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Tag Archives: featured artist

Dulce Tapp artist
In: Artists

Featured Artist: Dulce Tapp

Meet Dulce Tapp

Dulce is a mixed-media artists working preliminary in collage techniques. Her works are very easy to recognize: bold Mexican colours, balanced composition and contemporary motives braided with vintage elements.

Dulce’s Story

Dulce Tapp was born in Mexico City and studied Architecture at The National Autonomous University of Mexico. After graduation and obtaining her professional degree, she worked on several projects under the supervision of different architects.

Dulce Tapp art

More than 20 years ago, in 1991, Dulce immigrated to Canada and decided to make a big change in her career. With her background in design and a creative mind, she started taking different art courses, and after a few years she decided to make a full-time career as a mixed media and collage artist.Dulce Tapp art

Since then, Dulce’s artworks has been exhibited in different galleries, in cafeterias and public business, as well as art fairs and published in magazines articles.
If you want to see her works in person, they are on display at Orange Art Gallery in Ottawa, ON, and you can always find her on Instagram @dulcetappart or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/dulcetappart/)

Collage as a Form of Art

Dulce Tapp art“As a collage artist, paper is one of the elements that defines me in the design and process of my graphic representation“.
The collection that’s presented here called “The Catrinas” is an artistic representation of Dulce’s Mexican Heritage. She uses a very particular way of dressing and applying makeup to the main character, Catrina. Dulce designs cloths and backgrounds combining her creative imagination with bold colours that she associates with herself.
The use of mixed media and collage allows Dulce to transform and repurpose previous materials and images to create new compositions.

The colourful backgrounds full of paper and paint are interwoven to create a unique and dynamic piece, distinguished by its beauty.
Always combining different techniques has leaded Dulce to a final product with a strong visual impact to the viewers.
“With my experience, tools and perseverance I am always willing to face any challenges along the way because I always know that a new collage will be another masterpiece“.
Nadine Sallinen Artist
In: Artists

Featured Artist: Nadine Sallinen

Meet Nadine Sallinen

Nadine is an artist residing and working in BC, Canada. She has had a fascination with art since childhood. She started initially with watercolours, drawing with pencil, coloured pencils, pen and ink and acrylic painting, and then to using pastels. She discovered that pastels suited her style and love of detail. She learned drawing and painting from an old-fashioned mail order course many years ago, and took a watercolour workshop in her 20’s. For a time, Nadine set art aside while working and raising a family, only to get back to it after her kids moved on to live their own lives. Returning to the use of familiar mediums was enjoyable, and exploring new techniques from books, online, and taking a few workshops, brought new challenges and variety to pursuing art every day.

Nature as a Subject, Pastel as a Medium

Nadine’s main subjects are inspired by nature – animals, flowers and landscapes. Some of her paintings have been inspired by the scenes and images from her trips to Japan and Europe. Recently, art has become important not only as a creative activity, but also for personal growth and enjoyment; paying attention to details calms her spirit and feeds her soul. A bedroom converted into a studio means she can just close the door, and anything in progress can be picked up the next day where she left off. This is her happy place.

Nadine Sallinen ArtistAlthough pastels are Nadine’s favourite medium, she has recently returned to working with watercolours with Rusart handmade watercolours. They are smooth flowing, have a range of vivid, deep colours, and working with them has opened up a new outlook to using this medium. Using good quality pigments and quality papers removed the sense of unpredictability from the application of watercolours. In addition, combining the experience gained in using watercolours and gouache as an underpainting to pastels, brought a new enjoyable dimension to her art.

More Art By Nadine

Nadine Sallinen ArtistNadine is a member of the Pastel Artists of Canada and the Coast Cultural Alliance of BC. Her instagram account is @nadinesallinen and a facebook art page Nadine’sArt. Her website is harmonyandbalance.ca  She has had a few exhibits locally, and her art has sold to private collectors in the US, Canada, and Brazil.

Her motto is:

“Everyone can do art.” Simply get started with a basic set and begin creating. Buy the best quality supplies you can afford – it does make a difference.

