Deana Duffek

Deana Duffek is an award-winning artist, designer and a contributing writer for Interactive Artist Magazine. She is steadily involved with various Art Exhibitions and Gallery Shows. She is a member of The Sawdust Art Festival, American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), Art Directors Club (ADC) and American Institute of Architects (AIA).

“I am an artist, designer, and developer, not necessarily in that order. For years, I told people I was a designer and worked in development, ‘and oh, by the way, I am an artist as well’. It’s how I saw myself I don’t exactly know when my viewpoint changed. I am still an active designer and developer, but at the heart of it all, I am an artist.

I am an authentic artist, a true problem solver. I find that my thinking, reading, experimentation, and exploration are all directed toward not only better art and development design, but also as a means for me to evolve creatively and utilize what I have learned to better serve others.”

Margareta Gelles

Artist biography coming soon.

Derek Gores

Born: 1971 New York

BFA Illustration, Rhode Island School of Design 1993

Derek Gores recycles magazines, maps, handwritten notes, data and other printed paper materials in his lush collage artwork. His fine art is represented by galleries in Los Angeles, Paris, Australia and more. Gores was called ‘One of the 40 important artists of the New Contemporary Movement’ by curators of an exhibit in London in 2010. Gores’ work was selected for the Manifest Hope exhibit during President Obama’s Inauguration in 2009. Gores collectors and commercial clients include Prada, Dwell, Lincoln Automotive, the National Football League, Tag Heuer, the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, Loews South Beach, Heineken, and others. Gores was the Official Kentucky Derby Artist in 2013.

Sheri Armor

“As a conscious artist I strive to bring forward
those positive forces that exist
beyond what the naked eye can see.
With an emphasis on light, texture and paint’s
luminous qualities, I work to create new
perspectives that merge the familiar
with the unseen…allowing the painting itself
to become a portal to another dimension.”
— Sheri Armor

Serge Armando

NEO – GEO – CLASSICISM :

combines the following tenets of Neoclassicism with and expressed through geometric abstraction:
1. a regard for tradition and reverence for the classics, with an accompanying distrust of innovation
2. a sense of literature as art–that is, as something “artificed” or “artificial,” made by craft; hence the value put on “rules,” conventions, “decorum,” the properties of received genres.
3. a concern for social reality, and the communal commonplaces of thought which hold it together.
4. a concern for “nature”–or the way things are (and should be). This relates back to the distrust of innovation and inherent conservatism of neo classicism. The artistic rules of old, for instance, Pope describes as having been “discovered, not devised” and are “Nature methodized”; so too, “Nature and Homer” are “the same” (Essay on Criticism 88ff., 135). This belief in “nature” implies a conviction that there is a permanent, universal way things are (and should be), which obviously entails fundamental political and ethical commitments.
Born in Nice during a period of Existentialist post-war France, Serge Armando, from his earliest days, was steeped in a backdrop of the blue skies of la Côte d’Azur. From proximity, his way was ushered into first hand experience with Flux and Les Nouveaux Realists.
In 1989, Armando accepted a position at Laguna Art Museum as Exhibition Designer. His first assignment, “Turning the Tide,” an exhibition of early Los Angeles Modernists, introduced him to the spiritually-charged abstract works of Peter Krasnow and the hard-edged geometric works of John McLaughlin.
Artist and scholar Michael McManus said this of Armando, “Frontal, blunt, and totemic, [Armando’s] works confront viewers as primal plus-minus icons, but are also perceptually elusive in how they activate the viewer’s peripheral vision. Their workman-like massing of precise, flat, polychromatic acrylic, creates an arresting abstract yet pictorial arena. Like many pure abstract artists of the late twentieth century, Armando regards the non-objective as a visual language–still in its infancy–whose potential equals that of representation.” In this way, Armando’s works are invitations for viewers to impose upon them their own visual idiolects, complete with their own experiential lexicons which have arisen from the viewers’ own distinct inventories of “heres” and “nows”.
Armando’s latest works are, as always, iconic and kinetic. The works document his lifelong immersion in competitive systems of organization. Each work of the series propagates squarely steadfast abstract geometric immediacy.
Over his forty-year-plus residence in Laguna Beach, Armando has played a decisive role in the careers of significant area artists and gallery owners. His works have exhibited in key local galleries and museums, and have sold to some of Southern California’s most distinguished collectors of contemporary art. His 2005 first place showing at Laguna Art Museum’s twenty-third annual art auction is testimony to his continued impact and import on the local art scene.

