 For me, art is a playground for the expression of spirit, so I whimsically wander through a variety of mediums, palettes and styles. I am inspired by themes of nature, sacred geometry, peace and spirituality. I hope that my images will take you out of the mundane and into your own inner realms of exploration, curiosity and heart. Acrylic and mixed media are my most recent favored formats. I am a signature member of the National Collage Society, and a member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon and Lake Area Artists and have exhibited in a variety of galleries over the years.Favorite Quote: Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.” Oscar Wilde Painting Motto: Paint as you like and die happy.” Henry Miller  www.ljmraz@comcast.net
 I primarily paint with molten, pigmented beeswax, an ancient art known as Encaustic painting. Because of their translucent appearance viewers often think my paintings are tile, glass, or porcelain, or they ask if they are oil paintings with wax brushed over the top of an underpainting, but none of these is the case. To explain further, artists working with wax have a wide variety of techniques, and there is no right or wrong, just different methods. My Encaustic method does not include mixed media, nor is there any underneath painting. I paint entirely with brushes and layers of molten beeswax, using a propane torch to fuse each new layer into the underneath layers. Although I do paint landscapes and florals, I lean toward painting faces and figures. I am intrigued with using the molten wax and propane torch to get facial details even though the molten wax moves as I work with it and the process is challenging. After some years of pursuing a career not related to art I am now in an especially peaceful and fulfilled state doing what I believe I was ultimately meant to do. My paintings were awarded Best of Show blue ribbons in the previous 2 Lake Area Artists Shows in 2019 and 2022.   While I paint, I focus on my mission to bring beauty into the world that did not exist before. The joy I experience as I paint is similar to the pleasure I enjoyed as the author of the national best-selling book series, Chocolate for a Woman’s Soul, heartwarming stories for women, Inspiration feeds my soul, whether from art or books.    The detail and extensive planning that has gone into the Persian Miniatures inspires me. I also have an affinity with lose abstract paintings. My work is a combination of both, some planned and some very lose by throwing and pouring paint and letting it do its dance on paper. Some paintings come together quickly and some become a prolonged and perhaps demanding, and draining journey. They are all cherished and loved! I was very fortunate to study under Master Mahmood Farshchian early on. That training has become the well that I keep drawing from. I also consider myself lucky to have my own style to nurture and to create the jewel tones and depict the beautiful patterns of the Persian Miniatures. As time has passed the Persian Miniature influence seems to surface more and more in my work, whether intentionally or not! I seem to notice more of it appearing on the surface I am painting on and I just make it materialize the best I can. My mediums are pigments that are water-soluble mostly, paint, pencils, markers, aqua sticks, gauche, wax sticks and some acrylics. My brush sizes vary from 2” to 4 zero for fine details. The search to become a better painter is still young in me, even after fifty something years. Meanwhile, I will nurture this gift of Persian Art and Nature series.   Art is a way of life for me. I cannot remember a time when I have not been involved in some type of artwork. I enjoy art immensely. I am usually busy in my studio almost everyday of the week. I am an experimental artist. I create abstract works. I take pleasure in trying different mediums and exploring different methods of creating paintings. particularly love working on collage and mixed media works, utilizing watercolors, acrylics, and inks, and the last several years studying the ancient art of marbling. While I am marbling, I am often surprised at the interesting results.  airi.art@yahoo.com
 Painting has been part of my life for over 50 years. I recall sitting outside at the age of eight painting a small watercolor of my red metallic reading lamp and told my parents I was going to be an artist when I grew up. Landscapes have taken my attention for the past 20 years. In the warmer months I paint outdoors. Winter finds me in the warmth of my home studio reworking studies from the summer or creating new works from my travel photos. I am attracted to subjects that express nature with a nod towards human activity. Typically this may include abandoned structures, farmland, pathways, and wooded trails. Currently my compositions are driven by moody light and unusual weather effects. Curiously I have noted that each painting develops a childlike personality as I work. Some are cooperative and others simply misbehave. I enjoy guiding the process intuitively through the last finishing touches towards the maturity of the final result. My artistic influences include the Italian Renaissance painters, Dutch Masters, Andrew Wyeth and my father who taught me technical drawing skills at an early age.   Terri was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, graduating from Lewis and Clark college with a degree in art education. After a long career in law enforcement and safety, she spent the last few years concentrating on her love of painting. Terri was and instructor in her own private studio as well as at the North east Community center in the Hollywood district of Portland for eight years. Many of her paintings have been turned into greeting cards, calendars, and fine art prints. She has been featured in the tabletop hardbound book “Pacific Northwest Artists”. Terri is currently a member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon, the Oregon Society of Artists, Dry Canyon Artists of Central Oregon, the Sisters Art Association, and the Lake Area Artists. She is a former member of Buffalo Grass Society of Artists and Color fusion. She has exhibited her work at the Belinki Gallery, W”East Book and Gallery (Welches), the gift shop at the Oregon Zoo and numerous shows in various Oregon locales.   Rob Sanford began his studies in Industrial Design at San Jose State University and graduated at the top of his class. He has worked at Lockheed Missiles and Space Co., Hewlett Packard, Boeing, and Tektronix in Beaverton, Oregon on a variety of technology projects. Rob began painting science fiction art for several magazines and companies in the 80's and 90's. Currently, Rob lives in Lake Oswego where he is the President of the Lake Area Artists group which consists of 30 local artists. He is also a permanent artist at the Valley Art Gallery in Forest grove, OR. Inspired by natural wildlife on the west coast, he is widely know for his bird paintings against a scenic backdrop. He enjoys teaching his grandson how to paint, spending his winters painting and summers fishing on the Deschutes River for trout and steelhead.   I am an award winning watercolorist, juror and instructor. My work derives its inspiration from the magic and wonders of nature. I am drawn to see and focus on what might not be seen or noticed. My drawing instructor, acclaimed Portland artist Gene Flores, helped me understand the importance of not suppressing what comes from within. I paint with the movement of nature and visualize the growing twists and turns of a twig or a leaf. I try to capture the stillness of an early morning walk in a field, along a river or in a forest. I also focus on detail whether it’s simply the blending or bleeding of two colors like one would see on a ripening peach or the finite lines and edges of a raindrop. My current explorations are in the discovery of how elements of nature and texture react in watercolor to leave beautiful patterns and surprises in their unique patterns on the paper. My hope is that the viewer will walk away from seeing my work with a new vision and perhaps wonder, how does she do that?   Drawing upon my experiences traveling and interest in nature, I express myself through watercolor painting. I am especially interested in the effect of light and shadow on various subjects which I first photograph, and then create paintings in the studio. Each painting is initiated with a colorful wash which provides unity in the paintings and masterful color shifts which reflect the subtleties found in nature. The paint is glazed, one layer over another to achieve a rich and complex color palette. As a longtime member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon, my work has been accepted into multiple juried shows and has won awards throughout the Pacific Northwest. My work can be seen at Rain Spark Gallery; and in various local and regional shows such as Watercolor Society of Oregon, Lake Area Artists, and the Lake Oswego Reads traveling show. After a career of teaching art at the high school level, I have enjoyed spending more time at the easel, traveling and teaching small adult classes in watercolor.  |