NOVEMBER'S FEATURED ARTISTS

effe leven gallery

ADRIANA OANCIA
"Adriana Oancia was born on February 29, 1980 in Romania. Her connection with the art world began during her childhood, where she was always surrounded by her grandfather’s beautiful paintings. She began painting when she was 4 years old and after she graduated from Fine Art high school, she decided to go further with her education in art. During her university years, she did various murals and paintings commissioned for restaurants, hotels and private homeowners. She moved to the U.S. in 2003 and now her artwork can be found in various collections in Europe and U.S. She is currently working as a freelance artist and interior designer assistant in Chicago, IL. She is a member of American Society of Interior Designers, IIDA (International Interior Design Association), and Chicago Artist’s Coalition." “I choose abstract primarily because it expresses freedom, shape and emotion all in one. I steer towards contemporary art because it makes conversation and contemplation. My paintings represent freedom and color with bold borders. The rich color represents rich and richness of life. The bold colors represent vigor.”

CAROLINE PYLE
"Caroline received her education from Boston University and Yale University. She has exhibited her art in various galleries throughout the Midwest and on the East Coast and has had several Solo Exhibits as well. In 2007 she was a finalist for the Art Design Consultants Award out of Cincinnati Ohio. She is also an Associate Member of the Hera Gallery out of Wakefield Rhode Island." “Change was dramatically imposed on me by a nearly fatal car accident in 2005. Recovery from my injuries required much courage and determination, but the discovery of a new passion for creativity not only supported my healing, but became my purpose and has been transformative. Through my journey I have come to believe that change is often inspired by crisis and involves an often uncomfortable but necessary period of disorganization followed by a period of reorganization. "Fusion" depicts this process reorganization.”

CAROL NG-HE
"Born and raised in Hong Kong, Carol Ng-He is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist and art educator. As a trained classical player for Pipa, a traditional Chinese instrument, she has performed with local modern dance choreographers at Mass Hall, Jane Addams-Hull House Museum, Koehnline Museum of Art at Oakton Community College, Links Hall, and the Duncan YMCA Chernin Center for the Arts in Chicago. As a visual artist, she has also exhibited locally. Carol has served as a teaching artist at the Silk Road Theatre Project, Chicago Teen Museum, and Young Asians With Power! (YAWP!). Graudated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for her Master degree of Arts, Carol currently teaches at Oakton Community College, Roosevelt University, and Columbia College Chicago."

DANNY VU
“I have been a self-taught artist for over 20 years. Creating visual art came naturally for me since childhood. Abstract extraction is a concept I practice by applying layers of paint which forms impurities such as abnormal areas, unwanted waste, over-abundance, and discoloration. I then meticulously extract these impurities to produce a clean and aesthetic finish filled with vivid colors and abstract patterns. As a result of this concept I try to make a conscious effort outside of my art studio to extract real-life impurities such hatred, ignorance, malice, anger, immorality, unhealthy food, dirt, odor, etc., to achieve a healthier mind, body, and soul. My passion for art is equally shared with my love for classical music. Art and classical music are universal languages that are readily recognized, appreciated, and honored throughout the world to enrich the edification of mankind. I am greatly influenced by such masters as Picasso, Dali, Rothko, Pollock, Warhol, and Richter, and deeply inspired by titans such as Bach, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, and most notably…Beethoven.”

DOTTIE STUCKO
“I was born and given the name Dottie Ann Eleanor Stucko about thirty years ago. I lived most of my life on the south side of Chicago. Now I grace the north side with a bad attitude. My eyes began to really see in kindergarten. I would crawl up in a ball under a table and was told to color while all the other little girls played with the dollhouse. During those years I spent much of my time watching my mother sketch portraits of various women when she wasn't too busy warding off the ghosts in the house with chicken bones. I would say I am mostly self-taught although I did attend some years here and there at college studying art. Until recently I never really possessed the desire to display my work to the general public. I suppose it might be wise to share and communicate my visions to others around me in this world.”

EDGAR CUAREZMA
"Never one to sit still, Edgar Cuarezma has been constantly pushing his paintings to new heights. Whether it's realism, abstract, or a tasty blend of both, he strives to find new ways to express himself with the brush (or anything that can make a suitable mark). His main influences include (but are far from limited to) Klimt, Mucha, Degas, and Sargent. Born in Miami, Edgar graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA and is currently living in Chicago."

