Artscape Spring & Summer 2021 Exhibition Artist Biographies
Bassim Ayad is a painter who was born in a very small village at the heart of an ancient rural people in Upper Egypt, Al Tataleia. From the time he was in sixth grade, he had developed a love for art. Bassim admires abstract art, and uses his natural instincts in his work. He did not study fine art academically, but is self-taught from nature and life. By the time he was studying at the university level he had started working professionally as an artist, balancing that with his civil engineering career. It was in the US that he saw his greatest opportunities for artistic growth. He dreams to one day have his artwork be known as well as the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci, Pablo Picasso or Salvador Dali. Bassim studied civil engineering in school and worked construction in Dubai for many years, but since childhood he has never stopped painting.
Lisa Cabrera is a life-long, award winning artist and picture framer who was born in Los Angeles and raised in Pomona. She started drawing at age five and knew that she wanted to grow up to be an artist. She graduated from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where she was exposed to many types of art, styles, techniques and instructors who were also practicing artists. She went to college and received a B.F.A. in Art with a specialization in Illustration from CSU Fullerton. While in college, Lisa supported herself learning to frame custom artwork, which she continues to do today. It has heavily influenced how she presents her work, as she uses a variety of techniques and styles she learned working with different frame shops, while lending her own style of framing to accentuate her artwork. In 2014, she relocated to Lake Elsinore where she continues to exhibit her artwork in many venues, exhibitions and art fairs throughout Southern California. She freelances her artwork and framing, and works with Studio 395, an arts non-profit located in Lake Elsinore. IG: @framegal13
Gustavo Camacho is an abstract artist and muralist who was born in Montebello and spent his early childhood in Maywood before moving to Moreno Valley at age 12. After high school, he moved around to many different cities in Southern California, from Los Angeles to Palm Springs. Gus has now spent more than 10 years living in Riverside where he and his fiancée own a home. Gustavo has been experimenting with art since childhood, starting with graffiti and eventually expanding into all different mediums and now works as a full time artist, exhibiting his work extensively throughout the Inland Empire. IG: @gus113
Chick Curtis is a painter and printmaker who was born in Virginia. He has been creating art in various forms for most of his life and now teaches painting and life drawing in his studio. Chick has shown his work locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Chick began painting at the age of 50. He had no formal art training at that time and had to rely on his enthusiasm and endurance to gain enough knowledge create the kind of imagery in he had in his mind on the canvas. Chick views his art as a gift that is passing through him without any personal choice. He just learns about it, develops it and enjoys it. In addition to painting and teaching, Chick also likes to cook, dance, read and play guitar. Chickcurtis.com
Emeldy Delgadillo is a dark-artist that goes by the screen name MLDcraft. She revolves her artwork around emotional distress by applying different mediums and approaches to bring her stylized drawings and crafts to life. Emeldy was born in Los Angeles but grew up in Riverside for most of her life. She expresses herself in different forms such as writing, dancing, singing and playing instruments. Emeldy has attended Riverside, Pomona and Los Angeles artwalks as well as having her own booth at a bar while bands performed. She not only loves to create, but she loves to travel and uses "people watching" and her surroundings as inspiration for writings and drawing ideas.
Douglas R. Dzikonski is primarily a photographer, but has also worked in many other mediums. He was born in Northern Wisconsin and came to Riverside County in 1982. He spent 25 years in the Temecula area before moving slightly north. Doug started working with photography in high school and landed multiple images in the school yearbook. He then studied at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara and apprenticed at a wedding photography studio in Santa Fe Springs. He continued working as a wedding photographer after moving to the Seattle area in the late 70's, where he met his wife of 40 years photographing her brother's wedding. Doug is currently combing through a lifetime of photos, with the ultimate goal of utilizing them for digital photography composite images.
Michael J. Elderman grew up in Atlantic City, NJ and studied English and American Literature at Syracuse University (BA, 1964; MA, 1966). After completing coursework for the Ph.D in American Literature at UC Riverside, he went on to work at UCR, where his photography career began in 1978. He has been doing commercial and fine art photography since then, with his first exhibit "Wedding Nights and Other Fantasies" in 1979. He has exhibited extensively in Riverside as well as throughout the United States. His show of Southern California Christmas photos "Xmas a la SoCal" was mounted at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. He has become known as "The Eyes of Riverside" for his continuing documentation of people, architecture, historic buildings, culture and politics in his adopted hometown. This is his 43rd year as a photographer in Riverside.
Denise Kraemer of Riverside is a native of the Inland Empire. She served as the Education Curator at the Riverside Art Museum in Riverside for three years, where she organized the adult education programs, monthly lecture series and member critiques. Denise curated the printmaking exhibition “Pressed” at the Riverside Art Museum and worked with the museum's "Monothon" workshop and exhibition for four years. Denise received her BA in Art from California Baptist University and her MA in Art from California State University San Bernardino. She has had solo exhibitions at the Riverside Art Musuem, worked with Arts Connection and Mil Tree in Joshua Tree, juried the Ink & Clay show at CalPoly Pomona. She also teaches workshops at Division 9 gallery, Riverside Art Museum, Fallbrook School for the Arts and is a professor at Riverside City College and California State University, San Bernardino.
