Very very nice!

Dutch painter Herman Smorenburg was born in Alkmaar on the seventh of June 1958. At an early age Herman, who grew up with two brothers and one sister, was fascinated by the possibility of expressing his imagination by drawing and painting. When he reached the age of fifteen, a major development took place in his inner life which drove him to tread a path which he has followed until today: the great search into the mysteries of consciousness and the exploration of its hidden dimensions. Although Herman had already developed a great sensitivity to the beauty and the immensity of nature, and although some aesthetic experiences with nature had already settled in the chambers of his subconscious mind, the discovery and use of psychedelic drugs expanded his consciousness and intensified his experiences. Life, with all its hidden dimensions and possibilities, started to reveal itself to Herman as an unimaginable adventure, in which he had just made his first steps.

At this stage, visual art that examines the deeper experience of reality by way of images and symbols, began to have a tremendous impact on the young artist’s mind. The confrontation with Salvador Dali’s surrealistic art and the imaginative worlds of the famous Dutch artists Carel Willink and Johfra left imprints in Herman’s young and susceptible mind, which, in the course of time ripened and developed into his own magical dream worlds. These imprints, furthermore, laid the foundations for his study of classical painting techniques.

Some nice drawings..

Aaron Holliday, 44 years old, was born in New York and was raised in Los Angeles by his grandmother. Aaron began drawing at the age of 13 due to loneliness. He gradually withdrew from people and became so obsessed with drawing that his mental health was affected and he was hospitalized for three years at the Los Angeles General Hospital. He considers those three years the best time in his life.

Born and raised in Wuhan, China, Claire Ye first became passionate with drawing and painting at the age of five. Throughout her childhood she was often reprimanded for paying more attention to her art than to her studies. By the age of ten, she had taught herself the traditional art of Chinese brush painting.

Her continued passion toward her art convinced her parents to hire private training under the renowned artist Hong Xu Guang at the age of twelve.

As a still life painter, the theme of impermanence is central to my life and my art. Perhaps because both of my parents died when I was a teenager, I found solace in embracing that all of life is constantly changing. In my art I am most often drawn to express the beauty that exists in the midst of life’s impermanence by painting still life subjects that are short-lived. Whether a flower, a piece of fruit, or foliage, these offerings of nature spend only a short time in their fully alive form. Lately I have been exploring the way light and shadow can drastically change the appearance of shapes and forms in architecture. Through studying and painting all of these impermanent images, I am constantly reminded that life is brief and the time to appreciate my own life is right now.

Through the years I have grown very fond of the subject matter that I paint. It is as real to me as life itself. Even now, as I sit here and write, the studio elves and faeries are cleaning my brushes and leaving faery footprints all over my palette. Yes, faeries are as real as you and me, you only have to open your mind and use your imagination. As an artist I have always prided myself to bring things to life on paper and give the viewer something that they can believe in. In a world of so much negativity and turmoil I am truly thankful that I can paint a more positive and dreamy world.

The older I have become and as my artwork matures the more my heart yearns to create. This yearning becomes a passion and my true emotions flow out of me as I paint. When you create, I believe you have to open yourself up and reach deep within to really get a feel for what you’re all about and what you hope to say or express in your painting. Then everything you paint becomes real to you and for the viewer anything is possible. I paint for just that reason. It is a wonderful feeling to share my imagination and emotions with people through my paintings.

Julian Beever has made pavement drawings for over ten years. He has worked in the U.K., Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Germany, the USA and Australia.

The pavement drawings have included both renderings of old masters plus a wealth of original inventive pieces of work.