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Participating Artists
Please check back regularly. We will continuously update this website as more artists make donations.
A BIG THANKS goes out to our artists for their generous silent auction donations!
Gary Bachers
Meditation on XXII print, 10" x 10"
Focus #2 print, 10" x 10"
 
Gary E. Bachers never planned to become a visual artist. He was a popular family practice physician in northeast Texas. In 1987, at the age of 38, he suffered a debilitating stroke that forced him to retire from medicine. The stroke robbed him of the ability to speak or produce conventional language (a condition called expressive aphasia), and he also lost the use of the right side of his body. Part of Bachers' therapy after the stroke was to learn to hold a pencil in his left hand. After struggling to form words, he started fluently sketching flowers from his wife's garden. In this new language uniquely suited to his condition and innate talents, Bachers' artworks evolved from simple sketches to meticulous and complex designs.
Bachers' chosen medium is Prismacolor pencils on polyester film. The film intensifies the color of the wax and permits Bachers to create his intricately executed blended layers with the smooth consistency of oil. The circle or mandala has been a strong component in his work, initially appearing as rings in the spectacular floral creations and progressing to the focus on our universal moon. His signature motif, the full moon, hovers above flowers, human figures, insects, and architecture. Exhibits of Bachers’ work have been titled “Silent Conversations,” a phrase referring both to his loss of speech and to each composition’s ability to express ideas and feelings beyond linguistic expression. Having lost conventional means of communication, Bachers learned this new language, as richly articulate as speech, as universal as the moon. www.garybachers.com
Anna Marie Bevacqua
Sunrise Tulips original on canvas, signed, 24" x 36"
Sunflower Divided original on canvas, signed, 24" x 24"
 
Anna received a degree in art from Texas Tech in 1978. She is currently a graphic designer for a direct mail agency and has been one for 25+ years for various companies. She painted in college and some afterward but put down her brushes for work, kids and a busy life for 30 years. Anna started painting again in 2007 and has not stopped since.
Anna finds her escape, her passion and when she does she feels alive. There are so many paintings in her head she wants to get on canvas! Her favorite thing to paint is flowers which in themselves are works of art! She has given away many painting for gifts and those are the ones she feels close to...the ones she did for love - not money. However, Anna is hoping that her art will help her thru her retirement one day financially as well as the joy it will bring her.
Trish Biddle
What Are The Odds - official art of the 2008 Kentucky Derby limited edition print on canvas, signed, 12" x 12"
Monica Fallini
Dream of Hydrangeas original, signed, 8" x 8"
Monica’s earliest memories have centered around the wonders of nature. She has always been amazed by life and all living things, which provided her the basis of her later studies in Biology at University of República Oriental del Uruguay. Monica’s interests however went beyond the scientific approach to life. She loved all aspects of the expression of life as well.
Monica began to pursue painting in order to capture the beauty of life, which amazed her so much. Starting with a realistic approach, she has evolved and developed a technique, which adds abstract styles to the realism that one sees in their surroundings. She calls this style “abstract nature”, a free and loose style that is full of color, movement and texture. By using techniques that include the use of a palette knife and impasto, Monica is able to create active and emotional pieces. The resulting works are of abstract landscapes and florals, such as wildflowers coming out of the canvas and wind moving through the grasses. www.mf-fine-art.com
Misty Oliver Foster
Guardian acrylic and collage on canvas, signed, 24" x 24"
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Misty Oliver Foster began her artistic journey as a child in north east Texas. An only child, she spent many hours drawing for her family, her friends and her school. Without much formal instruction, she continued to experiment with drawing and painting techniques on her own. Meanwhile, she became involved in theatre, and found it to be a great source of creative expression.
At the University of North Texas, Misty received a BFA in Art History and a certification in Art Education. She then worked for six years as a high school art instructor, mentoring students in drawing, painting, design and portfolio development. In 2004, Misty began focusing solely on her art career, building a body of work of bold acrylic and mixed media paintings in her colorful, expressive style. In addition to showing her work in numerous group and solo exhibits, she has also completed commissions for fine art, murals, stage sets, and illustrations. Misty lives in Frisco with her husband and daughters. www.moliverfoster.com
Deanna E. Pickett-Frye
In Bloom framed original, signed, 24" x 48".
Creativity, to Deanna, is a necessity of life. She is so blessed to be surrounded by art everyday. As a teaching artist, she is allowed to share her love for the visual. Through teaching, she continues to practice, learn, and promote appreciation for the visual arts.