George Yaneff
In: Artists

Featured Artist: George Yaneff

George Yaneff is a Bulgarian-Canadian artist working in his own unique style full of colours and texture.

George’s Short Bio

That’s how George is describing his way to paint and techniques he is using:

“After the Art Academy -1986
and the marriage and Alice – the first daughter was born and the book covers design and the immigration to Austria – 1988
and the copies of icons and the old masters and drawings on the grave stones and my first mural and ….
the arriving in Canada – 1990
and the computers and Marini – the second daughter born and the taxi driving and the graphic design and the divorce and the murals and the 3D animation and the 9/11 event and the taxi driving again and some murals again and few commissions and the car accident and …
finally I am here, where I really wanted to be, even before the academy:
Oil painting!
Textures, colors, music (Miles Davis), light, surfaces, lines, forms, music (Stan Getz), light, warm colors, textures, music (John Coltrane), lines, surfaces, light, forms, cold colors, music (Gerry Mulligan), textures, forms, light, warm colors, textures, music (U2) and peace …”

George’s As an Artist

George’s motto is being borrowed from the great French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir: “To my mind, a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful, and pretty, yes pretty! There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is without creating still more of them.”

George’s favorite technique is called Scumbling. A scumble is a dry and broken application of paint. It’s really the opposite of a glaze but the two are often confused as they are both ways of optically modifying an underlying paint film.
A glaze works by covering an underlying area of a painting with an unbroken film of translucent paint. The resulting painting will change colour, appear deeper and – critically – reduce in terms of contrast. Conversely a scumble consists of a broken film and it is designed to work with – rather than cover up – the underlying painting. The result tends to be livelier, more textured and a little rougher.

What Art Critics Say About George’s Artworks

The following paragraph is from the booklet of Casa Loma’s Art in the castle show:
“In the ‘cubist artwork’ of George Yaneff, objects are broken up, analyzed, and reassembled in an abstracted form-instead of depicting an object’s one viewpoint, this artist depicts the subject from a multitude of viewpoints to represent the subject in a greater context depicting movement and sound!”

George’s Art Shows

GROUP SHOWS:

  • Sofia, Bulgaria – 1987
  • Budapest, Hungary – 1989
  • Toronto, Canada – since 1994 to…
  • Toronto Art Expo – March 2008
  • Art in the Castle (Casa Loma) Toronto – November 2008
  • Art-2009 – June 2009
  • Montreal International Art Expo – 2009

SOLO EXHIBITIONS:

  • Impression Art Gallery, Toronto – March 3 to March 27, 2009
  • The Paper Mill Gallery, Toronto – September 29 to October 11, 2015
  • The Paper Mill Gallery, Toronto – November, 3 to 27, 2018

UP COMING SHOW:

  • Lakeshore Village Gallery, Toronto – June 27 to July 11, 2022

You can find George’s works at his website: http://www.georgeyaneff.com/

Featured Artist - Judith Brown
In: Artists

Featured Artist: Judith A. Brown

Meet Judith A. Brown – a watercolour artist from Alberta

Judith A. Brown is a watercolour artist from Spirit River, Alberta and has been artistically inclined since childhood.  She began painting in the early 80s and soon chose watercolour as her main medium.  She has taken courses from:

  • Jack Reid
  • Jake Mohl
  • Romain Teisenhausen
  • Bob Guest
  • Jim Adrain and
  • Dean Reeves

Also, she was studying from instructional books, videos and DVDs.  Judy has shown in and spearheaded art shows all over the Peace Country for many years, often as a member of the Peace Watercolour Society,  the Three Generation Watercolour Artists, or in gallery members’ shows. Her works are in public and private collections in Canada, the U.S., Europe and Australia.

Featured Artist - Judith BrownJudith A. Brown as an artist and art instructor

Judy was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, but has lived in five of the provinces. After receiving a Master’s degree in biochemistry from York University, Judy focused a lifelong interest in physical and learning disabilities. She was working with special needs children at the public school in Spirit River, where she moved with her husband, Harvey, in 1977.

