In this, the final issue of 2016, we investigate the imaginative landscape.  We visit with two artists who have their own way of looking at the landscape and creating something that doesn't appear to exist in the real world.  Yet, when we view the photos, they do invoke a feeling of the world very real.  Linnea Barnes of Arizona creates paintings that intersperse the manmade built environment with the wild world.  These paintings can and do invoke the feelings that one can sometimes have that despite all things manmade, there is a bit of wild even in the most rigid of landscapes.  While Beatriz Castro of Spain uses actual locales to painting a fairy tales, bringing our inner child out to play.  Jean-Louis Mireault visits Thailand, a land exotic and different for most of us filled with landscapes from our dreams of distant places.

Happy New Year and enjoy!

In This Issue

Linnea Barnes, Horse in New York

Linnea Barnes' Fantastically Big World
withTunizia Abdur-Raheem

According to Linnea Barnes she’s been drawing since she was a little girl. Although she is not at all professionally trained, she states about herself, “I always identified as an artist, even in grade school. I was always taking classes but I didn’t major in art in college. I majored in History and got my B.A. in History from CSUN (California State University at Northridge).”

She always studied art, though, throughout her life and in various locales. “I always took classes, either from a professor or uninstructed life drawing classes in every city I’ve lived – except when I lived in France. I am basically self-taught. I have had a few teachers I loved; Betye Saar, Mario Robinson, my old high school art teacher…” Despite the lack of formal training, she has crafted herself a career as a professional artist. And maybe also a professional traveler.

(To read more, go to Vol. 23, Issue No. 4.)

Beatriz Castro, Pájaros Trasnocha Dores (Night Birds)

Beatriz Castro Painting Wit and Whimsy on the
Magical Landscape
with Tunizia Abdur-Raheem

Beatriz Castro lives in Spain and is a fine artist and
teacher. She paints intricately detailed photo realistic
paintings done with great skill and precision. If you
look for her on the Internet you will see. However, she also
has a knack for painting playful landscapes that are filled with
whimsy - like an illustration from a child’s book of dreams or
bedtime fairytales. Below, she describes some of her motivations
and techniques.

Silkworm (SW): Tell me a little of your background. Are you a
professionally trained artist?
BC: I became a computer engineer because I was very interested in computer graphics (such as the ones in games) and I always had a scientific mind.  Several years after obtaining my degree, I started my Fine Art studies.
SW: Do you have an art or related degree?
BC: Yes, I have a Fine Arts Degree by Universidad de Málaga in Spain.  But the third year studying Fine Arts I was an exchange student at University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada), and then I came back to Málaga.

(To read more, go to Vol. 23, Issue No. 4.)

Dyed Silk Threads in Thailand, by Jean-Louis Mireault

Thailand Travels
by Jean-Louis Mireault

Every trip around the world allows me to discover the universal presence of silk and textile art in every local culture.  Discovering, in the Eastern part of the world, the different forms of artistic expression, it is not a surprise to find silk artists.  After all, this precious fabric originated in this part of the world.

In February 2013, I visited Thailand.  This country is well known for its emphasis on art more than on anything else.  From north to south, wood sculptors, jewelers, fiber artists, flower artists, lacquer artists – even soap sculptors – are there for your delight.

(To read more, go to Vol. 23, Issue No. 4.)