The Essence of Eviecats

Welcome back to The Expressionist Magazine

Sarah Phillips, aka Eviecats, has been drawing since she was just old enough to hold a pencil.  She was born with a love for art; after all, it runs in her family with both sets of her grandparents being strongly involved in the field.  Now, in her late 20s, Phillips is a skilled artist who describes her illustrations as “down to earth, light and full of animals.”  Phillips states that she has always had a great love for animals, with a profound passion for producing them on paper.  The talented artist also describes her work as retaining a sketchy, cartoon-like quality, which is quite popular in art right now.

And when it comes to a choice of mediums, Phillips says she likes a variety.  ”I feel a true artist tries all mediums to have a well- rounded understanding of tools and options.”  Recently, Phillips’ favorites to dabble in have been a mixed media of texturized watercolor paints, colored pencils, acrylic and goucache paints.  The artist adds that her favorite paper to use are bristol brand card stocks, which were first introduced to her in college.  And when it comes to drawing instruments such as pencils and brushes, Phillips points out she chooses reforested wood pencils and non-fur paint brushes over the supposed “high quality” alternatives.  ”To me, a slight quality difference isn’t worth compromising my personal standards,” explains the artist.

Phillips is formally art trained, and has attended Figure Drawing and Anatomy courses, along with Painting, Drawing, Design, Structural Design and Sculpture.  Phillips’ Digital Painting, which takes place in Photoshop CS4, is the only area where she is “self taught.”  The artist’s training hasn’t been without a few snags along the way.  ”The running joke with me and my immediate family is that I am aspiring to make back the money I spent on college.  I attended two years toward a Fine Arts degree at Meremec College in St. Louis, Missouri before moving to Florida and finding out, to great dismay, that community colleges prefer you to take all “speciality courses” at their schools, so I would have to start over.  I’m not sure I will ever finish my degree, but what I do enjoy is staying fresh and updated on art classes and taking one at a time, for the companionship and critiquing element that often keeps one “squared.”

Born Sarah Kluegel in St. Louis, Missouri, the artist now resides in West Palm Beach with her husband, four cats and hound dog.  When not busy creating, Phillips enjoys time reading, gaming with her husband, and helping out with animals in the community.  She particularly loves spending time at the local zoo, where she can devote an entire day to sketching, and looking for unique photo opportunities.

Phillips doesn’t just express her love for animals in her paintings and illustrations, but does so also through literature. Currently, Phillips is composing a graphic novel titled, PAINTED.  ”It is the story of an African Serval named Sanura, which is Swahili for kitten.  Sanura is adopted by a pack of African wild dogs, or ‘painted dogs.’  Painted dogs are one of the most endangered and exploited species in the world today, with as few as 3,500 animals remaining in the wild,” explains Phillips.  ”My goal for the comic novel is to bring awareness and adoration for this species.  People love wolves, and these guys are the African wolf!  I hope to get published in the next year, but in the meantime, I am sharing it with the Deviantart* community, as they are an endless wealth of inspiration and support.”

In addition to Phillips’ book, she is also excited about her mixed media piece titled, “Sea Jewel,” which was chosen as one of the illustrations for the ALF Gulf Oil Spill Calendar Fund.  Having art picked for the calendar is a tremendous honor, and Phillips couldn’t be happier.  ”I am quite proud of ‘Sea Jewel’,” states the artist.

According to Phillips, she has more dreams waiting to be fulfilled.  ”I want to one day be published in a book.  I am very interested in illustrative work, as well as writing my own stories.  I might find a nice niche’ within children’s books,” says Phillips.  ”Another dream of mine is to help animals with my work, which I am already doing.  I donate every year to the Big Cat Rescue Furball in Tampa, and more recently, to the Oil Spill Calendar.”