Interview/article written by Michael Stice, Laguna Beach

Michael Torquato deNicola

Michael Torquato deNicola is a world traveling and award winning surfer, artist and filmmaker.

Mike grew up making sense of the world through surfing and art. Born and raised in Southern California, he is a life long surfer with much of his inspiration coming from the Ocean and his experiences around the globe in locations such as Indonesia, Iceland, Samoa, Peru, The Galapagos Islands and more.

Mike started surfing at the age of 12 and was competing with the US team by age 19. As the first pro surfer from the US team to graduate from College, he learned to negotiate between his athletic and creative pursuits, and the business of surf.

Mike has always designed the work on his surfboards, but it was only when he started traveling and competing internationally that his work developed into the style it is today. Mike’s boards tell the story of his relationship with the Oceans from around the globe. If Mike’s surf style can be called fluid his large and colorful mixed media pieces resonate the same fluidity in a layered collage of rhythms, patterns and forms.

Some of his favorite ventures have come from working with Marie Claire, The Olson Company and creating and producing Red Bull’s ‘5X’ series, seen on FOX, NBC and Fuel TV which feature a new format of competitive surfing. Mike produced and art directed the award-winning documentary ‘The Westsiders’ and most recently the feature film ‘Chapter and Verse’ to be released early 2017.

Mikes visual works have appeared in galleries, art fairs, film festivals and TV screens around the world over the past 20 years.

Bridget Shaw

Artist biography coming soon

Jessica Wachter

Experience = Art. The people I meet, places I go, emotions I feel – all of these are expressed in my art. In many ways, my work is not about art, it is about life. This is why people find meaning in a painting. They can’t always explain it, but they can feel it. For me, that is life – something we can’t always explain, but we can always feel.

Wachter expresses these personal experiences through her use of color, texture, and composition. Her contemporary mixed media work is strongly gestural, often containing personal celebrations, struggles, joys, loves, and losses. Working with abstraction, the artist seeks to imbue the work with a tangible essence and mystery while keeping it open enough for the viewers own response.

Born in Bismarck, ND, Wachter graduated Magna Cum Laude from North Dakota State University with degrees in Art and Interior Design. Wachter currently resides in Bismarck, ND practicing as a full-time artist. Wachter works in her studio, where she paints, draws, screenprints and continues to explore with new mediums and the scale of her work. Many of her pieces reside in public and private collections throughout the country.

Wachter’s work has been shown in numerous solo shows and exhibitions, including solo shows at ecce gallery in Fargo, ND, a solo exhibition at the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, ND, and an exhibition at the International Art Basel Event in Miami, FL. In the summer of 2015, she completed an Artist-in- Residence Program in Medora, ND. She has been featured on the cover of several publications. Design & Living Magazine has named her the 2015 & 2016 People’s Choice for Best Local Artist.

Wachter serves as a member of the North Dakota State University, Bison Arts Board of Directors and the NDSU Architecture and Landscape Architecture Advisory Board. She was also awarded an apprenticeship at Experience Institute in Chicago. At Tedx Des Moines, Wachter gave a Tedx talk entitled “Everyone is an Artist.”

Jan Lord

Born and raised in Canada, Jan Lord studied art from the time she was in Grade School. During her childhood, she could be seen painting during the summer months in the beautiful parks in Vancouver, B.C. Throughout her career, she has studied under a variety of Canadian and American watercolor and acrylic artists.

Jan has found her total and unique style through many great instructors. Her techniques include acrylic and oil pastels, glazing, and adding a variety of elements such as aluminum, graphite, paper, iron, nuts and bolts.

Jan’s art can be found in numerous private and corporate collections.

Jan’s true inspiration comes from music, the rhythm and words will have an emotional effect and transmit in the art, as well, forms and shapes of people will appear. Her abstract work is known for its layered color fields and textured surfaces. She enjoys working with oils, acrylics, charcoal, graphite and mixed media on Panels.

Vladimir Prodanovich

Serbian artist Vladimir Prodanovich, born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (1952) began his artistic career at age 7. As a young boy Vladimir attended a local art show and entered a contest and won third prize. At the age of 13 he was invited to be an apprentice to a noted Yugoslavian artist where, for the next 1o years, Vladimir learned to hone his artistic skills. In 1983 at the age of 31, Vladimir boarded an airplane for “the promised land of America” with $300 in his pocket. His first home was in Philadelphia were he painted cars, homes and billboards, while still finding the time to paint on his own and learn English. Three years later Vladimir drove west to California where he lived for the next 27 years and established himself as a professionalartist. His artwork, described as neo-expressionist, is highly textured and vibrant. Composition and form can vary widely but are all executed with mastery.