Today, Judy greatly enjoys retirement from her official career. While she’s busy with various community and provincial boards and committees, she always packs a good supply of brushes and paint when there is a chance for a camping trip or an outdoor painting excursion.

In her art classes, Judy’s approachable style and knowledge of learning differences combine with her artistic know how to make art accessible and successful for everyone.  Her students range in age from 2 to 100. Judith volunteers at schools, lodges and long term care units, proving that it’s never too late to pick up a paint brush. She finds art to be an invaluable tool in her many community endeavours, always stressing sound techniques along with creativity and discovery.

“My paintings reflect the peacefulness, beauty and serenity of our landscape. Painting is a way of trying to capture and express these images and feelings on paper.” 

Judy is awed by the incredible beauty, colour and atmosphere of the world around us. Her favourite subjects to paint are water and snow. She is fascinated by the delicate translucence of prairie skies and finds never ending subject matter in her Peace Country surroundings in northern Alberta.

Featured Artist - Judith BrownLearn more about Judy

You can see more of Judy’s work by visiting Peace Watercolour Society  or on facebook and clicking on Members and Judith A Brown.  

Want to become our featured artist? Learn how

In: Artists

Featured Artist: Kira Sokolovskaia

Meet out featured artist – Kira Sokolovskaia, a talented pastel artist, who worked at RUSART as an art instructor from 2017 to 2020.

Kira is from Moscow, Russia, where she graduated from Stroganov Moscow State University of Arts and Industry in 2011 with major in graphic arts. About the same time, she realized that her favourite medium was pastel, and her inspiring subject is beautiful nature around. She uses bold colours, confident lines, and applies no smudging. To create a more expressive look, Kira is working on sand paper (yes, regular sand paper that can be found at construction store). Dark tint of paper provides kind of outlines around colourful lines that make Kira’s drawings more impressive and eye-catching.

Kira is also a talented illustrator with a lot of books published. For her illustrations she is choosing mixed media practice, combining elements of collage, gouache painting, and drawing. Although she loves to paint with oils too, she finds pastels the great source of inspiration as a medium.

In 2013 Kira moved to Canada and settled down in Burnaby, BC, where she still resides with her family. She became a member of the Burnaby Artists Guild, Federation of Canadian Artists, and Pastel Artists of Canada. Kira participates in art exhibitions on the annual basis and provides workshops. She is greatly inspired by the nature of BC, trees and mountains. She loves  painting in open air and is sure that working outdoors is the best way to understand distance, color, volume of objects an artist wants to depict.

Kira loves to study and regulary watch lectures (and reads books) on science(evolution,biology), history, art history and archaeology. The best way to draw something is while listening to a scientific podcasts.

You can see her artworks at her website www.culufin.com , and illustrations at www.kiradraws.com

Featured Artist - Almira
In: Artists

Featured Artist: Almira Baimuratova

Almira became our artist in 2016, when she moved to BC. Since then she is purchasing Decola paints for her textile art projects and supports RUSART in social media.

Almira was born and raised in Almaty, Kazakhstan where she attended Almaty University with major in Batik technique. She graduated in 1999 and got her Bachelor of Arts Degree.

After graduation, Almira began teaching art classes, which included Batik technique, as well as oil and watercolour painting. Also, she actively participated in several group and solo art exhibitions where her art was showcased.

Batik art by AlmiraIn 2007 Almira moved to Toronto, ON, where she continued teaching private lessons, creating and exhibiting her artworks.

In 2014 Almira moved to Edmonton, AB and began successfully hosting paint parties. Shortly later Almira moved to BC, being drawn by Vancouver’s natural beauty, where she has been living since then. Almira never stopped painting, teaching and hosting paint parties.

Almira’s speciality is Batik technique (painting on fabric with melted wax, Decola and Javana paints). Following her the advice of her first year university art teacher Olga Batini, PhD in Arts, Almira focused on painting on textiles, including Batik.

