Best Of Artists & Artisans

Artist Renee Coates credits the isolated tropical oasis of Hana-Maui as the source of inspiration for her work. "Growing up in Hawaii has given me a unique perspective of the world that I strive to reflect in my artwork. I love to travel gathering new inspirations, but no matter where I am I carry Hana's beauty with me." Although primarily known for her large island-themed paintings, Renee has a new endeavor she's launched: 52pieces.com. The blog chronicles her mission to create a small original a week, posted every Sunday at 11:52 p.m. and auctioned off through eBay. "There's something refreshing about working on a small canvas for a week, then moving on to the next one. I think people are craving a way to own affordable artwork, as well as establish a conversation with the artist who created it. 52 Pieces is all about communication... it's fresh, ever-changing, and interactive." Coates has received national acclaim for her artistic achievements, including the National Alliance for Excellence Award, and winning the State of Hawaii's Sterling Scholar Award in Visual Arts. In 2004, Coates graduated on the Dean's List from FIT in Manhattan, where she received a BFA in Textile/Surface Design. She currently divides her time between her studio in the countryside of Chapel Hill, North Carolina and her Hana-Maui studio, where she creates unique artwork for the world to enjoy.

Painting really is one of the greatest challenges of my life, and I love that challenge. I cannot think of a time in my life when some form of art was not part of who I am. Art definitely defines in part whom I have become. I love the process of painting. The decision making along the way seems to be part instinctual and part learned, which allows for an internal dialogue that somehow connects all artists of any discipline. I use Utrecht paints for no other reason than convenience in proximity. As for brushes, I currently use Utrecht’s watercolor brushes (which may seem odd for oil paints). I find they give a nice flat application of paint. I also like that these brushes are less expensive, compared to high priced oil brushes. As for the success of any artist, I believe the key is in the doing. For me that means learning as much as I can from artists I admire, while ignoring their advice; thus allowing for my own response.

I paint to examine human nature within the confines a canvas. I strive to create a questioning narrative in my work through tight cropping, ample negative space and facets of rooms/spaces beyond what first meets the eye. I enjoy painting natural people/objects in natural surroundings...environments that are special to them. I use minimal posing and pretense in my work. I seek to express the most information with the least amount of brushstrokes.

Candy Barr’s style can be associated with painterly realists, that evolved out of Action Painting, although her mark is object bound, compared with the free and easy. She paints plein air, on location for her smaller works. The paintings are fresh in color applied alla prima, and reflect an immediate response to the subjects being painted. Inevitable changes of light force her to paint spontaneously with animated brushwork. Intense observation and prolific production deepens and insures her sense of place. Candy Barr is an artist whose expressive oil paintings have been commissioned and widely exhibited and collected for over thirty years. She is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA and MAT, and a MFA from Norwich University. Well known as a plein air painter and colorist, she has received several awards and grants, including from the Vermont Arts Council. A respected art educator as well, Barr teaches drawing and painting privately having taught formally at Goddard College and the Community College of Vermont. She also is a juried artist with the Vermont Arts Council and has done residencies throughout the state for over 12 years. Her work can be seen at CandyBarrArtist.blogspot.com. Her gallery affiliations are Vermont Fine Art in Stowe, VT, Parade Gallery in Warren, VT, the Artistan’s Gallery in Waitsfield, VT and the Gallery Andrea in Scottsdale, AZ.

As far back as I can remember, I have drawn and painted faces. In fact, there is much evidence pointing to the fact that I spent an inordinate amount of time drawing Sister Mary Francis in 3rd Grade instead of paying attention in math class. Recently, I've been interested in "deconstructing" the architecture of the face to see how far I can abstract it and still capture the intangible human qualities. I am drawn to rich, vibrant color and a whimsical, narrative approach to painting. My characters are quirky people painted with a sense of sophistication. The backgrounds of my paintings are typically thick, saturated pigment applied with a palette knife. I then draw back into the paint with symbols and words adding a linear and textural quality to the surface. I sometimes even include those elusive math symbols. Sister Mary Francis would be proud.

I LOVE to paint. It is the only thing I do during which all time disappears and I completely forget who and where I am. It is a magical time - there is nothing else like it for me. I LOVE to paint. It is the only way for me to share with others the beauty I see all around me in ordinary things. We so often overlook small plays of light and shadow in our everyday lives, and interactions of color between ordinary objects. I use Utrecht oil paints because they are cheap but reliably good quality. I use flat brushes, expensive ones because for brushes it matters! For my still lives I use a shadow box made for me by my husband. It is on a stand so I can adjust it and get just about any perspective I want. I paint on Raymar smooth cotton panels, and occasionally gessoboard panels from Ampersand.

Born in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Ambera Wellmann grew up in a remote forested region on the South Shore. She moved to Halifax in 2001, and despite a childhood love for fine art, it wasn't until 2004 at age 22 that she began experimenting with oil painting. Ambera embarked on a three-year journey of self-education, creating moody and emotional paintings of the Nova Scotian landscape. Working in oil, Ambera's inspirations include John Constable, JMW Turner, and French Impressionism. Her works are often characterized by their magnetic colours and stormy skies. “I love the way the sky can completely change the face of a landscape. It has a great effect on the atmosphere of a painting, and it's really interesting to me to play with the relationship between land, colour and sky.” In 2007, Ambera decided to compliment her self-education with formal training. She now attends the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design to earn her degree in paint and printmaking. “I have one foot firmly planted in the things I've taught myself so far, but I hope to expand on my ideas and technical skill while I'm at NSCAD. It's a wonderful environment to be in!”