American artist Lorena Bowser paints in many styles and media, making it difficult to place her work into one specific category. When asked to describe her art Lorena says, “The best term for it would be kaleidoscopic. You turn the kaleidoscope, and each time you see a different image, each one beautiful, yet unique. I am fascinated by all the opportunities in life and all the subjects that can be painted. Each art work is inspired by the moment , captured in time, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

She often combines her own writing and her own art into little gems of beauty that captivate her admirers, and has lately been working in ink on newspaper… creating some unique and imaginative effects.

Early Studies

Lorena was born in Glendale, California, and as a youngster dreamed of an acting career, as most little girls living close to Hollywood do. After she graduated from Mount San Antonio College she travelled to France and the Sorbonne where she prepared as a teacher of French language and civilization overseas. She also became a third order Carmelite nun. The Carmelite order is the oldest order known, founded by hermits on Mount Carmel, and restored to its original calling by St.Teresa of Avila in the fifteenth century. It is known for contemplative prayer and its devotion to the Virgin Mary…Our Lady of Mount Carmel.The third order lives is the everyday world and is also dedicated to prayer. “We try to live the best possible life,” says Lorena.

Private Life

Bowser married in Mexico and raised three sons, the oldest of whom served in both the Gulf Wars after the family moved back to the United States. Lorena worked in various positions in Mexico: as a French teacher at the University of Veracruz and the Alliance Francaise; as an English teacher, in Public Relations and In Graphic Arts at the National Institute for Research on Biotic Resources.

Bowser’s Art

Lorena Bowser’s art must be seen to be fully appreciated, as no description could do it justice. Here is a link to her work, Lorena Bowser which will give you …

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Curator Frederic Letzelter, who runs Zadok Art Gallery talks about running an art gallery business and offers a few tips for artists interested in trying to sell their art in galleries in this interview.

How Did You Develop an Interest in Art?

“I come from a family where art has always been part of our lives. Art has played a significant role in my family for centuries. One of my ancestors did the marital sculpture of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. His son was a bronze sculptor for Napoleon and then the family had a business of lights in bronze.

My grand-parents were also collectors and the “virus” of art was transmitted to me by my grandmother. So for me, studying the history of art and working in the industry was meant to be.”

When Did You Realize That an Art Gallery Business Was Right for You?

“I decided to study the arts, but I didn’t know how to draw and considered myself a lost cause. Managing an art gallery and representing artist, however, seemed like a great solution. Working with young, emerging artists was especially appealing to me because I believed it would be more exciting that being only an ‘art dealer’ and working with artworks from artists that were dead.”

What Is Your Favorite Thing to Do to Refill the Well?

“When I lived in Paris, I used to go to the Pompidou Museum to look for hours at the Blue paintings of Yves Klein. His IKB (International Klein Blue) is completely hypnotic for me and I was able to lose sense of the time. Activities like this are my favorite way to “refill the well.””

How Do You Find Your Market?

“Miami is a very special city for the art market. Most of the collectors do not live here year-round. For that reason, we try to keep an eye on who is coming to Miami, when and from where. Then we adapt to each of those artists’ specific needs and markets.”

Have You Made Business Connections That Helped Make Your Gallery a Success?

“It is not that much …

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In 2003, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, or ASCAP, published a list of its most performed love songs of the 20th and 21st centuries. Many of their listed songs can be found for karaoke on CD+G, DVD, and other media. Below are the top five from 2000-2002*:

Faith Hill has put out quite a few beautiful love songs in the past few years. I am not a country music fan, but many of her hits have crossed over successfully onto the pop charts. Two of these, “Breathe” and “The Way You Love Me,” are listed at numbers 1 and 4 respectively on ASCAP’s list of the most performed love songs between 2000 and 2002. Both hits can be found on Top Tunes-TT087-Faith Hill, Vol. 1 Karaoke CDG.

Some of the best R&B; and soul songs of the 20th and 21st centuries came from Brian McKnight and James Ingram. Pocket Songs-PS1357-Hits of Brian McKnight & James Ingram Karaoke CDG features hits by both artists. One of McKnight’s biggest hits, “Back at One,” made it to number 2 on ASCAP’s 2000-2002 list, and is featured on this CD+G.

My favorite song on the list so far ranked number 3 with ASCAP. Savage Garden’s “I Knew I Loved You” still gives me chills and brings a tear to my eye each time I hear it. One place it can be found for karaoke is on SoundChoice-SC6004-Pop Hits Vol. 2 Karaoke DVD.

