Gathering, Farhana Akhter Cri De Mon Coeur, C Bangs Innocence, Janet Cristenfeld Majong, Dulcie Dee Blue World, Michelle Carmen Gomez Hermana, Mia Roman Hernandez Connecting Flames, Nadiya Jinnah Celebration, Keith Morant Beachcombing 3, Melanie Prapopoulos Atma, Ramya Ravishankar Demigoddess Rejuvenating, Zakiya Raines Music Maker Ganesh, Tania Sen Mearth, Juan Carlo Suazo        Interception, Maryann Sussoni Mandala Series, Lawrence Terry Chinese Opera Masks, Margo Vallone        Defending the Dynasty, Ellen Yung Woods	Farhana Akhter   Born in Bangladesh and raised in United States, she studied Psychology, Arts & Humanities. She is a prolific New York based artist whose color palette reflect the rich and vibrant hues influenced by her native land and culture. Her mixed media paintings explore  the transformative journey from chaos to harmony and grace.  In her recent work, she incorporates found objects that are symbolic of the transformative process which combine organic elements such as moss, dried flowers, rice, lentil, with inorganic materials such as plastic, glass and metal.  She has had many exhibitions in the New York city and Washington DC area and Canada.  Her work is in various collections in North America and Asia. farhana@farhanaakhter.com www.farhanaakhter.com     C Bangs                       View Member's Page...   The work of C Bangs investigates frontier science combined with symbolist figurative painting.  Functioning as design elements that speak to the interconnectivity of everything in the cosmos, the equations parallel the sacred writings found in illuminated manuscripts. Bangs' inclusion of the female archetype and other mythological symbols is prominent in her works, included in the collections of Library of Congress and museums in US and Italy.     Janet Cristenfeld   Janet Cristenfeld’s life is a fusion of artistic and spiritual journeys. Using oil, watercolor and pencil, Janet depicts the emotions, sensuality, and spirit of imaginary human beings, influenced by her own inner contemplation and the surrounding world. Christ and his story is another theme running through her work as an expression of consciousness and love. In addition to making and exhibiting art that is “a visual manifestation of the soul,” she practices as an energy healer. Over the past five years, she has channeled a set of spiritual symbols, called Souligraphy™, from which she is creating jewelry, books, and paintings. jcristen@earthlink.net www.janetcristenfeld.com Dulcie Dee Her work is a Zen fusion of East and West.  Each painting pulsates with rich, vibrant tropical colors and free-flowing sense of texture.  Her recent “The Mosaic Series” incorporates iridescent and pearlescent mosaics, natural shells and oil on canvas to express  her passion for combining color with medium  and depicting her Asian American heritage. The mosaics are reminiscent of the days when she used to watch her grandmother play majong.  Majong is an integral part of the way of life amongst the Chinese women and it inspired her to create the mosaic series. . Dulcie has authored and illustrated “ABC Coral Reef” an ABC alphabet book to teach young children about the tropical fish in the Pacific Ocean.  She has exhibited in numerous galleries and museums internationally.  She resides in NYC. Phone: 917- 621-7105 Email: DEEDULCIE@YAHOO.COM www.deedulcie.com Michelle Carmen Gomez                 View Member's Page Los Angeles based artist Michelle Carmen Gomez is intrigued by places that still show signs of the vernacular past. Gomez’s photographs capture the essence of a subject, location or study and accentuate the emblematic nature of our day to day. Her work has a narrative quality, seamlessly unifying formality and spontaneity, structure and fluidity; she is an artist whose method is systematic, faithful, unassuming and timeless. Her photographs are intimate, unpredictable, muted and ironic, mimicking the manner in which we often see the world. Gomez has ongoing exhibits in Los Angeles and Miami and her larger photographs, printed on aluminum and mounted on custom 48x64 birch frames, have become a signature style.  A native Texan,  she has worked professionally as a fine art photographer, artist, film director, writer, and actor. Collectors of Gomez’s photography include celebrities, corporations, private collectors and professional athletes.  