Deanna's recent path, to making art, leads her to more environmental works. The recent recession and awareness to environmental issues have forced her current series to emerge. With a craving to work, but little money to buy canvases, Deanna looked around to see what she could find. Luckily, her husband and she owns a sign business, so she was able to find large scraps of sign board. After many weeks of experimenting, Deanna finally developed a technique that is aesthetically pleasing, challenging, and pleasure to create. Ironically the images and subject matter were very organic in shape, giving the work more meaning. Deanna's website
Danna Gann
Winter original acrylic on canvas, signed, 20" x 20"
Danna Gann has been creating art her entire life, through painting, drawing, music, acting and writing. A creative soul, her greatest joy has always been bringing her inner vision into the world to share with others. Danna’s focus, for many years now, is abstract acrylic painting. Using the canvas to study surface, texture and color, her paintings are a personal expression of her inner journey, reaching outward to connect with others
A Texas native, Danna has lived in various parts of the state her entire life, and currently resides in Frisco. Her work has been displayed in several local venues in the Dallas area. http://www.dannaland.net
Miro Kenarov
Hot Desert limited edition print, signed, 16" x 12"
St. Francis Cathedral limited edition print, signed, 14.5" x 12"
Miro Kenarov is a Bulgarian-born U.S. artist currently residing in Santa Fe, NM. He received his MFA from the National Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia Bulgaria in 1988. In 1993, Miro started his adventure in the New World as an American artist. He has worked as a graphic artists, art director, producer, and a freelance artist for a number of U.S. companies. Miro regularly participates in major art festivals and art shows in the Southwest and around the country. www.mirokenarov.com
John Kennington
Icon at Santa Maria print, signed, 20" x 16"
John has been taking photographs for over 30 years, primarily nature, landscapes and wildlife. Recent trips to Italy have inspired him to also begin photographing ancient architecture and images of faith. Photography has always been a creative outlet, just for his own enjoyment. But he has recently decided to move to the next level and offer my work as quality fine art prints.
In John’s photographs he attempts to capture the scene as he saw it and experienced it, and that will often involve post-processing (i.e. burning, dodging, applying filters, etc.) in his “digital darkroom” just like the old darkroom days, except less messy! All of his images are printed and matted on fully archival quality materials that will last for many years under the proper conditions. www.johnkennington.net
Kathleen Martin
Original gourd art.
 
 
When Kathleen picks up a gourd and begins to work with it, she is not always sure what will happen. Gourd's lend themselves to all kinds of experiments. They are playful and at the same time demanding. When a gourd with which she is working finally announces that it is finished, she often finds herself admiring the piece and wondering where it came from. It is as though the gourds have something to say, and it is her responsibility to help find their voices and allow them to speak.
When Kathleen's gourds leave her and take up their abode in someone else's home, she does not sense a loss. Rather she rejoices that she has been able to make visible in her gourd creations feelings that call out to others. She senses a commune of sorts with those who are drawn to her gourds. kitchmartin@hotmail.com
Miraflores Academie, artist Carl Lewis
'Outtakes' from the 'Mugfiles: Faces of the Famous, the Infamous and the Not-So Famous' Original. Artwork photo to come.
After serving in the United States Air Force, Carl enrolled in the University of Arizona, intent on studying Arabic and Japanese. It was the gift of a camera by his younger brother that segued him into the visual arts, specifically photography. At the Tucson Museum of Art School he learned the Zone System and developed his photographic and darkroom skills printing black and white as well as color film and prints. About three years later Carl began an artistic “walkabout”, traveling around the country evolving his photographic style and technical abilities. He eventually settled on the East Coast where he opened a studio. His friendship with jazz trumpeter Stanton Davis while in Connecticut was the impetus for the Mug Files facet of his portfolio.
A veteran of numerous television appearances Carl has lectured on subjects related to art and design, art education, public art, cultural heritage and the artists’ role in contemporary society, taught and performed workshops on photography and design and sat on numerous national panels. Co-founder and President of the Crown Family Unity Programs (pending 501c3) he has designed and implemented creative, cultural and educational programs for youth and their families programs since 1996.
Carl Lewis is on the Board of the Miraflores Academie, a preeminent private performing arts center that has been the foundation for some of Marin’s best musical talent since 1988. Their mission states that they “will utilize Music in establishing innovative creative, cultural and educational programs.” www.imajinnation.com www.miracademie.org
Cindy Norris
Divine Beat limited edition print, signed, 11" x 14"
Art has been a part of Cindy’s life for as long as she can remember. Encouraging parents and a sister who also had artistic interests helped create a lovely environment for growth. She has a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts and taught art in the public school system before leaving to make art for a living.
