YEAR 2020 SUMMER ISSUE www.arttourinternational.com
Art as a Healing Force Special Issue
Macy Matarazzo
“Big Happy Love”
Meet our Cover Artist!
Howard Harris Dr. J.J. Kelly
Sharing Skills to Heal
“Taking A Stand For Social Justice”
INDEX Meet our Cover Artist!
Howard Harris
Back Cover Artist
Yinka
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Page 40
Feautered Artists -
Agnethe Maagaard Alby Attila Mata Bala Barbara Schneider Barbara Tyler Ahlfield Brian Rock Charlene Frances Cher Anderson Christina Thomas Dagmar Wankowski Daniel Randolph Dominic Albinski Frans Frengen Helen Kagan “HealingArts" Hélène DeSerres Henrik Saar
P-22 P-23 P-38 P-24 P-30 P-25 P-26 P-32 P-34 P-76 P-36 P-24 P-39 P-20 P-42 P-43 P-44
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Jason Bryant Jean Jacques Porret Jeong-Ah Zhang Jim Fitzpatrick Jodi Decrenza John Nieman Kari Veastad Katrin Alvarez Kimberly Berg Lawrence R. Armstrong Lisa Azzano Louise Wannier Madeleine Schachter Maribel Matthews Marty Jones Maya Vinokurov Monika Bendner
P-38 P-46 P-33 P-48 P-49 P-50 P-37 P-65 P-54 P-55 P-56 P-57 P-58 P-58 P-59 P-60 P-64
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Mague Brewer P-77 P-66 Olivia Kapoor P-68 Patricia Karen Gagic P-66 Patrick Walsh P-70 Paul Hartel Raymond John Westraadt P-71 P-67 Ric Conn Robin Babitt “Bachuki Meets P-74 Venom” P-78 Shifra Levyathan P-79 Therese Bosclair P-79 Uchenna Odukwe P-80 Wendy Cohen P-80 Wendy Yeo P-81 Yelena Budylin P-81 Yolanta Desjardins
Art as a Healing Force Special Issue
Macy Matarazzo
“Taking A Stand For Social Justice”
Page 8
Dr. J.J. Kelly aka the 'Punk Rock Doc', Sharing Skills to Heal Page 51
“Big Happy Love”
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Liv Babra Art Of Debt Management Desiree by Design
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Peyton Manker
Where Service & Style Meet Excellence
A Teenage Artist Making a Difference!
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“Taking A Stand for Social Justice”
by Tiarra Tompkins
In the past, Viviana Puello has used her fashion choices to honor the heritage of her ancestors. From native-inspired feathers, African Fabrics, and her line of Pre-Colombian Jewelry. Now, she's using her extended platform to send out a clear message: Black Lives Matter. 8
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Photo Alan Grimandi © Copyright 2020 Alan Grimandi
by Tiarra Tompkins
Suffering and discrimination are as old as time. For many immigrant families that have made their way to America seeking freedom from persecution in their homeland, the battle of Black Lives Matter is one close to their hearts. Born to a mixed-race family with backgrounds from Spain, Africa, and Native South American, Viviana Puello has made it her mission to stand for every ethnicity. Her heritage and familial origins have given her a frontrow seat to the suffering and discrimination that continues to plague the world. The story of oppression and segregation continues to repeat itself, giving strong women like Puello a platform to bridge the gap between our divided yet shared human history. "My paternal grandfather was of African descendant, my grandmother's family from Spain and my maternal grandparents were natives, South American. When our family gathers together, we get all the colors of the rainbow. Every gene in me has made me who I am, my ancestors walk with me every step, and I honor every one of them". Puello's hometown, Cartagena de Indias, is rich in history and culture. Strolling through the city, it is impossible to miss groups of women dressed in colorful skirts and turbans. They carry large baskets of traditional treats and tropical fruits balanced on their heads to sell throughout the market. These women are the famous Palenqueras, icons of Cartagena's history. "As a native, I have always admired these strong women who come to Cartagena each day from their village, Palenque, about fifty miles away, to meet tourists and sell their goods. Their dedication to keeping their traditions and culture alive has earned them a special place in my heart." Puello's deep connection with the history of her hometown is part of her passion for seeing peace restored to everyone, all over the world. A living testament of black history of struggle is the village of San Basilio de Palenque, founded by Benkos Biohó, a leader who commanded a rebellion of runaway slaves in the New Kingdom of Granada in the 17th century, becoming king of the free people of San Basilio de Palenque.
