Ann Dunbar is a Side Arts Certified Visual Artist from Calvados, France.

Ann Dunbar, originally from England, was born in Faberstown, Hampshire, in 1953. She currently resides and works as an accomplished painter in France.

With three decades of artistic experience and aesthetic exploration, Ann has honed her skills in the delicate art of watercolor, seamlessly blending the rich tradition of English embroidery onto paper canvases.

Her unique approach involves layering fine threads of cotton and silk alongside paint, imbuing her artworks with an added dimension, creating a captivating interplay of colorful reflections that dance with changing light and the viewer’s gaze.

Experience and Achievements

Ann’s journey through the world of art began with a degree in Education from the University of Southbank in London in 1975. She pursued her passion further, graduating with honors from the School of Fine Arts at Surrey. Her dedication to the arts extended into the realm of education. She served as a professor of applied arts in England for an impressive 16 years.

Notably, Ann Dunbar has been recognized and included in the prestigious Larousse directory of artist ratings since 2005. Her professional artistic journey continues to flourish in France, marked by numerous publications and official accolades.

Among her recent achievements, she was awarded the Vermeil Medal by the Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Letters in Paris in 2022. In 2016, her exceptional work earned her the Gold Medal at the International Artcomexpo.com exhibition in Oslo, Norway.

Ann’s masterpieces can be admired at several esteemed galleries across the globe including the Shoalhaven Gallery in New South Wales, Australia, G&C Agent, United Kingdom, and China.

Her unique fusion of watercolors and embroidery continues to captivate art enthusiasts worldwide, leaving an indelible mark on the world of contemporary art.

See more work, visit anndunbarart.com

Christina Mitterhuber is a Side Arts Certified Visual Artist from Vienna, Austria.

Christina Mitterhuber was born on 29 December 1975 in Wels, Austria, Europe, and is based in 1180 Vienna, Austria.

Christina paints using oil, acrylic, and mixed media on canvas of various sizes. She has been creating self-studies since childhood with her first oil paintings created at the age of twelve. She has created over one thousand paintings. Her favorite painters and sculptors are Michelangelo, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Rafael, and Rodin.

Christina has self-studies at galleries around the world including galleries in New York City, San Francisco, Melbourne, Victoria, Vancouver, Montreal, Sidney, Brisbane, Paris, Cannes, London, Manchester, Rome, Florence, Milan, Dublin, Cork Island, Berlin, Hamburg, Malaga, Prague, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Oslo, Kopenhagen, Genf, Zürich, Antibes, Venice, Nice, and in the center of the cultural world, Vienna.

See more work, visit christinamitterhuber.at

Nina Pancheva is a Side Arts Certified Visual Artist from Varna, Bulgaria.

Nina Pancheva creates paintings and art installations. In her practice, she often juxtaposes abstract elements with figurative ones to explore various subject matters, mainly related to political, social, and ecological problems.

After completing her bachelor’s degree in fine art at the art academy in her home country, Bulgaria (in Plovdiv), she received her MA in Fine Art at the University of Southampton in 2011. In 2015, she completed her PhD at the same university with practice-based research.

Honors and Awards

Among the honors that Nina Pancheva’s paintings have received are:

• shortlisted for the final stage of Visual Art Open Competition, London, 2023;
• shortlisted for London Art Biennale 2021;
• first place for painting at the open theme competition, Teravarna, US;
• fifth place for painting in the competition ‘All Landscapes’, Contemporary Art Gallery Online;
• shortlisted for the final exhibition of Lynn Painter-Strainers Prize 2017;
• shortlisted for the final exhibition of the competition ING Discerning Eye, as well as for Sunny Art Prize 2020;
• selected for ArtPrize – Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA;
• shortlisted for the final exhibition of Beep International Painting Prize, Swansea, Wales;
• featured artist for August 2021 from The Stables in Exile Gallery, London, UK;
• first-place prize for painting in the competition of Foundation “Anastas Staykov”, Bulgaria; and
• shortlisted as one of the artists to present Bulgaria in the Henkel and KulturKontakt competition in Vienna, Austria.

Nina’s works have been included in private and public collections in the United Kingdom, USA, Bulgaria, Canada, Austria, and Italy.

See more work, visit ninapancheva.com

Charles Hall is a Side Arts Certified Visual Artist from Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

Charles Hall is a Vietnam Veteran who uses photography as therapy to help cope with PTSD. He has been photographing for several years. It is a reason to get out of the house, enjoy himself, and forget issues during that time.

Charles has exhibited photography in over forty galleries in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and California. He has been published in two books. Two of his photos are installed permanently at the Ronald McDonald house in Baltimore, Maryland.

See more work, visit fineartamerica.com/profiles/5-charles-hall

Barbara Leger is a new Side Arts Certified Visual Artist from New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Barbara Leger is noted for her intrinsic talent to capture emotion enveloped in nature. She has a long history of classical training, formally and in studio, with a strong concentration in oil painting. Ms. Léger has been trained through a Master Apprenticeship Program.

As a realist, Barbara paints emotion and moments in time with contemporary styling. Through years of honing her craft, she captures the subtleties that give her work the distinction of sharp focus realism synonymous to the effect of a camera.

Barbara is a Master Marine Oil Painter with the International Society of Marine Painters and a member of Oil Painters of America. She is an integral part of the resurgence of the illuminist movement. Her work is showcased at premier galleries along the eastern seaboard and featured in Nantucket at the Vanderbilt Gallery. Ms. Leger has been featured in numerous magazines including Nantucket Only, American Art Collectors, Cape Cod Art, and American Art Review. She has exhibited in Art Basel Miami and Art Hamptons New York in recent years.

