International Artist October-November 2023/No. 153

Welcome to the October/November issue! Adolfo, Alyssa and I just finished next year’s editorial calendar, and we are excited to share some new content with you. As a subscriber you get the sneak peek at what we have in store for 2024. In addition to seven-plus demonstrations in every issue from talented top artists, our celebrity artist columns and our focused features, we listen to you (our readers) and are adding even more. In the December/January issue, we are focused on art materials from the experts. Next up, we are working with art societies and associations to join across the world. There are so many excellent member-based societies (both genre and medium-oriented), and we will be introducing you to many of them. This leads us to providing you the directory…

Our (not so) new section, Creative Spark, has been running for about eight months now, and I just have to say, you all amaze me! Seeing all of your submissions month after month, taking the prompt and making it your own, putting your work out there for the world to see—it’s inspiring. When you share your work and your ideas, you never know who you might inspire to do the same. Perhaps someone from across the world. And for me, personally, it’s just been such a joy to explore your artwork. For everyone reading this letter, check out the hashtag #iacreativespark on Instagram to view all of the fantastic artwork from our readers. In this October/November issue, I’m excited for you to dive into the first of a three-part series…

Kristen Doty Washington, USA, Preparations, colored pencil, 21 x 16½" (53 x 41 cm) Grand Prize is a four-page editorial feature in American Art Collector magazine Shine On When Kristen Doty was very young, long before she knew she’d be an artist, she and her father would look at one of his art books, Behold My Glory. In particular, Doty was drawn toward two Georges de La Tour paintings: Saint Joseph the Carpenter and The Madeleine with the night light called La Madeleine Terff. “[My father] would point to the details and marvel at how someone could use paint to capture a flame, or the light falling on and coming through skin and fabric, or the folds of the fabric of Joseph’s shirt sleeves. This must have contributed to my…

Second Prize is a two-page editorial feature in American Art Collector magazine My Inspiration It was late winter when my niece came from Portugal to spend three weeks posing for me. The sunlight is very beautiful at my entryway in winter, when it enters through the glass of the door and “bathes” my whole entrance. I really wanted to paint that light! While I was painting, a Brazilian song came to my mind frequently, and I ended up painting part of it, which basically says, “if a hummingbird enters the door of your house to kiss you, it was me…if you miss me, write me a love letter.” My Design Strategy I paint through photos. I have models for photoshoots and shoot them as much as I can. After reviewing…

Third Prize is a one-page editorial feature in American Art Collector magazine My Inspiration Inspiration is very tricky. Sometimes it is everywhere around you, and sometimes nowhere to be seen. “Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us show up and get to work.” Every time I see something of interest, I make a small sketch or take notes in a small book I keep handy. Once a year in late spring/early summer when the flowers are glorious, I take my book of inspiration and take a whole month to photograph all the ideas that I had noted throughout the year. Through the thousands of pictures I take, five or six images will be considered. Three or four will make it as paintings. I then have my subject matter ready…

FINALISTS Each receives an Award Certificate and a one-year subscription to International Artist magazine PLUS having their work seen worldwide by international galleries looking for new talent. Finalist My Inspiration At the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., there is a Mayan calendar statue in the entrance area. I was in Belize talking to a Mayan just a few months before the calendar cycled again. There were rumors going around that the world would end when the calendar restarted. It didn’t. Round and round we go, never ending, always in pursuit of something. My Design Strategy I strive to tell a story that evokes emotion in every painting I create. In this piece, my goal was to have people wonder at the stone and symbols and maybe…