ELIZABETH PARKER
"Elizabeth Parker was born in Krakow, Poland, where she pursued her passion for art at an early age. Here she and her brother took private art lessons and Elizabeth also took interior decorating courses. In 1976, she passed the most prestigious art exam in Krakow but had to put her art career on hold when she moved her family to the U.S. To provide for her family and their new life, Elizabeth continued to paint and draw in between her job as a structural civil technician. She also taught private art lessons to both children and adults. As her family settled into their new life, Elizabeth never stopped painting and creating for the people she met and for herself. Many of these paintings and illustrations she sold and some she kept in her own collection as reminders of the successes and tribulations that life unfolds. Elizabeth's extensive imagination evokes an unconventional approach through her use of color and abstract shapes. Her energy is evident in the depth and movement in her work. Like life, Elizabeth's artwork is unexpected. Sometimes she sets out for a desired look, but finishes the piece differently. Her work is symbolic of the humor, re-invention, and strength, that she believes describe her journey from the life she left in Poland to her continuous transformation as an artist and a woman. Elizabeth's work is best described as surrealism, realism, and modern art. Besides painting, she creates illustrations, graphic art, and story board illustrations. Her medium of choice is acrylic, ink with pencil, oil, and watercolor. Elizabeth's passion and dedication to her craft has been seen at various art exhibitions and in publications throughout the years. She will translate the vision for a client onto canvas, wall, and portraiture. Elizabeth welcomes all inquiries about incorporating art into your home or businesses."

ERIK OHRN
“Through painting I try to articulate both the presence and absence of human interactions and the feelings that surface from these experiences. This work is not exclusively about me nor is it about you, but both you and me in relation to one another. It is important that I leave my work open for interpretation so that the viewer can build his or her own relationship based on their personal observation and experience. The figures within my paintings are expressive and representational in their appearance, and convey an awkwardness or discomfort through their poses. Body language of the figures acts as a communicator rather than specific details within them. The environments in which they inhabit are abstracted through color, shape, and many layers of applied paint. This ambiguity captures feelings of unfamiliarity and disconnection. How people act in and outside their comfort zones interests me.”

GABRIEL KARAGIANIS
"Gabriel's paintings are often sculptural studies of abstract forms. The viewer is asked to question their time-based reality and venture into mystic narratives and environments. Gabriel paints from a perspective of reverence for natural history and mythology. Gabriel's work is heavily influenced by post impressionist painting - 1900 European to 1950 New York. While attending the American Academy of Art, he was introduced to typography, particularly graffiti. In 2003 Gabriel began to study his own drawing and in 2005 fully devoted himself to painting. He is currently working and selling his work out of his studio in Harvard, IL in a vacant factory building, where he and his contemporaries host art/music shows."

JAKE ELDRIDGE
“I was born in Yonkers in 1971. In 1989 I migrated to Chicago. I am an emerging contemporary artist working with digital photography, computer art and digital music production. I am currently exhibiting in Chicago and Brussels. I started experimenting with photography in 2005. My process focuses on composition and subject selection. I am fascinated by the way abstract art can spawn from either a well thought out alternate view of a subject or from entropy resulting in subjective beauty or testing the limits of aesthetic perception.”

JOANNA RYTEL
“My journey through the world of art began in Warsaw, Poland in 1965. As a 7 year old I attended an art class with my best friend Maria. The subject matter might not have been the most ambitious, but the passion for expressing myself through various forms of art remains. Since that first art class I have dipped my fingers in many art forms like oil painting, mixed media, ceramic, mosaic, and photography. I love them all. To me, the most important thing about art is not the form, but the feeling. The feeling of being, of living. 20 years ago I moved to the United States with my daughter Dorota. Soon after arriving here I got involved in the Chicago art scene. In 1991 Gosia Garbalska and I established a non for profit organization called Art Moves International, which was devoted to artist “exchange” between Eastern Europe and the United States. Later on I represented Polish artists as the curator of Gallery 58, and helped organize many exhibits and art events such as ‘Around the Coyote’. After a long period of playing the role of art curator, I decided to focus on my own development as an artist. Art is everywhere. Art has different forms and different languages, but there is no need for translation. The paintings presented on my website joannarytel.artistportfolio.net are part of my journey, my life in the United States. Each of them represents a story, which I couldn’t explain using words. The series of photos is just a sample of my current work, which pays more attention to my inner journey. In the day of globalization, Internet, and consumption, I wanted to bring people’s attention back to something very simple.”

