Author: Seraphina Calder

Jane Gottlieb has developed a distinctive visual language shaped by her enduring fascination with color, movement, and energy. Raised in Los Angeles and now based in Santa Barbara, Gottlieb first worked as a painter before embracing photography as another way to explore light, rhythm, and composition. More than three decades ago, she began hand-painting individual Cibachrome prints, a turning point that helped define her artistic practice. By altering the photographic surface, she transformed captured scenes into singular art objects that move freely between photography and painting. Her colors do more than decorate an existing image; they reshape its atmosphere and…

Ruth Poniarski’s path to painting began with an education in architecture. After earning a Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute in 1982, she spent approximately ten years working in construction. In 1988, she turned her attention to painting, discovering a form of expression that offered both imaginative freedom and a rewarding creative challenge. Her architectural background remains relevant to the way she organizes space, balances visual elements, and constructs intricate environments within her compositions. Working in a surrealist style, Poniarski draws inspiration from mythology, cultural traditions, philosophy, and literature. These influences come together in mysterious scenes that resist straightforward interpretation…

Cheryl Crane-Hunter is a multidisciplinary artist and art educator whose creative practice is deeply connected to nature, reflection, and emotional well-being. Her work invites viewers to slow down and experience a moment of calm amid the movement of everyday life. Inspired by the colors, light, and rhythms found in the natural world, Cheryl creates compositions that are both visually engaging and quietly meditative. Her artistic background allows her to approach each canvas with curiosity, care, and a strong understanding of color and form. Symbolism also plays an important role in her work, adding meaning beyond what is immediately visible. Rather…

Art has been part of Der Poeck’s life since childhood. At the age of ten, his mother introduced him to drawing, giving him an early appreciation for creative expression. While sketching came naturally, painting with color was a path he would not explore until much later. His father’s love of oil painting during the 1990s quietly shaped his perspective, even though he eventually set his brushes aside to focus on work and family. Inspired by those early memories, Der Poeck finally began painting in 2010. Without formal artistic training, he developed his own visual language through curiosity, experimentation, and a…

For Allan Wesaquate, painting is an exploration of feeling rather than an attempt to capture a single, fixed moment. His abstract compositions are driven by movement, rhythm, and emotion, inviting viewers into spaces where color and texture continually shift across the surface. Working primarily with acrylics and expressive mark-making, he builds layered paintings that suggest energy in constant motion instead of static form. Each work begins with personal experience but avoids offering one definitive interpretation, allowing individual responses to shape its meaning. Bold palettes, fluid gestures, and richly textured surfaces give his paintings an unmistakable sense of vitality. Rather than…

For a moment, it felt like we had stepped into a comic book movie. A message arrived from someone named Peter Parker, and given the subject matter, it was impossible not to appreciate the coincidence. Whether the name is real or simply an amusing coincidence, we will leave that mystery unsolved. We did, however, briefly wonder whether Spider-Man had decided to take a break from saving New York and venture into the art world. While this Peter Parker is not the artist behind the work, he does play an important role in the story. As a supporter and sponsor of…

Miguel Barros is a multidisciplinary artist whose paintings encourage reflection on the complex relationship between people and the environment. Born in Lisbon in 1962, he holds Portuguese, Canadian, and Angolan citizenship, experiences that have shaped his global outlook. His move from Angola to Calgary in 2014 marked an important chapter in his creative journey, offering fresh perspectives and opportunities for exploration. With a background in Architecture and Design from IADE Lisbon, Barros brings a strong sense of composition and structure to his work while embracing the expressive possibilities of painting. It is a pleasure to welcome Miguel Barros for this…

Der Poeck, an Austrian artist, creates paintings that invite viewers into a world of discovery, imagination, and quiet mystery. His artistic journey began in childhood, when he learned to draw from his mother and developed an early appreciation for visual expression. Color entered his life later, influenced in part by memories of his father, who spent time painting in oils during the 1990s. Although those artistic pursuits eventually gave way to work and family responsibilities, the paintings left a lasting impression. Years later, Der Poeck found himself drawn to painting and the possibilities of color, inspired by those early experiences.…

Born in Lisbon in 1962, Miguel Barros has built a body of work shaped by movement between cultures, places, and personal histories. Having lived in Portugal, Angola, and later Canada, he carries with him a rich collection of experiences that continue to inform his artistic perspective. In 2014, Barros relocated from Angola to Calgary, creating a geographical distance from Lisbon, the city that remains deeply embedded in his imagination. Rather than weakening his connection to his birthplace, this separation has intensified it. Lisbon frequently appears throughout his work as a remembered landscape reconstructed through emotion, memory, and reflection. For Barros,…

For more than fifty years, Pasquale J. Cuomo has remained deeply connected to photography, approaching the medium with the same sense of curiosity that first drew him to a camera as a teenager. What started as a youthful interest steadily developed into a lifelong dedication to observation, craft, and visual awareness. From the era of film negatives and darkrooms to digital cameras, smartphones, and AI-driven technology, Cuomo continued evolving alongside photography itself while staying committed to the simple but demanding act of truly seeing. Throughout his career, Cuomo refused to confine himself to a single category of photography. His work…