Your Artists in San Antonio (cont'd)

 Justin was born in New Bern North Carolina in 1975. At the age of 3, his parents moved to the northwest where his father, Timothy McHenry, started a picture frame shop in Stayton, Oregon. It was there that Justin was exposed to the fine arts and was introduced to many local artists such as Michael Bartlett and Susan Bardeut (a watercolorist). Justin has continued his journey of art all thru his life and seeks to achieve the level of detail of the old masters. Although Oils may be his first choice in mediums he also worked in pencil, watercolor, acrylic, mixed media, sculpture wood carving, pen and ink, and digital media such as Photoshop for animation.  

Ms. Johnson is a self-taught artist.  Carmen’s narrative art takes a snapshot of people interacting in social situations.  Her faceless images allow viewers to cross racial lines placing themselves in the situation on canvas.  The inspiration for her vivid paintings comes from poems, songs, novels, and media. In addition, to her figurative work she creates large abstract work on canvas and paper using various papers, newsprint type, and photographs.  

Robert places more emphasis on compositional beauty than on hidden symbolism, and prefers to allow design, color and figure to tell the story of his paintings. The focus of his paintings is on the eyes that invite us to enter and experience our common humanity. Robert Garza is a modern master who evocatively combines the classic and the contemporary. Robert says, “we are all one people; the sharp sense gives the artist the ability to observe and highlight the beauty of what we see.” Robert's artistic efforts allow him to appreciate human differences, his generosity and his desire to understand others.

Born in Madrid, Spain, JD came to art at an early age nurtured by a rigorous education under the tutelage of Catholic nuns. He came to the US to study art. After receiving a bachelor's degree in art JD opened a studio where he specialized in large-format abstract paintings developed in collaboration with architects and designers such as Pepe Cabrera, Bruno Raymond and Michael Keller in the US. JD describes his early artistic life as nomadic, having exhibited extensively in Italy, Spain, France and Mexico and in various galleries in CA, NM, TX and FL, where his paintings are found in numerous private and commercial collections.

As a child of parents who were artists, I was blessed from a young age to be exposed to art in many of its forms. I credit my childhood to where I developed my own love and appreciation of art and to the artists who bring their visions forth. My inspirations have been primarily rooted in modern and abstract art with a love for color and fluidity. I have worked with a variety of mediums including charcoal, acrylics, and art resin of which I am self-taught in each. Working with resin has allowed me to expand on my creativity adding a depth and vibrancy that traditionally I would be unable to attain through traditional methods. 

Kimberly Hopkins photography explores and chronicles the poetic and lyrical nuances of daily life; using city streets, people, public transportation as her visual language.  Her passion for photography started when she picked up her first digital camera in architecture school; where she applied this passion by mixing her design influences to create her own unique style. Drawing inspiration from her predecessors – Gordon Parks, Nick Brandt, and Sharon Farmer, to name a few – Kimberly is a self taught photographer, allowing herself to exit the mind and delve into her surroundings.

I am originally from Argentina but came to the U.S. in 1976 with my sister and grandmother. We lived in New York for about 5 years, then we moved to San Antonio in 1981, which is where I met my husband. We got married in 1985 and started our family of 5 in 1987. Art has always been a part of my life, specifically painting, knitting, and sculpting but I love all types of Art. I hope you find joy in my paintings.

Gustav Rodmartin is a self-taught acrylic and oil, Contemporary Abstract Artist and also specializes in portraits. He is from El Paso, TX and emigrated to San Antonio. His inspiration comes from nature and every day life experiences. The main focus of his work is to express emotion and feelings through color.

Siena began her studies in art at AHN Academy in Maryland where she attended workshops and classes with Miguel Garcia Ceballos, Ana Tames and other famous artists from Oaxaca. She has participated in the Festivale di Arte, in Spoleto Italy in 2014 and also exhibited in ¨La Aurora¨, San Miguel de Allende and in various collective expositions all over Mexico. Siena expresses her feelings towards life in her abstract painting. Her works hang in residences throughout Mexico, Italy and Spain. 

A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Diana lived and was raised there along with her three sisters and three brothers.  She was inspired and encouraged to pursue her love of art by her father Odell Countryman, who himself was an artist. Diana attended various colleges in Arizona, specializing in fine arts and studying many different techniques and mediums including Still Life, Life Drawing, and Fine Arts in Oil painting.  All of these driving forces shaped her throughout her early college years and even throughout her years of raising a family.  Never once did her passion for art and her inner creative voice ever leave her. 