Cindy believes God gives us one life - we need to put all we can into it!!! So off she went making murals and portraits. Her canvas work has come to represent her faith journey. A great joy in that is that so many others find themselves in her art even when their life experiences vary greatly from hers. That is a real God thing! Cindy’s art is a product of life and the previously mentioned faith journey. As the images evolve and change over time, you will see reactions to the wonderful and the difficult. Such adventures as many of us encounter are inspiration to the brush and paint. www.cindynorris.com
Jean Power
Calla Lily Original acrylic on canvas. Artwork photo to come.
Jean is a family law attorney and the managing partner of Power Family Law, PLLC. She is married and the mother of three children. Jean is a self taught artist who finds painting to be both meditative and inspirational. She paints in acrylic, oils, and gouache. Her favorite subjects are flowers and religious subjects.
She currently paints with and receives instruction from Marge Bode, a celebrated and long time artist in Plano Texas. Jean is Roman Catholic but has been captivated by the old byzantine icon style of painting the Eastern Orthodox Church and has been taking instruction from Father Elias Rafaj, of St. Basil the Great Byzantine Church. Jean paints for the joy and peace it brings to her and others.
Lee Reams
Abandoned Dreams: Rusted Car framed limited edition print, signed, 20" x 17"
Lee Reams began painting as a child and sold her first canvas at age 9. Although she continued fine art painting, she began a career as a commercial artist in television and advertising. During this time she studied privately with several gifted artists in California, refining her talent. She has since retired from commercial art and now devotes full time to her painting. She has won various awards, including best of show and sells her work accepting commissions and partaking in a limited and carefully selected number of art and gallery shows around the country.
Lee paints with oils on larger size canvases capturing everyday life in an impressionistic style. She strives to mix light and natural and inspired colors recalling one's best experiences and memories. Her subject matter is largely varied and is derived from a combination of real life scenes and models enhanced by her vivid imagination. At times she implements a pointillist style and also works in the realm of linear dimensiality using her own technique she calls, "knife striking". Much of her work can be identified by her use of palette knife bringing about desired and unique textures, colors and accents. www.artisticlee.net
Fran Reisner
Mystic Light framed limited edition, signed, 16" x 24"
Fran, a national award winning photographer, has a passion for capturing the beauty of this world in her images. She has always been drawn by the light, captivated by how it touches… whether delicately or dramatically… everything around us, creating dimension, enhancing texture, and bringing color to life. Blessed with a vision, her art brings the world to us as evocative studies of light and shadow.
Fran has been honored with her Photographic Master and Craftsman degrees, is an international speaker, and has been awarded three times as Dallas Photographer of the year. She says, "Through my eyes I see the world, and the beauty that surrounds us. I feel life's rhythm and dance to the light. I paint, and life is my canvas." www.franreisner.com
Susan D. Rubin
Original 16 gauge copper wire and glass bead mobile. 46" tall.
 
Susan is a graduate of The Tyler School of Art where she received a BFA in Fine Art Printmaking. Currently, her focus is on creating jewelry, collage and small sculptural mobiles from wire, glass beads and found objects. She has an interest in using recycled and reclaimed materials (junk/trash) to create new works of art. The piece she is donating is a copper wire mobile constructed of sixteen gauge copper wire and glass beads. The design elements include hearts and spirals. These elements have been found in the earliest of human artwork. In ancient art the spiral represented nature and/or the golden mean. The heart was, as it remains today, a symbol of love, honor and devotion. This mobile will interact with its environment reflecting light and responding to air with gentle motion. It is meant to instill in the viewer a sense of peace and contentment. It can be hung inside or out but please note that the copper will oxidize with age and the elements if hung outdoors.
After completing her degree in Fine Art Susan continued her education, receiving a Master’s of Social Service from the Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. In addition to her work as an artist/artisan she has a private psychotherapy practice in Marlton, New Jersey where she provides counseling to adults, adolescents, children and families. She enjoys integrating creativity and humor into her practice. She states that she is thrilled to contribute a piece of artwork to benefit My Very Own Book, as she comes from a long line of literature lovers!
Marty Ruiz
La Flor print, signed, 10" x 8"
Born in Houston, Texas in 1952, Marty has always appreciated the color palette of nature. Gifted with an intuitive eye, Ruiz possesses a keen awareness of the variety of color and pattern in everyday images. His understanding and his relationship with color are evident in his works of bold contrasts and colors.
Ruiz's works have been exhibited at the Dallas Museum of Art and at the Eisemann Performance Center in North Dallas. Marty's paintings have been selected as the featured artwork to represent several major art festivals, including the McKinney Arts and Jazz Festival and the renowned Dallas-based 500 Inc.'s ARTFEST 2003. Although Marty has only pursued this creative channel since 1990, the acceptance of his work has created a national market for his paintings and his note cards which are available throughout Texas and the United States. www.martyruiz.com
Donna Sarafis
Artwork details and photo to come.
