ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2019
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief Dear reader, I strongly believe we come from a place of pure joy and we are on this Earth to fulfill a purpose. I also think our purpose is directly linked to our passions, the language through which the universe reveals to us our true purpose or calling. The artists in this book are individuals who have stayed true to their calling, brave and steadfast, always aiming to better themselves and to create the best piece of art. We call them master artists, I call them angels on Earth. I once had a dream that transformed my life. I was shown a room with many artists creating artworks of all kind. When their works were ready, a voice guided me to a window. When I peeked through that window, I could see the cosmos, the stars, the universe. I saw strings from which all of the artworks we had created were hanging, like the strings you see in Italian backyards when the ladies hang their clothes to dry. It was beautiful to see all those artworks hanging out there in the void. Nothing but art. Everything was filled with color and art as far as I could see. All of a sudden, I heard a voice speaking directly to my heart without making a sound. This voice told me I was looking at one single masterpiece that was created and added to every time an artist created an artwork within this realm. This conglomerate, single masterpiece grew each time an inspired artist fulfilled his or her purpose. Therefore, the fulfillment of one's purpose is not a singular, personal event but a contribution to the realization of human purpose as a whole. That dream was a beautiful message that revealed a wonderful truth sent by my divine source, or what you may call the soul, spiritual guide, or God. My work as a curator and Editor-in-Chief of ArtTour International Magazine has taught me so much about the real nature of the similarities in some artist's works. Individuals that work from opposite corners of the world sometimes find themselves in art created by someone else. I believe that we are one, one energy manifested in many universes projected as different forms of art, style, technique, and color, but all created by tapping into the same higher consciousness, the same divine essence. Think of the artist's media as a language communicating one single message. No matter what words you use to express it—"I love you," "Je t'aime," "Te amo"—the core message remains: LOVE Being inspired allows us to swim in a universal flow of energy, to tap into our true self and create through language, music, dance, painting, writing, teaching, and engineering—whatever the mode of delivery might be—so that we can express the message others need to hear, sing the song others need to hear, build the bridge we need to cross, and paint the artwork the viewers need to see. As we enter an era of transformation and spiritual awakening, I hope this book will bring light into the darker moments in your life. Art is inspiration, and inspiration is divine. The secret from the master is his or her connection to that divine inspiration during the creative process. These artworks are beautiful messages from up above. Open your heart, let it be touched by the abundant source of love you will find inside the pages of this publication. Take your time to enjoy it again and again. I promise that each time you do, you will discover something new that speaks directly to your heart. Also, feel free to reach out to the artists, as they have a lot more to share. I have inspired and transformed by the creations of these amazing master artists, and I'm grateful for the honor of working with them. Enjoy the ATIM Top 60 Masters of 2019. Stay inspired!
Viviana Puello Founder/CEO ArtTour International Publications, Inc.
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INDEX “Dramatic, Evocative, and Emotionally Layered Portraits”
Back Cover
“Organic Explorations”
Cover Artist
Barbara Tyler Ahlfield - A.C. Lindner - Aase Birkhaug - Agnethe Maagaard - András Mengyán - Anne D. Grandin - Bo Mi Jo - Banjerd Lekkong - Brian Rock - R.W. Bud Lichtenwalner - Caren Akers - Christian Bakker - Christina Thomas - Dave Weindorf - David Barkby - Diane Roy - Dominik Albinski - Donna Bonin - Durga Garcia - Ganga Duleep - Heidi Fosli
P-42 P-43 P-48 P-44 P-54 P-50 P-49 P-52 P-53 P-56 P-57 P-58 P-59 P-62 P-63 P-64 P-65 P-68 P-69 P-70
Page 12
- Howard Harris - Hsi Chun - Jani Jan J. - Janice Alamanou - Jarl Goli - Jason Bryant - Jeesun Mo - Jerry Venditti - Jessica Feldman - Jim Fitzpatrick - Johanna Wray - Johnny E.S.J. Otilano - Jung-Seok Oh - LeRoi
Hélène DeSerres P-71 P-74 P-60 P-75 P-76 P-77 P-66 P-72 P-80 P-81 P-82 P-83 P-88 P-89
Page 18
- Lina Faroussi - Liv Babra - Lucy Mattos - Lyn Olsen - Mague Brewer - Maija Ylä-Sahra - Marian S. Adcock - Melody Kozmeniuk - Michelle Purves - Natalia Rose - Nathalie Monac - Nicholas Teetelli - Paul Uyehara - Pedro Trueba - Pollyana Pickering - Renée Bellavance - Ronald Story - Sheetal Shaw - Sónia Domingues - Subodh Maheshwari
P-90 P-91 P-78 P-94 P-95 P-96 P-97 P-100 P-84 P-101 P-102 P-92 P-103 P-106 P-107 P-108 P-98 P-109 P-112 P-104
“The Sacredness Of Life”
“A Leader Through Creativity”
David Truong
Page 26
“Raw Imagery”
Cecilia Del Toro - Susan Kadish - Susan N. McCollough - Svetlana Sintseva - Victor Body-Lawson - Victoria General - Viral Padiya - Wendy Carmichael Bauld - Zahir Uddin Babar
Page 22
P-110 P-113 P-114 P-115 P-118 P-116 P-119 P-120
Katrin Alvarez
“Capturing Stillness”
Patricia Karen Gagic
Page 30
“The Inner Face Of Women”
Page 38
Mieke Van Den Hoogen
Page 34
12 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2019
Barbara Tyler Ahlfield
“Dramatic, Evocative, and Emotionally Layered Portraits”
“Viviana’s Dream” Oil on Canvas, 60"X48"
"Fashion is definitely a great influence… I love drama, dramatic posing, and lighting” - Barbara Tyler Ahlfield
A
by Viviana Puello
merican master artist, painter, and illustrator Barbara Tyler Ahlfield delivers the essence of pure glamour; the award-winning artist has gifted the world with a broad spectrum of true-to-life portraits reflecting a delicate blend of dramatic, classical, evocative, realistic, and emotionally layered strokes. The high realism depicted in her work stems from her sketching and re-sketching a subject orchestrated with details, textured layers, pigmentation, forms, models, props,
live music, and wine. Art is something she not only creates, but lives. Ahlfield moved from a flourishing career as a fashion illustrator to the field of fine arts. Her experience with fashion illustration has influenced her work as a painter, becoming the thematic and technical foundation of her contemporary work. The concepts of beauty and glamour, the origins of her inspiration, are quintessential in her paintings.
