SPECIAL GUEST ARTIST
Celebrity Artist Michael Bell
"Painting, for me, is a dynamic process of self-exploration and a constructive way to give form and meaningful expression to an experience. I investigate problems on a personal and intuitive level. It’s the journey that constantly fuels my mind. It's a timeless, cinematic world where stories are born...where the artist is the ultimate storyteller. I’m also concerned with the interconnections between my works and how they are presented; therefore I present many of my narrative works of art together as a thematic series.

My subject matter ranges from painting contemporary celebrities in today’s visual culture to metaphorical objects as storytellers on larger than life-sized canvases. Celebrities bring a sense of decadence and iconic theatricality to my work, while working with objects as metaphors often extends meaning deep within my work on a psychological level. The final product becomes a passionate reflection of all that was revealed to me about my subjects during intense moments of personal clarity.

All I am is what I create. It's my blessing to share with the world." - Michael Bell

EXHIBITION CURATOR AND DIRECTOR
Aunia Kahn - IL
I claim my inspiration from pure emotions; powerful and oftentimes personal, ranging from love, anger, betrayal and the scores in-between. I feel honoring the human soul, spirit and determination wholeheartedly breathes life into my creations and my hope is that the images and expressions fuel the desire for life and walk a path of their own through each of my viewer's interpretations.

Andrew John Montano - CA
My name is Andrew John Montano. I am an artist that lives and works out of Barstow, California. I first began drawing at the age of ten when I first learned that I could put clothes on my stick figures. Ever since then I have developed an aptitude for the arts. In addition to art I have had a fascination with science, and actually started at the University of California as a bio-physics major. After learning that I was at the top of my art classes I switched over to visual arts as a major. In the spring of 1997 I was first diagnosed with schizophrenia, and for the next five years it would completely destroy my life. I was unable to finish college, and not able to pursue the arts in the way that I would have liked to. After spending time in and out of the hospital, and then in jail a few times I decided that I was not going to let the illness get the better of me, nor control me. For the past five years my doctors have told me that the schizophrenia is in remission. I attribute this to new found discipline, and staying on my meds. I have been able to go back to school and I received my associates degree in humanities from Barstow Community College, and I have decided to go full steam into the business of art. My dream is to be a successful artists, and show in galleries across the country as well as create graphic novels and comic books. I plan to move to a bigger city someday since a small town is not the best place for opportunities in the arts. A move to a metropolitan area like Los Angeles or San Franscisco seems daunting, but I think that the benefits that being closer to an art scene would only lead to more success as a gallery artist. The big hurdle now is just getting the exposure, and being able to sell enough to make a living. For now I am trying to keep my dream alive though hard work and persistence.

Charly Felling - MO
I’m Charly  Felling, I was raised in a large Irish Catholic family and I have lived in the mid west most of my life. Before I became an artist my background was in science. I received my MFA from Fontbonne University  in 2005.  I have shown several times a year since then mostly here in the St. Louis area.  I have also taught Design at a couple of Illinois Colleges.

 I read books to preschool age children at a local book store once a week. The wonder, joy and honest spotainity  is totally worth the time I put in.  I also enjoy substitute teaching for a local school district, any age, any grade.

I never actually set out to become an artist. Through a strange course of events it was a path set before me and I just took it.  I figured out about eight years ago that the challenge of making art is exciting to me.

I’m not a great communicator, what I mean by that is I’m not comfortable insisting that someone should spend their time paying attention to any thing that has anything to do with me. Except for my art. I fall in love with my work during the process of making it. Indulging in all the textures and choices of mediums. I use what ever it takes to make my statement, with an intensity I would never feel comfortable actually saying to anyone. A lot more people look at my art then I would ever speak to in any other way. I get a real kick out of watching people respond to it.

Chrisanne Tilton - MO
I was born and raised in Longbeach, California in a loving, middle class home. I was influenced by art at a young age by my parents and my great-aunt. My parents allowed me to explore different paths of creativity, while my great-aunt encouraged me to study the history and cultural aspects of art. My family moved to St. Louis before I went into high school. Studying was not my strong point, and I had to keep my mind occupied some how, so I took just about every art class the school had to offer. After graduation I took courses at Mereamec and received my degree. It wasn't till I found ART St.Louis that I really dove into my projects. So many ideas and sketches have been able to turn into projects that I am proud of and there are many that are works in progress.

