Joachim Marx

Marx believes that there are still timeless human themes that ask for a contemporary image. He paints floating, falling or suspended figures in an undefined space. These are figures that are thrown into the painting just as human beings are thrown into existence, trying to comprehend their being here, trying to remember their true nature. One might say Marx paints the same picture again and again, watching it come out differently each time. The formal aspects are what interest him: the grounds, the material qualities of the paints and their application, surfaces, textures. Often the surfaces don't seem painted. It seems they somehow happened. They suggest a space and in this space Marx places the figures. Thus the technique inspires the subject matter and the subject matter inspires the technique. And it is repetition that reveals an observing and meditative approach to painting.

Joachim Marx, born 1960 in Germany, received his MFA in 1991 from the New York Academy of Art. He has exhibited in numerous shows in commercial galleries, public spaces and museums in the US as well as in Germany. He also designed church windows. German public television featured him in a 30 min documentary called "Marx and the Culture of Contradiction" in 1993. He lives in New York City

Website: www.joachimmarx.com

Hilary Schmidt

Hilary Robin Schmidt got her masters degree at New York Academy of Art in 2005 where she studied with Jenny Saville, Eric Fishl, Vincent Desiderio and Will Cotton. In her paintings the human figure becomes a landscape a symbol of the life lived. Her work focuses on the subject of human relationships and isolation.

Email: H_i_l_a_r_y@hotmail.com

Terry Marks

Terry Marks is an internationally exhibited, award-winning painter, printmaker, and tattooist, and an auxiliary member of the NY Ukulele Ensemble.

Terry was born and raised in New York City. As a teenager she met painter Joseph Wolins, known for his work during the WPA period, who became her first art teacher and mentor.

In 1980 she moved to London, England, where she lived for nine years, went to art college and worked in a lot of hellish pubs pulling pints for football hooligans. She returned to New York City for her MFA in painting, later becoming webmaster for artgalny.com, and founder of New York Stuckism (local chapter of the international ReModernist art group.)

Her work is in numerous private collections in the USA & UK.

website: www.artgalny.com

Michael Wayne Smith

Education
The New York Academy of Art, Graduate School of Figurative Art, New York, NY. Master of Fine Arts in Painting, Cum Laude. 2006.

The Art Institute of Boston, Boston, MA
Bachelor of Fine Arts, with Honors. 1999.

Boston University, Boston, MA 1993-95

Exhibitions
Merge360: Juried Group Show, New York 2007
Figureworks Gallery: Juried Group Show, Brooklyn, New York 2007.
Sanford Meisner Theater: Solo Show , Chelsea, New York 2006.
Take Home a Nude, Philips de Pury, New York 2006.
Balleroy and Beyond: New York Academy of Art, New York 2006.
Chateau de Balleroy: Group Show, Normandy, France 2006.
New York Academy of Art: Graduate Exhibition, New York 2006.
Take Home a Nude, Philips de Pury, New York 2005.
NYAA Student Exhibition, NY, 2004-2006.
Society of Illustrators: Juried Group Show, New York 1999.
The Art Institute of Boston: Graduate Show, Boston, MA 1999.

Awards
Chateau de Balleroy Painting Residency, Normandy, France. Forbes
Foundation 2006.
Academic Scholarship Award, New York Academy of Art 2005-06.
Society of Illustrators Student Scholarship Award.

Teaching
The New York Academy of Art, Continuing Education, New York 2007.
Campsite Studio, Staten Island, New York 2006-Present.

Collections
HRH The Prince of Wales

Website: www.campsitestudio.com

Melissa Anderson

Melissa Anderson is a recent graduate of the New York Academy of Art. She was awarded with The Prince of Wales Fellowship, a Jenny Saville painting tutorial scholarship, nominated for the Dedalaus Foundation, selected for the CAA regional MFA show in NYC, awarded a scholarship to study in Tuscany, and received the Vassari Best in Show prize from the graduating class of 2007 NYAA MFA exhibition. Melissa's other recent awards and exhibitions include exhibiting in an international juried women's show at Soho20's Chelsea Gallery, an invitational show at Artspace Gallery in Virginia, a small works exhibition at Attleboro Arts Museum, and attending the Vermont Studio Centers artist residency program to which she received a visual artist grant.

"Joelle series" stemmed largely from a fascination with the subject for her embodiment of all that is worrisome of our female youth. I am attempting to analyze such through a kind of documentary process where she is imposing a confrontation on the viewer. As I am certain she is aware of her influences in actuality she is aware of the viewer in these paintings. In turn, creating an awkwardness and confusion for the viewer in the role they're supposed to play. As if she is turning the tables. Within the paintings playing with scale so that she feels larger than the frame of world she occupies.

