Live Panel: Thumbnails

Acrylic | Oil | Charcoal | Colored Pencil | Drawing | Gouache | Graphite | Watercolor

“Painting is a quest for dynamic visual balance; therefore, circulating a viewer’s eye throughout a well-designed composition is of utmost importance. Because choice of subject matter (objective, semi-objective or non-objective) is not a main concern, I work in any style or technique that is best suited to express a particular idea, exploring it tirelessly and thriving on the uncertainty of not always knowing my next move.”

Ken Goldman is an internationally known artist, author, teacher, and art juror. A recipient of numerous awards, Goldman has exhibited widely in various group shows and solo exhibitions in Holland, Paris, Italy, Greece, China, Colombia, Mexico, New York, Boston and Washington D.C. In California Goldman has shown at the Oceanside Museum of Art, The Fischer Museum of Art, the Frederick R. Weisman Museum and the Autry Museum. Recently, 2012 through 2022, Ken’s work has been exhibited throughout China: The Shanghai International Biennial, two Shenzhen International Biennials, five Universities: Jimei, Quanzhou, Tsingua, Qingdao and the Shanghai University.

Goldman’s work is included in the permanent collections of the San Diego Museum of Fine Art, the Hilbert Museum of California Art, the San Diego Museum of Natural History, North Carolina’s Hickory Museum of Fine Art, the San Diego Watercolor Society and the Zuo Wen Museum in Qingdao China.

The author of seventeen instructional books on Pastels, Acrylics, Charcoal and Artistic Anatomy, Goldman has also been featured in several magazines, including The Art of Watercolour, Southwest Art, International Artist, Watercolor Magic, Splash 12, 13 & 19 and The Artist’s Magazine, among others.

Ken is Past President of the National Watercolor Society and is represented by California Watercolor Gallery.

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Oil | Pastel

Maria Iva is a Canadian landscape artist and art instructor known for her vibrant and expressive paintings, often created using soft pastels or oil with a palette knife.

This technique allows her to create stunning textured pieces that invite viewers to engage with the artwork on a tactile level. The use of the palette knife imparts a three-dimensional quality to the paintings, with raised ridges and valleys that catch the light and cast shadows, adding depth and dimension to the surface. Through the manipulation of oil paints wet on wet with a palette knife Maria blends colors directly on a canvas, creating harmonious transitions and subtle gradients that enhance the textural complexity of her artwork. By embracing the unpredictability of using a palette knife and allowing the underpainting to show through, she fills her paintings with a sense of spontaneity and vitality, as if the landscapes themselves are alive and in motion. The result is a series of textured pieces that not only celebrate the beauty of nature but also invite viewers to experience it in a tangible and immersive way.

Maria regularly exhibits at juried shows such as the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF), the Square Foot Show, and
at galleries including Cloud Gallery, Paula White Diamond Gallery and Burlington Art Gallery shop. She is an elected member of the Canadian Art Society and a Signature Master member of Pastel Artists Canada (PAC) with the Eminent Circle designation—an achievement that requires multiple awards and acceptance into many juried shows. Maria is based in Mississauga, Ontario and enjoys hiking, often combining her outdoor adventures with field studies and plein air painting. She is deeply connected to her students and collectors and shares updates through newsletters and social media.

Click Here to learn more about Maria