www.joannarytel.artistportfolio.net
www.wooloo.org/joannarytel
www.joannaARytel.artpickle.com

JOHN CARMAN
“I have been an artist since birth and drawing was something that was a natural, daily expression for me as a child. At this point in my life, after going down several other paths, I have powerfully chosen what I truly love and feel is my unique gift and expression in this world - committing myself to the life of creating and selling my art as a living. Being an artist for me is about allowing the natural course to unfold before my eyes, being present to the moment, being true to my integrity and staying fluid to the adventure of creating.”

KATIE KELLER
"After living a short while in San Francisco in 2000, her career focus switched from engineering to the arts. Katie graduated from The Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago in 2004. She is now the career studio director and president of Collaboration Arts NFP (not for profit); a social service organization that is in its first year. She is a freelance graphic designer, painter, crafter, appreciator and lover of the arts."

KRISTA MONAHAN
"As a Chicago based artist from St. Augustine, Florida, Krista Monahan enjoys creating art that makes people laugh in order to lighten up the seriousness of every day worries. She recently earned her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is currently building a collection of work that describes the images that she associates with domestication. All of Krista's work is entirely devoted to the events in her own life including engagement, animals, family, friends and stories that are worth reflecting on. “This particular show is a small taste of my Domestication Series that expresses my feelings towards becoming a wife in the near future. The skateboards are old, used and beaten up. I felt that this was a good metaphor of when two people come together and try to work out this thing called marriage. By painting beautiful images on the skateboards I have transformed their purpose and given them a new life. The images that I have selected all reflect in some way this idea. It could be an animal that is naturally untamed, or an object that, for some reason, I consider more special now then ever before. Either way, they all reflect the change of my opinions towards life in general.”

LINDSEY MEYERS
"Lindsey studied classical theatre at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, as well as the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, and attended the Chicago Academy for the Arts. She graduated from the University of Southern California with an honors degree in Psychology, and has taught both pre-school and middle school. Ms. Meyers has aligned with the New Orleans Kid Camera Project (kidcameraproject.org) and the Growing. Connection.(thegrowingconnection.org) in hopes of raising money, environmental awareness and the level of social consciousness for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Her work can be viewed in Blackbook's RAW 2008, and on

www.lindseymeyers.com."

MARQUE STRICKLAND
“Aside from being tall, black, and suffering from inexplicable sexual frustration from years of creative hibernation and celibacy, I, Marque Terrynamahr Strickland, am an artist. I do what I do, because I don’t know how NOT to do it. I need it like I need air, and every single spare moment I have is devoted to my work. I love movies. I love women (even though you basically have to put a gun to my head to make me leave my work alone for one night and go on a date. I love books. I love video games-action, adventure, blood and guts...you know, all that good stuff. And, most of all, I love my mother. (It was she that encouraged my talents by always buying me colored pencils and sketchbooks, and such.)”

MEGAN GINTER
“My name is Megan Ginter and I’ve always been interested in the arts, but it was an illness that turned art into something more than a hobby for me. I have been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, which is like having the symptoms of both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. I experience manic highs, depressive lows, disturbing hallucinations, and paranoia. Art is how I cope. Mental illness can make you feel isolated, but with my art I can bring people into my world. I currently reside in Perrysburg, Ohio with my boyfriend, Jason, and two cats, Oliver and Belle. After the exhibit I will be donating a piece to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Greater Chicago's Art for Life Gallery.”

PETER THADDEUS
“I have been painting professionally since 1999. My passions and inspirations have brought my work to life, and they include tropical themes, design, architecture, fashion, and more. I express myself through these inspirations using bright colors and great contrast in my work. Creating from my experiences, my paintings are like snapshots taken from my mind and put on canvas. I am from the Chicago area, but love to travel and see the world. I am grateful for the experiences I have had, and use my artwork as a tool to express myself, and show others how I think. I have studied art since I was very young, and through my teen years. Receiving my B.A. in Interior Design furthered the influence of design and architecture in my work. My scope of work includes paintings, murals, hand painted accessories, drawings, and ceramics. Art is my passion, it is what I love to do, and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to express myself to the world."