Phillips’ pieces are nothing short of amazing.  There is no doubt that she is a gifted and wonderfully creative artist; therefore, it is easy to see why her work is so well received.  Certainly her fans have their favorite pieces, but what about the artist herself?  ”I try not to choose favorites; in fact, I am often my hardest critic,” confides Phillips.  ”However, I am personally fond of my ‘Cuttlefish’ digital piece.  It was enlightening to work on an animal lacking the typical mammalian cuddly qualities many expect from my work.”  Another popular item for Phillips is the artist trading card, or Aceo (Art card, Editions, and Originals).  The Aceo is a movement within the artist community that uses cards the size of baseball cards to do “art trades.”  ”I sell many Aceo’s because they are small and an affordable way of owning something by your favorite artist,” explains Phillips.

When speaking to the South Florida artist, there was one question I couldn’t help but ask.  Why the name Eviecats?  ”I wish I had an epic tale to weave about my screen name, but sadly, it’s pretty straight forward,” says Phillips.  ”My middle name is Eve, and I have known many Sarahs throughout school and work, so I sometimes go by Evie instead. Occasionally, people would call me “kitty,” because of my love for animals, especially cats.  So, ‘Eviecats’ was born!” Phillips says the nickname has worked out well and survived her last name changing with marriage.

Throughout the many years of creating art, Phillips steady and endless source of inspiration and encouragement has come by way of her grandparents.  It is obvious that strong family bonds are significant to the artist.  Not only is Phillips talented, but she has a big heart.  This is an important quality when it comes to being an artist.  With love and caring comes great passion and expression.  Phillips shows her beautiful soul in all of her outstanding and original pieces.  ”I am motivated by the unending road of improvement spread out before me,” states Phillips.  ”While it is true there is very little left in the world that hasn’t been done, it is immeasurably fun and empowering to create illustrations and expressive pieces that really represent your inner most thoughts and self to the rest of the world.  My wish is to share my unique view and appreciation of what I find beautiful with everyone.”

*To view Sarah Phillips’ work, go to Eviecats.deviantart.com.  Phillips says this is her favorite online art gallery because it is international, and is for all skill levels, groups and genres of art.  The site includes Phillips’ most updated and complete art collection, as well as her commission information.

To view Phillips’ journal, and to buy a piece from the Eviecat collection, go to http://eviecats.deviantart.com/journal/32529673/

Mauricio Murillo Photography

If you would have told Mauricio Murillo when he was in middle school that art would engulf his life and give him a new sense of purpose he probably would have laughed at you.  As a young man trying to find his way in a tough world, this native Floridian did what most young boys do in school; he was active in sports, all kinds from football to soccer and whatever else his school offered.  He admits that he dabbled in art in his younger days but it wasn’t a focus.  This just shows how you can’t say, “I’m never going to do it,” because you usually end up doing just that.

As he got older, Mauricio started to focus more on abstract art in college, and he really embraced it by saying it was a great creative release.  He was born into a family of artists, specifically his mother who did a lot of painting and whose style mimicked her home country of Columbia.  Mauricio’s art went down a few different paths as he grew his talent; one of those paths took an urban feel.  He really enjoyed the raw but rough graffiti he found on walls and such.  He incorporated graffiti into his work, just not on walls unless someone would ask him to.  He still loves graffiti but it isn’t his true focus anymore. Mauricio is excited that some of his graffiti will be appearing in a new book titled “Label 228″ set to hit shelves in October of this year.  You can get your copy on Amazon.com.

Photography came to Mauricio a few years ago in 2007 by a complete accident.  He noticed an ad in the newspaper for Artsploration, sponsored by the United Arts of Central Florida.  They were looking for photographs of Orlando including the Central Florida area.  He looked through his bag of work and found a photo he loved called “Eden.”  He figured why not, so he sent his application and photo in, then waited for the results.  A few weeks later the results came in, shocking him a bit. He won first place and a prize of $2000.00, not bad for a picture taken on Hills Avenue in Orlando.  This win opened his eyes and his passion for photography.

Like his art, the urban style fits the inspiration for his work.  He really focuses on things that people would take for granted, or takes things that you wouldn’t think of walking by to be beautiful, and makes them into masterpieces through his eyes.  With photography, the art is truly seen through the eyes of the photographer.  It’s the job of the photographer to take what they see and change the mind of the people who view the piece.  This is the challenge that Mauricio loves to accomplish with each and every piece.  A good example of this is his photo of a New York alley.