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2019
"Shrimp Taffeta” Oil On Canvas, 60”X36"
"Bobcat” Oil On Canvas, 36”X24”
Her signature painting method is rooted in her fondness for romancing with human facial expression and modern allegorical posing. With a strong foundation in professional art training, this American portraitist continues to hone her skills. Ahlfield's scenes convey a world of fashion and elegance. She has combined her love for fabrics, style, and painting in a natural progression, which has led the artist to develop a series of works that explore the various textures of lace, silk, velvet, and other fabrics. Her paintings capture the tactile qualities of velvet, the rich luster of satin, the feel of taffeta, and the nostalgic, crispy texture of vintage lace and floral patterns, taking the viewer on an indulging journey of romantic fantasy. Painting thinly and sparingly and applying glazes, the artist acquires the appropriate values, colors, and softened edges, finding power in the accuracy of her portraiture. She prefers the use of graphite pencil combined with India ink line, colored pencil, watercolor, gouache, and oils and applies highly saturated, vibrant tones of pigment in delicate textured layers with masterful use of light, shape, tone, color, texture, and form. Cont. Next Page
"Svora Borzoi Babs" Oil On Canvas, 60"X48"
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22 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2019
Cecilia Del Toro “The Sacredness Of Life”
C
by Viviana Puello
ecilia Del Toro, Princess to the Royal House of Samu Samu, embarked on an exceptionally unique path in the arts after a successful career as a doctor and surgeon in her mother country of Colombia. Del Toro's work reminds us of the sacredness of life and brings us a message of peace combining symbolic elements that make a visual map of mind, body, and spirit. With masterful use of line, shape, and form, soft textures matching smooth blends of vibrant colors bring to life mesmerizing
compositions that depict the celebratory mood in her subjects. Del Toro renders her figures with a sense of confidence and bewilderment focusing on humanitarian topics through sensitivity to emotion and connecting to religious deities as the messengers of her vision. Her work portrays a profound perception of the planet's natural elements, partnering nature with surreal depictions of otherworldly channels in communication.
“Loving Soul” Oil On Canvas, 36"X48"
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2019
“Look Inside My Heart” Oil On Canvas, 24"X48"
Her recent honoring to this message is seen in “ Happiness Buddha,” her adroit use of ebullient spirited colors with joyfilled imagery invites feelings of love, peace, and goodwill within the viewer. She has an exceptional way of melding bright colors with dancing light, creating a shining alloy of
“The Wedding Kiss” Oil On Canvas, 36"X48"
radiance in her paintings. When asked about the inspiration for her art, she responded, “I get inspired by anything: climate, seasons, flowers, animals, landscapes, faces, a thought or simply imagining how beautiful the world would be if everything was united by love.” Cont.Next Page
“Happiness Buddha” Oil On Canvas, 30"X40"
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30 ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2019
Katrin Alvarez “Raw Imagery”
“How To Shoot a Shadow” Oil on Canvas + Objects, 20"X24"
O
by Yadira Roman
ver a successful career spanning almost fifty years, German master artist Katrin Alvarez has delighted and inspired critics and fans alike with her honest, raw, surrealistic oil paintings. Exhibiting an exciting blend of expressionism and surrealism, Alvarez encapsulates otherworldly and often triggering images using a counterpointing realistic composition technique; and now, her work has evolved to engage another generation of enthusiastic admirers.
A raw voice in contemporary art, Alvarez' success roots to her methodical approach to painting, creating her surreal, oneiric and many times dystopic artworks that promote many conceptual themes focused mostly on social topics ranging from the overexposure to technology to the exertion of power unto others and especially the denouncement of child abuse. Something she explained in her own words in a recent exclusive interview for ArtTour International Magazine. Cont. Next Page
ATIM’S TOP 60 MASTERS 2019
“Cold Prayer” Oil on Canvas + Objects, 33"X45"
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NOW ACCEPTING
SUBMISSIONS! ATIM MASTERS AWARDS 2020
Each year ArtTour International has the honor of choosing sixty top artists from around the world to be recognized as one of our Top 60 Masters. This award is a great way to gain exposure and bring your career to the next level! We're looking for artists that are inspiring, creative, and who stand out from the crowd. Sound like you? Â Send your submission today, If chosen, you will be featured in the Special Edition of ArtTour International Top 60 Masters issue, to be distributed at all Barnes & Noble Stores and over 1200 Newsstands Worldwide. This article will also be published on all of our digital platforms including iTunes, Magzter, and Kindle. Picture yourself receiving this prestigious award at the ceremony to be held at the AUDITORIUM AL DUOMO in Florence, Italy on May 23rd, 2020! Dream big, stay inspired!
Send your submissions here:
www.arttourinternational.com/submissions-top-60/