Rounding out ASCAP’s 2000-2002 list is Dido’s “Thank You.” This track can be found on Top Hits Monthly-THMP0102-Top Hits Monthly Pop February 2001 Karaoke CDG.

By following the link above, you can see ASCAP’s complete list, dating back as far as the 1910s. Perhaps one of these songs can melt your sweetie’s heart this Valentine’s Day.

* The above CD+Gs and DVD were found at Karaokestar.com. I have never used their service, nor personally heard any of the above discs, so I can not vouch for their quality. Purchase wisely.…

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On the evening of November 14th in Aurora, Colorado, just east of Denver, the East End Arts District held its first Winter Art Walk. Faithful art lovers braved the cold night to experience something new. Greymatters Arts Co-op participated in the Winter Art Walk along with a growing collection of artist studios and galleries that have twinkled into existence in this previously forgotten area. A registered non-profit business, Greymatters Arts Co-op is run by Theresa Anderson, Carol Browning and Karen Roehl, three painters, who generously supplied sight seers with hot cider, snacks and visual refreshment.

Artists of Greymatters

Theresa Anderson paints large, mural sized compositions that are based off of collages made from photographs. She also forms prop-like objects used in her personal art performances and installations. Carol Browning produces dreamy, abstract paintings that reference landscapes. Browning’s colors are cheerful and yet tranquil with special attention paid to the final texture. Karen Roehl also creates abstract paintings which extract the most out of a limited palette, usually three major colors, filling a rectangle with layers of emotion and movement.

This trio of artists has been located at their Iola Street studio for a little over half a year. They have watched the surrounding arts district expanding, the beginnings of a healthy crop of art spaces. The studio building consists of a main entry into a commons area which includes a counter, sink and a discreet bathroom in the back. Two large work spaces, one on either side of the commons area, permit the three artists plenty of room to generate their work. Their building has ample square footage and best of all, according to Anderson, rent is cheap. Perhaps this is what fuels the arrival of new artists and galleries to this area.

Studio Futures

Artist co-ops or collectives are very popular in the East End Arts District, allowing artists to share not only expenses but ideas. “We all agree that this quality of exchange and conversation is very valuable, if not essential, to each of our creative processes,” says Roehl. Despite the enjoyment found while working in this space, …

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• Metroplex Hospital, now a 237-bed acute-care hospital.
• House/Cross Associates, a long-term nursing care company that has 5 campuses and serves 625 residents.
• House Medical Clinic, an 11-physician multi-specialty medical clinic.
• Big Bend Regional Medical Center Hospital.

He served two years as Captain Medical Officer in the US Army and 30 years as the Federal Aviation Administration Medical Examiner. He has been past President and is current Chairman of the Board of Lifestyle Center of America.

Abroad he was a founding member of Canvasback Missions, Inc., a medical, dental, and nursing mission serving the islands of the North Pacific (Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia). He served as a short-term doctor for 15 stints over 13 years in the Pacific Islands. He also served 5 episodes of short-term service in Transylvania, Romania, at the Herghelia Lifestyle Medical Center…

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Alina Bradford: How did you start as an artist?

Mary Roberson: I started painting at age 10 after my dad had taken me to a museum in Los Angeles to see an exhibit. Upon seeing the paintings I told my dad that I knew the process by which each artist had done the painting and my dad immediately bought me some art supplies. I was soon commissioned (on behalf of my mom’s generous offer) to paint a mural, a landscape, for our local church. It was my first painting – a 14 foot mural – by the age of 10.

Looking back, I thought nothing of the endeavor and hadn’t a clue why the adults thought it was a big deal. It was as natural as breathing for me. Prior to that mural I had done hundreds of sketches from age 6, mostly during class and fortunately for me none of my teachers suggested that they were creative or for that matter even acknowledged them, but they mostly allowed me to sketch during class time as long as I did my class work, too. The point is, I do believe, had they pointed out my creativity, I wouldn’t have continued sketching. I had a fear that came with my talent, which I’ve spent many years overcoming.

AB: Where is your art shown?

MR: My art is represented by Kneeland Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho.

AB: What is your inspiration?

MR: My inspiration is non-stop. I am inspired by animals and water mostly and 99% of my paintings depict one or the other. I am inspired by knowledge and experimenting with different compositions and techniques and I am inspired by viewing other artists’ works, thus I go to galleries quite often of which I prefer the contemporary look. But I am also inspired by the run-of-the-mill “everybody paints like this” stuff. It inspires me to not paint like that-To be unique, which is in each of us—So perhaps my greatest inspiration is just listening to my heart – yes, that’s it! – I knew I”d eventually get around to it – …

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