Mia Roman Hernandez It was with her family that she first learned to appreciate the importance of an artistic community. As a fourth generation artist she is influenced by family and life experiences which leads her hand and nourishes her creativity. Being surrounded by so many creative people provided her with a nurturing artistic environment that encouraged her to explore and learn without boundaries. She enjoys experimenting with various mixed mediums including painting, poetry and photography. The driving force behind her work is very personal. It is an influence of family, culture and a deep sense of spirituality. Phone: 646-361-6448 E-mail: artbymamamia@yahoo.com www.artbymia.blogspot.com Nadiya Jinnah Nadiya Jinnah is a product of an African upbringing, South Asian ethnicity, and English education.  Studying painting and sculpture at England’s finest art colleges, she now uses both to produce what she calls “Lifescapes.”  In line with her multi-cultural background, she exhibits her art internationally.  Her work is collected by a variety of museums, corporations, universities, and private citizens.  Nadiya presently lives and works in New York City.   artist@njinnah.com www.njinnah.com   Keith Morant  Born in England, Keith Morant has been obsessed with art all his life. He had worked and exhibited in London and Southern England until he moved to New Zealand in 1973, currently living and working in Christchurch as a full-time painter.   From 1986 till present, Keith has travelled and exhibited in London, New York, Italy and Tokyo. My wife and I moved to New York in 1989 where I worked for a year and exhibited in Manhattan and London. I am now resettled in Christchurch, New Zealand as a full-time painter. He is currently represented by Alexis International in New Zealand, Trevisan International, Ferrara, Italy and Access Art in New York. morant@paradise.net.nz www.keithmorant.com       Melanie Prapopoulos        View Member's Page... Born in Surrey, England grew up in New Jersey, U.S.A and currently divides time between the States and Greece. Melanie describes her work as "...melding and mixing of color – with color being that which will ultimately present the viewer an experience of emotional revelation". Her work is greatly influenced from what she has experienced in her travels which offer a unique artistic language resulting in a better vocabulary for expression. This coupled with ideas of dance and movement result in an "ignored reality", one grounded in strong lines and the unexplainable – giving expression not just for the peoples of these regions, but in a universal sense. She has exhibited internationally including Italy, Spain, Germany, Argentina, Athens, Turkey and in USA.  Ramya Ravisankar Ramya Ravisankar received a BA in Linguistics and a BFA in Painting from Ohio State University and recently earned an MFA in Painting at Pratt Institute. Her work has been exhibited at various galleries at Pratt Institute as well as McCaig-Wells Gallery and ZONE:Chelsea. Her work is shaped and influenced by various themes in mythology, folklore, family, South Indian cultural history, feminism and femininity. Her work incorporates materials such as elephant dung paper, turmeric and kum kum powder to create depth and a sense of mystery. She takes family stories and transforms, reshapes and combines them with mythology to create new myth-based images that combine Tanjore painting techniques with oil painting methods while also incorporating found objects to create surreal explorations of personal history. www.ramyaravisankar.com Zakiya Raines                                   View Members Page...               Zakiya was born and raised in Harlem, New York City and graduated from Manhattan College. In her early years at Bank Street, she always enjoyed creating and appreciated artwork.   At an early age, Zakiya learned the strong emotions and actions that artwork can compel. She was heartbroken as a child when a passerby asked to buy her Lemonade poster from the school grounds and it was later stolen!  That experience did not dampen her spirits; she has continued to draw and paint throughout her life, using it as a form of release. She also likes to sculpt, and has participated in various other forms of art, including Singing, Ballet, Tap, Modern, Jazz, Afro-Brazilian and African forms of dance.  Singing and painting are her most favorite forms of expression. Her paintings are often inspired by her dreams and her inner most secret thoughts. She believes that if she has made the viewer feel something, whether positive or negative, she has reached her goal. Tania Sen Tania works on a wide range of medium, oil, acrylic, Venetian plaster, mosaic, tiles and glass to name a few.  Her topic of work includes Dance, Yoga, Indian Mythology and Equestrian themes as well as compositions requested on any given theme.  Among her recent commissions are: an oversized mural on the theme of Coney Island Park at the Somerset Hills YMCA.  It is done in acrylic on drywall.  