Cindy Royal - MO
Life can be reflected in art. Over forty years of memories and experiences help to form my works. Often a "found" treasure will end up in a collage, or in the body of one of my creations.

My current works are a culmination of ground papier-mâché, fibers, and vestiges of an entertainment career. Retired records and spare instruments are taken to a new realm. Spare parts are woven into new projects. This is my favorite way to recycle paper and to utilize discarded objects.

Visual entertainment is exciting! Observing the evolution of a new work is a very curious task. The nature of the materials that I use and the drying process itself is often unpredictable. Often, some aspect of the subject will appear, and inevitably change the original path the work was on.

I have always had a passion for paint. It allows me to reveal the desired aspect and detail of my unique works.  I transfigure wet paper pulp, paint, wire, cloth, fibers, and memorable finds into my own private therapy sessions. My journey continues as I find solace in creating my alternatively recycled art. 

Cynthia Lancaster - MO
Cindy grew up in St. Louis and studied photography at Webster University. Her love for alternative processes led her to polaroid transfers and emulsion lifts. She found that it was a fascinating process that could help describe how she felt about herself and those closest to her.

She now resides in U City with her roommates and her pug, Buddha.

Daniel Mather - NC
Daniel's work can be seen in galleries across the country.  In addition to showing in galleries, he has been featured in New York Home Magazine as an artist to watch.  His work will also be shown in the upcoming December issue of The Artist’s Magazine where he received fourth place out of 11,000 entries.  Five of his pieces were finalists.

Following graduation from the Columbus College of Art and Design, which he attended on full scholarship, he did a brief stint with American Greetings (Create-a-Card) where he quickly rose from staff artist to Art Director.  Relocating then to New York City, his skills were further challenged as Creative Director, conceiving and designing major billboards that graced Times Square.  From his Central Park South residence he now devotes himself entirely to fine art and freelance endeavors.

Daniel’s work inhabits the space between realism and symbolism, without ever venturing fully into either category.  His painting style combines the old world technique of glazing with modern materials on stretched canvas and Stonehenge Printmaking papers.  This technique produces pieces of art that radiate with a rich glow as if illuminated from within.

The goal of his work is to make the intangible (emotional, spiritual and psychological) world visible, thereby bringing it within reach of the senses where it can be consciously engaged and better understood.  Through the juxtaposition of familiar imagery, he tries to capture unobservable emotions or thoughts.  Since his subjects are incorporeal, they are not bound by natural laws and exist outside of any particular time or place.

The dramatic lighting and muted pallets suggest the vacuum of a dream, while the black and white images often conjure the impression of distant memories.  Often, the pieces transmute complex arguments, thoughts, and opinions into simple visual statements.  This again is a way to confront and understand what may be very difficult to parse logically or verbally.  By giving the indescribable a visual counterpart, it is instantly understood differently and more concretely than before.

Dawn the Butcher - TX
I am DAWN THE BUTCHER named because I am passionate about creating special effects, especially gore.  I am a makeup artist and a survivor of severe childhood sexual, emotional, psychological and negligent abuse.  I remember always feeling alienated, different, and dirty.  I suffer from attachment disorder and an extreme discomfort with physical touch most of the time.  My abuse began before I remember and included being left unattended to in my crib leading to an extremely underdeveloped tolerance to physical stimulus.  By 13 I was doing cocaine and methamphetamine.  By 17 I was homeless.  I repeatedly attempted suicide and spent a week in a coma from an intentional overdose.  The path to where I am now has been long and has involved much processing and looking at myself honestly and deeply.  I have no excuses and accept no limitations.  I believe we all have choices to make and we must take responsibility for those choices if we are to grow.  I am a now a mother of three beautiful children first to be born free of our families legacy of abuse.  I have been clean from drugs and self mutilation for 15 years and I am grateful for every part of the path I have walked.  I am a newly budding artist whose path to art was a little unorthodox.  I have never seen myself as an artist.  Being ridiculed by a first grade teacher for my art kept me from being artistic for 26 years.  I went to hair school where I realized I wanted to be a makeup artist.  My career as a makeup artist has led me to more and more artistic expression freeing me to see how much art is living inside me.  I am passionate about being ALL that I can be and using that as a  vehicle to empower others to reach for something great in life.