Charlotte Lerner is a watercolor artist who was born in San Diego and raised in Pittsburgh, PA and the San Fernando Valley. She moved to Riverside County four years ago when she retired. Charlotte has been creating are since she was 8 years old and is now showing her work in the area. Charlotte has shown her work at the Newport Beach Library, Courtyard Gallery, Middle Ridge Gallery, Create Center for the Arts, UCR Art Shows and Artist Council Art Show. She belongs to Coachella Valley Watercolor Society, Artists Council, National Watercolor Society, Art Alliance of Idyllwild and Watercolor West. She likes to cross county ski and hike. She has her camera/iPhone with her at all times looking for that special moment where light, shadows and the scene excite her to capture it so she can then paint it. She hopes her work will take her on adventures to new places and people.cmlcolor.com
Aly Lopez is an abstract mixed media artist who has lived in Riverside since 2001. Aly started painting in 2015 as a therapeutic outlet. Her work is inspired by color, texture and raw emotion. She plans to continue sharing art in the Riverside community and hopes that her work will encourage others to express their own creativity. @alys_art_wrld
Ricardo Anastacio Lopez was born in San Diego, but currently resides in Lake Elsinore. The inspiration for his art is his husky dog, Unmei. Ricardo has been showing his artwork at the Lakeland Village community center through STUDIO395, a non-profit arts organization located in Lake Elsinore. IG: @unmeijewelry
Amanda Millar is a multi-disciplinary artist exploring the blending of mediums in translation of the processes of human existence and purpose. She is interested in the transference of spirituality and the constructs of society in relation to the mystery that is our human form. With a beginners mind, she seeks to develop holistic art methods for personal health maintenance and individualistic inspiration practices. Some of the core mediums she works in are textiles, painting, collage, stop-motion animation, creative writing, printmaking, book baking and sculpture. www.amandamillar.org
Donovan Outlaw aka “Don Portfolio,” is a photographer from Moreno Valley. Don has been shooting photography since he was 13 years old when his father asked him to photograph a wedding reception. It was his first time working with photography and he hasn’t put down the camera since. Years later, he is still shooting and is also currently working on fashion and clothing design. He has also published a photo book titled “In the Meantime” that is now available on Amazon.
Peter Phun is a former news photographer who was born and raised in Penang, Malaysia. Peter worked as staff photographer for the Press-Enterprise for 2 decades before he transitioned into teaching at area junior colleges such as Riverside City College, as well as La Sierra University and most recently at El Modena High in Orange. As the first photographer at the newspaper to switch from analog (film) to digital, Peter has discovered every conceivable way to ruin a digital photograph, so it is not surprising that he is now teaching others how not to follow in those footsteps. The series of photographs on display were taken amongst the lavender fields in Beaumont and in historic downtown Riverside, and were a personal project and challenge to himself to do work that is extremely different from what he did while working as a news photographer.
Annette Ramsey is a self-taught acrylic artist who was born and raised in San Bernardino, California. She came to live in Riverside in 1983, after earning an interior design certificate at La Salle University. Annette attended Otis Parsons in Los Angeles and continued her designing career for 23 years in the Inland Empire. Annette earned her AA in Behavioral Studies, AA in Education and an Early Development certificate at RCC before transferring to UC Riverside to earn her degree in Liberal Studies. In partnership with UCR, Annette began teaching at the Cesar Chavez Community Center with a program she named HeART Enterprise (Art Masters). These art classes were the first of a new program called Riverside School of the Arts soon after to become Riverside Arts Academy. As a professional artist, Annette has participated in several venues throughout California such as the Los Angeles Arts Walk, Pomona Arts Walk, Upland Arts Walk, Yucaipa Music and Arts Festival and Riverside Artswalk. Annette has also owned and operated Studio 38B at the Life Arts Center in Riverside.
Sarah Scheideman was born and raised in the Coachella Valley. She is a crafter that works with materials that bring nostalgia and joy to her life, such as felt, foam, up-cycled materials and the unexpected. She has been creating art ever since she attended community college and enrolled in a screen printing course where she was completely blown away by the process. Sarah is currently a working artist and has had many commissions based in Palm Springs. She has shown her work at Artlands, City of Palm Springs, Saguaro Hotel and has also filled windows of empty storefronts along Palm Canyon. She also curated and produced large interactive art installations at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, as well as many other Goldenvoice events throughout Southern California. Sarah’s dream is to do more large scale public art works using her favorite material... felt.
Selena Wilson was born and raised in San Diego but has been a Riverside resident for the last 17 years. She is a visionary artist working primarily with paint to create imagery that provokes the imagination. In addition to creating art, Selena also runs a mother-daughter paint and sip called Party2Gogh, created in 2014. Selena and her daughter began to offer private “paint pARTies” and fundraisers in the Riverside and San Diego areas, and realized that there was an opportunity to create something portable and mess free. They came up with “pARTy Boxes” for those looking for something fun to tap their inner creativity alone or with a few friends.
Kathy Wright is a printmaker who also enjoys watercolor and collage, sometimes combining all three in the creative process with satisfying results. Kathy has been making art since retiring in 2008 from a 37 year career in public education. She has taken classes at UCR Extension, Riverside Art Museum and most extensively with master printmaker Denise Kraemer at Division 9 Gallery in Riverside. She credits Denise with helping her to realize “there are no mistakes in art” and for learning to expect the unexpected and to enjoy the surprises that often come with the printmaking process. She is also grateful to Cosme Cordova of Division 9 Gallery for sharing his artistic knowledge, encouragement and kindness. Kathy’s work has been exhibited at Riverside Art Museum, Riverside Community Arts Association, RCC Forensics Club art exhibit, Dos Lagos Summer Arts, Riverside Medical Clinic, Artscape and Division 9 Gallery. Kathy is a long time Riverside resident having moved here with her Air Force family in 1958. She and her husband Dwight Tate are involved in numerous nonprofit and civic groups in Riverside particularly including arts organizations
