Your Artists in San Antonio (cont'd)

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Susan C. Abelman graduated from the University of Texas in Austin and received her degree in Fashion Merchandising and Design. Her work as a makeup artist helped her transition from painting on faces to painting on canvas. She has been painting for six years. Bright, radiant colors and a joyous, happy spirit are captured in her work. Abelman's interest in travel, fashion, and nature influence the themes of her paintings. 

Jose Antonio Ayala was born in Mexico and raised in San Antonio; he received a formal education in photography, graphic art, and fine art. Ayala has been an architectural freelance illustrator since 1983, and most recently, a full-time fine artist. A contemporary artist, he enjoys depicting the many striking patterns of wildlife such as zebras, tigers, jaguars, etc., as well as whimsical outtakes of their everyday life, always considering the fact that many are becoming extinct.

For Drita Harris, it is important for her to not only create, but to continuously evolve and creatively express her feelings through art. "I have created art all my life in one medium or another. Whether I'm working in my studio painting or creating with glass, my art is a piece of me that I put out into the world. My large abstract paintings express the emotions of music, life, and color. My abstracts in glass are a flow of colors that captures the movement of glass."

Born in Del Rio, Texas, Juanita G. Garza had her first art classes in high school under artist, Jan Brieschke. She also studied under art historian, Eloise Stoker, potter, Nancy Powell, and Peruvian sculptor, Luis Guzman. In 1976. Garza graduated with honors from UT Austin in  All-Level Art Education then taught middle school for 10 years in San Antonio. Following her time in teaching, she spent over 25 years in cosmetics and abandoned painting for over two decades. After surviving cancer in 1998, she started teaching painting to adults as recovery therapy for herself beginning in 1999. She has now been consistently painting since 2005. Her work includes commissioned work, pet portraits, and florals and reflects her love of life, nature, family, faith, and culture. "My passion, love, and dedication in life is art." She is also the founder of the Con Mis Manos art group.

Ray B. Price attended Texas State University, or 'party central' as he calls it, where he became acquainted with commercial art, journalism, and even food fights. In his favorite form of expression, transparent watercolor, which he learned through much trial and error, his only expectation is to bring the viewer to a place of peace and have some fun along the way. Price has shown at La Villita, Artisans Alley, Turner-Chapman Gallery, Mary Rose Gallery, A.R.T. Gallery, Viva Gallery, and River Art Group Gallery. He is married to a fantastic woman and is the father of four wonderful children; he has lived in San Antonio since 1984. He has been painting seriously since 1995 and is still learning constantly about the nuances of watercolor and life.

Alexandra Nelipa is an international artist born in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea located on the northern coast of the Black Sea in Eastern Europe. She has lived in San Antonio since 2008. Currently, she works as a scenic artist at SRO Associates Inc. where she fabricates sculptures and murals for various theme parks and museums for different US locations. She has also created other commissions on the side that range from residential to commercial. Nelipa has exhibited her work in several local galleries including, but not limited to, San Antonio Art League and Museum, Bihl House Arts, High Wire Arts, Centro Cultural Aztlan, Fotoseptiembre USA 2017, and St. Mary’s University. Her main areas of creative research are inspired by everyday occurrences and memories of various experiences. She is not focused on following a particular direction in art; on the contrary, she is diverse in her choice of materials, techniques, and subject matter. Her range of artistic media includes oil, acrylic, wood remnants, and other materials that can be used for creative purposes.

Academically, Nelipa has earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art and Commercial Art from The Art institute named after N. Samokish, at Simferopol, Crimea. She also holds a degree in Multimedia Design from San Antonio College.  

On a Colorado creek in 1997, Linda Chalberg plunged into the world of watercolor and fell in love with working en plein air. Moving from teacher, librarian, soccer coach, volunteer, and stay-at-home mom, Chalberg learned from over two dozen instructors and has attained Signature Status in the Texas Watercolor Society. In her studio, en plein air sketches from her travels around the world are transformed into paintings of simplified shapes and enhanced colors. The magic of pigment swimming in water and flowing into the paper continually captures her mind and heart. 

