Denise Brook is a figurative artist based in San Diego, California. A first-generation Latvian American, her work reflects the experience of growing up in 1970s California with parents still grappling with the lasting effects of displacement. From an early age, she developed a keen ability to observe and translate her experiences into visual narratives.
Identifying as a contemporary surrealist, Brook interweaves layered imagery and everyday objects to create thought-provoking compositions with underlying messages.
Artist Statement
I bend the real world with color, everyday objects, and human figures—usually women. I call myself a gentle surrealist, as surrealism is subtly woven into my work through color and the twisting of perspective. There is often a concept or message embedded in my pieces, some more hidden than others, with many addressing current events. Rather than explicitly stating my concept, I prefer to let the viewer create their own narrative from the story unfolding before them. If asked, I’ll share my interpretation.
My work is figurative, incorporating real-world elements in a semi-dismantled way.
I work in acrylic on canvas; after laying down the main colors, I incorporate multiple layers of glaze to achieve the softness I’m after.
John Pham is a Cartoonist living in Los Angeles who works in comics, animation and printmaking. He is a winner of the Xeric grant, as well as nominated for the Ignatz and Eisner awards. He self publishes his ongoing comic series Epoxy, and his strip J&K was collected by Fantagraphics in 2020. It was named one of the best graphic novels of the year by the Guardian. You can find more of his work below:
Naturally gifted with a keen observation of life, including the cultural, social, political and religious landscape in the world we live, Paul Torres’ art embodies a rich imagination and is laced with social commentary with a soulful interpretation of everyday life. Paul was born and raised in Santiago Chile, in Las Condes, his birth name is Pablo Torres Urmeneta, his interest in art began at age three after being introduced to comic books. Early on, Paul also became influenced by Hollywood films, such as Film Noir, Horror, Detective and Westerns, and also by European Art, such as Baroque, Impressionism, Surrealism, and American Art.
Coming to the United States for one year and again at the age of 9, Paul fell in love with the art culture of Los Angeles. After immigrating to the United States permanently at age 18, Paul served in the U.S. Army, and became a U.S. citizen at 21 years old. He attended Otis Parsons Art Institute, and then in 1998 he received his Bachelor of Fine Art in Illustration/Fine Arts from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He had the privilege of studying with several prominent artists, such as Daniel Greene, Jan Saether, Albert Handell, and many more, and also worked for many years in the Animation and Movie industry, as a character and background designer. He was a key character designer for a few seasons for DIC Entertainment “The Real Ghostbusters”, an animated TV series, he worked on “Cool World” by Ralph Bakshi, and many TV Shows and Films.
Paul actively shows in Los Angeles, across the U.S., and internationally. He has been a featured Solo Artist at various Galleries such as La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Grand Central Gallery, Chimmaya Gallery, The Hive Gallery, among others. And he has been part of many two person shows, and group shows such as the Copro Gallery, Distinction Gallery, Rico Gallery, The Hive Gallery, Muckenthaler Cultural Center among many others. Paul was also represented at the rental and sales gallery in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He has been written about in Cultcrusher, Legend, Juxtapoze, Reddoor magazine, Browndwarf Compendium Magazine, The Big Book of Contemporary Illustration and many more publications and sites throughout the world. Paul currently resides in Alhambra, California, with his beloved wife, Clara.
If you are interested in purchasing any of my work, or have any questions or comments, just email me at: paultorres9@yahoo.com.
Delia Ciccarelli is an Italian illustrator. She has published several books of her illustrations to make people happy in the World. At 4 years old, Delia splashed drawings and colors on the walls of her parent’s home, which made them very happy, and they kept them with love. When she was 19, she began animating characters for television and cinema at an animation studio in Rome. She studied Architecture at University but left after completing 27 exams. Afterwards, she studied at the Academy of Illustration in Rome and has since worked with publishers in the UK, Faroe Islands, Italy, US and Australia. Delia is a nature lover, loves taking long walks in the natural world with her little pigeon, Sun, whom she loves very much — to think, inspire, recreate and imagine. She also likes to take little trips in her car (with Sun pigeon too) discovering new places.
You can view Delia’s work on instagram @deliaimagination