Statue of Benkos Biohó Founder of San Basilio de Palenque, Benkos Domingo Biohó was a leader who commanded a rebellion of runaway slaves in the New Kingdom of Granada in the 17th century, becoming king of the free people of San Basilio de Palenque, the first “Free Town” in the Americas. Photo Viviana Puello © Copyright 2019 ArtTour International Publications.
Located about an hour and a half south of Cartagena de Indias, in the foothills of the Montes de María, the village is inhabited by AfroColombians, direct descendants of the African slaves brought there by the Europeans during the Colonization of the Americas. These descendants have preserved their ancestral traditions and developed their own language: Palenquero (aka, Spanish Creole"), a mix of the African Kikongo language, Spanish, and Portuguese. San Basilio de Palenque has a population of about 3,500 inhabitants. The word "palenque" means "walled city," and San Basilio de Palenque was the first of many walled communities, founded by escaped slaves as a refuge in the seventeenth century. Of the many palenques created by escaped slaves that once existed, San Basilio is the only one that remains.
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Howard Harris
“Every Shifting Realities”
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by Viviana Puello
he cover of this special issue features the mesmerizing work of American Master artist Howard Harris. Harris brilliantly combines technology and art to expand the viewer's experience. Working on detailed dimensional images, he displays his work on various layers of acrylic and metals. Harris' work traces to his skills in visual art, chaos theory, and quantum physics. He is creating a unique experience for every viewer. His award-winning multi-dimensional mixed media pieces blend elements of physics and mathematics. Harris, "Visual reality is an ever-shifting, highly individualized experience," and his goal is to create an intimate connection with each viewer. Harris endeavors to create art that embodies essential universal principles of design that produce qualities we perceive as beauty. His layered artworks reflect shifts of light, and create visual illusions, presenting our eyes and minds with perceptual dreamlike scenes. Surrealism meets holographic fractals—a true play for the eyes and mind. Influenced by both Op Art and chaos theory, Howard Harris creates expressive possibilities in photographic art in his own words "in an attempt to recreate the perceptual experience, with its dynamic nature and hidden complexities". His works are kaleidoscopes of visual movement as if the image could shift before your eyes: blooms of colors shimmering across a rhythmic space. In
“Tubes” Digital Print On Aluminum, 30” X 36”
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some of his 3-dimensional pieces, Harris gives his pictures a sculptural effect, layering the work using transparent acrylic surfaces superimposed and shaped by the artist. The images gain dimension, and the viewing experience shifts depending on the angle.
Harris obtained his BFA at the Kansas City Art Institute and a Master's in Industrial Design from the Pratt Institute, studying under renowned design theorist Rowena Kostellow. Harris' extensive art education endowed him with the ability to create a patented process he uses to create his pieces of layered abstraction. Harris's works capture brief illuminations of cont. next page
“No Monkeys” Digital Print on Aluminum With Acrylic Overlay , 30’’ X 36”
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Agnethe Maagaard
“The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave” Glass Sculpture, 33.5” X 25.5”
“The light and my gratitude for life inspires me. I “paint” with pieces of glass, cut it into shapes and colours and add it to my palette like brushstrokes – which make my art pieces one-of-a-kind-objects. I pass on my thoughts and ideas to my glass art and want my art to give the viewer new experiences.”
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anish glass artist, Agnethe Maagaard has been experienting with glass for over 20 years and has always had a heart for creating work that touches on some of life’s most powerful subjects. These universal topics and themes combined with the reignition of the Black Lives Matter movement makes her work more relevant than ever.