PINAKI RANJAN MUKHERJEE
I do not know whether I am an artist. An artist is someone or something which expresses physical or mental or anything in a more descriptive or profound way. I just talk to the canvas as a mental plane of a mirror-listener. Colors and brushes, even my fingers are words or sounds or whispers. Art is not my profession and it's not my hobby either. It's an expression and revealing of myself to me.”

RANDY SUSICK
"Randy Susick comes from a commercial art background at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, with training in airbrush, pastels and painting. After graduation, Randy moved to Chicago where his creative processes have undergone profound changes. Having learned to give up control, he now relies on his spiritual guides to drive the process. A master of digital artistry, Randy has worked in Adobe Photoshop since 1991. His command of the program is demonstrated in his creations, which showcase his creative, photographic and design talents. His early love of the outdoors continues to influence and permeate his work. Randy S. Susick grew up in Van Voorhis, a rural coal-mining town of a few hundred people in the mountains of Southwestern Pennsylvania, just south of Pittsburgh. Despite few opportunities in the arts where he grew up, Randy's talent was recognized in a high school art class; with the support of his mother and sisters, Randy decided to pursue his calling. Looking back at his roots, Randy has found that many in his family have expressed themselves creatively through art, such as drawing, and in other ways related to their everyday life and surroundings. Randy worked as a photographic retoucher and airbrush artist in pre-computer days and as a graphic designer when the computer was just coming into the commercial work flow, in the early 90's. He now fine-tunes his skills daily as a consultant to the digital photography studio at Kraft Foods, a position he holds through Southern Graphics, a top tier prepress company. Randy feels lucky to be able to continue his study of color interaction, light and shadow both in the studio and in his work as a commercial artist."

RYAN SZESZYCKI
“Always interested in the new and unexplored, I want to stretch those boundaries that make a painting a painting while presenting the viewer with an interactive experience. I tend to think in terms of space and dimension because illusion is the magic dust of a painting. I want my pieces to reach a universal audience, by doing so the art of simplicity and manipulation is most essential. To achieve this dichotomy I have been developing an understanding of structural integrity and the redirection of it into an environment that is both chaotic and harmonious." "With the Thomas Kinkade Series I wanted to break out of my usual process of mazes and fiftychs and try my hand at raw conceptualism. I have always admired the unstoppable force of Thomas Kinkade in the consumer art market as much as I've loathed it. This was a way for me to produce an original image created from various chemical reactions (be it hairspray, oil, turpentine, acrylic, sprinkles, etc.) and immediately turn it into something commercial.”

SARAH REHMER
"Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Rehmer attended Dominican University in River Forest, IL. She received her B.A. in Graphic Design and Photography in 2003. Her current body of work, while more in the category of collage, still draws much from those two disciplines mixing in structural and graphic elements, typography and photographic elements. On a broader level the work deals with the idea of the loss of memories due illness such as Alzheimer's and the ultimate effect, physically, on the body. Using pages from old books directly plays into those ideas, as the book is an item that should have words and ideas contained within, however, is empty."

SHARON ETTER
"Born in the suburbs of Chicago, Sharon Etter concentrates on a completely non-representational, abstract style. Subject matter in her work is secondary. Color, composition, and spatial relationships are the forefront of her work. It is the process of creating that is her focus. Sharon is immersed in the Chicago art community. With several solo, juried, and group shows to her credit, she continues to create work and searches for non-traditional spaces to show it."

VENU VINOD DEMARAJU
“Born in Hyderabad, India and raised in Illinois, I had a fascination with world travel and learning different cultures. While working in Downtown Chicago, after earning a Bachelors of Science Degree in Information Systems from DePaul University, I found myself taking photographs with my point and shoot camera at every opportunity. The hustle and bustle of Chicago’s Downtown, its amazing architecture, beautiful skyline and lakeshore are vibrant backdrops to everyday life. This inspired me to attend The College of DuPage and earn an Associate’s Degree in Photography. As I hone my skills, I become more passionate with the art. I recently travelled to India, where I had visited 6 different cities. It was rather intensive to photograph there because of India’s rich history, vast and beautiful landscapes and of course, its people. I was fascinated by various angles of nature, places and cultures. I captured a wide spectrum of society, depicted in the nearly 1,000 photographs, some of which I have made into 3ft by 5ft collages with specific themes. The experience of Chicago culture and that of other parts of the world has been truly satisfying for me. My hope is to present these through my photography, now and in the future.”