Originally from Dallas, TX, Claudette majored in Art Education at Texas Southern University in Houston, TX. She has enjoyed many one woman shows and exhibited extensively with SEAS. She received both first and second place awards for three consecutive years in USAA’s “Own My Own Time” exhibits and an award for best in show in a SEAS exhibit in 1997. In 2007, she created the JAZZ’s ALIVE poster for the city of San Antonio and in 2001 was artist of the year at St. Phillip’s College. Most of Claudette’s work is pastel and is focused on portraying the beauty of women’s color, a subject she has been drawn to for most of her life.

Born and raised on the southside of​ San Antonio, Texas, Veronica C. Guerrero started dabbling​ in the Fiber and Fine Arts at the age of 6. She taught herself how to crochet, draw, paint and sew.    Guerrero attended Our Lady of the Lake University where she received her BA in Art and English and MeD in Education and English.   Guerrero taught high school art for several years. She left teaching to become a stay-at-home parent. She currently works on creating her art, patterns and projects.   

I am an artist, painter/writer supporting myself from my art by moving to Belize Central America (1990-2011) to paint in natural spaces that are extinguishing in my place of origin. My greatest achievements were to empower women in art and create art education in schools where there was none. Because of the increase in violence I have moved back to San Antonio my birthplace and hope to find a place where I can reestablish myself and make a contribution to my community thru my work.

I have been shooting photographs for some 40 plus years and framing some for my own enjoyment. Upon retiring in 2015 after over three decades as Executive Director of the Texas Solar Energy Society and the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association I finally had the time to show and share. The photographs are unique shots of the natural world and artifacts of human activity and habitation selected from my broader collection of images. I hope they offer a fresh view of common Texas scenes and take you off the beaten path to see a side of Texas you may not have experienced. While my focus is largely on Texas, some of my works are from other states and Mexico as well.

Rene was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. He is a 1974 graduate of King High School and is a Vietnam Era Vet. Rene served in the United States Army from 1974 through 1977. After an honorable discharge, he attended Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas. Rene is now retired from the U.S. Postal Service after 37 years of service. Rene is now a full-time artist. Ever since he was young, he enjoyed drawing. Rene has always enjoyed creating images that depict his surroundings and culture. His inspiration comes from being able to capture incredible detail in all his paintings. He likes to paint still life and once he has reproduced the values, lighting and details, his paintings look realistic.

 I was born and raised in San Antonio. I have been painting on and off for about 10 years now. I really started to get serious again around last August, and now I can‘t stop. I have mainly been painting with acrylics on stretched canvas. Many of my paintings have been reinvented over and over again during the process towards its end result.  I usually try not to think too much about the final outcome.  I try to work with the idea that a so called mistake should be taken advantage of, and where it goes should not be feared. I’m not always successful in that approach, but it keeps the painting fun and interesting to me. 

 Fernando Giron is a self-taught artist originally from Mexico. He has lived in Texas for the past 14 years. As with many artists, Giron, grew up drawing and sketching daily. He started painting in 2010. His work has been displayed in interior design stores and over 12 private art exhibits throughout Texas in the past 4 years. Fernando likes to experiment utilizing new materials and techniques. He dreams, imagines, thinks, feels and communicates what moves his soul. His artwork is an explosion of color, vigorous figures, light and shade to produce an effect and emotion. He considers himself a figurative and abstract expressionist. His dream is to transcend in this medium and continue making charitable donation and contributing to his community through his art.  

Resa Wohlrabe is a native San Antonian. She received her Master's of Fine Arts in 2007 from Florida State University. In addition to her being an award-winning artist, Resa was featured in SA Women's Magazine in March of 2016 and chosen as the 2016 Official Fiesta Poster winner. Among her awards are the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series regional competition in Austin, TX. Her paintings reflect pure feeling and positive outlooks. Colorful displays with subject matter ranging from pianos to bicycles inspire her to keep creating more.

After 35 years in Sales and Marketing, I was facing retirement with a lot of trepidation and not too happy with that “retirement age number” that goes along with that Social Security Check. On a whim, I signed up for an Art Class and I have never stopped learning. WOW! It was the greatest gift I ever gave myself! From that first class I have found a whole new lease on life, a creative side of me that I never knew existed, a great group of new friends, and a passion and purpose to get up every day and explore my world and put it on canvas. Now, 6 years later, that “retirement age number” only means that I am FREE to create the world I am excited to live in!

A native of New Orleans, Sarah Mills Bailey studied microbiology at LSU and at the graduate level, at Tulane University.  Her artistic endeavors began as crafting household décor. Using paint and fabric, she applied color as a means of highlighting visual perception of form. Fabric then became the medium, but again the tool was color, along with texture, as she juxtaposed aspects of both in her designs. It was a natural progression to the elemental of abstract art, narrowing the focus to color itself, becoming not just the tool but the object of perception.  Sarah lives in San Antonio with her husband and daughters.