Donna's interest in art began with her first classes in German folk art, Bauernmalerie, in Heidelberg, Germany. Returning to Texas, she taught classes in several art leagues including Brenham and Smithville. After years of painting on wood, metal or anything that would stand still, ceramics were introduced to her by a dear friend in La Grange. Donna applied the folk art methods to ceramics and explored ways to bring a watercolor-look to painting on bisque. Much to her surprise, one of her plates won a coveted Freddie award. This launched an endeavor to paint custom, one-of-a-kind tile murals and accessory pieces.
In 1999, a move to Washington introduced her to the world of fused glass, and a love affair began with it's "painterly" qualities. 2001 brought a move back to Texas, with a stop in Portland just long enough to pick up crates of fusable glass from Bullseye. A studio in Fayetteville gave her space to experiment and explore the range of glass as a palette. Today Donna’s work is found in Eclectic Gallery on the River Walk in San Antonio, Hanson Galleries in Houston, Clarksville Pottery in Austin and Curious Glass in Georgetown. www.dancinglightfusedglass.com
Vicky Saylor
Beaches limited edition print, signed, 24" x 12"
3 Beaches limited edition print, signed, 12" x 12"
Pondering limited edition print, signed, 10" x 20"
The Little Violinist limited edition print, signed, 9" x 12"
 
Vicky finished her Graphic Design education in 1979 at The American Academy of Art. She worked in the graphic design field for 4 years until she left the workforce to have a family. Her family would become the center of her life, not giving her a lot of time to be “artsy“. Through many creative adventures, Vicky finally found the true gift that God had given her to use. Painting!! With 4 other partners/best friends, Vicky started Aristeia Gallery.
The medium Vicky uses is mainly oil. Some Mixed Media and Assembledge work sneaks in there sometimes. Vicky says doing what you love is very gratifying, but doing it surrounded by family and friends, makes it a lifetime memory. This has been a great journey that God has blessed her with. She honors him with her work. dvdnsaylor@aol.com
Frank Sowells, Jr.
Untitled limited edition print, signed, 8" x 10"
Frank Sowells, Jr. is a graduate of the Art Institute of Dallas, and also studied at Texas Tech. He has worked in the commercial art field, and was a court illustrator for several years. He later turned his attention to the fine arts, founding Art View Creations. Frank has been commissioned by numerous clients for portraits, murals, logos, fashion illustrations and book illustrations, including novels and children's books. Frank believes that all things are possible with God.
Frank utilizes watercolor, acrylic, pencil, charcoal, pastel and oil in his works. He enjoys experimenting with new techniques and textures and strives to keep his work fresh and inventive. He travels frequently, participating in numerous art exhibitions such as the United Negro College Fund, the National Black Arts Festival, and the African American Museum. www.artviewcreations.com
Ouida Touchon
Women Dreaming framed limited edition print, signed, 13" x 15"
Ouida Touchón is a New Mexican Visual Artist who spends many of her waking moments at the easel or the press. She has her BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in Painting, and her Masters of Art from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. In addition she has studied with mentors and distinguished printmakers and painters in Italy, Mexico, and the United States.
She lives with two devoted Standard Poodles in a small historic adobe home in a Hispanic village near Las Cruces and her studio is in an old storefront nearby where she operates two presses and also coordinates a printmaking collaborative called La Prensa/Southwest Printmakers. Her paintings and relief prints are shown in galleries across the United States. Many of her larger handprints are hand rubbed with a baren, due to their size and/or the limitations of her traveling studio that she sets up wherever she goes. www.ouidatouchon.com
Jim VanKirk
Untitled framed original, signed, 23" x 10"
Classically trained as an artist (UCLA and Yale) Jim immersed himself in the contemporary art scene of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, showing extensively in and around his home base in New York. During a year spent in the magnificent outdoors of Santa Fe, NM, he became fascinated with the use of oil and canvas to represent geologic phenomena, always using the idiom of contemporary painting. These representations, he says, can be thought of as metaphors for a variety of experiences and truisms of the human condition. In the very process of giving names to these phenomena, scientists unconsciously use the lens of their own personal experience and our collective cultural experience. The result is that the metaphor is inextricably linked with the phenomenon.
The three drawings presented here are indeed of geologic events. The viewer is invited to interact with them to make his own metaphors! www.artnairplanes.com
Rahul Vyas
Artwork details and photo to come.
