RAN ORTNER

OIL PAINTINGS



RAN ORTNER
In 1966, at the age of five, Ran Ortner moved from San Francisco to rural Alaska. He and his family lived in an isolated log cabin, with no running water, a wood fire for heat and a grass airstrip for a driveway. To escape the brutal winters, Ran and his family would take their single engine Cessna “Ragwing” on 3-4 month adventures from Alaska to South America. On these expeditions, Ran would turn to the open expanse of the sea to escape the confines of his unconventional childhood. When Ran was eighteen, he left home and began surfing the waves off the coasts of California and Mexico. While surfing he was able to consider both the wondrous and perilous conditions of life. Overwhelmed by what he saw and felt, he turned to art as a form of exploration. Ran has lived and worked in New York City since 1990 - he continues to surf.


ARTIST STATEMENT

In my art, I contemplate the collision of opposites, from tender brutalities to the devastating sensitivities. Every day I enter my studio, prepare my materials and, as James Joyce said, "go for the millionth time to encounter the reality of the experience."I attempt through painting to sustain my encounter with life’s biting reality.




☁ RAN ORTNER

ANDRE PETTERSON

ANDRE PETTERSON

Petterson attempts to capture the essence of a split-second in time. His current photography-based work explores various themes of lighting to create elements of mystery. Rembrandt and the Dutch masters’ use of light have strongly influenced Petterson; important elements are highlighted and the mind must fill in the rest. Fabric and movement are also subjects of fascination for the artist. He believes that the integration of movement and fabric are similar to brushstrokes. The chance and artistic freedom involved in motions of dance and similar movements are also reflected in his mixed media work.

Recently, Petterson’s focus has been on painting, photo- based works, steel sculpture, and photography. Music has always been a very important facet of the artist’s life, whether it be playing, composing, or simply appreciating music. He has explored performance art, film and kinetic work involving his own music compositions, set design and choreography.

Petterson has exhibited in both private and public galleries in Canada and the United States. He is the recipient of The National Film Board of Canada Award, and has work featured in numerous private and public collections.


☁ ANDRE PETTERSON @ LE ROYER
☁ ANDRE PETTERSON @ BAU-XI

DENISE NESTOR

☁ DENISE NESTOR

PASCAL FELLONNEAU

Since the beginning of French Presidential Campaign 2012, PASCAL FELLONNEAU has photographed election posters in Paris.


It is an on-going series but here are some first results.



☁ PASCAL FELLONNEAU
☁ PASCAL FELLONNEAU PREVIOUSLY ON LE ZÈBRE

PAUL CADDEN

HYPERREALSIT DRAWINGS


PAUL CADDEN /// INTENSIFY THE NORMAL

I think the creation of Art need not lead to alienation and can indeed be highly satisfying; one pours one's subjectivity into an object and one can even gain enjoyment from the fact that another in turn gains enjoyment from this. Although the drawings and paintings I make are based upon photographs, videos stills etc , the idea is to go beyond the photograph. The photo is used to create a subtler and much more complex focus on the subject depicted, The virtual image becomes the living image, an intensification of the normal. These objects and scenes in my drawings are meticulously detailed to create the illusion of a new reality not seen in in the original photo. The Hyperrealist style focuses much more on its emphasis on detail and the subjects depicted. Hyperreal paintings and sculptures are not strict interpretations of photographs, nor are they literal illustrations of a particular scene or subject. Instead, they utilise additional, often subtle, pictorial elements to create the illusion of a reality which in fact either does not exist or cannot be seen by the human eye. Furthermore, they may incorporate emotional, social, cultural and political thematic elements as an extension of the painted visual illusion; a distinct departure from the older and considerably more literal school of Photorealism.


" It was the straying that found the Path direct."



☁ PAUL CADDEN