to spread her wings further in the international gallery scene in 2008.