Chris Taylor is fearless musical and artistic performer from San Antonio, TX. He has cowritten two songs with Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics fame and has over 30 albums to his credit. Throughout the 90’s, Taylor was the primary writer and visionary for the band Love Coma, which included Matt Slocum (guitar player for Sixpence None The Richer).  Chris paints and sings at the same time, creating something unique right in front of you. With both his music and visual artwork, Taylor has remained prolific and prominent in releasing new work for his fans.

For over 15 years, Schmidt has turned his sketches of sweeping arcs and sleek curvilinear lines into fine stainless steel sculptures. His polished mirror-finished creates brilliant and complex image with surface that reflects the organic transformation between existence and illusion. His ambitious intention is to create atmospheric monuments that captures the everlasting properties of the sun, water, and clouds in movement, and the ever-changing seasonal landscapes of our beautiful Earth; hoping to invoke in the viewer a nearly magical inspiration of great healing and thoughtfulness while simultaneously striking the imagination.

Born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Armando displayed an artistic ability from the age of 5. At 16, he obtained a diploma in Graphic Arts from the National School of Fine Arts. Armando has won various prizes and recognitions for his art as well as participated in national and international exhibitions. He was awarded a grant by the Italian government to study sculpture in the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara, Italy. Armando returned to Honduras to study Interior Design at the University of Design, Architecture and Construction where he obtained an associate degree in Interior Design. There, he continued to study architecture but in his 3rd year relocated to San Antonio, TX where he now practices his knowledge of Art to develop different artistic projects. 

Born and raised in San Antonio, Navy veteran and a retired architect Heye has been painting professionally since 2004. He specializes in impressionistic views of the Texas Hill Country.  Heye works primarily in acrylics in large format and his pieces sell in the $1000 to $5000 range.  He is an award winning artist with the San Antonio Art League and the Bulverde Area Arts Center.  He works in his studio/home in Bulverde where he has lived with his wife, Laura, for over 45 years.   

This wild little cowgirl grew up in Archer County, Texas herding sheep and cattle, driving a tractor, and avoiding rattlesnakes with her three siblings. She was influenced by the shape and colors of the open range and wheat fields, sketching what she saw on her Big Chief tablet with a #2 pencil. Sherry graduated from UTSA with a Bachelors in Fine Art Degree with an emphasis in Architectural Design. Her paintings hang in fine homes in San Antonio and across the state. Vintage photographs as well as nostalgia from my youth have inspired this collection.  

 Living and working in San Antonio for last 15 years, I am a scientist by training but brave to test the waters of art, because I believe science is a practicing art! Fascinated in elixir of colors often when time permits. Love to do contemporary, modern and abstracts. 50% of the proceeds will go to medical research/ community-based charities.     

Some of my first memories are of my mother painting her landscapes and the smell of oil paint and turpentine. I was officially teaching others art since I was a school child and later worked as a degreed art teacher in the public schools in Texas and later went into the private sector and have created murals for church, business and private homes. I have delved into everything art from photography, pastels, watercolor, oil and sculpting. My favorite medium is acrylics. I am a member of the Lytle Friendship Club and San Antonio Art Association.

 As a native to San Antonio, I enjoyed painting with my grandmother at a very young age. I received a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from University of Texas at San Antonio in 2001. I have shown artwork in local art galleries in Downtown San Antonio as well as group exhibits in Austin and New York. I have donated artwork to local nonprofit organizations as well. I have been an art teacher for the last 13 years. I remain dedicated to making and exhibiting artwork. My recent work is made using oil paint, collage, and found objects. 

Stan Unser is a mixed media artist working since 2016 following his retirement as a military physician. A lifelong attraction to intriguing images and a desire to composite them into stories directs his work.  He often uses photographic image transfers to allow rapid presentation of a concept with emphasis on composition. His current purpose is to evolve artistically, create interesting and pleasing work, and explore the local art community.  

A resident of San Antonio for over 30years; from San Clemente, California. Mayette started drawing and painting since 7 years of age. She is also a full pledged crafter. Put them all aside to raise 3 beautiful children. Now an empty-nester and a grandmama she's finding her way back to where I started; creating artworks. It's been over 10 years now that she's painting again. An MBA graduate from UIW in International Business and an author of “A GLIMPSE OF EDEN” an inspirational-spiritual messages with my artworks for coffee table piece, she hopes to share her creations for the world to enjoy.