Stylization with a focus on depicting nature in a decorative way has always appealed to Almira. “Using bright, vibrant colors and contrast in my artworks to communicate happiness, I believe, is my ultimate goal” – that what Almira is saying about her art path.

Although she visualizes her pictures before even beginning painting, Almira enjoys playing with lines, tones and effects to give each piece an original, spontaneous quality. Whether it’s a sketch, oil painting or batik, Almira finds the process just as fulfilling as the finished piece.

Painting in textile by Almira BaimuratovaWeb-site: https://almiraartist.com/

 

Elena Senatorova Featured artist at RUSART
In: Artists

Featured Artist: Elena Senatorova

Meet our featured artist –  Elena Senatorova. She came to RUSART in early 2020, right before the pandemic. Being very familiar with our brands, Elena became a frequent customer and supporter of our small business.

That’s how she describes herself in arts. “In my artwork, the most important to me is to capture the first feelings and emotions, the taste and flavour of a moment with the object. That is how I paint, never losing sight of that vision.”

How everything started

Oi lpIaintig by Elena Senatorova featured artistElena Senatorova was born in Moscow, Russia, but very soon, her family moved to live in Beijing, China, where she grew up. Elena graduated from Beijing Language & Culture University with a Bachelor of Arts and Chinese language, and from Moscow Pedagogical State University with a Bachelor of History. She got married and moved to Canada, worked in fields not related to art. However, a very tragic event in her family changed the whole course of her life.

As a result, she quitted her job and started a path of becoming a professional visual artist. “I was evaluating my life and realized that I wasn’t happy with my carrier. I needed to find the path, which will fulfill my soul again and bring the worthiness and meaning back into my life… The Universe heard me – I started to see human faces of different ages and gender when I closed my eyes… it felt quite weird until I realized what I was supposed to do – I signed up for the introductory course in oils at West Vancouver Community Center.” That was in 2015.

Elena’s Art Journey

Elena Senatorova Featured artist at RUSARTSince then, Elena is constantly working on her skills and abilities to capture on canvas the day-by-day experiences and transformations from nature scenes to human faces. Her main medium is oil.

She prefers to work from life, saying “photographic images do not do the justice of the colors and values, plus what is really valuable for me is to capture the first impression of the object, scene, or moment, and that unique connection I have with it. Capture all the above and show it to the viewer. “

What about art vision, Elena chose the self-directed approach with her studies. She is constantly reading numerous publications of professional artists, magazines, blogs, websites, and social media. She took personal and online workshops with the leading artists from Canada, USA, and Russia – Deborah Tilby, Alan Wylie, Maria Josenhans, Justin O’Gilvie & Steve Williams from Canvas Method, Martinho Isidoro Correia from Angels Academy of Arts Florence, Domenique Medici, Daniel J Keys, Michelle Dunaway, Kathy Anderson, Joshua LaRock, Zhaoming Wu, Anton Levin & Nikita Mogilevtsev from Russian Academy of Fine Arts and many more.

Also, she attended the summer school at Angels Academy of Arts in Florence. To learn many different techniques, she studied classical method of painting by executing master copies of William A. Bouguereau, Caravaggio, John Singer Sargent, I. Kramskoi, Claude Monet, Van Gogh, etc.

As an artist who loves working from life, she attends live model sessions, constantly paints outdoors – En Plein Air.

Elena Senatorova Featured artist at RUSARTWhere to find Elena’s works

Please visit Elena’s website – http://www.elenasenatorova.com to view her works.

Follow this featured artist on Instagram @Senatorovaart or on FB to see the day-by-day work and life of the artist.

Elvira Kravenkova
In: Artists

Featured Artist: Elvira Kravenkova

Elvira Kravenkova (FB: https://www.facebook.com/ekravenkova) became part of RUSART team in 2017 as an art teacher and art instructor of special courses. Now, Elvira is still with us testing our products and helping us improve our formulas.

Elvira’s background

Elvira Kravenkova is a Russian-born Canadian artist, based in BC.

