Name that artist!

Shayna here. As Gallery One’s “Patrons of the Arfs,” Clancy and I rub elbows (and noses) with dozens of famous artists. To us, they’re just regular humans (only exceptionally talented). To our folks, they’re part of the family. But I digress. We know and love them, and once you get to know them as we do, you will too. So let’s all get better acquainted with this week’s ArtSmartz.

1. Imagine if you were a bee coming in for a landing on a gorgeous flower. This artist is known for magnificent close-up paintings of brightly illuminated flowers that give you that same perspective. This floral artist is the son of musicians who encouraged his artistic talents. As this artist says, "The light is the real subject of my work. The flower is the stage, the light is the dancer.” What is his name?
2. This talented Russian artist attended the St. Petersburg Academy of Art, one of the world’s most prestigious art schools. His portraits of flamenco dancers, musicians and the female form are dramatic and captivating. (You’ll get an “A” if you can name the artist.)
3.  His wildlife paintings come in ALL shapes and sizes – tall and narrow and short and wide. His love of all things wild also applies to his sense of humor and sense of style. He has an impressive collection of zany and colorful Hawaiian shirts. But when it comes to his subjects, he knows them inside out, having majored in art and minored in biology at Willamette University. Who is this wild and crazy guy?
4. This artist was best known for his watercolors of rural Amish scenes and landscapes of northeastern Ohio. He was especially drawn to winter scenes because he was able to see the structure of the trees and considered it to be a very meditative time of year. Despite his fondness for winter, he rarely used white paint in his watercolor paintings; any white was most likely the paper. Name this artist.
5. The work of this critically acclaimed fine artist is exhibited at Gallery One and galleries across the country. He is also a well-known actor whom Baby Boomers will remember from his 1950s hit TV show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (which also starred Bob Denver as his beatnik BFF, Maynard). Collectors love his renderings of cottages with inviting pathways bordered by flowers. Who is this artist?
6. Things are not always as they seem in this artist’s work. He combines architectural elements with illusions of perspective to give reality some magical possibilities. In his artwork, the imagination transforms clouds into snow-capped mountains; a quilt becomes an aerial patchwork of farmland. Name this artist, born in Toronto in 1959.
7. Born in Hollywood, this artist worked at Walt Disney Studios for more than twenty years as a background animation specialist. He worked on many short subjects and a dozen films including The Little Mermaid, Winnie the Pooh and Beauty and the Beast. After leaving the motion picture industry he became a fulltime artist, painting vibrant tropical rainforests, lush woods and the splendor of romantic destinations such as Giverny. What is his name?
8. This artist is considered by many to be the world’s top aviation artist. As a boy in California, he’d watch the Air National Guard F-86s taking off and landing at the Van Nuys Airport. Besides being an award-winning artist, he is an accomplished pilot who spent a tour of duty in the Air Force, including an assignment in Vietnam. In 2005 the USPS released his American Advances in Aviation stamps. In addition to aviation art, this artist is known for his nostalgic landscapes featured in the picturesque Phillips Bay series. Can you name him?
9. After completing an Army stint, this artist studied at the Art Center in Los Angeles on the G.I. Bill. He later formed a successful ad agency. His future wife introduced him to the simplicity of farm life in the San Fernando Valley. This was the artistic influence that led him to pursue primitive art, and he became known for his Americana Calendars. His colorful nostalgic art is still widely collected. Name the artist.
10. This artist was born in Shanghai. He came to the U.S. in 1987 and fell in love with the beauty of the land. The son of an art professor, he was educated in China and later earned his MFA at New York’s Pratt Institute School of Art and Design. A favorite subject is boats docked in the harbor. He has the remarkable ability to capture the light, atmosphere and mood of such settings. These, he believes, are similar in the U.S. and China, saying “Our similarities are greater than our differences.”

ANSWERS TO WEEK #8

1. 10+ faces
2. 10+ wildebeest
3. Sheep, horn, top, pan, bell, pocket watch. . .
4. 8 dandelions in bloom
5. 57 (counting the shooter)
6. Haberdashery, Johnson Shoes, Lugo Restaurant, Gentry Dance Studio, Paris Isabella Dress Shop, Drew’s Coffee, Main & Wright Street Car, Shirley’s Flower Stand, Morrison’s Ice Cream Wagon, Fire Station #1
7. Fish, two birds, a lady, a leopard, a frog, a soldier, two men
8. A burrowing owl, a pearl-spotted owl and a tawny owl
9. 22 gulls
10. In lower right-hand corner