Mauricio remembers that day, he was in New York during some crazy weather.  It was raining and cold, and he was walking past an alley that wasn’t pretty and definitely taken for granted.  Thousands of people passed this alley everyday, never taking a second look. Mauricio saw something special and took a photo.  The result is one of his most favorite pictures he has taken to date and one of his most requested pieces.

Art isn’t the only thing Mauricio is passionate about. One of his current projects is working with Icla Da Silva Foundation, whose purpose is to help minority and under privileged families with children who suffer with leukemia. Based out of New York, Mauricio is very passionate to lend his talents to help this wonderful organization.  To find out more, check out their web site www.icla.org

To have Mauricio do a commissioned piece for you, or to check out his work, or just contact him, please visit his web site at www.mauriciomurillo.com or his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/mauriciomurillo

Angeline D’Balentine- Turning Japaneesa

The world has been around so long we can’t even give an exact date of its creation.  Through those years, cultures have defined countries, people and religions. Each part of the world has had some impact on the future generations and those ideals bestowed from one generation to another, have blended through into the world today. These ideals were passed down through teachings, literature and art. Art has helped shape our communities and make this world unique.  That is exactly what Angeline D’Balentine found to be fascinating, thus inspiring her to teach and document through art.

D’Balentine is a multi-talented artist, meaning she uses a variety of mediums and does them very well. She has studied many different cultures and religions from around the world, taking what she’s learned and converting it to art.  D’Balentine is able then to document the world as she sees it and how it impacts her life.

The most recent example of this is her phenomenal series, “Japanese Art.” This series is inspired by Japan, a country and culture that has always amazed D’Balentine. We know the dynasties that have ruled over this small Pacific Island and how much this culture has impacted our world. They have founded alternative natural medicines and have developed forms of karate. Japan had a major impact in World War II, and forever changed how we look at weapons of mass destruction. They are the innovators of great technology such as video games, televisions, cars and so much more. Japan has in some way, touched our lives because of something we know and love and hold dear to our hearts. D’Balentine takes this impact and puts it to art, for all to see and be wowed by.

D’Balentine’s Japanese collection right now only has four particular pieces. Those pieces are mixed-media since they are a collaboration of photography, graphic art, paint and pencil. Some of these pieces have a few mediums together, while others have just one.  Each piece in D’Balentine’s collection is very unique and individual in their own right. They are amazing pieces that glorify Japan’s culture and history.

A personal favorite of mine from the series is a Japanese Geisha, armed with a Katana sword, showing her power and mystique. On the other hand, the Geisha’s kimono shows her beauty and glorified feminine physique. She reminds me of a character in the movie, Mulan. In this movie, there is a very brave and powerful young woman who wants to protect her father. This was in a time where it was forbidden for women to join the Emperor’s army; a great portrayal of both sides of the Japanese woman. I love the intricate detail on the border and fans that line the left of the picture. This is very similar to what you would see with authentic Japanese art, from composition, to colors, and detail.

D’Balentine also has a few other series that she has worked on over the years. She loves drawing realistic portraits, to be as detailed as a painting would be. Most of these are done with pencil, but the end result is simply a stunning hand drawn portrait you’d swear was a photograph.

In 2008, D’Balentine also illustrated a children’s book titled, “If Everyone Were Just Like Me.” This project she is very proud of because it’s a story that gives a lesson to children, and her art work will help a child retain the lesson that the book gives. Helping children and giving them something they can enjoy and love is a spectacular feeling.

I talked to this amazing artist and found that her goal for her work is to document cultures, tell of their wonderful uniqueness, and hope that it inspires younger generations to look into other cultures and religions and understand what makes them so unique. D’Balentine would also like to see her art inspire others to pursue art as an outlet.

We think you will love Angeline D’Balentine’s art.  Currently, she is working on a web site but you can see some of her pieces on her MySpace page at www.myspace.com/arhazime.