Website: www.melissaandersonart.com

Chris Bilton

Chris Bilton draws, paints, and sculpts. He also designs and builds musical instruments, plays and composes music on many of them, teaches sometimes, and inspires others always. He grew up in a small southern town, and then moved to be an artist in New York City for a time, where he received his M.F.A. from The Graduate School of Figurative Art of The New York Academy of Art. He returned home to the place, family ties and culture of the south again, revisiting the setting of his many stories from youth with a new perspective.

He now lives and creates art in the small rural town of Eutawville, SC, where he has a great yard and multiple studio work spaces for his many artistic endeavors. He is a very Renaissance spirit, living a philosophy that interweaves all arts and life. He works using the most traditional of fine art materials, creating art with great technical mastery infused with a modern sensibility; while he also uses technology to create contemporary animations on the computer, combining the newest methods with those of pre-digital animation. The focus of his art is on humanistic issues using the human figure as subject, with most of the figures drawn from his imagination. He is currently working on a series of chalkboard drawings.

Chris Bilton’s art has been exhibited in New York, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, and France. He paints portraits and takes commissions between his many self-made projects, and is represented by Tew Galleries in Atlanta, GA.

Website: www.biltonarts.com

Michelle Doll

Website: www.michelledoll.com

Kimberly Callas

Kimberly Callas has been sculpting from the figure for over fifteen years. Drawing from her rigorous figurative training and her interest in indigenous and ancient sculptors' use of natural materials, Callas combines representation and abstraction to explore the body's ecological relationship with spirit and earth.

Both in college and on her own, Ms. Callas has studied world religions and cultural myths and has discovered common elements of ritual transformation, which lie at the heart of her work.

Visit her work online at jonathanfrostgallery.com

Barbara Israel

Barbara Israel earned a Masters of Fine Arts degree, cum laude, in Painting from the New York Academy of Art in 2004. Her previous art training included studies at the School of Visual Arts (SVA), Art Students' League and the National Academy of Design in New York City. Barbara also studied for many years at the DuCret School of Fine Art (NJ), where she learned the painting techniques and materials of the Old Masters.

The artist's work has appeared in one-woman shows of her paintings and drawings, as well as in group exhibits in New York, New Jersey and Vermont. Barbara and her work were the subject of a full length feature article in the Star Ledger several years ago when one of her prize-winning paintings was exhibited at the Swain Gallery in Plainfield, NJ. Her work is reproduced as cards and giclee prints, and is sold through several galleries. Most recently, she has been awarded prestigious Fellowships to the Vermont Studio Center, received a Merrill-Wilkenson Award which funded some of her artistic travels, and received an award from Manhattan Arts International magazine.

Ms. Israel's other professional experience includes a law degree from Columbia University and years as a practicing attorney. She currently lectures on topics that reflect her broad expertise, ranging from "Legal Issues for Artists" to various art history and Jewish historical subjects. Last year, Barbara published an article in Character, a journal of the Boston University Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character, dealing with the art of Andrew Wyeth and arts as a means of teaching ethics to children (Autumn, 2006).

Barbara lives with her husband, Dr. David Bortniker, in West Orange, NJ. They are proud parents of four, mostly grown-up (they hope!), children.

Email: Bortnikerisrael@yahoo.com

Lisa Lebofsky

Lisa Lebofsky is a painter and metalsmith residing in Bronx, New York. Her work investigates conflicts between the physical structured world and the dynamics of the boundless mind. She has an MFA in painting from the New York Academy of Art and BFA in metals from SUNY New Paltz. Her work is in private collections, and has been exhibited in solo and group shows throughout the northeast and overseas. She teaches fine art and design classes at private and public institutions in the tristate area and is the director of Fuse Gallery in the East Village.

Website: www.lisalebofsky.com

Email: lisalebofsky@yahoo.com

Corey Bjarnson

Corey excelled in art at an early age, competing in a variety of contests and placing with high marks. He has always had an appreciation for art and understands the positive influence that can be achieved by way of the art community. Corey has helped to be a positive influence by training young artists through private lessons.

Corey received his BA in Visual Arts at Brigham Young University. He went on to earn his Masters degree from the New York Academy of Art. He has exhibited throughout the country and collectors of his work spread across the nation. Corey is a practicing artist who lives and works in New York City.

Website: bjarnsonfineart.com

John Coburn

Kerry O'Neill

Website: www.kerryoneill.com

James Lee

Born and raised in Michigan, James Lee attended the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. There he found two influential figurative artists, Russell Keeter and Jay Holland. Keeter taught anatomy and figure drawing. Holland taught figurative sculpture. After graduating in 1992 he moved east to attend The New York Academy of Art.

