Deux Meus
06/26/26 11:38 Filed in: Artist | Living Artists
Deux Meus is a contemporary visual artist whose work blends painting, mixed media, and experimental techniques to explore memory, emotion, philosophy, and the passage of time. She creates deeply personal works that invite contemplation and reflection in an increasingly fast-paced world. Her practice is influenced by literature, philosophy, and scientific concepts, using abstraction and symbolic imagery to examine the relationship between human experience and the underlying structures of reality.
The artist has developed a distinctive voice through her innovative use of materials, including her signature embroidery and beading-on-canvas techniques. Her work has received international attention, with her pieces held in private collections worldwide, spanning from the USA and Australia to Norway. She has exhibited her work internationally, including recent exhibitions in Italy, Spain, and the UK. Her practice has also been featured in various contemporary art publications, most notably in the recent special edition of Collect Art Magazine, which included an in-depth interview about her conceptual approach.
A recurring theme in her work is the search for meaning within both personal and universal systems. Through layered textures, rich symbolism, and thoughtful compositions, Deux Meus creates visual meditations that encourage viewers to slow down, reflect, and engage with questions of identity, existence, and human connection.
deuxmeus.com
Ty Caulfield
06/06/26 11:53 Filed in: Artist | Living Artists
Ty Caulfield is a contemporary “Confined Abstract” artist based in Olivenhain. His practice is grounded in the use of reclaimed and discarded materials—primarily plywood sourced from waste streams such as landfill or burn piles. In this approach, the material itself is not a neutral surface but an active participant in the formation of each work.
Rather than working from a fixed composition, Caulfield responds directly to the grain, scars, and prior human impact embedded in each board. He describes his process as a dialogue with the material, allowing the wood to suggest forms, movement, and narrative. Each piece develops intuitively, without predetermined outcomes, unfolding through close attention to the surface as it reveals itself.
His works are created using felt-tip pens and dry erase markers, applied in a manner that functions more like staining than traditional painting. Through this method, layered visual structures emerge that reflect both the physical history of the wood and the artist’s interpretive response to it. Because no two pieces of plywood are identical, each work is inherently unique and non-replicable.
Caulfield’s practice emphasizes process, material memory, and improvisation, with each work acting as a record of interaction between artist and substrate.
In 2025, his work was featured in the 33rd Annual Juried Exhibition at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. That same year, he also exhibited two works in the University of California, Irvine 13th Annual Art History Association exhibition. In addition, he placed 7th out of 80 artists in the Art of Elysium “People’s Artist” competition, supported by Johnny Depp.
He lives in Olivenhain with his family.
Contact: tycaulfield@elmspub.net
Website: Caulfield Art
Facebook: Caulfield Art
Nigel van Wieck
04/02/26 16:02 Filed in: Artist | Living Artists
Nigel van Wieck is a contemporary painter known for his quietly intense, cinematic scenes of modern urban life.
Born in England in 1947, he studied at the Hornsey College of Art in London before moving to the United States in the late 1970s. He eventually settled in New York City, which became the primary setting and inspiration for much of his work.
His paintings often depict solitary figures in public or semi-public spaces—subway cars, cafés, offices, hotel rooms—capturing moments that feel both intimate and detached. There’s a strong sense of narrative ambiguity: something has just happened, or is about to happen, but the viewer is left to interpret it.
Stylistically, van Wieck is frequently compared to Edward Hopper. Like Hopper, he uses light and shadow to create mood, often emphasizing isolation within urban environments. However, van Wieck’s work feels more contemporary, with sharper edges and a slightly voyeuristic perspective—almost like stills from a film.
His work has been exhibited widely in the U.S. and Europe and is held in numerous public and private collections.
Marina Boyko
03/22/26 17:40 Filed in: Artist | Living Artists
Marina Boyko is a Ukrainian contemporary artist celebrated for her distinctive surrealist and imaginative painting style. She studied scenography at the Kharkiv State School of Art, a background that strongly influences the theatrical, almost stage-like composition of her works. Active since the 1990s, Boyko has participated in numerous exhibitions in Ukraine and internationally, earning recognition among collectors and galleries. She is one of my favorite painters and I have some of her work on my walls.
Her art is characterized by dreamlike narratives, whimsical figures, and symbolic imagery set within richly colored, fantastical environments. Blending elements of fantasy, folklore, and personal mythology, her paintings invite viewers into alternate realities that feel both playful and introspective. Working primarily in oil, acrylic, watercolor, and gouache, Boyko has developed a versatile technique that enhances the depth and emotional tone of her pieces. Today, her work is held in private collections across Europe and the United States, reflecting her broad appeal and enduring creative voice.
Antoinette Kelly
03/17/26 12:13 Filed in: Artist | Living Artists
Antoinette Kelly is a British contemporary painter known for her whimsical, dream-like imagery and distinctive naïve style. Born in Surrey, England, she studied graphic design and illustration at the University for the Creative Arts in Epsom and at the Southampton Institute before turning her focus to painting. Kelly now works full-time from her studio in the Haute-Vienne region of southwest France.
Her paintings feature solitary figures, animals, and theatrical landscapes rendered with playful perspective and rich atmosphere. Blending elements of folk art, fantasy, and surreal storytelling, her work often evokes a sense of quiet mystery and imagination. Kelly has exhibited widely in the United Kingdom and Europe, and her paintings are held in private collections internationally.
antoinettekelly.co.uk
Erik Hoffmann
03/13/26 15:39 Filed in: Artist | Living Artists
Erik Hoffmann (b. 1952, Leoben, Austria) is a contemporary realist painter. Maybe my favorite portrait artist ever. He is known for his evocative portraits and contemplative landscapes. He studied free painting at the Kunsthochschule Kassel in Germany from 1975 to 1981, where he later taught portrait painting. Hoffmann’s work combines careful observation of nature with a poetic sense of composition, often placing solitary figures within expansive landscapes that feel both familiar and imagined. Read More…
Ted Ellis
03/09/26 11:01 Filed in: Artist | Living Artists
Ted Ellis is an American painter known for his vibrant works that celebrate African-American culture, history, and everyday life. Born in 1963 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Ellis developed a passion for art early in life but initially pursued a career outside the arts, serving in the Army and later working for several years as an environmental chemist. Despite this scientific career, he continued painting and eventually transitioned to full-time art, becoming a self-taught artist whose work blends elements of realism, impressionism, and folk influences. Today, he lives and works in the Houston, Texas area, where his art career has flourished.
Read More…