Elvira’s painting style is still influenced by traditions of Russian realism and impressionism; the styles she loves.

In the early 1990s, she started to exhibit her paintings as an emerging artist in Moscow, Russia.

In 1998, Elvira relocated to Canada where she continued her art education with amazing artists and instructors. Learning from Anatoli Badriashvilli (Badri) at his studio and Mandy Boursicot(Classical Realism Atelier) enhanced Elvira’s progress in graphics and painting.

Elvira’s career

Elvira teaches in her studio and was invited to instruct students on fundamentals of drawing and painting and Human Anatomy at private art school in Vancouver.

Since 2013 she is a Member of The Federation of Canadian Artists.

Since September 2013 she became a member of The Vancouver Life Drawing Society.

Elvira started to show her artworks again since 2013. Since then she participated in many Canadian and International shows, including juried shows, where she’s got several International Awards.

Her works are in private collections in Australia, Canada, the USA, Italy and Russia.

You can find Elvira’s works in 33 Contemporary gallery on Artsy  , in Federation of Canadian Artists gallery as well as in Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art (WMOCA), Wausau, WI.


Lean more how to become our featured artist >>

In: Artists

Featured Artist: Rose Kamma Morrison

Rose Kamma Morrison is a Canadian BC-based artist with an interesting artists’ path and a very strong personality. Elena, RUSART’s owner, “met” Rose online in 2020, right after COVID-19 pandemic started. Elena made her first samples of paints and Rose responded to volunteer call to test her paints. Since then Rose inspires Elena with her strong personality and uneasy artist’s path.

“My horizon is broader than my tunnel vision.”  – Rose Kamma Morrison

Rose was diagnosed at 16 with Usher’s Syndrome (deaf/blind) has taught her to look, feel and create. She has an interest in all things outdoors.

Rose is happiest when enjoying the experience of running, hiking, rock climbing, swimming, skiing, kayaking and traveling. Living on the West Coast of Canada, the mountains, byways, forest, ocean and lakes have become her playground. When away from these outdoor pursuits, Rose loses herself in the world of her arts, using watercolour, pencil, ink, mix media and photography.

Featured Artist: Rose Kamma Morrison During her school years, Rose took advantage of all art classes becoming familiar with different mediums and later taking art courses at a local College.
 She refused to allow Usher’s Syndrome to define her; she would rather express beauty in her art, this is how she views her world.

Before retiring,  Rose was an Interior Decorator/Paint Consultant.  Her greatest achievement is raising her beautiful daughter, Emily. She is with a wonderful man, Chris Morrison, who is the pillar of her strength and supports her in all things she’s doing.  He taught her all things are possible.  “My love and friend”. –  Rose says.

Rose is always thankful to her mother who refused to believe that she should be in an institution. It is because of her Rose flourished. And because of her dad, Rose has the passion for the outdoors, sports and sense of adventure.  All these people are the reason for who Rose is today.

Featured Artist: Moon Night and Tree Rose MorrisonWith continuing loss of vision it has taught her a lot about grief.  Grieving can be interpreted  in artistic form, however abstract or surreal loss may feel, it is unique to all and all to experience.

You can find Rose’s works on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RTKMorrison/ or on Instagram: @rosetkmo

Meet our supporter - Kathy Van Gogh
In: Artists

Meet our supporter – Kathy Van Gogh

Meet our supporter – Kathy Van Gogh

Kathy Van Gogh contributed a lot into RUSART development, as an artist, tester and raw materials provider.

Elena, RUSART owner, and Kathy met in 2019 in Vancouver, BC, right before Art Vancouver art fair, where Kathy was displaying her beautiful artworks and teaching a to of workshops. As a teacher, Elena taught a pastel workshop there too.

As a professional artist Kathy helped Elena in testing natural watercolours, providing with honest and reliable feedback as well as sharing her experience with other artists. In 2020 when Kathy retired and closed her furniture paint business (see below), she generously donated a lot of raw materials as well as packing supplies to RUSART. 