Rahul was born in Indore, M.P. (India). He completed his bachelor's degree in Electronics and Instrumentation from S.G.S. Institute of Technology and Science Indore. He came to the United States in August 1991 and did his Master's in Computer Engineering from the University of South Carolina, Columbia South Carolina.
Fine art is Rahul’s hobby. He has been painting and sketching ever since he was a child. He considers himself a student of life and strongly believes in self teaching. He finds himself extremely fortunate to be able to get higher education in the field of computer science (next best thing after the human brain). Makes him admire nature more because for all the work we are doing, pushing limits of technology, we are nowhere close to being able to recreate anything which matches form and function of any part of our body. We store images and sounds and feelings and sensations somewhere in our brain, and we can very quickly figure out if a peculiar smell, or touch is the one we experienced in our childhood. Such marvelous database archival and restoral system can only be dreamed of by a computer scientist. Lately Rahul has found himself inclined towards wildlife art. Before this his primary area was portraits, and fantasy art. www.rahulvyas.com
Albert Mukasa Wilson
Generation of Eagles limited edition print, signed, 24" x 19"
Albert is from Uganda, East Africa. He is one of seven children, and privileged to come from a family of artists. Both of his grandfathers were great artists and his mother was an art teacher. Albert received his Art and Design Certificate and Industrial Design (Product) in London. He later received his Industrial Design (Environmental) degree at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA.
Albert has participated in hundreds of Art Festivals throughout the United States. www.albertmukasawilson.com
Wine Women in Oil
(Lori Bryan, Mary Ellen Culbreth, Sheri Dietert, Debbie Lindsey, Micheal Reimer)
Texas Tales framed giclee, 28" x 28"
This unique group gravitated together in 1998 to encourage their personal creativity and, in most cases, rediscover their long buried passion for painting. Their blend of individuality and co-dependence is one-of-a-kind.
Many of their exhibited works are true original collaborations of styles. Five artists...one creative masterpiece. One member determines the subject matter, divides it into a determined number of canvases and “assigns” each member a piece. Each artist paints her portion separately, so the end result is a surprise even to the group. It is with great excitement that the women meet, finish the final shared canvas between glasses of wine, hunks of cheese and chocolate in some form. Then with anticipation, they lay the canvases out to see the whole picture. Each part is a reflection of the artist and the final painting illustrates how differences can create a symphonic whole. To read the each artist's bio, go to www.winewomeninoil.com.
Todd Abbott Winters
The Arch of Dreams print, signed, 11" x 8.5"
Golden Grove print, signed, 6" x 13"
Pueblo Snow print, signed, 8.5" x 11"
The Holy Sheep print, signed, 8.5" x 11"
 
 
After graduating and becoming a full-time professional artist at the age of 24, Todd’s work quickly gained national and international recognition through selective juried art exhibitions. He has been accepted into nearly 300 juried shows, held nearly 50 one-man shows, and won countless awards of merit. His work has been purchased by collectors of every U.S. State and is found in over 25 other countries. Painting full time since 1985, he has produced and sold over 4,500 paintings of a wide variety of subjects.
After owning and operating his own gallery in Taos, New Mexico, Todd and his family embarked upon a 13-month travel odyssey in which they visited 48 states and Canada. A painting trip equal to none, every day he painted scenes campground to campground. Today he continues to paint a wide variety of expressive subjects at his open studio/gallery located in a historic artist colony of Ingram. Strong in concept, Todd’s work is visually inspiring, painting in both watercolor and acrylic, with each often handled in a different manner. Half of his work is realism, the other half is more conceptual, exaggerated, and surreal. His trademark is the magnificent color and simplified composition in his paintings, emphasizing rich color and contrast. www.wintersgallery.com
Deborah Wood
A Tree on a Hill print, signed, 13" x 38"
After taking a course in photography when she was a university student, Deborah became so enamored of it that she set up a darkroom in her grandmother's garage to develop her own film and prints using her father's old equipment. At that time, she was into what many young photographers were, namely Street Photography and Photojournalism which then led her to Event Photography, Portraiture, Conceptual, Landscape and Creative.
Deborah’s current photographic work is determined by her vision which she would describe as Contemporary Pictorialism. It may evoke feeling, mood or atmosphere. Through her use of a glass infrared filter in particular, she creates stylized and idealized depictions of the physical world and aspects of nature. Though her process in producing these images has moved from analog to digital, she uses the same traditional photographic principals, lenses and glass filters to capture her images. She then processes the negative digitally using photoshop and print them herself using archival pigmented inks on photographic papers and fine art media. www.deborahwood.org
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