Elaine Harris - MO
On June 2nd, 1992, in a fit of absolute anger, I attempted suicide. Sorting through possible causes that led to such an act of faithlessness led to the realization that it happened during the longest stretch of time I've experienced without painting. I can't even begin to put into words how very much art means to me, but I can tell you this. Art saved my life.  

James Charette - MA
Jim Charette is an artist who lives in Fall River,Ma.Over the years he has worked as a cartoonist, illustrator,painter,editorial cartoonist, tattoo artist,web designer and independent zine publisher to name a few.He has been involved in many group shows as well as had a number of solo shows.Medical problems led him to a disability two years ago but, he has taken that to be a blessing in disguise and has since spent all of his time working on his art. Currently he's working on illustrating two books,an animated film,two graphic novels, writing a book of short stories,editing an e-zine called The Rabid Dog,constantly updating his own website and has a number of shows of his paintings scheduled for 2008

Jane Linders - MO
My most recent series of Polaroid transfers is titled , “X-RAY TERRESTRIALS”.    Double exposed slides of skulls from animals , coupled with illustrations of dental training transparencies culled from a recent St. Louis dumpster dive, yield  macabre transmogrification from bone to alien. At. First glance, these small Polaroid transfers seem to portray a menagerie of grotesque creatures, which evoke responses of discomfort and disgust.   By depicting the deformed and macabre, I attempt to illuminates the darkest corners of the mind and reveal my  fascination with death, bones, skulls and teeth.

I am fascinated by the unpredictability  of Polaroid transfers and I love the freedom of experimentation and “lucky mistakes.”    I like the uniqueness of each piece and the painterly quality of the finished transfer.  The flexibility and mobility of this photographic medium lends itself to spontaneous exploration.  The added possibility of reworking my images using watercolors or pastel pencils , adds another dimension to this alternative printing process.

Jennifer Weigel - MO
I am a mixed media, installation and performance artist living in St. Louis, Missouri.  I often approach my work in a conceptual manner, responding to numerous ideas from feminist theory and cultural stereotypes to the nature of memory and forgetting to scrutinizing the ways in which we are accustomed to viewing art.  I strongly believe that no subject should be sacred and that culturally we need to work through things and better communicate with one another in order to understand and accept each another.  By voicing our grievances and concerns about how we perceive of ourselves and of one another, only then can we begin to address them.  Silence is not a solution.

John Smothers - WI
This will be my first showing of my art work since 1989-90 (high school). I currently work at a prison, which is the inspiration of the piece of art I have entered. I have no art schooling or classes other than what I recieved up to my senior year in high school. I am a proud veteran of the ARMY and served in the Bosnian War, I did 6 years in the military, got out of the military with a honorable discharge in 1997.  I am married with a 3 year old little girl and another one on the way due in January. My sister has been in an abusive relationship and got the right thing done by divorceing her abusive spouse and getting out of the situation after 2 children and 10 years of marriage to him. 

Justin Jenkins - NC
My name is Justin Jenkins.  I am a 25 year old 3D Computer Animator/Artist for a company called Camber Corporation in Fayetteville, NC.  I have been drawing ever since I can remember and knew art would be my profession since I was a small child.  During college I lost interest in all things art and got lost in a culture filled with constant partying and drinking.  It took 3 years but I became dis-illusioned with that way of life when it's shallowness and lack of any real substance became blatantly apparent.  Since then my passion for art, philosophy, and all things creative has continued to grow every day.  My art revolves around what it is like to be bi-polar and the sorts of thoughts and ideas that arise because of this.  I am convinced that it can be a positive thing and can be used a source of motivation to learn, grow, and excel as a person.  Without darkness...there can be no light. 

Marina Reiter - DC
Marina Reiter was born in Moscow, Russia and she currently resides in Washington, DC. She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from the Moscow State University, where she studied fine arts, art history and literature. In the US Marina studied art at the Corcoran College of Art and Design and the Torpedo Factory Art School. Her art is in private and public collections.