Her glass art series LIBERTY, is based on the fundamental values that have been the starting point for all journies to freedom for all people. The Statue of Liberty inspired series is based on the basic values she represents. Consisting of 3 glass art pieces representing freedom, hope, and respect, our world’s history are engraved as text and symbols in the art works. Part one, The Promised Land, symbolizes the history of the 300,000 Danes emigrating to the Promised land for a better life 200 years ago. Part two, The Torch of Liberty represents enlightening the World, the torch, the flame of Hope, which the Statue of Liberty holds in her hand. Part three, The Land of the Free and the home of the Brave, is the first line of the national anthem and the first words WE THE PEOPLE of the American Constitution. The broken chains symbolize freedom from slavery and oppression. Every civilization has walked the painful path to freedom, these glass art pieces represent a small, but crucial part of that story and serve as a reminder that seeking freedom is never complete and that we all have a responsibility in the journey.
www.maagaardglass.com
“Life`S Sailing – Where Will It Takes Us?” Glass Sculpture, 35.5 ”X 10”
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“Torch of Liberty Enlightening the World” Detail Glass Sculpture, 25.5 ”X 18”
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Alby
“Eywa Dreams Beneath the Tree of Souls” 16 ”X 20”
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by Jessica Skyfield
merican born, Alison Barrows-Young displays figurative and abstract elements creating captivating, vibrant meta-view visions of our collective humanity and planet, she is a gifted teacher and a true steward of the land. Her chief goal as an artist is to inspire in a soulful and ardent response to the ephemeral nature of our planet. 2020 has seen Barrows-Young’s work becoming more textured and layered. She paints the potential power we have within, expressing positions of power from humanity’s gains in familial wisdom, gathered mythologies, and altruism philosophies, as well as the duality of science and technology’s healing and harming aspects.
alisonbarrowsyoung.com
“Our Vulnerable Truth Keepers” Digital Painting, 24” X 36"
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Brian Rock "I challenge you to look into yourself, and if I have identified a communal feeling, the purpose of all art has succeeded." - Brian Rock
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by Viviana Puello
ward-winning artist Brian Rock utilizes a variety of objects and techniques to create works that convey strong sentimentality, promote healing, and expose hidden depths in the human condition. Rock has mastered the creative use of layered, multi-media structures, challenging his audience to examine themselves through his art. Rock's themes explore the intricacies of our collective human consciousness: the dense textures and details created through movement and shadow mimic the human journey in their imperfection and nuance. Inspired by his life experience, Rock creates abstract expressions of memories, moods, thoughts, and the environment. His unique technique of hand mixing his mediums directly onto the canvas, allows Rock a direct contact with the audience, imprinting his memories and sharing his healing process on each one of his paintings. Making use of mixed media, Rock creates works that showcase remnants of war. He uses dirt, glass, ash, wire, nails, bullet casings, and shrapnel—applying colors and found
objects to create conceptual compositions, importing symbolic references that maintain a connection with reality, and focus on a more direct view of our society. His “Self Identities’” collection grapples with the ephemeral, and yet, on a deeper level, the rock stable nature of the self. Abstract shapes and forms are tied together by the impressionistic portrayals of faces. The color palette and lines draw rich in expression. Rock's style is compounded by his original canvases, layered with paints, and found object collages, as seen in his critiques of modern society in pieces such as "Playground and Burn." His use of recycled plastic and barbed wire in "Pete" is a hallmark example of this aspect of his work. These pieces highlight alarming societal realities, such as the commodification of humans, violence, and suffering. A move from NYC to New Mexico allowed him to embrace the culture of the southwestern United States, influencing a shift in his creative inspiration. His work took on new depth and aesthetic as he utilizes metal and a vibrant color palette. Rock has created urban art installations in his new home of New Mexico, ensuring that generations will have access to viewing and interacting with art. All this complexity behind the work of Brian Rock can be seen as an honest and vulnerable testimony of his life's journey, a
“Journey” Mixed Media
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"Pastoral" Mixed Media, 18”X24”
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“Xxxxxx” Xxxxxxx, 00”X00”
statement that is of significant influence as it leaves an open invitation for others to relate. Rock uses vibrant, warm, and chromatic colors, with inviting textures showcasing his world within ours. Using his art as a healing source, Rock is vocal about the definite influence art has had in his life during his journey of overcoming trauma. Living with the desire to give back as a veteran, he is active with several
charities and contributes to his community through empowerment and creativity. Rocks' work is the open expression of uncertainty in healing, and he continues to live his truth through it.
