Wednesday, June 24, 2015

JAN SEEVERS - Graphic Artist/Photographer

World Travel.  No Passport Required.















Mama Janet as she is adoringly called has travelled the world.  In 1999 she has transformed her love of Afrika and photography  into AfrikanSpirit Cards. 
She produces a line of quality African-centered greeting cards and stationery items that proudly display the great motifs and ornamentations of the Afrikan World Diaspora.  She uses Afrikan images,  proverbs and the many languages of Afrika.


She has designed a new line exclusively  for SHOP. PLAY. LOVE. featuring Detroit-inspired graphics and sentiments.




NICK GRUNAS - Photographer

Through the Colorful Lens of a Detroit D.J.














Nick (also known as DJ Just Nick on the club circuit) is a photographer who focuses (no pun intended) on Detroit skylines, landscapes and iconic scenes.  He embellishes his photos with light and color and brings a new, dynamic view of local scenery.

Nick's graphic artistry transform everyday locations into magically radiant versions of the original.







ROBERT MONAGHAN - Photographer

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder...& the Photographer








 

Robert is a popular photographer who knows how to fill a frame.  His compositions and lighting      show Detroit life and its landmarks from a beautiful and intriguing viewpoint.  He has truly mastered a “you are here” perspective that submerges viewers and engages them with his subjects.
He says, “Whether trying to capture the grandeur of the city’s once mighty industrial power, or the melancholy of a long abandoned and silent mansion, my goal is to do more than just document. I try to present each photo as an interpretation of the moment; vivid, often visceral, and never contrived.”

“I try to instill emotion and aesthetic into the shot so that the viewer will feel immersed by what I saw as I put the camera to my eye.    I believe that the streets of Detroit will continue to provide plenty of visual raw imagery for many years to come, and I will continue to capture its unique mix of history and culture.”


SHOP. PLAY. LOVE.  offers a wide selection of Robert’s prints in variety of sizes and framing options.















BUDDY MORSELLO - Painter


Fine Arts meets Eastern Market











Buddy is a Masters of Fine Arts graduate of Wayne State University and is currently a full time professor of art at Oakland Community College. 

He started painting at the age of 18, painting the album covers of favorite musical artists and it just grew from there. He was moved to pursue fine arts and painting as his degree.

Buddy’s primary goal now is to capture places and faces in Detroit and to be solely supported by his Detroit-inspired art.  He describes his point of view as objective abstraction. “In other words I use what I see and abstract the subject matter”.


                               

FORBIDDEN 36X36

MUSEUM OF SHADOWS  40X30



RIA NORIEGA - Painter

Love Detroit Grafitti? Take some home.









I am a Detroit artist that spray paints vinyl albums, reclaimed items and stretched canvas.  I also paint live with the Detroit Art Collective.  Its a good chance you'll find me at one of Detroit's many music and art related events, as that is where I find a great of my inspirations.








ALIYA MOORE - Graphic Artist

Not your grandmother's stationery.


Aliya Moore is a painter and graphic artist, working with many mediums, watercolor being her favorite. Her work expresses originality, yet captures the simple themes of everyday life such as, Love, Beauty and Relationships.
Aliya refined her craft as an Arts & Crafts major at Detroit’s  renowned Cass Technical High School. 

Her works have been featured at many venues, including:
Wayne State University Arts Festival
The Shrine of the Black Madonna
The Iron Street Mural Project
African World Festival
The Concert of Colors

Aliya is a native Detroiter and mother to two beautiful daughters. She is now featuring her graphic designs on a line of greeting cards and stationery.


DENISE BILLUPS-WALKER - Lampwork Glass Artist

Lampwork Glass in Sculpture and Jewelry Design














Denise Billups-Walker is a lampwork glass artist and designer.  After retiring as a Detroit Public Schools teacher, Denise chose to delve into her love of glass arts.  She is the founder of  Fire Dance Studio. “Fire dance” was a term used by lampworkers of old to describe the movement of the mandrel and glass rods in and out of the flame.  

Denise is a member of International Society of Glass Bead Makers for 18 years and the Southeastern Michigan Glass Beadmakers Guild for 15 years, serving as President and Secretary.  She so loves her work that in September of 2010 she attended a weeklong glass workshop with Lucio Bubaco in Murano, Italy.





Galleries -          
Lawrence Street Gallery – Ferndale, MI
Arts Afire – Alexandria, VA
                Rubini Gallery, Benzonia, MI
Most recent exhibitions –
2015 -  “Creatures – Real or Imagined” - Grosse Pointe Art Center – Grosse Pointe, MI;
“Wanna Dance” – 2nd Place; “Lolly” – Honorable Mention
2014 - Small Works”, Riverside Gallery, Ypsilanti, MI – “Gilda Lilly”, Honorable Mention
                2012 – Synergy –“Yeah…Detroit, So Bead It! – 1st co-winner, Wearable art
                2007 -2013 Our Town, Birmingham Community House, Birmingham, MI
                2004 – 2009 Lawrence Street Gallery, Invitational 
                2007 – University of Michigan Open Invitational


CENTURIUM FROST - Ceramist/Graphics Artist

Off the Potter's Wheel: Detroit-inspired Glazeware.














College for Creative Studies graduate, Illustrator Centurium Frost, marries his illustrative talents with his love of ceramics in his collections.
The artist graduated from Detroit’s renowned College for Creative Studies in 2013 with a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts with a focus in Illustration. He was introduced to ceramics while studying for his Associate’s Degree at Henry Ford Community College.      
His Detroit-influenced urban chic selections have been featured in many art fairs and shows (including, the popular Ann Arbor Art Fair) and on Fox 2 News and most recently The Detroit Free Press.
On a personal note, Centurium currently is a Ceramics Technician at Henry Ford Community College. He also holds various martial arts championship titles, including; US International Kickboxing Federation Full Contact Kickboxing Champion; US Midwest Full Contact Kickboxing Champion; and Michigan State Full Contact Champion. The artist volunteers as an instructor for the Institute of Martial Arts with their Youth Developmental Karate and Mentorship program.





SUNN ANDERSON - Painter

Want a vibrant view of Iconic Detroit and Musical Artists?







With over forty years of painting experience I still relish and enjoy the act of painting.  Every painting is a journey within an exciting adventure.  I started drawing as a child mostly with a stick in the dirt. This is when I realized the power of drawing.  In elementary school I excelled in art and had very good art teachers. After 3 years of service in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, I went to Wayne State University where I studied art full time.  Soon after I worked in several galleries and have been painting Detroit relentlessly.

I play with color to capture mood, action and time in my paintings. I choose positive subject matter that expresses my personal feelings toward society and the communities that I embrace.

It has been a pleasure and an honor to work locally and nationally with many artistic and historic institutions, sharing my artist’s view.  It is most humbling to realize my impact on my students and supporters. 







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