Jessica Osborne

Jessica Osborne was born in 1979 and raised in a small town in Illinois by a mother who was a painter and father a musician. Jessie always enjoyed art and drawing but did not pick up a paintbrush until she was 24. At 19 years old moving to California she was inspired by the beauty of the ocean and the calmness of the redwoods. Wanting to bring the mood indoors Jessie became a self taught artistcreating all types of art. Inspired by color and how it changes a room and a mood she enjoyed creating abstract art. She feels abstract art stimulates creativity by both artist and viewer freeing the soul.

Peggy Kinaekian

Traveling the globe in Egypt, Canada, France, Italy, Spain and the United States have determined the nostalgic and lyrical character of Peggy Kinaekian’s work, which consists mainly of oils or acrylic on canvas, mixed technique on paper and monoprints.

According to Peggy, “I consider myself a color field painter and am foremost a colorist. I put myself in a color mood and apply the paint on canvas or on paper to create a layered atmospheric composition, sometimes with collages”. Peggy rarely works with a preconceived vision for the final product, thus allowing the possibility of ambiguity and surprise. Conceptually, Peggy aims to immerse the viewer in the perceptual experience of space, color and light. Therefore, her paintings actualize perception by carefully balancing these elements. Hinaekian has a fascination with creative imagery that is an area of space occupied by floating forms that may join or float independently. By using color and texture, she tries to breathe movement into her “abstract landscapes” to guide the viewer into the paintings and making him wander into a different reality.

Robin Heirs

Robin Heirs was raised in Laguna Beach, California – she has been immersed in the art world since childhood, having her own art booth when her dad, John Hiers was involved with the now famous Sawdust Festival and Art-Afair. Robins mother, Lee Hiers was also a very talented and accomplished artist. Robin was was raised at the beach, on the floor the family gallery: The Pink Palette; and crayons were always in her hand. Robins natural ability to draw led to a lifetime of artistic pursuits, including learning more about art communication at SDSU. Robin then adapted to Graphic Illustration, but later found her true calling in Fashion Illustration. Robins natural painting style led to learning more about Picasso, Matisse, and her favorite contemporary artist David Hockney. Growing up surrounded by art and having artist parents allowed for Robin to stay well stocked with pads of paper and art supplies, but that was the extent of the formal art education. Pretty brilliant, actually, as Robin puts it “I was never taught in a formal way – which is probably why to this day I still have a distinct style”.

For the past 20 years Robin has been a professional painter and has continued to do some illustration and branding work for companies such as Bobo’s Oat Bar. her work is in many private collections through out the world. Robin has a strong following that began in the Boulder, Colorado area, where she originally began selling paintings and reproductions through a the local galleries. According to Heirs, “women, beaches, fashion, wine, and interiors – are my muse”. Robin paints a lifestyle – a feeling, a joie de vive for the beauty and sexiness that comes from both nature and the world of simple luxury. It has been said that many people feel Robin’s work reminds them of the South of France, for its a feeling – for that lifestyle of carefree sexy chic.

Robin currently resides in Southern California and her work can be seen at Laguna Gallery of Contemporary Art 611S.Coast Hwy Laguna Beach, California. She is also the featured artist at The Deck, a fun beachfront place in Laguna Beach where she gathers inspiration for many of her paintings about the Southern California Lifestyle. She can be found painting live at Laguna Gallery of Contemporary Art – on many days.

Dodie Sy

Shrouded in dreamlike memories of his childhood in the Philippines, Dodie infuses the sights and emotions of his memories onto the canvas. A deep need to express his enigmatic visions led him to create works that invoke both the beauty and imperfections we encounter in our lives.

Colors bleeding serenely together while reacting to one another are amplified by strokes of darkness to convey opposing memories of both the natural beauty and urban decay visible in the Philippines. The complexity of blossoming florals, inspire ethereal colorways and ascending patterns that transcribe his introspection into our consciousness.

Dodie Sy was raised in the natural splendor of the Philippines, surrounded by tropical flora and lush forests. At a young age an innate appreciation for natural beauty led him to start viewing the world through an aesthetic lens. When he turned 13 his family left the Philippines and moved to California, where he had to assimilate to a new environment and find his identity as an artistic immigrant.

