Steven J. Ross

My uncle, Meyers Rohowsky, an artist, introduced me to the world of art and artists in post-war Manhattan. I am inspired by creative personalities, in the theatre, literature or fine art. Throughout my professional career, I continually drew and always traveled with a sketch book. Moving to Manhattan, I studied at The Art Students’ League and was transfixed by the works of the Abstract Expressionists of the 1950s.
They are the most important influences on my style. Like them, I first began painting representational work in an abstract style. As with them I quickly evolved a non-objective means of expression; it was the best way to convey my inspirations, emotions and ideas.
Witnessing first hand the exciting art scene in New York in the 1960s, Op, Pop, living in vibrant Soho of the 1970s and summering in the Springs between East Hampton and Amagansett – the land of Jackson Pollock – all this was a milieu in which my imagination was fired and my desire to paint thrived.
Color, the gesture of the brush stroke and the integrity of the surface of the canvas are of prime importance to me. I paint in acrylics both for the speed of the medium as well as the vibrant colors. I strive to engender the same emotions and ideas in the viewer as I feel when I put my brush to canvas.

Yelena Lezhen

Yelena Lezhen is an American artist located in Watchung, NJ. Her preferred media is oil, acrylic and ink on canvas and paper. She immigrated to the US from Kiev, Ukraine in 1989 and settled down in New York on arrival.

Yelena participated in numerous art exhibitions in the US and Europe, and won a number of juried selection art competitions and awards. Her paintings and drawings can be found in private collections around the world, including United States, Germany, Israel, Russia, and Ukraine.

In my work, I try to capture what is arising in my mind: thoughts, memories, dreams, fairy tales. These are stories that sometimes slowly or sometimes fast unfold on my canvases. To understand what I mean, a passing glance is usually not enough. One needs to stop for a while, observe closely, get out of the closed room of stereotypes and open the door leading to understanding what I try to convey.

Many of my artworks are made in mixed media technique. I harmoniously blend ink drawings into acrylic colors. This sometimes almost random arrangement of abstract acrylic blots on paper helps me to bring up images from my imagination. I frequently resort to using of gold and silver tones. Gold and silver emphasize the artwork’s precious nature and enrich it with a refined connotation.

You can see more of my works at my web site: www.lenazhenart.com and at Instagram hashtag #yelenalezhenart .

Tony Zaza: The End of Summer

I have been exploring the expressive potential of black & white Infrared film for 50 years.  Likewise, I have been using New Dutch Polaroid for a decade. I like the way both films render the environment. They often record the emotional content of the subject rather than the objective. The END OF SUMMER prints play with the unique light near the sea. And the way the spectrum molds the subject.  The SunPrint was created with August light, when the sun is still intense. All my subjects rely on the blessings of sunshine.