See more work, visit barbaraleger.com.

Dr. Richard Heiens is a Side Arts Certified Visual Artist from Greenacres, Florida.

Dr. Richard Heiens is an accomplished international artist whose colorful abstract expressionist works solicit an emotional reaction from the viewer. His paintings are mostly abstract in nature with some figurative art. His abstracts highlight shapes and colors. Using color intensity and simplicity of composition, his works make a big impact without crowding the canvas.

Dr. Heiens’ paintings have a wonderful balance and handling of the acrylics. They catch the eye of the beholder with their colors and shapes which tell a story. His paintings have a balance of warm, cold, and neutral color composition with a mix of different round and edged components. There are clear boundaries filled with soft shifting nuances. He uses layering of the paints to create the richness in the colors with light and darks being well-placed.

Background

In Rome, Italy, Dr. Heiens took lessons from Professor Sergio Graziani, a famous artist and actor, on how to paint in oil and acrylics. When Dr. Heiens returned to the United States, he taught art to seventh graders in Illinois. He obtained a Doctorate Degree in Education Technology in 2006.

Dr. Heiens obtained gallery representation in Texas and London after selling his works on Instagram. He has had private commissions from clients in Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Illinois, Missouri, South Carolina, California, Florida, and Washington.

See more work, visit dochartist.com

Leslie Jeffery is a Side Arts Certified Visual Artist from Largo, Florida.

Leslie Jeffery was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and became aware of art at a young age from her grandmother, an accomplished oil painter. Leslie studied painting, art history, and constructive design at Florida State University and has a BS in Art Education from FSU. Her large acrylic abstracts are widely exhibited and have received numerous awards.

Leslie works from her studios in Largo, Florida, and Highlands, North Carolina, where she spends the summer. Leslie’s paintings are primarily large format acrylic abstract compositions. The early Abstract Expressionists are her greatest influence, especially Franz Klein, Joan Mitchell, and Lee Krasner. Her work is about the process and features texture – light or heavy, marks of all kinds, deep colors, many layers, patterned backgrounds, drips, and various mediums. They convey energy and mood, and are lyrical. She creates interest and curiosity through the simplicity or complexity of the piece. Leslie finds the painting process exhilarating and loves to talk to viewers about their reaction to and perception of her work. She feels successful when she believes her most recent artwork is her best. While a few are difficult to plan and execute and others come easily, she usually thinks, “What fun that was!”

Memberships and Exhibitions

Leslie is a Signature Member of the International Society of Acrylic Painters (ISAP) and The Florida Artists Group (FLAG). She is a Past President of Las Damas de Arte, a Tampa-based group of women who exhibit together and raise money for art scholarships. Leslie was co-founder of The Carolina Gallery of Fine Art in Highlands, North Carolina, and in August, 2019, was the Presenter for the Art League of Highlands-Cashiers at The Bascom in Highlands, North Carolina.

• November 2019 – April 2020: Solo show at Galleria Misto at Mahaffey Theater, Duke Energy Center for the Arts in downtown St Petersburg, Florida
• April 2020: Participated in the FLAG exhibition at Foosaner Museum in Melbourne, Florida
• May 2020: Won First Place at Art Center Sarasota juried exhibition “UNCHARTED” (out of 270 entries)
• Dec 2020: Solo exhibit at Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, Florida – “Adios 2020”

See more work, visit lesliejeffery.art

Anne Nye is a new Side Arts Certified Visual Artist from Florence, Arizona.

Anne Nye studied fine art at the University of Idaho, California College of the Arts, and University of Idaho in the 1970’s, completing course work for a BFA. She worked as a graphic designer for many years. In 1997, she became a full-time artist working primarily in kiln-formed glass, developing her signature painterly style and techniques.

Anne’s work has been featured in several national magazines including Art Connoisseur, Glass Art Magazine, and Western Art Collector. Over fifty galleries and shops throughout the United States and Canada have represented Anne’s work. Currently, she is represented by Artful Home. Numerous pieces are held in private collections across the globe.

Anne has been in high demand as an instructor. She has taught in Denver; Atlanta; Omaha; Tennessee; Phoenix; Winnipeg, British Columbia; and Denmark. She conducts select one-on-one mentoring and teaching workshops in her home studio each year.

Anne continues to paint and recently began collaborating with wood artist, Jerry Hauck. She makes her home in Florence, Arizona, with her dog, Ezra, who makes her smile!

See more work, visit annenye.com.

Edna Santiago is a Side Arts Certified Visual Artist from Media, Pennsylvania.

Edna Santiago, a self taught artist, started painting in 2006 after the tragic loss of her only son. Direct, alive, tells a story, and colorful … these are descriptions of her works in oil and acrylic.

Edna expresses life’s elements and stories in color and movement. She is a retired physical therapist and interested in assisting women and children find “their way” to reach their potential through arts. She volunteers at several Philadelphia area art centers such as the Mainline Art Center and Darlington Art Center.

Edna curated and opened an art exhibition, “Nor Wind Nor Waters” at the Da Vinci Art Alliance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in August 2019. This was the first of a series of exhibitions in support of Puerto Rican artists.

Medium: Printmaking, Gourd Art, Painting
Styles: Artesana, Expressive Impressionism, Abstract

See more work, visit ednasantiago.com