The son of hardworking parents he followed suit and earned a full scholarship to FIDM to study interior design. Soon realizing he longed for more creative freedom, Dodie left school to pursue floral design. Escalating his artistry from simple arrangements to grand scale events, was proof he had made the right decision and manifested itself into many industry achievements. Never one to sit idle, he soon felt compelled to try a new medium and began painting floral scapes in watercolor. Shortly after his husband saw his potential as a painter he urged Dodie to try his hand at oil painting. Dodie instantly fell in love with the medium and his ability to manipulate the vivid oils on the canvas.

Kym De Los Reyes

Kym De Los Reyes is a versatile, energetic painter who specializes in colorful abstracts and impressionistic figurative/subjective work. Her vibrant style is the outcome of trusting artistic choices to blend color, form and texture. Intuition is vital! Kym loves to paint, and believes that as an artist, painting should be performed every day. You can find her almost every morning painting in her studio. Kym’s paintings are filled with expression and energetic moments that breathe life and personality to moving tactile surfaces. She believes that art is intended to evoke a feeling from your audience! Her subjects vary in narrative, but her impression and interpretation is always designed to draw an audience in and evoke joy.

A native SouthernCalifornian, Kym is establishing a presence in her community and nationally. Her work is currently being collected throughout the U.S. Her art has been exhibited and sold in Lorimar Winery Art Gallery and at the Truax in Temecula, CA. Through The Christenberry Collection in Columbus, S.C., her work has been collected by clients all over the east coast! She had been represented by The Gallery Downtown in Pomona, CA. Her current pieces can be viewed at kymdelosreyesart.com.

Kym holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from Cal State University, Long Beach. She is a faithful, happy wife and blessed mother of two!

Shane Townley

For the last 13 years, Shane Townley has worked internationally as an artist, nonprofit professional, Independent Curator collaborating with emerging contemporary artists, art institutions, corporations, galleries and individuals, both domestically and throughout the world. His uniquely diverse background in the arts, nonprofit development, and arts management has positioned him to skillfully aid creative professionals, art patrons, and institutions in sustainable social and economic growth. Currently, Townley’s studio, the Townley Arts foundation Inc. is based in Mana Contemporary living Museum, he is also managing the New York Art Group – NewYorkART.com, a global arts & cultural management consulting firm based in the largest city in the world for the arts.

Kasia G

Kasia is an Abstract & Mixed Media artist born and raised in Poland. For the past 15 years she has lived in Los Angeles & recently relocated to Orange County, California. Arriving in Southern California and discovering what the Los Angeles art scene had to offer was an eye-opener. Coming from Eastern Europe to the west coast lifestyle, she immediately felt the influence of the beach communities, the freedom of expression, the attachment of the entertainment industry, whether the art is whimsical or thought-provoking, it meshed well with the LA lifestyle sensibilities as opposed to the political and religious overtones of Eastern Europe. She was seeking freedom of expression and within the City of Lights, she found it. Kasia developed her craft on her own focusing on painting, fine art & architecture photography and exotic travel destinations.

“My imagination is a leading driving force in my life and influences on almost everything I do. It has always been the most natural and easiest way for me to express myself.

From an early age, I have found Art fascinating and liberating and painting allows me to transform images in my mind into something tangible. From the anxiety and excitement of coming to the US, to finding calm in fulfillment later in life, my paintings tend to mirror my inner feelings and thoughts.

Joan Scheibel

Joan Scheibel is a contemporary abstract painter currently living and working in Los Angeles. Scheibel received a full scholarship from the prestigious Otis/Parson College of Art and Design and would later study Illustration at Platt College of Design. Scheibel established a prominent seventeen-year career in graphic design owning a business that was at the forefront of album packaging, branding, and advertising. As a venerable professional in both packaging and marketing, Joan’s client list included notable clients such as Capitol Records, Universal Records, Cherry Music, and many others. Her career spanned every genre of music and she created the cover art for Meredith Brooks’ iconic song, I’m A Bitch, which would go on to be an international #1 single.

Turning her attention inward for a more personal form of expression, Joan has pursued a fine art career for nearly a decade. Her work quickly earned acknowledgment from collectors, peers, and galleries throughout California, New York, New Mexico, and Las Vegas, NV. She is a consistent winner of the juried ArtSlant Showcase awards given to emerging and mid-career artists that exhibit both great potential and commitment to their practice.

“My Shadow appeared and I started painting. Guess we can never escape ourselves.”

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