With bluntness, intelligence, and a sly sense of humor, Myriam Lanau, the artist behind Cabana Boy Productions, likes to explore dreams, fantasies, and mythology. Often Lanau's work, which ranges from black and white photography to collage art, requires you to come in for a closer look. “I try to capture what’s hidden and really push certain limits.” She has shown work throughout Texas and has work in private collections worldwide. She received her BFA in Photography from UTSA after bouncing around from Kansas City Art Institute, San Antonio Art Institute, and San Antonio College.

Cindy Joeris Moses is a native of San Antonio and healing artist with the Salud-Arte: Art of Healing at University Hospital. She was chosen by San Antonio's Blue Star Brewing Company as their September 2021 Artist of the Month. "I have been told my creations bring happiness, healing, and love to my collectors' lives. I love to use vivid colors, unusual textures, and different tools to create abstract, contemporary, and realist paintings. I love to use architectural and organic shapes inspired by nature. Being outside in the daylight while listening to beautiful music inspires my passion to paint!" 

Katrina Gorman was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She began drawing at an early age to accompany her short stories. At the age of nine, she found a new love while watching her Mother sew, making her own school wardrobe in 6th grade. After attending Northrop High School where she received art awards and an art scholarship, she decided to attend college where she obtained a degree in Child Development and taught Early Childhood Education. Later, after working in insurance for ten years, a tragic house fire gave her the inspiration to pursue what she had always loved - art. Gorman's art can best be described as stories told in fabric where a moment is captured alongside nature's beauty. She is also well versed in multiple mediums and creates original art for private collectors. She has also taken part in juried art shows across Texas, Illinois, and Spain and accepts commissions for charcoal portraits.

Jacqueline Reynoso, born in Arizona and bringing the heat to San Antonio. She is a custom artist, specializing in painting your loved ones, pets, and other commissions for your home. She is a self taught, Realist artist who has recently branched out into the realm of Abstraction and mixing it with Cubism, bringing styles together to create unique pieces. Body painting, digital art, murals and interior design are other art forms she practices. 

Fleurette Farley Estes is a Diné (Navajo) artist from the Navajo reservation. She earned her degree in art from Harding University in 1998, and after moving to San Antonio in 2017, she left an 18 year career in retail to pursue art and photography full-time. Her inspiration comes from traveling, culture, landscapes, and experimentation with acrylic paints. She loves when people are drawn to her work because of their own travels and the mutual connection travel creates between her and her patrons.

Sonja Quarles is a Texas artist and a versatile painter. She paints landscapes, florals, figurative, wildlife, and architectural scenes in both oil and acrylic. Quarles has had paintings accepted into national, juried shows including NOAPS, AWA, and Graham Art Splash on the Square National Show. She has also exhibited in regional, juried shows such as Fort Worth’s Art in the Metroplex, Preservation is the Art of the City shows, Texas Artists Coalition member shows, and Texas and Neighbors Regional Art Exhibition. In 2006, she had a solo show at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center. Her paintings have won several awards including Best of Show at the 2014 National Wildlife and Domestic Animal Show in Irving, Texas and at the 2016 Lake Granbury Art Association Open Show.

 Inspired by his experiences as a former police officer and US Army combat medic, Ethan Farmer utilizes torches, carving tools, and acrylics to create works depicting the beauty of the natural world. A self-taught artist, Farmer established his company, West Texas Wood Art, in 2015.  Today, he is completing a Master's Degree in Physician Assistant studies and dedicates his free time to crafting unique pieces for clients. Personalization is one of his specialties.  

Silvia Sariñana was born and raised in Mexico City. In 1982, Sariñana started taking drawing and painting classes at the studio of Marcela Zorrilla, a well-known artist and professor at Universidad Autonoma de Mexico. In 1989, she attended the University of Incarnate Word and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Art and Education. She earned her MA in Art
Education from Texas Tech University in 1998. In 1993, she began teaching at Saint Luke’s Episcopal School where she developed the art curriculum and taught for 17 years. In 2010, she opened her own business, Art in the Park, to teach after-school art classes to children and adults. After retiring from teaching, she is now a dedicated, full-time artist, focusing her work on fiber art and mixed media. She has now joined the staff of Bihl Haus Arts and enjoys teaching drawing, painting, and crafts at San Antonio's senior centers. 