Oil on canvas compositions based on “The Nutcracker”, ballet production for the Broadway Dance Theater and Dance Express, Warren, NJ.   Gotta Dance, also in Warren, owns two of her pencil works on canvas.  A landscape done in four oversized canvases is displayed at the Morris Union Jointure Commission, NJ.   Phone: 908.922.7931 email: taniasen@hotmail.com http://iconsbytaniasen.blogspot.com Juan Carlo Suazo Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Juan remains deeply attached to his native country and its influence in every aspect of his artwork. Juan Carlo is a self-taught artist and began working with clay at the age of 12 after discovering a pit of red clay in a baseball field behind his home in Puerto Rico. At the age of 19 he purchased his very own kiln and began creating ceramic masks, jewelry and figurines. Juan Carlo has presented his work at Craft Fairs, Flea Markets, Arts & Crafts Shows, Galleries, solo shows and has conducted several lectures and workshops. His work has been represented by the Latino Arts Community, including solo exhibitions at Cemi Underground, NY; Taina’s Touch Arts Connection, NY; River Bank State Park, NY and Colalex Gallery, NY.  Juan Carlo is currently working with papier-mâché making his own version of Vejigantes (Puerto Rican carnival masks), incorporating natural products with recycled products. www.jcsartesanias.blogspot.com JCSARTESANIAS@AOL.COM Maryann Sussoni              View Member's Page... Born and raised in the South Bronx to a Puerto Rican mother and Peruvian father, she is a prolific artist who is never at a loss for new ideas.  She is a painter, photographer and musician. The use of powerful brushstrokes with a zen like sensibility can be seen in her abstract paintings. muse8100@yahoo.com Intuituitive Art Studio Tel: 917.647.2030     Lawrence Terry His relationship with fire as a medium began with his fascination by flame and also by its by-product, smoke, which could be used for marking surfaces.   The mystery and power of fire is incredibly compelling, and the dual challenge control, and freedom it represents. Fire is not only a medium, it is an element, and it creates an experience of profound communion in creating art from something as alive as flame. It is part of nature, and the universal flow of energy linked through time to ancient tribal ceremonies.  Lawrence’s work process is connected to that power and history. The deep ceremonial aspect of his work is termed 'Urban Rituals', which came from that sense of ceremony in the environment of a sprawling urban vortex of energy.  He is a Buddhist and Qi Gong practitioner, which involves ritual and keen tuning in.  He believes that it is necessary to find ways to connect -and to be connected- to that energy which spiritually feeds and sustains us. MutableColorArt@aol.com Margo Vallone Margo Vallone was born into a family of traditional Korean artists who share a passion for creativity, expression and respect for their Asian heritage. In addition to her Korean descent she is also Chinese and Irish. She graduated from Rutgers University in NJ with a B.S. degree in English.  Although Margo took formal fine art classes during college, Margo's most valuable learning experiences stemmed from drawing alongside her mother, Chung Soon Fwhang-O'Dwyer.  As it was these special memorable childhood moments that created an artistic influence and encouragement that even today, continue to help Margo expand her own creative mood and sharpen her artistic skill set.  To add, Margo's 19 years as a marketing professional has also broadened her creative sense by giving her another dimension of creative appreciation through commercially-driven art and how such work can be leveraged to drive impact and influence within a given marketplace. mvallone@gemgroup.com Phone: 917.701.6712 Ellen Yung Woods Ellen Yung Woods is an artist who resides in a charming horse town in New Jersey where she enjoys caring for her own horses, taking in the area's pastoral scenes and ambiance that have collectively, have become her strongest artistic inspiration. Raised and influenced by an Asian-American family of artists, Ellen has always explored and appreciated creative expression. She has studied drawing and Oriental brush painting with her mother Chung Soon Fwhang O'Dwyer, calligraphy with Marion Andrews and Joseph DiMare at theSalmagundi Club in New York City and with watercolors with Lorraine Niemela in New Jersey. Ellen takes an active role in helping support the local arts within her county by creating and executing fundraising events that help drive awareness and fund both artistic growth and appreciation. E-mail: ScientiaMkt@aol.com