During her childhood and teens, Marina’s family moved around a lot, from Moscow, Russia to New York, to Beijing, China. The world was a giant kaleidoscope of color, new impressions, and at the same time sadness from leaving the people she loved, feeling disconnected with friends and her own family.Marina's art is about connecting and relationships. The colorful creatures that she paints are reaching out to connect with kindred spirits. Sometimes these connections are happy, sometimes quite odd, but that's what makes life beautiful. Marina's creatures are hopeless romantics, they keep searching and reaching out, and keep trying to make that connection anyway.

Rochelle Steffen - IL
layer, this word sums me up. It is the word that best describes “me” and how I work. I have public layers, private layers, and artistic layers. My public layers are simple, I tend to be that person that everyone gets along with and likes. I have a magnetic personality that draws people. I am rarely shy and always vocal. My public layers sometimes overwhelm the others since I try too hard to please everyone. My private layers are much more hidden. I only show these to a few people in my world. This is the stuff that sometimes comes out in my art, like the “family series” that will be shown with the DDALW. This is the only thing that can slow down the public layer and make me shy, since the material that “the squares” are about is touchy. It is not that I am afraid to talk about the issues that brought this work out, it is just that I am usually more subdued when doing so. I feel that we are all dealt cards and some are just a little more bent and frayed than others. My artistic layers are mostly taught to me by me. I feel that the bulk of my artistic layering was already embedded into me and school is honing the skills. Everything that I do has layers and if I try to do something without them then it usually seems incomplete. I guess you could say I am the onion without the smell.

Star27 - FL
I have known the lost souls who haunt this world searching for life in all the wrongs places, I was one of them. So many wondrous people loose their purity to exploitation, and hang a price tag on their bodies and souls; these are the subjects who populate my works.

The world is filled with bright lights to dazzle the eyes, and fast ways to thrill the senses.  My work reflects on the examples I have seen of the casualties of this twisted consumerism based society we live in today.  Those who stray into self-destruction seeking basic needs: love, acceptance, and happiness, and find it in dangerous places. I try to use my medium to undermine preconceptions and expose a society that praises wealth, possessions, and its own predetermined standards of beauty, at any cost.

Steven Thomas - MI
Steven Thomas is a young emerging artist from Grand Rapids, Michigan.  He offers us a unique, and sometimes controversial vision dealing with issues like sex, violence, and religion.  While his highly personal and revealing work can be very raw and disturbing, there is a lot of love and intimacy in his approach. His stylized figures are defined by having one big eye and one little eye, emaciated bodies, and haunting expressions. He draws influences from traditional fine artists like Michaelangelo, and Egon Schiele as well as cartoonists and illustrators such as Frank Miller, and Ralph Bakshi.   In one year Steven has taught himself to paint, built up a considerable body of work, and is beginning to grab the attention of the art world.  This young artist is flying just below the radar right now, but in the coming years he will most certainly become one of the most important voices of this generation of artists.

Susan Van Sant - MI
Although I have a bachelor of arts degree, I never really started painting until a few years ago.  It started out as a means to make a little extra money by painting portraits of people's pets, but then it turned into something a bit different.  I paint from my soul, what my heart tells me to paint; I never really sit and brainstorm my paintings, and it's hard to describe but it's as if these paintings find me.  I have been through a lot in my life, sometimes I feel like I've been given a more difficult path than most, but I really wouldn't trade it for anything.  What doesn't kill you, does indeed make you stronger, and my paintings can hopefully help others who are brave enough to see the light in them.

Theresa Coachman - MO
i was born in February of 1967 ... my birthmother called me Maria Christina, loved me, but kissed me goodbye (that's just how it was) and handed me to the nuns. a couple months later, the nuns handed me to my adoptive mother and father and i have been called Theresa Christine since. 

constantly searching for new experiences, I find myself dabbling in and exploring many different things. once i realize that i can accomplish something, i usually move on to the next ... always searching, but rarely perfecting any one skill.

i've created in one form or another since childhood ... often surprising myself with the outcome. i've never taken a class in any creative medium other than silver smithing, mistakingly thinking that it would ruin what i created ... now i realize i was wrong. 

my main creative outlet has been drawing, which i find incredibly
difficult because of my lack of skill. when i create, it is driven by
emotion. for example, in drawing, i'll put a pencil to paper, draw a line ... after that, what comes, comes. 99% of the time i have no idea what will be on the paper in the end. other times, ideas will come in dreams - both awake and asleep. this is where my lack of skill ends up frustrating me. i would love to be able to share what i see.