Sandra Risner was raised in Rio Grande City, Texas and attended Texas Woman's University where she majored in Fashion Illustration and Art Education. She has mainly worked in pencil and watercolor, but since retiring 8 years ago, she started painting with acrylics. She has also taken instruction from local artists, Stevie Ricks and Juanita Garza. "I was influenced by my father, a South Texas artist, by the works of Georgia O’Keefe, and the fashion portraits of John Singer Sargent. I am currently experimenting with new techniques and always trying new ideas.  I continue to find interest in painting a variety of subjects from nature including florals, architecture, and recorded memories of my travels."

Jack Krietzburg was born and raised in Southern California; his ancestors were among those noted for settling Santa Monica when orange groves, not boardwalks, were the area's stock and trade. Krietzburg lived in Las Vegas for 29 years, and while there, put his artistic nature into a successful commercial printing company. Upon selling the company in 1998, he and his wife, Sharon, moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. A five year endeavor into designing custom wood-screened doors reignited his passion for painting. He exhibited and sold his paintings in many venues across New Mexico. With a move to Sharon’s home state of Texas in 2012, his enthusiasm for painting and testing the boundaries of subjects has continued to evolve. He paints everyday simple subjects ranging from realistic to representational style.

Jasper DeMichael is a born and raised San Antonian; he is a multifaceted, full-time artist known for sharing his emotional artwork on Instagram. Since he became a full-time artist in 2016, he focused on the profession by studying every day to improve his skills in drawing with charcoal and painting with oil. He enjoys spending his free time improving his other skills in music/video creation, computers, general design, photography, medicine, psychiatry, writing, and much more.

Barbie Moroney grew up in New York; she studied art in college but decided to pursue a career in marketing and communications. Her creative outlet was writing, and she published a series of business books. After moving to San Antonio 15 years ago, she took a painting class and rediscovered her love for art. She continues to study art and usually paints in acrylics. She loves to paint local San Antonio scenes as well as landscapes from her travels. She is also a jewelry artist, and her jewelry designs reflect her time in the Southwest.

Jessica Veilleux is a member of the Boerne Professional Artists and the Coppini Academy of Fine Arts. She is fascinated with the Old Masters and has lived in several countries, visiting their museums and taking their art classes. "I strive to creatively express light and mood in my paintings and continue to study art at the Coppini Academy of Fine Arts. I love to paint the light seen in the glow of vessels or the luminosity of a sunset and feel joy when clients tell me they are drawn to the light in my paintings."

Pamela Clarkson has a degree in Secondary Art Education from the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque. She has traveled the world due to her military father as well as her husband who is also in the military. Her paintings have found homes across the world, as she celebrated her residences in Thailand, Taiwan, Turkey, and the Philippines. She now resides in San Antonio and paints the people, colors, flair, and style of her city. She paints in oil with an Impressionist style. She often ramps up her colors for a more contemporary take on traditional subjects.

Giovanna DiZurita was born in San Antonio in 1992. She is a full-time artist dedicated to her craft and the development of her career. Despite her young age, DiZurita has been awarded Visual Artist of the Year, Fashion Artist of the Year, and has even toured with her art internationally. Her art is part of the collection of individuals from all over the world in Europe, Central America, and various states in the US including many San Antonians. Some of her collectors include Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, the Mayor of San Antonio, and the Art Ambassador of Mexico City.  

Phyllis Rosenfield has a youthful exuberance and an inner joy that allows her to see the beauty in life’s creations.  Rosenfield is gifted in many different media, but her true love and passion is painting. She studied Art at the Paier School of Art in Boston and won many awards for her work. On a constant journey to learn and hone her craft, she continues to win awards at shows and art leagues. A mother of five children and an avid gardener, Rosenfield had a suburban farm where she raised chickens, dogs, cats, and horses. One of her fellow artists said of her work, “Her joy comes to life on her canvas.”

Jerry Gann is a native San Antonian who began painting with his grandmother at a very young age. Gann received his BFA from UTSA in 2001. He has shown artwork in local art galleries around downtown San Antonio as well as in group exhibits in Austin and New York. He has also 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 who has focused on his art 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.