@BrianRockArt
“Jesus” Recycled Acrylic
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Dagmar Wankowski
“Leonie” Oil on Canvas”, 47.2” X 39.4”
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by Yadira Roman
erman painter Dagmar Wa n ko w s k i ' s e u p h o r i c abstract canvases are a vibrantly blended example of the process-led abstraction that resonates with her international audience, brimming with visceral scrawled textures and the residue of monochromatic patterns and spontaneous drawing. Wankowski incorporates form, with mixed media and an exotic color palette, often to very vibrant results. Figurative elements drip, and earthy
“Cosmea” Oil on Canvas”, 31,5" X 23,6"
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images appear, then melt away, in both her biological and conceptual abstracts. Her canvases burst with energetic brushstrokes, giving her viewers a veritable buffet of gradient strokes to interlace colors and blend so seamlessly. Inwardly these abstract paintings could be reflective of chaos and harmony.
www.dagmarwankowski.com
“Iris” Oil on Canvas”, 31,5" X 31,5"
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Kari Veastad
“Entrances” Acrylic On Canvas, 90” X 90”
and let your heart be the light of the walk of life, and in the silence, under the shadow of a larger heart, there is protection, “L isten strength, and peace.” For more info contact:
kveast@online.no @kariveastad.art
@kariveastad
“In the Shadow of the Heart” Acrylic On Canvas, 50” X 30”
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Jim Fitzpatrick
“A Young Woman's Courage Come What May” Pastels and Color Photography Digitally Altered by Tiarra Tompkins
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aster photographer, artist, and Jack of All Trades, Jim Fitzpatrick has served in a myriad of careers over his lifetime. He has created beautiful photographic prints, pastel portraits, and mixed media drawings bringing voice to those he has met and been impacted by while a photographer of professional wrestling and a professional skater for the World Champion San Francisco Bay Bombers. Later Fitzpatrick went to work for Dakin, Inc., a famous toy company. A few years later he became a police clerk and then a police service technician. Constantly learning and creating, Fitzpatrick went on to become a fire inspector as well as a reserve cop for a short while. Later, when the inspector job was eliminated due to budget cuts, he became a firefighter and served for a while as Acting Deputy Fire Marshal. During a fire Fitzpatrick was injured and went through years of physical therapy and treatments to regain his mobility. During that period of recovery he returned to art and photography. He hopes that his works and experiences can
“Filipina Woman in her Earthquake Damaged City” Pastels and Color Photography Digitally Altered
inspire others who live with chronic pain or other difficulties, to not give up! In recent years Jim not only helped revive the old school, pro roller derby and his old team, the San Francisco Bay Bombers but became their coach and general manager. He also became one of the league's trainers, Northern California Rep. and one of the executive producers for their TV show. Throughout an impressive career, Fitzpatrick has never stopped creating. He joked, "I guess that's one reason why I like to draw when I get a chance. It's my way of relaxing.” His work continues to make an impact and bring hope to an international audience as Fitzpatrick has been recognized for his work, seven years in a row, by ArtTour International Magazine. "In an age of volatile headlines, hateful tweets, and negative soundbites an artist has a huge advantage. 'A picture paints a thousand words'... and I want my thousand words to convey a world of hope, joy, and love!"
jim-fitzpatrick.pixels.com “Vietnam War Memorial Three Servicemen Statue in Washington DC” Color Photography Digitally Altered
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Jodi DeCrenza
“Passage” Acrylic and Oil on Canvas, 30” X 40”
“I
started my journey in the art world in 2018. Found my passion for painting by accident and since then, I have not been able to put my paint brushes down.
When I painted The Passage this new depth of emotions channeled through me and I felt like I had gone through a portal to the other side. It was an awaking to a Dream which is the next painting I created. This shift in my energy inspired me to paint Fall's Dance with no restrictions.
