Iman Maleki (Iranian, 1976)

Iman Maleki was born in Tehran. He has been fascinated by the art of painting since he was a child. At the age of 15, he started to learn painting under the mastery of his first and only teacher - Morteza Katouzian - who is the greatest realist painter of Iran.

Meanwhile, he began to paint professionally. In 1999 he graduated in Graphic Design from the Art University of Tehran. Since 1998, he has participated in several exhibitions.

In the year 2000, he got married and in the following year he established ARA Painting Studio and started to teach painting, considering classical and traditional values.

Ghiannis Ritsos / Christian Schloe | Un albero

Quell'albero era cresciuto nella parte superiore del giardino,

alto, solitario, slanciato - la sua altezza

tradiva forse un'idea segreta d'intrusione. Non diede mai

fiori né frutti, solo un'ombra lunga che divideva in due il giardino

e una misura inapplicabile agli altri alberi, carichi e curvi.

Marcos Damascena (Brazilian painter, 1981)

Born in Poções Bahia, Marcos Damascena settled in St. Paul, where he began his artistic career, studying with the great names in figurative art.

Made with the design of the live model and teacher Luis Alberto, the Paulista Association of Fine Arts, then studied with the master Abraham Jorge Esteves: color theory and anatomy of animals, especially horses.

Jeff Barson (American, 1966)

Barson was born in Logan, Utah. At the age of nine, his family moved to England where Barson attended Beechwood Park Preparatory School. Over the next years, Barson traveled extensively throughout Europe and was exposed to its great museums and fine artistic legacy.

He credits his early interests in Art and Literature to this move which provided an excellent education and inspiration for the creative young Barson. Barsons paintings have hung in galleries in New York, Boston and Los Angeles.

His limited edition prints are distributed nationally and have met with great enthusiasm from the press and public. U.S. Art Magazine named him one of six artists that will change the limited edition print market.

Confucio / 孔子 | Aforismi

L'uomo superiore è calmo senza essere arrogante; l'uomo dappoco è arrogante senza essere calmo.

Ciò che non vuoi che sia fatto a te, non farlo agli altri.

Mettete la lealtà e la fiducia sopra ogni cosa; non accettate l'amicizia di chi vi è moralmente inferiore; non abbiate paura di correggere i vostri errori.

Chi non cambia è solo il saggio più elevato o lo sciocco più ignorante.

Colui che desidera assicurare il bene di altri si è già assicurato il proprio.

Colui che governa per mezzo della sua virtù è... come la stella polare: rimane al suo posto, mentre tutte le stelle minori le rendono omaggio.

Fate il bene in ogni tempo, in ogni luogo, in tutte le circostanze in cui potrete farlo; e sarete, a non dubitarne, virtuosi e saggi.

Fate il bene per se medesimo, senz'alcun motivo d'interesse personale; vi sarà resa la giustizia che meritate, godrete senza contrasto della riputazione di virtù e di sapienza, che si forma da se medesima in favore di quelli che così si governano senza parere di ambirla.

Dragan Ilic Di Vogo (Serbian painter, 1962)

"Boundaries of art have no shape, colour and smell; therefore, even if they existed, we would not be able to know that we have stepped on them. If you seek art, you may find it in everything around you. Mainly in style, since man is style. I find the man to be the most perfect work of art, shaped and painted by the Creator himself.

The art is always one and the same, though it may be more or less present at a particular moment and in particular place. The art does not progress or regress, it only goes through transformations. The consciousness about art does not progress either, although we wish it would. The need for art does not grow or decrease.

Thanks to God, art is constant, while we are the ones who change, appear and disappear. Cheers!" - Dragan Ilic Di Vogo.

Z.L. Feng, 1954 | Landscape / Figurative / Watercolor painter

Growing up in Shanghai, Feng began painting at age seven and never stopped, experimenting with different mediums, including pastel, oil, and egg tempera, before choosing his favorite, watercolor.

"With watercolor you cannot cover your mistakes, so you must know what you are doing", he says.

He finds inspiration for his lovely landscapes in the countryside of the New River Valley: "Usually I go around - to the river, the forest, the lake – to try and find interesting compositions".

Those familiar with Feng’s art are also captivated by his portraits of the people of Tibet, Native Americans of New Mexico, Southern farmers, and others.