At NYAA he had the opportunity to study with some wonderful figurative artists, two of his favorites were Vincent Desiderio and Martha Mayer Erlebacher. He studied figure painting with Desiderio and figure drawing and anatomy with Erlebacher. Martha Erlebacher's teachings greatly expanded his early anatomy studies with Russell Keeter. In 1995 he graduated from The New York Academy of Art with a MFA in Painting.

Website: www.jameslee-art.com

Ros Winner Sterling

“I chose the title, ‘Seen and Unseen,’ for my current series because it reflects ideas about the nature of portraiture, both spiritual and psychoanalytical. While a portrait can convey the external shell–-a mask, one’s internal world is formed by experiences with pain and beauty; suffering and joy; loss and peace. When I begin a new piece, I start with the image of the person. I then imagine their internal world: in psychoanalytic terms, their psyche; or in spiritual terms, their soul. As I begin to add imagery, the unseen aspects of their personality emerge, framed by layers of color, texture and pattern and surrounded by symbols that are referential in both religious and psychological terms. I strive to explain their humanity or conversely, their otherworldliness, with a frame of reference for the viewer. The personal nature of a portrait, with endless possibilities to express internal struggles and triumphs, provides an opportunity to turn the spotlight on social awareness. Human dignity and spirituality seem innately entwined within the soul or psyche of the individual. In my work I try to connect the viewer with the moment the subject is experiencing and their shared, relevant themes that are both seen and unseen.”

Ros lives and works in New York City where she has taught and exhibited. Her paintings are in private collections in New York City, Philadelphia, New England, Canada, Britain and Europe

Website: www.winnersterling.com

Other work at United Creators:
www.unitedcreators.com

Barrett Bailey

Website: barrettbailey.com

Debra Goertz

These paintings are part of a series that represents a collaboration between Debra Goertz, photographer John Stillwagon and the subject, Elizabeth Katherine Heather King. A natural nudist, Lizzy inspired John to document the joyous expression of her self-confidence and complete comfort in her skin. Since Goertz's work often explores compositional relationships between theater, cinema and painting, John's sensuous photographs inspired her to make a small series of paintings, adding her interpretation and helping bring Lizzy's performance before a larger audience.

Debra Goertz received her MFA from the New York Academy of Art in 2000. She now teaches drawing and painting at Parsons New School of Design, the NYAA and the Lyme Academy College of Fine Art. She recently completed a two-month residency at the Pouch Cove Foundation in Newfoundland, which hosted a solo exhibition of the work she made there. She is represented by Stricoff Fine Art in Chelsea.

Recent Exhibitions:
Solo - New Work - Pouch Cove Foundation, Newfoundland 2007
Two-Person Show with Jane LaFarge Hamill - Stricoff Fine Art, 2007
NYAA 25th Anniversary Summer Exhibition - 2007
Salon 2006 - New York Academy of Art
A.I.R. Generations V Invitational, Chelsea
New York Group Exhibition 2004 - 2006 - Ariel Sybony, Paris
Affordable Art Fair 2003 - 2006 - New York
Solo Exhibition, November 2005 - Stricoff Fine Art, Chelsea
Faces of the Fallen 2005-2006 - Washington, DC
3-Person Exhibition 2005, Belskie Museum, Closter, NJ
Chicago Contemporary and Classic 2005
Art Toronto 2005
Solo Exhibition March 2004 - Stricoff Fine Art, Chelsea
Group Exhibition 2004 - Hoorn-Ashby Gallery, Madison Avenue

Website: www.debragoertz.com

Theresa Kasun

Theresa was accepted into the Masters program at the New York Academy of Art, and in May of 1992 was awarded an MFA in Figurative Painting. During the years following graduation Theresa sharpened her skills as a painter and found a passion for painting still lives

Theresa signed her first licensing contract in 2000. She creates rich still life paintings in an old world style. Her images are fresh yet familiar with appeal for both traditional and contemporary. "My style of painting is a synthesis of the many years of training I've had, which include impressionism and techniques of the Old Renaissance Masters."

Recently, Theresa teamed up with author Marcella Bakur Weiner to illustrate and write a children's book called "Junkfood Bear." A story designed to entertain and encourage children to eat healthy foods and exercise. This book is due out in December 2007. Theresa and Marcella are currently working on their second book. Theresa resides near the New York City metropolitan area with her three most creative projects to date, her two sons and daughter, a great source of inspiration and motivation.

Website: www.theresakasun.com