When I'm in my studio I like to put on music, dance and see where my hands take me. While I'm painting I'm very isolated from the outside world so I can focus. When the pandemic hit, the isolation became more intense for me and I went through some real challenging emotions!
For me Art is an intrinsic part of my life and has the power to heal my soul always!”
“Fall's Dance” Acrylic and Oil on Canvas, 12” X 12”
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@jodidecrenza @jodi.decrenza
“The Dream” Acrylic and Oil on Canvas, 36” X 36”
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Monika Bendner
“The Potter”
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“The Actress”
by Viviana Puello
hrough a digital overlay and collage process, awardwinning master artist Monika Bendner creates multilayered, surrealistic experiences through a combination of photographic prints and mixed media. Her compositions which are printed on a variety of materials, create a narrative that evokes emotions and multiple responses from her viewers; With a background in photographic design, Monika Bendner's work has transformed as she's entered different phases of her growth and development as an artist over her active career. Her use of abstract lines and shapes conveys movement in their dimensionality, and her bold, rich, textured application of color emanates meaning through their saturation. Viscerally recognizable through their intensity and layers, Bendner's work is diverse and unconventional due to her various materials, methods, and techniques. She creates her work using various alternating combinations of canvas, metallic photo printing, acrylic, glass, photography, and found objects.
Her metallic photographic prints are layered and expressed outside of time and space. She brings images into hyper-real kaleidoscope imagery pressed behind a thick acrylic/glass amalgamation. Works such as 'Frieden: nur mit geklonten wesen' (Peace: only with Cloned Beings) provide a glimpse into her message. With the common motif of a figurative hand layered in most of her collections, she leaves her work open for interpretation. Bendner created critiques on modern femininity and definitions of beauty in her Modenschau (Fashion Show) series, with powerful pieces such as In der Maske, Mannequin, Anprobe (Try On). Her powerful standalone work Boxenluder (Grit Girl). Visually connecting disparate elements and creating a visually stunning image is the hallmark feature of Bendner's work throughout her metamorphosis. Her collections of impressive, starkly captivating imagery continue to be thought-provoking and stimulate audiences around the world.
www.monikabendner.com
“Series Hands” Galerie M Beck - Saarland/ D, With 38 Pictures. Big Size, 35.5” X 23.5”, Metallic Foto Behind Acrylglass.
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Katrin Alvarez by Tiarra Tompkins
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ulti-Award-winning German Master Artist, Katrin Alvarez is no stranger to international recognition and exhibition. Her work has been globally displayed in Israel, Switzerland, Canada, Italy, Austria, France, and the United States, creating international acclaim and bringing attention to her passion, speaking out against child abuse.
Well known for her surrealist expressionism oil paintings depicting of the human condition, Alvarez’s work elicits deep and hauntingly accurate emotions. Many of her subjects contain doll-like perspectives that look directly into the viewer. Each painting seeking deeper understanding of the inner turmoil the subject is struggling to contain. Many artists have deeper bolder meanings that inspire, drive the passion behind each collection created. The raw emotion contained in Alvarez’s work is palpable, but within it is still a peace and a hope. An emotional fortitude that balances the bold voice speaking out. Alvarez brings a strength that only suffering creates in our subject, recognition that while some things may never be the same, life still exists. “Family Tree” Oil on Canvas, 23.5” X 23.5” X 2.7”
Despite her multi-faceted talents, painting has remained the fundamental impulse of her life. Alvarez intentionally focuses on the human figure while introducing multiple reference points such as objects, animals, etc. to enrich the composition conceptually as well as visually. Each painting representative of the complexity of human situations. Her expressionist and surrealistic approach brings a non-apologetic look into the emotions and experiences of child abuse. Love it or hate it, no viewer can deny the strong reactions evoked by her work. Alvarez continues to create works of art that bring attention to the universal problem of child abuse. One she passionately believes cannot be ignored.
www.katrin-alvarez.de
“Demon” (2020) Oil on Canvas, 19” X 21.5” X 2.7”
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Photo by Riccardo Mayer © all Rights Reserved.
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