Elena is very grateful to Kathy for her huge contribution into RUSART small business.

Who is Kathy Van Gogh?

Kathy van Gogh has been a professional visual artist since 2001, although as most artists would tell you, she has been obsessed with colour and creativity all her life.  Her formal training began in the USA and in Canada. To further hone her skills, she travelled to Italy and France. There she learnt from the authentic Masters of ancient art forms including:

  • ornamentation,
  • marbles,
  • wood grains,
  • gilding,
  • plaster work,
  • paint making
  • and just about every other branch of what is generally referred to as decorative art.

Kathy’s Career as an Artist

Initially, she opened her design company called FAKE IT, so-called because her work includes making walls look 2000 years old or transforming drywall into beautiful jaw-dropping finishes.  Kathy has completed hundreds of projects in some of Vancouver’s most prestigious homes. Her work has been featured in many publications including Home Makeover Magazine, Designer Baths, The Sun, The North Shore News, The Province, The Richmond News and many others.

In 2007, Kathy opened the only teaching studio for this art form in all of Western Canada, Studio van Gogh.  Now, as a recognized leader and innovator in the industry, Kathy has travelled all over the world teaching her methods and artistry to others.  

The next natural evolution of her business and art acumen led her to create a line of products called van Gogh Furniture Paintology.  These are designed specifically to refinish furniture.  Essentially, Kathy has taken all her knowledge from the once exclusive world of decorative painting and made it accessible to everyone with her Fossil Paint line of fun and artistic products.

These days, Kathy confines her work to canvasses and has closed her furniture paint business.  Her work can generally be described as abstract impressionism. And she works in acrylic, watercolour, plasters and inks as well as her own handmade paints and plasters.

Kathy’s motto: Leave you Mark!

KathyvanGogh@telus.net 

Want to become our supporter – welcome!

Iryna Kharina - featured artist at RUSART
In: Artists

Featured Artist – Iryna Kharina

RUSART is starting series of articles about Canadian artists, who belong to RUSART’s community: either as a client, customer, colleague, or as a supporter.  This time we’re featuring Iryna Kharina, who came to RUSART in 2015.

Meet Iryna Kharina

Iryna is a professional artist and art instructor from Ukraine, now residing  and working in BC, Canada. She is a third-generation artist. And she started her first art steps with attempts to embody imagination when she was just a three-year-old child. She was following her mom’s and grandmama’s creative path that, later, became her profession. 

Leaving Chilliwak, oil on canvas, 2021, 24x48 inIryna as a Canadian artist

As soon as Iryna’s paining required more skills and knowledge, both from practical and theoretical points, Iryna started working on her academic formal art education. So, she got a Master’s degree in Fine Arts. 

Iryna creates her artworks based on her academic background, 30 years of painting experience, as well as her dedication to arts. Her favourite medium is oil and most of her paintings in this medium you can find at her web-site.

As Iryna got her education in Ukraine, with strong academic traditions, her favourite subjects are still lives and landscapes. Apart from many contemporary artists who work from photo, Iryna still choses painting her still lives from life.

Oil Painting by Canadian artist Iryna KharinaHer studio is full of interesting and unique pieces that help her set up compositions for every mood and season, complemented with flowers, plants or fruits. All objects she is depicting have their own little stories that make a novel when painted. 

To practice painting landscapes Iryna goes outdoors. “Landscapes can come across my mind one day and bother my imagination for years, or even decades before I find ideal compositional arrangement for it to transfer onto my canvas”, – that’s what Iryna is saying about her landscapes.

Even though Iryna is a traditional oil artist, she keeps experimenting with  endless possibilities of oil paints. And after she moved to Canada her style changed under influence of the Canadian art culture. 

Now, Iryna is working and teaching art lessons from her home-based studio in Chilliwak, BC. She is an active member of the Burnaby Artist Guild, Federation of Canadian Artists and Chilliwack Visual Artists Association. Few years ago, Iryna was awarded with the AFCA Signature Status in the Federation of Canadian Artists.

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